One Deer A Leaping

Greetings to you, I hope your week is going well.

I'm thinking this card is too busy but the one I made before it ended up in the bin so I better not chuck another one! Just one of those days!!

Papers: An all Swedish lineup from Pion Design, Maja Design and Inkido (trying to use up various offcuts)

Dies: Sizzix 'Reindeer Flight', Die-namics 'Fishtail Flags' and 'Circles', Memory Box 'Berry Sprig', 'Joy' is from WPlus9 'Hand Lettered Holiday'

Punch: Martha Stewart edger

Stencil: Memory Box 'Tiny Snowflakes'

Media / Textures: Stampendous Frantage, Texture paste for stencilling which is then coated with Ranger glitter in 'clear rock candy', Krylon Leafing pen 18ct gold, Clear Crackle Accents on deer, Glossy Accents on diecut text, Splattered inks by Ecoline and Winsor & Newton, Prima / Finnabair Micro beads in 'Copper' and 'Bronze', Waco pen for 'snow' beneath Robins

Other: Berry embellishments, bell around deer's neck (decorated with stickles), velvet ric-rac and twine from stash

Wishing you joy even if it is still only July!
Thanks so very much for your visit,
Nicola x

I wish to enter card to the following challenges:
Simon Monday - Add Some Texture
ABC Challenge - Lots of Layers
Winter Wonderland - Use your diecuts and punches / add a charm
Christmas Card Challenges - Anything Goes Holiday
Aud Sentiments - Anything Goes plus a sentiment
Little Red Wagon - Christmas in July
Fussy & Fancy Friday - Christmas in July
Fab n Funky - Christmas

Lemon and Lime, Summertime

Hi there! Thank-you for your visit.

You might have seen a recent post of mine about a card that I made at a workshop with the wonderful Dorota Kopeć. We were given time to make a second card and tags but I held off on completing card so as to customise it at home.

Papers: I used black patterned sheet by Crate Paper. Decorated the watercolour paper at workshop with Ecoline watercolours and stamped with text stamps by Finnabair.

Embossing: Did stencilling using a Prima stencil and texture paste and then heat embossed the paste with Ranger EP.

Dies: I diecut the leaves with a Magnolia die and bird using Memory Box 'perched reed bird' die. The bird is double layered and has been coated with glossy accents for shine. Have inked most edges with Distress 'Black Soot'.

Other Stamping: I stamped sentiment with text by Anna Griffin. Leaves are diecut from a sheet that had been pre-stamped for workshop by the fabulous Agnieszka Barska.

Other embellishments: The paperclay clock, that I've crackle glazed, has been made by me in a Prima mould. Some black butterflies are rubons that have been in stash for an age. Cream berries are by magnolia and white stamens and flowers again are from stash. Flowers and cheesecloth are inked with Ecoline to match the background paper. I painted the lovely chipboard white - it's by Scrapiniec. Finally the black clock hands and all the micro beads sprinkled around ('Grass' shade) are by Prima.

Some ingredients

Thank-you so much for stopping by.

Nicola x

I wish to enter card to the following challenges:
Anything But Cute - Summertime Fun
Scrapyland - Emboss It (heat or dry) - use dies carried by Scrapyland
Live & Love Crafts - Sprinkles of Summer
Mixed Media Mojo - Summertime
The Crazy Challenge - Summer Fun
Creative Artiste - Anything Goes
Artistic Stamper - All things bright and beautiful
ABC Challenge - Lots of Layers
City Crafter - Typically Tropical
Craft for the craic - Summer Breeze

Wrapped in Red

Hello and welcome!

My Christmas crafting has officially commenced and I'm delighted to welcome glitter back into my life!

I was most fortunate to win a beautiful stamp set ('Woolen Mittens' by Oxford Impressions) from lovely Lynne and it is finally getting its first inking. The stamps are wonderful to use with fab deep etching. Isn't this little sweetheart cosily attired?

I stamped mdf bell shape (by Creative Expressions) with bells and text using Ranger 'Vermillion Red' (having masked off area for figure) and then overpainted with well watered paint (Paper Artsy 'Nougat'). Stamped and embossed the little Girl (EP is Sparkle & Sprinkle 'Japanese Lacquer'). I wanted a lovely deep red for her coat and it took several tryouts to get it right! Made her booties a tiny bit darker. Added glossy accents over both and left to dry overnight. Stamped and embossed snowflakes on the bell (EP- WOW White). I'm no use at colouring in faces so just added a hint of blush to her cheeks from one of my own blushers (Chanel). Painted her bonnet, ribbon and socks with white Paper Artsy paint (again tried out other white products but they kept sinking into the mdf - guess I should have sealed the surface first). Glued twine around bell's rim and dabbed it with gold and red Stickles.

Stitched around the backing paper with my handy IKEA sewing machine having lightly stamped some green mistletoe at paper edges. The paper is by 'My Mind's Eye'. Stencilled Snowflakes over bell and background paper with Memory Box 'Tiny Snowflakes' stencil and coated the paste with my go to choice of sparkle (a girl has got to have one!). Added more stamped bells (both distress 'Candied Apple' and 'Festive Berries' were on my table at the end so not sure which one I used for which. Then the little girl went and grabbed one of those new Distress Crayons and scribbled 'Snow' - just as well she drew in the right place!).

Added bunting (by Melissa Frances I think) to top having dabbed them with Stickles along with some Tim Holtz greenery that I've given snowy effects to. Stamped some stockings too and splattered white paint around generally. Decorated further with teddy and mittens charms plus little wooden stars with a toothpick stick for little one to hold. Finally, a red bow and two jingle bells completed the picture.

As always, your visit and any comments that you leave are most appreciated.

Nicola x

I wish to enter card to the following challenges:

Stamping Sensations - Anything Goes with a Stamp and Ribbons
That's Crafty - Feminine challenge
Inky Chicks - Christmas in Summer
Crimbo Crackers - Anything Goes
ABC Christmas Challenge - N for No rules
Winter Wonderland Christmas challenge - Make It Cute
Sparkles Forum Christmas - Snowflakes
Christmas cards all year round - Anything Goes
Aud Sentiments - For a Girl + sentiment
Deep Ocean Challenge - Christmas in July