CCT - Theme Reminder ....

.... Hello! I'm trying to catch up with some Christmas cards - I've missed rather too many lately, so I've another for our Nutcracker theme at Christmas Card Throwdown - CCT11:

Stamps: Waltzingmose - Nutcracker Sweet
Inks: Versafine - Onyx Black
Dies: Lil Inkers - Dual Stitched Rectangles #2
Accessories: White Lustre Card; DCWV DP - Rose Tinted Christmas; Anita's - Christmas Silver Vellum; Zig Clean Colour Brushes; Clear Embossing Powder; Gems; Tim Holtz Watercolour Card

I stamped this Nutcracker soldier on watercolour card, embossed with clear powder and then used my Zig Clean Colour Brushes to add colour. I also used an aquabrush filled with plain water to make some of the colours paler. Once he was completely dry I carefully cut him out. I've used this week's sketch from CAS(E) this Sketch! - CTS#227 for the layout. I a piece of bright pink design paper and some silver Christmas vellum using a stitched edge die. I adhered the vellum over the pink paper to bring down the glare a bit, and then adhered the panel to the centre of the card. I adhered the Nutcracker with dimensional tape and stamped the sentiment in bold black.God Jul is Norwegian and Swedish for Merry Christmas. I finished the front by adding some gems. On the inside I cut a piece of co-ordinating design paper for the mat and on the white panel stamped a simple greeting, and a black outline image of the Nutcracker soldier. I'm submitting this to Addicted to Stamps and More! - ATSM#247 for their Make Your Mark challenge.

Today is going to be a bit rough. My Mum has been on holiday with us for the last two months, but she's going home to the UK today. It's always good to have Mum visit us, and she hates going home. It's a long flight which she doesn't really enjoy. While she's doesn't want to leave, she is looking forward to seeing her garden - which should be in full bloom - and to sleeping in her own bed. That's all for now.

CCT - Theme ....

.... Hello, good afternoon! I'm finally back online! The engineer came out yesterday and gave us a new modem - and it's looking like our Wifi connectivity issue has now been fixed.

I'm here with my card for our new challenge at Christmas Card Throwdown - CCT11. We have a fun theme for your Christmas/wintery cards - NUTCRACKER/TOY SOLDIERS. I've made a really clean and simple card for this challenge, although I've still got a couple of bits on my desk - so you might see some more soon. Here's my card:

Stamps: Waltzingmouse - Nutcracker Sweet
Inks: Versamark
Dies: Elizabeth Craft - Beaded Circle Frames #3 and#4
Accessories: White Lustre Card; Stampin' Up! Card - Wisteria Wonder, Elegant Eggplant; Silver Embossing Powder; Zig Clean Color Brushes; Tim Holtz Watercolour Card

I've based this card on the sketch from this week's Freshly Made Sketches - FMS#292. This is ultra clean and simple. I stamped the image on water colour card using Versmark and embossed with silver powder. I coloured it with Zig water colour brushes and punched out the finished image with a circle punch (the actual stamped image has a wavy frame). I then die cut two beaded circle frames in shades of purple. I adhered them both flat to the card and then attached the finished image. I've not decorated the inside yet - I'm running late, so I simply wanted to get my card finished.

Do check out our blog to see more inspiration from the rest of the team - they've created some wonderful cards. That's all from me for now.

CCT - Colours ....

.... Good afternoon all! I have to apologise to my team mates as I'm very late with my post for our new challenge at Christmas Card Throwdown - CCT10. We have a colour challenge for the next couple of weeks - YELLOW, KRAFT AND GOLD - not traditional colours, but that's the whole idea of a challenge. I've made a sparkling ornament for my card:

Stamps: Waltzingmouse Stamps - Vintage Ornaments, Nutcracker Sweet
Inks: Versafine - Onyx Black; Versamark; Stampin' Up! - Crushed Curry, Crumb Cake
Dies: Elizabeth Craft - Beaded Oval Frames #2; Spellbinders - 2011 Heirloom Ornaments (S4-334) #4
Accessories: White Lustre Card; SU Card - Crumb Cake; Zig Clean Color - Bright Yellow, Yellow, Lemon Yellow; Spectrum Noir Sparkle - Clear; Copics; Gems; Tim Holtz Water Colour Card; White Embossing Powder; Gold Mirri Card

I decided to have a bright, sparkly ornament as the focal point of my card. I made the card base from kraft card, cut a panel of white slightly smaller and adhered that on top. I stamped the ornament in Versamark on some scrap water colour card and heat embossed with white powder. I coloured it with three shades of yellow from my Zig Clean Colour set with the lightest in the centre and the darkest on the edge, and blended them together with a clear Spectrum Noir sparkle brush. I stamped the words in the centre and cut it out with a matching die. I die cut a beaded oval frame from some brushed gold mirri card which I adhered flat to the card. To finish the front I added some gems and snowflakes. On the inside white panel I stamped a simple greeting and added some more snowflakes.

I'm submitting this card to Addicted to Stamps and More! - ATSM#242 where they want us to make our mark, and also to Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - SSWC where they want to see a bit of sparkle. Sadly you can't see the sparkle really well in these photos - but I assure you it shimmers so much in the sunlight!!

Don't forget to visit our blog to see more inspiration from the rest of the Design Team. You've got plenty of time to join in with the challenge - deadline is midnight (BST) Friday 2nd June, 7.00pm EDT. Have fun!!

WMSFC Finale ...

...  It is with much sadness that I have to tell you that this will be the last challenge at Waltzingmouse Fanatics.  Tara and I have really enjoyed hosting this challenge.  Kathy joined the team a few months ago and I'd like to thank her for the wonderful cards she's made for our challenges. We have decided that as this is our last challenge we're going to go with something that everyone likes:

ANYTHING WALTZINGMOUSE GOES!

The winner of our final challenge will get a super prize from Claire Brennan - details below.  Here's my card:

Stamps: Waltzingmouse - Nutcracker Sweet, Flurries
Inks: Distress - Weathered Wood; Memento - Tuxedo Black; Versafine - Onyx Black
Dies: Spellbinders - Mega Rectangles Sm (S4-144) #4, Mega Rectangles Lg (S4-142) #3
Accessories: White Lustre Card; Gold Mirri Card; Stampin' Up! Card - Smoky Slate; Copic Markers; Martha Stewart - Ornament Border Punch; Glamour Dust

The idea for this card comes from my photo on the challenge graphic; I took it at Bronners - a huge Christmas shop in Frankenmuth, Michigan.  They had a wonderful display of Nutcrackers soldiers and Claire has the perfect set of stamps.  This week's challenge at CAS - Colours & Sketches - CAS#104 is to make a Christmas card using one of their previous sketches - I used one from October this year. 

I stamped the image on white card, coloured it with Copic Markers and the cut it out with a die.  While still in the die I masked off the image and sponged on a dark background.  I added some glitter and white snowflakes.  I layered the completed image on to gold mirri card.  I used a snowflake stamp to cover the background - first and second generation impressions.  I stamped the greeting on white card, layered it on gold mirri and attached it behind the image.  I punched an ornament border along gold card and then adhered a strip of white card on which I stamped a simple pattern.  The main image has been attached with dimensional tape.  For the inside I cut a mat layer of grey card and lightly inked the edges before adhering it to the card.  On the white panel I stamped more snowflakes, a subtle impression of the soldier and a greeting.

Claire Brennan, designer and owner of Waltzingmouse Stamps, is offering the winner a £20 prize voucher.  The voucher is valid until March 2015 and is for use at Claire's online store.  In order to be eligible for the prize your project MUST include at least one Waltzingmouse image, sentiment or digi.

We have extended the deadline for submission of your project - we might all be a bit busy at Christmas!  You have until Thursday 1st January 2015 to upload your projects - winners will be announced on Saturday 3rd January.

Don't forget to check out the fabulous inspiration projects from Tara and Kathy.  Finally, thanks go to all our friends and supporters.  Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.  Bye for now!

52CCT - Pick a previous ....

... Hi!  I told you on Friday that I wasn't quite back on schedule - well, that's the reason I'm very late with my card for this week's challenge at 52 {Christmas} Card Throwdown.  Our hostess, Gill, would like you to pick a previous sketch and play along with us.  Here's the link to our sketch archive.  The one positive about making my card late for the challenge is that I got to use my new Waltzingmouse Christmas stamps, here's my card:

Stamps: Waltzingmouse - Tis the Season, Nutcracker Sweet; Winne & Walter - The Big, The Bold and Seasons
Inks: Stampin' Up! - Real Red, Coastal Cabana, Pear Pizzazz
Dies: Spellbinders - Petit Ovals Sm (S4-140) #4, Petit Scalloped Ovals Lg (S4-139) #4
Accessories: White Lustre Card; SU Card - Real Red; Kasiercraft DP - Mistletoe; Gems

I used our sketch from May 2013 for my card.  I really like it and this card is quite different from the cards I made last year.  I wanted to let the sentiment be the focus of the card and use pretty design papers.  I made the base from Real Red card and cut a panel of this fab design paper to cover it, leaving a narrow border.  I cut out an oval of white card onto which I stamped the sentiment and snowflakes and layered it onto a red scalloped oval.  I cut a coordinating piece of DP for the strip across the middle and added some bold red gems.  On the inside I cut another piece of the poinsettia paper, layered on some white card leaving a big border and finished with a sentiment from the paper pack.

The rest of the team have made stunning cards to share with you - do pop over to our blog and leave them so love.  It's only 3½ months to Christmas, so now really is the time to join in with us and get a head start on your Christmas cards.  These are the cards I made in May 2013:

I think you'll agree that the cards I made last time look totally different to the one I made this year!!

Before I go, I'm having a proud Mum moment!  I took Kathryn out yesterday to have her hair done - she's back at school next week - it looks super and I decided to take a few photos of my fabulous girl:

You can see the lovely cut and colours in this photo - she actually smiled too!!

Here Kathryn is looking more like a teen!  And she'll be a teen in 17 days!!!!  Eek!

That's all for today - sorry to be late with my DT card - but sometimes life gets in the way!  See you soon.