A Fabby Early Christmas Prezzie!!

Did you see this post on the CCAYR blog?? Evidently this card is a winner & I'm now a proud member of the January to March DT! Obviously, I'm thrilled! LOL
I'm taking a break from Deanne's team this week & from Di's Team next week - with hospital visiting & the fact that I've not started my Christmas preparations yet, I just needed a li'l time off to concentrate on making all those Chrimbo gifts that I've planned. So I might be a li'l bit quiet this week ... but then again, I might not! LOL

Is This A Winning Card?

It's 3 months since I applied for a DT spot at Christmas Cards All Year 'Round, which means it's time to re-apply. Although the requirement was to produce just one card, I found it a li'l bit of a challenge as it had to be inspired by the blog banner - just as it was last time. So I had to create something both the same & totally different! LOL
Auntie Jane brought these MME papers & die cuts back from the US for me last month & I knew at once that they were the ones I'd want to use. The colours are similar to the blog banner ... just more pastel & the composition is inspired by it too. The photo doesn't show it particularly well (flash photography) but the snowman & 'joy' are adhered on foam tape for dimension. I also added self adhesive pearls to the snowman's buttons & black ones for his eyes & mouth - a bit of sanding, inking & machine stitching & it's done!
There's still time to apply ... the call closes tomorrow - and the announcement for the new team will be Monday. Deets are here if you fancy trying out!

CCAYR November Challenge ... part deux!

I needed to do one more card for the Christmas Cards All Year Round November challenge but as I'd almost used these scraps up, I thought I might just make one more! LOL. So that's 6 cards this month!

Both are patchwork cards again & if I just had a proper sized sewing machine I'd have sewn the papers. I have one of those li'l hobby machines & you have to bend the card up to get it on to the bed ... anyway, faux stitching! The gingham ribbons are machine stitched & the end held in place by the snowflake embellie.
For my last card I have layered the ribbons on top of each other (great way to hide DST under organza ribbons). See how those paper scraps are really quite small this time? I ran an ink pad over the top of the ribbed cardstock to create the blue stripes & attached 2 snowflake sequins (more of that stash that I never use!!) with mini brads. I added a couple of the teeniest shaped buttons over the snowflake artwork on the tag & raised the word strips with foam pads ... & that's about it!
If you wanted to see the other cards I made for this challenge, go here.
As we are still early in the month, I might manage a few more cards for Christmas ... & there's still tags, gifts & decorations to do ... happy days!

CCAYR November Challenge

The November challenge at Christmas Cards All Year Round is a simple recipe:
Use 2 buttons, 2 ribbons & 2 snowflakes to make a card - or 5 cards if you want to enter the monthly draw. So far, I have four done, so it's looking good for getting the 5 done again this month. (Go me!!)

I had a search thru my Christmas stash - these papers & artwork are all from HOTP cardmaker's kits (1-2 years old), the ribbons were already on my desk (I have a jar full of gingham ones, which I have been using a lot recently) & I dug out a bunch of odd embellies packed away last year (mostly magazine freebies). The first card has snowflake artwork & a snowflake border & ribbon attached with double sided tape - nice 'n easy!
Next up: this patchwork card is entirely made from the small scraps that I won't throw away but really build up quickly!! I just covered the card with squares/rectangles & trimmed the overhang & then added faux stitching to create a 'patchwork'. The rub ons didn't show up too well on the blue area of the background, so I added some li'l dots with a white pen (I'm still using a white sharpie, now discontinued), just to the word 'snow' to higlight it - I love happy accidents! LOL. The lace was part of a pack sitting on my desk too - I'd used all the white but the lilac was still there & just right I thought. I added a few gems to the gingham ribbon - just cuz I can.
This card uses a few of the embellies that I normally never use: the embossed silver cardstock frame & puffy fabric snowflake but I have to say I quite like it. The blue snowflake in the middle is a brad & although it looks like just one ribbon, the faux bow is actually a darker, wider gingham ribbon. Sentiment by A Muse.
This last card also uses a bunch of stash that has been lying around for a couple years - again, the die cut, embossed silver panel & white mini-corrugated card are all things I usually wouldn't use but came as freebies & have been squirreled away ever since. I've used another snowflake brad here too, A Muse sentiment & ric rac from the same pack as the lace (Rusty Pickle, Guinevere).

So that's my 4 cards ... & I'll be back with the fifth before the end of the month!

Christmas Cards ... & More

Here's my last two cards (sort of) for October's Challenges at CCAYR ... yup! I'm well aware that I've only just made it in time! LOL. The first is a fab pocket card with removeable bookmark - clever stuff & totally not my idea - the instructions were republished on the CCAYR Blog earlier in the week.

We made some of these in my card making group today & the ladies had some fab alternatives ... like replacing the bookmark with a shopping list & adding a magnet to the back to keep it on the fridge, or making a perpetual birthday list by adding 12 index cards to the pocket (I'm totally stealing that idea!!) This fits the CCAYR 'Christmas Is ...' challenge: Holly ... that's my thing! Sure, I might like to think of snow (or not ... the UK gets grey slushy stuff, not the fluffy stuff that holiday cards show you!), angels, trees etc etc ... but Holly (& Poinsettias) are the thing that most make me think about Christmas!
Luuuurve this bookmark & it was so easy to make with a freebie pack of paper from one of last Christmas's mags - artwork & alphas included! A big shout out to Wendy - she had the most ideas for alternatives - look forward to seeing them IRL! LOL


Technically this one isn't a card at all but a Christmas planner. Deanne had a link to it on her blog in a previous 'Blurfing Friday' post ... you seriously need to check those out - she finds the most fabulous links! Anyway, the Inspirational Tips & Techniques blog has instructions for making a planner from file folders & I have adapted that to make mine from A4 cardstock. The site also has a link for the free downloads for all the lists n stuff - I'm hoping Deanne is gonna let me get away with using it for my final CCAYR entry ... under the non-traditional colours category, even tho' it's technically not a card. Blue & green isn't my idea of traditional & isn't particularly a combo I'd have thought of - it's that same pack of freebie papers but I have to say I do like them together. I downloaded several shopping list pages & made them into a li'l removable pad (there's a staple hidden under the ribbon holding it all together). The other lists (gift lists, gift ideas, stocking stuffers & cards) are matted onto cardstock to give them strength but could be made into more removeable pads if you need additional pages. The last page just has a li'l pocket (there's actually another on the reverse) for receipts n stuff & the whole thing ties up with ribbon.
Hoping to get the 2 sketches for you challenges made & blogged by tomorrow's deadline - love doing them but I've been away this week so haven't papercrafted at all!

CCAYR October Challenge

I have been saying since the beginning of the month that I will definitely join in with Christmas Cards All Year Round's monthly challenges ... so rather than waiting until I have all 5 cards (which was the original plan) I am going to blog them as I go. The first card is from the first challenge: to use Deanne's sketch. Lots of scraps of HOTP papers & embellies with a tiny scrap of felt fusion. Technically, I guess it also qualifies for the bling challenge (more on that one later)

The next card is for the colour challenge: to use non-traditional colours & that was super-easy with the scraps I have left (yes, still!) from the Fancy Pants Holly Jolly range. I've added a scrap of lace & some of those yummy Artful Collage primas (did I mention I love them??) along with a couple more HOTP embellies & a snowflake brad.
The third & final card for this post is for the bling challenge: to use bling & winter papers. Yet more HOTP paper scraps & artwork plus a couple of snowflakes (no idea where they came from) The bling is provided by the glittery ribbon & some spica pen highlights (which don't show up well on the piccie) on the tag text & the torn paper edge near the bottom ... I guess you'll have to trust me on it!
Hoping to get the last two cards for this challenge blogged tomorrow before I go away ... so much still to do!

Deanne's October 1st Sketch

Deanne's 'Am I A Scrap Addict' sketch just went live ... & here's my take on it. I have had these lush Autumn Leaves papers in my stash for quite some time now & have been looking for the perfect opportunity to use them - d'ya think this is it? I have also used the matching alpha & journal stickers & a small piece of a lace cardstock panel - they are such great value - you get 6 pieces (4"x12") in each pack - that's 2 designs in each of the 3 colours & they are great for card making too (check out my DT card for Di Hickman next week for an example).
The buttons, flower & thread are all from my stash, so I'm still working my way through it! LOL.
Don't forget to check out Deanne's Christmas Cards All Year 'Round blog too - the first challenge is up! Woo-hoo!!

The Elusive Christmas Card

I didn't get the DT spot on Christmas Cards All Year 'Round ... Deanne had a bunch of entries from talented crafters not already on her Sketch DTs & decided to go with 3 of these new designers instead ... which is fair enough really! LOL. I will definitely apply again for the January team tho' .
In the meantime, here is the final card: the one that I sent to Deanne as my DT entry.
These cards will make another appearance, hopefully before September 24th. I am waaaay behind on Fab's Christmas Card challenge - totally missed last month, so this month I am determined to have made & displayed here a total of 15 Christmas/New Year cards: 7 for July & 8 for August - just in time to start over for September's challenge ... 9 cards by 24th October!
Hmmmmmm better get a move on then!