White and Gold Poinsettia

'Tis the last day of October, so in just a few short hours we will be

able to say "Christmas is next month"........EEK!!!

I have always loved white-on-white cards with just a hint of gold or silver, so

this year I have made several for Christmas, some very elaborate like this

one, and some less so. I apologise for the 'blueness' of the photos. This

card, along with all my other white cards are bright white in reality,

so I do not know if the false colouring is due to my camera or

my computer. My photos are taken in bright daylight.

A closer look at my poinsettia, foliage, and the gold bead cluster and sprays 

which I made myself. They are very easy to make, and I have recently

made a large collection of them in many different colours and sizes.

Dies - Tim Holtz (Sizzix) Tattered Poinsettia; Impression Obsession Pine Branches; Cheery Lynn Wreath Strip, Merry Christmas Set

Punch - Martha Stewart Branch

Embossing - Tim Holtz (Sizzix) Texture Fades Textured Poinsettia Pattern Set

Ink for sponging - Tim Holtz Distress Ink Antique Linen

Bead sprays and cluster - made by me from beads junk stash

Challenges

Allsorts #282 - 'Christmas'

Crafty Cardmakers #126 - 'Cut It Out' (Dies & Punches)

Christmas Card #48 - 'Anything Goes'

Fab 'N' Funky #235 - 'Christmas'

Little Claire's #50 - 'Christmas'

Paper Shelter #180 - 'Is It Too Early For Christmas?'

Penny's Paper Crafty #201 - 'Anything Goes'

Thank you for visiting, and especially if you take the time to leave a comment. Until next time,

I wish you all "happy crafting'.

Hugs, 

Jennifer. x

Vintage Christmas

My card today uses the same image as the one in my previous post, 

however with this one I have tried to create a much more 

vintage-styled card.

I rather like the non-traditional colours I have used...

I think they add to the overall vintage look.

A closer look at the little couple.

Inside my card matches the front.

Image - Lili Of The Valley Oh Christmas Tree

Colouring - Promarkers

Papers - First Edition Christmas Village

Sentiment - Lili Of The Valley

Dies - Spellbinders Classic and Scalloped Rectangles; Tim Holtz Snowflakes; Memory Box Precious Mittens 

Punch - Martha Stewart PATP Aspen Snowflake

Sparklet - Kaisercraft

Ribbon, brad from my junk stash

Challenges I would like to enter :-

An Oldie But A Goodie - 'Christmas' (all but Sparklet are at least 12 months old)

Christmas Cards All Year Round - 'Embellish It!'

Die Cuttin' Divas #188 - 'Think Pink'

Inky Chicks #40 - 'Christmas'

In The Pink - Spots and/or Stripes'

Hopefully I will be back in a few days to show you another Christmas card. In the meantime, I wish you all "Happy Crafting",

Hugs, 

Jennifer. x 

Christmas Bells

Recently I spent 4 lovely days at my annual Retreat, or Stamp Camp...

mind you, it is no 'roughing it' type of camp...one could become very 

accustomed to 3 yummy meals per day, no washing up, bottomless

cups of tea, and hours of uninterrupted crafting time. Of course, 

it is also nice to catch up with 'old' crafting buddies.

The retreat was a great opportunity to make some headway

with my Christmas card making.

A closer look at the dear little couple and their tiny tree. I think I

need to add a little more Star Dust Stickles to her hat...that will

teach me not to do anything to my cards without my glasses!

Inside my card matches the front. Here I have used the complete

mistletoe and bells die-cut. On the front of the card I removed

a small piece of the mistletoe to shorten the die-cut.

Challenges I would like to enter

Alphabet - 'R for Round or Rectangle'

An Oldie But A Goodie - 'Christmas' (everything except the bells die is at least 12 months old)

Delicious Doodles #105 - 'Christmas in October'

Little Claire's #50 - 'Christmas'

Penny Black and More - 'Get Ahead For Christmas'

Image - Lili Of The Valley Oh Christmas Tree

Colouring - Promarkers

Paper - First Edition Christmas Village; gold mirror card

Dies - Spellbinders Classic and Scalloped Rectangles; Impression Obssession Mistletoe and Bells

Sentiment - Recycled from old Christmas card

I will be back in a few days with another of the cards I made at the retreat, so until then I wish you "Happy Crafting".

Hugs, 

Jennifer. x

Little Blue Fairy

Towards the end of August, I posted a card that I had made for a friend

at the Fort. She loved it so much, she asked me to make one exactly the

same to give to another of her 'long-time' friends. She was disappointed

when I told her that I never make 2 cards the same, so we came up with

a compromise...I used the same image, and same design, but used blues

(instead of pinks), and a different sentiment.

I must say that by using the same design and embellishments, the card

was relatively easy and quick to create.

A closer look at the cute little fairy with her dandelion clock wand.

Inside the card matches the front.

Challenges

Crafty Calendar - 'Bingo' (sparkle, die-cuts, blue)

Cutie Pie - 'Three of Something' (2 butterflies on front, 1 inside) WINNER

Whoppsi Daisy - 'Things With Wings'

Image - Lili Of The Valley Time Flies

Colouring - Promarkers

Paper - Bella

Sentiment - Computer Generated 

Dies - Spellbinders Classic and Scalloped Circles, Decorative Labels Eight

Punch - Martha Stewart Butterfly Trio

Flower bead 'ribbon' from my junk stash

I must go and attend to some domestic tasks (boring!!!!). I was in a muddle all day yesterday, as I was so exhausted and sore from the frantically busy week and weekend at the Fort. My duty hours were much longer than usual due to some very special events, and the temps were in the unpleasant mid 30s C. We are only 5 weeks into spring here in Australia, so goodness only knows what sort of summer we are in for. Completely opposite to most arthritis sufferers, I feel much better in the cold weather, and dread the summer because my joints swell significantly, with pain levels and stiffness rising accordingly.

Thank you for visiting, and until next time I wish you "Happy Crafting".

Hugs, 

Jennifer. x

50 Happy Years!

Do any of you have the feeling that we are hurtling at warp-speed

 towards Christmas and the end of 2014?          I do!!!!

Since our last challenge at Crafty Little Fairies, the weeks have just flown by,

and once again it is the first Thursday of the month...October...eek!

The theme of our new challenge is a nice easy one:-

USE ONLY ONE DP

We have 5 lovely sponsors this month, so "thank you" to 

In my previous post, I mentioned that John and I came out of 'performing

retirement' to play at the 50th Wedding anniversary celebration of a lovely

couple we have known for about 25 years. We have performed at every

one of their family celebrations over those years. We had a wonderful 

night, seeing all the family again, and performing all their (and our) 

favourite songs. One thing I had forgotten though, was how painful

 it is to stand, singing, for many hours in high heels!

This is the card I made for them.

Unfortunately, the gold roses on the rich burgundy paper do not show 

up very well, Also, the sparkly ribbon is a rich gold, not silver 

(as it appears to be).

A closer look at the sweet couple. I love the little lady's coy stance.

I am quite happy with how my first attempt at making these flowers

turned out. In fact, I have become a bit addicted to them...while at my

annual stamp camp 2 weeks ago, I made a large batch of them, in lots

of different colours. They are made by using 2 Retro flower punches

and Tim Holtz distress inks.

Inside my card matches the front. Once again, I have used my favourite

corner die, by Cuttlebug, one of the first die sets I bought.

Challenges

Crafter's Cafe #84 - 'Punches/die cuts'

Deep Ocean #87 - 'At Least One Flower'

Passion For Promarkers #267 - 'Make It Feminine'

The Crafting Cafe - 'Think Pink'

Image - Lili Of The Valley Aniversary Surprise

Colouring - Promarkers

Sentiment - Lili Of The Valley

Paper - Un-named (single sheet bought at craft show)

Dies - Spellbinders Classic and Scalloped Circles; Cuttlebug Heart, Heritage Corners, Olivia Alphabet (50); Cheery Lynn Wreath Foliage

Punches - EK Success Large and Small Retro Flowers

Flowers - Made by me, and from my junk stash

Ribbon - from my junk stash

For a chance to win one of the lovely prizes, why not visit us at Crafty Little Fairies,

 and enter our 'Use Only 1 DP' challenge, and while you are there be inspired by the 

gorgeous creations by all my 'Fairy' team mates.

Hugs, 

Jennifer. x