Snowflakes and Serviettes

Good Evening. I have another Christmas card to show you.

The background has been created using a serviette. I ironed the very top layer of a

serviette onto a piece of white cardstock with a sheet of plastic cling wrap in 

between. There are countless tutorials of this technique on the internet.

I then trimmed the background piece, and attached it to the card base.

The greeting and beautiful snowflake were die-cut from glitter foam.

Challenges I would like to enter :-

Peace On Earth #55 - 'Anything Christmas Goes' (2nd entry)

Try It On Tuesday - 'Winter Blues'

Dies - Tim Holtz Holiday Words-Script; Kaisercraft Fancy Snowflake

Glittered foam and serviette are from my junk stash

Just a brief post this evening, as I must go and feed my furbaby. He turned 19 recently,

and has not been very well. He is going to the vet's tomorrow for blood tests and a 

full examination under heavy sedation. I guess it is to be expected that he is 

showing big changes at his age, but I am dreading the inevitable.

Until next time, thank you for visiting,

Hugs,

Jennifer. x

 

 

Pink Christmas Poinsettia

 

Good morning. It is no secret that among my favourite flowers

(particulary at Christmas) are poinsettias. 

With a break away from the traditional red poinsettias, I have created

a white one, softly blushed with pink. I used a snowflake stencil and

pearlised texture paste on the pale pink (script) DSP, then when dry,

 I hand-stitched around the edges. I also lightly sponged some of the

foliage die-cuts with the texture paste.

A close up look at my poinsettia that I so lightly sponged

with Victorian Velvet dye ink. The centre is a silver Sparklet.

I painted the wooden snowflake with 2 coats of the

pearlised texture paste.

Challenges I would like to enter.

Creations in pink #56 - 'Anything Goes in MAINLY pink'

My Time To Craft Christmas #57 - 'Poinsettias'

The Holly and the Ivy Christmas #137 - 'Anything Christmas Goes'

Merry Little Christmas #49 - 'Anything Christmas Goes'

Dies - Tim Holtz Holiday Greens, Tattered Poinsettia; Spellbinders Lacey Circles

SPD - Kaisercraft Silver Bells

Sentiment - Art Stamps Australia

Twine for stitching is actually recycled from bags of horse feed, soaked, washed and ironed. My friend Diane sent me a large 'stash'. When we lived on our farm and had horses, I always saved the twine.

Texture Paste - Crafts 4 U

Sparklet, tinsel and wooden snowflake are from my junk stash

I must be off to pretend I am a domestic goddess 😁😁, so until next time, thank you for visiting.

Hugs,

Jennifer.  x

Quilted Winter Wishes

 

Good afternoon. 

Despite my stern warning to myself that I could not 

purchase any more new dies, I could not resist this wonderful quilt

die. It is so easy to create cards which look very different for the same 

occasion e.g. Christmas, and also for other various occasions.

I used very traditional colours for this card which is for a dear friend in England.

Inside the card showing the lovely verse and the punched corner.

Dies - My Favourite Things Die-namics Square Quilt Cover-up; Cheery Lynn Poinsettia Strip; Tim Holtz Holiday Greenery

Papers - Kaisercraft; Graphic 45 (both from old collections)

Verse - Creative Expressions Holly Jolly Sentiments 

Punch - Martha Stewart Aspen Snowflake corner punch; unnamed office circle punch

Peel-off sticker and gold washi tape are from my junk stash

I hope I can 'keep the ball rolling' with regular posts, so until next time thank you for visiting.

Stay safe,

Jennifer.  xx

Snowflake

 

Good evening fellow bloggers. 

I'm afraid my blogging came to a screeching halt a week ago, 

as I injured my back, just lifting a bag of groceries out of the car. 

I have spent the past week 'zonked out' on a cocktail of 

painkillers. Today is my first day back on my feet,

albeit with regular 'horizontal' breaks.

This is a rather quick and easy card to make, so I made a couple of them

in different colours. I attached a piece of JAC D.S. tape to a piece of

bright blue cardstock, then after peeling off the top protective layer,

I attached the die-cut snowflake & greeting onto the very sticky

card front. 

I always save the tiny snowflakes left from punching the corners

of my Christmas card inserts, so I placed several of them around

the large snowflake.  I smothered the exposed 'sticky' with glitter,

but as usual, the wonderful sparkle does not show up. To finish 

off, I cut a silver layer, then adhered this to a white card blank.

A closer look at the greetings die-cut.

Challenges I would like to enter:-

Allsorts #603/4 - 'Sparkle and Shine'

My Time To Craft #447 - 'Monochromatic'  TOP 3

The Holly and the Ivy #85 - 'Anything Christmas Goes'

Christmas Craft Creations - 'Winter Blues' (must show challenge logo)

Dies - Kaisercraft Fancy Snowflake (bought at a post Christmas sale for $2!!!!!!); Tim Holtz Sizzix Alterations Holiday Words:Script

   Punch - Martha Stewart Aspen Snowflake

   Glitter - Tim Holtz Rock Candy Dry Glitter

Wow, only 3 more sleeps til the big day. I hope all your preparations are progressing well, although Christmas 2020 will be like no other. Recently, here in Australia, most restrictions had been lifted, but sadly last week Covid once again reared its very ugly head and is rapidly spreading again, so Christmas, like in so many other places globally, has been basically 'cancelled'.

I am way overdue for my 'horizontal' break (for the night), so I will close.

Stay safe,

Hugs (safely distanced of course),

Jennifer.  x

Ornament Trio

 

Hello again. I hope you are all well and keeping safe.

My card has a rather vintage look, and all supplies I used to create it have been

in my junk stash for, in several cases, many years.

My greeting is from a sheet of mixed font Christmas greetings I bought at a 

craft show in Sydney about 10 years ago. I also bought sheets of other 

greetings (e.g. Happy Birthday), some in silver, some in gold.

A closer look at the lovely ornaments, cut from gold mirror card. The 2 large

ornaments are cut with dies I bought many years ago, and the small one

uses the ornament from a fab set of 10 Christmas dies that were free 

with a craft magazine.

Challenges I would like to enter:-

Beccy's Place - 'Day 17-things beginning with 'O' '

Daisy Chain #47 - 'Christmas Is Coming'

Dies - Memory Box Snowflake Ornament: Spellbinders Lacey Circles; Free with Papercrafter Magazine Magical Christmas

Paper - Kaisercraft Turtle Dove

Greeting - Art Stamps Australia

Peel-off stickers (for 'hangers') are from my junk stash

Until next time thank you for visiting,

Hugs,

Jennifer.  xx

Post Box Bunnies

At the moment I'm like a bus, aren't I...no easel cards for ages, then two in a row!

I made this card for the wonderful couple at our little local Post Office. 

I am sure, without a doubt, we have the happiest P.O. in Australia. 

No matter what the situation, Monica and Russell always have time 

for a laugh, they remember customers' names, and regularly go

'above and beyond' for excellent service.

A close-up of the cutest little bunnies posting their Christmas cards. 

Some of you may wonder why I coloured the post box green?? well...

Monica is from Ireland, and post boxes there are green.

The mini pine cones are from our farm from which we sadly moved almost

four years ago. I made the 'pine branches' from a fringe die twisted around

florists' wire. The red beads are recycled from a strand of Christmas 

decorations, and the 'snowballs' are from an old lap dinner tray.

This is how the card looks when fully opened. The sentiment is 

quite thick, so it was a perfect choice for the 'stopper'.

Image - Lili of the Valley Bunnies Post Box
Colouring - Promarkers
Paper - Kaisercraft (very old)
Dies - Spellbinders Classic and Scalloped Rectangles; Cheery Lynn Cutie Fringe II; Joy Crafts Snowflakes 6002/2019 & 6002/2018; Marianne Design Tiny's Trees CR 1287
Punch - Martha Stewart Fern
Sentiment - Tim Holtz ideology Christmas
Snow Paste - Cadence Icy Snow Paste
Gold cord, mini pine cones, mini 'snowballs', sequin, berry clusters, and beads are from my junk stash

Challenges I would like to enter
Christmas at Sweet Stampin' - 'Critters'
Creative Fingers - 'Anything Goes'
Passion For Promarkers - 'Anything Goes'

Apparently this coming week we are going to experience an unprecedented heat wave. That prediction is pretty scary, because already our spring and the first two weeks of summer have been unbelievably hot. It is only mid-morning, but I am off to close the house up, and turn on the air conditioning.

Until next time, thank you for visiting,
Hugs,
Jennifer.  xx

Floral Birthday Wishes

A few weeks ago, my dear friend Diane celebrated another birthday.

We met during our first week in high school in January 1962. 

Despite living long distances apart (geographically) we 

have remained close friends.

Earlier this year she sent me a DVD, accompanied by a lovely note-card.

The card was so pretty, I decided to cut it down to make her birthday card.

I searched my stash of flowers, and found these which I thought 

matched perfectly. I added the stamens and a tiny touch of glitter 

glue. A selection of die-cut foliage...'job done'.

For the panel on which I wrote my note to Diane, I fussy-cut 

one of the flowers from the original card.

Diane loved her card, and was impressed that I found a way to extend the life of her card.

Image - recycled gift card

Paper - Kaisercraft Letters To Santa 12x12 stack

Dies - assorted Marianne 

I must be off to prepare for a very early departure tomorrow morning, as I am off to Sydney for my annual excursion to the big craft show at Darling Harbour in the city centre. The journey takes about 4-5 hours (almost 2 hours driving, then 2 hours by train, then a 15 minute light rail trip). The long trip home is tiring, so I think I will sleep well tomorrow night. I always say I will not buy any new 'goodies', but you all know what happens, don't you. lol

Until next time, thank you for visiting,

Hugs,

Jennifer.  xx

Father's Day

Here in Australia, yesterday was Father's Day, so I would like to wish

Dads everywhere a belated Happy Father's Day. 

I could not be home with John, because it was the AGM at the Fort,

then I was on duty for the remainder of the day.

I know most card makers struggle with creating cards for men, and I am no

exception. However, I recently bought the ship, and anchor dies, so I

decided to use those for my card for John. I remembered that several

years ago I 'squirrelled' this fabulous paper away, so a little search

revealed it in my huge collection of lovely papers.

(Storing my papers in genre sections does help.)

Inside my card, where I wrote my personal message to John.

Close ups of the ship and anchor dies, used for the first time.

The cardstock I have used looks black, but it is actually dark blue.

Challenges I would like to enter

Daring Cardmakers - 'Travelogue'

The Crafty Addicts #51 - 'Anything Goes/ Boys & Men'

Try It On Tuesday - 'Take A Ride'

Dies - Kaisercraft Anchors; Simply Dies Sailing Ship

Paper - Graphic 45 

Ink - Distress Ink Rusty Hinge

Sentiment - peel-off sticker from my stash junk

Time to bring the washing off the line, so until next time, thank you for visiting.

Hugs,

Jennifer.  xx

"Thank A Teacher"

My goodness, this year is flying by so fast isn't it. Each month seems to last

not much more than a blink of one's eye, which of course means it is time

for a new challenge at Words 2 Craft By. This month our quote is

"If you can read this, thank a teacher."

In the northern hemisphere the school year is coming to a close, so let's show

our gratitude for all the hard-working teachers who have guided us along our

'learning journey'. Although I'm in my late 60s I still have fond memories of

several of my teachers. I LOVE reading, and constantly 

lose myself in a good book. 

For this challenge, I chose to make a fairly large side-step card.

Aren't these the sweetest little pair totally engrossed in their book, 

while their little kitty sleeps soundly, exhausted from playing 

with the ball of wool.

I made these tiny pencils by cutting down toothpicks and colouring 

them with Promarkers to match the colours I used for the image.

Inside the card on which there is plenty of space to write

a personal message.

A side-on view of my easel card.

Image - Sarah Kay Quiet Moments

Colouring - Promarkers

Paper - Kaisercraft Superhero

ABC Tag - Kaisercraft Show and Tell

Dies - Spellbinder Scalloped Long Rectangles

Challenges I would like to enter

Die Cuttin' Divas #368 - 'Teacher Appreciation'  SHOWCASE PICK

The Crafter's Cafe #195 - 'Gatefold or Step Card'

For a chance to win a fabulous prize, why not visit Words 2 Craft By, check out the great inspiration by my teamies, then enter your own interpretation of our theme, "If you can read this, thank a teacher".

Until next time, thank you for your visit, and "Happy Crafting",

Hugs,

Jennifer.  x

A Trio of Trees

I'm still on my "I must not be rushing to get my Christmas cards finished this year" 

fixation, but how long that will last remains to be seen.

I am trying to make more flat cards this year, as the cost of postage in Australia is

exorbitant for anything other than a standard-sized flat article. This card was

fairly quick to make, but I don't think I like the silver glitter that I sprinkled 

liberally onto touches of glue. It is a shame that the ribbon photographed

as it did, because it is the most beautiful shimmery burgundy satin.

A closer look at the die-cut trees from a set of six. This is the first

time I have used the dies although I bought them about 

12 months ago......Me bad girl!!!!!

Challenges I would like to enter

Craftaholics R Us #7 - 'Use Some Red'

Crafty Catz #404 - 'Anything Goes' (with a twist - 'Use Some Pretty Ribbon')

Get Creative #66 - 'Use Ribbon or Washi Tape'

The Holly and the Ivy #23 - 'Anything Christmas Goes' (2nd entry)

Unstampabelles #76 - 'Anything Goes (with a twist-Use Something New)

Winter Wonderland - 'Anything Christmas Goes'

Dies - Sue Wilson 'Festive Collection' Winter Trees

Inks - Tim Holtz Distress Inks Peeled Paint, Olive Green

Ribbon - Kaisercraft 

Peel-off Sticker and glitter - from my junk stash

This morning, I had to take my kitty cat to the vet, as he has been 'flicking' his ear for a few days. The vet has diagnosed a severe bacterial infection, and as a result John and I are in for some "FUN" over the next week administering antibiotic drops...Cookie does not have the word "co-operation" in his vocabulary. In fact our vet, and the vet nurse are scared of him, and when John and I have to give him any medication or treatment, there is a fair amount of blood involved...and none of it belongs to Cookie!

I'm now off to pretend I am a domestic goddess, and attend to some much needed ironing and dusting, so until next time, I wish you "happy crafting".

Hugs,

Jennifer. xx

Sparkling Forest

Good evening all.

The card I want to show you tonight is the Christmas card I made for 

my dear husband, John...

It is an easel card, and I have used a new (to me) technique ...dryer sheet and 

ultra-fine glitter...there are endless tutorials for this technique on the internet. 

The sparkle is truly amazing, but as usual that is barely visible in my photos.

A closer look at the die-cut poinsettia with its pearl centre.

This is the easel card opened out. I chose the lovely blue paper, because

I thought it looked a little bit like cracked ice on a lake in front of

the pine tree forest.

The die-cut sentiment.

The back of my card. John gave me the "Handcrafted by" stamp many, many

Christmases ago. "Jen Pen" is one of the two nicknames John has for me.

Challenges I would like to enter

Addicted to Stamps - 'Baby It's Cold Outside'

Christmas At Sweet Stampin' - 'Anything Christmas'

Craft Rocket #44 - 'Winter'

C.R.A.F.T. #450 - 'Christmas'

Dare 2B Artzy - 'Winter Wonderland'

Eclectic Ellapu - 'Christmas'

Merry Christmas #2 - 'Anything Christmas'

Penny Black and More - 'Something New' (Technique)

Stamping Sensations - 'Cold and Frosty Colours'   TOP 3

The House That Stamps Built - 'Tic Tac Toe' (Pearls/Snowflakes/Silver & Snowflakes/Blue/Glitter)

Image - PSX K1465; Stamp World Handcrafted By

Paper - Kaisercraft Silver Bells

Dies - Sizzix Tim Holtz Alterations Holiday Words:Script; Spellbinder Layered Poinsettia; 

           Memory Box Star of Wonder

Punch - Martha Stewart PATP Aspen Snowflakes (negatives used for 'falling' snowflakes)

Glitter - Tim Holtz Rock Candy Ultrafine

Peel-off stickers, dryer sheet, and pearl are from my junk stash.

I really must be off to bed as I am light-headed with tiredness...I did some very heavy work in our couryard garden today, then did a huge grocery-shop. We had house guests last week, so the fridge and pantry were almost bare; and we are having several lots of guests this week.

Until next time, thank you for your visit,

Hugs,

Jennifer. xx

Clockwork

Here in Australia we have just a short time left in 2017. Except for the few

highs, this has been a year that I will be glad to see end.

The card I have to show you tonight is the one I made for our solicitor who has

guided us through the complicated legal processes of John's medical negligence

case. I thought it was appropriate to post it on my blog tonight, even though

while it features a clock, it is not actually a New Year card.

The card is quite large in order to accommodate the large die-cut, which I bought

several months ago. I felt the rather hefty price was justified because the die-cut

could be cut down into smaller pieces if  required.

Inside the card has a large area in which we wrote our personal message.

The decorative corners were among the first dies I ever bought, and also

among the first purchases I ever made on eBay.

The "Thank You" die was also on the card in my previous post.

I really should use it more often as it is a good size, and has

the appearance of a handwritten font.

A closer look at the embossing detail. I used about five different

embossing powders, applied unevenly, to try to create the look 

of rust on old metal.

Challenges I would like to enter

Die Cuttin' Divas #349 - 'Thank You'

Dies - Kaisercraft Vintage Clocks; Cuttlebug With Gratitude, Vintage Corners

Assorted embossing powders

It was my birthday 2 days ago (67...Yikes...HOW DID THAT HAPPEN??????), and after all the years of working on New Year's Eve, first as a nurse, then for many years as an entertainer, staying up to see in a new year has lost its attraction for me, so I am going to bed as soon as I finish this blog post. I am particularly exhausted because I have been on my feet all day at the Fort. I leave home at 7.30am and do not get home until about 6pm, with about 3 hours of that time driving there and back. We have been extremely busy for several weeks since the school holidays began, and while it is very interesting being a tour guide for people from all over the world, it can be quite exhausting. It is especially so with many days lately in the high 30sC to low 40sC. (I have never been a summer person).

For those of you who are going to stay up to welcome in 2018, I hope you have a safe and very much fun evening.

Hugs,

Jennifer. x