Last Minute Christmas Cards and Gifts!

 I had a very busy day yesterday.  In the morning I put my Christmas cake in the oven to cook.  It's a big cake and takes four hours on a low heat to cook.  While that was cooking I prepared a Moroccan Beef Curry with rice and vegetables into my slow cooker and put that on to cook.  Then my new chair I had purchased arrived and needed assembling.  It was HEAVY and being tiny it was a challenge to get it together, but I managed with a little help (NOT!) from Romeo!  He was very interested in it and needed no invitation to try it out.  He jumped on it as soon as I threw the cushions on it!  (In a cats eye, all things belong to cats!) In between all the cooking and chair assembling I did manage to make some cards and gifts for Christmas!

Both the cards, above and below, were made using SU stamp/die set called Christmas Season.  I am having a lot of fun with this set and there are a gazillion ways to use it!  It could easily be used to make any kind of card, not just Christmas ones.

I made these little treat bags using an SU Mini Treat Bag die set.  Quick and oh-so-easy to make using dsp or any kind on fancy paper.  I ought some bags of mini candy canes and I put four canes into cellophane bags and then put them into the bags.  The flower on the bag below is made of some shiny silver card.  The die/embossing folder is from Tim Holtz.  The DSP is from SU and feels kind of fuzzy - I like it!

I made several of these bags and filled them with candy canes.  I bought them thinking they were the taller candy canes.  I had a project in mind for them, but when I saw they were tiny I had to change plans.  I had the treat bags on my desk so decided to use those to make some gifts.

I have given some to couriers when they drop off things, just to say thank you for delivering my things.  Some I will sell and others will be added to Christmas gifts.

Thanks for dropping by, have a SUNSHINE day!  Remember to always be your authentic self and shine bright each and every day!

"I Saw Santa!"

Every year at this time, "Santa" drives around all the streets in Titirangi, on the back of a fire engine.  He throws out lollies to all the kids.  First comes the white fire van (above) which is playing loud Christmas music, this alerts people that Santa is about to drive past.

In the photo above, if you enlarge it an look closely at the brown fence, you can see some of the lollies he has thrown to some kids across the road.  Santa waves to everyone and ells out Merry Christmas as e drives past.

They use one of the older fire engines for Santa's drive by.

 With a final wave, some more lollies, and a "Merry Christmas", "Santa" is gone for another year.

Santa driving around the neighbourhood on his fire engine is a long standing tradition.  I can remember it from my early childhood.  

Thanks for dropping by, have a SUNSHINE day!  Remember to always be your authentic self, and shine bright each and every day!

"Christmas Season" Stamps.

I used SU stamp set, "Christmas Season" to make this card.  Such a fun and versatile stamp/die set.  I don't enjoy colouring at the moment, so to be able to used my coloured ink pads for this was a bonus! (And one reason I bought the set!)  I stamped and die cut all the pieces first, then arranged them on the card.  Once I had them where I wanted, I adhered them to the card using Art Glitter Glue.  (It doesn't have glitter in it, that's just the name.

I added a few tiny stars, and a few self adhesive gold sequins, as well as the label, and the card was done.  Such a fun set of stamps/dies to use.

It has been SO very humid here and yesterday was no exception.  I'm struggling with the heavy humidity at the moment, but am still trying to make cards!

Thanks for dropping by, have a SUNSHINE day!  Remember to always be your authentic self, and shine bright each and every day!

 

New Stamps New Cards!

I'm back with some new cards!  The treat bag above was made using some SU dies - Mini Treat Bag, or something like that!  The card below, fits inside the bag.  The card below is small and I used a SU Whimsy die around the edge.  Hard to see on here but it is there.  The die has some kind of wiggly lines that just perforate the card.  It looks good in real life!  The Deer is a little wooden ornament that I stamped with a brown ink pad.

The card below was made using an SU stamp/die set called, Christmas Season.   also used the stamps/dies o the mini treat bag a the top of this post.  So much fun!

I think I made some of these cards below a couple of years ago, but thought I would make another one as I had all the bits already cut out and read to be assembled.

is fisy card below is one I made using one of the SU stamp sets I got for $5 at my local Hospice shop!  The big fish had some glossy accents on him, as well as a sprinkling of gold glitter.  The aqua coloured strip is done using my scrapper with some water colour ink.  I think it was a re-inker  used.

These last two photos are of a set of three scrapers I bough from the $2 Shop.  I added some self adhesive velcro strips in different widths to give me more options when using them to swipe ink on my cards.

It has been really humid here lately and I am finding it hard to create.  I can tolerate the heat but the humidity really knocks me off my feet.  I have struggled to create and have a couple of special Christmas cards yet to create.  I have found the best time for me to create is early morning as it is a bit cooler then.

Thanks for dropping by, have a SUNSHINE day!  Remember to always be your authentic self and shine bright each and every day!

Christmas Is Coming!

To make the top (and last) card, I cut out the triangle shape and used the negative as a template.  I sponged yellow, peach and orange to get the colours.  Once the colours were down I stamped the greeting, and lastly added the gold star and other sparkly bits.

The card above is much prettier in real life.  You can't see the colours too well in this photo.  The circle has glitter sprinkled over the top, which somewhat mutes the colours.  Much better IRL!  The stamp is from an old SU set.

 I made a mini treat bag using an SU die set.  The card is the same as the first one, except this card is smaller so it fits into the treat bag.

As I said in another post, I do have some Snarkys sitting on my desk.  They need some colouring in, and to be honest, I am not all that keen on coloring at the moment.  I just find it a chore to have to sit and do it.  But have patience with me, I will try to get them done soon!  I have a black belt in partial arts!  I have lot's of art stuff half finished!  

Thanks for dropping by, have a SUNSHINE day!  Remember to always be your authentic self, and shine bright each and every day!

A Weird but Fun Tip!

Above is a photo of my plastic scraper.  It measures just a smidgen over six inches wide, and is four and one quarter in height.  On the top I have stuck a piece of self adhesive Velcro - the soft fluffy bit, not the loop side.  Stick the Velcro as close as possible to the edge of the scraper as this means you get better ink coverage on the card.  Place the Velcro too far back and you will be holding the scraper at a funny (and possibly uncomfortable!) angle.

If you put some ink along the Velcro then drag it across a sheet of card, you can easily and quickly color the card!  I used red ink then gold ink over the top.  Before you use a new colour, just rinse the scraper and the in washes right off the Velcro.  So quick and easy to color card stock!  I will make a card front using the piece I did.  My local $2 Shop sells plastic scrapers almost identical to this one, three for $2!  So if you want to try this, go and check out your local Dollar Store and have some fun!

That's all for today - I think?!  Thanks for dropping by, have a SUNSHINE day!  Remember to always be your authentic self and shine bright each and every day!

A Busy Day!

 

As the heading says, I've had a busy time!  I made these over the weekend, most of them were done  yesterday.  I made the next three cards using some dies from a SU stamp/die set, called, "Frosted Gingerbread."  So much fun and you can use the stamps/dies in so many different ways.  The stamped words on the top card are from Lavinia Stamps.

Butterflies, Butterflies and more Butterflies!  I made them from a die that cuts and embosses at the same time. It's a Tim Holtz embosslits die.  Making the Butterfly cards was a bit quicker because I already had the Butterflies already cut out.

The stamped words on te card above are from Suzanne Canon.  She does such beautiful calligraphy and has it made into rubber stamps.  Such stunning quality.

Ok, that's all for now. I'm pooped out!  My brain is frazzled from all that card making! 

I have some Snarky's on my desk, just waiting to be finished.  I am hoping to get them done sometime this week!

Thanks for dropping by, have a SUNSHINE day!  Remember to always be your authentic self and shine bright each and every day!