the reindeer are finshed

And happily residing in the grotto. From the furthest to the nearest meet Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen, and of course Rudolph.

musical christmas

I keep trying to tell myself that I haven't got time to make any cards this week, I have way too much on my "to do" list, but then I see a really inspiring challenge like Created by Hand's musical christmas theme, and I find myself in my craft room. Still I suppose one of the things on that list is making christmas cards.
The collage image and stamps are by Inka, I have also used a stencil to create the background. Don't forget the Inka Sale finishes in a few days and Inka has just released some gorgeous new stamps (see my sidebar for link and info)

tag card

I really fancied a quick bit of crafting, but I really haven't got much free time today so I decided to have a go at a sketch challenge. This is tag you're it's challenge this week.I decided to use up some of the Papermania papers I bought ages ago, I seem to have loads of them, but they were just too "in your face" so I decided to Gesso'em up a bit.

I don't like this tag/card very much, but at least I had a go. The angel and words are stamps by Stamps Away. I've had them for a couple of months and not used them. I thought it was about time i did.

strut your stuff

The other quote I thought of for this card was "I feel like chicken tonight!"
I love this image, it makes me smile. I made this Card for Karin's birthday. I was trying out the core-dinations cardstock, which has a complimentary core that your can reveal by tearing or sanding.
I am entering this for TGiF's Vintage theme.
The image and stamp are by Inka

inchie card

The theme at small world of inchies and twinchies is to make a card from inchies or twinchies. This card was very much inspired by the work of Cindy Lyles at Starlit studio I love Cindy's beautiful clean style and all of her work is inspiring, but most of all I love Inchie thursday, where every thursday she comes up with a beautiful way of using inchies.

after digging out my fiskars plates the other day, I also decided to dig out my very first craft tool, my fiskars shapeboss. that's what I used for the snowflake pattern. The snowman stamp is from stampendous

I am also adding this to this weeks inchy by inch challenge as the theme is snow

recycled reindeer

I needed to make some Reindeer for the school christmas grotto, I decided to make just the heads, so they could peep over a stable door, but where to start? It occurred to me that I could base the design of a hobby horse, and after much googling found an idea of making hobby horses out of old trouser legs. after a bit of adapting, this is what I came up with.
The theme at One powerful hour is recycled,so I am entering this reindeer

snowflake shaker card

The theme at Wednesday Stamper is snowflakes. I had it in my head to make a snowflake shaker card, so I had a go. However, I haven't made a shaker card in years and I really stuggled to line up the back, still I guess I'd get it with practise. I've used stamps from Inka, and my fiskars texture plate has been in use again.

I'm including a close up as the main picture doesn't capture the sparkle (darn these dark evenings!)

tuesday's challenges

The theme this thursday at Crazy Amigos is moon, and the theme at Created by hand is Christmas tags. I combined the challenges and used this moon santa stamp from Inka.

I've been admiring embossed backgrounds recently, but I really can't justify a cuttlebug (or whatever it is that your do them with). Then I remembered that I had these fiskars texture plates tucked away in a drawer, so I dug them out and voila! I think you'll be seeing alot more of them over the next few posts, now that they are out on my desk.

there is no ribbon on this tag, because it's too dark to take photos and my scanner doesn't like bulky things like ribbons.

altered CD challenge- christmas decorations

The Paper Girls blog held another competition recently. This time it was to alter a CD with the additional rule that you must add words from a magazine.

now I've never been much good at the altered CD malarkey so I decided to chop mine up and make it into 3 christmas decorations. I entered the main picture of all three in the competition. What you couldn't really see from this was that I had triple clear embossed the pieces and then stamped into the UTEE with snowflake stamps inked in white. so I have included another picture so I hope you can see this.

The collage images and snowflake stamps are by Inka and the words are taken from the John Lewis christmas catalogue.
As the theme at Mixed media monday is ornamental christmas I am entering it for that.

gothic arches

the theme at gothic arches is silhouettes, so I used my one and only lavinia stamp again. I also couldn't resist having another play with the fantastic thread technique from saturday's workout.

easy peasy knitted bootees

On a forum I am on, there was a discussion on using scraps of wool to make baby bootees. I remembered this really simple pattern I had so I thought I would share it.

first knit two identical squares. for these I used double knit yarn, 3.25mm needles. I cast on 20 stitches and knit until square.


Fold and sew as shown



Turn toe piece right side out and sew the triangle to the other piece to form the bit that goes round the ankle. this is really hard to explain but once you have it in your hand it makes more sense.
Decorate as desired. girls' ones look lovely with a little crochet flower.

silver twinchie

Another double challenge. Today Saturday Workout is challenging us to try the thread technique, and small world of inchies and twinchies are challenges us to make something cute.

The thread technique looked very interesting. I wrapped some thread around a 2 inch square, and sprayed it with some silver spray that I picked up at the craft shop this week. (it's made by crafty notions and I have to say it's fab). I like the way it sort of looks like frost on a window with this technique. The girl and the snowflake set are stamps by Inka

paperclip bookmark

I have made this for two of this week's challenges. The theme at One Powerful Hour is bookmarks, and the theme at TGIF is hats.

it's a simple paperclip bookmark, the crown stamp is by Inka

wednesday stamper telephone

First of all, credit where credit is due. I have completely stolen the idea for this ATC from Jo. When I saw that the theme at wednesday stamper was telephones. I thought "nah! not for me this week, I have nothing telephone themed" Then I saw Jo's piece where she had used part of a telephone directory in her background. This reminded me that I had once been sent some pages from a foreign directory. But what inspired me most of all were her birds, straight away I thought "birds on a telephone wire" and that's how this piece came about. I used the 3 crows stamp from Inka, and real wire.
I am also entering this for Saturday workout, as I have antiqued the directory page with distress inks, water and walnut ink, then heated it with a heat gun to make it feel old; and Theme thursday, where the theme is birds

EDIT ooo I've just realised I can call it blog inspiration, rather than copycatting and enter it for the artygirlz challenge!! BONUS!

"pop-up" christmas card

This was a fun card to do. I like this shape as it has real dimension, but folds flat for posting.

I made the trees by embossing Inka's torn stamp onto papers, then cutting along them and layering them up.
The noel block stamp is also by Inka

My ATC in craft stamper magazine.

How excited am I today? The answer is VERY!! I sent a couple of ATCs in for Craft Stamper Magazine's christmas themed ATC swap, with the vague hope that maybe I could get one published.
Well I did that!!! And won this months ATC competition with it. AND not only is there a HUGE picture of it on the winner page (a page all to myself!!) but it also appears on the contents page too.

I have used loads of stamps on this image. The main girl stamp is by Inka. I have also used an Anita's stamp for the stripy background, the hat is from studio G as is the flourish and the quote, which originally said "believe in yourself", is by Invoke arts.

I love that the Editor described it as Quirky! I like quirky!

In case you haven't seen Craft stamper magazine has a new blog here

blog candy winner

In order to make the draw fair, I put the numbers 2-63 into random.org. Because Jen was not in the draw and this removed any duplicate entries.
The number that was generated was 38


which was the comment by Alcoholinky

alcoholinky said...
fab useful stamps Joanne and you've made a beautiful hanging with them.

Anyone who didn't win, don't forget that you can still get 40% of at Inka stamps, by putting "jen" in the message to seller box. (further details in my sidebar). This offer is only for the month of November. Please feel free to email me if you have any questions about Inka stamps or ordering from Inka.

One powerful hour

This week I am delighted to be the guest designer on one powerful hour challenge. I chose the theme of christmas ornaments, because christmas cards are on our minds at the moment, but sometimes it's just fun to play with your christmas stuff and make something different.

This is made from one stamp, from Inka. stamped onto acetate and cut into a heart and then stamped onto card, cut out and coloured.

Inka has offered the stamp I used a a gift for one lucky participant in the challenge. All you have to do is take part in this week's one powerful hour challenge for a chance to win it. That's worth an hour of anyone's time, don't you think? :)
This is the stamp you could win:


as I have used a cherub stamp on this I am also entering it as a second entry for this week's wednesday stamper theme of angels, and also as an entry for Crazy amigos Heart theme

I have also made another piece, as my entry for this week. also with Inka stamps. I have used the mirrored cardinals. Of course we don't have cardinals in Britain, but they are so pretty. I guess the are the american version of the robin redbreast.


I'd like to thank Carrie for the inspiration for the wire bird cage. of course it's not a patch on the ones that she makes!

wednesday stamper angels

the theme at wednesday stamper is angels. I have used a gorgeous collage image from one of Inka's new sheets, to make this card. The "believe" is a stamp from Inka.

Remember, Remember..

..The fifth of november,
Gunpowder Treason and plot.
I see no reason, why the gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot.

A special post for all the british readers of this blog. Tonight is of course Bonfire night. For those non-brits who have no idea what this is about,it is an annual celebration on the evening of the 5th of November. It celebrates the foiling of the Gunpowder Plot of the 5th of November 1605 in which a number of Catholic conspirators, including Guy Fawkes, attempted to blow up the Houses of Parliament in London, England.

It is primarily marked in the United Kingdom where it was compulsory, by Royal Decree, to celebrate the deliverance of the King until 1859.

Children were taught the rhyme, so that they would learn what would happen if they committed treason. Guy fawkes was of course executed.

The evening is nowadays celebrated by bonfires, huge firework displays (or little displays in the back garden, mostly consisting of trying to write your name with sparklers), and hot food, on what is predictably a very cold evening. Traditionally a "guy" ( a person made from old clothes and straw) is made by children and burnt on the bonfire. Children used to make the guy and stand in the street with asking for "a penny for the guy" from passers-by. Thankfully this begging tradition seems to have died out.

so anyway, this is what this piece represents.

as I have used mostly blacks and browns I am entering it for the created by hand challenge. The image and stamps are all by Inka.

The inchy by inch challenge also has bonfire night as it's theme, so I have made this inchie. The stamp is from a studio g clear set. The date is an office stamp. The eyelet was an accident, it split as I set it with my cropadile, so I decided to just cut some of it off

TMTA and blog candy winner

Here's my ATC for this weeks TMTA where the theme is Angels. The Angel collage image is by Inka.
I'd like to thank the 62 people who left comments on my blog candy post to win the snowflakes. I was thrilled by the volume of the response. it's just nice to know that many people have visited my blog. I'd also like to say thank you for those people who left such lovely comments on my ATC, and actually wanted to win it. that really touched me.

I used a random generator to choose the winner, and the number chosen was 26.



which related to the comment by Char

Wonderful ATC. Love the children and the stapled acetate is fab. Snowflakes are fun and I love the whole thing.

I will contact you for your address and get the stamps and ATC in the post.

don't forget there is still blog candy to be won here and on the blogs of most of the Inka design team. see my sidebar for links.

Mixed media monday

The theme at mixed media monday is The Colours Of Autumn, as chosen by my good friend Deb.
I originally got this Ink deer stamp from Inka to use on christmas cards, but I thought it might be nice to use it on an autumnal card.

all stamps are by Inka

gothic arches

the theme at gothic arches is vintage children. so I thought I'd use this Sally stamp that I just got from Inka. I am also using this piece for the Uk art raffle, whose theme is "circles". How many types of circle can you spot?
all other stamps are by Inka, the paper is basic grey, I've used zoomz (the beady things) and punched black circles.

don't forget Inka is having a 40% off sale, the information you need for this rebate is in my sidebar or here

EDIT: in case anyone cares, I was counting five. the background circles on the paper (preprinted), The ringer stamp, the sequin waste stamp, the punched black polka dots, and the zoomz (beady things).

TGIF shoes

The theme at TGIF is shoes. I decided to use some of the most famous shoes of all, santa's boots. these come as part of a set from Inka that include his jacket on a coathanger as well. but I just decided to use the boots for this card. I have coloured with pencils and sansodor, glossy accented the boots and glittered the furry bits (come on, you can't turn your nose up at glitter at christmas, lol) This is a really simple card, as I am getting into that "OH no! how many christmas cards do I need to make?" stage. The red dots are punched with a normal 1/4 inch hole punch out of red card and then glossy accented. The papers are Anita's black and white christmas papers.

the first of two blog candy draws are happening tomorrow at 9pm, don't forget to enter here