HAPPY NEW YEAR!

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My mojo did a runner today. This was meant to be an entry for the Sizzix Tim Holtz Facebook group's Christmas Challenge, which ends tonight, and although I've used Tim Holtz's Sizzix Bigz die, 'Weathered Clock', and a Tim Holtz font (and the numbers that came with the Sizzix Sidekick), and I used Ranger's Stickles glitter glue, it's nowhere near the standard of entries I've seen in the group, and certainly not Tim Holtzy enough to submit as my entry. Ah, well... at least it's sparkly! Lol..

Wishing you all a very sparkly New Year's Eve, and a happy and healthy new decade!

Crafty Individuals Christmas

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These are my last batch of cards for Christmas. Hurrah! Using up 'waste' backgrounds from cleaning spare ink and paint from brayering & stencils, and then over-stamping with Crafty Individuals 'Noel Border' stamp, CI-502. I have also cut Memory Box's 'Star of Wonder' dies in black, and computer-generated the sentiments.

The background above is using up the ink from the AALL & Create 'Steam Cogs' stencil.

It's unlikely I'll be posting again before Christmas Day, so thank you for visiting my blog this year, and here's wishing you a very Happy Christmas (and if you don't celebrate Christmas, I'm sending you a virtual hug!) xxx

O Christmas Tree

Click on photos for larger images. Apologies for the poor quality, because of very poor (non-existent) winter daylight.

I am privileged to be responsible for running the Facebook group for Crafty Individuals, the long-established and very popular British craft company (amongst other things). I have been a huge fan of their stamps and beautiful papers for as long as I can recall, more or less since I started card-making in the early noughties, so I was thrilled to finally have chance to get down to making some Christmas cards with some Crafty Individuals products.

These were part of a batch-making session, using CI-479 (the slightly grungy starry background), which I stamped in Versacolour 'Cool Grey' for some subtlety. Then I stamped Ellie Mulligan's beautiful O Christmas Tree (CI-530) on separate card in Onyx Black Versafine with clear heat embossing and cut it out.

I have been seeing a few black and/or grey themed cards around, which I quite like, so used Black Soot Distress Oxide to blend around the outer sides. Not sure I like it.. possibly a bit dark for Christmas.

I mounted the tree on recycled cardboard for a touch of dimension, and to lighten the mood slightly, I added silver Stickles to the star. an image from Crafty Individuals 'Merry Christmas' Miniatures glossy images pad (matted onto some black card for structure and definition), added some random silver sequins and a computer-generated sentiment.

Stargazy Ellie

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This is fresh from my craft desk for my niece. Our family have a thing for elephants, and this li'l cutey is a digistamp from Lili Of The Valley, called 'Stargazing'. I used Koh-I-Noor Aquarelle watercolour pencils to colour, and Decoart Glamour Dust for glitter.

The big star is from a Memory Box die set, 'Star of Wonder', raised slightly on recycled cardboard. The 'Merry Christmas' greeting is a Tim Holtz stamp from Stampers Anonymous.

Ice Stars

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I made four of these for my overseas friends. Today's the last posting day for Australia, so I'm cutting it fine and can't wait for decent daylight to take the photos! The skies have been so gloomy for most of the last couple of weeks. My compensation is that glitter doesn't show up well in 'real' light.

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I started by printing 'Christmas' in the lovely 'Lydia Puente' font (available in your standard font list in Word), then blending a shadow in the centre of each card with 'Hickory Smoke' Distress Oxide. Over that, I stamped the star and circles from the AALL & Create 'Lace Gaffiti' #60 by Olga Heldwein in 'Black Onyx' Versafine. Next, I stamped some stars from Olga's 'Interstellar' stamp set #105 onto separate card, cut them out, ran a black pen around the edges, dipped them in dries clear glue and sprinkled with Decoart Glamour Dust. I attached them to the card with just a tiny bit of dimension using recycled cardboard, then splatted diluted black gesso across the surface. A few diamantés complete the bling.

Lynn's Ellie

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This is for my sister's birthday next week. (It's OK.. I don't think she even knows I have a blog!) Pretty simple design, but the back story is that we both love elephants and support The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, which is close to our hearts as we had the privilege to visit the animal orphanage when we were children, in the sixties. Amazing memory.

... And the other part of the story is just that I love this cute little ellie digistamp from Lili Of The Valley, called 'Scruffy Edward'. He has had gender reassignment for this card, though, and now goes by the name 'Edwina'.

He is coloured with Koh-I-Noor Aquarelle watercolour pencils, and the balloon is enhanced with Glossy Accents. I found some little red flowers, which now have glittery Stickles yellow centres, there are some 'gold' bradlets in the corners of the panel, which is raised on recycled cardboard (my thing instead of environmentally unfriendly foam pads). There are a couple of silver bows, the background paper is from a Basic Grey 6" x 6" paper pad.. 'Cupcake', I think, and the sentiment is a Sara Signature die from Crafters Companion, cut twice and layered for a drop shadow effect.