Fan Plate

This is another card from one of Jayne Nestorenko's workshops and this is a really quick and easy card.  The white background was cut out of Centura Pearl Card with a Spellbinders Grand Calibur Scalloped Circles die, then a circle to fit inside was cut out in Core'dinations using the Spellbinders Grand Calibur Circles and finally in Centura Pearl another circle using Spellbinders Lacey Circles. 

Using Jayne's Grande Journeys Accessories stamp, I stamped 3 fans and then coloured them exactly the same using Copic pens.  I then cut out these three fans and mounted them onto a small square piece of card so that they formed a circle.  The piece of card at the back gave a little bit of stability to be able to put the brad on a little later. Try as I might, I could not match them up exactly as I wanted as one side is definately high than the other!  Once I was happy as I coud be, I then put a brad in the middle of the fans and pushed this through.  I then mounted this onto the Lacey Circle card and then mounted that onto the circle and then the scalloped circle. 

This was then put on a stand that was created with Centura Pearl and Joy Crafts Card stand die.

As the brad did not go right through the card, there is room to put a nice notelet with a sentiment on the back.

As this will be my last post this year so I wish all a Happy and Prosperous New Year. 

Happy Christmas

Schwarzenberg Market

Hope you all have had a great Christmas and are having a nice well deserved rest.  It is just a shame that the weather is so wet.

I have had a really busy Christmas period with the usual making cards for family and friends but also this year I have had quite a few requests to make cards for other people and that has taken time.  I had not planned on making cards for other people but took the opportunity that was given.




View from hotel room in Gera



I also got away for 8 days to Germany.  Both my husband and I enjoy the Christmas Markets over there and this year we decided to visit friends and drove over to the eastern part of Germany and ended up visiting the markets in Dortmund, Gera,  Schneeberg, Schwarzenberg, Jena, Leipzig, Erfurt, and Cologne.



We hit a lot of snow when travelling east and although made for some pretty Winter Wonderland scenes, did making driving difficult. It was amazing how quickly the snow ploughs cleared the roads and the only really difficult part was about 3 miles from our hotel.

Schneeberg Market

The markets are all very different although all have the usual Gluehwein stalls which never seem to be  empty.   Our friends took us into the Erzgebirge region (Ore Mountains) to a Christmas Market that was mainly woodcarving from the area. The work was really lovely and is considered the best in the area.  I must admit that we were pleased that they drove as they had a 4 wheel drive with winter tyres.  We both ended up buying better boots to keep our feet warm and dry.

Leipzig -  Advent Calendar



It really made a lovely break and if you have never been to the Christmas markets and get the change, then it really is an experience not to be missed.  The only thing I don't like is being at them on a Saturday evening as you really cannot move in them in the bigger cities.  The are full of both locals and tourists.  It is one place where locals and tourists do mix.

It was a nice break from the Christmas rush but did mean that it was then a last minute panic to get ready for Christmas but I did manage it eventually.



Cologne Cathedral Market











Xmas Card for 2012

Now all the cards have been sent out, it is time to show my Xmas card for this year. I must admit that I was glad to get it in the post - I start off with so much enthusiasm but after making so many the same - the enthusiasm does seem to dwindle somewhat.

 

This year I thought that I wanted to make some quick and uncomplicated cards but in the end they took just as long as last year. I just do not seem to be able to make really quick Xmas cards.

I wanted to make an easel card as this is not a card that you see for sale much in the stores and it is easy if someone wants to hang it up or it can just as easily be put on a mantelpiece or table.

The background paper is a perfumed card that has a cinnamon smell and I bought some of this from last year’s show at Ally Pally but could not remember what store I bought it from. When I came to make my cards this year I realised that I did not have enough of the background paper and after searching on the web, found that I could get it from Art of Craft Ltd.

I used Spellbinders Grand Scalloped Squares for the shape of the card and used the 6” size for my card with the 5” for my background. I used  the 3⅜ x 3⅜″ Spellbinders Classic Scalloped Squares LG for the verse insert. 

Onto my background I mounted a Holly Flourish by Cheery Lynn and then to that added a Christmas recipe card.  I had made the recipe cards from LOTV Christmas recipes set.  I had stamped the card, coloured the border with copics and then distressed the cards with Aged Paper distress ink to get them that used look.  I used a die from the Spellbinders Holly Accents at two corners of the card and added a greeting from either Cheery Lynn Happy Christmas set or Cheery Lynn Merry Christmas set.

For the stopper on the card I used the two smaller pointsettia leaves from Spellbinders Layered Poinsettia. 

Humourous Cards for the men

As it is my brother and my brother-in-law’s birthdays within a day of each other, I decided that they would get the same card this year. I had found a great verse for grumpy men that I got from Joanna Sheen’s newsletter and decided that I would make a humourous card and use that verse.

I used La Pasche’s A5 Stamps Set Flippin’ Men Peace as I thought that this would appeal to both of them and I liked the idea of having a back and front.

I coloured the front and back images using Copic Pens and then cut them out and mounted them on to acetate.

I then cut out an aperture with Spellbinders Labels 8 on an A4 card and then also cut out another one on an A5 piece of card so that I could mount on the back of the front leaf to hide where I had mounted the acetate, making sure that they matched up when put together.

I then stamped the border of toilet rolls, also from the stamp set, down the left and right hand side in Versafine Sepia and also stamped the greeting  in sepia and mounted this onto the card.

I attached the insert with the grumpy men verse to add to the humourous theme.

I am hoping that they both enjoy the humour in these cards and they are a little different to what they normally get.

Christmas Candles

I made this card some years ago as my christmas card for friends and family and I thought that I would make another couple this year as it is nice and quick to make.  It is a really nice simple card with very little work.  The candle has some cutwork on and the rest is just whitework. 

I have used mirri card as the insert as the relfection of the candle against it is a nice effect.  I attached the parchment to the insert with a thick metallic thread and trimmed the parchment with decorative scissors.