December Swap and a little extra!

I am well ahead with this swap - mainly because I have all my Christmas 'stuff' on and around my desk!  Think it is something to do with a busy month next month - Paris, Lunches and Christmas!!

So off I went .....
I cut some of my cards which I had already painted as a masterboard.


I fussycut a penguin from some wrapping paper, positioning the penguin so that all the colours could be seen in the background.  I added a few white peel off snowflakes across the picture.

I fussycut a tree and leaf spray for this background and a sentiment banner along the lower edge of the card.  After all this 'winterstuff' I just had to add Father Christmas!!!

I went for a different effect on this card but still with a collage effect.  I fussy cut a scene and tree from two more pieces of wrapping paper and placed them on a pink acrylic background, which had been spritzed with white pearl spray.  
Very cool and wintery!!!

I forgot to say that when my returns came for the November swaps, our Hostess has enclosed a Chrissy present and card.

Thank you Jan.

I received the following cards:

These cards are extremely well made, the quality is what I would love to produce. 

The sparkle and detail on this card is gorgeous.

My favourite subject!!!  Jesus is the Reason for the Season.

And then inside the envelope I found this pretty card of buttons and little card.

Thank you Mel for a wonderful swap.

November Colour - Red/Black

Brilliant choice of colours!!!
I started off with a few red diecuts, some black card and black peeloffs.



I used two of the red diecuts, chose a sentiment silver peel off which I coloured red with my pens - special for colouring peel offs, where from I cannot remember!!

I placed a black peel off on a small piece of red mulberry paper and fussy cut round the fan.  I added two corner stickers from my oriental stash and place them on each top corner.  After I placed the fan in the centre of the card I coloured up a couple of rose peel offs and another sentiment peel off.

This tree comes from a small card I bought a long, long time ago, but perfect for today!  I cut the card front to size and tied some red and black threads in a bow along the lower edge.





I received the following cards by return:



Red card with a cute black cat peel off - plus black diamantés.
Thank you Jan S.

Another red card and black peel offs.

Thank you Margaret.

My own personal painting!  
Thank you Sue F.

November Theme - Vintage

For this swap I used some of the papers and embellishments from the remnants of the ATC kit I bought some time ago.



I used a piece of the memories paper, one photo and a 'loopy' ribbon as trim along the lower edge and tied into a bow at the top of the photo.

The printed tape on this card, using the same paper as before, came from a Paper Wishes Personal Shopper pack bought at the beginning of this century - sounds grand but I mean 2000,1,2!!

Carrying on the theme with papers and photos, I found some ricrac braid in my stash.




I received these beauties by return:

Beautiful shades of coral and fawn
Thank you Barbara.

Vintage postcards and a gorgeous black/white print.

Thank you Kathleen.

Love the diecut doiley with the lacy background.

Thank you Liz.

A Little Matchbox

I have managed to finish my matchbox.

I was going to use this template and then found two tablet boxes.  These boxes contained my emergency tablets some time ago, now was the time to recycle! 

I checked the sizes which were comparable to the template so I opened up the boxes to make them into a matchbox.  I used one to make the tray and one to make the cover.

Once opened out, I used them as a template
and cut paper to fit,  enough paper to cover the inside and outside of the tray as well as the cover.

I checked to make sure that the tray fitted, cutting it down until I had a good fit.  I edged the sides of the cover with silver Sharpie pen.
.
After collecting lots of my Christmas embellishments, I arranged several of them on various hieroglyphic coloured card.
I cut the card to fit within the tray and then attached various embellishments to the card.  I found some corrugated stars, silver mesh, a peg and then found ...... a little winter house button!  




 I parcelled up the closed matchbox and posted it to my partner. 


Very excited now to received my returns!!!!



UPDATE

I received the following matchbox by return.  This was beautifully presented, and included these three paintings - marvellous.
Thank you Val.

November Swap

I chose to use three of my ready made cards again this swap.  



One of my paper collage, one of my folded papers and one of my sticker cards.

I received this selection from my partner .....

A mixed media card, a stamped and delicately coloured card and a purple and black card. 

Thank you Vicki for a great selection.

12 Days of Christmas

Yes!  It's that time of year again! 

I showed my desk all ready for me to make these cards and I spent a whole day just creating ....... darling DH said he would look after the dinner.

I decided that a same-ish background would pull all the designs together.

I laid a cover of Gesso over the inside of a Panetonne Cake box and, after it had dried, I painted my blank cards with various shades of Fresco paint - mixing some of the colours as I used some of the card as 'wipe-offs'.

I selected various embellishments for each card and laid them all to one side. 

Reading from the top left  ....... 

1 - snowman and circle were from a Bought Pack, the bow from the Indoor Market and the peel offs sentiment from my stash.

2 - I stamped this little Nativity Scene with a Dovecraft - a very thick ink which took ages to dry.  I added the sentiment from the BP but thought it looked very plain.  I added a peel off star above the stamping and tiny stars spread around.

3 - I placed some washi tape along the lower edge of this card and added a BP embellishment above it.  I managed to get a glitter peel off in the top right corner.

4 - One of my 'mixed' backgrounds which I wanted to show off so I used some diecuts but not just any diecuts!  I diecut the sentiment - which was free with a magazine - from some blue wall paper.  The paper had a gold streak, just as though a paintbrush had been stroked with gold along the centre.  Once I had diecut the sentiment I went to work with my tiny scissors, I carefully cut round the words to remove them from the border.  I used some of the border across the top left of the card, and added some confetti reindeer to the top right.  I placed some washi tape across the lover edge, forgot to check that it was central, and then placed the diecut sentiment above it.

5 - One of my cards had the gesso centre still showing so I placed a Bought Pack sentiment in the centre.  I found some stars border peel offs, coloured them red, and placed it around the edges of the card, using the star centres around the card.

6 - Another stamped card but this time I used just a Sharpie gold pen for the centre of the star.  It looked awful!  I found among my peel offs I found some hieroglyphic stars and used one of the larger ones, the centre glistening and shining.  I added some confetti trees alongside the stamping and scattered some of the smaller stars around the card.  Another embellishment of bells for the top tight corner completed the card. 
7 - An elf was perfect for this green card.  I placed the same star border, this time coloured green, along the lower edge and added washi tape just above it.  The elf seemed quite happy to sit above this border and only needed a sentiment to finish the card.
8 - I bought a pack of hieroglyphic tags with this project in mind.  I placed one at an angle across this card and trimmed it to size.  The cheerful robin brought some colour and I added a peel off greeting, coloured dark blue, along the lower edge. 
9 - I placed washi tape along the lower edge of this green card, coloured some tiny sentiments in shades of green and red which I sprinkled around a BP really sparkly Christmas tree.  A small green bauble hangs in the top right corner.
10 - After I had applied some washi tape along the lower edge of this card, I added a peel off sentiment - coloured red this time - and a super Father Christmas!  I love this pack of Father Christmas figures, wish I could remember where I found them!!!  
11 - I placed the tag at a slightly different angle on this card, trimmed it to match the card and tied the ribbon into a bow.  The glittery star was perfect for the top right corner of the tag but the purple Noel peel off brought some colour, a bit different one though!  The greeting was left plain silver.  
12 - The diecut on this card is cut from a superb piece of gold and peuce card.  'Peuce' I hear you say - it was my Nan's expression for a fuschia colour.  Once again I freed the words from the background, placing them at an angle across the lower edge.  I cut the background frame into pieces, one to fit across the top right corner and a longer piece down the left hand side. The sentiment heart felt made to measure as it fitted between the frame pieces. 

These cards have been parcelled, numbered and posted - they will then be distributed to the other members of the swap.  

What fun we will have on December 14th when we can start to open our parcels!!!!  

It's soooo good to start my birthday with a surprise!!!!!

Excuse me but Blogger has decided to change my layout on this blog - three days I have been trying but no ..... not my way but Bloggers!!!!

Zentangle Butterflies

Still zentangling ....... or at least trying...............


I watercoloured the background and then used a black fine liner to draw out and fill my tangled butterfly.


I tried to be clever with this card ... don't think it worked but ..... 

I used coloured biros for the butterflies, brown outlines and orange/red centres.  Green and Blue biros were used to form the background.

Brushos on watercolour paper formed the background for these cards and the butterfly drawn with a blue fine line biro on one and the other butterfly with a black pen

I received these card back:




A beautiful butterfly on a grunge background.
Thank you silky115.

Love the expression on this butterfly!

Thank you robin.

Love this impressed black/white butterfly.

Thank you mouseit.

Our great Hostess sent a glittery Thank You.

Thank you Jewels.

Valentines' theme

Not being a Valentine's Day fan this swap was very challenging.
I tried is all I can say.


I stamped some hearts on white paper and added some peel offs on top.  I left a space on the lower left side of the card which I covered with a flower printed vellum which I had fussy cut round the flowers.

A dry wipe splashed with some Brushos in red formed the background to this card.  I added a diecut heart and flourish over the top.

A red flowered frame over some Chinese script was centred on a piece of red card.  I had ensured that the script was down the right side of the frame so that I could place a gold peel off within the frame to complete the card.





I received these very intricate cards back:













Thank you Val.

December Theme - Food and Drink

One of my favourite subjects!!!


I cut out some pictures of food to use as a background and then placed a single image in the centre of the background.   I placed the sentiment across the lower right corner.

I applied the background and image as before but this time i placed the sentiment along the lower edge and the right hand side of the card.

I attached this printout as a background and added some Crystal Colour to the fruit juice image.  The sentiment this time was a ticklist and I ticked hungry!!

I received the following cards:



Lots of small adverts on a bright background.
Thank you Kathleen.

Peel Offs on a music background.

Thank you Margaret J.

Stamped and paper pieced.

Thank you Jan S.