Winter Wonderland Altered Paper Bag

Hi folks.

Hope you are all doing ok. I've got my entry for Winter Wonderland all lined up for this week because I've been waiting for Santa to come up! I knew they wouldn't be able to wait long to spotlight the old boy (who would?) so I've been thinking about this project for a while. It's an altered paper bag which I'm going to use to fill with little bits and pieces for a Christmas present when the time comes. It's the first time I've done anything like this and I really enjoyed making it.

I'm absolutely crazy for Christmas, it's my favourite time of year - much better than holidays and even birthdays when you're just another year older! All those gorgeous Christmas cards and beautifully wrapped presents, lovely smells and different things to eat. I start preparing in about September! As you can imagine, it's never a problem to make a Christmas project.

I thought a paper bag would make a wee change and you can do anything you want for this challenge, it doesn't have to be a card.

Inside:

Back:

This is my recipe:

Image: Santa with tree by Sugar Nellie
Coloured with Promarker Pens and Glamour Dust
A paper bag which I cut to size and left a bit on the side for the clip
A clip such as you would find on an office file (they are called 2 piece filing clips)
DP: Paper Adventures Holiday Joy Multi Stripes
Cardstock: QVC from a Christmas pack
Green, red and white velvet paper for the flowers
Various stamps, brads, snowflake charm, stickers and ribbons from stash
Silver Stickles
Christmas stickers from PSX
Computer generated sentiments on back
Verse inside "borrowed" from a piece of scrapbooking paper with no name on it, sorry
Tools: Cuttlebug; Oval Nesties; Leone Em Branch Punch; Small and Medium retro flower punches (they've disappeared from my Wish List!)

The stamping inside isn't the best because of the glitter paper but I think it adds to the distressed look and I quite like it.

Thanks for looking- hope you like it.

Lynne.

Challenge combo

Well, I hope your week's been as good as mine. I don't think we've ever had a time when we've been so lucky - I even won £10.00 on the lottery on Wednesday! Now I know it's not exactly the jackpot - won't pay many mortgages off with that - but it's better than a smack in the face with a wet fish, agreed? It's always nice when something unexpected and pleasant comes your way so I was pleased. I don't think it matters what you win, it's always a nice feeling.

I thought I'd try my hand at combining a couple of challenges, after what I thought was a bit of a disaster last time. The colour combination for Passion for Promarkers this week is Helen's choice of Ruby and Gold with the option of jewels and gems. Very opulent, I thought to myself - these are my favourite Christmas colours, so this Christmas card is my attempt at the challenge. I was really looking forward to doing this card, especially since the weather here is frightful (no pun intended!) but I always seem to have a right palava with this particular Tilda's tights. This was my fourth attempt so I'm afraid it will have to do as it is now. I had a good look around for a sketch; I always work better to a nice sketch and I thought this one was just the ticket. It's the new one this week for Stamp Something and it was perfect. At first I thought I might rotate it but actually it was just right as it was so I left well alone. Stamp with Fun this week is Shapes or Punches and since I've used my Nestie Labels I think I qualify for this challenge as well. Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge is Spots and Dots and Tilda is sitting on a background of Swiss Dots run through the Cuttlebug. I hoped it looked like snow. Finally, Cute Card Thursday is Christmas in July and this is definitely for Christmas so in it goes.

I can't quite believe I've managed 5 challenges in 1 (I hope I'm sticking to the rules for all these) but it all just kind of came together this morning when I was looking at the challenge blogs.

This is my recipe:

Image: Christmas Tilda by Magnolia
Coloured with Promarkers:
Ruby; Gold; Ice Grey 1,2 and 3; Moss Green; Ivory; Satin; Blush Pink
Papers: Imaginesce - it's called Snowy Joe and Cup o' Cheer (I used both sides)
Cardstock: Gold - Coredinations; Red - Bazzil
Stickles: Gold and Red
Gems: Paper Adventures Jewels
Ribbon: Hobbycraft
Sentiment: Hero Arts

Hope you like it.

Thanks for dropping by.

Lynne.

What a time!

What a time I'm having. Not content with winning my very cute little Quentin - it's the first time he's been on a card and he won first prize on last week's Passion for Promarkers Challenge. I'm so pleased, I'm grinning like a Cheshire cat and really getting up everyone's nose! I can't believe I was chosen for the top 5 last week and I've won top slot this week - maybe my cards aren't so bad after all! Thank you so much for choosing me, girls. It's been such fun to see my card on the side of your blog.

We went to see the new Harry Potter film last night. Magical or what. I find myself living in that world, I absolutely love it. They've changed things a bit from the book which I don't really like but the film's still great and the special effects are amazing. Suzanne wept buckets! If you're a Harry P fan like us, you've got a real treat in store.

Well, I'm working on an altered paper bag at the moment but I'll have to save it for when there's a Christmas challenge to fit. Then the next PfP challenge is the lovely Helen's colours of Ruby and Gold. They speak to me of Christmas....

See you all soon.

Lynne.x

Passion for Promparkers Challenge

Good evening everyone

Hope you've all spotted my wee blinkie on the sidebar! I was awarded this for having my card chosen by Caryn as one of her top 5 in last week's PfP Challenge. I was so chuffed, I can tell you. I've never shut up. This is just as good as winning the prize!

I know I'm a bit like the coo's tail - always last, hence I'm rather late with this challenge again. This is my entry for this week's Passion for Promarkers Challenge, which is cocoa and cornflower blue with the added option of using the sketch. It was a bit hard fitting the image on because he's quite big but I've managed it. I've been waiting all week for this wee chap to come through my letterbox - I thought he would be ideal for this week's colours. He is my prize from the Charisma Cards Craft Challenge. He's a little cutie and he arrived just in time for me to get the card made. I can see we are going to get along together very well!

Enough blethering then - here's my card before it's too late:

And my recipe:

Image - Quentin by Little Lovins (Rubber Necker Stamp Company)

Papers: Basic Grey - I liked the paper at the back because it looked like little lassoos!

Card: Coredinations which I've distressed a bit
Promarkers:
Cocoa and Cinnamon
Cornflower Blue and Blue Pearl
Moss Green
Satin, Blush and Dusky Pink
Gold and Saffron
Brown ribbon: Hobbycraft

Sentiment: computer generated
Tools: Cuttlebug and Tiny Bubbles embossing folder.

I tried very hard to get a little cowboy hat - even visited Hobbycraft - but to no avail. Plenty of bags, tutus and sparkly shoes but very little boys' stuff. Never mind, hope you like it.

Thanks for dropping by.

Lynne.

Winter Wonderland

Hi folks

Just been watching the Michael Jackson Memorial Service on tele. Oh my, how sad was that? I don't know why I put myself through these things - I've been weeping buckets. I can't bear watching people being upset. How brave was Jermaine? And that poor wee Paris obviously loved her dad to bits. He was the same age as me - I feel like I've grown up with people like him and Donny Osmond and David Cassidy. I can't get my head around the fact that he's actually dead. I know we still have his music but there was much more to him than that, although he made fabulous music and I loved it. Most people don't know about all the other things he did. I feel so sad and boy, am I going to miss that smile.

Goodness only knows what happened to my last challenge - I thought I could enter it for three challenges but where I got the idea I could enter it for A Spoonful of Sugar I don't know. I thought it was summer but it turned out to be something like ribbons and bows! I think I've got a void where there's supposed to be a brain. Never mind, I enjoyed making the card and my mother liked it well enough.

This is my entry for this week's Winter Wonderland which is Christmas Past - I know 'cos I've double checked. I love this image; my daughter bought me it a couple of years ago and it's exactly my idea of what Santa should look like - all olde worlde, kind and smiley. I love the way he peers over his glasses and his eyes twinkle. This challenge is your own idea of Christmas Past or nostaliga, so I can't really go wrong this time, can I? I know I'm definitely a more is more kind of person when it comes to embellishments but I've kept this card quite plain because I wanted Santa to stand out. I've put some diamond glaze on his specs to make them look real - I think you might just be able to see it in the photo.

Hope you like him.

Card Recipe:

Image: Rubber Stampede (I don't think it has a name)
Coloured with Water colour pencils and loads of stickles
Paper: Crafts House Plum Pudding - Marzipan
Card: QVC Christmas pack
Gold mirri card: Tesco, kids section
Brad: Dovecraft
Ribbon, Gems and Charm: Stash
Stickles: Frosted lace and red
Diamond glaze
Tools: Cuttlebug, Swiss dots embossing folder

Off to watch some more Michael. Thanks for dropping by.

Lynne.

Challenge combo

Well, I've had quite a quiet weekend. Had to have a sickie on Friday - had an awful headache all night, didn't get much sleep and wasn't worth a sook in the morning. I'm feeling better now but just took it easy for a couple of days. We went to Dunfermline on Saturday but it was very hot which doesn't help the old head so we didn't stay long. It's such a beautiful town. If you ever get the chance to visit do try the Abbot's House for tea and cakes. It's near the Abbey (obviously - being the Abbot's House!), a wee pink house at the back of the high street. It's a suntrap and when you have your tea outside in the gardens all the wee birds come down and hop around. It's absolutely gorgeous. We didn't go yesterday, I was so disappointed so we'll go back just for the cakes.

I've made this card for my mum's birthday on Monday. I can enter it for 3 challenges:
A Spoonful of Sugar which is "summer" and I've got my Sugar Nellie image on there. Passion for Promarkers which is Poppy and Moss Green this week and the optional is something yummy. I've got apples here so I think that qualifies for the optional bit as well. I hope I'm not too late for this one - it changes tomorrow. I've used the sketch from Truly Scrumptious this time. It was a lovely sketch, all the elements fitted together really well. I added an extra flower; hope that's ok! I've done the optional bit here as well which is to use your neglected stash. I've got so much of this, it's not a problem. My papers are so old I can't remember where they came from. I seem to think they might be from a QVC Christmas pack but there is no clue on the back so my mind's a bit of a blank (nothing new there!) Suzanne got the flowers last Christmas; they are by Bo Bunny and she didn't like them so she shared them with me. I think now she sees them on a card she might like them more. Also, I used my little label Nesties for the sentiment which I've had for a while but never used. Finally, the cardstock is from a QVC pack from almost 3 years ago. I think that all qualifies for neglected stash.

Inside:

Here's my card recipe:

Image: Sugar Nellie - Picking Apples
Coloured with Pro Markers:
Skin: blush/satin;
Clothes, apples, hat, grass/moss/apple/poppy;
Flowers: blue pearl/cornflower;
Hair: gold/pastel yellow
Basket: spice/coral
Papers: Sorry - they are so neglected I've no idea where they are from
Cardstock: QVC
Flowers: Bo Bunny and from stash
Charm/Spacer/Brads/Chain: From stash
Ribbon: Dovecraft
Sentiment: Computer generated
Tools: Cuttlebug and Swiss dots folder
That horrible Fiskars punch that's supposed to emboss as well.

That's about it, I think.

Thanks for looking.

Lynne.

Guess what? I've won!

I couldn't believe it yesterday when I was looking at the comments on my blog. The girls at Charisma Cards had left me a message to let me know I was a winner on their last challenge. Just after I wrote in my last post that the only thing I've ever won is a bottle of vodka, the very next day I get a message to say I've won something else. How cool is that? I knew those little elephants were going to be lucky!

My prize is any stamp or stamp set from the Rubbernecker stamp company. Of course, I couldn't make my mind up - I was on the website for about 3 hours before I finally decided on a little cowboy - Quentin. We don't have many boy stamps so I'm looking forward to him coming to live at our house.

Thanks to the Charisma girls for running the challenge and to Rubbernecker for the prize.

See you all soon with a card, got a bit more time now that I'm not watching so much tennis - boo hoo.

Lynne.