Christmas masking

Happy Sunday, I hope you are now well into your Christmas preparations. I still have quite a bit to do, but we are getting there.

Today I have one post for both Fashionable Stamping Challenges and PanPastels DTs. The challenge today at FSC is 'Mask It' and at PanPastels it is 'Christmas Time' and by putting them together I have made a Christmas card for my hubbie.

I used a mask and Maimeri modelling paste, available from our sponsors 'Your Creativity Store', to create the texture on the background and then when it was dry I added PPs and also used a holly mask to create further interest.

The toy soldier is a Sizzix die coloured with distress stains, inked round the edges and edged with black pen.

The Marianne trees have been dry brushed with white paint and I created texture on them by using the die for embossing over them to make it look like branches.

Finally one die cut and two punched snowflakes, a die cut 25 and computer generated sentiment complete finish it off.

I am not around again today, I will be attending day 2 of the Andy Skinner workshops at The Stamp Attic. I am looking forward to having some time over the Christmas and New Year to play with the techniques I am learning.

Sorry I haven't been commenting this week. The catch-up with work after my holiday, a day being a governor at a local school and then prepping and doing a workshop at The Art of Craft has prevented me from doing much else. But hopefully I can catch up with you all this week.

Take care, only 10 more sleeps before Christmas.

hugs Brenda xox

Desert Island Christmas cards

Good afternoon from a wild, wet and windy Surrey.

I thought to cheer myself up I would show you some of the Christmas cards I made whilst I was on holiday - hence the title lol - (actually I am procrastinating, I should be doing paperwork, writing Christmas cards and getting the house decorated but my head isn't in it), but I am missing the warmth and sunshine.

I made this card after visiting some friends in Fuerteventura, the colours of the sea and foam were my inspiration. I sent them the card from Lanzarote, before we came home.

I took such a small amount of supplies with me. 2 pencil cases with glue, double sided tape, one DI pad,  a glittery and a gold pen, scissors and ruler. A plastic folder with some designer papers, punched snowflakes and small embellishments, some music paper, ribbons and lace.

This is Ken and I on our balcony the day we came home, seems strange it was only a week ago yesterday.

Enjoy your day.

hugs {brenda} xox

Song or Carol Title for PanPastel

Happy Sunday Everyone.

This is a Christmas card with 'O Christmas Tree' as the inspiration this week for our PanPastel UK challenge.

I used Crafty Individuals paper and stamp using the pans to colour the tree stamped with embossing ink. I used a zig glue pen on the stars and added glitter and when it was completely dry I drew around them using a white pen.

The background paper from one of the CI Christmas paper pads was given a wash of white acrylic paint and lightly blended with green PP when dry. I sealed it and then covered it with Tim's frosted film to get that opaque sparkly look to it. I used cream glittered card for the embellishments and music paper with the carol title and music on to give a collage style.

Today I am visiting my sister and delivering her Christmas presents and I hope to get back to get one of my Christmas trees decorated. I hope you are in full swing with all your preparations.

A big thank you to Anita who sent me a card for Becca, it arrived yesterday Anita, I shall see her tonight and be able to give it to her.

Have a great day.

hugs {brenda} xox

I am home and a Christmas card catch up.

What horrible weather to come home to. Ken and I have been on a 2 week winter break to Lanzarote and loved it. We have never been away at this time of year before, but it's certainly something I would do again.

So my posts have been scheduled and everything seemed to go fine until Wednesday when the post went live but no photos!!!  Thanks to those of you who left me comments but I didn't have access to a PC, only had my Ipad, so I couldn't do anything about it. But here now are the pics.

I used a Gecko Gals image and MME backing paper, cut from a 12 x 12 page.

So I got 4 for my collection. Trouble is I haven't written one yet, got lots to do now.

Some Frantage to add a bit of bling.

And the snowflakes made from punches.

The washing machine is on, I have a project to get made today for a workshop I am doing on Thursday, I have to work most of next week and the decs have got to be got down from the loft.

But I am now excited to get into preparing for Christmas and seeing the family again.

By all accounts Becca is doing well, she is back at school part time and doing her mock GCSE exams to see what she needs to catch up on. The Consultant was pleased with her when she saw him last week. Thanks everyone who has kept in touch with me about her and thanks Terry for your parcel which I saw when I checked my post this morning. I will be getting in touch with each and every one of you personally.

See you soon, thanks for stopping by and have a great day.

hugs {brenda} xox

Christmas card - Gecko Galz

Still on my making Christmas cards trek - aren't we all??? I made four of these to add to the box.

This is a vintage image from Gecko Galz, layered up, some frantage enamels, snowflakes and poinsettia all punched out.

I am so loving making collage things again at the moment.

Enjoy.

hugs {brenda} xox

Gift Time at PanPastels

Today the new challenge at PanPastels UK is about 'Gift Time' and I have created a gift to give someone at Christmas, I don't know who yet lol.

Using a Sizzix die I cut a note-let holder from greyboard and painted it with white acrylic paint. When it was dry I gently blended green, yellow and blue PanPastels to give a smooth background and sealed it.

I over stamped with various stamps using Versamark Dazzle embossing ink and gently patting pans over the top to create all the images. I sealed the covered stamped areas as I went along and gave a final spray at the end using a colourless fixative.

I glued the top together, added some magnets as closures and glued the positionable notes inside. To give the cut seams some support I added silver metal tape (next time I do it I will alcohol ink the tape before I stick it down) and added some message words.

Now I have a tree present for Christmas day.

Don't forget you could win a set of PanPastels from 'Your Creativity Store'if you enter, so why not have a go?

hugs {brenda} xox

To die for at FSC

How has another two weeks passed so quickly? Here we are again with another fabulous challenge at Fashionable Stamping Challenges and the Stampettes have some serious inspiration for you this week, showing lots of ways to use dies in projects.

I have used the Sizzix pillow box die and Tim's tattered poinsettia die for my sweet little Christmas packaging. My sister very kindly sent them down for me.

I covered the pillow box in PanPastels then stamped with a text stamp, sealing it with clear fixative spray.

I cut some Christmas text paper and distressed it with DIs and the poinsettia was cut in red and green art paper but I blended DIs over the top and spritzed with water to get a much more tattered and vintage look to it.

The sentiment is another of my computer generated ones.

This challenge is anything goes along as you use some stamping and die-cuts on your project. 

So why not join in the fun?

I will have another post later this morning with my PanPastels DT piece.

Have a great day.

hugs {brenda} xox

Crafty Individuals - Christmas Cards

I would like to share some Christmas cards I have made using the new
Crafty Individuals Christmas Reindeer stamp - CI-358.
Jean shared them on the CI blog some time ago.

This first one used DP from the CI Background Papers Book 2 Christmas pad.

The image was stamped with coffee archival onto a dusky pink card then I used some distress markers and a water pen to colour the trees and flourishes then I used the picket fence DM and water brush for the deer. Tissue paper was covered (on the back) with broken china distress stain and some of the distressed edges of the mounts were inked with walnut stain and stickles.

This second card is very simple. Again I painted the deer and antlers with DMs and a water brush and added picket fence over the top to give that cool glow.

More distress marker painting, then layered up with collage pieces to complete. The writing was added by stamping onto tissue paper and adhering to the DP. I used a CI stamp for the clock and added real watch hands to it.

I hope your week is going well and you are getting some creative time for yourself.

Take care.

hugs {brenda} xox

Frosty and Bright - PanPastels

A different style from me today for my PanPastel UK DT piece and guess what? Another Christmas card - actually another four Christmas cards cos I made three more to go with this one.

The main part of the card is made from Tim's snowflake embossing folder with beige, brown and cream pans used over the background and blues and browns sponged lightly over the snowflakes themselves. 

After that I covered them with glue and glamour dust and when dry I sponged more blue PP over the top and I loved how it clung to the glitter.

I made my own sparkly snowflake vellum with sparkly ep and covered the seam binding with a light dusting of blue PP; I made the computer generated sentiment and punched some small snowflakes to finish off.

So are you up for making something frosty and bright this week? Remember you don't need to use PanPastels and you could be in with a chance of winning a pans starter set from our regular sponsor 'Your Creativity Store'.

Have a great Sunday everyone.

 hugs {brenda} xox

Silent Night for Crafty Individuals

I thought I would make a card for the Festive Sparkle challenge at Crafty Individuals, where I chose the theme this month.

Have you entered yet and got your 25% off code? That's 25% of everything on the web site. Well worth a look if you haven't seen all the products Jean and Malcolm stock.

I stamped plate 154 and water-coloured it using distress markers.

The snowflake is a chipboard piece which I painted using eco-friendly aged silver, then covered it with glitter. To add extra sparkle I have gone round the edges of everything with cosmic shimmer aqua twinkles.

A metal corner, some lace and a little bow finish it off.

To participate in the challenge use one crafty individuals product and there will be five winners who can choose a stamp of their choice.

Have fun.

hugs {brenda} xox