The Other Side Of Me

I am finally able to pop on with some Christmas cards.  I have been making some every day.  I am NOT going to take such a frantic approach next year and you can hold me to that!  I need about 200 cards a year so I have got  to make some every week next year.  I could easily do it if I gave myself enough time. Anyway, on with the cards: I am finally using up the last of my Holly Berry Bouquet papers, which I must have had for about 3 years.  The colour scheme is real red, wild wasabi (although the ink I've used here is gumball green) cherry cobbler and chocolate chip (with very vanilla obviously!)  I've bought brand new inks recently so I could make lots of cards and the cherry cobbler is stunning to work with.  I kept some silver thread from a gift box earlier in the year knowing I was going to make cards like this with it, so I was very pleased to discover this in my stash. I've used various stamps that I've acquired over the years. ...

So are you doing it?  Huh?   Huh?! Yes I have succumbed to the attraction of December Daily for the first time ever.  Actually I'm throwing myself into it.  I've got my folder, I've got my journaling cards.  Now I just need to take some photos! I'm going to show you the cover, but before I do, I need to tell you I'm not very keen on it, so don't expect a work of art, because you'll be disappointed!! I'm using Simple Stories Cosy Christmas and it's really lovely stuff. The colour scheme is very close to Very Vanilla (used here on the cover), Chocolate Chip, Real Red, Cherry Cobbler and Always Artichoke, which are the colours I'm using to make my Christmas cards this year, so I ordered some extra cardstock just to be on the safe side. The little postcard is from the Cosy Christmas set and the washi tape is from Hobbycraft, as is the little wooden stag on the post card (wooden embellishments with everything, right?!) I know it's hard to...

This is my second go at a Project Life type of page.  Can I just say I have nothing against PL at all, I think it all looks fantastic, but I just can't afford it and have so much dsp in my house, it would be insanity to go and buy some more. So this is how I'm doing my pages.  The colour scheme for this one is Baja Breeze (good way to use up retired cardstock too, you see) and Cherry Cobbler.  There is a bit of dsp from Echo Park on the first page, which I really love.  This way I get to keep some for myself.  It's the same paper I used to make the Christmas card in my previous post. The biggest development (and there is a pun here, much as I'd like to avoid it) is that I found a photo developing shop in town that develops photos straight from my phone with a great deal of ease.  They print off two photos on a sheet of 4"x6" paper so you can cut them in half, and that's what I've done on these pages.  I was so excited at being able to do this! Her...

Isn't it lovely when you remember making someone a card last year and a whole year has gone by and now you're making one for this year?  This is the card I made earlier this month for my eldest grandson Christian: Christian is football crazy, so once again I've gone for a football image.  This one is by LOTV and it's so sweet.  I dithered about it because Christian is 9 so I wondered if it was too young for him, but apparently he loved it. The stripe across this white 5x7 card is real red and the little flags at the bottom are basic black and basic gray, as is the border on the stamped image.  I've coloured the little boy with Promarkers.  I had a lightbulb moment with the inside of the card as I realised I could just ink the football and stamp it out by itself like this: That could be a very handy thing to have in itself anyway, couldn't it?  (I have four grandsons!)  I was very pleased with the finished result, it was a nice, sharp, clean...

Hello all, sorry I haven't been around much, this has been the most hectic build-up to Christmas ever!  I've had two lots of course work to submit as well as actually being at work, Christmas shopping, seeing to Barnaby etc, which now takes twice as long as I have to muck out as well as riding him. I've also had four birthdays in December, but I've managed to get out of three of them by using cards from my stash.  I did make one, though, so I'll pop back soon and show you. But for now, this is my Christmas card to all of you: This is another card inspired by Ruth M , although I think I actually came across it on Pinterest (the new love of my life!)  I still find the Pennant Parade punch thrilling to work with and when I saw this idea of a 3D tree I couldn't wait to have a go.  The small scale of the holly on the dsp is perfect for this design. I managed to get a hand-made card done for every member of staff at work, but had to buy them for  the residents...

I have spent many hours trawling the internet trying to find ways that people have used the Pines and Poinsettias stamp set from last year as I've borrowed it from a friend.  I also bought the Holly Berry Bouquet dsp, so that I could use both items together.  I had quite an adventure in the end, come and have a look: For the first card I drew a circle around one of my little SU brads containers and stamped the image all the way around, then rubbed the pencil line out.  I deliberately did it on white cardstock and the card is very clean and fresh looking.  The real red card base is 4" square.  I've stamped the sentiment, cut it out and propped it up on dimensionals.  The word 'merry' is from the Pennant Parade set.  Although Pines and Poinsettias is retired, there's probably something in the new catalogue that would work in a similar way. Then I saw a video on Youtube here where a girl makes some lovely tags.  I decided to have a go and the...

I started off the year making Christmas cards and was doing quite well, but there's no incentive in June and July, is there?  So, let the panic begin! Actually I've decided to make at least 2 cards each time I make something I like, so this is what I made on Tuesday: Again, I seem to have used a cluster of different products, but I really like the end result.  And I do think by the time you've got one the way you like it, you may as well make another one. The base is real red, C6 size.  On top of that is a piece of crumb cake, with white snowflakes on it, from a set that was free with my mag.  On top of that is a piece of very vanilla, with my LOTV music stamp stamped on in crumb cake.  On top of that is this beautiful reindeer in chocolate chip.  I was just playing about with stamping something dark onto something light, and this is what I ended up with. But what I really wanted to  ask today is, "Do you know your stamping style?"...

I knew  it was Joan's birthday coming up so I decided to ask her about it.  She said she would be 80, which is fine, but later in the conversation she said she was born in 1922.  Now maths is not my strong point, but I lay in bed that night going over and over it and still coming up with 90!  So I went in the next day and my manager asked if I could make a 90th birthday card for Joan.  Phew, my maths isn't that bad then.  I'm already at the stage where I'm beginning to forget how old I am, so I totally understand! I knew straight away what I wanted to make, and here it is: This is the first time I've cut into this beautiful sheet of 12x12" dsp from the Everyday Enchantment set. Technically the red on the paper is Poppy Parade (goodbye sweet love, sob!) but I stamped the image (from Fresh Vintage)  in Real Red and it looks a complete match.  The 'white' is actually Very Vanilla, which is the background for the dsp, so I've carried that through...

Did I tell you I got a few new things to play with?  I was in Hobbycraft last week and just happened upon this new cupcake stamp and die set by Sizzix and couldn't resist it.  I have had a ball playing with it.  I'm not saying this card is any great shakes really, but I had a lot of fun with it.  I've had the Stampin Up! pennant punch for a few weeks and have finally got to use it on a card.  I absolutely love bunting but I've never had so much fun making them as I have with this.  I used the big punch to cut the scalloped pennants, then the small one to do the white triangles.  I've used my individual letter stamps from Woodware to say 'P.A.R.T.Y.' The papers are called Tea House from Dovecraft.  I've had them for ages.  I cut the heart using my Nellie Snellen heart die.  And yes, sooner or later I'll be using the cupcake die to make clouds, you can be sure of that!  I googled 'Cupcakes' on Splitcoast and found a card made by Ka...

Hello fellow stamping obsessives!  How can I put this?  Oh yes, "I've got a neighbourhood wheel, and I'm not afraid to use it!"  I'd better explain, hadn't I?  I don't know if you remember, but a short while ago I put a call out to see if anyone knew where I could get a stamp of an interesting looking house.  To my delight, the lovely Vicky Hayes contacted me and said she had the retired SU! Neighbourhood Wheel if I wanted it.  I was so excited as this was in the first catalogue I ever saw, and I dithered and it retired, lost for ever. But now, thanks to Vicky, I am the proud owner of this wheel.  Thanks so much, Vicky. I've been playing with it, and I've got to confess, I've very carefully taken it off the wheel, so that I could make this: It's to send to my aunt to let her know our new address.  I'm so fascinated by this wheel, I could have just run it along and left it, as it's so sweet.  But I stamped the middle houses aga...

Today is my beautiful eldest grandson's birthday.  For some reason I thought I'd already put his card on here, but I think I've been so busy reading your blogs this week, I've forgotten to write my own!  Anyway, this is what I made for my special little man: Christian is obsesssed with football, so I knew I had to put something football related on his card.  I love the LOTV image of the bear in the changing room, with a shirt hanging up above him, but it says 7 and Christian is 8 so I opted for this digital image from Teddy Bo instead.  I must say, I am finding these images so useful for male cards, I've made quite a few now. I decided to keep it simple and knew I had to put Teddy Bo in a red shirt as Christian is an avid supporter of Man Utd (we all are as hubby is from Manchester) but also Doncaster Rovers, due to his dad.  Both teams have a red shirt, so that was fine.  I stamped the '8 today' in individual letter stamps using my SAMJ to place them c...

Thanks to Shirley Chalmers (Nanniflash) I have joined a facebook group that challenges us to make a Christmas card every week.  I am so thrilled with what I've made this morning, I decided I had to share it with you folks as well! I am way behind on these, as this is my entry for week 4, 'Santa', but that's the beauty of it, you can add your cards onto the facebook page as and when you make them.  I can't remember who it was that said if you make a card, and it's good, make another one, and that's what I'm going to do.  My Christmas stuff is all in one box, so rather than drag it all out once a week, making a card and putting it all away again, I am going to get it out once a month, have a 3 day session and make at least 6 cards before having to pack away.  I think I'll be a lot more productive that way, (and less stressed!) as it takes me a day to get into Christmas mode, a few hours to look around for some inspiration and then the time it ta...

For some reason Fridays always seem to be a good time to get involved with a Christmas card.  Finally I'm able to join in with a challenge I've followed for a little while.  It's at Lesley Croghan's blog called Always Playing With Paper where she gives us a new sketch each week.  This is the latest one: After a great deal of planning with regard to size and dimension, this is my card entry: I've had this stamp for quite a while now.  She was packaged as a birthday stamp, but she suits Christmas so well.  The colours, cardstock and dsp are all SU.  The Chocolate Chip piece has been embossed with a snowflake embossing folder and then punched along the bottom with a scallop punch.  I had a dither with placement of the sentiment as I didn't want to cover the robin up, he's so sweet.  The card base is only C6 and it's made it a really sweet little card, like a little package, you almost want to use it as a cover for a bag of sweets or somet...