Christmas Cards 2013 - red reindeer and snowflakes

Gosh, another year has gone by and it's Christmastime again.

So here is this year's card.

This is a great design because you can get a little production line going and whip the cards up fairly quickly.

As always, coming up with a design takes the longest time...

Tools: Hero Arts stamps, Versamark clear ink, gold glitter embossing powder, Cuttlebug snowflake folder, red metallic cardstock, green paper offcuts, felt reindeer (old, from Borders; also used here and here).

Christmas cards 2012 - merry and bright

Yay! Christmas is coming and my cards are done.

This is a fairly simple design inspired by this gorgeous effort.

Less work on my part in the stamping/embossing department this year, and it does make things a lot easier when there's no fine glitter powder being discovered in strange places weeks after the holidays.

Work in progress.

A spray of white Mister Huey mist, a bit like snow, no? 

Patterned papers: Cosmo Cricket (also used here), Basic Grey

Stuffed reindeer: Borders (also used here)

Inside greeting stamp: Hero Arts

Ink: Stampin' Up!

Butterfly Wedding Card

This is a card I made after taking Online Card Classes' Kick Start class. You are meant to be inspired by the card creation of a number of very talented card-makers and designers, and it was certainly a fun and motivating couple of weeks.

I love the colours and design of this card very much - even though I nicked the design part of it. Alright, I was inspired by a number of cards in the class!

 The card is a large square, so I had to make an envelope to fit it. The envelope flap has the same doily edging as the front of the card.

Inside of the card has a sentiment and a matching stick-on button.

Supplies:

Cardstock: Bazzill

Patterned paper: Various (forget which ones, sorry)

Stamps: PSX (old)

Ink: Stampin' Up!

Punch: Martha Stewart
Jewels and Button: BoBunny Design and American Crafts

Wedding Card - Love

Here's a Wedding card for my cousin in Canada - the third and final sister getting married. The cards for her sisters are here and here.

This card was made using some pretty patterned paper and the Hero Arts starburst lace stamp printed onto paper and vellum and cut out. I do like the dreamy turquoise colours in this card, even if I say so myself.

Inside of the card has the starburst lace stamped in shadow ink, with a Stampin' Up! greeting.

speak-easy cool

A lovely food issue of the 'speak-easy' zine is available now
(from here, be quick).

So even with all my going on about cutting down on magazine and book purchases and e-reader envy, this is a really great little issue and a keeper.

One of the best things is the food-related articles, written by well-known foodies and bloggers including @lemonpi and @leetranlam (who is also the creator of the zine).

And the other thing is the delightful hand-made touches, such as the photos stuck onto the page with washi tape, a diecut doily, and the cute stamped images of forks and spoons.

This is what I want to do with my recipes and craft stash one day...

Gorgeousness.

Nice day for a white wedding (card)

Woohoo! I've been invited to a wedding.

Boohoo! I can't go because it's overseas.

No, silly, it's not that wedding. This one is for my cousin, and it's a beach wedding in sunny San Diego. I love San Diego, and it's a shame I can't make it. Hope they have a lovely time.

Here's a card I made. Not a red card.  It has a bit of a Miss Haversham feel about it because I used some white spray mist but it goes on quite wet and in my dimly-lit house (plus short-sightedness), I thought that not enough had gone on. So I sprayed some more, and then some more. The next morning, I saw the full effect of the ghostly whiteness. I quite like it, after all.

Supplies:

Cardstock: Kraft from Stampin' Up! 
Doily: Martha Stewart

Patterned paper: Crate Paper (Portrait)

Brad: Pebbles inc.

Stamp: PSX

Spray mist: Studio Calico (Mister Huey's)

Ink: Stampin' Up!

Scallop punch: Fiskars

Another Red card - sick of them yet? Not likely!

Do I make too many red cards? Probably not, since I don't make many cards at all!

The brief for this card was: for a lady who is turning 60, preferably red, ideally with a Chinese character for longevity. All right, if you say so, one red card coming up...

Supplies:

Cardstock: White from Stampin' Up!, Red and liner from Paddy's Market 

Doily: Martha Stewart

Paper flower and brad: Maya Road

Patterned paper: October Afternoon

Stamps: Starburst Lace by Hero Arts; Happy Birthday by PSX, Longevity by Hero Arts

Ink: Stampin' Up!

Happy Chinese New Year

Another year has passed, another new year draws closer....
Wait a minute, didn't we just have a new year?  Oh, right, this is Chinese new year, which is based on a different (lunar) calendar.

I love Chinese new year because, being single, I am the recipient of the lucky red envelopes that are (hopefully) filled with money.  And I say this every year - it's a good reason to stay unmarried!

There are lots of superstitions - or should that be traditions - surrounding Chinese new year. Things like cleaning the house beforehand to welcome good luck into the household, paying all debts (and no lending of money on the day) and having a new year feast that honours our ancestors.  Come to think of it, it's probably a good thing to have Chinese new year every day...

So here are some cards to celebrate the new year. The cards highlight the cute prosperity boy stamp from Hero Arts that I just had to get as soon as I saw it. It is perfect for a happy, prosperous new year.

Supplies:

Cardstock: Vanilla from Stampin' Up! 
Flocked paper: Doodlebug Design

Patterned paper: Stampin' Up!

Stamps: Prosperity Smile by Hero Arts; happy new year (inside card) from Paddy's Market

Ink: Stampin' Up! and Tombow

Shabby chic Happy New Year card

One of the advantages (and/or disadvantages) of making your own cards is that family members get wind of it and start asking for 'just something simple, for Mabel's birthday'.   I don't mind making cards with this type of brief, because it's so vague that it leaves lots of room for interpretation.

So, on Christmas day, Mum asks for a card to send to friends that she received a Christmas card from, but didn't send one to. Solution: a new year's card!

I went with a shabby chic country theme because the friend is from the country:

Supplies:
Cardstock: Kraft by Stampin' Up!
Patterned paper: Cosmo Cricket 'Circa 1934', October Afternoon 'Modern Homemaker'
Brad: Pebbles Inc
Rub-on letters: American Crafts
Scallop and circle punches (for flower): Stampin' Up!
Border punch: Fiskars

Christmas cards for 2010

This year's Christmas cards were finished with a bit more time to spare than usual. Of course, I spent the requisite hours days covered in bits of paper and embossing powder before deciding on a design.

This design was inspired by a card on the Hero Arts site which had a circle cut from the starburst lace on the front with a stamped reindeer peeking out.  I had picked up some little felt reindeer decorations last year from Borders and fortunately came across them, hidden in a drawer, and was able to use them on the cards.

Supplies: Cardstock from Paddy's Market; Stamps and rhinestone by Hero Arts; Ink from Versamark; white embossing powder from Stampin Up!; felt reindeer by Paperchase

Christmas card from Tabitha

Tabitha cat's former owners were kind enough to give her some handpainted cards for her birthday a few weeks ago (which I completely forgot about, sorry, Tab).  So Tabitha, being a polite and well-mannered kitty, asked me to create something worthy in return.

Here is a simple card for Christmas: 

Supplies: Patterned paper by Cosmo Cricket; stamps by Hero Arts; ribbon, square punch, ink and cardstock by Stampin' Up!

The inside of the card is autographed by Tabitha using her former name...  =)

Hello Dora! Big sister owl

 Here's another Craft Schmaft owl for my owl family - her name is Dora.

She's a lovely big sister to little Jet and she happily and efficiently looks after the nest (or barn or roof or wherever these owls live) when Mother off at work.

Since I've started 'sewing', I've been on the lookout for appropriate accoutrements:

The local weekend trash-n-treasure markets are an unexpected source of old sewing needles and embroidery thread.  I love (and miss) that the needle and cottons are 'made in England'.
One thing I do want, though, is some decent woolly felt. The felt that I've been using on the owl wings is too thin - some old-fashioned post-war fabric is what I need!

Hello Dora!

And be good, Jet...

Boo! The Vampire Owl

Boo! flies around at dusk on Halloween

Looking for small children to spook, he's so keen.

But be careful, Boo! 'cos Tabitha cat is on the prowl

Watch your back, you little vampire owl!

Say 'Hi' to Boo! the Vampire Owl!
Just in time for Halloween, this cutie owl has a black cape with a silver racing stripe. All the better for swooping down on unsuspecting little children .... eeeeeeek!!!!

Happy Halloween from Boo! and Tabitha

Woohoo! Hello Toot Jet - junior sock owl

 Recently, I read about Claire Waring, a clever mother, craft blogger and soft toy designer.  She is the one who came up with the idea of turning socks into toys.  Not your old-fashioned sock monkeys, but a modern, delightful range of giraffes, monsters, dogs and owls.  Her company is called Craft Schmaft.

I sent away for a kit with pattern, and in less than an hour, I had created my first sock owl!
Here is Toot Jet, a junior (and founding) member of the Ooh, Look owl parliament.

Hello Toot Jet. More of the owl parliament will be flying in soon.

A Chocolatesuze Wedding

I wasn't going to post on this event, especially since the 'official' photos haven't been released yet.  So I hope no one minds if I just show these couple of pictures.

Yes, it's from the wedding of Sydney's lovely foodblogging princess, Chocolatesuze, and her Noods.  It took place in a garden on a blazingly sunny day, surrounded by family, friends and well-wishers.

The bride and her attendants carried lollipop bouquets, and the groomsmen had lollipop boutonnières. Suze looked absolutely beautiful and was also dressed for comfort with wedding sneakers and an iPod.

Food was thoughtfully provided after the wedding ceremony. My favourites were the fairy floss and the Krispy Kreme donuts.  Wouldn't you love to have your own personal fairy floss man on call?

Everyone loves a wedding...

And just so I can put something under the 'Craft' tag, here is a picture of the card I made for the happy couple:

Details: Acetate card with American Crafts patterned paper and rub-ons; KI Memories ribbon