Countdown to Christmas: Day 2

Another quite quick'n'simple decoration...

This snowflake was created using a new die from Sizzix - Texture Fades Layered Snowflake - one of the very useful Bigz dies that comes with an embossing folder.

I die cut several snowflakes from corrugated cardboard to give the decoration dimension and weight and glued them together.  I then cut and embossed a silver snowflake and one cut from book text - glued one to the back and the other to the front of the cardboard snowflake stack.  Poked a hole through one of the points and threaded through a hanging thread.

Looks great on the tree and will look even better when I've created more.

Ho ho ho

ALBOTAT: wool and buttons and ribbons.. Oh my!!

I often drive through Thundersley - an area of Benfleet where I live - but don't often stop (not needed to) but I've been thinking about trying crochet again and remembered there might be a wool shop in area.  When I drove through last week there was a parking space and so I stopped - and I'm soooooo glad I did!

Bodkins is packed full of loveliness!!

On one wall there are buttons and ribbons (be still my button loving heart!!):

The shop is L shaped and this is only 2 of the 3 walls storing wool!!  It makes me wish my knitting and crochet skills are better than they are (but thats fixable because the shop runs classes!)

It really is a lovely shop - complete with vintage shop fittings (swoon), and the owner was really helpful and encouraging... 

I'd recommend a visit if you're in the area - you can find the shop in Hart Road, Thundersley, Benfleet... there are more photos and information on their website www.bodkins71.co.uk

x

Countdown to Christmas: Day 1

My christmas countdown starts now - well technically it started in the summer when I designed this year's christmas stamp designs! - you can buy them HERE and you'll be seeing projects with them in the next few weeks...

We've been to Ikea quite a lot in the last few weeks and on one visit I bought a pack of four 'muffin tins'...

I thought they were a nice substrate to play with - they're nice and deep which allows lots of space to work in ... and not too big - just 7cm in diameter

Case 1: die cut snowflakes (sizzix) in silver and kraft card...

I covered the base in book text then mounted the snowflakes on a stack of 3d foam to bring it up higher and it also gave more space (the tins are wider at the top than base)

Case 2:  More snowflakes - this time the base was painted in glue and mirco-beads for a bit of sparkle. the top kraft snowflake has been painted in Fresco Finish Metallic Glaze which gives a great shimmer.

Case 3:  Thought I'd give this snowflake the JOFY treatment... a ring of twigs(a repurposed birds nest that I'd bought for Easter crafting), die cut snowflake (wplus9), a robin (JOFY20) and leaves (JM28)... too cute

Case 4:  Love this lasercut wood stag head but it is slightly too small to be in the case by itself so I mounted it onto a paper rosette.  The rim of the case was painted with pva glue and dipped in Frantage glass glitter - love the vintage look of this glitter..

 Cute little additions to the christmas decorations.

There is still time for a some festive card making....

.... and to get the cards in the post in time for christmas!  On Saturday 06 December I'll be at Blade Rubber Stamps (a lovely shop in the centre of London) running a workshop of clean'n'simple (but no less festive) christmas cards..

There are a couple of places left so contact the shop to book a place in this workshop - christmas the JOFY way!!

Ho-ho-hope to you can join me!

x

ALBOTAT: Same but different....

I had a quick play with new dies bought from the States earlier this month - from Wplus9.com - the seasonal sentiments dies are great for cards and tags and all sorts of creative projects - all through the year not just christmas..

I made 3 simple cards - working on the 'less is more' approach, and bearing in mind the 'keep-it-thin-for-posting' guidelines (pesky 5mm guide at the post office - 1 button and the 10x10cm card could be a 'large letter' ggggrrrr)

I die cut the word 'joy' and the snowflake from the set several times from kraft, white and silver card and used these to decorate 3 simple cards.. I like to create layers with stamping, papers and die cuts... playing around with the options

First I cut the word 'joy' from the front of a card, 3d mounted acetate behind the word and attached the snowflake onto the acetate (3d foam). I stamped 'christmas' (JOFY26) above the word to create a christmas sentiment..

I stamped snowflakes (JOFY JM07) across the card, coloured with metallic pen, added a banner of christmas paper and attached 'joy' and a snowflake on top.

This last card is similar to the card above but creating it with different colour options changes the look.

I think I'll be using these dies a lot!

ho ho ho...

ALBOTAT: Do you believe?....

Of course you do... or you should....

The big jolly man in the red suit is checking his lists, packing his sleigh and harnessing the reindeer....

I love the flip dies by Sizzix (this is 659237 Triple Circle Flip-its) and I used one here to create a fun christmas card using JOFY stamps (JOFY17 & 20) and Sizzix/Tim Holtz dies (660057, holiday words: block).

Deck the Halls....

... with a christmas canvas......

head on over to the PaperArtsy blog - HERE - to take a look - make sure you take your 'ho ho ho' with you! lol

If the canvas project has put you in the mood for christmas crafting you can join me at the Stamp Attic on the 22/23 November where I'm running two very christmassy workshops - contact the shop or find HERE.... I might even wear my new elf hat - its very festive!

x

Christmas is coming....

.... and I have been getting ready for it by teaching Christmas themed workshops - ho ho ho!  and in all future christmas classes anyone who is a 'bah humbug' in class gets to wear the elf hat I bought - complete with bell!!! it'll bring out the festive cheer in anyone!!
(a photo? you want to see a photo of the hat???  hhhhmmm nearer christmas maybe - don't want to peak too soon!)

I'm off to the Stamp Attic on the weekend of 22/23 November where we will be fully embracing christmas - a card class on Saturday and then on Sunday we're making a lovely hanging decoration...

I'm really looking forward to the weekend, there are a few spaces available so contact Wendy at the shop - all details are HERE...

Mince piece are optional - but Christmas spirit (of the hohoho variety, not brandy!) is mandatory - feel free to wear your christmas sweaters!!!

Hope to see you there!

ALBOTAT: Edit....

... so the cushion in my last post (posted, it seems, aaaaaages ago!) looked a bit bare - in need of... something...

if in doubt.. sew buttons on!

I sifted through the vintage button jar for all sorts of buttons - big, small, shaped.. a lovely way to spend an hour (nicer than the hour it took me to sew on the buttons)!

I love the tones of vintage buttons - it seems age makes them slightly muted and I love how they look on the cushion... which is now DEFINITELY finished.

x

ALBOTAT... a sewing kind of Sunday...

... I used the extra hour created today by the clocks going back for Autumn to sew 8 lovely new buttons onto cushions (a little job which has been on the 'to do' list for a while..)

 .. and as that little job put me in the mood for a more sewing I made this patchwork cushion.  It was a created from a batch of fabrics (and accompanying guidelines) that I bought at The Handmade Fair... spending the morning making this reminded me how much I enjoy sewing..

I bought the kit from The Vintage Twist Company who had a lovely stand at the fair, and had great ways of using the vintage fabrics they supply in their online shop (www.thevintagetwistcompany.co.uk):

.. and this is my pincushion - love this!! It was upcycled by one of my colleagues at the college... its such a cute little thing!

I'm off to find something else to sew...

x

'tote'ally in the bag.....

... over on the PaperArtsy blog tonight where my monthly project is ready and waiting for you.. click on the pic to take a look..

ALBOTAT... a festive mash-up...

... JOFY getting festive with Woodware...

Loved this Woodware stamp (Festive Background JGS260) as soon as I saw it - knew it would make a fun background for my baubles!  This was a 'make it quick, see how it looks' card - might do other versions with more baubles...
(The bauble is from JOFY28, painted with the new JOFY Limited Editions paints (love how they look against kraft card)

ho ho ho

A little bit of DIY....

... in the form or card 'washi tape'.  

My last blog post featured cards and work from a recent class at The Stamp Attic where, as part of the cards' design, we created strips of patterned card to coordinate with chosen colour schemes - a sort of bespoke washi tape... (but don't get me wrong - I love a bit of (a lot of) washi tape but sometimes you just need 

something 'bespoke'.

Here are the two samples I made for the class featuring a strip of 'tape'...

To create strips of patterned 'tape' you could cut up a previously created masterboard, but for the strips I made/taught I wanted the pattern to be more specific so started with strips...

The stamps I mainly used were the stitched lines from JOFY26...

.... I'd been playing around with ways to use the corner stitches other than as a corner motif.... I created (nearly)all my sample on kraft card and with similar colours so that the patterns are obvious and we're not distracted by colours... :o)  these strips can be created in whatever colour scheme matches the projects in hand - really useful .... (and fun... and possibly a bit addictive  - so many variations/options!)

*  stamped the corner image centralised along the length of the strip of card, and another strip with alternating colours...

*  stamped contrast colours facing different directions - love the 'tweedy' look this creates:

*  used the border stamp of stitching to created simple vertical stripes:

*  2 lines of contrasting diagonal stitching:

*  mix of vertical and horizontal stitching, and another with contrast colour:

*  teamed it with the corner motif of the borders from JOFY27

I looked at the new plates to see what else I could use on a tape and the fuzzbuds (named by Leandra!) jumped out....

*  black stamping..

*  'mermaid' painted spots..

*  'snowflake' painted fuzzbuds..

*  the strip had lots of 'open/bare' patches so I added dots with a black pen... I might add Stickles/glitter glue on top of these for a bit of sparkle....

I hope this has inspired you to create your own 'tape'... great way to use up strips of coloured card left over from other projects or to alter strips of masterboard... so many options!

xx