Something new for a new year!

Happy New Year everyone! I hope you all had a super Christmas. I took a short break from the blog over the festive season - we had quite a houseful, nine in total, plenty to keep me busy. Anyway, with the new year underway I thought it high time I share one of my Christmas pressies with you. A new speedball stamp making kit! That's right, there's no stopping me now, with this kit I can make any stamp I want!!! (I may be a little too excited about this!)

It's very simple to use. I've had a go at designing my own images but alternatively you can trace anything you like and print it on to the rubber ready to carve. I've made a little woodland set to start off with an oak leaf, mushroom and birds.

These are the first cards I've done using the stamps, along with a penny black sentiment and tiny scraps of paper from my stash.

Here they each are close up

I stamped the oak leaf in DI antique linen, everything else was stamped with impress 'chocolate'.

I'd like to enter them in to the following challenges;

Allsorts- what's new? (Answer; carving your own stamps!)

Less is more-neutrals

Casology - simple

Lavinias's Let it Snow

I made this card using Lavinia stamps, inspired by some of the beautiful design team work on their challenge this month. You can have a look at it here.

The challenge title is 'Let it snow' and, inspired by the DT, I had a go at creating a northern lights background. Seeing the Northern Lights in real life is one of the items on my bucket list, but for now I'll have to make do with making them up!

Thank you to Zoe for your advice on Northern Lights inking, Visit Zoe's blog here.

As the Lavinia challenge calls for just one entry per month, I now have to choose my favourite and I keep changing my mind!

The Christmas post

My lovely new little Claire's stamps arrived this week and so it only seemed right that I should take the opportunity to enter in to their monthly competition!

Ingredients for this card;
Little Claire's dinky post box stamp
Card-io Christmas sentiment stamp
Stickles frosted lace
Kan ban snowflake sparkles paper
Pro markers and copics
White pearly satin ribbon

I would like to enter this card in to...
Little Claire's Christmas in white
Crafty ribbons cultural Christmas - what could signify British culture at Christmas more than a red post box?!
Stamping sensations anything stamped with ribbon
My time to craft- Christmas animals - the robins are my animals

Paper folding gift bag

This week I've had a go at following Neil's tutorial from the craft barn blog here. It is surprisingly quick and easy to do and now that I've done this one I reckon there'll be plenty more to follow!

This one was made with a paper from my stash. I added extra white brilliance ink to the to followed by some liquid pearls to make icicles. I made holes in the top with a little woodware star punch and tied silver ribbon on for handles.

I'd like to enter this in to this week's Craft barn challenge.

The Christmas rush

I've used these little fellas lots of times for birthday cards but I think this is the first Christmas card I've made with them. I stamped and coloured the penny black hedgehogs first and coloured with promarkers. Next I drew in the tree and inked the sky. I die cut the snowflake and used the negative as a mask and inked the snowflakes in to the sky. I die cut the lettering and finished it all off with some liquid pearls and glossy accents.

I would like to enter the following challenges with this card;
My time to craft - let it snow
Penny black Saturday - dies out punches
Penny black at allsorts - anything Christmas

Winter flurry

This is a bit of a last minute entry for this weeks Freshly made sketches challenge.
The sketch is this one
I've gone for a fairly straight forward take on it. I smooshed a bit of tumbled glass distress ink on my craft mat, sprayed it with water and pressed the card in to it. I then stamped card-io winter flurry snowflakes in to the ink. I cut the banner and stamped hero arts Christmas greetings in versa colour Neptune. The snowflake is a crafters companion die. I stuck both on with 3D foam pads and finished with a sequin and some gems.

Bubbles, rain or the spotlight?

I have made no less than five of these cards trying to get one that I was absolutely 100% happy with. This is number five and I'm still not content but have given up as I'm running out of time to enter the Clarity stamps challenge. This week it is 'clean and simple' using their own stamps. I picked out the little duck silhouette.  I masked and inked the circles using a variety of blue versa colour inks, spritzed with smooch spritz and added the duck and clarity 'thank you' sentiment. I haven't quite decided whether he's in a bubble, the rain or the spot light, but I guess that's up to the recipient to decide.