Last minute Christmas/CAS Christmas - Sweet Stampin'

Good morning all?

Need some ideas for last-minute Christmas cards because you joined me in procrastinating all year and are now woefully behind?
Then this fortnight's challenge over at Sweet Stampin' is the one for you! we've all prepared you some Last minute Christmas card ideas, and gathered them up over at the sweet Stampin' blog.
Maybe you have some good last minute or CAS Christmas card ideas too? If so, come and share them with us!

I came up with two very different designs (and made many of each, because as I said - I left it all waaaaay too late!)

I'm loving the blackboard-style stamp from LOTV, and it goes so well with the lovely traditional papers.

I did some more heat embossing for my next card, but went in a whole different direction:

There's something about heat embossed gold that just screams "Christmas", I think...

Over to you! Please come and share your ideas over on the blog. we'll be running this challenge for two weeks while we all take a much needed break for Christmas. All will be back to our regular schedule in January.

Have a great weekend!

Sammy-x

December Challenge - Rhedd's Creative Spirit

Hello again,

I'm back with the second challenge starting today... It is of course the December Challenge over at Rhedd's Creative Spirit, and this time I may actually have managed to put together something Christmas themed!


I started with a cheap frame from the pound shop (which cost, oddly enough, one pound), and grabbed some Christmas supplies and had fun!

I started by heat embossing a Christmas text stamp with gold embossing powder for the background, then embellished with a Marianne designs die (cut and layered several times for dimension) and a whole heap of embellishments from last year's December Craft Box. And a bauble rescued from the box of decorations!

The frame itself I textured, painted and roughly edged with a gold leafing pen.

Quite a change from this, isn't it?

So, that's what I did... How about you? I hope you'll come and share your makes with us at Rhedd's (just remember, no cards please!), and while you're at it, please do check out the lovely goodies the rest of the team made.

Have an awesomesauce weekend!

Sammy-x

December challenge - Altered Eclectics

Good morning all,

Is it really December already? I have to admit, I'm sooooo not ready for it to be! Not only am I woefully unprepared for Christmas, but it's my daughter's 18th birthday next week, which I am even less ready for! I'm sure she was my adorable toddler (yes, she really was adorable as a toddler. this mythical creature really does exist) only a year or two ago...

Anyways, onwards to the new challenge starting at Altered Eclectics today, where the team has some gorgeous inspiration lined up for you.

I took an old soap dish/towel holder, which had a gorgeous Parisian shabby chic look, but was unfortunately quite chipped and damaged. It was another item I rescued from being thrown away at the charity shop I volunteer for, and I had the perfect idea of what to do with it.

You see, if have one of those pesky teenage boy creatures at home. You know, the kind that leaves their school and karate bags lying on the stairs for people to trip up over... They're also for ever misplacing their keys. so I thought a dedicated hanger in the hallway for these items would be both useful for him, and would save a broken neck or two in the future to boot.

Naturally, it needed to be suitable for said boy, so in the end it turned out something like this:

Some gears from Fernli designs, and some Finnabair rust paste were used, as well as some tissue paper and bronze and dark brown paints.
I love how the texture has come out, especially after working the darker paint into the cracks and crevices.

Luckily it went over really well, and the teenage trouble-causer no longer leaves his stuff on the stairs. Result!

Now it's your turn! We look forward to seeing your altered art over at Altered Eclectics over the next couple of months (this challenge will run for two months, to give the DT some time off for good behavious!)

Back in a minute!

Sammy-x