December's Creative Team Challenge-Christmas

This month for our Creative Team Challenge the theme is Christmas.
 I dug out a very old but fab die from Accucut and made some simple but effective gift boxes. The red one was embossed with Christmas Strippers from The Artistic Stamper, and then gone over with red Distress Ink I added the mini Small but Beautiful Father Christmas on the side. T
he green one was stamped  and embossed in green with the large Holly Background  and coloured in with with Lucky Clover Distress Marker. I then distress inked all over it with the new November colour -- Lucky Clover. Worked a treat. If you would like any of these dies, small or large please email me.

Looking forward to seeing your Christmas creations over at the team blog challenge

Have a creative day
{hugs}
 

It's a Mini Christmas!

Welcome to my post for UK Scrappers Christmas blog hop and my project for Christmas. I love a quickie make 'n take, and I conjured up these mini Christmas brooches for our Annual Christmas party a couple of weeks ago. They are so simple and easy to make, and will add a little extra to your Christmas gifts if you add them as toppers instead of a brooch.
Ingredients: mini die shapes from Tim Holtz, chipboard bases, Christmas paper, Distress glitter, glues, Glossy Accents, brooch back, distress inks, Stickles.

 

 I used some chipboard mini tags we have, and covered them with Tim Holtz Seasonal Paper Stash which has mini papers perfect for this size :) Add some distress inks to the edge to cover the edge of the paper. 

I used Tim Holtz Mini Christmas sizzix dies to create the elements on the brooches. I cut them all out of Kraft Card,  and painted them with PaperArtsy Fresco Finish Paints or Distress Paints and allowed to dry.

 

Add Glossy Accents to the elements you wish to glitter and add the Distress Glitter to them. I poured it into a plastic cup, but you could equally use a plastic bag . Give them a good coating and allow to dry. You can heat dry the Distress Glitter, but the Glossy Accents dries very quickly, so not completely necessary.

Add the elements you wish to use to the backing and glue with Glossy Accents or
Cosmic Shimmer. I added the reindeer with a couple of foam dots to make it a bit higher than the rest of the elements.

Add some Gold Stickles to the bow and a brooch back to the back of the base when it is all dry, and you have the cutest brooch to give to someone for Christmas. Tip: when glueing the brooch back to the back add it to the top third of the back  ( I used hot glue) so that when you wear it , it sits properly. Here are some more samples I made too.

 

I have made up kits for all 3 brooches, and you can find them here with all the other elements to make them too :)

I hope you enjoyed the project, and if you are member of UKS, don't forget to leave a comment with your UKS your name too, to be added into the draw for a prize.
Thank you for looking, and have a truly fabulous Christmas and a Happy and Creative New Year
{hugs}

It's Christmas Time!

Almost Christmas, and things are hotting up at The Artistic Stamper! We held our annual Christmas Party on Saturday with fun and laughter, and lots of merriment! Georgina and Karen did some fantastic make 'n takes.. did I take pictures of them... nah! forgot!! but I did capture a few moments, and just for the record have put them on my blog :)
Thank you to everyone who came along.. we thoroughly enjoyed having you join in with us, and enjoy a mince pie or two! P.S. I will email anyone who asks, the recipe for the parmesan biscuits, which got rather gobbled up!

Chief Reindeer

Georgina and guests!

Karen getting serious!

The Elves!!

Alison and Kirsten getting painty!

Front of house!

Have a creative day
{hugs}

Jo Firth-Young's Christmas comes to town!

Last Saturday Jo Firth-Young came to teach her Christmassy Hanging class. We had a wonderful day, eating mince pies, and pulling crackers! Love, love what we made, and everyone's was just so different , whilst all using the same elements. Thank you Jo, and thank you girls!

Check out Jo's Antlers!

 

Everyone's finished pieces

 

Mine :)

Off to decorate the shop today for our Christmas party!
have a creative day
{hugs}

Adventageous class!

The date: a month before December. The time: not long enough! The project: an advent calendar. The class: a perfect group of talented ladies :)
Ingredients: one Kaisercraft Advent Calendar box with drawers, glue together, paint ( a very messy job!) lots of glitter, die cuts, a mass of numbers, glossy accents, embossing powders, stamps of course! and have a ball!
Result:

 

 

 

 

Jennie's Box

Box detail

Thank you girls for coming along and having fun...
Have a creative day
{hugs}

Christmas is a'coming!

Aaargh! I said the "C" word! But it is all in a good cause, as yesterday Georgina held a fabulous jam packed workshop at The Artistic Stamper, and we made Christmas cards! In fact I made my first one of the year ..( and it could possibly be my last, knowing me!!) I certainly don't make cards, but in-between doing other stuff, I took part and made this a couple of cards! Loved the fact that Georgina has such clear instructions, and that everyone made such beautiful cards. Definitely a class you should do if you haven't done one before! Check out Georgina's other classes here.

The Calm before the Storm!

working very hard



My "C" card!



card detail

 Hope you have a very creative day
{hugs}

Poignant Poinsettia

  Ever since I discovered the fact that Tim Holtz's Alterations dies of the Tattered Poinsettia and Tattered Leaves match the embossing folders, I have been making lots of leaves and poinsettias! I have some that were plain, some embossed, and some that were made into faux porcelain using the meltpot. Take a wreath that was plain and quite large, add some green tape to cover the wreath, a hot glue gun, and lots and lots of poinsettias!

 

I wish you a very Merry and Happy Christmas.
Hugs

Lightbulb Moment!

 I have been in the shop all week, as Mal has other things to do, and it always delights me when one of my customers, or in this case, a friend, points out something that makes me go...of course! Doh! In this case, she asked me if the Textured Poinsettia embossing folder matched the Tattered Poinsettia die. Do you know I hadn't even thought about it! let's try it , and we did, and boy I am in love with it! Fits perfectly. It does mean you have to position it perfectly or of course you could cut round them after embossing it. Either way, thank you Mr Holtz, the light bulb this Christmas is now switched on! Check out the leaves , and the wings folder too...( can't vouch for the wings as I haven't got that die, but am guessing  it will!)

I used Core'dinations paper in red and green, cut them out , embossed them , and added some Distress ink to highlight the veins. I added one of The Artistic Stamper Christmas stamps to the tag. It is now hanging on our Christmas tree in the entrance.

If you haven't seen our website this week, we are having a Christmas extravaganza every day on the website, and today all orders, whether it be stamps or not will receive a FREE sheet of our Brand New much more Klingable Kling-On, our own brand repositionable cushioning. You can check it out here 

I am busy today manning the shop, and preparing for my last workshop of the year- Altered Book  IV. There are a couple of spaces left if you fancy a pre-Christmas get away from it all day!

Have very creative day.

Hugs