Best of 2012

Hi again!
This will be the last post of 2012.
I've been inspired by everyone else who has been looking in the rear mirror of 2012.

Mini albums:

This is a very mini that I made for my nephew when he started kindergarten. I didn't embellish it very much, but I'm thrilled with the effect of the die cuts.

 

This is a gift for a new born. This was my first mini in 6x6 with envelopes. It turned out so great that I made another one in pink as well. But this was hard to part with.  

Paper craft:

This is a frame I made of a 12x12 paper and gifted to my mother, it holds a song she came up with when I was a baby.

The other is the bottle I wrapped recently for Christmas.

  

 

Cards:

2012 has been the year when I have tried out several new techniques (new to me - I'm a bit slow).

I have "learned" how to use patterned paper as my backgrounds. Before I used only different colours, since I didn't want to cover or cut in the papers. So, you see how far I've come 2012.

I also didn't embellish my cards very much before, so my big shot has had a break through this year too - LOL!

Alcohol markers and blending technique is also an awakening this year, I've still got a lot to learn though.

Happy new year everyone!!!

See you in 2013:)

MFTPL3 Layout

MFT has started with a challenge for us scrapbookers who've neglected our LOs for cardmaking:)
Every month they provide 2 sketches for us to follow.
Here is one of them.

This is the perfect inspiration for me as I have plenty of photos just waiting, as well as several photo albums from a friend that I have promised to turn into scrapbooks.

This LO is for them, which is why I can't share the actual pictures. It's from a summer vacation exploring old Swedish castles from the era of knights and damsels in distress. I have interpreted it somewhat to fit the photos, but I hope you can see that I've been inspired by the sketch.

The base layer is a 12x12 from the Prima script pad and the photos are matted on green cardstock. Up in the right corner I've matted some regular note paper that I have distressed with vintage photo. I have also stamped a paperartsy mini spill in two of the corners. Here can the family scribble some notes themselves. I used distress vintage photo and adirondack espresso to distress the edges and embossed embellishment.

Middle part from left:
The bingo brick is from a stamp by Teresa Collins Vintage finds which I stamped in archival ink coffee and olive. Next I dry embossed a piece of cardstock with Tim Holtz sizzix bricked texture fade. I ran a MFT banner across and added a MFT flourish. To the right of the picture I used another dry embossed piece of cardstock, same as the other. I used the the MFT label stax 1, the MFT vintage flourish and the MFT first place award ribbon.

My main embellishment is the smaller MFT decorative doily from the duo pack with the circle from the first place award ribbon - they fit perfectly! On the circle once again used stamps by Teresa Collins and I glued a button in the middle.
I had so much fun putting this LO together, at first I was worried where to start - but it's so much easier when you have a sketch:)

Challenges entered:
MFT sketch - MFTPL3
Simon says stamp challenge blog- anything goes

Thank you for visiting,
See you soon:)

Never ending folding card

Merry Christmas to all!!!!

This may not be one of my most decorated cards, but I found the folding so much fun I had to give it a try:)

It's called a never ending folding card and if you search on youtube there are plenty of tutorials out there.

It's so clever you only use 2 sheets of 6x6 design paper and since you'll be able to see both sides it's perfect for those double sided design papers. I made it harder for myself then it need to be, I tried to make it possible to fold the other way as well without looking backwards, I managed in some places. But next time I'll just give it a rest:)

First fold

Folded backwards

Another fold

Here's the back of the card, I've stamped the snowflakes so you
also can fold it the opposite way and still don't look backwards

I was challenged to decorate it since you can't embellish it to much for it to stay able to fold properly. So like I said, I'll give this a go again:)

Thanks for visiting!
Have a holly-jolly Christmas!!

Tag/Gift card TGF

I'm on a roll now:)

I was about to make a tag for a Christmas present to my niece and thought I'd use Anyone for Anya's challenge sketch. In the end it got so big I used it as a gift card to hold a little piece of jewellery too. So I glued an envelope to the back of it.

Products used:
TGF shimmer beanie, Magnolia paper, Lindy stamp gang silent night silver, dies from MFT and spellbinder, dry embossing Tim Holtz sizzix, diamond stickles, tim holtz distress ink fired brick & pine needles, sticky tape.

Envelope on the back

Ready to gift

Challenges entered:

Anyone for anya - sketchy december

Simon says stamp challenge blog - Merry Christmas!!

Simon says stamp vintage blog - gift-spiration

 Thanks for stopping by!

DEC IARCC

Hi,
Just wanted to share a little wrapping of a bottle I made. The trouble when you gift bottles are they are difficult to wrap and you still see what's beneath the paper. So I wanted to try something different and thought I at least cover the label of the bottle.

It was easier then you might think and did not take much time at all.

Products I used:
Tim Holtz distress tool, stamps of snowflakes and greetings, aged mahogany and brushed corduroy distress ink, Martha Stewart lacey doily edge punch, dies from Cheery Lynn and Memory box, ivory pearl spray, I am roses R22-410, R2-827, T1-147 and a small natural skeleton leaf, brown eyelets, gift wrapping string, sticky tape.

 I'm entering this to I am roses December challenge - all wrapped up
Simon says stamp challenge blog - Merry Christmas!!
Simon says stamp vintage challenge - Gift-spiration


Have a great day everyone!
Thank you for taking the time to visit!
Merry Christmas!

Lindy's & Penny's Christmas

Here is a Christmas card featuring lots and lots of Lindy's stamp gang products and Penny Black stamps. Shimmer, shimmer and shimmer:)

 

Lindy's stamp gang products:

Afternoon delight demin starburst spray

Rudolf nose red starburst spray

Golden sleighbell gold starburst spray

 Angel wings gold embossing powder

Penny Black Stamps:

Christmas Critters

Jolly Follies

I am roses flowers:

R21 - 15

Skeleton leaves, small natural

GP3 - 40

Challenges entered:

Penny Black@allsorts - It's your choice

Simon says stamp - Merry Christmas

Back to play with TGF

It's been a while since I played with my TGFs and it's time to do something about it!

Here is my take for my first entry in DTT challenge - red, green and teal
My favorite retro fresh challenge - nontraditional Christmas
And all to long ago, FFF -Holidays memories
My holiday memory is looking out on snowy winter land and staying inside where it's warm and cozy.

I had so much fun playing with this cheeky gal:)
I copic colored her and sparkled her up. The background is Magnolia paper and the dies are a mix of MFT, spellbinders and Cheery Lynns.

The inside is also Magnolia paper with a sentiment embossed in Lindy's stamp gang Angel wing gold embossing powder.

I hope you like it, this was so easy to make just lots of layering.

Other challenges entered:
Simon says stamp challegne blog - Anything christmassy

Thank you for stopping by!!

Pixie Tilda and Tilda Christmas

Hi!

The weeks really fly by, I'm here again with another card for The Rubber Buggy.

The card is a 6x6 double folded card and of course it's a Christmas card.
I used Christmas Tilda with cat and pixie Tilda - I love those two and the combo seemed inevitable:)
Pixie Tilda is hanging or climbing if you'd like form the dry embossed Tim Holtz bricks, distressed with vintage photo. Christmas Tilda is standing in front of MFT's die-namics fence.

The tree branch is Tim Holtz holy branch mixed with McGills punch holy leaves. I added the last because I was trying to grunge the holy branch with acrylic paint in pearl with and chocolate brown, but I covered them to much so in order to get some green back I added some punch outs.
As Christmas ornaments I glued some flat backs in bright colours and of course - a Christmas stocking:) This is a charm from Kellie - there are some awesome charms in the store.

I tried to add some crackle paint and sprinkled some glitter on top to look like there was snow on top of the fence. But it wouldn't show as I hoped.

Thank you for visiting!!!
Be sure to check out our Challenge blog as I'm sure you have some last Christmas card to do - why not enter to win $15 for new fun toys to begin 2013 with:)

December challenge @ the rubber buggy

Hi!

Steph is hosting such a fun challenge @ the rubber buggy's challenge blog this month.
Mix non-traditional Christmas colour with traditional Christmas colour.
This was truly a challenge:)

But here's the result and I believe this became my favourite Christmas card of 2012. When I finally came up with the idea the card itself was made in notime - thanks to my hot glue gun, foam dots and my big shot:)

The card:
size: 6x6
Non-trad colours: Pinkish & grey
Trad colours: Green & gold
Dies: MTF deco doily, cheery lynn's branches, circles
Paper: Cardstock in white, green, gold and Magnolia paper
Ribbon: From my stash
Embellishment: Magnolia paper flower in red, 2 acrylic chandelier drops

Thank you for visiting!
Hope you play along:)

Lucia

Hi again!

With Lucia just around the corner my card is inspired by the white and the light. I don't own any Lucia stamps at all - can you believe it? You can find some adorable Magnolia stamps at the rubber buggy though:)

I used my Christmas Tilda with cat again, just to show you how versatile this stamp is when you can put your own sentiment. So here she is holding a sign "silent night, holy night..." I'm sure if you're  good at drawing or sketch, you'd be able to make her look like she would be singing to... I'm rubbish at drawing - which is why I stamp:) Serious though, if you know how to make here a singing mouth please let my know!

The background is really simple as the paper is so beautiful I didn't want to cover it. I just made some splash marks with a brush in LSG creme brulee cream. I also used this spray to make my flowers from I am roses to sparkle. In this bunch there is a SP3-spray, a R40, a R21, 2 wheat leave sprays, 2 magnolia sprays, 3 skeleton leaves and some sprigs from a Christmas decoration from my stash. All came together super fast armed with a hot glue gun:)

To balance the card I also hot glued some ruffled trim to the top. This was originally white trim from Melissa Frances, but I sprayed it with some LSG to make it offwhite, but it didn't do the trick so I added a drop of Tim Holtz antique linen distress ink refill to the mix.

Challenges entered:
CMC Copic Challenge Group - Metallic gleam
Simply Magnolia - Tis' the season
Tilda's town - Celebrate Christmas

Thanks for stopping by!

Double Christmas Tilda

Hi everyone!

So we're into December - oh what fun!!
Here in Gothenburg that means the entire city is covered in Christmas light - I love this time of year. We just got our first snow!!
Lets see for how long this time:)

I've up to my elbows in Christmas card making and here is one I've made on behalf for the Rubber Buggy. Playing with Magnolia has definitely altered my personal style some, as a rookie I still have so many styles and product to try. But I really feel that I'm getting there.

It's a lot of layers, but looking at it now I feel I need another one - why is it that you always see this when everything is glued? I with I had some brown cardstock between the red designer paper and the bottom brown with stripes. There are so many designer paper mixed in this one. Magnolia vintage Christmas, MME lost & found Christmas, Maja Design Vintage Christmas and Maja Design It's Christmas. They are all distressed with Tim Holtz vintage photo.

I die cut a MFT doily to make my image pop and behind it I wanted it to look like branches and mistletoe. To be creative and use dies already in my possession I used memory box fern leaf and poppy leaf die... But I couldn't resist when I found these pine branches by Cherry lynn so I added some. I'm not sure it worked, but I had so much fun.

Of course I had to add some Magnolia garlands in white and red, as well as some home made stick pins. We also got some cute charms in our DT packages from the rubber buggy, so I let a Christmas tree hang loose and dangle to give the card some movement.

I coloured my Tilda with copic markers and raised her on foam dots, I also coloured another one similar, but different and just cut the top half. I'm pleased with the result of her peeking out in the corner. With Tim Holtz chit chat stickers I added "a very" since Tilda is holding the sign "merry Christmas"

Challenges entered:
Tilda's Town - Celebrate Christmas 
Simply Magnolia - Tis' the Season
Simon says stamp challenge blog - Anything goes 
Cherry Lynn Designs Challenge blog - Happy holidays

I had a blast with this card, but hey it's Magnolia and Christmas - how can it not be fun, right!
Thank you for taking the time to visit!

The rubber buggy's challenge is still running, please enter HERE!!!

Hang in there

Hi all!

I'm so in love with Magnolia right now, I blame the Rubber buggy:)
I hope this week's post shows how much fun I had and how versitile these stamps really are.

Pixie Tilda is really from the Christmas collection, but she is just to adorable not to play with right away, i copiced her in fall colours and voila!

This card was so much fun and really easy to put together.

The background is simple, regular white cardstock which I distressed with Time Holtz distress inks in mustard seed, dried marigold and spiced marmalade, I tore post-its to mask the edge. Then I masked a new edge, leaving a sliver of white in between and used crushed olive and peeled paint.

I also masked areas to create "layers" of grass. I used Vilda stamps in Archival olive green.

In the end I also tried out another of Tim Holtz famous techniques with the distress inks, I used a small acrylic brush which I dipped in tap water and just splattered across the background a la Polluck:) It was plenty fun and I love the effect it had in the card as well.

The branch is from Tim Holtz sizzix alteration holly branch. I glued Tilda hanging from the branch and popped them both on foam dots. The sentiment is MFT decorative doily, the smallest one, layered with a Sizzix framelites circle. The circle is distressed with both crushed olive and peeled paint. I stamped the sentiment with archival ink in olive green.

When I started I would say I thought my card would turn out to be something very unlike me. I love fall colours, but I'm very bad at using them. Now in the end, this card is very "me" and I love that there seems to be a lot going on at first glance, but it's really not. I would never have thought I'd be able to make such good use of a 6x6 card without ribbon, flourishes or sprays. Not even a paper flower made it to the card:)

This card will be  entered in Tilda's Town Challenge #28 anything goes

Please let me know what you're thinking!
Thanks for taking the time to stop by - it is so appreciated!!