Gift bags...

Christmas is definitely getting nearer and thanks to challenges giving a bit a push in the right direction I think card wise I am actually well organised. I wish I could say the same for challenges as I was going to enter these two gift bags for the challenge at http://www.dutchdare-cardchallenges.blogspot.com/ but it seems that particularly challenge is well and truly over.

I know I'm usually late with my entries but I've never been two weeks late before!!! Make mental note to update challenge list more carefully!! LOL!

Anyway these two bag are some that I made with daughter last weekend. I bought a set of 4 at Poundland with the intention of 'changing' them.

Shelley, my daughter, did the red one. Isn't it fabulous? She used the Christmas stockings from that gorgeous clear stamp set I have from Stamptivity and did some paper piecing.

I'm embarrassed to say that the other one is mine and I was so lazy and used peel offs, but in my defence I was helping my daughter's friend to do hers and I was chatting to a friend on the phone in the middle of it all so that is my excuse.

Materials used silver gift bag:

• white card
• snowflake cuttlebug folder
• silver holographic card
• silver bauble peel offs
• silver sentiment peel offs
• white organza ribbon

Materials used red gift bag:

• white and red card
• clear stocking stamps by Stamptivity
• gold border and stocking peel off

Let it snow sketch...

This week the challenge at http://stampchallenges.blogspot.com/ was a really interesting sketch. I'm afraid I failed to get it exactly like the sketch as I misjudged the size of the space for the squares, but it's not too different I hope.

The stamp I used is one by Stampendous and is a square stamp made up of 9 different squares. I thought it was ideal for cutting up to use on this challenge and made one card using the snowmen squares and card number two using the rabbit squares.

I must be on a roll (or sickening for something), because I also decided to use the whole stamp to create this square card.

All the cards are on a snowy theme and are suitable for the challenge of 'Let it Snow' at http://papertakeweekly.blogspot.com/ and 'Snow or snowflakes' at http://cutecardthursday.blogspot.com/.

The last card is also my entry for the Joanna Sheen forum challenge where members have been asked to make a card to illustrate their favourite Christmas song. I don't say this is my favourite, but everytime I use this cuttlebug embossing folder that song comes into my head. Infact alongside 'It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas' it's beginning to drive me mad!

Materials used:

• white card
• silver mirri card
• pink card
• Stampendous stamp
• snowflakes cuttlebug embossing folder
• pearleslent watercolour paints
• pink gem stones from stash
• silver die cut sentiments from stash

Bird silhouette quote...

I can't believe it but this card is actually for five challenges - I had to count them five times to be sure I'd got it right but here are the challenges:

Birds at http://www.daringcardmakers.blogspot.com/ and also at http://themethursday.wordpress.com/

Things with wings at http://rainbowladyschallengeblog.blogspot.com/.

A quote or a verse at http://artygirlzchallengeblog.blogspot.com/

and last but not least silhouette stamps at http://ourcreativecorner6.blogspot.com/.

My card is an acetate one and I have stamped the bird from a set by Inkadinkadoo on to the acetate using white Stazon. It's actually the first time I've done this and although it may not be perfect I'm quite pleased with the results. The quote is one I particularly like that was sent to me last week by a craft company in an email.

I have tried my best with the photos but I think acetate is even harder than mirri card to get a good picture of.

Materials used:

• heavy weight acetate
• white Stazon
• computer generated quote
• silver mirri card
• silver border and corner peel offs
• gemstones from stash