Christmas Countdown

Just a short time to go now until Christmas Day. I would like to use the opportunity to share two more Christmas cards with you, which I made recently with Trimcraft collections.

The first card features products from the Helz Cuppleditch range 'The Night Before Christmas'.

The second card is a quick make created with the Dovecraft Christmas Basics collection.

Product lists and step-by-step instructions for both cards as well as larger images can again be found in my Trimcraft gallery.

Merry Christmas everybody!

The Night Before Christmas Plaque

Today I would like to share another home decor item with you.This time it is an oval Christmas plaque based around an image from Helz Cuppleditch's The Night Before Christmas collection by Trimcraft and the matching reindeer deco mache papers. The base is an oval MDF plaque into which I punched two holes using my Crop-a-Dile Big Bite. Other tools like a drill would also do the trick.

For a product list, step-by-step instructions and a larger image please go to my Trimcraft gallery.

The Night Before Christmas Scene

Now that I am on my own I need a lot less Christmas cards and find myself more and more often opting for home decor items when I am crafting. And they make it possible to have some more and new decorative Christmas items even if the budget is tight. And Trimcraft's new collection 'The Night Before Christmas' with images by Helz Cuppleditch in combination with some other great new First Edition and Dovecraft Christmas products allows for some unique items with a personal touch that could not be just bought in shops or could be found in countless homes.

This 6" x 6" panel based on a piece of cardboard also brought out a great way of using up loose glitter without mess. I mixed a generous amount of PVA with white Dovecraft glitter and applied it lavishly to the icicle border and the snowflake elements. This leaves the ice and snow elements nice and sparkly - and the glitter is not shedding.

I prepared again a product list and step-by-step instructions, which can be found in my Trimcraft gallery.

Winter Woodland Christmas

I hope you have all had some really enjoyable and relasing Christmas days. And now that all the Christmas e-mails are sent I can share with you the card that I created for our electronic Christmas greetings. I copied the image into Word and could then embedd it into the e-mail text.

The ingredients of this card:

* Winter Woodland 12” x 12” designer paper pack
* Winter Woodland clear stamp - snowman
* Winter Woodland clear stamp – sentiments
* Winter Woodland paper flowers
* Winter Woodland wooden elements
* Winter Woodland adhesive gems & pearls
* Winter Woodland polka ribbon bows
* First Edition dies – vintage signs
* 8” square white card blank
* solar white Neenah cardstock
* Woodware kraft cardstock
* small piece of green cardstock
* white spider web
* black Memento ink pad
* ProMarkers
* Britannia holly die strip
* Marianne Design fence die
* die-cutting machine
* adhesive
* toolbox basics

Step-by-step instructions for this card can be found in my Trimcraft gallery.

Winter Woodland Festive Cards

Oh gosh, now it is already November! Christmas is only a few weeks away and have not even thought about the design for the Christmas cards for our own use - especially the ones that we need to post and that need to be flat and light. Something is telling me that these cards might get made in a mad rush yet again and might require a trip to Southfield Stationers to get more card blanks and envelopes ...

Good that the design team cards are progressing much better. Here are the newest cards created with the Winter Woodland collection by Helz Cuppleditch and Trimcraft. I just love the adorable images.

Both cards use 15cm square white card blanks.

For the snowman card I 'misused' an aperture card blank by turning it into a frame. The decoupage image does not completely fill out the aperture, but matching snowflake background paper as well as the flowers and holly pieces disguise the edges. For the holly pieces I used the die strip by Britannia Dies.

For the second card I used glitter stickers and wooden elements from the collection for the toppers. For a more natural feel I decided to display the underside of the frames rather than the coloured side. As further embellishment I tied Woodware organza ribbon into a decorative bow and attached a fabric brad with the help of glue gel.

Product lists and step-by-step instructions for both cards are available in my Trimcraft gallery.

Winter Woodland Hedgehog

I think I only realised how stressful the uncertainty and fear around the outcome of the referendum was when my stomach decided that it was payback time. So instead of a relaxing and crafty weekend I spent a good part of Friday (after I came home from work) and nearly all day Saturday and Sunday wrapped up warm in bed or curled up on the sofa. Not really what I had in mind ...

But now it is business as usual again and I can share the next card with you.

I just love the wee hedgehog from the Trimcraft's Winter Woodland collection, which is based on the lovely illustrations by Helz Cuplleditch. For this card I opted for an image from the glitter decoupage pad.. And I also could not bypass the gorgeous embossing folder. I hope that Trimcraft will bring out a lot more embossing folders and dies, as they are great to work with and I am impressed by their quality.

If you would like to re-create this card (only for personal use and not for competition entries, please), you can find a product list and step-by-step instructions in my Trimcraft gallery.

Winter Woodland

Winter Woodland - Winter Love

Today I would like to share with you three cards for which I used the super cute products from the brand-new Winter Woodland collection by Trimcraft. It is another range featuring the popular creations by the so very talented Helz Cuppleditch.

Winter Woodland - Our Christmas Tree

Originally I wanted to make one card for now and then try out products from another collection, but I had so many design ideas that I just could not fit them all onto one card. So it just had to be three in one go ... And I just love these products. The glitter decoupage images and the glittered papers are not only beautiful but also give projects an instant luxurious feel.

Winter Woodland - Fancy a Carrot?

I have again provided product lists and step-by-step instructions for all these cards in my Trimcraft gallery. By clicking onto the titles below the images you will be taken through directly to the project in question.

Creations in 'Kraft' with Fun Fair Dies

Fun Fair - Where's the Duck?

What happened to spring? Today was just another chilly, dull and wet day here. I even had to put the heating on for a while, as the house had cooled out so much.

Today I would like two cards with you for which I combined the new Fun Fair collection by Helz Cuppleditch and Trimcraft with kraft cardstock. I really like the combination of vibrant colours, which bring  bit of sunshine into a day with such dire weather, with material in a natural and more neutral tone.

Fun Fair - Fun of the Fair

I have again prepared product lists and step-by-step instructions for both projects.They are again in my Trimcraft gallery, and you can access them by clicking onto the links below the images.

And in case anybody is wondering, the square and rectangular dies that I used for the second card are from layering die-sets by Tonic Studios.

More Fun at the Fair

Today's card is again featuring the gorgeous Fun Fair collection by Helz Cuppleditch and Trimcraft, but this time I have teamed up the products with kraft cardstock for a slightly different look.

And the long awaited gorgeous ticket die has also arrived in the meantime. But the dies must have been flying out at the Glitter Pot. Although I jumped into action as soon as I spotted the dies, I missed out on the initial delivery of the carousel dies. So the carousel die will have to wait a bit longer, but at least the ticket die has already become part of my collection. And I am thoroughly impressed. I worked with 280gsm kraft cardstock, which can be tricky with some dies, but this one cut perfectly and embossed the cardstock beautifully. Releasing the cardstock was also easy.

The sections between the three tickets are so well designed that it is also easy to tear the tickets apart, which looks a lot more natural than cutting them. And this also makes the die more versatile, as the entire strip or just individual tickets can be used on projects.

Fingers crossed that Trimcraft will release many more dies from now on.

I have again prepared a product list and step-by-step instructions for this card. You can find these in my Trimcraft gallery.

Fun Fair Collection - Ferris Wheel

What happened to this day? The hours have just flown by. Okay, when I started working on some cards I got distracted by my 'feline stalker'. I was sitting on the living room floor, watching TV and arranging some products for the cards at the same time. And all the time our neighbours' cat was sitting at the patio door and watching me closely. And yes, I ended up going outside a few times and playing with my furry friend. But how can you resist such a beautiful and friendly furball???

But the instructions for the first card (the one shown above) created with the new Fun Fair collection by Trimcraft are now written and together with a product list available in my Trimcraft gallery.

And I will now go back to the remaining cards, file around on the designs and start preparing the instructions so that I can share the next projects with you soon.

Fun Fair by Helz Cuppleditch

 Fun Fair - Hooked On You

The original plan was to show you these cards on Sunday. But although I took photos for the main images I had to realise that I completely forgot about the second images, which show a bit of the insight of the cards. And by the time I did it was already dark outside and the light for photos was not very good at all ...

We had some awful weather here and I was really craving to work on some more colourful and cheery cards. The new Fun Fair products by Trimcraft with Helz Cuppleditch artwork is just perfect for that. Cute characters and plenty of colour!

Fun Fair - You're So Sweet

Product lists and step-by-step instructions for both cards are in my Trimcraft gallery. If you click onto the project titles, the links will take you straight to the entries in the gallery.

 

And for those, who are interested in the makes of dies and embossing folders: For 'Hooked On You' I used leaf dies from a Sue Wilson die set and a Cheery Lynn corner die. For 'You're So Sweet' I banked on the help of a Darice embossing folder and a leaf strip by Britannia Dies.

Final Preparations in Santa's Workshop

 Santa's Workshop - Winter Treat

Christmas is nearly upon us and even Santa is slowly finishing his preparations. But until then it is time for two more cards created with Helz Cuppleditch's Santa's Workshop collection by Trimcraft.

This time the stamps within the collection are providing the focal points. The images on both cards are coloured in using ProMarkers. I used the bullet tips as well as ultra-fine nibs.

Santa's Workshop - Gingerbread House

You can view the product lists and step-by-step instructions in my Trimcraft gallery by clicking onto the links below the photos.

Even I am now finishing off my 2013 Christmas cards, but I intend to try my hands on some handcrafted decorations on Monday and Tuesday. Our Christmas dinner is sorted and the bulk of the food shopping done, so I might only need to go to the shops for some milk and bread and should have some time for a bit of 'creative relaxation'.

Santa's Workshop Aperture Card

Today I would like to show you a card that combines the character collection Santa's Workshop by Trimcraft with the currently so very popular Tonic Verso dies.

I used the Santa's Workshop aperture card and envelope set. And the bow ring die set proved to be just the right size and provided a perfect match. In addition to these products I used

* Santa's Workshop designer paper pack
* Santa's Workshop glitter stickers
* Santa's Workshop metallic ribbon bows
* Santa's Workshop premium adhesive gems and pearls
* berries
* Liquid Pearls
* textured cardstock

Have a good start into the new week.

Santa's Workshop Easel Cards

Santa's Workshop - Toys, Toys, Toys

This week I have opted for a different card shape and created two easel cards with the Santa's Workshop collection by Trimcraft. These products just make such wonderful Christmas cards that I cannot get enough of them.

Santa's Workshop - Santa's Snowmen

You are again welcome to re-create the cards (but please do not enter them into competitions, submit them for publications, etc.) and can find product lists and step-by-step instructions in my Trimcraft gallery.

And for those, who are interested in details of dies and embossing folders: For the 'Toys, Toys, Toys' card I used an Embossalicious embossing folder by Crafter's Companion. The snowflakes in the second card are created with a die from a set by Marianne Design.

Santa's workshop is still busy

At the end of the weekend I would like to share another Christmas card with you that I created with Santa's Workshop products by Trimcraft with those adorable characters by Helz Cuppleditch.

I have added again step-by-step instructions and a product list to my Trimcraft gallery. And for those particularly interested in dies: The holly die is one of my trusted Marianne Design dies.

Have a good start into the new week. And I will be back with more projects as soon as other projects that are already in the pipeline are finalised.

Santa's Workshop Decoupage

Santa's Workshop - Hot Chocolate Kisses

After some nasty bugs did such a great job of knocking me out during the week I had my work cut out today. And it was full steam ahead with some brand-new projects created with the fabulous Santa's Workshop collection by Trimcraft with lovely images by Helz Cuppleditch.

Product lists and step-by-step instructions for all cards are already in my Trimcraft gallery. Just click onto the link underneath each image to go straight to the uploaded details.

Santa's Workshop - Sweet Christmas

For the holly leaves on these cards I used a die by Marianne Design. The star ornament on the second card is created with a Memory Box die. The border punch used for the card above is by Tonic Studios.

Santa's Workshop - Santa the Baker

I hope you like these cards.

Santa's Workshop has opened

Oh, is it not lovely when you plan to get some crafting done, to write up some project instructions, to prepare photos for the web and to create some blog posts only to find that your Microsoft Publisher seems to be on strike with message that it is not even installed or seems to have deactivated itself. It took me hours to find out that the latest Windows update during the week seems to have caused havoc with Office 2010 and to work out ways how to get still into the software that is in fact still installed and activated. I just feel like screaming now ...

And please do not get a complete shock, but I have actually started my Christmas cards! The cute Santa's Workshop collection designed by Helz Cuppleditch and manufactured by Trimcraft has made it easy to turn the corner.

And I have also found another favourite project. I really dislike glittering my entire environment and myself when working with glitter or glitter card. I found now the A5 glitter card sheets from Trimcraft, which are apparently not shedding glitter. I cut sheets with my guillotine and even used them in my precious Cuttlebug. And it really works! The glitter stays on the card and just there. I think I need to get some more of these sheets, as I am hooked.

A product list and step-by-step instructions for the card above can be found in my Trimcraft gallery. And the Trimcraft website has just re-launched with a really fresh and modern look. It would be great, if you could have a peek and would check out the new look and features.

More Action from the Riverbank

Riverbank Revels - Duckling

It is time to share with you some cards that I created this week. And I could again not bypass those lovely Riverbank Revels products by Trimcraft. The winter is still holding us firm in its grip, and it has been bitterly cold, very windy, damp and grey. So a hint of spring and sunshine was really needed.

If anybody would like to re-create these projects you are very welcome to do so. Product lists and step-by-step instructions can be found in my Trimcraft gallery. But please do not give out the designs as your own or enter them into challenges or competitions.

Riverbank Revels - Hello You

And for those, who would like a bit more 'insider' information about the products used for these cards:

The leaves on the duckling card are created using a die by Crealies. The embossing folder is a Die'sire Embossalicious 6"x6" folder by Crafter's Companion.

On the 'Hello You' card is used a D-Lites die by Spellbinders for the decorative corners. But many decorative corners of different sizes and by other manufacturers will be suitable for this style, as the ends of the corners are hidden under the decoupage topper anyway. Or perhaps try this design with other decorative die-cut shapes.

Riverbank Revels - Picnic

The decorative square on the picnic card is created using Grand Nestabilities by Spellbinders.

'Feel Good' Riverbank Revels

Today has been an absolutely awful day here. It has been cold, windy, dark and very wet. So I just felt the need to bring a bit of colour into my crafting to cheer me up. And the new Riverbank Revels collection by Trimcraft is just perfect for that.

I have again written up a product list and step-by-step instructions for this card featuring this summery image with the cute wee mouse created by the so talented Helz Cuppleditch. You can view them in my Trimcraft gallery.

And for those, who are interested in the details of used craft items: For the leaves I used a Pick of the Bunch die ('Window Basket') by Tonic Studios. For the embossing I opted for the grass embossing folder by Darice.

Riverbank Revels

Riverbank Revels - Swans

Helz Cuppleditch has done it again. Trimcraft and Helz have just brought out the absolutely adorable papercraft collection 'Riverbank Revels'. It is such an honour to work with these wonderful products.

Today I would like to share two cards with you for which I used the Riverbank Revels glitter decoupage pad and the Riverbank Revels 8" x 8" designer paper pad (and some of the sheets even have a gorgeous linen texture!) as the main components. Full product lists and step-by-step instructions for both projects can be found in my Trimcraft gallery.

Riverbank Revels - Houseboat

Many more projects will follow very soon.