Lillibet Stamps

Lillibet - In the Garden

You might remember my projects created with the Lillibet collection by Trimcraft. Recently they also released some fabulous stamps. They are a brilliant addition to this lovely collection, as they give us so much more creative freedom than stickers or printed images.

For the above card I opted for more intense colours and tried out a different hair colour. I used Spectrum Noir pens to colour in the image.

A product list and step-by-step instructions are in my Trimcraft gallery. The swirls are created using a die by Marianne Designs. The background paper and kraft cardstock can, of course, easily be cut with a paper trimmer or guillotine, but I could not resist to try out the square layering dies by Tonic Studios. I could not be tempted by square dies for a long time, but the increments and the large number of dies in this set changed my mind. And somehow it is quite nice to get perfect squares every time, which will come in very handy for techniques like teabag folding.

Christmas Decorations II

I hope that you all had a great start into a happy, healthy, peaceful and successful 2014.

But will these storms never end? For weeks now it has been extremely wet and windy most of the time. I hope that you are all safe and dry.

I still need to share some more decorative items, which I made over the Christmas days, with you. These Christmas crackers are intended as decorative items that I can put on top of the fireplace, onto shelves, etc. They will get simple boxes, so that they can be safely stored away during the rest of the year and come out fresh and like new for the next festive season.

The cardstock used comes mainly from the First Edition paper pad 'Silent Night'. Other than these sheets I just used silver mirri card and a bit of textured cardstock. Additional items include adhesive pearls and curly ribbon.

The most important die for these decorations is the Christmas cracker die by Tonic Studios. Any Christmas themed dies can be used for the embellishments. I opted for Die'sire holly and snowflake dies as well as a bell by Crafts Too. The border punches used for these projects are geared punches by Tonic Studios, as these are easily copying with mirri card or textured cardstock.

Christmas Decorations I

The weather outside is really frightful, as the storm just does not want to come to an end. So I have simply taken out some time and created some handcrafted Christmas decorations.

The inspiration for this style of ornament came from the Trimcraft advent calendar, day 13. There are dies, which cut the cardstock in this style, but the Trimcraft advent calendar also provides a free template.

I used cardstock from the First Edition Silent Night paper pad, adhesive pearls and charms. The holes at the top and at the bottom of the ornament are reinforced with eyelets. I then attached the charms with one 8mm jump ring (at the eyelet) and two 5mm jump rings. I threaded beading elastic through the hole at the top, as this is not so visible when the ornament is hanging in front of a window or at the Christmas tree.

So I pretty much used just things that many of us have in their craft stash anyway. And the free Trimcraft template means that a) we can get a bit of crafting fix over the Christmas days or without spending much on additional materials and that b) this ornament could also be useful for those of us, who might need to keep kids entertained over the next days. And stored carefully these 3D ornaments can be lovely decorations for many years to come.

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'.

And more 'Tis the Season'

Tis the Season - Santa's Sleigh

I hope you are all having a lovely weekend and that it is not so wet and windy (the storms are really haunting us this December) where you are.

I still need to share two more card projects created with the Dovecraft Tis the Season products by Trimcraft with you. I so love the colours and designs of this lovely collection and these two cards have become my personal favourites.  For the first card I also used one of those fabulous small Christmas clear stamps by Dovecraft. When I saw the sleigh in the Range I just could not walk past it.

Tis the Season - Christmas Time

When you click onto the links below the images you can view the product lists and instructions for these two cards.

Dovecraft Tis the Season

Tis the Season - Feathered Friends

I have been trying for a couple of days now to take photos of cards, but daylight really is in short supply here. And even today, on a Saturday, it did not want to make much of an appearance on a stormy and very wet day. So artificial light will have to suffice for most photos at the moment. I cannot wait for the days to get longer again.

Here are now two more Christmas cards created with the Dovecraft Tis the Season collection by Trimcraft. These products showcase beautiful images with lovely colours and are a great combination of traditional Christmas elements and modern twists.

Tis the Season - Christmas Baubles

Product lists and step-by-step instructions for both projects are available in my Trimcraft gallery. Clicking onto the links below the photos will take you straight to the relevant project page.

Doesn't time fly?

Our nephew is now an adult and celebrating his 18th birthday. It is just incredible how fast the last couple of years have gone by.

And, of course, I had to think about a birthday card. We all know how notoriously difficult male cards can be. And I did not want the card to be too serious, as he is still very young. So I was looking for a cheeky sentiment - and I just love one of the Indigo Blu Dinkies. It is originally a Christmas stamp, but the Christmas images can be masked before inking up the stamp. Another bit of inspiration was his job as apprentice joiner. An old stamp that I had not used for years, kraft card and tool brads by Woodware just seemed to bring it all together.

I used:
* 8" x 8" kraft card blank and kraft cardstock
* black textured cardstock
* parchment paper in combination with a black Brilliance ink pad
* ivory glass-smooth cardstock by Southfield
* Daisy & Dandelion DIY stamp
* Indigo Blu Dinkie 'Good All Year'
* Memory Box number dies
* Marianne Designs die for the parchment section
* black spider web net
* Woodware tool brads
* Tim Holtz washers and brads
* black Memento ink pad
* ProMarkers
* adhesive: double-sided tape, Collall glue gel and Dovecraft 3D large foam squares (one of my desert island products)
* toolbox basics

I hope you like the result.