4 of the best

The DCM dare for this week is to use their most popular challenges of 2007 together : 'and cut', frames, buttons and ribbon. I've managed all those. For now I have only scanned as it's dark, but will try and photograph this when it's light so that you can see the glimmer. I have sprayed everything in sight, but particularly like the effect on the white ribbon bow.

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Stamps : Stampington Butterfly Girl; R&L Travel France set; Time to Stamp ATC set1

Inks : Glimmer mist Black Cherry and Candy Apple Red; DI refill Antique Linen; StazOn Saddle Brown and Black; DI Antique Linen and Aged Mahogany

Extras : Mini red buttons; Slide Mount Frame; PP by Paper Mania; white bow; Perfect Pearls 'pearl'

Man of Letters

The 4x4 Friday challenge is to use sequin waste or an equivalent in stamps in some way on your art work.
I have sponged through a piece with various colours as I like the depth it gives to the background. The sequins I have are not quite the right colour, so I used a spiral clip instead.

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Stamps : Paper Artsy Letters 5; Stampington Fresh Flowers Elements

Inks : DI Broken China, Peeled Paint, Weatherd Wood and Faded Jeans; Archival Grape; DI refill Antique Linen

Extras : Perfect Pearls 'Pearl'; Spiral Clip; Sequin Waste

Thank you with a flourish

The Theme Thursday challenge is to include flourishes. With this card I would like to say thank you to all of you who have sent me Christmas wishes, cards, or emails. It means such a lot to me.

It also gives me the opportunity to use the embellishments given to me by my children, and to play with more homemade glimmer mist.

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Stamps : BLine Leaf Swirl; HA Written Thank you; Stampington Butterfly Girl

Inks : DI Tattered Rose and Aged Mahogany; Versamark; DI Refill Antique Linen

Extras : DCWV beige and pink card; Paper Cellar pearl circles; Perfect Pearls 'Pearl'; Clear EP

Imagine using doileys!

There's a great tutorial on http://www.scrapperlicious.blogspot.com/ about using doileys and their impressions.
My doiley has very few holes, but lovely leaves, so I used the stamped waste. I sprayed it with patina glimmer mist, and then distressed the atc with what was left on the craft mat.
The Wednesday Stamper challenge is open themed this week, with a suggestion that you use your Christmas presents. The gm was a gift from my parents, who were rather bemused that I should want such a thing (I bought it for them to give to me!). ---
Stamps : Hampton Arts Imagine; HA dragonflies

Inks : Glimmer Mist Patina; DI Broken China, Dusty Concord and Black Soot

Extras : Prima flowers; paper doiley; purple brad

RAKs

I received this puzzle decoration from Donna's draw after the Santa Claus fest on December 6th. In real life it looks even better, and is quite large. Both it and the bauble below will become part of our annual decoration collection - all the more special as they are made by friends. The bauble was sent by Isa when I ordered her book. Thank you both very much.

I received another RAK from the Quietfire team who host Created By Hand challenge. This was a digital page of vintage images - no doubt you will see these in due course.

I can't believe how generous everybody is, and how lucky I've been to have been chosen in draws. Thank you!

Christmas Day

This is from me to you to say happy, happy Christmas. May you know joy and peace today as we celebrate Christ's birth.

Believe

The Theme Thursday challenge is an ATC with wings. Here's my angel, beseeching us to believe in the true meaning of Christmas.

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Stamps : Crafty Individuals 21; HA Dainty Flower Background

Inks : H2Os in Cranberry, Snap Dragon and Blue Flame; Versamark pen; DI Black Soot; Archival Grape

Extras : black lace; Jones Tones Lazer Gems; image from Flickr; Candy Turquoise EP

Cards from blogging friends

from Tania, Rein and Leni, and Jacqueline. The 4th is from Rachel, a non blogging 'crafty' friend.

Thank you ladies.

Stocking tags

The in-laws are staying with us for Christmas, and we all thought it would be lovely to do a stocking for them too, each with its own tag. In doing so I have achieved 2 challenges :

4x4 Friday's theme of Santa Claus, and Wednesday Stamper Light. I can just feel the anticipation of this little girl as she waits in the firelight for Santa to fill her stocking.

You can just about make out the glimmer of the pearlised spray, the remains from the last 2 projects.

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Stamps : Clarity stamps leaves; Denami Merry Christmas

Inks : DI Old Paper and Shabby Shutters; StazOn Olive Green; ColorBox Eggplant; DIrefill Antique Linen; VersaMagic Hint of Pesto

Extras : red glitter glue; images from www.anoldfashionedchristmas.com; PerfectPearls Bronze; MM eyelets; scraps of ribbon; BB card

Copper stitches

The TMTA theme for this week is cross stitch. I have used the same pearlised mist as in my last entry to use up the mixture, but could not get a good enough photo. Back to the scanner!

I didn't have any brads in copper, so I pressed orange ones onto a versamark pad, and then embossed them with copper EP.

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Stamps : Time to Stamp ATC set and Vintage Sewing

Inks : DI Broken China and Dried Marigold; Brilliance Cosmic Copper; Versamark; DI refill Antique Linen;

Extras : Copper EP; Perfect Pearls Bronze; Orange brads; Madeira copper thread

Off to the Nativity

The Gothic Arches theme is Joy at Christmas/children. I thought this little angel looked pleased with her allotted part - didn't we all want to be the angel in our nativity plays (one year I was the cow!!!).

I have fallen in love with the Tim Holtz homemade sprays (see entry below for recipe). This one is made with DI refill ink in Antique Linen, and Perfect Pearls bronze. Again I have photographed it so that you can see the glimmer. The background is my register on a music stand - I took it at school to get the best light.
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Stamps : Lakeland Ltd Ornate set; Elusive Images Wise Men

Inks : DI Walnut Stain, Tattered Rose and Aged Mahogany; VersaColor Brown; DI Antique Linen refill

Extras : Perfect Pearls bronze; image from www.art-e-cats.typepad.com

Best friends

The Theme Thursday challenge is on friends, and the 4x4 Friday theme is blue & silver.

This image is from Flickr. Don't you just love the expression of the smallest girl!?

I have tried another Tim Holtz technique on this - mix together 1 pipette full of broken china ink refill with a small scoop of Perfect Pearls 'pearl' in a mini mister, and fill it 3/4 full with water. Shake thoroughly, and spray. The colours are my choice, but the variations are endless. Before this I sponged on Faded Jeans and sprayed with the Sticky Fingers inks. This is the same work; above it was scanned, and below it was photographed. As you can see on the 2nd image, the pearl comes out quite silvery. These colours are closer to the original.
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Stamps : AudDesign swirl; MSE Friends Always

Inks : Perfect Pearls 'pearl'; Sticky Fingers sprays Bluebell and Delphinium; DI Faded Jeans, and Broken China refill; StazOn Ultramarine

Extras : Peeloff borders; Paper Cellar Crystal Gems