Hubby's Christmas Card - Funkie Junkie no 5

Hello there!

As I was packing the decs and cards away last night I realised that I had yet to share Mr Hettie's Christmas card with you, nor looking at my camera had I even photographed it, so I took some quick shots in the dim morning light and pronto before I came out to work.  So without further ado....

And this is the tag from the Funkie Junkie Challenge which gave me the inspiration...

I took the stars, silver and rays stencil as my inspiration.  I did not have the same die, but I borrowed the carolers die from my friend, cut the piece from a Snippet and then embossed with several layers of silver embossing powder.

The background was from a downloadable which I found on Pinterest (NBUS to me!).  I did not have the TH stencil so I turned to my trusty Silhouette and cut one using a piece of laminated plastic that I had left over from some laminating I did for my boss!  I know!  So I wondered if it would cut and it made a fine and dandy stencil.  I took my Versamark and inked through the stencil and added clear embossing powder into which I had sprinkled some Martha Stewart glitter, then I heat embossed it.  Once it was cool, I added some NBUS Scattered Straw DI to give a bit more of a yellow glow to the background.

Around the edge of the background I then stamped my Hampton Arts dotty stamp and embossed with some silver embossing powder.  

The lamp is TH which I again used Snippets to cut out before adding some stickles to the red berries.  I used my SSS stars die to cut the small stars out using Snippets of gold glitter card.  The sentiment was cut using the Penny Black with Festive Berries DI and clear embossing powder.

Hubby loved it and actually so do I.  I wonder if Lesley will let me borrow the die again?   Maybe if I offer her some eggies in exchange?

I am too late to join in the Funkie Junkie Challenge due to an array of reasons which I will not bore you with but I am going to finish the 12 so watch this space.   I can now join in with the Snippets Playground and Darnell's NBUS as there were both Snippets and newbies on this card.

Thanks for calling by.

Hettie

Choo Choo

Hello there

Not long now until the Jolly Fella in a red suit pays a visit to all of the good Girls and Boys in the World.  Guess I am getting coal again!  Yippee!!

I am so sorry I have not been around much the last few days.  I have been a little under the weather with a sinus infection and a little problem with my war wound so spent most of Friday, Saturday and Sunday in bed or on the settee in front of the fire!  Before you ask, yes Hubby was with me, but NO as he had flu also!  I also managed to burst a blood vessel in my eye which was a little irritating so was not wishing to look at laptop. 

Anyhoo we are both on the road to recovery helped by Mr Jack Daniels, antibiotics and good old paracetamol and rest!  I am finding that after finishing work I am only fit to collapse and my poor craft room is feeling a little cold and neglected right now.  Not to worry...Hubby's card hasn't been thought of yet alone made so it wont be long until I am back in there.

I thought I would share a few cards I made to send to family and friends...

All roughly the same but different.  Can you believe I bought that Stampenduous stamp in US for ....wait for it....$1.50!!!!!!  I had thought about buying the same one to take to my host Kim but figured she might have it as I knew she had a previous one.  It was in my basket at £13.50!!!  Bargain ey and I love it as it is great for men through the year if you don't colour the holly in!  BTW I used my green wink of stella pen, which I bought as an error....loving it now!  The red is stickles.  The little Santa and Snowman clay charms I have had for ever so are VOS.  I hope they have survived the post.

Right then.  Off to catch up in the antics of the Playground with these.  Hopefully my understudy in the Nativity play has not run away with the idea that she has my part for good. I shall just sneeze on her if she won't give it back!

Let me know if you want to know how or what I did to create these cards.

Thanks for calling by.

Hettie

Rudolph Day Playing with New Toys...

Hello there!!

Happy Rudolph Day to y'all!  I do hope you have a great weekend in store.  The weather outside Hettie Towers looks set to be a lovely Autumn Day.

As you my lovely followers will know, the 25th of every month is known as Rudolph Day on which I share two or more Christmas Cards with you and join in with my Buddy Sandra's challenge.  Yes, you may have noticed that I have said the full C word...CHRISTMAS!!  As far as creating things is concerned I now think it is ok to use the Christmas word.  As for shops and things I still think it is a little too early to have started in August and that maybe mid November is ample soon enough.  

OK!  I have stepped down from my soap box now.  Here are some cards on which I have used some new toys NBUS which I bought on my recent trip over the Pond...

I just fell in love with the Penny Black die, though I must say that if you are using anything less than cardstock it is a little trying to get it to cut.  This mirri card works like a dream though.  I took a cream card, stamped it with Archival ink with a TH text stamp.  Then attached the PB die cut.  Out of two Snippets I cut the red X Cut shape and also a cream.  The MC is another new TH stamp which I rather like, again stamped with Archival and embossed with clear embossing powder.  

I had a little rummage in the Christmas basket and found the very last K&Co rosette (had them so long I know I won't find again, though it doesn't stop me looking), the ribbon was in the Ribbon Snippets basket and the pine leaves were from the Tin of Shame.  

Next...

This time I stamped the background with some versamark using a snowflake stamp from the same new TH set and embossed with some sparkling snow WOW embossing powder.  I then stamped the pine needles with Pine Needles DI and touched it up with my Wink of Stella pen.  Now I didn't know that you could get coloured Wink pens.  I have only ever seen them clear.  So when in Absolutely Everything I gayly picked up a pen not realising until we were back at our accomodation that it was green.   However, now that I have tried it I LOVE IT.  See!  You can really have "happy accidents".  I adhered a small piece of the PB die cut to one side and found some more ribbon to go down the centre.  Then I stamped another of the TH set with Archival and embossed with clear embossing powder.

Last one for today...

This was the third attempt at cutting a thinner card using the PD die.  It was not very nice trying to cut it.  I used a red card and stamped it with my favourite TH swirl stamp and embossed with gold.  I then took a piece of cream cardstock cut to the same size as the PB die cut and stamped with the TH text stamp.  I adhered the die cut over the top and stickled each interlocking section.  I cut out a TH Poinsettie with cream card and stamped with the text stamp.  On another piece of cream card I stamped the Merry Christmas and die cut with my X Cut die as well as a piece of vellum which I tucked behind.  With a piece of ribbon laid across the bottom I then layered the poinsettie and stickled the centre.  

Hey presto three cards made in one afternoon, all of which I am pleased with and  I hope you like them too!  Just sorry about the photographs having sunshine and shade.  It is getting harder to take photos in the morning now being so dark.

Right, off to take this over to Sandra and the Snippets Playground, before the gates are shut.  Why not join in and make a minimum of two Christmas cards by the end of the month and you may win a prize.  I am also entering these into the CHNC as they are a little bit Christmas themed!

If you are ever anywhere near Topsfield, do go along to Absolutely Everything.  The shop is amazing.  I walked around it three times before I could put anything in the basket as I just did not know where to start and the staff are lovely.  They haven't asked me to promote them, this is just me telling ya!  It is no wonder it is my Buddy Kim's favourite shop.

Thanks for calling by.  Have a great weekend.

Hugs

Hettie

I am Dreaming of a Pink Cancer Free Christmas!

Hello there

A few days ago I happened across a Challenge that was looking for pink Christmas cards by Jingle Bells.  For each card that is entered into this challenge a $4 donation will be made to the Susan G Komen cancer organisation.  Also the Sisterhood of Crafters are also looking for Pink Christmas cards for Breast Cancer.  Having a few friends that have unfortunately been through this awful disease, it is a very worthwhile cause close to my heart.

So here is my entry...

That is not a grey line down the right hand side...the sun was shining at the same time as it was pouring with rain whilst I took the photo which left a shadow down the side.

I have used some NBUS in the form of Tonic dies and embossing folder.  I used a Snippet of white card to emboss and brushed over some Versamark and sparkly embossing powder.  Unfortunately you cannot see the sparkle but believe me it is very sparkly.  The pink cardstock is Bazzill and the black is Papermania.  The baubles are cut from Spellbinders and stamped with matching Creative Expressions stamps.  I added a further swirl of Memory Box holly which was stickled with some bright pink Stickles, which I used again on the right hand side.  A little bit of clear sparkly thread and hey presto, another card in the tin ready for posting!

If you wish to join in the Jingle Bells Challenge you have until Wednesday 22nd.  The Sisterhood of Crafters challenge ends very soon.  Just getting in by the skin of my teeth!  The cause is all worthwhile no matter which country the donation is made.  

I am taking this over to the Snippets Playground too as there are Snippets involved.  Better throw my hat in first as I didn't join in the frolics and fun last week...oops - not intentionally of course!

Thanks for calling by.

Hettie

Only 6 months to go...Rudolph Day June

Hello There

Yep!  You read it right.  Only 6 months, 26 weeks, or 182 days or 5 pay days until the day when we will hopefully have been visited by the man in the Red Suit!!

So in preparation for this I join in every month with my Mate's Rudolph Day Challenge.  

Last night I had a rummage through my Christmas basket and came across my last piece of paper which measured about 7.5" square and wanted to practice a bit of thiftiness and get as many cards as I could without cutting the paper into small pieces.  So I cut it on the lines in the pattern on the paper horizontally, and trimmed to fit on a 7x5 card and chomped the corners with MS snowflake punch.  Now what next?  I found a strip of pale turquoise cardstock left over from a layout which matched as well as some white strips of TH "lace".  An idea was born.  On my desk, left over from a recent project was some dark turquoise card.  I cut three pieces of the pale turquoise to fit below the PP, I cut some more "lace" from Snippets of white, pale turquoise and dark turquoise card. I remembered I had some fine silver thread so threaded some through the top layer of lace.

Next I put it all together, having first cut some small squares of turquoise and placed behind the top corners.  I cut some snowflakes using Spellbinders dies and punched some tiny snowflakes which I adhered and then added Stickles in there.

Now to prove I made more than one..

I have two of something else I can share with you today too.  Two newbies to the Snippets Playground who were bought for me by Mr Hettie for my birthday...

Meet Hinge and Bracket.  Some of my older readers will know who they are.  Younger ones please feel free to Google them!

That's enough posing for you, time to find some food!

Right, off to call by at the Snippets Playground to check on my new Girlies and take my cards as they are made entirely from Snippets with only a few small bits left over.  Don't worry, I will use them too.  

Why not make a few Christmas cards and join in to the Rudolph Day challenge?  You have until the end of the month and there is a prize to be drawn.

Thanks for calling by.

Hettie

It is time for Rudolph Day!!

Hello there!

I hope you are all having a fabulous weekend.  I was off to my Quilting Group today and there was a great buzz as we were preparing for our Exhibition which will take place in June.  If you are in South Wales on 6th or 7th June, please pop in.  I would love to meet you.  And of course you get to see some quilts from talented quilters.....and me!!

Rightio.  Onto today's subject matter.  Rudolph Day!  Yep - the 25th of the month has come round again!!  I swear these months are coming round quicker!  For those who are new to my blog, (where have you been?) on or around 25th of the month I take part in my Buddy's Rudolph Day where we make Christmas cards or similar, which means that when it comes to later on in the year we have got a head start for Christmas cards.  

So here is No. 1.......

No. 2....

No. 3.....

No. 4....

AND......No. 5!!!!

Wahoo!  Now the Rules state 2 cards must be made but I decided to make and show you 5 today.  Ooo I need to alter my tally on the sidebar!

Now if you are thinking you have seen these before, you are having a bit of deja vue, then you are completely right.  These are tags I made for the Funkie Junkie Christmas Tags Challenge in 2012!  I decided it was time they were used, so I mounted them onto cards using strong dsst, with some Christmas papers and some MB Holly die cuts using Snippets.  You know I like a bit of recycling! 

Can you believe that Puggles was sat next to no. 3 until I pressed the button on the camera?  He is sooooo shy!  

Well, I am off to share this with my Buddy Sandra.  I cannot share it with the Snippets Playground as Miss has shut the gates - boo hoo!  It is the weekend and not a school night!  Hurrumph!

Thanks for calling by.  Enjoy the rest of your weekend whatever you are doing.

Hettie

Happy Anniversary....

Hello There Peeps

How you all doing on this Thursday?  We have actually had some glorious sunshine this morning, but it has dulled over in the last few minutes.  Let's hope it comes back!  I heard mention of the S word at Dancing last night and I don't mean the yellow thing that we see in the sky!!!  I hope it doesn't happen.

I want to thank you all for your lovely comments on my last post re the Christmas Album and Rudolph Day cards.  They were greatly appreciated.  

Rightio.  On to today's little offering.

My dear friend and her Hubby were celebrating their wedding anniversary last weekend.  I have a list on which I mark up coming birthdays, anniversaries etc, and I usually put things on there for the next month, so now the list is showing all March  events.  Well the Anniversary card had been on there and I kept thinking it was ok as it was towards the end of the month.  However, on Friday night about 9.30 pm I suddenly thought that OMG it was TOMORROW!!!!  So off I rushed upstairs and half an hour later I came down with this......

The background piece is a 6x6 sheet of my MME (I told you she was a dear friend!) which I stamped with the birdie corner stamp , the bird and a lickle tiny butterfly on the right hand side.  I had a rummage in my Snippets box for some card to stamp on and layer with the birdie in the cage.  Out popped this yellow piece (MME again) and a bright pink piece of card, which did not look good against the MME paper, so I inkied it with Rusty Hinge DI.

I layered the pieces, flipped the teeny tiny last bit of the MME paper over and stamped "enchanting" and then swirled stickles on the flowers.  I hope you can see the effect on the card.  I love these stamps and came free with a paper pack, by Prima, on a card magazine.  I have not bought a card magazine for ages, and to be frank I was disappointed with it but the stamps and paper made up for that!

I did some further stamping inside as well as the love poem that was on my Valentines Day card.  I called by their house on my way to quilting before they went off to their little romantic getaway.  Please do not tell my friend I nearly forgot her card.  I blame it on being poorly for the previous two weeks!

Off to link this up with Di at the Snippets Playground.  I understand that there are no nice hunky men sorting the fence so I shall not stay long as I haven't got my souwester!  It is really dark and miserable outside now.

Nearly the weekend.  Anything planned?  The recipient of this card is up for us to have a fun day of natter and scrapbooking so really looking forward to it.

Hettie

January Rudolph Day

Hello there

Gosh, is it really 25th January 2014 already?  Our first Rudolph Day of 2014?  How did we get here so quick?

Those of you who have been on my blog around this time of the month will know that I usually join in with my friend Sandra's Rudolph Day Challenge.  Why not join in?  It is a great way of building up the Christmas card stash without the mad panic at the end of the year, especially as Sandra now wants us to make two cards each month.

So without further ado here are mine......

And here they are individually.....

Isn't this die adorable?  It is a Memory Box die that I bought after Christmas with some Christmas money.  I cut it from a Snippet of MME paper that happened to be near the front of the basket.  The background I had embossed before Christmas and I just cut it down using a Spellbinders die.  A little bit of sparkly twine, some Stickles, doodling and a TH Chit Chat sticker and a card was born.

Same idea but on a patterned background and a plain cream wreath, all cut from Snippets.  This is actually Mr Hettie's favourite of today's batch.

I fell in love with this Memory Box holly die when I was at my friend's house in November and took the opportunity to cut myself a couple (I always carry a little plain card just in case).  I didn't use them because I forgot where I had put them safe.  (I had put them in the SU box that held these stamps!)  The ribbon was left on my desk from another project that I was experimenting with the other day, which was too wide for that but perfect for this one.  The cream labels were punched from scraps and stamped with Aged Mahogany DI and embossed, as were the Hero Arts greetings.  You can see that I used two different creams here.  The top card has an extra piece of more of the Basic Grey paper.  The bottom panels are from the DCWV pad.  And I added some Stickles to them both too.  Santa must have heard that I really liked this die as he arranged for me to have one too, so expect to see it feature a fair bit this year.

All four cards were corndered with a We R Memory Keepers Chomper.

Thats all from me today folks.  I have my quilting group now and then Robbie Burns Dinner tonight where I will be dancing the Flora MacDonald's Fancy as a solo!  Hope I don't cock mess it up!  Happy Burns Day to all my Scottish friends.

I am also linking this up with the Snippets Playground and CHCC. Don't forget you have until Friday to make some cards and join in with Rudolph Day!

TTFN

Hettie

Christmas card Marathon Part II

Hello There Folks

As it is 12th night tonight and so technically Christmas I thought I would share with you some more of the marathon cards that I shared with you just before Christmas.

Firstly a box which I made to put a pressie in for my friend....



This card was one of my favourites and was sent to a special friend of mine..



I couldn't resist including this one. The metal embellishment is a VOS!...bought when my friend's lickle boy was still in a pram and he turned 19 last month so VERY old stuff!



And of course I had to include a chicken card...



And last but not least the card I made for my Hubby!  Yes it is a recycled card but it has Boofles on who I glammed up with schtickles before 3d mounting onto a background from packaging of K&Co embellishments and snowflakes cut from Snippets and Spellbinders dies.  I cannot resist Boofle.



Thanks for popping in to see me. Don't forget all your Christmas decs should be away by morning or you will have to keep them up all year!  No doubt I will find something tomorrow!

As these are all made from Snippets or recycling I am taking them over the Snippets Playground!  Let's hope the moat hasn't turned into a river and that no more fencing is down.  It was murder gathering up the ducks and geese who had escaped and we are still looking for the goat!  

Hettie

Scrapbook Tuesday - Our Own Narnia

Hello there Peeps

It is still Tuesday so I can still share my latest layout with you all - my last of 2013!  Well, it is my Blog and so my Rulz anyhoo!

Here it is........

I took this photo on 19 December 2010.  Fortunately I had already printed is as my relatively new printer is now kaput!!!  Not happy as it is only just out of warranty.  Apparently it needs a new printer head - Cost £25 + £7 postage.  Cost of new printer - £40 ish.  Guess I wont be replacing the head as I got through more ink in its short lifetime than any other printer I know of!  Hurrumpf!  So I guess I shall be using up some of my plethora of photos already printed in 2014 until I buy a new printer.  I got the idea for the title from a comment left on FB when this photo was on there by LLJ - "You have your own Narnia!".

For this layout I used some Bazzill card with some Grace Taylor paper for the spotty and punched the corners with a MS punch and backed with white card from the Snippets box.  The red card is Bazzill again punched with the MS PATP snowflake punch and yes, I did punch the sides also but then covered it with paper - doh!  I punched some black card Snippets with another MS punch and attached top and bottom of the green Kaisercraft paper with a small strip of white cardstock. 

The snowflakes are all cut using Spellbinders dies using Snippets.  I decided to add a mixture of red buttons to the centres.  The top right have some TH chit chat stickers.

The letters are all cut from Snippets of card on my Cricut using Candy fonts and then stickled over.

I actually dug some washi tape out.  I have several different ones but don't use them very often.  

My aim now for 2014 (I don't make Resolutions as they are most often broken) is to not just stuff my Snippets away in the Snippets draw but to make a couple of cards using them.  So here are two....

The coloured panels are made from using the papers out of the bottom of my spray box.  No idea exactly what created them but they have a fabulous shimmer.  I stamped the cards using two TH Grunge stamps, the HB stamp was a present from Kim when she visited.  The flourishes are all Tonic and are attached using spray adhesive and then covered with black stickles.

Here you can see a little of the shimmer of the coloured panel.

And a TY card with a handmade tent card and more of the Tonic die set and a TY stamp (so old no maker on it)!

And another view which hopefully shows you some of the shimmer.

I shall be popping these over to the Snippets Playground.  I believe there is some Baileys on offer over there (other drinks are available).  

It just leaves me to say Thank You for calling by now and throughout 2013.  It has been a pleasure reading your comments and returning the call.  Here's to friends new and old that I have "met" during 2013 and I am looking forward to seeing what the Blogging World brings in 2014.

May I wish you all a Happy and Crafty New Year!

Hugs

Hettie

Funkie Junkie - 12 Tags of Christmas - No 8

Hello There Peeps

Not long now until the Big Fat Chappie with a red suit comes to visit, with presents if you are good, but coal for those who are naughty.  I am hoping for a tonne myself!! And some clementines would be welcome as we forgot them yesterday! Tee Hee!

Right then.  Onto the purpose of today's post.  I am behind on my Funkie Junkie 12 Tags of Christmas Challenge but luckily Linda is keeping it open for another two weeks.  Phew!

So here is my Tag 8......

I had an absolute ball with this one.  My favourite so far!   I just let it flow using the background that Linda showed us and snowflakes, but the rest was just fun!

Linda showed us the technique for the background which is HERE.  I don't have the Distress Paint but I carried on and used Picket Fence Distress Stain instead of paint and it worked ok for me.  The stamp I used is my Hero Arts holly stamp.  This stamp is usually a stalwart for Christmas cards but I don't think I used it this year!!!  I used a NBUS in the stamp!  I bought these last year and so far I have only used the star before. 

The sentiment is from the Artistic Outpost stamp with the TH snowflake stamp.

I coloured my Snowman with an assortment of Copics, DI (with water pen) and Distress Pens.  The nose I blinged with Schtickles and the scarf with Glossy Accents. I punched a couple of holly leaves with a Snippet of metallic green card and for holly I used schtickes again.  His body has been swooshed with Rock Candy Distress Stickles.  So shimmery though I could not capture it on the photo as I hoped.

The Snowflakes were all cut from Spellbinders die  and I added some schtickles in the centres, and that charm is one I bought in a gorgeous shop in Bath as well as the teeny tiny bell.  I used some ribbon which I coloured with distress stain.  The Let it Snow ribbon is VOS and so is that blue metallic cord.   I used some wording from TH chit chat stickers. 

I am slowly catching up.  Finished all my wrapping tonight!  Yeay!  You should see my Rudolph beers!!!  I will share later!

As I mentioned there is now more time to finish the challenge and if you have nothing else to do on Christmas afternoon after the dishes are done, why not sneak in to your craft area to join in.  There is fabulous prize which is sponsored by Funkie Junkie Boutique.  

As there are Snippets here by way of white cardstock and the green holly I am taking this over to the Snippets Playground.  The Playhouse  is looking very festive right now!

Thanks for calling by.

Hettie