Noel Accordian Christmas Card

Over on Time for Crafting They have an online magazine - and a forum which I belong to.


This month's magazine has a down load template for an Accordian NOEL Christmas card - it really took my fancy as it was something different - so I thought I would give it a go. There is also a template for a little envelope - sorry I forgot to take a photo - but you all know what a square envelope looks like don't you?

This white one was made by Sara - who hosts the site - she has run it through an embossing machine.

It gives it a great texture - and looks fantastic in 'real life'

The templates are in GSD and PDF - so use your 'Robo' or similar to cut it out for you - or use the PDF file if you use scissors like me.

Here is my version - I don't have an embossing machine so I improvised.



I followed the instructions and cut mine out using white card - then I coloured it using Distressed Red Brick - by putting some on a non-stick mat, spritzing with water, then dragging the colour onto the letters with a sponge.


Using the same ink pad, I stamped the letters with a pattern, then triple embossed them.


Using the same colour to stamp with, gave it a nice vintage velvet look. Looks so much better in natural light and feels great.

I outlined the letters with a gold pen.


I made some ivy leaves this morning - to put on top of the 'N' and bottom of the 'L' but I decided that I preferred it just the way it was.


In fact I am not evening going to send it to someone - I think I will punch a hole in the top of the first and last letters, add a gold grommit, and some ribbon and hang it up as a decoration.

I might even cut out individual letters - stick them to a length of ribbon and make a garland - if I get time!

So why don't you pop over to Time for Crafting, have a preview look at the magazine - and have a nosey on the forum - its a very friendly place to visit.

Christmas with a 'twist'

It is the last day of the Christmas Term at the class I attend each week. As this is the last Christmas as our tutor is retiring at the end of the academic year, I wanted to make it a memorable one for her.




There are 15 of us in the class, and it is the norm to pay £1 or £1.50 towards a bunch of flowers, so I offered to make an arrangement instead as it will last longer.


I only joined the class a few weeks ago - but have really enjoyed it.

This arrangement is for a dining table centre piece. The foliage I have used is:
holly, ivy (wild and variegated), rosemary, conifer, myrtle, robinta and bottle brush. (I might have missed some out -basically its greenery from the garden and the wild ivy and conifer came from a alley way in the village.)



The flowers are orchids, and deep red spray carnations. I have to say it smells wonderful and Christmassey.



This arrangement is HUGE and covers my range cooker top. It just about fits into a 3ft wide box and it is 18inches deep.

Of course I have blown the budget with all those orchids - but hey - I think it was worth it. Do you?

One Powerful Hour

The challenge this week on One Powerful Hour is Altered Dominoes and here is mine.




Which I have made into a vintage pendant

A Moment in Time

Lime, pink, and chocolate - for This Thursday's Challenge



I took this photo before I finished it - as it will take me a couple of days to complete this book cover for a BIA notebook I intend making with it. This is the before photo.

It will get at least two coats of varnish - which takes a day for each coat to dry, but its worth it as it not only gives it a lovely 'oil painting' look - but also gives it a wipe clean surface.

I used milk chocolate and plain chocolate colours - I love all chocolate!

Tim Holtz clock mask - used it for the first time!

Hope it makes your mouth water!

Another sort of art - Flower Arranging

I spent a pleasant couple of hours this afternoon in a village hall flower arranging.
The theme this time was Christmas - and there were all different shapes and styles of arrangements being made.

We just had to do whatever we wanted - but had to bring a in picture or photo of the design we were going for.




The spikes of yellow flowers are Mahonia, and the foliage you can see is bay, rosemary, Australian bottle brush sprayed gold and some hypericum berries. You can click on any photo for a close up






Yellow cymbidium orchids and red spray carnations.
This will reside in my porch on the window ledge where it will keep nice and cool and will last right up to to and over the Christmas holidays.

You can also see conifer, variegated holly from my garden and fir cones sprayed gold.


Its a bit early for Christmas decorations for me - but this, I feel, is not a traditional arrangement.

When the flowers fade I can remove them and the ribbon, and by adding a few flowers, it will last through spring.



And the cost? Not as much as you may think.

Stem of Orchids £4.95
Spray carnations £2.50
Foliage from my garden and hedgerow

The ribbon I already had - so too the candle which is years old.

And the best bit is - I have enough of the above flowers to make either one more large arrangement like this - or two smaller ones for either side!

The porch smells amazing when you walk in there with all that foliage.

Something completely different!

This Thursdays Challenge is 'Playing with Paint'



This is something completely different for me! If you click the photo you can see the embossing texture.

Colour washed background paper.

Then I used my just arrived Tim Holtz masks - aren't they BIG! I don't do big - and when I saw them I thought - I won't be using them! But encouraged by my very talented friend Paula and being snowed in - I thought I would give them a go!

I placed a tiny part of the mask onto the paper and then applied more paints in different colours.



With a white pen and using the bandanna method, (it was my first attempt) I dotted around the masked areas. Then embossed the areas which were outside the mask.

It's given the book cover a lovely texture on the dark areas which emphasise the masked area.

I assembled the notebook with my BIA and added an acetate cover - to finish it off.

UK Stampers Challenge

The challenge on UK Stampers is to make a piece of art using an old stamp which you have not used before.



The photo stamp I used on this note book I made, was one I bought second hand on impulse.

I had to take the photo in artificial light unfortunately - which does not show it to its best advantage.

I stamped the vintage image with sepia archival ink, then embossed it - the spots you see are not spots on the image but where the light is catching the embossing.

I then 'inked' all over the cover, and embossed it with gold to give it a vintage 'leather' look about it - well that was the aim and added a gold strip of ribbon.

In 'real life' it looks so much better - clear embossed in the middle with a clear photo stamped image - and the textured gold page.