Gingham Christmas

It's the first day of a new month and that means Christmas Crafting challenge time!  This month we were challenged with using gingham on our project.  When I think of gingham I think country kitchen, jam jar covers, tea towels, aprons etc.  So for this project I decided to revisit a sketch I did earlier this year.

The first version can be found here.  I loved the concept so much I have several I am going to make over the coming months, and being directed to use gingham was just the excuse I needed to make another!

I've used Kraft card for the base, sweet Tilda has been stamped using Stayzon.  I first started stamping about a year ago, and back then I was warned away from Stayzon as being too difficult to use and clean up, but I have to say it gives the crispest most defined images from every type of stamp.  Little Tilda has been coloured with Prismacolor pencils, which I love using on the Kraft.  The Christmas patterned papers are from Kaisercraft, and the gingham paper is the reverse side of a Graphic 45 paper.

The recipe card is removable, with the gingham strip across the bottom acting as a sleeve for the card.  If you are interested in my recipe I posted it back in December last year, you can find it here.  The sentiment is a free download from the Shabby Princess, it came as part of a holiday recipe kit.

I hope you have been inspired to go forth and create your own gingham Christmas creation!

Christmas Cookies

Hello again!  Welcome to another challenge with Christmas Crafting!  This month's challenge was set by Arline, and she asked us to use an ordinary image to make a Christmas themed project.  The little cutie I used is called Christie Angel, and was generously provided for us to play with by Robyn's Fetish. 

The primitive style of this image is very cute, and very country, which led me to thoughts of my kitchen and from there I decided that she would be perfect for a tag giving a gift from my kitchen.  I'd seen cookie mixes in jars before and always thought they looked so lovely and rustic, so I set my hand at creating one of my own.

The tag is made using two Kaisercraft papers from the December 25th collection, and sweet little Christie is coloured with Prismacolors.  The sentiment is also a stamp from Kaisercraft.  The tag is cut using a Tim Holtz die, tied around the neck of the jar with a bit of raffia.

If you'd like to make your own 'cookie jar', below is the recipe I used.

This recipe is enough to fill a jar designed to hold 500g (17.6oz) of coffee. Place the following ingredients into a jar in the order listed.

2 cups plain (all purpose) flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups quick cook oats

1 cup chocolate chips

3/4 cup brown sugar

3/4 white sugar

1 cup dried sultanas (or any other dried fruit/nut combo you prefer)

DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 180C (350F). Pour dry ingredients into a large bowl and add: 3/4 cup butter (almost melted), one lightly beaten egg and one teaspoon vanilla essence. Mix thoroughly and roll into 1 1/2 inch sized balls. Bake for 10 minutes.

Yields approximately 40 cookies.

 

A Fairy Happy Easter

Card Positioning Systems is celebrating their 5th Anniversary by releasing a sketch a day for 15 days.

This card is my interpretation of the day fourteen sketch, my goodness only one more to go!

The fairy postcards are Graphic 45, part of their Once Upon A Springtime Collection.  The designer paper is Kaisercraft, part of their Sweet Nothings collection.  I've inked all the edges with Antique Linen and Bundled Sage Distress Inks.

The leaf accent is cut from a Spellbinders die, the butterflies are a Martha Stewart punch, the roses are from Kaisercraft and last but not least the bow is a fabulous crochet yarn from my stash.

Mr Mischief

Card Positioning Systems is celebrating their 5th Anniversary by releasing a sketch a day for 15 days.

This card is my interpretation of the day thirteen sketch.

I made this card with my son in mind, who will be 12 years old this year.  Very clean and simple.  The rocket image and Mr Mischief comes from a Ruby Rock-it paper called Tokens, part of their Paper Boy collection.  The graph paper is the reverse side of Dressform, one of Kaisercrafts Timeless Collection.  I've used an EK Success punch to give the notepad edge, a bit of black and white bakers twine and a star shaped paperclip to finish.

Let's Catch Up

Card Positioning Systems is celebrating their 5th Anniversary by releasing a sketch a day for 15 days.

This card is my interpretation of the day twelve sketch.

My first thoughts were of florals and bows and doilies, but I decided I wanted to do something drastically different with this sketch, and I hope I have achieved that... instead of a bow I have a propeller!

The designer paper is by Bo Bunny, the cogs are cut using Spellbinders gears die and the image is a clipart from my collection.  The sentiment inside reads "Let's Catch Up".

Pretty In Pink Card

Card Positioning Systems is celebrating their 5th Anniversary by releasing a sketch a day for 15 days.

This card is my interpretation of the day eleven sketch.

Finally, a sketch that came together painlessly!  I knew the instant I saw this sketch what elements I was going to use, and the longest part of the whole card was making the skirt.

The background paper is from the Sweet Nothings collection by Kaisercraft.  The dress form is cut using the Sewing Room die by Tim Holtz from a scrap of cream toned paper on chipboard.  The tickets are by Tim Holtz also, and the crochet skirt is by me. 

Noel Card

Card Positioning Systems is celebrating their 5th Anniversary by releasing a sketch a day for 15 days.

This card is my interpretation of the day ten sketch.

I have used Webster's Pages paper as the background paper, December Journal.  I purchased it as a digital download, so I was able to resize it as I saw fit, so I made it fit a 6" x 6" card.  I love the versatility of digital papers.

The "postcard" stamp along the edge there is by Tim Holtz, inked with Vintage Photo Distress Ink, and the vintage Santa is a Bo Bunny acrylic stamp inked with StazOn Black on vellum.  A liberal shading with Vintage Photo has been done around most of the edges.

The wooden word NOEL I picked up during the post Christmas sales this year.  I painted it with Burnt Umber acrylic paint and sanded it back to distress it, then lightly inked the edges with Versa-color gold ink.

S N O W Card

Card Positioning Systems is celebrating their 5th Anniversary by releasing a sketch a day for 15 days.

This card is my interpretation of the day nine sketch.

This was one of those sketches I looked and thought "that will be a nice quick one", however it took me all day to finish!  I've used the backsides of two papers for the card, one a Christmas paper by Graphic 45 which I had a fun tearing into strips and the other part of the Prairie Lane collection by Kaisercraft.

The snowman is cut using the Tim Holtz Winter Wonder die, and the fence is a Magnolia Doohickey which I have painted with crackle medium mixed with white paint.  All the edges have been inked with Antique Linen Distress Ink.  A scrap of fluffy wool, a few pearls and some letters from my stash and voila, challenge completed! 

Vintage Sewing Card

Card Positioning Systems is celebrating their 5th Anniversary by releasing a sketch a day for 15 days.

This card is my interpretation of the day eight sketch. 

The card base is Kraft once again, the patterned paper with the sewing patterns is called Dressform from the Timeless Collection by Kaisercraft, and the centre panel is from the Domestic Goddess series by Graphic 45.  A paper doily provides the lacey ruffle and the accent is a paper rose made from coffee filter paper and the Rose Creations die by Spellbinders.

Christmas Baking with Tilda

Card Positioning Systems is celebrating their 5th Anniversary by releasing a sketch a day for 15 days.

This card is my interpretation of the day seven sketch.

I've used Kraft card as the base for this card (yes again!) but this time it's a darker Kraft, much darker than the Bazzil version.  The patterned papers are by Kaisercraft, part of the December 25th collection and have a lovely, muted tone to them that works very well with the Kraft.

I struggled a little colouring Tilda on the darker Kraft, the Prismacolor pencils weren't really doing what I wanted them to do and in sheer frustration I dampened a cloth with baby oil and wiped over the whole thing, with the intent of taking it back to the base, and voila!  I had exactly the look I wanted :o)

The recipe card is removable, with the striped bar across the bottom acting as a sleeve for the card.  If you are interested in my recipe I posted it back in December last year, you can find it here.

The sentiment is a free download from the Shabby Princess, it came as part of a holiday recipe kit.

This card is probably my favourite of all the ones I have made for the CPS Challenges so far.  The Tilda with spoon stamp is an all time favourite of mine, and the colours and vintage feel all worked really well.

Retro Sewing Card

Card Positioning Systems is celebrating their 5th Anniversary by releasing a sketch a day for 15 days. 

This card is my interpretation of the day six sketch. 

This card was made with a Vintedge kit by Ruby Rock-It, on a Kraft base.  The kit was fantastic value, 6 different paper designs (2 of each for 12 sheets total), plus stickers and die cuts for $10.  I used the Tim Holtz Sewing Room Alterations die to cut two bobbins and wound embroidery floss around the centre and attached them as accents.  There is also a yellow bobbin inside next to the sentiment which reads:  "May your bobbin always be full".

I'm still not sure if I like this card, retro is not something I have played around with much.  I am sure if I pop in a fat quarter of quilting fabric the recipient won't care what the card looked like ;o)