Christmas Card Challenge

There's nothing like a good challenge to get me motivated....I think this is the earliest I've got my 'special' Christmas cards made! (I have been known to make them on Christmas Day itself!!)  MoneySupermarket.com are running a Christmas card competition so I got my cards finished in time for their  deadline

My Mother-in-law, bless her, would never forgive me if I didn't give her a handmade card, she gets them out each year!  My Mum treasures hers too. 

I started with my embellisher, adding some texture to a piece of white felt with bits of lace and organza, before 'drawing' a snowflake on the back with my sewing machine.

After cutting the snowflake out I spent a very happy, crafty evening with friends adding tiny silver beads to the stitching.  My friends were busy knitting, making Christmas presents.

I mounted the snowflake onto some card layered with lace and organza and edged this with glass glitter, adding some mini 'snowflakes' using some lace daisies.

I kept the beads out for my second card, edging the square of white card with a blanket style stitch with a variety of blue and cream beads.

Snowflakes are my favourite theme for Christmas cards and these stamps were new this year from Hobbycraft; the punches and pearls are from my stash!

I still have one special card to make - my husband also gets upset if I don't make him one ;)

You can view the competition entries on MoneySupermarket.com's pinterest board, and you still have time to enter if you'd like to win an ipad mini or hobbycraft vouchers!  But only if you're quick, entries must be submitted by 12noon on Christmas Eve.

Edited 13/10/13 to remove links at request of MoneySupermarket in order to meet Google's quality guidelines

summer weddings...

I'm very late with one of these cards (for my lovely friend Ruby over at Ruby2Shoes), and exactly on time with the second one!

Both started off with a bit of stencilling for the background.  I then layered up some papers and dried, painted baby wipes.

I added a few pinks and reds (via some wool and another baby wipe!) to a felted piece I had on my sewing table.  My poor embellisher now has paint splodges on it, just like my sewing machine!  I stitched the heart shape before cutting it out then stitching it onto the card.  Then added a few more lines of stitching :)

Right, I'm off to a wedding :)

mixed media mini stitched book

I think I'm going through a bit of a mini book phase - I finished this one in the week and another one (for a magazine challenge) yesterday!

The cover is made from an old wool blanket that I've added felt too with that wonderful 'dumphing' machine!  Then some free machining and snippets of lace.

Inside the page sizes vary.  I used pre painted papers that have been hanging around my studio forever, tags,  old book pages, envelopes...

I got to use two new toys in this project - Tim's washer border and Typeset Alphabet dies which I ordered from the lovely Wendy at The Stamp Attic.  I love the umbrella man die too but decided these had more uses, and they'll make great stencils!

I particularly LoVe the effect I got when I put three sets of papers through my Cuttlebug - the text paper got stuck into the coloured paper one underneath (the stitching's there to keep it altogether, I couldn't be bothered taking each tiny letter out to glue it back in lol)

Sewing is a good distraction!

After spending most of yesterday and this morning sleeping, suffering with nausea and headache from my bloomin' sinuses, I managed a bit of sewing this afternoon.

I had a bit of wool blanket lying around that I'd needle felted a while back as part of another project I've been in the middle of for a long while.

At first I sketched out a doodle from my sketchbook using my sewing machine (the orange stitching) but I didn't like it so cut the fabric up into a tag shape then added a flower!

The ribbon at the top is from Ray-Stitch, a fabulous shop in Angel, Islington, London.  If you look closely there are some tiny beads around the centre of the flower.

AEDM days 17 and 18 - more of the seahorses!

I've moved onto the next step with my felted seahorses, mounting them on a background.  I used my dumfing machine (that's an embellisher for those unfamiliar with this wipso and twiglet term ;) ) to add merino wool and some other bits n pieces to a piece of cotton fabric.

I then moved over to my sewing machine and added some bubbles and texture lines.  I started adding some french knots and tiny beads the other night, then realised I'd struggle to sew it onto the background with them there so stopped!

I've placed a second seahorse behind a rectangular mount.  This actually took longer to do as I felted and sewed this piece without an embroidery hoop.  Now to work out how to attach it to the mount!  Any tips gratefully received :)

I'm not selling them framed, just thought I'd try one in a frame to see how it looked.   I can't decide which type people will prefer though, the funkiness of the embroidery frame or the safety of being able to put the image behind glass.  What do you reckon?

Fabulous Christmas presents :)

I hope you all had a great Christmas!  I did - full of family fun, pressies and food.  We had a great time, and Santa, family and friends all brought me some great gifts so I thought it would be fun to share some of my favourites although be warned, it does show what a weird mind I have!!!  

I am a very lucky girl in that Santa still visits me...twice!  He fills a pillowcase in my own house and at my Mums's!!!  And he knows I love picture books :)  I have some that are just ace stories (I just love the Aliens in Underpants stories) and some for their illustrations

I AdORe Angie Lewin's prints so was thrilled to find this book in my pillowcase :)

It has some great images of pages from her sketchbooks...

and I can feel some eraser carving coming on. although how Angie gets such tremendous detail I do not know!

Santa also brought me a new Martha Stewart punch :)

My Mum and sister both got me a cushion from BHS (I always forget about the new section of The Trafford Centre where they've put all the home shops!)  

Wendy at The Stamp Attic knows me well, I love this pencil case with these gorgeous flower images on

and she also understands my love for corrugated card lol

And how fantastic is this mouse from my friend Tracy?

I just LoVe his legs made of nails, and his safety pin arms.  He is now living in my attic :)  

My 'main' present this year was an embellisher, for needle felting, which was immediately ambushed by my daughter and youngest son!  Sophie made a fantastic mouse (it was going to be an owl but ended up more mouse like so Tom made it a tail!)

then went into production making flowers for brooches.  These feel soooooooooooooo yummy and warm when held together in your hand

Tom had a play with different fabrics and fibres

And once I made it onto the machine I too had a play

I'd love to see what you got for Christmas...great books?  fun gifts?  handmade items?  If you'd like to share them, please link them on my sidebar so we can all go and take a look.  :)