The ABC Challenge - Holidays

Holidays is the current theme at the ABC Challenge and what else could I be making other than a christmas holidays card.
I use dthe new Tim Holtz die I've been dying to use for ages, add some sparkle and a simple starry background and you have a pretty little card.
I'm really liking this one.

Card Patterns Sketch 90

Another week and another Card Patters Sketch.... I just had to use the little felt trees my sister sent me the other day. So here goes, another xmas card.....

Christmas Tealight Holders - For The Altered Element

Today I'd like to share with you a really quick little project.

I had these plain wooden tealight holders sitting here for ages and they didn't look much, so I thought I give them a makeover for christmas.

I painted them in a neutral colour, traditional tan in this case.

I then stamped the images I wanted to use on 1 ply of tissue using staz on.

I then covered the wood block in a thin layer of beeswax and melted the tissue images into it with a heatgun. It's very quick and easy and beeswax is a fab product to work with.

This technique would also work on any other wooden onjects, maybe you have some old picture frames lying around that could do with a makeover? Or a wooden box? Just give it a go, it's great fun.

Christmas decorations Part 1....... Candles

Still ajorly in christmas mood and eagerly counting down the days. I took a break from all my christmas cards and had a play with these candles for a change. I've had these sittig here for a while and noone is using them so I thought I may as well make them christmassy and then still noones going to use them, haha. At least they look pretty. I directly stamped onto the middle one, the others just have bands of paper and lace around them with stamped and cut out images and not to forget the 2 bells.

These two I stamped my images onto tissue first and then melted it into the candle with the heatgun.
If you have some candles hanging around that you don't use this be the perfect way to make them christmassy, they'd even make quick and festive presents.

My favourite Tim Stamp and a new Compendium Technique

Another week brings another Compendium Challenge and Simon says Stamp and Show too. I do enjoy both challenges very much but there isnt always time to join in..... luckily this week there was time and I combined the two.

I used the pinecone stamp from the new Tim Holtz sets, I love that stamp at the moment. It's very chistmassy but not overly kitsch, just pretty and lovely to work with.
And I had a go at the Perfect Distress Technique from the compendium. I did try it before but it didnt work that well, this time it turned out much better. Shame you cant tell the golden shimmer from the photo very well, but let me assure you its very pretty!!!

Something hidden - Artistic Stamper Challenge

Something hidden is the theme on the Artistic Stamper Creative Team Blog, so I decided to make this box card..... it has to be a christmas card, it's all I'm allowed to do at the moment.
Although making all them cards and buying presents now made me count down days to christmas and running round like a mad woman telling everyone at work how many days til christmas. Ah well..... christmas spirit.

So I've been wanting to make a card that laces up for ages, always loved laced up things for some reason.
It's white linen card simply folded, holes punched out and laced up........... but there is a secret...... open the card and there is......

......a little silver snowflake charm. The message reads.... A Snowflake is a winter's butterfly.

There goes, my first lace up card and it's being entered into the Artistic Stamper Challenge.

Memories frame .... Mixed Media Monday Challenge

I didn't want to wait for the arrival of the Configurations boxes by Tim Holtz so a little while ago I started on this frame and made my own little compartments inside a shadow box frame.

I loved Tim's idea (and I'll be trying out the configurations boxes now that I got my inky hand on them finally!!) and just had to give it a go. So I split the frame into little boxes using foam board. I made some compartments for certain objects I wanted to use and others were just random sizes. A favourite of mine is the old miniature bottle I bought a while back, it's all sticky and the contents have evaporated and the label looks all old and dirty.

It's a great way of creating a memory box, this could be to any theme you like or just filled with random objects. It's fun, give it a go.

I also recently discovered the Mixed Media Monday Challenge, check it out, Im off to link my box to their blog now and browse all the other fab boxes entered this month!