AWH HOC Week 14

Hi!

Welcome to week 14 of The Heart Of Christmas.

This week I made a card using some pieces I stamped during a team meeting I held a few weeks ago. One of the ladies I'd invited brought along a stamp set I didn't own, so I stamped a few images using the set. It can be tricky stamping without a plan, but I think I did alright with it this time.

The stamp set is from the about to be released Holiday Catalogue, and it is called Labels To Love. It's a great set that includes a lot of sentiments for a range of holidays. I used a Santa from Cookie Cutter Christmas to finish off the front of the card.

I thought the "Ho Ho Ho" stamp would look great as a background, so I stamped it over and over again in Crumb Cake ink on the Crumb Cake cardstock.

The Merry Christmas sentiment is from the same set, but is part of a larger stamp. I simply used my Cherry Cobbler marker to ink up the part that I wanted. It's a great technique to remember!

You can pop on over to Claire's blog to see lots more Heart Of Christmas inspiration. I hope you've been enjoying it each week.

Bye for now,

Tina

The Heart Of Christmas: Week Two

Hi!

I wasn't sure if I'd have the time to make a card for this week's The Heart Of Christmas Blog Share, but a last minute appointment cancellation meant that I had all day yesterday home on my own with no plans at all. So I whacked Mamma Mia in the DVD player and sat and stamped.

It wasn't intentional, but once again I have made a card with non-traditional Christmas colours. This week I used Fresh Fig, Crumb Cake and Very Vanilla.  I think it's a great vintage-y colour combo.

I tried colouring some pearls with a permanent marker to match the Fresh Fig, but they turned out rather pink, more like Berry Burst. I went with them anyway, as they add a cute touch to the gingerbread man from Cookie Cutter Christmas.

So there you have it - a second card added to my Christmas card stash! If you'd like to see what the other ladies in the Art With Heart team have created, pop on over to Claire Daly's blog for the full list of links.

Bye for now,

Tina

End Of Year Teacher Gifts

Hi!


Yay! School is nearly out for the year! One of mine has two days to go, and the other two have three days. We've all been so busy with end of year and Christmas activities, but I found time to sit last night and create these cute little gift bags for Ada's teachers.

I used the Gift Bag Punch Board to create the little bags. They are actually made from Real Red cardstock, despite them looking orange in the photos. I used a few scraps of Candy Cane Lane DSP to decorate the front and the flap.

The tags were made using the Stitched Shapes Thinlits, Cookie Cutter Christmas stamp set and Endless Thanks stamp set. I made three of these bags, so I wanted a quick and easy tag for the bag. Inside the bag is a Christmas ornament and a handful of chocolates. I forgot to photograph it before I closed the bag. Oh well!


Bye for now,


Tina

Diagonal Cookie Cutter Christmas

Hi!


Do you sometimes like to mix things up a bit in your card making? I know I do! When I was designing today's card I decided to have a bit of fun.

I had originally intended that the Candy Cane Lane DSP would be a straight piece, but at the last minute I decided to cut it on the diagonal. What do you think?

You can see that I stamped the Gingerbread Man over the base of the card, along with the bow.

The placement of the bow is the difference between a Gingerbread Man and a Gingerbread Lady. So cute!


Bye for now,


Tina

A Gingerbread Man on Candy Cane Lane

Hi!


I'm in the full swing of things now with Christmas cards - are you? My favourite DSP from the Holiday Catalogue was the Candy Cane Lane pack. I loved the non-traditional colours and all of the gingerbread houses.

This was a card I made quite a few weeks ago as a class sample. It was a CASE of one of my recent Just Add Ink cards, with a few changes to make it easier to make in a large group.

He's a bit out of focus, but I think the Gingerbread Man is my favourite stamp in the Cookie Cutter Christmas stamp set.

I especially love the way that, by changing the placement of the bow, you can also have a Gingerbread Woman!


Bye for now,


Tina

JAI #333: Just Add G

Hi!


Are you ready for another Just Add Ink challenge? I'm still off my feet by doctor's orders, but I did manage to do a little bit of stamping. It's not easy using a lap table, but where there's a will, there's a way!

This week it's another one of my challenges, and I'm challenging you to Just Add G. What will you think of? Ghouls and ghosts for Halloween, greenery in a garden or glitzy, glittery gold? The list is endless!

I always start by brainstorming a list of G things, and then go from there. Top of my list this time was ginger bread men, but I ended up going a slightly different direction.

I fussy cut one of the ginger bread houses from the Candy Cane Lane DSP as a feature element on my card. The houses are so cute!

I added some of the sweet little jingle bell embellishments in the bow on the tag. A few tips - use a needle threader to attach them to the Baker's Twine, and take care if you thread them onto the metallic Twine, as I found the metallic thread frequently broke as I slid the bell into place.

I fussy cut another house to go on the inside. I used one of the houses on the edge of the paper that was only missing a little bit on the side. Most people wouldn't even notice!


What will you create this week? How will you feature 'G' on your card? You can see the fabulous Design Team creations over at the Just Add Ink blog.


Bye for now,
Tina

JAI #325: Just Add A Sketch

Hi!


We have just had the most lovely few days of sunshiny, warm weather - so very untypical for winter, but also very welcome! Sadly, it's back to more winter-like weather tonight and over the weekend. Oh well, great stamping weather!

This week at Just Add Ink we have a sketch challenge for you, and it's one designed by me. I've done a few tricky ones lately, so I went super simple for this one!

What do you think? Plenty of room for interpretation in this one? I think so! My first (little) preorder for the Holiday Catalogue arrived this week, so I took the opportunity to have a play.

Can you spy a few new goodies in this one? There's not much 'old' stuff at all! How sweet is the new Candy Cane Lane DSP, with the Christmas Tree shaped confetti?

Here's a closer look at the cute new Cookie Cutter bundle. It's soooo adorable! I could just munch that gingerbread man.

Of course, he made a repeat appearance on the inside of my card.

I hope you play along with us this week at Just Add Ink. The Design Team had a lot of fun with this sketch, and I'm sure you will too!

Bye for now,

Tina