AWOL........................!!

not really but feels like it................

 

I can only apologise for the lack of blogging but time and various other things have all conspired to keep me off the laptop and I haven't managed to work out to post my photos from my iPad - I'm sure it is easy but unfortunately it eludes me and I have tried several times but can only retrieve photos to post that I have already posted and not from my files!!!

 

Anyhow here are some of the Christmas cards I made this year.......................

I used Sue's high-low technique with IB Yorkshire Dales gilding flakes and micro beads - the MDF reindeer was painted/inked and waxed as was the rusty bell and the tag sentiments are computer generated.....................

 

 

the same techniques used for this card but IB Chariots of Fire gilding flakes and micro beads but by using a different MDF shape and stencil it makes the card look a little more feminine - me thinks anyway and used a shiny gold bell to go with the gilding flakes..........................

 

 

a variation on the tags for the card I made for my sis - these were made with Tattered Lace die-cut sentiment and letters from gold mirri card................

 

 

the card blank for this was made with Kraft card and I tried to highlight the snowflake embossed area with bronze wax but made a bit of a mess of it so I covered the whole card blank with the wax and when dried buffed it with a dry/wet wipe - the tags are shop bought and I die-cut the same sentiment and letters as before but waxed and inked these along with the rusty bell.................................

 

 

a different colour combo with smaller reindeer and an MDF snowflake painted and glittered makes this slightly different to the others - inked and waxed bell to match the background..................

 

Sorry this post is photo heavy but I have a lot of catching up to do - lol!!

 

Hopefully I haven't put you off visiting again.................

 

 

I hope you all enjoyed the Christmas festivities - ours was quiet but spent with the most important people we have in our life and it was over far too quickly.............

 

 

I will post the next batch which were cards that were made for general friends and family - I will put them onto one post so that you can get it over and done with in one go and then hopefully my posts will get back to some kind of normality...................

 

Thanks for passing by........

 

xxGailxx

 

 





 

 



New home.........................

a quickie post like this card........................

Our son moved five weeks ago and I suddenly realised on the day he moved I hadn't made a card.........what a bad mum am I!!

anyway I think this is the quickest card I ever made - how did we ever manage without dies???

now because this was a quickie (in the crafty sense)!! I decided to use the Owl die as it is a bit of a double whammy for me.............

great for male cards and also the emblem of the one of the local football teams that both the OH and our son support..........................

if I had, had time I would have double layered the owl die cut - I normally do but unfortunately this card was very much made on the 'hoof' ....................or claw!!

 

 

computer generated sentiment to finish off.

 

 

Ingredients used:-

 

Die'Sire Tumbling Leaves Emboss Folder

Tattered Lace Owls Die

SB Fancy Framed Tags Two

Archival Coffee Ink Pad (swiped over the leafs to make them stand out)

 

 

Well another weekend is here - just cannot believe how quick these weeks are flying by - every week just seems to go faster and faster..............

 

just think in three weeks time it will be Boxing Day...................

 

sorry if that has scared you - it is scaring me a little as so much still to do...............

 

anyway I will away as I am out on my works Christmas meal this evening and it takes longer and longer to get ready these days - lol

 

Have a brilliant weekend, whatever you are doing.

 

xxGailxx

 

 

 

Oldie for Friday........................

not posted one of these in a while, but there has been talk of knitting on a few blogs and I remembered this cardigan I knitted and decided to get it out and take a photo...........

this is an adult sized one.....................which I knitted for myself but it came about because I knitted Emily one when she was around 4years old which she wore with a little red kilt, black tights and little black patent boots............................I loved how it looked so decided to knit the lot bigger version!!!

I remember how heavy it started to feel as I got towards the end of knitting it.................................

although this was knitted about 25 years ago I can't bear to part with it.............................


All for now folks.......

have a good weekend

xxGailxx



 

Good Morning....................

well not so 'good' here but I guess it is the same the country over............grey, wet, damp, miserly etc etc.....................

Anyway at least we are not snowed in so there is always an 'up' side to things................

Here is a bit of 'Sparkle' to help brighten your day..........................if only it was that easy!!

two colours of Sparkle medium used on this background..........................I was getting a bit braver by the time I made this one...........

the stencil is from Imagination Crafts and is called the Merry Xmas Trio.......................the sparkle medium is Silver and Diamond.....................

this is also an Imagination Crafts stencil....................aptly named Flower Flourish.................

this is Amethyst Sparkle Medium on CE Blush card.......................

snowy background made with Multi Snow Dots stencil..........................

again from Imagination Crafts using the Diamond Sparkle.......................

Stencil for this one is That Special Touch - Nuts!!! and the Sparkle Medium is Canadian Blue..............

this is a Memory Box Stencil name Stars - surprisingly enough...............................

the Sparkle Medium is Gold Shine and this was done on Centura Pearl Card - I wanted to see how it would look and whether it may spread out like the CE pearly glue does........................but no it doesn't so a bit of a result.........................this stencil is teeny tiny though so had to wait between each section for it to dry before being able to cover the piece which is A5 in size......................

Now I just have to use them on a card or project.........................watch this space................

Also thanks to Mrs B who left a message for me on John's blog - I have been in touch with CE as John actually left me a message on my blog about who to contact and they have responded straight away - I am sending them back today and I will keep you posted as to the outcome - but very impressed so far.

Take care all
xxGailxx

Thank you......................

yes a big Thank You to all who take the time to visit my 'musings and makes' whether you have to time to leave a comment or not.......................we are all so busy with our daily lives that I find sometimes I don't even have time to check the blogs that I follow until late at night.................fortunately I am a night owl so not too much of a problem......................

 

anyway the title is also for a card I made.........................

 

 

it was for a male (although you may have already guessed that) though I'm sure there are some females who would think it was good to have sprockets and gears on a card - although maybe with a bit of glitter and sparkle!!

 

 

sorry this isn't an amazing photo but just wanted to show off the gilding flakes and wax...............

 

a bit better photo..........................

showing the micro bead effect.....................

Ingredients used:-

Crafters Workshop Emboss Folder
SB Sprightly Sprockets
CE Double Sided Adhesive
Indigo Blu 'Yorkshire Dales' Gilding Flakes
CE Micro Beads
LOTV Sentiment Stamp
Inka Gold Wax in various colours
Card Blank made with CE black foundation card

 

I hope you like the end result as much as I enjoyed making it,  it was good to give the Sprightly Sprockets an airing, as I think this is possibly only the second time they have been used and really had started to wonder  if they were such a good investment, but can see me using these again.................especially for those pesky male cards!!

 

The recipient was rather 'chuffed' with it, so I would call that a result.

 

 

Take care and keep safe

xxGailxx

 

 

For someone special............................

here is the birthday card I made for our daughters birthday in August....................

 

 

 

made with her namesakes die from Tonic................................which was trimmed and joined to make the scroll along the top of the card..............

 

 

 

 

and a co-ordinating book.....................................using the die in full with a shadow of soft gold card shadow behind.......................

 

 

 

 

 

just a cheapish Kraft style book - just waiting to be dressed up...............................

 

 

the inspiration for the book came from  Rebecca's Cards  posted 4th August...............who makes the most amazing cards with hand stitched papers and lots of embellishments but always just the right amount......................she had trimmed a book up very similar to this and I just thought how lovely it looked and decided if I saw something similar then I would have a go........................well fate or what I'm not sure, I was shopping the following week in our local Sainsbury's and saw this version of the book and into the shopping trolley it went........................ Emily can put photos in or anything she wants. 

 

I enjoyed making it and hopefully she will enjoy using it.................................

 

Ingredients used:-

 

for the card

SB Grand Squares

SW Sea Garden Emboss Folder

SB Dainty Dots Emboss Folder

Tonic 'Emily' Die

Tim Holtz Bird Cage Die

SB Decorative Labels Eight

SB Decorative Labels Twenty Two

Stampin' Up Papillon Pot Pourri stamp

Stampin' Up Butterfly Punch

 

for the book

in addition to some of the above I used the

SB Fancy Frames Two

MB Dancing Butterflies Die

 

 

Well we have another lovely day here today................going to get ready shortly to have a walk and get some fresh air and blow the cobwebs away....................enjoy whatever you are doing today and sorry for taking so long between posts.

 

xxGailxx

 

 

Hopefully.............................

I will redeem myself with my latest offering..............

I made this a few weeks ago after making the rosette because I had bought the die and then didn't do anything with the finished die cut.........................

after moving it around my craft desk for several months I decided it needed a home on a card if I wasn't going to make a badge with it and here is what I came up with.........................

quite clean and simple really  - although it didn't feel like it when I was making it...............................

close-up of the rosette...................................

the card blanks are from craftwork cards and I was interested to see what this corner die would look like stamped across the 'missing' corner of the card...........................quite pleased with how it turned out.

Oh and I just had to add the butterflies - too much white otherwise..........................I really wish I could create a card with lots of white background but oh no not me - lol!!

I just have to find something to fill it out - but at least it is a start.


Ingredients used:-

Tim Holtz paper rosette die (the inspiration for the card)
SB Picot Edge Circles
SB Ironwork Accents (with a little bit of snipping)
LOTV Sentiment Stamp
Indigo Blu ? Poppy Corner Stamp
MB Dancing Butterflies die

 I do hope that I have redeemed myself!!

The only good thing about Fridays Oldie card was, that at least I made an attempt at an easel card - although I have to say I haven't made one since........................but thank you for your kind words as always, they are appreciated.

Well here's to the start of yet another week, I really do not know where they are going - it is quite frightening really but they say the older you get the faster time goes........................

so now I know it is due to  my age!!!

xxGailxx

Cringeworthy.......................

another oldie for Friday...........................

I am sorry about the poor photo quality but as I have mentioned on previous posts - when I was making these cards I starting taking photos for reference only - to give me inspiration when there was none!!!!

told you the picture quality was naff!! mind you so is the card and I really do hope I have improved since this was made for my friends husband who is a keen fisherman - circa 2011.................

I, at least now try to make sure that cards I make these days are made from scratch - ie stamping sentiments and making toppers with die cuts etc........................these were all purchased and other than adding ribbon to the sentiment and covering the card blank with paper - that was the limit of the talent used on this creation............at least it was appropriate for the recipient.

xxGailxx

Oldie Friday.................................

this was the card I made for friends during 2011....................................

the stamped image was coloured with Pro-markers.............................


Ingredients used:-

Crafters Companion Humphrey Elephant image & sentiment stamp
SB Grand Labels Twenty Three
Marianne Creatable flower dies
Craftwork Cards card Candi for flower centres


I think I may just have to get my pro-markers out again - as I enjoyed colouring the images but as usual it is a time thing!!.............

Thanks for stopping by and if you like what you see I hope to see you again...............


xxGailxx

Another oldie for Friday.............................

a quick post before heading out to work.................


This is the Easter card I made for a friend in 2011..............

I covered the card blank with 'Spring-like' paper added a couple of silk flowers and a brad from my stash and coloured the peel-offs to co-ordinate................

I think this was possibly the last time I coloured peel-offs!!

I'm sure they will have there day again - and being the proverbial crafter who doesn't like to waste anything - I still put a peel-off on my envelopes for those I hand out eg butterfly peel-off where the stamp would go if I were posting it..............................

it least it is helping the stash of peel-offs go down.....................slowly!!

Have a lovely weekend and hopefully the weather will continue to be kind for us, and as always thanks for popping by, whether you leave a comment or not it is good to see that people take time out of their daily happenings to take a peek.

xxGailxx

Another male card..........................

I showed a card that I made for my FIL on my blog 24th August, and said I was scratching my head as I had to make another male card in a hurry.......................

it was suggested that I make the same card again but unfortunately it was for the OH - so he had seen the card that I had made for his Dad!!...............


so here is what I came up with................................

a grungy looking card, which I know not everyone likes but I must say I do rather like making this style of card for the male of the species..............................

 






it also means that you can get away with any little mistakes.................................

 

 

the hanger for the sign was off set with a soft gold card to give definition................

 

 
Ingredients used:-

Tim Holtz 'Hanging Sign' Bigz Die
SU Gorgeous Grunge Stamps
Stamps Away Montage Stamps
SU Tiny Tags Dies
SU Tiny Tags Punch
Paper Clay heart (Lakeland Plastic's Mould)
Archival Coffee Ink
Vintage Photo DI
Inka Gold Wax (Lava Green)
Burlap String
CE Black Pearls


plus lots of distressing, inking and waxing..........................
                                                                                               (wax on - wax off) lol.........................


I really enjoyed making this card - once I got the idea in my head (that unfortunately is the problem - getting the idea in the first place)........................the OH appreciated it, so I suppose that is all that matters..................

I hope you like it too.

xxGailxx