Here's my Tree...

Father Christmas can come to my house whenever he wants to now ... coz I am all ready for him.

My tree,  which is 7ft tall,  is in it's usual corner of the dining area  with all the sparkly lights on it .

I have dressed it in gold this year and added bows and baubles and THREE sets of lights.

I will add the presents as they are wrapped around the bottom.

They will be opened on Christmas Day before we all sit down to Roast turkey with all the trimming.

Can you see the stripes in the wall ??? They look a strange colour in the lamplight but I assure you they are cream.  The top view is from the centre of the room into the dining area.

This is looking to the lounge area and everything is neat and tidy again and I am shattered.

So if you will excuse me now I am going to go and put my butt ... in the corner of that settee ... with a glass of well earned red wine and watch some TV for a while.

Hugs xx

Decorating Done ...... (Phew)

 What a busy weekend this has been but the decorating is now finished.

A while ago we removed all the wallpaper from our walls and made them super smooth to paint instead.

But I wanted to add some stripes to the walls in the lounge and this is how we did it.

The base colour is applied first and allowed to dry and then we had to use low tack masking tape and measure out the stripes.

You  can just see  how it looked once we had done that and they look like one thick and one thin stripe but when the tape is removed the stripes are all the same width.

The next step was to roll all the thicker stripes with Varnish and I used the Satin low odour one.

Before the Varnish is dry remove the tape and the stripes are then on the wall.

That way you won't pull off the newly painted base layer along with your tape.

And here you can see the result once the wall is completed and the stripes look really neat.

The painting that you can see in the photo is a very large canvas that cost very little.

I laid it on top of an upturned tub in the garage and copied it from a post card that I bought from Ikea.

And all I used was emulsion that I had used in the house.

The only other thing I bought was a little tester pot of red to colour the orchid that the first girl is carrying.

When I first did this canvas it looked wrong.... until I added in the shading on the clothes and then it all came together.... and I am very pleased with the result.

So my house is getting back to normal and tomorrow I will show you the end result with the tree in pride of place.

Hugs xx

We have a Winner ...

Thank you so much to everybody who took part in the draw to win the  Enveloplus Board   from 

  Crafters Companion

This is such a useful piece of equipment for all the boxes and envelopes that maybe needed for larger projects.

I wish I had more of them to offer but alas there is only one and the lucky winner is 

        ...... Wendy L .....

Congratulations Wendy and I think you will be delighted with your prize.

You should have had your email informing you of your win and telling you what to do next to claim it.

Everything was done fairly and the winner was chosen completely randomly by InLinkz.

This is the first time I have ever done something like this I have to thank InLinkz too and I will be using them again.... so please keep popping back to see the next giveaway.

Hugs xx

Christmas Mega Bundle

These are some more cards from the Christmas Mega Bundle from  Paper Creator

There are some really sweet and easy to make cards, complete with matching envelope.

Dress them up any way you want.  They are all 6" square cards with some really cute characters.

On this one I have added in a charm to the top right, and a paper doily behind the image ... along with an odd piece of lace I found in my "Stash"

This pretty pink one had the addition of Diamante swirls from Want2Scrap  and it adds that extra special touch for me.

The ribbon is white satin with a gemstone in the centre to hide the knot.

Add in some glitter and use the sentiments that are with the image and make your card.

For this one I have added in some Diamante snowflakes and a  royal blue organza ribbon.

Pretty cards, easy to do and lovely designs ... what more could you want ??

Still not entered your name for the Enveloplus Board ???

 Here is the link 

Hugs xx

What a mess...

Lounge

It's three weeks to go to Christmas and this is the state of my lounge .....

Everything is covered in plastic sheeting and it all looks a mess .... but when it is finished it will look lovely.

We have a through lounge and this the sitting area with the bay window overlooking the avenue.

I have the idea to add stripes to the walls using varnish and I will show you the result once we are straight again.

Dining Room

This is the dining area and this is where I will be adding the tree.

The piece in the middle was once a fire  place.

But rather than go to the upheaval of removing it,  we decided to make it into a feature in the room.

I drew out on some paper what I wanted,  and my very talented "Film Crew" made it for me.

But in all honesty he is a builder so this was an easy job for him and the effect is very good.

We added glass shelves to it on each of the wooden frames and this is where I add my pretty ornaments.

There is a light in the top to highlight the objects... and again I will add photos once it is back to normal.... with my tree in the bottom corner.

Hopefully by the weekend it will all be finished and then I will be ready for Christmas .... well nearly !!

The link for the Enveloplus board is still on until Saturday  here  it is

Hugs xx

Colouring with Brown ...

In  this video I have used just the browns from the Spectrum Noir six pens sets.... in fact I have only used three of them to get this effect.... GB8,  GB10, EB5  

The only other thing I have used is some blending solution in a spritzing bottle and a piece off an old towel.

The video will explain what these things are for and how to get the look for any animal images that you may want to use.

Colour Class Browns   is the latest one in the series and I am working on the other colour groups and they will be added soon.

I hope that you are finding these tutorials useful ... especially if you are new to this way of colouring.

I have had many emails telling me that you have now bought some of these pens ... in fact some of you are waiting with pen in hand for each new video.

Thank you for your support in these and all the other videos that my "Film Crew" and I  have put together.

The offer for the Enveloplus Board is still running so if you haven't entered yet 

  

 here is the link  ...

Click the blue frog where it says Add Your Link ... you don't need a blog to enter...just leave the URL blank but you will need to add your email address to be notified if you win

Hugs 

Another new Video,,,,

My "Film Crew" and I have been busy over the weekend doing two  videos using the Spectrum Noir pens again.

As promised I am staying with the six pen sets... and if you are new to  alcohol pens then this is a good way to start your collection.

You can build up from there as your confidence grows.

This handsome man is from Just Inklined    I am not sure what the image is called but it is one from the collection on the CD "The Next Big Thing"

He has been coloured in with the Pale Hues set ... otherwise known as Skin Tones.

The pens used to get this effect  are FS2,  FS3,  TN2, EB2    and I have used a fine liner pen to give him the rugged look.

Dress the card up any way you want and this one is just blending the colours with the card.

I have wrapped a bit of string around the bottom and added in a masculine sort of button

But if you wanted to play further and you felt confident enough ...  then you could cut around the image ... add him to a freehand drawn wrestling ring.

I have given the impression of faces around the edge of the ring with the same pens ... and I was really  amused at the result.


So if you would like to see the video tutorial then here is the link  Colour Class Pale Hues    I will add the other video tomorrow.

I am so pleased at the response I am getting for the Enveloplus board.  I wish I had two dozen to give away but alas only one  (sigh) 

If you still haven't added your name to the list to win this there is plenty of time as the offer will not close until Saturday.  So if you want the chance to win the one I have ... then here is the link  for the   Enveloplus Board 

Please play nicely and only add your name ONCE to the list .... coz if it is there more than once I will remove it.  That keeps  it fair and gives every body  the opportunity.  And it doesn't matter if you do not have a blog ... you can still enter.

But leave your email  so that you can be notified if you are a winner.  The draw will be done randomly by the Inlinkz thingy and then you will know who has the board.   Good Luck 

Hugs xx

Win an Enveloplus Board...

 I am offering you the chance to win an Enveloplus Board from
Crafters Companion

If you are not familiar with this handy piece of equipment then this is what it looks like.

It is quite big and it will enable you to make larger envelopes and boxes for all your special cards... but you will need the larger card to make them.

 It comes complete with the scoring tool ... that will fit into the grooves to score your card ...  and there are full instructions on how to use it so you won't get lost.

I am more than happy to give one away and so if you would like to win then add your name to the box.

The offer is open until the 7th December ...  but please only add your name once so as to make it fair for everybody.

Duplicate entries will be removed ...... soreee !!

I have had a little problem with the link but it is now sorted so if you have tried to add your name before and couldn't  ...  then PLEASE try again ... click the  "Add Your Link"  button and away you go

Hugs xx

       Would You Like to Win One ???

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Christmas Wedding Card

I really enjoy making  Wedding cards as they can be made to look  so  special.

This is one I was asked to make in dark  red and cream and it is an 8" square.

Because it is a   Christmas Wedding  it  needed  some glittery,  icy covered  flowers too.

All the Pearls are from Want2Scrap  and  they match the Spellbinders that have been used.

The ribbon is a mixture of cream silk edged Organza and red silk.

The Spellbinders  will be BOLD  so that you will know what I have used

I have created the border on the card from Asian Accents  and the Bride and Grooms' names are layered up with Labels 20, Fancy Tags 3, Asian Accents.
The Poinsettia Flower  has been glittered and sparkled with Glamour Dust on all the edges to look like Ice.

The ribbon is double layered over the border and a cream pearl has been added to cover the knot.

For the box  I have used the Heart and Scalloped Hearts and again used the Pearls to match the shape.

The Poinsettias have Pearls in their centres and the Finesse Swirl is on either side of the heart.

The ribbons have been laid underneath the top panel on the box  and wrapped around the back.

I have glued them in place at the back of the envelope box with a matching bow added in place.

The pearl again hides the knot.

The envelope box is held together with a Velcro fastener.



I used the Enveloplus board from   Crafters Companion which will create envelopes and boxes up to 12" and up to 1" deep... so plenty of room for all your big cards.

Hugs xx

Christmas Tree

Christmas Selection - Mage Bunlde

This little card comes complete with it's own matching envelope.

It is another pre-coloured  image from Paper Creators

It is the "Primitive Christmas Tree"  and you can find it in the Christmas Selection Mega Bundle.


There are 10 different cards in this collection with some really cute images.

This particular one is a Pyramage style and this suits me better than all the cutting out.

The layers can just be seen if you click the photo to enlarge it and the shadow around each section makes it stand out from the one below.  And they are offset for another look.

I have added in some red Organza ribbon and some gemstones in the bottom corner.  The sentiment is also on the sheet and there are several for you to choose from.

Hugs xx

Very thoughtful...

Simple Cards - Mega Bundle

Here is another pretty image  from the shop of Paper Creators   

It is one of the Simple Cards - Mega Bundles and there are 20 different designs for you to make.

It could be to say thank you for an action that some one has done for you.

There are designs in  the shop for every occasion and you can dress them up any way you want. 

For this card I have made it to a 15cms square and  I have matted and layered it onto pink and white card.  The images are pre-coloured so if you are not into colouring for your self then these images are perfect for you.

I used some of the decoupage layers and added them with foam pads..... but  cutting out is not my strong point.

I added glitter and gemstones to the swirl and glittered the sentiment too.

But with the decoupage layers that are left  I made another  card and again  glittered the swirl.... and used a stamp from my  stash for the  sentiment.

This card is an A5 size and I wrapped Organza and Grosgrain ribbon around the bottom.

So from one printed out sheet I have made some pretty cards.

And I still have other elements left over to make another.

So good value for money and so easy to make.

Hugs xx 

Help me win...

The company that I build my website with is based in Canada and they are currently running a competition.  They are called Site Build It (SBI) and they are amazing. 

 Everything I could possibly need to build Card Making Magic  is right there at my fingertips 

To win the competition  I have to say in only six words just what SBI  means to me. And that is the easy part because if it wasn't for them ... and the help I have had in my adventure into websites ... I would not have been able to give up my day job last November.

So my six words are ..... SBI meant to me ......

"Freedom! from going out to work" 

and for that alone I will be eternally grateful.  But now I am shamelessly asking you to help me win by adding your vote to the list.
All you need to do is click the link below and add your vote to my submission.

Vote for me please...

Hugs xx

Hanging around...

As you know I joined the Design Team for   Paper Creators  last month and this is one of the images available to buy.

This is  a Sassy Sally image called "Just Hanging Around"

The link will take you to Debbies' Blog for other ideas ... and  this is the link to the
 Paper Creators Shop.

There you can see many more pre-coloured, delightful characters for you to use on your cards.

For this card I have used blue backing paper and under the image a paper doily. The butterflies are "Monarch Butterfly"  from a punch by Martha Stewart.

The little gems and the bow are from my stash and I have added silver corners. The sentiment is a peel off and I must admit that I don't use peel offs very often on my cards.

But there you have a really simple card that is quick and easy to make.

Hugs xx

Get Well Card....

This may be over the top for a Get Well Soon card but it sure made me laugh.

This is an image I rediscovered over the weekend to use for colouring tutorials.

This is on the CD "The Next Big Thing"  from   Just Inklined  

It has been coloured with Grey and a touch of Blue to create the shadows on the bandages and it was so very easy to do.

The whole thing was created using the Spectrum Noir pens that are brought to you by Crafters Companion.

The background behind the image and the backing papers will be covered over the next few videos and they will be with you shortly.

And can I just say thank you to all the comments that you have left over my silly mistake with the Cabbage ...   Glad you had a laugh at that one.

 But the funny thing was when I showed it to Griff and said  " Fancy adding a cabbage to the front of a card .... it's not very inspiring is it?"   He said "No it does seem a strange thing to have"

Then I went  ahead and made it into a card...  and it wasn't until later that I had the "Light Bulb Moment" of Ping .....It's not a cabbage but a rose that I started to laugh.

And when I told Griff what I was laughing at he said  "I knew it was" ..... Yea!!  course he did ... talk about back peddling.

 Hugs xx

Can you believe this ????

Over the weekend I have gone through a lot of CD's that I have ... looking for images to colour in that I can use in my Colour Class Tutorials.

I found this one ... and don't ask me why ... but for some reason  I thought it was a Cabbage. 

And so I thought it would be a good one to practise using the green pens with.

 I coloured it  ...  taking great care with it and this is the result ....

I said to Griff ... "It's a bit un-inspring to add a Cabbage to the front of a card" and he agreed.

But when I looked at it again I just bursted out laughing .

How stupid can one be ..... and Yes you can have a laught at my expense ... because it's not a Cabbage at all .....

IT'S A ROSE ....



What  a Plonker!! ....  and I can just see you nodding at that ..... I know Griff thought I was.

 

 So I coloured another one in the appropriate colours this time and it looks much better.

 

Hugs xx