'Twas the Night Before Christmas

Last month I had a win over at the Little Miss Muffet Challenge Blog and the delightful Kathie asked if I would like to be part of their "Customer Appreciation Day" today... of course I said "Yes please!"

I got to use an image that is brand spanking new, and even though it's called Spooky Park Scene" I thought I could use it for an (always-needed) Christmas card; I just knew it would be perfect for a moonlit scene to go with a line from the Christmas poem 'Twas the Night Before Christmas", I decided to make a pull-tab card so the "Miniature sleigh and eight tiny reindeer" would magically "appear"

I extended the lines of the snowy hills a little and added one to the front.  

I used one of the uber-talented Jennifer McGuire tutorials to learn how to make a Hidden Slider card (here's a link, the card structure starts at about the 4-minute mark - I just used a ruler and scalpel as I don't have the slot dies) and cut hidden bits and the "covering" snow hill out of scraps by hand to make sure it was big enough to conceal the sleigh and reindeer until you pull the tab.

Getting an image with a sleigh and 8 reindeer was, well impossible! I ended up grabbing a free coloured image from the web that had three reindeer and by copying and pasting added the extra reindeer using Photoshop.  Here they are peeking from behind their hill :-)

I used different inks, pigment, dye and alcohol to colour the night sky then flicked watery white acrylic paint on for snow. I coloured the moon with Copics then put a coat of Viva Pearl (Creme) on it and a thin coat of Viva Pearl Ice White.  The stars are Swarovski crystals.  I coloured the rest of the image with Copics, added Jo Sonja Texture Paste to the snow and then heat embossed it with white glitter EP (homemade using Clear EP and fine white glitter)  Of course it ALL looks so much more glittery in real life!

I cut the little Christmas trees from a border die that I've had for SO long, and that I can't remember (and didn't write on the storage box for) the name of... any ideas please let me know :-) that got the coloured with Copic, texture paste snow and glitter treatment.
The snowflake (I don't have the maker of that noted either, sorry) and the holly (Cottage Cutz Winterland Holly) were embossed the glitter and the red Candi centre is from my stash
I stamped the sentiment (from Kaisercraft) on the pull out tab using my fabulous fool-proof Press to Impress stamping platform... and STILL managed to get it crooked!! (I DID stamp it after the card was assembled, so not the platform's fault, lol)
That's about it for my pull-tab card.  This wasn't the first one I've done, but the first one I've blogged... the other will make an appearance from my Drafts Folder one day :-)  In the meantime I'd like to enter this card in the following challenges;

Sweet Stampin' Christmas in August

Christmas with the Cuties Add Some Sparkle

Merry Christmas Challenge Anything Christmas

Sweet Stampin' Christmas Anything Christmas

Hiding in my Craft Room Super Scraps Saturday

Pixies Snippets Playground Snippets

The Paper Shelter Punches and/or Dies

Aud Sentiments Anything Goes + a Sentiment

Send a Smile for Kids, Through the Craftroom Door, Digi Choosday, Crafty  Creations, 4 Crafty Chicks, Creative Fingers, Li'l Patch of Crafty Friends, Polkadoodles, A Perfect Time to Craft, Creatalicious Challenges, and Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge all have Anything Goes themes

Do pop over to the Little Miss Muffet Challenge Blog and check out the new images on show in their Customer Appreciation Day, I enjoyed being part of it, I'm sure you will too.  Until next time, Happy Crafting, Donna

A Little Naughty Knight

When Di asked me if I'd like to be a Guest Designer at Pixie's Snippets Playground (Duh, YEAH, lol) I sent her a couple of cards; she used a "safe" one last time and this time she's using this one. I was a little worried it may be too risqué for some peeps, she assures me it's fine -  it is a card I made for my hubby's birthday (last year!).... he has a great sense of humour and is a little bit cheeky - his birthday card reflects this so if you are reeeeely easily offended by the slightly-saucy please look away now; if you're like the rest of us, you'll need to go to the picture of the INSIDE of the card to get the punchline :-)

The super cute image is from the Paper Shelter, he is called Brave and Cute Knight - so absolutely perfect for MY Brave and Cute Knight :-)  I coloured him up with Copic markers, adding some detail with Prismacolor pencils.  His jerkin is coloured blue and gold because that's hubby's (and my)  favourite footy team (The West Coast Eagles) colours.  I did the sentiment up on the computer using a free font from DaFont.com "Storybook", perfect for my storybook character in a dark grey rather than black

I cut the wavy border on the patterned paper - which (I think) is from DCWV La Crème stack (and the ribbed, pearl chocolate/black matting card, featured as a straight border at the bottom of the card also) using a Spellbinders Curved Border die.  I made another version of this card for our friend, it is almost identical but the colours are stronger... which makes quite a difference, but that's for another blog post, lol.
That's it for this very simple card, which he loved btw... noting that the punchline is somewhat different than it was when we were young... forty plus years ago, lol.  Well,  hopefully, you've all got over your blushes now :-)  I will be entering this card in the following challenges:

The Paper Shelter Going Digital

Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers Over the Hill

Crazy 4 Challenges Masculine

Cute Card Thursday CAS

Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge Use Patterned Paper

Aud Sentiments Anything Goes Plus a Sentiment
Simon Says Challenge, Little Miss Muffet, Through the Craftroom Door, Digi Choosday, Crafty  Creations, 4 Crafty Chicks, Crafting with Friends, Challenge # 70 , Creative Fingers, Polkadoodles, Create and Inspire, Simply Papercrafts and Corrosive Challenge all have Anything Goes themes

Thanks for checking out my card, until next time, Happy Crafting, Donna

Welcome Jett Mark 1

Recently the lovely Di from Pixie's Snippets Playground contacted me to see if I would like to GD for her snippets challenge - which of course I DID, lol - and I thought I'd share a card-in-a-box I made to welcome a friend's baby "Jett"... I made the christening cake for Jett's mum nearly thirty years ago so I like the synergy here :-)  The bonus, from The Playground's point of view is that these cards can (and in this case does) use a LOT of snippets!

I have made a metric version template of this card if you'd like to grab it from my Tutorials, Templates and Other Freebies Page, here's a direct link
The cute image, fussy cut but as one piece, is from Di's Digis... it's called Animal Crew and you can get it here. I coloured Copic markers, with a lot of detail added (like the lion's mane) using Prismacolor pencils. Glossy Accents to the balloon and a die cut sun... from Lawn Fawn's Spring Showers set
The papers I used were snippets from Die Cuts With a View's Animal Crackers pad - it has loads of glitter and, bonus to me, matching chipboard die cuts... these are what I have jiggling around on their acetate stalks.  I didn't realize until I was looking for the name of the pad that I've used this image/paper combo before here  - I obviously like it :-)


The chipboard corners came in the chipboard pack too, the tag with "Jett" on also, the letters for bub's name are wooden ones from my stash.
Like I said there's a lot of snippets on this card, the "frame" around the background (which I actually stencilled clouds onto, though you can hardly see them) IS a frame because I needed a bit more of the dark blue patterned paper to fit one of the outside panels.  I fetched the piece out of the waste basket to make the belly band, can't believe I threw it away tbh, I keep some very small snippets :-)
The little monkey die cut is from that embellie pack too, I have a velcro closure under it to hold the band together
The other side of the outside on these types of cards is where I usually put the jotting panel, as I didn't have a piece of the dark blue card left big enough to make a frame I thought I'd make a pocket to put a tag in instead... that itself is made up of two snippets as I didn't have a big enough piece left of any of the patterns I'd used to do it in one piece :-)  I added a brass eyelet and some baker's twine from my stash and used the plain side to jot my message
That was it for this card, thanks again to Di for asking me to be a Guest in the Playground.  I actually made two cards for this baby, one for my sister and her partner to give... the baby is her partner's daughter's first grandchild - when I did the christening card my sister wasn't his partner... and to make things even MORE interesting, we all met when I went out with him (met through a school friend) when I was 16!!
I'd like to enter this card in the following challenges:

Tuesday Throwdown Tag It - The tag on the front, or the lift-out tag in the back

Cuttlebug Mania, Simon Says Challenge Frame It - The frame behind the image

Fab'n'Funky Challenges Bring me Sunshine

Crafty Cardmakers  For a Man or Boy

As You Like It Favourite Card Base Shape or Fold - I love "different" folds, that add a design element, this is one "favourite" - though I actually make square cards the most!

Die Cut Divas Animals or Pets

Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge Use Patterned Paper

Little Miss Muffet, Digi Choosday, Crafty  Creations, Through the Craftroom Door, Crafting With Friends Challenge # 84, Creative Fingers , Li'l Patch of Crafty Friends, Polkadoodles, A Perfect Time to Craft, Simply Papercrafts, Crafting With Attitude and Corrosive Challenge Anything Goes

I hope you get a chance to join in Di's Snippets challenge... it really is no challenge at all, and a great way to clear out those Bits :-)
Until next time, Happy Crafting, Donna