More quick Christmas Cards

I've been making a few more quick Crimbo cards, this time using the City Scape Dies from Memory Box.  You may also recall that I was looking for ages for a bag of Santa and Sleigh Die Cuts ( not this one which is a Cheery Lyn Die).  Well, I found them today, just when I'd finished making this little batch of cards!

I made masked off the moon, and then used my duster brushes to  colour the sky using  a selection of Distress Inks.  Although it is a little grainy, I quite like the effect as looks a little snowy!

I then added the Waltzing Mouse sentiment, and I was done.

JOFY Snowman

I went to a demo day a few weeks ago at the  Craft Barn, and Jo Firth Young was there using her fab Jofy stamps.  I've had my eye on these for a while but they are very different to my usual style.  Love this headless snowman set, especially with the sentiment that comes with the set and I've used them to make a few quicky Christmas cards.

I especially like the contrast of the white on the Kraft. 

Still waiting for big storm that they're predicting to hit us here in the south of the UK - I think my journey to work tomorrow is going to be be fun!

Thermomorph - A Review

A few weeks ago, I was asked if I'd like to review this new product ThermoMorph, which, as it says on the tub, is a mouldable plastic (I've spelt it using the correct English spelling, hehe!)  You can purchase it here on Amazon, currently at a brilliant price of £15.99 with free delivery!

As you can see it comes in a big huge pot of little round pellets, that you pour the required amount into hot water, wait for it to melt and meld into a gooy chewing gum type texture, and then mould to suit.  The instructions say that you should put the pellets in water heated to 60 degrees but I don't have a thermometer and just put the pellets in the water  and it melted!

As you can see below, once the pellets have melted, you can knead it until you get the piece of plastic as below. (As you can see, I used a small set of teabag strainers to take it out of the water so I didn't burn my fingers!)

You have about two or three minutes to work the plastic before it stars to harden, and firstly I rolled it out a bit like pastry dough into quite a thin layer and then put it through my Big Shot using a Tim Holtz die.

This is the Snowman result below with the plastic reset into its opaque form. (Sorry, pics not so great!).  I rather like this as the plastic lends itself perfectly to this wintery image.

I also absolutely love the little snowflakes below that I cut out with the same die - you can see the waste below too which you can simply put back into boiling water and use it again.  I also think you would struggle with normal thin dies, but the Sizzix/Tim Holtz dies are great because they're so thick and you can't damage them.

I then thought I'd try it with this metal stamp that I've had years, but have never used for card making.

I got this lovely reversed mould below which is gorgeous, but I just haven't decided how I'm going to use it.

Finally, I used it with a load of different moulds that I have and these gave me the best results and I'm thrilled as this is just what I was hoping to acheive!  You can see the initial moulds below, some I've added some glitter to, some, I've tried to pre-colour with distress stains.

I've used Treasure Gold wax on the embellishments below which isn't a bad result, you just have to use a very light touch to stop it blobbing.  Can you see the glitter though, pretty!

The embellie below, I tried to add my colour before I pressed it into the mould, and as you can see it's a bit uneven, and I have extremely mauve hands now.

However, it was so easy to rectify by using my Flexmarkers to even out the colour and I think this is my preferred method of adding colour.  Any alcohol marker would do it, but I think the Flex's worked well because they have a soft brush tip and I could get into all the nooks and crannies! 

You can really see the glitter inclusion here, agasin coloured with my Flexmarkers.

I think the following are my most favourite embellies that I made. The flower on the left I added colour before letting the plastic set.

The one below was coloured with a darker Flex colour and I think I prefer the softer paler colour of the second one, and to be honest love the ones above left in their natural state!

Finally, a pic of all the coloured flowers and embellies together.

I love this stuff, it is just so easy to use and you get a lot of bang for your buck, as I have been playing with it for the last few weekends and still have tons left, and if your project goes wrong, just get some boiling water ( careful!) and pop it back in and start again!

I think it works particularly well with smaller moulds, and will definitely be getting that kettle boiling again!   

You can find out more about Thermomorph here on their website and can be purchased here on Amazon.

Thanks for reading down this far - hope you've found this useful and informative.

A Get Well Card

Just a quick card from me tonight!  I have spent the last two evenings searching for stuff in my little craft room.  The first evening was spent looking for a pad of DCWV glittered papers that I have had for an age, and the second was spent looking for some little Santa Claus and sleigh diecuts that I bought at Ally Pally and that I had out only a couple of nights ago!  I did come across an embossing folder that had disappeared so there is hope!  However, it means that I've not been crafting!!

I made this card using  this great Kenny K image for my friend's husband who had heart surgery.

The papers are Websters's Pages and the rest of the bits are from stash.  I think the sentiment is Inkadinkadoo.

I'm entering my card into the following challenges:

Bunny Zoe Crafts - Ribbon

Love to Scrap - Play Some  Blues

Make It Monday - Anything Goes

Passion for Promarkers Challenge - Give Me a P

It's my turn to choose the challenge theme over at a Passion for Promarkers - and I've chosen Give Me a P!  So use something on your card that begins with P (excluding your Promarkers, of course, although you must use  them or some other colouring medium from the Letraset family).

My Ps are a little harder to spot - they're the Peppermint Tea Bag that old sleepy head here is using as a pillow and the Pencil that he used to write his Chrismas list!  What a gorgeously cute image this is - Not Even a Mouse from Mo's Digital Pencil.

Of course I used my Pro and Flex markers for my colouring, and then a couple of Memory Box dies for the snow flurry border and corner.  The Father Christmas sleigh is Cheery Lyn, ( I think!), the christmas stocking is an mdf one that I covered with paper and added some glitter and the sentiment is from Magnolia. 

Do come on over to PFP to join us with all your P inspired creations!

A new challenge at Sketch N Stash

Hello there, today's card is for our new challenge over at Sketch N Stash where we are using the following sketch with an optional theme of real or faux stitching.

Our sponsor for this challenge is Pink Gem Designs and the DT were very lucky to be offered an image of our choice to work with.

I went with this gorgeous Victorian style digi image, called Martha, which you can find here on the Pink Gem website.  Making a card the other day, I was reminded of the cracked glass technique, where you triple heat emboss the coloured image with clear embossing powder and then once it has dried after the third time, you bend the image to create cracks for fabulous vintage style.  I then went over the top with some Vintage Photo distress ink to add some age.  I then added some Aged Gold Frantage round the edge - I just love the way this melts into the clear embossed layers - just remember not to overheat otherwise you lose all your cracks!

You can see the gloss finish below -  I think it gives a lovely Victorian feel, a bit like the painting on porcelain which was so popular in Victorian times.

I've used papers from a Webster's pages Xmas selection and then added some velvet ribbon edged with lace and a selection of flowers and berries, along with some vintage style gold foliage from my stash.  I've also added some aged gold to a couple of teeny xmas baubles and lots round the edge of my card!

I have to say, I'm really pleased with how this turned out - love the image and love the vintage feel.

My teamies over at SNS have made some stunning cards to share with you, so hop on over there and by inspired!!

I'm entering my card into the following challenges:

Christmas Card Challenges - Flowers

Crafting When We Can - Make it Sparkle

Simon Says Stamp - Christmas/Winter Holiday

Whimsy Inspiration -Vintage/Shabby Chic

The Hobby House Challenge - Roses

Basic Grey Challenges Food and Drink

This is my card (Xmas no.38!) for the new challenge starting today over at Basic Grey Challenges.  The theme is Food and Drink and I decided to use this combination of two Magnolia stamps.  I've not coloured up a Tilda in ages and really enjoyed making this one with her sitting on the tin of chocolates (by the look on her face, I think she's eaten them all!).

My Basic Grey papers are Nordic Holiday , and I've coloured with my usual mix of Pro and Flexmarkers.  I've then added some glossy accents to the jar front and to the berries on the  candy cane (which is from a  Sizzix die.

The recipe card is a Lili of the Valley stamp which pulls out for easy reference should the recipient decide to try it out!

The gingerbread border die is an EK Success one that I bought at a fair, and the rest of the embellies are from stash, including the felt gingerbread man ( so cute!)

As always, our wonderful sponsor, Simon Says Stamp is offering one lucky winner a fab $25 shopping spree in the Simon Says Superstore. 

Don't forget to check out the rest of the team's fab makes here!