X for Xtra Special Occasion and DT Call

Time for a new challenge on the Alphabet Challenge Blog, and there is also a DT call currently running for some new team members.  The theme this fortnight is Xtra Special Occasion and I have made a Silver Wedding Anniversary card for my DT work.

Twas The Night Before Christmas ...

I love 'Twas The Night Before Christmas' so when I saw this stamp I had to buy it and make a Christmas canvas with it!  The background is painted with acrylics, and I already had a chipboard Santa and sleigh in my stash.  I painted the rooftops and trees and added glitter glue everywhere and I am very pleased with it!


I would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

MTTC Challenge #169 - Winter Pals

Our last challenge for 2011 on My Time To Craft and the theme is Winter Pals.  For my DT card I used a Penny Black stamp I hadn't used before, I think I bought it a couple of years ago and forgot about it!  

Sparkles First Birthday!

A whole year has passed since Sparkles Forum Challenges started and we are celebrating our first birthday with a great challenge for you - Anything BUT A Christmas Card!  For this special challenge we have 3 prizes on offer so come on over and take part for a chance to win.

Crafty Emma's Store

Crafty Chaos Designs

Di's Digi Downloads

For my DT work, I have made a card that I was asked to make for a friend's Dad - it made a change from Christmas cards!  

Tim's 12 Tags of Christmas - Day 6

I've managed to get another made so I'm halfway there!   This is nothing like Tim's one - I don't have the embossing folder he used, so I decided to take inspiration from the bright colours he used instead!  I did use sticky back foil which was nice to work with, and my Christmas tree embossing folder.  Some of my paint dabbers have dried up but I watered them down a bit and this is the result!

Tim's Tag

Tim's 12 Tags of Christmas - Day 5

I really liked making this tag.  I used my Crafty Individuals Christmas greeting stamp and a Sizzix mistletoe die to make the wreath.  And I am really liking the lovely red of the Winter Distress Ink set too!  It's a proper red red!!

Tim's Tag

Matchbox Advent Calendar and Instructions

I've made another matchbox Advent Calendar, and have been asked in the past for instructions on how to make them - so here is a brief explanation with stage by stage photos which I hope will be of help!  

I will leave this post at the top for a bit so please scroll down past this for other posts.

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First take 24 matchboxes.  Empty out the matches and separate the drawers from the boxes.

Next choose the colour you want to use, and paint the drawers.  I used acrylic paints.   You only need to paint one end as the other end won't be seen, but do go round the corners and edges etc. as bits are visible when it is assembled.

Now paint the sides of the main part of the matchboxes as the edges of these will be seen when it is finished.

You will need 24 brads for drawer handles.  Carefully make a hole in the centre of the front end of the drawers - it is very easy to push too hard and bend the box.  

For the top and base, you will need 2 pieces of 4" x 4" thick card, or chipboard or similar.  Cover these with your chosen papers, making the edges neat underneath.  I also cover the underneath of the base to hide the folded edges.

Now you can start assembling.  Stick 3 boxes together 8 times, so you end up with 8 stacks of 3.  I use an ATG gun to stick mine, you can use double sided tape too.  It needs to be quite strong to hold everything together, so I don't recommend using something like a glue stick.

Cover one side of each stack with your chosen papers.  I leave a small margin round the edge so the paint shows making a border.

Now this is where it can get tricky!  Stick together 4 stacks, making sure the decorated sides are on the outside and the drawer openings are the painted ends.  If you haven't got this bit quite right you can paint the edges now.

Attach this first assembled piece to the base, and put the drawers in.  You should end up with alternating pieces of patterned paper.  Alternatively you can just use one pattern of paper if you think you might get confused!

Now do the same again, and stick the second completed stack to the first one, making sure all drawers and sides are in the right positions.   Finally add the lid to the top.  This is where again you can touch up bits with paint where the colour of your matchbox might be showing through.

Now all you have to do is decorate your calendar with your chosen embellishments, and add numbers to the drawers.

Here are 2 more I have made in previous years.  I hope these instructions are clear enough to help!

Tim's 12 Tags of Christmas - Day 4

Woohoo I am a third of the way through Tim's Tags!  The 12th one was today and I am way behind, but I will just toodle along slowly in my own time and get there eventually!  Dare I say that I'm not too keen on a few of them this year!!  I hope I don't get struck down for saying that!!  So I will have to think carefully about how I am going to interpret one or two of the ones to come!  
Anyways, here is Day 4 - which I enjoyed doing.  Crackle glaze is fun to use and the Distress Stain went over it very well, first time I have tried that technique.  I didn't use white dabber on my swirly stamp like Tim did, as I haven't got it all off from the last time I did that last year and the stamp hasn't been the same since!  So I used blue ink instead!  I did stamp a music stamp on the numbers to try and match Tim's but when I put the Glossy Accents on the ink ran but never mind!

Tim's Tag

CYDA Challenge #35 - Snowmen

The new theme on Craft Your Days Away is Snowmen.  We are sponsored by Simon Says Stamp so come on over to the blog and take part for a chance of winning a $10 spend in their online store.

For my DT work I stamped some more candles with my cute little Penny Black snowman stamp, I just love him!  These make great pressies and are quite quick to make.

Tim's 12 Tags of Christmas - Day 3

Here is my version of Day 3's tag.  I enjoyed this one much more than Day 2!  I'm glad I had already bought the die for cutting all the holly leaves etc. as so far I have used it twice out of 3 tags so I feel I am getting my money's worth!

Tim's Tag

W for White Christmas and DT Call

The new theme on the Alphabet Challenge Blog for the next 3 weeks to take us over Christmas is W for White Christmas.  For my DT work I used a lovely Stamps Away stamp I had forgotten about and added some Dazzling Diamonds to give it some sparkle.  I think I'll make a few more of these cards as they are quick and easy and time is running short!

I am also entering this for :-
Winter Wonderland - Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow

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Shaz is currently running a DT call over at Sparkles Christmas Challenges, a great all year round Christmas challenge blog,  so if you fancy trying for a spot on the Design Team pop over and enter your name.

Candles

I love stamping on candles and have been making some for my daughter's Christmas stalls that she is doing this year.  The challenge on The Stampman at the moment is Create an Ornament so I am entering these little House Mouse candles for it.


If anyone knows where I can get some more hours in the day please let me know!  I am failing miserably with keeping up with everything I am trying to do!!

Tim's 12 Tags of Christmas - Day 2

Well this tag was a nightmare to do!  I had a grungeboard deer but would it stick to the sticky canvas!!  No it wouldn't, and I couldn't cut round the fiddly antlers that it had so I chopped them off in the end in annoyance!  So, this is my version of what Tim made, I don't like it very much but hopefully the next one will be better!  Oh yes, I stuck the music paper on the wrong way up too and had to sort that out!

Tim's tag

RRC Challenge #18 - Monochrome

The new challenge on Ruby's Rainbow Challenges is Monochrome.  For my DT work I have made a Christmas card using one of my cute snowmen stamps by Funstamps.  I coloured him in shades of blue with Promarkers and Copics, but had to cheat and give him a little orange nose!

MTTC Challenge #168 - Vintage Christmas

As we are now a fortnightly challenge blog, it is time for the next theme on My Time To Craft.  This time it is Vintage Christmas, and for my DT work I made a fat page using Dovecraft bp and a Tim Holtz image.


I am also entering this for:-
Fat Pages With Attitude - Christmas
Joanna Sheen Challenge Blog - Christmas Wishes

Tim's 12 Tags of Christmas

Tim's Tag

Well Tim is on Day 5 and I have just completed Day 1 of his 12 Tags of Christmas so I am way behind before I've hardly started!   This is my version - I won't be buying anything specially to use on these tags this year like I have other years,  so trying to make do with what I already have - although on a visit to the garden centre this morning I spotted these little cones which are ideal as I don't have the Pine Cone die that Tim used!

SFC Challenge #26 - One You Love At Christmas

The new challenge on Sparkles Forum Challenges is One You Love At Christmas.  For my DT work I found this image of these cute penguins so made a simple little card with it.  There is a sponsor prize of some lovely papers from Crafty Emma's Store, so pop over to the blog and have a go!

Sparkles Christmas Challenge #11 - Nativity

Here we are with the last challenge of the year from Sparkles Christmas Challenges, and this month it is Nativity.  I used the only nativity stamp I own for my little card, and kept it simple just colouring in with Promarkers and Copics and adding a greeting.  This month we have 2 sponsors, Crafty Emma's Store and Robyn's Fetish, so pop over to the challenge blog and have a go!