GDT Giftbag for LOTV

Morning everyone, and what a lovely sunny Sunday it is where I am at the moment - it's hard to believe that later today and into tomorrow they've forecast terrible storms!

I'm back with my third project as one of LOTV's honoured guest designers this month and as soon as I looked at 'Swirly Fir Tree' I thought 'giftbag'! Maybe it's the sweet Christmas presents at the base of the tree that gave me the inspiration :)

The base layers were a Go Kreate die, all layers were distressed with walnut stain DI, the papers are Magnolia. I also used the following Magnolia Doohickey's - tag, poinsettia, spruce, antique lace border and vintage leaf.

The Swirly Fir Tree image from LOTV's latest release of beautiful stamps was coloured using DI's and the postage stamp detail at each side is a kaisercraft stamp.

I stitched the spruce trees down the centre, to the layer beneath. The 'pinecones' were made using a marianne creatable rolled flower die. 

The tag with matching image was a happy accident, I wasn't totally happy with the image the first time I coloured it and went with the second attempt, but rather than waste the first image I cut it out using the doohickey tag. I added another plain card tag behind, and used an LOTV Christmas grunge message as a third tag (I decoupaged the Christmas trees on this using a bit of the base layer paper). 

I thought the heart charm echoed the hearts on the fir tree perfectly - not a traditional Christmas charm but more of an expression of a gift sent with love :)

To finish off I added white acrylic paint here and there, diamond stickles and plenty of shabby blue frantage!

Thank you for visiting me today and I hope you like my creation. Sorry the post is a little later than intended - I had a lie in lol! It was a bonus that the clocks went back last night ;)

Hope you have a lovely crafty week ahead.....

Hugs,

Lili of the valley GDT #2

Morning everyone,

I'm thrilled to be here today showing you my next GDT card for Lili of the Valley. I had great fun with this easel Christmas card, the image 'Snow Buddies' from the latest LOTV launch, was a delight to colour and I have to admit to going a little Frantage crazy lol!

The shape of the base card was made using a Go Kreate die, I used DI's to colour this super cute pair of friends and added quite a lot of shabby white Frantage both around the image and the TH trees that I tucked behind at both sides.

The tag is a Magnolia doohickey and the LOTV  grungy Christmas sentiment sits perfectly on this tag. I love this rich burgundy wired ribbon that adds glamour to the card and the finishing touches are a snowflake charm and a bell.

Space to write a message was created using trusty spellbinders nesties, made festive with that gorgeous Frantage and a double layered Magnolia doohickey snowflake.

Thanks so much for visiting today and taking a look at my latest creation, can't wait to show you what I make next......

Hugs,

Magnolia workshop creations

Hi everybody again,

I'm back as promised to show you the things I made while over at Magnolias open day in Boras, Sweden.

Water colour flowers using the peony petal doohickeys:

A frantaged hanger with doohickey slender firs and Magnolia Old Swedish church stamp:

Decorated matchbox using doohickeys poinsettia, mistletoe, slender firs, doily, sprawling ferns:

Christmas card with doohickeys - christmas tag, snowy forest, cloudy tag, poinsettia

The new Christmas image was coloured in black soot distress ink, and I'm quite happy with it even though only had an hour to finish it - I usually take a lot longer than that lol!

Thanks for visiting me today, hope I didn't make you too jealous if you read yesterdays post! (btw, even though the trip to Sweden last weekend was for my birthday it was two weeks early as my birthday isn't until the 19th Oct, but Neil couldn't persuade Magnolia to change their open day to then lol!)

Back soon xx

Hugs, 

Surprise trip to Sweden!

Hi everyone,

No card tonight to show you, but......... I just had to tell you that a couple of weeks ago my darling husband surprised me by telling me what he had planned for my fortieth birthday - a long weekend in Sweden, Boras to be exact, and specifically to Magnolia's shop on their open day! Let's just say I was so happy I cried lol! I kept saying I'd love to go there but never thought it would be possible, so when Neil told me we were going it was like a dream come true :)

He had started planning all this last year - I can't believe he'd kept it a secret all that time - and he'd stuck emails and flight details into a scrapbook for me to add to as a momento! I have lots of people to thank for helping hubby in his mission - he contacted Kim Piggott, Debbie Dolphin and Christine Dark to find out how to contact Magnolia and how to get there, he emailed lots of people in Boras to arrange somewhere wonderful to stay and eat out, and Asa at Magnolia was so helpful ensuring I felt like a VIP at their open day!

Words can not describe how great it felt to actually find myself at Magnolias door last weekend. Debbie was right when she said I looked overwhelmed - I was! Everyone was so lovely and it was a pleasure to meet such wonderful ladies :)

There were so many gorgeous things to look at in the shop, no wonder I was overwhelmed! But I was also in my element, and spoilt for choice with the rows and rows of stamps -such a dream come true!

What did Neil do while I was busy at Magnolia all day I hear you ask? Well, he walked his legs off around Boras taking photos of the gorgeous scenery and beautiful sculptures that were dotted around close to our hotel. 

The next morning I was lucky enough to spend breakfast talking to Debbie and Lillemor who had stayed in the same hotel as hubby and I the night before. It was fantastic to actually be able to sit down and talk to crafters whose blogs I've followed for ages, to finally meet them was fab - they were truly lovely ladies!

Now that I'm home again, it feels like I dreamt it all and I have to remind myself that it did really happen lol! I really am very lucky and have Neil to thank for making my fortieth birthday so special and not something I'm going to forget in a hurry :)

I will be back tomorrow to show you what I made on Debbie and Lillemor's workshops.

Hugs, 

GDT Project #1 for LOTV

Hi everyone! You would not believe how happy I am to be posting this today. Yeah I know it's been far too long between my posts of late and for that I'm truly sorry.....but I've saved it all up and got loads to tell you about now, sooooo I'll begin with the reason for this post. I was thrilled and gob smacked when I found out a little while ago that I was picked over at the fab 

Lili of the Valley Ideas to Inspire challenge blog

 winning a Guest design spot for October! Well, you can guess how excited I was, this kind of thing usually only happens to other very talented crafters, not little old me - I had to double and triple check that they actually meant me lol!

Enough of the waffle....here's my first creation: a simple side step card featuring Red Squirrels Pine Tree from the latest LOTV launch.

I cut the side step design out of a Go Kreate die shaped card, paper used was Magnolia Turning Leaves - Vintage Mushrooms. I randomly painted some corrugated card and the 'pinecones' with white acrylic paint, stapled some vintage lace to this layer too and added a gold frantaged leaf charm with linen thread. 

I used distress inks to colour this gorgeous image, and machine stitched around to finish it off.

The birthday sentiment/message card is topped with a double layer of 'lace' using Magnolia scalloped stitched doohickey border die and tucked in an 'envelope' based on a criss cross card design, finished off with linen thread and a button.

Thanks for visiting me today, I hope you like my card and I will be back as soon as I can with my next creation

Hugs,