Final Christmas Card Club - Anything goes

 Hello there! Well, after making the decision to stand down from running the Christmas Card Club in October and nobody stepping up to take over, this will sadly be the final Christmas Card Club post. Its been such a useful thing to do and I will miss it - but times move on ....

I have made a card for this post using a design from Pink Ink Designs. 

I love this stamp - such a fabulous image and a good way to say farewell to Christmas Card Club.

My mum made a card using stamps and stencil from Sweet poppy 

A lovely card mum - just beautiful!

So there you have it. I look forward to seeing what the few remaining members have made!

Happy Christmas all!

Hugs

Rachel xx

Gnomes, tomtes or gonks at Christmas card club

 Hello there,

Well its our penultimate Christmas Card club and the theme this fortnight is gnomes, tomtes or gonks. I have used stamps by John Next door. All images have been coloured using clean colour pens. 

My mum used images from Chocolate Baroque and also stencils from Lavinia stamps.

They are all so cute but mums cards are a much better finish than mine - rushing around again!

Hope you have a great Sunday!

Hugs rachel x

Sparkle and Shine at Christmas Card Club

 Hello there!

Well Christmas Card Club has rolled around again and the theme this time is Sparkle and Shine. I admit I have been caught on the hop so have made a few quick upcycled cards. I chose the ones from last year with the most glitter etc..backed them on mirri card and I'm afraid that was it!

My mum made a better job with her die cut card made using crafters companion dies.

So thats it for this week - only two more Christmas Card clubs to go then we'll be stopping - not just for this year but entirely. Its sad but numbers have dropped so much in the last year so that's how it goes.

Have a lovely Sunday.

Hugs

Rachel x

something beginning with R at Christmas Card Club

 Hello there - well another fortnight has rolled around and its Christmas card club again. This time the theme is something beginning with R. I have gone for Robin and made 4 cards using a Chocolate Baroque stamp.

I have coloured the stamped image simply in clean colour pens and mounted on red mirri card.

Mum used a new image from HobbyArt and went with the theme using Red as her R.

Thats a lovely stamp isn't it?

Hope you have a wonderful Sunday - I am at work all day but will get time to craft this evening!

Toodleoo!

Rachel x

Autumn magic at Countryview Challenges

 Hello there! 

Our new challenge at Countryview is now hosted over on facebook - but I am still blogging my makes over here.

This time I have made a card using Lavinia stamps which are sold on Countryview Crafts.

I used spiced marmalade and other distress inks to create this card plus a few different colours of versfine clair inks. The stamps are all Lavinia. I did the orange circle first, then stamped the fairy and did a little faux bleaching on the fairy.

Hope you have a great day!

Hugs

Rachel x

Things with wings at CCC

 Hello there! Well another fortnight has rolled around and its Christmas card club again - this fortnight its 'things with wings' and both myself and mum have been playing with Lavinia owls! I've made 4 cards in basically the same vein.

Mum made 2 very different cards .

Love these owls!

Have a great day!

Hugs

Rachel xx

Autumn magic

 Hello there! Well there's a new challenge over at Countryview Challenges but the group has moved over to Facebook. The theme this month is Autumn magic and this is the first piece I made for it.

I used an older TH layering stencil that I purchased many years ago from Countryview Crafts.I couldn't find it but you'll find layering stencils Here . The main image is Gus from Lavinia who you can find here.

I used the stencil with distress ink including barn door, spiced marmalade and wild honey

Hope you have a great day! 

Hugs

Rachel

Christmas in the forest at Christmas Card Club

 Hello there! Well its been a full fortnight since I last posted on here and I am back again with Christmas card club - the theme this fortnight is Christmas in the forest. I have made 4 cards of the same theme. I used a stamp from Hobby Art and coloured in using clean colour pens then matted on red mirri card.

Mum made two different cards - the first using HobbyArt.

The second card is made using a sweet poppy stencil and Card -io stamps.

I think they're both great cards - well done mum!

Hope you have a great Sunday!

Hugs

Rachel x

Red and gold at Christmas card club

 Hello there,

Well here I am again with another make for Christmas Card club - I am so glad to have got as many made as i have. Things are getting busy stall wise so I think I will be limited in my makes over the upcoming months - but I have two for you today - both the same - made using Chocolate Baroque Poinsettia stamp.

I stamped in versa mark and embossed using god embossing powder. Then painted the image using indigoblu paints before mounting on two mirri card mats.

Mum has made one card.

She first used some paste, flake and a lavinia stencil to make the bauble background then die cut the baubles and added to red mirri card. I think its beautiful!

So thats all for today.

See you in a fortnight!

Love and hugs

Rachel x

Trees at Christmas Card Club

 Hello there! I am very late today for my post - nevermind - better late than never. The Christmas card club theme this fortnight is trees. I am afraid I only have 1 upcycled card to share...ran out of time.

Mum, however, made a better attempt at things and used sizzix dies to make her two lovely cards.

I hope you've had a lovely Sunday and made the most of the glorious weather we've been having.

Hugs

Rachel x

Purples or blues at Christmas card club

 Hello there! Just back from holidays in Anglesey so I only had time to make one quick card - a bit of a doodle card with an image from Pink Ink.

Mum had a lovely time making the next two cards - both using funky fossil stamps. 

That's such a pretty stamp!

Hope you have a wonderful day!

Hugs

Rachel xx

humour at Christmas Card Club

 hello hello,

Well I am scheduling this on Wednesday night for Sunday - I will be at a festival when this goes live ... I do hope the tent will stand up to all the rain predicted!

Its Humour at Christmas card club this fortnight and as this is my theme, I had anticipated doing more - but sadly it wasn't to be and only one card has been made. Not really very humorous either - I couldn't find my go to turkeys or camels! So Rockin' Robin it is!

The stamp is from Pink Ink Designs - and I coloured it using clean colour pens.

Mum's makes are fab - I especially like the last one - all from HobbyArt stamps.

Hope you have a lovely day!

Big hugs

Rachel x

Winter village at Christmas Card Club

 Hello there,

Its Christmas card club Sunday again and the theme this fortnight is winter village...I had great plans for this wonderful theme but sadly time is against me as always - so I have made only one very quick and not very impressive card using some gorgeous stamps from Hobby art.

Not so much a village as a farm but its the best I could come up with in time available. 

My mum made a lovely card using an older Clarity stamp with a design by Jayne Nestorenko

So there we have it! Looking forward to seeing what my team mates have come up with although there does seem to be less and less of us. I am wondering whether this will be the last year of Christmas card club.

Big hugs

Rachel

Penguins at Christmas Card Club

 Hello there! I do hope you are well and happy! Things here are busy but luckily invigilating has finished now for the summer so that gives me a little more breathing space. Drama has also finished so although I am busy ...its not as stretched as it was!

This fortnight the CCC theme is Penguins - I treated myself to a Woodware stamp and made three cards...

I have stamped the images and cut them out then added them to pre existing gel press backgrounds - must make some more of these as they make for good cards I think.

Mum has been busy too....she has used a sweet poppy stamp and dies from her stash.

I hope you have a lovely Sunday!

Hugs

Rachel x

Foxy friends

 Hello there - time for me to post again about 4 legged friends - this time I have gone for Mr Fox and his Friend Ms Fox.

I have used Lavinia stamps, distress oxides Lost Shadow and Hickory smoke and versafine clair nocture to create this card. A misty scene indeed.

Hope you have a great day!

Hugs

Rachel

4 legged Friends at Countryview Challenges.

 Hello there - July? Really? This year is just running away from me! Anyway, being the first its time for a new challenge at Countryview challenges and this time the theme is 4 legged friends. I have two very different takes on this theme - but each contains one of my favourite 4 legged friends.

For this first one I have included a Pink Ink image - I love this little guy and am rather fond of lizards - I have lots of them as ornaments in my home - hence my choice here.

My second make for this theme includes stamps from HobbyArt. I love these new farm scene sets and enjoyed putting this scene together using at least 4 different stamps. 

I can't wait to see what my team mates come up with!

You can find their inspiration and a linky to join in here.

Big hugs

Rachel xx

sentiment focus at Christmas Card Club

 This fortnight at Christmas card club we are focussing on the card sentiment. For my card I have used a Diesire die cut out in black card and added this to a background made up from crushed olive distress oxide and overprinted with a clarity stencil shown in forest moss distress ink.

Mum, who is doing very well, has managed to make two cards:

This first one includes an embossing folder and a die from Crafters Companion.

The second one includes a stencil from Imagination Crafts.

Hope you have a great Sunday!

Love and hugs

Rachel x

More vintage at Countryview Challenges

 Hello there!

I have really enjoyed making for the current vintage theme at Countryview Challenges - there are so many possibilities. I had to do another twofer - again using beautiful stamps from Crafty Individuals.

These images are quite different from each other this time - I used the vintage train tag image for a father's day card and the telephone image for an any occasion card. Both images had colour added using clean colour pens and were then added to background paper also from Crafty Individuals.

I do hope you can join the challenge - I look forward to seeing what you make!

Big hugs

Rachel x

Nativity at Christmas Card Club

 Hello there - well I am a little early posting for CCC but as I have another post due tomorrow I thought I would do this today.

The theme this fortnight is nativity and I have made a quick card using Chocolate Baroque stamps and a TH stencil.

My mum has made her card using a stencil from Sweet poppy and Lavinia stamps.

Hope you have a good evening!

Hugs

Rachel x

Vintage at Countryview Challenges

 Hello there!

Its first of June and time for a new challenge over at Countryview Challenges. The theme for this month is Vintage - and I have a twofer for you - both made using stamps from Crafty Individuals.

Both have been teamed with papers also from Crafty Individuals. I added colour to both images using clean colour pens and on the one on the left added some distress oxide around the edge of the paper. 

I do hope you can join this months challenge - there will be £20 up for grabs to spend in store for the lucky winner.

You can get more inspiration and link up to the challenge here

Clean and simple at Christmas card Club

 Hello there! Well time is moving swiftly towards the end of May - the weather is glorious and it hardly seems possible its Christmas Card Club again - but here we are! This fortnight the emphasis is on clean and simple and both myself and my mum have only made one card - me because of time and mum because of the difficulty she is still facing with getting around - but she has managed everything herself this time and we are both thrilled with her progress!

My card is made using a stamp from HobbyArt.

I simply stamped this and coloured in fine liner pens plus clean colour pens - very clean and simple I think.

Mum has made her card using stamps from Lavinia and also Phill Martin and I also spy a Lavinia stencil in the background.

I hope you have a smashing day - enjoy the weather!

Big hugs

Rachel x