Christmas Tree decorations for 2013

Every year I try to make some different Christmas tree decorations either to sell at craft fairs or to give as gifts (or just to keep for ourselves!)   Here are a few photos of this year's crop:

          Beaded  crochet Trees made using old corks as the tree stumps

 

Crochet Cupcakes  

              Embroidered decorations made with crafters in

 mind.  

Edged with bobble trim and backed with die  cut scallop circles                           

"Animal" from the Muppets

I did the embroidery (well, the machine did!) while Aideen 

assembled them.  You can check out her blog here

Maybe these will add to the festive mood?  Maybe not!

Happy Christmas crafting!

Ger x

Lace Heart featuring one of Annette's faerie ciggies

Very cold here this morning - 3C -winter has arrived!  Recently I've started making some YouTube videos to show the process behind some of the items I make.   Finished this lace heart at the weekend 

and all the lace on it was made by myself and my machine!  The beautiful fabric picture at the centre is one of Annette Graves' ciggies.  Annette draws, paints, produces her own original artwork which she prints on to fabric and sells.  You can visit her Etsy shop here and her blog here to have a look at her art and her marvelous crazy quilted pieces.

My little lace video is here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfgMN-AQQ6g Please have a look and let me know what you think.   Now I am new to all this video stuff so please don't expect cinema quality!

Have a great day

Ger x

My First YouTube video

Have been so busy getting ready for craft fairs etc that I didn't feel in blogging mode.  Yesterday I made 20+ crochet brooches for a sale of work.  Needed some way of keeping track of them and wasn't in the humour for photographing them 1 by 1, uploading, editing etc etc so today I sat down with my new Ipad and figured out how to make a video and uploaded it to Youtube...it ain't perfect: I am not a tecchy person and you can hear the dogs playing in the background, my hands shake, my fingers are in tatters, my voice is too low (I was terrified of sounding like those "shouty" ladies you come across on Youtube!)....but I did it without any help from the in house techno man!    Here is the link  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiSL2DUzX_Y  why not subscribe as I'm planning to have a little giveaway sooner or later?  The photo is of a machine embroidered "Failte" sign (the Irish for Welcome  ie welcome to my YouTube offering!)  and some little lavender bags I made recently.
Hope everybody is well and settling in for the wintery nights.
Ger x

Green Stuff

Last Saturday I found a tiny little lady bird wandering around the kitchen so I picked it up and carefully put it on a bush in the garden.  The ladybird (or ladybug depending on what side of the pond you are on) wasn't red - it was a dull orangey brown colour so I decided to decorate a little canvas using the little insect for inspiration.

 Put layers of gesso, paint and stencilling on the canvas.  Stamped the ladybird on tissue paper, coloured it and glued it onto the background.  Cut some tattered flowers, covered them in Glossy Accents and sprinkled on some beads.  The lace leaves and flowers are my own makes.  The pinky-green flowers are from my Crazy Quilting stash.  Entering this in Sunday Stamper week 270 Green Onions challenge

 Now, I have been trying to get back into some of the crafts I did years ago and made up this beaded leaf necklace from a free Craftsy pattern.  Really enjoyed making it and must get back into the world of beading!

Close-up of my necklace

That's all for now!

Wishing you all a great weekend

Geraldine

Tag Day

Well, it was worth my while going back to the land of blogging because the first card I entered in a challenge for ages won me a £15 voucher for the Craft Barn.  So many thanks to the lovely people behind the Allsorts challenge!  Going to enjoy a little spend in the Craft Barn.
I have 2 Tags to share today: the first tag I made for the Dragons Dream  Waste/Rubbish, Male, Chipboard challenge.  Can't resist any excuse to root in the recycling bin!

 I cut the main part of the tag from cardboard packaging and glued on a pediment cut with the Bigz pediments die set.  Then I gave the tag one coat of teal paint and let it dry. Next, I got a packet of Biscotti biscuits (having finished them off first) and turned it inside out to get at the lovely shiny interior. Coloured the shiny bit with alcohol inks, die cut it and glued it on to the painted background.  Covered the whole lot with a rectangle of acetate (more packaging) on which I stamped the image of the little boy blowing bubbles. The whole lot is held in place with a strip of the shiny packaging with "Have Fun" stamped on it.  Added a chipboard flower to the top with bakers twine going through it. 
Stamps used are Docrafts John Byars range
The next tag is a quickie: just a little "Thank You" for a friend.  I don't have a long heart shaped die so I just made the shape using a heart shape and a ruler.  The angel and flowers are my own snippets and the blue background card is from Hunkydory.  The "Thank You" is stamped on the back.

                                                     Close up of flowers

That's all for now
Happy Crafting
Geraldine 

Kraft Card

Haven't posted on my blog for about 2 and a half months!  So I'm going to ease back into blogging gently and enter the Allsorts "Kraft It" challenge with this card.

Stamp used:  Inkylicious "Charlotte"
Kraft card blank plus flowers made from Kraft card using TH tattered flower die.
The flower centers are little crochet circles made by myself.
Now that wasn't too painful!
Hi to all 
Geraldine

Another "Blanche"

Sometimes you get an image or stamp that you cant stop using....I love Saturated Canary's "Blanche".  Lots of digis are very cutsey/cute and suitable for young girls/teens but Blanche is another creature altogether.  I like to imagine that she has just divorced husband No 3 and is off to socialise and get her claws into Mr. B No 4!
Here is a "Blanche" card I made for a friend's 50th birthday and forgot to blog at the time...

Coloured with Copics, background made with Anja Ovals die, added some gardenias and a bit of gold net for her wrap.  Glitter is Stickles Fruit Punch. 
Entering this is Totallypapercrafts "Divas" challenge No 167.
Ger x

Mid Month reminder

Yes, we are half way through May and time to remind you of By the Cute and Girly's "Flowers" challenge which is open until the end of this month.  Details of the challenge, prize, sponsor etc HERE
Now for my (very quick and easy) card.

Background is made with Papermania "Nostalgia" paper with Spellbinders Romantic rectangles and Detailed scallop dies.
The flowers are Memory Box Hollyhocks with little gems added and the lace butterfly is one of my own snippets.  
"Flowers" is a lovely easy challenge theme and this will be our last challenge before BTC&G take a summer break.
Entering this card into Artisticinspirations Challenge no 41 "Flowers and Lace"
Ger x

"Flowers" challenge at By the Cute and Girly.

For our May challenge we would like to see you use some flowers on your creation.  QKR Stampede are our sponsors and I used their digi image "Flower Bouquet" to make my card.  I printed out the image several times in different sizes, coloured, cut out and combined different layers to make this card.  Yes, I like to make things complicated for myself!

To see the rest of the Design Teams creations please go to the BTC&G challenge blog where you can find details of how to enter the "Flowers" challenge.
Now, BTC&G challenges will be taking a bit of a rest but we hope to be back in a few months with new challenges for you. 
Please excuse my late post re May's challenge but I have been very busy over the last week....hope to catch up with everything over the Bank Holiday weekend.
Happy Crafting everybody!
Ger x

By the Cute and Girly "Vintage" mid month reminder

Just popping by with a reminder that there are barely  2 weeks left if you would like to enter BTC&G's "Vintage" challenge.  This month we are sponsored by Tea House Bridge who have gorgeous embellishments for all your cards and crafts. They are also giving the winner of this month's challenge a selection of their goodies...... 

 I made this card using their rose print grosgrain ribbon, buttons and pom pom trimming:

The stamps are from a Tim Holtz set; Seamless Experience and I have machine embroidered the little sentiment badge.
Looking forward to seeing your Vintage creations.  Details can be found on the BTC&G challenge blog HERE
Ger x

"Vintage" challenge at By the Cute and Girly

Happy Easter to everybody!  Hope you weren't made a fool of too often today.  
This month's challenge at BTC&G, chosen by Carol, is "Vintage" and the design team were delighted to be sponsored by Tea House Bridge, a craft supplies shop with a vintage theme, who are rewarding the April challenge winner with a goody bag.  Here are my makes using Tea House Bridge embellies....

 Vintage style card made using a butterfly made with Tea House bridge's white lace pom-pom trim (dipped in coffee to get an aged effect), pink cotton cord, resin flower, cotton and flower buttons. Stamp is La Blanche, backing paper is Graphic 45 and the doiley was a present from  the lovely Jacky in New York.

 Crochet pincushion trimmed with Tea House Bridges Rose grosgrain ribbon and flower buttons.   Nearly all our sponsors supplies can be used for sewing/altering projects as well as cardmaking and papercrafts.

                                                      Close up of butterfly

Tea House Bridges lovely resin flower and cotton button.

Card and Pincushion

Please pop over to the BTC&G challenge blog to see the other DT members projects and grab yourself a bit of Vintage inspiration.  Looking forward to seeing your vintagey makes!

Happy Crafting

Geraldine

Mid month Inspiration at By the Cute and Girly - Favourite Things

Just dropping in with another dose of mid month inspiration for the March By the Cute and Girly challenge.  Well, this months theme is your "Favourite Things" and as you might have gathered mine are beads, yarn and sentiments.  This month we are sponsored by

Lili Of The Valley

 giving away a £10 Gift voucher

Bugaboo Stamps 

giving away 7 digital images (winners choice)

  

 Bugaboo stamps gave each of the DT a digi image to create with.  Needless to say I went for one of their lovely sentiment ones called Laugh sentiment.....and made this monochrome card

The moustache is one of my own embroidered embellies while the die cut flowers are sprinkled with seed beads.  The twine is from the Papermania Gorjuss range of bakers twine.  A very easy card to make; no colouring, no fussing.  Leave out the flowers, replace them with buttons and you have a card suitable for a MAN (those yokes we dread having to make cards for!)
Entering this card in WordArt Wednesdays Challenge No 71
Dutch Dare Spots & Stripes (the spots are on the buttons in the flower centres, the stripes are on the twine)
Also Vs sweetideas Masculine challenge
So you still have more than a fortnight to enter the "Favourite Things" challenge and all crafts are allowed even baking/knitting etc... Details HERE
 Happy Crafting
Ger x

By the Cute and Girly March challenge "Favourite Things"

Hi Folks,
This months challenge at BTC&G is "Favourite Things" and its sponsored by Bugaboo Stamps so grab your favourite colours, stamps, die cuts, embellies etc and get making your March project.  
My favourite things to use when crafting are yarn, beads and sentiments and Bugaboo have some lovely blocks featuring digi sesigns with sentiments.   Love, love, love quotes and sentiments and one of the stupidest things I ever did was to put my Penguin Books of Quotations (the regular one and the modern one) into the charity bag when I moved house 3 years ago.....
So here is my card using the Bugaboo digi "live life in colour"

beady details

                                                     .....more beady details 

Yarns and sentiment

Entering this this in "My heart Pieces"  Favourite things challenge

and Craft us Crazy "Anything Goes"

and Word Art Wednesday Anything Goes

Peacocks feathers were coloured with Copics and dusted with Bronze stickles.

To see the other DT projects and for more details of this challenge please visit here

Ger x

                                      

Roses are Red - Mid month reminder

Just dropping by with a little reminder that this month's challenge at BTC&G  is "Roses are Red", sponsored by Template Dreams who have given  a voucher for $5 for the lucky winner to spend in their online shop.

So there is still plenty of time to enter your romantic rosy creations and for a bit of inspiration here is the Valentine card I made for Himself

The papers are Prima " Annalee, the flowers are made with Spellbinders Bitty Blossoms, the butterflies are a CC designs die, and the central flower shape is made by stamping an embossing a Hero Arts heart stamp 6 times and cutting it out. The corner embellies are a metal filigree square I cut in half.  Butterflies and hearts are inked with Peacock Feathers Distress Ink.  The "LOVE" and the little die cut plaque are from my stash.
Hope ye all had a great Valentines Day and don't forget to enter the challenge!
Ger x

Roses are Red - February challenge at By the Cute and Girly

This month at BTC&G the theme is "Roses are Red", chosen by Tammy and sponsored by Template Dreams who have given  a voucher for $5 for a lucky winner to spend in their online shop.

So we would love to see all your romantic makes featuring roses etc    possibly with Valentine's Day in mind?

I decided to use the sponsors digi papers to decorate an altered/recycled biscuit box.  The lovely rose on the front of the box is part of a napkin kindly supplied by my lovely blogging friend Annette....then I filled the box with some Roses chocs and added a little Tim Holtz hitch fastener to close it.  The chocs were devoured by my OH who thought Valentine's Day had come early.
Before I got to altering the box looked like this:

So I cut across about 2/3rds of the way down the front and cut down to the base on each side..

 After covering with the sponsors digi papers and adding the rose from the napkin and some paper flowers, ribbon and bow from stash...

More details, rules etc of this months challenge are Here
So please pop over and see all the Design Team's lovely makes.
Happy Crafting
Ger x

"Cute and Girly" challenge Mid month reminder

Popping by to remind you that the theme of this months challenge at By the Cute and Girly is

                                      Cute and Girly

Could it be any easier!

This month we are sponsored by Saturated Canary and the winner will get two of Krista's beautiful digis! Details of the challenge HERE

Well, I always try to make something different, craftwise, for my mid-month make.  Something that isn't card because despite By the Cute and Girly being an all-crafts challenge most of the entries are cards (nothing wrong with cards btw!)
So as its January and lots of us are tidying up I decided to use up all (well, some of) the scraps that have been lying around in my bits boxes.  (Sometimes the entire house turns into a Bits box......) and make something that would remind me to keep on track, crafting-wise, during 2013.  Here's the result - a Girly canvas wall hanging made entirely from left overs

First I sewed scraps of paper together with my sewing machine..

One side..

Other side which I decided to use.  Next I gave it 2 coats of very watered down acrylic paint; 1st coat was pale blue, 2nd was pale pink.  Then I stamped tiny butterflies and flowers randomly with purple Versamark ink.

Close up of some of the details including left over inchies.

Do you see the arrow heading into 2013? (more machine stitching)
Yes, it is a bit grungy and all over the place - everyone else on the Cute and Girly DT has used a Saturated Canary digi for their mid-month make so I might be shot!  
Ger x

January "Cute and Girly" challenge

Happy New Year everybody!
At By the Cute and Girly we have a lovely easy January challenge for you, just make something 

                            Cute and Girly!

This month we are sponsored by Saturated Canary and the winner will get two of Krista's beautiful digis! Each member of the DT got a Saturated Canary digi to play with - you can see the results and the details of the challenge HERE

I choose "Blanche" because she looks as if she has got all dolled up and is slinking off to a New Year's party with some devilment in mind...
Made an almighty mess of cutting out the space between her arms and dress so I gave her a little gold net wrap to hide the damage! Backing is an Anya's oval die cut and the flowers are from my stash with some Fruit Punch stickles added to her dress and flowers.

To see more wonderful Saturated Canary digis just look Here
Wishing everyone many happy hours of crafting during 2013.
Ger x