Christmas Card Club Challenge #16- Christmas Activities.

 This fortnights challenge over at the Christmas Card Club has been set by Maureen, and she's hoping to see cards featuring Christmas activities- Sleighs, Sledges, Skiing. The only stamps I have along this line are from Card-io, in their scene building sets, and one, called Festive Fun, has stamps of Sledges, and an Ice Skater.


 My first card features a Snow Globe, called Crystal Globe. The tree-line is from the same set. The snowflakes are from another set called Winters Kiss, which has half a dozen or so different sized and shaped snowflakes.

My second card starts with a snowflake wreath, made up from an assortment of snowflake stamps, in various blue Memento inkpads- Danube Blue, Nautical Blue and Bahama Blue.


The trees are Card-io again, Winter Woods, the dog walker & skater are both from Festive Fun.
 Matted this one onto some pale blue glitter card, and I rounded the corners on both pieces.


So those are my offerings for this fortnight.

Triple Stamping and an Embossing Folder.

This is my most recent Triple stamped card, and includes the use of an Embossing Folder.
 It's also the first You Tube video I've managed on this that I'm happy with!


The card base is, according to the package, a 7"x7", however, that measurement applies to the envelope, on square cards, I've found. The actual card base is 6 3/4" square, and that holds true for all the sizes, so something to bear in mind when you are cutting layers to fit any of them.





I cut the layers- stamping and matting, at the start.
 The sizes for this are:
Matt layers:
6x6
5x5
4x4
3x3
 Stamping layers:
5 3/4 square
4 3/4 square
3 3/4 square and
2 3/4 square.


I find it easiest to attach the stamping layers together using some temporary tape runner, which stops them moving about.
 The Embossing folder is by Darice, and is called Butterfly Corner.
 As you will see in the video, I have cut along the top of the folder, and added hinges at the side with masking tape. This means I now have full choice on where, and what orientation I use the folder in, and also I'm not limited by the size of cardstock I can use in it.
 The stamps used are from Card-io,
 Greenery 1, for the corner leafy branch,
Plentiful Pansies,
Summer Wreath, for the little leafy branch & the Butterfly,
 Dragonfly Garden for the Blue flowerhead, and
Summer Meadow for the Orange flower.
 All inks were original Versafines.
So here is my video of the process. I hope you enjoy.😊

WOYWW #478

And just like that, it's Wednesday again! Another WOYWW with our lovely Leader, Julia, over at The Stamping Ground.
Well, we had rain at last over the weekend, and it was just what the gardens needed. Came down in the right intensity too- heavy enough to soften the ground and sink in, without any flooding.
 There has been some crafting, there's a little video about inkpads and heat embossing in the post below, and I've finally got a video for a triple stamped card that I'm happy with, which will probably go up tomorrow.
Stamping, and the use of an embossing folder too.




Had some time cleaning and tidying, sorting out draws, and starting to put stuff together that needs a new home, in time for the crop.









Took myself out for a walk around town today, and popped into The Range, to have a browse. Came out with this stamp, I thought she looks so Goth, couldn't resist.






On the subject of buying stuff- and I know this will get me into a lot of trouble, lol- I had an email this week from Handy Hippo crafts store. She is closing down the business, so has a 30% off sale running right now. It'll run for 10 days, then go up to 50%, then finally 70%. Code at the moment is HIPPO30.
 Been and had a look, and she has a huge amount of stuff- inkpads of all sorts, including Distress & oxides, Archival, Memento.  Card blanks, cardstock, tools, Embossing powders & folders, Dies,Stamps, the whole caboodle. And she has a Clearance section where the stuff is already marked down  by 40,50 & 70%, and they are included in the 30% off as well. Lots of Memento inkpads in that section. Well worth a look to see if there's anything you'd like. Even two or three brands of the Stamping platforms on there.

Doug got round to putting up  the pictures on my wall at the weekend. The three sheepy pictures I bought from Tilly Tea Dance, and the bottom one is a piece made by Debbie Rock( Tattered Rocks).


I have 3 white walls, and one that is papered in a black glittery paper in my craft room, so the art is going on the chimney breast wall.


On another subject completely, I was getting really irritated by Pinterest lately. It seemed my main feed was constantly being flooded with stuff I had no interest in, hadn't searched for, either on there on on the net in general. Been going on for weeks. I had about a fortnight of Paleo diet posts,a week or so of Quilling and Iris Folding, and no matter how much time you spent clicking 'Hide' there were still more the next time you visited. Last straw was a few days ago, when my feed was full of posts about the Periodic Table of Elements! Literally dozens of them. I mean, really?
 I mentioned it on SCS, and a lady there told me something I hadn't spotted. Along the top of the main feed page, on the right hand side close to your picture, is now another button- Following. If you click that one, what you get is a page with stuff from people/subjects you have followed on Pinterest. Much more useful, and less annoying. I admit I like the change to Pinning now, as a suggested Folder appears over the image if you click Save, and you can navigate to specific folders right there, no more new box opening up.
 So there we have a lit, a bit of helpful info, and a dose of enabling as well, lol.
 And finally...............................

Just remembered, a HUGE Happy Birthday to our lovely Lunch Lady Jan today. XxXx

A Second You Tube Video- Some Inkpads & Heat embossing.

Well, I finally got round to a second video, this time about the New Oxides I got today, and a bit about heat embossing in general. That took three attempts.lol.
 Still trying to get a Triple Stamping one I'm happy with, but we fixed the camera shake & odd blurry shot problem, so that should help a lot.
 This one covers using Oxides on Black card, which is my main reason for buying them.

The Oxides that arrived today, I'm not buying them all, just the colours that really grab me.

How a different mix of inks and embossing powders can change the look of heat embossing,

and how to use a clear embossing pad, such as Versamark, and a dye based inkpad, to allow you to heat emboss with a dye ink colour.

I  said at the end that I'll try to do a video using some of the inkpads that don't often crop up in videos, such as the Brilliance Pearlescent.

As you can see, I have a huge number of inkpads, and a number of different brands. Some retired, some still available, and quite a number of these I've had for ten years or more.






So, here is the video, I hope you enjoy, and if there is anything you'd like me to do, then please leave me a message either here or in the comments below the video.

WOYWW #477

Ok, so I'm going to say it. It's too darned hot! It's been so long since we've had a proper summer here in the UK, we can't cope with it. Fortunately, it wasn't totally scorching on Sunday, but it was still a hot day at Farnborough Airshow. We had a fantastic day, and would definitely go again. Some pics at the end of this post.
 Linking up with Head Desker Julia at The Stamping Ground, for this weeks desk fest.
 Little bit of crafting done, I've actually been trying to do a You Tube video making a triple stamped card, so now have half a dozen cards, but no video! Once or twice I hadn't turned the recording on, then I had desk shake that we've had to fix, so I'll be having another go later on.

Still, if nothing else, I'm upping my card stash,lol.
     

















I bought this set of ICraft Alpha dies a while ago, and decided today to take them out of the box, and get them onto magnetic sheets. This is the Upper Case, there is a Lower Case available, which I didn't get, and a Numeric set, which I also got. While laying them out, I discovered that I'm missing the letter 'R' from it, so I've messaged Oyster Crafts ( where I got them from), and asked for help. They are a really good size, 2" tall, so ideal for the Eclipse technique, for one thing.


 Something I think worth a mention, you may know there was a court case going on between the creator of the MISTI, and Tonic/Tim Holtz over their platform.
Apparently it has now been settled, and Tonic will stop selling the two current iterations of the Platform in the USA, Canada & Mexico. It also sounds as though the two companies intend to collaborate on the next version. Tonic will still be selling it in the rest of the world, but as the USA & North & South America, would be I think their biggest market, and if they are intending to launch a joint version, I won't be surprised if eventually it gets retired altogether. So if anyone is considering the purchase, I really wouldn't wait too long.

The Airbus A350, which is one size down from the A380, and is one of the Aircraft that we make fasteners for.
 All was good, nothing fell off!

The amazing Harrier Jump Jet. Seeing an aircraft this size hovering in front of you, and turning round on the spot is spectacular. It just doesn't seem possible that something that size should be able to do that.

I got to get up close & personal with my Dream Machine, the AH-64.

Better known as the Apache Helicopter Gunship.

I had a poster of one of these on my wall for years,lol.

I'm a real fan of helicopters in general, and this one in particular.

That scene from Apocalypse Now, where they come in over the sea to the sound of The Ride of the Valkyries!

Unfortunately, you could only get inside by climbing up the footholds on the side, and that wasn't happening!



We also got to go inside a Super Hercules Transport Plane, and a Chinook, all courtesy of the USAF.









And finally.......................