Received Handmade Christmas Cards

I have just realised how long it has been since I last posted anything. That of course was due to Christmas and 3 week of shop closure during which time I didn't make a single card.
I did take a photo of cards from customers and friends that I thought I could share with you. The intention was to send this last week but other things took over....

I am now working on the next round of workshop boards so there should be other initial samples coming through soon.

A Winter Village

I was looking at how to use the tando creative houses I have on the shelf in the shop and wondering what to do. I remembered I'd seen  a village done at the show where I decided to buy these so set about trying to create one. It still needs some finishing ouches and perhaps more houses but this is where I am at so far

Two different views - as I say - it is a work in progress but the houses could be part of the December greyboard workshop

Stencils

These are a few of the stencil ideas we have used in Christmas workshops this season

Techniques include embossing paste in various ways as well as machine embossing and then colouring. I also tried using metallic gilding polishes in 2 ways for the centre top card

what can we do with1 die

Here are a couple of boards with various ideas on using one die.
I have used the star frame on one set and the birch trees on another - just to show some versatility

to make sure we can get our money's worth

Stamping with more Woodware stamps

Well since I haven't been busy with customers I had to open two new stamps I had on the shelf didn't I???? and then play with them again  using different products that we sell.

Loved these baubles which I have done with inks. media plates and gilding polishes

 All of the poinsettias were done with pixie powders in different ways

and then there was the snowman.....

I was told I ought to have a facebook page for my business - something I've never been interested in before but I went ahead at the weekend (with the help of my future daughter in law) so you may find more to interest you there. I called it " LLindas cards and crafts" rather than my full shop title "LLindas Greetings Cards and Craft Accessories" which always seems a mouthful but this may have been a mistake as I see here are lots more Lindas cards etc. about. SO remember the double L. Don't know if I can change it - will have to see...

Book covers from a workshop

 I recently had a family to do the bookcovers similar to the tando creative package I'd used but they just wanted to cover cheap notebooks they had purchased.
My examples include my kit book and my handmade book .

Then the next pictures are of the book covers done by the girls using these techniques on their books

they did a good job and we covered loads of techniques that they could use elsewhere.

I will do this as part of one of the mixed media type workshops in December if anyone else is interested. (Note -  It took 2x2hr workshops to complete these)

Uing Media Plates & Press to Impress

I've been carried away with stamping at the moment and using these new products from John Lockwood and Crafts too. Great for quick cards as some of my samples show - or I've done similar designs mounted - better but not so good for mass production.
I used these with the last creative stamping magazine also so more examples are there and my extra stamping for winter scenes will include a lot of these.
It's just a great chance to play......

Christmas stamping with Wooware and other stamps

 Many of these cards are on the themed boards but I have added extras

 
The Woodware PEACE and NATIVITY stamps have been  great for using with various backgrounds.
Some were stamped onto pixie powder or metallic gilding polish backgrounds. Others used assorted inks either colour cloud, chalk cloud, distress or oxide inks

The robin in a frame was from creative expressions and has a corresponding die. As usual I tried using these in a variety of ways

On the winter scenes theme I used stams from woodware, stampendous and creative expressions,Plus the John Lockwood Media plates - great when you need to stamp off the edge or don't want too many layers of card for postage! More on these to follow.....

CS49 Christmas Sparkle

I've had the magazine stamps in early this time - the magazine is due out on 12th Oct.. I also had in last week the Press to Impress and the Media plates from John Next door, so I thought I ought to try playing with all 3 items at once. These are the results of my initial play...

and then since photo above not brilliant here are a few close ups

CS48 Away in a Manger

Here are a few ideas for using the last creative stamping magazine stamps. We have sold out of this magazine but you can still come to workshops and use mine. As usual I have used inkpads. metallic gilding polishes, pixie powders etc. on the cards.