Polkadoodle Challenge 25 - Decorations

It's Friday again and another Polkadoodle Challenge! The weeks seem to be flying by and it really is not that long to Christmas. I've made a good start on the cards and to complement them, Nikky has asked the Design Team this week to make:

A Christmas Decoration

So here is my sample! Of course I've not made the candle, but I have made the base thing around it!

The cuff around the base of the candle is made from a fairly sturdy part sheet of acetate and I've used double sided tape to hold it all together. The freeze around the bottom is one of the decorative strips from the Christmas download and all the trees are from it too.

I've simply selected random trees from the tree paper, enlarged them and printed them out. They are attached to the base with thin acetate and either glued or stuck with double sided tape.

I've slightly creased the acetate strips to give them a 'boingy' feel to them.

Go and have a look at the other samples made by the Design Team - there are some really clever creations this week. You have until Sunday 15 November at 12noon GMT to enter this challenge and Challenge 24 from last week is still open until Sunday 8 November so you still have time to enter that one too!

Good luck and we can't wait to see what you make!

• All papers: Polkadoodle Christmas download
• Everything else: My stash
  
  

Funky Hand is Growing!

A new member has joined our little team (I am a little late in announcing this - sorry!) and it is

Jules!

Pop on over to her blog to congratulate her and have a nosey at her wonderful creations!

We just know she will fit in wonderfully and we can't wait to see her Funky Hand creations!

Welcome!

PS - Yes I did 'borrow' the image from Anice!

Inspired by.....

...... Lythan! And her DMC card for this challenge! Not quite a direct blatant copy, but inspired!


The DMC challenge this week is:

Getting Punchy With It

So to use my punches. All two of them. That are border ones. But both are Martha Stewart, so I think I can be forgiven! I think the one I've used is a double scallop - I forget since I threw away the packaging.


I've used papers from A Work In Progress - the Rustic Walk collection and have printed them off small enough to fit on my card. Lightly inked edges with Chestnut Whispers and a bit of wonky cutting around the sentiment (Studio G), a bit of red raffia ribbon and a random large brad (Dovecraft Ho Ho Ho collection) and there you have it!

• Backing papers: Rustic Walk from A Work In Progress
• Punches: Martha Stewart
• Brad: Dovecraft Ho Ho Ho collection
• Sentiment: Studio G
• Raffia ribbon: My stash
  
  
  

There Is No Blue! Honest!

The Penny Black Saturday challenge this week is:

White on White

So mine is, sort of. Although, as you can see, I had a little accident with a blue ink pad.... but I'm sure it's not that noticeable...!

I've used the snowflakes Cuttlebug embossing folder, organza white ribbon from my stash, pearlescent confetti snowflakes also from my stash, and although the photo doesn't show them too well, the snowflakes have little silver seed beads in their centres.

The Penny Black image has been coloured with watercolour paints and I've used on of my Nesties to cut it out. Simple!

• Dies: Spellbinders Nestabilities
• Embossing:Cuttlebug snowflakes
• Image: Penny Black coloured with watercolour paints
• Everything else: My stash
  
  

Almost There!

This is almost the last page of the acrylic / acetate album for Hayley and Stephen - I just have one more to do which is the back cover (and the page on the reverse), so it's nearly all over!!

That is until I go to another gaggle, clutch, gathering or entanglement of Weddings. Or what ever the proper term is.

Anyway, I could simply not resist the Allsorts challenge this week, as it is:

Weddings!

Perfect! So here are the detail shots I took at Hayley and Stephen's Wedding. Barbara, Hayley's Mum supplied all the flowers and there were loads of them and all totally beautiful! Hayley's bouquet was a really unusual colour.

And the car was Stephen's Step-Dad's - how fantastic (and handy!)

I've used Papermania 'Ornate Brown Clusters' 12 x 12 double sided paper, ribbon remaining from the Wedding Stationery and pins made by me - using seed beads, again left overs and some long thin pearl beads that were actually on my Wedding dress when I did the deed nearly 10 years ago (and Hayley came to our Reception!) Well, they were left overs as my Mum made my dress.

• Papers: Papermania 12 x 12 double sided 'Brown Ornate Clusters' and Bazzill Basics to layer the photos
• Everything else: From my stash
  

Vintage Snowman

It's been a while since I managed a Creative Corner challenge, and when I looked at the current one, there is also a Stamps and Smiles challenge sketch every Thursday on the same blog! So with the sketch below, I've combined it with the Creative Corner challenge which is:

Vintage Style

All the papers are Papermania 'Wonderful Christmas Time' 6 x 6 (and I'm wishing I bought two packs now plus they were only £1.99 - half price!) and they already have a lovely vintage feel to them. Now I look at my choice of papers, I think I should have used the snowman pattern all over and the stripes under the snowman, if you see what I mean....


I've used a Martha Stewart punch (still on the table from the weekend extravaganza of Christmas card making) and the twill ribbon is from my stash (same extravaganza).

And that is it. Oh, the snowman chipboard embellishment is from the Pound shop and there are a number of other shapes with it too that I have yet to use. And I'm also wishing I'd bought more than the 6 packs.... Or at least hoping that they stock them again this year!!

• Papers: Papermania 'Wonderful Christmas Time' 6 x 6 papers
• Embellishment: Pound shop
• Punch: Martha Stewart
• Ribbon: My stash

Plain Peace

Sometimes the most simplest of cards take an age to make! This one, which this week Charisma Cardz asks for:

No Backing Papers

Took me a while to think about and much shuffling of embellishments and embossing folders until I finally came up with this. The embellishment is actually a tree decoration from the sale at Sainsbury's in January (I've got another Peace and two Noel's left!) which has been glued to a vintage red pearlescent card which has been through my Cuttlebug Swiss Dots folder.


The burgundy ribbon is actually a much closer match in real life and I did a lot of faffing with the knot until it looked right. Not sure I'd actually be able to replicate it again, but it looks the part!

• Card: From my stash
• Embellishment: January Sale at Sainsbury's - Christmas tree decoration
• Embossing: Cuttlebug Swiss Dots folder
• Ribbon: 10p from Blackburn market
  

Three For The Price of One!

When I first saw the sketch on Carol's Fun Challenge blog I didn't know what to do with it and to be honest I was in awe of her wonderful sample and didn't think I'd do the sketch justice.


However, a weekend free of the boys and all that time to craft, I had a rethink and got out all my Christmas stash and I made these three in just over 2 hours, which is a record for me as it normally takes me about 3 hours to make one!

The blue one has papers from Mad About Cards, the word is actually a tree decoration, ribbon is from my stash and I've used a Martha Stewart punch.

The next one I've used Papermania 'Wonderful Christmas Time' 6 x 6 papers along with red raffia, gems from my stash and a fantastic chipboard embellishment from the Poundshop last year. Another Martha Stewart punch - double scallops I think it's called.

And finally, the three gold snowflakes are actually parcel fasteners which I bought in the January sales from Marks & Spencer - anything that sparkles or looks vaguely Christmassy in the sales will always come in for cardmaking! Papers again are from Mad About Cards and the ribbon was a bargain buy - its more like fabric than ribbon and I bought a full spool of it for £1!

So there you go - I'm really quite pleased with my efforts! Needless to say the peace and quiet of the weekend is shattered as the boys are back and I now have to fit the crafting in around them and the day job!

• Backing papers: Mad About Cards downloads and Papermania 'Wonderful Christmas Time' 6 x 6 pad
• Embellishments: Sparkly Joy - Sainsbury's Christmas decoration, Chipboard Joy - Poundshop, Gold Snowflakes - Marks & Spencers
• Punches: Both Martha Stewart
• Everything else: My stash

Happy Snow!

Be prepared for quite a few Christmas cards over the next few days - I've had a bit of a run this weekend in making them - so be warned! The current Sketch and Stash challenge is:

The image I used was destined for another card but it just wouldn't come together properly so that idea was shelved! I've coloured it with watercolour paints and added a little glitter glue.

The snowflake backing paper is from a Crafters Companion cd I found lurking in the back of a drawer and I don't think I'd ever looked at it before as it was a freebie on a magazine! The dark blue card and tissue interleaving paper are from my stash along with the ribbon. The large and smaller brads are a new purchase and are Papermania.

Another card to go with my growing pile of Christmas cards!

• Printed backing paper: Crafters Companion
• Image: Penny Black coloured with watercolour paints and a little glitter glue
• Everything else: My stash
• Brads: Papermania
  
  

Get Funky! Challenge 4 - Autumn Woodland

It's the start of a new month which means a brand new Get Funky Challenge! For November, it is the turn of the very talented Enfys to set the challenge and she choose:

Autumn Woodland

This can be interpreted however you like but as long as you use at least one item from Funky Hand (and there are a lot to choose from!) you will be in with a chance to win a £20 voucher to spend on Funky Hand products and you have until 30 November to enter. You will also be treated to a sneak peak of the brand new cd that Anice is busy working on - the colours are fantastic and it will be something very different to the previous Funky Hand products!

The Design Team have been very busy with this challenge and there are some wonderful examples - so pop on over to Get Funky to see them and also to find out who won Allison's October Halloween challenge!

I attended 3 Weddings over the summer - in fact it was 3 Weddings in 6 weeks so I now am in the middle of making 3 acrylic Wedding albums for the happy couples! Hayley and Stephen is now complete and now David and Janis' is also finished!

David is one of my cousins and now lives in Edinburgh with his lovely wife Janis and here is my interpretation of the November challenge:

I've used papers from Now That's Funky - the Sweetie Pie collection as they fitted in well with the colour scheme from the Wedding.

They had a piper playing in full Scottish dress as Janis walked down the aisle and also as they walked out of the room as husband and wife.

The bridesmaids wore a wonderful shade of orange - quite unusual but very striking, so the album colour theme revolves around orange, off white and brown.

I've used a number of past sketches from Carol's Sketch Fun Challenge blog to help me with the page layouts and each page is mirrored on the reverse (mostly!) Carol has stepped down from all her Design Team commitments due to the success of her status as an independent Stampin' Up demonstrator. She is greatly missed by the Funky Hand Design Team and I will sorely miss her but will still 'see' her on her challenge blog and SU blog. So I thought it apt that I use Carol's talent for sketches in this challenge. Thank you Carol for the inspiration!

All the Wedding photos were either taken by me or my Dad.

The butterflies on the last two pages were on the glasses on each table when we had our meal so a few of them came home with me! The one above is two layered up to show off the wings.

So there you go! Quite a mammoth post but I really did need to show the whole album! I hope you can join in with this challenge over on Get Funky - good luck and you have until 30 November to enter!

• All papers: Now That's Funky - Sweetie Pie collection
• Ribbon: From my stash
• Gems: Hearts - Club Green, Round - Pound Shop
• Flowers: Orange - Prima Daisy Doodles, White and tiny brown Prima's - The Craft Garden
• Brads: Papermania
• Pins: Made by me
• Butterflies: Taken from the tables at the Wedding!