Snowdrops

Good Morning everyone

Today Im honoured to say that I have been invited to join the very talented design team at Creative Artiste mixed media so for one project a month I will be playing with alot more mixed media which is always fun.  

So I thought to kick start I would make something very seasonal.  After Christmas when most of the garden is slumbering in sleep and lots of earth and brown on show these dainty little snowdrops pop up to brighten our day with their lovely white and green flowers.  For those of you who are new to my blog you will find that usefully my projects are full of colour so this is very muted for me but I wanted to go with a more realistic look and let the snowdrops be the star.

Approx size:  5x7" (13x18cm)    I started with a piece of stiff card cut from a cat food box.  See the last photo for how i did the background. 

Onto the base layer i added a layer of handmade paper which i tore into a rough oval shape - this i felt gave the effect of a soft frost.  I then tore a piece of brown packing paper - this i used so that the white of my snowdrops would stand out - all the torn edges giving a rustic natural feel.  I then added a piece of hessian ribbon. 

I die cut lots of snowdrops from white card and used green alcohol markers to colour the stems and add a hint of green to the flower head.  I added a little bit of 'crystal' stickles glitter glue to the little piece on the flower heads to add just a little frosty shimmer

Computer printed word 'beautiful', matted onto kraft card, glossy accents added to finish.

To hang i added white eyelets to the top and threaded with green cotton cord with 2 green glass beads.

I added the snowdrops with pinflair glue gel to give dimension.  To make them more realistic I cut the heads off some and glued back on the opposite way so that they aren't all facing the same way.  These snowdrop dies - the little bits in the middle fall out so that they have little gaps in them which i didn't want for this project so after die cutting them i added a little tape to the back to hold those pieces in place. 

The background/ base layer

I tore off some of the top layer to reveal the corrugations, added texture paste through a stencil.  Once paste was dry i added brusho powders in Olive and light brown which have tones of green, brown and purple in them so give a lovely dirt like colour.  I sprinkled on a little copper pixie powder, the mica giving a light shimmer. I used this criss cross effect stencil as i felt it had the effect of lots of dead stems and twigs in the garden like you get over winter. 

I then dry brushed on a thin layer of white chalk paint to soften it and give a frost like effect and edged the panel in white.

Items Used:

Snowdrop die by Alexandra Renke

Brusho Powders 'olive & light brown'

Cosmic shimmer pixie powder 'copper'

Green alcohol markers

Texture paste

Plaid 'folkart' matte paint 'antique white'

Stencil

Handmade paper, packaging paper & Hessian ribbon

Ranger stickles glitter glue 'crystal'

Ranger glossy accents

White eyelets, 2 green beads & cotton cord.

Do hop over to creative artiste mixed media to see what the rest of the DT have created and to join in.  You don't need to make a big mixed media project, it can just be a card or atc as long as you mix your medias.

Thank you for stopping by and i hope you all have a good weekend. Emmax

Id love to enter the following:

 

https://thefourseasonschallenge.blogspot.com/2025/02/winter-season-february-2025.html

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https://dd-tripleb.blogspot.com/2025/02/february-2025-challenge.html

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https://craftingacutabove.blogspot.com/2025/02/february-anything-goes.html - the snowdrops are dies

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https://theoutlawzchallenges-saturday.blogspot.com/2025/01/the-outlawz-anything-goes-in-card-free_02003369360.html

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https://daisychainchallenge.blogspot.com/2025/02/challenge-93-layer-it-up.html

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WLS Jan#1 - anything but square

Good Morning everyone

WISHING YOU ALL A VERY HAPPY & HEALTHY NEW YEAR

I hope you all had a lovely Christmas.  Mine didn't go quite to plan - I had an emergency tooth extraction Christmas eve which did not go smoothly - I will be having nightmares about it for years to come I think!  So I didn't get to eat much, although I did go over to family for Christmas day but came home early.  The swelling is finally subsiding and my dislocated jaw settling down😀... 

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Time for the first challenge post of the year for We Love Stamping where the theme picked by me is for ANYTHING BUT SQUARE - So any other shaped card or you can always use the anything goes as long as stamping involved.

This should be an easy one for me as i make alot of shaped cards using my nesting dies but my mojo always goes on holiday this time of year.  I use it up getting all Christmas and we have alot of December and early Jan birthdays made so its off on its annual holiday! 

Looking for inspiration in my stamps I found this old Chocolate Baroque set with spring flowers which seemed ideal.  So ive made a little snowdrop card.

Card size approx 3.5x5"  I die cut my card base using crealies stitched arch die from white card.  I stamped the front with the snowdrop stamp in a peeled paint distress ink, the word 'spring' with marigold DI and a stamp saying 'beautiful beginnings' in shaded lilac DI using multi-generation ink for them all.  Splatters added with the same DI.  I inked the outside edge with 'green oasis' versafine clair ink

I stamped the snowdrops with 'green oasis' versaclair ink onto a smaller white arch die cut and added a little colour with the same distress inks used for the background.  I matted this onto a larger arch die cut from lilac glitter card and added to the card front with foam tape, adding a little strip of the glitter card across the front too. 

I love seeing the snowdrops appearing from the brown winter earth, the first signs that life is awakening once again. We are lucky in Cornwall that Spring does start early and the first bulbs are well on their way to showing their cheery heads.

Items Used:

Chocolate Baroque stamps 'spring is in the air'

aall&create stamps #455 'seasons' #748 'add a motto' 

Crealies arched dies

Distress Inks 'peeled paint, dried marigold, shaded lilac, vintage photo'

These are the lovely prizes you could win from aall&create

So do hop over to we love stamping to join in and see what the rest of the DT came up with. 

I look forward to sharing another year of crafting with you all.  Big hugs Emmaxx

Id love to enter the following:

https://beautifulblossomschallenge.blogspot.com/2024/12/beautiful-blossoms-challenge-anything.html

https://cardsgalorechallenges.blogspot.com/2025/01/january-2025-crafts-galore-encore.html

https://dd-tripleb.blogspot.com/2025/01/triple-b-january-2025-challenge.html

https://colorfuloptions.blogspot.com/2025/01/january-2025.html

 

Snowdrops Galore

Good Morning everyone, thank you for the lovely welcome back to cyberland.

As ive lost weeks of uploading i've decided to upload my snowdrops cards together. I really enjoyed using the snowdrop die i got for Christmas.  I love snowdrops as one of the first signs that spring is slowly coming along, peeking their cheery heads out of the ground.

These first ones are small but mighty...i do love small cards, always have - forces me not to add too much!!  Anyway approx size is: 5x4"  This year im making an effort to use older dies, forgot how much i loved this set!

I first die cut my snowdrops from white card, i held the little pieces that drop out in place with tape on the back, i then coloured them lightly with alcohol markers in green grey.

I die cut the fancy lacy panel from script cardstock and a backing layer from a contrasting colour of patterned paper.  I then used the largest die in the set and cut my base card from white cardstock, i hung the edge of the die over the spine of my base card so that it kept the spine in place and you get a shaped card.  Stamped greeting on a small fishtail banner cut from the same paper as the backing panel.  Touches of glitter to finish.

I made a little set of these in various colour choices, they flew out the door, as my craft desk is in the living room people often see what im working on and everyone who saw these loved them....maybe next year i will make more

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Snowdrop shaker card

This version came about after making my mums gift -See HERE for the full details.  After die cutting my jar i used a craft knife to cut out the middle, backed with acetate, added foam tape around the outside edge, filled with glitter, micro beads & sequins and then backed with a solid jar die cut - this made my shaker element.  I then just built up the jar with snowdrops and foliage.

I kept it sentiment free so that the lovely friend whose birthday i made it for could display it longer if she so wished.  

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Acetate Hexagon Card

Approx 6x7"  I folded a piece of acetate in half and used my largest hexagon die to cut it into a shaped cardbase, the die didn't cut it perfectly but enough that when i finish with my scissors i had a neat finish. The stitch lines on the die also added a little detail on the acetate.  Using 2 of the hexagon dies i die cut a frame and attached to the frame with foam tape. I then die cut blue paper and attached to the inside of my card, only adding the glue where the white frame is so that you can't see glue from the inside or outside.  I did similar with the back panel so its all neat and tidy.

I then arranged my snowdrops, stamped sentiment on a die cut label shape, i cut a second lable, coloured with the green pen i used on the snowdrops, cut it in half leghtways and glued behind my white one.  Green gems to finish.

Different angle

Items Used:

Alexandra Renke snowdrop die

Sue Wilson die - french collection 'provence'

Spellbinders 'Valiant Honor'

MFT Fishtail banners

MFT curved border edge dies

Stitiched Hexagon dies

Various foliage dies

Hunkydory acetate

Marie anna designs - script card

B&M blue floral paper

Various 6x6 papers

Thank you for all stopping by once again.  I hope you are all doing ok, hugs to you all in these worrying times. Emmax

Id love to enter the following:

http://craftygalscornerchallenges.blogspot.com/2020/03/challenge-205-use-flowers.html

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http://craftycardmakers.blogspot.com/2020/03/253-spring.html

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http://useyourstuff.blogspot.com/2020/03/394-spring.html

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Snowdrops

Good Morning everyone

I had got these snowdrop dies for Christmas and when mum saw them she loved them, having already made her birthday card i decided to make a little picture she can hang on the wall with them.

5x7" approx.  I cut a piece of blue patterned paper for the background and cut a piece of green script card with a curved border to act as the 'grass'. I die cut the jar from white card and lightly inked with tumbled glass distress ink.   I then die cut lots and lots of snowdrops from white card and foliage from left over bits of the script card i used for the grass.

For the snowdrops they do have little pieces that pop out after die cutting, i wanted to keep them in so added a little bit of tape to the back of each snowdrop to hold the pieces in - found it easier to do before popping them out of the die. I then used a green and grey alcohol pen to gently add colour to each snowdrop.  I built them up in my jar with the foliage. 

A close up on the snow drops.  When im die cutting lots of small dies like this my baby blue die cutting machine is ideal.

And a photo of it in its box frame with mount.  Mum and dad both loved it!

Items Used:

Alexandra Renke snowdrop die

Sizzix foliage die

Jam jar die

MFT Curved border die

Patterned papers

Alcohol markers - green & grey

Tumbled glass distress ink

5x7 box frame

Thank you all for stopping by once again. I hope you enjoy the rest of the week and then weekend. Emma

Id love to join in the following:

http://thesisterhoodofcrafters.blogspot.com/2020/01/meet-our-new-sistahs-new-challenge.html  - my snowdrops new stash

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http://alwaysfunchallenges.blogspot.com/2020/02/challenge-148.html

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https://die-cut-divas.blogspot.com/2020/02/hearts-and-flowers-with-hero-arts.html

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Winter Birthday

Good Morning everyone, i hope you had a lovely weekend.

Its time for a new challenge over at Make My Monday, the theme for the next 2 weeks is

WINTER BIRTHDAY

Funnily although most of my family's birthdays are in December and January ive never actually made a winter themed birthday card and found it harder than i expected.  I eventually decided on my snowdrop stamp set as the snowdrops are just coming out to flower in my garden. 

5x7 white linen cardblank.  I first stamped the snowdrops in black archival ink.  I then dry embossed 2 sizes of stitched rectangle dies to give frames.  One around the outside of the cardblank to frame it and one where i wanted the sentiment to be.  I think this is also my first totally flat one layer card too. 

I added masking gum to the snowdrops.  I then used a circlur leaf stencil centreed in the middle of the card and inked through with 2 distress inks, where the 2 green met they created a 3rd shade.  Evergreen bough & twisted citron.  Once ink was completely dry i removed the masking gum to reveal the white snowdrops underneath.

I then stamped my sentiment into the smaller embossed box.  I very lightly inked the outside card edge with evergreen bough DI and lightly embossed some small circles in the corners to add interest.  I think it will be the year of the stencil in my crafting😀, the more i use them and get the hang of the stencil brushes the more i like the effect, i guess like everything you learn each time.

A close up of the embossed stitched frame die and sentiment.  You can emboss any thin metal die by using a rubber mat. 

Close up of the snowdrops.  I left them completely uncoloured but added some clear glitter to the flower heads to help them stand out against the busy background.  I also went around them with a very pale grey alcohol marker.

Items Used:

Chocolate Baroque 'Spring is in the air' stamp set

Dots stencil

Leafy burst stencil

Double Stitched rectangle dies

TH Distress Ink - evergreen bough & twisted citron

Stickles twinkle glitter glue

CraftUk white linen card

If you fancy joining in or some inspiration for winter birthday cards please do hop over to MMM - im looking forward to see what everyone comes up with.

I hope you all have a good week and get some crafting in.  Thank you for stopping by and all your amazing comments last week. Hugs Emmax