Quick (Last minute!) Christmas Cards

Hi Jenny here today
How are your Christmas preparations going?
Not long until the 25th now!

This year, I seem to have got behind with all things Christmas and I have found myself in need of a few more cards. 

I thought I'd pop by and share with you some "super fast" cards in case you're like me and need a few last minute ideas!



I have used some of my Christmas dies to cut apertures behind which I have layered some scraps of Christmas papers. Then I have simply  layered this onto some coloured card and onto a card blank.

 I stamped a simple Christmas greeting underneath each aperture in black memento ink and added some stickles and flat backed gems as embellishments.

If you don't have a die cutting machine, you could achieve a similar affect using punches!

Have you finished making all your cards or are you needing a few more?

Happy Christmas!

Jenny x

See more of Jenny's cards over on her blog: Dragonllews Spot

MME Cut Paste Flair Mum Card

Jenny's back again today with a pretty project to brighten up a grey December day! It's something a little bit different for Jenny too - there's not a promarker in sight! 

Jenny:

 I have cut a panel out of a standard 6 x 6 card blank and stuck the letters over the gap. I have used papers from MME Cut Paste Flair pad teamed with some black card I love how the soft colours really stand out against the black. 

I used the word art function in word to create the letters and numbers, printing them onto normal card which I then cut out and stuck onto my patterned paper. You need to use quite thick card to give the card front some strength. I have put stickles all around the edges of the letters and numbers to finish them off. I used my fiskers scalloped lace border punch for the bottom edge.

This gorgeous flower has been cut with Tim Holtz Tattered Flowers die from some of the pink ombre paper in the MME Cut Paste Flair pad I love the way this has allowed me to cut the flowers all from the same sheet but with the differing shades. I have used a Basic Grey Candy Button to the centre of the flower and gone round all the edges with stardust stickles.

Here's a view of the card slightly open, you can just about see another sheet of that gorgeous ombre paper this time in an aqua green shade.

Jenny is a busy Mum with three children and regularly blogs her cards and crafts at Dragonllews Spot! 

Didn't Jenny make a beautiful card? If you missed her Cut & Paste Flair Altered Diary be sure to check it out HERE!

MME "Cut & Paste Flair" Altered Diary.

Remember this lovely altered notebook on this post?!

 Today, Jenny is back with a fab altered diary which would make a perfect gift for Christmas.

 

I started off with this very plain and boring black diary which I bought for just £1 

I made this diary for my teenage daughter who has a thing about all things "nerdy" and as soon as I saw this glasses paper I knew I wanted to use it for something for her. Having recently started work she needs a diary to write her shifts down in. I started off with sheet of kraft card which I cover the whole diary with. I then matted the glasses paper which comes from MME Cut Paste Flair pad onto a piece of black card. I have used some Basic Grey Candy Buttons in the corners to add a little bit of interest to them. 

The glasses are from a necklace which I took apart I have used a set of numbers from an old set of Alpha's which I had tucked away. I stuck the glasses down with glossy accents and then filled the lenses with it to give them a more realistic appearance. I added a couple of flat backed gems to the corners for a little bit of sparkle.

Have you altered a notebook or diary (or some other office supply) recently? Leave a link in your comment so we can pop by and see it!

Jenny is a busy Mum with three children and regularly blogs her cards and crafts at Dragonllews Spot!

November's Six Cards on the 6th!

Hello and welcome to November's Six Card's on the 6th! Are you feeling festive yet? I'm starting to dream of decking the halls and roasting a turkey... ooh I love the anticipation!

This series is all about inspiring you to get those Christmas cards made in time. You can link up your own cards at any time throughout the month, and at the end of the series one link-up from all the posts will win a pizza box stuffed full with scrapbook stash!

Today we have cards by me (Jennifer) and Jenny to make you feel festive! We encourage you to think of how you can make the six cards quickly, and before you know it you'll have a set of cards ready to go!

I'm up first...

Jennifer:

I pulled together a kit for my cards:

It includes the Crate Paper Bundled Up 6x6" Pad and Ephemera, 6x6" Square Kraft Blanks, sequins, a white pearl pen, a sentment stamp, a stack of pigment inks, and some Studio Calico Tiny Stars Wood Veneers. After I took this photo I also pulled out some cream card, wide ledger print washi tape, white glitter tape, and clear embossing powder (plus tools and adhesives!).

Here's the six cards I created:

You can see I followed the same format for all the cards, even though the varied colours and ephemera makes them look a bit different!

Now for Jenny's set of cards...

Jenny:

I've gone for a red and silver theme this month! I've used a background stamp with versa mark ink and silver embossing powder to create a background and then inked over it with Festive Berries distress ink.

Aren't Jenny's cards jolly? I love the ones with jingle bells on - I know my kids would keep shaking them to hear the bells ring!

Have we inspired you to get crafting? If you join in with the series we'd love you to copy this button into your post or sidebar! Just select all the text in the box below the image, and copy that either into a html gadget (or text widget) in your sidebar, or into the html on a blog post. Then the button will appear and will be linked back to the series - your button won't have a box underneath!

<a href="http://www.sjpapercrafts.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/six%20on%20the%206th"><img src="http://i871.photobucket.com/albums/ab280/Jennifergrace_photos/Sixon6thbutton180pix_zps321d7a53.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo Sixon6thbutton200pix_zps673fb713.jpg" /></a><br>

Link up your cards below for a chance to win the pizza box full of stash (prize will go out in early January). Have fun and be merry! 

Jennifer x

A Christmas Notebook!

Hello - Jenny here today!

With just over 8 weeks to go (I know - scary how fast time goes!) it really is time to turn out thoughts to our Christmas crafting!

Every year at Christmas time I have a little notebook in which I keep a record of all the presents I have bought so I don't forget anyone or more likely buy another present when I've already got one squirrelled away for them!

This year I thought I would make myself a pretty one so I set about altering this notebook.

It was a pretty bog standard spiral bound notebook, which cost me less than a £1 when I bought it. I started off by levering the spiral open to remove the covers.

 I used a promarker to do this so I didn't bend the spiral out of shape.

  

I have covered the front and the back with kraft card and then added a panel to the front using papers from Teresa Collins Santa's List 6 x 6 pad. I've cut an aperture in the paper and put my image behind the hole. I used a cute penguin image coloured with my promarkers. I have heat embossed the silver on his hat and scarf and given him some stickles snow to stand on. For the finishing touches I  added some red twine and punched snowflakes with red gems added to the centre and tied a variety of ribbons to the spiral bound once it was back in place to pretty it up.

  



On the inside of the back cover I have added a pocket cut out of kraft card so that I can add any receipts I wish to keep. I created the pretty shape on the top edge of the pocket using one of my nestabilities dies.

I hope this might inspire you to make your own festive notebook - you could keep your "To do" list or your menu ideas in it as well as present ideas!

Don't forget you still have a few days to enter the Six Cards Challenge - we are loving visiting your blogs to see your cards and don't forget each time you link up six cards you gain an entry into the Big Draw to win a box of stash!!

Thanks for visiting today!



Jenny is a busy Mum with three children and regularly blogs her cards and crafts at Dragonllews Spot

September's Six Cards on the 6th! Prize added!

Hello and welcome to the September edition of 'Six Cards on the 6th'! This series encourages you (and us!) to get some Christmas cards made in advance of the festive season - this year we will be prepared!

On the 6th of each month from now until December, there will be a post filled with Christmas card inspiration for you. You will be able to link up your own cards at any time throughout the month, and at the end of the series one link up from all the posts will win a prize (more details on that at the end of this post)! 

If you join in with the series at any time, or if you just want to help us spread the word, it would be fantastic if you can copy this button into your post or sidebar! You just need to select all the text in the box below the image, and copy that either into a html gadget (or text widget) in your sidebar, or into the html on a blog post. Then the button will appear and will be linked back to the series - your button won't have a box underneath!

<a href="http://www.sjpapercrafts.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/six%20on%20the%206th"><img src="http://i871.photobucket.com/albums/ab280/Jennifergrace_photos/Sixon6thbutton180pix_zps321d7a53.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo Sixon6thbutton200pix_zps673fb713.jpg" /></a><br>

Today we have cards by Jenny and Louise to inspire you to get started!

First up is Jenny:

 Last month it was mentioned that making up a kit might speed up the creative process. I'll admit starting off a cardmaking session with a kit is not something I would normally do, so I decided to just pull out some basics to start me off! My kit consisted of a MME 6x6 Mistletoe Magic paper pad, some sheets of cardstock and some Christmas stamps.

As I got stuck in to my creative session I also used diamond, gold & silver stickles, scalloped lace border punch, zig zag border punch, tag punch, gems, ribbon, Memento black ink pad , promarkers , various spellbinder dies and six scalloped 6 x 6 square card blanks.

Here's the six cards I made:

Jenny x

Next is Louise:

 Jennifer and Sarah shared photos of the Christmas kits they pulled together last month. Taking the lead from them I did the same, and then discovered the Teresa Collins 6x6 Santas List paper pad had all the elements I needed to make my cards! The only touches I ended up adding were the snowflakes and twine:

Louise x

Didn't they both do a great job? I love how the cards in each set all go together, but each have their own distinctive charm too! 

So what are you waiting for? Jenny and Louise have both shown you can just grab a 6x6 pad and a few extra details and get stuck in... and you have the added incentive that joining in with the series could win you a prize:

One person who links up to the Six Cards on the 6th series will receive a prize - a Christmas present with a mix of old and new scrapbooking goodies for you to unwrap and enjoy! It will be a pizza box nicely stuffed with goodies. Each time you link up a set of six cards you'll earn an extra entry into the draw, so join in each month for more chances to win! Last month's entries will be included in the draw too. (NB: the prize will go out in early January to the lucky winner, to allow for late December link-ups).

I hope to see your cards soon! Jennifer x

Visit the Design Team - Challenge 3 (For NSD)

Hello again!

 

So, how is your day going? Plenty of scrapping? Enjoying this beautiful weather?

I certainly am! I have been scrapping lots today and enjoyed a fun trip to our local park with my girl this afternoon!

It's time for another NSD challenge!!

 

If you're new here, a big welcome to you!!
You can catch up on Challenge 1 here: A Sketch Challenge

Challenge 2 here: Just ONE manufacturer

And details of a giveaway here: Facebook Giveaway

 

For this next challenge I'd like you to "meet" the wonderful  S J Crafts Design Team!!

 

 

These ladies have all been with me since the start and have been a fantastic support to me and S J Crafts. Their endless enthusiasm for papercrafting and desire to share their creative talents with others is second to none! I now consider them my firm friends and have been lucky enough to meet and craft with three of them and hopefully one day soon I'll also "meet in person" the fourth!!

So, for this challenge you will need to visit each of their blogs and have a browse around and find the answers to the questions below.

 

When you have all the answers send an e mail to me with DT Visit Challenge in your subject line and tell me what you think the answers are.

E mail me at:   sarah (at) s j papercrafts.co.uk (remember to turn it into a proper e mail address .... just don't want loads of those rubbish spam messages in my inbox!)

 

Whilst you are visiting the DT Blogs it would be absolutely wonderful if you would leave a comment for them to let them know you stopped by and of course if you like what you see there you could follow their blog too! I know they'd all appreciate it!! 

 

Here's the blog links:

 

Lisa-Jane :  Inside My Head

Jennifer : Jennifer Grace Creates

Louise : Boys Bugs and Beautiful Buttons

Jenny : Dragonllews Spot

 

And the Questions:

 

* What was the item of clothing that Lisa-Jane scrapped about recently on a layout featuring her young son?

 

* Jennifer recently scrapped about a wet weather walk with her daughter. What colour and pattern are on Jennifer's footwear on that layout?

 

* What did Louise's son say about the Harry Potter ride in Florida which features as a title on her recent layout made with Studio Calico's Snippets collection?

 

* Jenny recently made a lovely Christmas card featuring a snowman. What colour is the snowman's tie and which papers did she use on the card?

 

One winner will be picked at random from all the correct entries (all questions must be correct!) to win a prize pack of Crate DIY Shop papers and stickers (shown in the pic below).

 

 

 

Closing date for entries: Saturday 11th May 10pm BST

The winner will be announced on this blog soon after the closing date!

 

Good Luck and enjoy "meeting" the Design Team Girls!!!

 

I'll be back later this evening (or possibly first thing sunday morning!) with a special NSD discount code just in case you fancy a little stash shopping this bank holiday weekend!!

 

Joy Fold Card Tutorial

 

Hello and a very Happy Friday to you!

It's Jenny here today  with a tutorial to show you how to make a Joy Fold card.

This is a great design when you want to make a special card for someone or something a little different!

 

 

To start off with you will need 2 different sizes of card blanks.

  I've used a 135mm square and a 96 mm square card blank.

Take your biggest card and cut half of the front piece off. 

This is shown on the bottom card in the photo below.

Next you need to pretty up your card blanks I've used papers from My Minds Eye - Collectable - Memorable 6 x 6 pad. You will need to cover the fronts as well as the insides of both card blanks. You can create a small border if you wish by matting and layering.

Now position the smaller card blank on top of the larger one as above and stick down.

The front of the biggest card blank (the piece you cut in half earlier) closes over the back of the smaller card blank as shown below.

Next you will need to attach something to the front which will act as a catch to hold the front of the smaller card shut. I've used a sentiment to hold mine closed but you could use some other kind of embellishment. I've raised my sentiment up on foam pads to allow room for the front to slide under it.

Here's my card closed up ready to decorate. I have used some Penny Black Stickers on the front and again on the inside. The only other thing I added to mine was some self adhesive pearls.

I hope you might have a go at  makingthis style of card ... if you do I would love to see it. Why not leave a link in your comment to your card made following this tutorial so we can pop by and see it!

 

The S J Crafts Design Team have all been busy making samples for our Brand New Sketch Challenge which is coming very soon .... and there's a prize for one lucky sketch challenge entry! So keep an eye out for that!

 

Have a wonderful day!

Jenny x

 

See more of Jenny's crafting over on her blog : Dragonllew's Spot

 

 

 



My Minds Eye Collectable Birthday Card

 

Hello!!

 Jenny here today to share a card that I made using some of the papers from My Minds Eye - Collectable - Memorable 6 x 6 pad.

 

 I kept the card very simple to show off the gorgeous colours in this pad - lots of pinks / aqua / pale yellow and lime green. I cut the circles with nesties and inked the edges with distress inks just to soften them against the harsh white background I used the following colours Antique Linen, Worn lipstick & Iced Spruce. The White has been embossed with my swiss dots folder. The image has been stamped directly onto the patterned paper and I coloured it with my promarkers. I made a rolled flower from some scraps of paper and added some self adhesive pearls to finish it all off.

 

I'll be back soon with a tutorial to show you how to make a "Joy Fold" card!!

 

Jenny x

 

See more of Jenny's fabulous cards over on her blog : Dragonllew's Spot 

Jenny - Inspired By Winter

In the last part of our "Inspired By Winter" series I'd like you to get to know our 4th design team member, Jenny!

In case you missed the other posts here's the links to the other DT members: 

Jennifer

Louise

Lisa-Jane

***    ***    ***

Hi I'm Jenny and I live in Bournemouth with my husband and three children. I work mornings in a shop doing admin work and spend my spare time crafting, mainly making cards.

 

 

I've always been crafty and have dabbled at many different crafts including cross stitch, sewing (I made my own wedding dress and the bridesmaids dresses), and candle making. I started card making in November 2008 and haven't looked back since. I have been on several Design teams over the years and really enjoy the challenge they give me and allow me out of my comfort zone with some of the challenges.

  

 S J Crafts owner, Sarah asked us all a few craft related questions and these are my answers:

• What was your last crafty purchase? Gosh I can't think I have been really good this year and not really bought any christmas stash and I was determined to use up the box full I had here. I think the last thing I bought was the Sizzix Stamp & die set I've used in my cards below.

• Who is your favourite Craft Manufacturer? and why? I love MME paper pads as the colours really seem to suit my crafting at the moment and Lili of the Valley and Wee Stamps for images for my cards as they are just so cute.

• What is your favourite technique? This ones easy for me. It's just got to be colouring with my promarkers. I could spend hours colouring. I find it so relaxing.

I'm going to finish up by showing you a couple of quick Winter inspired Christmas cards I made

Both designs are fairly simple with some white embossed card, a piece of torn card to look like a snowy hill, stickles glitter along the torn edge and then I added a die cut tree or snowman from this set.

 

 

 Have you finshed all your Christmas cards? 

If my cards have inspired you to make some last minute quick cards, don't forget to leave a comment. We would love to see them.

Thank you for taking the time to stop by and have a read. 

Jenny x

You can check out Jenny's blog at: Dragonllew's Spot