Little Santa

Here is my Little Santa - finished in time for Christmas Eve. I made Angels in 2011 designed by Sue Dolman of Candle House Crafts and  more recently sent away for her 'Little Santa' pattern.

Here he is on the tree:

I was making him at the last Cardinal Colours Crop and thought the girls might like to see him finished.
Thanks for looking

Lynn x

Gift Box for Christmas Decorations

I made lots of friends and family sets of Walnut Christmas tree decorations a few years ago, and recently my sister asked for some more, her theme being pink, white and silver. So I set about making another 12 decorations for her. Once made I wanted a box to present them in that she could also use to store them in together with those I made her before.

Linda had given me some strong colourful boxes she no longer needed, and I remembered one of them was pink. Then  I selected some patterned papers from Papermaze - Sugarplums by Doodlebug Designs.

I decorated the box with two papers from the collection - Tiny Trimmings for the top & Christmas Trim for the sides. I used a Sizzix die to cut the lettering from corrugated cardboard, and painted them with Distress Paint (acrylic paints). They were then sprayed with pink iridescent glitter spray. Difficult to see the sparkle in the photos. I added some ribbon and a bow.

Inside of the box - lined with egg carton covered in Christmas tissue paper. with room to add the existing decorations.

Merry Christmas Sylvie
Thanks for looking
Lynn x

Decorations with Carol

I had the opportunity to have a go at Carol's 'make and take' workshop at this year's Papermaze Christmas Crop.

Christmas baubles using an MDF bauble shape, painted with Acrylic paints, stamped with a script stamp and then decorated with a die cut poinsettia (Sizzix Movers and Shapers) and punched fern leaves some gems & Stickles glitter glue to add some bling. Finally it is topped off with a ribbon bow and a twine for hanging on the tree. The smaller flowers are tiny rolled roses. I added a dew drop to the centre of my poinsettia. The leaves and flowers were created with Bazzill cardstock.

Here is the bauble I made:

I will certainly be making more of these - maybe not until next December though!

Many thanks to Vanessa and Carol.

Thanks for looking
Lynn x

New Tradition - Maybe?!

We actually had all three of the 'children' at home for a few hours this morning. Andrew arrived back from Brighton late last night, Emily and her fiancé, Jack came to us after a show they had been to see in Wembley and Catherine arrived this morning as she has a rare day off. So they shared a few hours over a late breakfast in pyjamas!

Who would have thought they would enjoy building a gingerbread house with a difference so much! This year it is a Lego model, a limited edition for 2015 - this delightful Lego model, which is more complicated to build than it looks, and has many more pieces that I expected. 

It caused a great deal of fun and laughter without any washing up!

I wonder if this could become a new tradition for Christmas in the Cooper household.

The rear elevation:

Single room property, with rom to develop the loft space.  Stained glass windows, and skylights with removable chimney, edible home decor, comes flat-packed and ready to assemble. Mature gardens surround the property. I may just have been looking at too many property details recently!

Lots of fun for the 'no-so' little ones!
Thanks for looking
Lynn x

Christmas Accordion Cards with Die'sire

You may have seen these cards I made featured on the Papermaze blog. I have been having a play with some of the Die'sire Classiques Christmas Collection Dies, and here are my first attempts:

For the first three snowflake cards I used:

Create-A-Card Christmas Collection- Snowflake Accordian Card
Crafter's Companion Classiques Christmas Collection - Snow is Falling
Crafter's Companion Classiques Christmas Collection - Snowflake Circle Overlay

Crafter's Companion Classiques Christmas Only Words - Merry and Bright

Bazzill Cardstock & Doodlebug Designs Inc. Sugarcoated Cardstock

Miri Card and scraps of metallic and other cardstock
Sizzix Bigshot for cutting and embossing dies
Flat-backed Self-adhesive Gems and pearls

Liquid Pearls and Stickles

for the cards with Bells I used the following in addition to the items listed above:
Crafter's Companion  Create-A-Card Collection - Circle Accordian Card

Crafter's Companion Classiques Christmas Collection - Jingle Bells
Crafter's Companion Classiques Christmas Collection - Jingle Bells Circle Overlay

Crafter's Companion Classiques Christmas Only Words - JingleAll The Way
Ribbon

These cards are fun if a little fiddly to create, but worth the effort for those special people you want to send greeting to at Christmas.

Thanks for looking

Lynn x

Christmas Cakes in Miniature

Miniature Christmas Cake gifts cards created by adapting a design for a birthday cake card by the lovely Zoe from a class I attended back in 2011. These are for my lovely friends at Papermaze.

Cake boxes with tea light cakes, decorated with Basic Grey Christmas papers from Christmases past.

 Merry Christmas Vanessa and Lesley

I used: Bazzill Cardstock
Patterned papers - Basic Grey
Punches: Corner rounder, scalloped circle
Tealight (battery operated)
Liquid Pearls
Ribbon

Score board

Thanks for looking
Lynn x

Do You Want To Build A Snowman?

A project for the Papermaze Make and Take sessions at the Christmas Crop earlier today. Several years ago my lovely friend Anita made these snowmen for all her friends at a crop and I was lucky enough to receive one. When thinking of something to do for a quick make and take session, I remembered these, worked out how they were put together and adapted them a little.

Here is my Snowman:

Hope you all enjoyed making these ladies, they make great tags, or table decorations.

I used:

2 x Circle dies
Tealight (approx. 1 ½”)
Circle punch 1”
heart punch (mini)
SU Word Window Punch
MS Branch punch

Ribbon 10”

Big Shot or Cuttlebug

Cardstock – White (4” x 6”),
Cardstock scraps in black, brown & red

Glittery red cardstock

Chalk Ink – pale blue

3D sticky tape
Stickles
Liquid Pearls

Thanks for looking.
Lynn x

Bean Bag Comfort for your Tablet or Ipad

The first Saturday of the month finds me at the Cardinal Colours Crop in Sussex. Looking for a gift idea for my lovely scrapping friends, I found an idea on Pinterest for Bean Bags for IPads etc. I had noticed a few of my fellow crafters following patterns on their devices and thought it would be good to have them at a handy position to work from white stitching, scrapping, card making, crocheting and knitting.

Here are my efforts after adapting the patterns I found a little:

The bags are designed for the IPad, so plenty of room for my smaller tablet. I know most of the girls have the IPad, so made the bags to fit them.

 This one was made to match some other items I have made for Linda in the past.

Bags of fun!

Great fun to make and hope your girls all have a great Christmas. xxx
Thanks For looking
Lynn xxx

Snowman Poop!

"Heard you've been naughty

So here's the scoop -

All you get for Christmas is Snowman Poop!"

I found this idea of Pinterest by Shannon White and made these cards for my friends at today's crop at Cardinal Colours.

I added another idea found on Pinterest to add labels to the Tic Tac packs from a blog called 'Somewhat Simple' with free printables.

I used a variety of different embossing folders and the Sizzix, Bazzill cardstock, digital cardstock, ribbons, Distress Markers, corner & circle punch, the Cricut and of course Tic-Tacs.

Hope you all like these fun cards and enjoy the crop today.

Thanks for looking
Love Lynn

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care

This card reminds me of the Christmas poem 'Twas the night before Christmas.

Lots of little bits and pieces to die cut and attach, the flower centers were added with Liquid Pearls. After embossing the fireplace Distress Ink was stenciled through the die. Basic Grey - Figgy Pudding paper was used for the wall paper.

Crafter's Companion Classiques Christmas Collection - Christmas Fireplace
Crafter's Companion Classiques Christmas Collection - Fence and Gate

Bazzill Cardstock

Miri Card
Scraps of metallic and other cardstock
Sizzix Bigshot for cutting and embossing dies

Thanks for looking

Lynn x

Florence Piggott Banks (Driver)

Florence Piggott Banks Driver

This layout has taken a while, I seem to have had several attempts at moving forward with it. 

Papers - Maja Designs 

Stencils with texture paste.

Sizzix die and Kraft Bazzill decorated with flat backed pearls

Various blossoms and leaves from my stash.

Tando Clock face

Acetate doily's

Scallop edge scissors and Liquid Pearls

Here is the history bit:

Florence is My 3^rd cousin x 3 removed

Birth 28 May 1857 in West Hampshire, Essex, England
Died 28 December 1939 Seekonk, Bristol Co., Massachusetts, U.S.A

Father – Alfred Joseph Humbley Banks 1828 – 1866

Mother – Louisa Andrew Ferris  1824 - ?

3^rd child
Older brother Montague 1849 – 1902 and sister Ferrisa Banks 1851 - ? and Egan C. A. 1856,
Younger brother Gerald Lay 1860 – 1907, sister Eliza Ada Littler 1867 -1895Married Joseph Driver in 1881Emigrated to Canada and lived in Winnipeg, Manitoba 1881South Dufferin, Manitoba 1887 Stanley Manitoba 1891Morden, Selkirk, ManitobaCamp Hughes Winnipeg in 1916 (Camp Hughes was a Canadian military training camp, located in the Rural Municipality of North Cypress west of the town of Carberry in Manitoba, Canada. It was actively used for Army training from 1909 to 1934)Two sons Joseph Ferris Driver and William North Driver

Thanks for looking

Lynn x

Welcome Baby Elliot James

I made a card for my friend Hilary when she became a grandmother for the first time back in September. She sent me some photographs and I made this card using one of them and a selection of papers and stickers from Kaisercraft.

I also used some white Bazzill, blue ribbon and some gems and pearls.

Congratulations to Hilary and to Chris and Steph as well of course
Thanks for looking
Lynn x

Boo!

Happy Halloween All - here is a card I made while playing with my Bird Crazy Stamps.

I used a Tim Holtz Tag stencil as a stamp and inked it up with Distress inks and spritzed it with water. The bird and accessories were stamped with Archival Ink and coloured them with Distress Markers and a paint brush. This was all worked on water colour paper. The letters were cut with a Sizzix die.

Using the same technique I made the following cards:

Happy Halloween and thanks for looking
Lynn x

Mirror Image

Inspired by several different layout ideas I have gathered together in my mind, I created this layout which I later adapted for the Papermaze crop. It is a photo of my daughter Catherine from a photo shoot she had back in March 2013 - this one is for Catherine's album.

I used:
Bazzill in white & blackbirdPatterned paper (for the original BoBunny - Head Over Heels)
Patterned paper for kit page Dear Lizzy, Fine & Dandy – Stay Wild, Cheerful Chatter & Bright Bows together with  Amy Tangerine, Rise & Shine - ClaireMoonlight & Kaleidoscope Memory Box Butterfly dies Sizzix Sizzlits Decorative Strip Die - Tattered Flower GarlandMartha Stewart Vintage Floral (Deco Flowers) Punch Around the Page (just the border punch)Martha Stewart 3 in 1 Butterfly punchStampin’ Up scalloped border punch Crafters Workshop stencil – Mini SpecimensDylusions Black Marble spray inkStickles Glitter Glue - Black Diamond and SilverDistress Ink pad – Worn LipstickAmerican Crafts - black sprinkles (glitter) Thickers letter stickers for 'IMAGE'Hobbycraft - silver glitter letter & number stickers for 'MIRROR'

Here is the second layout created for the Papermaze crop using the Dear Lizzy papers:

Hope you enjoyed the crop those of you who could make it. It is always lovely to see so many variations of the layout come together. We had a great day as usual thanks Vanessa.
Thanks for looking
Lynn x

Home Sweet Home

Another new home card, this one for my brother Robert and his wife Elaine. Make in much the same way as the one I made for Mum and Dad. I used the following:
JOFY stamps
Watercolour paper
Distress Paint
Distress Markers
Black and White marker pens

Lots of fun making these new home cards. Wishing you happiness in your new home Rob and Elaine. xxx

Thanks for Looking
Lynn x

Welcome To Your New Home

A card I made for my parents as they move to a new home. After much waiting and thinking at times they might loose the place they wanted, moving day is finally here!

I used the following items to make this 8" x 8" card:
Watercolour paper
Distress Paints
Distress Markers
JOFY stamps from various sets
3D foam stamps
White marker pen
Black marker pen

I stamped the whole scene onto the painted watercolour paper. Then stamped each of the images again, coloured them, cut them and layered them. I did a little masking to pop the birds inside their little houses.

Wishing you happiness in your new home Mum and Dad. xxx

Thanks for looking
Lynn x

John Humbley Banks

While doing my family research I found some fascinating photos on Ancestry of some ancestral cousins. Here is John who was a farmer as the feature of my latest crop kit layout from Papermaze using Kaisercraft papers and a design by Vanessa.

John Humbley Banks

2^nd Cousin 4 x removed, Born 21^st July 1829 Hail Weston, Huntingdonshire, England

Father Joseph Banks 1794 – 1844 & Mother Elizabeth Humbley 1796 – 1861

Baptised 16^th October 1831, Hail Weston
1841 living in Hail Weston, Age 12

1851 living in Willington, Age 22, Bedfordshire, as a visitor to Brimley family

1852, Age 22, Marriage to Ellenor Ellen Brimley, Bedfordshire

1861, Age 32, Head of household, Farmer living with wife and 5 children, Elizabeth Ellen 7, Rosa Annie 6, Alexander Brimley 5, Charles Henry 4, Ellen Brimley 1, and 2 domestic servants. Sutton, Bedfordshire.

1871, Age 42, Head of household, Farmer - living with wife and Elizabeth Ellen 17, Rosa Annie 16, Helen 11, Florence Mary 9, and 2 domestic servants - Wellingborough, Northamptonshire.

Death – 13^th September 1878, Wellingborough, Northamptonshire.

The kit contained:
Patterned papers - Kaisercraft - Antique Bazaar (Restore, Salvage & Cut & Paste), Crate Paper - DIY Shop (Project)  & Simple Stories - Smarty Pants (Yellow Composition)
Lace, Twine ribbon, Pearls, Flowers, Washi Tape.
I added a few buttons and twine, and cut my title from scraps using two Sizzlet alphabets.
Thanks for the inspiration, and here is Vanessa's original design.

Thanks for looking.
Lynn x