Merry Monday Church Christmas Card Challenge

You have heard of the House that Jack Built? Well this is the Church that Pam Built.  The Merry Monday Challenge this week was a Church, so I set about building one using the kind of style I see on American films of country Churches.... I don't think my 400+ year old church building would have carried this off half so well.  I cut out a basic shape and then covered it with strips of white card to look like the boarding and then added all the embellishments.  It was a fun card to make. I think it looks really cute when standing up.

Delighted to receive another Honourable mention this week.

Sewing Machine Card

I received a sewing machine card from my sister in law for my birthday and liked it so much I thought I would make one for Chris. She loves sewing and is a really keen patchwork maker having achieved some beautiful work.  So I used the card I received and drew round it... cut out the shape, then set about making the patchwork. I did this by cutting out a square of material, covering it with double sided sticky tape and they proceeded to stick on all those small squares I had cut out.  I have to admit to removing the cardboard buttons from my own card to help embellish this one. I went into my button box and found a lovely little button that looked liked scissors... how fortunate was that!

Cosy New Home

This is the card I made for my brother and his wife as they have moved into their new home.  I made this card using a card making disc (Signature Collection by Sara Davies) that came with a crafting magazine, something I never do and yet Sue frequently does, and the embellishments were made using the Spellbinders Sapphire mini die cutting machine Brian & Sue very kindly bought me. The machine is so nice to use for small items as it is a lot less effort than using my Big Shot.  I shall let my grandson have a go with it on our next crafting session and see how he gets on with it.

Making a Mothering Sunday Card

It was fascinating to see what colours my grandson would use to produce this Mothering Sunday card for his mom, I thought his selection and balance were very good for such a young chap. It's lovely to keep these kind of memories.

Merry Monday set the challenge of making a Christmas card using black, white, gray and silver. So I used white textured card for my base, layered it with bright sparkly silver (which doesn't look so sparkly in this photo), a layer of dark gray spotted paper, then a black card before mounting the oval white card with the silver die cut of the holy family and a large bright sparkly star.  I finished this off with some diamante (silver) beads for the other lesser stars. As usual the photo taken on my phone does not do this card justice as the real thing looks so much more vibrant.

Merry Monday Buttons Christmas Card

Well this is my response to the Merry Monday challenge this week, a frosty snowy scene with buttons.  I did try real buttons on my card but the different shades of white didn't look very good so I opted for cutting them out using my die cut, so at least that way the white was all the same. I was very pleased again this week to receive an honourable mention for my efforts!

Merry Monday Tropical / beverage / berries / tartan / bell / flat / Santa / chalk board Christmas Card Challenge

I really wasn't going to make a card this week for the Merry Monday Challenge as I could not think who on earth I would send a tropical card to.  But then this evening with a daft idea in my head I decided to put pencil and crayons to paper and draw the entire card for fun.  This is not a serious card at all but a bit of a play on all the challenges that we have been given since I joined the group.  So this card has:-

A Santa

A beverage in Santa's hand

Holly and berries in the corner of the card & berries in the drink

A Tartan rug on the sun bed

A bell dangling from Santa's hat

Drawn on a chalk board

With a Tropical flavour to it

and it is a Flat Card

It kept me quiet and helped me divert my eyes from a really good murder mystery that I was enjoying but couldn't look at... just had to listen!!! ha ha..

Door Wreath Card

I wanted to make a Christmas Card to add to my stash and decided to try heat embossing as someone had given me a heat gun and I had some powders.  So I set about trying out my new die cutters and used them to look like a front door and added a wreath which I made up with a series of branches in a circle. I embossed this although to be honest unless you look very closely you would not realise, and then I stamped a ribbon and berries and dressed up the wreath. Not the most inspiring card I have made but another handmade card to give someone at Christmas.

Merry Monday Bells Christmas Card Challenge

Pleased to get an honourable mention for my Bells Card Challenge this week.

The Merry Monday Challenge was bells this week. Well I only had two bells which were stamps lent to me by a friend, the same design but different sizes, so they were the bells that were going to be used.

I began by stamping the bells in gold and the bows in red and thought how boring they looked so I drew a black edge around the bows to give them emphasis and stuck glitter on the bells to brighten them up.  Well what was I going to do with them then? I looked in my ribbon box for some gold twine and came across this beautiful ribbon I bought some years ago for a friends birthday card and this was what I had left over. I felt it would make a good anchor for the bells and ribbons. So then I set about staging them on layers of card and stamping a sentiment to finish it off.  Despite starting off feeling quite lack lustre about this challenge I have to say I ended up really enjoying myself and think it is my favourite MM card so far... but then I have only made six! 

Mini ipad birthday card

Making a birthday card for my sister-in-law isn't easy in fact to quote her, she is a challenge because she does not like cards with flowers on.  To add to things she is also a very good card maker herself.  So I put my thinking cap on and knowing how much she really loved her new ipad mini, thought what else could I turn a card into that would be better.  It was fun to make. Inside I put copies of one of her favourite card making sites and her BT login page.  I am pleased to say she sounded very happy to have received it even if she was poorly on the day.  Get well soon Sue!

Golfing Cake

Our Neighbour Wilf was having a surprise 75th birthday party organised by his children.  They had ordered a large sponge celebration cake for the event but said to go ahead and make him a fruit cake as a birthday gift.  I tried to keep it low key but in keeping with his hobby playing golf. I put myself under pressure by baking the cake Monday, marzipanned it Wednesday, iced it Friday and made the model golfer and decorated it on Saturday before the party on the evening..... I really must start these cakes earlier!

Painting of our Lovely Dog

This is a beautiful painting our daughter and son-in-law had made for us for our wedding anniversary in memory of our gorgeous dog Sally who died on 23rd December 2016. She had a good life, nearly 15 years old. For anyone interested in having a painting done of their pet then contact Annes at:- Pet Portraits by Annes Mien

Husband's Wedding Anniversary Card

Well as my husband really liked the chalk board card I made for the 'Merry Monday Challenge' I decided to make something similar for our wedding anniversary.  The font was far too small but was all I had yet he was thrilled with it. I decorated it with some of the things he likes and is interested in.

Merry Monday Berries Card Challenge

The Merry Monday challenge this week was berries. Well with a very busy week, two birthday cards, hubbies anniversary card and a 75th birthday cake to bake, ice and decorate before Saturday, I wasn't going to enter this week. But then I felt a bit mean not taking part and it all adds to my stash of Christmas cards so I made the quickest card I could think of.  Stamping holly, berries and mounting some of them onto card for a 3-D effect.  A simple stamp with Seasons Greetings and a touch of gold smudged around the edge of the card and done!

Merry Monday Chalk Board Challenge

I so enjoyed this weeks challenge because it is a method I have never come across before, creating a chalk board effect. I stamped a 'Crafty Impressions' sentiment on the chalk board and then used 'Papertrey Ink Co.' Spruce and Sprigs die cutters and stamps for the embellishments.  I shall be trying this method again especially as my husband was wowed by this card and he is not usually quite so animated by my cards as he was with this one.