Heirloom Christmas with a Shiny Red Bow

It may not be your obvious choice of Christmas pattern but I just love the houndstooth background builder die in the WMS Heirloom Patterns set.  For me this pattern is synonymous with shopping at David Jones which is where most of my Christmas shopping was done when I used to live in Sydney.  It was the department store in Sydney and the Christmas displays were AMAZING. I can still remember as a young child going into the city at Christmas time to see the decorated store fronts - it was a simply magical time of the year.

The present is a Sizzix Original die.  I've cut several layers at once so that it stands out more - no problem for the Sizzix Original Dies which can cut very thick layers.   A little glossy accents really made the red bow shine and I think it looks striking against the black and white houndstooth.  The Holly from the Tim Holtz Holiday Lamp Post adds even more festive spirit.

The sentiment from WMS Ornate Ornaments fitted perfectly on this Spellbinders Classic Oval which I matted with a Spellbinders Floral Oval - particularly festive with it's little star border. 

I am entering these cards in the last WMS Fanatics Challenge which closes tomorrow.  Deb and Tara and more recently Kathy, have done a wonderful job creating fortnightly challenges for us die hard WMS Fanatics.   This last challenge is an Anything Goes Challenge so I've spent the last few weeks linking anything I've created during this busy time of the year.  That's not hard when Waltzing Mouse Stamps have some of the most brilliant Christmas sets on the market (and I own most of them) !!!

Thanks for stopping by and have a great new year,

Kate

Art Deco New Year

No matter how organised you are with your Christmas card list (and I never am), there always seems to be someone you have overlooked, or you get a card late Christmas eve from someone you didn't expect and you realise they weren't on your list.  One could just accept defeat and put them on the top of next year's list or send a New Year's card.  Here is such a card.

I've used the WMS Art Deco Backgrounds for the background and WMS Putting on the Ritz for the sentiment.  I mounted the sentiment on a self matting WMS Pretty Panel #2.  Some glittery Quickutz photo corners and some glittery Sizzix Original Confetti added a little sparkle !!!

I'm entering this in the last ever Waltzing Mouse Fanatics Challenge

Thanks for stopping by,
Kate

Compliments of the Season

The theme over at the Curtain Call this fortnight is Candy Canes, which gave me the opportunity to try something I've had in my head for a while - to cut a panel stamped with WMS Pinstripes on the diagonal so it looks more festive.

This is a card I made for one of Simon's doctors - they love getting photo cards from him.  I've cut the pinstriped panel with a fishtail pennant shape and used this to spotlight the photo of Simon cut into a star shape ('cos he's a star) !!!   A sentiment from WMS Compliments of the Season fitted nicely under the banner.

I'm also entering this card in the last ever Waltzing Mouse Fanatics Challenge.

Thanks for stopping by,

Kate

Perfectly Matted Label

I don't know about anyone else but I have always wanted to mat labels perfectly and have spent a fortune on Spellbinders Labels trying to achieve the effect.  Then Claire Brennan of Waltzing Mouse Stamps has this brilliant idea of making dies which are self matting.  So far there are three self matting labels she has designed - this is Pretty Panel #1.  I'm hoping she brings out a larger one soon so it can accommodate some of the larger WMS sentiments in my collection.

I had some bits and bobs left over from previous crafting efforts and I needed one last Christmas card, so I combined this glossily accented Tim Holtz mini reindeer with a panel I had stamped in Satin Red Versafine using the WMS Vintage Christmas Backgrounder, a sentiment from WMS 'Tis the Season which was mounted on a matted WMS Pretty Panel # 1 and a stamped and cut WMS Festive Foliage Holly Sprig.

I am entering this card in the Waltzing Mouse Fanatics Challenge 33 which is Anything Goes.  If you love Waltzing Mouse Stamps as much as I do, head on over and play along.  Sadly it's their final challenge so let's make it memorable for Deb, Tara and Kathy - and difficult to choose a winner for the prize that's up for grabs (a £20 gift voucher at the WMS store).

Thanks for stopping by,
Kate

Saved by the Tag

Christmas has managed to creep up on me again, thanks to a bronchial infection which has done the rounds of the family and finally me.  Thankfully I produced a large batch of gift tags using the brilliant WMS Stitched Tag die a few weeks back and I've been able to match them to the various wrapping papers I've used for my presents, which has made wrapping presents sooo much easier.

I found the "Merry Christmas" sentiment and the "from" and "to" from WMS Ornate Ornaments fitted perfectly on the tags and they've been mounted on acrylic blocks for a few weeks now.  It was then just a matter of choosing what ink colour to use and a suitable image.

I used a sentiment from Alpine Christmas on this blue snowflake tag which took seconds to make.

But I think this one has to be my favourite.  I added Glossy Accents to a Memorybox plush Bow and attached it to this stamped and cut gift.

I'm entering this in the Waltzing Mouse Fanatics Challenge 33 which sadly is the last one.  

Thanks for stopping by,

Kate

Universal Goodwill

I added some Waltzing Mouse magic to some plain wine bottle boxes.  I'm not sure if Claire had this in mind when she designed these stamps in the Seasonal Remedies set, but they seemed perfect for the job.  

My first attempt (on the right) involved placing a few WMS Snowflakes Two down the centre and labels on the top.  But then I realised that the labels resembled bottle labels so I placed them further down and just added a single WMS Snowflake Three to the top.  A medium WMS Stitched Tag and some organza ribbon finishes off the set.

Here are some more close ups of the label and snowflakes

On the second box, I coated the labels with Glossy Accents so they more resembled wine labels.  

I am entering these in the WMSFC 33 which is Anything Goes and sadly their last one,

and Male Room Challenge 25 which has a theme of Christmas.

Thanks for stopping by,

Kate

More Late Christmas Presents

I made these black, white and gold tags to match the pretty wrapping paper I used on these presents, with WMS Stitched Tags, WMS Snowflake Two and WMS Ornate Ornaments.  Initially I was going to die cut a white snowflake and mount it on a black medium stitched tag but then I thought it would be fun to use a negative die cut and this was what I came up with.

This sentiment from WMS Ornate Ornaments works perfectly on the bottom edge of the largest stitched tag and there is plenty of space to write gift details subtly obscured from view on the area that falls behind the upper tags.  I was thinking also that the top two layers could be reused by the recipients.

I am entering these tags in the final  Waltzing Mouse Fanatics Challenge 😢!

Thanks for stopping by,
Kate

Some Late Presents and Sad News

I know Christmas comes at the same time each year but for some reason it always catches me unawares.  Three craft fairs and a nasty bug which did the rounds of the family, eventually getting me too, have really undone me this year.  

These presents should have been in the post two weeks ago so I am not holding much hope for them arriving before Christmas.  Someone suggested that I shop on Amazon - as if someone at Amazon would put the love into wrapping and tagging these gifts that I do.  Christmas isn't just about spending money on someone is it (which is just as well 'cos we're pretty broke this Christmas), it's about showing that you care.  And I hope these presents show that, even if they're late.  Anyway Christmas is a season not a day !!!

The sad news is that the Waltzing Mouse Fanatics Challenge is closing.  There is a prize for their last challenge so head on over for their  last challenge which is Anything Goes as long as you use WMS products.  I'm entering these gift tags which I made to match the purple paper I used to wrap these presents.

I made double tags using the larger two WMS Stitched Tag Dies.  I got this idea from Claire Brennan, of Waltzing Mouse Stamps.  I stamped the upper tag with the smallest of the WMS Gingham and Co gingham backgrounds because there was gingham in the paper, and topped it with a Tim Holtz Mini Deer.  The Base Tag I stamped with sentiments from WMS Ornate Ornaments.  I used Dusty Concord Distress Ink for the gingham and the sentiment. I have all these pretty papers but it's often easier to make my own backgrounds and not have to worry about matching ink colours.

Thanks for stopping by,

Kate

Blue Snowflakes

I've been busy writing Christmas cards this week and of course found myself short so I came up with this quick card based on the sketch which is Waltzing Mouse Fanatics Challenge 32.

I die cut 5 of the WMS Snowflake 2 from pale blue and lined them up in two columns on some white card,  coloured some white pearls with a silver BIC Mark it pen and placed them in the centres of the snowflakes and then stamped a sentiment from WMS Alpine Christmas and embossed it in silver.

Thanks for stopping by,

Kate