Lavinia tags

 This will be the last post of 2021, so I will wish you all a pleasant New Year's Eve and I hope to see you in 2022. Today I have two tags, made with lavinia stamps. I got a tree stamp recently and I really like how it can be used on the edge so that only some of the branches show. It gives a nice dimension to the scene.

Challenges:

Cards4Gals: New stash
Crafty creations - AG
Creative Moments - AG
Through the craftroom door - AG
Welove2create - AG
InspirationStation - photo inspiration (she looks like a fairy in the forest)

And here is the second tag, I really like how the stars pop when you use silver embossing. 

Challenges:

Use your stuff - snow or winter
Christmas Craft creations - make a scene
Watercooler Wednesday - AG

Looking back on 2021

 

This has been a year to remember and blog wise they can be summarized with a reference to three posts that were mile stones to me. I have also chosen ten creations displayed during the year. 

Starting with the post from January 3 where I was convinced to take on the DT assignment for the challenge blog We Love Chocolate Baroque in addition to the one I've had at Allsorts for many years. So I chose a creation using a Chocolate Baroque stamp, paired with my interest in making gift boxes and paper items other than cards. 

I picked some more creations that are not cards since I really enjoy that. They also show my two major passions in life - my grandchildren and music.

 

After that comes the post from May 5 which is about having to leave my DT assignments. Dark times where I lost both my confidence and my joy of crafting. I put away the papers and the distress inks and instead sat in front of the computer until I found the words of encouragement I needed and some new joy and inspiration in the form of online crafters and digital stamps. 

The third post is from October 18 and signals that I have grown, I have moved on and I am confident once again. 

I do now what gives me joy (very Marie Kondo, I know, but I couldn't resist) and I never wonder what others might think of the quality of the inking, if the choice of stamp is valid, if I have done things according to someone elses wishes or not. I craft because I like it and when I do things to give away I can see that it brings joy to the receiver. I post my creations so that they might inspire someone else, not to get credit.

Right now I really enjoy the Lavinia stamps, therefor I chose creations using them, and since I have boxes upon boxes of cards I have started making tags instead so two tags will finish this post.

 

Take care and I hope 2022 will be a joyful crafting year for you, I know it will be for me. 

I'm doing this year in review as part of Ellie's blog hop and the other co hosts are:

Debbie - Blog: Secrets to Stamping

Ellie - Blog: Ellibelle's Corner

Helene - Blog: Mummylade

Kate - Blog: Small Bits of Paper

Maria Giselle - Blog: Maria Giselle's Creative Cuts

Misty - Blog: A Card a Day

You can enter your favourite project or projects for 2021 by adding it to the link below. 

Christmas chickadee and a red bouquet

I really love the digistamp with the little bird from Power Poppy so here is another frosty card featuring it. Coloured with distress inks and I used iridescent painter's medium to make the snow on the branches pop out. 

Challenges:

Cards4Galz - Christmas Animals

C.R.A.F.T. Challenge - Christmas - the last stretch
Little red wagon - Do they know it's Christmas

The paper shelter - Anything goes
Cutiepie challenge - Cute and cuddly

Allsorts - Wings and/or tails

We love stamping - A/G with CAS option

merrylittlechristmas - A/G

And then I have a Christmas card with a musical background made by dabbing acrylic silver paint onto a stencil, it created a very rustic texture. On that I mounted the flowers and leaves that I stamped, die cut and coloured with distress inks. Lots of elements as you can see in the picture below :)

This creation is for

 

Watercooler Wednesday - Anything goes
A bit more time to craft - Anything goes
Addicted to stamps and more - die cuts and stencils

and

Bird on a branch

 I just got this stamp from Gina K and wanted to try it out so I coloured it with distress inks, fussy cut it and used some foam tape to give it dimension. A plain white background and some die cut pieces to make a frame, clean and simple.

Challenges:

Allsorts - wings or tails
Creative fingers - anything goes
Polkadoodles - anything goes
Happy little stampers - use a die
Little red wagon - NBUS

And then I used the mood board at Incy Wincy - where I was creatively encouraged by being top 5 last challenge - to make this stencil card.

challenges:

Incy wincy designs - colour palette

A perfect time to craft - anything goes
Happy little stampers - use a stencil

Poinsetta and Bandit

 I've got two makings today, a card and a tag. The tag I made using some new Lavinia stamps I recently got, including the fox Bandit - adorable! The card is a Christmas card with a die cut poinsetta as focal point. 

Challenges for the tag:

Stamping sensations - choose a theme and stamp it
613 Avenue - A/G
Creative fingers - A/G
Fun Friday - sparkle and shine

Challenges for the card: 

Allsorts - use a die
Country view - christmas A/G
The flower challenge - Christmas
Winter wonderland - Anything christmas

Christmas makings

I've made some Christmas cards in different colours using an image from the Paper shelter and added some fussy yarn to the hats. Sorry for the bad light on the photos.

And some small gift packages containing four chocolate bars (KitKat size)

Challenges for the cards:

Cardz4Galz - It's snowtime

Paper shelter - celebration 

Country View - A/G Christmas

Little red wagon - let it snow

EllieBelle's - Baby, it's cold outside

Challenges for the gift packs:

ABC Christmas - Y is for yummy

CRAFT challenge - Christmas present

MAWTT - fancy fold

Watercooler Wednesday - Occasions

Shopping our stash - Triple threat

Creative fingers - A/G

fab n funky - Anything Christmas