WE CHALLENGE YOU TO MAKE SOMETHING FESTIVE FOR DECEMBER.....

Well I know I'm a day late (thought it was the 1st today!) - but here I am with the new Crafty Individuals Challenge for December.  Nice, simple, and predictable I know - but the title for this sparkly glittery month is 'Something Festive'!

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Here are the usual guidelines:

CHALLENGE GUIDELINES

To enter this month's Crafty Individuals Challenge please put together your chosen project, which must include at least one Crafty Individuals product please, then post your Challenge project on your Blog, before the end of the month, and include a link back to this Blog.  Leave a link in the URL box displayed in this post to take us directly to your Challenge project, which will then appear on this Blog as a thumbnail image - so we can all see your wonderful arty work.

At the end of the month we will set about choosing five lucky participants, each of whom will win a CI rubber stamp of their choice, and don't forget that as per usual, once you have linked in your creation, you can also claim a lovely 25% discount code to use on anything you purchase from the CI Website, which will be valid until the 10th of November.

Go for it, and enjoy the challenge x

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As always we look forward to seeing your entries - you will be in with a chance of winning a free stamp, and you will also be able to obtain a cool 25% web discount (handy for crafty Christmas presents perhaps?!)  When you have linked in your entry please email us at info@craftyindividuals.co.uk to obtain your special code, and then go shopping!

Now I have some sample projects to wet your appetite.
I have been making Christmas cards with my lovely class ladies and here are some piccies...

These are ultra easy, but very effective cards made with images from our Mini Image Christmas Book, and our die cut Starry Frames, plus a little touch of gilding wax.

 
Plus a fold up triptych version..

I also have 3 gorgeous festive tags from Ginger to share - all using CI stamps..

And I'm sorry to say I am going to have to give up blogging for tonight as my internet is running ridiculously slowly, and just about driving me nuts.

Back soon with more inspiration,

Jean x

STAMPS WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT AND A FEW PRETTIES TO SHARE....

I had a little p.s. on my last post, where if you left a comment you stood a chance of winning a set of our very latest stamps, which you can view HERE and HERE and HERE.  The first name out of the bag was the owner of Comment No 1 - lovely Netty, which is nice because Netty leaves lots of comments!  Also because it was such an important comment we would like to send a favourite stamp - 'Just be my Friend', to Barbara Macaskill, so that she can make a card for her very deserving husband.  Could you both kindly send your addresses to info@craftyindividuals.co.uk, so we can send off the goodies.  Thank you to everyone who took the time to leave a comment this time around (and to Sharon for purchasing two of Malcolm's photos from his newly opened Etsy shop)!

Whilst on the subject of CI-402 'Just be my Friend' I have some makes to share using this very stamp tonight.  Effie has 3 different gorgeous layouts that I can show you..

And I also received these lovely images from Gio yesterday - she made a little album for a dear friend using this stamp, Shrink Plastic, and images from People and Places 2..

Sylvie made this beautiful fairytale layout - ..

Also featuring a page from our Shades of Summer Background Book!

Daniele made a pretty delicate tag with the same stamp..

Plus I have another couple of adorable makes by Daniele, using recent releases, that I don't think I have blogged as yet?!..

This card uses CI-387 as the focal image..

And this CI-389..

Finally another little pretty, from Isabelle this time, using another birdy stamp CI-391..

That's all for tonight folks - back on Monday hopefully, with details about our December Challenge - stay tuned in!

Jean x

 

START 2014 OFF IN STYLE, WITH A CALENDAR MAKE BY GIO....

Following on from the lovely make by Effie, plus step by steps, here is a fabulous new year step by step make by Gio, in sunny Italy..

MIXED MEDIA CALENDAR

1.  Gio started off with a piece of canvas measuring 30cm x 30cm..

2.  She glued some music and a book page to the canvas using gel medium..

 3.  Plus some doilies and left over bits and pieces..

4.  She then gessoed everything and added some crackle medium.  As the crackle shrank the canvas a little she glued the piece to some grey board to keep it in shape..

5.  Gio then stamped some Crafty Individuals stamps onto our wonderful Regency Satin white silk card and onto gessoed book pages, and cut them out..

6.  She then laid out the images on the canvas until she was happy with the composition..

7.  Followed by some mask work and some spraying with inks..

8.  When the canvas was dry Gio stamped here and there with a script stamp, and then glued down the stamped images, the calendar, and the lace border in their chosen spots.  She added a rub-on 2014, and a chain for hanging the project..


Gio used the following CI products in her glorious calendar hanging:

CI-393, Oriental Fans
CI-386, Summertime
CI-347, Butterfly Trio Panel
CI-260, Parisian Romance
CI-214, 1893 Script
CI-394, No Guarantee without the Stamp
Regency Satin White Silk Card (definitely a stamping Must Have!)
Lacewing Butterfly Mask
Elegant Swirls Mask
Beautiful Butterflies Panel Mask
Beautiful Border Mask

And here is the very pretty finished item itself..

Thank you Gio for sharing your techniques with us tonight!

Jean x

p.s. Thanks all for commenting on last week's post (Monty Moodle is a Maltese/Poodle cross).  If any of you would like to obtain a set of our latest issue of rubber stamps for free, as shown HERE, please leave a comment below, and we will pick out a lucky winner in a few days time!

p.p.s  Malcolm has finally (after much nagging) opened a little Etsy shop, which features some of his lovely photos in presentation boxes (they would make great Christmas gifts!)  You can check it out HERE.

EFFIE AMAZING ......

I have a scrumptious (had to look up how to spell that one!) Christmas project to share with you tonight by the very talented Effie of Efemera Ink, and what's more the said lady has kindly given us step by step piccies and instructions.  So go on - have a go yourself. ...

This is the fabulous finished (closed) festive 'exploding' tree ..

Plus a close-up..

And this is how you go about making it ..

1.  Cut the chipboard - one square and four triangles

2.  Use strips of paper to glue the triangles to the square, leave a small gap between the two - do this on both sides, and the triangles are now hinged to the square

3.  Cover both sides of the tree with patterned paper and stamp a part of CI-307 - (Special Child ticket) at the very top of each triangle on the outside

4.  Cut four images (from CI Image Book - 'Merry Christmas') into arch shapes, cut larger arches in cardstock and glue the images down.  Edge with german scrap, or similar.  Glue one to the outside of each tree triangle

5.  Decorate the inside of each triangle with more Santas from the mini book

6.  Use the tip of the triangle and draw four times next to each other on covered card, add a tab, cut, score, fold and glue tab down - this makes the top cap to keep the tree closed.  Attach a star on top

7.  Add a decoration of your choice in the centre - Effie used a vintage Santa figure

8.  Glue a large decorated cotton reel to the base to stand

We would love to see your similar makes using the above instructions - loving it!

Thanks Effie!

On a similar note Carol has sent over some cool pictures of a Christmassy exploding box made with lots of CI products as features..

Stars from CI-374 (I think), snowflakes from CI-241, plus other stamps CI-270 and CI-271.  Lovely make in very festive colours.  I haven't ever made an exploding anything as yet - probably about time I gave it a go!

Carol also sent over pictures of this pretty little gift sack in a similar colour scheme ..

Great use of CI-136 'Christmas Santa Smiles' both on the bag and on the friendly plastic in the centre of the rosette.  Thanks Carol.

Thanks everyone for the nice comments on my last post about the new stamps and new 'must haves' - I think this latest release will turn out to be a really popular one as you are all so enthusiastic about them all, and the appropriate items are now flying out all over the world.  If you make anything nice with them do let us know - we were delighted to see this great image by Joanna K, using our new stamp CI-399 'Winter Wonderland' (I adore this lovely stamp - which happens to be free with our current offer on spends of over £28 - visit us at www.craftyindividuals.co.uk)..

I love how Joanna has incorporated the sparkly threads behind the image - will be trying that trick out myself soon!

Before I close for tonight I thought I would share a little picture of Malc and that cheeky little Monty Moodle, taken recently at the seaside.  Malcolm is currently working on a series of photographs taken whilst 'Out with the Mont' and the final images here are a sample of the results of his snapping!

Nice and moody!

Jean x