Silhouettes for Christmas at Dream Valley :)

Hello everyone!! :)


I’m excited today to be sharing my first DT card for Dream Valley Challenges... I’m excited in advance, though, writing this post early and scheduling it (which will hopefully work this time!!lol) as it’s actually my birthday and I’m not sure I’ll get chance to get on the computer as I think I’ll need all the little energy I have left after struggling with a cold all week to cope with my lovely birthday visitors!! :) But, to get back to the point... lol...

We have a wonderfully easy challenge for you at Dream Valley this time (which is just what we need in this the ‘headless-chicken season’ as I tend to think of it!!lol) and we'd simply like to see your 'Christmas' creations... told you it was easy!! :) As this is such a hectic time of year for us all, this challenge is going to run for four weeks which will see us well into the New Year, ‘til January the 8th to be exact, so plenty of time to share those last Christmas cards after the event if you don't get chance before!! :) We have several sponsors for this challenge, too, including One Stop Card Crafts... pop over to the Dream Valley blog for all the details!! :)

Now, I haven't really been well enough due to the cold bug in my system to spend any time at my desk- or even try my usual trick for those bad times of crafting in bed!lol- but luckily I had a card just waiting to be shared with you and hope I'll be forgiven for not making a new one specially... so here it is...

I fancied getting inky and doing something a bit different the night I made this and so a play with some of my fab new stamps from Inkylicious was called for!! :) I started off trying to create the sky with my (barely been out of the drawer since I got it! :S) brayer a la Barbara Gray... not sure if it was the ink (I had to use DI as that was the only dye ink I had in the right shade and I've never seen Barbara use those) or just that I need a lot more practise, but it was very hard going for my arms after the first couple of tries and I really wanted to get a card made so I reverted to the old faithful Cut'n'Dry!! I kept the rest of it really simple to let the scene take centre stage :)

The beautiful images are ones I've had my eye on for a while and they're stamped in VersaFine (they stamped perfectly first time, too despite the town one being so big! :) ) and the panel then matted and edged with Stickles as it all looked a bit dark. I also used a waterbrush to paint a subtle shimmer of Clear Stardust over the moon (which I'd masked with a random Nestie circle I found in my desk... might have been a shade too big?!lol) but it's not showing well in the pics... v pretty in the flesh, though!! :)

I tied a double bow with two colours of seam binding and then stitched- yes, me, stitched... and stabbed myself, of course, trying to tie the knots, as my illness-addled co-ordination really seems to hate me trying to use a needle and thread for some reason!! :S lol - the little jingle bell to the back of the knot... I was trying to make a fairly flat card to start with but I seem to be unable to resist bows, and multi ones at that, at the mo' and there really had to be a bell on this card of all cards, didn't there!?! :)

And to finish it off, I added one of the gorgeous sentiments from the fab Waltzingmouse Compliments of the Season set again... they are all so lovely but this one really seemed perfect for this scene... and everytime I catch sight of it I start singing 'Walking in a Winter Wonderland' to myself- one of my fav Xmas songs!! :)


The List:

• 6"x6 Sq. Scalloped In The Edge card blank
• White card
• Scrap circle shape for masking
• Distress Inks: Stormy Sky and Dusty Concorde
• Stamps: Silhouette Town and Sleigh from Inkylicious; 'Sleigh Bells Ring' from Waltzingmouse Stamps' Compliments of the Season set
• VersaFine Onyx Black ink pad
• White paper coloured with Black PM for mat layer
• Sakura Clear Stardust pen
• Stickles: Frosted Lace
• Seam Binding: Lady Lavender and White (coloured with Midnight Blue PM) from The Ribbon Girl
• Jingle Bells
• Clear Gems

I'd like to enter this card in the following challenges (which I'll link up as soon as I have chance to get online!): CES – A Traditional Christmas :) ; Joanna Sheen - Christmas Wishes :) ; My Mum's Craft Shop - Traditional Christmas :) ; SecretCrafter - All Creatures Great and Small :) ; Papertake Weekly - Anything Goes with the option of something dangly :) ; Pollycraft - Christmas Fun :) ; Stampin' For The Weekend - Christmas :) ; Sarah Hurley - Christmas (whoops- missed this one!! :( ) ; Little Claire's - Family Christmas :)



Well, that's my first card for Dream Valley- I'm still v excited and really looking forward to being on this lovely team... thanks, Melly!! :) Thanks for stopping by and I hope you like it!! :) Please pop over to the Dream Valley blog to see the fabulous work from the rest of my new teamies... there's lots of lovely inspiration for you!! :)


Not sure when I'll be back as I've got a fair few cards still need making after losing last week to this cold... think it's going to be quick and simple ideas all the way from this stage... thankfully, I have all but two of the special family ones sorted already, thanks to DT projects inspiring me earlier than usual!!lol Hope you are all keeping well, warm, dry and as little blown about as possible!! :)