(Early) Christmas Cards 2013 (3) : Nordic Kids (1)

My Christmas card making is at full throttle right now. Despite the early months I still keep making my Christmas cards, bit by bit, pair by pair until a decent card collection arises. I always send and hand in lots of cards around Christmas time and I like mine to be hand-made. Therefore I always start early to make sure I will have enough otherwise I will be stressing over it. With some other xmas projects like cross stitch and knitting on the go alongside the cards, things need to be done in time. So here are my next 2 new Nordic cards but this time with kids featured on them :) 

I thought combining kiddies dressed in cozy winter clothes with the Nordic theme would be a good idea. I'm quite pleased with how they turned out. They have been stamped and coloured with pro-markers. (a note to self: will have to buy some more promarkers with Christmassy colours!)

To stamp the kids I used Hero Arts Holiday Dolls stamps set and for the backing papers I used Warm Winter Wishes I blogged about earlier on. A few bits and bobs like punched shapes and doilies have been added too.

More Nordic kids on their way :) Currently working on one of these cards. 

And what about you, my dear reader? Do you start your Christmas crafting early? Do you make extra preparations? Share your thoughts with me :)

Dala Cards - Nordic Spring version

Hi all. I've got a couple of more Dala cards to show. This time they could be labelled as Nordic Spring due to the cheery floral papers I used on them :)

The Dalas have been stamped with a Noolibird dala stamp and heat-embossed.

I really enjoyed making these cards and it was a kind of challenge to try and coordinate the styles and colours the backing papers and the stamps.

Apart from card making I'm currently enjoying quite intense reading and about to explore some novels with the Arabic theme. I just love this gorgeous autumnal cover of this book.

I'd had this book on my to-read list for a while and then I managed to stumble upon it at a car boot sale :) and got it for less than a £1. Lucky me! :)

Linking up my cards to Hand-made Monday tonight.

Dala Madness

I have definitely fallen in love with all my new Dala Horse stamps. I had to have a go at them straight away and here are some of my first cards where my liking for Scandinavian folklore is coming to life :) I've made quite a few of them and today is the first portion of Dalas for you :) For a start I limited myself to the three basic colours Scandinavian graphics often comes in - red, white and blue. I kept it deliberately simple focusing on the design to be as much Scandinavian as possible.

The Dala stamps featured on my cards are from noolibird.com and they should be soon on sale. Keep checking the shop. The small Norwegian star stamp comes from a Polish scrapbooking shop craftfun.pl. I also used Martha Stewart's punches and a leafy border from a Scandinavian stamp set.

All 3 together:

And a cherry on a Dala cake: my first ever Dala mug:

Pretty print, isnt it? And I love the colours too. This mug has been designed by Sarah Edmonds and you can find it here.

Greeting Cards with "Ikea" flowers

While I've been working on my Dala horse greeting cards, I've decided to show you these cards. The are all about one of my floral stamps (purchased at noolibird.com) I think it's got that modern Scandi feel. I like to call it "Ikea style" as you often see such design in the Ikea store. I really enjoyed stamping and making card with this design.

On this card I used a Noolibird stamp for the flower head and for the stem and leaves I used one of the old stamps from HeroArts (the owl set) I had to do double heat embossing on each stem for the better visual effect. 

And of course I wanted to achieve some 3D effect on the flower heads so I restamped the flowers again, cut the centres out and raised them on a 3D foam pads. 

Floral symmetry - 4 flower heads, each in different colour with a punched vellum heart and a gem inside.

And stamp printing - I like how inks blend and these images overlap with each other :) I'm thinking of making a similar card but using yellows, orange and reds.

And all 3 greeting cards together :)

Very pleased with these cards. Thank you for your visits and comments. All sort of feedback is welcome. x 

Card making books reviews and Dala stamps.

Hi all. Hope you are all ok and enjoying your weekend. The British weather can be a real roller coaster. Yesterday it was like this:

Gorgeous sunshine and a pleasant breeze. Today is rain and gloom. I was so happy yesterday to pull a chair out into sunshine and enjoy reading a book. Today it's reading on the sofa. Luckily there's always something nice for me to do at home - have a crafty session of card-making or knitting or stitching. I'm one of these people who always have crafty fiddly fingers. 

But today I wish to write about something else. About the card making books. Do you buy them? Do you like them? Because I do. And it's a "DO" with capital "D". The card making books that arrived yesterday had been on my wish list for a while. I happen to know them from my workplace (we've got book people coming to us and selling all sorts of books) and from a local library. These are really good card making books, bursting with ideas, techniques, full of pretty photographs and worth recommending. I bought both off amazon.co.uk. Now, guess the price of them.... Watch out!... 1 p! Yes, they are used books (but in a very good condition). Add the amazon charge for the postage and you can make it under £3.00! This is one of the greatest things about Amazon - lots of crafty books for less than a pound. 

Cheryl Owen - The practical handbook of card making. This lady has got lots of ideas in her head! And thank God for that, otherwise this book wouldn't be here! A few exemplary photos for you to have a peek at :)

Hey! What have we got here?! I spy with my little eye something beginning with "s" - yes, a Scandinavian valentine's card with a Danish heart! Right in the centre of the book cover. I'm definitely going to make this one! Below, a simple but cute reindeer card which with a bit of imagination can be easily made into more Scandinavian-looking :) 

And how about a Russian doll? I just love these! Another on my to-make list.

Fancy some floral embroidery on card? Why not!

I've always liked when cards have beaded embellishments. Perhaps it's time to have a go at this one!

And what about those cute chicks in the grass? A lovely attempt at playing with textures and layers.

I'm thinking of celebrating autumn this year. I love its colours. Cards like these could decorate my mantlepiece.

Channukah card anyone? Love this beaded candleholder!

Peace Doves for Christmas... Don't they just look great on that topiary tree?

 I surely can't miss this little fella...

Classic cards with elegant look...

A Swedish bird motif - another one on my list!

 Creating your own stationery...

Moving over to the 2nd book. This is another great book presenting simple easy cards with a great look and elegance. Emma Hardy - Fast, Fun Cards.

Just for a start, I love that retro-looking card with circles. Will definitely have a go at this one! It's all about the colour, shape and arrangement. And what about those gorgeous leafy cards?! My style and another idea for autumn.

Retro again... cheery tissue paper cutouts...

Patchwork anyone? Perfect way to use those scraps of fabric you don't want to get rid of. I would add some hand stitches or cross stitch on those hearts for a more country look.

Uaaah! I'm definitely going for these festive cards with raffia. Again, they can be made into more Nordic-looking ones (I already feel ideas are budding in my head!)

Simple valentines? Why not? It's all about the colour again! Need no more than a simple punch and some coloured card and glue. No need to run to a shop to buy an expensive card either!

And autumn card again! So simple but so effective. Just the beauty of stamping itself to admire and look at.

The great thing about these books is that apart from a great host of ideas they also introduce a reader to such clever card making solutions like stamping on balsa wood, painting with bleach, using metal polish on textured wallpaper cut outs etc. I'm a sucker for such original techniques. 

Now, on the stamping front. Lots of happening here. A few days ago, scouring the internet for some Scandi inspirations I came across this quirky and lovely set of rubber stamps by Yellow Owl Workshop. It came from Etsy and it was the last one in stock! (Phew! Relief!) There was no other way - I just had to have it in my stamp collection! The stamps arrived yesterday, with the books. Bliss! 

A Scandimaniac like me just cannot miss such opportunity. I am soooo looking forward to stamping with those stamps and it's gonna happen this week. Apart from the stamps there was a cute message for a buyer in the box too. 

More happiness to come! Last week, Nula from noolibird.com simply made my day by sending me those two gorgeous dala stamps as freebies together with my order! More treasures in my treasure trough. I am so happy to have them. 

Actually, I'v already started working on some new cards with Dalas, as you can see in the photo the stamps have been inked. The cards will be published very soon. Keep in touch and stay Scandi-tuned :)

Hope you've made it through all these photos today :) Thank you for your visits and kind comments you leave behind. I appreciate your presence here, especially you, my regular commentators. x X x

The Book Top Up

I've had a quite a considerable book top up to keep me even more busier on my hols. Actually it came with a courier yesterday afternoon in a huge box. Just imagine the thrill of opening the parcel. Aaah! ;) it's a selection of Harlan Coben's crime stories- brand new and untouched :) A friend recommended this author to me  (thank you Grażyna!!) and when I found this deal on amazon 10 books for £8.99 I just had to give it a go. I've recently taken to medical thrillers - a genre I've never been interested in before. Got hooked on them and currently I'm enjoying Tess Gerritsen's books. I've known Coben's name from the bookstore shelves and libraries and I knew it must be someone, a well-known and successful writer. Last time I visited Wrexham Library, almost all Coben's books were on loan!  Apparently he's known for unexpected turns of action and unpredictable endings which, I guess, are assets of a good crime story. 

Unwrapped yet, waiting for their turn :) I feel my boyfriend may wish to borrow some :)

What are your reading preferences? Feel free to share your thoughts and opinions about this author and his works. I'd love to hear your views. Have a good weekend everyone x