Sweet Dixie with Hugs.

Using Sweet Dixie Zendoodle RTG Teddy Stamp Designed by Lindsay Mason from Personal Impression I've created a Hugs card. a card to show someone appreciation, love or an alternative to the more traditional Valentines card.

I first stamped the Teddy and coloured using Spectrum Noir Illustrator Pens

Then created a background using a 5x7" Gelli Plate, Rollering Acrylic Paints, stamping with Tim Holtz Stamps and dot and dabbing with a few shapes found lying around the house. All transferred and printed onto Linen card.

The Teddy has been paper pieced using one of the four coloured teddy's as a base and cutting up sections of the other three teddy's. Layering using alternative colours and gluing them down has helped to give him that patchwork look.

Backed onto black card, glossy accents, gilding wax and a heart shaped gemstone has given him a little dimension.

The Hugs text has been cut using Ultimate Crafts 3 in 1 Alphabet Dies.

Wishing you Love and lots of Hugs this weekend From Tracey xx

Jolly Happy Christmas *Wreath*

Hello all you lovely Crafters. I've been feeling pretty rotten over the past couple of weeks with a flu like virus which I can't seem to shake off, so this Friday's blog has been pulled out of the bag (literally..!)

Using Christmas Tree shapes and scraps saved from a previous project already coloured using Promarkers a Christmas Wreath has been created using Sweet Dixie Jolly Happy Christmas Stamps. From Personal Impressions these stamps are from Lindsay Masons 2016 Christmas releases.

Using a 6" card I matt and layered using traditional gold and red card, a zig zag stitch has been sewn onto the red pearlized card to add some interest. I created a ring template by simply drawing round two glass jars of differing sizes making sure the central aperture was big enough to accommodate the sentiment. As you can see the dimensions of the wreath template are clearly written for you to see.

The wreath is made up of 12 Christmas Trees all cut around  2/3rds of the way up from the bottom. There is no need to measure this as there is almost a clear line for you 

to follow on the stamped image.

The 12 trees are layered around the ring template using foam pads, I added flat back pearls to embellish but you could be quite opulent with your embellishments. 

The completed Wreath ring is then applied centrally to the card using foam pads.

As you can see the effect is quite raised and I'm sure it would make a great Table Candle holder, unfortunately I didn't have the right size candle to try.

Thank you for sharing your time, have a wonderful weekend.

Creative Hugs from Tracey xxx

Sweet Dixie Festive Post

Sweet Dixie Festive Post Clear Stamp set comprises of seven stamps six of which are postal marks and the seventh a snowman stamp. Designed by Lindsay Mason the Sweet Dixie stamp set is brought to us by Personal Impressions. Here are just a few creations and embellishments using just three stamps from this set..

Post Mark Card.

The three larger postal marks have been stamped onto Kraft Card using Versafine ink Olympia Green, Majestic Blue and Crimson Red. The edge of the card has been distressed using a distressing tool and centrally wrapped with twine. 

Layered onto black card an embossed Tree postal mark has been cut out with a circle punch and layered on top of the twine.

Superb for using as envelope seals, embellishments for handmade crackers or creating your own wrapping paper the ideas are plenty. This set is one I will be using from one year to the next. 

Thank you for taking a peek at my quick and simple ideas, have a fabulous weekend.

Creative Hugs from Tracey xx

Christmas Berries

Today I have brought to you two cards using the layering concept with different designs.

Sweet Dixie Christmas Berries Clear Stamp Set is a versatile set containing a wreath, matching corner border, additional border along with two seasonal sentiments. 

Using a 13.5cm card as the base for both cards I stamped the corner border in each corner.

The second layer is created stamping the border twice to create a rectangle, the perfect shape and size for the final layer using the Noel sentiment.

These elements are all assembled using foam pads to elevate each image.

This method has been repeated to create another card this time using the Wreath and Christmas Greeting stamps but instead of leaving the stamped image monochrome these Berries have been coloured in using Kuretake Wink of Stella brush pens red and greens, with each Berry highlighted using Glossy Accents.

Designed by Lindsay Mason from Personal Impressions this set is perfect for creating quick cards, something all card makers are grateful for in the run up to Christmas.

Thank you for taking time to check out my makes, I hope you have been inspired.

Creative Hugs from Tracey xx

Chalkboard Christmas.

Last Christmas I created projects very similar to these. 

Using Sweet Dixie *Christmas spent with Family* stamp set Designed by Lindsay Mason from Personal Impressions, I have replicated previous makes.

*Christmas Spent With Family*

Using an MDF tag painted in Black Gesso and sanded back I stamped the sentiment using White VersaCraft and heat embossed with Sweet Dixie Glacier White Ultra Fine embossing powder.

Trying to achieve the chalk board effect I did not use an anti static bag hoping the MDF would attract the odd speckle of embossing powder. From the picture below you can see that it does just that.

The Holly leaves did not fit onto the tag without obscuring the wording.

It is possible to get a negative print of an image if you stamp onto tissue paper. 

As tissue paper is absorbent the ink sinks easily into it, making the reverse side 

a negative image to the stamp. 

Doing this allowed me to fit the Holly Leaves onto the Chalkboard tag perfectly. 

The Holly has been scruffy coloured using Derwent colour soft pencils, cut out and adhered onto the tag using Mat Mod Podge.

Taken from Lindsay's Christmas Tweets Stamp set

I embossed both top and bottom of the tag to replicate snowfall and added 

flat back red pearls to create realistic berries. 

These tags can be Tree ornaments, or maybe add a magnetic strip to the back to create a magnet, either would make a great stocking filler.

A Tag shaped Christmas card has been made in the same way,

 this one displays two of the seven sentiments within the set.

These are very effective Christmas makes but the concept could be carried on 

all year round with minor adaptations. 

Thank you for sharing your time with me, I hope you have been inspired.

Creative Hugs from Tracey xx

Sweet Dixie *Rockers* ..!!

This Friday I'm featuring two *Rocker* cards each created using Sweet Dixie clear Stamps both sets Designed by Lindsay Mason from Personal Impressions.

Sweet Dixie Skating Santa 

The Rocker card was created by cutting a 5.5" circle, scoring mid point at 2.75" then folding in half to create the Card.

Santa, Reindeer and sack of Toys image were stamped and coloured using ProMarkers, fussy cut then adhered to the rocker card.

  

Be mindful where you place the images and work out the correct balance so the card rocks freely. This is the reason my Reindeer has a larger than usual Red Nose because my card seemed a little one sided so the larger flat back pearl nose added the extra weight I needed for my card to rock freely. Frosted lace Stickles adds a snowy texture to the white background.

 Sweet Dixie Tipsy Snowmen 

The Tipsy Snowman image is one of my personal favourites from Lindsays Christmas Collection and some of you may remember that I have featured this stamp set previously.

The same concept has been used for this Rocker as the Skating Santa, stamped image, coloured, fussy cut and applied to the top edge of the rocker card. The sentiment used is from the same stamp set. Frosted Lace Stickles again adds a little texture.

What more can we ask for at Christmas but Rocking Santa's, Reindeer and Tipsy Snowmen..??

Thank you for sharing your time with me.. Have a creative Weekend.

Crafty Hugs from Tracey xxx

Not just a sentiment...!!

We all know someone who doesn't rejoice in the spirit of Christmas as others do,
Sweet Dixie Christmas comes but once a Year sentiment stamp set is an ideal solution for our friends or relatives that chose to not be so Merry at Christmas... Designed by Lindsay Mason from her 2016 Christmas Stamp Collection from Personal Impressions.

A useful set for creating hand stamped wrapping paper with matching gift tags

 

and Christmas Cards for your very own Christmas Grouch.

Simply stamped onto Kraft Card and Kraft brown paper using a variety of colours from Versafine and clear embossing the sentiments you really want to make a statement.

Fun projects for those *NOT* so fun at Christmas..

Happy Crafting from Tracey xxx

Bookmark Gift Cards

This Friday I share three Bookmark Gift Cards using Sweet Dixie Christmas Swags Stamps  from Personal Impressions 2016 Christmas Collection.

Designed by Lindsay Mason 

The stamp set consists of three Christmas swag stamps between 5"- 5.5" in length. 

Each swag was stamped onto cream card using Onyx Black Versafine and embossed using Sweet Dixie Ultra Fine embossing powder and coloured with wink of stella brush pens to add a little Christmas sparkle.

Mat and layered each bookmark is around 2" by 7" in dimension.

Using Kraft Card I made a DL card 3"- 8" 

Corner punched black card was layered onto gold card then glued to the DL card. 

The bookmarks are held onto the card by the slots created by the punch,

this makes the bookmark easy to remove if the recipient wishes to use it.

 

I added ribbon to my Bookmarks but you can adapt yours however you please.

Thank you again for sharing your time with me, 

I hope you have been inspired by my bookmark gift card.

Creative hugs from Tracey xx

Decorative Snow Tree Candle

This Friday I'd like to share a simple scented candle decorated using Sweet Dixie *Snow Trees* Stamps Designed by Lindsay Mason from Personal Impressions.

The tree has been stamped onto tissue paper using versamark embossing ink and heat embossed using Sweet Dixie Green Super Sparkles embossing powder. The tree has been cut out and positioned  onto the candle; by gently heating with a heat tool the image sinks into the candle as the wax warms. 

      

Using Sweet Dixie Gold Super Sparkle the process was repeated for the Star and *Peace on Earth* sentiment from the snow trees stamp set.

As this candle was created for decorative use *only* Gemstones & Sequins have been attached using Gem Tack. The finished design would fit any home during the festive season or make a super handmade gift..

All wrapped to give with a bow on top, the gift tag has been made using the small tree stamp also included in the Snow Trees Set.

Please remember that this candle is for decorative use only and not for burning. If you do decide to make and give as a gift it would be advisable to pass on this safety information to the person on the receiving end.

Thank you for taking a peek and sharing your time. 

Creative Hugs Tracey xxx

A little piece of Autumn...

Autumn such an inspirational season with its changing colours.. my favourite time of year.

This little canvas is my preparation for a project in the making as I have plans to create this on a much grander scale, but for the moment its just a 5" x 7" canvas.

Stamps used are Personal Impressions Zendoodle Leaves PICSA6425 which consists of four leaf outline stamps Designed by Lindsay Mason

Each leaf design has been stamped multiple times onto Sweet Dixie smooth card. Ranger Distress ink in Autumnal colours has been blended over the stamped leaf images and sprayed with water, when the water droplets are lifted this leaves a spotted blotched effect.

                                                                                                     

The leaves have been cut out and their veins scored using a ball tool. The leaves have then been glued onto a 5x7 canvas which has been prepared with texture paste and painted with a combination of DecoArt Raw Umber, Burnt Sienna and Hansa Yellow Paint. A good coating of Mod Podge helps to seal the finished canvas along with a tiny ladybird.

Thank you for checking out my little piece of Autumn.. Creative Hugs from Tracey xxx

Tipsy Snowmen...

The weather can be most unpredictable but here in the West Midlands the past few days have been quite pleasant.... So in complete contrast let me cool you all down and introduce another stamp set *Tipsy Snowmen* designed by Lindsay Mason from her 2016 Christmas Sweet Dixie collection from Personal Impressions.

This set consists of one large snowmen image and two good sized sentiments. I fell head over heels with this set when I first saw it and couldn't wait to have a play. I chose to design a 6x6 hanging plaque. As the keyword for this set is *Tipsy* for me the background had to be a Pub or Bar... I have hand drawn glasses and bottles of booze to create the background and used Letraset promarkers to colour and shade.

The snowmen have been stamped three times so heads and hats could be cut out and layered to give definition. The snowmen themselves need minimal amount of colouring just add a splash of colour and sparkle to jazz up their woolly attire.. A layer of Matt Mod Podge has been applied all over to seal the cut out snowmen securely onto the plaque.

I sanded back black glossy card to give a chalk board effect then stamped and embossed the sentiment with Sweet Dixie Basic White Embossing Powder. 

String was attached to hang the mini Christmas sign onto the main plaque.

Happy Snowmen sat behind the bar enjoying the festivities.. A must have set for all Snowmen fans!!

Thank you for sharing your time, I hope you have been inspired..

Creative hugs from Tracey xxx

Friday Feature: Sweet Dixie Jolly Happy Christmas Tree Magnet.

This Friday I bring to you a card using just one element from Lindsay Masons' Sweet Dixie Jolly Happy Christmas *New 2016 Christmas stamp collection from Personal Impressions.

This stamp set consists of four images and two sentiments (please note the winter wishes sentiment on this project along with the snowflakes used in the background are from Lindsays' Christmas Hello stamp set.)

Snowflakes have been randomly stamped using Tim Holtz Stormy Sky distress ink.

Torn hammered white card has been layered onto a distressed and spritzed background to create the snowy base.   

The stamped tree image has been coloured using Promarker, Forest Green, Holly and Leaf Green and the baubles using Promarkers from the vibrant collection. 

Smaller trees are created by cutting the lower half  of the tree image away, I also removed the stars from the smaller trees to leave one central focal Tree.

The second focal tree has been created by layering up the three tree segments. They have then been embossed using Versamark clear embossing ink and Sweet Dixie High Gloss Embossing Powder 

Gemstones and Ranger stickles glitter glue have been used to embellish. The Focal Tree has been mounted onto a magnetic strip creating a Fridge Magnet Gift for the receiver. 

This can easily be attached to the card anywhere using removable glue.

The Jolly Happy Christmas stamp set is extremely resourceful, a must have set in your Christmas Collection.

Thank you for taking time to peek at my crafty creation.. I hope you have been inspired.

Creative Hugs from Tracey xxx