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the paper perfection that is Waltzing Mouse Makes - http://waltzingmouse.blogspot.com/ Claire makes some devine stuff - tho with 3 smallies I've no idea where she finds the time. I made 15 Christmas cards last night but had to wait until midnight before both dd's had settled. Got to bed at 4am and up at half six ... DD1 is a busy bee all day and just as she winds down - dd2 finds her lively time from 7pm til very late - she's here now wanting attention, I can't wait til we find some routine. Although I think it would take a bottle to get some order into my day and I keep veering between the pros and cons, the colic hasn't helped although that seems to be easing....
Anyhow I've done quick n easy photo cards for everyone this year - just a few candles to do now. hoped to have them done tonight but maybe tomorrow ...

I don't do pink (normally)

Pink just aint my thing - but I've been using my new found enthusiasm for all things pink petticoat (part cos of the gorgeous new paper downloads, part Liz's offer of a Slice - hey I'm easily bribed) to get those special girly Xmas cards done - and so that's why todays offering is a super girly pink Xmas tree. I've used the pretty pink small swirls paper to make the tea bag folded tree, which is mounted onto a tiny 3.5 by 10 cm card blank - the image is attached with a piece of folded card, so that the whole card will go flat into an envelope but I think I'll go the whole hog and make a box for it. I decorated my tree with pink bling, ribbon bows and satin ribbon wrapped around as tinsel, a Prima flower adorns the top - everything is glued on with a hot glue gun - they are just sooo handy for all the hard to stick stuff - no more vanishing bows and lost fabric flowers for me.

pink petticoat layout

I printed this pic of dd ages ago - I just love it and tonight she got her sticky fingers on it and I thought I'd better scrap it while I had a minute or else it woud end up in the bin. After all I can do another layout with the same photo another time if I like.
I'd sat on my hands for all of a day and then had to download the new Pink Petticoat swirls in cream last night but for some reason my connection was running really slowly and I had to leave it downoading overnight. These are the first papers I've printed off from the collection and I love em - there's enough scraps left from this to have a bash at a card too - very recession friendly!
Never scrapped with PP papers before, it's plain and simple but I'm delighted with it - very slow at the scrapping lately, maybe this signals the start of something big!
Papers are swirls in cream in the colourway stone with a solid stone from the little big dots collection.
Apologies for pic - it's really late and the light isn't great.

Couple of quick baby cards made at the kitchen counter while rocking baby and letting dd watch Balamory on the laptop...

for the birds

After my first post regarding the Xmas stocking and M's sister's phobis of feathered things I had the idea to combine the two and came up with this. A bird inspired post it note holder, with a magnet on the back so that you can keep it on the fridge.
I printed the cardstock directly with the gold littlest dots paper and lined it with big dots in chocolate printed onto paper, then folded to make the holder, added strip of dots to the front and the Christmas Lola image, all from Pink Petticoat, coloured with pencil and I highlighted the dots on the image with black acrylic adhesive gems in black from Papermania. Bookplate has been in stash for ages - hand wrote message inside it. Stamped the other words with tenley alpha and distress ink.Punched scalloped circles of chocolate dots lined with duck egg blue make the top fastening and I tied it together with cream satin ribbon. Glued the post it notes inside the back cover and a strip of adhesive magnet to the back. Et Voila - another entry for Liz's fabulous competition...
Liz at Pink Petticoat is giving away a Making Memory Slice - she bought it and didn't get on with it, so is giving a lucky customer the chance to win... check it out at www.pinkpetticoat.co.uk and then follow the link to the blog.

pink petticoat designs

I struggle making Christmas cards with anything other than the trad red, green and gold - so these cards are way out of my comfort zone but I'm far happy with the finished the result than when I've tried "out of the box" Christmas ideas before.
The little stocking is my favourite - I've added a ribbon loop and hung it from my kitchen cupboard for the pic but a couple of little adhesive magnets would make a cute little treat box to put on the fridge - as long as the gift wasn't too heavy. Papers are the lots of dots in crimson and the image is Lola Christmas Rose both by Pink Petticoat - stocking top is cuttlebug embossed card, stamp borrowed from a friend, ribbon and lace from stash.

Divinely Dotty is a belated Birthday card for my OH's sister - I was going to cover the bird up with a little paper piece present but it's quite appropriate as she is phobic about birds and recently faced all her fears when she took my DD to the Bird of Prey Centre in Ballyvaughn - she hated every minute! So the birdy stayed - I've not added colour as could not find my cerise marker but will just add cerise and brown only to the bling.

Brown is definitely one of my fave colours for any card - and I love the chocolate brown dots, it all seemed a bit dull with the crimson, so I added a touch of duck egg blue and some dimension with paper curls around the heart. All papers and image from Pink Petticoat again, ribbon, tag and flower from stash.

I've a whole load of these Lola stamps printed ready to colour so expect to see more soon!
tfl