Happy Home - Triple Scene in a Triple Window...

 

I think a lot of you will have known this one was coming.... this was one of my most pinned Hearth & Home projects back in September. So much so I had re-made a Christmas version... but I have now just realised that very strangely I never blogged that one! So I will make up for that at the end of this blog post....

So a Spring Summer version of a triple scene through 3 windows on a standard DL sized card...

The windows are 3 separate die cut white windows each decorated with a snipped out Sahara Sand frame (from a Sahara Sand die cut window) Left and right are stuck on flat and the centre one is 3D foam padded over the top....

Masks for above and below the horizon created... To make a mask - I stamp each of the scenes onto small pieces of card and simply cut along the middle of the horizon lines to create the 2 parts... And a little extra tip for you... I usually label the lower (grass) part as which is which is not always obvious when you come to use them...

Sky sponged with Soft Sky & Lost Lagoon... and grass sponged with Pear Pizzazz & Mossy Meadow.

Cherry Blossom tree coloured in using dabbing motion of Pink Pirouette marker pen (lots of times!) and clouds coloured in with white Signo gel pen

And here is the Christmas version I made using the Happy Scenes stamps that are now sadly retired....

Still can't work out why this did not get shared pre Christmas... sorry about that... but better late than never...

Don't know if you can see but the tree in the middle is very heavily snow laden care of Tombow & Dazzling Diamonds glitter...loved that effect...

A Christmas Year in Review

Well more like 5 months actually....

Warning - VERY picture heavy post...

Here is a round-up of my Top 10 Christmas makes during 2015... as determined by the number of blog page views... Just click on any of the photos to go to the original post...

At number 1...with well over 6000 blog page views... WOW! Introducing the New Autumn Winter catalogue... along with my first 4 makes using Hearth & Home...

At Number 2... with nearly 3000 page views... my Quarterly Training Class To Go share of the Woodland embossing folder...along with inking up your embossing folder, Heat & Stick powder & lots of glitter...

At number 3... with nearly 2500 page views... albeit the majority being from Spain as this was featured in an on-line magazine over there... my Advent Calendar...

And here is another one I made for DH's work... but hadn't yet shared... bit more colour... with the use of Cherry Cobbler and Mossy Meadow mats - and Cherry Cobbler embossing powder...

And so onto number 4...also with nearly 2500 page views... the first Centre Step Easel Card tutorial...

And then at number 5... with over 2000 pageviews... oh not a Christmas one!! Back to that one another day... very soon...

So at the Christmas number 5... with just under 1500 pageviews... 3 versions of this one... and another Centre Step Easel card tutorial... tweaked for the Hearth & Home dies sizings..

Coming in at number 6... 1400 page views... Shut the Gate!!

And at number 7... it is the VERY glittery one...

At number 8...  the outside scene...

And at number 9... seen this one before!?.... so thought I should post the other more cozy version here too...

And rounding off at number 10... still with over 1200 page views...

Now... I could finish there...but looking at the next 10... quite a few are already featured in round up posts above...  so here are a few more... which takes us up to the Top 20 Christmas Makes... 

At number 12... 

At number 14...

And at number 15... a Round up post for the Wonderful Wondrous Wonderous Wreath!.. original posts linked up in the post...

Coming in at number 17... the Wonderland Decorated House Scene Card... with its Tutorial...

At number 18... A little Wonderland Trio...

And finally... at Number 20... get the rubber gloves out... definitely the favourite technique of the season... Marbling...

A special 12 Days of Christmas gift...

My regular blog readers may remember that I didn't plan for an Advent Calendar... but a Gin-vent calendar for myself instead.. well I did that... using small jam jars that suited the job perfectly... and I LOVED the experience during the whole of December...

So I decided that I needed to share the experience... so I came up with the idea of a 12 Days of Christmas gift box along the same theme...

So this one is a 12 Ports of Christmas box... which went down incredibly well with my family and friends... unfortunately I couldn't go with 12 different ports... but they each got 4 port trios... so all were happy...

I also had to keep the box simple and flat in design... well my brother will have to carry it back to the States in his suitcase... so I couldn't go too mad!!

Now some of you will have noticed that this box is decorated with retired papers... there is a GOOD reason for that.... come back tomorrow and I will spill the beans...

And of course the 12 Days of Christmas stamps are also retired... so so glad I kept those!

Pop Up Festive Fireplace Tea-Light Card by Lisa Jackson

I had a very special moment today... I was emailed details and photos of a card inspired by my Decorated House scene card and tutorial... So I asked and I can share with you too!

The creator is Lisa Jackson - who doesn't have a blog or a Facebook page I can link to - but this is too fantastic a card not to share!

I absolutely love the addition of the pop up tea light fireplace... with the cards (and cat) on the mantelpiece... instead of just been stuck on the wall as my card.... Really nice job Lisa.... you have made my day!! It is an absolutely wonderful feeling to have inspired such a make....

And (as a reminder!) here is my Winter Wonderland that inspired Lisa's make...

Lisa says... and thanks so much for these tips and links Lisa...

Hi Amanda! Here's my version of your card, with a twist. 

When I started, I was just going to change the coloring to make it more 'rustic' colors. 

But I also liked the things I've seen using Tea Lights and what better than to light up a fireplace?!? 

Plus I like making pop-ups. So this is what I ended up with.

I saw a video on dawnsstampinthoughts.net which inspired the fireplace... here is the link to YouTube for it - https://youtu.be/Im3FjPw9WME. I mostly followed her measurements for the opening, where the fire goes, then went from there to figure out the rest, the way I wanted it. 

The mantel & the base came from Karen Burniston's technique for a floating floor. 

It's actually a 'manual' pop-up. It does all fold up to lay flat (with tea light removed) but you have to pull it down to make it stand out. 

Since the flaps are only 2 3/4" using your A4 card tutorial with our 8 1/2" x 11" card, and the window measures 2 3/4" wide too .... I did switch to 12"x12" cardstock and cut it to 12"x 9". Then you score at 3" & 9". You then have a paper border around the window.