The last Christmas cards

Wow, just where has the last month gone? It's hard to believe that the big day is almost here. At one point I didn't believe that I was ever going to get everything done, but somehow, I think I'm almost there. A few more presents to wrap and the last minute food to sort, then I can relax!

I know some you follow my blog to see my quilled creations, so sorry to disappoint, but as I've said before, a lot of the cards I send to friends and family are not quilled. This is usually the case with the Christmas cards I send and a couple of weeks ago I spent a very happy few hours messing about with dies and punches and coming up with some new designs. Just thought I'd pop in here to show them.  

The first card uses some lovely Memory Box dies - I have a lot more designs in my head for that Merry Christmas die but I am very happy with this card.

The next card uses the same Memory Box Country Border die, along with the Star of Wonder die. The blue card is pearlescent but you can't really see it in the photo.

The next four cards I made to use up some embossed snowflake frames (originally from Craftwork Cards) which have been in my stash for ages. They are all very similar but with some subtle differences. The central snowflake is a die-cut.

After I had cut out the snowflakes, I decided to use the negative which was left to make another card. It's made with silver mirror card, which is really hard to photograph, but I hope you get the idea!

And lastly a card using the Papertrey Ink holly embossing plate - love it!! And some little poinsettia and holly dies - very sweet!

 Hope you like them!

Jill

Another quilled Christmas card

Hi everyone. 

Well it has been a while! I've been kept busy with lots of orders from my Etsy and Folksy shops in the run up to Christmas. Just thought I'd drop in here today to show you a special order card which is currently winging its way to Japan to wish a little boy called Sho a Happy Christmas. The brief from the customer (his mum) was for a Christmas tree and a teddy.

I'm loving these word dies I used for the message - really makes the message stand out.

I think the Christmas season in my shops is just about over now so maybe I can now concentrate on making some cards for family and friends - I know, very last minute!!!

Jill

Quilled bauble card, take two

Hi everyone,

As promised here is the card from yesterday, made in a different colourway.

This time I have used red paper with a shiny gold edge. Not sure the photos really reflect how pretty this card is. It will be winging its way to my parents in a few weeks. 
I'm now off to list both these designs in my Etsy and Folksy shops (links to the left). They can be personalised especially for you.
I will hopefully be back again soon - half term began for me today and I'm not back at work until Nov 5th, so hopefully lots of time for crafting and blogging!

Jill 

Another quilled Christmas card design

Hi everyone,

I've been getting in a festive mood,  making lots of new Christmas designs. I have had this idea for a while and finally found a moment to make it. Happily it was one of those designs which looked exactly as I had hoped - doesn't happen often :) It is a very clean and simple design, as are many of my cards.

The photos are not great, I'm afraid as I've been struggling to find a day when the light is good enough. The bauble is made with white paper edged with pearl blue - from JJ Quilling, of course. The bow is a Memory Box die I think. I really should find out how to link the supplies I've used at the bottom of a post - can anyone help me?
I made another version of this card in a different colourway - pop back tomorrow to see it.

Until then, have fun,

Jill

More Christmas...

Hello again,

Just popping in quickly again with another new Christmas design. Not a completely new design, but a new take (and new colours) on an old one. 

Again, this card can be personalised to say anything you'd like. For sale in my Etsy and Folksy shops soon,

Jill

Shhh! Don't mention the "C" word

Hi everyone,

I know for some people, the beginning of October is far too early to be mentioning Christmas. But, being involved in the greeting card industry means that Christmas comes very early! Last year, I sold my first Christmas cards in August and the last ones in mid November. So, hoping I don't offend anyone, I thought I ought to start showcasing some of my new Christmas designs for this year. 

I have always loved making quilled snowflakes - something about the delicacy of the paper swirls and twirls seems so appropriate to represent the fragility of each pretty flake. 

Here I have combined the quilled snowflake with some sweet little die cut snowflakes, all white on white - very frosty effect. I've also added a scattering of gems to add a little bit of sparkle.

The message on this card can be personalised - it can say anything you'd like!

Hope you like it! Please let me know what you think,

Jill

No quilling again

Following on from the last post, I thought I show you the card I made for my sister and brother in law's silver wedding anniversary. Again, this card features not one bit of quilling - but again I've used dies from my Papertrey Ink haul!

The background panel has been embossed with a Cuttlebug "Swiss Dots" embossing folder - an old favourite of mine. But the matted number dies are new - will be using these a lot I think.

Back next time with some quilling, promise!

Jill

No quilling!

Hi everyone,

I generally keep this blog "pure" by only posting quilling related items, but I actually make a lot of cards without quilling, especially for my family who have received quilled cards from me until they are fed up with them. So I thought I'd just pop in quickly to show you a card I made recently. This was for my brother's birthday. I still find men's cards really tricky and often give in and just go and buy them. But my brother appreciates a well-designed handmade card, so I usually try and make an effort for him.

This card was made with dies from Papertrey Ink, an American company. I have lusted after a lot of their products for a while, but whilst their actual prices are quite reasonable, there is no way to order them from any UK supplier. So it means paying very expensive postage and customs charges. However my brother bought me a Gift Voucher for Papertrey Ink for my birthday, so this card showcases what I bought (amongst other things!) - I just LOVE that birthday die!

Hope he liked it!!


Jill

Happy Birthday Mum

Hi everyone,

Just popping in quickly today - I'm enjoying the last day of my long weekend off work. Back to the day job tomorrow.

This is the card I've made for my mum's 83rd birthday which is next Sunday. I'm safe posting this early as she doesn't "do" computers!

It was difficult getting the lighting right to take these photos today. In the end I went outside and used the rabbit hutch as a stand! The photos still don't really do justice to the actual card :-(

Jill 

Quilled thanksgiving card

Hi everyone,

Sadly the end of the school summer holiday will soon be here and I will be back to the day job, constantly complaining about the lack of time to get everything done! I had a million and one things to do today but instead having been playing in my craft room. This is one of the new designs I've come up with. I've had several requests in the past for thanksgiving cards. It's not something there is a call for in the UK but thanksgiving is obviously a big deal over the pond!

Hope our US neighbours think that this fits the bill.

Hope to be back soon - I have other new designs to show.

Jill

New spin on an old design

Hi everyone,

At last I've found some time to "play" with some of the new crafting goodies I've been buying lately. I bought a set of word dies back in May and here I've used them to put a new spin on a previous design. 

I was previously using a die cut alphabet to cut out individual letters which looked great but was very time-consuming. See this card:

I'm really pleased with these word dies - I like using them much more than just printing the message on cards. Expect to see a lot more of them soon,

Jill

Another quilled wedding card

As promised, here is the other wedding card ordered by the same customer as yesterday's card. For this couple she requested a candy apple red base with flowers in fall (autumn) colours. Hope this fits the brief!

Short and sweet from me today. Have a great week,

Jill

Exotic flowers - quilled, of course!

Hello everyone,

Just popping in here quickly to show you a card I made recently for a customer. She liked this card:

but wanted the card matched to the colours of the wedding. Apparently the wedding is to be in Jamaica and the bridesmaids and groomsmen are wearing cornflower blue. The bride will be carrying  'exotic' Caribbean flowers! 

This is what I came up with:

I thought this was a good opportunity to experiment with a new technique for me - "beehive" flowers (the large orange and yellow flower). There are lots of videos about this technique on You Tube, if you want to have a go. 

The same customer (a regular!!) also ordered another wedding card, in a different colour scheme - I'll be back soon to show you that one.

Jill

Quilled gift tags

Hi there everyone,

Well it seems as if the summer has finally arrived here in the UK. Temperatures are soaring and its so lovely to see the sun at last. 

I spent the afternoon yesterday watching the Wimbledon tennis final (well done Andy!) and making this pile of gift tags.

I send one of these little gift tags with every order, as a small thank you. Hopefully I now have enough to last a while, although orders are coming in thick and fast at the moment.

Will be back soon,

Jill

Quilled dragonflies

Popping in quickly to show you this new range of quilled dragonfly cards. These were inspired by some quilled stickers I bought many years ago. 

And that's it. Said I was going to be quick!

Jill