Speed Crafting!

Hello and welcome to Magpieheaven. Now something I've never been able to do is create a project really quickly! I've always marvelled at the lovely 'clean and simple' cards on fellow crafters' blogs; but somehow I've never been able to stop adding this or that detail, or creating yet another layer. Yesterday afternoon, though, panic struck! With all my cards finished and ready to post, I realized that I had no invitations for a little party we are giving for our neighbours! I had to work fast! In fact I had to work so fast I had no time to take step by step pictures of the cards. I also had to deliver them as soon as they were finished so apologies for the photos taken as I finished each one, in a rather dark corner with a daylight lamp! I will try to explain what I did and I hope you will like the new 'Clean and Simple' Magpie look that was rather 'forced' on me!

I had some Kraft card blanks left over, which I thought would go rather well with the simple look. Some I just left blank, but I gave others a strip of Tim Holtz, music note tissue tape down the side - I usually make my own, but no time today! For the background I just took a sheet of white card and painted it with a blend of PaperArtsy Frescos in Nougat and Stone. Then I brayered over with Antarctic and Snowflake. Next I took a large Stencilgirl stencil of Birds on branches and pounced over this with Hint of Mint and Guacamole. I added some script from my favourite gothic Mini stamp in Wendy Vecchi Cobalt Archival and wiped this with a baby-wipe almost immediately to create a faded look.

 Can you see what has become my favourite JOFY snowflake stamp there too - stamped in PaperArtsy Snowflake Fresco with a touch of lace from a Crafty Individuals lace background stamp? I took my trusty guillotine and just cut rectangles of all different sizes and then edged them with Evergreen Bough Tim Holtz Distress Ink. Finally I took some Chatsworth paper by PaperArtsy and stamped a Lynne Perrella medieval looking image all over it in the Cobalt Archival.

 This was then brutally and rapidly cut using Tim Holtz's leaves die. I coloured each leaf with a sponging of Evergreen Bough and then melted some Shabby Blue Frantage on the edges to suggest a frosty morning. These invitations took a couple of hours to produce. Now I know that's not exactly a speed challenge, but for a snail like me it's pretty good going!

 I do hope my guests will like them - and that my friends and followers will like Magpie's Speed Crafting! I hope you are all calm and super organized for Christmas! Have a great week. Warm Christmas wishes from a rather breathless Magpie!