Baby

Here is another easel card ordered by a lady for her newest great grand-daughter. I bought this LOTV stamp some time ago and have been waiting for someone to ask me for a card for a reason to use it!
I love the 'comfort blanket'!
So - papers are from Craftwork cards (argyle, gingham and dots) all in varying shades of pink, layered onto DCWV pink cardstock. The image cut out with nesties and layered onto pink. I coloured the image with promarkers and added a liberal helping of stickles on the blanket.
The safety pin was in a collection of baby buttons gathering dust in my stash - it seemed perfect to use to hang the name and birthdate from!
Some pearls, a paper flower secured with a pearl brad and some gingham ribbon finished the front. I hung a tiny gold rattle from the ribbon.

On the base I used the same papers and found a tiny gingham fabric heart which luckily for me co-ordinated really well!

I made a box to match using a small pink pram button from the same stash as the pin. .

Happily, the lady who ordered it was delighted with it!   

Challenges -

MAWTT - Brand Spanking New

Little Darlings - Girly

Pixie Dust studio - Monochromatic

Secret Crafter - Monchromatic

Hooked on Craft - Cute and Cuddly (And don't you think new babies are??????LOL)

Phindy's Place - Die Cuts

I Love Promarkers - Anything Goes

Allsorts - Free and easy

Happiness......

is definitely a hug! Maybe the sunshine here has something to do with it but my spirits have picked up a little today - this is the fourth day in a row we have had nice weather!

I started this card over the weekend in between winning a County Final on Saturday, then losing another (by just ONE shot) on Sunday! Irrespective of the scores both days I enjoyed both events thoroughly - and it has been such a long time since I have been even the tiniest bit enthusiastic about bowling - hopefully my enthusiasm will remain during the National Championships!

Back to the card - I could not help but fall hopelessly in love with this scrummy winged thing! She is such a cute toadstool hugger and it even prompted me to get out the sewing machine. I distressed the edges of the image, then dusted with some distress ink (this doesn't show up very well in the pic!). I stitched her onto DCWV cardstock then layered onto papers from My Mind's Eye ('Mabel' papers).

'Toadie Cuddler' (LOL) was coloured with promarkers and a tiny bit of white highlighter and I gave her wings a quick dusting of glitter.
The sentiment was PC generated and attached to the flourish(again coloured with promarkers) with an orange peg. The flowers and ribbon were from my stash and the gold pin was a present from Maureen. I decorated the inside using the same paper and cut out a central piece with my nesties to give the sender a place to write a greeting.
Challenges -
Digital Tuesday - Garden with Things with Wings
Creative Craft World - Anything But Birthdays
Crafty Catz - No Pink or Blue
Daisy Doodles - Anything Goes
Everybody Art - Garden
  

Anniversary

Have you ever started something and then been sorry????? I had sooooo much trouble with this card and I have no earthly explanation as to why!
I had what I wanted to do in my head but when it came to actually doing it, the first two attempts ended up in the bin - I could not get it the way I wanted it no matter what I did. I finally settled on this and I hope the lady who has ordered it this ruby wedding easel card will be happy with it.

Even though I love Liverpool FC, I find red a real difficult colour to work with! I think it can be overpowering if you use too much and I hope I've managed to get the balance right here.

I opted for lots of textured card, made using my two favourite 'Budding Vine' and 'Swiss Dots' embossing folders. The backgound card is also textured with 'bubbles' -(bought in a pack, not embossed by me!).

The main sentiment focus was a freebie some time ago and I have used it before. I covered it with some very fine glitter and then added a metallic heart. Cut out with nesties, some flowers (both fabric and paper), a butterfly and a few pearls and it was finished.



Challenges -
Hooked On Craft - Love
Flutterby Wednesday- Anything Goes
Craft Us Crazy - Anything Goes
Kaboodle Doodles - Embossing
House that Stamps Built - Repeat Impressions DCC720 Designer’s Choice Challenge- Glitter

The weather here once again is DREADFUL! I am fed up with the rain. (Even though it means I can make messy with paper, it would be nice to see some SUN!)
I made this card yesterday (when I should have been dusting... lol - a friend of mine said - 'After 4 years the dust doesn't get any thicker'- don't suppose I'll get away with finding out if her saying is correct!!!!)

I used papers from Pink Petticoat. The background is the 'rose stencil' paper. The pale pink polka dot paper layered and punched hasn't shown up very well in this dreadful light - (honestly, it's so dark, you'd think it was November!) so I apologise for the poor quality of the pic.


I coloured the LOTV image with Distress Inks and Promarkers, adding a liberal bit of Stickles onto the feather boa for some bling! I may add a tiny sparkly gem to the flower centre yet....
Lace and pearls from my stash, flowers a present from my friend, and the sentiment from TLC which I put onto a PC generated ticket shape and then dusted with Distress Ink to co-ordinate with the colours used.
The inside of the card has been decorated to co-ordinate with the front.
Challenges -
LOTV - #105 - Pink and Blue
Totally Papercrafts - Girly Girls
Phindy's Place - Pretty Pastels
Emerald Faerie - All things nice (Girly)
ABC Challenge - Y is for Yesterday (Choose a letter from a previous challenge and I chose R for Roses from April 2011)
Southern Girls - Birthday
Sparkles Forum - Elegance and Lace

Relax!

What a day weather wise here! We've had torrential rain this morning with some really strong winds, then mid way through the afternoon the sun came out and bathed us in gloriously warm sunshine! Unbelievable!

I took the opportunity today to catch up with some paperwork and once again neglected the housework, although I did manage some ironing.....

I didn't make this card today either -  it's one I made earlier!!! LOL

A quick make with one of LOTV's cutey images - don't you love his socks?????!

Anyway he's enjoying a relax with his 'Happy Times' paper, snuggled up in a comfy armchair (and if his weather was like ours this morning, who can blame him!)  The sentiment is by TLC.
Challenges -
PaperCrafting Journey - For Him
Crafty Creations - Boyz to Men
Crafts 4 Eternity - 3-2-1 Recipe Challenge - (and I used 3 Card Candy buttions, 2 DP papers and one fancy punch)

Summer finally???

Well this is the third day we have had some nice weather! Do you think our Summer has finally arrived?
Forecast says not - nice tomorrow again but then rain, rain and more rain!!! So here is a Summer card - made for Maureen for her birthday and as her birthday has come and gone (and don't tell anyone but it was a 'special' birthday - LOL) I can now safely share it with you. (Please note I resisted any references to AGE on the card.....I thought putting a pensioners book on the front might be a bit naughty.... after all she wanted her age to be kept a secret......rofl)

Oh how brave am I??? She's floating on the seas somewhere so she won't see this.....I hope....

Anyway back to the card -

This is one of my fave digis and as I was feeling adventurous I coloured it with Chalks and Distress Inks....... not usual for me to use chalks but  I quite enjoyed it. The Topiary tree has a serene quality I think and I wanted to reflect that with the colouring, hence the use of chalks.

A wee bit of stickles on the butterfly wings for some sparkly accents and a couple of pearls and some flowers from my stash added to papers from a variety of paper pads plus a small butterfly charm! Suitably distressed around the edges and as it was for the 'sewing queen Maureen', I stitched it together!
Challenges -
Crazy 4 Challenges - Summer Themed
Crafty Catz - Vintage Look
Dream Valley - Summer Themed
One Stop Craft - Summer Time
Paper Playtime - Summer
Stamp Something - Bugs or Butterflies

Two down .....

Here's the second of my three orders for 'special' birthday cards!

This time it's for a 60th Birthday early next month. The lady whose birthday has a fabulously flamboyant and dramatic dress sense so I thought this image of a 'Diva' from Mo Manning might fit! 

Don't you love her!

I decided to use a bold colour for this card - the papers are from Summer Driggs (Tiffany Collection) and I really like the aqua blue green colour.

Diva was coloured with promarkers and a liberal helping of Stickles used for her gloves.

 I outlined both image and sentiment with the same Stickles, added a large white satin bow and finally opened the pearl and rhinestone flourish packs that I bought some time ago and have been hoarding!
I also used some tiny pearls for Diva's necklace and earrings and a couple of sparkly gems on the flourishes on the base of the card. Bags of Bling!
The sentiment inside reads -

'have a historic 60th Birthday' (and no doubt she will!!! LOL)

Challenges -

Fairy Fun Fridays - Pearls and Swirls

Fab Friday - Recipe - Ribbon and pearls/rhinestones
Wags N Whiskers - Birthdays
Cupcake Craft - Choose from 150 challenges - and I chose Challenge #47 - Pearls and Swirls

Aud Sentiments - Use at least two words
Gingerloft Challenge - Make it Sparkle

   

Life begins....??????????

This freebie image from Broken Box Stock made me smile and I hoped it wouldn't be too long before I got round to using it.

When I got an order for a 40th Birthday card I thought it would fit perfectly. The image comes with a sentiment that say's TGIF (Thank God I'm Fabulous!) but I opted to make my own sentiment to fit in with the age.

Easel cards seem very popular with the ladies at the bowls club and I confess to enjoying making them!

Once again I used a flower made by Maureen and the purple pearly topped hat pin was a present from Maureen too (I think she's been having another clear out!!!LOL).

The starry paper and the striped paper were both matted onto purple DCWV cardstock and stitched together. I coloured the image with promarkers and added some liquid pearls for the bracelets. The flourishes were coloured with 'Orchid' and a bit of glitter rubbed over it for some bling. Lilac organza ribbon from my stash.

(Anyone any tips (apart from using pinking scissors) to stop organza fraying please?) 

I made a white box to protect the card and just added some of the paper and an organza bow to the box top to tie it all together.

Am entering this into the following challenges -

Fab n Funky - Purple Haze

Penny's Paper Crafting - Happy Birthday

Digital Tuesday - Bling it On

Craft Yor Passion - Anything Goes

Pedal Power!

Unsurprisingly there are an absolute zillion challenges out there this week with the theme of Red/White and Blue or Patriotic or Stars and Stripes etc as the 4th of July is almost upon us!

So Happy Independence Day to all lovely followers from the USA!

And in keeping with the theme of Independence, don't you just love this image from Mo Manning?!

Little boy on his trike being very independent and grown up without his stabilisers!
This card started out it's life differently in my head.... but a disaster whilst colouring the ribbons that flow from the handlebars prompted me to think again.
I ended up cutting him out excluding the streamers and improvising with some promarker coloured pieces of string!

The stars background is from DCWV, matted onto dark blue cardstock and likewise the striped paper.

The red buttons have been rattling round in the button box for a while so I thought it was time I used them up and I finished with a rather large(LOL) red bow and a PC generated sentiment.

Entering this into some of the challenges -

Some Odd Girl - Bright and Bold
Delightful Challneges - Red, White and Blue

Southern Girls - Bring out your inner child!
Stamp Something - Digi Day

Fairy Knoll - Red, White and Blue
Craft Us Crazy - Red, White and Blue
Crafters Companion - One for the Boys

Amber's Crafts - Red, White and Blue

Penny's Paper Crafty - Red, White and Blue

Crafting 4 all seasons - Red White and Blue