Sunshine!

What a glorious day again today - wall to wall sunshine - have a suntan and it's only March!! A {very} warm welcome to my new followers - it's lovely to see you and I hope you pop in often 'cos I love visitors!

Have another here to share today from the 'coloured in images'drawer - doing what I promised and sorting through some of the piles - am soooo good aren't I?  
This is 'Melissa' from the Sugar Nellie 'Adorables' range and I don't know what it is about this stamp but it really is one of my favourites - I think it maybe because she looks so intense studying her little flower and quite sad too - or maybe she's not sad at all and is thinking happy thoughts!
Whichever it is, I think she is just lovely!

She is coloured with promarkers and I stitched her onto a sandy beige background.
The backing papers from Nitwits are called 'In The Meadow Too' and they were all stitched and layered onto the same beige card.
I added some white cotton lace from my stash - this is the last of it and as I have no idea where it came from won't be able to buy any more.
The flourishes were done using a Marianne die and I made the two roses using the rose creations nesties again. (Talk about get your money's worth!)
(Note to Maureen - am quite hooked on these now...and it's your fault! LOL)

I finished the front with some blue/silver pearls and continued the colour theme into the inside, using a thinner version of the same white cotton lace.

The sentiment reads in full -
I saw this flower.....  And thought of You  which I think makes it a suitable card to send for any occasion.

Thanks for calling in today and if you've left a comment I thank you lots- they really do make my day.
I hope the weather is as nice for you and if it is - enjoy the sunshine while it lasts! x

A few Spring themed challenges -
Stamps and fun - Handmade Flowers
Creative Card Crew - Spring
Paper Sundaes - Spring blossoms
Cupcake Craftroom - Spring Bouquet (OK - I know one flower doesn't make a full bouquet but I am using some 'artistic licence here......!!)
2 Sisters - Spring is in the Air
Crafty Ann's - Spring
Lollipop Crafts - Anything Goes

Totally Tropical!

Can you believe the temperatures? It's a gorgeous SUMMER's day here! It's ridiculously warm for March and I'm loving every second of it! So before I go outside to enjoy this fabulous sunshine I thought I'd post a card that's suitable for the weather......
This lovely Sugar Nellie image is called 'Summer'. Apt don't you think?!!!

I got her last year and this is the first time I've used her - (like a lot of my purchases....shhhhh)
The backing papers are from Summer Driggs' 'Flopsicle' collection (did someone mention 'summer' again.....LOL) and i layered them onto dark orange cardstock and stitched them all together.
I coloured 'Summer' with promarkers and used some distress ink for the pale blue sky background - which probably doesn't show up too well in the pic but has given the sky a lovely pale hazy colour.

The ribbon and pearls were from my stash and I am slowly depleting my challenge win flowers!

I used a gold coloured metal butterfly and thought the cocktail umbrella fitted perfectly!
The sentiment was a freebie from Rainbow Echo and I altered the colour using Serif, then cut out with a nestie and used a scalloped nestie to on the rest of the orange cardstock to make a frame.

The inside was co-ordinated using up the rest of the paper and a pearl buckle secured the ribbon scrap.

Challenges -
CardMadFairy - Use a Digi
Card Crafters Circle - Tic Tac Toe (Flowers/Digi/Die cuts)
I Love promarkers - 3 Different papers
My Mum's Craft Shop - Use a Digi
Stampin for the Weekend - Anything goes  
Crafty Purple Frog - Anything Goes
Pattie's Creations - Anything Goes
Sweet Stampin - Anything Goes

Thanks for dropping in to see me today - appreciate your visits and comments - have a lovely day whatever you're doing - am now off out to enjoy the sun while it lasts!  x

Cake!

First day of Spring - and it has been a really beautiful day here - gorgeous sunshine and blue skies - let's hope that the weather remains as good throughout Spring and Summer!
Have sat here (guiltily!) and enjoyed the sunshine streaming in through the windows.... and finished a card I started when the weather was a little less nice!

Stamped this image before Christmas - (another in the drawer of 'things to make up' LOL), and the card was starting to look a bit tatty round the edges so set to and made it up.

I coloured it with promarkers - and then stitched it onto some pink and green cardstock.
Layered it with foam pads onto a trusty doily and popped it onto the backing papers then added some sparkle to the Icing Sugar.
The papers were a challenge win last year and shamefully I only opened the pack last week to use them.
Stitched onto the same pink and green cardstock and added a couple of promarker coloured die cuts and two very very pink pearls!

The flowers were another challenge win and I added some green glass leaves - which probably don't show up too well in then pic but am really happy with how they look in real life! The flowers and glass leaves were placed onto a lovely pink and green hand crocheted cotton flower which was given to me by Maureen and I think came from her aunt. 

The ribbon is from my stash -it just seemd to tie it all together and I added a little metal heart charm which says 'Made With Love'. 

I decorated the inside to match.

Hope your day has been as nice - thanks for visiting - you know I appreciate you taking the time.  x

Challenges -

CraftyPurpleFrog - Pink and Girly
Papertake Weekly - Bingo (Gems, DieCuts, Flowers)
Passion for Promarkers - Animals
Birthday Sundaes - Animal Birthday Card
Fashionable Stamping - Bingo (metal, Sewing, Flowers)
Tuesday Throwdown - Spring Cleaning - and I am using my papers and old stamped images
Love to Create - Anything Goes
Pan Pastel - add a Flower

Best Friends

Have been away from the craftie space this week although I have managed to keep visiting some blogs - not all though and if you're one of those I didn't get to I promise I will get to see your creations over the weekend.
Some time ago I made a card like this for a commission. I always print off two images in case I mess up one and this one was coloured and in the 'things to assemble' drawer! I have been trying very hard to use up stuff and am not always successful but this is another image from Mo Manning which I like a lot and I decided to make it up into an easel.

I hope the horse lovers will forgive my less than perfect shading!

Anyway, little girl and her big friend were coloured with promarkers and the sky was painted with watercolour pastels.
 The image was stitched onto a cream coloured card die cut and then put onto the card with 3d pads. The backing papers from My Mind's Eye also stitched and layered onto the same coloured card and some very old cream cotton lace from my stash added.

The flowers were a challenge win from Crafty Emma's. I coloured the flourish with a promarker and used some cream ribbon to make the back for the flower rosette, then just finished with 5 brown pearls.
The base of the easel has a tiny galloping horse metal charm attached to the lace with a ribbon.
I need to add a sentiment yet - am still thinking!!!!

Challenges -
Forever Friends - Add a Charm
I Love promarkers - Anything Goes
Everybody Art - Easel card
Craft Your Passion - Easel Card
Digi Makeover - Critters
Papertake Weekly - For the Girls

Am now off to be pummelled by the physio so -
Thanks for visiting, the sun is shining here and I hope it's shining where you are too.... x

Script

Having not finished last week's in time to post before the challenge closed I am extra extra early this week for Less Is More which is a one layer card with 'script'.

Maureen is today holding a workshop at Barry's craft store on painting with Distress Inks so not to be outdone I decided even though it is too far for me to travel to be of any use/support/a nuisance to her, I would take part anyway!

The Elusive Image stamp was inked in versamark black first. I made a mask as I wanted to emboss the actual flower - it's really difficult when the stamp isn't a clear one but after two attempts I managed it using black embossing powder on the hydrangea.
It's given it a lovely raised effect which I am pleased with (for once!).

I painted the background script with Victorian Velvet and Spun Sugar and did the flower with Broken China and highlighted it with Dusty Concord.

Unfortunately I am not so pleased with the new card stock I bought recently- although it was supposed to be quite a heavy weight and felt OK when I opened it, it has really disappointed me - it coped with the DI painting quite well, but boy, did it buckle very easily with the heat embossing.
It also didn't cope particularly well with an embossing folder coming out all wavy when I ran it through the cuttlebug, so will only be using it in future for basic stamping projects.

I may well have to mat this onto other cardstock if I want to use it for more than just a 'notelet'.

Will have to see if the three heavy books currently on top of it straighten it out a bit!

Hope everyone is having a good day out in blogland, thanks for visiting and enjoy your weekend! x

Wistful

After saying in my previous post I don't make many yellow cards, guess what I've done?
Yep - a yellow card - LOL

I don't know what it is about this Stampin Up image but I have made a couple of cards now using it and am always drawn to colouring the dress yellow!!! 
I have lots of stamps/digis that I like, some I would even say I love and this is amongst those that I love - definitely.
Am at a loss to say what it's overall appeal is really - I just think she looks so wistful and lonely standing barefoot in the grass and looking at the two butterflies - she's probably nothing of the sort and is likely to be loving the moment but you'll forgive me my imaginative wanderings won't you???!
The papers are from Raspberry Road, distressed and stiched onto yellow card. I used one of my MS punches for the bottom border, cut the frame from the same yellow card with one of my 'recent present to me' nesties and stitched the image onto the frame. The image was coloured with a mixture of promarkers and Distress Inks, with a bit of glamour dust on the two butterflies (which hasn't shown up very well in the pic) and I added a white paper doily behind.
The blue flowers were amongst a prize from a challenge blog and the yellow one was made using another 'present to me' nestie set!
I finished the front with a lemon coloured patchwork heart button threaded with lemon and white gingham ribbon and three tiny silvery blue pearls.

The same colour theme was carried through to the inside.


Challenges -
Fab N Funky - Mellow yellow
My Mum's Craft Shop - Spring Colours
Let's Ink It Up - Show us your Flowers
CRAFT - Inspired by a Song (Yellow by Coldplay)
Crafty Catz - Mothers Day/Special Lady
Simon Says Stamp - Mothers Day/Special female
(My lovely Mum sadly is no longer with us but this woul;d have been exactly the type of card I would have given her on her special day - and anyway I think the image is one special lady!!!)

Thanks for paying me a visit - have a lovely weekend whatever you're doing. x

50 years!

Some family friends are set to celebrate their Golden Wedding next month - they're lovely people and no doubt like everyone else they've had good times and bad during their 50 years together - but it's quite an achievement isn't it?
OH and I will be well into our dotage to be celebrating this particular anniversary - we'd both well into our 90's!!!! At the mo we'd be happy to make the silver version!
I wanted to make a nice card for Bob and Joan as Joan always is so complimentary about anything I make but boy have I struggled!

I do not like the colour gold - I think it's really overpowering and am also not a big lover of yellow - think perhaps I have only ever made two yellow cards in my entire life that I am happy about and I made a well OTT Golden Anniversary card as a commision which I admit turned out fine and the recipient was happy with it - but Bob and Joan are real honest 'down to earth' people and OTT was definitley not the order of the day! 

I saw the idea for the stamped panels on Debby's blog - (don't worry I told her I was going to steal it! LOL) - and thought I could try and adapt for the golden wedding.

I used another stamp from the Stempelglede Vintage Garden set and stamped and gold embossed onto cream linen card. The  card was then cut into strips and I cut the bottom ends with the edge of a square nestie.

I attached onto cream linen card stock using foam pads.

The cream and gold ribbon is from my christmas stash and I punched a scalloped edge onto some gold card and attached it underneath the ribbon.

The flower is the last of a pile sent to me ages ago by Maureen and now I have my own set of nesties to make these she said she won't be sending me any more!!! LOL

The gold and pearl bead flower embellies and the gold mesh were from my stash and I used a LOTV stamp for the greeting.

I used some glimmer mist on the die cut butterfly (another sent by Maureen- and I only have two left now...hint hint....), gold embossed the body and added two pearls. 

I thought long and hard about gems for the butterfly trail but everything I tried didn't look right so instead opted for the easy option of gold embossing powder instead -  hope it looks OK!

Challenges -

Sparkles Forum - Things with Wings

DYSU - Things with Wings

Let's Ink It Up - Flowers

That Craft Place- Anything Goes

Stamping for the Weekend - Bingo- and I chose Ribbon/Sparkles/Flowers
Crafty Emmas - Flowers
Allsorts - Spread Your Wings

Thanks for stopping by today -  I appreciate you taking the time to visit and leave comments - have a lovely day! X

Pedal Power

What a difference a day makes! Yesterday blue skies, lovely sunshine and warm weather - today grey skies, pouring rain and on with the sweaters!
So after a quick trip to the supermarket and a whizz (well a stroll really cos my neck and back won't allow me to whizz anymore!) round with the vacuum cleaner as we have two viewings tomorrow I intend on spending the rest of the day in the craft room - will have to tidy up in there too unfortunately as the sight of the desk and paper strewn floor is likely to put off any prospective buyers. Am hoping that the next visitors are more than just 'carpet treaders' and we've had our fair share of those!

Onto the card - I made a similar one to this some time ago and the image was amongst a pile I had coloured and popped in a drawer so thought I would set to and get it made up into a card!

Mo Manning made a girl and boy version of this and although I like the little girl one, this one is my fave of the two! His little car backpack just makes me smile.

I coloured it with promarkers, then cut it out stuck it onto linen card using foam pads and added some embroidery thread for streamers from the handles.

The star paper is from a pack of sticky backed stuff - lost the front so don't know who made it and the stripey one was a scrap piece in my stash. I mounted the lot onto blue card and added three very large red buttons. I hope the big red bow hasn't made it too 'girly'!!
The inside has the same striped paper to co ordinate with a space for a greeting and the sentiment on the front was PC generated. I haven't fixed the sentiment permanently yet as I'm not sure if it's a bit too 'grown up' for  child!

Challenges -
One Stop Crafts - Button It
Card Crafters Circle - Buttons
Cupcake Craft - Boys and their Toys
Bronte and Bella - Anything Goes with a Mo's image
Pixie Dust Studio - Buttons
Creative Crafts - Boys will be Boys
2 Sisters - 1 image, 2 patterned papers, 3 embellies

Thanks for dropping in to see me today, I appreciate your visits and comments - Have a lovely day whatever you're doing! X