Bicycle

Had a productive day yesterday - intended to go out for a long walk but the weather defeated me - put coat on -hail, sleet, rain took coat off. Then a patch of blue sky - put coat on only for the rain to start again. Took coat off and gave up 'cos whilst the rain doesn't really bother me the path round the beautiful reservoir near where we live gets really muddy so went into the craft room instead!

Found these papers and thought they would make a good 'man' card!
They're what my Mum would have described as 'sludgy green' with shades of brown - no idea who's they were although think the script background was from a Papermania pack called Regency?
The other piece was a 12 x 12 scrapbooking sheet which happily for me had varying merging designs and shades with quite a large shaded area with nothing on it at all - perfect for stamping the image onto!

The Penny Farthing man is an old stamp which was from a set of Edwardian Gentlemen and I used Adirondack Espresso ink.
I sponged the edges of all the paper pieces with Brushed Corduroy DI and matted them onto dark brown card.
Added the sentiment and finished it off with a dark brown button and some string.
Quite an uncluttered design but enough I think for a man!

Challenges -
MAWTT - Birthday Boys
Digi Sketch - 1 for the Men
OLLCB - Man card
Creative Inspirations - Stamping
Allsorts - Vintage
Totally Papercrafts - 1 for the Boys
Gem of a Challenge - 1 for the Boys
Enjoy your day whatever you have planned! x

Cold and grey day with some heavy sleet and hailstone showers thrown in just to keep me firmly in the craft room.... not that any excuse is needed.

After my relapse in printing out paper last time for the vintage boat card I went back to the 'use up the paper stash' promise and  got some blue papers - still wanting to make more boy/man cards but as I cut up paper pieces I remembered this badly neglected stamp and just had a 'sudden urge' to produce something with it!

Trouble with 'sudden urges' is that they then tend to throw you completely off track and things don't come together as you think they should!!!
Never mind - am sure there must be someone out there who likes the idea of a small child wearing a bucket on it's head!

 I have been struggling a bit with layouts over the last couple of days so this time I used a sketch from the challenge over at Freshly Brewed this month.

Image stamped onto linen textured card and coloured with promarkers. Distress Inks Stormy Sky and Mustard Seed sponged round the edges before matting onto dark blue card.

A bit of string and a couple of card candies along with a free digi sentiment from TLC to finish.

AND - because I am being very good I used up ALL the offcuts of the paper on the inside! 3 more sheets  gone - but it is a pity that 3 sheets doesn't amount to very much when you must have about 3 million!!! LOL
Other Challenges-
Cutie Pie - Cute and Blue
Digi Makeover - Blue
My Craft Spot - Polka Dots
Clear it Out - Blues
Craft Your Passion - Spots and Stripes

Hope you're warm and dry! Have a great day. x

Waves

Man card!
Made my mind up to do some cards suitable for men and this is the first. I am going to use this stamp agin so you'll probably be fed up with it in a week or so! Having done a couple of CAS cards I didn't really wnat to do another just yet - sometimes I find it good to be messy and fussy - the only trouble is you can't be too fussy with 'man cards' can you - cos the recipient thinks you're barmy if you adorn it with flowers and ribbons... nuff said.
So I made messy instead.

Completely unhappy with this pic which has given it an 'orange' tint hasn't it when IRL it definitely is reds and browns! Light here has disappeared dramatically in the last twenty minutes!
AND I CONFESS......... instead of using papers from my stash I printed out these instead - LOL!! So much for using up the paper mountain in the boxes... I have promised myself I WILL use up some from the boxes on the next one!

For a change I used Kraft card as the base for this one.
Layered, distressed and stitched all the papers and then scrunched up some card and smoothed it out before stamping the ship and sentiment. The ship stamp is from an Artemio set, the sentiment is from a set called Nautical Collage and the little compass is from I don't know where!
All stamped with Vintage Sepia.
The Distress Ink used throughout is Tea Dye.

I found a red brad in my stash so used that to secure the large banner and the map tag is a free digital download from a blog called 'Call Me Victorian' which has to be one of the best free vintage download sites around!
An old bit of string wrapped round the banner and knotted finished it all off.

Challenges -
Paper Crafting Journey - Vintage/Distressed/Shabby
Fab n Funky - Words
Always Something Creative - Stitching
Art Impressions - Trips Ahoy
Craft Room - Water based
Crafty Hands - Put a Tag on it
Daring Cardmakers - Stripes
Fussy and Fancy - Vintage
Totally Papercrafts - One for the Boys

I hope you're all having a good day and wish you a fab weekend! x

Cluck Cluck!!

I suppose you can all be forgiven for thinking I am becoming the proverbial 'mother hen' as this will be the second baby card in as many days...........Now those that know me know how I feel about 'little bundles of joy' - great - as long as they belong to someone else and I can view pictures only....... so the title of this post is NOT a reference to me being broody I can assure you! LOL

THIS is how I like my babies - on a rubber stamp!!!
In an attempt to even up the scales after the blue card yesterday here's a pink girly one!
I actually do adore this little LOTV baby stamp - think it's a real cutie complete with a comfort blanket and this card is another for the 'Pink' box.

I paper pieced the blanket, hat and little body suit and coloured the rest with promarkers.
I randomly sponged some Spun Sugar DI on the background and also on the nestie 'frame' as although the white looked OK I wanted to try and achieve a softer effect.
The sentiment is also from LOTV stamped in Victorian Velvet DI
An embossed background and some pink/white Bakers twine and a tiny pink button finished it all off.
CAS but not too bad I think?

Challenges -
Love to Create - Buttons
SFC - Embossing
LIM  (2nd go!) - Baby
Little Red Wagon - CAS
Nutcrafters - CAS
Totally Papercrafters - Paper Piecing
Crafting By Designs - Get your Girl On

So that's all the baby gooey stuff from me for a while I think! Thanks for popping in! x

New!

This may not be the only post today - you have been warned!! LOL
I had a quick flurry yesterday and made some CAS cards - a lady at the Club bought a lot of cards from the 'Pink' box on Saturday -  I needed to make up the stash - so a few quick makes were in order!
It's not often I used coloured card as a base as I always think that my makes look 'flat' but decided to give it another go.
So I made a Baby card (well a few actually but am only sharing one at the mo!) Others will no doubt follow later......

Just a plain simple little new baby boy card done in pale blue cardstock and some scraps of patterned and spotty paper from the snippets pile.
(So will be popping this into the playground this week).
I added a shoestring bow and the sentiment is from LOTV stamped in versafine ink.
The pram was a clear stamp but no idea where I got it from!
I popped a tiny pale blue pearl in the centre of the flower and then die cut and layered it using foam pads.
One of the quickest cards I've ever made I think - am still unsure about the plain background. Think that as I've got used to using linen textured card for CAS I am missing the depth it gives. I considered embossing but ended up leaving it plain!

Challenges -
Less Is More - New baby
ATCAS - New
Stampavie - New Beginnings
Creative Creations - Less Is More
Kaboodle Doodles - Use Blue
SOS - Winter Blues
TIOT - Celebrations

Thanks for visiting! x

Black & White - Crafty Cardmakers DT

Been a few changes over at Crafty Cardmakers and More for 2014 - a new title, new teams and different types of challenges as we're also adding some Mixed Media themes! 

For our team's first challenge of 2014 Kim has chosen the theme 'BLACK & WHITE' - no other colours except flesh colours for people.

This colour combo just makes me think of silent movies!
So a movie inspired card is my DT offering for Kim's challenge and I combined digi stamps with a 'real' one to achieve the effect that I wanted!

The papers are old stuff from my stash so I have no idea who's they are.
The image is an old stamp which I have had for years and rarely used. (It was in the 'shall I get rid of ?' drawer!)

Stamped onto bright white card and matted onto black before mounting it onto the base. I popped a teeny bit of red ink onto her lips and I hope I will be forgiven- well you can't have a movie star without cherry lips can you?????

The film reel and clapper board were free digi stamps some time back. Raised these also with 3d foam pads and some film strip acetate stuck behind (have no more of this left so that's the end of my movie career....!!)

The stars and sentiment were all PC printed and I finished it off with some black sequins, a black organza bow and some white pearls.

The inside is decorated with the same papers and another star.

I am quite disappointed with the quality of this pic as the colour isn't as sharp as it should be - think I should have asked Santa for a new camera?
 I hope you can come and join us this month - our sponsors are Woodware and Di's Digi Stamps.

 Other Challenges -
Sentimental Sundays - More than 3 layers
Hobbycutz - Lots of Layers
OSAAT - Use a digi
Scribble & Scrap - Anything Goes
Challenges 4 Everybody- Anything Goes
Digi Galore - Monochrome
Craft Your Passion - Face the Music (Movie Star by Harpo - really showing my age now!!)
My Sheri Crafts - Use a Digi
Fussy and Fancy - Monochromatic

Thanks for taking the time to look at today's creation - have a wonderful day whatever you're doing! x

Vintage Sepia

Continuing with my 'use up that paper or chuck it' theme, I sat yesterday and fiddled with a few things. I have though come to accept that I am NEVER going to get to the bottom of these paper mounds as quite frankly, I will soon become bored!
But I have definitely promised not to buy any more and this is something I WILL keep to.
(Besides - there are so many lovely digi papers now and instead of buying packs where you only use half (or even less) at least with digis you can just print what you want! LOL)  

Whilst ferreting about I found an absolutely ANCIENT half used paper pack by Basic Grey and a slightly less ancient  and less used pack by Joy Crafts - the sepia vintagey colours appealed so here is the card -
Dusted off the sewing machine too!

Edges distressed with the wheely tool, then Tea Dye distress ink and stitched.
The main image and the script stamped with Vintage Sepia ink, cut out with nesties and the main image then sponged with Tea Dye and Antique Linen.

Attached the image using a mother of pearl button, folding down the top corner.
Sentiment tag also got the same treatement with the ink!

The ribbon is hand dyed and I found a coppery coloured heart in the stash box .   
All the vintage lace used is from my stash, the bottom corner 'fan shape' was from a crochet doily and I just cut it into quarters!
Papers all carried through to the inside.

Challenges -
Stamping Sensations - Ribbon/Buttons/Bows
CFTH - Pearls or Buttons
Artistic Inspirations - A.Goes/Feminine
Country View Crafts - Monochromatic
Creative Moments - Ribbons/Pearls
Divas by Design - Use Ribbons
Simon Says Stamp (Monday) - Anything Goes
Bunny Zoes' - Stitching
Fab n Funky- 1image, 2 Buttons, 3 papers

So that's me for today - have a great day whatever you're doing! x

Almost at the end.........

............ of Fifth Avenue! Not the one in Manhattan NYC but the one here in my craft room!
It's been a long way, a little pad carefully hoarded but the time has come........ one of my Resolutions was to use up this paper mountain which lives amongst my 'stash'. In fact it has taken over my stash (and the room/drawers/cupboards) and I seriously need to make an effort to
1. Stop buying Paper and
 2. Use up what I already have
(anyone got a secret elixir to make me live till I'm about 200??? 'Cos that's how long it'll take me to get through this lot!)

So today I am looking at an old paper pad which now has just five sheets left which are in usuable condition and size.. ok I know I haven't actually USED IT ALL but I've made a start!

A card made entirely with Melissa Frances 5th Avenue papers - even the focal point. 
Grand scalloped nestie for the base card then another circle made with the 'music' sheet from the pad.
Layered with a smaller scalloped circle from one of the blue papers, then a fancy die cut from one of the pink ones.

Sandwiched in between and left to overhang the edges is some pink leaf shaped lace which was cut off a fancy sweater about five years ago!

Two circles cut from a piece of scrap card and mounted to form a frame and the 'ballerinas' from the bottom of another sheet of the paper  stuck inside then layered onto the card.

A hand made paper 'rose', two fabric flowers from my stash and a piece of hand dyed silk ribbon tucked behind.

The sentiment is computer generated and I thought it fitted well!
 I don't often make 'shaped cards' so am reasonably happy with this one - and have determined to use up at least 3 of the remaining 5 sheets on the box.
Challenges -
Allsorts - Use Ribbon (no bows)
Musically Challenged - Any Song (Tiny Dancer-Elton John from the film 'Almost Famous')
Ruby's Rainbow - Song (Tiny Dancer - Elton John)
Crafty Hazelnuts Patterned Paper Challenge - January
Live & Love Crafts - Perfume (5th Avenue by Elizabeth Arden)
RRR - Pink and Ribbon
Stamping Boutique - 3 papers
TLC's Linky Party - Show it off Sunday


An amazingly bright sunny and cold winters day here - beautiful! Have a good day whatever you're doing. x

Another Desk Tidy!

Just mooched about this morning - done some housework and some washing and have listened to the {very} heavy showers!
Came into the craft room armed with the hoover as there's bits of paper all over the floor... got in here and promptly just sat down at the desk abondoning the cleaner in the doorway!
Whilst making the card here last week, I abandoned a piece that I had started work on as the trellis edge had 'buckled' a bit in the middle.

This morning I 'rescued' this piece and set to using up the leftovers from the sheet of textured card and making use of the trellis edge, which I have decided isn't REALLY that bad.

When using up odd bits of card I always opt to use this honeyblossom die! Don't know why, - it's not that I don't have others!!

Embossed the background and after securing the oval frame onto another small piece of card lightly sponged some Spun Sugar DI. Cut out both frame and an aperture, stuck the oval centre flat onto the embossed background and then raised the frame on 3d foam pads.
Tucked in the flower die after sponging with the same ink, die cut a butterfly and added a few tiny pink gems.

No sentiment as yet as I am intending to use this card for myself rather than put in the 'Pink' box so  sentiment will be added when I use it - think though that it will be useful for a few things, Get Well, Birthday, Sympathy so a useful addition to my own card stash!
Challenges -
Little Red Wagon - All Purpose
Paper Nest Dolls - Anything Goes
Craft Your Passion - Fancy Borders/Edges
Feeling Crafty - Butterflies
Papertake Weekly - Anything Goes
Nutcrafters - Anything Goes
A Creative Need - Die Cuts
Pixies Playground - Snippets Week 106
ATCAS - Dies

Suppose I'd better retrieve the cleaner and sort out this floor - which is now covered with even more paper bits!!! Have a great day whatever you're doing! x 

New Arrival!

I was asked to make a couple of cards for a new baby - one though was with a twist.... instead of the card being for the parents/grandparents it was for the new arrival's older sister. I thought this was a lovely idea!
The little girl could then also feel that she was well and truly included in the excitement of the happy addition to her little family and also could show off her own card along with those received by her Mum and Dad.
Having done the 'fussy and fancy' OTT bit with the parents card, I opted for something a little bit simpler  - (and much quicker!)

Using a white scalloped edged card, I tried to continue the scallop theme with the addition of the punched border at the top, layering it onto pink and then tying some of my new pink and white Baker's Twine around.
The greeting was computer generated printed directly to card.

The digi image I bought in one of those 'that'll do for a rush job' moments last year and was printed out a few times, decoupaged and I added a tiny bit of glamour dust to the stars. 

Annabelle's new sister has now arrived safe and sound I am told - and more to the point Annabelle was more excited about showing off her 'very own' card instead of the family's new baby!
Challenges
A Gem of a Challenge - Something New
Crafty Sentiments - New
Oldie but Goodie - New Beginnings
Digi Makeover - Something New
Use your Stuff - New Beginnings
Come & Get It - Something New

Weather here has been too bad for me to take any photos of other completed projects so am hoping that the clouds disappear for a little while tomorrow! Thanks for your visit - appreciate it. x

Lavender and Lace

My design team card this month for 'Vintage Stamping'  is based on our theme of 'Lavender and Lace'.
I hope you will come and join us this month - use up some of your Christmas Goodies and  you might get some more in the form of a prize!!

I really like this stamp (from our sponsor)  and it was lovely to work with.

After stamping, I paper pieced her pinafore with some polka dot paper. The sky and ground were coloured with  distress inks and I coloured the rest of the stamp with promarkers.
I distressed the edges of the image and stitched it onto purple shade cardstock.
I used the same cardstock and polka dot paper for the background of the card.
The vintage lace was a present from a crafting buddy  and I used a paper lilac roses and some pearls.
A doily and a couple more paper flowers and some pearls, and finally I used an old pre-printed jigsaw piece that was part of a very large box (all different colours and sentiments) that I have had for a very long time and rarely used.
The theme was continued through to the inside.

Hope you like it enough to give our challenge a go this month - and my other teamies have also done some lovely projects to inspire you! Remember we may have the word 'vintage' in the title but your project doesn't have to be - as long as you have some stamping on it then your entry is fine!

Challenges -  

Crafting When We Can - Outside
Fairies Challenge - Flowers and Lace
Pile It On - Just Because
Incy Wincy - 3 Fave embellies (Lace, pearls and flowers)4
Scribble & Scrap - Anything Goes
Lexi's- Anything Goes

Thanks for the visit - hope you're all warm and dry wherever you are. x

Dreaming of Spring...

Happy New Year!
31st December would have been Mum's birthday, so now she is no longer with us we always now just spend it quietly although the weather was  cold, it was dry enough for us to go outside for a birds eye view of all the amazing fireworks down the valley at midnight - glass in hand of course!

Dry weather has not lasted now though - it is cold, wet and very windy here today so I am sharing a card I have made using ANOTHER new birdcage die which I treated myself to a couple of months ago but have only just used. This takes my total birdcages to 5!

Hope it reminds us all that however bad the weather is at the mo there WILL be better weather in the coming months -(at least I hope so - but I do STILL want some snow before then!!LOL)
Consequently grey skies meant pic was difficult to take.

I used bright white texture linen card and a trellis punch for the edges.
All the dies were cut from the rest of the sheet of card.

I sponged the Memory Box birdcage with Tumbled Glass DI.
I also cut a couple more of the flower branches attached to the top of the cage from the leftovers.
The little birdie is from another die set and I just gave him a colour wash with Squeezed Lemonade and Wild Honey.

The flowers and stems were also coloured with DI's - (Tattered Rose, Spun Sugar  and Shabby Shutters) - I think the leafy flourish is a Marianne die?.

The roses were made using a Spellbinders Blossom die and this is one of my fave ways to make flowers. They were also coloured with Spun Sugar before cutting out and gluing together.

The sentiment was stamped in Shabby Shutters DI and simply cut out with a small oval nestie, layered onto a scalloped edge one and tucked in between the flower petals.
Challenges -
Papertake Weekly - Pick of 2013 (July -Dies/Punches)
Our Creative Corner - Shopping Sin (Birdcage Die)
Nat & Amy's - Girly
1 Crazy Stamper - Anything Goes
Live & Love Crafts - Perfume (Sin Garden by Vivienne Westwood - lovely smell- awful name!)
Cards Galore Encore - Anything Goes
Heck of a Challenge - New
Scribble & Scrap - Anything Goes

Thanks for taking the time to look in  - you are appreciated more than you know! x