You've been Framed!

Our challenge this time at Crafty Cardmakers is 'You've Been Framed' -(projects must have a frame of any kind (stamped/diecut/decorated) as the prominent feature) and we're being sponsored by Sir Stampalot and Di's Digistamps.

My linen textured card was inspired by one of the many beautiful cards made using die cuts over on Pinterest and was inked with a mix of Victorian Velvet and Spun Sugar DI after securing a fancy frame nestie to it.

After cutting out the oval shape I cut the large piece to fit the front of a 7" x 5" card.

On the card base I sponged again so that it would show through the cut out frame and then positioned  the larger piece over it with foam pads.

The oval frame was then placed inside with thinner 3d foam pads - this meant that the oval frame sat just beneath the cut out piece but wasn't flat!

The trusty Honey blossom die cuts ( love this flower stem to bits!) were layered a few times at the side and I kept the little branch and leaf offcuts to one side.

Sentiment stamped in Victorian Velvet and cut out with another fancy tag die.
The offcut leaf and branches were then just stuck underneath and the card was finished with a couple of die cut butterflies.
Other Challenges -
Alphabet Challenge - D for Diecuts
Use Your Stuff - Die Cuts
Craft Your Passion - Anything but Square
Totally papercrafts - Pastels
Allsorts - Use Those Dies
Pile It On - Floral Fantasy
Come & Get It - In the Garden
OSAAT - Anything Goes
Scribble & Scrap - Anything Goes

Hope you can join in with our challenge and I appreciate any comments you leave! x
QUICK UPDATE - Now that I have left the sunshine (sob sob) I am cheering myself up by popping into the playground for a quick go on the swings!

Inky musings

I have spent a little while today 'card completing' - with some inky bits that I did a few weeks back.

Sometimes I just like to ink and stamp without finishing anything off - then when the coloured bits drawer gets a bit full I have a mammoth matting and layering fest!

This share is ALMOST finished now - only almost - no sentiment or greeting as I'm not sure what I will use it for yet but have left enough space to stamp something in the top right I think. This card will be staying in my own stash as I don't have many left now.

I used quite a few different colours and also mixed Distress Inks with Adirondack ones - overall though am not too disappointed with how it turned out - although I look at many other similar cards and still feel I have a long way to go in the blending stakes!

The stamps are of course from Inkylicious - Humming Bird Garden.
Just matted and layered onto black and pink card.

I am busy sorting out a few things as we're off on a quick sunshine break on Thursday - just for a week - hopefully the weather will be a bit better than the grey sky and rain we've had here today. I will have internet access though so you're not rid of me!
As ever I appreciate any comments you leave me - tell me what you think about my inky attempts and any tips you have will be gratefully accepted!
Challenges -
Crafty Bloggers - Nature
My Craft Spot - Anything Goes
Use your Stuff - Ink
613 Avenue Create - Birds of a feather
Fashionable Stamping - Silhouette

Have a great day whatever you're doing. x

Bits n pieces

Another make with a few tatty bits!
This is another of those commissioned Golden Anniversary cards.

By the time I'd made them all (for the same recipient) I was running out of ideas so this one (which was sent from me) is a variation on a previous card.

I had some of this gold card which has a soft sheen on it - it's not as glaring as mirri card (which I always find difficult to work with) and I did like the overall finished effect once done.

Another quick and simple card really and a bit of a different shape for me!
I put some of the gold card behind the doily and chopped off the edge.

I had a scrap of white card leftover from the actual base so just cut it out using a fancy circle die and placed it on the top of the doily.

The honeysuckle blossom die is one (if you look at my blog regularly) you will know that I simply love and use to death really!

Cut out a couple and bunched them together securing with a small white organza bow and glued to the layered doily.
Two tiny die cut butterflies and I finished with a gold embossed anniversary sentiment.

Challenges -
Craftitude - Anything Goes
Crafts 4 Eternity - Anything Goes
Cut It Up - Anything Goes
Daring Cardmakers - Use Dies
4 Crafty Chicks - No patterned paper

A quick trawl through blogland for me now - thanks for popping in! x

Snippets

Have done a few bits the last couple of days - this one was inspired by a creation on Pinterest sometime last year and I drew a rough sketch and kept it - thinking it would be great for using up odd bits of paper.
So use up I have! Melissa Frances Fifth Avenue to be exact - and theres only now 3 full pieces left.. so am feeling very pleased with myself that I am sticking to the 'use up the paper' promise I made.

Not only that I finally opened a pack of pink parchment paper and used a piece of that as a background as I didn't want plain white card (couldn't find any pink card the right shade!).

The dots and music paper with edges distressed duly stitched to the parchment.
Some lace from my stash and some pink shoestring ribbon threaded through a pink button and tied into a bow.
The little tage sentiment is a teeny scrap from the same paper pad and I just stamped a very small sentiment onto it.

Cut out two scalloped circles and mounted with foam pads.
The butterfly was cut out with a die - (twice) and glued together so I could pop up the top set of wings to give some depth. Not sure which make the die is!!
A quick and easy card and used up scraps!

Challenges -
Butterfly Challenge - Stitching
Penny's Paper Crafty - Buttons/Bows 
Make My Monday - Butterflies
SOS - Buttons/Bows
Pixies Playground - Snippets
Dragonfly Dreams - Up in the Air

Thanks for looking - am now off for a quickie trawl through Blogland to catch up with you all! x

Undies!

Sunny weather has departed over the last few days and it's been quite cool after being able to wander about without a coat last week!
Had a bit of a colouring session last night and made this card up. (Light here not very good today - very grey!)

The image is called 'Vintage Slip' by ADFD and I think it's so pretty.
I coloured it with DI and Promarkers then stitched it onto a scalloped blue frame.

The background paper is once again from my stash, matted and stitched onto blue background.
I used some Coredinations for the embossing and again stitched onto blue.

The hand dyed ribbon was from my stash and I added a couple of cherry blossom flowers - am still deciding whether or not to take off the leaves (which I coloured with Shabby Shutter DI) and change for another colour as I think they look too yellow.

I printed out a TLC sentiment, altered the font colour and after framing it stuck on a small silver bird charm.
Inside decorated to match.

Challenges -
ABC - H for Hair
Bearly Mine - For the Girls
Nat & Amy - Flowers
Gem of a Challenge - Female
MTTC - Charming
Suzie Bee's - Emboss It
ADFD - Anything Goes
Creative Corner - A Little Birdie
Hope everyone's enjoying their weekend and as always if you've left a comment or taken a look at my blog I appreciate it! x

Imagination

The lovely weather tempted me outside this week so only messed about in the craftie space at night time - hence no pics - resulting in - no posts!
This morning though the weather is grey and misty which is typical as now I'm struggling to take pics!!

This make was a bit of an experiment for me but in real life the background colours are lovely and dreamily soft so for once I am happy with the finished article.
The paper was a present last year and it was one of those that I deemed 'too nice to use' - LOL!

All the embossing was done in WOW Fine Bright White direct to the background paper.
I am never very confident when stamping/embossing direct to a background like this one -thankfully I managed this without any mistakes!

The dragonflies were from a clear stamp set bought on my very first NEC visit (in 2009!) and I added a wee bit of Stickles to them.
The border stamp is of course from the beautiful Poppy Meadow set by Indigo Blu.
The sentiment was a recent purchase from Inkylicious - love it! 
Some tiny sparkly gems randomly placed, then matted onto a soft green background card.

Challenges -
 YNS - A fab inspirational photo
Alphabet - C for Country Flowers
Stampin for the Weekend - Anything Goes
Aud Sentiments - Anything Goes
Crafty Little Fairies - Things with Wings
Addicted to Stamps - Anything Goes
City Crafters - Rainbows
Oldie but Goodie - Spring has Sprung
Crafty Bloggers - Nature
Sisterhood of Crafters - Sentimental Journey

Thanks for taking the time to call in today - hope you all have a great weekend. x

Vintage Stamping DT - Something for Yourself

This month over at 'Vintage Stamping'   Claire chose the theme and set a task of  'Just for You' meaning  make something for yourself to keep or something that you would like to receive from somebody else! As always there's a $20 spend up for grabs from  Flonz Crafts. (Remember we need to see some stamping on your project but even though we have 'Vintage' in the title your make doesn't have to be!)

I decided to have a change from cards and made this for me to keep -

Had lots of fun and as always made lots of mess!

I started by covering the Art Parts spool and bases with some papers from my stash.

I sanded the edges to make them tidy then ran some Tea Dye DI round them.

A quick covering of Mod Podge to seal. On the bottom I put a clock button, some old lace and two filigree metal flowers.

The fob watch is also Art Parts.

The base part was also covered with paper from the same pad and then I over stamped over it with a Blossom Branch stamp from our sponsor and embossed in Weathered Wood EP.

I used gold embossing powder on the top piece randomly dabbing  some Weathered Wood.

Assembled the two pieces together with 3d pads.

Out with the Shrink Plastic!! Clear piece and a cream piece. Stamped a pocket watch on the cream piece and stamped a sentiment - 'Time Began in a Garden' as always held my breath when I blasted it with the heat gun!

A bit of broken chain from an old necklace and a gold metal butterfly.

The 'flower fairies' were cut from a scrap of paper and stuck to a scrabble tile - edged the tile with silver (probably should have used gold but just picked up the silver pen!). Finished it with a die cut flower and some lace 'leaves'.

Hope you can find time to join the challenge this time - we love to see your creations!

Other Challenges -
All Crafts - Anything but a Card
Cheerful Stamp Pad - Anything Goes
Rhedds Creative Spirit - Altered
Altered Eclectics - Alter Something
Quirky Crafts - Secret Garden
Crafts & Me - Anything Goes
Fantasy Stampers - Spring Colours
That's Crafty - Anything Goes

 We're having some glorious Spring weather at the mo - hope you're all enjoying it and long may it continue!x

Same design - but different!

Whilst making a card last month (here) I thought it could be interpreted for different occasions so when I was asked to make some Golden Anniversary cards I decided to utilise the design for one of them.
This was a quick card but am pleased with the result.

White pearlised card layered onto some gold matt finish card.
I stamped the flourish branch and sentiment and gold embossed.
Cut out the two hearts with the remains of the paper and put the left over gold card behind the smaller of the two then layered them together.

Scrap of gold stretchy twine into a bow and glued in place.

I thought about embossing a '50' in the centre of the heart but didn't want 'gold overload' as really it is not a colour I like working with!
I'll share the others I made for the same happy couple at a later time.


Challenges -
Die Cut Divas - Emboss it
Gem of a Challenge - Anniversary
OLLCB - Anniversary
Crafting When We Can - Anniversary
Fantastic Tuesday - Anything Goes (Square)
Incy Wincy - Anniversary
That's Crafty - Anything Goes

Have a great day whatever you're doing. x

Simple Joys

Did a few  cards without much embellishing or blingy stuff for the stash. This is one!
So many people are saying about how much postage costs are I have made quite a few cards just recently that are relatively flat and of course I try not to go OTT on men cards with thick embellies anyway!

 The papers are as old as Methuselah and I just found them at the bottom of yet another paper stack whilst looking for something else, so here we are in March and I am continuing with the promise to myself to use up papers and not buy any more.

Basic layout and just chopped up the papers into large squares for layering.

Used pastel chalks on the pic which is of course from LOTV.  (I resisted the temptation to add a few 'z's abpve his head!)

The sentiment was a freebie from TLC and I changed the font colour to blue to match the colour scheme. Think it fits perfectly with this image cos dozing off in the sunshine under the shade of a leafy tree is joy indeed!

It's been a lovely day here - getting spoilt cos that's 3 nice days on the trot - maybe spring is on it's way finally?
Hope the weather has been kind to you wherever you are - thanks for visiting! x
Challenges -
Nutcrafters - Boys
Male Room - Blue/Green/Brown
Suzie Bee's - Masculine
Ladybug Crafts - Boys
Paper Crafting Journey - Manly/Boyish
Divas by Design - Hear it for the Boys

Guest Designer!

I was very fortunate to have been asked to do a guest DT spot over at Stamping Sensations.
Their challenge this month is a subject which is close to my heart as it's 'PRETTY IN PINK'!
So here is my contribution -

The papers are from Raspberry Road called 'Antelbellum'. I did some random stamping in Vintage Sepia ink using a flourish stamp from a Stempelglede set and then attacked the edges! (Normal people call this 'distressing - LOL)

I used another stamp from the same set to make the 'postcard'

Used Victorian Velvet DI on all the edges then stitched the layers together.
The vintage lace  stitched across then the main image matted onto plain pale pink card added. This lovely delicate vintage image is a freebie from a fab Dutch site called JanetK which I printed onto linen textured paper.

A die cut heart with a little pearl button, a stamped tag and some hand dyed ribbon for the bow. 
Inside co-ordinated to match.
So there it is! Thanks for looking and hope you can join in the challenge this month!
Other Challenges -
Alphabet - Buttons and Bows
Crafty Catz - Anything Goes
Creative Romance - Pink/Lace/Ribbon
Crafty Ribbons - Ribbons/Buttons
Crafts Galore Encore - Use a Stamp
Country View Crafts - Paper Chase

Am feeling better than I was earlier in the week so can only hope that now I have turned the corner and am over the worst! Fingers (and everything else) crossed!! Thanks for looking and if you've had the time to leave me a comment I appreciate it!
I have a free day today (3 orders to finish) so will pop round to see you all later. x