Oh baby!

Have been working my way through a few commissions this week and this is one (can show it as the recipient doesn't do blogland!)

I had HUGE trouble taking a pic of this as it looked very peachy when in fact it is definitely PINK! And lots of it at that!

I stitched the polka dot paper with a zig zag stitch- am getting better with the sewing machine - albeit slowly!
The wide lace was from my stash and I've had it for absolute eons - stitched that then added a smaller picot edge lace to the right.
Hid the join with the pink ribbon which I wrapped round and tied into a bow.
Stuck it all down onto the white base card.

The shoes were made from a template downloaded from the internet and the card was inspired by a similar one I found on Pinterest.
I cut a base from the same paper, layered the inside with white then popped  up the top with foam pads which gave them a little dimension. Slightly distressed the top and bottom layer of the shoes edging in some Spun Sugar DI/

A pearl centred brad and a little lace finished the shoes and they were then glued onto the card.
Completed the card with some flowers from my stash, a few pearls and decorated the inside to match.

The new arrival- Xsara- is the latest addition to a family with two boys - I really liked the sentiment - 'One tiny baby, many happy hearts' - thought it fitted perfectly and I printed it out on the PC.

Challenges -
ABC - P for Pearls
Alphabet - L for Lace
Fussy & Fancy - Words
Deep Ocean - Lots of Layers
Bunny Zoe's - Stitching/Pearls/Sentiment
Whoopsi Daisy - Lots of Pink
Crafty Catz - Anything Goes
Fantastic Tuesday - Anything Goes

Thanks for taking the time to call in today - and I hope the sun is still shining where you are! x

Graduate Number 2

Couple of weeks ago my neighbour's eldest daughter graduated from Edinburgh after obtaining her degree in

Veterinary Science and Medicine.
This week her younger sister also dons her cap and gown as she too graduates (Education) and I was told that the trim on her gown was 'a strawberry colour' so have tried to reflect that with this card!

I had a bit of fun making this, used up a few odd bits of coloured card and paper too.

The black and white card is linen textured and has quite a bit of 'depth' in real life. The red  card is from a Stampin Up pack - don't know what the actual colour is called!

I used a scrap of peach parchment paper for the neckline, added a teeny piece of silver 'beading' and a sparkly gem to make a 'necklace'.

I suppose the 'neckline' of the blouse could have been a bit tidier but the card was a bit thick to get a clean crease  - (hope it doesn't spoil the overall look) and I glued on a couple of tiny buttons from my stash.

Mortar board made with the same cardstock, the Tassel made with embroidery thread, another scrap of cream parchment paper rolled up and tied with the same thread and a PC generated sentiment to finish!

Challenges -
That Craft Place - Anything Goes
Pixies Playground - Snippets - week 134
Sister Act - Anything Goes
Penny's Paper Crafty - Anything Goes
CFTH - Anything Goes


Played a bit of catch up today and visited some of your blogs - am still waaay behind though - slowly working through it!
Thanks for looking at today's creation! Appreciate any comments you have too. x

Summer's Day

My blogging and commenting has been sporadic lately to say the least, so if I haven't been round to you lately I promise I will do so!
I have been really busy and feel like I am constantly playing catch up - didn't work this hard when I was gainfully employed!! LOL

Anyway, before I have to go out again I have a card to share.
I made this earlier this week - locked myself away for a couple of spare hours- and as time again was short opted for a CAS style.
I inked up the background using Distress Inks in shades of blue, stamped a couple of flying birds and punched out a 'sun'.
The image is by Stampin Up and is one of a small pile previously stamped that I am currently working through.
Pained also in Distress Inks, I cut round the little boy and his sandcastle, sponging a tiny amount of blue to the edges where they meet the 'sea'.
I stuck him to the inside of a die cut square frame cut from linen textured card and then used 3d foam poads to raise him and the frame up from the background.
The shells and starfish were fussy cut after stamping and the sentiment is I think by Papermania.
Challenges -
Dream valley - Summer
Crafty Little fairies - Summer Fun
Inky Impressions - Summer Fun
Creative card Crew - Beach/sea
Addicted to Stamps - CAS
Fresh Brewed - Seaside
Cardz 4 Guys - At the Beach

It's a glorious day here - hope I can find some time later to sit out and relax in the warm sunshine!
Have a great day whatever you're doing and thanks so much for looking! x

Wet Feet

Made this for a friends birthday - this Wetlands set is being used to death at the moment - but I really like it!

Used black card as the base and the coloured card is also from Stampin Up (treated myself!). Ran the top piece through the 'dots' embossing folder and the bottom piece through a houndstooth check one to give them a bit of texture, then matted onto the base card.

The string was 're-cycled' from a parcel !
Had a little bit of fun making messy with the distress inks and masking before stamping the wading birds and foliage.

The 'summertime' sentiment is an old one which was part of a set of floral stamps - can't tell you which company.
I was happy with this make and more importantly so was the recipient!
Challenges -
Allsorts - Splish, Splash, Splosh
Crafting at the Weekend - Anything Goes
Choc, Coffee & Cards - For the Birds
Creative Corner - Water 

And whilst we're on the subject of wet feet thought I would share these two pics of our bowling green on Friday night taken during a County Pairs semi final- the 2 players ran for cover as we were treated to an immense (but quick) thunderstorm! First pic shows how deep the water was in less than 20 minutes - second shows it draining away 10 minutes later!

Talk about rain! The wading birds would have been quite at home here!

Thanks for stopping by today - I've had a busy few days but have a couple of free days now so will be round visiting!
Have a lovely (dry!) day whatever you're doing. x

Go Fly a Kite!

A crafting friend stamped up this image for me that long ago I can't remember when!
Found it amongst a drawer full of pre-stamped and printed out image snippets and decided it was high time they were coloured.
Have tried to keep the overall look of this card a bit 'in-betweeny' - not too fussy (cos it's for a boy) and not too CAS (as I thought it'd be a good card for a child).

I CONFESS - the papers were printed and not used from the paper mountain.............. {sigh} - naughty step for me.

Papers matted onto blue cardstock. (Thebackgrounds of the papers look a little creamy/pink in the pic here but in real life they are stark white)
Image coloured with Distress Inks
Sentiment (which I think is from a Papermania set) stamped in Stazon Midnight Blue
Red and Blue twine  and the buttons from my stash and the inside decorated to match.

Challenges -
Alphabet Challenge - K for Kites
One Sweet Challenge - Red/White/Blue
Sparkles Forum - Summer Fun
Crafty Bloggers - Red/White/Blue
Paper Girls - Red/White/Blue
Sentimental Sundays - Red/White/Blue
Opus Gluei - Ribbon or Twine
My Craft Spot - Birthday
Incy Wincy -  Summertime Activities

Hope the sun is shining where you are - have a great day whatever you're doing. x 

Crafty Cardmakers DT Post - Challenge #120

Time for another challenge at Crafty Cardmakers & More! Julie is hosting our challenge today and she has chosen 'Under the Sea'.

This image is called 'Mermaid Visiting' - don't you just LOVE those little cute jellyfish thingies bobbing about?!!

Coloured the image with Distress Inks and added some Cosmic Shimmers to the starfish in the mermaids hair and my new friends the bobbing thingies! They're quite shimmery in real life - sadly doesn't show up very well in the pic. Distressed the edges of the image with Peacock Feathers DI.

The background paper is from Raspbery Road's 'Seaside Chic' collection.
The hessian and string were from my stash and the fabric was torn from larger piece and got the DI treatment!

I didn't have any 'seaweed' so improvised by using a Spellbinders branch die.
The sentiment was a freebie from TLC.
Finished it all off by adding some buttons (shell and sea horse), a starfish charm and some Dew Drops (which were a Candy prize so thanks Caz!) and co-ordinated the inside to match.
Hope you can join us this time - two fab sponsors as always -  SIR STAMPALOT  and also DI'S DIGISTAMPS.

Other challenges -
ADFD - Monochrome
Digitally Sweet - Day at the Beach
That's Crafty - All at Sea
Digi galore - Use a Digi
Open Minded - Water everywhere
Glitter n Sparkle - Bling 

There may be trouble ahead........

It's my turn to choose the challenge theme over at Vintage Stamping and I was recently reminiscing with a friend about how when I was small I would watch Saturday afternoon TV with my Mum. She'd sit in her favourite chair, I'd sit on a cushion on the floor beside her, we'd close the curtains, get out some sweeties and watch all the old black and white movies on BBC2, pretending we were at the cinema!
My Mum was quite a good ballroom dancer when she was young and her favorite films were of course all those musicals in which Fred and Ginger took to the floor!
So my theme is 'Lets Face The Music and Dance'.
Anything that relates to Music or Dancing - you must have some form of stamping on your project too!

Here's my card -
All the papers are of course Graphic 45 Curtain Call.
The central stamp is from our sponsor. Inked in Memento Black and stamped onto ivory card. I then used Antique Linen, Old Paper and Vintage Photo distress ink, sponging over the stamped image.
I mounted it onto black card.
The flower is also Graphic 45 - several petal layers secured with a pearl brad and then fixed onto a crochet star.
Tickets and punched out stars glued on and the inside decorated to match.
looking at this pic the central image seems a much brighter shade than it is in real life... it's actually quite muted and blends well with the backing papers not so 'in your face'!
Anyway I hope some of you will join in with us this time round -love to see your take on the theme!

Challenges -
613 Avenue Create - Anything Goes
Fashionable Stamping- Flowers
Pile It On - Flowers
Brown Sugar - Anything Goes
Sister Act - Anything Goes

Thanks for visiting - have a great day! x

Mortar Board!

A quick share of a card I have just handed to my next door neighbour to give to her daughter on Saturday.
The proud parents will be at Edinburgh University watching their eldest graduate having performed exceptionally well and obtained her  degree in Veterinary Medicine and Science. So well done to Katie!

The background script stamp is from Indigo Blu (I think) and the 'Congratulations' sentiment was a freebie from a magazine.
Stamped both in versafine black then mounted onto black cardstock.

The mortar board was made from black card which is slightly corrugated so has a 'ripple' fabric effect - looks quite good in real life even though I do say so myself!

I made the tassel from some embroidery thread and the polka dot ribbon was recycled from a card I received for my own birthday!
Made a little 'diploma', tied it with twine and secured to another piece of the same black card.

I found a free sentiment some time ago perfect for Graduation cards from desert diva - it reads -
 "Ending? This is only the beginning!"
 - Perfect!

Challenges -
Cards Galore Encore - Use a Stamp
Less is More - recycle
Imagination Crafts - Anything Goes
Fantastic Tuesday - Anything Goes
Crafty Sentiment - No patterned paper
Tuesday Throwdown - Anything Goes

Been a warm, humid day here today - got all my washing dry... trouble is now I have to do the ironing!!!
Thanks for stopping by! x