Sew Special

Stamping Sensations challenge this month is 'Sew Special' and we're sponsored by Sizzix with a fab prize so hope you can join in with us!
Here's my card -

and as the challenge theme suggests it's all to do with sewing!

The papers are from Melissa Frances' Classic Elegance' pad.
Distressed and stitched the background paper onto grey then white card before adding all the different layers.

All the distressing done with Pumice Stone DI or Weathered Wood DI.

I turned down the corner of the third layer before hand stitching the button Then machined the whole layer three quarters of the way round onto the base card.

Rolled up some material scraps and stuck them behind the turn down to imitate fabric rolls.

Added some lace and some cream seam binding ribbon, hanging the metal scissors charm from the centre of the bow.

All the stamps were from a free set with a card making magazine and the buttons are from my stash.
Other Challenges -
Come and Get It - Buttons and Bows
House of Cards - Stitching
Allsorts - Lots of Layers
Not Just Cards - Anything Goes
CFTH - Anything Goes
Crafty Calendar - Anything Goes

Thanks for taking the time to pop in today. I am home for a few days from the middle of this week so am looking forward to catching up with all that you've been doing whilst I've been doing my 'duty' elsewhere! x

A little bit of Mono

Had a bit of a scrabble round in the off cuts box and found some pieces that I think worked well together - this originally was going to be a 'man' card because of the mono colour scheme but somewhere along the way I started adding odd bits to it!
I think I had the inspiration picture from Pixels & Paper  in my head hence the addition of the Eiffel Tower instead of a vintage car or bicycle! Who can resist Paris?

All papers layered onto black cardstock.
I stamped the Eiffel Tower using Versafine Smoky Gray and cut it out.
Layered it onto a stamped background - the border stamp is a wood backed one, years old that I picked up in a bargain bin somewhere and the script stamp is another old one - used London Fog ink for these.
The ribbon is from a challenge win about 3 years ago and I just threaded some Bakers Twine through the old button before tying it onto the ribbon.

Looking at this button (another from 'Mum's Box'), I think this came off one of Mum's jersey jackets - it's quite detailed with it's silver filigree style centre - and I still have 6 more left!
 This was a definite 'use up some of that stuff' card.

Other Challenges -
Fantastic Tuesday - Add twine
RRR - Buttons and Bows
Party Time Tuesday - Anything Goes
CFTH - Anything Goes
Addicted to Stamps & More - Anything Goes
Crafty Gals Corner - Anything Goes

Thanks for visiting - Hope all is well in your world. xx

Penny Farthing - Vintage Stamping DT Post

Just another 3 days to go before I am unleashed back in the craft room! Actually it's likely to be at least 4 as I have a mound of paperwork to do for forthcoming AGM's and other meetings but still am sure I'll squeeze in a little bit of inky stuff!

-
got a stamp set of vintage transport images from Flonzcraft, all which are great for male themed cards - airplanes, trains, balloons, ships and the like. I had a bit of an inking session with all the stamps using different ink colours and then just made them up into cards, using up scraps of card on the way so am also calling in at the Snippets Playground this week too.

 And this time our challenge over at Vintage Stamping is a colour choice - you can use one or ALL of the following colours! Green, Orange, Black, Purple, Red - which of course 'scream' Halloween but I don't do Halloween so my offering is - as with most of my 'Cards for Men' - a CAS one. (Yes I know ANOTHER CAS and a basic card but it  pads out the numbers in the box which really are very low at the mo!  )

Having stamped the image in Forest Green Stazon,  I cut it out with a circle die then layered it onto another circle cut from dark green cardstock.
I embossed a piece of white card (the folder I think is from the Oriental Cuttlebug set) then layered it over the same green.
Cut out two banner shapes from oddments of paper and finished off with a scrap of green grossgrain ribbon and a button!

Challenges -
Addicted to Stamps - White plus one
STAMPlorations - Stamp and Embossing
C.R.A.F.T. - Embossing
Crafty Ribbons - Buttons and Ribbon
Crafting when we can - No Designer paper

Have a great 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 

Another Birdie

I have met myself coming back this week - can't believe it is almost a week since my last post and to all my blogging buddies I am really sorry for not getting round to visiting you - once the weekend is over I think things may become a little more calm.
Decided to finally blog a card which was made ages ago- the lunatic start to the summer bowling season has lessened a little bit , the 'madness of May' gets me every year! And we've been more so this year as we had the Bowls England Commonwealth Games Squad come for practice against us as part of their preparations for Glasgow and on Thursday the Bowls England President brought a different team to play too. Have some great pics - but here's one of the club side (I'm the first in white in the front row in the middle) and the Commonwealth squad - 

I have made nothing at all this week and my stash is getting seriously low so I really do need to get stuck in- there's just not enough time!!
We had a County game yesterday and this weekend I am away supporting the other half whilst he plays for County (today) and Club (tomorrow) - but at least the sun is shining!

Anyway back to the card - the image was a challenge win from Beccy.

I printed it onto hammered cardstock for some texture, masked off the birdie and inked the background with distress inks, then painted the bird and added a coating of glossy accents.

Cream base card, and matted used some left over DP from the 'not big enough to cover an entire card' drawer, hiding the gap with some dark brown grossgrain ribbon!
Image matted onto same scrap card and fixed on with 3d foam pads
The ivy and bird house were also cut from the left over drawer and the two wooden buttons were from my stash.

Thanks for visiting and bearing with me whilst I chase my own tail -will try and visit you all very soon.

Challenges -
Crafty Catz - Anything Goes
Craftitude - Anything Goes
Fussy and Fancy - Outdoors
Crafts 4 Eternity - Die Cuts/Male/Buttons
CCC - Anything Goes

Enjoy your weekend! x

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

First Birthday

The days have just disappeared in the last week so I have had no time to blog - in between running about like the proverbial headless chicken I have been trying to complete an order. This is the second card - for a little boy's first birthday.
The papers are from Summer Driggs and are called 'Easton' and I really like the bright sunshiney colours (just apt for the glorious weather we're having at the moment!!)
The image is a digi stamp from I think Digi Stamp Boutique, (I apologise if it is from somewhere else but honestly can't remember!) and I printed out a few times then layered it up to give it some dimension.
The addition of a few buttons,some bright orange thread and a teeny bit of stickles finished it!
Challenges -
One stop Craft - Anything Goes
HCTB - Use a Digi Stamp
Crafty Catz - Childs Play
Totally Papercrafts - Let's hear it for the Boys
Wags n Whiskers - Cute as a Button
Sweet Pea Stampers - For the Boys

Thanks for calling in - am off to finish another card then hopefully will get a couple of hours sitting enjoying the view outside!
Will catch up with you all later tonight! x