Patriotism

"Use the colours of your flag" -  simples........................... except the colours of  the Union Jack are also the colours (amongst others) of France! Hence the french influence here (although I bet there are not many French Chefs who would be seen waving a good old British Banger about on a fork! -LOL)

I love this little chef though - he's rotund and happy (and I have forgiven him for reminding me of that detestable man on the annoying Insurance advert......!!)

So here is my entry for this week's Less is More challenge of Your Flag Colours.

I used the Houndstooth Check embossing folder for the background and coloured the Cook (!!) with promarkers, matted and layered onto flag coloured card and added three bits of Card Candy.

The ribbon has been lying in my stash crying for lack of misuse - if I was in the USA I'd have well used it up by now - but us Brits seem to have a bit of a thing about showing Patriotism which I think is quite sad. Wherever we come from we should be proud of it!

Time for Tea

This card evokes many memories of my Mum.

For one, she would not drink tea out of anything other than a china cup and saucer (a trait I confess to have inherited - I will accept a mug but it must be bone china!) Secondly she did not like tea made in the cup either! Teapots were the thing! Thirdly she adored roses - particularly pink ones. And lastly, whenever anything went wrong in life her solution was to 'sit down and I'll make you a nice cup of tea' - tea was a magic wand it seemed - 'cos after you drank it  hey presto, your troubles did not seem as bad as you thought!

The teacup and napkin is a free image from the talented Ann Fenton which I coloured lightly with distress inks and promarkers after printing on linen paper. The rosebud backing paper is and the fabric roses, lace, pearls and organza ribbon are from my stash. I added a teapot charm to the ribbon.

I was quite sad putting this together and the sentiment stamped directly onto the doily is so true - I think of her every single day.................... and I think I now need to go and pop the kettle on, warm the teapot and get out the china cup and saucer.

Challenges - 

Digital Tuesday -    Doilies

Cupcake Craftroom - Soft and Sweet

The Ribbon Reel - Challenge 7 - Photo Inspiration
Sentimental Sundays - In the Garden

'Pear'fectly simple!

It's been such a long time since I've made a plain card. My games and travelling along with my ordered cards have kept me busy and the ladies at the Club rather seem to like 'More, More and More' on cards rather than less!

But I DID promise myself that if I could spare a short while I would try and make plainer cards as well as continuing with the easel frilly and fancy efforts - this week the challenge at Less is More was 'Feeling Fruity' and in case they were considering excommunicating me from the Limettes owing to my prolonged absence I thought maybe I should try to submit something this week! 

This digital stamp was one of the very first I downloaded. It was offered as a freebie and thus began my attachment to digital stamps as well as good old red and grey rubber ones!

The stamp had the word 'Forever' underneath the pear. I chose to alter it, using a free sentiment from TLC which I liked better!

I printed the image out twice and coloured the pear with 'Pear Green' and 'Lime Zest' promarkers. I cut out one of the pears and attached it using 3d foam pads to give it some dimension. I then gave it a liberal coating of glossy accents! And as the challenge at Ambers Crafts this week is Sparkly/Shiny I've submitted glossy pear into the challenge pot!

Matted and layered onto white and green card and I used the shaving brush to put some 'Shabby Shutter' distress ink round the edges of the large white card to soften the edges of the white background.

This card is destined for the pink stash - I think - or maybe I shall just give it to the most important thing in my life - my other half who sits in the office with me and smiles indulgently when I'm throwing glitter and glue around the place and littering the floor with off cuts of paper!

Baby

Here is another easel card ordered by a lady for her newest great grand-daughter. I bought this LOTV stamp some time ago and have been waiting for someone to ask me for a card for a reason to use it!
I love the 'comfort blanket'!
So - papers are from Craftwork cards (argyle, gingham and dots) all in varying shades of pink, layered onto DCWV pink cardstock. The image cut out with nesties and layered onto pink. I coloured the image with promarkers and added a liberal helping of stickles on the blanket.
The safety pin was in a collection of baby buttons gathering dust in my stash - it seemed perfect to use to hang the name and birthdate from!
Some pearls, a paper flower secured with a pearl brad and some gingham ribbon finished the front. I hung a tiny gold rattle from the ribbon.

On the base I used the same papers and found a tiny gingham fabric heart which luckily for me co-ordinated really well!

I made a box to match using a small pink pram button from the same stash as the pin. .

Happily, the lady who ordered it was delighted with it!   

Challenges -

MAWTT - Brand Spanking New

Little Darlings - Girly

Pixie Dust studio - Monochromatic

Secret Crafter - Monchromatic

Hooked on Craft - Cute and Cuddly (And don't you think new babies are??????LOL)

Phindy's Place - Die Cuts

I Love Promarkers - Anything Goes

Allsorts - Free and easy

Happiness......

is definitely a hug! Maybe the sunshine here has something to do with it but my spirits have picked up a little today - this is the fourth day in a row we have had nice weather!

I started this card over the weekend in between winning a County Final on Saturday, then losing another (by just ONE shot) on Sunday! Irrespective of the scores both days I enjoyed both events thoroughly - and it has been such a long time since I have been even the tiniest bit enthusiastic about bowling - hopefully my enthusiasm will remain during the National Championships!

Back to the card - I could not help but fall hopelessly in love with this scrummy winged thing! She is such a cute toadstool hugger and it even prompted me to get out the sewing machine. I distressed the edges of the image, then dusted with some distress ink (this doesn't show up very well in the pic!). I stitched her onto DCWV cardstock then layered onto papers from My Mind's Eye ('Mabel' papers).

'Toadie Cuddler' (LOL) was coloured with promarkers and a tiny bit of white highlighter and I gave her wings a quick dusting of glitter.
The sentiment was PC generated and attached to the flourish(again coloured with promarkers) with an orange peg. The flowers and ribbon were from my stash and the gold pin was a present from Maureen. I decorated the inside using the same paper and cut out a central piece with my nesties to give the sender a place to write a greeting.
Challenges -
Digital Tuesday - Garden with Things with Wings
Creative Craft World - Anything But Birthdays
Crafty Catz - No Pink or Blue
Daisy Doodles - Anything Goes
Everybody Art - Garden
  

Anniversary

Have you ever started something and then been sorry????? I had sooooo much trouble with this card and I have no earthly explanation as to why!
I had what I wanted to do in my head but when it came to actually doing it, the first two attempts ended up in the bin - I could not get it the way I wanted it no matter what I did. I finally settled on this and I hope the lady who has ordered it this ruby wedding easel card will be happy with it.

Even though I love Liverpool FC, I find red a real difficult colour to work with! I think it can be overpowering if you use too much and I hope I've managed to get the balance right here.

I opted for lots of textured card, made using my two favourite 'Budding Vine' and 'Swiss Dots' embossing folders. The backgound card is also textured with 'bubbles' -(bought in a pack, not embossed by me!).

The main sentiment focus was a freebie some time ago and I have used it before. I covered it with some very fine glitter and then added a metallic heart. Cut out with nesties, some flowers (both fabric and paper), a butterfly and a few pearls and it was finished.



Challenges -
Hooked On Craft - Love
Flutterby Wednesday- Anything Goes
Craft Us Crazy - Anything Goes
Kaboodle Doodles - Embossing
House that Stamps Built - Repeat Impressions DCC720 Designer’s Choice Challenge- Glitter

The weather here once again is DREADFUL! I am fed up with the rain. (Even though it means I can make messy with paper, it would be nice to see some SUN!)
I made this card yesterday (when I should have been dusting... lol - a friend of mine said - 'After 4 years the dust doesn't get any thicker'- don't suppose I'll get away with finding out if her saying is correct!!!!)

I used papers from Pink Petticoat. The background is the 'rose stencil' paper. The pale pink polka dot paper layered and punched hasn't shown up very well in this dreadful light - (honestly, it's so dark, you'd think it was November!) so I apologise for the poor quality of the pic.


I coloured the LOTV image with Distress Inks and Promarkers, adding a liberal bit of Stickles onto the feather boa for some bling! I may add a tiny sparkly gem to the flower centre yet....
Lace and pearls from my stash, flowers a present from my friend, and the sentiment from TLC which I put onto a PC generated ticket shape and then dusted with Distress Ink to co-ordinate with the colours used.
The inside of the card has been decorated to co-ordinate with the front.
Challenges -
LOTV - #105 - Pink and Blue
Totally Papercrafts - Girly Girls
Phindy's Place - Pretty Pastels
Emerald Faerie - All things nice (Girly)
ABC Challenge - Y is for Yesterday (Choose a letter from a previous challenge and I chose R for Roses from April 2011)
Southern Girls - Birthday
Sparkles Forum - Elegance and Lace

Relax!

What a day weather wise here! We've had torrential rain this morning with some really strong winds, then mid way through the afternoon the sun came out and bathed us in gloriously warm sunshine! Unbelievable!

I took the opportunity today to catch up with some paperwork and once again neglected the housework, although I did manage some ironing.....

I didn't make this card today either -  it's one I made earlier!!! LOL

A quick make with one of LOTV's cutey images - don't you love his socks?????!

Anyway he's enjoying a relax with his 'Happy Times' paper, snuggled up in a comfy armchair (and if his weather was like ours this morning, who can blame him!)  The sentiment is by TLC.
Challenges -
PaperCrafting Journey - For Him
Crafty Creations - Boyz to Men
Crafts 4 Eternity - 3-2-1 Recipe Challenge - (and I used 3 Card Candy buttions, 2 DP papers and one fancy punch)

Summer finally???

Well this is the third day we have had some nice weather! Do you think our Summer has finally arrived?
Forecast says not - nice tomorrow again but then rain, rain and more rain!!! So here is a Summer card - made for Maureen for her birthday and as her birthday has come and gone (and don't tell anyone but it was a 'special' birthday - LOL) I can now safely share it with you. (Please note I resisted any references to AGE on the card.....I thought putting a pensioners book on the front might be a bit naughty.... after all she wanted her age to be kept a secret......rofl)

Oh how brave am I??? She's floating on the seas somewhere so she won't see this.....I hope....

Anyway back to the card -

This is one of my fave digis and as I was feeling adventurous I coloured it with Chalks and Distress Inks....... not usual for me to use chalks but  I quite enjoyed it. The Topiary tree has a serene quality I think and I wanted to reflect that with the colouring, hence the use of chalks.

A wee bit of stickles on the butterfly wings for some sparkly accents and a couple of pearls and some flowers from my stash added to papers from a variety of paper pads plus a small butterfly charm! Suitably distressed around the edges and as it was for the 'sewing queen Maureen', I stitched it together!
Challenges -
Crazy 4 Challenges - Summer Themed
Crafty Catz - Vintage Look
Dream Valley - Summer Themed
One Stop Craft - Summer Time
Paper Playtime - Summer
Stamp Something - Bugs or Butterflies

Two down .....

Here's the second of my three orders for 'special' birthday cards!

This time it's for a 60th Birthday early next month. The lady whose birthday has a fabulously flamboyant and dramatic dress sense so I thought this image of a 'Diva' from Mo Manning might fit! 

Don't you love her!

I decided to use a bold colour for this card - the papers are from Summer Driggs (Tiffany Collection) and I really like the aqua blue green colour.

Diva was coloured with promarkers and a liberal helping of Stickles used for her gloves.

 I outlined both image and sentiment with the same Stickles, added a large white satin bow and finally opened the pearl and rhinestone flourish packs that I bought some time ago and have been hoarding!
I also used some tiny pearls for Diva's necklace and earrings and a couple of sparkly gems on the flourishes on the base of the card. Bags of Bling!
The sentiment inside reads -

'have a historic 60th Birthday' (and no doubt she will!!! LOL)

Challenges -

Fairy Fun Fridays - Pearls and Swirls

Fab Friday - Recipe - Ribbon and pearls/rhinestones
Wags N Whiskers - Birthdays
Cupcake Craft - Choose from 150 challenges - and I chose Challenge #47 - Pearls and Swirls

Aud Sentiments - Use at least two words
Gingerloft Challenge - Make it Sparkle

   

Life begins....??????????

This freebie image from Broken Box Stock made me smile and I hoped it wouldn't be too long before I got round to using it.

When I got an order for a 40th Birthday card I thought it would fit perfectly. The image comes with a sentiment that say's TGIF (Thank God I'm Fabulous!) but I opted to make my own sentiment to fit in with the age.

Easel cards seem very popular with the ladies at the bowls club and I confess to enjoying making them!

Once again I used a flower made by Maureen and the purple pearly topped hat pin was a present from Maureen too (I think she's been having another clear out!!!LOL).

The starry paper and the striped paper were both matted onto purple DCWV cardstock and stitched together. I coloured the image with promarkers and added some liquid pearls for the bracelets. The flourishes were coloured with 'Orchid' and a bit of glitter rubbed over it for some bling. Lilac organza ribbon from my stash.

(Anyone any tips (apart from using pinking scissors) to stop organza fraying please?) 

I made a white box to protect the card and just added some of the paper and an organza bow to the box top to tie it all together.

Am entering this into the following challenges -

Fab n Funky - Purple Haze

Penny's Paper Crafting - Happy Birthday

Digital Tuesday - Bling it On

Craft Yor Passion - Anything Goes

Pedal Power!

Unsurprisingly there are an absolute zillion challenges out there this week with the theme of Red/White and Blue or Patriotic or Stars and Stripes etc as the 4th of July is almost upon us!

So Happy Independence Day to all lovely followers from the USA!

And in keeping with the theme of Independence, don't you just love this image from Mo Manning?!

Little boy on his trike being very independent and grown up without his stabilisers!
This card started out it's life differently in my head.... but a disaster whilst colouring the ribbons that flow from the handlebars prompted me to think again.
I ended up cutting him out excluding the streamers and improvising with some promarker coloured pieces of string!

The stars background is from DCWV, matted onto dark blue cardstock and likewise the striped paper.

The red buttons have been rattling round in the button box for a while so I thought it was time I used them up and I finished with a rather large(LOL) red bow and a PC generated sentiment.

Entering this into some of the challenges -

Some Odd Girl - Bright and Bold
Delightful Challneges - Red, White and Blue

Southern Girls - Bring out your inner child!
Stamp Something - Digi Day

Fairy Knoll - Red, White and Blue
Craft Us Crazy - Red, White and Blue
Crafters Companion - One for the Boys

Amber's Crafts - Red, White and Blue

Penny's Paper Crafty - Red, White and Blue

Crafting 4 all seasons - Red White and Blue

Stylishly Fabulous 40!

Had a day of just pleasing myself today after a small bit of paperwork this morning. So as usual when I have any time for me, I spent it making a mess!!!

Don't you just love paper, glue, stamps and ink everywhere????? One of the downsides about having a craft room cum office which is away from the house is that you tend to forget there is housework - hence the thick layer of dust which is covering all my furniture...lol... on the upside though is because I am not in the main house I can make as much mess as I want, then happily shut the door and go into the (dust laden) house without a backward thought!

So today I set to and finished this card which is a commission for a lady at the Club who's daughter is (in her words) "very chic and modern and has a succesful career".

I really like this bold colour combo and hope she will too.

The stamps I confess are not mine.... they belong to Maureen and I stamped them out when she was here last year  and despite my best efforts to hide them when she was leaving she managed to halt all my attempts at theft -  Maureen also made the paper scrunchy flower (which I absolutely adore but don't have the patience to sit and make!) and it started life on another card but I rescued it and recycled it!

I used black cardstock layered with bright yellow and white then some black and white spotty paper. I used a MS punch then stuck it over some yellow card and found a small piece of yellow spotty ribbon which luckily stretched just enough! Image and the flourish coloured with Promarkers and I used three tiny gold pearls were from my stash. The 'Fashion Fades' sentiment I had to print out on the PC as I had used up the orginal stamped ones. 

The wording on the base were also PC generated and I tried to match the font as near as I could to one of the original stamped sentiments which I used on the box lid.

I made the box from the same black cardstock used for the card and used the last scrap of the spotty ribbon for a little bit of decoration.

Please let me know what you think!

Challenges -

The Crafty Pad - Bold and Bright

Pear Tree Designs - Stamp Something 

Little Darlings - Favourite colour combo (one of many!)

Dream Valley - Ribbons

Finally can post this card as it was given to the recipient yesterday!! It was meant as a bit of fun really - ther gentlemasn concerned has been known to laugh (occasionally) but he is fondly known as 'Grumpy' at the Bowls Club. (Grumpy or not, he is VERY good at serving the odd glass or two......)

I know it's been over a week since I put anything on here and I am beginning to think all my faithful follwers will have deserted me - it's been a ridiculously hectic week and I am finally glad to get a couple of days where I don't have to be rushing off to a bowling green or a meeting.

OH and I have today spent a whole day doing what WE wanted - in the form of meeting up again at Trentham Gardens with Maureen and her long suffering, having a picnic lunch (and no, it didn't rain), a wander round all the lovely shops (I bought - she didn't - HIGHLY unusual - lol), and having a giggle and a seriously relaxed time.

Back to the card -

Image is from Bugaboo (I bet all of us know someone like Gus here - LOL) and I coloured him with Promarkers, papers are from My Mind's Eye and the 'Grump' quote is from TLC.

Have had a quick trawl through blogland and found the following challenges -

Digis With Attitude (and boy has Gus got attitude!) - Anything Goes

Rainbow Lady - Use a Digi

I Love Promarkers - Anything Goes

Sisterhood of Crafters - Male themed

 

Lazy Sunday Afternoon

Not for me it wasn't as I was catering at the Club!!

But on Saturday night I did manage to make this card for the seriously low 'man card stash' - (Actually seriously low is an understaement - non existent would be more apt....)

The whole 'man card' thing always frustrates me as I have terrible serious urges to put bows, flowers, and any other embellies imaginable onto the card - and because I know my OH would look at me really strange if ever I gave him a card with a bow or heaven forbid a flower on it, I consequently think all my attempts at man type cards are plain, boring and downright uninteresting!
Here's the latest offering for the 'pink box' - black and white themed with a LOTV image of someone having a little snooze under a leafy tree. I dusted the image with some 'Bundled Sage' (for the grass) and some 'Tumbled Glass' (for the sky) and added some black pearls (see - couldn't resist a bit of embellie could I?????). The flourish was coloured with a black promarker and the sentiment was PC generated.
Lots of man challenges about so here's a few-
2 Sisters - For a Guy
Phindy's Place - Black and White
Wags N Whiskers - For the Boys
Fashionista Friday - For Men
Dream Valley Challenges - Fathers Day/Man themed

A big thank you to all my blogging buddies who sent me cards and wishes for my birthday - my Club team played on the night so after the game we celebrated a 'skin of the teeth' win and the birthday with some cake and cups of tea (well they drank the tea - I had a glass of plonk!).

I bet by now you're all saying 'Not another Wedding Card' - trust me I'm also saying it! I have had so many requests for the same type of card using this LOTV stamp that I now have firmly placed it away in the drawer - am hoping the 'June Wedding' syndrome is nearly at an end!  I have always tried never to make more than one of any design but as these are orders I suppose I can break my cardinal rule a little bit.

Used the usual heavily textured cardstock, brushed over with Tumbled Glass Distress Ink, my Grand Nesties which after dusting I edged with Stickles for a bit of bling, the LOTV stamp coloured with Promarkers and some Frosted White Stickles on the bride's dress. 

Inside I printed the sentiment on the PC and again dusted over all the card stock with distress ink. The heart punch formed the base for the prop for the easel and I also decided to decorate the hand made box with a die cut flourish and some silver rings.

All the embellishments/flowers etc are from my stash.
I found a couple of challenges -
ABC - 'W' for Weddings
The Craft Garden - Something Old (LOTV stamp, pearl hearts), Something New (Embossing Folder), Something Borrowed (Heart Punch), Something Blue (Ribbon and Flowers and of course the Distress Ink!)
Prairie Fairy - Weddings

Here comes Summer????

Not if you look at our weather today! Summer is a long long way from here - it's wet, windy and miserable.. oh and COLD!!! So that's a good enough excuse to spirit myself away in the craftie space and do some catching up on unfinished projects!

Here's the first one finished - an easel card made using one of Ange's fab Tatty Button stamp designs

I used some paper from an old stack I had by K and Co called Daisy. OK I know Tatty is watering a sunflower but use your imagination a bit!


The green trellis paper was layered onto yellow cardstock, distressed and stitched. I used my usual Promarkers and watercolours to colour and matted Tatty onto green card then layered onto the yellow cardstock punched out with a MS trellis punch. I made some paper flowers and found the teeny green and yellow ladybug in my stash. Finished the front with some pearls and a small sentiment stamp from Papermania
The prop for the easel inside was made using the same MS punch (with the scalloped edge cut off) and I layered yellow trellis paper from the same paper pad  onto green and stitched again. I added a circular scallopped green and yellow layered nestie for a greeting space.

Challenges - 
The Crafty Pad - Just Because You Can
Paper Sundaes - Girly Girl

 Spoonful of Sugar - Here Comes Summer

Totally Papercrafts - Summer

Totally Gorjuss - Flower Power
Stampin For the Weekend - Lemon and Lime
Stamp Something - Something Punched

Crafty Ho's - Summer

Be Quick!

It's amazing how people who don't craft think that I'm like Hermione Grainger and can just wave a black stick about and create something in five seconds... I wish!!!
At about 9.30pm last night someone said - 'It's my husband's Birthday and I can't get out without him to buy a card, please do one for me? He likes steam trains and aeroplanes and things....'
'Ok' says me, 'Not a problem, when do you want it for?'
'Well' she says, it's his birthday at the weekend'
Aghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh ! Got home at 11pm last night and had a lot of running about to do this morning and I also have another 3 unfinished projects on my desk and am out all day tomorrow............

I had a quick look round for the magic wand but obviously the card fairy had stolen it.

So there lies the story behind this basic effort - (and basic it is but if anyone asks me I'll say it's'Clean and Simple' - LOL)

The card is larger than I usually make - it's 7" x 5" . The herringbone paper is from the DCWV Natural stack and the steam train is an old rubber stamp which I have had for absolute eons... and the card fairy found it for me whilst I was looking for something else! So her magic wand worked after all (well, a little bit....)

Have no idea who made the stamp - I think I bought it on e bay from Malaysia or somewhere equally exotic -but it stamps up quite nicely with some Versafine and I put it onto textured cream linen cardstock. .

I added some metal brads in the corners as I thought it looked too plain and used 3d foam pads to lift it from the front of the card. The sentiment both outside and inside (Wishing you a Wonderful Day)  is computer generated. Not one of my more startling efforts but time beat me - hope she likes it enough to give to her dear Husband!
Challenges -
Craft Us Crazy - Masculine
PaperPlay -  Man's Card
Fab n Funky - Magnificent Men
Here Come the Boys - Fathers/Hubby/Man

Finally.....

finished this card!

I borrowed this Birdcage stamp from Maureen before I went on holiday - and today I forced myself to sit down and finish the card. I had stamped the image direct onto several pieces of cardstock and then left them!

So as I have had a couple of hours free this afternoon I tried to make them up.

The background is brushed using Tumbled Glass and Spun Sugar Distress Inks and the branches around the edge were done by masking off part of an Elusive Images Stamp. I decoupaged the birdcage and coloured it using Petrol Blue promarker then after layering it up applied some Glossy Accents. It's really shiny in 'real life' and I am happy with the result!

I used a scrap strip of silver beads for the hanger of the cage and coloured some white flowers with the same promarker, finishing them off with some tiny gems.

The sentiment is by TLC.

I had a little trawl in blogland today and found the following challenges-

Shopping Our Stash - Unfinished Objects
Paper Sundaes - Let's get Sentimental
Charizma Cards - Something That Flies
OLLCB - Happy Birthday

Papertake Weekly - Anything Goes

I AM still here!!!!!!!!

I have not stowed away in the hotel -  HONEST!! Although the way the weather has been  since we came back from Cyprus has prompted me to wish I was had found a broom cupboard or something where I could have hidden myself! Have had very little free time at all the last 10 days and I have had several e mails asking if I was OK as there has been nothing updated onto the blog. So thank you all for asking, but I'm just fine and wishing there were more than 24 hours in a day at the moment!

I also apologise for not getting round all your blogs just recently but promise to do some catching up now things are a (tiny) bit calmer. I have only made this card since the holiday. It is a commission for a lady whose Great Niece is getting married next week. She liked a previous one done with this stamp and sentiment which someone bought before she had a chance to grab it and asked if I could do another! As I really like this LOTV stamp it was no hardship to use it again!

Instead of a pale blue theme as on the previous similar card I used pink accents for this one and lots of textured cardstock. The embossed piece  behind the layered cuttlebug grand nestie shapes was done using a lovely folder called ' Budding Vine' by Craft Concepts and I dusted it with Spun Sugar Distress Ink - although it can't be seen very well on the pic (my awful photography AGAIN!), it has highlighted the embossed piece beautifully. Please click on the pic to enlarge!
The stamp was coloured as always with Distress inks and promarkers and the dress highlighted with Stickles. I edged the shaped pieces with Spun Sugar ink and then added a wee bit of 'Cotton Candy' Stickles for some glitter. The flowers and pearls were from my stash, the heart was cut out for me some time ago by Maureen and I put some inked textured cardstock behind it. Inside the easel I tried to come up with a greeting that matched the Inkadinkadoo sentiment - it reads - Wishing you a Lifetime of Sharing- and the card stands up by means of another 'Maureen sent' heart punched strip.
Challenges - Paper Cupcakes - Easel Card
Paper Paytime Ch #46 - Wedding/Love
Dream Valley - Stamp Something
Crafty Emmas - Embossing
Crafty Cardmakers - Love the lasting Kind
Make It Monday - Anything Goes
AI Factory - Pretty In Pink 

See you in a couple of weeks!

Tomorrow night I shall be here! Not HERE - but THERE - where the pic is!

I aplogise for the lack of blogging this week but have been doing terribly boring things like shopping for new dresses and shoes and having my hair done!!! LOL

This hotel has to be my favouritist (is that a word????) in the entire world! (And yes they really do put candles out onto the decked area of the room in front of the private plunge pool).

From the minute we came back last September I have been counting the days till we go back - and even after THIS one is over we're going back again in 4 months time - so I can start the countdown all over again when we get back to the UK.
A massage in the Spa, being waited on hand and foot, having towels put on sunbeds for you by a 'pool boy' (actually he's about 26 and comes from Oldham!! LOL) , yummy food, amzingly huge strawberry shakes with lots of real strawbs in thick ice creamy stuff which I absolutely HAVE to have during the afternoon (have to watch this - mightn't get into the dresses if I indulge too much ), long lazy days in the sun - I cannot WAIT!!!!!

Whatever you're doing over the next two weeks, enjoy it!

Here Come The Boys!

A brand new challenge blog devoted entirely to men/boy cards started today called Here Come the Boys.

My bloggin buddy Teresa is on the DT (her cards are amazing!) - so I thought I would show a bit of support and enter their first week - (as I'm away on holiday at the weekend this may be the ONLY entry for a while!).

The first challenge is Anything Goes so there's plenty of scope!

I coloured my Mo Manning image with Promarkers (which incidentally is the prize for this week at Here Come the Boys) and used this cute sentiment from TLC which I really like!
Poor doggie is having the breath hugged out of him isn't he????LOL And I bet he knows lots of little boy secrets........

Poppy!

Had a busy week but have managed to squeeze in some crafting time!
I've a couple of things yet to finish before the packing needs to be done and this was one of those not quite finished so have sat this morning and completed it. Am going to sit out in the garden for a while this afternoon - the weather has been so good - makes me almost sorry we're off to even sunnier climes next weekend!!

Back to the card - please meet 'Poppy' !
Poppy is another image from Sugar Nellie - she's not a new image but I think she is so pretty!
I decided not to colour her in the traditional poppy red and opted for a softer pinkie/peachy colour to co ordinate with the papers.Poppy was coloured with promarkers and I dotted a bit of white ink here and there on her petals then added some 'Cotton Candy' stickles for a bit of sparkly!
I was tempted to sew the Nitwits papers but I'd packed the tiny machine away in an attempt to tidy up so didn't want to make the room untidy again - opted just instead for distressing the edges.

The circles cut with my new nesties and the sentiment is from TLC - I altered the font colour to tone in with the card - (pat on the back to self for getting clever with Serif program....lol). Just looking at Poppy gives me 'happy thoughts' so it seemed to fit!

I used the same Stickles on the fabric flowers and then stuck them onto white petals coloured randomly with the same colour promarkers used on the image.

A couple of pale green pearls, some ribbon and a glass leaf spray finished the front.

As has become the norm for me just lately, this is another easel card - and left blank inside for an appropriate greeting.
Challenges -
Totally Gorjuss - 1, 2, 3
Just Add Ink - Add a Flower
Sew Many Challenges - Easel Card
Fairy Fun Fridays - Showers or Flowers
Fussy and Fancy - Springtime
Charisma Cards - Showers/Flowers

Melissa

The latest Sugar Nellie 'Adorables' range of stamps is called Melissa. I think this is possibly my favourite from this series so far.

I printed her out onto linen watercolour paper and coloured her with a mix of distress inks and promarkers.

I tried to tone in the colours with the papers which are from the My Mind's Eye Hattie pad. It is very rare that I like every single paper in a pad stack but this is one of those rare paper stacks pads where every single sheet is gorgeous.

I have got a bit of an 'easel' or different fold' thing going on at the moment. So Melissa is another in the easel category! I matted all the papers onto DCVW cardstock in cordinating colours and distressed some of the edges a bit.

The main image was dusted with Scattered Straw Distress ink and the flowers were a present from Maureen (think she made them whilst she was sitting with her sore ankle up!) and I popped a wee bit of stickles on them for a bit of sparkle! The pearls and ribbon are from my stash and the computer generated sentiment on the front ('I saw this flower') was cut out with a couple of nesties. I then printed out the 'and thought of you' onto the same linen paper and matted and layered it with the rest of the paper stack!
Challenges -
Craft Your Passion - Layers
Make It Monday - Anything Goes
Paper Playtime - Friends (and I think this would be nice to send to a friend)
Creative Inspirations - Use a Digi
Paper Sundaes - use any two from Pearls, Die Cuts, Yellow and Sparkle (and I used them all!)  
Our Creative Corner - Easel Card

Postcard from Asia

The Three Muses challenge this week is 'Mail Art'. It also by chance fitted in with the current April/May challenge at the Art N Soul Flickr group which was to create a postcard and incorporate metal.

This piece measures 6" x 4" and is based onto mountboard. It was a change for me to leave the 'cute/girly/CAS cardmaking behind for a while and get back to creating purely for creating sake rather than for selling for charity!

I really like the rich vibrant colours in washi papers and this is what I used for the background. The geisha images are from Somerset Studio and the chinese writing paper and letter from the College of Japan were from my stash. 

I tied the metal coin on the card using some metallic gold thread  and added a chipboard embellishment, a couple of tiny fabric butterflies and a large orange gem which is supposed to represent the 'rising sun'!

I gold embossed the outer edges of the card and chipboard piece and dabbed a few bits of gold powder randomly across the card. 

The back resembles a postcard complete with chinese stamp.

Job done!

Less is More 11

Cannot believe another week has gone by! 
We have had a beautiful few days here in the North of England and once again today the sun has beamed down some lovely warm rays!
Derpsite my outdoor season now being underway and the usual chaos that late April/May/June brings trying to fit in all the competitions I promised myself when I first took part in the LIM challenges that I would try and do the challenge every week - I am shortly going on holiday so will miss a couple of weeks but I am still going to try and keep to my resolution regarding the rest!

Not wishing to shy away from setting us hard projects, the two Chief LIMettes (lol) decided to task my poor little grey cells to the limit this week - and chose the theme - Acetate.

Not bad thought I when I saw it 'cos I know I've got some.... two hours later the craft room looks like the proverbial bomb site and I've found paper that hasn't seen the light of day for years, two sets of stamps still with the price on and unopened, a piece of old lace that I had been looking for last week, a bag of buttons would you believe a strap from a bra (Lord knows how that got in here) and a couple of bent paperclips......  but no acetate. By this time I am now having murderous thoughts about our 'Head Girls' and am trying to think up some acetate inclined torture for them both... but as I can't find the damn acetate I have to give up on that too............  

I sat looking at the mess then the little light bulb went on over my head and I remembered the set of place mats bought at the beginning of the week - off I duly trotted to the recycle bin (situated outside the office door) and after rummaging about in there for 10 minutes, got to the bottom and found the acetate packaging. Saved!!!!!!!

So after all that exhausting thinking and ferreting about in dusty drawers (so to speak) I then sat and thought - 'what the hell am I going to do'????????????

I was on my third cup of coffee when I just decided to stamp onto it and then think about making it up later!

Brown Stazon and Viva Decor stamps (which I'm not particularly fond of but they look OK), the butterfly from Inkadinkadoo and some Coredinations whitewash paper in a teal blue colour on the back were all laying about on the desk (once I could see underneath the bra strap, pile of dusty paper etc etc) and I just decided to use it up in an attempt to put some order back into the desk!

I used MS punches for the scallops and the blue piece is the reverse of the Whitewash paper. The main background of the card I sanded to allow some of the blue to show through. A couple of eyelets and some spotty ribbon and voila - recycled placemat container!

So making it was the easy bit.... (lol) - I then spent two hours trying to photograph/scan it so I could blog it!!!!

Please Mandi and Chrissie - can we have something a bit less taxing next week - I am exhausted and now I've got to find the bra that belongs to the strap.........................