Beer and Alcohol!

Some time ago I surprised OH by telling him he needed to drink more beer...... he obliged for a short while then decided that even for art's sake consumption had to be curtailed. No matter - I had enough beer cans by then.
The challenge at Less Is More this week is to use metal. My carefully stored stash of flattened and washed beer cans has been systematically used on various projects but there was the remains of one can left which was just big enough for what I wanted.

 Cut out the beer can with a leaf shaped nestie die.

Out with the Alcohol Inks! I thought about using shades of green but decided that although hopefully Spring is on it's way, I like Autumn colours better.

I used Butterscotch, Caramel, Sunset Orange and Red Pepper.

Leaf duly coloured, I turned it over and began to emboss the back with a metal embossing tool. Most of it was done freehand and I'm happy with the way it turned out.
Even the small bits of can left were utilised by cutting out the sentiment and two tiny corners -  not a scrap of can left!

I dyed the string with Distress Inks Dried Marigold and Tea Dye and used an Embossabilities folder for the woodgrain background.
As this was made using a scrap of a beer can I am joining in the fun at the Snippets Playground this week!

Other Challenges -
Cuttlebug Mania - Add Texture
SOS - Heavy Metal
CAS on Sunday - Masculine
Crafting Cafe - Embossing
2 Sisters - Embossing

So that's it from me today. Not quite 100% but feel much better than I have done and thanks to everyone who sent me good wishes. Have a great day whatever you're doing! x

Renaissance

I have been able to have a bit of a play for an hour or so over the weekend.
Felt a lot better then yesterday back to sneezing and spluttering - am getting on my own nerves never mind anyone else's! I appear to be unable to shake off this 'whatever it is' that has now been with me for almost 2 weeks.
Consequently I am unsure about this make. Whether that's down to my fuzzy brain or it really is just a naff effort I don't know!

I used some old papers from my stash (which may have been from a HOTP pad?), distressed the edges then matted and layered onto Kraft then black card.
The main stamp is one of the very first I ever bought when I started my 'mixed media' journey (!) as at the time I was hooked on all things medieval and historic.
I found it (along with 3 others!) all dusty and unloved - so inked it up and stamped it onto dark cream card, clear embossed and then matted and layered it. Resisted using any colour on the image at all although maybe I should have coloured her dress?
Stamped the large script onto a scrap piece of kraft paper and just randomly ripped the edges.
The pen and ink bottle also stamped onto scrap pieces of kraft and mounted using 3d pads. (more old stamps!)
Finished it off with some die cut corners and a sanded 'hinge' secured with brads.
Challenges -
Make My Monday - A non cute grown up card
MIM - Anything Goes
Dream Valley - Vintage
Fashionable Stamping - Anything Goes
Allsorts - Ladies Day
Card Making Mama's - Stack it Up
Daring Cardmakers - Old but not Forgotten (my stamps!)

Thanks for taking the time to have a look and if you've left a comment I really appreciate it.
As I'm confined to the house in an attempt to get rid of this bug I will be trawling round blogland all day! Have a great day whatever you're doing. x

Inky things

Have just sat and watched the bronze medal curling - How good was that?! Always great to see Team GB doing well - which is more than can be said for me. Still feeling grot but hopefully I will shake it off in the next few days.
Haven't really felt much like doing anything and so my share is something that was finished just when the 'dreaded lurgy' came calling!

My brain wasn't up to layouts so decided to make an 'inky' card.

The stamp set is from Inkylicious.
I stamped the lighthouse first , clear embossed and then masked it off.
Just made messy with DI's after that then overstamped the 'sand dunes' and grasses.

I made a bit of a mess of the sky I think - the darker blue shade in the middle is perhaps TOO dark but I'd already made my mind up on where the sentiment was going to be put so ignored the darker blue colour and stamped it anyway!
I used a piece of acetate to  give me the straight line for the sea instead of my usual post-it notes.
Finished with some twine and a few shells.

Challenges -
Digi Darla - Sympathy
Divas by Design - Rubber Stamps
Cards & More - Non Cute
Love to Scrap - Anything Goes
TTCRD - Anything Goes
Crafty Sentiments - Anything Goes

Off for a quick catch up through blogland to see what you've all been up to. Have a great day.x

Watch the Birdie

My turn this month to set the challenge at Crafty Cardmakers and I chose the theme of 'Come Fly With Me '.
I'm wanting lots of you to join in so get making anything that has a focal point of birds, which can also include birdcages and the like.
Our sponsors are the fab Hobby Art Stamps and Di's Digistamps.

I bought  a birdhouse shape at the beginning of last year, then took it apart and kept it to use as a template - I had a lot of fun making this little birdie house as I used lots of different stuff for this and made a lot of mess (as usual!).

Used thick brown kraft card to cut out all of the pieces. Gesso'd all the shapes and punched out the circle for the entrance before assembling into the 'house' then used a mix of papers and DI to cover the 'walls'.

A teeny piece of bamboo skewer used for the perch.

The roof was simply cut from the same thick brown kraft card and then strips of frilly lace stuck on it.
The branches and the birdie are Chipboard shapes from Maya Road. Gesso'd these then painted them with DI.

The 'Home' jigsaw piece is from a large box which I bought when a craft shop was closing down.
Finished it all off with a few leaves and punched out flowers and a teeny bit of flower flocky stuff  (this made most of the mess as I decided to open the window a little and forgot I had not put the top on the jar.........)
Birdie House now hanging in the craftie space!

Other Challenges -
Eclectic Ellapu -  Anything But a Card
Quirky Crafts - Pile it High, Layer It up and 3D
Rhedd's Creative Spirit - Anything MM Goes
Crafty Creations - For the Birds
All Crafts - Anything goes


Hope you like birdie's house and thanks for calling in. I've spent the last week feeling very sorry for myself - the pair of us are still full of coughs and sneezes - am hoping that I can catch up with you all over the next day or so - just my headache keeps returning with a vengeance so sitting in front of the pc is probably not the most sensible option! Have a great day. x

Love Actually????

One of the things I love most about my much loved husband is that he shares everything with me - last week he spent several days feeling decidedly poorly with some nasty coldy virally chesty thing and today I have woken up with a hacking cough and someone has kindly left a ton weight on my chest combined with an elastic band round my head! I am keeping my fingers crossed that I don't end up as bad as he was.......! He says 'sharing everything is 'love' actually'............

So perhaps this is NOT the best time to be sharing 'lovey dovey' cards as I feel like growling instead of being romantic and sentimental - but it is OH's birthday on valentine's Day and this was originally made with him in mind but have decided to share it now - !
This is a take on a Christmas card really.. differences being that I have used plain white textured card instead of glitter card for the tree and where the little red bauble was hanging I have replaced it with a red heart.
Oh and instead of torn paper at the bottom to resemble snow I have used a scrap of Kraft  -

In fact I have no idea why I have told you all this cos when you read that they're nothing like each other!! LOL General idea was the same anyway!

Just used up a few leftovers from other projects and a sentiment stamped in Versafine Sepia ink -am quite happy with it!

Challenges -
Card Mania - Love is all around
Love 2 Create - Red
OLLCB - Use a heart (#2)
Glitter n Sparkle - Add some Red
Red Carpet Studios - Love Actually
Cardz 4 Guyz - Truly, madly, deeply
Tuesday Throwdown - Valentine's

Sadly the weather here is reflecting my misery! It's wet (again) and we have had some hailstones/sleet in the last few minutes - a day to stay (feeling sorry for myself) in the craft room I think!! x

French Rose

There may be disadvantages living on the moor tops - howling winds/rain and of course if it snows heavily then you're stuck in but at least it means that there is little chance of being flooded out like so many poor people are in the south of the country on the low plains and levels. The weather here at the moment is horrendous - sounds like all the roof tiles are rattling with the strength of the wind but I am safely sat in the crafty space with a big smile as I bask in the happiness of a terrific win at Anfield!
Enough - don't want to be upsetting anyone (or rubbing it in but 5 - 1 REALLY????!!!!! LOL)

Back to more SENSIBLE things - a Paris themed shabby card!
Used several different types of papers including some scripted vellum. Distressed, tore and then stitched the background paper to the card then added the different paper layers.

An Inkylicious stamp called French Rose (which just HAD to be bought at the Craft Show this week) - stamped onto ivory linen card.
I coloured the rose with DI's and swiped Antique Linen DI across and around the edge before stitching.
Slipped a 'post mark' stamped piece under the main image.

The two different types of lace were from my stash.

The bow is hand dyed and I bought the vintage frame on Thursday too - found this image amongst my stash and cut it to fit - since taking the photo I've added some glossy accents across the pic and am quite pleased with the result.

The Eiffel Tower is made from shrink plastic.(No idea why the bottom half of the pic looks a wee bit out of focus - perhaps I was still excited from the match result!)

Finished with a couple of pearl topped pins, a scrap of ribbon and two flat backed pearls and the inside is co-ordinated to match.
 Challenges -
Craft Room Challenge - Ribbons & Lace

Live & Love Crafts - Love and Lace
Penny Paper Crafty - Something Old (Papers), Something New (Stamp)
Stamplorations - Stamps & Stitches
Crafts and Me - Inspiration from this photo -
Crafting by Designs - Anything Goes
Crafts 4 Eternity - With Love
Sugar Creek Hollow - Love & Adore
 
Off to have a little visit to you all and see what you've been doing- thanks for paying me a visit. x 

Love Heart!

I popped along to a craft fair today at Event City. Nothing spectacular there really - I still think there's a lot you can get cheaper on line but picked up a couple of stamps and boring stuff like magnetic sheets for storing my dies and some glue! I was a tad disappointed as there weren't many distress inks or markers being sold - I wanted Mowed Lawn, Peacock Feathers and Salty Ocean DI's-  and there wasn't any of these to be had anywhere so it's back to online for me!

Husband has a stinker of a cold so he's been banned out of the craft space since Tuesday which meant I had a little play on my lonesome yesterday!

Made a couple of CAS cards, both with a 'love' theme although not strictly Valentine's (we don't do the lovey flowery stuff as it's HIS birthday so we celebrate that instead)!  Saw a make similar to this on Pinterest with lots of hearts dangling so thought I'd do my own interpretation.

Quick and simple and made from some snippets of card, two different dies, a punch, some red embroidery thread and a stamped sentiment embossed with clear powder all matted and layered onto red and black card before assembling onto the base.
The sentiment actually says 'From My Heart to Yours' - but I only inked half of it! It's a really old stamp and the backing is getting a little bit worse for wear so it took me several attempts to stamp without smudging.

There are MILLIONS of love themed challenges so am entering this into a few!
Cuttlebug Mania - Red
SOS - Love/Valentine's
Lexi's -Valentine/Love
ATCAS - Love
OLLCB - Use a heart
Flourishes Timeless Tuesday - Red/Love
Oldie but Goodie - Valentine 
Simon Says Stamp - Have a Heart
Nutcrafters - Love
My fellow 'reds' supporter Brenda is giving away some awesome candy (pic in my sidebar) and she asks that you say what your all time favourite item is - mine definitely has to be my Cuttlebug - I don't know what I would do without it!
And - as this is a snippets make I think I may venture to the Playground this week - as long as some of my so called 'play MATES' don't tell tales on me AGAIN - yes you know who you are... and next time I SHALL name and shame!!!!
Thanks for stopping by - will be round to catch up with you all later! x

Dreams of Italy

It's been a while since I played with collage stamps and I had some pieces of linen card laying about which were cut off leftovers from other cards so decided to find stamps to fit onto the paper scraps.

I had intended to make another 'man' card when I set out as this terracotta tiled background paper I thought was great for a bloke............
don't know what happened cos THIS is definitely NOT a man card!!
It just took on a life of it's own and kind of evolved - maybe if I hadn't used up the last bit of card and stamped the face image it could have been  termed 'a man card' - but then I'd have had to leave off the ribbon and the pearls as well wouldn't I?

Hopefully though I have told a 'story' with this card - with the lady thinking about how much she loved her Italian adventure, the postcards she sent and the places she visited and how she is dreaming of a return some day soon.

Stamps all done with Versafine Sepia.
All the stamps are from different companies - a real  mixture!
I wiped some Antique Linen DI across all the images and then distressed the edges adding some Tea Dye DI.
The heart is made from wood, crackled and distressed and the card was finished off with a couple of bronze pearls and some shoestring ribbon.

Rest of the papers used on the inside.
Challenges -
OLLCB - Use a Heart
Craft Your Passion - Love
OSAAT - Anything Goes
Scribble & Scrap - Anything Goes
Ribbon Girls - Heart
Crafts & me - Use a Heart
Creative Romance - Show some Love
Fussy & Fancy - Vintage

Thanks for finding the time to look at my project for today - have a great day whatever you're doing! x

Wild!

In the last hour it has turned absolutely wild here weather wise. The sleet/snow/rain is blowing sideways and the wind is howling. So having been out earlier (when it was much calmer although cold)I have now taken myself upstairs to the craft space!

I bought this stamp over a year ago from a crafting buddy as she no longer wanted it. Anyone would think that I didn't really want it either as this is the first time I've used it!
And to be honest although I love the stamp, I cannot feel the same way about the finished card.

But at least I can say I DID use the stamp even if it goes back into the drawer for another year!

I considered colouring all the image but in the end just highlighted in bits, using Squeezed Lemonade and Mustard Seed DI to continue the acid yellow theme of the papers.
The papers came from the stash pile (where else??!!), stitched and distressed lightly with the edges inked in 'Sacttered Straw'.

I made a crumpled shabby bow from more papers which were a similar colour.

Finished with a few pearls and an organza bow with a metal handbag charm.

Carried the papers on through to the inside and have at the mo left it blank sentiment wise - might add one at a later time!

Challenges -
Crafty Hands - Shades of the Same Colour
Simply Create Too - Female
Crafting 4 all seasons - Girly
Sister Act - Anything Goes
Totally Gorjuss - Sunny colours
Alphabet Challenge - Z for Zesty

I welcome your comments as always and I hope wherever you are you are safe and warm away from any bad weather. 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

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

Age is just a Number!

I hope everyone enjoyed the recent festive days and thanks to everyone who sent me messages, cards and prezzies!!!
We had a lovely quiet couple of days in our first Christmas in our new house and am keeping my fingers crossed that the current hailstorm will turn to snow 'cos I can't wait to see the hills and valley at the back all white!! (Yes I am definitely crazy wishing to be snowed in I know!)

My share for today is a commissioned card for a 70th Birthday.

The recipient is someone who can only be described as 'a party gal' and I was asked to reflect that in the card. The lady in question certainly knows how to have a good time and is the life and soul of any celebration and I hope I have captured her personality as asked.

I opted to use a centre step scalloped edge card as a bit of a change from my recent squares and rectangles.
The background is embossed although it doesn't show up very well (light here is not good - aforesaid hailstorm!!), and I matted it onto some red card.
The image is of course from Mo Manning and called 'Veronica' - she makes me smile! I coloured her with a mix of promarkers  and distress inks and decoupaged her onto a fancy oval frame.
I added a few tiny sparklies for a bit of bling and some spotty ribbon and a pearl buckle.
The 'pink martini' was a download, coloured then some stickles added for bubbly bits, and the numbers were also a download.
I finished with a few punched out stars and a sentiment from TLC which I cut out with a fancy tag die and I think is absolutely PERFECT to describe the 'party gal'!!!!!
Mo's DP2 has a challenge called 'Your favourite Mo card of 2013' - I have made many this year and can't choose really - so have opted to link the latest one!
 Challenges -
Digitally Sweet - Anything Goes
Delicious Doodles - Let's Party
Digistamps 4 Joy- Anything Goes
I Love Promarkers - More than 1 fold
Whimsy - Party Time
Digi Galore - Anything Goes
Pile It On - P is for - (Party, Pearl, Polka Dot ribbon)

Have a great day. x

Favourite Five

Debby is once again playing host to Favourite Five Christmas Cards of 2013.
I have had quite a CAS Christmas this year mainly due to the ridiculous postage that the highway robbers otherwise known as Royal Mail impose!
Played with less embellies than usual and definitely not a lot of flowery bits!
So without further ado here's my fave 5 of this years christmas makes and the reasons why I chose them!

First up is my use of the oldest card pack known to man! Picked these 'cos they have been lying about in a drawer for EVER and it just shows that if you keep something long enough you can make use of it!

 

Next is my 'man' card! Love this old truck and this was definitely one of my faves this year

 

Third one  has to be the 'most used by everyone Christmas Stamp of the Year' but I just love it!

Next is one of my White on White makes (which I made a lot of this year)   and    last but by no means least is a masking and stamping technique which I have been practising - and another make that once I did one ended up doing a batch!  Choosing five was soo difficult - there are some I wanted to use but my list would have ended up as being 'Favourite Fifty' I think!

 Thanks to Debby for again inviting us to link up and to all of you

here is one that was originally in my top five but 

-have saved her to say thank you to all my wonderful followers for finding time to visit with me this year, I wish you a Beautiful Christmas and may 2014 bring you all everything that you wish for.  

Viv. x x

 

Less than perfect pearls.......

Yesterday finally got round to putting up the Christmas Tree... that WAS a bit of a performance as we had given a lot of decorations etc to the charity shop when we moved and half way through the' adorning the branches' task I decided that we didn't have enough baubles.......... so off out we went to a nearby garden centre and luckily for me they were taking down their spectacular displays and all the baubles they had used were going dirt cheap!!
Those who know me well realise that I normally put up the tree at the last possible minute so 6 days before is VERY early for me but it looks nice (even if I do say so myself! LOL) and am quite looking forward to the first Christmas in the new house (am even praying for snow!!!!).

This share was (I thought) a bit of a disaster but the other half said there was nothing wrong with it and the person who received it thought it was lovely! So am showing it to you all in all it's messy glory.....- please feel free to make any comment you wish!!! LOL

• I had this bright idea of inking inside a nestie - this turned out reasonably well

• I had this bright idea of stamping tiny snowflakes inside the shape - this turned out fine

• I had this bright idea of stamping 3 trees in a darker shade of Distress Ink - all good so far

• I had this bright idea of using some scrummy coloured organza ribbon - looked nice

• I had this really really bright idea of using 'Pearl Maker' on the biggest tree's branches - AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. STUPID IDEA.

Talk about DUMBO. The WHITE Pearl Maker stuff absorbed the distress ink and it turned out this sludgy goldy/yellowy colour.
But I finished it anyway on the instructions of dear husband who told me I was being daft and there was 'nowt wrong with it'.
Am entering this into the following challenges and hoping that they agree with the husband! LOL

Stampin 4 the Weekend - Anything Goes
Craftitude - Anything Goes 
Charisma - Anything Goes
Crafts for Eternity - Anything Goes
Crafty Creations - Anything Goes
Feeling Crafty - Christmas
Dream Valley - Christmas

We are being battered with high winds and heavy rain at the mo - and it's set to last for a couple of days - which means I am now going to lock myself in the crafty studio (any excuse!).
Have a great weekend. x

A Lazy Day

It has been a manic few days - but we have today been as lazy as lazy can be as neither of us have been able to summon any energy to do much at all!
We did a barbeque (yes I kid you not, a BARBIE) for over 40 yesterday at the Club instead of the usual sit down Christmas Dinner....... it was some feat for my other half who did the kebab/burger/pork steak cooking outside on what is definitely nothing other than a home size grill! Thankfully it stayed reasonably dry and only rained towards the end of the cooking.
But combined with putting up the Christmas decorations earlier in the week, a few days shopping for the food and then doing all the things that you have to do to make sure everyone enjoyed themselves yesterday, being on my feet all day saw me off!

So did a bit of present wrapping and made a couple of very similar last minute cards.

I simply used up some odd bits laying about on the desk (was supposed to be tidying so this was my 'tidying up'!)

Basic red and off white hammered textured card, some organza ribbon, some dies (poinsettia, flourish and a fancy frame).

Christmas greetings stamps inked with 'Really Raspberry' pigment ink and clear embossed.
Centre of flowers dusted with some Stickles - (gold on one and silver on the other)  and done!
Pics are a wee bit iffy but you get the general idea....

Challenges -
Stampin 4 the Weekend - Use some Red
Cut it Up - Christmas
52 CCT - Red/white (from May)
HIMCR - Use your Scraps
Pixie's Playground - Snippets
Sweet Stampin'- Last Minute Christmas
CAS 271 - Sketch (modified a bit but followed the basic guide)

Thanks for finding the time to visit. Coffee now here so will be calling in to see what you've all been up to! x

Guest Designer!

I was over the moon to be asked to take a GD spot over at Crafting By Designs. Their challenge this week is White on White.

My card is a variation on ones I have done previously (inspired by the creativity over on Pinterest)  and is made entirely from linen textured small pieces of left over white card. So it's going to give me access to the playground this week too!
On all edges and to highlight some of the embossed areas I used the very delicately coloured Versacolour ink in Narcissus. This is a lovely pale lemony colour which I think is subtle enough to highlight without taking away from the white on white effect.
 
The largest piece of card I used at the top - I embossed both edges with a flourish folder and embossed the middle with a nestie frame.
On top of this piece I glued a length of thin paper with a scallop edge which was the off cut left over from punched out piece of paper and added some white shoestring ribbon to tidy up the edge.
The layers at the bottom were also done with a punch then glued to the base card and the larger embossed piece - again some shoestring ribbon to hide the join.
A fancy oval label cut with a nestie and secured with 3d foam pads.
The rose was also made using nesties.
The flourishes are a Marianne die (I think!) and the leaves are an embossed punch.
Finished it all off with two punched butterflies and some pearls.  

Challenges -
Crafty Catz - Use 2 or more dies
Divas by Design - Anything Goes
Allsorts - Anything But Christmas
Red Carpet Studio - Ribbon/Lace (and I interpreted the lace part as the frilly lacy punch used)
My Craft Creations -Anything Goes
Gem of a Challenge - Anything Goes
Bunny Zoes - Wings 
Crafty Bloggers - Girly

Thanks to the wonderful team at CBD for asking me to do this guest spot and hope you will all create something and join in their challenge!  Thanks for visiting today. x

Winter Fun

The latest challenge at Crafty Cardmakers is 'Winter Fun'.
 Marie wants any creation that shows having fun in winter but it must not be Christmas or New Year related! So no Christmas/New Year cards but something that you have fun with during the winter like skiing or sledging.
Our sponsor are THE PAPER SHELTER  and SIR STAMPALOT

After much deliberation - (I was considering a mug of hot choccie with lots of marshmallows - that is DEFINTELY my idea of fun when it's cold..... )I chose to make a card which shows a skating snowman!

I have had this image for a long long time and he seemed so 'right' somehow for this theme!

This was a quickie card make but hope he's inspired you to come and join us this challenge.
The background was the usual 'swiss dots' embossing folder on textured linen card and matted onto dark green.
For an extra bit of highlight I covered Frosty here with Glossy Accents - he's all shiny  in real life!

The snowflake flourishes die from Memory Box have seen a lot of use this year! I applied liberal helpings of Stickles to the dies and it's quite a sparkly effect  but doesn't show it well in this photo - added 3 small sparklies on the top of the card.
The sentiment is a freebie from TLC - and perfect I think!!

Challenges -
Word Play Saturday - Snowman
Sweet Pea Stampers - It's cold outside
PCJ - Christmas
Sentimental Sundays - Snowman
Craft Your Passion - Let It Snow
Lexi's - Snow
Paper Playtime - Winter Fun


Please pop over and visit my teamies and thanks for stopping by today. x

Second visit!

Don't say you weren't warned that I'd be back!
Second offering from me today - and my quota reached over at Pixies Playground for the last 2 weeks.. so am expecting at least a free go on the swings if not a Gold Star!!

I have coveted this poinsettia die for a long time and finally bought it a couple of weeks ago... I have used it to make LOTS of CAS cards like this with different colours so it was well worth the pennies!

White hammered cardstock used throughout.

Stamped the greeting with Stone Grey ink, cut into a tag shape, punched a hole in the top and threaded through some shoestring ribbon and tied into a bow.
A few sparklies dotted round at random.

Used liberal helpings of sparkly stuff (!) on the embossed parts of the flower, then stuck a bigger gem in the middle.

The flourishes are another well used Marianne die which I have had for ages.

LIM - Sparkle
ABC Christmas - No Squares
Christmas @ Sweet Stamping - White on White
Addicted to stamps - CAS
ABC -  A for Almost Christmas
Craft All Day - Winter
RRR - Bingo (White/Text/Glitter & Ribbon)

Have a great weekend everybody - and I thank you all for taking the time to visit and leave comments - I appreciate every single one. x

Last minute!

Quick post as I only realised this morning that I hadn't posted my Less is More card for this week - and after being Showcased' last week with my winter birdies card too! (It's here if you haven't seen it!)
I treated myself and went for a lovely massage this morning - hot stones and aromatherapy - just wonderfully relaxing - but am now so laid back can't get going to do anything LOL!
So here is this weeks card for the challenge which is 'Sparkle' -

 Black pearlised card for the background, matted onto silver pearl card.

The off cut from the silver pearl card just used to punch out lots of  leaves and stuck in a circle.(and as all the pressure made my hand sore my idea of making a batch was quickly laid to rest!!!).

A scrap of silver edged black ribbon in a tiny bow and a few very small (and very fiddly to glue!) gems finished the wreath.

Sentiment stamped and embossed in Silver EP.

I have another card to finish today so I can also get my entries into Pixies Playground - otherwise the Head Girl will send me to the naughty step!!! So this is the first of my 'snippets make' - and I need to get my skates on to get the other one done!

Other Challenges -
CRAFT - Christmas
Creative Knockouts - Christmas Splendour
Delightful Challenges - Add gems
Paper Crafting Journey - Christmastime

Thanks for looking - will be round to you all later to see what you've been creating. x

Penguins

Am almost done as far as my Christmas Cards are concerned - all made and inserts fixed - just need to write the envelopes - which is NOT my favourite job at all!
These little singing penguins are part of the large 'kids' order which thankfully I have now finished - "not too fancy but want something a little different from what you get in the shops" was the remit.
So photos taken (none of which are brilliant as the light here has been pretty poor over the last few days), and will share them all with you over the next couple of weeks.

I DID follow a sketch for this - trouble is can't remember which challenge blog the sketch was from!! Challenge has probably long since finished anyway....

Just used up some bright Christmas papers and a snowflake embossed leftover piece, all matted onto dark green card.
The sentiment was stamped using Pine Needles distress marker and no Christmas card would be complete without the statutory helping of sparkly Stickles would it???

Challenges -
Crafting by Designs - Penguins
Cutie Pie - Cute Scenes
TTCRD - Anything Goes
Paper Pretties - Christmas
Papertake Weekly - Anything Goes 

It's certainly been wild here today up on the moor top! The wind seems to have dropped a little but not much - wherever you are I hope you are safe and warm and as ever I appreciate you calling in to see me. x