Another chintzy card

Continuing with using some of my Anna Griffin kit, I made this card for Techno stamper Monday lunchtime sketch 126:


I used the colours for Kelly Jo's colour chef challenge 55: 'cream, muted green, soft blue'

As I've used a card with text on it, I'm also linking for Res-Q 50, which this week asks us to choose from five favourite challenges - I've chosen challenge 35.

I'm also linking for:

Sunday postcard: 'roses'
Tuesday throwdown 4: 'celebrate summer' - roses bring much enjoyment to summer
Pals paper arts 47: 'summer theme'
Quirky crafts 30: 'summer'
Sentimental Sundays 7: 'summertime'
Party time Tuesdays 3: 'anything goes birthday'
Crafty calendar June 9: bugs and beasties - optional extra: wings'
Gingersnap GC57 chestnut theme: 'wings'

The start of a flowery afternoon

This afternoon I've been making flowery, chintzy cards with an Anna Griffin kit I bought from QVC a couple of weeks ago. Will I ever learn? - I tend to buy these kits thinking they'll be a good idea for making quick-ish cards for my Tearfund sales and then often leave them in the box - but this time I decided I would start to use it as soon as I could.

So, my first card with this kit is for Sweet Sunday sketch 73:

I've used the colours for Cutie Sunday 96: pink, olive, red.

I'm also linking for:

Sunday postcard: 'roses'
Tuesday throwdown 4: 'celebrate summer - roses bring much enjoyment to summer
Pals paper arts 47: 'summer theme'
Quirky crafts 30: 'summer'
Sentimental Sundays 7: 'summertime'
Donna's den of crafts: 1: 'happy birthday'
Party time Tuesdays 3: 'anything goes birthday'
Meljen 12: 'fibre, ribbon or lace'

Green grows the ivy

This card is for the sketch on Annabelle 23:

The background paper is Crafty creations and the ivy stamps are whispers, coloured by bwater rushing with a hint of brushed corduroy and shabber shutters distress inks. The sentiment is actually greener than it looks here.


It's also for these challenges:

Theme Thursday: 'the colour green'
Alphabet: 'G is for green'
ECP 14: 'green'
Charisma cardz 24: 'all about bling'
Paperplay 24: 'something old' - the stamps are some of the first I ever bought
Twisted Thursday 61: 'use something old' - the stamps
Hand full of stamps 32: 'nothing like a little H2O' - I used a water brush with the distress inks
Alota 37: 'birthday'
Donna's den of crafts 1: 'happy birthday'
Party time Tuesday 3: 'anyhing goes birthday'
Clearlyistamp 14: 'birthdays''

Much more fun with the melting pot

The theme for this month's ATCs for the swap on BF forum is 'texture'. Having recently got my melting pot out from the back of a drawer, I decided that I would make my ATCs with UTEE with the help of my pot.

I cut pieces of mountboard into ATC sized pieces and one by one I swiped with versamark, put in the melting pot and sprinkled with gold, bronze and pearl UTEE.

When it was 'cooked' the ATC was quickly taken out of the pot and as quickly as possible the stamp was applied to the molten powder. I used this Tim Holtz stamp from the eclectic palette CMS 055:



The whole process of making them all took all afternoon - and I made a couple of spares so I have plenty to choose from for the swap. The most difficult thing was that the stamp was exactly an ATC size so it had to be placed exactly on to each mountboard piece - it's much easier if the stamp is bigger giving more margin for error. I went very wrong with one of them, so I just put it back into the pot to melt again - no wastage.




I'm linking these for:

Caardvarks June challenge: 'Create a *new* card using stamps and wet and/or dry embossing.'
Flourish timeless 71: 'embossing'
Artful inkables 22: 'Use a new technique, go out of your comfort zone, make something completely different than you normally would make' - I've never made any ATCs like this before, using the melting pot and stamping into the molten UTEE.
Wednesday stamper: 'I love' .... playing with my melting pot

Today's challenge on Treehouse 54 is 'tool time by Katie Tate' - use your favourite tool - for a long time I didn't use my melting pot much, but recently it has become one of my favourite crafting tools.

The mountboard I used was free from a framing shop that was going to throw it out (got a big bag ages ago), so this is recycled, which is good for ECP 14: 'green'.

Enjoy your day

This card is for Clare W's sketch for Moving along with the times 50:

I used the colours given for Stamping 411 challenge 127:

The image I've used is a digi called 'time for a cuppa', a download from Nutty Nutcrafters, which I've used for their challenge 18: 'to create a Fathers Day card, any style or theme will pass the only condition is that you use a stamp or digi stamp that we sell over at Nutcrafters.com.' I coloured the image with copics. The background is a piece from my scraps box (think it's DCWV, but not sure).

The colours are also for Moxie fab world Tuesday trigger: 'mapping colour':



With Father's day coming up on Sunday, there are still a lot of challenges cropping up with that as the topic or a general card for a male, so I'm linking for these:

Cards for men 12: 'father's day'
Cupcake 95: 'one for the boys'
Daisy doodles: 'father's day/manly' - I used a digi
Double Dutch 45: 'dda's treat'
Fiskarettes: 'male theme'
Incy wincy 45: 'one for the guys'
A little crafty place 43: 'one for the boys'
Creative craft: 'one for the man in your life'
Cas-tastic 8: 'father's day'
Creative Inspirations 65: 'one for the boys'
Fab n funky 28: 'just for dad'
Stampin' royalty 24: 'masculine themed'
Tanda teaser 148: 'for the big man'
CCEE: 'one for the males!'
C.R.A.F.T. 54: 'father's day/men's cards'
Paperplay 23: 'home' - this fella is obviously enjoying being at home
Paper cutz 45: 'father's day'
Simple doodles 19: 'just 4 you dad'
Town scrapper: 'father's day'
Drunken stampers 20: 'father's day'
Totally Gorjuss 34: 'for the boys'

I am a big cat fan

I love my big lion Magenta stamp (which is why I'm linking this for Crafty angels 38: 'my favourite stamp' - I can't possible choose one favourite stamp because I have many!). When I saw that the skinni challenge this week on Something completely different was 'cats' I decided that somehow I would use this stamp. However, it's a very large stamp, so I couldn't use all of it on a skinni 3" x 5".

I stamped with versamark and then used a light creamy coloured chalk to dab on the image, surrounding this with dabs of perfect pearls bronze. I then wiped across the whole image to soften the look and very lightly sponged the edges with brushed corduroy distress ink.

The letters are Brenda Pinnick - they really are crooked! - had to take loads of photos till I could get a presentable one, so have left this as it is, but have since stuck the 'g' down properly.

As usual, you can click on the picture to enlarge it.

The current challenge on For fun challenges is 'Can you pop?' - poppin' pastels - using versamark and chalk - which is what prompted me to make this skinni in this style (originally I was going to stamp and colour). It's a while since I used chalks like this, but always did like the soft effect that can be achieved.

It's also another entry for Totally papercrafts 20: 'animal magic' and also for Artful inkables think ink Tuesday 22: 'use a new technique, out of your comfort zone, make something completely different than you normally would make - although I've used chalks and perfect pearls like this, it's been quite a while and I don't usually make skinnis (well, only for SCD last week).

WOYWW

It's Wednesday again today and so it's WOYWW day on Julia's blog.

I know that some of you think that my workspace is always tidy, but it isn't, as you'll see today.

I started off by printing a digi image ready to make a masculine card - I coloured it with copics ... and now it's buried beneath other stuff that I've moved on to - in fact, I've just realised you can see it peeping out underneath the chalks.

I decided to have a play with my large Magenta lion stamp - one of my favourites - to do a skinni for SCD which this week has the theme of cats. So this involved stamping with versamark and playing around with chalks, perfect pearls and distress inks - this is still a work in progress. Update: it's finished - you can see it in the post above here.



Now I'm going to get on with finished the cat skinni for SCD and then rescue the guy in the armchair to make my masculine card - unless I get distracted and start something else - this so easily happens to me ... and eventually I go back to what I started!

Sweet drummer boy!

This is for sketch 37 on Do not wast your Thursdays:

The text paper is DCWV (lingering in a box for a long while now, but seemed just right for this card. The image is a Charmed Cards and Crafts download: Rock till you drop 'drummer George'. Blue and white striped paper is from my scraps box and ribbon from stash. The base card is stardream red, which has a slight sparkly sheen to it.

This is also for:

Dottie's world: 'any kind of masculine card'
Totally Gorjuss 34: 'for the boys'
Dare U 2 digi 39: 'red, white and blue'
Rosie-dee 73: 'something blue'
Cupcake 95: 'one for the boys'
Daisy doodles: 'manly' - included a digi
Incy wincy 45: 'one for the guys'
Lexi's creations 16: 'something old' - the DCWV text paper
A crafty little place 43: 'one for the boys'
Crafty creations 71: 'child's play'
CCEE: 'one for the males!'
Crafty Ann 16: 'fly the flag' - colours of your national flag (UK - red, white and blue)
Raise the bar 22: 'sweet music' - well, I'm sure George's making music, but I'm not sure how 'sweet' it is!
Just us girls 37 technique challenge: 'digital image'
Really reasonable ribbon 1: 'masculine' - use ribbon
Hand full of stamps 31: 'how cut is this'
Paper playtime 3: 'red, white and blue'

Enjoy your travels in Venice

This is a simple card to give to someone who is going to Venice. I found the picture of the theatre on the internet. The lady going to the theatre is a digi download from Charmed Crafts: 'world tour, Madison in Venice' - you can see a close up of her underneath the card.



This is for City crafter 9: 'Venice, beyond Gondola' and also for Daring cardmakers: 'the world is your oyster'.

A pile of Birthday presents

Still trying to use up some of my Dena designs card/papers - the lines across the paper are actually folds. I've just realised that you can't really see the Happy Birthday silver on glittery black, but the light's faded now so no hope of getting a photo.


Donna's den of crafts has 'happy birthday' for the theme of their first challenge, so I'm showing this there (will try and come back with something better before the fortnight is up).

It's also for:

Party time Tuesdays 3: 'anything goes birthday'
For fun: 'happy birthday'

Animal magic

Another quick card made with Dena supplies (can you tell that I'm trying to use these up?!).

This time the card is for 'animal magic' for Totally papercrafts 20.

Bright thank yous

Another two cards which were quick to make - using up some of the Dena supplies and other bits that were lurking in the bottom of a box.



I'm linking these for:

Creative card crew 52: 'thank you'
Created by hand: 'gratitude'
Charisma cardz 23: 'spots and stripes'
Whimsical Wednesdays the Diedrich dare inspiration piece (I've used the colours):

Yay for the birds

Another quick card made from the rejects of two other cards - using Dena papers and decoupaged birds. This is for Lots to do week 23: 'birds/wings. It's also for Creative cottage 14: 'going pink'.

Simple sympathy card

This is a very simple sympathy card ('with deepest sympathy' on the insert) using some textured rub ons - the challenge atm on Creative Belli 93 is to use rub ons.

As there are 'bugs and beasties' on here I'm linking for Crafty calendar for June, which also has the optional extra of wings.

It's alo for Stamp dreams 35: 'card without scrap paper'

Garden inchies

The theme for the inchies swap for June on BF forum is 'garden'.

I stamped Hampton art rose background on to card with tattered rose distress ink and embossed it with clear - and then cut the inchies and distressed the edges with shabby shutters, after which I lightly inked the edges with copic sugared almond pink. I then stamped the rosebud (part of a stamp that I've had for ages and hardly ever use - one of the first stamps I ever had) and coloured with copics - RV02 sugared almond pink and G14 apple green. I added three silver gems on each and 'garden' printed on clear with my dymo letratag.


I'm linking them for these challenges:

Quirky crafts 30: 'summer' - roses are definitely a lovely part of summer
Lexi 16: 'something old' - the rose buds stamp is old (and hardly ever used)
Pollycraft 48: 'let's have a sing song' - 'Gather ye roses' song from the poem by Robert Herrick
Spoon full of sugar 107: 'floral delights'
Tuesday taggers: 'all that blooms'
Creative cottage 14: 'going pink'
Annabelle: 'say it in green and pink'
Andrea's stampin moments simply Saturday: 'simply sponer' - the distressing with shabby shutters
Speedy the cat's challenge 7: 'make your own background'
Flourishes timeless 71: 'embossing' - the background was heat embossed

A tribute to dad

Sadly, my dad died towards the end of 2003 (actually on mum's birthday), so I no longer make a father's day card, but this is the card that I would want to give him if it were still possible.

This is one of those cards that almost made itself, because the Paper Cellar background paper and the Anna Griffin decoupaged sticker say it all, so just the addition of the sentiment and some edge distressing with dusty concord.

With this coming Sunday being father's day here in the UK there are obviously a lot of challenges around atm with that theme, so these are includes among those below that I'm linking for:

Magical crafts 17: 'something for a male/father's day'
Stampin' sisters in Christ 43: 'father's day card or masculine'
Cards for men 12: 'father's day'
Double dutch 45: 'dad's treat (father's day)'
Tellen's place: 'father's day'
C.R.A.F.T. 54: 'father's day/men's cards'
Paper cutz 45: 'father's day'
Town scrapper: 'father's day'
Drunken stampers 20: 'father's day'
Simple doodles 19: 'just 4 you dad'
Fiskarettes Monday challenge: 'male theme'
Crafts by Carolyn TTC004: 'something manly'
CCEE: 'one for the males!'
Incy wincy 45: 'one for the guys'
Cupcake 95: 'one for the boys'
Kaboodle 33: 'anything goes with a dash of purple'
Flourishes timeless 70: 'black, white + one'

Male monochrome

This is for the monthly sketch for June on Cuttlebug Spot:


When I was at Southmore Court (where mum lives) selling cards recently, I was asked for a birthday card for an older man who wasn't interested in sport, fishing etc. Fortunately, there was something in my box that was OK, but it got me thinking about the kind of men's cards to make - yes, some men like fishing, golf, football etc, but some don't - and what's OK for the younger age range isn't always appropriate for the older.

I think this Personal Impressions stamp is just right for a birthday card for an older man. It was stamped with Memento tuxedo black and coloured with copics - I used just C-1, C-3 and C-5 - oh, and a touch of Y28 lionel gold on the pocket watch.

The button was die cut from mountboard, two holes pierced and copic coloured. The paper at the top of the card is BG granola and the spotted card is core'dination black magic with a grey core run through the cuttlebug with the swiss dots folder.

This is also for:

Magical crafts 17: 'something for a male'
One stitch at a time 17: 'celebrations' - birthday
Stampin' sisters in Christ 43: 'masculine'
Stamptacular 63: 'a tribute to all fathers'
Creative inspirations 36: 'monochrome'
Shabby tea room 13: 'just for dad' or masculine card
Creative craft: 'for the man in your life'
Scrap-creations Going grey 14: 'happy birthday' - granola paper used
Cas-tastic 7: 'button, button ... who's got the button?'
For fun: 'happy birthday'
Stampavie 98: 'dots'
Tanda teaser 148: 'for the big man'
CCEE: 'one for the males!'
Charisma cardz 23: 'spots and stripes'
C.R.A.F.T. 54: 'men's cards'
Pixie dust studio 26: 'what twilight means to you' - firstly, the shades of black and grey - and, secondly, the card is for a man who is in his 'twilight years'
Crafty catz 36:'embossing' - the core'dinations card embossed with 'swiss dots' cuttlebug folder
Your next stamp 18: 'buttons'
Fun with shapes and more 57: 'self made button' - the star button die cut mountboard, coloured with copic
Stamp something: 'happy somethings' - happy birthday
Clearlyistamp 14: 'birthdays'
Crafts by Carolyn TTC004: 'something manly'
Wee memories 10: 'in stitches'
Aly's Sunday 19: 'sewing' - there is stitching on the waistcoat, more easily seen on this closer picture:

Shaker ATCs

I used to regularly take part in the ATC swaps on CBC, but haven't done so for a few months now. I decided I'd join in the June swap and the topic is 'shaker' ATCs. I've never thought of making a shaker on an ATC, but thought I'd have a go at this.

I'm still not feeling great atm - hayfever that doesn't seem to be responding to the usual tablets - so I'm trying to do a bit of crafting to take my mind off it.

I took a bit of a cheat's route with these. I had some lovely little Anna Griffin frames that I bought at a craft fair a year or two back. I carefully took the top layer off, which revealed a few bits of double sided foam pad, so I carefully cut little pieces to fill in the gaps, stuck acetate to the top layer and added a few tiny gems and glitter to the body of the frame before putting it all together again. The background paper is also by Anna Griffin and the corner mosaics are Papermania.

And here they are 'all shook up' (as Elvis would have said):

I'm linking them for these challenges:

Annabelle: 'say it in green and pink'
Meljen 11: 'sparkle, glitter, bling'
Frosted designs: 'glitter, glitter and more glitter'
Prairie fairy 23: 'glitz and glitter'
Cupcake 94: 'dazzle us'
Crafty little place 42: 'anything but square'
Cute card Thursday 116: 'anything but square'
Gingersnap GC58 spicy supply challenge: 'transparencies or acetate
Stampin' royalty 23: 'picture inspiration':

Little miracle in pink

This is a clean and simple card based on FTL93 on Clean & Simple:

The background paper is Rayher rose patchwork & stripes, the embossed teddy is ages old from a QVC kit, the three pink teddies at the bottom are the last of some that I bought two or three years ago and I can't remember where the 'little miracle' came from. The buttons don't look such a contrasting shade irl - as light shines on them they look a lighter pink.

The inside says: 'Congratulations on the birth of your baby'.

It's also for:

Cupcake inspiration 62: 'white and pink'
Fiskarettes Monday challenge: 'baby'
Cas-tastic 7: 'button, button ... who's got the button?'
Creative inspirations 64: 'babies'
Stampavie 98: 'dots'
Charisma cardz 23: 'spots and stripes'
S2G 59: 'baby' twist: pink
Hand full of stamps 31: 'how cute is this?'
Speedy the cat's challenge 6: 'buttons and bow' - bow on the teddy
Creative cottage 14: 'going pink'

WOYWW ... but it's Thursday!

Who stole Wednesday then? Going out for lunch with friends might have had something to do with it ... anyway, I somehow missed doing WOYWW for the right day. If you don't know what WOYWW is (is there anyone left who doesn't?) please visit Julia's blog to find out and have a nose at lots of crafting workspaces - there's always something to inspire. Actually, there wasn't a lot on here for most of the day, having cleared up the tremendous chaos that accumulated the day before when I decided to get my melting pot out from the back of the drawer and have a play - you can see what I did here.

However, last night I needed to do my Salt LO for today's challenge - you can read about it here, so you can now see the evidence of everything that came out to achieve that LO. On the left of me there is a pile of papers underneath the stack of letters and in the end I didn't use any of them, but instead used some from a box that is in my bedroom wardrobe (I do tend to overflow into there, despite all the space I have in here).

And to the right of me are the boxes of blooms and ribbons that I rifled through to find what I wanted for my Salt LO. And in the background my melting pot is lurking ... not sure whether it will get used again soon or put back in the drawer!


I now need to put all this stuff away before I consider what to make today. I was going to go to Hobbycraft in Crayford today (John has a bowls committee meeting and is having a car over there and I could have been taken on to Hobbycraft) but I'm just not feeling up to it - hay fever or allergy of some kind ... runny nose, sore throat, watery eyes ... so I'm staying in instead, but might have a bit of online retail therapy before I start any crafting today.

Salt: mother

Gosh, don't the weeks go by quickly - it doesn't seem two days ago since the last Salt challenge and yet here we are again two weeks on with another one.

Julie chose the topic for this fortnight and you can read what she wrote here. It would be lovely if you could spend a bit of time and visit the Salt blog to see the lovely creations of others on the team and perhaps make something to share with us - just leave us a comment with a link so we can come and look at your creation.

I wasn't sure what to do for this challenge. I've never had children of my own, although I would have dearly loved to have had them, but when I married John nineteen years ago I gained two stepsons who were teenagers at the time and I've very much looked on them as my own, not denying, of course, that they still have a mum.

I thought of depicting a mother from the Bible, but no crafting inspiration came to me. In the end I felt that the obvious thing to do was to focus on my mum, so this simple LO is devoted to her. She is now 88 and in reasonable health for her age.

The papers are DCWV, the scalloped felt across the bottom is Anna Griffin, the centre of the flower is a prima 'say it in studs' (I love these and my supply has nearly gone - think I must get some more).

I apologise that the blue on brown wasn't easy to photograph - it says 'my mother is the heart of our family'. As usual, you can enlarge the picture by clicking on it.