On this your special day

This card is curved at the side and the middle shape is a cut-out window, so the inside of this is inside the card iyswim!

This photo shows the 'window' and also gives an idea of the copper and gold foiling which isn't apparent on the scan:


This is for:

Crafter's companion 11 (April): aqua and brown
Ooh-la-la 78: aqua, bling & sentiment
Shabby tea room 59: butterfly wishes
CCEE 1117: butterfly
Sukkersott 122: butterfly
If the shoe fits Fashionista Friday 77: things with wings
Inspire me Fridays 4: anything goes
Sarah Hurley 39: butterflies/things with wings
Crop stop 17: nightgale - textured bird, birdcage or nest
365 cards day 60: sparkle and shine
Daisy doodles 32: May flowers
Let's craft and create 18: say it with flowers
My mum's craft shop 3: flowers
Charisma cardz 17: May flowers
Prairie fairy Fridays 51: April showes bring May flowers
Craft us crazy 7: flowers
Stamping vacation: get the music in your challenge: free bird (the bird has flown the birdcage)
Iris' spot 18: anything goes
Simon says: anything goes
Paper cutz 89: anything goes
Make it Monday 34: anything goes

CHNC challenge 18: use a die cut

It's Saturday, so it's time for a new challenge on my Craftyhazelnut's Christmas Challenge blog - and the weeks are going by so quickly - today's challenge is number 18! You can find details here - please join in if you can. It makes sense to make Christmas cards throughout the year to ease the pressure off those weeks beforehand. If you haven't started yet, why not start with CHNC challenge 18 - all you need to do is to use a die cut. - - it can be one that you have cut yourself using a nestie, a sizzix or other similar die, a craft robo or cricut shape that you've cut ... or even a bought ready-made die cut - how easy is that?!

I based my card on the April sketch for Create 4 fun (also for Cute card Thursday 162: use a sketch from another challenge blog


Papers are My mind's eye from the signature Christmas glitter collection. I used one of my all-time Christmas favourite stamps Rubber Stampede 'Santa collage' inked with Adirondack earthtones terra cotta - I also used this to distress around the Nellie Snellen die cut (ran through my cuttelebug) and the other papers. I used this stamp for Christmas stampin all year long: use your favourite holiday image.

The colour combo is for CES 34 with this inspirational picture:

The sentiment paper has been recycled from a Christmas gift bag - it was originally a light cream colour so I gently coloured with some of the terra cotta, wiping with kitchen towel so it wasn't too dark. So this is good for these challenges:

Creative craft: get recycling
For fun: green, no not the colour - recycle

This is also for:

Wags n whiskers 53: use die or punch
Little Miss Muffet 18: diecuts or punches
HLSC 19: Christmas
Totally Gorjuss 78: 1 2 3 - 1 image, 2 brads, 3 designer papers
Theme Thursday: vintage
Crafts and me 32: vintage/distressed
4 crafty chicks 35: distressing
Delightful: distressing
Stamp insanity 56: rockin' out heavy metal style
Simply create 42: time to rock the metal
Tuesday throwdown 46: brads or eyelets
Iris' spot 18: anything goes
Simon says: anything goes
Paper cutz 89: anything goes
Crafts 4 eternity R17: anything goes
Inspire me Fridays 4: anything goes
Make it Monday 34: anything goes

Bunnies aren't just for Easter

This card is for the sketch for the current challenge on Forever friends:

Forever friends, of course, are well known as bears, but this bear is dressed up as a bunny - the image and the sentiment are from their Spring time stamp collection. I coloured the image with copics, cut out the scalloped circle with a nestie and distressed the edges with fired brick DI. The background paper and flowered strip are Craftwork cards vintage rose. I added two spotted ribbons, a few flowers and gems and also a little pom pom for the bear/bunny's tail.



This is also for:

Pile it on 17: 2 or more ribbons
Created by hand: ribbons
The lollipop ladies 19: ribbons galore
Crafty pad 118: circles
Crafts and me 32: vintage/distressed
4 crafty chicks 35: distressing
Delightful: distressing
Moxie Tuesday trigger: a polka dotted hullabaloo
Cute Sunday 139: dots
By the cute and girly April: cute and girly
Let's craft and create 18: say it with flowers
My mum's craft shop 3: flowers
Just add ink 66: just add a flower
Craft us crazy 7: flowers
Secret crafter Saturday 131: pink, cream & brown
Cupcake 139: fluffy bunnies - the pom pom is fluffy
365 cards day 54: make a card for 'some-bunny'
iCopic lover 27: pastel challenge
Anything goes 39: colour challenge: pink and brown
Iris' spot 18: anything goes
Simon says: anything goes
Paper cutz 89: anything goes
Crafts 4 eternity R17: anything goes
2 sisters 36: photo inspiration:

Blue and purple

I quite often use one or the other - blue and purple, that is - but not often together. For 'opposites attract' for day 49 on 365 cards we were asked: 'Do you find that you have two colors that you just DO NOT use together? They don't even have to clash, but maybe you've found that those are just two colors you don't like to use at the same time. Well now you have to use them for this challenge. And they must be the dominant colors on the card.'

And Annabelle's current challenge is 'say it in ... purple and blue:

I used some more more paper and the metal brads butterfly from the We R Memory Keepers twirl collection stamping it randomly with Papermania swirl stamps. The square sentiment (sorry about the glare of the flash - it's much more blue irl) is one that I've had for ages - originally from a Dawn Bibby kit. I stamped with dusty concord DI and also used it to distress the edges. I then added a few little white pearls here and there on parts of the swirls.



This is also for:

Crafts and me 32: vintage/distressed
4 crafty chicks 35: distressing
Delightful: distressing
Stamp insanity 56: rockin' out heavy metal style
Simply create 42: time to rock the metal
Claudia & company 80: clean and simple
Iris' spot 18: anything goes
Simon says: anything goes
Sunday stamper 151: wind beneath my wings
Shabby tea room 59: butterfly wishes
CCEE 1117: butterfly
Sarah Hurley 39: butterflies/things with wings
Digistamps4joy 17: swirls and pearls
Pink gem challenge 19: pearls and swirls
Stampavie and more 139: pearls

Happy cupcake

Day 58 on 365 cards was 'subliminal messages - 'Your challenge is to use an image of food or beverage that looks good enough to eat/drink.'

I've used paper and Happy and cupcake brads (these have a couple of split pins to hold each in place as they are quite large metal brads - these are from We R Memory Keepers twirl range.


This is also for:

Stamp insanity 56: rockin' out heavy metal style
Simply create 42: time to rock the metal
Tuesday throwdown 46: brads or eyelets
Stampin vacation white space challenge: lots of white space and something attached with a brad
Claudia & company 80: clean and simple
Iris' spot 18: anything goes
Simon says: anything goes
Digi doodle 56: anything goes
Moving along with the times 96: anything goes

Three of a 'kraft'y kind

Today's 365 challenge (day 59) is 'feeling 'kraft'y - with a nature theme.

I've used three kraft card blanks for this week's One layer challenge 51 'three-of-a-kind' on Styles ink - 'The challenge is to make three one-layer cards. Yes, three. Make three cards all using the same image stamp but vary the occasion by changing the sentiment and/or ink colour and/or card stock colour. You must use the same image stamp on each card.'

I used aother La Blanche foam stamps with memento rich cocoa and varied the position of the stamping and the Anna Griffin sentiment stamps.

I've got a couple more of these kraft card blanks, so I think I might make two more similar cards so that they could be used as a set of notelets.

I seem to have done quite a lot of CAS, one layer and white space cards recently - although there's no way I can abandon using lots of patterned paper because I love it so much.

This is also for:

Claudia & company 80: clean and simple
Iris' spot 18: anything goes
Simon says: anything goes
Digi doodle 56: anything goes
Moving along with the times 96: anything goes
Sunday stamper 151: wind beneath my wings
Shabby tea room 59: butterfly wishes
CCEE 1117: butterfly
Sarah Hurley 39: butterflies/things with wings
Irish teddy's: no pattern paper
Crafty creations 116: white space

Ho ho ho

This card is for Sketch Saturday 152:

The 'jolly Santa' stamp is Hero arts, coloured with copics. I used label nesties for the die cut and the surrounding red blingy one, which was a piece cut from a Christmas cracker from last year - I chose this for Jingle Belles 'recycle' challenge, but, alas, I'm too late to enter there - ah well! I've gone round edges with copic lipstick red to give a bit of definition to the layers.

The Bo Bunny papers were free with Scrapbook magazine.

This is also for:

Bah! humbug 16: the man himself ... Santa Claus
HLSC 19: Christmas
Paper crafting journey 9: bling
Totally Gorjuss 77: bling it on!
Clearly inspired 26: it's all about the bling
Pals paper arts 91: CAS buttons
Polka doodles 16: 3 patterned papers
For fun: green, no not the colour - recycling
Digi doodle 56: anything goes

Salt: the great commission

It was Pauline's turn to choose the topic for today's new Salt challenge - you can read what she said here, based on the Great Commission of Jesus given in Matthew 28:18-20.

This is what it says in The Message version:

Jesus, undeterred, went right ahead and gave his charge: "God authorized and commanded me to commission you: Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I'll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age."

I've made a digi LO for this challenge, using these scripture verses. In my online travels I came across Internet Evangelism Day 2011, which will take place on Sunday 15 May. Until the growth of the internet, for most of us evangelism was restricted to the little corner of the world in which we live, but now it is possible to spread the gospel throughout the world at the touch of a keyboard. Of course, there are still parts of the more remote world where this isn't possible, but, with modern technology increasing, there are more and more opportunities for global interaction via the net.

For my LO I used some scrapbooking downloads that I've had on my computer for some while - and I confess that I should have noted where they came from - I don't think they were free, I think I must have purchased them, but can't remember, so apologies that I can't give credit for them.

Please visit our Salt Faith challenge blog to see what others in the team have crafted as their response - and we would love to see anything that you are prompted to make - please leave us a comment so we can come and look.

Another touch of yellow for Christmas

For my CHNC challenge 17 this week I asked for 'a touch of Easter for Christmas' - to use some yellow and/or an oval.

I think this was a tough challenge and I wasn't really that pleased with my original card for this, so I decided that I ought to try and make another one - perhaps it will encourage one or two more to take the plunge this week.

So I used the sketch for Sparkle Christmas challenges week 21:

I used some elements from a red line topper & paper pack. This includes the picture of Santa for Bah! humbug 16: the man himself ... Santa Claus.



This is also for:

HLSC 19: Christmas
Alphabet: Y for yellow
Party time Tuesday 13: anything goes
Iris' spot 18: anything goes
Simon says: anything goes
Delicious doodles 22: anything goes

Trust me ...

... I'm a professional!

This is for this week's 'speaking professionally' Daring cardmakers challenge - Rein said: 'We're looking for cards all about the jobs people do this week.' I love this fun digi image from Charmed cards and crafts Dottie at work collection - I coloured digitally in Paint.

I used the sketch given for Card Patterns 112:

I used BG marrakech papers and a Papermania ribbon bow.

I chose the colour scheme for:

Ribbon girl colour challenge 7: red, white & blue
Fab n funky 70: red, white and blue

It's also for:

Crazy challenge 64: 3 different papers
Creative inspirations 58: digi day
Party time Tuesday 13: anything goes
Iris' spot 18: anything goes
Simon says: anything goes
Delicious doodles 22: anything goes
365 cards day 51: spring cleaning - papers are at least a year old, ribbon is old and the 'tool' that I've had since crafting it computer and printer (without which I couldn't have produced the digi image)

White space that isn't white

Having made a couple of cards using Wube sunset background paper with silhouette type stamping, I had one more piece left over, so I've stamped my favourite Inkadinkado trees stamp a couple of times along the bottom, filling in the gaps of the ground with copic C-7 (not quite so stark as black). The sentiment is an Anna Griffin stamp.

This is for Crafty creations 116: white space (which doesn't have to be white!) and Claudia & company 80: clean and simple.

I'm really sorry that I've used up all of this paper now because it has made lovely cards - but I think I ought to use my big and juicy ink pads and make my own backgrounds - hope to do so soon.

This is also for:

Craft us crazy 6: thinking of you
Party time Tuesday 13: anything goes
Iris' spot 18: anything goes
Simon says: anything goes
Delicious doodles 22: anything goes

Awwww ... love ....

This card is for the sketch on Sew many cards 51:

I mounted the background paper on a black linen card and stamped PB brimming with love on to the circle, colouring with copics, so this is for Penny Black Saturday challenge 148 'happily ever after' and also for Penny Black at Allsorts April challenge 'black and white plus one'.

The 'love' sentiment is a Carolee's creations sticker. The red and white dotty paper is BG june bug, which is good for:

Cutie Sunday 139: dots
The paper variety: we want to see your polka dots
Rubber cafe 14: polka dots

The large hearts are felt and the smaller corner ones are satin.



I think this is suitable for a wedding card, so am linking for:

Die cut dreams 88: wedding
Inspiration avenue: royal and/or wedding
Kaboodle 64: here comes the bride
Freshly brewed 44: wedding
Totally papercrafts 63: weddings
Stampin' for the weekend 8: wedding
Stamping vacation Occasion oasis: wedding

And would equally work well for an anniversary:

Speedy the cat (Mark's finest papers) 52: anniversary card

It's also for:

Make it colourful 15: colouring black hair
Craft us crazy 6: animals
Fun with shapes and more 81: animals
Little Claire designs 5: animals
365 cards day 38: just a touch - only colouring two parts of an image - two colours
Party time Tuesday 13: anything goes
Iris' spot 18: anything goes
Simon says: anything goes
Delicious doodles 22: anything goes

Thinking of you ...

Another card for Less is more recipe ' off centre', very similar to the previous card, this time using Penny Black sparklers stamp and the Hobbycraft Thinking of you sentiment stamp.

Once again, this is also for:

Little red wagon 77: clouds
Claudia & company 80: clean and simple
The paper shelter 10: inspired by nature
365 cards day 57: say it with sublety

Sending you encouragement ...

This is another card for Less is more: recipe 'off centre'. I've used the lovely Penny Black burst of stars stamp with memento tuxedo black, colouring the leaves and ground with copic C-7. The background paper is Wube sunset - this just happened to be out on my work surface, having used a piece of it for a card the other day. The sentiment stamp is Anna Griffin.

This is also for:

Little red wagon 77: clouds
Claudia & company 80: clean and simple
The paper shelter 10: inspired by nature
365 cards day 57: say it with sublety

Less is more ... off centre

This is for Less is more 'recipe: off centre'. Yesterday I received a set of four landscape scene foam-backed stamps from La Blanche - and this is one of them inked with memento rich cocoa - the 'just a note' sentiment is a HOTP stamp (which isn't actually crooked irl - it's the scan!):


This is also for:

Claudia & company 80: clean and simple
Hanna and friends 91: pink & brown (sorry, it doesn't look very pink here - it's a subtle, pale pink)
Anything goes 39: colour challenge - pink and brown
Just for fun: all square card

Recycled packaging

When I used Prima flowers on my DLO on Paddy's CJ earlier today, I kept the card from inside the packaging - I felt it was too good to throw away. So I cut off the top part (where it said Prima) and stamped with one of my favourite Inkadinkadoo tree stamps, using memento rich cocoa and heat embossing with detail clear - so this is for these recycling challenges:

Creative card crew: recycle something
Try it on Tuesday: a bit of upcycling
Moving along with the times 95: recycle
If the shoe fits Fashionista Friday 76: happy earth day - recycling, reusing or renewing

I chose the colours for Guylou's creative khaki challenge:

and also used the sketch and 'birthday' theme for Pixie cottage 66:

The background paper is BG cappella; ribbons, buttons and birthday wishes sentimet from stash.

This is also for:

The paper shelter 10: inspired by nature
Stampavie and more 138: birthday
Stamp n doodle: masculine creation
Meljen 55: masculine
Aud sentiments 26: anything goes
Pile it on 17: 2 or more ribbons
Amber's crafts and stuff 6: ribbons and bows
Incy wincy 91: buttons and bows
Let's ink it up 13: show us your stitching
Creative craft: embossing
Simon says: emboss it

Purple and white inchies

These inchies are for this month's swap on BF forum.

I stamped with Paisley background funstamps with brushed concord DI and then stamped a tiny stamping up 'for you' - just the addition of a flower with a gem in the centre and a spotted butterfly on each.




Apologies for the poor quality of the photo - I've now enveloped these up so I can't try to get a better photo.

Happiness is ...

This is is the title of Paddy's CJ and it was my turn to add a DLO before posting off tomorrow to the next person in the BF forum group.

I found the quote on the internet and liked it. I used Best Creation Mr & Mrs papers - they have some lovely flittered glittering on them - quite subtle. Flowers are Prima Innoscence. The large lettering on the right hand page was computer generated/printed and the smaller lettering on my dymo letratag. The organaza wired butterfly is one I've had or a long time, waiting for the right occasion to use it - it's a bit more pink than it looks here and has silver glittered edes to the wings.





I'm linking for these challenges:

Flutter by Wednesday 151: open + butterfly
Everybody art: pearls (centres of the prima flowers)
Pink gem challenge 19: pearls or swirls
Papertake weekly: spots N stripes
Shelly's terrifically thrilling Thursday: show us what you got
Frosted designs fabulous Friday challenge: birds and/or butterflies
Shabby tea room 59: butterfly wishes
Freshly brewed 43: let's see you shine with lots of sparkle
My mum's craft shop 2: all that glitters
Tanda teaser 169: white and silver
C.R.A.F.T. 99: flowers
Paper romance 47: tag it
Stamp, scrap & doodle: tagalicious
Lexi 38: anything but a card
Order of the opus gluei 99: the crown jewels - lots of sparkle here and happiness (which is wished for the bride and groom)

Sorry to hear you're under the weather

This card is for Eat sleep stamp sketchy Thursday 127:

It's als for the colour challenge on There's magic in the air magical Monday challenge to use green, yellow and orange.

I used Bugaboo rainy day bear freebie digi image and am entering this card into the Catch the bug rain project challenge. I copied the digi into Paint and digitially coloured it.

Papers are BG sugar rush.

It's also for:

Paper playtime 43: weather
Kartenallerlei 26: April weather
Allsorts 100: April showers
Stamping vacation special month challenge: April (showers)
Creative inspirations 58: digi day
Going grey (Scrap-creatons): digital
Aud sentiments 26: anything goes
Delicious doodles 22: anything goes

The sandpiper

For this card I've used one of the stamps I chose when I won some money to spend at Stampotique - it's the bird legs by Janet Klein.

This is for the current challenge on Stampotique 28: newsprint/old book pages. No books were really torn for this card because I scanned a page of my Oxford Book of Children's Verse, printed and then tore the edges and very lightly sponged with brushed corduroy DI. The sky background paper is cut from WUBE sunset and the beach from WUBE beach foam. I then stamped bird legs directly on to this and then separately on to pieces of card that I coloured with copics and paper pieced on to the main image, leaving the legs as they were. I don't often paper piece, but think it has worked quite well here.

You can read the poem if you click on the picture.

This is also for:

Sunday stamper 151: wind beneath my wings
Delightful: paper piecing
Phindy's Friday 52: paper piecing
Craft your passion 54: you've been spotted (use dots)
Tuesday throwdown 45: polka dots
Rubber cafe 14: polka dots
Frosted designs fabulous Friday challenge: birds and/or butterflies
The paper shelter 10: inspired by nature

Happy Easter - He is risen!

Happy Easter Sunday!
He is risen!

This card uses FF paper for the background, one of my favourite Easter stamps coloured with promarkers, flowers from stash and computer generated/printed sentiments.

The flowers and colouring of the stamped image were inspired by the 'crepe bouquet' picture given for Moxie Tuesday Trigger:


This is for:

CES 33: spring colours/images
Crazy 4 challenges 83: create an Easter card
Crazy amigo: Easter
Die cut dreams 87: it's Easter time
Penny's 51: Easter
Scrappy frogs: Easter
ECP 36: Easter
Craft your days away 18: Easter
Picture perfect creations speciality 6: Easter
My time to craft 137: Easter wishes
Paperplay 16: Easter time
4 crafty chicks 34: Easter
Kaboodle 63: thoughts of spring/Easter
Pixie dust studio 71: spring forward
Spoon full of sugar 148: let's celebrate - Easter is a good time of celebration
Whoopsi daisy: we are free and easy
Shelly's terrifically thrilling Thursday: show us what you got
Frosted designs fabulous Friday challenge: birds and/or butterflies
Aud sentiments 26: anything goes
Stamp dreams 78: Easter
Stamp n doodle: Easter
Totally stampalicious: keep it simple - 3 or less layers and few embellishments
I love promarkers 62: anything goes
Inky impressions 13: flowers
Stamping vacation special month challenge: April
One crazy stamper: April flowers challenge
Sweet stampin: Easter