With sympathy

A simple sympathy card using an offcut of some embossed silver matt mirror card that was run through my eBosser with the folder that came with the machine. It looks like gold here, but it is silver. The dove stamp is one that I've had for ages and it comes in handy for all sorts of cards. With the addition of the Craftime flower and the stamped sentiment, the card was completed.

This is for:

Make my Monday: CAS flowers
Card and scrap 56: flowers
Hiding in my craft room 101: super scraps Saturday
Pixie's crafty snippets week 76
Inspiration avenue: birds
Crafty calendar June: things with wings
Bunny Zoe June: wings
Sweet pea stampers: birds of a feather
Pink gem 83: emboss it
Crafting musketeers 2: use a stamped image
Timbro scrap mania 73: free theme
DL.ART June: anything goes
Tok bobok 1: anything goes
The rubber buggy 7: anything goes
Sister act 10: anything goes
Spark your creativity now 10: anything goes
613 avenue create 23: anything goes
Aud sentiments: anything goes
Challenges 4 everybody 22: anything goes
Paper playtime 12: anything goes
Bearly mine 90: anything goes
Through the craftroom door: anything goes
Make it Monday 144
Inspire me Fridays 106
52 card pickup 2.23

Simply decoupaged

A CAS card using some die cut decoupage that I acquired some time ago, mounted on to the card blank with the silver border.

This is for:

My heart pieces: clean and simple
Great impressions June: leave a little sparkle
613 avenue create 23: anything goes
ABC: O for open
Challenges 4 everybody 22: anything goes
PanPastel 23: anything goes
Created with love 45: anything goes
Paper playtime 12: anything goes
Bearly mine 90: anything goes
Through the craftroom door: anything goes

Golden anniversary

A simple golden wedding card using an offcut of My Craft Studio card, a glittered gold strip, Craftime flower and sentiment panel, all mounted on to a gold textured card blank.

This is for:

Make my Monday: CAS flowers
My heart pieces: clean and simple
Card and scrap 56: flowers
Great impressions June: leave a little sparkle
Hiding in my craft room 101: super scraps Saturday
Pixie's crafty snippets week 76
613 avenue create 23: anything goes/optional twist: celebrations
Sarah Hurley 81: all that glitters is gold
Aud sentiments: anything goes
ABC: O for open

Simply happy birthday

This is a CAS card made with the background rescued from packaging with some prima flowers (too good to waste and I managed to cut off the piece that said 'prima' etc. All I've added are the flowers with gems and the stamped birthday sentiment.

This is for:

Make my Monday: CAS flowers
Addicted to stamps and more 49: CAS
Flutter by Wednesday 244: clean and simple + butterflies
My heart pieces: clean and simple
Card and scrap 56: flowers
Order of the opus gluei 158: birthday
Divas by design: happy birthday
Fab 'n' funky 175: birthday
AnMaCreatief 21: birthday
Great impressions June: leave a little sparkle

Crafty goodies ...

... from Eastbourne:

CHNC 128: use a die cut and/or punch

It's Saturday and that means it's time for a new challenge on CHNC so please click on the link for CHNC challenge 128 and join in.

I'm keeping this brief because we're still in Eastbourne and I forgot to prepare this write-up earlier.

For my card I've used two images from stamps kindly supplied by Flonz craft, one of our sponsors, encasing these in a Nellie frame die.

Papers were from my Christmas offcuts box so this is my first visit to the playground this week (too busy doing nothing much in sunny Eastbourne) for Pixie's crafty snippets week 75.

This is also for:

Facebook A card a day
Holly jolly Christmas: love those layers - at least six
ABC Christmas: K for kept safe (this is the first time I've used these stamps)
Festive Friday 10: vintage
Christmas cards all year round June: vintage Christmas
Crafting when we can 45: punches and/or die cuts
That craft place: dies and punches
Creative card crew 37: punches/dies

Silver wedding anniversary

Another card I made and scheduled before I left home.

A simple silver wedding anniversary card using an offcut of embossed matt silver mirror card (originally embossed with the folder that came with my eBosser), a piece of silver/sheer ribbon, a Kanban silver sentiment panel, numerals and a Craftime flower.

This is for:

Top tip Tuesday 102: numbers
LEJ 55: celebrate
Creative Belli 170: flowers (the pearlised paper had long been forgotten!)
Get creative May: flowers
A and T 24: bling
613 avenue create 21: anything goes
Scrappy frogs May: free choice challenge
Make it Monday 143
Inspire me Fridays 106

Father Christmas

It was Margaret's turn to choose the topic for the Christmas Card Club challenge for today and she asked us to make cards featuring 'Father Christmas'.

As I'll be away in Eastbourne (hopefully) when this goes live I've made two simple cards in advance and am scheduling this post.

They were made by using die cuts from the 'Santa express' sheet from the Hunkydory vintage Christmas collection together with matching card.  They are A5 size.

The snowflakes on the first card were punched out of the 'scrap' that surrounded the die cuts (better than wasting it).

This is also for:

Facebook Sunday's with Santa week 22: card for a child
Crafting when we can 45: punches and/or die cuts (punched snowflakes on the first card)
That craft place: dies and punches
Frosted designs fabulous Friday: punches

CHNC 127: use your favourite embellishments

For today's CHNC 127 I'm asking to see favourite embellishments. I've used some lovely Prima Christmas flowers and a sparkly wired ribbon tied into a bow - I find it hard to choose my favourite embellishments, but I think that flowers are just ahead of ribbons!

The background white pearl paper was embossed using the folder that came with my eBosser. The panel of gold is an offcut of the same embossing lined up to continue the pattern.

This is also for:

Facebook A card a day
Hobby cutz 7: flowers
Creative Belli 170: flowers
A and T 24: bling
Fussy & fancy 90: bling it on
Hobby house 1: anything goes

CHNC challenge extra for June

It doesn't seem possible that it's June already - by the end of this month we'll be nearer to Christmas 2013 than 2012 ... the months go by so quickly, which is why it's a good idea to make Christmas cards throughout the year to save the panic when it gets towards Christmas. If you haven't started yet, it's a good time now to get cracking with some of those Christmas cards. You can enter my CHNC challenge extra for June with any Christmas card - and you can enter as many times as you wish - a good way to build up stocks.

My CHNC challenge extras are always sponsored by Bugaboo Stamps who kindly supplied the 'winter birds skate' image that I've used for this card, coloured with copics.

I've based the card on the sketch given for Digi sketch challenge, where the theme is also cute:

This is also for:

Facebook A card a day (for Friday, although it's actually Saturday now, but only just!)
Facebook Sunday's with Santa week 23: sports (I'm ahead with this one because I'm away from home, so prepared earlier)
Pile it on 21: put a bird on it
Robyn's fetish 161: birds
The house that stamps built DCC522: fur, fins or feathers
The sweet pea stampers May: birds of a feather
Christmas at sweet stampin 6: winter sports

Guest design slot for Fab 'n' Funky: girly card

This is my final week as a guest designer for Fab 'n' Funky - I've so enjoyed being able to join the team this month - five fabulous challenges.

For challenge 173: for the girls, I was provided with the lovely 'Raggedy girl - adorably yours (pigtails) image Kathryne at Stampart design,, sponsor for the challenge.

I used papers that I had free with a magazine. I wouldn't normally mix red and pink, but I think it works here. I coloured the image with spectrum noirs (they are fast becoming my favourites) and cut out with a Nellie Snellen die, using the next part of the die for the surrounding layer which was cut from textured DCWV card.  The birthday ribbon is by Sass belle (www.ribstone.com) and the piece across the middle is upcycled from a wrapping around flowers. The flowers are Craftime.

I followed the sketch for Seize the birthday17 (although the challenge has now closed):

This is also for:

Facebook A card a day
Joanna Sheen: girls, girls, girls
The squirrel and the fox 44: here come the girls
Creatalicious 50: for the girls
Glitter n sparkle 34: birthdays
Red carpet studio 38: birthday card
Allsorts 208: happy birthday
Bastel-traum: birthday
Nutcrafters 44: mono - mainly one colour
Hobby cutz 7: flowers
Everybody art 237: flowers
Creative Belli 170: flowers
Get creative May: flowers
Rhedd & Rosies 7: blooming lovely
Digistamps4Joy 68: oh to be young again
Let's craft and create 70: die cuts
Card mania 21: spots and/or stripes
Deep ocean 52: ribbons and/or laces
Stampavie and more 194: ribbon or lace
Crafty ribbons 46: anything goes with ribbon
Simon says: anything goes
Crafting by designs: anything goes
Challenges 4 everybody 21: anything goes
PumpkinSpice 21: anything goes
613 avenue create 21: anything goes
Sister act 8: anything goes
Scrappy frogs May: free choice challenge
DL.ART May linky party: anything goes
Make it Monday 142
Inspire me Fridays 104
52 card pick-up 2.21

Come round for a cuppa ...

... but don't all arrive at the same time!

This is for Sweet Stamps monthly technique challenge: flip flop card using the tutorial given on Splitcoasters. It's my time to choose the theme for Time to Create for June on Crafts by Carolyn for June, so I'm asking to see something created by following a tutorial.

Mine is a very simple version because time is tight before going away. I used double sided card. I drew pencil lines to indicated where to score and cut which made it easier.

I've used one side of the swing to put my greeting and the other side to put a stamped image - stamps are from Joanna Sheen's willow pattern set. I stamped the cup and saucer first and then masked to put the jug behind. I inked the stamps with memento Paris dusk.

Colours are for:

Cupcake inspirations 212:

Bloggers challenge: red, white and blue

Little scrap pieces fun Friday: let's hear it for red, white and blue

This is also for:

Facebook A card a day
Crafts 4 eternity R125: get into shape
Fun with shapes and more 135: everything
Card mania 21: spots and/or stripes
Use it Tuesday 56: anything goes (the card is very old)
Party time Tuesday 122: anything goes
Fitztown 1: anything goes
Amusing challenges (stamped blessings): anything goes
The rubber buggy 7: anything goes
Through the craftroom door: anything goes
Kaboodle 173: anything goes
PumpkinSpice 21: anything goes
613 avenue create 21: anything goes
Sister act 8: anything goes
Scrappy frogs May: free choice challenge
DL.ART May linky party: anything goes
Make it Monday 142
Inspire me Fridays 104
52 card pick-up 2.21

Golden wedding anniversary

I seem to have had a run on anniversary cards lately - another golden wedding card - clean and simple, using the embossing folder that came with my eBosser to create the background on pearlised paper, with just the addition of the numerals, sentiment panel and sparkly prima flowers.

This is for:

Moving along with the times: embossing
Top tip Tuesday 102: numbers
Chocolate, coffee & cards 39: use a number
LEJ 55: celebrate
Creative Belli 170: flowers (the pearlised paper had long been forgotten!)
Get creative May: flowers
A and T 24: bling
Crazy 4 challenges 187: no patterned paper
Fitztown 1: anything goes
Kaboodle 173: anything goes
Challenges 4 everybody 21: anything goes
PumpkinSpice 21: anything goes
613 avenue create 21: anything goes
Sister act 8: anything goes
Scrappy frogs May: free choice challenge
DL.ART May linky party: anything goes
Make it Monday 142
Inspire me Fridays 104
52 card pick-up 2.21

Guest design slot for Merry Monday

What a surprise it was when my card was chosen as the top pick for Always playing with paper Merry Monday 62 - you can read about it here - and I was invited to join them as a guest designer for today's challenge 64

This is the sketch to follow:

I used an A5 card blank on to which I stuck a piece of sentiment card by Kanban. The central panel is from a Hunkydory kit, with a piece of Paper Cellar glitter strip across the bottom and a sentiment from stash. I stamped the Rubber Stampede Santa collage with versamark and heat embossed with gold detail. All of this was then mounted on to gold mirror card before mounting on to the Kanban sentiment card.

I enjoyed making this card. I like the way that card from two different companies matched so well together.

This is also for:

Facebook A card a day
Cardmakin mamas 70: rubber stamps
Sunday stamper 259: some like it hot - embossing powders
Moving along with the times: embossing
Stampin' for the weekend: monochrome
Get inky 5: good golly glitter
A and T 24: bling
Crafts and me 134: lots of layers
Collage obsession: open (Santa collage)
Fitztown 1: anything goes
Kaboodle 173: anything goes
Papercreators 9: anything goes
Challenges 4 everybody 21: anything goes
PumpkinSpice 21: anything goes
613 avenue create 21: anything goes
Sister act 8: anything goes
Scrappy frogs May: free choice challenge
DL.ART May linky party: anything goes
Inky linky 16
Make it Monday 142
Inspire me Fridays 104
52 card pick-up 2.21

90th birthday

I was asked to make a 90th birthday card - it didn't have to be made yet, but thought I'd get it done as I didn't want to have to make it as soon as we get back from Eastbourne in the middle of June.

I've based the card on Laura's sketch 80 on All kinds of cards (kartenallerlei):

The background was cut from the back of a ready designed card (I still have the front with an oval aperture - two cards out of one). Flowers are Martha Steward and Create and Craft. I used the marvellous squares nestie d-lite dies for the middle pieces, having printed the greeting. The circle was cut on my cricut (so long neglected I hardly remembered how to use it!) having embossed the silver mirror card using an Embossalicious A4 folder with a piece of lovely sparkly netting across the middle underneath. With the addition of the numerals and some rhinestone gems, the card was finished.

This is an A5 card. I had to take the photo from the side otherwise I'd get me reflected in the silver mirror!

This is also for:

Facebook A card a day
Glitter n sparkle 34: birthdays
Red carpet studio 38: birthday card
Allsorts 208: happy birthday
Bastel-traum: birthday
Alphabet: H for happy - use the word 'happy'
Hobby cutz 7: flowers
Everybody art 237: flowers
Creative Belli 170: flowers
MilkCoffee: load on the flowers
Get creative May: flowers
Rhedd & Rosies 7: blooming lovely
PanPastel 21: bling it
A and T 24: bling
Sparkles 44: monochromatic
Crafts and me 134: lots of layers
LEJ 54: die cuts and/or punches
Let's craft and create 70: die cuts
Moving along with the times: embossing
Chocolate, coffee & cards 39: use a number
Papercreators 9: anything goes
Challenges 4 everybody 21: anything goes
PumpkinSpice 21: anything goes
613 avenue create 21: anything goes
Sister act 8: anything goes
Scrappy frogs May: free choice challenge
DL.ART May linky party: anything goes
Inky linky 16
Inspire me Fridays 104
52 card pick-up 2.21

Owl always love you

While we were out yesterday, we popped into a little shop a couple of doors away from the restaurant - one of those lovely shops that sells cards and all sorts of gift items. I saw this lovely owl photo frame - the gems are much more pick and purple in real life and really sparkle.

I've taken  cropped part of the photo of John I took yesterday and digitally joined it to a cropped one of the photo of me - not done very well, but passable - it is now sitting on the shelf above me - the frame is a lovely present from John for anniversary and the photo will be a reminder of a lovely time yesterday.

It was only by chance that we went into the shop and I saw the frame - glad I did.

There isn't actually a line down John's face - reflection from the glass!

Santa express

For this simple card I've used die cuts from the 'Santa express' sheet from the Hunkydory vintage Christmas collection together with matching Hunkydory card.

This is for:

Facebook Sunday's with Santa week 21: travel
CAS on Sunday 9: make it masculine
Rudolph day
Penny's 128: circles
Creative creations 10: for a child

CHNC challenge 126: show some white

For today's CHNC challenge 126 I'd like to see some white - a little or a lot.

Today is our Wedding Anniversary, so it made me think of 'white', hence the theme for this week. And it's a very special week at CHNC because today there are four new sponsors giving wonderful prizes - please go and have a look and, hopefully, join in.

 I have to confess that when I first got the piece of Hunkydory card out to use on this card I thought it was white with silver swirls, but it turned out that it was actually pale blue. However, there is still quite a bit of white on my card.

For the snowman I used one of my favourite Stampotique stamps by by Jo Capper-Sandon, with just a little colouring with a couple of copic pens.

The white and silver flowers are by Craftime. The white and silver ribbon, lace, tag and bells charm are from stash.

I actually made this card before I made my anniversary card for John - I used up the offcuts of the Hunkydory card to make the anniversary one and as it's an easel card it is quite similar to this one.

This is also for:

Facebook A card a day
Christmas stampin all year long 17: non-traditional Christmas colours
Jingle belles: ribbon
Crafty catz: a fancy fold or two
Cardmakin mamas 70: rubber stamps
My heart pieces: be sentimental
Everybody art 237: flowers
Creative Belli 170: flowers (the charm and lace have been neglected for a long time)
MilkCoffee: load on the flowers
Amusing challenged (stamped blessings): paper flowers
Deep ocean 52: ribbons and/or laces
Stampavie and more 194: ribbon or lace
Happy campers 16: use lace
The paper shelter 113: charming
AnMaCreatief 20: metal (charm)
Incy wincy: metal mania
Penny's 128: circles
Crimbo crackers 42: cute
Sandy's crafty creations: anything goes with a twist: stamped image, die cut, 3 flowers
Platypus creek 31: easel card
LEJ 54: die cuts and/or punches
Let's craft and create 70: die cuts
ABC Christmas: J for jingle bells
Papercreators 9: anything goes
PumpkinSpice 21: anything goes
613 avenue create 20: anything goes
Sister act 8: anything goes
Scrappy frogs May: free choice challenge
DL.ART May linky party: anything goes
Inky linky 16
Make it Monday 141
Inspire me Fridays 104
52 card pick-up 2.21

Anniversary card

This one isn't for our anniversary for tomorrow, but just an anniversary card for my stock.

I used an unknown piece of card for the background - embossed silver on grey, some Craftime flowers and the sentiment panel was rescued from an old card.

This is for:

Facebook A card a day
Going grey with Scrap-creations: graduation, wedding or anniversary
Crafty boots: celebrations
My heart pieces: be sentimental
Everybody art 237: flowers
Creative Belli 170: flowers
MilkCoffee: load on the flowers
Get creative May: flowers
Perfect sentiments 80: anything goes
613 avenue create 20: anything goes
Eclectic ellapu: anything goes
Through the craftroom door: anything goes
Sister act 8: anything goes
Scrappy frogs May: free choice challenge
DL.ART May linky party: anything goes
Make it Monday 141
Inspire me Fridays 104
52 card pick-up 2.21

Card for our anniversary

Our anniversary is on Saturday ... and with less than two days to go I thought I had better get on with making a card. To be honest, I nearly convinced myself that I could use one that I'd made already, perhaps adapt it a little. In the end, I decided to make a new card and I'm glad that I did.

Because of John's lack of vision, any card I make for him has to be 'plain' enough for him to get some idea of what it is like, but at the same time I like to make something 'special'. This year I thought I would keep away from the more traditional red.

As you'll see when I show it, this is quite similar to the card that I've made for my CHNC challenge that starts on Saturday. In fact, the light blue and silver Hunkydory card pieces are offcuts that were left over from making the Christmas card for CHNC. The edge of the base of the card was cut with a Martha Stewart punch. As you can see I used various die cut shapes and layered hearts as well as some Paper Cellar glitter strips. The Happy Anniversary and Husband were stamped with versamark and heat embossed with silver detail powder.

I can safely show this before the event because John doesn't come on to the internet. In fact, I can even safely leave the card out on my surface and he wouldn't realise it's there!

This is for:

Facebook A card a day
Pixie's crafty snippets week 73
Going grey with Scrap-creations: graduation, wedding or anniversary
Crafty boots: celebrations
Stamps & fun = creativity 152: card for a man
Cardmakin mamas 69: punches
Use your stuff 85: tool time - ages since I used the MS punch
Hobby cutz 6: more than one fold
Cards for men 10: fancy folds
Platypus creek 31: easel card
Little scrap pieces fun Friday: shape up
LEJ 54: die cuts and/or punches
DRS 71: paper punches
Get inky 4: show us some die cuts
Let's craft and create 70: die cuts
My heart pieces: be sentimental
Crafts and me 134: lots of layers
Card and scrap 55: layer upon layer
A and T 24: bling
Perfect sentiments 80: anything goes
613 avenue create 20: anything goes
Eclectic ellapu: anything goes
Bearly mine 87: anything goes
Through the craftroom door: anything goes
Inky linky 16
Sister act 7: anything goes
Scrappy frogs May: free choice challenge
DL.ART May linky party: anything goes
Make it Monday 141
Inspire me Fridays 103
52 card pick-up 2.20

Guest design slot for Fab 'n' Funky: ribbon and/or lace

This is my fourth week as a guest designer for Fab 'n' Funky and today's challenge 172 is to use ribbon and/or lace.

The lovely pitcher and basin pre-coloured digital image and digital papers were supplied by Doodle Pantry, one of the sponsors.

I used three of the Spellbinder's marvellous squares dies, using a piece of very pale pink pearl paper for the middle one. The ribbon is some that has been in my box for a long time (I haven't got a clue where it came from, but I think it may have been saved from something I received).

This is also for:

Facebook A card a day
Emma's cards 16: pink & blue
Deep ocean 52: ribbons and/or laces
Art impressions 110: show your bow
Gingerloft: happy birthday
Let's craft and create 70: die cuts
Get inky 4: show us some die cuts
One stitch at a time 164: use a digi
Crafts and me 134: lots of layers
Card and scrap 55: layer upon layer
Bearly mine 87: anything goes
Perfect sentiments 80: anything goes
613 avenue create 20: anything goes
Eclectic ellapu: anything goes
Sister act 7: anythging goes
One stop craft 229: anything goes
Scrappy frogs May: free choice challenge
DL.ART May linky party: anything goes
Make it Monday 141
Inspire me Fridays 103
52 card pick-up 2.20