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Sunday, 12 September 2010

Autumn twinchies

Autumn is fast approaching, although today has been pleasantly warm and sunny at times, so perhaps we can hang on to summer for a little while longer ... in fact today was better than many days during August.

Anyway, the theme for the current twinchies (2" x 2") swap on BF forum is 'autumn'. As there are ten people in the swap, I needed to make ten twinchies.

I've used a Hero Arts stamp that I love - it's one I've had for ages - I bought it second hand, so it has been well used, both by its former owner and by me.

I stamped with TH brushed corduroy distress ink and then coloured by dabbing distress inks on my crafting mat, picking up with a water brush. I used these distress inks: spiced marmalade, shabby shutters, worn lipstick and mustard seed.


I'm linking for these challenges:

Creative craft world: 'autumn - reds, oranges, yellows, browns and greens'
Anything goes (Craft Den) 5: 'autumn'
PaperPlay 36: 'autumn is a comin'
Theme Thursday: 'autumn'
Allsorts 69: 'colours of autumn'
Wee memories 22: 'fall into autumn, with this inspiration picture:

Ann's creative nook 104: 'fall flair'
Tuesday throwdown 16: 'celebrate fall'
Divine diva inspiration 35: 'call colours' with inspiration photo:

Speedy the cat (Mark's finest papers) 20: 'fall colours'
Raise the bar 35: 'orange, brown, green'
Stempel magie 19: 'autumn colours'
Creative stamp friends 7: 'distress'
Artful inkables (think ink Tuesday) 28: 'distressed out'
Stamp man 5: 'distress'
Creative belli 99: 'old stamps'
Tellen's place: 'anything goes'
Order of the opus gluei 71: 'alphabet soup - A is for Autumn'
Other lovelies thoughtful Thursday 24: 'A is for Autumn'
Fab n funky 39: 'what'eva'
Paper romance 15: 'clean & simple'
Little paper shop 84: 'we like it clean and simple'
Karber monthly challenge 1: 'anything goes'

It's so boring ....

... putting inserts into cards, bagging and labelling them - and I had so many to do that I just had to call a halt to crafting and get on with them.

I think I ought to take John's advice and do a few at a time instead of letting them pile up ... but I daresay it will happen again!

I've only got a few to do now - some A5, tall cards and one or two odd sizes that have to have inserts specially made - and then there's the Anna Griffin cards that don't quite fit into my cello bags - arrrgghh!

I don't know whether others find this, but if I don't do any crafting for a few days I find it quite difficult to actually start again - I know that if I do, then I'll be able to get on with them.

So, watch this space because there might be something to show soon (hopefully).

Wednesday, 8 September 2010

Another cat card

Another cat shaped card - the front was covered with a piece of grey BG ambrosia and then coloured with C-1, 3 and 5 copics. The inside is a piece of BG max & whiskers.



It's for:

Paper romance 14: 'furry friends'
Pear tree designs 16: 'animals'
Spoon full of sugar 120: 'animal crackers'
Twisted Thursday: 'animals'
Loonie stampers 108: 'animals'
Polka doodles week 35: 'shaped card'
Paper players 14: 'clean and simple'
Little paper shop 84: 'we like it 'clean and simple'
Secret crafter Saturday 99: 'clean & simple'
Inspiration Avenue: 'simplicity'
Res-Q 61: 'tools of the trade' - scissors - lots of fiddly cutting out - although the card was already shaped, I stuck a piece of BG paper on it, so I had to then cut round that

Doggy Santa

For this card I've stamped this lovely Magenta three dogs stamp with memento rich cocoa and coloured with copics. The papers are BG max & whiskers. Last year I got a bag of Santa hats and only used a few, so I thought it was time to start using some of them this year.

This is for:

C.R.A.F.T. 66: 'man's best friend'
Paper romance 14: 'furry friends'
Pear tree designs 16: 'animals'
Spoon full of sugar 120: 'animal crackers'
Twisted Thursday: 'animals'
Loonie stampers 108: 'animals'
Stamp, scrap & doodle: 'Christmas'
Simon says: 'holiday fun - Christmas'
Karber Christmas challenge 1
Kelly Jo's colour chef 62: 'brown, red, cream'
City crafter 21: 'one for the boys'
Creative cottage 22: 'celebrations' - Christmas
Fab n funky 39: 'what'eva'
Freshly brewed 14: 'brown - as little or as much as you like'
Stamp something
: 'something cute'
ABC Christmas: 'S is for Santa'
Cowgirl: 'anything goes'

Frosty the snowman ... and his missus!

Another quick Christmas card, using free papers and a couple of die cut snowmen (anyone remember the QVC pink die cutter that was like the sizzix? - the snowman is one of the dies that came with it).

On CBC forum Sue has set a TTC006 getting into Christmas challenge to make a card using punches or dies, so this fits the bill for that.


It's for these challenges:

Charisma cardz 35: 'inspired by a song' - 'Frosty the snowman'
Pollycraft 60: 'Christmas with no red or green'
Stamp, scrap & doodle: 'Christmas'
Sparkle creations 40: 'clean and simple'
Paper players 14: 'clean and simple'
Little paper shop 84: 'we like it 'clean and simple'
Secret crafter Saturday 99: 'clean & simple'
Inspiration Avenue: 'simplicity'
Ooh-la-la 62: 'stripes'
Simon says: 'holiday fun - Christmas'
Meljen 23: 'stripes'
Simplicity 19: 'black & white with a spot of colour'
For fun: 'black, white and one colour'
Aly's 24: 'pretty in pink'
Denami colour challenge 4: 'white, hot pink, black'

WOYWW 66

For various reasons I haven't done much crafting since the last WOYWW, although when I look back I've done a bit more than I realised. We had visitors here on the weekend and yesterday I went with a friend to help her choose a new computer and have been to hers this morning to set it up for her, load software etc, so crafting has taken a bit of a back seat.

So there isn't much to show really - just evidence of the bits and pieces left out from making the few cards I did in the last day or two.



If you like to nose at other people's crafting spaces (and we all do, don't we?) then go along to Julia's blog and have a peep - and perhaps join in too.

Now I ought to get on with actually doing somethin constructive - my sale for Tearfund is on 2 October, which isn't that far away now.

Tuesday, 7 September 2010

Merry Christmas baubles

Another couple of cards for the BF forum September 25th club. These were made with magazine papers, sticky ribbons, baubles from a last year's kit - the pink ones were coloured with copics - and added sentiments. They are more sparkly and shiny than they look here. As is often the case, difficult getting photos without glare from flash.


They are also for:

Pollycraft 60
: 'Christmas with no red or green' - sorry, there's some green on the second one, but not the first
Stamp, scrap & doodle: 'Christmas'
Sparkle creations 40: 'clean and simple'
Oh Alice chapter 29: 'what makes you shine or sparkle'
Sundays with Crissy 9: 'sparkle and shine'
Paper players 14: 'clean and simple'
Little paper shop 84: 'we like it 'clean and simple'
Secret crafter Saturday 99: 'clean & simple'
Inspiration Avenue: 'simplicity'
Ooh-la-la 62: 'stripes'
Meljen 23: 'stripes'
Denami colour challenge 4: 'white, hot pink, black' (the first card)
Cowgirl: 'anything goes'

Merry Christmas presents

A couple of quick cards, using two more of the shaped ones that I got with a magazine and this time I've used papers free with another magazine, with the addition of toning stickles on the bows.


For the 25th club theme for this month on BF forum, Kaz has said: 'Make your cards with bright and funky colours, so getting away from the traditional ones would be fab.' I hope these are bright and funky enough!

They are also for:

Pollycraft 60
: 'Christmas with no red or green'
Stamp, scrap & doodle: 'Christmas'
Sparkle creations 40: 'clean and simple'
Polka doodles week 35: 'shaped card'
Oh Alice chapter 29: 'what makes you shine or sparkle'
Sundays with Crissy 9: 'sparkle and shine'
Paper players 14: 'clean and simple'
Little paper shop 84: 'we like it 'clean and simple'
Secret crafter Saturday 99: 'clean & simple'
Inspiration Avenue: 'simplicity'
Ooh-la-la 62: 'stripes'
Meljen 23: 'stripes'
Denami colour challenge 4: 'white, hot pink, black' (the second card)

Monday, 6 September 2010

Cat card

This is another card made from a freebie shaped card. This time I stamped using an Anna Griffin background stamp repeatedly with memento tuxedo black, added gems for eyes, black pearl for nose, black pen outlined mouth and ears and lined the inside with a piece of BG max & whiskers.

This is for:

Polka doodles week 35: 'shaped card'
Oh Alice chapter 29: 'what makes you shine or sparkle'
Sundays with Crissy 9: 'sparkle and shine'
Crafts and me: 'gems and sparkle'
Pear tree 16: 'animals'
Twisted Thursday 72: 'animals'
Loonie stampers 108: 'animals'
Paper romance 14: 'furry friends'
Paper players 14: 'clean and simple'
Little paper shop 84: 'we like it 'clean and simple'
Secret crafter Saturday 99: 'clean & simple'
Inspiration Avenue: 'simplicity'
Ooh-la-la 62: 'stripes'
Meljen 23: 'stripes'

Butterfly card

This card is made from a butterfly shape card that was free with a magazine. I coloured the middle with shock pink copic, stamped the wings with a Tim Holtz paisley stamp with vibrant violet stazon and then sponged with worn lipstick distress ink, added a few Poundland gems and lined the inside with a piece of BG sugar rush.This is for:

Polka doodles week 35: 'shaped card'
Lots to do week 35: 'butterflies and/or insects'
Oh Alice chapter 29: 'what makes you shine or sparkle'
Sundays with Crissy 9: 'sparkle and shine'
Crafts and me: 'gems and sparkle'
Aly's 24: 'pretty in pink'
Other lovelies thoughtful Thursday 25: 'B for butterfly'

Starting school

I created this digi LO using Smilebox (some of you have seen this picture of me before). This is the earliest school picture that I've got - in this picture I was a bit older than when I actually started school - probably in the second year by then - the other picture shows me with some of my classmates:

It's for:

Design Dollies elements
: 'back to school' - scrap about yourself
Incy wincy 57: 'back to school'
Pink elephant 83: 'back to school'
Creative card crew: 'back to school'
Pixie dust studio 38: 'back to school'
Fussy & fancy 18: 'back to school'
One powerful hour: 'hitting the books - back to school'
Simple doodles 25: 'back to school'
Our creative corner: 'ABCs and 123s - letters and/or numbers'
Paper garden projects: fourth Friday fun challenge for August: back to school project
Allsorts 68: 'new beginnings'
Bee crafty 37: 'anything goes' - the LO is digi
Daisy doodles 16: 'anything goes' - the LO is digi
Crafty calendar September 12: 'blue & flowers'
Sisterhood of crafters: 'anything but a card'

Friday, 3 September 2010

Something completely different: 'of the sea' torso

The Something completely different challenges are new every Friday, so the first one for September is already up, but I wanted to do the fourth torso challenge, which was 'of the sea'.

The paper is DCWV pocketful of posies 'blue squiggle, which I thought is a bit like waves. I've embossed with my new Spellbinders impressabilities 'sea scape' which came in the post today (which is one of the reasons why I didn't make this torso till now). I sponged the embossed areas with spiced marmadlade distress ink.

This is the 'sea scape' impressabilities embossing:

which I purchased with some of my £10 voucher from Joanna Sheen for winning the Totally Gorjuss challenge 42. I also got:

Thank you, Joanna Sheen and Totally Gorjuss challenge blog for these lovely prizes.


I'm also linking this for:

Lexi's creations 21: 'emboss it'
Our daily bread 27: 'texture it'

Gorjuss Christmas

This card is for this week's (well, it's just about on time) Totally Gorjuss challenge 45: 'Christmas in August'.

Talking of Totally Gorjuss, today I received the goodies that I bought with my £10 voucher from Joanna Sheen for winning challenge - you can see them here, where I've used the 'sea scape' impressability.

I've used some Gorjuss decoupage and the papers are also from the Gorjuss range.

I've used the sketch for 2 sisters 5:


This is also for:

Paper sundaes 33: 'Christmas in August'
Creative inspirations 41: 'Christmas in August'
Sundays with Crissy 8: 'your favourite time of year'
Secret crafter Saturday 98: 'make a start on Christmas' - regular visitors to my blog will know that this isn't really a start because I've been making Christmas cards since last Christmas
Bah! humbug 34: 'Christmas Carol or song' - 'I'm dreaming of a white Christmas'
Gingersnap GC67 random redhead: 'go 3D'
Sarah Hurley 7: 'something 3D'
Oh Alice chapter 28: 'little girl theme'
365 cards day 181: 'opposite day' - it's been a lovely sunny day, so I've made a snowy Christmas card

Simply stamping

Having done very little crafting this week, and having been out earlier today with John for a hospital appointment, I thought it was about time to make a card or two.

I chose Andrea's Simply Saturday 'simple stamping' challenge - one colour of cardstock, one colour of ink.

I'm showing two cards for this because I made the first one and then didn't feel happy with it - stamped the sentiment too near the top.

For both cards I've used Stampers anonymous 'newsy leaf' stamped with memento rich cocoa ink.

It made a change to make a couple of cards with no patterned paper in sight!


I'm also linking for:

Sentimental Sundays 18: 'clean and simple'
Papertake weekly: 'just the one' - one colour stamping
365 cards day 187: 'Friday favourite' - my favourite food inspiration: chocolate (although forbidden atm because I'm losing weight
Fiskarettes: 'no patterned paper'
Crafty Emma 1: 'anything goes'
Paper players 13: 'anything goes'
A crafty little place 54: 'anything goes
Critter 29: 'think fall'
Wild flower Wednesday 30: 'fall colours'
No time to stamp? 155: 'falling leaves'
Allsorts 67: 'park inspiration' - won't be long now before autumn comes and the leaves start turning colour and falling
Pollycraft 59: 'add a little nature'
Three muses: 'back to nature'
Divine diva inspiration 35: 'fall colours' - this picture was given (I've concentrated on the brown):

Thursday, 2 September 2010

Salt: something new

It was my turn to choose the theme for this fortnight's challenge on our Salt faith blog - you can read what I said here and also see the lovely crafting responses of other DT members.

My own response might seem a bit obscure, but it is the one that I felt I should make. The journaling speaks for itself really and the LO has been composed in such a way to reflect on dad's condition. I've used Tim Holtz idea-ology papers and further distressed them with vintage photo distress ink. I like the way the paper is lighter in the part where I've printed 'Morning by morning new mercies I see', because amid all the confusion and distress that dad suffered there were glimses of his faith that shone through in a newer way than previously.

It took me a long time to do this LO. My first attempt failed at the last hurdle and had to be thrown in the bin - a pity really because I'd used kodomoi inc 'winter trees' papers and liked what I'd achieved - it had taken ages and then I went and sprayed it with the wrong glimmer mist - and, having used two of the papers, I had none left.

So I changed to the Tim Holtz papers, which in the end worked well with what I wanted to show. The trees at the bottom were stamped with vintage photo distress, using an inkadinkado stamp repeatedly. I changed the original photo to a sepia look - unfortunately, it's not a good photo because it was taken with a digital camera I had at the time and the resolution wasn't up to much - how things have improved in recent years.

As usual, if you click on the pictures you can get a better look.





On Salt we would love to see 'something new' that you create - please join in if you can.

I'm linking this LO for:

Artful inkables think ink Tuesday 28: 'distressed out'
Totally stampalicious: 'anything but a card'
Sisterhood of crafters: 'anything but a card'
Stampavie 106: 'anything but a card'
Simplicity 18: 'trees'
Double Dutch 51: 'the easy challenge' - choose any challenge from 1 to 50 - I chose challenge11: 'as long as it's not a card'
Crafty Emma 1: 'anything goes'
Paper players 13: 'anything goes'
A crafty little place 54: 'anything goes'

Wednesday, 1 September 2010

Something completely different: memories

Still catching up with Something completely different challenges, this time it's the 'memories' torso for week 2 of August.

I used Tim Holtz idea-ology paper, distressed with vintage photo ink, stamped 'timeless memoirs' and embossed with copper detail.

It's also for:

Lexi 21: 'emboss it'
Artful inkables think ink Tuesday 28: 'distressed out'
Totally stampalicious: 'anything but a card'
Sisterhood of crafters: 'anything but a card'
Stampavie 106: 'anything but a card'
Your next stamp 24: 'anything goes'
Fun at fairy knoll: 'anything goes'
Crafty Emma 1: 'anything goes'
Paper players 13: 'anything goes'
A crafty little place 54: 'anything goes
Critter 29: 'think fall' - the colours
Wild flower Wednesday 30: 'fall colours'

WOYWW 65

It's Wednesday again and time for WOYWW65 on Julia's blog.

The idea is to show what's on our workspace - my answer today is that there's not much evidence of actual crafting, but the results of sorting and clearing the room ready for visitors sleeping in here on Saturday.

So there's been little crafting activity, hence the lack of blogging recently, as I've had to move boxes out of the way and clear the table-tops of the put-you-up beds that are usually piled high. It has been an opportunity to be a bit ruthless and get rid of some stuff that should have gone ages ago. Because I tend to be organised with everything in boxes, there's a tendency to overlook the fact that I'm sometimes hanging on to stuff that hasn't seen the light of day for ages and ought to be in the bin or given to the charity shop.

So here is my entire worktop space, which now has to house my printer/scanner and a few other boxes. (There is also a big pile of boxes in the bedroom - well, I had to put them somewhere):

and the only evidence of any recent crafting (you can hardly call it that) is on my pull out shelf - some flowers that I threaded ribbon through yesterday - these were free with a magazine:

My acrylic stamps used to be housed in a really useful box, which, quite frankly, was far from useful, because I had to empty them out every time I wanted something from near the bottom (it always seemed to be the case), so I've re-housed them in an old box that got freed up in the sort out - I now need to make some dividers and sort them into themes - but that's a job for a day in the future - for the time being I can live with it as it is - at least now it's much easier to find what I want without taking all the others out:

And here is the lefthand side of the workspace - you might notice that I gave in last week and got the Anna Griffin TSV from QVC - it will enable me to make some more quick cards for my sale for Tearfund - which is creeping up rather too quickly - gosh, we are now in September and my 'at home' sale is on Saturday 2 October, so not long now to top up my cards:

Last week I showed my wooden stamps having sorted them out, but I still had boxes of flowers, buttons and ribbons on one of the shelves. In my sort out I've moved these - the buttons and ribbons have been accommodated in the 4-drawer trolley which is usually in here, but is temporarily tucked up a corner in the lounge. And the boxes of flowers have been put on the top shelf inside my big cupboard - that shelf is quite difficult for me to reach without steps, but the flowers are nice and light, so don't take much nudging to come down:

Anyway, back to the shelves. Previously I'd kept most of my Christmas wooden stamps in boxes - this is because originally I used to put them in the back of the cupboard till about June - but this year I've been making Christmas cards since last Christmas and intend to do so in the future, so it makes sense to have the wooden stamps accessible all the time, which is why they are now on the second shelf on the righthand side, shown in the second picture here:


And now, a very rare sight indeed - the put-you-up bed tops have been cleared, the Laura Ashley throw taken off, the pile of boxes gone from the corner - ready to use for our visitors:

I apologise that I got round to commenting on very few WOYWW blogs last week and think it will be the same this week.

I need to get on with some crafting today because it's my turn for tomorrow's Salt challenge - I wish I'd done it sooner - I had the best of intentions! And then I must get on with making more cards for my sale, not to mention a new CJ to prepare and some ATCs, inchies and twinchies.

Sunday, 29 August 2010

BF August inchies received

Just look at these fabulous inchies that arrived yesterday from the Auguust 'sun' swap on BF forum - thanks, girls, they are super.

Thursday, 26 August 2010

True love

This is for Lilian's sketch on Sugar Bowl challenge 42, which also includes the theme of pearls:


and for Embellish magazine: 'quirky-cutesy-clean style colour challenge - sea foam, kraft, peach, cream'
The background paper with swirls is BG infuse, the vertical strips are BG basics kraft and lilykate. The image is Sugar Nellie 'true love', coloured with copics, with Prima pearls added. A couple of flowers with spiralled stems and a couple of bows complete the card.


It's also for:

Sunday stamper 117: 'you don't bring me flowers'
Stamp with fun 73: 'card for girl'
ECP 19: 'girly'
Going grey (Scrap-creations) 24: 'recipe - ribbon, flowers, pearls'
Papertake: 'it's recipe time - 3, 2, 1 - anything - 3 designer papers, two flowers, 1 image'
Fab n funky 37: 'sharing recipes - 3 papers, 2 embellishments, 1 image'
Crafts and me 11: 'petals and pearls'
Stampavie 105: 'swirls' (on the BG infuse paper and the spiral stems with the flowers)
Hanna and friends 59: 'pearls and swirls'
Craftalicious 6: 'pearls & swirls'
Cute card Thursday 127: 'dieing for a punch' - no die cuts or punches used
Annabelle: 'say it with a bow' - a couple on the card
Paper cutz 55: 'anything goes'
Stampin' for the weekend 45: 'anything goes'

Simply material girl

The theme this week on Daring cardmakers is 'material girl'. Jane said: '
I would love you all to design a card inspired by a design on clothing.'

Having made a card recently based on a photo of the material of a blouse - you can see it here - I chose this time to take a photo of a skirt and use a piece of this for patterned paper. This is the skirt:

I used this week's sketch 104 on Clean & simple:

All I added were the strips of textured cardstock, the stitched grosgrain ribbon and the sentiment.

This is also for:

Sarah Hurley 6
: 'monochrome'
ABC: 'B is for blue
Pixie dust studio 37: 'stitch it up'

PS Lynda has asked if I cut up the skirt - no way. I took a photo of part of the skirt and printed that out.

Wednesday, 25 August 2010

I love getting dotty

This is for sketch 24 on Sketch & Stash, using my 'neglected' BG blush papers - I haven't used any of these for some time:

I have to confess that the middle part of this card is a recycled little card that I received - I don't usually use things in this way, but it fitted the Just add ink colour challenge 131 so well - to use real red, chocolate chip and kraft. So there is no way that I take credit for totally making this card.


I'm also linking for:

Crafty pad 85: 'recipe - 1 circle, 2 squares and 3 brads'
Aly's 23: 'get dotty'
Pixie dust studio 36: 'go crazy with polka dots'
Charisma cardz 33: 'die cuts'