Button it!

This is another challenge by Sue for the CBC birthday celebrations:

Button it!! so guess what you HAVE to use here? Yup buttons AT LEAST 6

I decided to alter one of my Green & Black's cocoa tins - I love their cocoa and I like the tins too, very handy. I used offcuts from DCWV pocket full of posies, a couple of sticky ribbons, a couple of Craftime blooms and, of course, some buttons on the lid.




As I've used 2 papers - the patterned one round the tin and the textured one within the lid, 2 flowers and at least 2 buttons, I'm linking for the recipe on Everybody art 81. Also, Little paper shop 58 colour challenge calls for 'turquoise, white and dark purple' - they are all here. 'Buttons and flowers' is challenge 12 on Pixie dust studio, so I'm also linking there. And another one for Quirky crafts 23: 'buttons' (perhaps you can tell that I love buttons!).

And it's now joining some of my other 'Green & Black cocoa tins':

Son's card

I don't think Paul ever looks at my blog so I'm sure it's safe to show the card I've done for his birthday. If you happen to look, Danielle, please don't tell your dad!

I used the sketch this week on Willow Sketchie, cheating a bit because I didn't have an oval to use:

It's also for:

Creative inspirations 29: 'male card'
Allsorts 42: 'just for mn'
Double Dutch 38: 'boys only
Sew many challenges 6: 'hear it for the boys'
SPCC 38: 'soft suede, dusty Durango, bashful blue'
Kaboodle 26: 'happy birthday'
Another for Quirky crafts 23: 'buttons'
Die cut dreams 38: 'no flowers allowed'

The background paper is English paper company 'men at work'. Sentiment is computer generated.

WOYWW today? another week gone

In fact, it's not just another week gone by, but two, because I didn't show anything for WOYWW last Wednesday.

Anyway, here is my workspace atm, which isn't bad considering I made a ruby wedding card and also ten Christmas cards yesterday (I suppose I must have tidied a bit last night - I tend to do that! - so quite a few boxes had already been put away).


I thought I'd also show my offcuts box - why is it that however many bits I use there still seem to be the same amount in the box?


Why not go over to Julia's stamping ground and have a nose around hers and others' workspaces and perhaps join in and show yours - you know you want to!!

Marty Snowman

Today I've made ten Christmas cards. One of Sue's challenges for the birthday celebrations on CBC '10 from 1' is to choose a stamp, diecut, embellishment, digi download, whatever and use it at least 10 times on 10 different cards - and I mean different!!! Use different papers etc.'

So I stamped Marty snowman ten times and coloured with copics - all different, of course.

Marty is one of the Stitchels stamps designed by Hels Sheridan and sold by Jennie at The Artistic Stamper.

So I'm entering all of these cards for Sue's '10 from 1' challenge and also for the 25th club on BF, where the subject for March is 'snowmen and sparkle'.

Some of the cards are also suitable for the March challenge on Christmas cards all year round, but only the ones that are mainly green, because the theme is 'to use mostly green on your card and one of my favorties...snowmen!' In the individual posts below I've identified the five that are for Christmas cards all year round.

All the cards have Marty snowman on them with faux stitching around the clothing, so this is OK for Bah! humbug 8: 'stitching'. And challenge 6 was for snowmen, so it's also good for that.

Week 13 on Sparkle creations Christmas was an open theme, so I'm linking these cards there (this means I've now done all of the challenges on there up to date).

Here they all are:

But I'm putting this message at the top of the individual cards so you can then scroll down if you wish to see each one and the challenges that they are linked to.

The sweetest thing in green and beige

This is for the sweetest thing sketch 59:

Also for the photo inspiration on CCEE (I've concentrated on the colours)
The swirly card was from a QVC kit and the Christmas trees have been cut from some Brenda Pinnick paper.

I'm also linking this card for Sophisticat 25: 'flourishes and bling' and also Crazy amigo: 'swirls'.

The card is also for CBC challenge '10 from 1', BF 25th club and Christmas cards all year round March challenge - all as outlined in the post above.

Snowman and sparkly Christmas pud

This is for the sketch on Treehouse 39:
Also for the photo inspiration for Stampin royalty 9 (I concentrated on the colours):

Background paper is BG.

The card is also for CBC challenge '10 from 1', BF 25th club and Christmas cards all year round March challenge - all as outlined in the post above.

Christmas in the pink

This is for Card patterns sketch 54:

Also for Christmas stampin' all year round 42: 'a colourful Christmas' - shades of pink. And Fab's week 9 calls for alternative techniques - well, this isn't a technique, but it is quite unusual to have an all-pink Christmas card, so I'm linking for that.

Background paper and sparkly ribbon are DCWV.

The card is also for CBC challenge '10 from 1' and BF 25th club as outlined in the post above.

Sassy lilac and aqua

This is for Taylored expressions sketch 103:

Also for Lisa's colour combo on Susie's sassy 9, which calls for lilac and aqua to be used.

Loonie challenge 81 is to use stamps, but no patterned paper, so this is OK for that.

The card is also for CBC challenge '10 from 1' and BF 25th club as outlined in the post above.

411 sketch and colour challenges

This is for two challenges on 411 - first the sketch challenge 141:

Also for 411 colour inspiration 113:

Background paper is BG fruitcake.

The card is also for CBC challenge '10 from 1', BF 25th club and Christmas cards all year round March challenge - all as outlined in the post above.

Copic colour challenge 54

This is for Just Christmas & birthday cards sketch 57:
Also for Copic colour 54:
Background paper is DCWV and sparkly circles are once again from Paperchase.

The card is also for CBC challenge '10 from 1' and BF 25th club as outlined in the post above.

Bright Christmas

This is for OCC sketch 5:

Also for Colour dare 58:
Fab's week 8 asks us to include a round focal, so I'm linking to that.

Papers are unknown from stash and sparkly circles are again from Paperchase.

The card is also for CBC challenge '10 from 1', BF 25th club and Christmas cards all year round March challenge - all as outlined in the post above.

Snowman among the pink trees

This is for the Pixie cottage 10 sketch:

Also for the colour me pink and blue photo challenge on Lily Bean:

This is also for Bah! humbug 7: 'trees' and for Sparkle creations Christmas week 14 inspiration (I focused on trees).

Background paper is DCWV and sparkly circles again from Paperchase.

The card is also for CBC challenge '10 from 1' and BF 25th club as outlined in the post above.

Christmas with no Christmas papers

This is for Eat sleep stamp 73 sketch (I turned it on its side):

Also for BG week 15 photo inspiration:

The blue background paper is BG lily kate and the pink paper is BG bittersweet, so neither are actually Christmas papers, but I think they work well for the colour scheme of the photo.

The card is also for CBC challenge '10 from 1' and BF 25th club as outlined in the post above.

Colour throwdown

This is for Mercy 64:
Also for Colour throwdown 82:
Papers are all BG and the sparkly circles are from Paperchase.

The card is also for CBC challenge '10 from 1', BF 25th club and Christmas cards all year round March challenge - all as outlined in the post above.

Ruby wedding celebration

I was asked to make a ruby wedding anniversary card and this is what I've come up with. The papers are BG blush and most of the elements used at Express yourself. Corners were cut with fancy scissors.

It's another celebration card for Creative card crew 46, Gingersnap GC45 chestnut theme and also for 'celebration' on Flourishes timeless 57.

It's also for Sue's CBC birthday challenge: pick a letter - you must choose a letter and then 3 things on your card must begin with that initial letter. So, my letter is G - gems, glitter and glasses.

A winning card

I won two digital images of my choice for this card which was featured for 'birthdays' on Penny's challenges. I'm looking forward to using the images I chose.

Card for mum

This card uses the sketch for the sweet shop 46:

It's for my mum for next Sunday and is also for these challenges:

These are all for 'Mother' day: Lily-boo too March challenge, Cute Daisy May, Simon says, C.R.A.F.T. 40, Totally papercrafts 6, Allsorts 41 and My time to craft 81 (just for mum).

These all ask for green to be used: Cute card Thursday 102, Twisted Thursday 46, Crafty Catz 22, Prairie fairy Friday week 9, The crafting pot 14 (with gold), Copic creations 23, Inky impressions 31 and Penny's .

The card also covers these:

Lili of the valley 48: 'easel card'
Frosted designs: 'technique week' - share a favourite technique - making easel cards
Fun with shapes and more 43: 'pop up card' (the scallops were cut on my rotatrim)
Fab n funky 13: 'it's all in the shape'
Flourishes timeless 56: 'scallops'
No time to stamp 129: 'punched borders' - scallops cut on my rotatrim
Stampin' B 48: 'use a flower image and buttons'
KL stampin n scrappin 20: 'button down the hatches; - use buttons
Quirky crafts 23: 'buttons'
Cupcake 81: 'flower power'
Ooh-la-la 49: 'anything goes'
Quixotic 16: 'leave it out!' - use leaves
Theme Thursday: 'art word(s) on the base paper and also the collage image
Res-Q 35: 'use text in a prominent way on your card'
Soartful: 'celebrate international women's week' - motherhood

I chose to use the Hampton art stamp 'African violet collage' because my mum always associates Mother's Day (or Mothering Sunday, as she prefers it) with violets. Her mother's (my Nan) name was Violet and mum always tried to get her a little bunch of violets for Mother's day - some of the first flowers of spring, so, with that in mind, I'm also linking for these 'spring' challenges:

Stamp with fun 49, Pals paper arts 32, Stampavie 84, Get sketchy 28 (which also involved a shaped card), Humble pie (Town scrapper) (and their previous challenge was an easel card) and Rosie-Dee 66.

I stamped the image with Brilliance pearlescent ivy and used some of the ink to brush the leaves, and coloured the violets with copics. Papers are various from my box. The purple swirls are ribbons.

Never ending ...

As part of the CBC special birthday challenges, Sue asked us to make two cards with more than one fold, featuring clothes, so this is one of them.

Unfortunately, atm I can't get on to CBC, so I can't link this there yet, but will do so tomorrow.

I'd often thought of making a 'never ending' card, but had never got round to doing it, so today I thought I'd have a try. After a couple of dummy runs with some scrap card, I managed to make a fairly presentable first attempt.

This is also for:

Pile it on 9: 'the one you must' - one colour + a neutral
Stampin' for the weekend: 'it's monochromatic week
Kaboodle 25: 'fancy folds' - and I notice that 26 is up already: 'happy birthday'
Lexi 8: 'anything goes'
Creative card crew 46: 'it's a celebration' (birthday)
Fab n funky 13: 'it's all in the shape!' - I know it's a square card, but as it turns it does make different shapes
Gingersnap GC45: 'chestnut theme: celebrate' (birthday)
Paper garden projects birthday challenge 1: 'make a birthday card'
C.R.A.F.T. 40: 'mother's day or flowers' - the latter for this card
Alphabet: 'S for stamping' - the sentiments, the swirls and the elegant lady have all been stamped
Gingersnap GC44 random redhead challenge: 'birthday'
Stamp something: 'something girly'
Stamp, scrap & doodle 30: 'open challenge'
Crafty calendar 6: 'flower power'
Crafty Ann 9: 'technique out of comfort zone' - this kind of card was new for me
Another for Scrappy frogs: 'challenge yourself' - this was definitely a challenge! (first time making a never ending card)
Another for Tuesday taggers: 'swirls and curls' - there are some stamped on here with my DB stamp
Another for Crafty creations 57: 'all one colour'
Crafty angels week 24: 'photo inspiration':

Papers are 7 gypsies sushi journey. I tried to get photos, but not successfully, so resorted to scans, but, of course, where there are flowers (prima, Laura Ashley and PM) there are shadows on the scan because they are raised, but you get the general idea.

The stamped lady was one received in a swap - I coloured her with copics.

All white

This weekend sees the start of the CBC SPRING and BIRTHDAY CHALLENGE 2010

This is being run by the lovely Sue - she says:

'So Spring has sprung?? …… Well maybe :lol: AND its our 8th BIRTHDAY and we are off on another week-long challenge.'

The challenges started yesterday, but I did no crafting then because I went up to Birmingham for my SIL's funeral.

I thought I would make a start today with the 'all white' (or any other colour, but just one colour) challenge.

This is also for:

Ann's creative nook 80: 'white on white'
Crafty creations 57: 'all one colour'
Stamp dreams (Stempeltraume) 21: 'plain and simple'
Raise the bar 8: 'national women's history month' - use a book

I used some embossed pearlised card as my base, cut a Nestability label from a piece of iridescent cardd and wrapped a piece of PM sparkly iridescent ribbon around it. The embossed flowers were cut with Nestability poinsettias (why keep them just for Christmas?), with the addition of a Prima gem 'thingie' (can't think of the proper term!):

Why not pop along to CBC and join in the fun?!

BF February ATCs received

The topic for the February ATC swap on Bubbly Funk was 'flowers' and I've received these gorgeous ATCs from those who took part. Thank you, girls, they are lovely: