Poinsettias for a Merry Christmas

This is another Christmas card for BF forum's 25th club for June - a very simple card with one piece of designer paper and the two poinsettias - anything else added would cover up the text too much, so I've deliberately left it simple.
.It's also for:

Aly's 20: 'flower power'
Practical scrappers: 'flower'
My time to craft: 'Yuletide in June'
Christmas stampin all year long 53: 'non stamped card'

Strawberries and cream at Christmas

This is another card for the BF 25th club for June and also for 'strawberries and cream' for challenge 96 on Cupcake. 'Strawberries and cream' is also this week's challenge on Winter wonderland.

I know it's summer now - and the weather seems to be agreeing atm, which is brilliant - and 'strawberries and cream' conjures up summer days, particularly with Wimbledon on atm. However, I decided to use the colours on a Christmas card (well, I needed to get up to date with the rest of mine for the 25th club). This was then matted on to some sparkly red card.

I stamped the Magenta Christmas tree with versamark and heat embossed with metallic red on to pearlised cream card. The background paper is BG eskimo kisses.

This is also for:

My time to craft: 'Yuletide in June'
Caardvarks June challenge: 'stamps and wet and/or dry embossing'
Created by hand: 'songs we sing' (O Christmas tree)/embossing'
Crafty Ann 17: 'embossing'
Speedy the cat 8: 'emboss'

Six months to Christmas

On BF forum there is a Christmas 25th challenge club - I said I would make 10 Christmas cards for this every month. Well, today being the 25th I had only made one card for the challenge - I've made up for it this afternoon and made 9 more.

The challenge for June, set by Tracey, 'is to use Christmas flora. So holly, mistletoe, ivy and of course Christmas trees.'

So here are the first four that I made today. The Magenta Christmas tree was stamped with versamark and heat embossed: firstly with white detail powder, secondly with silver detail, third and fourth with gold detail.

The last card was coloured with copics and mounted on to scrapperdashery 'holly and the ivy - without the ivy'.





These are also for:

My time to craft: 'Yuletide in June'
Caardvarks June challenge: 'stamps and wet and/or dry embossing'
Created by hand: 'songs we sing' (O Christmas tree)/embossing'
Crafty Ann 17: 'embossing'
Speedy the cat 8: 'emboss'

Clean & simply using up the scraps

This is for Clean & simple sketch 95:

It's also for today's colour inspiration challenge 129 on 411:

As soon as I saw what the colours were I knew I had to use the scraps that were still in front of me after making my Salt LO (which you can see here and below) and on this card. The paper is from Bo Bunny flutter range and I tore a mini version of the flower that I made for my Salt LO. The piece of scalloped card was stamped and edged with stazon cactus green using part of a Funstamps paisley stamp. For a change, I decided to leave the base card without any designer paper - it is a creamy ivory textured card.

This is also for:

Crazy 4 challenges 42: 'paper flowers'
Your next stamp 19: 'patterned/printed ribbon'
Alota 37: 'birthday'
Clearlyistamp 14: 'birthdays'

Tea for two

This week's skinni challenge on Something completely different is 'blue & white'- making a skinni which is 3" x 5".

I've used stamps from Joanna Sheen, stamped with stazon ultramarine, masking with post-it notes. I went round the edges lightly with the ink pad.

I'm also linking this for:

Pixie Dust 28: 'seeing 2' - use 2 or more images - the teapot, milk jug and cup and saucer are separate images, masked and stamped
One stitch at a time 18: 'seeing double' - the cup and saucer has been masked and stamped again
Order of the Opus Gluei 60: 'it's as easy as ABC' - anything but a card - this is a skinni

Salt: to obey is better than sacrifice

Where has the last fortnight gone to? It's Salt challenge day once again and this time it was Kim's turn to choose the topic - you can read what she wrote here and, of course, see all the delightful contributions from others in the team.

I believe that the heart of Christian obedience is love. Jesus said: 'If anyone loves me they will obey my teachings'. You can read more around this in John 14. I have to ask myself: 'Do I really love God? and want to obey His teachings?'

Jesus said: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbour as yourself.' (Matthew 22:37-39)

To keep these two commandments is true obedience. But, of course, this is not in our own strength, it is by allowing the Holy Spirit to work within us, creating a desire to love God and show that love to others around us. Returning to John 14, Jesus said: ''If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever - the Spirit of truth.'

For this LO I used Bo Bunny papers: flutter butter breeze, flutter butter stripe, flutter butter burst and flutter butter honey. I had great fun cutting and tearing into these papers and (thankfully) have some scraps left to use for something else.

The heart was cut on the cricut, using the heart template on Make the cut. I added a few Prima 'say it in studs' - rather sad now that there are no more left in the pack - but the good thing is that as this is a LO, I get to keep it!

If you click on the picture, you can get a closer view.

I'm linking this LO for:

Alphabet: 'H is for hearts'
Stampavie 100: 'heart'
Crazy 4 challenges 42: 'paper flowers'
Lots to do: 'use quotations'
Our daily bread 18: 'f.l.o.w.e.r.s.' - my 3 items: flower, circle shapes (the prima gems), swirls (on the papers)
Order of the Opus Gluei 60: 'it's as easy as ABC' - this is a 12 x 12 LO

Green & black (but not the chocolate!)

I couldn't resist the reference to chocolate because Green & Black is a manufacturer of yummy chocolate, particularly their dark chocolate varieties - mmmmm - pity that I'm on a diet!

This is for the sketch on Cute card Thursday 117:

I've just gone to Cute Card Thursday to link my card and found that I'm too late and can't leave a comment either - I still want to acknowledge the use of the sketch.

The background papers are from the Bo Bunny flutter range and the pieces across the card are BG offbeat. The flowers are a monochrome white/grey/silver decoupage.

This is also for:

Crazy amigo: 'black, white and green'
ABC: 'X for Xtra dimension' - the 3 flower decoupage
Practical scrappers: 'flowers'
Off the wall craftiness 12: 'inspiration photo' - 'mint, green, black and/or white':

WOYWW - gosh it's Wednesday again

I think everybody in crafting blogland knows by now that Wednesday means WOYWW on Julia's Stamping ground blog.

There's nothing much to show here today (those who know me well know that I tend to tidy up after a crafting day - usually not till the next morning, though - and then I start again to get everything all over the place.

So far today I've made one card, which is shown in the post below this one you can just see it among these as I look to my left:



and to my right there are some DCWV papers that have been out on my worktop now for about a week and I still haven't used any of them - I was going to use them for a 'summertime' card, but so far I've used other papers instead. It's a wonder these haven't been put back in the box yet. The pink and brown papers are offcuts from the digi ones I printed for an ice cream card I made the other day. The stamps on top of the box are now waiting to be used for a WIP that's only in progress in my head so far!


I thought I'd show you my pull out shelf where I keep my big box with all my scrap papers - you can see that when I push the shelf back in to close the cupboard I'm quite often careless with the papers that are sticking up and they tend to get a bit dog-eared. Why is it that, despite keeping one of my crafting resolutions this year to use up offcuts and scraps, that the box still looks as full as it was at the beginning of the year and now we are halfway through! I suppose it might have something to do with still cutting into new papers, although I do try and use up the scraps.


Since I did the above, I've been working on my SALT LO for tomorrow's challenge, so thought I would update and show some of the debris - I managed to cut or tear into four pieces of lovely Bo Bunny paper.

Another day at the seaside

I wish!! A day at the seaside would be lovely.

This card is for this week's CCEE sketch challenge:


Once again I've used Squigglefly 'sunny babies' image, this time reversed - again coloured with copics.

The background papers are English Paper Company all aboard, 3D stickers are Artoz.



This is also for:

Cutie Sunday 97: summer'
Quirky crafts 30: 'summer'
Daisy doodles: 'summertime'
Tellen's place: 'summertime'
Party time Tuesdays 4: 'red, white & blue'
Pile it on 24: 'stickers'
Bunny Zoe 1: 'nice and girly'
Freshly brewed 8: 'anything goes'

Paisley embossing

This card is for the sketch for Freshly Brewed 7:

I used BG green at heart papers and embossed the pearlised green tag with a cuttlebug embossing folder, adding floral brads to the tag and also to the centre of the flowers.


This is also for:

Going grey with Scrap-creations: anything goes
Cooking it up with Katie 19: 'use some green, add some embossing and include a little ribbon!
Crafty Ann 17: 'embossing'
Spoon full of sugar 109: 'good luck'
Cuttlebug spot: 'embossed tags'
Created by hand: 'songs we sing (Happy Birthday to you)/embossing'
Speedy the cat 8: 'emboss'
Everybody art 96: 'green, pink'
Tuesday throwdown 5: 'dry embossing'

Summer fun at the seaside

This card uses Diva coffee break sketch 181:

I used a digi that I bought from Squigglefly 'sunny babies', coloured with copics, as I wanted to enter this card for Squigglefly 54: 'yellow for summer'.

I used BG June bug and offbeat papers for Going grey challenge 15: 'kids cards'.

This is also for:

Pile it on 24: 'stickers' - the starfish, crab and birds are 3D stickers by Artoz
Wee memories 11: 'let's get sticky'
Cutie Sunday: 'summer'
Quirky cards 30: 'summer'
Daisy doodles: 'summertime' - the image is a digi
Little paper shop 73: 'bright and colourful - melon mambo, Bermuda bay and summer sun'
Tuesday throwdown 4: 'celebrate summer'
Pals paper arts 47: 'summer theme'
Simple doodles 20: 'fun in the sun'
Hand full of stamps 32: 'nothing like a little H2O' - I hope the sea will do!
Bunny Zoe 1: 'nice and girly'

Footie or tennis?

Wow! what an exciting opening match on Wimbledon's Centre Court, with Federer being taken to five sets by Falla, who had looked close to winning at the end of the 4th set.

Before the match started I thought it was all going to be one-sided because that's how it usually is when the No. 1 plays an unknown. So I thought I'd make a card while watching - I just managed to get it done before the tennis got more interesting and I had to settle in my armchair to see the rest of the match.

The other sport in the news atm, of course, is football, which doesn't really interest me much - if - and I think it's a very big IF - England were to get to the final then I might watch it, but apart from that I'm not bothered.

Back to the card - this was made for recipe 38 on Crafts 4 eternity, which asked us to follow this sketch, use a sport theme and add an arrow.


The spotted paper is unknown from my scraps box, the football images paper is fom PDA and the little strip on the right is BG ambrosia. The stamped image is Daisy & Dandelion 'Onion plays footie', coloured with copics.

To comply with the recipe I wanted to use an arrow, so decided to put three secured with brads - the only thing is that I could only find one pink, one orange and one beige chipboard arrow, so I coloured them with a black copic.

This is also for:

Crazy amigo: 'soccer'
Magical crafts 17: 'something for a male'
Stampin' royalty 24: 'masculine themed'
Raise the bar 23: 'what a special guy'
Creative craft: 'for the man in your life'
Creative inspirations 65: 'one for the boys'
One stop craft 85: 'one for the boys'
Corrosive 69: 'black and white with one colour' - a touch of pink on Onion's ears!
Sunday stamper 108: 'metal guru' - the Happy Birthday sentiment is metal (doesn't show very well here though)
Sundays with Crissy 6: 'monochromatic'
Ann's creative nook 93: 'it's a man's world'
Donna's den of crafts 1: 'Happy Birthday'
Clearly istamp 14: 'birthdays'
Alota rubber 37: 'birthday'
Crazy challenge: 'all things spotty'

Japan

This is for the sketch for Ann's creative nook 92:


Instead of Paris, I've opted to depict something of Japan for this week's Sisterhood of crafters challenge. The Geisha girl is a digi from Ooh-la-la. The background and the Japanese writing paper is from Kanban, torn and distressed with fired brick, and the torn paper surrounding the girl is from the PM heather range, which I chalked lightly with blue.


My card has a shabby, distressed look for the challenge this week on KL stampin n scrappin and also for There she goes 59: 'worn, torn and distressed'.

Tennis here we come ...

Tomorrow sees the start of the 2010 tennis championship at Wimbledon. Every year I intend to watch as much as I can, but somehow I seldom seem to watch as much as I think I will. Last year was a complete write-off for me because John went into hospital on the first day and was extremely ill for the whole of the championship and beyond - I just caught towards the end of that terrific men's final by listening on John's radio in hospital.

Anyway, this card is for the sponsored sketch challenge this week on Daring Cardmakers:

This week there are prizes on offer from generous sponsors Nikki Sivils, Scrapbooker and Sarah's Cards. For further information and to see the rules for the challenge, please visit DCM.

So I used the Wimbledon tennis theme for the card. The background of the card is Tim Holtz idea-ology retro grunge paper, the grassy paper and the tennis paper are Kanban. The image is a clipart one and the tennis racket, shoes and balls are Artoz stickers. The bands of text across the bottom were printed on my Dymo letratag.


The ticket for Ladies' finals day was generated using the Concert ticket maker - make your own virtual ticket. Oh, wouldnt it be wonderful to be able to make valid tickets like this!! This is what it looks like close up:

It looks good, doesn't it - if you've never come across the ticket maker site before it's certainly worth a look.

I expect the recipiant of the card will have to be like me and watch on TV rather than have a centre court ticket ... although you never know!

You're a Christmas star

The theme on the Crazy challenge this week is 'you're a star', so I thought of Christmas and stars and created this:

Papers are Daisy Bucket star kissed.

This card is right for the colours on Lucy's 11: 'white, light blue, light kraft.

Simply Anna Griffin

This card is for Laura's sketch 54 on 2sketches4U:

I'm still using elements from my recently acquired Anna Griffin kit. This one makes a change to the pinks and reds on the previous cards.

It's also for:

Aly's Sunday 20: 'flower power'
Wee memories 11: 'let's get sticky' - the flowers are 3D stickers from AG
Theme Thursday: 'the colour green'
Crazy 4 challenges 42: 'paper flowers'
Pile it on 24: 'stickers'

Ice cream weather?

According to the calendar, it should be 'ice cream' weather, but today's weather certainly hasn't been very summery. The forecast, though, is looking better, so here's hoping for sunny, ice cream days to come.

There are quite a few summer and ice cream challenges around atm, which inspired me to make this card. The papers are download digis from Gina K Designs and the ice cream cone digi is from Paper Popsicles - coloured with copics. Ribbon is from stash. Sentiment is computer generated.

These are the challenges covered:

Order of the Opus Gluei 59: 'I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream'
Papertake: 'ice cream flavours'
Just us girls 38: 'light pink, chocolate, vanilla'
Quirky crafts 30: 'summer'
Shabby tea room 14: 'summer fun'
Tuesday throwdown 4: 'celebrate summer'
Pals paper arts 47: 'summer theme'
Scrappy frogs: 'summertime fun'
Stamp something: 'something summer' (not sure though whether digi counts)
ABC: 'W is for weather'
Sweet stampin 31: 'clean and simple'
Creative stamps friends 1: 'pink and brown'
Die cut dreams 53: 'strawberry and chocolate' colour combo
Spoon full of sugar 108: 'enjoying the sunshine' - nothing like an ice cream on a sunny day (but the sun is still hiding)

At last I've made it

There's nothing like a tight deadline looming to make us get on with a card, is there? I had a request for a birthday card for husband, with a Bible or cross on it - and perhaps some flowers. I have to confess that I thought it would turn out more like a sympathy card than birthday!

The background paper is American crafts tuly inspiring. The Bible was cut from nestabilities labels. The white flowers are craftime and the beige inner flowers are prima, secured with brads.

The Bible verse (from Psalm 118:24) and the sentiment were computer generated and printed on to pearlised, slightly embossed paper, on to which I put clear embossing powder the moment it left the printer and heat embossed, so it has more of a shine to it than you can tell here.

I wasn't given any idea as to colour, so I hope this is going to be all right.


You can click on the picture to enlarge.

I'm linking this for these challenges:

Flourish timeless 71: 'embossing'
Crafty Ann 17: 'embossing'
Speedy the cat 8: 'emboss'
Lots to do: 'use quotations'
Magical crafts 17: 'something for a male'
Polka doodles 24: 'male theme'
Stampin' sisters in Christ 43: 'masculine'
Raise the bar 23: 'what a special guy'
One stop craft 85: 'one for the boys'
Crazy4challenges 42: 'paper flowers'

Another sewing themed card

Having still got the digi files open on the computer and seeing that there was a sewing machine on the Jolee's stickers, I decided to make another sewing themed card, this time following Hazel's sketch 51 on Moving along with the times:

This time I used one of my HOTP faux stitching stamps. Details of other supplies are in my previous post.

I don't like the green cotton on the sewing machine - looks odd with other things being blue - think I might try to change it

I'm linking for these challenges:

Wee memories 10: 'in stitches' - I stamped with HOTP faux stitching
Crafty creations 72: 'it's a stitch up'
Anything goes (Craft Den) 3: 'buttons and bows in monochrome - hope I'm forgiven for the little bits of blue
The crafty pad 75: 'paper piecing' - on the dress form
Craft your passion 10: 'technique: paper piecing'
Aly's Sunday 19: 'sewing'
The play date cafe 34: 'black and white with a bit of colour - blue'
Sweet stampin' 31: 'clean and simple' - I used digi
Divine Diva 30: 'retro photo inspiration' - I chose to depict retro sewing - this was the inspiration picture:

Card for a sew-and-sew!

I came across a new (to me) challenge blog Italy on Sunday, that this time has the topic of 'dress form' for challenge 48. I googled 'dress form' and found a delightful blog, Mel stampz, with lots of free digis, including the ones I've used to make this card. I downloaded and played with the images, printing the dress form one twice - once on to blue patterned paper so that I could paper piece it. The beauty of digi is that you can play around with the size of the images, so the text is a much closer sample than the original.

The scissors and buttons are A touch of Jolee's sewing stickers.

It's for these challenges:

The crafty pad 75: 'paper piecing' - on the dress form
Craft your passion 10: 'technique: paper piecing'
Aly's Sunday 19: 'sewing'
The play date cafe 34: 'black and white with a bit of colour - blue'
Sweet stampin' 31: 'clean and simple' - I used digi
Divine Diva 30: 'retro photo inspiration' - I chose to depict retro sewing - this was the inspiration picture:

A 90th birthday card for a special lady

This card is for a 90th birthday for special lady who, we hope, is going to get lots of cards to help celebrate her special day - you can read about it here - and perhaps you might also like to make and send a card.

Once again, I've used Anna Griffin supplies from my recently purchased kit - I gather that Irene loves pink, vintage and flowers, so I hope she likes this.


I'm linking this for:

Cutie Sunday 96: 'pink, olive, red'
Party time Tuesdays 2: 'birthday - use a number' - I know it's officially late, but still wanted to do this challenge
Challenge up your life 23: 'vintage'