Some swaps received

These swaps came on Saturday - my first chance to blog them today.

Firstly, these are the inchies I received from the group on BF forum for September's 'back to school' theme:


And these are the swaps I received from Something Completely Different for the torso challenges during August:

They are all so lovely - thank you to everyone involved.

A request for a John Lennon fan

I had a request yesterday for a card featuring John Lennon for a friend to give to another friend. The recipient's picture is in the righthand bottom corner, but, as I don't have permission to show it, I've blurred it.

I made it last night and handed it over today, so had to take a quick scan and photo. The sentiments are black with silver surrounds and writing - doesn't show properly in either the scan or the photo.

I found the Beatles and John Lennon photos free on the internet.

Sending Christmas wishes across the miles

The background paper for this card is Artic frog 'white out ski bunny' and the ribbons are from Poundland. The picture of the post box was rescued from an old card - I love the little robin perched on top - and the sentiment generated by computer.

This is for:

Bah! humbug 38: 'across the miles'
Paper minutes 133: 'colour combination turquoise/red Christmas'
Creative Inspirations 80: 'Christmas in September'
Charisma cardz 39: 'Christmas crafting'
One stop craft 99: 'snowflakes in September'
Alphabet: 'W for wings' (the robin)
4 crafty chicks 5: 'crazy egg challenge - a chick - a bird of some kind'
Our daily bread 31: 'wing it'
Allsorts 71: 'plain and simple'
Craft your passion 25: 'clean and simple'
My partner in crafting crime 12: 'clean and simple'
One stitch at a time 32: 'as you like it - anything goes'
Incy wincy 61: 'I wonder what it could be? - anything goes'
Cutie stampers 75: 'anything goes'
Sew many challenges 29: 'anything goes'

You'll notice the GR on the post box - well this is vintage, so it's good for Alphabet: 'V for vintage'. I suppose the fact that I can remember GR post boxes makes me vintage too!!

Simply with sympathy

Sadly, however many sympathy cards I make they seem to sell - sad fact of life, I suppose. So I needed to make some more today (still need more) in order to have enough.

These are simply paper with the stamped sentiment - nothing more - the paper speaks for itself and doesn't need anything else - it is 'the gift of love' memory page by the USA paper company - two cards from the left side of a 12 x 12.



These are for:

Allsorts 71: 'plain and simple'
Craft your passion 25: 'clean and simple'
My partner in crafting crime 12: 'clean and simple'
One stitch at a time 32: 'as you like it - anything goes'
Incy wincy 61: 'I wonder what it could be? - anything goes'
Cutie stampers 75: 'anything goes'
Sew many challenges 29: 'anything goes'

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas

No, I'm not really - certainly don't like the snowy weather - looks nice on Christmas cards, but that's where it can stay!

Anyway, two more sets of simple cards using some stamped images that I got from a round robin stamp group that was held long ago on Crafts by Carolyn forum.




These are for:

Creative Inspirations 80: 'Christmas in September'
Charisma cardz 39: 'Christmas crafting'
Fun at fairy knoll 17: 'colourful Christmas'
Sew many challenges 28: 'Santa's on the way - Christmas theme'
Totally Gorjuss 49: 'Christmas'
Allsorts 71: 'plain and simple'
Craft your passion 25: 'clean and simple'
My partner in crafting crime 12: 'clean and simple'
Crafty Emma 5: 'animal antics'
Paper pretties: 'animal'
Paper cutz 60: 'critter'
One stitch at a time 32: 'as you like it - anything goes'
Incy wincy 61: 'I wonder what it could be? - anything goes'
One stop craft 99: 'snowflakes in September'

Santa with his reindeer

Another set of simple cards, using some strips of paper left over from last year (or it might have been the year before - time flies!), some Santa and reindeer toppers and a sentiment.


These are for:

Creative Inspirations 80: 'Christmas in September'
Charisma cardz 39: 'Christmas crafting'
Fun at fairy knoll 17: 'colourful Christmas'
Sew many challenges 28: 'Santa's on the way - Christmas theme'
Totally Gorjuss 49: 'Christmas'
Die cut dreams Christmas 36: 'Christmas furry things'
Allsorts 71: 'plain and simple'
Craft your passion 25: 'clean and simple'
My partner in crafting crime 12: 'clean and simple'
Crafty Emma 5: 'animal antics'
Paper pretties: 'animal'
Paper cutz 60: 'critter'
One stitch at a time 32: 'as you like it - anything goes'
Incy wincy 61: 'I wonder what it could be? - anything goes'

Christmas blessings

'Christmas blessings' is the sentiment on these cards and the vellum wrap also has greetings on it - the pictures are from last year's Dovecraft papers.

These are for:

Creative Inspirations 80: 'Christmas in September'
Charisma cardz 39: 'Christmas crafting'
Fun at fairy knoll 17: 'colourful Christmas'
Sew many challenges 28: 'Santa's on the way - Christmas theme'
Allsorts 71: 'plain and simple'
Craft your passion 25: 'clean and simple'
My partner in crafting crime 12: 'clean and simple'
One stitch at a time 32: 'as you like it - anything goes'
Incy wincy 61: 'I wonder what it could be? - anything goes'

Just a tree

For these cards I used a digi from the Charmed card & crafts bumper Christmas set - simply mounted on to a piece of red card; the base card has a mottled finish.

This is for:

Creative Inspirations 80: 'Christmas in September'
Charisma cardz 39: 'Christmas crafting'
Fun at fairy knoll 17: 'colourful Christmas'
Sew many challenges 28: 'Santa's on the way - Christmas theme'
Allsorts 71: 'plain and simple'
Craft your passion 25: 'clean and simple'
My partner in crafting crime 12: 'clean and simple'
One stitch at a time 32: 'as you like it - anything goes'
Incy wincy 61: 'I wonder what it could be? - anything goes'
ABC Christmas: 'T is for tree'

Simply words and trees

Another five cards made simply with some DCWV papers and a few Christmas trees, with the addition of a peel off greeting. Just realised that I've used quite a bit of pink on my cards today.

These are for:

Creative Inspirations 80: 'Christmas in September'
Charisma cardz 39: 'Christmas crafting'
Fun at fairy knoll 17: 'colourful Christmas'
Sew many challenges 28: 'Santa's on the way - Christmas theme'
Allsorts 71: 'plain and simple'
Craft your passion 25: 'clean and simple'
My partner in crafting crime 12: 'clean and simple'
One stitch at a time 32: 'as you like it - anything goes'
Incy wincy 61: 'I wonder what it could be? - anything goes'
ABC Christmas: 'T is for tree'

Christmas tags galore

More simple cards made today, this time utilising some ready made tags. Each card has a vellum wrap, secured at the back and stuck down with the tag at the front.



These are for:

Creative Inspirations 80: 'Christmas in September'
Charisma cardz 39: 'Christmas crafting'
Fun at fairy knoll 17: 'colourful Christmas'
Sew many challenges 28: 'Santa's on the way - Christmas theme'
Totally Gorjuss 49: 'Christmas'
Die cut dreams Christmas 36: 'Christmas furry things' (the third set)
Allsorts 71: 'plain and simple'
Craft your passion 25: 'clean and simple'
My partner in crafting crime 12: 'clean and simple'
Crafty Emma 5: 'animal antics' (the third set)
Paper pretties: 'animal' (the third set)
Paper cutz 60: 'critter' (the third set)
One stitch at a time 32: 'as you like it - anything goes'
Incy wincy 61: 'I wonder what it could be? - anything goes'
Sparkle creations Christmas 43: 'tags'
One stop craft 99: 'snowflakes in September' (first and second sets)

Even more Christmas words

Some more cards using another stamp with lots of names for Jesus - very appropriate for Christmas cards.

The second and third sets have been stamped with versamark and embossed with detail gold (second set) and detail silver (second set).

No designer papers were used for any of these.




My challenge for this month's 25th club on BF forum is: 'I'd like you to make cards where the emphasis is on the sentiment - lots of wording or one big sentiment. There can be images on the card, but the main focus should be wording.' - so these are for that and also for:

Creative Inspirations 80: 'Christmas in September'
Charisma cardz 39: 'Christmas crafting'
Fun at fairy knoll 17: 'colourful Christmas'
Sew many challenges 28: 'Santa's on the way - Christmas theme'
Allsorts 71: 'plain and simple'
Craft your passion 25: 'clean and simple'
My partner in crafting crime 12: 'clean and simple'
Ooh-la-la 63: 'sentiment - main feature'
One stitch at a time 32: 'as you like it - anything goes'
Incy wincy 61: 'I wonder what it could be? - anything goes'
Practical scrappers: 'stamps'
Pollycraft 63: 'no designer paper'
Glitterbabe's 14: 'embossing'
Other lovelies thoughtful Thursday 28: 'E' - my 'e' is for embossing

Some more Christmas words

A couple more sets of cards using a simple words of scripture stamp. The second set have vellum wraps.


My challenge for this month's 25th club on BF forum is: 'I'd like you to make cards where the emphasis is on the sentiment - lots of wording or one big sentiment. There can be images on the card, but the main focus should be wording.' - so these are for that and also for:

Creative Inspirations 80: 'Christmas in September'
Charisma cardz 39: 'Christmas crafting'
Fun at fairy knoll 17: 'colourful Christmas'
Sew many challenges 28: 'Santa's on the way - Christmas theme'
Bah! humbug 37: 'stars'
Allsorts 71: 'plain and simple'
Craft your passion 25: 'clean and simple'
My partner in crafting crime 12: 'clean and simple'
Ooh-la-la 63: 'sentiment - main feature'
One stitch at a time 32: 'as you like it - anything goes'
Incy wincy 61: 'I wonder what it could be? - anything goes'
Practical scrappers: 'stamps'

Christmas word tree

Today I've been making more packs of five Christmas cards.

These three lots are based on a word tree stamp, colouring the star and baubles with copics, peel offs on the first two sets and stamped Anna Griffin greeting on the third set.



My challenge for this month's 25th club on BF forum is: 'I'd like you to make cards where the emphasis is on the sentiment - lots of wording or one big sentiment. There can be images on the card, but the main focus should be wording.' - so these are for that and also for:

Creative Inspirations 80: 'Christmas in September'
Charisma cardz 39: 'Christmas crafting'
Fun at fairy knoll 17: 'colourful Christmas'
Sew many challenges 28: 'Santa's on the way - Christmas theme'
ABC Christmas: 'T for tree'
Allsorts 71: 'plain and simple'
Craft your passion 25: 'clean and simple'
My partner in crafting crime 12: 'clean and simple'
Ooh-la-la 63: 'sentiment - main feature'
One stitch at a time 32: 'as you like it - anything goes'
Incy wincy 61: 'I wonder what it could be? - anything goes'
Pollycraft 63: 'no designer paper' (the second set)
Practical scrappers: 'stamps'

Salt: speak with kindness

For the new challenge topic today on Salt, Julie has chosen: 'speak with kindness' - you can read what she wrote here and see the other lovely creations of the team.

I've concentrated on the verse from Colossians 4:6 that says: 'Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt.'

I've used some of the digital elements from a lovely free kit that I downloaded from here.

I've set this now as my desktop background so that it is a reminder when I boot up my computer - and I'm aware that 'my conversation' isn't just what comes out of my mouth, although that, of course, is important, but what also is typed by my hands on the keyboard - so much communication nowadays is done in this way and it's important to bear this verse in mind in that respect.

We would love you to visit our challenge and create something for this theme - just leave us a comment with your link so that we can visit and see your artwork - this could be a card, LO, ATC or whatever.

I'm also linking this for Cute card Thursday 132: 'tic toc!'

I've got Santa's hat on

Today I'm making more packs of five Christmas cards - I found that I'd already got five of these lovely images stamped, so all I had to do was copic colour, add some stickles crystal ice on the hat, mount and add a greeting (yes, I'm still using up some very old Christmas peel offs).

I didn't dare put the card under the scanner because the stickles is still a bit tacky, so I've had to take a photo on a dull, rainy afternoon.

It's for these challenges:

Copic creations 35: 'shading on & around images
Creative Inspirations 80: 'Christmas in September'
Fun at fairy knoll 17: 'colourful Christmas'
Sew many challenges 28: 'Santa's on the way - Christmas theme'
Totally Gorjuss 49: 'Christmas'
Crafty pad 90: 'Christmas sparkle'
Die cut dreams Christmas 36: 'Christmas furry things'
Allsorts 71: 'plain and simple'
Craft your passion 25: 'clean and simple'
My partner in crafting crime 12: 'clean and simple'
Crafty Emma 5: 'animal antics'
Paper pretties: 'animal'
Paper cutz 60: 'critter'
Sundays with Crissy 9: 'sparkle and shine'
Delightful: 'make it sparkle'
Tellen's place: 'bring on the bling'
Crazy 4 challenges 56: 'bling'
One stitch at a time 32: 'as you like it - anything goes'
Incy wincy 61: 'I wonder what it could be? - anything goes'
Pollycraft 63: 'no designer paper'
Practical scrappers: 'stamps'

Seaside post in note holder

This is another post-it note holder, made with a piece of DCWV pocket full of posies paper, a die cut spiky circle cut with a nestie and a twinchie that I made some while ago - I used a seagull stamp and a nice sea/sand/marshland stamp, masking the seagull one. The colouring is copics. The stamps are part of a set from rubbadubbadoo.

This is for

Ann's creative nook 107: 'seaside wishes'
Crafty Ann 24: 'anything but a card'
Stampin' royalty 38: 'anything but a card'ed things'
Flutter by Wednesday 123: 'any thing with wings'
Paper sundaes 37: 'things with wings'
Our daily bread 31: 'wing it'
Practical scrappers: 'stamps'
Corrosive 83: 'masking'
Incy wincy 61: 'I wonder what it could be? - anything goes'
One stitch at a time 32: 'as you like it - anything goes'
There she goes 74: 'Iwona's inspiration challenge' (the main colours):

Cute post it note holders

Today I've made some post it note holders ready for Saturday - simply a piece of textured card scored, with the post it note block stuck inside. For these two, I've used some epoxy fairy stickers (sorry about the glare from flash photo).


These are for:

Anything goes 17: 'cute'
Totally papercrafts 35: 'a kind of magic'
Crafty Ann 24: 'anything but a card'
Flutter by Wednesday 123: 'any winged things'
Paper sundaes 37: 'things with wings'
Our daily bread 31: 'wing it'

Santa's in town

'Using or making tags' is the theme today for Sparkle creations Christmas challenge 43, so I'm showing three out of five cards I made for another pack for next Saturday.

They are very simple, using tags that were in a kit bought last year. The Santa paper wrapped around the left edge of the card is a background from PDA. Just the addition of a bit of ribbon and a peel off sentiment (trying to use these up) and they're done.

You can't see it very well on the scans (and the it's so dull and rainy today), but there is glittered snow on the tags and also Santa's hair and beard are glittered.




These are also for:

Wee memories 24: 'CAS with tag'
Shelly's terrifically thrilling Thursday: 'tags'
Fun at fairy knoll 17: 'colourful Christmas'
Paperminutes 132: 'countdown to Christmas'
Sew many challenges 28: 'Santa's on the way - Christmas theme'
Totally Gorjuss 49: 'Christmas'
Crafty pad 90: 'Christmas sparkle'
Crafty catz 51: 'stitching' - faux stitching on the tags
Stamp, scrap & doodle: 'stitching' - faux stitching on the tags
Daisy doodles 17: 'keep it simple'
Allsorts 71: 'plain and simple'
ABC Christmas: 'T is for tree' (on the first card)
Papertake: 'animal magic' (on the second card)
Crafty Emma 5: 'animal antics' (on the second card)
Little red wagon 47: 'glitter'
Sundays with Crissy 9: 'sparkle and shine'
Delightful: 'make it sparkle'
Tellen's place: 'bring on the bling'
Crazy 4 challenges 56: 'bling'
Spoon full of sugar 122: 'anything goes'
Charisma cardz 38: 'anything goes'
One stitch at a time 32: 'as you like it - anything goes'
Tuesday taggers: 'it takes all sorts' - sponsored for this challenge by Ribbon Oasis Etsy inspired 107: 'Indigotwin' - the second card inspired by (you can find him here):

Some more Patchwork Pals aperture cards

Unlike the previous cards shown, the apertures on these cards have been fully filled in, front and back, so you can see the other side inside the card.

Card 1:

Card 2: The nativity scenes in this card were recycled:


Card 3:

Card 4:

I've linking for these challenges:

Oh Alice week 32: 'journey to the centre of the earth' - make a card with a window or a hole'
Fun at fairy knoll 17: 'colourful Christmas'
Paperminutes 132: 'countdown to Christmas'
Sew many challenges 28: 'Santa's on the way - Christmas theme'
Totally Gorjuss 49: 'Christmas'
One stop craft 99: 'snowflakes in September'
ABC Christmas: 'T is for tree' (on 3 of the cards)
Aly's 25: 'sparkle & glitter'
Little red wagon 47: 'glitter'
Sundays with Crissy 9: 'sparkle and shine'
Delightful: 'make it sparkle'
Tellen's place: 'bring on the bling'
Crazy 4 challenges 56: 'bling'
Spoon full of sugar 122: 'anything goes'
Charisma cardz 38: 'anything goes'
Tuesday taggers: 'it takes all sorts' - sponsored for this challenge by Ribbon Oasis

Patchwork Pals front and back

Last year I bought a Patchwork Pals Christmas kit from QVC, thinking it would be a good idea to make a few quick cards ... and it remained in the box until this year.

In the kit were some fronts and backs for some of the characters, so I've used them in aperture cards, all of which have a glittered church on the righthand inside so it is seen through the aperature behind the character. I love the ones with backviews.

I apologise that the photos have been quickly done, but I need to spend time on making the cards.

And today I've put inserts into, bagged and labelled about 150 cards - I should take John's advice and do this when I've made about 20 so it's not such a big job - I hate all that, would far rather be actually making the cards.

It was seeing the challenge for week 32 on Oh Alice this morning: 'journey to the centre of the earth' - make a card with a window or a hole', that prompted me to remember these aperture cards that could be used with the fronts and backs of the characters. The cards are also for the other challenges listed underneath.













Fun at fairy knoll 17: 'colourful Christmas'
Paperminutes 132: 'countdown to Christmas'
Sew many challenges 28: 'Santa's on the way - Christmas theme'
One stop craft 99: 'snowflakes in September' (on some of the cards)
Totally Gorjuss 49: 'Christmas'
Raise the bar 37: 'bundle up - image that depicts cooler weather'
Aly's 25: 'sparkle & glitter'
Little red wagon 47: 'glitter'
Sundays with Crissy 9: 'sparkle and shine'
Delightful: 'make it sparkle'
Tellen's place: 'bring on the bling'
Crazy 4 challenges 56: 'bling'
Papertake: 'animal magic' (on some of the cards)
Crafty Emma 5: 'animal antics' (on some of the cards)
Die cut dreams Christmas 36: 'Christmas furry things' (on some of the cards)
Spoon full of sugar 122: 'anything goes'
Charisma cardz 38: 'anything goes'
Tuesday taggers: 'it takes all sorts' - sponsored for this challenge by Ribbon Oasis