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Monday, 11 July 2011

Team card for Iris' Spot challenge 21

For this challenge, Iris asked us to use our favourite stamp - oh, what a tough decision that was! I have so many stamps that I class as 'favourites' - in the end I chose Penny Black fantasy, simply stamped with versamark and heat embossed with white detail powder. This is such a versatile stamp because it can be used for snowy trees for winter or spring/summer blossom. The stamp is just right for Penny Black 159: Christmas in July. It's also good for Crafts and me 42 'favourites - stamp/image'.

It would be good to encourage Iris by popping along to her blog and joining in the challenge.

I used the sketch for Sketch & stash 65:
The idea of the Sketch & stash challenges is that we use new or neglected stash. The background paper was from an old Making Cards magazine, the stitched paper from some offcuts (originally some sheets were bought from a local craft shop that closed about four years ago, so this has definitely been neglected) and the triangle corners were from a QVC Christmas kit from last year.

With all the dots on the tree, this is another card for my own CHNC challenge 28 'spots before your eyes' (why not visit and join in? - would love to see you there).

This is also for:

Simon says: a stitch in time
Christmas inspirations 28: monochromatic Christmas cards
Fab's big Christmas cards July challenge: trees and/or dark colours
Winter wonderland: red and green must not be seen
A la card monkey 64: Christmas in July
Tuesday throwdown 56: Christmas in July
Little red wagon: Christmas in July
The paper variety: Christmas in July
Craft us crazy: Christmas in July

Sunday, 10 July 2011

A birthday card with a nautical theme

A friend commissioned me to make a birthday card for her mum - as they will be on a cruise at the time, she asked if I could include something nautical on the card as well as flowers. Fortunately, the lady likes red flowers, so I thought a red, white and blue colour combo would be appropriate.

The papers are English Paper Company 'all abroad', the flowers are Craftime and the 3D anchor, rope and ship's wheel stickers are Eno.

As I wanted the card to be a bit special and 'different' I made it tent style.


I was asked to include the verse from 1 Corinthians 13:13 'And now these three remain: faith, hope and love, but the greatest of these is love.'

She asked me to include a special verse - this is what I chose:

'Wishing you the kind of day that's filled with special things,
The kind that's long remembered for the happiness it brings!

I used a tiny ship's wheel stamp from cart-us.com in the corners.

I've left the inner space for a handwritten message, just adding 'Hope your day is plain sailing'.

I'm entering this for the following challenges:

Kaboodle 74: celebrations
Pollycraft 100: celebrations
Ellephantastic: celebrations
Paper creator's crafts 2: special occasions
Craft room: summer birthdays
Penny's 57: happy birthday
Ruby's rainbow 7: happy birthday
Ladybug 35: summer birthdays
Tanda teaser 175: we're all going on a summer holiday (my friend and family will be on a summer cruise when the mum celebrates the birthday, hence the nautical theme)
Creations by Gill M 11: summer holiday (see above)
Creative inspirations 63: red, white and blue
Order of the opus gluei 108: red, white and ???
Pink elephant 106: red, white and blue
Cooking it up with Katie 68: colours of your flag - red, white and blue
Crafting for all seasons 4: red, white and blue
Pattie's creations 25: your flag colours - red, white and blue
Our daily bread 67: red, white and blue
Paper creations ink 4: red, white & blue
Embellish magazine: nautical colour trends challenge
Jay Gee's nook challenge 9: inspiration photo (nautical)
Irish teddy's: flowers
Try it Tuesday (taggers): card week - flower power
Scrappy frogs: summer flowers
Charisma cardz 27: all about flowers
Art impressions 23: using something from your stash - papers, stickers, flowers
Aud sentiments 32: sentiments with at least two words
Stamp insanity 66 & 67: anything goes

Saturday, 9 July 2011

CHNC challenge 28: spots before your eyes!

It's time for another challenge on my Craftyhazelnut's Christmas Challenge blog - it's quite scary how quickly this year is going - here we are at Saturday again! For challenge 28 I'm asking you to include spots or dots on your Christmas card. I haven't used many dots on my card, so I haven't gone completely dotty - it's up to you how many your include. I'd love to see your entries for this challenge here.

I'm always keen to support other Christmas challenge blogs, so I've used the sketch for Christmas challenges with sketches challenge 4.

The card is totally made from offcuts and scraps for Jingle Belles 'holiday leftovers' challenge - a mixture of Papermania and Brenda Pinnick, as well as some unknown text paper - and Forever Friends 3D stickers.

This is an early card for Pinky's Christmas gang challenge to 'have a teddy bear on your card' - if you'd like to know more about the Christmas gang just click on one of the names in my sidebar.

This is also for:

Cardmadfairy 12: include an animal
Sparkles forum Christmas challenge 6: glitter (lots on the FF elements)
There she goes 114: glitter, glitz & bling
A la card monkey 64: Christmas in July
Tuesday throwdown 56: Christmas in July
Little red wagon: Christmas in July
The paper variety: Christmas in July
Craft us crazy: Christmas in July
Creative CAS for July: clean and simple Christmas in July
The paper shelter 21: lots of dots
My time to craft 147: a la carte (food)
Incy wincy 101: sugar and sweets
PaperPlay 27: fruity (the Christmas cake and pudding)
Catch the bug: clean and simple
Art impressions 23: using something from your stash - the offcuts/scraps, but also the FF 3D elements
Sentimental Sundays 62: anything goes

Update: Big apologies to Christmas Challenges with sketches - I posted a picture of the sketch, which I shouldn't have done (I feel bad about this because I did this last time and forgot again - I'm so used to doing it for other challenge blogs). Please follow the link for their blog to see the sketch.

Thursday, 7 July 2011

AiFactory Guest Designer

I was fortunate enough to win Paper Playtime challenge 47, for which I received a prize of some AiFactory digital images and also a Guest Designer slot on their challenge blog for the month of July.

So here is my card for AiFactory 'double time' challenge. I was given the gorgeous 'Ella at peace' image to work with, which I coloured with promarkers and copics, edging very lightly with Victorian velvet DI - I also used this to colour the sentiment. The ribbon is one that's been in one of my boxes for a long time (no idea where it came from). The background paper is BG lemonade. For 'double time' I used two crocheted flowers and two gems.

I'm also entering this for the following challenges:

Daring cardmakers: larkspur and water lily
Passion for promarkers 107: tie a yellow ribbon
Whoopsi Daisy: hot! hot! hot!
Some odd girl: bright and blinding
For fun challenges: crocheted flowers

Wednesday, 6 July 2011

Snowflake aperture card

Challenge 26 on Bah! humbug this week is to use acetate. It's a long while since I made an aperture card, but decided this was the easiest way to use acetate (although I confess that a couple of efforts have gone in the bin).

The card blank is one that I've had for ages and ages - a pearlescent pale purple. The snow circle and flake in the middle and the sentiment stamp are from an Indadinkado set, stamped with brilliance starlite silver and heat embossed with detail silver powder.

The piece of patterned paper inside the card is from a Making Cards magazine from long ago.

This is another card for my own Christmas challenge 27 to use pink and/or purple - if you haven't yet discovered my Christmas blog, then why not hop over there - I'd love to see your entries - and this week there will be a prize for a randomly chosen person.

This is also for:

Our creative corner: seasonal celebration - Christmas in July
Tuesday throwdown 56: Christmas in July
Little red wagon: Christmas in July
The paper variety: Christmas in July
Christmas inspirations 28: monochromatic Christmas cards
Celebrate the occasion 21: Christmas in July (no red)
Creative CAS for July: clean and simple Christmas in July
Fab's big Chistmas cards for July: trees and/or dark colours
Stamp dreams 89: stamping and embossing
Sentimental Sundays 62: anything goes
Craft your passion 65: anything goes
Oldie but a goodie 22: anything goes - the stamps are at least six months old
Creative sketches 39: anything goes
Just for fun: anything goes
Bling it on 5: anything goes
Papertake weekly: anything goes
KB cute Monday 20: anything goes

WOYWW 109

It's been a while since I've taken part in WOYWW on Julia's stamping ground. This is for WOYWW 109 - why not click on the link and have a nose at other crafters' spaces and join in with showing your own?

I'm not showing my work surface because there really isn't anything much to see - I did quite a bit of crafting yesterday, but most of the evidence has been cleared away and I haven't yet started today.

I know I've shown my shelves before, but I've now had an additional shelf on each side, which, obviously, has given me more room and helps to better display my stamps - although they are still housed behind one another - I've tried to stand them so I can just see what's behind, but in some cases they are almost obliterated. You might not think so, but there is a bit of logic as to how they are laid out, but I wouldn't be too surprised if I forget where some of the stamps are. The little crates on the right hand side house small unmounted stamps (the larger ones and packs are still in a box the other side of the room).



Difficult to get a photo - the sun is streaming in and casting shadows, so I had to draw the curtains to get the photo - and then it used the flash. I should have taken it this morning, but I went into Orpington to the Nugent Retail park to go to Hobbycraft and M & S.

Tuesday, 5 July 2011

Up up and away

This is for PaperWorks sketch 87:
For this card I used papers from a newly-acquired Trimcraft Up and away pad by Minday Tersawa (I found it in a new craft shop when I was at Dovercourt). These papers are very glitzy and glittery.

The hot air balloons, cut with a nestie label, was from the same leaflet as the picture I used on the previous card - another one that was too good to throw away, so I've recycled it. The 'up up and away' circle was cut with a nestie from the front of the paper pad (I had to hide the little bit of print at the bottom with a cut out bird).

This is also for:

Pile it on 27: time to relax
Poodles parlour: come fly with me
365 cards day 35: up in the air (yes, I'm still way behind with loads of the 365 challenges - will never catch up, but it's fun to try!)
Daisy doodles 37: summer doodles
Moving along with the times 105: here comes the summer sun
Wags n whiskers 57: summertime
Secret crafter Saturday 141: here comes summer
City crafter 64: birds of a feather
Truly scrumptious 60: things with wings
The craft garden for July: use a bird on your work
Crazy amigo: lazy days
There she goes 114: glitter, glitz & bling
House of Gilli 11: lots of sparkle
Party time Tuesday 23: square cards

Too good to throw away!

I confess that this card is mainly made up of a picture that came from a leaflet that just seemed too good to throw away - mounted on to a card blank and a dymo letratag sentiment added.

This is for:

Crazy challenge 74: on the beach
My partner in crafting crime 30: let's hit the beach
Daisy doodles 37: summer doodles
Moving along with the times 105: here comes the summer sun
Wags n whiskers 57: summertime
Secret crafter Saturday 141: here comes summer
Crazy amigo: lazy days

An unusual Christmas card

When I saw the current challenge on Christmas stampin all year long 'she's krafty' - to use kraft as the main colour, I was a bit stumped until I got out my BG basics kraft paper pad. Bows and berries 9 is also asking for kraft to be used, so I'm linking for that. too.

I stamped the gorgeous Inkadinkado reindeer stamp with brilliance galaxy gold and embossing with detail gold powder. The image was then cut out with a nestie. I used a cuttlebug embossing folder to create the pattern on a square of plain cardstock, swiping this with brilliance galaxy gold, as well as the edges - the addition of a greeting with gold ric rac, and some PM gems and the card was finished.

The sketch is for Totally Gorjuss 87:

Unfortunately, the gold embossing doesn't show as well as it might - I had to take the photo indoors because the rain has come.

This is also for:

Clearlyistamp 31: punches, die cuts, cut outs
Lothian crafts 16: die cutting
Creative Friday 47: Christmas in July
Our creative corner: seasonal celebration - Christmas in July
Sweet stamps 22: Christmas in July
Tuesday throwdown 56: Christmas in July
ABC Christmas: M for monochrome
Christmas inspirations 28: monochromatic Christmas cards
Celebrate the occasion 21: Christmas in July (no red)
Stamp dreams 89: stamping and embossing
Wednesday stamper: at least one rubber stamp
Sentimental Sundays 62: anything goes
Craft your passion 65: anything goes
Kort o mania 43: anything goes
Oldie but a goodie 22: anything goes - the reindeer stamp is at least six months old
The paper shelter 20: anything goes
Creative sketches 39: anything goes
Just for fun: anything goes
Bling it on 5: anything goes
Papertake weekly: anything goes
KB cute Monday 20: anything goes

Monday, 4 July 2011

BF ATCs for June

When we got home on Friday these lovely ATCs were waiting for me from the swap on BF forum for June - the topic was 'ink'.



Thank you, girls, they are so lovely.

Sunday, 3 July 2011

White Christmas

It was Liz's turn to choose the theme for the Christmas gang card for today and she chose 'no patterned paper'. This card is also for 'no patterned papers (make your own)' challenge on Quirky crafts 14; also for The stamping boutique 9 'no DP'.

I used a few Inkadinkado snowflake stamps randomly stamped with Brilliance starlite silver and heat embossed with detail silver powder. I used one of my favourite Christmas stamps, the Rubber stampede 'Santa collage', mounted on silver mirror card with a couple of gems (this was an extra ATC I made last year when making some for a swap) and added a couple of Prima flowers with pearls.

This is also for:

Christmas cards all year round for July: white and bling with flowers of some kind too
Creative craft world: Christmas in June
For fun: Christmas
Creative Friday 47: Christmas in July
Our creative corner: seasonal celebration - Christmas in July
Sparkle creations Christmas 2011 week 31: 'twas the night before Christmas
ABC Christmas: M for monochrome
Christmas inspirations 28: monochromatic Christmas card
Cheerful stamp pad 21: my favourite background - stamping and embossing
Pals paper arts 100: what's your technique - anything you enjoy doing - stamping and embossing my own background
Stampin for the weekend 11: my favourite things - stamping and embossing my own background and flower embellishments
Stamptacular 118: seeing double - two of the same thing - two flowers, two pearls, two gems
Stamp dreams 89: stamping and embossing
Wednesday stamper: at least one rubber stamp
AiFactory: embellish it - I love using flowers
Shabby tea room 68: my favourite things - stamping and embossing my own background and flower embellishments
Deep ocean 2: 2 flowers
Hooked on craft 2: show us your flowers
Crafty purple frog: swirls and pearls
Prairie fairy Fridays 56: pearls and swirls
Delicious doodles 32: flourishes and bling
Shopping our stash 6: recycle it - I used an ATC that had been made as an extra for a swap last year
Shelly's terrifically thrilling Thursday: recyle/re-use - the ATC as above
Clear it out Tuesday: all about keeping it simple
Cutie stampers 106: weather - snow
Oldie but a goodie 22: anything goes - all stamps used are at least six months old
The paper shelter 20: anything goes
Creative sketches 39: anything goes
Just for fun: anything goes
Allsorts 110: free and easy July
Catch the bug for July: anything goes
Bling it on 5: anything goes
Kort o mania 43: anything goes

Red, white and blue Christmas

As it was Canada Day on 1 July and is Independence Day in the States tomorrow, there are, understandably, a lot of challenges around atm that feature a patriotic theme, particularly with the colour combo of red, white and blue. These colours were also the theme for last Sunday's Sunday's with Santa on Facebook, so I've made a Christmas card with those colours, for these challenges:

Ann's creative nook 136: the colours of America - red, white and blue
Come and get it: patriotic - red, white and blue
I did it: patriotic - red, white and blue
Paper issues: red, white and blue
Woodware USA 33: patriotic theme and/or colours red, white, blue
Celebrate the occasion 20: 4 July - red, white and blue
Party time Tuesday 22: 4 July - patriotic - red, white and blue
Tuesday throwdown 55: red, white and blue
Use it Tuesday 10: inspiration colours - red, white and blue
Amber's crafts and stuff 16: red, white and blue
Cooking it up with Katie 68: colours of your flag - red, white, blue
Digistamps4joy 22: red, white and blue
Litle red wagon 87: patriotic - red, white, blue
Penny's 56: red, white, blue
ColorLab 47: night of navy, cherry cobbler, not quite navy
Craft us crazy 11: red, white & blue
Crop stop 26: show us your national colours - red, white, blue
Pixie dust studio 81: be proud - red, white and blue
Cardmakin mamas 23: red, white and blue
Fun at fairy knoll: red, white and blue
Mark's finest papers Speedy the cat 62: patriotic - red, white and blue
Order of the opus gluei 108: red, white and ???
Creative inspirations 63: red, white, blue
Crafting for all seasons 4: red, white and blue

The background is from a Patchwork Pals kit and the image and sentiments from a QVC kit from a couple of years ago.

This is also for:

Creative craft world: Christmas in June
For fun: Christmas
Creative Friday 47: Christmas in July
Our creative corner: seasonal celebration - Christmas in July
Crafty sentiments: Christmas in June
Sparkle creations Christmas 2011 week 31: 'twas the night before Christmas
Clear it out Tuesday: all about keeping it simple
The paper shelter 20: anything goes
Creative sketches 39: anything goes
Just for fun: anything goes
Allsorts 110: free and easy July
Catch the bug for July: anything goes
Bling it on 5: anything goes
Kort o mania 43: anything goes
Sentimental Sundays 62: anything goes

Saturday, 2 July 2011

CHNC challenge 27: pink and/or purple

I haven't blogged for a week - very unusual for me - we've been away. We spent a week at Dovercourt, where I was born and lived until I was nearly 21. It was lovely to be able to visit relatives and to explore the area and see changes ... and some things were just as they used to be 40 odd years ago.

I took my new iPad with me and managed to comment on the entries to last week's CHNC challenge, but I didn't do any crafting at all, neither did I visit any other blogs.

I'm late making my card for my CHNC challenge 27 'pink and/or purple', but have managed to get it done this evening, using papers from a Making Cards magazine.

I used the sketch for Christmas challenges with sketches 3, which is being sponsored by Stempelstudio:

I added a few glittered stars - some are silver and some are lilac.

If you haven't discovered my Christmas challenge blog yet, please hop over there and have a look at challenge 27 and perhaps join in - there's a prize to be won this week.

I'm entering this card into these challenges:

I did it: mid year Christmas
Shabby tea room 68: my favourite things - making Christmas cards and the colour purple
Whoopsi Daisy: Christmas in June
Ladybug: Christmas in June
Creative craft world: Christmas in June
For fun: Christmas
Creative Friday 47: Christmas in July
Jingle Belles: stars (or stripes)
Our creative corner: seasonal celebration - Christmas in July
Christmas inspirations 28: monochromatic Christmas card
ABC Christmas: M for monochrome
Little darlings 2: favourite colour combo - shades of purple
The paper shelter 20: anything goes
Creative sketches 39: anything goes
Just for fun: anything goes
Allsorts 110: free and easy July
Catch the bug for July: anything goes
Bling it on 5: anything goes

Update: I apologise to Christmas challenges with sketches - I originally included a copy of their sketch - I've now deleted it as it's been pointed out to me that I shouldn't have placed it on my blog.

Saturday, 25 June 2011

CHNC challenge 26: anything goes

It's six months since last Christmas and six months till next Christmas, so, if you haven't started yet, it's time to get going on making some cards so that panic doesn't set in nearer the time.

To help you on your way, as it's the mid-point in the year, I thought we'd have an 'anything goes' challenge this week on my Christmas challenge blog.

This is my card -I'm afraid it's a very quick card this time because by the time this is published we will be away and I had little time to get anything else done for this challenge.

I've very simply mounted some My Mind's Eye Christmas glitter paper on to the folds of the card and topped the main part with three kings rescued from a card we received a couple of years ago. The inner panel that you can't see is lined like the front piece, left blank for a handwritten message. The 'joy & peace' stamp is a Papermania one.

I'm entering this into these challenges:

Creative craft world: Christmas in June
Crafty Ann 43: Christmas in June

Thursday, 23 June 2011

This is a test to see whether I can blog from my iPad. I'm inserting an old photo just to see if I can add images ok.

Just in case anyone thinks this was taken in Bromley, it wasn't - it was taken in Maidstone.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Bromley,United Kingdom

BF twinchies for June swap

This time the details for the inchie swap on BF forum was a recipe:

lace
3 xbling
image
piece of patterned paper
blue and white

I have to confess that at first this seemed a tall order - to get all these on to a piece of card just 2" x 2", but in the end I really enjoyed doing these.

I used:

7gypsies baja playa paper
Lace and gems from stash
Co'redination whitewash card embossed with cuttlebug folder and sanded to reveal blue
cArt-Us border flower stamped with Elzebell sugar candy white
Distressing with stormy sky DI



I'm linking these for:

Jac-inks 11: inspiration photo - used the colours
Charisma cardz 25: white & 1 other colour
Totally stampalicious: something old, something new - everything old, but the little border flower stamp is new

Wednesday, 22 June 2011

Getting inky with ATCs

I have so many other things to do atm that crafting is having to take a bit of a back seat. However, I need to do something for a couple of swaps, so a good excuse to get inky - particularly as this month's ATC swap on BF forum is 'ink'.

I dabs a mixture of red pepper and wild plum alcohol inks with blending solution on to white shiny card and then stamped Penny Black sparklers with stazon vibrant violet, edging the ATCs with the stazon.

Click to enlarge

I'm entering these into the following challenges:

Paper players 52: clean and simple
Clear it out Tuesday: all about keeping it simple
Stamp insanity 63: keeping it clean and simple
Divas by design: anything but a card
Scrapbook sisters 41: anything goes

Bubbly Funk forum next CJ

It's been nearly a year since the BF forum CJ group started sending round their journals - which means that we now get to see other people's CJs nearly finished. This DLO is for Leigh's Astrology journal - the idea is for each of us to do something to represent our star sign. I didn't find this easy because I don't 'do' star signs and astrology, so I kept this very matter-of-fact (I was pleased to see that this was how most of the participants had responded).

The background papers are My mind's eye wild asparagus. It was an opportunity to use one of my favourite stamps - the big Magenta lion one, simply inked with memento rich cocoa. Ribbons and sun sticker from stash.

Colours are for SPCC 105:

I'm also entering this into these challenges:

Cutie Sunday 143: animals
Going grey with Scrap creatons: animal kingdom
Order of the opus gluei 106: it's a jungle out there
Divas by design: anything but a card
Scrapbook sisters 41: anything goes
Everybody art 147: anything goes

Tuesday, 21 June 2011

Another sunny day ...

... and this time it really is a sunny day (so far so good, although breezy with clouds). Anyway, back to the card, I've made another one with papers and components from We R Memory Keepers (very similar to the previous card - thought I'd make another while the papers are out). I've added a butterfly and the sun (an artoz sticker) and the little flip flops at the bottom.

Once again, colours are for Annabelle: say it in:

and also for ECP 40:


This is also for:

One stitch at a time 67: things with wings
Simply create 46: fly with us
Delicious doodles 30: things that flutter
Crafty calendar for June: things with wings
Happileigh scrappin' 27: no pastels - bright colours
Sentimental Sundays 60: celebrate summer or sparkly or shimmery
Ann's creative nook: summer is here
Inspiration avenue: summer sun
Alota 61: summertime
Anything goes 43: here comes summer
For fun: summer fun - bright colours
AiFactory: summer fun
My Sheri 62: summer or beach theme
Celebrate the occasion 19: celebrating summer (must have a sun on it)
Papertake: here comes the sun
Try it on Tuesday (Taggers): here comes the sun
Crafts4eternity R24: embellishment beginning with R - ric rac
Crafts and me 39: bling it on
Everybody art 147: anything goes

Monday, 20 June 2011

Sunny day ...

... sweeping the clouds away - that's the saying on this sunny summer card, based on the Sunday sketch for 365 cards day 104 (yes, I'm still running behind - always will be at the rate I'm going - lol!):
Colours are for Annabelle: say it in:

and also for ECP 40:


Papers and other components except the flowers are We R Memory Keepers. The centre of the crocheted flower is a fabric covered brad. The A5 card blank is a Dena design - there is a lot of glitzy glitter on this card to give it a sunny feel. As I was making this it was pouring with rain - so much for June sunny days!

This is also for:

One stitch at a time 67: things with wings
Simply create 46: fly with us
Delicious doodles 30: things that flutter
Crafty calendar for June: things with wings
Happileigh scrappin' 27: no pastels - bright colours
Sentimental Sundays 60: celebrate summer or sparkly or shimmery
Ann's creative nook: summer is here
Inspiration avenue: summer sun
Alota 61: summertime
Anything goes 43: here comes summer
For fun: summer fun - bright colours
Little darlings 1: summer theme
AiFactory: summer fun
My Sheri 62: summer or beach theme
Crafts4eternity R24: embellishment beginning with R - ric rac
Paper crafting journey 12: our feathered friends
Crafts and me 39: bling it on
Whoopsi daisy: pile on those flowers
Creative card crew: ribbons and brads