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Sunday, 24 July 2011

Silver angel

This is similar to the previous card - the background stamping is similar (details here), but this time I've used the Rubber stampede angel collage stamp. Once again, a difficult card to get a decent photo - the mat behind the angel stamp looks black, but it is actually silver mirror card.

This is for:



ABC Christmas: O is for older image (the stamp is more than a year old)
Crafts4eternity R29: shaped cards
Die cuttin' divas 24: shaped die-cut cards
One stitch at a time 72: pearls & swirls
Gingerloft 22: make it sparkle
Crafts and me 44: add a flower
Order of the opus gluei 109: beat the heat (cool winter colours)
Kaboodle 76: embossing
Crafty pad 131: embossing

Another Santa card

If you're a regular visitor to my blog you might think you've seen this card before - yes, you've seen a similar one, but this is a new one. When a friend saw the other one (original one can be seen here) she commissioned me to make some more, hence this one today. There will also be one following with an angel stamp instead of Santa and I showed one yesterday that had a lovely reindeer stamp (it's on my CHNC challenge blog here).

Once again, 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 and added a couple of Prima flowers with pearls.

Because the image is mounted on silver mirror card (not black as it looks here) it's a very difficult card to capture on camera - if I get a better daytime photo I'll change it. The snowflake swirls all look like they do at the top left hand corner.

This is for:

Sally's Christmas club challenge: Santa Claus is coming to town (you can see who is in the Christmas gang on my sidebar - just ask any of us for info if you'd like to join in


Christmas cards all year round July: white and bling, gems, pearls and flowers
ABC Christmas: O is for older image (the stamp is more than a year old)
Crafts4eternity R29: shaped cards
Die cuttin' divas 24: shaped die-cut cards
Top tip Tuesday 43: shaped cards
One stitch at a time 72: pearls & swirls
Gingerloft 22: make it sparkle
Crafts and me 44: add a flower
Phindy's Friday 64: doubling up - 2 flowers, 2 gems, 2 pearls
Order of the opus gluei 109: beat the heat (cool winter colours)
Crafty catz 92: no pink or blue allowed
Kaboodle 76: embossing
Crafty pad 131: embossing

Bubbly Funk forum last CJ

This last year's gone by so quickly - a year ago a new circle journal group was started on the Bubbly Funk forum and here I am showing my pages in the final one that will now be returned to its owner - and I'm looking forward to receiving my own CJ back.

Rebekah's journal is called 'You crack me up' - funny things that her child has said. Rebekah supplied lots of these on post it notes and we were able to choose one to work with. So I chose:

Is my ice-lolly in your big tummy mummy? I lost it. When Rebekah gets her journal back she'll be able to add all the quotes and perhaps some pictures as well.

I used BG cupcake papers, stitched ribbons and a strip of red gems from Poundland. I added some crystal ice stickles to the picture of the ice lolly.

I'm entering this into these challenges:

Pile it on 30: fun in the sun
Pollycraft 102: summer fun
Fairytale 20: summer, sun, sunshine
ECP 43: summer
Bunny Zoe 14: fun in the sun
Paper issues: life is sweet
Pixie cotage 79: fun with food
Cardmakin mamas 25: food and drink
CES 46: humour/funny
Gingerloft 22: make it sparkle

Saturday, 23 July 2011

Clean and simply going round in circles

For this card I've used the sketch for Fetch a sketch 2:

This is for Less is more 25: button or ribbon - I decided to use both. The button mounted on layers of felt was one that was sent to me by a crafting friend. The lacy circles were cut with Nellie Snellen die cuts.

Wee memories 62 is 'clean and simple', so this is also for that - and also for Alota 63: circles.



Life's a summer picnic for bears

When I remembered this week's Pile it on challenge 29 'life is a picnic' I thought of a Teddy Bears picnic picture that I used on a card last year. And the challenge this week at Stamp n doodle is 'let's go on a picnic or BBQ'.

It's a very simple card, matted and layered on to a 7 x 5 cardblank. The sentiment was generated on my dymo letratag. I must have had the teddy buttons for ages, I can't remember where I got them from, but I thought they would sit nicely either end of the sentiment.


This is also for:

Pixie cottage 79: fun with food
Cardmakin mamas 25: food and drink
Aud sentiments 33: enjoy your day
Paper issues: life is sweet
Phindy's Friday 64: doubling up - two teddy buttons
Dream valley 11: summer theme
Pollycraft 102: summer fun
Fairytale 20: summer, sun, sunshine
ECP 43: summer
365 day 144: so random
Forever friends: not square
I did it 64: animals
Die cut dreams 94: animal antics
Creative card crew: animal antics
Digi doodle 68: clean & simple

Musical birthday

This card is for the sketch on Come and get it, using a landscape DL card:

The music on the left was a La Blanche foam stamp inked with memento tuxedo black. The paisley panel was embossed with a cuttlebug folder and swiped with the memento pad. The keyboard across the bottom is ribbon, as is the stitched piece on the left.

The flowers were originally plain chipboard which I die cut with a Sizzix little green die (the Sizzix dies usually live at the back of the cupboard these days!). I stamped a Tim Holtz paisley stamp with stazon blazing red, then swiped with versarmark and heat embossed with UTEE a couple of times, the second time inking up the stamp and pressing it into the molten UTEE, this time using memento rich cocoa to give a bit of definition. Unfortunately, the photo doesn't show the embossing as clearly as it does irl. Having put a foam pad on the back of each flower I sprinkled the centres with black glitter. Just the addition of a Cardwork crafts birthday sentiment and the card was finished.

This is for:

Stamp man 27: anything by T!m (paisley stamp)
The play date cafe 19: black and white with just one colour
Incy wincy 103: black & white plus 1 other
St Luke's charity cards challenge: black, white plus one other colour (there is an opportunity to donate the card, which I will happily do - if you haven't come across this blog before please go and have a look)
Totally Gorjuss 90: punch or die (the flowers)
Corrosive 125: let the music play
Little red wagon 90: music notes
Birthday sundaes 18: anything goes
Stampavie 147: birthday
Sunday stamper 163: build me up buttercup - build your own flower embellishment
HLSC 31: make your own embellishment
Stamp something: something embellished
Make it colourful 27: colour your embellishments
Scrappy frogs: summer flowers
Deep ocean 4: ribbons
For fun: 2 different ribbons
Kaboodle 76: embossing
Sundays with Crissy 19: de-stressing - distressing on the embossed paisley panel

Holly time

For this card I've used the sketch given for Unscripted sketches 115:

I also used the inspiration for Belli 122: Christmas in July:

Papers are My Mind's Eye from the Christmas glitter book. I can't remember the stamp manufacturer (think it might be Personal Impressions, but not sure - if anyone recognises it I'd love to know). I stamped with memento rich cocoa and coloured with promarkers moss, poppy and vanilla, also adding poppy to the glittered berries on the paper (they were originally white glittered) - so this is also for I love promarkers 75: Christmas in July.

This is also for:

Winter wonderland: the holly and the ivy
Paper sundaes 78: Christmas in July

CHNC challenge 30: reindeer

It's Saturday, so that means there's a new challenge on my CHNC blog - this week I'd like to see at least one reindeer on your card - I'd love you to join in - just click here to be taken to Challenge 30.

Two or three weeks ago I showed a very similar card - you can see it here. A friend saw it and said she would like to buy it for Christmas and please could I make some more like it. One of her requests was for a blue card with a silver reindeer on it, so my challenge card is another commission ticked off the list.

Once again I stamped randomly with Brilliance starlite silver using various Inkadinkado snowflake stamps from a set (I do love these) and then heat embossed with detail silver. The Inkinkado reindeer was stamped and embossed in the same way. Having put three little gems in two corners of the silver mirror card I put a little blue one in each of the white flowers.

The photo doesn't show the card as irl - the whole card is silver embossed just like you can see in the left hand corner - such a difficult card to get a photo because of the glare of the silver mirror card. The inkadinkado reindeer stamped image is also silver embossed.

I'm entering this into these challenges:

Christmas in July:

Also for:

Catch the bug: Christmas in July: Monday: non-traditional colours
Crafts4eternity R29: shaped cards
Karen's doodles: get in shape - shaped cards
Die cuttin' divas 24: shaped die-cut cards
Top tip Tuesday 43: shaped cards
I did it 64: animals
Stamptacular 120: animal antics
Die cut dreams 94: animal antics
Creative card crew: animal antics
Stampin' for the weekend 13: paws for thought
ABC Christmas: O is for older image (the stamp is more than a year old)
Whoopsi daisy: sparkle and shine
Gingerloft 22: make it sparkle
Phindy's Friday 64: doubling up - two flowers
Order of the opus gluei 109: beat the heat (cool winter colours)
Kaboodle 76: embossing

Friday, 22 July 2011

Ruby wedding card

I'm trying to get ahead with some commissions - they all seem to come along at once!

This is for a ruby wedding anniversary - I was told that the couple loves gardening and flowers, so I thought this decoupaged image was appropriate.

I used a doiley and the mesh ribbon for Basic Grey challenge 48 with BG indian summer papers.

I've used Mira's sketch for Sunday sketch & stamp 64:

and it's for the inspiration picture on For your inspiration 10:




I was asked to put a verse on the insert, so this is what I chose:

Today’s a very special day

Reserved for just you two

Here’s wishing you rich happiness

Today, and all year through!

Happy 4oth Anniversary


This is also for:

AiFactory: layer it up
Creative craft: let's 3D it
Crafts and me 44: add a flower
Scrappy frogs: summer flowers
Aud sentiments 33: 'enjoy your day' or sentiment to make you smile - the insert

Thursday, 21 July 2011

Peace on earth

For this card I've used Sweet stop sketch 117 which had the added theme of 'Christmas in July':

The foiled papers were remains from a QVC kit and the stitched paper with stars seems to have gone on forever (not much of it left now!). The silver ribbon is very glittery. The stamp is by Personal impressions, inked with Brilliance starlite silver and heat embossed with detail silver.

Those of you who follow my blog regularly will know that I love making Christmas cards, so much so that at the beginning of this year I started my own Christmas challenge blog I am delighted that so many people have been entering my challenges. Challenge 29 is 'seeing stars' - to use at least one star somewhere on your card. So this is another one for my own challenge - perhaps you'd like to go and have a look and join in - you have until tomorrow evening at 22:00 UK time to link up your entry.

'Christmas in July' seems to be a popular theme atm among challenge blogs, so I'm linking for these:
Creative CAS July: clean and simple Christmas

It's also for:

Catch the bug: Christmas in July: Monday: anything goes
ABC Christmas: O is for older image (the stamp is more than a year old)
Winter wonderland: give it it a lift - wet embossing
Whoopsi daisy: sparkle and shine
Deep ocean 4: ribbons
Created by hand: ribbon/silver
Art impressions 25: stitching ... faux or real (it's real, but I didn't stitch it!)
Really reasonable ribbon 28: cool it (cool winter colours)
Order of the opus gluei 109: beat the heat (cool winter colours)
Kaboodle 76: embossing
Cupcake 151: wish upon a star
Sentimental Sundays 64: for the men in your life - I think this is suitable to send to a man
Cute card Thursday 174: for his eyes only
Craft us crazy: anything goes

Prizes and GD slots

I was chosen as Lovely Lotus for challenge 7 on 'For your inspiration' challenge blog - you can read about it here. I've received this sweet 'Charlotte with a rose' rubber stamp by Sparkle Creations - I look forward to using it.



I've been privileged recently to win quite a few digital images for various challenges and also been given some Guest Designer slots - so, watch this space! I'll be joining Prairie Fairy fun Friday next week (I won some lovely digis from them) and another couple of challenge blogs in the near future.

I won 5 digis from Paper Pretties for winning challenge 161 last week

I've been enjoying my time as a GD on AiFactory for July - you can see my latest card for this week's challenge if you scroll down or click here.

AiFactory GD layers

This card is for today's 'layers' challenge on AiFactory - it's my third week as a Guest Designer and I'm very much enjoying being part of the team for this month.



I used the sketch for Passion for Promarkers 109 (yes, I did use Promarkers - my stock is steadily growing, although I'm not deserting my copics - a girl (or should that be 'old girl'!) can't have too many marker pens, particularly as I've recently acquired 40 Marvy le plume alcohol pens as well - anyway, I digress!). This is the sketch:

As the challenge is to use layers, as well as layering on the card itself I decoupaged the clouds at the sides of the rainbow - the rainbow and the cute little girl, of course, are digis kindly supplied by AiFactory for the challenge.

This week's challenge on Daring cardmakers is 'it's all very Pinterest-ing' I joined Pinterest and found some lovely rainbow pictures - I could have chosen lots of them, but in the end I settled on this one pinned by Luann Lang:

This is also for:

Crafts and me 44: add a flower
The paper variety: rainbows (and grids) - I chose rainbows
Color throwdown 151: rainbow colours
Crafty creations 128: seeing double - the clouds at the ends of the rainbow are decoupaged
Artistic stamper July: hot hot hot - use hot colours
Pollycraft 102: summer fun
Dream valley 11: summer theme
Charisma cardz 29: sunshine colours
Cardnakin mamas 24: summertime
Bunny Zoe 14: fun in the sun
365 cards day 143: having a heat wave
Papertake: getting cute
Paper cutz 100: skies the limit - anything you might find in the sky
Clear it out Tuesday: anything goes
Daisy doodles 38: anything goes
Craft us crazy: anything goes
KB cute Monday 22: use a digi

Tuesday, 19 July 2011

BF ATCs for July

The theme for the ATC swap this month of the Bubbly Funk forum is 'yellow'.

I used some paper that's been in one of my trays for a long, long time (think I bought it about six years ago).

I stamped the Jo Capper-Sandon Stampotique stamp with memento tuxedo black, also using the little bee that is on the side of the main stamp. I made sure I stamped so that the bodies of the bees were over just yellow rather than one of the flowers.

The sentiments were done on my letratag.

I'm entering these for the following challenges:

ATC challenges 6: anything goes
Spotlight: ATCs
Soartful: bees
PaperPlay 28: things with wings
Stampin' for the weekend: wings and things
Little Claire 11: things with wings
Paper cutz 100: skies the limit - anything you might find in the sky
Clear it out Tuesday: anything goes
Simon says: anything goes

A very different wedding card

This is another commissioned wedding day card, but this time very different! The invitation that my friends had received was printed in black on a bright yellow card and so I was asked to try and come up with a wedding card that matched the theme.

The yellow card is actually very lightly embossed with the word 'summer' in different sizes and at different angles, but you can't see it in the photo - you need to move the card to catch the light. The yellow card was mounted on to stardream black sparkly card.

The congratulations border is a stamp, which I inked and heat embossed with black detail powder. I did the same with the Anita's hearts and text stamp. I printed out the names and date on my dymo letratag in the smallest size so that I could fit the names on the hearts. The other sentiments were also done on the letratag.

The colours are good for Moxie Tuesday trigger challenge: perty & flirty, where this is the inspiration photo:


This is also for:

Allways something creative 10: yellow and another colour
Craft your passion 67: text it - use text somewhere (on the stamped image)
Stampin' B 119: make card with bling
Pattie's creations 26: glitter or bling
Whoopsi daisy: sparkle and shine
Gingerloft 22: make it sparkle
Stamp insanity 66 & 67: anything goes
Clear it out Tuesday: anything goes
Simon says: anything goes

Cream and gold wedding card

This is a commissioned card for a friend to give. It needed to be cream white gold and I chose the DL landscape as this was the style of the invitation she had received.

The shaped card and scalloped oval were from a set bought a while ago from QVC. I embossed the oval with a Hallmark embossing folder and swiped it with Brilliance galaxy gold ink pad. The background PM swirls stamps were stamped with the same ink pad and heat embossed with detail gold powder. The names and date were generated on my dymo letratag using a clear tape which was then mounted on to a matt gold foiled card.

The inner flap was covered with a gold foiled sentiment vellum (I ran through my xyron so that there is no adhesive showing through, with the addition of some gold organza ribbon. I then added quite a few gems on to the embossed die cut hearts and parts of the swirls.

(Please excuse the paper clip - I used it to make sure the card was fully closed for the photo.)



I used Anna Griffin sentiment stamps for the inside, using galaxy gold ink again and embossing with detail gold.

I'm linking for these challenges:

Anything goes 45: more than one fold
Delightful: fancy folded cards
For fun: only 1 fold beside the original card fold
Die cuttin' divas 24: shaped die-cut cards
Top tip Tuesday 43: shaped cards
Kaboodle 76: embossing
Crafty Ann 45: dry embossing
Sundays with Crissy 19: de-stressing - distressing on the embossed oval
Inky impressions 19: distressing
My mum's craft shop 14: swirls and pearls (hope gems are OK)
Stampin' B 119: make card with bling
Pattie's creations 26: glitter or bling
Deep ocean 4: ribbons
Pixie cottage 78: wrap it in ribbon
Stamp and create: ribbon and bows
Whoopsi daisy: sparkle and shine
Gingerloft 22: make it sparkle
Stamp insanity 66 & 67: anything goes
Clear it out Tuesday: anything goes
Simon says: anything goes

3D layered 'clever' card

I was asked to make an Anniversary card for mum and dad. I wanted to make something a little bit special and remembered that in a recent Kanban kit from QVC there were some 'clever card' components, so I used the celebration romance one. Not much actual crafting was involved - it was more a matter of folding and sticking in the right places (now I've done one it would be quicker to make others - this one took me quite a while).

It looks much better irl than in the photos. I made it on Sunday evening and had to take it yesterday lunchtime, so there was no time to wait for better light - but you get the general idea. The foiling is silver, although here some of it looks as if it's gold.






I'm linking for these challenges:

Anything goes 45: more than one fold
Delightful: fancy folded cards
Creative craft: let's 3D it
Unstampabelles 1: celebration
Whoopsi daisy: sparkle and shine
Gingerloft 22: make it sparkle
Clear it out Tuesday: anything goes
Simon says: anything goes

Saturday, 16 July 2011

Hot summer colours

This is for Marie's sketch for Sunday sketch and stamp 63:

It is also for Crafty Ho's Colour challenge: brights - reds, oranges and yellows.

Papers are BG June bug and edges have been distressed with fired brick DI , also the edges of the petals of the big orange flower) for:

Inky impressions 19: distressing
The stamp man 27: anything by T!m! (the distressed inks)

There's magic in the air: birthday card
Penny's 57: happy birthday
Ruby's rainbow 7: happy birthday
Hanna and friends 102: happy birthday
Irish teddy's: flowers
Shabby tea room 70: flower power
Scrappy frogs: summer flowers
Stamp insanity 68: summer colours
Artistic stamper July: hot hot hot - use hot colours
Allsorts 112: free and easy July

Shaving foam background

For this card I've used the 'shaving foam background technique (there is a tutorial here if you haven't come across this before). This was stamped with one of my favourite Magenta stamps.

I used the sketch for Stamptacular 119:

Papers are again from the Pink Petticoat wild blossoms collection (the pad was still out and they are so pretty so I couldn't resist using some again). Dotty sticky ribbons and sentiment added.

This is also for:

The stamp man 27: anything by T!m! (I used alcohol inks with the shaving foam)
Sentimental Sundays 63: inky fingers - unconventional stamping materials or techniques
Pile it on 28: show us your favourite technique (one of my favourites - anything with inking and stamping)
Moving along with the times 103: favourite things - inking and stamping and papers
Phindy's Friday 63: pretty pastels
Ladybug 35: summer birthdays
Penny's 57: happy birthday
Ruby's rainbow 7: happy birthday
Hanna and friends 102: happy birthday
Southern girls 23: happy birthday
I did it: floral
Irish teddy's: flowers
Shabby tea room 70: flower power
Scrappy frogs: summer flowers

Pastel birthday

This card is for the sketch on Corrosive 124:

It's also for the colour challenge on Come and get it:
Papers are from Pink Petticoat wild blossoms collection, cutting out flowers from one of the papers to add to the sentiment circle which was cut with a Nelli Snellen die. Just the addition of some spotty sticky ribbon and the card was done.

This is also for:

Phindy's Friday 63: pretty pastels
Ladybug 35: summer birthdays
Penny's 57: happy birthday
Ruby's rainbow 7: happy birthday
I did it: floral
Irish teddy's: flowers
Shabby tea room 70: flower power
Scrappy frogs: summer flowers
Crafts4eternity R28: 3-2-1 - 3 design papers, 2 ribbons, one die cut shape/sentiment
Pixie cottage 78: wrap it in ribbon
Allsorts 112: free and easy July