Suzie's 365 photos day 44: friendship

For Suzie's day 44: friendship I'm showing a photo I took when we were staying in Maidstone. We visited to church where John was a choir boy as a lad. While we were there we got talking to a someone that turned out to be an old school friend of John's - he hadn't seen him for nearly 60 years - they not only went to school together, but were in the choir at the same time.

Sorry, resolution isn't very good on this photo, but still wanted to use it.

A card for tomorrow

This is my Valentine's card to give to John tomorrow.

Colours are for Crafter's cafe blog February: pink, red and purple, Jellypark friends: shades of love - reds, pinks, purples, also for Critter 101:

Papers are by Jenny Ellory. I stamped the Hero Arts lace circle doiley with memento tuxedo black on to paper that is sprinkled with little hearts and flowers. I used the red heart on to the white one to give a good contrast. I chose to use the doiley stamp for this week's Daring cardmakers challenge: pretty hearts and paper doilies.

This is also for:

Stamp dreams 120: for someone special
Shopping our stash 38: hearts, Valentine and/or lace
Fab n funky 107: love is in the air
For fun: put a little love in your heart
Glitter geeks 6: to the one I love
Card crafters circle 9: Valentine
Digistamps4joy 36: do it for love

Hearts and flowers for love

There's a lot of love around atm - so many challenge blogs are concentrating on love, hearts, flowers, red, pink etc - not surprising with Valentine's day in a couple of days' time.

So this card features hearts (no idea where they came from - been in stash for ages) mounted on 7 gypsies sushi journey paper to match the square that houses the flowers - all made from offcuts. The swirly panel with spots was run through the cuttlebug twice, once with a dreamweaver stencil and then with the dots embossing folder. This was then distressed with worn lipstick DI. The strips of bling down the lefthand side are from Poundland.

This is for:

Stamp dreams 120: for someone special
The crafty pad 157: the letter B - bling, brads, blooms
Crafty creations 156: swirly whirly
CES 72: lots of layers - 3 or more
Paper pretties 192: add texture to your card
Come and get it February colour challenge: real red, whisper white, melon mambo
Cupcake craft 178: pink and red
Paper pretties Monday challenge: red, pink and white
Cute card Thursday 203: pink Valentine
Shelly's terrifically thrilling Thursday: love colour challenge - red, pink and white
Mami doodles 43: pink, red, white
Stamp, scrap & doodle: red, white and pink
Crafts4eternity R58: raspberry delight:

Clear it out: Valentine's/love + use your pink/red scraps
Let's craft and create 38: flower power
Crafty purple frog: flower power
Ruby's rainbow 21: flowers with a bit of sparkle
Crafty cardmakers 6: monochrome magic
Challenge up your life 64: monochrome
Papercraft star 83: hearts
Catered crop: hearts
Hooked on craft 17: hearts
Truly scrumptious 73: love & hearts
Rainbow lady 191: I have a heart
Fussy & fancy 56: with all my heart
Prairie fairy Fridays 72: let me call you sweetheart
2 sisters 78: I heart you
Creative Belli 136: hearts/Valentine (everything is old apart from the Poundland strips)
My Sheri 78: love is in the air (with at least two hearts)
Gingerloft 33: love is in the air
House of Gilli 25: love is in the air
Lexi 58: love
Victorine: love/Valentines
Deep ocean 18: love you
Everybody art 179: love
Crafting for all seasons 20: love is in the air
Freshly brewed February: love
Friendship's garden 9: love - 3 embellishments: flowers, hearts and bling strips
More than favors Wacky Wednesday 64: love
My mum's craft shop 43: it must be love
Penny's 72: love is in the air
Simon says: love is in the air
Whimsy 25: love themed
Totally Gorjuss 118: lurve
4 crafty chicks 76: love is in the air
Do you stack up 58: love
Crafty Ann 58: love is in the air
Fairy-tale 34: love, love, love
Allways something creative 23: in love
Joanna Sheen 3: love is in the air
I brake for challenges 18: I brake for love
Dream valley 25: Valentine
The squirrel and the fox 11: Valentine's day
Crafty boots:: Valentines
Ooh-la-la 98: be my Valentine
Party time Tuesday 54: Valentines
Sassy Cheryl 101: be my Valentine
Scrap-cards 21: Valentines
Top tip Tuesday 69: Valentine's
Tuesday throwdown 84: be my Valentine
The paper shelter 50: be my Valentine
The sisterhood of crafters: Valentine's card
CRAFT 141: Valentines day
Cardmakin mamas: Valentine
Crafty catz 199: Valentine's
Blog a doodle: use red as main colour
Little Claire 18: romance
Papertake weekly: anything goes
If the shoe fits fashionista Friday 99: anything goes
Inspire me Fridays 45
52 card pick up week 6

All the Bs

I've used the sketch for this card from Die cuttin divas 51:

It's another entry for The crafty pad 157: the letter B - this time there are quite a few Bs - blue, big blooms, birthday, beads and bling.

Papers and blooms are from the Papermania capsule collection by Jesse Edwards, the large tag shaped card blank which is from the Kanban heritage range and the scalloped strips, ribbon and star with wired beads are from stash.

This is also for:

Speedy fox and friends (Mark's finest papers) 94: shaped cards
Sentimental Sundays 89: shaped cards
Sew many challenges 80: birthday
Squigglefly 5: birthday cards
Fun with shapes and more 102: birthday
Sundays with Crissy 26: birthays
Let's craft and create 38: flower power
Crafty purple frog: flower power
Ruby's rainbow 21: flowers with a bit of sparkle
Little darlings 17: favourite embellishments - hard to choose between ribbons and flowers, but this has both
Crafty cardmakers 6: monochrome magic
Challenge up your life 64: monochrome
Truly madly crafty February: ribbon and bling
Ribbon carousel 39: anything goes
The pretty little ribbon shop February 7: anything goes
Papertake weekly: anything goes
If the shoe fits fashionista Friday 99: anything goes
Inspire me Fridays 45
52 card pick up week 6

Suzie's 365 day 43: from the past

These are for Suzie's day 43: from the past.

The first photo shows a little jewellery box - very ordinary and wasn't expensive, but it was my Nan's. I can remember loving it as a child and I still love it for the sentimental value it holds - it sits on the windowsill in our bedroom.

I'm also sneaking in another photo - this time it's a photo of our wedding day - this sits next to our phone on the unit in our hall:

Silver snowflakes and stars

It's time for another challenge for the Christmas Card Club girls and Sylvie has chosen 'snowflakes' as the theme. My silver glittered snowflakes are combined with silver glittered stars - more Anna Griffin supplies.

These are also for:

Crafty cardmakers 6: monochrome magic
Challenge up your life 64: monochrome
The crafty pad 157: the letter B - lots of bling
Crimbo crackers 8: no people or animals
Paper pretties 192: add texture to your card
Di's digi designs: it's all about now
Papertake weekly: anything goes
If the shoe fits fashionista Friday 99: anything goes
Make it Monday 75
Inspire me Fridays 45
52 card pick up week 6

The city of love

This card uses papers  by GCD studios 'Paris nights' and Express Yourself glittered stick-on decorations. The card blank is an A5 size in the shape of a tag - this is for Speedy fox and friends (Mark's finest papers) 94: shaped cards.

The black on the main background paper is flocked, so it it lovely and 'touchy feely', just like velvet, which has given a nice texture to the card - just right for Paper pretties 192: add texture to your card. I stuck the gold glittered Eiffel Tower over the one in the collage picture.

This card was prompted by Inspired by challenge 10, where this photo inspiration was given:

This card would be suitable for an anniversary (particularly if the couple were fortunate enough to be celebrating in Paris like we did for our fifth anniversary, some years ago now) or even for Valentine's Day.

I'm linking for these challenges:

Papercraft star 83: hearts
Catered crop: hearts
Hooked on craft 17: hearts
Truly scrumptious 73: love & hearts
Rainbow lady 191: I have a heart
Fussy & fancy 56: with all my heart
Prairie fairy Fridays 72: let me call you sweetheart
2 sisters 78: I heart you
Creative Belli 136: hearts/Valentine (I've had the papers for quite some time)
My Sheri 78: love is in the air (with at least two hearts)
Gingerloft 33: love is in the air
House of Gilli 25: love is in the air
Lexi 58: love
Victorine: love/Valentines
Alota 76: love challenge with no red
Deep ocean 18: love you
Everybody art 179: love
Crafting for all seasons 20: love is in the air
Freshly brewed February: love
Friendship's garden 9: love - 3 embellishments: the gold glittered Eiffel tower, hearts and the lampost
More than favors Wacky Wednesday 64: love
My mum's craft shop 43: it must be love
Penny's 72: love is in the air
Simon says: love is in the air
Whimsy 25: love themed
Totally Gorjuss 118: lurve
4 crafty chicks 76: love is in the air
Do you stack up 58: love
Little Miss Muffet 28: Valentines and love
Crafty Ann 58: love is in the air
Delicious doodles 12: all loved up
Fairy-tale 34: love, love, love
By the cute and girly February: love is in the air
Allways something creative 23: in love
Joanna Sheen 3: love is in the air
I brake for challenges 18: I brake for love
Little Claire 18: romance
Papertake weekly: anything goes
If the shoe fits fashionista Friday 99: anything goes
Make it Monday 75
Inspire me Fridays 45
52 card pick up week 6

Bright colours to brighten up a winter day

This is for Cupcake inspirations 146:

The paper is We R Memory Keepers and is much brighter IRL than on here - sorry the photo is crooked, not the card. The flowery strip across the bottom is Papermania.

It's also for:

The crafty pad 156: let's see some fresh spring colours
City crafter 95: colours of the rainbow
Dancing in pajamas TCP rainbow inspiration challenge:

Totally papercrafts 103: it's a rainbow
Ruby's rainbow 21: flowers with a bit of sparkle (doesn't show up here, but the flowers, butterflies etc are glittered)
Charisma cardz 5: things with wings
Papertake weekly: anything goes
If the shoe fits fashionista Friday 99: anything goe

Another birthday garden

This is another card very similar to the previous two, once again using Kanban concept materials - the card has an aperture, so the garden scene is stuck on the inside. Once again, this was inspired by Perfect sentiments 18: inspired with love:

This is also for:

Birthday sundaes 42: birthday card with sentiment

Sew many challenges 80: birthday

Sundays with Crissy 26: birthdays

Pollycraft 126: chill out (relax in the garden)

The crafty pad 156: let's see some fresh spring colours

Summer gardens

There's still some snow on the ground - hopefully it will clear tomorrow and the weather will be a bit warmer. It would be lovely to have some sunshine and to be able to sit in the garden in the warmth - no chance! So instead, I'll have to content myself with these summer scenes.

These were prompted by the photo inspiration for Perfect sentiments 18: inspired with love:

These were made with items from a Kanban concept card kit. They are  aperture cards - the garden scene is stuck on the inside of the card.

These are also for:

Sew many challenges 80: birthday (first card)
Squigglefly 5: birthday cards
Celebrate the occasion 49: anything goes birthday
Dare to be sassy Thursdays 111: birthday card
Sundays with Crissy 26: birthdays
The crafty pad 156: let's see some fresh spring colours
The pink elephant 134: pink (second card)
Pollycraft 126: chill out (relax in the garden)
Papertake weekly: anything goes
If the shoe fits fashionista Friday 99: anything goes
Make it Monday 75
Inspire me Fridays 45
52 card pick up week 6

Beach scene

This is for Sunday sketch and stamp 92 Emma's sketch:

I built up the beach scene with digital images from Dezinaworld - because these images have clear backgrounds it's easy to layer one on top of the other, so the beach shelter, girl, towel and each of the shells/starfish were all separately added. The main background is also from the Dezinaworld beach set. These are just some of the gorgeous vintage pictures that June makes available.

This is for the Sugar creek hollow vintage challenge 'vacation at the beach' and also That craft place 5: oh I do like to be beside the seaside.

This makes me think of much warmer weather than we have atm, so it's good to look forward to 'here comes the sun' for Inspiration Avenue.

It's also for:

Pollycraft 126: chill out
Crafty sentiments: let's get girly
Our creative corner: best friend
Craft your days away 38: get stitchy with it
Card caravan (the hybrid chick) 12: use ribbon
Sweet stampin: clean and simple
The pretty little ribbon shop February 7: anything goes
Papertake weekly: anything goes
Ribbon carousel 39: anything goes
Scrapbook sisters 70: anything goes
If the shoe fits fashionista Friday 99: anything goes
Allsorts 141: free and easy
Make it Monday 75
Inspire me Fridays 45
52 card pick up week 6

Suzie's 365 day 42: portrait of a loved one

It seems that when you want to get a good picture you can try and try ... and still not really succeed. I was going to use an old photo of John, but decided to enter into the spirit of Suzie's 365 day 42: portrait of a loved one by taking an up-to-date picture today. In the end I had to stop trying, so this is as good as it gets:

Simply purple and grey

When I saw today's Less is more 54 one layer challenge was 'stripes' I thought of a much-loved man's stamp by Personal Impressions which has a striped lining to a waistcoat. The paisley background stamp is Tim Holtz stamped over the masked waistcoat. I've lightly coloured this with a mix of the lilac and cool grey.

I coloured with promarkers (lilac and cool grey 1), so this is for Passion for promarkers 135 colour theme: grey and purple.

This is also for:

Fashionable stamping 14: make it a guy thing
Rogue redhead rebel challenge 8: stamped background
Sweet stampin: clean and simple

Simply red, green and gold

A simple card made with Anna Griffin materials (these seem to go on for ever, but I'll be sorry when supplies are used up - still got some left). This is red, green and gold for 52 Christmas card throwdown:

This is also for:

Truly madly crafty February: ribbon and bling
Card caravan (the hybrid chick) 12: use ribbon
The pretty little ribbon shop February 7: anything goes
Papertake weekly: anything goes
Ribbon carousel 39: anything goes
Scrapbook sisters 70: anything goes
If the shoe fits fashionista Friday 99: anything goes
Allsorts 141: free and easy
Make it Monday 75
Inspire me Fridays 45
52 card pick up week 6

CHNC challenge 59: another angel card

This is another angel card for my CHNC challenge 59, which this week is asking for you to feature either an angel or a fairy on your Christmas card.

Challenge 59 is being sponsored by Bugaboo Stamps, so I have used their Angel word image for this card, colouring with copics and promarkers.

For this card I've used the sketch for CPS 5th anniversary day 1:

I'm sorry that it's not a very clear photo because of light issues - the sentiment top right actually says Happy Christmas. The foiled paper panel on the left and the vellum script panel on the right, both mounted on to gold mirror card, were offcuts, so this is another card for Pixie's crafty snippets 6 (I've been doing very well with using snippets this week, so how come my box seems just as full as ever?!).

This is also for:

My time to craft 172: A is for adorable
Crafty cardmakers 6: monochrome magic
Challenge up your life 64: monochrome
Papertake weekly: anything goes
Scrapbook sisters 70: anything goes
Catch the bug February: anything goes
If the shoe fits fashionista Friday 99: anything goes
Allsorts 141: free and easy
Make it Monday 75
Inspire me Fridays 45
52 card pick up week 6

CHNC challenge 59: angel

I wouldn't normally do this, but this is an early post for my CHNC challenge 59 for tomorrow - I can't give you a link yet because the blogpost isn't up until tomorrow morning, but will link then (so it gives you a head start to start thinking of what you might make to enter the challenge, which will be all about angels or fairies).

I didn't actually intend to blog this card till tomorrow, but I've used the sketch for Sweet Sunday 151 and have suddenly realised that the challenge closes tonight, hence the early blogging of this card because I wanted to acknowledge the use of the sketch:

My challenge CHNC 59 is being sponsored this week by Bugaboo stamps, so I've used one of their digital images called 'angel big star' to which I added my own sentiment and coloured with copics and promarkers. The papers are offcuts that were in my Christmas scraps box, so this is another for Pixie's crafty snippets 6. the brocade ribbon and Christmas greetings are from stash.

I'll be blogging another card in the morning for CHNC challenge 59 which will feature a different Bugaboo angel stamp.

This is also for:

Crafty cardmakers 6: monochrome magic
Challenge up your life 64: monochrome
Charisma cardz 5: things with wings
CES 71: give me wings
Card caravan (the hybrid chick) 12: use ribbon
Ribbon carousel 39: anything goes
The pretty little ribbon shop February 7: anything goes

A dog's life

This is a simple card for Just some lines 'a dog's life' challenge.

The background paper is some I bought ages ago from PDA card and craft and the holographic edged stickers were from Poundland. A couple of strips down the edges and the card was done.

Colours are for Color throwdown 178:

This is also for:

Pile it on 6: for a tween
Here come the boys 20: favourite song - Elvis Presley: Hound dog
Alphabet: A for animal antics
365 cards day 346: spread the word
Paper sundaes 106: clean and simple
Papertake weekly: anything goes
Scrapbook sisters 70: anything goes
Catch the bug February: anything goes
Make it Monday 75
Inspire me Fridays 45

Suzie's 365 day 41: heart

Here is my photo for Suzie's day 41: heart:

The heart box is one that I bought years ago for John - it's only a cheapo plastic one - in which he keeps his 'treasures'. If you look closely you can see the back of the medallion that his second guide dog wore. Other treasures include his wedding ring that he can't wear any more because his knuckle has thickened up. I promised him a new wedding ring for Christmas, but we still haven't been to buy it - one day soon, hopefully. That will be the third wedding ring he's had from me (and I'm still on my first).

Oh, and the slipper socks are some that I bought yesterday when we picked up prescriptions from the chemist - just right for cold feet in the winter.

Another little kiss

I've used the same stamp as the previous card (Crafty companions s.w.a.l.k.), coloured with copics, for the sketch for Totally Gorjuss 117:

Background paper is 7 gypsies baja journey and the pink flowery paper is Pink petticoat wild blossoms.

This is also for:

Crafting when we can 11: Valentine/love
Make my Monday 35: romance - love letters - script paper
Creative inspirations 149: lots of love
Fab n funky 107: love is in the air

A little kiss

I've based this card on this week's Willow sketchie:

I used mainly pink and red for Daring cardmakers February colour combo challenge. Pink and red is also the theme for Cupcake craft 178, red, pink and white for Paper pretties Monday challenge, also for Dutch dare card 151 and 2 sisters 77 colour challenge.

The stamped image is Crafters companion from the s.w.a.l.k. range, coloured with copics. The patterned paper square is BG Indian summer and this and the image are backed with a piece of pink BG urban prairie - this is for Basic Grey 61: love/Valentine, also for Going grey with scrap-creations: Valentines.

The crystal hearts are from Hobbycraft.

Suzie's 365 day 40

Day 40: compact

My powder compact. I remember when I first started wearing make up (help, that was 50 years ago!!) everyone used loose powder - I remember having a lovely compact that was gold (not real) with flowers on it. Nowadays, powder compacts are very ordinary: