Oriental masking

For this one layer CAS card I've used a couple of oriental stamps - the fan one is one of a set recently bought from QVC and the cherry blossom is by Lindsay Mason. I masked the fan to stamp the cherry blossom top and bottom.

This is for One layer Wednesday 83 inspiration challenge (I chose the fan), Simply less is more 59: masking, also for Creative Belli 139: clean and simple - lots of white or wide open space (my forgotten item is the Lindsay Mason cherry blossom stamp that I haven't used for some time).

This is another card for Hiding in my craft room 38: KISS - keep it simple sweetie and Mark's finest papers speedy fox and friends 99: clean and simple.

Floral notebook

Another notebook that I altered for my Tearfund sale - this time a floral one, using an offcut of card and some stickers that I've had for quite some time (think they came from Hobbycraft) - yet again a chance to play in  Pixie's crafty snippets 12 .

Colours are for Just us girls 128 (sorry the camera hasn't really picked up the pink too well):

This is also for:

Going grey with Scrap creations: flowers
Hiding in my craft room 38: KISS - keep it simple sweetie
Mark's finest papers speedy fox and friends 99: clean and simple
Creative Mondays (always crafting) 4: anything goes
Make it Monday 81
Inspire me Fridays 50
52 cardpick up week 11

Stamped printed flowers

I always love using stamps from the Hero Arts printed flowers set - they are so versatile. This time I inked with four different toning shades of colorbox cats eye inkpads and stamped on to an offcut piece of Bo Bunny paper. I then cut them out - with this kind of flower the cutting doesn't have to be too precise. All other papers are from my offcuts box (mainly DCWV papers), so this is another entry for Pixie's crafty snippets 12.

I used the sketch for Eat sleep stamp 164:

 The oval is torn round a template, with the edges inked with one of the cats eye inkpads.

Colours are for Paper sundaes 112 photo inspiration:

The flower are for Kath's birthday challenge 1 on the CBC forum - CBC is celebrating ten years of fun, friendship and crafting together - if you've not been there yet, why not go over and join in the fun - new members are always welcome.

This is also for:

PanPastel UK 10: add a flower
Sunday stamper 197: paper roses or paper flowers
Squigglefly 11: use homemade flowers on your card
Our craft lounge 109: pretty petals - flower stamps
One stop craft 174: handmade flowers
Let's ink it up 21: show us your flowers

Suzie's 365 photos catch up

I've got a bit behind with Suzie's 365 photos, so here is my catch up for the days I've missed, including today:

Day 75: wild: a wild part of our garden:

Day 76: bliss: I love dark chocolate:

Day 77: music: I had to smile when I looked at the most popular 25 titles played on my iPad - Lesley Garrett singing The Lord's Prayer comes right in the middle of lots of Beatles tracks!

Day 78: hobby: anyone who visits my blog regularly will know that my main hobby is cardmaking or anything that involves paper - this is just some of the paper I have - it doesn't look very exciting like this, but when you pull it out and gaze at it and stroke it ... it's lovely!

Day 79: playtime: just because ...

Day 80: quiet: the mute button can be very useful!

Reindeer say 'Merry Christmas'

This is another CAS card using a greetings panel from a kit bought two or three years ago and an offcut of Basic Grey jovial paper - another for Pixie's Crafty Snippets 12.

This is another card for Craft your passion 102: just sentiments, Lollipop crafts 72: sentimentally yours, both of which call for the sentiment to be the focus of the card.

It's also for:

Hiding in my craft room 38: KISS - keep it simple sweetie
Mark's finest papers speedy fox and friends 99: clean and simple
Polka doodles 11: animal or bird
52 Christmas card throwdown theme challenge 3: Christmas animals
Creative Mondays (always crafting) 4: anything goes
Make it Monday 81
Inspire me Fridays 50

May peace be your gift at Christmas

This card uses a piece of paper from my Christmas offcuts box (another opportunity to have a go on the swings at the playground at Pixie's Crafty Snippets 12) and a sentiment panel which was left over from a kit bought two or three Christmases ago.

This is for Craft your passion 102: just sentiments, Lollipop crafts 72: sentimentally yours, both of which call for the sentiment to be the focus of the card.

It's also for:

Hiding in my craft room 38: KISS - keep it simple sweetie
Mark's finest papers speedy fox and friends 99: clean and simple
Frosted fabulous Friday: things with wings
Incy wincy 137: things with wings
Paper creations ink 21: things with wings
Creative Mondays (always crafting) 4: anything goes
Make it Monday 81
Inspire me Fridays 50
52 cardpick up week 11

Another nautical card

Another quick card made with another piece of English Paper Company all abroad paper,a sailing picture and a birthday sentiment.

This is for:

Gingerloft 36: happy birthday
Cute card Thursday 208: happy birthday
Hiding in my craft room 38: KISS - keep it simple sweetie
Mark's finest papers speedy fox and friends 99: clean and simple
Aud sentiments 50: song title - 'We are sailing'
The paper shelter 55: for the boys
Totally papercrafts 108: male card
Creative Mondays (always crafting) 4: anything goes
Make it Monday 81
Inspire me Fridays 50
52 cardpick up week 11

Sailing by with best wishes

This is a quick card made with a piece of English Paper Company all aboard paper background and a recycled picture from an old card - the picture has a lovely texture to it. Just the addition of the Craftime sentiment and the card was done.

This is for:

Hiding in my craft room 38: KISS - keep it simple sweetie
Mark's finest papers speedy fox and friends 99: clean and simple
Aud sentiments 50: song title - 'We are sailing'
Crafty catz 125: red, white and blue
The paper shelter 55: for the boys
Totally papercrafts 108: male card
Love to create 7: anything goes
Creative Mondays (always crafting) 4: anything goes
Make it Monday 81
Inspire me Fridays 50
52 cardpick up week 11

Spring green notebook

Another altered notebook, this time with an offcut green and white background and various stickers from Hobbycraft - for Pixie's Crafty Snippets 12.

This is for:

House of Gilli 28: colours of spring
Creative craft world: mini challenge - smaller than 12 x 12 linked to spring
Little darlings 19: colours of spring
Crafty Ann 61: spring into spring
Simply create too 9: it's spring???
Totally gorjuss 123: spring
Little Claire 19: spring
Allways something creative 26: spring awakening
Joanna Sheen 4: spring is in the air
Crafter's companion March: spring
Phindy's Friday 97: spring has sprung
Sparkles 30: mother's day or spring
Crazy challenge 111: go green
Stamp, scrap & doodle: green and white
Wags n whiskers 75: luck of the Irish - use green
Crazy 4 challenges 128: let's see some green
Use it Tuesday 27: green (using up the sticker)
Simon says: a bit o green
Love to create 7: anything goes
Creative Mondays (always crafting) 4: anything goes
Make it Monday 81
Inspire me Fridays 50
52 cardpick up week 11

Purple notebook

This is another notebook that I made before my sale on Saturday. The background butterfly lilac foiled card was originally a freebie with a magazine (a long time ago). The spotty flowers, glittered silver paisley and butterfly were from The Works.

This is for:

Hiding in my craft room 38: KISS - keep it simple sweetie
Mark's finest papers speedy fox and friends 99: clean and simple
Do you stack up 63: favourite colour
Deep ocean 21: butterflies
Crop stop 63: butterflies
Frosted fabulous Friday: things with wings
Hippity ippity 17: things with wings
Incy wincy 137: things with wings
Paper creations ink 21: things with wings
Love to create 7: anything goes
Creative Mondays (always crafting) 4: anything goes
Make it Monday 81
Inspire me Fridays 50
52 cardpick up week 11

Christmas stocking

This is a Christmas card featuring a stocking brimming with presents for Facebook Sunday's with Santa week 12: presents (bit of a cheat perhaps because you can only really see one present unless you count the candy cane, but the other presents are all tucked away in the stocking - lol!). The card also features dry embossing (stars), so this is for Christmas inspirations 43: dry embossing or heat embossing.

This was one of those cards that's very difficult to get a photo because of all the fold foiling - I had several attempts and in the end had to settle for this. The gold is for Card crafters circle 14: pot of gold and the stars are for Dilly Beans: stars.

With sympathy

Condolence cards are not the easiest to make, but I find that when I have sales for Tearfund people do tend to buy them so that they have one should they need it - sad fact of life. So I made a few ready for yesterday - this is one of them. The insert says 'with deepest sympathy'. This is for Scrapbook sisters 75: sympathy or thinking of you, also for The house that stamps build DCC314 sympathy card challenge.

The butterflies are holographic so they look more purple on here because of the way the light has caught them - with the light on them another way they look more pinky red.

This is also for:

Hiding in my craft room 38: KISS - keep it simple sweetie
Mark's finest papers speedy fox and friends 99: clean and simple
Deep ocean 21: butterflies
Crop stop 63: butterflies
Frosted fabulous Friday: things with wings
Card a day March: thinking of you
Inspire me Fridays 50
52 cardpick up week 11

Sticky notes at the zoo

Here are a couple of sticky note holders I made for my sale yesterday. They are very simple and a good way of using up offcuts of card, which are then scored on my Hougie board and stuck around a block of sticky notes as you can see in the second picture of the zebra ones.

The stickers/chipboard were from Poundland or the 99p store.

These are for Challenge up your life 65: zoo animals, also for Polka doodles 11: animal or a bird.

These are also for:

Pixie's crafty snippets 12
Hiding in my craft room 38: KISS - keep it simple sweetie
Mark's finest papers speedy fox and friends 99: clean and simple
Inspire me Fridays 50
52 cardpick up week 11

Anyone for cricket?

Another CAS card, this time using a recycled picture from a card received,  plus a sticker from a set from The Works and a Craftime sentiment.

This is for:

Gingerloft 36: happy birthday
The sisterhood of crafters: let's celebrate birthdays
Cute card Thursday 208: happy birthday
Hiding in my craft room 38: KISS - keep it simple sweetie
Mark's finest papers speedy fox and friends 99: clean and simple
Anything goes 62: boys to men
The paper shelter 55: for the boys
Totally papercrafts 108: male card
Critter 106: use green
Kaboodle 110: show us some green
Wags n whiskers 75: luck of the Irish - use green
Crazy 4 challenges 128: let's see some green
Use it Tuesday 27: green (using up the sticker)
Papercraft star 88: green
Simon says: a bit o green
Shelly's terrifically thrilling Thursday: show us what you got
Inspire me Fridays 50
52 cardpick up week 11

CAS butterflies

This is a clean and simple card using an offcut of BG scarlet's letter paper (my first entry this week for Pixie's crafty snippets 12), a couple of glittered black and white butterflies and a sentiment made by printing on safmat.

This is for:

Gingerloft 36: happy birthday
The sisterhood of crafters: let's celebrate birthdays
Cute card Thursday 208: happy birthday
Hiding in my craft room 38: KISS - keep it simple sweetie
Mark's finest papers speedy fox and friends 99: clean and simple
Scrappy frogs: seeing spots
2 sisters 83: spots n dots
Deep ocean 21: butterflies
Crop stop 63: butterflies
Crafty sentiments: things with wings
Frosted fabulous Friday: things with wings
Crafts and me 75: let's see circles
Pile it on 12: up in the air
Shelly's terrifically thrilling Thursday: show us what you got
The poodles parlour: anything goes
Inspire me Fridays 50
52 cardpick up week 11

CHNC challenge 64: button it up

I know it's only Friday evening, but I'm posting my CHNC challenge 64 ahead of time, partly because I won't have time in the morning to check whether it's scheduled as it should because of my Tearfund sale.

For my challenge 64 I'm asking you to use buttons - the challenge is being sponsored by Digi Doodle Shop - you can read more about it here.

Now I have a confession to make - well a couple, really - I made my card Friday afternoon (which is early for me - lol!) because I need to get sorted for my card sale tomorrow (not feeling well again, so that's not making it easier), so I used the sketch for Saturday sketch 18, forgetting that by the time my challenge goes live their challenge will be closed - so I decided to break with tradition and post this earlier, only to find that Saturday sketch 18 has already closed - d'oh!

My second confession is that I originally intended to use a digital stamp from Digi Doodle Shop (the sponsors for this challenge) and I forgot - double do'oh!!

Everything used for this card was from my offcuts box - the red glittery panel down the middle is another piece from one of the crackers I saved from the Christmas before last. The circle was cut on my cricut (about time I used that - it's been neglected!). The stamp is a favourite Penny Black called 'fantasy', stamped with versamark and heat embossed with detail black powder (it looks as if I've got specks on powder on the silver where it shouldn't be, but it isn't, honestly - lol! - it's reflection on the photo.

Inspired by all the red for this inspiration photo on Christmas card challenges week 15:

'Buttons' are featured on this inspiration photo for Virginia's view challenge 3 on Lily pad, so I'm linking for that:

This is also for:


Totally Gorjuss 122: anything goes with a button
Willow sketchie: sketch and/or theme - embellish it - buttons and bling
Whimsy 30: emboss it
Christmas crafting 9: non-Christmas image 
Order of the opus Gluei 126: branching out
Cardmakin mamas: button, button, who's got the button?

For mum

I'm busy today trying to catch up with preparing for tomorrow's Tearfund sale (was held up by a bout of sickness and diarrhoeal - fortunately, feeling better now), but just had to stop and make sure I've done a card for mum for Sunday. Shhhh, don't tell mum (lol!), but this card was made out of snippets, recycled card and leaves and flowers that I received as a prize from Hooked on Crafts.

This is the first side stepper card I've made. I used my hougie board with its instructions - went very well for a first attempt (thank goodness!).

The main picture has been recycled from a card received - it's embossed - too good to put into the recycling bin. All pieces of cream and green card and papers used are from my offcuts box. Why is it that the purple/plum paper on the stepper matches with the flowers on the lefthand card, but don't look matching on here?

I've used at least three of the colours from the picture given or The shabby tea room 105: spring is near - and have included embossing:

This has got a fair bit of green on it, so I'm entering it for Liz's Birthday challenge 3 on Crafts for Carolyn - a super forum that is celebrating ten years this week - do go over and have a look and join in the fun.

I'm linking this for:

Stamp, scrap & doodle: fancy fold
Hooked on craft 18: more than one fold
Little Miss Muffet 30: easel, shaped or step card
Crop stop March challenge: shaped card
Sentimental Sundays 93: go green or recycle
Scrap it girl March: go green & recycle
The crafty pad 161: mum's the word
Delightful: someone special
Moving along with the times: special lady
Dream valley 27: mother's day
Sparkles 30: mother's day or spring
PanPastel UK 9: girly/mother's day
Lexi 60: mother's day
Papertake weekly: for the girls or mum
My mum's craft shop 48::mum's the word
Crafty bloggers network 17: floral
Willow sketchie: sketch and or theme - embellish it with flowers
Crazy 4 challenges 127: spring brings new life
Gingerloft 35: spring
House of Gilli 28: colours of spring
Paper creations ink 20: spring is in the air
Little darlings 19: colours of spring
Crafty Ann 61: spring into spring
Simply create too 9: it's spring???
2 sisters 82: spring colours
Just some lines: spring cleaning - use at least two items at least 6 months old (everything except the Hooked on Crafts flowers/leaves)
Crafty calendar March: spring clean - scraps, old stash
Allways something creative 26: spring awakening
Joanna Sheen 4: spring is in the air
Crafter's companion March: spring
Cupcake craftroom March: spring bouquet
Phindy's Friday 97: spring has sprung
Crafting for all seasons 22: green and yellow
Pixie's crafty snippets 11
Hiding in my craftroom 37: super scraps Saturday
Shelly's terrifically thrilling Thursday: show us what you got
The poodles parlour: anything goes
Creative Mondays (always crafting) 3: anything goes
Make it Monday 80
Inspire me Fridays 50
52 cardpick up week 11

Guest Designer on Playing in Paradise

I was fortunate enough to win challenge 56 on Playing in Paradise and was invited to join the team as a Guest Designer for challenge 58: hug a tree:

Updating this post to show the prize I received this morning from Playing in Paradise for winning challenge 56:

The brief for this challenge is to use wood as an element in your creation.

When faced with this challenge I was thinking of using some wooden letters or numbers that I bought ages ago and then I remembered that I had some white woodgrain effect card somewhere ... so I found it and swiped it all over with tea dye distress ink. I then thought about some jigsaws that I'd bought cheaply on a recent visit to Hobbycraft (they are sort-of-like wood - lol!) and distressed the edges with the tea dye, stamping with part of a large stamp that I love, Keys to music by Troy Crisswell, Stamps Happen, colouring just the piano and the black keys with copics. The wording was generated on computer and printed on to some more of the woodgrain card, distressing the edges with brushed corduroy DI.

This is also for:

Party time 59: monochromatic
Dare to be sassy Thursday 116: monochromatic
Mad for markers: monochromatic with copics
Guylou's inimitability: monochromatic
Create me pink 8: tear it up - tearing and/or distressing
Prairie fairy Fridays 74: distress it
Craft room: vintage
Creative card crew: vintage
The stamp man: vintage theme
Bunny Zoe 22: shabby chic/vintage
LiaStamptz 13: anything goes + add a sentiment
Shelly's terrifically thrilling Thursday: show us what you got
The poodles parlour: anything goes
Creative Mondays (always crafting) 3: anything goes
Make it Monday 80
Inspire me Fridays 50
52 cardpick up week 11

50th birthday for an Arsenal fan

I've had an awful night of sickness (won't give too much information!), so I hardly got any sleep, so stayed in bed till late this morning to try and make up for it. A slice of dry toast and a cuppa later, I'm just beginning to feel OKish, which is just as well because I am so behind on preparations for my sale or Saturday.

The first thing I needed to do is a commissioned 50th birthday card for an Arsenal fan. I got the photo of the player from Arsenal's website.

I've used the sketch given for Playing in paradise 57 (I'm scraping in at the last minute for this ... and watch this space for tomorrow, because I have the privilege of joining Playing in paradise 58 as their Guest Designer).

This is an A5 card. The background Kanban grass card is an offcut, the black and white football paper is from PDA, the band across the middle had Happy birthday repeatedly printed on to vellum and then stuck over the striped paper - all these were from my offcuts box, so another entry this week for Pixie's crafty snippets 11 and Hiding in my craftroom 37: super scraps Saturday.

This is also for:

The sisterhood of crafters: let's celebrate birthdays
Crafty ribbons 15: birthday
Cute card Thursday 208: happy birthday
Anything goes 62: boyz to men
The paper shelter 55: for the boys
Polka doodles 10: let's hear it for the boys
Paper pretties Monday challenge: stripes

Garden green notebook

Another notebook - this time with a piece of striped card from my offcuts box and a few 3D stickers that have been in my stickers box for ages (good way to use them up - knew they would come in handy one day - lol!).

As this has lots of green I'm entering it for Liz's Birthday challenge 3 on Crafts for Carolyn - a super forum that is celebrating ten years this week - do go over and have a look and join in the fun (thanks for the heads-up for this, Liz).

This is for:

Pixie's crafty snippets 11
Hiding in my craftroom 37: super scraps Saturday
Party time 59: monochromatic
Gingerloft 35: spring
House of Gilli 28: the colours of spring
Paper creations ink 20: spring is in the air
Little darlings 19: colours of spring
2 sisters 82: spring colours
Joanna Sheen 4: spring is in the air
Crafter's companion March: spring
Card caravan (the hybrid chick) 14: lucky green
Pile it on 11: St Patrick's day and/or shades of green
Critter 106: use green
Kaboodle 110: show us some green
Sassy Cheryl 106: wearin' of the green - use some green
Use it Tuesday 27: green
Papercraft star 88: green
Simon says: a bit o green
Do you stack up 62: go green
Phindy's Friday 96: monochromatic green
Raise the bar 95: go green
Creative Mondays (always crafting) 3: anything goes
Make it Monday 80
Inspire me Fridays 49
52 cardpick up week 10

Bicycle notebook

Another altered notebook, this time with an offcut of Basic Grey cupcake bicycles with some stickers from the 99p store. This is for Crazy amigo: bicycle challenge.

It's also for:

Pixie's crafty snippets 11
Hiding in my craftroom 37: super scraps Saturday
Anything goes 62: boyz to men
The paper shelter 55: for the boys
Polka doodles 10: let's hear it for the boys
Creative Mondays (always crafting) 3: anything goes
Make it Monday 80
Inspire me Fridays 49
52 cardpick up week 10