Birthday cards

Two cards made with one fancy edged card blank - cut into two and mounted on to two square card blanks., on to which were added some glittery embossed stickers and sentiments.

These are for:

Dream valley 54: happy birthday
More than favors wacky Wedneday 83: birthday theme
Ruby's rainbow 51: happy birthday
One stop craft 223: birthdays
Allsorts 201: spring has sprung
Crafts and me 127: spring flowers
My Sheri 107: spring has sprung
Scrappy frogs: think spring
Joanna Sheen: spring into spring
Country view crafts 2: butterflies
Emma's 15: butterflies
613 avenue 14: anything goes with spring fever
Mayzy art 14: sparkle
Totally Gorjuss 178: anything goes with sparkle
Shelly's terrifically thrilling Thursday: use scallops
One stitch at a time 158: anything goes
Robyn's fetish 154: anything goes
2 sisters 138: anything goes
DL.ART thankful Thursday April linky: anything goes
Let's craft and create 67: anything goes
Crafty emblies: anything goes
My Grafico 148: anything goes
52 card pick-up 2.14

Lilac anniversary

I think I'm having a lilac phase today ... I just love crafting with lilacs and purples. This time, it's an Anniversary card, matting an embossed shape on to a card blank, adding a few embossed stickers, sentiment and prima sparkly spacers.

This is for:

Eclectic ellapu: love is in the air
Flutter by Wednesday 234: flowers + butterfly
613 avenue 14: anything goes with spring fever
Mayzy art 14: sparkle
Totally Gorjuss 178: anything goes with sparkle
Shelly's terrifically thrilling Thursday: use scallops
The  squirrel and the fox 41: inspired by a song: Remember when (Alan Jackson)
One stitch at a time 158: anything goes
Robyn's fetish 154: anything goes
2 sisters 138: anything goes
DL.ART thankful Thursday April linky: anything goes
Let's craft and create 67: anything goes
Crafty emblies: anything goes
My Grafico 148: anything goes
52 card pick-up 2.14

Silver and lilac Christmas

It was Sylvie's turn to choose the theme for the Christmas Card Club challenge for today and she asked us to make a card with silver and one other colour.

I started off last night with three attempts that went into the bin, by which time our central heating boiler had packed up and I was getting cold. We had to get up early this morning as an engineer is booked to come between 8 and 5 today (no sign  of him yet ... hope he will come today and be able to put the boiler right). Anyway, I thought I'd have another go today and ... after one or two aborted attempts ... finished up with this card which I'm relatively happy with (at last!).

The background silver and lilac baubles card is a Kanban one that I've had for ages (originally part of a kit). I'd been unsuccessfully trying to stamp the lovely IndigoBlue Merry Christmas, Deer stamp on to a slightly textured card and getting rubbish results ... and silver embossing powder everybody.

While looking for some smooth lilac card to match the background card I found some lilac mottled paper that I don't even remember buying - it was just right. I inked up the stamp with versamark and heat embossed with detail silver powder, mounting this on a piece of silver mirror card. The snowflakes were cut with a punch I bought yesterday from Hobbycraft to replace the one I broke a while ago - with little lilac gems in the centres of all the snowflakes.

Who would have thought that a simple card like this could take so many attempts to get right ... got there in the end!

This is also another card for my own CHNC challenge 119 - use the word 'Christmas' on the front of the card - why not click on the link and join in?

Update: I started blogging this card this morning, but then it got left - thankfully, the boiler has now been fixed.

This is also for:

Facebook A card a day
Facebook Sunday's with Santa week 13: shiny sparkles
Christmas card challenge week 19: vintage (and the previous week's reindeer)
Jingle belles: jingle belles are bling-ing
Paper-crafting journey: monochromatic
Stamp dreams 10: monochrome
Playing in paradise 111: embossing
Mayzy art 14: sparkle
Totally Gorjuss 178: anything goes with sparkle
The  squirrel and the fox 41: inspired by a song: Rudolph, the red nosed reindeer
Creative stamp friends 74: stamping or punching (not sure which it is because of the translation - but the card includes both)
Lexi 87: use your punches and/or dies
Loves rubber stamps 46: anything goes
Little miss muffet 58: anything goes
One stitch at a time 158: anything goes
Robyn's fetish 154: anything goes
2 sisters 138: anything goes
DL.ART thankful Thursday April linky: anything goes
Let's craft and create 67: anything goes
Crafty emblies: anything goes
My Grafico 148: anything goes
52 card pick-up 2.14

Pink birthday girl

This card uses the front of a shaped card matted on to a square card blank. the image is CC Designs stamp 'Swiss lady bug Nora', with the circle die cut matted on to a scalloped one. With the addition of the resin flowers in the corners and Craftime sentiment, the card was done.

This is for:

Shelly's terrifically thrilling Thursday: use scallops
613 avenue create 13: anything goes with flowers
All that scraps Wednesday challenge: winged things (yes, Nora has wings)
CCEE 1314: things with wings
My heart pieces: angels or fairies
Stamp-n-doodle: pretty in pink
One stop craft 216: happy birthday
More than favors wacky Wednesday 83: birthday theme
Ruby's rainbow 51: happy birthday
Simon says: happy birthday
Totally papercrafts 161: birthday girl in pink
Bunny Zoe March: girly
Top tip Tuesday 98: girls and boys come out to plate - include a boy and/or girl
Aud sentiments 77: for a child
Inky impressions 104: for a child
Stamp and create April: use at least 1 die
Lexi 87: use your punches and/or dies
2 sisters 138: anything goes
DL.ART thankful Thursday April linky: anything goes
Let's craft and create 67: anything goes
Crafty emblies: anything goes
My Grafico 148: anything goes
Make it Monday 134
52 card pick-up 2.14

Today's bargains from Hobbycraft

I was in two minds this afternoon whether to go into Bromley or whether to go into Orpington and then get the bus to the Nugent's Retail park to visit Hobbycrafts. Sometimes I visit and come away disappointed, so I was still unsure even when I was on the bus.

Well, there were some bargains to be had. Here is the haul I got, most of which were reduced, some were reduced more than the price labels that were on them. I paid full price for the snowflake punch (I needed a new one because I broke the previous one), full price for the organza ribbons with gems ('cause I love them) and full price for 5 mini stamps that were only £1 each anyway.

The only disappointment was that I was hoping to get the new Craft Stamper there, but they only had last month's and I was too late back into Orpington to go to WHSmith - that will have to be a treat for next week.

Shiny pink

I seem to have a run on using scalloped cards and doilies (they go so well together). All I've added is a lot of shiny pink flowers (not sure where these came from - might have been the 99p store or The Works).

This is for:

Shelly's terrifically thrilling Thursday: use scallops
Everybody art 230: shaped card
613 avenue create 13: anything goes with flowers
DRS 64: paper flowers
Allsorts 201: spring has sprung
Brown sugar 36: spring
Crafts and me 127: spring flowers
My Sheri 107: spring has sprung
Scrappy frogs: think spring
Everybody art 230: shaped card
Pink by design: sparkle and shine
Mayzy art 14: sparkle
Totally Gorjiuss 178: anything goes with sparkle
Whoopsi Daisy: bling
Stamp-n-doodle: pretty in pink
Paper-crafting journey: monochromatic
2 sisters 138: anything goes
DL.ART thankful Thursday April linky: anything goes
Let's craft and create 67: anything goes
Crafty emblies: anything goes
My Grafico 148: anything goes
Make it Monday 134
52 card pick-up 2.14

CHNC challenge 119: use the word 'Christmas'

It's an easy challenge this week for my CHNC challenge 119 - just make sure you use the word 'Christmas' on the front of the card - you can use any other words if you like, but please make sure you use the word 'Christmas' - 'simples' as the meerkats would say.

For my card I followed the sketch for Merry Monday 56 (Always playing with paper):

I used My Mind's Eye papers from the 6 x 6 pad 'lost & found Christmas'.

I had some dies on order that I knew would be just right for this sketch and was hoping that they would come in time and they arrived this morning. However careful I am when I try to make the 'fishtails' they never come out as well as I would like, so when I saw these dies I couldn't resist buying them and I know already how useful they are going to be:

I edged all papers with copic sepia E37. I've used a kraft card blank.

Colours are for play date cafe challenge 176:

This is also for:

Gingerloft: kraft paper
Cupcake craft 236: get your kraft on
Creative inspirations 208: let's get krafty
Moving along with the times: let's get krafty
ABC challenges: K for kraft
Holly jolly Christmas: Christmas music
Facebook Sunday's with Santa week 9: polka dots (a catch up!)

Au natural

The play date cafe challenge 176 is:

Also for the photo challenge for Just add ink 160:

My card is very simple using a die cut shape that has a feint image on the side and shading around the edges, with the addition of three prima flowers with pearls.

The sentiment stamp is by Funstamps inked with memento rich cocoa.

This is also for:

Soartful March: shades of brown with ecru & cream
Addicted to stamps and more 39: addicted to CAS
613 avenue create 13: anything goes with flowers

Embroidered red flowers

I bought these embroidered red flowers off a market stall in Eastbourne when we were there last year. They are almost too good to use on a card, but I thought they looked nice on the die cut circle matted on to the doily and then on to the blue shaped card blank.

This is for:

All kinds of cards 77: red and light blue
The paper shelter 106: use a doily
613 avenue create 13: anything goes with flowers
Crafts and me 127: spring flowers
My Sheri 107: spring has sprung
Scrappy frogs: think spring
Everybody art 230: shaped card
DL.ART thankful Thursday April linky: anything goes
Let's craft and create 67: anything goes
Crafty emblies: anything goes
My Grafico 148: anything goes
Make it Monday 134
52 card pick-up 2.14

Black and white

Four quick black and white cards using black card blanks and Kanban toppers that I found in my stash - must have been there for a long time. The first and second are like mirror versions of each other, as are the third and fourth cards.

These are for Annabelle 160:

These are also for:

Paper-crafting journey: monochromatic
CCEE 1314: things with wings
Addicted to CAS 9: spring
Crafting when we can 41: name that tune - 'Sing little birdie' - sung for the UK by Pearl Carr and Teddy Johnson for the Eurovision Song Contest in 1959 - you can see/hear it here

I like adventures ...

... and I'm going to find some. This is a quote from Little Women by Lousia May Allcott and is one of the quotes given for the April book challenge on The house of bears. The Craft room challenge this week is 'in the library' - books, so this is also for that. Also, Jellypark friends is 'it's all about a book', so this is good for that.

 I've used an ATC that I made long ago and didn't swap it. The image is part of a Faye Whittaker All our yesterdays stamp, coloured with distress inks. The embossed butterfly background was created with a folder.

This is also for:

Crafty cardz 128: don't quote me - favourite quote
Polka doodles14: pink and brown
Inky impressions 104: for a child
Stempelsonne 86: kids
The artistic stamper creative team April: texture
Visible image April: get stamping
City crater 153: anything goes (sort of) - I used an embossing folder

Another doily card

Another shaped card using a doily and lots of lovely glittered Martha Stewart flowers.

After I'd taken the photo I realised that the card wasn't standing properly because you can see the edge of the fold higher up than it should be (can't be bothered to do it again now).

Inspired by Moxie fab world Tuesday trigger: friendly flowers:

This is for:

Facebook A card a day
The paper shelter 106: use a doily
613 avenue create 13: anything goes with flowers
DRS 64: paper flowers
Crafts and me 127: spring flowers
My Sheri 107: spring has sprung
Scrappy frogs: think spring
Brown sugar 36: spring
Everybody art 230: shaped card
Crafty catz 177: anything goes
DL.ART thankful Thursday April linky: anything goes
Let's craft and create 67: anything goes
Crafty emblies: anything goes
My Grafico 148: anything goes
Make it Monday 134
52 card pick-up 2.14

Pink doily card

Another shaped card on to which I matted a bright pink doily, a die cut silver circle and some 3D paper flowers from Hobby Craft.

This is for:

Stamp-n-doodle: pretty in pink
The paper shelter 106: use a doily
613 avenue create 13: anything goes with flowers
DRS 64: paper flowers
Crafts and me 127: spring flowers
My Sheri 107: spring has sprung
Scrappy frogs: think spring
City crafter 153: anything goes (sort of) - I chose: circle dies
Everybody art 230: shaped card
DL.ART thankful Thursday April linky: anything goes
Let's craft and create 67: anything goes
Crafty emblies: anything goes
My Grafico 148: anything goes
Make it Monday 134
52 card pick-up 2.13

Pretty in pink

The colours are for Deep ocean 48 photo inspiration:

The embossed card blank is one I've had for a long time, pieces of ribbon with gems from Poundland, an offcut piece of Hunkydory card with music and flowers, Craftime flowers and a sentiment which has a silver boarder (not black as it looks in the photo).

This is also for:

Facebook A card a day
Pixie's crafty snippets 66
2 sisters: sparkle and shine
Pink by design: sparkle and shine
Mayzy art 14: sparkle
More than favours wacky Wednesday 83: birthday theme
Ruby's rainbow 51: happy birthday
Simon says: happy birthday
Stamp-n-doodle: pretty in pink
Delightful: music
613 avenue create 13: anything goes with flowers
DRS 64: paper flowers
Crafting for all seasons 49: floral delight
Party time Tuesday 114: ribbons and blooms
House of gilli 51: anything goes with flowers and/or ribbons
Crafty ribbons 42: anything goes with ribbon
Playing in paradise 110: embellish a little ... or a lot
DL.ART thankful Thursday April linky: anything goes
Let's craft and create 67: anything goes
Crafty emblies: anything goes
My Grafico 148: anything goes
Make it Monday 134
52 card pick-up 2.13

Hello cupcake

A CAS card made with a scalloped shaped card blank and a picture of a cupcake upcycled from an old card, die cut with a nestie and edged with fired brick distress ink.

This is for:

Freshly brewed April: sweet treats
Shelly's terrifically thrilling Thursday: use scallops
CRAFT 201: recycle
Try it on Tuesday (Tuesday taggers): recycle it
City crafter 153: anything goes (sort of) - I chose: circle dies

Just for you

Another card similar to the previous two - the front of a ready shaped card mounted on to a plain card blank, silver mirror die cut circle, white die cut circle, circle image and sentiment from a kit:

This is for:

2 sisters: sparkle and shine
Pink by design: sparkle and shine
CCEE 1314: things with wings
City crafter 153: anything goes (sort of) - I chose: circle dies
613 avenue create 13: anything goes with flowers
DL.ART thankful Thursday April linky: anything goes
Let's craft and create 67: anything goes
Crafty emblies: anything goes
My Grafico 148: anything goes
Make it Monday 134
52 card pick-up 2.13

Free as a bird

Another card similar to the previous one - ready shaped card, silver mirror die cut circle, white die cut circle, circle image and sentiment from a kit:

This is for:

2 sisters: sparkle and shine
Pink by design: sparkle and shine
CCEE 1314: things with wings
Everybody art 230: shaped card
City crafter 153: anything goes (sort of) - I chose: circle dies
613 avenue create 13: anything goes with flowers
DL.ART thankful Thursday April linky: anything goes
Let's craft and create 67: anything goes
Crafty emblies: anything goes
My Grafico 148: anything goes
Make it Monday 134
52 card pick-up 2.13

Love birds

Quick card using a ready shaped card, silver mirror die cut circle, white die cut circle, circle image and sentiment from a kit:

This is for:

2 sisters: sparkle and shine
Pink by design: sparkle and shine
Sparkles 42: birds
CCEE 1314: things with wings
Everybody art 230: shaped card
City crafter 153: anything goes (sort of) - I chose: circle dies
613 avenue create 13: anything goes with flowers
DL.ART thankful Thursday April linky: anything goes
Let's craft and create 67: anything goes
Crafty emblies: anything goes
My Grafico 148: anything goes
Make it Monday 134
52 card pick-up 2.13

A dove for sympathy

Another sympathy card, this time using an offcut of matt mirror card, some lovely glittered Martha Stewart flowers and the dove image using a very old Anita's stamp, finished off with the Hobby craft sentiment stamp.

This is for:

Pixie's crafty snippets 66
2 sisters: sparkle and shine
Pink by design: sparkle and shine
Mayzy art 14: sparkle
LiaStampz 38: birds, nests and eggs
Sparkles 42: birds
CCEE 1314: things with wings
Stamps & fun = creativity 145: black + turquoise + one other colour (gold)
Perfect sentiments 73: sympathy/thinking of you
Playing in paradise 110: embellish a little ... or a lot
Simon says show and stamp: anything goes
Loves rubber stamps 46: anything goes
613 avenue create 13: anything goes with flowers
DL.ART thankful Thursday April linky: anything goes
Let's craft and create 67: anything goes
Crafty emblies: anything goes
My Grafico 148: anything goes
Make it Monday 134
52 card pick-up 2.13

Another sympathy card

Another simple sympathy card - ready made decorated card blank, part of the Hobby craft sympathy stamp and some felt flowers.

This is for:

Addicted to stamps and more 39: addicted to CAS
Perfect sentiments 73: sympathy/thinking of you
Simon says show and stamp: anything goes
Loves rubber stamps 46: anything goes
613 avenue create 13: anything goes with flowers
Playing in paradise 110: embellish a little ... or a lot
DL.ART thankful Thursday April linky: anything goes
Let's craft and create 67: anything goes
Crafty emblies: anything goes
My Grafico 148: anything goes
Make it Monday 134

With sympathy ...

... thinking of you at this time.

Simple card with a couple of sentiment stamps (top one from Hobby craft, bottom one is Inca) , the Hobby art 'dove and cross' stamp and a couple of felt flowers. The card is white, of course, although it's so hard to get a photo that doesn't look grey!

This is for:

Addicted to stamps and more 39: addicted to CAS
Perfect sentiments 73: sympathy/thinking of you
Simon says show and stamp: anything goes
Loves rubber stamps 46: anything goes
Amusing challenges (stamped blessings): anything goes
Lacy sunshire 5: anything goes
DL.ART thankful Thursday April linky: anything goes
Let's craft and create 67: anything goes
Crafty emblies: anything goes
My Grafico 148: anything goes