Phindy's Place Challenge #95 - Distressing

This week's Phindy's Place Challenge is to use distressing techniques on your project.  I've used Distress Inks, tearing, stitching and distressing of paper edges but I'm sure there are more techniques to try!  I used the adorable Easter Bonnet image for my card and added some lacy ribbon, a lacy border punch and some flowers to the layout, which is this week's sketch from  Mojo Monday, though I changed it slightly by putting the sentiment where the flowers were shown and moving the flowers to bottom right.
My card is for the following challenges:
Mojo Monday - sketch
Tuesday Throwdown - paper tearing
Sew Many Cards - punch it
Hiding in my Craftroom - bring on some spring
Do you Stack Up - things with wings
little Miss Muffet - fancy or lacy
Shelly's Images - seeing spots (DP)

Wishes and dreams

This week's House Mouse & Friends Challenge is about making wishes come true.  I think this gorgeous bunny and friend  are wishing for summer, I know I am!  The decoupage is Joanna Sheen, I've added some ribbon, a Lili of the Valley sentiment stamp and DP by Prima.  I'm sorry now that I used the DP, it is so pretty and you can see so little of it!
My card is also for Do You Stack Up's Lots of Layers Challenge,  Stamp Scrap & Doodle's more than 2 layers challenge and Allsorts Challenge Anything Goes.

Waltzing Chrysanthemums

This card uses another of the Waltzing Mouse stamp sets that I was so lucky to win from Claire at WM, alongside the Say It Loud sentiment set.   I used WOW blueberry embossing powder to stamp the words and the flowers, used a MS round the corner punch and added some stitching, some pearls and some lace.  The large flwoers are layered, apart from the middle one.  The larger flower is stamped in Bashful Blue as background onto the blue card.  If you are wondering why the middle flower has only  1 layer  and there is an extra flower top left it's because I noticed that I hadn't lined up my punch correctly and there was a gap in the bubbles!
My card is for:
Waltzing Mouse - sketch
One Stop Card Crafts - create your own background
CRAFT Challenge - no designer papers
Totally Gorjuss - lace
2 Sisters - stitching
Whimsy Stamps - anything but a square card
Creatalicious - all about lace
SJ Papers - flowers
Crafty Purple Frog - flower power
Do You Stack Up - layers
Crafty Catz - favourite things - I am in love with Waltzing Mouse just now, also lace, stitching and embossing are firm favourites!

Phindy's Place Challenge #91 - photo inspiration

Sorry to be so late posting this card, I have been unwell.  This week at Phindy's Place Challenge we have a gorgeous photo to inspire you. Do check out the DT's cards, we also have a very talented Guest Designer this week, Katja.  There is a $5 gift certificate to win for Card of the Week as well as for a randomly picked winner.  While you don't have to use one of Phindy's images, there are some fabulous images that we love to see made into cards and don't forget you get two entries into the draw if you use one!

I've side-stepped the valentine potential and used red and green to make a Christmas card with Done Shopping, an image that doesn't have to be for Christmas.    My card uses #8 from the Sketch'n'Stash back catalogue of sketches, with ribbon, card candy, poinsettias and a sentiment added to Echo Park Season's Greetings DP. 
My card is also for:
Sketch'n'Stash - free choice stash
Christmas Inspirations - anything goes
Craft us Crazy  - anything goes
Do you Stack up - anything goes
Pixie Dust Studio - girly girl
Rainbow Lady - wear red

Fred She Said Christmas Challenge

 Fred She Said is having a fun little Christmas Challenge! The theme is " Make a Christmas Tag OR Share a favorite Holiday Recipe " How do you enter? You have lots of choice here: you can make a Christmas Tag, a recipe card, or share a favorite Holiday recipe on your blog, linking to our challenge.  You don't have to use Fred She Said designs, but we love it when you do!
The PRIZE is a $25 GC to the Fred She Said Store.  There will be one winner chosen randomly.  Entries will be accepted until Friday DEC 30th midnight EST.  ... more details at the Fred She Said BLOG :) 

I used a lovely snowflake medallion from Fred She Said, which is pre-coloured, ideal for a quick and easy tag for a gift.  It really sparkles and shines; I gave it two coats or iridescent sparkle before I assembled the three layers and added Stickles and Perfect pearls to it.  You can find the snowflake here on the Fred She Said Blog - it is a freebie!

I also have a holiday recipe to share with you, which was given to me by a lady who took a quilting course with me.  I don't know where Barbara got the recipe from, but I do know it is delicious!

 

Lemon-frosted pistachio cake.

250g butter

250g caster sugar

3 eggs

100g shelled pistachio nuts (un salted)

100g ground almonds

1 orange

1 teaspoon rosewater 

60g plain flour

Crystallized rose petals and shelled pistachio nuts to decorate (optional)

Preheat the oven to 160 C Gas 3 and line the bottom of a non-stick 22cm/ 9 in. cake tin.

Cream the butter and sugar in food mixer until very light and fluffy.

Add the eggs one at a time, beating between additions

Blitz the pistachios to fine crumbs in food processor and then add them with the ground almonds, to the butter and sugar.

Finely grate zest and squeeze orange and then stir in with rosewater.

Lastly fold in flour with a large metal spoon.

Scoop mixture into lined baking tin and bake for fifty minutes, covering top lightly with foil for last 10 minutes.

Check the cake by inserting metal skewer into centre. It should come out fairly clean, without any wet mixture stuck to it. Leave to cool in the tin and then turn it out.

To make the icing

100g unrefined icing sugar.

 2 tblsp lemon juice.

Mix sugar and lemon juice till smooth. Pour over the cake and decorate with rose petals and pistachio nuts. Leave till icing is set.   

I'm entering my tag for a few challenges: 

Drunken Stampers - glittery holiday

Designed2Delight - tag you're it

Whimsical Wednesday - tags

Heart Song Inspirations - snowflakes and/or doilies

Cupcake Craft - look at the light (sparkly, shiny)

Everybody Art Challenge - blue & white

Digital Tuesday - winter wonderland

Shopping our Stash - tag it krafty

Do You Stack Up - winter photo inspiration

Try it on Tuesday - gift tags galore

Anything Goes - anything but a card

Craft Your Passion - tag you're it
Colour Create - blue, silver and white

Ooh La La - Guest Designer - Challenge #79 Tres Chic

 I was honuored to be asked to be a Guest Designer for Ooh La La Creations Challenge for May and June and here is my first card for them, this week's challenge is Tres Chic and I have used a pyramage with two papers from their Passion for Fashion CD.  It's a detailed image that called for a fairly simple background, I decided to frame it with a Marianne Creatables Die and this inspired me to try something new and finally get to grips with embossing a die cut shape, as the frame looked nothing much at all until I embossed it.  I used my Big Shot, with the following layers:  grunge paper, platform with one leaf folded back, cutting plate, die, rubber sheet, black plastic plate.  Hoorah now I just have to remember the combination :).

Other embellishments are:  Hero Arts sentiment stamp gold embossed, gemstones and roses.

My card is also for the following challenges:

One Stitch at a Time -embossing

Sparkles Forum - anything goes

Sweet Stampin' - try something new (embossing diecut, pyramage)

Sugar Creek Hollow - embossing

Do You Stack Up? - make it pop (3D)