Butterflies and Blooms

I am trying to cut down on buying DP as I have enough to decorate the whole house!  However I gave in and got the yummy new Craftwork Cards pad and tags which have dreamy birds, butterflies and blooms.  Made this, based on the sketch at Sunday Stamps to make myself start using it not just admiring it!  In real life the Card Candi and ribbon are a good match for the pink in the flowers and butterflies...

I'm entering my card for the following challenges:
Sunday Stamps - sketch
Crafting Musketeers - butterflies
Paper Minutes - on the fly
Eureka Stamps - add a butterfly
Make my Monday - a grown up card

If Santa didn't deliver the goods...

... Grandma would  :) 
Great sentiment but an even funnier one is included in the set!

I've been trying to keep up with the challenges at Christmas Fun this year, to keep those Christmas cards coming, but the theme this time had me stumped for a while - Baby's First Christmas.  I just don't "get" cards for babies lol, oh well.  I reached for one of my Acid Drops and What-Nots stamp sets and came up with this card.  The DP is Basic Grey and I've added a bit of ribbon.

I'm also entering:
Kaboodledoodles - use ribbon
Christmas Card Challenges - anything goes
Sweet Stampin' - humour

Lots of lovely layers

I'm trying to get back into the habit of blogging some of my cards.  This was made with the Angelica and Adam CD, which I have been really taken with.  The image is decoupage with six layers, stripy mat is Craftwork Cards, who of course also make the dotty card candi.  Sentiment is Hero Arts.  Fairly c&s, don't want to overpower those layers with too many distractions!
I'm entering my card for:
Quirky Crafts - pile it high
A Gem of a Challenge - spots and stripes
A Little Bit Crafty - man up
Crafty Little Fairies - one for the boys
Penny's Paper Crafty - lots of layers
Lacy Sunshine - lots of layers

Less is More Week 160 - Metal

I'm standing in at Less is More again this week and the challenge is to use METAL on your clean and simple card.  Chrissie, Mandi and Jen always come up with really innovative ideas and I've been racking my brain about this challenge!  On Monday night I happened to be rummaging through the clearance bin at Stamp Attic and found some HUGE brads. Sorted!  I've no idea what they are meant to be used for, but they make fab wheels for my little car :).  Car was cut with my Portrait, sentiment is Simon Says, IRL the ink on it is a very good match to the brads.  I cut the road freehand from a scrap of card.

My second card uses snowflake charms in a fairly standard way.  The IndygoBlu border stamp and the sentiment have been silver embossed with WOW detail onto mottled blue card.  Charms are attached with Glossy Accents.

Fashionista!

This week the Ooh La La Challenge theme is Fashionista, which gives you lots of scope to design a fabulous, feminine card.  Very apt for London Fashion Week too!  I've used an image from the Ooh La La CD Yesterday's Memories, called French Chic.
It's very elegant with clean lines so I've tried to stick to that with my card.  The background is embossed with a Roses folder, I've added flowers from Craftwork Cards, some dotty ribbon, purple matting and card candi and a Katy Sue sentiment, also coloured with a touch of purple. 

Hope you like it and look forward to seeing lots of fashionable cards!

Less is More - Week 159 - Masculine

I'm standing in on Less is More  this week, sending best wishes and hugs to Jen who has a few things going on in her life just now.  This week's challenge is to make masculine cards, C&S of course.  I tend to prefer masculine cards to be clean and simple and enjoyed making a few for the stash.  Can't wait to visit all your blogs and see what you come up with :).

My first card uses Stampin' Up Wetlands stamp and some Distress Inks.  Cardstock is textured and I've added some string.  Looove this stamp, made this card at Chrissie's a few weeks ago on my birthday, think I may have to get this set sometime!


Second card is bright and bold, it uses a cut file from Silhouette called Quaking Aspens.  The "Dad" is part of a lovely Woodware stamp with surrounding words which I covered up when I inked it.  It's coloured with Copic and the red buttons added for interest.

 
Final card uses Acid Drops and What-nots image, swirls and sentiment stamps from various sets and has been coloured with Copics.  I can't think what you call this shape of card, if indeed it has a name, anyhow the fold is off-centre!

Thanks for looking, hope you play along too.

Happy Heart Day

Ugh!  Valentines Day is no fun when you're single :( .  However, I made this for an old friend who keeps Highland cattle and I hope it will raise a laugh.  Image came from Googling, hearts cut with my Portrait, sentiment computer generated.  The inner mat of kraft card has been embossed.
I'm entering my card for:
Crafter's Cafe - must have hearts
Simon Says - get krafty
The Male Room - valentine
Crafting by Design - anything for love
Fab 'n' Funky - love/ valentine
Paper Crafting Journey - love is in the air
Papertake Weekly - with a heart
Cardz4Guys - truly madly deeply
Crafting from the Heart - anything goes/use red

Keep Cosy...

Keep Cosy sounds like a good plan, we're surrounded by floods and now it is going to freeze :(.
This is my entry for the Christmas Fun Challenge, which is Christmas Cuties this week.  Joanna Sheen House Mouse decoupage with some embossed Swiss Dots and a Portrait cut snowflake border.  I'm also entering the blue and white challenge at Christmas Cards all Year Round and Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas  Challenge.

Over the Edge

The theme at CAS-ual Fridays this week is Over the Edge and after a bit of thought I came up with this card.  I love the look of over-the-edge but find it impractical to post/give as it's difficult getting an envelope to fit.  So my snowflakes hang over the edge of the central panel :).  All made from white pearlised card, "strings" are dry embossed, snowflakes cut with my Portrait.  Card candi, seam binding and an Inkylicious sentiment complete the card.
I'm also entering Stamping Boutique's CAS challenge.

Ooh La La Challenge Blog - Use a Heart

 I've been playing with my Ooh La La Faithful Friends CD and used it for this week's Ooh La La Challenge, which is to use a heart.  Not really into valentines and no one to send one to lol!  But "love me, love my dog" is a fitting phrase for me.  This totally adorable puppy image has a postage stamp border, which fitted perfectly with a couple of files for my Portrait.  The backing paper is also from the CD and I've added some twine too.
My card is also for the following challenges:
Simon Says - anything goes with twine or string
Crafting from the Heart - use red
Craft your Passion - love is in the air
Cutie Pie - my cute valentine
Through the purple haze - love is in the air

The Yorkie was a quick card made for a dear friend - nearly forgot her birthday but managed not to!

 

Happy Third Birthday to Less is More

 

This week Less is More Challenge celebrates its third birthday with a rainbow colour challenge.  I've seen some lovely feather stamps lately, which all seem to be sold out at present.  I found this stamp as a magazine freebie and used it for my one-layer card.  It doesn't show up too well, but there is a double embossed line above and below the feathers.  I've not got round to mastering my stamp positioner and I used my Inkadinkado stamping gear to line up the stamp, took several attempts and a lot of time to get one I was happy with.  So the air turned many colours of the rainbow, but mostly blue, when I got a smudge below the sentiment!  After a bit of thought, some card candi came to the rescue, which gave me another idea...
 
I was lucky enough to get a fab Penny Black stamp set from Chrissie for my birthday which contains this gorgeous border.  I added a Woodware sentiment and card candi to it.  This card took maybe 5 minutes at most - rather different from my first effort :).  Congratulations to Chrissie, Mandi and Jen for starting and keeping up such an inspirational challenge blog.

I'm also entering my card for One Layer Simplicity's repeat challenge.

Less is More Challenge - Sketch

I spent a wonderful birthday playing with crafty things at Chrissie's (Lady LIMette herself)  on Wednesday and when I heard that Jen might not be able to make her cards for this week's challenge I jumped in and asked if I could do some for Less is More.  Chrissie kindly agreed and let me see Jen's fab sketch for this week's challenge, this is what I came up with.

First card is a slavish copy of the sketch:  the sentiment is computer generated, I've embossed Swiss Dots on the star, used my sewing machine to pierce a border round the card and added a simple mat.  The cardstock is White Laid, really interesting texture in real life.

 
Second card  is a little more adventurous, the shape is now a rectangle and my star has become a 3D flower made using my Portrait.  The lime green mesh came from Stamp Attic, the card candi and sentiment are from Craftwork cards.

Hope you like my cards and I may add some more using this great sketch...

Stashbusting for Christmas

Here's a card I made using papers that came with a Debbi Moore magazine and based on the Sketch Saturday layout.  I'm sticking to my resolution to make a Christmas card a week - so far - as well as enjoying the stash that I have.  I'm also entering my card for Christmas Fun's non-traditional Christmas colours challenge.

DT Card - Ooh La La - Man Card

Today we have a really useful new challenge from Ooh La La Creations, which is to make a card for a man.  I always seem to have lots of feminine cards and not enough man cards, so this is a great time to redress the balance!  My Golden Retriever image comes from the Ooh La La CD Faithful Friends, which has gorgeous dog images and some fab masculine papers too, I've used plaid and a woodgrain for my card.  The sentiments are Joanna Sheen stamps, corners die cut with Memory Box die and ribbon from Stampin' Up.

Oh Deer!

I treated myself to the Pollyanna Pickering papercrafting kit for Christmas and yesterday night sat down to make a couple of cards instead of just stroking the papers...

My card is based on Jen's layout at Sketch Saturday, though I opted to move the banner down as it didn't look right when it was across the image.  Very clean and simple, this card uses DP from the kit, image matted onto silver mirri which was also used to punch the snowflake.  The banner is made from a scrap of dotty embossed card.

I'm entering my card for:
Sketch Saturday - sketch
Christmas Fun - anything (Christmas) goes
Simon Says - ice inspiration
Cute Card Thursday - cold and frosty
Totally Papercrafts - winter wonderland

Less is More - one layer hearts

I used this week's Less is More Challenge as an excuse to buy a new stamp on Saturday, as I didn't think I had any heart stamps.  Of course when I got home I found an Inkadinkado Stamping Gear one as well as a freebie from Craft Stamper!  Oh well, I love JOFY stamps and this is so pretty.  I stamped 3 times, coloured with Pan Pastels and added Glossy Accents to the hearts.  The background was meant to be a distressed, old book page kind of colour; not sure it has worked too well...  Kisses stamp is Hero Arts.
I'm also entering:
Pan Pastels - anything goes
A Gem of a Challenge - something new (stamp)

New card, old stash

Continuing my New Year theme of enjoying the stash I have, here is a very pink, very pretty card made using the Precious Petals CD by Joanna Sheen.  Bought it on Ebay last year, but never used it until now...
Butterflies and Cand Candy are Craftwork Cards, paper is very very old from my stash and sentiment computer generated.

The butterflies are there as cover-up because my printer has left a dirty mark on the paper, happened a couple of times lately when I've been printing for craft.  I've had stern words with it, watch this space...

I'm entering my card for:
CD Sunday - pretty in pink
Feeling Crafty - butterflies
Just Inspiration - girly
Use Your Stuff - new beginnings
Crafty Sentiments - new

Ooh La La Challenge - Easel Cards

Hmm... that was an interesting weekend.  Both sons now back at uni, older son evacuated multiple times from various halls of residence on the seafront at Aberystwyth, not the best place to be just now!

Anyhow, today is the first challenge of the New Year for Ooh La La, to make an easel card.  I have opted to use artwork from the Carnival of Colour CD, which has gorgeous images from Beverly Morgan.  I've added punched and diecut poppies as well as backing paper from the CD.  My sentiment says "Happy Birthday" - I never seem to get a good photo of both base and topper on easel cards, but really it does look great IRL :)

Love the stash you have

I've a few good intentions for my crafting in 2014 - not resolutions as they never seem to last past January :).

•  I plan to make a Christmas card each week, how did Christmas catch me out last year, did they move the date or something?!  I was still making cards on the 23rd, rather stressful...

• Love and use the stash that I am lucky enough to have.

 

My entries for this week's Less Is More Challenge - Winter Blues - fit the bill for both.  I have a vast stock of card candy and I am in awe of those who create clever things with it.  Used it to make a tree; I found it quite challenging enough to keep my tree from leaning at a drunken angle!  Note to self:  all candy candy is not equal (in size that is).  Pot stamp from Inky Doodles, sentiment from Stampin' Up.

  


Second card uses pattern stamps by Inky Doodles that I fell for at the NEC last year.  These make the most amazing and varied backgrounds.  Yesterday they were featured on Create & Craft which reminded me just how much they needed to be inked up and played with.  They do match up to repeat but I needed just one strip of pattern on my LIM card.  I had several attempts at this, but the problem was not caused by the stamps, my inky fingers on the pristine white space were the problem :).  Inks used:  Versafine, Memento and Stampin' Up.  Sentiment from Inky Doodles.

I'm also entering my cards for:
Allsorts - free and easy
Keep it Simple - anything goes
Gem of a Challenge - something new (new stamps)
Open Minded Crafting - new toys or technique

Hope to bring you some more 2014 "enjoying my stash" cards soon.

New Beginnings

 It's a new year and new beginnings, with this in mind I've two rather ornate new baby cards to show you today.  Both are made with CraftsUPrint downloads and each has a tag with it, though I've only shown it for the boy card.  I've decoupaged, added lace, ribbon, gems, embossing...  between them the cards have most embellies!

I'm entering my cards for:
Simon Says - something new
Little Red Wagon - new beginnings
Allways something creative - something new
Ready teddy go - new beginnings (the teddy is in the baby's arms)

Happy New Year to all my blogging friends and I hope that 2014 brings you health and happiness. 

Last Minute Christmas

This is from the last batch of cards for Christmas this year, a paper pieced JOFY stamp which is almost a one layer card :).  Colour added with Copics to the star the pot.  I thought there was almost too much white space and stitched a border around one tree, but really I prefer it without, what do you think?  I'm entering a favourite theme of mine, Trees, at Less is More, where you can pick any of the previous challenges; trees are Week 142.

I'm also entering...
Stampin with the Dragon - last minute Christmas
Copic Marker Europe - CAS
House that stamps built - last minute Christmas card or tag
Baffie's Creativeladen - last minute Christmas

PS Both trees are stamped onto the same paper, the colour difference in the photos is down to the bad light, one is with flash and one without, and neither looks that much like the real thing!

Ooh La La CD Challenge - Winter Wonderland

There's a super new challenge at Ooh La La, Winter Wonderland.  You don't have to use the CDs to enter the challenge, but we love it when you do.  My card uses a gorgeous wintry image from Carnival of Colour, which has stunning artwork from Beverly Morgan.  I really like the artwork tha Wendy tracks down for Ooh La La, it is a little different from the run of the mill images that can be found everywhere.The backing paper is also from the CD.  I've used lots of blingy silver mirri card to mat and to punch out some Spellbinders snowflakes, adding a few white ones as contrast.

I'm entering my card for the following challenges:
Simon Says - Bling it on
Brown Sugar - winter
Card Crafters Circle - home for the holidays
Sweet Stampin' Christmas - snow
Ladybug Crafts - Christmas/winter
Card Mania - winter wonderland

Seasons Tweetings

This  8" card uses Jayne Netley Mayhew decoupage from Joanna Sheen, added to an embossed background and with a couple of feathers and decorative bits added.  The fab ribbon came from Stamp Attic at Wantage.
I'm entering my card for:

Simon Says - make your own background
Creative Card Crew - holly or poinsettia
Cuttlebug Mania - anything goes Christmas
Papetake - Christmas Creatures
Bunny Zoe - wings
C is for Challenge - traditional Christmas

Swan Song for my Big Shot...

This is the last finished card that my much-loved Big Shot will ever make with me :(.  Having cut the dies for this card I tried to run a very intricate Cheery Lynn through with shims and the handle has sheared off, with the die and plates wedged inside.  I will have to dissect it to get my die out.  My Big Shot has been a great servant and doesn't owe me anything, I got it free when I was starting out crafting - at the NEC with two magazine subscriptions.  It weighed a ton as I lugged it back to the car park but it was worth it.

Expensive day today, a contact lens tore this morning and now I'm waiting for the third calamity...

Anyhow, my card is for Less Is More, where the challenge is metallic with one other colour.  Dies are Memory Box, sentiment is Kaisercraft.  The metallic is the silver card and also the beading wire that the baubles are hanging from.

Ooh La La Challenge - Happy Birthday

This week's card is a welcome diversion away from Christmas cards - Ooh La La's Challenge this week is Happy Birthday.  I have chosen an image from the Shawn Jenkins Collection CD, just love all the images on this one.  The pyramage Tulips image sets the colourscheme of pink and green, the 2 co-ordinating DPs also come from the CD and I've added a butterfly sentiment and some sheer ribbon.

I'm also entering my card for:
Simon Says - Heather's sketch
CD Sunday - F is for Flowers

White Christmas

There are a few white on white challenges around at present, so I'm blogging this diecut and embossed card which may look familiar if you are a regular reader of my blog!  The difference with this one is that I haven't added any sparkle or shine with Glamour Dust or Stickles, so you can see the detail better on the houses.  Sleigh is a Cheery Lynn die and the village is Memory Box.

My card is for:
Simply Create - snow or only white
Charisma Cards - Christmas
Sweet Stampin' Christmas - white on white
Sisterhood of Crafters - embossing
Try it on Tuesdays - white on white

Snow Geese

For once I have managed to combine my two favourite challenges, which usually call for very different styles:  Less is More and CD Sunday.  I think it works ok, what do you think?

Less is More want Christmas cards with birds and I've used these gorgeous geese from Inky Doodles' Warm Winter Wishes set.  CD Sunday's challenge is something beginning with F - Frost in this case.  Dotty paper is Anna-Marie designs and the heavily Stickled snow is torn white card.  So where is the CD element?  The snowflake shape of the card is from a cutting file that is on Creative Crafting World's Winter Walk in the Countryside, which I bought at the NEC last month.

I'm also entering my card for Tuesday Throwdown's Snowbird challenge

CDs can be square...

... well not really but here is my card for CD Sunday's Square Challenge.  I've not had a chance to play along with their challenges for a few weeks and was determined not to miss another one!  My card is from Cupcake Crafting's Magical Christmas moments.  I used CC Spray & Sparkle on the image, love the smell of this stuff :), doesn't really show up on the photo.  It's matted onto green and then gold and then I've added a Memory Box diecut and some tiny gems to the Christmas tree.

I'm also entering the following challenges:
Charisma Cardz - Christmas
ABC Christmas - winter wishes
Paper Shelter - Christmas is coming
Crafty Sentiments - Christmas

May all your dreams come true

This week's Less is More Challenge is to use Designer Paper in a CAS way.  I love 6x6 pads of paper, but I am using them less and less these  days. I had lots of ideas for this challenge but, as so often happens these days, life got in the way!  So here's my finished card, which uses an Authentique pad called Renew, which I think is the most recent paper I've bought.   This card would have been really quick if I'd had a butterfly punch of the right size, however mine is tiny so I cut these out on the Silhouette which was a bit more time consuming, but still beats cutting out by hand LOL! Sentiment is Stampin' Up.

White Christmas

This card uses dies that I bought at the NEC last week, teamed with some dot embossed card, Christmas ribbon and a bit of Glamour Dust to add sparkle.  Very simple, just like me lol!
I'm entering my card for:
Allsorts - white Christmas
Papertake - snow and ice
Hobbycutz - winter wonderland, sparkle
One Stitch at a Time - holidays
Crafty Calendar - all things Christmas
2 Sisters - Christmas sparkle
Speedy Fox - white Christmas

Beary Chilly

Today's card is a Joanna Sheen decoupage offering, with Jayne Netley Mayhew artwork.  I've embossed blue card for the background and added festive silver ribbon, some punched snowflakes and lots of glitter on the image. Love this image!
My card is for the following challenges:
Cute Card Thursday - animal magic
Through the Purple Haze - winter scene, optional animals/ people
Crafty Bloggers - Christmas
Creative Creations - sparkle and shine
Paper Playtime - sparkle

Stitching, Real or Faux - Ooh La La Challenge

It was my turn to choose the them this week at the Ooh La La Challenge Blog, as you can see I opted for real stitching on both my background papers.  The stunning image is from the Shawn Jenkins Collection CD as are the background papers.  Leaves are cut with a JS die that I treated myself to at the NEC.

One layer Thank You

This week' is One Layer week at Less is More.  Having had a wonderful day at the NEC with Chrissie, Lady LIMette herself,  I decided to play with some new stamps I got yesterday and came up with this Thank You card.  As ever, I love my tree stamps and I found a brilliant new (to me) stamp company called Inky Doodles with some amazing stamps that create patterns.  Along with the patterns, I ended up with some solid topiary shapes which work really well for kiss stamping.

 I used a WOW dotty stamp to kiss stamp onto the tree and added a Hero Arts sentiment.  The green inks are Olympia Green Versafine, with some Distress Ink in Evergreen Bough around the edges.  There was just too much white space (sorry LIM!) so I added a double embossed line along 2 sides.

I'm also entering the following challenges:
 CAS-ual Friday - embossing
Challenges and Candies - clean and simple
Simple Create Too - give thanks
Simon Says - clean and simple

Merry Christmouse

Here's a decoupage card I have just finished up, a Joanna Sheen House Mouse design.  The DP was a giveaway with a magazine, I added some sparkly dots to my bow with Stickles.
I'm entering my card for:
Papertake - anything goes
Joanna Sheen - food for thought
Pile it On - animals with character
Squirrel and the Fox - animal antics
Sparkle & Sprinkle - anything goes with glitter/embossing powder/flocking

Less is More - Trees

Less is More has my favourite ever theme this week - Trees - but life has got in the way of me making a card and this one is just scraping in at the last minute.  The stamp is made by Inkylicious; I have had problems with their stamps in the past but they persuaded me to give them another try at Ally Pally and replaced a stamp that had deteriorated.  The stamp has a choice of the couple I have used or a child on a swing which can hang from the branches.   Background uses Autumn/Halloween shades of Pan Pastels on a linen cardstock, I do like they way they highlight the texture.  The card is made from the same cardstock and I've used Pinflair glue to add the image with some dimension.  Oh, the sentiment is by Technique Tuesday.  Sorry for the poor photo, it was take it after dark or not at all now the nights are drawing in!

I'm also entering my card for:
Simon Says - Halloween/Halloween colours
Pan Pastel UK - autumn colours
Caboodle Doodles - Halloween colours
Lady Anne's - autumn

The C*****mas Word...

Yes, it is getting to be time to start on those Christmas cards - unless you are one of the smug people who has already made them!  This lovely image is from the Joanna Sheen Hollypond Hill Christmas CD.  I've matted and layered a few times, added some paper that came free with a magazine, some punch cut snowflakes and a big bow.

My card is for the following challenges:
Simon Says - Christmas
Craftroom Challenge - our feathered friends
Deep Ocean - Christmas is round the corner

Things with Wings - Ooh La La Challenge #141

Good Morning and welcome to a new Ooh La La Challenge.  This week our theme is Things With Wings and I suspect many of the DT will have picked images from the lush new Shawn Jenkins Collection CD, which has so many stunning images with butterflies on.  I've used a pyramage design called  Tulip, the DP also comes from the CD.  I've cut a strip from it and reversed the chevrons, what do you think?  There is also a punched border, a mini pyramage, some metal butterfly charms and a butterfly sentiment - quite a theme going on here - which also fits CD Sunday's Butterfly Challenge.

I'm also entering the following challenges:
 Totally Gorjuss - wings and things
Card Crafters Circle - use three embellishments
Divas by Design - three or more layers

Clean & Simple Christmas

 This week's Less Is More Challenge is to make a White on White Christmas card.  I chose to make even the sentiment white, so I used my Silhouette to cut out the Noel.  It is mounted with Pinflair glue on  Swiss Dot embossed background, the whole card is made from pearlescent white card.  A punched snowflake rests on the O and I resisted the temptation to add more!

I then used the negative to make another c&s card, but chose this time to add colour, this is simply glued onto red card with some gem stars added.  If I'd stuck it down dimensionally it could also have been WoW, but I like this version too.

I'm also entering my card for:
Keep it Simple - all is white
Crimbo Crackers - embossing
Simon Says - going dotty
Divas by Design - CAS

Going Dotty

You may need your sunglasses to look at this one lol!  It's from the new Ooh La La release of artwork by Shaun Jenkins and it is a perfect fit for Simon Says Challenge this week - Going Dotty.  Dotty DP is also from the CD, I've added a few random extra butterflies, all with Stickles added to give them a bit of bling.  Some ribbon and lacy ribbon, with the corners of the DP punched out with a MS punch.  The image is raised up with Pinflair glue.  Hope my card has brightened your day :).

I'm also entering my card for:
Try it out Tuesday - going dotty
Crafting Cafe - anything goes
Fab'n'Funky - ribbon