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.