Flowers and fairy - Get Well Soon

Another of my friends from choir has recently had a serious operation and is currently recuperating and unable to come back to choir.  I'd got a lovely stamp that I'd found online, coloured and filed away some time ago so thought this might be the ideal card to use it on.

Hubby bought me a super little sewing machine for Christmas as I was really keen to try stitching on my cards.  I'm embarrassed to say that this is the first time I've used it.  Anyhow, I'm pleased with how my first 'stitching' attempt has gone but I think I could still use a bit more practise.

I used pink cardstock to layer my sentiment and stamp and the mats for the stamp were made using my Xcut dies.  The paper flowers were from my stash and the stamp was coloured using Promarkers.

Thanks for stopping by! x

House Mouse Gingerbread Xmas

When I subscribed to Cardmaking and Papercraft magazine at the end of last year my free gift was a super House Mouse pack including 2 stamp packs and a set of decoupage sheets.  As it was a little late last year to use the Christmas goodies I've been waiting till now to get them out and try them.

The stamp is Christmas Gingerbread House from Joanna Sheen and I have coloured the image using Promarkers.  I fancied making something a little different so I looked to Youtube for inspiration and found a great card layout by DaisieMae12.  The papers I've used are Papermania Mistletoe Kisses and I've used my Marianne snowflake die with a button and bakers twine to embellish the bottom corner.

I am entering this card in the following challenges:

I <3 Promarkers - #139 Anything Goes

Charisma Cardz - #41 Clean and Simple

ABC Christmas Challenge - U for Up to you

Christmas Crafting Challenge - #15 Buttons and Twine

Thanks for stopping by! x

Edwardian Lady - Thinking of you

A couple of weeks ago a friend of mine lost her Dad who's been unwell for some time.   She's not been well herself over recent years and I do think of her a lot and hope that she's doing ok.  I made her a 'Thinking of You' card rather than the normal sympathy card.

I used paper and a stamp from my Edwardian Lady collection and coloured the stamp using Promarkers.  I've layered the paper and stamp onto green cardstock and also the sentiment which I found on online.  The ribbon and lace were from my stash along with the mulberry flowers, gems and pearls.

Thanks for stopping by! x

Sweet Little Donkey

Well I don't know what it's like where you are but after a brief bout of sunshine yesterday we're back to the normal British weather today of damp and murk.  And to make matters work I was really hoping to have my new car today but unfortunately it's been delayed until next week.

My pen-friend in Austria has recently had a new addition to her family, a beautiful baby daughter, Caitlyn Siobahn.  Even though I don't write to her now as often as I ought to and tend to converse more on Facebook, I thought it would be nice to send a card as a welcome to their new arrival.

I decided to go for a different card layout again but tried to keep the embellishments as 2D as possible due to the card having to fly airmail.  I've used Meljen Designs 'Sweet Little Donkey' which I've shaded in cool greys and pink using Promarkers. 

I've used my Nellie Snellen Scalloped circle die for the digi stamp and my Marianne swirl cutter.  The ribbon, gems and pearls were from my stash. The gingham backing paper was from the Back to Basics set by Dovecraft and the pink card is from Papermania.

The lovely circle sentiment was a freebie from Netty's Cards and has been attached using sticky pads.

I would like to enter this card in the following challenges:

I <3 ProMarkers - #125 Circles

Passion for ProMarkers - #157 Gingham/Checks

Thanks for stopping by! x

Emerald Oz Birthday Card

Another one from the super Graphic 45 collection 'Magic of Oz' but this time as a birthday card for my lovely friend Jo.  I thought it was about time I had a go at a different card layout from the normal square or rectangular design.  I cut the front of the square card blank in half and then placed two scalloped circle die cuts overhanging the edge.  The inside of the card was then covered with matching 'Oz' paper and the coordinating  reverse side was used on the front of the card.

The white scalloped circle was stamped with 'Dororthy', 'Toto, and the 'Yellow Brick Road' and then coloured with Pro-markers.  I think next time I would stamp the Yellow Brick Road then add Dorothy and Toto as separate die cuts over the top as unfortunately the brick road was visible through Dorothy's shoes and legs!! Fatal error!

I've then used my Marianne Creatables 'swirl' and also a leaf die from the same collection to create the finishing touches.  The heart was from a selection at Hobbycraft and paper roses were purchased from 'Flowers4Crafts' on Ebay.  The remaining paper flowers were by Petaloo and were purchased on our recent trip to Crafters Cove in Llangollen :).

I am entering this creations in the following challenges:

Charisma Cardz Challenges - #25 Anything Goes
Creative Inspirations - #169 Anything Goes
I <3 ProMarkers - #123 Anything Goes
Allsorts Challenge - #161 In Bloom

Thanks for stopping by! x

'A cut above the rest......'

One of my lovely friends from choir recently moved into new business premises so I thought I'd make her a 'Good Luck' card for the occasion.  As she's a hairdresser I thought this lovely stamp from C.C. Designs was just the job.

The pink star paper I used was from Dovecraft and other papers were freebies from Cardmaking and Papercraft.  I've coloured the stamp using Promarkers and used a pink pearl for 'Hairdresser Honey's' hair slide.  I've used Nestabilities Scalloped circles and I created the quirky sentiment using the PC.

Sorry this picture of the stamp is a little blurred, but hopefully you get the idea.

I'm entering this creation in the following challenges:

Totally Gorjuss - #138 Sweet & Simple

Thanks for stopping by! x

The Magic of Oz - Happy Birthday Niece

Last year I saw these wonderful papers and chip boards in one of my craft magazines and couldn't wait to get my hands on them.  At first I thought them a little expensive but the quality of the material is just superb.  I've made several cards with them already but here's the first attempt I made for my Niece as she just adores The Wizard of Oz.

The range is called 'The Magic of Oz' and is from Graphic 45.  There are 8x8 and 12x12 papers, 2 different sets of chip boards and 3 sets of cling stamps in the range.  I settled for the 8x8 pad in the end, managed to find both sets of chip boards on Ebay and bought cling set '2' which included this lovely Dorothy stamp, Toto, the yellow brick road, 'There's No Place Like Home', ruby slippers and a Munchkin character.

I've used Promarkers to colour Dorothy and Toto and embellished the ruby slippers with red glitter glue.  The flower, velvet brad  and blue gingham ribbon are from my stash and the chip board is from the Oz collection.  I've used a Martha Stewart punch along the bottom edges of the Kraft card and the Graphic45 papers.  I printed the sentiment using the PC.

Thanks for stopping by! x

A late start to 2012......Get Well Dad

Oh my.....it's been a while!
Card making and all things crafty have taken a back seat unfortunately since Christmas due to work commitments, but none the less I thought it was time to at least post.... something.  Although, I've not had the time to sit and craft for endless hours, I've been making the odd creation here and there for family and friends so here goes......my first post of 2012!

Dad was admitted to hospital earlier in the year for a heart valve replacement and this is the card I made him.  Being an avid ornithologist (or bird-watcher to the rest of us) I thought it was very appropriate.

The paper and card was from a random selection purchased on Ebay a while back.  The digi-stamp was from Meljen Designs and is called Garden Bird House.  I coloured this using Promarkers and then added a decoupage effect by creating a second layer for the birds, bird house roof and two of the flowers.  The ribbon and buttons were from my stash.

Thanks for stopping by! x

Bulk Christmas cards - Choir of Angels

For a 'certain' group that I belong to, I thought it would be nice to make them each a handmade Christmas card this year.  As there are 23 of them all together I needed to come up with a fairly simple layout for each card so as to not be too time consuming (I do have a life outside crafting and a business to run...*shock*!  :)).

I chose a lovely and very appropriate digi stamp from 'Little Musings' which was just £1.50 for both a coloured and an outlined image.  It's the stamp colouring that's actually taking the most time but I much prefer the overall hand finished looked rather than the pre-coloured.

I've used red card stock from my stash and run this through my Cuttlebug to get the dotty effect.  The musical paper is from Dovecraft's Jolly Christmas.  I've coloured the stamp with Promarkers, inked the edges of my image with red ink and finished off the Angel's wings with glitter.  The sentiment is from my Daisy & Dandelion collection (which I'm making great use of!) and the button and bakers twine are from my stash.

All in all I've made 5 of these so far and am hoping to make a batch of 5 each weekend.....that's the plan anyway :).

I am entering this card for the following challenges:

ABC Christmas Challenge - 'U' is for Unused Stash (Dotty Embossing Folder)
Christmas Stampin' All Year Long - Seeing Spots
Jingle Belles - A Carolling We Will Go (Here We Come A-Wassailing)
Sparkles Christmas Challenge - Christmas Songs (Here We Come A-Wassailing)

Thanks for stopping by! x

My First Tilda Stamp

 I took my DD to the local craft shop, MSA Crafts last week as a treat for doing well settling into High School.  Well that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it! (Although I did buy a fair amount of stuff too ;) ).  I can't believe I've never visited before and I can't wait to go back again as they had a really good selection.  We bought another pile of Promarkers, rubber stamps, decoupage sheets, card blanks and I was really chuffed to see they had a massive collection of Marianne dies.

I've seen a lot of Tilda stamps around on various blogs and magazines and I just love these cute stamps. So I decided whilst out 'treating my DD' that I would also treat myself to one of these :).  The Magnolia 'Tilda Wants a Hug' stamp grabbed my eye but it wasn't till I got home that I realised it's actually a Christmas Stamp as she has holly in her hair! Oh well, I shall enjoy using it for this years Christmas cards.

I've used Dovecraft backing papers and my newly bought Marianne swirl die.  The paper edges have been torn and inked with Dovecraft Forest Green ink and the stamp coloured with promarkers and finished with a little red glitter glue.  The sentiment is from Daisy & Dandelion with Mulberry flowers from 'Flowers4Crafts10' on Ebay.

I am entering this card in the following challenges:

CES Challenge Blog - #56 Totally Gorjuss/Pretty Girls

Thanks for stopping by! x

Quick an easy charity Christmas cards

Next Friday, hubby and I will be holding a coffee morning through our business in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support.  This is the first time we've attempted this so I thought, in addition to the lovely cakes and coffee on offer it may be nice to sell a few of my cards with the proceeds going to this very worthy cause.

Although I have a stock of cards that were suitable I thought it might be a good idea to create a few Christmas cards as people may want to stock up in preparation.  I scoured my old craft magazines to see if I could find a simple concept that would be quick and easy to make.  After sifting through I found some great ideas in 'Quick Cards' using their free rubber stamps.

As my Christmas stash of craft goodies is not the largest I used various freebies such as the 'My Minds Eye' papers I'd received in this months Card Making & Papercraft magazine plus other papers such as Dovecrafts Jolly Happy Christmas.

Thanks for stopping by! x

Lilac Fairyland

Today I thought I'd have a go at something I've not really tried before.  I've seen so many cards online using the distressed look and have never had the nerve to give it a try....till now!  It was actually easier than I thought in the end.  I marked my papers up and then lined them up on my paper cutter.  Then, instead of cutting with the blade I tore them along the edge of the trimmer.  I then inked the edges with a pink inkpad.  I think in hindsight the pink is a little too bold for this creation but as my craft supplies are not extensive I have to make use of what I have :).

The stamp I've chosen was one I found online (sorry, can't remember where though now as I have quite a few!).  I ordered a sample pack of papers from Ebay a couple of days and I chose one of these as the colour theme for the whole card.  Now, the papers I thought I'd ordered were from Dovecrafts Eastern Promise pack but after looking again online they look nothing like the picture!  Therefore, don't take my word as gospel as they could be something completely different :).

I've used Bazzill card for a couple of the layers and also lilac dotty paper from Dovecrafts Back to Basics.  The sentiment was found online here.  Paper flowers were by Fizzy Moon.  I've finished the digi stamp with Promarkers and finished the fairy's wings and hair with a little silver glitter glue.

I would like to enter this card in the following challenges:

Whiff of Joy - #113 Jane's Sketch

Papertake Weekly - Things with Wings 

Magical Monday - Anything Goes
CES Challenges - #54 Embellish me More
Craft your Passion - #75 Use the 'F' word 

A Gorjuss new stamp

Have been waiting a while to purchase one of these lovely stamps by Santoro's Gorjuss.  It's called 'Puddles of Love' and I've seen it used quite a lot on various card making sites.  It really was a joy to finish with Promarkers.

I decided to go with a lovely green and yellow theme.  I bought some papers whilst on holiday in Cornwall from a super bargain basket.  Although they were Forever Friends Easter papers they matched my theme perfectly.  I've used Kraft card for the base layers.

The paper flowers were made using the Marianne Creatables range to co-ordinate with the papers I'd already used.  The wooden flower was from a selection at Hobbycraft.

I would like to enter this card in the following challenges:

Secret Crafters Saturday Challenge - Inspired by a Song (It's Raining Again - Supertramp)

Charisma Cards Challenges - Inspired by a Song (It's Raining Again - Supertramp)

Papertake Weekly Challenge - Anything Goes

Thanks for dropping by! x

Christmas with Daisy and Dandelion

I bought a lovely pack of rubber stamps on my last visit to 'The Range'.  They're from the Daisy & Dandelion collection and are called 'Santa's Little Helpers'.  Have been waiting patiently for my new red promarkers to arrive so that I could have a go at these and here's my first attempt.

 

The papers are from Dovecraft Jolly Christmas and I've used my Martha Stewart punch for the red card.  The stamp was finished with various shades of Promarkers and the tag was also created with a stamp from the Daisy & Dandelion pack.  Hubby wasn't so keen on using the stamp with the square die and suggested that next time I could maybe cut the stamp out.  Will be giving this a try over the weekend.

Thanks for stopping by! x

A new bargain basket stamp

Whilst on hols in Cornwall I discovered a fabulous and friendly little craft shop called 'Moments' in Belle Vue, Bude.  'A' and I spent quite a while looking round and in particular at the bargain basket just inside the door where we found Forever Friends Easter papers and stamps, lots of ribbon, flowers, brads and a lovely little stamp reduced from £5.99 to just £1.50......bargain! :)

[caption id="attachment_1064" align="aligncenter" width="256" caption="Stamp coloured with Promarkers"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1065" align="aligncenter" width="254" caption="Stamp coloured with Promarkers"][/caption]

Due to my current addiction to Promarkers I decided to give the stamp a try and have made a couple of cards along the same theme but just using different colours.  The papers are from a lovely freebie selection I had from a recent Cardmaking & Papercraft magazine called 'Vintage Rose'.  I've used paper flowers purchased from Ebay and a Nellie Snellen die.  The image is a 'Whispers' stamp from docrafts.



[caption id="attachment_1062" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Blue & Pink"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1063" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Pink & Green"][/caption]