CAS Noel

Here's a 'clean and simple' Christmas card. The Noel is a Clarity stamp and the hanging stars were a free stamp with Craft Stamper magazine. I used silver embossing powder, glamour dust (for sparkle on the stars circle) , a pale blue Promarker, 3 square gems and that's it!

I'd lke to enter this for :
The Crafty Pad Christmas is coming
Craft Ann's Challenge Christmas in October
Christmas Stampin all year long   Circle (I hope the o qualifies).

Minxy Mermaid

This mermaid looks a bit of a minx, doesn't she?

The papers and mermaid were from Debbi Moore Under the Sea CD  and the rock is from My Craft Studio 'Setting the Scene'. I heat embossed the mermaid in holographic ep and added a row of gems at the top and some fine glitter to the sentiment.

I'd like to enter this for:
CD Sunday Beautiful Blue
Crafts and Me Fantasy Creature  

Parisienne

Calamity crafter strikes again! I was just about to stand this card up to photograph it , when I found I was unable to open it as I'd stuck one end of the ribbon to the back of the card! Doh. Luckily managed to peel and re-stick.

The central image is an oldie-but-gooodie um rubber stamp from Frantic Stamper. I stamped it in black, cut it out and coloured in bits of it with a pink promarker. The shaped paper behind it is part of Craftwork free sheet from a magazine. I coated a Cuttlebug embossing folder with Vintage Pink Distress Ink and embossed a scrap of pink card. I also dabbed the rose with the Vintage Pink ink.

I'd like to enter this for:
Make My Monday - French: Feminine/ Romance
Do you stack up? - Embossing
There's magic in the air- Pretty in Pink

Getting into a bind!

Front cover



First index page

Inside back cover

This is my second Bind-it-all project and, to be honest, it's still a struggle! This has taken me all day!
You can see in the second photo that the inner pages are not perfectly centred. It was worse before - I'd entirely cut the wrong size pages for the covers (in bind-it-all terms), so I had to recut all the white sheets and make the index pages bigger by backing them onto olive cardstock (which actually turned out okay, I think). It's working in 16ths of an inch that's doing my head in - I didn't realise how lovely metric is!

This is a little present for my best friend. It's not very embellished, as she doesn't like fussy things, but she does like 50s prints and I think these papers are reminiscent of those. They're the same papers (Cosmo Cricket) that I used for my first (traumatic) Bind-it-all project, so I've done pretty well out of them.

I'd like to enter this for:
Out of a Hat Creations Christmas Gift
Clear it out Challenge Gift

Baby's Washing Line

This is a new baby card for someone who's been told she is having a boy. I thought, because of scanning, that gender predictions were pretty foolproof now. But recently my daughter, a student midwife, was at the birth of a baby who was the opposite gender to what the parents had been told!!

The idyllic background was printed from a My Craft Studio CD and the washing line is a digi from Dearie Dolls. I paper-pieced the washing and the 'bundle of joy' sentiment is a rub-on.

I'd like to enter this for :
Little Claire's Monthly Challenge New Arrivals
Crazy Amigo Challenge Clouds  

Do not stand ...

Do not stand at my grave and weep
I am not there. I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning's hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry;
I am not there. I did not die.

Mary Elizabeth Frye

Years ago, when you couldn't just look things up on the internet, I used to have a little notebook where I copied down my favourite poems. This week's challenge at CD Sunday (Poetry Corner) made me think of revisiting this idea, but this time with all the advantages of digital crafting.  

This is probably the most digital project I've ever done - it was all made in Craft Artist, printed off and stuck onto some 8 x8 cardstock.

The photo is of my parents, who died in 2001 (dad) and earlier this year (mum), and I know that, like me, many people find this poem very touching.

As well as CD Sunday, I'd also like to enter this for the 'anything but a card in autumn colours' challenge at Quirky Crafts.

 

Halloween Jar

The central image if this card may be small, but I have used four stamps on it!  The jar is from Stampin Up 'Perfectly Preserved' set and the 'Treats for Boo' and cobweb stamps are from Stampin Up hostess set , 'Mixed Medley'. The spider is from a Daisy and Dandelion Halloween set. The paper is from Making Memories.

I'd like to enter this for:
Tuesday Taggers Halloween
 Shopping our stash Use a jar
Tuesday Throwdown Halloween

My First Bind!

I bought a Bind-it-all , secondhand from Ebay and this is my first project.

It is a birthday book and I used Cosmo Cricket Earth Love papers,which I love.  The calendars were a free printable from Cat's Creations.

I always intended to keep this book for myself - which is just as well, as I made a few mistakes with the binding. I'm thinking though of perfecting my technique to make some books for gifts.

Back cover

I'd like to enter this for :
One Stop Challenge - Anything Goes
Poodles Parlour - Anything Goes

Enjoy Yourself

It's my friend's 50th birthday next week, so this card is for her.

The image is by Jellypark, coloured with Promarkers. I cut the numbers from glitter paper using Sizzlit dies, and added copious amounts of glitter glue.

I'd like to enter this for these challenges:
Lollipop Crafts - Happy birthday
Bearly Mine - Anything goes
Papercrafting Journey Add some bling
Hotshot Crafts - Bling it on

Hibernation

Everything here ( except for cardstock, twine and the leaf-headed hatpin) , comes from My Craft Studio Cromford CD.

Cromford is the bear:  originally blue, but I recoloured him to make him look more harmonious! The sleeping bear was an individual image, but I lay him onto the pumpkins and added autumn leaves etc. I cut out the acorns and stuck them on with 3d foam.

I'd like to enter this for:
CD Sunday - Autumn Splendour
Raise the Bar challenges - Pumpkins

Inkspirational Owl

This is my fourth and final card for the Inkspirational DTcall. The challenge was to use the photo as inspiration.

I have several owl stamps (rubber and digi) but they are all cute and I wanted something more realistic, so I download this owl from FreeVintage Digital Stamps. I printed it onto acetate and then stamped around it using Staz-on : moon (unknown UM) , frame ( Kanban),and flourish (Basic Grey) . I added Glamour Dust to the back of the moon. (I’ve done a close-up because it’s hard to see glitter in the photo!) . I stamped an Indigo Blu text stamp onto matt silver card and attached the acetate panel with brads. Sounds simple? It’s taken me hours ! There are several earlier attempts in the bin!

I’ve really enjoyed rising to the challenge for the design team call. Even if I’m not picked for the DT, I know I’ll enjoy joining in with the new challenge blog when it gets going.

As well as Inkspirational , I’d also like to enter these challenges:

Artful Times – Fur or feathers

Creative Card Crew – Birds

Craft Ann’s – Black and white and one other colour

Shopping our Stash – Bingo – brad, black, sparkle

Lantern Sketch

Here's my third submission in my bid for the DT of the new Inkspirational challenge blog.

I think I largely kept to the sketch, but I used the idea of  a triangle of  the same thing in decreasing size, and substituted the butterflies with lanterns.

I stamped Bo Bunny lanern stamps onto black card and heat embossed in gold. Then I paper pieced them in Japanese paper. I used a notch punch and embroidery thread to create a border.

As well as the Inkspirational DT call, I'd also like to enter this for One Stop Craft Challenge 'heat embossing'.

Cardi Weather

This is my second card for the design team call for Inkspirational. Looking at the card now, next to the colour inspiration picture, I'm not sure that the match is that great!  ...Especially the blue, although the colour of Promarker I used was 'sky blue'.

Never mind; the idea of the challenge is 'inspiration' and the colour palette made me think of the turn between summer and autumn - when the weather's still quite mild but you need a nice cardigan. This digi stamp from Jellypark seemed to capture that time, and I added a rubber stamped squirrel and bird (October Afternoon).  Do you notice the paper-piecing on her dress? Paper-piecing is my favourite technique and I can't help but use it on any item of clothing!!

CASE Closed.

Mynette is having a design team call for a new challenge blog. Mynette is very active in the crafty blog community . She is involved with several design teams and challenges but I’ve noticed that she also visits lots of other people’s blogs and leaves very kind and individual comments. I thought it would be fun (and a real challenge) to have a go.

Here’s my first effort. It’s a CASE of one of Mynette’s cards. I’ve never done a CASE before, and had to look up what it meant!

I’ve tried to keep to the shape and proportions of the original card, while changing to theme to Christmas. I’ve never used this shape card base before, so made this one and rounded the bottom edges as on the original. The paper is by Reminisce ( it reminds me of a Christmas sweater!). The bookplate is a Sizzix die and the deer embellishment is by Prima. I printed Noel from a Docrafts CD.

 

Another Autumn Birthday

Am I overdoing the autumnal cards? Well, I do love the colours and I had a sheet of alcohol inked background that I'm now using on a third (and final) card!

For this card I recoloured and printed off a bare tree digi stamp from Craft Artist and cut it out. The leaves are  die cut and punched circles from my alcohol ink background and from coredinations card that I embossed and sanded. The sentiment is a rub-on (brave, I know - they so often go wrong!) from a 3 Birds kit that I bought ages ago, on impulse, from the telly, and have barely used.

I'd like to enter this for:
Try it on Tuesday Autumn Colours
Sassy Cheryl's  Challenge Happy Birthday
Deep Ocean Challenge Anything Goes
Crafty Creations Colours of Fall
Sarah Hurley Challenges Autumn
Use it Tuesday All about Fall ( Hoarded item is my rub on )     

Flying Machine

A distressed steampunk card. The good thing about distressing is you don't have to worry about smudges - bring 'em on!

What I used: Flying Balloon digi stamp from Make it Crafty; buildings stamp(Crafty Individuals) ; newspaper (Glitz); Promarkers, Distress inks, alcohol inks, glimmer mist , distresser thingy , and the embellishment. Phew!

I'd like to enter these challenges:
Digital Tuesday Challenge Steampunk
Liastampz For a man
Crafty Mess Anything Goes

Baby Girl

 

 

The weighing scales template I used here was free with a magazine from 2008! The original had a figure of a baby lying on it, but I didn't like it. So I cut the baby out and used this digi from Mo's Digital Pencil.

 

I'd like to enter this for:

Mo's Digital Challenge Anything goes with a Mo image

Tuesday Alchemy   Anything Goes 

Voulez vous? Aha!

The new challenge at Make My Monday is French Vintage, and this is my attempt.

I made the central (paler pink) panel using 5 different stamps from all over the place. The panel at the back is resist paper from Pink Paislee Parisian Anthology. The butterfly punch is Martha Stewart, as is the lace border.  Absolutely everthing has been dabbed with different combinations of 'Victorian Velvet' and 'Old Paper' Distress inks.

As well as Make My Monday, I'd like to enter this for:
The Crafty Pad Vintage
The Stampman Butterflies, birds and bees.

Turquoise and Red

'The Order of the Opus Gluei' challenge blog has a colour challenge - turquoise and red. I thought I'd give it a go as it's not a colour combo I normally use. 

The houses and trees are a Memory Box die and the turquoise behind it was made with a Promarker.

Things that go smudge in the night.

Here's a scary story for stampers. I spent ages on this card- printing and colouring the elements , some tricky paper-piecing - only to then drop the whole thing onto a still-inky stamp and get a smudge ! Top tip - adding a line of gems does not disguise a smudge!

The little witches are by A Day for Daisies. The moon and bats were from a Daisy Trail digi freebie. The sentiment is a Papermania stamp.

You know what?- I'm going to live with it. It's for my daugter and, to be honest, she's had worse than this. I'll even go ahead and share with a few challenges.
Desert Island Crafts Challenge  2,3,7,8, and accidentally- 9!
Poodles Parlour Halloween

Crystaltips

This week's challenge at CD Sunday is Christmas,- which is just as well as I really need to get on with some Christmas cards!

This image is from Debbi Moore's Crystal Dreams CD. I have several of her CDs but rarely use them as she has a very distinctive style and I worry I'll end up with a card that just looks a poor imitation of hers. I hope I've avoided that here!

As well as CD Sunday , I'd also like to enter this for:
Simon Says Stamp Challenges Glimmer and sparkle
Charisma Cardz Bling

Autumn Birthday

This is the first circular card I've made. I thought they would be difficult to make but today I saw a video of Debbi Moore making one and realised what a doddle it is.

I made the background with alcohol inks. The tree is an old one by PSX (now defunct) and I stamped and clear embossed it. The leaf stamp on the copper coloured card is by Stampin Up and I embossed it with copper embossing powder.

I'd like to enter this for these challenges:
Stamptacular Sunday Photo Inspiration
Fashionable stamping Challenges Shades of Autumn
Do you stack up? Warm Colours
Totally Papercrafts Let's see those shapes
Emergency Crafters Challenge Autumn Leaves
Allsorts Challenge Autumn Trees and Leaves   

Gingerbread

This is the same A Day for Daisies digi that I used here. This time I cropped it and had the little girl eye a little jar of tiny gingerbread men, which is a Molly Bloom clear stamp.

I'd like to enter this for
Out of a Hat Creations Christmas card
Crimbo Crackers Gingerbread

Putting you through

I was delighted when I spotted this A Day for Daisies image - my friend is a telephonist who is retiring next month.
I'd like to enter this for:
A Day for Daisies Anything goes
Dream Valley Challenges Go pink
Jellypark Challenges Pink it up  

Invitation to Tea

I thought this tag pocket book would be nice with an invitation to a tea party on the back of the tag. I've added a pink ribbon, which is the symbol of breast cancer awareness.

All the papers, and the circular sentiment, come from Kirsty Wiseman's Colour Burst of Fanciful Things CD.

Sorry for the slightly unattractive background of my bathroom tiles - it's the only room that has enough light for a photo after dark - and at this time of the year, most of my crafting happens when it's dark!

I'd like to enter this for:
CD Sunday Tea Time
Celebate the Occasion Breast Cancer Awareness 
Craftpunked Tea and Coffee
A gem of a Challenge For the girls

Triple Dutch

I've just been having fun playing around with distress inks and this Artistic Outpost stamp set. The inks I used were Shabby Shutters and Barn Door , with vintage photo for the 'simple pleasures' text.

I'd like to enter this for:
Artful Times Postcard with script (I'm now starting to worry whether the background text counts as 'script'. Hope I've kept to the spirit of the challenge.)
Crafty Boots Three (3 girls)

For a New Grandmother

One of my colleagues at work has just had her first grandchild, so I made her this card.

The blue-lilac card is Coredinations, lightly sanded. The lacy circle and the pram are Marianne dies and I used an embossing folder for the background. I printed the sentiment from my computer.

I'd like to enter this for the following challenges:
Papercraft star - Anything Goes
Fab and Funky Challenges - No patterned paper
Cardmaking and Papercraft No stamp