Flashback Friday 11.0 - 6 May 2011

I think it's getting like an addiction awaiting the new Flashback Friday Challenge every month.  It's scary in some respects looking at old creations we have made but it still amazes me how my cardmaking has changed over the years.

The topic this month is "first wedding card".  My first wedding card was posted on my blog on 29/08/2007 and was for my brother-in-law and sister-in-law's wedding.  I also made some special cards for the day and also a big batch of thank you cards.  Here is the post back on my blog in August 2007.

Charity Stall - May 2011

My son and I set up the regular monthly charity stall today.  It is so sad going to the building that I have set a stall up most months for four years and now the place is almost deserted.  Three big organisations have moved out of there and it is like a Ghost Town.  In March I never even sold one card in the whole week and last month only made £8.67 in the whole week.  Each time I go I think it might be my last.  I have a stall at the Knuston Hall Open Day (Knuston Hall, Irchester, Wellingborough, Northants) on Monday 29 August 2011 so I am going to be concentrating my efforts on making cards for this event.  With this event I also give 50% to the charity that Knuston Hall is supporting - last year it was help for Heroes but I don't know what it will be next year.  I know I might have to go out and search for places to try to sell my cards for charity later in the year but that's when my lack of confidence kicks in.

I have just donated £30 which I've raised over the last 2-3 months for CLIC Sargent.  For the next few months I will be raising funds for the Great North Air Ambulance Service as they have provide expert help to the family of one of my Design Team friends and the work that they do is so necessary.

Crafty Ann's Challenge #40 - 6 May 2011

Another fortnight has also come-and-gone for the Crafty Ann's Challenge.  We had a wonderful array of fancy folds cards entered into for the last fortnight.  I'm glad it's not down to me to pick the Top 3 this time!!!  The challenge for this fortnight is "happy birthday".

The image I have used for my card is one of Crafty Ann's more recent images of a gorgeous peacock.  I coloured it in with Promarkers and highlighted just a few areas with my Sakura Stardust clear pen.  I have then used some of Crafty Ann's Funky Collection backing papers as they matched perfectly the colours of the peacock.  I did some matting and layering with some blue mirri card.  The card is finished off with lots of Crafty Ann's pre-coloured flowers with just the addition of some gold mirri card candy in the centre to add a bit of elegance, Crafty Ann's ticket sentiment and some gold organza ribbon which I heated with my heat tool to shrivel it a bit.

It would be lovely if you could have a look at all the cards made by the rest of the Design Team member and I would officially like to welcome Carol to the Design Team.  Click here to go straight to the Challenge Blog.

I am also entering this card into the following challenges:

Ellephantastic - Birthday party

Birthday Sundaes - Anything goes

Cupcake Inspirations - Photo inspiration

Pear Tree Designs - Free for all

Pollycraft Monday - Anything goes

Ann's Creative Nook - Anything goes with an animal

Papertake Weekly - Anything goes

Digistamps 4 Joy - It's a celebration

I Love promarkers - Song title (Peacock by Katy Perry)

Craft Your Passion - Anything goes

Paperplay - Show us your style

Crafty Sentiments - Flowers
Inspire me Fridays - Anything goes
Bling it On - Photo inspiration
Divas by Designs - Anything goes
One Stop Craft - Birthdays 

Sweet Pea Stampers Challenge - 6 May 2011

Another fortnight has come and gone and we had a small but wonderful selection of cards for the challenge for the last fortnight.  Thank you all so much for taking part.  The challenge this fortnight is called "shower of flowers".  Well I am sure that this topic will please so many people.

Here is the card that I have made for the challenge.  Unfortunately I hadn't planned on my project being this colour but all I will say is that me and acrylic paints are a not match made in Heaven and using some at the week-end made me poorly!!  In the end I decided to go for a totally different colour scheme and picked shades of purple.  I used one of my new Crafty Purple Frog images called Eglatine in Dawn - isn't she just gorgeous?  Shall I tell you something - the wonderful Amy has made some more decoupage and pyromage sheets and they can be found here and I think I'll have a splurge at the week-end.  Don't blame me if you get addicted though!!

The backing papers I have used are mainly DCWV along with scraps from the scraps box and purple mirri card with all the edges inked as per normal.  One backing piece I decided to keep plain card but when I stuck it down but it just didn't look right so out came my tapestry stamps and Seed D's to decoate the edge with more flowers, scrolls and greenery.  The card is finished off with with die-cut flowers from a booked which were inked with Tim Holtz's Milled Lavender and Dusty Concord Distress ink pads and the edges were rubbed over with Cosmic Shimmer glitter glue and purple square brads in the centre.  The final embellishments were a punched piece of cards cut with a swirl X-cut punch, purple lace, organza ribbon and the most gorgeous brad I've ever seen - all purple and glittery and from Papermania's Henbury Lane.

It would be lovely if you could come along and see the creations from the rest of the Design Team and try to play along with this fortnight's challenge.

I am also entering this card into the following challenges:

ABC Design Team - April showers bring May flowers

Aly's Sunday - Shaped cards

Cute and Girly - Anything goes

Pollycraft Monday - Anything goes

Kaboodle Doodles - It's the B's knees - brads

Try it on Tuesday - Something old, something new (old is the tapestry and See D's stamps and new is the Crafty Purple Frog image and the ribbon)

Top Tip Tuesday - Open challenge

Digital Tuesday - Ribbon and lace

Papertake Weekly - Anything goes

My Mum's Craft Shop - Cute and girly

Paperplay - Show us your style

Do You Stack Up? - Purple

Pixie Dust - Under the sea - hope this mermaid is OK

Southern Girls - Let's get girly

Gingerloft - Under the sea - hope this mermaid is OK

Paper Romance - Use your favourite die - I like using ones that I can make flowers with

Shelly's Images - Terrifically Thrilling Thursday - Girly or sweet

Craft Your Passion - Anything goes

Inspire me Fridays - Anything goes

Emerald Faeries - Anything goes

Delicious Doodles - Fantasy and mythical

Bling it On - Photo inspiration

Divas by Designs - Anything goes - wishing all the Design Team all the best in their new venture with this Challenge Blog.

Another Entry for the Crafty Purple Frog Challenge - 28 April 2011

Not sure if I will get this posted as I am having trouble getting into blogs.  It's such a nuisance.

As I said in my previous post I couldn't decided which of my new Crafty Purple Frog images I would use so I decided to do two entries for their current challenge of "purple and lace".  For this card I have used Eglantine in Dawn.  She's another beauty and now you know why I couldn't pick which image to choose.  Again I have used scraps from my box again and I now need some therapy - I used a glittered piece of my Papermania Henbury Lane paper - it's so gorgeous and sparkly but it's not in my stash any more boo hoo.  I used some purple lace this time and only used simple embellishments of a sentiment off the computer, acetate flowers which I have had for ages and ages and some glitzy brads with the longest backs I have ever seen in a brad.  I nearly couldn't use them on these flowers as the legs were so long!!

I am also entering this card into the following challenges:

Papercrafting Journey - Bling

Ai Factory - Anything goes

Craft us Crazy - Moms and/or flowers

Fussy and Fancy Friday - Springtime

Paper Cutz - Anything goes

Birthday Sundaes - Anything goes

Dream Valley - Flowers

Sundays with Crissy - Flowers

Craft Your passion - Anything goes

Papertake Weekly - Anything goes.

The Crafty Purple Frog Challenge - 28 April 2011

Now don't go thinking I've made all these cards in one day because I haven't.  For some reason over the week-end and again today I am having awful problems looking at blogs and it can take me about 10 attempts to get into blog.  Needless to say that's why I haven't been able to post these before now.  I don't know whether it's Blogger or my internet service provider Virgin but I wish it would sort itself out as it's very annoying as I like to have my crafty snoop!!!

Over at The Crafty Purple Frog Challenge this fortnight the topic is "purple and lace".  Well I couldn't decide which two purple images I bought recently so I decided to make both up into cards.  Here is my first entry.

For this card I have used the image called Night Glimmer.  She's gorgeous and I couldn't wait to cut her out.  I have used backing papers from my scraps box and also splashed out on using a piece of paper from a Papermania Henbury Lane paper pad I won last year.  It's got some gorgeous flowers and butterflies on the paper and I thought this would be in-keeping with the image.  I have mounted the image on a doily, tied around some organza ribbon, added some card candy, die-cut sentiment and some lace made into a bow with a gem stuck on the front.

I am also entering this card into the following challenges:

Ai Factory - Anything goes

Fussy and Fancy Friday - Springtime
Paper Cutz - Anything goes

Birthday Sundaes - Anything goes

Dream Valley - Flowers

Sundays with Crissy - Flowers

Craft Your passion - Anything goes

Top Tip Tuesday - Open challenge

Papertake Weekly - Anything goes.

Mo's Digital Challenge - 28 April 2011

The topic this week over at Mo's Digital Challenge is "pink and girlie".  I haven't been able to play for a while so I had a little splurge and bought this cutie as I have liked her for such a long time.  I coloured the image with Promarkers and highlighted areas with my Sakura Stardust clear pen.  I cut her out with a Nestabilities die and inked the edges with a chalk ink pad.  I did the same to a paper doily and all the papers I used.  I don't know the name of them as I received them in the post last week after winning a challenge.  The grosgrain ribbon was from my stash, the sentiment generated off the computer and the buttons and the gorgeous flowery fluffy brads were also part of my challenge win.

I am also entering this card into the following challenges:

Sisterhood of Crafters - Mother's day
My Mum's Craft Shop - Flowers

Moving Along With the Times - Anything goes

Dutch Dare - For mom

Ai Factory - Anything goes

Craft us Crazy - Moms and/or flowers

Digi Doodle - Anything goes

Fairy Tale Challenge - Mother's Day

Fussy and Fancy Friday - Springtime

Paper Cutz - Anything goes

If the Shoe Fits Scrap It - Things with wings

Mami Doodles - Let's get girly

Card Makin Mamas - For a loved one

Crafty Emma - Photo inspiration

Sentimental Sundays - Mother's day/For a woman

Cupcake Inspirations - Photo inspiration

Pear Tree Designs - Free for all

Pollycraft - Anything goes

Happileigh Scrappin - This one's for you mom

Craft Your Passion - Anything goes

Kaboodle Doodle - It's the B's knees - brads and buttons

Tuesday Throwdown - Mother's day

Top Tip Tuesday - Open challenge

Papertake Weekly - Anything goes
Creative Card Crew - Something for mom

Teddy Bo Challenge - 19 April 2011

Over at the Teddy Bo Challenge this fortnight the topic was to use a tag.  A couple of weeks ago I watched a show from QVC when Tim Holtz was over and decided to have a play with my alcohol inks and some tags.  I had to buy some of the gold ink as I hadn't got any of that and it's wonderful and gives such a shine - apart from when you need to take a photo!!  For my card I have used some pearlised paper from my bit box and put inside an aperture card.  I have coloured Teddy Bea in with Promarkers and highlighted areas with my Sakura Stardust clear pen and I've given Teddy Bea some Stickles pom-poms.  The cards is then finished with lots of embellishments including organza ribbon, Happy Birthday grosgrain ribbon, die-cut butterflies, some paisley shapes and lots and lots of flowers - well it is pink and girlie.

You'll never believe me but this card has sat on our dining room table for a few days now.  It's no good sitting there when the deadline is in a few hours - yikes I'd better get a move on and get it posted.  I should have put a reminder on my calendar as I missed the Teddy Bo sale which would have been good for me to get things at as I make my cards solely to sell for different charities.  Next time I see details of any sale coming up I shall put it in my Outlook calendar.

I am also entering this card into the following challenges:

Craft Your Passion - Show us your layers
Scrap-Creations - Flowers
My Mum's Craft Shop - Flowers

Moving Along with the Times - Anything goes

Ai Factory - Anything goes

Crafts 4 Eternity - Anything goes

Inspire me Friday - Anything goes

Paper Cutz - Anything goes

Mami Doodles - Let's get girlie

Birthday Sundaes - Anything goes

Dream Valley - Flowers

Sundays with Chrissy - Flowers - thanks for picking my card last month for Crissy's Artist Choice Award.  I have proudly put my award on my blog.  Many thanks

Another Commissioned Birthday Card

Now you will know why I've been a little quiet of late as I had these two cards to put my thinking cap on for - the one posted yesterday and the one posted today.  They both had to be big enough for 30-40 people to sign - yikes!!!

  

  

   

   

   

For this card I turned to Debbi Moore's Venetian CDs and decided to make a book-style card and also it's matching box.  Yet again I made up the box and worked out the size I could go for the card.  Unfortunately this meant the toppers wouldn't fit on so I had to reduce them in the size.  The one printed off didn't go to waste as I put it on the inside of the box after I printed off a backing paper from the CD to the other side of the card.  This card involved lots and lots of matting and layering, using a green backing paper from the CD and a plain brown polished stone backing paper from Crafty Ann's Digi Store.  I reduced the size of some other toppers and used the snapshot tool for the bottom layer of the pyromage so that I could put a topper on each page to avoid the pages looking bare.  As per the norm I lost count on how many pieces of paper/card I distressed the edges with ink.  It's something I started when I made cards for the TV and I kept going.  The card is finished off with lots of flowers, leaves, sentiment and verse off the computer, die-cuts (including one embossed in a vine embossing folder), gems, Stickles glitter glue, ribbon and tissue paper stamped with an Artylicious stamp.

This card and matching box I am entering into the following challenges:

Sparkles Forum - Anything goes

Craft Your Passion - Show us your layers

Moving Along with the Times - Anything goes

Papercrafting Journey - Bling

Ai Factory - Anything goes

Crafts 4 Eternity - Anything goes

Inspire me Friday - Anything goes

Mami Doodles - Let's get girly

Stamptacular Sunday - At least 5 layers

Scrap-creations - Flowers

My Mum's Craft Shop - Flowers

Scrapbook Sisters - Distress

Delightful Sketches - Distressing

4 Crafty Chicks - Distressing

Craft us Crazy - Moms and/or flowers

Totally Papercrafts - Glitter

Paper Cutz - Anything goes

Commissioned Birthday Card

 

 

 

I was asked by my son to make a card for his "old" colleagues from where he used to work.  I thought when he left there I'd get no more orders for cards but it's nice they still remember to get cards off me especially as 50% I receive always goes to charity.  The remit for the card was ladies so I opted to use my Debbie Moore Art Deco Glitter and Glitz CD to make the box and card to go in it.  I had to wait for the box to be made up to work out the size of the card that could go in it and decided to make a concertina card for this one.  I did lots of matting and layering with matching cardstock and paper from the CD.  The card is finished off with sentiment and verse of the computer, die-cuts, peel-offs, lots and lots of gems, ribbon, mirri card and some tissue paper stamped with an Kay Carley Aspects of Design stamp.  Obviously I glitzed up the box as well and added images inside the box after putting the card back in to print on the inside of the card as well inside of leaving it plain white.

This card and matching box I am entering into the following challenges:

Totally Gorjuss - Bling it on

Paper Sundaes - Sundaes bar - Pick at least 2 toppings - I have chosen sparkle and die-cuts

Sparkles Forum - Anything goes

Pile it On - 2 or more ribbons - spotty satin ribbon on the card and a purple organza to keep the tissue paper around the card together

Craft Your Passion - Show us your layers
Moving Along with the Times - Anything goes

Papercrafting Journey - Bling

Ai Factory - Anything goes

Crafts 4 Eternity - Anything goes

Inspire me Friday - Anything goes
Mami Doodles - Let's get girly
Paper Cutz - Anything goes
Ladybug Crafts Ink TLT Challenge Blog - Fashion

Aud Sentiments Design Team Card - Thursday 28 April 2011 - Happy Mother's Day

Well what an eventful fortnight we had with the last challenge and the Blog Hop. Thank you to everyone that took part and made it a success and a special thank you to all the wonderful sponsors.

The challenge for Aud Sentiments this fortnight is "Happy Mother's Day".  It seemed very strange making this card when we've actually had Mother's Day here in the UK.  Our challenge this fortnight is Paper Garden Projects Store and here is a little bit of information about them:

"We are a friendly little paper craft store specialising in clear, cling and unmounted stamps and digital images.  We also carry a large variety of stamping supplies and tools to make crafting fun and easy.  Everything we carry are things that we actually use and love.  Check out our tutorials and join our fun challenges."

For my card I used the peony flower image of the whole flower and also the head.  I printed off the whole flower once and the flower head four times and coloured in with Promarkers.  You'll never believe it but I used five different shades of yellow and three of orange.  I cut away about a 1.5inch edge from an A5 card so that I could place the peony heads down the side.  The backing paper is from K&Co.  The main image after colouring I die-cut, edged with Tim Holtz's Mustard Seed, Peeled Paint and a tiny smidgen of Black Soot Distress Ink Pads.  I did the same with the green frame which I embossed with a Pampered Pets embossing folder and cut out.  The flowers down the edge of the card have been decoupaged to add some dimension.  The card is finished off with some card candy, sentiment off the computer and ribbon bow.

As part of the Blog Hop each member of the Design Team had something to give away.  The winner of my $10 to spend at the Digi Doodle Shop is ............................... Pinky.  Congratulations Pinky.  Please go to the Aud Sentiments Challenge Blog to find out how to receive your prize.  Congratulations Pinky.

Please visit the Aud Sentiments Design Team Blog to find out the details of the new members of the Design Team but if you want to know now these are the new additions - welcome!!!

Carolina from Carolina's Creative Pad 
Piali from Touch Of Creation

Gemma from Handmade By Gem 
Amy D From Paper Trails Leaver

I am entering this card into the following challenges:

Alphabet Challenge - Y is for yellow

Fussy and Fancy Friday - Springtime

Crafty Emma - Spring colours/image

2 Sisters - Photo inspiration

Paper Sundaes - Sundaes bar - choose at least 2 toppings - die-cuts and colour yellow for me

Pear Tree Designs - Colourful

Craft Your Passion - Show us your layers

Scrap-Creations - Flowers
The Sisterhood of Crafters - Mother's day
Crafts and Me - Vintage/distressed
Scrapbook Sisters - Distress
Delightful Sketches - Distressing
Charisma Cardz - April showers/May flowers
Dutch Dare - For mom
4 Crafty Chicks - Distressing
Ai Factory - Anything goes
Craft us Crazy - Moms and/or flowers
Digi Doodle - Anything goes
Hand Stamped Sentiments - Mother's day
Utah Divas International - Diva Inspiration Challenge #145
City Crafter - Mother may I?

Flashback Friday 10.0

Over at this month's challenge is to find the first card/project you blogged with stitching on it ie real or faux.  Well it's taken me ages to trawl through - must be an easier way - but it might come to me soon.  Here is my first Trapunto card that I made back in March 2008 and put on my blog here.  Click here to visit the Flashback Friday Challenge.

Craft for Life Appeal 2011

 

 

Another 22 cards made for the Craft for Life Appeal.  I shall take them to our local Marie Curie Shop next Tuesday.  I just wish they did bags for A6 cards and also some for A5 as I think they'd get more people take part in this with different sizes being able to be made.  This is the only time now that I use A6 cards.  Still got plenty of bags so I can make some more.  Watch this space!!!