To the Happy Couple

It has been a busy time recently with going away for 2.5 weeks on holiday to three different areas of the UK with our touring caravan to see family and friends, my husband's Long Service Award Dinner (for 30 years' service with his company) and our eldest son got married.  It was a lovely day for them.  I knew I had to make a special card but my health is not "playing ball" at the moment so it took weeks to plan/make this card.

I recently bought Debbi Moore's Art Deco match-it pad and matching die-set so I could use the images and dies for my card for the two grooms and the corner dies.  They got a puppy recently called Benji but sadly he could not come to the event so I retrieved a photo of him, shrunk it down and added him to the card and matching box.

I utilised a verse that I got a long time ago when I first started crafting but thought it was a beautiful addition to the card.

My stopper for the easel card is a gorgeous Prima flower and gem display which I won in a challenge earlier this year.  I had to save it for a special card so our son's wedding card was perfect to use it on.

As my card was a "little" chunky I made up an 8x8 box that I bought some years ago and decorated it in-keeping with the card and added Benji to the box as well.

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

Mix it Up - Anything goes with the option of a 3D project
Through the Purple Haze - Anything goes with the option of for men
Creative Moments - Anything goes
Crafter's Castle - Anything goes
613 Avenue Create - Anything goes with the option of with thanks/thankfulness
The Corrosive Challenge - Anything goes
Digi Choosday - Anything goes
Through the Craft Room Door - Anything goes
Penny's Paper Challenge - Anything goes
Creative Fingers - Anything goes
Ally's Angels - Anything goes
Crafty Catz - Anything goes with the option of sparkle and shine
Polkadoodles Challenge - Anything goes
More Mixed Media Challenge - Anything goes with the option of using black
CD Sunday Plus - Anything goes with a CD/digital/USB

To the Bride and Groom - Just Married

We have been invited to a evening wedding reception tonight.  I wanted to make a special card for the bride and groom.  A fellow Ching-Chou Kuik Design Team Member, Aurora, made a beautiful faux book recently and I was cheeky and asked if she could share the instructions.  I don't follow instructions well and certainly struggled at times especially when trying to stick the sides of the book together.  Thanks to the internet I found a faux book tutorial by Tanya and this helped me to stick the pages together in a different way.  It certainly wasn't easy waiting for the glue to catch but I got there in the end.  Once I'd got the four sides together I weighted it down overnight with some craft magazines and some of my die storage boxes to ensure a good stick.

 For the faux book I made a box for it to sit inside.  I used my Crafter's Companion boxer board.  I struggle with this board as I bought my Crafter's Companion Ultimate on offer a few weeks before the Ultimate Pro was launched.  With the Ultimate Pro the board locks inside whereas with the Ultimate it doesn't and I have to use stand-alone and I struggle to hold the page exactly where it needs to go.  I think I did some movement as I know I measured correctly and left a centimetre gap on all four sides but when I put the book in the finished box it only just goes in.  I wish I had the funds to buy the Ultimate Pro as it would make things so much easier.  I used various scroll stamps and Toffee Versafine ink to stamp around the box before I stuck it together.

 I have scribbled out the name of the bride and groom.  For the box and the faux book I have used papers from my Debbi Moore Shabby Chic Wedding CD and my Debbi Moore Wedding CD. 

  I made all the flowers - which took some time - using a Sue Wilson die.  I added Nuvo drops to the centre and left to dry overnight.

 Inside the card I used an image from the Paper Nest Dolls.  I saw a show on Hochanda with their stamps and digital stamps were mentioned so I had to have a look.  I was pleased when I saw a "Wedding Couple" image so I had to have it - along with some others!!!.  I coloured the image in with my Promarkers.  I found a new colour combo for a light coloured dress - ivory and vanilla.  I fussy cut around the image.

 Inside the middle of the faux book I did a shadow effect with a Marianne Designs corner die.  I used a pyromage image from the Debbi Moore Shabby Chic Wedding CD.

 The inside and out of the card and box has been finished off with ribbon, hand-made flowers, gems and various elements from the Debbi Moore Shabby Chic Wedding CD.

Here is the finished card sitting inside the box.  

My husband and I hope hope the happy couple have a long and happy married life together.

Unfortunately I had a medical procedure done on Tuesday and the post-procedure recovery has been a lot harder than I ever thought so no wedding reception for me today.

I am entering this faux book card and decorated box into the following challenges: 

Crafty Hazelnut Patterned Paper July Challenge - Anything goes

Love to Create - Anything creative/mixed media goes

Polkadoodles - Anything goes
More Mixed Media - Anything goes with the option of pastel

Artistic Inspirations - Anything goes

Crafting from the Heart - Anything goes

Digi Choosday - Anything goes
CD Sunday - Celebration

Crafty Sentiments - Anything goes

Through the Craft Room Door - Anything goes
Creative Moments - Anything goes/summer fun
Crafty Gals Corner - Anything goes
Simon Says - Anything goes
Through the Purple Haze - Anything goes
Cute Card Thursday- Anything goes
Simply Papercrafts - Anything goes
Colour Crazy - Anything goes
Polkadoodles - Anything goes
Crafty Catz - Anything goes with the optional twist of anything but a card
Brown Sugar - Anything goes

Wedding Card and Matching Box

 Here is a matching wedding card and box for it to go in.

 To make the card/matching box I used elements from the Debbi Moore Glitter and Glitz Art Deco Wedding CD and I have used decoupage, papers, tags, toppers and embellishments.

 With the CD you can write in your own verse (piece of paper just put over the recipients' names).

This is a wonderful CD to use for weddings/anniversaries.

I am entering this card into the following challenges:

4 Crafty Chicks - Wedding

CRAFT - Decoupage

My Time to Craft - All about the love

Artistic Inspiration - Use ribbon/anything goes

Through the Craft Room Door - Anything goes

Southern Girls - It's all new
Creative Inspirations - Anything goes and option of a sketch
Unstampabelles - New beginnings (starting a new life as man and wife)

Bearly Mine Challenge - Tuesday 20 August 2013 - Monthly Sketch

Time for another challenge over at the Bearly Mine Challenges Blog. This week the topic is "monthly sketch" so this is the sketch that you have to follow:

 

This week the sponsors we have are Meljen's Designs and Little Darlings Rubber Stamps.

  

Meljen's Designs are offering the lucky winner 4 of their digital images of the winner's choice.  Little Darlings Rubber Stamps are offering 1 stamp of the winner's choice.

For my card for this challenge I have used a LOTV die-cut wedding image.  Aren't they a gorgeous couple?

    

The backing papers I have used are Bearly Mine Designs Plain and Simple, Simply Dots and Festive Fun.  I have distressed around the image with my Tim Holtz distressing tool and edged with a brown chalk ink pad.  The flowers are die-cut from a book and I have coloured the layers with my Inkylicious brush and Tim Holtz's Brushed Corduroy, Old Paper, Tea Dye and Vintage Photo distress ink pads.  I have finished the card off with some buttons, lots of pearls, die-cut sentiment, ribbon and a glass effect embellishment.

I am entering this card into the following challenges:

Simon Says - Monochromatic
Lili's Little Fairies - Vintage/shabby chic
Sister Act Card Challenge - Anything goes
Inspire me Friday - Anything goes
Totally Gorjuss - Die-cuts and punches
One Stop Craft - Add stripes
613 Avenue Create - Anything goes with optional twist to use stitching - real or faux
Challenges 4 Everybody - Anything goes
The Cutie Pie - Anything goes
Through the Craft Room Door - Anything goes
Papertake Weekly - Flower power

Bearly Mine Challenge - 9 July 2013 - Summer Weddings

It is time for another challenge over at the Bearly Mine Challenge Blog.  This week the topic is "summer weddings".

  

This week we are lucky to be sponsored by Whiff of Joy and I am Roses.

For my card I have used an image from the Debbi Moore Glitter and Glitz Art Deco Wedding.  The backing papers I have used are Bearly Mine Designs Damask Delights, Plain and Simple and Shabby Vintage.  I have finished the card off with some ribbon, stamped and die-cut sentiment (this stamp was free recently with a craft magazine), pearls and lots and lots of flowers.

I am entering this card into the following challenges:

Word Art Wednesday - Anything goes
CRAFT - Here comes the bride/wedding/anniversary
A Creative Romance - Ribbon or twine
Inspire me Friday - Anything goes
Challenges 4 Everybody - Anything goes
The Crazy Challenge - Without stamps
Rhedd and Rosie Challenge - Here comes Summer 
Fashionista Challenge - Wedding or birthday cards
Papertake Weekly - Old, new, borrowed or blue (I've gone for new - new is the sentiment stamp that I got recently as a freebie with a magazine

Wedding Card

Here is a wedding card that I have made with Debbi Moore's "Art Deco Wedding CD".  I have used an image which has been decoupaged, backing papers, topper elements, flowers, envelope and personalised insert which were all from the CD.  The card and envelope has been finished off with a brad, ribbon and pearls.

I am entering this card into the following challenges:

Crafty Ribbons - Love/romance/anniversary

4 Crafty Chicks - Pearls, pearls, pearls

Inspire me Friday - Anything goes

One Stitch at a Time - Love

Joanna Sheen - New beginnings - a new life together for a couple as man and wife

Crafty Boots - New - a new life together for a couple as man and wife
Party Time Tuesday - Decorate the envelope

Wedding Card

My aunt recently got married so I wanted to make a special card for her.  As she is a far from serious person I wanted a humorous card so what was better than this House Mouse decoupage image from the Joanna Sheen House Mouse decoupage set called "Just the Two of us"?

 The card is an 8x8 scalloped card and I made a box for it to go in and decorated that as well.

For the front of the card I finished it off with some lace, pins, punched hearts, flowers and a personalised sentiment as I used a backing paper from the Joanna Sheen House Mouse CD and it came with a sentiment banner which I typed into.

The inside of the card has been finished off with a personalised verse.

All I will say is that she LOVEDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD her card so I made a perfect choice with the House Mouse!!!

I am entering this card into the following challenges:

Sisterhood of Crafters - May flowers

Crafts and Me - Punches and die-cuts
Inspire me Friday - Anything goes

Card Making Mams - Flowers
Craft Your Days Away - All creatures great and small

Crafty Emma - Anything goes

Truly Scrumptious - Anything goes

The Naughty Step - Free and easy

Cupcake Inspiration - Photo inspiration

Platypus Creek - Flowers

House Mouse and Friends - Humour

Bunny Zoe's - Anything goes

Fashionista Challenge - Wedding, anniversary or wedding shower

Wedding Card

Someone I work with was getting married last week so I want to make a card from myself and buy a present.  I decided to make an A4 card.  The focal image of the card was a gorgeous Lily of the Valley (LOTV) image that I bought at the NEC last November.  I have distressed the edges of the image with my Tim Holtz distressing tool and then inked the edges with a Memento ink pad.  I printed off a pink and white backing paper from a Red Hot Bed CD I've had for a few years and complimented it with pink and white card I had.  On the white card I stamped hearts and horseshoes from a See D's stamp set. 

Inside the card I inserted images from My Craft Studio Cds but just kept it very basic.

This is the back of the card which I inserted a verse and again stamped the hearts and horseshoes.

This is the matching envelope I made.  I used a MCS Wedding Day image and then inserted the text below.

The front of the card is finished off with a large flower display with a sparkly glass feature with highlights of Cosmic Shimmer glitter glue on the flowers, other flowers, spotty ribbon and a die-cut sentiment from Craftwork Cards.

The recipient was pleased with the card but seemed a bit strange.  Originally her wedding was going to be over two days ie the Saturday and Sunday but then was changed to just one day but the Sunday.  A colleague told me she didn't want to upset me.  When she comes back at the beginning of August I will ask for the card and envelope back and will somehow alter it for the right date.  Not sure how but I will have to put my thinking cap on.

I am entering this card into the following challenges:

4 Crafty Chicks - Wedding

Theme Thursday - Romance

Ai Factory - Layer it up

Crafty sentiments - Happy ever after

Craft us Crazy - Anything goes

One Stitch at a Time - Flowers

Craft Your Passion - Use text on project

Paper Cutz - Anything goes

Stamp Something - Something embellished
Allsorts - Free and easy
2 Sisters - Anything goes