Gazing into the sunset....

This card was made for the Ready Stamp Challenge http://readysteadystamp.blogspot.com/ the ingredients were: sun, yellow, ribbon, triangle, acetate. I have to admit when I first saw that I thought I can't do that. Firstly I don't have a sun anything...I am not the biggest fan of yellow...how are you supposed to use a triangle, and then on top of all that there was acetate!! So I decided immediately that it was not for me!........the trouble was then it totally got into my head, realised that I could create a sun using inks , and a masking technique to create the sun, which is also yellow!! 2 ingredients down..... then I remembered I had these little acetate tags left over from a really old kit - think it was Kanban, and they could be attached by ribbon.....4 ingredients down....the triangles were my nemesis in the end, but I have used 2 as little photo corners....and eventually I had the card!....

I have used, "we are memory keepers - nonsense papers" for the background. to create the sunset I used "brilliance inkpads - Sunflower yellow, crimson copper, and lavender and Ivy (for the foliage)" the stamp is " Rubber Stampede - best friends" and the little foliage stamp is from "Stamptivity" I have used prima flowers, peel off dots and leaves, and a little peel off butterfly, a couple of buttons.

I also think this card fits 5 challenges which is a record for me! the first as mentioned above then:

365 cards http://365cards.blogspot.com/ (masking...I used masking technique for the sun)

Pennys challenges http://pennyschallenges.blogspot.com/ buttons

Our Creative corner http://ourcreativecorner6.blogspot.com/ inspiration its nearly harvest time. there was a lovely painting "Lowell Herroro - Picking wildflower" (it had a gorgeous sunset in the background and purple hills)

Everybody Art Challenge http://everybody-art-challenge.blogspot.com/ butterflies

Vintage Collage

Finally this week I have been able to enter a card in the 365 day challenge blog http://365cards.blogspot.com/ there have been some great ones this week, however I have just not had the time to craft for them.

I also want to enter this card in the allsorts challenge blog http://allsortschallenge.blogspot.com/
the theme there is vintage.

I decided to try and combine these challenges, as I look at both collage cards and vintage cards and think that they are just stunning, then I try it, and it doesn't ever really work for me, i need to conquer these looks!! i think it looks vintage but I am not sure that it is truly collage, but I have tried my best, in my head I was also going to try and use roses, ribbon, buttons, butterflies - to fit with other challenges but that didn't work out, but I have tried my best, but I think a little more practice is still in order!!

Anyway, the image is from "my craft studio - carousel of classics" I am not really into cd crafting but hubby bought me a few and I do sometimes find the images handy! I changed the colourway to make it more sepia.

The green paper is from "K&Co - Hannah collection" and the main background paper is from "Kanban" I have also used some green pearl cardstock to mat the image, and have used the same card with "cuttlebug - script" and sanded over it.

I have stamped the corners with a "le Blanche stamp" and also created the strip of music using the "K&Co" paper and a stamp from "Penny Black" and I have inked around all edges with "distress ink-shabby shutters"

The little tab is also from the "K&Co Hannah collection" and then finally a few pearls and a little stickles....

Love In Paris

Friends of ours were in Paris last weekend to celebrate their wedding anniversary. So I have made this card for them.

I plan to enter this card into 3 challenges. firstly Papertake weekly http://papertakeweekly.blogspot.com/ the challenge there is 4 seasons. to make a card that reminds you of one of the seasons. This is prob me being an old sop, but love the film "Paris in the spring" and this card made me think of that.

The second challenge is A Spoon Full Of Sugar http://aspoonfullofsugarchallenge.blogspot.com/ which is "Floral Fantasy" I have used prima flowers on this card, and have used peel off dots to make the centre.

And the final challenge is My Time to Craft http://mytimetocraftchallenge.blogspot.com/ which is to use neglected and forgotten stash. This was a lot of fun I dug out 2 old stamps the Paris one is "Santa Rosa - The Montage Collection" and the dancing couple is from "Anita" they have been coloured using my whispers pen. (I have honestly not used either of these stamps for years!) The pink paper was also lurking at the bottom of my craft cupboard.

Finishing touches, I have stitched around the edge, used "distress ink -worn Lipstick" to ink around the edges. I have used a few brads in some hinge stickers ( left over from a kit I bought from qvc years ago!) also her dress has been glittered using "distress stickles - worn lipstick" and finally I have drawn over the word Paris with glossy accents to give it that added shine!

As a quick P.S i just want to apologise to the authors of the challenge blogs, as I have put an entry in twice, due to technical difficulties my original "Love in Paris" post was deleted so I have had to re do it. I apologise for any inconvenience this causes!

Kreativ Blogger Award

I would like to thank the lovely Jane over at http://jane-thecupboardunderthestairs.blogspot.com/ for this very kind award, Thankyou Jane for thinking of me!

Here are the instructions in order to accept this award:

1. Thank the person who nominated you for this award
2. Copy the logo and place it on your blog
3. Link the person who nominated you for this award
4. Name seven things about yourself that people might find interesting
5. Nominate seven Kreative Bloggers
6. Post links to the seven blogs you nominate
7. Leave comments on all seven blogs letting them know you nominated them

My 7 interesting (well I least I hope they are interesting) things are:

1. I have a love affair with Mr Darcy!
2. In March I will have been married for almost 10 years (and he is ok with the Mr Darcy thing!)
3. My Dad knew Hank Marvin from the shadows!
4. I used to do highland dancing
5. I eat the centre of my cream egg first and save the choc until last
6. I hate Marmite!
7. I cant live without micro dots!

The 7 lovely people I am passing the award onto are:


1. Lisza at http://liszha.blogspot.com/
2. Cindy at http://cindyhaffnerscorner.blogspot.com/
3. Jem at http://jemscrafting.blogspot.com/
4. Sem at http://semsee.blogspot.com/
5. Jeni at http://jenislack.blogspot.com/
6.Tammi at http://tropicaldreams-17.blogspot.com
7. Jodi at http://inkedinspirations.blogspot.com

My first candle and 4 challenges

well you've guessed it another 25th wedding anniversary project! ( I think this will be my card and gift) This is my first attempt at a candle it went not too bad, but I think I overheated it slightly. The thing I found the hardest was to embellish it once the image had gone on. (the candle is straight in real life, it just lops over in the picture..(LOL).. been having real problems with the whole photography thing this morning! I have used a stamp from "Le Blanche" its been coloured with whisper pens, and once it was heat set I added some stickles, and then decorated it with some ribbons and flowers from my box of bits and bobs so sorry I have no idea where I got them from. and I am going to enter this into Stamping for the weekend http://stampinfortheweekend.blogspot.com/ as the challenge this week is to alter it.

The card... I have used the sketch from Delicious Diva Challenges http://deliciousdivachallenges.blogspot.com/

I have used 3 brads again from "Le Blance" one flower (sorry don't know where that's from) and paper from "crafty bits" and that fits the recipe over at Pink Elephant http://thepinkelephantchallenge.blogspot.com/

and finally the challenge over at One Stop Craft http://onestopcraftchallenge.blogspot.com/ is to use swirls and pearls. On both projects the flower that I have used as little pearls for the stamen. On the candle I have made swirls using adhesive stones, and on the card there are some peeloff swirls just going round the corner of the image.

Just as a quick P.S ordered the TSV from QVC UK (WRMK magnetic cutting mat, with various cutting tools!) so now I will have a means to make circles! whoo hoo!! it means more challenges will be in my grasp!.... guess the order of all these cards has come in handy!

25 years...take 2

Just a quick post, this is another card for the silver Wedding couple! This is my first attempt at this style of card, not sure what its called (step card, stair card) In all honesty I didn't have a clue what I was doing but it seemed to work out ok.

Have used some papers from "Kanban" the image is from "strictly card dancers" cd. her dress was originally yellow but I have coloured over it to make it black with whispers black pen, and a sakura gel pen, I found it quite hard to keep the shading in the dress. Then the whole thing is finished off with a little stickles.

Not too difficult a card but hopefully still effective.........

Silver Wedding

This is not really my normal style. However I am in the process of making a load of 25th anniversary cards, but they all have to go to the same couple, so I am trying my best to make the style of each card very different!

I have always admired cards that have the distressed look, I am not very good at it, I occasionally rip and tear pages or ink the edges of card but I am not very good at pulling a whole look together. It normally ends up looking very Dark and or dirty. Anyway I thought I would try and give it a go...

I have tried my best not to be too heavy handed to keep it light and hopefully still elegant. For this card I have used papers from "K&Co - Wedding range" all the edges have been sanded I don't have any distressing tools so I think every emery board in my house as been used up! Just as well I now use a glass nail file! LOL! and then inked with "whispers - whisper blue". I have embossed some pearl paper using "cuttlebug - script"

My Hubby had thought I had gone mad when I got the sewing machine out today. (must get one of those mini ones!) as I started stitching the card the seamstress came out in me as I stitched a perfectly straight line, then I realised that was not the look I was going for, so then I have done a double row of very wobbly stitching to compensate!

The heart and flowers are " Sizzix - heart w/flowers & vine" which I have gradually built up. the dotty ribbon actually ties in really well and lifts the card a little, but in the photo it just doesn't look right! (sorry!)

I am sure the rest of the anniversary cards will make their way onto my blog, I am just putting this one now as I thought I could enter it into the Simon Says Challenge http://simonsaysstampschallenge.blogspot.com/ as this week Simon says - "distress"

Well I guess I should get back to completing those orders!........