WELL!

After announcing my intentions to blog more regularly and join in with some challenges again, wouldn't you just know that the 'real world' would scupper those plans.
February flew past before I could even blink ..... March stomped in boldly and then charged out again taking Easter and Mother's Day with it ..... and as for April!   It's advanced at an alarming speed and is showing no inclination of slowing down any time soon!  
Sooooo ... I've decided to make some marks here before May makes it's presence felt or I get jumped by June.

Let's get things rolling with a card for
Crafter's Companion UK April Challenge - Flowers

I had printed off one of their free Valentine downloads, but never got around to actually making anything with it, so thought I'd just see if I could make it work for this challenge. 
Simple flower embellishments were made by cutting out some of the hearts and curling the edges. They make perfect petals when glued together to form a circle.  The large flower centre was made by snipping into one of the printed border strips and then gluing it onto a small punched circle ... both flowers were then decorated with a coordinating button to finish.   The fancy flourish doubles up as a very pretty leaf don't you think?  Hero Arts stamps provide the simple greetings and the little birdy gets a wing from half a leftover heart.

Inside is simply decorated with one of the downloaded backing papers matted onto black card and finished off top and bottom with pieces of the border strip. 
So there you are ... that's how you use a Valentine themed download for a flower challenge. I'd also like to submit to the following challenges...
Ladybug Crafts - Leap Into Spring 
Brown Sugar Challenge - Spring 
Crafts and Me Challenge - Spring Flowers 
Crafting For All Seasons - Floral Delight 
Allsorts - Spring Has Sprung 
Here are a few of the other cards I was busy with in February ... it was a fairly heavy month for special landmark birthdays with numbers on.

My Nephew became a teen

My Brother celebrated being 21 ... with 29 years experience!

For Naomi's bowling pal

Fizzy Moon For My Niece

A bit of Decoupage

**SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT**

I cannot finish without telling you that after 4 cancelled bookings since September 2012 due to bad weather, my 17 year old daughter Naomi finally got to do her Skydive from 10,000 feet on 23rd February 2013, raising well over £1000 for Edinburgh Sick Kids Foundation. 

Proud doesn't even come close!

If you'd like to see the awesome footage click on the photo.  The music is muted so as not to breach copyright.

Bah! Humbug! 37 - Stars

My DT example for Bah! Humbug! this week follows a wonderful Acetate Card Tutorial, which demonstrates a simple technique to ensure your background doesn't tip forward when the finished card is on display.   Not good if you've been sneaking the sherry LOL!  It was written by my very good Humbugger buddy and VERY bad influence Ann, who constantly leads me into temptation where crafting goodies are concerned and is responsible for my ever growing obsession with rubber - of the stamping kind in case you're wondering.  

I used the free downloads from the new 'Beatrix Potter - A Winter's Tale' release which is currently available for members at Crafter's Companion.   Very generous and perfect for those of us who have to be a bit more canny with their 'cally-dosh' at the moment.    I'm entering their Monthly Challenge where the prize up for grabs is the whole Winter's Tale Collection - SQUEAL! - so wish me luck.   I will try to remember to breathe until the winner's name has been announced and not be too disappointed if the random winner isn't me!
As I have mentioned before, decoupage is definitely not my favourite technique but, as the ideal choice for this kind of card, I had no choice but to get out the snips and have to confess now I see the finished result,  it was worth making the effort.   As I'd only printed 2 sheets of background scenery, I improvised for an additional layer with a piece of blue glitter card which was torn and then attacked with Icicle Stickles.   AND because I love the 'Stickles Effect' so much, the trees and snow were punished severely too.   

See what I mean?

The bunnies are also decoupaged, although it is difficult to see the layers in this photo - and yes - they were also 'stickled' within an inch of their little bunny lives.  The extra sparkle hasn't slowed them down any though.
My original intention was to add the stars randomly across the acetate front, but I was reluctant to hide the scenery so opted for arranging them across the sentiment panel at the bottom.  Acetate cards can have a tendency to topple unless heavy duty acetate is used, so doing this helps as a card stabiliser.
The other DT members Ann, Irene and our Guest Designer Anne, have some beautiful starry samples to show you so head over and check them out too.

Bah! Humbug! Challenge 31

A classic black and white combination was the simple recipe for my Bah! Humbug! Challenge offering this week. It is one of my favourite choices when it comes to quick and easy cards because there's ALWAYS black and white card within easy reach of any crafter.     

I stamped these lovely Debbie Moore fanfare angels and Noel text silhouette stamps with black ink onto white linen effect card.   

They were heat embossed with black embossing powder and then sprayed with Crafter's Companion Irridescent Sparkle.    I really like the sparkle finish but wish I knew how to stop the nozzle clogging up as it's very tiresome having to continually rinse it.

Anyway, while that was drying, I punched 2 strips of snowflakes from sheets of white and black embossed card using the Martha Stewart border punch - part of a recent QVC TSV which was simply too good a bargain to pass up.  

A panel of black embossed card was placed to the left of a DL landscape card blank and the white snowflake strip was glued on top vertically using a glue pen, which is pefect for getting to all the fiddly bits.  The black snowflake strip was placed horizontally across the middle of the card before adding the stamped image which had been matted onto black card.  

Lines were scored horizontally above and below the image up to the edge of the pretty black embossed card for additional detail.
Check out what Ann and Irene have been busy with over at Bah! Humbug! and then have a look to see who the random lucky winner of the stamp set is from last week's draw.  
If you own a Christmas Fairy or Angel image that would like to spread it's wings with our challenge, then please don't be shy as we welcome all ages and abilities at Bah! Humbug!  This card is eligible for the following challenges so I'm entering them all ... coooooo I must be feeling reckless.
Flutter By Wednesdays 117 - Open Challenge
ABC Christmas - 'Q' for Quick and Easy
Fab'n'Funky 35 - Favourite Colours
Our Creative Corner - Embossable

Happy Wee Mousey

This cute little mouse always makes me smile.  She looks like she's received some wonderful news and is jumping for joy.  Maybe it's a lottery win LOL?

She was coloured with Promarkers before being cut out and layered onto blue pearlised cardstock cut with Nestabilities.  This was then popped, with silicon glue for added dimension, onto a card decorated with papers from DCWV Glitter Stack which was one of the half price purchases I bought online last week in a closing down sale at WhoopsaDaisy.  I'm unable to post a link as sadly it doesn't exist any more - I hope it wasn't another casualty of the recession.

I also bought some black Stickles which I have tested out on the pebbles but  I may need to be more generous next time for the proper effect.
I'll be submitting this card to the following challenges.
Crafter's Companion 2 - Sketch
Simon Says - Check It Out
Craftalicious 3 - Cute 
Totally Papercrafts 23 - One For The Girlies
A Pocketful of Posies - One For The Girls
A Spoonful of Sugar 110 - Animal Crackers
Going to go and plant up the window boxes while the rain holds off but before I do just want to let you see the flowers that have bloomed on the Yucca in the garden.  Aren't they amazing?! 

Wishing you all enjoy a wonderful weekend, wherever you are and whatever you are doing.

Butterfly Beauty

Just a quick post to show the card I sent to my Bah! Humbugger buddy Ann for her birthday yesterday.  The stamp is a really pretty Butterfly Fairy from a set by the well known artist Ruth Morehead, whose cutesy images are instantly recognisable worldwide.  I had no idea that any of her images were available as stamps so I just had to snap up this set and couldn't wait to get home to have a play.

She was coloured with Promarkers and sprayed with Crafter's Companion Iridescent Spray and Sparkle, before being cut with the largest size Nestablilties Labels One die.  This spray glitter gives the most gorgeous sparkle effect I have seen for minimum effort - just make sure you either go outside or spray it into an old shoebox as it is a little bit whiffy at first and would probably go everywhere if not contained.  If you click the image below for an enlarged view you will see how sparkly she really is.

I had to draw an outline onto textured blue and pink card, around the outside edge of the label one die shape,  to get the larger shapes I needed for matting and these were cut with scissors.   As you see I used scalloped scissors for the pink layer and turned it 90 degrees before adding some adhesive pearls for decoration.
The beautiful pink silk damask background card was placed onto an 8" square card blank and I matched it with some pretty blue floral paper from My Mind's Eye Pretty Please pad.  A couple of clusters of paper roses in diagonally opposite corners, along with a strip of pretty pink ribbon and a stamped sentiment, provide the finishing touches.

The decoration inside uses the last remnants of the silk cardstock matted onto blue textured card and pink ribbon conceals the joins.   
I went on to use my Bind-It-All to make a slim Birthday Book from textured cardstock in similar colours for Ann to keep a track of those all-important dates that come around so quickly.  

I did add a friendship sentiment below the ribbon before posting it as it looked a little bare but unfortunately, I didn't have time to take more photo's.
Now ... I wonder if they are eligible for any challenges.  Had a look at Challenge Mania and they seem to fit the bill for these challenges. 
Flutterby Wednesday - Fluttery Creations 
(just a taster before the official return on 7th July) 
Crafts and Me 7 - Birthdays 
Pollycraft - Pinkalicious


Tomorrow is Bah! Humbug! Challenge Day ... and we have a brand new Guest Designer for you, as well as our Monthly Prize Draw ... so make sure you don't miss it.

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Like many other parents of school age children, my posts may be rather infrequent during the School Summer Holidays, especially if the weather is kind, when we will hopefully be out and about having fun and spending time together as a family.   I will keep up with things at Bah! Humbug! if nothing else so I'm not disappearing completely and will be popping by to leave comments as much as possible but everything else will be 'hit'n'miss.
Hope you all understand and thank you in advance for your patience.

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