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.

Fabulous at 40

For all those loyal and patient followers, who keep popping in here to keep an eye on me and haven't jumped off the list ... "Thank You!"
Today, (AT LAST!) I have something to show you ... I just hope it was worth the wait.

The card below is for my Sister in Law who celebrates a milestone birthday at the end of the month ... although she looks 10 years younger than her actual age ... maybe that's 'cos she and my brother don't have any 'kiddlings' ~ we all know how many years they can add to your face ... ha ha ha!

The papers are all K. & Co. (one of my favourite favourites) and the image is one I found in my Vintage folder on my PC.
I colourised it very slightly in PSP, (Paint Shop Pro), which is a very useful graphics programme.
It will have originally been saved as a copyright free image (possibly from Dover) or a similar free image site out there in cyber land.

The text on the image was also added in PSP and after some matting and layering on gold mirri card, a few pink adhesive gems were added along with some Prima Flowers and a dash of ribbon.

The inside is also decorated with a few flowers, and the sentiment is made up from an Inkadinkadoo Brenda Walton clear stamp set.

To go with the card I made a wee gift bag from K. & Co. Paper Purse pack, (similar to the one won in my giveaway game), and we will make sure to pop something special inside ready for her big day.

I am hoping this card qualifies for entry into The Pink Elephant Challenge which is Monograms and Letters this week.

F is for Fabulous
F is for Forty

1st Birthday

I can't believe my nephew's baby boy celebrates his 1st birthday on Friday ... where has the year gone?

I discovered a pack of Baby Bee Collection designer paper, from Crate Paper, in my stash which was perfect for the look I wanted and with the addition of a few bits'n'bobs from a Poundland embellishment pack, here is what I came up with.

Will pop it in the post tomorrow morning with his prezzie and fingers crossed it lands in Aberdeen in time for his BIG Day.

More Numbers

It was my Dad's 70th birthday this week and I used burgundy leather effect card to hold the Book A Trix card I made for him.

I have made a similar card before but this time I added the gold peel off numbers to the red wine bottle ... to show his 'vintage.'

I'm very proud to say that ... like a good red wine, my precious dad just gets better with age!

We had a lovely surprise family meal at a local hotel and he was in his element enjoying good food, good wine, (red of course LOL), surrounded by his precious family.

What more does any man need?

Anniversary Card & Numbers

It is my wee brother's and sister~in~law's 11th Anniversary today, so I thought I'd show the card I made for them.

I used some gorgeous turquoise foiled tissue paper, (it really is beautiful paper), mounted onto silver mirri card, then matted onto turquoise coloured card before adding a message tag decorated with matching ribbon and silver punched hearts.
I unearthed a fancy heart shaped corner punch the other day ... when looking for something else ... which was perfect for decorating the corners of the white card blank.

Another of this week's projects was to make a 60th birthday card and I relied on one of my favourite K. & Co. papers for this one.

I created a ribbon rosette from some non fray floral ribbon and added gold number peel offs to a scalloped circle, punched from the same paper, before mounting it on the front.

Simple but pretty I think.

I still have my dad's 70th card to make before Monday.