Vintage Easter

Here is the first of this year's Easter cards and I intended a sort've vintage look using K. & Co. papers because they're one of my all time favourites.

The cute bunnies are a free image from Dover Publications to which I've added a computer generated message before printing onto white paper.
The background was coloured using watered down Whispers Brush Markers applied with a cotton wool ball lightly swiped across.
When dry, it was cut out with decorative edged scissors before being matted onto grey cardstock and then a slightly larger rectangle of gold mirri card.

A rosette of lace and a lilac ribbon continues the colour theme and a white Pearl Pen provides the decoration in the corners.

This card is my entry for ABC Challenge which is E for Easter and Kaboodle Doodle's 2nd Challenge as the topic this week is Vintage.

Tanda Stamps Teaser 89

Sadly I have to confess to always needing a few belated cards to hand.
Did a quick scan of the Challenge Blogs to see if this card would 'fit in' to any of the topics ... and surprisingly it does!

Tanda Stamps Teaser this week is "All Creatures Great and Small" ... so my cute lickle ducky ribbon counts I'm sure and the greeting of course ... tee hee.
Non fray ribbon is fabulous to work with by the way ... just stick'n'snip with no worries.

The paper and cardstock are DCWV from a stack kit and the flower embellishment was in my stash and finally, a white gel pen provides the doodle dots ... dotting is very therapeutic y'know.

Now I really must make a start on some Mother's Day and Easter cards ... can't be late with those!

Creative Card Crew Challenge #1

There's a new kid on the block in "Challengeland" going by the name of Creative Card Crew and their very first challenge is a colour one ~ GREEN.

There's a fabby prize on offer from this week's sponsor One Stop Crafts ... so it's got to be worth a try huh?

The paper and card used is from K.& Co. HOTP and English Paper Company and I felt they all worked pretty well together on this Mother's Day card.

**UK Mother's Day this year is 22nd March**

The image was one of a selection that sweet Tasha, (from Millies Magical Moments), sent to me for my birthday last month and is from Whiff of Joy Spring set (thanks for that info' Ann xx) ... isn't she pretty?
Whispers Brush Markers were used to colour her in before being cut out and mounted on top of the pretty ribbon band with silicon glue.
I especially wanted to use one of Tasha's images as my entry for this new Challenge Blog because she just happens to be one of "the crew."

So if you like joining in with craft challenges ... then all I can say is ... get yourself over there and have a go.
You know you want to!

Get Well Cards

Todays cards were added to a selection from my 'Grab'n'Go' box, that were posted yesterday to Kirsty Wiseman for a fantastic appeal she has running at the moment.

Basically she is organising a mass 'Troops Card Collection' ... the purpose of which is to send cards to our troops, currently serving abroad, so that they have something nice to send to their loved ones. Did I confuse you??

Well hop over to Kirsty's Blog and read all about it for yourself CLICK HERE ... she explains it so much better than I can.
**Scroll down to the bottom of her post for the details.**

She has already had a fantastic response so far ... but if I can spread the word and increase the donations even more, then that's something I'm more than happy to do.

Share A Smile **UPDATED - 7th March**

These cards were made to send to Dorothy of Never Enough Rubber Stamps so that she can distribute them to the elderly and homeless in her area, in the hope of cheering them up and showing that people really do care.

All share the same sentiment, which has just been typed and printed on my computer, as I thought it was particularly appropriate for this occasion.

These words bring back fond memories of my dear Nan, who sadly died 18 years ago and who was one of the kindest, loveliest and most gentle ladies I've ever known. She often used to come away with little pearls of wisdom like this when I was a young girl and I still miss her very much.

Full details of Dorothy's Spread A Smile Campaign and her fabulous blog candy are HERE and if you can help out in any way, however small, then I'm sure it will be very much appreciated ... but please don't win the Blog Candy 'cos I want it LOL!

First Birthday

This card is heading for a special little boy who lives in France as he will be celebrating his 1st Birthday on 9th March.

Nathan is the adopted son of our beautiful niece and her handsome French husband and was safely delivered to them, from Ethiopia, in September 2008.

We haven't yet met him in person but I follow his progress on Lee's blog, chucking in an occasional comment just so's she knows I'm there ... watching him grow and smiling as I see his cheeky character developing through the photos and video clips.
Happy Birthday Nathan xxx

Tanda Stamps Teaser 87

The challenge over at Tanda Stamps this week was entitled "A Bird In The Hand" ... so I thought I'd enter this card which was the result of the first session I had with my new Cuttlebug.
(I know most people and their Aunties have had one for years but I was never known for being in vogue LOL)

I wanted to try all the folders at once ... as you do ... so hence the kind've 'mish~mashed' look.
The purple card has an almost velvety feel to it that wasn't obvious until it was embossed ... very strange.

Offcuts made dinky wee wings so even scraps were saved from the bin.

The patterned paper was included in a birthday gift from Sarah (aka Tiggertastic) and may be from one of the Laura Ashley collections.
I embossed some of it with the Perfect Paisley embossing folder and then cut out the 2 birdies from the impressions before attaching them with foam pads. If you click the image for a close up you can see the embossing on the birds more clearly.
The embossed message was one of the With Love border folders so I used 3 folders for one card ... a bit greedy huh?
A gel pen and gold Pearl Pen helped with highlighting.

Pink Elephant Challenge 4

The challenge this week at The Pink Elephant is Ribbons and Die Cuts ... and there is a lovely prize up for grabs of the fabby Ribbon Holder (including ribbons!) created by DT member Ann, who incidently wrote the easy to follow tutorial for anyone who fancies having a go themselves.

My effort this week uses Little Kitty Aloha which was part of the amazing Wish Wednesday CHA prize I won recently over at Becks Faggs blog. I still haven't made it to the bottom of the box yet ... thank you so much Becks!!

Little Kitty is a Sizzix die but the wee Cuttlebug (which was my birthday prezzie from hubby and kiddlings), coped no problem.
I used brown textured card to cut out Kitty, maybe not one of my better ideas as it disappeared into the Papermania background paper, (hence the need for a yellow border ... DOH!), and Papermania Spring Life paper was also used for her cute little outfit.
Matching ribbons were used to decorate the flower in her ear and also the sentiment tag which is blank for the moment.
Adhesive gems were added for eyes and to highlight some of the flowers.
In case you're wondering, this naughty little Kitty got her nose all sooty from falling in the black inkpad ... whoops! ... lesson learned to ALWAYS replace the lid immediately after use LOL!

FYI : Animals is the theme over at Charisma Cardz Challenge this week and also Cute Card Thursday but will need to check whether they allow entries to multiple challenges. They have some ultra cute stamps on offer though so might just risk it!

Watercoloured Postcards and a Birthday

Todays 'Show and Tell' comprises of some watercoloured postcards which were stamped and coloured with Whispers Brush Markers, and a simple Birthday card using HOTP papers which are always a brilliant standby when the creative part of the brain has gone AWOL ... like mine did today.

Hopefully this is just a temporary glitch caused by the combination of yet more antibiotics and painkillers.

The fancy decorative edges on the birthday card, were courtesy of the Purple Cow trimmer recently purchased from QVC ... so much easier and quicker than decorative scissors I can tell you.

There's a busy weekend ahead, with the first ranking tournament of 2009 for Naomi's ten pin bowling being held in Stirling both Saturday and Sunday ... and in between there's the usual washing, ironing and other boring stuff, so if I'm not around then don't worry.

I think the plan is for hubby to take her through one day and I'll do the other day ... but we'll see how things go.
Hope you all enjoy a Wonderful Weekend anyway, wherever you are and whatever you are doing.

Kanban Kit

It's been All Star Craft Day on QVC today and the TSV launched at midnight, was a lovely Kanban Card Kit.

I wasn't tempted this time, but it reminded me of a previous Kanban TSV that I did indulge in last year ... or it could've even been the year before that!

The quality of these particular concept card kits is excellent but the really great thing is that all the ingredients for a classy card are included, even down to the ribbon, a choice of messages, and lovely adhesive gems.

This makes them very quick and easy for beginners or equally good for more experienced crafters when time is limited.

These 3 cards were created from only one concept sheet

Bish ...

Bash ...

Bosh ...

Jobs a Good'un !

Pink Elephant Challenge 3

Thought I'd join in again with The Pink Elephant Challenge this week ... can't believe I've played along for 3 challenges in a row, 'cos normally I struggle to remember until after the deadlines !!
Must be because I'm enjoying myself ... which is probably because, (unlike some other challenge blogs), they don't impose restrictions, preferring to concentrate more on the fun aspect of challenges and getting enjoyment from everyone's participation. Makes for a much more relaxed environment and it's amazing how much the creativity flow increases each week.

Challenge #3 was a sketch by DT member Carol and here's my take on it.

The textured card, letters and dotty card are DCWV and the image is a Forever Friends sticker which came as a free gift with Papercraft Inspirations magazine.

(Just thought I'd better mention that just in case you thought my colouring skills had improved dramatically ... ha ha).

A small circle punch and heart punch help to get maximum use out of the card offcuts to create a border below the image and discs for the letter stickers. The leftovers from that were then used to decorate inside.

The chipboard flourish is from the Dovecraft Fantasy collection, which was sanded and then coloured with ink to reduce the glaring whiteness.

Adhesive gems add just enough 'bling' without being OTT.

Black 'n' Gold Elegance

Hands up ... if you know anyone who doesn't just love embossed card?
Especially if it's luxury embossed card ... like, for instance, this gorgeous example of a tapestry effect on gold.
Can you see the sheen ... and don't you just want to stroke it?

I think this pattern is the epitome of elegance and beauty, especially when combined with the black leather effect background card and it speaks to me of afternoon tea, lace tablecloths and crinoline dresses.

Such a sumptious look needed very little embellishment but deserved something special, so out of hiding, came some luxury w...i...d...e black velvet ribbon (kept only for special occasions!) and a couple of fabby gold heart brads.

This will be my (almost late) entry for the CA Challenge where embossing has been the theme this month.

Colour Create Challenge 4

Whilst blog hopping the other night ... skipping through links (as you do) ... I found the Colour Create Challenge blog, (which is now added to the rapidly growing sidebar), so thought I'd follow their colour palette challenge of Pink and Grey to produce this very simple card.
Scalloped circles, scalloped scissors and some black doodling add a wee bit of interest and the fushia pink ribbon is the finishing touch.

Selection Box

Thought I'd show what I've been 'pootling' with over the weekend.
Nothing to shout about really just a bit of colouring with Whispers Brush Markers on the embossed cards (part of an old QVC card kit) and one of the lovely Forever Friends stamps, with some silver peel offs for the sentiments.
The glittery flower card is a recyled birthday card from last year.

Quick and easy which suits me perfectly at the moment as my energy levels are well below zero.

Pink Elephant Challenge 2

The Challenge at Pink Elephant this week was to use 'GLITTER' ... which, I have to tell you, is not something I find easy.
'Flitter' more describes what I have done with this card ... but hey ho ... it sparkles enough for me.

If you look carefully you'll see a 'hint of a tint' of pink glitter on the stamped flower, (isn't that Penny Black stamp just scrummy??), but I accidently dropped a humungous blob of fushia pink glitter on the green flower brad ... so I decided to be extravagant and leave it to set.
Must be getting brave in my old age.

Strangly enough I quite like the finished result ... sometimes things are just meant to be aren't they?

I added some adhesive gems for extra 'bling' and some 'faux stitching' ... and that was about all I could cope with.

Hope it fits the criteria for the PE Challenge but regardless, my niece loved her birthday card ... and, for me at least, that's what really counts.

The background paper was one of the lovely designs sent by Tiggertastic for my birthday and was just perfect for what I wanted.

The Penny Black stamp was coloured using Whisper Brush Markers.

More practice needed obviously but getting there I think.

More Birthday Treasure

I've received yet more fabulous cards and gifts for my birthday.

Thanks to Tiggertastic, Heather and Cambiel from CB forum for continuing to spoil me rotten. I am one lucky lady xxx

Birthday Bonanza

Here are the cards sent by family and friends to celebrate my birthday yesterday

Some of them even had little surprises tucked inside and it's safe to say I was absolutely blown away by the generosity and kindness of everyone ... 'Thank You All Very Much'.

Flower Hearts

I know ... I know ... there's hearts and flowers everywhere this week, but I can get away with over indulgence because it's almost Valentine's Day ... which means it is also my birthday ... besides it's not a lovey dovey, gushy card so will suit those who're not overly romantic.

I used a small heart punch on plain and patterned paper and then layered them all to create the flower.

Bright 'n' Bold

This card uses some more of the Paper Cellar papers which were part of my CB prize.

The colours are really vibrant Springtime colours and you can't help but feel brighter just by seeing them spread on the table in front of you ... even if, (like me), you're feeling like "Little Miss CrabbyPants".

So do you think I should decorate the walls with them to keep me feeling bright'n'breezy ?

But then again ... that may be more stimulation than I can handle.

Pink Elephant Challenge 1

There's another new challenge blog been added to the sidebar and as one of my bestest bloggy friends Ann is on the new Design Team, I just had to tell you about it.

It's called 'The Pink Elephant Challenge' and already it's proving a popular place to hang out.

Here's my entry for their very first challenge ... a nice easy colour one ... where the brief is to use Pink, Black and White.

The papers are taken from DCWV paper stack and matted and layered onto black and white card stock. They fit the bill nicely as does that lovely vibrant pink ribbon and the brads ... one of each colour.
An offcut of the paper was used to decorate the inside rather than add an insert.

I hope you will all hop over there and join in the fun ... and you never know you may win a prize for your efforts!

Penny Black Stamps

I have always covetted Penny Black stamps and especially lurrrrrve the wee hedgehogs (or hodgepigs as Naomi used to call them), so I finally gave in to temptation by ordering the 'Hugs' set of clear stamps.

Unfortunately, when they arrived I wasn't feeling up to playing with them but promised myself they would be first in line when I felt better.

Sooooo ... yesterday afternoon, I opened the seal and made a card using the wee mouse in a basket and the adorable hedgehog with flowers.

I used a combination of Whispers Brush Markers and Sakura Pens for colouring and then cut out the cute images to mount on silver mirri card with silicon glue.
I'm going to enjoy playing with this set and as a new owner of PB stamps I'm hoping my colouring skills can be improved so I don't spoil them because they're really fabby.