Another Quick and Easy Card

Following on from the sympathy cards I made yesterday, I altered the wording and font and added a felt butterfly from a Henbury Lane Goody bag I got last summer, to make a very quick and stylish birthday card. I've made 4 of these with different coloured butterflies for my basket of cards to sell.



I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:

Fab 'n' Funky - Anything Goes
Tuesday Throwdown - Embossing [on the bigger mat behind 'Wishing you a Happy Birthday'
Creative Craft World - Anything Goes

With Symathy Card

Now that I have loads of white linen card, I have sat and made 2 very quick cards tonight. I saw a similar style card on a blog last year and I loved the simpicity of the card, and thought that it would make a fabulous layout for any style of card, so I have done my take on the one I saw and come up with this Sympathy Card:

I love butterflies, and think it makes this card looks elegant and peaceful. The butterfly is cut on the craft robo, in white linen card, as is the 2 'nestie' shapes in the centre. One of which I have embossed with the daisy folder on the cuttlebug. A few pearls from my stash finish it off.

The cards will be added to the basket for sale. I've made 30 so far, and just want to make a couple more before I give it to my friend. Fingers crossed the cards will sell well, and i'll be on my way to making the £2,500 I need for our trip to Florida in the summer.

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:

My Time to Craft - Up in the Air [butterfly]
Paper Take Weekly - Anything Goes
Cupcake Craft Challenge - White is White

Boy Baby Cards

I had a trip down to Portsmouth today, purely because it is the nearest one to us (over 80 miles each way), and I was in desparate need of some white linen card. So off I go, expecting to have to pay £8 for 100 sheets, which is an offer they had last time I went in September, although I was sure I'd get more like 200 sheets for £16. However, they finally had an offer one for boxed linen card instead of having to buy it in pack of 10. So I snapped up 3 boxes of around 70 sheets in each box for £15. Bargain, and I am hoping that 210 sheets will last me a very long time.

I've sat tonight and made up some of my 'named' card for the basket I'm giving my friend at the end of the week to sell for me, and did a couple of baby boy ones:

They have been made with white linen and silver mirror card, and 2 different ribbons across the bottom. I love the top one with the gingham and teddy bear ribbon, but think that this will be the last one I can make as I have run out of the satin teddy bear ribbon and can't find it in my local haberdasher shop anymore. As always the letters were cut on the craft robo.


I'd like to enter these baby cards into the following challenges:

The Crazy Challenge - All Things New
Crafty Hos Challenge - Babies
Quirky Crafts Challenge - New Beginnings
One Stop Craft Challenge - New Beginnings
The Alphabet Challenge - I for Infants

Another Card Using Ink Around the Edges

Another card made specifically for the I Did It Creations Blog Challenge, which is to use a favourite technique. I am in love with inking around the edges of images to give them a softer feel, even though I have only been doing it for 2 days, and I also love embossing card through cuttlebug folders.

I have used a freebie image from the I Did It Creations Blog, and have coloured it with some of my promarkers. You can probably tell I love the colour purple!

The layout is from a card I spotted around 'blogland', and just loved the two tone card that was used, and the use of a boarder punch to give it a elegant look, and the card finished with ribbon. This card has mainly been made from my ever growing scrap pile.

I have cut the image and mat layer with the Labels One nesties, and inked the edges of the image, and added some clear gems to the middle of the flowers. The embossing folder I have used on the purple card is the 'daisy' folder, and on the black 'swiss dots' although you can't really tell from the photo. A piece of black ribbon and sentiment finish the card off. For a bit of dimension I have added 3d foam pads to the back of the image/mat and then put it on the card.

I love the use of the boarder punch and the two tone colours used to make this card, and will definitely be using this style, and layout again, as I think it is one that would work for any occassion.

A New Technique for Me

On my travels around blogland, over recent weeks, I have seen a technique where you use ink to 'brush' around an image or edges of the paper. I have got around to giving this technique a go today, and after seeing a video on You Tube I have this card, as a thank you to my last but one boss, because over Christmas I received a very large cut glass vase, as a leaving present, at it is stunning. It is so big that instead of the occassional bunch of flowers my OH often buys me, he will now have to by a large bouquet!


I don't have the correct tools ie distress inks; brushes, stamps to do the swirls, to follow the card that was made on the You Tube video, so I have improvised and used the things that I have got - cotton wool; normal ink pad; embossing folder; and stickles.

I've started with an A6 card, and tied a ribbon/bow around the front. Not sure how it happened but lately I seem to have mastered tying a flat bow the first time instead of having to keep undoing and redoing it until I was happy with it.

I have then cut 2 different sized nestie label one shapes (a crimbo present from my OH) and embossed the smaller one with the devine swirls folder. I have then taken a piece of cotton wool and inked around the edges of the larger label shape, and all over the smaller one. After drying I have gone around the smaller label with lavender stickles to give the card a bit of a sparkle.

To finish the card I have added a Thank You peel off and pearls from my stash.

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:

Paper Sundaes Challenge - Something New
Allsorts - Thank You
Sew Many Challenge - New Things [nestie shape; new technique of inking]

Valentine's Card

I know it is really early in the year to be thinking about valentines day, but the current challenge on MSE is to create a valentines card.

I've had an idea in my head of what I could do since the challenge was set a few weeks ago, and since I have crafted all day today, making cards to sell, I have got the Craft Robo out and created this:

And I am really pleased with the result. The card has been created using silver mirror card and a deep read card. Not sure what this techinque is called, but I have created a page of hearts on the Robo, and put the cut out hearts to one side. I have then cut the 'punched' sheet that the hearts were cut from, and cut it about to make the template that has been stuck onto the silver mirror card.

Originally the idea was just to be able to see the 'punched' heart template with the silver card, but it looked too plain, so with the hearts that were cut out I have add these back into the 'punched' sheet, only a smaller size to each heart shape, so the silver card is still seen.

As a bit of sparkle, I have added some glittery organza ribbon, and the sentiment was done on the computer, and cut with an oval nestie.

I'm planning on making a couple of these up, to put in the basket to sell at my friends playgroup, so will have my fingers crossed that they sell.

Out Of My Comfort Zone

I've said it before, but I am always inspired to try different things that I see on Helen's blog, and a couple of months ago I saw a desk calendar that she had made using beer mats and embellishments and thought it was stunning.

Having recently got a new job, and next week my own desk, I wanted to have a go and make one for work.

This was also a great project for using up scraps of paper and embellishments, and a lot of DST and tacky glue!

It took me about 6 hours to complete because I couldn't choose from all my lovely paper and embellishments to use, but I am really really happy with the results. As you can see butterflies are a favourite of mine, and I have also tried to match papers or embellishments to a certain extent with holidays throughout the year. I was sent the santa charm, by a friend and couldn't bear to part with it so using it for December, means that I don't have to!

Unfortunately I don't have access to a binding machine of any kind, so have improvised by using fake gold cheap hoop earrings that I have had for a very long time and never wear. They hold the desk calendar together, and the 6 beer mats stand up perfectly.

I'd like to enter this project into the following challenges:

Paper Pretties Blog - Ring in the New [hope earrings count for this]

One Stitch At A Time - Anything Goes

CES Challenge - Anything Goes

Craft Your Days Away - Punch It Out/Die Cuts [butterflies; flowers for March; and boarder for May)

Southern Girls Challenge - Anything Goes

Alys Sunday Challenge - Anything Goes

Best Friend's Christmas Card

Although I made all my Christmas cards this year, there are a few people that get extra special ones. I have had this image for over a year, so don't know where it is from, but it is one that I love using.

This is the card I made for my best friend, and whereas in the past I have used paintshop pro to colour images, I now have a large selection of promarkers, so am able to colour it in and embellish it any way I want.

I have embossed the card blank with the swiss dots folder, and used red mirror card to create the largest scallop square with my nesties.

For the image I have used promarkers to colour her hair; shoes and coat, and added some ultra fine glitter power to her coat and muffle, and glossy accents for the black buttons. I also added some icicles stickles for the snowballs around the image.

The sentiment was done on the PC in a gold colour font, and backed onto a red mirror card oval. The red ribbon was from my stash.

My friend loved the card, which was fantastic. I'd like to enter this card into the Digi's With Attitude Challenge - anything Christmas

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Wow it is 2011 and I wonder what this year will bring for us all.

We had a fantastic night tonight with friends, and my new year's resolutions have to be:

1. Use up a lot more of my scraps and only buy new crafting goodies when I absolutely need them, and not because everything is so pretty, and 1/2 price. Of course this rule goes out of the window if someone else is buying the stash!


2. Start making Christmas cards early ie. Summer, and not leave it until so late to get 80 + done.


3. Be more confident, and take compliments better about the quality of cards I make and try and sell more of them. Need more pennies by the summer for the trip to Florida we have just booked.


4. Enter more blog challenges with my cards, and attempt to blog at least twice a week.

I hope everyone had a good new year's eve yesterday, and I look forward to sharing my journey of this year through my blog.

Oh Wow It Is So Long Since I Last Posted

Where has the last month and a half gone. I can't believe that it is now the last day of this year.

I've been really busy over the last month that my blog has seriously been neglected. I've been busy crafting in the run up to Christmas, and now working 5 days a weeks leaves me less time to catch up on blogs, and blog my makes.

In the run up to Christmas I made 80 Christmas cards and 40 blank birthday cards to give out as gifts this year to some of my friends and family, and to go with the kitchen organisers; ES mints; magnetic fridge pegs. I have had great compliments on my 'gifts for people' so will do it all again next year, but oh it is so time consuming!

On top of the Christmas cards; presents and blank birthday cards I made, I also had about 15 birthday cards to make to give to people. I thought I had been really organised up until Christmas eve and had written and sent all my cards, wrapped all the presents; prepared all the veg for Christmas day, hoovered and cleaned the house and put all my crafting things away so we could eat on a clear dining room table.

At 3pm on Christmas eve my OH said to my boys that they had to write the Christmas cards they had bought me. Oh god I thought, I hadn't made them buy their dad any and hadn't made the boys make any either, so out came the crafty stuff, so the boys could make their own as it was too late to go to the shops. OH was not amused that I had forgotten, but I was so pleased that I am a card maker with lots of things to make up quick cards!

I'm now all 'carded out' having made over 450 various different cards this year and have lost my mojo a bit, but have today sat and made an easy 'thank you' card with the craft robo. Hopefully, I won't be mojo less for too long, as my friend who runs the playgroup wants another basket of cards to sell, and we have just booked 2 weeks in Florida in the summer, so need to make lots of money in the first half of the year.

Here is the card I've made, and would like to enter it into the following challenges:

CRAFT Challenge - Thank You

Cute Card Thursday - Thank You

Paper Take Weekly - Be Thankful

Phindy's Place - Give Thanks