Lilac romance

Here's my entry for December's Lovely Lili challenge on the Ribbon Girl Blog.

I used one of the pre-coloured Romance squares which I matted and layered onto Spellbinders Plain & Scalloped Ovals. Backing papers are Dovecraft's Back to Basics IV. The ribbon, flowers and gems are from stash and the pins and dazzler are by Creative Expressions. The ivy leaves were cut with my Cheery Lynn die.

Finished card size 8x8 inches

close-up of the florals

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

The Ribbon Girl Blog - Lovely Lili - Anything Goes
Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes
Sister Act Card Challenge - #87 Anything Goes
A Creative Romance - Anything Goes

Thanks for looking!

Just for You

Here's a birthday card I made recently. I used a pink/white colour combo for some winter brightness. The flowers were punched with a Martha Stewart punch, some have card candi centres and some have gems. I used a Cuttlebug Divine Swirls embossing folder on the pink card. The side edges and sentiment topper were cut using Spellbinders Shapeabilities Parisian Accents.

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

Papertake Weekly Challenge: Paper Play

Thanks for looking!

Merry Christmas! part II

Merry Christmas - Nordic style maybe? As I said in my last post I don't 'do' Christmas cards so I haven't got much in the way of Christmas stash. However, as it's the final LOTV challenge I really wanted to join in again and I came up with this idea for a Christmas Tree table centrepiece/decoration.

I used four different papers from LOTV's lovely Petal Fresh pad and my Squeeze Box die from Tonic. I made four separate rounds, stacked them together and topped off with a single box. I then made teeny bows and secured them into the 'tree' points with coloured bobble-head pins. I also did a messy bow type thing for the top.

Edited to add:  I was asked if I had a tutorial for this so I've made a mini one. Click on the Tutorials Tab at the top of the page.

Looking down

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

LOTV Ideas to Inspire - Merry Christmas!
Paper Creator's Crafts Challenge 33 - All About Christmas
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes
Try it on Tuesday: Christmas is Coming
Penny's Paper Challenge - no 205 - Anything Goes
Creative Inspirations: Challenge 291 - Seasons Greetings
Moving Along with the Times - Inspired by a Song - Rocking Around
                                                                                     the Christmas Tree
                                                                                   



Thanks for looking!

Merry Christmas! and A Goodbye

Now I don't 'do' Christmas cards but this month's theme at Lili of the Valley is Merry Christmas and as it's also the LAST challenge I needed to make an effort!

I have chosen to make a bendy card which is a new concept to me. I used this tutorial from Emma Fewkes.

The base is made with a dark red Papermania textured card and I used a Martha Stewart punch at the top corners. The brads have been triple-embossed with holographic powder for extra sparkle. The image is from a Christmas Girls cute squares pack which I've had for ages. I fussy-cut out the image and also the fairy at the left-hand side, added plenty of Glamour Dust for sparkle and also some Glossy Accents to the bear's eyes and nose. The stocking, charm and ribbon are all from stash.

Looking down at the layers

Sideways Views

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


LOTV Ideas to Inspire Monthly Challenge - Merry Christmas!
The Ribbon Girl - Colour Challenge - RED




Thanks for looking!

Party Girls in the Afternoon !

Not a card for a change. This month's LOTV Challenge is 'Anything Goes' so I put my thinking cap on and came up with these place tag holders - something very different for me.

I used my Tonic Squeeze Box die to make up the bases using papers from LOTV Bonnets & Bowties paper pad. The images were coloured with ProMarkers with a small amount of Stickles and gems added for sparkle and then cut out freehand (don't look too closely). Name labels were computer generated with each holder being finished off with a complementary ribbon bow and charm tied on with matching bakers twine.

Tea Party Girls

The images used are L-R

                               Birthday Fairy    Feather Boa *   Hello Cupcake *

 The cake was good too!!

                                                                    Pretty in Pink

Anyone for Tea?

* stamp being retired at the end of November 2014



             I'd like to enter into the following challenges:



LOTV Ideas to Inspire - Anything Goes    *****  Top 5 Winner *****
            
Simon Says Monday Challenge - Anything Goes 
My Craft Creations - October - Anything Goes     
Party Time Tuesdays - Anything Goes                   
Really Reasonable Ribbon - Chall. 105 Anything Goes   
Creative Card Crew Challenge 73 - Bows             
Country View Challenges - Sparkle and Shine       
ABC Challenges - V is for Vibrant                         





Thanks for looking!

Posy Teddies

Here's a quick card I made recently using the very cute Posy Teddy Trio stamp set from Lili of the Valley.  This month's LOTV Challenge theme is Anything Goes so this will fit the bill nicely. The DP was a magazine freebie, gems and ribbon from stash. I also used a Dazzler from Creative Expressions to finish off the bow.

Sorry for the rubbish photo - in real life the ribbon is an exact match for the pink flowers and tag.

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

LOTV Monthly Challenge - Anything Goes
Try It on Tuesday - Animals



Thanks for looking!

Pretty (Pink) Papers

September's Lili of the Valley Challenge is to use Pretty Papers and so I did!!

Sentiment and image also by LOTV and the 3 different papers are from the gorgeous Bonnets and Bowties 8x8 paper pad.

Art Pad 3 Wild Flowers image is framed by Cheery Lynn Polynesian Sails Doily

Close up to show the roses from Wild Orchid Crafts

Sentiment mounted onto a floral rosette - finished off with a teeny butterfly

Pink and green card and gems from stash.  The leaves were cut with a Martha Stewart punch - as were the fancy corners and the butterfly was cut with an old Hobbycraft punch.

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

Lili of the Valley Ideas to Inspire Challenge - Pretty Papers    ends 30/9
Papertake Weekly - Repeat Repeat  (flowers/gems/corners)  ends 16/9
My Mum's Craft Shop Challenge 21 - Dies or Punches ends 30/9
Craftyhazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge  ends 30/9
Divas by Design - Anything Goes  ends 16/9
Alphabet Challenge - P for Pretty Petals    ends 24/9
Let's Craft and Create - Challenge 96 Anything Goes  ends 23/9

Thanks for looking!

Christmas in August

Here's a card made for this month's Lili of the Valley Challenge. It closes tomorrow so just one day to spare. I used the sweet Red Squirrels Pine Tree stamp which I won in last year's LOTV Advent Giveaway.  I coloured the image with Promarkers and then mounted it onto white card which had been embossed with a Swiss Dots Cuttlebug folder. Red DP and snowflake ribbon from stash and I used white glitter card to die-cut some snowflakes and make a snowy grass panel at the base of the tree. Sentiment is a rub-on, mounted onto the same red DP as before.

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

Lili of the Valley Ideas to Inspire - Christmas in August  (ends 31/8)
Christmas Cards All Year 'Round - Sparkle & Shine  (ends 31/8)
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes  (ends 3/9)
Crafting From the Heart - Challenge 33 Anything Goes  (ends 31/8)
Cute Card Thursday: Challenge 336 - Anything Goes  (ends 3/9)


Thanks for looking!

Too Old.........Never !!

For cupcake(s) that is!! So here is my final entry for this month's LOTV Take Two challenge. I managed to use one image, two sentiments and three design papers!  This is my second attempt at a pop-up box card and it went reasonably well although my green card isn't quite up to the task of supporting the flowers and went a bit 'wobbly'.  Hope to add a daylight photo tomorrow.

edited to add Daylight photo taken this morning

Cupcake Fairy was stamped in Memento Black ink and coloured using my Promarkers. Her wings are glittered with Glamour Dust and the cupcake icing had the Glossy Accents treatment.

The flowers were cut in LOTV Petal Fresh DPs and white card, using assorted dies including Cheery Lynn; Sue Wilson Classic Rose;  Marianne; Martha Stewart punch and an old Hobbycraft punch. The green swirls are a Spellbinders Floral Flourish die.

I'd like to enter this into the following challenge:

LOTV Ideas to Inspire Monthly Challenge - July - Take Two
Crafting from the Heart - Challenge 29 Anything Goes
Fan-Tastic Tuesday - challenge 46 Anything Goes
Creative Fingers - Challenge 44 Anything Goes
Sister Act Card Challenge - Challenge 68 Anything Goes
Divas by Design challenge - Anything Goes
Craft Your Passion Challenges: 224 Flower Power
We Do Doobadoo - Challenge 11 - Celebrations

Thanks for looking!

Believe in Fairies

Here is my second entry in July's LOTV Monthly Challenge. Isn't she a lovely fairy and rightly deserves her glamour-dusted wings!! Unfortunately they don't show up at all well in the photos but I promise those are sparkly wings. This image is one of the Garden Fairies and was in a mixed pack of LOTV Big Squares that I bought from the LOTV eBay outlet store here  (they still have some on sale).

I started by embossing a trailing ivy design (Sheena Douglass A4 Embossing Folder) straight onto an 8x8 scalloped card base. I also embossed a strip of white card as a base to wrap the ribbons around.

I used the Fern Trio dies (CED1401) from Sue Wilson and cut out a number of fern leaves - using 3 different green DPs - LOTV Bonnets & Bowties; Dovecraft; and built them up so that the fairy is looking out from a heart shaped aperture. The side flourish was also cut from LOTV DP using a Spellbinders Floral Flourish die. The sentiment is a LOTV Dreamy Days Circular Sentiment Set 6 and is mounted onto an Nellie Snellen (MFD022) heart shape. Ribbon, Gems & Dovecraft brad from stash and the butterflies were cut using Tonic's Mazarine Blue die.

Close up of fairy surrounded by ferns

Ribbon and bow detailing

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

LOTV Monthly Challenge - Take Two
Try it on Tuesday - Things with Wings
Creative Inspirations - 275 - Here Comes Summer
Simon Says Stamp - Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes

Thanks for looking!

Take Two - Floral Birthday

Oh  dear it's been far too hot today! Sorry to be a spoilsport but I just don't like the heat and always head for the shade!

Here's a recent birthday make and sort of my version of a CAS card. I used one of the images from LOTV Art Pad set 3 - Wild Flowers. I matted it onto the largest Spellbinders Timeless Rectangles which was cut from plain white card first.  I then trimmed down the image to fit as the die is just that bit too big to cut straight from the art pad sheet which is a shame. The design papers are both LOTV - from the Petal Fresh 8x8 paper pad. The daisies were made using a Cheery Lynn Daisy Strip and the sentiment is from Craftwork Cards. Gems are from stash.

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

Lili of the Valley Monthly Challenge - July - Take Two
Crafty Catz Challenge 239 - Flowers
Try it on Tuesday - Colours of Summer






Thanks for looking!

Just for a Change ...............

I've made a Male card!!  This is a card I was asked to make by a friend who this week celebrates 59 years of marriage (I'm already booked for the 'Big" card next year). My friend worked as a Librarian and so this LOTV image seemed ideal.

As you can see it's a very LOTV card. I used a For You Circular Sentiment which actually says On Your Anniversary but I managed to 'un-ink' the 'Y' - it took several attempts though.  I also used papers from the Petal Fresh and Bonnets & Bows pads. The yellow paper is, I think, Dovecraft Back to Basics IV. Everything was matted onto Centura Pearl and the image is matted onto a frame cut with Spellbinders Captivating Squares S4-414.

The raffia ribbon (which I should use more often) and gems are from stash and the paper bow was very kindly given to me by a crafting friend. (I think it is the Sue Wilson Classic 3D Bow).

Bow detail

So sweet!

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

Lili of the Valley Monthly Challenge - Male or Sporty
Clear it Out Challenge Blog - Anything Goes
Country View Challenges - Only Men Allowed
Bunny Zoe's Challenge - Layers
Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge

Thanks for looking!

Dandelion Clock

Here's my card for this month's Lili of the Valley challenge and the theme for May is Fairies. This is Dandelion Clock, one of the older stamps but my favourite (I think, until I see another favourite!!). I used a ready-coloured topper which has been cut using a Spellbinders plain circle die and then mounted onto a Cheery Lynn Large Sunflower Die (DL181). The butterflies are also Cheery Lynn (B266) and the LOTV sentiment is mounted onto a Nellie's Multi-Frame die (MFD 005).

Design paper is from Dovecraft and the flowers and gems are from my stash. I added plenty of Glamour Dust for extra fairy sparkle. Card size is 8x8.

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

LOTV Monthly Challenge - Fairies



Thanks for looking!



Pop-up Box

Here's my first attempt at a pop-up card - made for a friend's special 'big' birthday. It was fun to do - even the fiddly bits - and I'd certainly do another one. I used the most gorgeous papers (which were a freebie from Cardmaking & Papercraft magazine)  - 'Spring Jubilee' by pinkpaislee.  I used the same papers to die-cut the flowers, leaves and flourishes.

I followed the tutorial from the Craftworkwork Cards blog  but made my own template.

close up of flowers, leaves and flourishes

and a sideways view

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

Crafty Boots Challenges - Milestone Birthdays
Simon Says Wednesday challenge - Spring Flowers
Crazy 4 Challenges - April Showers bring May Flowers
Cute Card Thursday - Here Comes Summer
Divas by Design - In the Pink challenge

Thanks for looking!

Birthday Fairy

I treated myself to a Tonic sentiment die set and this is its first outing. I used a LOTV Cute Square fairy image called 'On Tiptoe' which I cut with a Spellbinders circle and layered on to this gorgeous Cheery Lynn sunflower doily die. I absolutely love it but it does need to go through my machine 3 or 4 times. It's worth it though! I used an 8x8 scalloped card base, some Dovecraft papers and matt gold mirri card. Gold ribbon is from stash.

Butterflies cut with Cheery Lynn die B266 - Tiny Things with Wings

I'd like to enter the following challenges:

Papertake Weekly - Spring has Sprung
Crafting for all Seasons - challenge 74 Dies and Punches
Lili of the Valley Monthly Challenge

Thanks for looking!

LOTV 10th Birthday

Lili of the Valley are celebrating their 10th birthday in May and their latest blog challenge is to make them a birthday card. Here's my make (and it also fits in with April's Ribbon Girl challenge).  It's very lilac - LOL - hope you like it.

Decorative front made with Martha Stewart PATP punch

I used one of the Fun-Time Teddies images and added Glossy Accents to his shirt and plenty of Glamour Dust to her dress and headdress. LOTV sentiment matted and layered with Spellbinders to match the image matting and layering. The flowers are punched from Dovecraft papers using  a mix of two punches; the smaller one is Nellie Snellen and the larger is Martha Stewart. All covered in Glossy Accents and finished with a gem centre. I tied the butterfly ribbon into a double bow and finished it off with a lilac dazzler from Creative Expressions. The three tiny butterflies are made with an old punch which I think was from Hobbycraft. 

close up of the ribbon bow and flowers 

another shot showing the butterfly printed ribbon

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

LOTV Ideas to Inspire Monthly Challenge - 10th Birthday
The Ribbon Girl Blog: April Lovely Lili Challenge

My Mum's Craft Shop: challenge 16 Anything Goes
Challenges4Everybody - challenge 40 Anything Goes

Thanks for looking!

On Your Wedding Day

Recently I was asked to make a wedding card featuring powder/baby blue colours and this is how it turned out. I used one of my favourite LOTV Big Squares and added a little Glamour Dust sparkle to the bride's veil. The background is embossed with Creative Expressions' Heart Lattice A4 embossing folder (very kindly loaned to me by my crafty friend M). It's on the wish-list!

As you can see I went a bit mad with the die-cuts - but it's a wedding card!

close up of the flowers

butterfly vine, more flowers and ivy leaves

Box decorated to complement the card

Supplies used:
Image & Sentiment - Lili of the Valley

Centura Pearl cardstock

Blue card, blue ribbon & pearls from stash

Dies used:
Cheery Lynn B259 Daisy Strip and B304 Ivy Strip

Memory Box Butterfly Vine

Joanna Sheen Signature Die - Flourish Corner SD043

Spellbinders Plain Circles

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

Lili of the Valley Ideas to Inspire Challenge - Crafty Bingo  (Ribbon/Pearls/Flowers)
Crafts and Me March Challenge - Anything Goes
Challenges 4 Everybody no.39 - Anything Goes
Natalie and Amy: Challenge 18 'Flowers'

Thanks for looking!

Pop-Up Book Birthday Card

So, this is the card I made for my Mum's birthday. I had seen a beautiful card on Jules'wonderful blog 'Always With a Heart' and wanted to have a go at this fold myself. I'm pleased with my effort but I will attach my ribbons differently next time- as per Jules' example - as it's really tricky to get the bow looking nice the way I did it!  Link to Jules' card Here.

I used my new papers from Lili of the Valley - 3 different designs. The die-cut oval is a Cheery Lynn design which I added tiny pearls to and finished off with a Hunkydory sentiment. The letters were cut using Spellbinders Donnas Alphas.

                                                                  Front view

Inside view

Inside the card is decorated down each side with Spellbinders borders which have tiny pearls attached. (Bit difficult to see but they are there).

I'd like to enter the following challenges:

The Craft Garden - Pastel Colours
Papertake Weekly Challenge - Anything Goes
Challenges 4 Everyone - no. 39 Anything Goes

Thanks for looking!

Love Is In The Air.....

..... and it's not a Valentines card that I'm sharing today. This is an engagement card that I was asked to make and the brief was to keep it fairly flat as it had to be packed in a suitcase going to Spain. So I wasn't able to go too mad with embellies this time. I started with an 8x8 scalloped card base, covered with DP from First Edition Love Letters pad. The image is from LOTV (of course) and I added Glossy Accents to the roses and shoes and Glamour Dust to the girl's hat. I used some ivory Centura Pearl card with a combination of dies - Spellbinders, Memory Box, Cheery Lynn & Signature by Joanna Sheen. The small tag and the two letter tiles were from the Love Letters paper pad. I finished off with gems, heart brad and a heart charm.

This picture (taken with flash on) shows the sheen from the Centura Pearl card                                             

Dies used:

Spellbinders - Captivating Squares
Memory Box - La Rue Heart
Cheery Lynn - Small Exotic Butterflies #2
Joanna Sheen Signature Dies - Bunting SD064

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

LOTV Ideas to Inspire Monthly challenge - Name that Tune
Papertake Weekly - With a Heart
****   In The Pink - Challenge 37 - A Little Pink Love  ****   Top 5 Winner
Cute Card Thursday - challenge 308 Clever Cutting
Bunny Zoe's Challenge - Hearts/Love
Divas by Design - With Love



Thanks for looking!

Posy Trio Teddies

Brrrrrr  - what a cold and miserable day! So just to lighten things up, here's a cute trio of teddies courtesy of Lili of the Valley! They stamped beautifully and I used Promarkers to colour them in. I matted them up onto a pale pinky-lilac spotty backing paper, using plain and scalloped circles, a flower plus a small length of ribbon left over from another project and there's my version of clean and simple.

I used:

LOTV -Posy Trio stamp (ST326)

Spellbinders Plain and Scalloped Circles

Promarkers

Dovecraft DP

Ribbon & Flower from stash

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

Lili of the Valley Ideas to Inspire Blog - Anything Goes

Passion for Promarkers - Anything Goes

Thanks for looking!

New Year and Butterflies Everywhere

Happy New Year to you and I hope that you had as lovely a Christmas as we did. Santa was very generous and brought me some card-making goodies which I shall be using and posting results soon. In the meantime, here are 3 cards that I made recently to showcase the gorgeous Spellbinders Shapeabilities Butterfly Magic die. Hope you like them.

I enjoyed making these cards although it's quite fiddly trimming up edges of the die-cut. The flowers and leaves were made with Cheery Lynn dies and I also used a Memory Box Butterfly die.

Tools used:

Spellbinders Shapeabilities Butterfly Magic S5-153

Cheery Lynn B259 Daisy Strip and B304 Ivy Strip

Cheery Lynn B266 Tiny Things with Wings

Memory Box Butterfly Vine Border

I'd like to enter the following challenges:

A Gem of a Challenge - 109 Anything Goes

Crafty Creations Challenges - 253 Anything Goes

Creative Card Crew - Challenge 52 Anything Goes

Thanks for looking!