3 Today

Poor neglected blog - not sure where the time goes but here we are in June already and where's the sun?

Anyway, this card is hopefully bright and summery. It has been made for a friend's granddaughter who likes all things pink and girly so I think it fits the bill. I managed to get this card done and entered into LOTV's first Facebook Challenge.

I used:

Image:  LOTV - Birthday Fairy - coloured with ProMarkers and added Stickles
DP:       LOTV Bonnets and Bowties: Butterfly Kisses
Flower Punch: Nellie Snellen medium flower
Butterflies:  Hobbycraft punch
Dies:    Spellbinders Scalloped Circle, Sue Wilson Petite Vinery, Cuttlebug Olivia Alphabet

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

Papertake Weekly Challenge: Anything Goes #option Summer
Paper Creator's Crafts: Challenge #39 Anything Goes
Cute Card Thursday: Challenge #376 Summer Colours
In The Pink: Challenge #70 - Things with Wings



Thanks for looking!

Bright & Sassy (very)

Something a little different from me today. You may need sunglasses! This is the card I made last year  for my son's girlfriend. I really like the colour combo but my DH said he wasn't keen! Anyway 'L' was very pleased with it and that's what matters.

Image is Scruffy Little Cat - Perry - and has been coloured with my ProMarkers - plenty of glamour dust added - and then matted and layered onto Spellbinders Timeless Rectangles. I matted the white rectangle onto a cut and embossed pink rectangle then drew around the die to get the slightly larger black frame. The flowers are cut with a Cheery Lynn Daisy die and the leaves are also by Cheery Lynn - Ivy Strip.  The bunting is a La-La-Land die which I shadow cut. Sentiment is LOTV and was a magazine freebie. Handbag charm is from stash as are the gems and ribbon. Butterfly punched using an old punch from Hobbycraft. The background DP is LOTV Bonnets & Bowties.

Detail close-ups

I'd like to enter the following challenge:

Ribbon Girls - Everything Goes - Birthday
Papertake Weekly - Anything Goes
In The Pink - challenge 64 For a Special Lady






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!

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!

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!

Pretty In Pink

This is a recent card I made for a Grandma to give to her granddaughter. The request was for the card to be pink and feature a little girl.

I started with an 8x8 scalloped edge card blank. I did my matting and layering using Dovecraft Back to Basics papers and silver mirri card. Image is 'Busy Doing Nothing' by Sheena Douglass, coloured with Promarkers. Dress/sash have been paper pieced using My Mind's Eye and Pink Petticoat Vintage Rose papers and matted onto Spellbinders Labels 8 shape. Sentiment is from magazine freebie paper pad. The larger flowers were made with a Nellie Snellen medium flower punch and the small ones with a Papermania Midi punch. The flourish is Marianne Creatables Swirl Leaf die. Ribbons and gems from stash.

Apologies for the blurry photo - photos 2, 3 and 4 are clear shots!

                                             Close-ups of flower & swirl detail

Box made from Centura Pearl with Memory Box Butterfly Vine border detailing

I'd like to enter the following challenges:

Crafty Little Fairies - Pretty in Pink

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Use a Rubber or Clear Stamp

Live & Love Crafts - Use Pink

A Creative Romance: Pink

Thanks for looking!

Cute As A Button

I made this card recently and the new baby really is as cute as a button (Hello Lottie!)

I started with an 8x8 scalloped card base and matted with pink and white embossed card. I used the Button Box embossing folder by Die'sire which is 8x8 size. Again I've used a fab LOTV image (I think it's called Baby Blanket), coloured with ProMarkers and which has been matted onto plain and scalloped Spellbinder circles. Sentiment is computer generated. Next I added a ribbon bow, secured with a button and twine and I finished off with some teeny butterflies and flowers with card candy centres.

a sideways view

button, bow & twine detail

flowers

I would like to enter into the following challenges:

Crafty Little Fairies - New Baby

Lili of the Valley Monthly Challenge - Ribbon & Lace

In The Pink: challenge 27 - Keep it Sweet and Simple

Delightful Challenges: New Beginnings

Cute Card Thursday: challenge 28 - Hip to be Square

Allsorts Challenge Blog: Week 224 - Baby, baby

ABC Challenge: V for Very Cute

Thanks for looking!

Cute & Cuddly

Here is today's card and it's just right to enter the first Crafty Little Fairies Challenge as the theme is Cute n' Cuddly Critters.

Old habits die hard and I've used a LOTV stamp. This cute teddy is part of the Posy Trio and has been coloured with Promarkers and layered up under apertures cut with scalloped Nesties. Card size is 6x6 and everything used is from stash. The DPs are a mix of Dovecraft and Vintage Rose from Pink Petticoat. The tiny butterflies are made with an X-cut punch.

                                                       Close up of bow and butterflies


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


Crafty Little Fairies - Cute n' Cuddly Critters
Challenges 4 Everybody - ch. 28 Anything Goes
Just Inspirational Challenges - Anything Goes Monthly Challenge
ABC Challenge: U is for Unlimited
Country View Crafts' Challenges - Layers



Thanks for looking!



Cupcakes !

This is such a fab image and sentiment from LOTV and so I just had to use it again for a recent girlie birthday card. I used my ProMarkers to colour in the image and added plenty of Glamour Dust sparkle to the icing.

Image matted onto the gorgeous Cheery Lynn DL181 Large Sunflower Die

Close up of bow/flower detail

The DPs are from Dovecraft and the ribbon, gems, button and twine are all from stash.

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

Lili's Little Fairies - Here Come the Girls
One Stop Craft Challenge 237 - Keep It Simple
Paper Crafting Journey: Punches and/or Dies
Simon Says - Anything Goes
Crafty Cardmakers 1, 2, 3
Papertake Weekly Challenge - Anything Goes
Anything Goes Challenge Blog 98 - Coffee Break and/or Food
Cheery Lynn Designs Blog - challenge 92 - Anything Goes


Thanks for looking!

Red, White and Blue challenge card

I needed a birthday card this week and thought it would be fun to make it to a challenge instead of my normal routine - i.e. make a card and then see if it will fit a challenge. Have to say that this way is much easier LOL.

I used one of my LOTV cute squares and just darkened the red with a Promarker. I cut a 6x6 base of white linen textured card and covered that with Dovecraft blue spotty paper. Some red ribbon and a red brad from stash and the red doily was cut with a Marianne die. I used my La-La-Land banner die again with a paler blue Dovecraft paper and added a few gems for some sparkle. Oh and a few touches here and there with my trusty glitter pen.



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


Lili's Little Fairies - Red, White & Blue Challenge
One Stop Craft Challenge 233 - Anything Goes


Thanks for looking!

Birthday Mice - With Love

Now this is the sort of card I like to make - everything already in my stash and using magazine freebies too! Pity that all my efforts aren't as economical as this one but then that wouldn't be any fun would it?

The image is from a set of 20 pre-stamped ones that were a magazine freebie and I used ProMarkers to colour in. The sentiment is also a magazine freebie from quite a while ago as is the pink flowered paper. I used my Martha Stewart heart punch along the RH side and the tiny butterflies are made with an X-Cut punch.

Talking of freebies - have you seen the latest Simply Cards & Papercraft magazine - Issue 111. I bought it yesterday and there's a lovely 6x6 embossing folder and a stamp, both with a Peacock theme. Haven't had time to try them out yet but I'm sure it won't be long.

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

Allsorts Challenge 208 - Happy Birthday

One Stop Craft Challenge 230 - Furry Friends

Ooh La La Creations Challenges - Inspired by Nature

By The Cute and Girly - Flowers

Whimsy Stamps Challenge Blog 59 - Anything Goes

Dream Valley Challenges - 57 - Animals

Simon Says Stamp Challenge Blog - Anything Goes

Thanks for looking !

Christening Card

So this is a Christening card for a sweet baby girl who is the granddaughter of friends of mine. The table arrangements and flowers were featuring butterflies so I kept that in mind when making the card.

Here is the box decorated with butterflies made with an X-Cut punch, a brad from The Works and butterfly circles cut with Spellbinder dies.


The card is made using an 8 x 8 inch scalloped card blank and features a Lili of the Valley stamp coloured with Promarkers and mounted onto plain and scalloped Spellbinder ovals. The background is a very pale pink Centura pearl card embossed with the Tied Together embossing folder. I have added a tiny pearl at each intersection. The sentiment was computer generated and the roses are all from Wild Orchid Crafts. I also used the stems to make the twirls and added some punched leaf branches. I used tiny butterflies (from the Spellbinder Butterfly Circles die) at each end of the sentiment and one at the top of the card. The remainder were 'sprinkled' inside the box.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:

Creative Belli Challenge 167 - Pastels
In The Pink Challenge 18
Divas by Design - Flowers with Lili of the Valley
Cute Card Thursday:Challenge 264 - Butterflies
Stamping Sensations- April -Special Occasions



Thanks for looking!

LOTV Challenge 118 - A Sketch

Here is the card I made at the weekend for this week's Lili of the Valley challenge. I stamped the image using Memento Tuxedo Black and coloured with Promarkers. I inked the edges using a Tim Holtz distress ink - Brushed Corduroy (I need to practise more with the blending tool and foam) which I also used to stamp the sentiment straight onto the DP. Very brave for me!

DPs - Dovecraft Masculine (8x8)

Image - LOTV Zooming Along

Sentiment - Papermania

White & Copper card from Stash

I would like to enter this into the following challenges:

Lili of the Valley Challenge 118-A Sketch by Bev

Sweet Stampin Challenge - Anything Goes

Simon Says Stamp Challenge - Anything Goes

Thanks for looking!

JULES' CRAFTY SNIPPET CHALLENGE - WEEK 43

Evening.  Hope this has been a good weekend for you and that the extra hour has been beneficial - I know I enjoyed a lovely lie-in this morning!

So here I have an entry into Jules' Crafty Snippet Challenge - check her wonderful blog here .  This is my first time of joining in and I really enjoyed using up the 'left-overs' from a card I made yesterday for this week's LOTV challenge. Hopefully I'll blog that one tomorrow.  The two cards are very alike but I intended that as I need two male birthday cards for the 5th and 6th November. I do struggle somewhat with male cards so this worked out very well for me.

I made up three matted layers for the background from my snippets which just covered my card base. The buttons were cut using a Nellie Snellie die and I tied them with embroidery cotton remnant from my cross-stitching days. Image was coloured with Promarkers and I added Glossy Accents to the goggles and the headlights. Sentiment stamped in Memento Cocoa using magazine freebie stamps.

DPs - Dovecraft Masculine (8x8)

Image - LOTV Zooming Along

Sentiment - Molly Blooms (freebie-Simply Cards & Papercraft mag)

White & Copper card from Stash

Tools used:

Nellie Snellen Flower Die MFD 020

Thanks for looking!

LOTV Birthday

I decided to make this card using the Papertake Weekly sketch but think I'm out of time now to enter this challenge (just checked and yes, I am). It was a great sketch to follow and one that will definitely be used again. Not sure if the photo shows that the wings, skirt and seeds are all glittered. I also added wee pink gems to her floral headdress and the flowers.

Image - LOTV - Dandelion Clock -S216 - stamped with Memento and coloured with Promarkers

Sentiment - Papermania

DPs - Flowery - My Mind's Eye (magazine freebie)

        - Striped  - Pink Petticoat Vintage Rose (magazine freebie)

Pink Card & Gems - Stash

Flowers - Papermania Elements

Thanks for looking.

Seeing Double ......

Almost but not quite.....

Version 1

Version 2

This little card was made as a Thank You for the lovely Jacque from the USA.  Recently I was lucky enough to win one of her lovely blog candies and used some of the prize goodies on this card. Anyway, said card and little reciprocal gift was despatched to the USA mid-March and finally arrived with her on 31st May!  The Version 2 card was made to re-send to Jacque as I was convinced the first package had gone astray for ever.

Please do visit Jacque's blog (http://jacquesmagnolias.blogspot.com/) and say Hi. She really does some fantastic work and hers was the very first blog I read at the start of my cardmaking journey.

Scalloped card blank - Papermania

Sentiment - Papermania

Image - Magnolia's 'Sneaky Tilda' coloured with Promarkers

DP - K&Company Daisy by Tim Coffey

Gems - Papermania Mosaics

Ribbon - Offray

Butterfly (version 1) from stash

Large Flower (version 1)  - K&Co

Tools used:

Nestabilities Lacey Squares

Nellie Snellen medium Flower Punch set

Martha Stewart medium branch punch

Thanks for looking.

Mother's Day cards

Here are the two cards I made this year. I kept them both very simple as I just love the two images and felt they didn't need anything else.  I'm hoping the cards remind our respective Mums of when we were children.

Images/Sentiments-A Little Bit Sketchy Stamp Sets-Busy Doing Nothing & Time Flies by Sheena Douglass, stamped with Memento and coloured with Promarkers
White/Pink/Blue card from Stash
DPs - (pink) My Mind's Eye and (blue) K&Company.
Tools used - Nestabilities Labels Eight

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

Crafty Emma's - Challenge 30-Children

Thanks for looking.

 

A Sleepy House Mouse

Aw! How cute is this House Mouse image and he looks to be enjoying such a good siesta. This card was one of those that evolved as it went along - all I knew when I started it was that I wanted to use a House Mouse image so that I could enter it into the MSE Animalistic Challenge - hopefully rodents count, especially such cute ones!!

Inside of card - insert made using the new House-Mouse Inserts CD Rom.

Image & Sentiment - House Mouse Birthdays Stamps - Poppy -
stamped with Memento and coloured with Promarkers
Red & Pink card - Papermania Premium Textured Cardstock
White card & Pearls from stash
Flower - Flora Doodles
Tools used - Nestabilities Labels Eight


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


MSE Animalistic Challenge




Thanks for looking.

One of Those Cards....

when everything that could go wrong DID go wrong.  I won't bore you with all the details but suffice to say one of the things on my crafty wishlist is a new cutter.  Anyway, I got there in the end but with a few choice words along the way!  Gems and glitter added for sparkle.

I've added a little pocket and tag to write the greeting on. I can't remember on whose blog I first saw this idea (sometime last year) and have been meaning to try it out. I used a Labels Eight Nestie to make the tag.

DPs - Floral - Kate Knight - magazine freebie;   Glitter - Papermania Henbury Lane

White card, Ribbon & Gems from Stash

Blue card - Core'dinations Whitewash

Image - Dandelion Clock by Lili of the Valley - stamped with Memento and coloured with Promarkers

Sentiment - Dreamy Days by Lili of the Valley

Tools used:  Nestabilities Plain and Scalloped Circle and Labels Eight

Martha Stewart Doily Lace Border Punch

X Cut Butterfly Punch

Thanks for looking.