Shabby Chic Birthday

Welcome

This is my final post as a Guest Designer for Izazou i Slatkisi aka Challenges and Candies, for the month of November.  

It has been a wonderful month and I have enjoyed my time with them - thank you for this wonderful opportunity Vanya and your wonderful team.

The theme for this fortnight is Shabby Chic, and this is my card.

I started with a cream coloured base and sponged the edges with Tea Dye Distress ink.  I then took a piece of pearlised card that I embossed, and ran a brayer with the Tea Dye ink over the embossing.

Unfortunately the sheen on the the pearl card does not show well in the photos.

The next layer was the distressed paper - which was copy paper scrunched up, sponged and inked direct to paper with the Tea Dye ink.

The image was stamped and embossed in gold on the blue card. I then painted the rose with gesso and let it dry before painting it with twinkling H2O's. The edges were distressed and sponged with blue, and a layer of lace placed across the base of the panel before adhering it.

The final details were to add the ribbon, which started life white, and I coloured it with a stamp pad (Tsukineko Memento Summer Sky), and champagne half pearls by Kaisercraft.  The buttons were from my stash, and the bows are made with pearle thread.

I finished the card with a liner, and the sentiment and rose stamped in the Summer Sky ink.

I am linking this to:

Docerela November Challenge #50- Anything Goes

Craftitude Challenge #54 - Button up

A Creative Romance - Vintage Style

A Creative Need november Challenge - Ribbons or Buttons

Inspired by Stamping - use Ribbon or Crochet

Paper Crafting Journey - Bling it Up

Moving Along With the Times - Girly but no pink

Delightful Challenges - Favourite Things - embossing, ribbon, pearls

Cute Cards Thursday Challenge #297 - Anything Goes

Crafty Ribbons Challenge #72 - Anything Goes with ribbon

Crafty Girlz Challenge #7 - Anything Goes

Thank  you for visiting - and for any comments you may leave, they are deeply appreciated.

May your day be blessed.

LIFE!!!

Welcome.

I had intended to post another card before now, but life has intervened in the meantime.

Firstly there was a calamity in the neighbourhood, which I became involved in.  This was traumatic,  and I lost my mojo somewhat.

Then there is the season - it is late spring here and it is warm, and we are also in a spell of warm weather, with frequent thunderstorms, so I have had a lot of 'outside' work and gardening. 

Here are some photos I took today of my gardens - and the storm clouds brewing.

The main vegetable garden.

A new garden with tomatoes and flowers

The roses!! well, some of them.

The storm clouds

Now some crafty news.

 I have my final guest DT spot with Challenges and Candies this Friday, so there will be a card published then.

On Sunday evening there is something VERY IMPORTANT (to me anyway) happening, and it will also be appearing here too.

I will leave you with that teaser.

I am linking this to:
Sassy Cheryls Show me Thursday #133

May your day be blessed.

A Welcome Card

Welcome

I was asked to make a card for a special event.  

The words on the card are what the purchaser requested.

I computer generated them, cut them out using a die from the Floral Ovals set, embossed it and then sponged it with Fired Brick distress ink before removing the die.

The sentiment was mounted over a red and gold ribbon - the gold is actually woven into the ribbon and has a beautiful lustre to it,

I also had just received some new dies, and as the recipient was arriving home from the mission field I couldn't wait to use the Filigree Cross Die D-lite, which I cut out in a gold adhesive paper.

The features were then mounted over a white panel embossed with the Valor E-mbossabilities plate, then onto a red card base which I sponged the edges of with white ink. 

I was very happy with the outcome, as was my customer.

I am linking this to:
Addicted To Stamps Challenge #70 - Embossing Heat or Dry
4Crafty Girlz Challenge #6 - Anything Goes
4 Crafty Chicks Challenge #169 - Anything Goes
Inspired by Stamping November Challenge - Blog Hop and use Ribbon or Crochet trim
Aud sentiments Challenge # 94 - Any Sentiment Goes

Word Art Wednesday Challenge #107 - Anything Goes

The Sisterhood of Crafters - Embossing

Penny's Challenge #154 - Anything Goes

Fab'n'Funky Challenge #194 - Anything Goes

Baffies-Kreativladen Challenge #27 - Anything Goes

Thank you for visiting - any comments you may leave are deeply appreciated.

May your day be blessed

Christmas Blues

Welcome

I have not got the Christmas blues, but this is the card that I taught at my card class last week.  I still have not got onto my own cards yet - I have been distracted by another big project, but I cannot say anything about that yet...

I started with  blue base and layered a textured white layer over it.

Next came an oval in the same blue as the base.

Then the stamped layer, which was fussy cut by hand as I don't have the die.

I added some chalk to the image, and made an 'eye' with a wee dot of liquid pearl.

The card was finished with some blue seam binding, and pearls.

The image is a retired Layers Of Color stamp.

I am linking this to:
Artfull Crafts - Christmas Countdown Week One

Crafting Cafe November Challenge - Winter Blues

Flat Friends Challenge #14 - Christmas

Creatalicious Challenge #57 - Christmas

Crafter's Companion November Challenge - Christmas/Winter

Bastel-Traum November Challenge - Christmas

The Artistic Stamper Monthly Challenge - Christmas

Little Claire's Challenge #39- Christmas

Stamping Sensations November Challenge - Christmas

One Stitch At A Time Challenge #100 - Anything Goes

Christmas Card Challenge #51 - Sparkle or Bling

Thank you for visiting, and I deeply appreciate any comments you may leave.

May your day be blessed.

CHOCOLATE!!!!

Welcome.

 I am so pleased you have visited.

I had hoped to write a blog post before this one, but this week has been crazy busy with lots of unexpected things to attend to. 

Thankfully I had this card, for the Izazovi i Slatkisi {Challenges and Candies} Chocolate Challenge, already made before the chaos started.

As soon as I learnt of the theme for this challenge, I thought of this image of Ruby, and the associated sentiment, by Bugaboo Stamps.

I painted her with twinkling H2O's

Here is a view of the sheen and 'twinkle' they give. I added to the sparkle with a touch of gold ribbon and a bow.

The chocolates in her hand were embellished some rhinestones, and some others were placed on two of the corners of the image panel.

Lastly, the sentiment. Not exactly theologically correct, but good for a smile.

The image panel was sponged with Tea Dye and Walnut Stain distress inks before being mounted over a dark brown base, to which I had added some washi tape.  The final detail was the faux stitching in gold.

I am linking this to:

Catch The Bug November Challenge - Bingo, Right veritcal column

Sister Act Card Challenge #33 - Anything Goes

Digitally '/Sweet' Challenge #62 - Use Ribbon, lace or both

Southern Girls Challenge - Sweets for my Sweet

Creative Knockouts Challenge #11 - Make it Sparkle

Crafty Ribbons Challenge #70 - Anything Goes with Ribbon

CCEE Stampers Challenge 1346 - Stitches 

Aud Sentiments Challenge #93 - Feminine Inspiriation

Crafty Girls Challenge #6 - Anything Goes

Thank you for visiting - any comments you may leave are deeply appreciated.

May your day be blessed.

A Gold Motorbike??

Welcome

I needed a card for a customer, and it was for a young man in his mid-teens.

I was not sure of his aspirations, but figured that most young men are interested in mechanical things, so went with a motor cycle theme.

I used the image in two ways - to make a background, and for the focal point.

The focal image was embossed, cut with an oval die, and a line of red ink was run around the border before the die was removed.  This was mounted offset over a maroon oval that had been treated with a gold pen.

The image was randomly stamped over the background with a distress ink (fired brick), and a frame drawn through those images.

The opposite side of the card was covered with some textured wallpaper.

A simple sentiment embossed and mounted like the focal image finished the card.

I am linking this to:

Sister Act Card Challenge #32 - Anything Goes

Patti's Creation Challenge #79 - Birthdays

Cfreative Fingers Challenge #10 - Anything Goes (optional twist, distressing)

Chocolate Coffee and Chards Challenge #52 - monochromatic

Brown Sugar Challenge #67 - Anything Goes

Seize the Birthday - texture

Crafty Girls Challenge #5 - Anything Goes

Thank you for visiting - any comments you may leave are deeply appreciated

May you day be blessed

Dragonfly Birthday

Welcome

I am in a bit of a CAS mode at the moment, and this is another CAS card.

I started with cream and red cardstock.

The red cardstock has a fleck of gold in it, and I have been hoarding it for years - these are the last few scraps!!

The die cuts are all from the Spellbinders die D-lite - Frame One set.

I considered long and hard as to how to use the frame and what to put in it, but in the end went with this favourite sentiment stamp, and embossed it.

This second image shows off the embossing, and the gold fleck in the red card. This is also the most true to life as far as the colours go - the initial photos are fine, but when I edit and watermark them, the colour gets distorted.

Love the wee corner die cuts!!  The edges of the paper  and card base were sponged with a combination of Barn Door and then Fired Brick distress inks.

The final detail was the addition of the dragonfly charm, tied on with some pearl cotton and secured with a wee dab of glossy accents. The charm itself swings freely.

I am linking this to:

Twisted Tuesday Challenge - Free for All

Try It On Tuesday - Colour Explosion

Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes

Papertake Weekly Challenge - Anything Goes

Oldie but a Goodie - Charming. 

Loves Rubber Stamps Challenge #77 - Anything Goes

Everybody Art Challenge #252 - Autumn

Cuttlebug Mania - Autumn is Here

Creative Craft Challenges2 #22 - It's Only Words

Ladybug Crafts Ink Challenges - Photo Inspiration

Thank you for visiting - any comments you leave are deeply appreciated.

May your day be blessed.

Get Well for my Grandson

Welcome.

We have spent the weekend waiting for texts to hear how our grandson is, as he has been unwell and ended up in hospital.  We haven't visited him, so today I made him a card. 

Edit/update - as of Tuesday afternoon, our young man is home again - on medicine for another 5-6 weeks! Thank you all for your good wishes and prayers.

 Typical three year old he loves vehicles, particularly large and noisy road work ones!

I had won some FLONZ Craft stamps recently, and deliberately selected this set with heavy machinery in it.

The vehicles were stamped in various distress inks and detail added with shiny pens and a black calligraphy pen.

I added brown, green and blue chalks for the background

The final detail were the roads - stitched ribbon!

And a heartfelt wish!!

I am linking this to:

Chalk-ah-Lot Challenge #48 - Anything goes with chalk

Penny Black November Challenge - Anything Goes

Lacy Sunshine Challenge #20 - Anything Goes

Challenges 4 Everybody #32 - Anything Goes

613 Avenue Create Challenge #44 - Anything Goes

My Sheri Crafts Challenge #122 - A Little Bit Of Comfort

Catch The Bug November Challenge - Anything Goes

Sunshine Mail - Anything Gies

Natalie and Amy's Challenge #14 - For the Boys

Mema's Crafts November Challenge - Anything Goes

Thank you for visiting - any comments you may leave are deeply appreciated.

May your day be blessed.

Guest Designer for Challenges and Candies

Welcome

I have been honoured to be selected to be a guest designer for a Serbian blog, Izazou i Slatkisi aka Challenges and Candies for the month of November.

Their first November challenge is Clean and Simple, and this is my card.

I went with a colour scheme of yellow and white, and started with the white panel which I textured using the 'shattered' Tim holtz folder - I ran it though as a second emboss after colouring the plate with a gelato, and there is a very faint shimmer on the card.

I attached some ribbon and simply knotted a shorter piece around it as a bow would not have 'survived' the post.

I made the tag myself after stamping the sentiment and embossing it with gold on white, and layered it onto the yellow card. 

 The tag was attached to the ribbon with some genuine gold embroidery thread, from the days long ago when I wielded a needle.

I am linking this to:
Seize The Birthday - Anything Goes
Paper Crafting Journey - Anything goes
Moving Along With The Times - No (designer or digi) papers
Crafty Girls Challenge #5 - Anything Goes

Word Art Wednesday Challenge #104 - Anything Goes

Simon Says Challenge - Anything Goes

Rhedd and Rosies Challenge #18 - Anything Goes

Lady Anne's Challenge #12 - Anything Goes

Crafty Creations Challenge #246 - Make it Yourself - the tag

Addicted to Stamps and More Challenge #69 - Clean and Simple

Thank you for visiting - any comments you leave are deeply appreciated

May your day be blessed