Quite the ....

.... output around here these days - February being my busiest month for family and friend's occasions.  This one is a Mini club friend, who I normally wouldn't do a card for - but it was his 50th, so I pushed myself a bit ha ha!!  Here's what I made:

Update 21/02/17- this card was a challenge winner at Cardz4guyz - thank you!!
Update 01/03/17- this card was a Top 3 winner at Moving Along with the Times - thank you!!

I'm entering the following challenges: Cardz4guyz ("No patterned paper"), Moving Along with the Times ("For a Man"), Creative Inspirations ("Anything Goes") and Seize the Birthday

I kept this card quite plain, using some old background Basic Grey paper - and used a broken poky tool to scratch deep, jagged lines on it - I really like this effect and I know I'll do it again.  Added a bit of stitching and some tiny punched circles for embellishments.  Here's a side-shot:

Recipe:

Papers: Basic Grey "Ambrosia"

Stamp: Blade Rubber Stamps "Mini"

Font: "KG Sorry Not Sorry Chub" dafont.com

Other: needle and thread

Thanks for looking!

Something quick ....

.... for Christmas.  For my last craft club of the year, we had to make a Christmas decoration and card to swap between each other.  Inspired by something I saw on Pinterest, I made what turned out to be a quick, fun but really effective looking ornament.  Here's what I made, with card to match:

Those are drawing pins stuck all over a Styrofoam ball, I love the finished effect - I think it looks like an armadillo.  It's amazing how heavy it is too, and it will look fab on a tree with other gold and red decorations.  I made the card in red and gold to match too, with gold jingle bells I recycled from around the necks of Lindt chocolate rabbits or bears or something!  Here's a little side-shot:

I'm entering these into the following challenges: Crafty Cardmakers ("Christmas"), Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge and Creative Inspirations ("Anything Goes"), City Crafter ("Glittering Snowflakes"), Shopping our Stash ("Favourite Technique" - mine is distressing), Little Red Wagon ("So flaky") and Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge ("Bling it On").

Ornament Recipe:

Styrofoam ball, drawing pins, ribbon from stash

Card Recipe:

Paper: Basic Grey "Ambrosia"

Stamp: Hero Arts "Stunning Snowflakes" background

Font: "Apex Lake" - dafont.com

Other: Ribbon from stash, Lindt bells, gold e.p.

Thanks for looking!

Forgot all about ....

.... this one.  I started making this card well over a year ago, at a crop I think.  Then bits of it sat on my desk for months and months until eventually I finished it at another crop.  Then it sat on the desk again for a while, then I put it in a storage box, and when I took it out to write for a friend's birthday today, I realised I'd never photographed or uploaded it!!  Here's the slow card:

I'm entering this in the following challenges: Crafty Cardmakers ("Slap it On"), Papertake Weekly ("Anything Goes") and Shopping our Stash ("3-2-1" - I have 3 banners, 2 flowers, 1 brad).

This card covers the change in style of my card-making - see, I was still spending ages and ages stitching when I started it (the background paper and the circle base for the flower) and then the other layers aren't stitched at all!!  Here's a little side-shot of the dimension on this card:

Recipe:

Papers: Basic Grey "Ambrosia" and MME "Stella Rose Hattie" - I think!!

Stamp: Hero Arts "Doodle Leaf Flower"

Colouring Medium: Prismacolor Pencils

Die: Nestabilities "Eyelet Circles"

Other: Hero Arts pearls, Julie Frog's washi tape, Basic Grey "Sugared" brad

Thanks for looking!

Break out the yellow ....

.... because the sun is shining!!

It's been a very dank and grey spring here in Dublin, bar one sunny week way back in March (not that I'm complaining, as such - as I've said before, I like our weather). But today, the sun made a surprise appearance and it's to be fine for the whole week. My, what a good mood everyone is in!! And we've got Sports Day in school on Friday - it is so strange to hear people talking optimistically about the weather a whole 5 days in advance! Normally, we'd be hedging our bets and waiting until Thursday before deciding whether or not it can go ahead!

So when doing a commissioned card for a confirmation, I included a colour that I almost never use - YELLOW!! Here's what I made:

I used the sketch from this week's Sunday Sketch + Stamp and I'm also entering this into the following challenges: Paper Sundaes ("Pretty in Pink"), Basic Grey Challenges ("Anything Goes" - my third entry!), Sugar Bowl ("Free for All" using Sugar Nellie stamp), The Ribbon Girl ("Pinks and Creams") and Simon Says Stamp + Show ("Summer Holiday").

I used this cute Sugar Nellie Gorjuss Girl image - but masked out the heart and envelope seams and added a cross so it looks like a prayer book.  I was told that Róisín, the girl who the card is for, has reddish-blonde hair - so I had a go with the distress inks - quite pleased with the result.  Here's a close-up and then a pic of the distressed, inked and rolled flowers.

Recipe:

Papers: Basic Grey "Ambrosia", "Kissing Booth", "Nook + Pantry" and "Capella"

Stamp: Sugar Nellie Gorjuss Girl "Sent with Love"

Colouring Medium: Distress Inks

Punch: MS "Branch"

Other: Ribbon from stash, needle + thread

Thanks for looking!

This year's obsession ....

.... yup, it's my son's birthday again.  He is one of those boys who gets completely obsessed with things, so each year, I make a card relevant to his current craze!!  Last year, it was James Bond, the year before it was Nightmare before Christmas.  We've had Mister Men, Countdown, etc. down the years.  But, to give him credit, these are no flash in the pan fixations - we usually get a good 6 to 18 months before he moves on to the next big thing!!!

This year, he is madly into Lego PowerMiners.  So having dithered about with large shapes and got nowhere, I decided to use Sandie's sketch for this week's PaperPlay Challenges, and here's what I made for him (his name has been blurred out):

I layered up pieces of the image (it's a Rock Monster, should anyone wish to know!!!), here's a side shot:

And I printed out lettering from the computer, transferred it to black card for the number and yellow for the lettering.  I've used Rock Candy Stickles to highlight his tusks and the number 8 - that stuff is fabulous, here's a little close-up - see how chunky it dries.  And since this fortnight's Fussy and Fancy Friday challenge is called "Dazzle Us", I'm entering it in - bit different from the usual entries, but there's a lot of shimmer and shine on this card, with the Rock Candy, also I stamped the background in metallic silver, and have used glitter buttons.  Bling!!

Recipe:

Papers: BG Ambrosia

Stamp: Hero Arts Grid

Ink: Brilliance Silver

Other: Rock Candy Distress Stickles, Doodlebug Buttons, needle + thread

I also made party bags for his friends, using the Rock Monster's face and more letters for their names:

Lots of cutting out!!!

And when DS opened his card, he said "Oh. My. Gosh.  That.  Is.  So.  Cool!!". 

Result!!!!

Late nights and ....

.... early mornings. I'm soooo tired today, had a very very busy weekend, most of it same old same old and some unbelievably boring (committee meeting - blah!). When I got home last night I stayed up quite late getting this card for my friend's daughter finished. Then my mind was buzzing and I couldn't sleep, so I was not at my best this morning!!!

I've used this week's sketch from Friday Sketchers and I'm also entering it in this fortnight's challenge on Basic Grey Challenges - which is to incorporate embossing - I've embossed the oval panel and I've used papers from BG June Bug and Mellow and a teeny Ambrosia button. Sorry the light is bad - I took the photo early this morning as I had to get it in the early post to make sure it arrives on time - fingers crossed anyway!!

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Thanks for looking!

Yet another Baby ....

.... Girl! What is going on in the world - I don't know anyone who has had a baby boy recently - all girls. Isn't that supposed to mean a more peaceful time?!

Anyway, decided to incorporate this week's SFTW challenge, which is to use the colours pink and grey. I also used this week's Friday Sketchers sketch. Thank goodness for sketches, they can be great for kick-starting some inspiration.

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Isn't her name gorgeous? Have to visit her later in the week - pressie bought and wrapped too - I usually buy clothes, but when we were on holidays I spotted an Elmer toy and book in a shop window and I couldn't resist them.

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And a relative of mine is getting married at the weekend in Somerset. We're not going to the wedding, too close to back to school, but here's the card I'm sending. I don't really like doing "occasion" cards (apart from birthdays!), can't seem to think of anything and I don't have any wedding-y stamps either, so I always do a variation on this quilled bouquet for wedding cards. This time I've varied the background layers a bit.

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Thanks for looking!

Early Birthday Card ....

.... for my DD - so if you know her, don't tell her what it's like before she sees it for real on her actual birthday!!

I'm posting this now as it's my entry for this week's SFTW challenge, which is called "Masking for the Weekend" - "This week we'd like to see some Masking on your cards, of two or more stamps! "

I was scanning down through their DT entries, and Claire's lovely card jumped out at me 'cos of the Penny Black Pink Toes stamp she used. This stamp was one of the first ones I bought - I've used it many times on cards for DD as ballet is her favourite activity. So why not roll it out again, in combination with the Hero Arts flower stamp which is actually the very first stamp I ever bought.

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I coloured the stamps with Prismas, using greys and beiges as DD is definitely not a "pink" girl. I don't have the label Nestabilities, so I traced a similar shape and hand-cut it, and pierced a border. I've added little Hero Arts pearls to the flower centres, two ribbons tied together - and the papers are my adored BG Ambrosia.

Sorry it's a bit dark, as it was gloomy out when I took the picture (but typically, the sun is now shining!).

And thanks for looking!

Black & Grey ....

.... + One.

The challenge on BasicGrey Challenges this week was to use the aforementioned colour combo:

For this weeks challenge we would like you to use this colour combo :)Black + Grey + 1. Now you may be asking what does the +1 mean, well this means that you can choose the third colour for your creation :)

Now it doesn't happen very often (in fact, I think it hasn't happened before now!) that I have already made (and not posted) a card that EXACTLY fits the bill, but woohoo, this one does:


Black + Grey + Orange - a birthday card for a Tigger-lovin' friend. I bet 90% of the challengers use BG Ambrosia, like I have!!!

Thanks for looking! And thanks, Sandie, for lending me your stamp. I have since ordered my own Gorjuss Girl stamps - they are yummy!