Bit of a ....

.... mad scramble here yesterday!  I haven't been crafting much this summer - partly because we've been redesigning our back garden, much gnashing of teeth and pulling of hair as we tried to work all our "must-have" requirements into a pretty small space.  And the other thing is I've taken my stiff neck/shoulder to a physiotherapist after rather a long time (4 to 5 years!!!) of ignoring.  My entire lifestyle from working as a secretary to hobbies of reading, crafting, etc. has conspired to create a perfect little storm of seized muscles, joints and nerves!  Oh well, will all be sorted eventually.  And the garden landscaping is underway - hooray - I'll post some before and after pics when it's done.

But .... yesterday was my little godson's 4th birthday, so a card had to be made.  My son's football match went over time, my step-mother called in for coffee unexpectedly, and the traffic was appalling as I raced to buy a present (ok, I left that very late!), so the card happened in between all that.  Here's what I made:

I'm entering the following challenges: Craft Your Passion, ABC Challenge and Simon Says Stamp("Anything Goes"), City Crafter ("Birthday Wishes"), Try it on Tuesdays ("Children") and Crafty Creations ("Use a Number").

I drew a little template for the balloons and cut out four in bright colours.  I printed out the numbers and letters onto white card and cut them out.  Had I had time, I would have glossy accented either the balloons or numbers or both, but that didn't happen!!  Here's a side-shot of the balloons:

Recipe

Paper: October Afternoon "Weathervane"

Fonts: "Bringshoot" and "Impact" - dafont.com

Other: Sharpie marker

Thanks for looking!

It's been a while ....

.... since I've posted, and with all that's going on around here, I'd say my crafting and blogging opportunities over the next few months will be pretty limited. I haven't actually made anything over the whole month of August, and now my son, my daughter and I are all back at three different schools, with three different timetables and collection schedules so life is going to be horribly hectic for the next year.

Having said all that, I made a card for my little godson's 2nd birthday.  We spent some time on holidays with him and his family in August, and he is just the most sunny, happy little chap.  Here's what I made for him:

I used last week's sketch from Deconstructed Sketches and I'm also going to enter the following challenges: Corrosive Challenges ("Let's hear it for the boys"), Crafty Girls ("Anything Goes") and Crafty Cardmakers ("Make an Impression")

I used some very old Cosmo Cricket papers (I could probably keep making cards for the next decade and still not run out of paper!) and added buttons and a double-embossed number 2.  Here's a side-shot of the dimension on the card:

Recipe:

Papers: Cosmo Cricket ("Lil Man")

Embossing Folder: Cuttlebug "Tiny Bubbles"

Fonts: "Learning Curve" and "SimHei" - www.dafont.com

Other: Basic Grey buttons

Thanks for looking!

Shaking ....

.... all over.  Eeek, my baby has just turned 12 - this time next year there'll be another teenager in the house.  I don't think I'm ready!!  My daughter's teen years have been very turbulent and, at times, traumatic, although we now know why, so I have no reason to believe that his will be as bad, but still, I'm shaking in my boots more than a bit!!

Last year's card was a football one, and Jed is still super-keen on the sport, so I did another one - it's my first shaker card.  And here is it:

 

Update 01/03 - this card was chosen as Top 3 on Shopping our Stash - thank you!!

I used the sketch from this week's Deconstructed Sketch and I'm also entering the following challenges: Papertake Weekly ("Lovely Layers"), Shopping our Stash ("Embellish Me"), Cute Card Thursday ("Clever Cutting"), Moving Along with the Times ("Fantasy" - Fantasy Football?!!), Brown Sugar ("Use a Die Cut or Punch") and Sentimental Sundays ("Pack a Punch")

Jed's main present was tickets to a Premier League match, which his poor sports-hatin' Dad will be bringing him to!!  But we haven't told him which team yet, so the map background on this card is my way of a "where in the world" joke.  Lots of fiddly, fiddly details on this card - I printed the little footballs in rows, added glossy accents, cut them out and sandwiched them two by two and they are the shaker elements.  I hand-cut those little cardstock chevrons and the numbers.  I don't have circle die-cuts, so I used the inner bit of a large sprocket die to make circles, traced around a lid for the centre of the circles and cut out to make those skinny rings that make up the shaker body.  I also made the rosette by hand.  Here's a closer look at some of the details:

Recipe:

Papers: Basic Grey "Wander"

Fonts: Impact and Sport Relief - www.dafont.com

Die-Cutting: Nestabilities "Sprightly Sprokets"

Other: Glossy accents, black enamel accents

Thanks for looking!

Shopping Our Stash

Don't forget the ....

.... Christmas birthdays!  My birthday is in December, but far enough away from Christmas to have always been treated separately by everyone.  But my friend's son has was born perilously close to Christmas, and it's very easy to overlook it.  He is old enough now to realise if people don't mark his special day, so I make a concerted effort to separate Christmas and his birthday.  I will send off his card so it will arrive in the post specially addressed to him on the right day (hopefully, fingers crossed the over-worked posties can make it happen!) and his birthday present will definitely not be wrapped in Christmas paper!!  Here's the card I made for him:

Update 19/12 - this card was chosen as one of the Top 3 on Charisma Cardz - thank you, ladies!

I used the sketch from this week's Mojo Monday and I'm also entering the following challenges: Little Red Wagon ("Holiday Birthday") and Charisma Cardz ("Your Favourite Word" - I reckon Happy or Birthday are everyone's favourite words!).

I always hold on to string and cord, especially if it's coloured, from parcels, new clothes, old notebooks or whatever, so I was happy to recycle some black cord on this card.  I have no idea where I got it originally, but the hoarding is now justified!!  The card ended up being quite a bulky one with lots of dimension - here's a side-shot:

Recipe:

Papers: Cosmo Cricket "Get Happy"

Font: Computer Generated - "Little Bird"

Punch: MS "Drippy Goo"

Other: Glossy Accents, eyelets and black cord from stash

Thanks for looking!

It doesn't seem ....

.... like a year since our little godson, Matthew, was born - but we attended his first birthday celebrations yesterday afternoon.  The birthday boy revelled in all the attention, smiling for the cameras, doing all his cutest performances and generally wowing all his admirers!!!

Our challenge on Sentimental Sundays this week is "Happy Birthday", so my card for Matthew is also my DT sample. 

This week's sponsor is:

Birdie Brown Store

Birdie Brown Challenge Blog

Donating: 3 digital images, winner's choice

Here's my card:

 

I'm entering the following challenges: Mo's Digital Challenge ("Goodbye Summer"), Card Crafters' Circle and Shopping our Stash ("For the Boys"), Daring Cardmakers ("Heavy Metal"), The Ribbon Girl ("Use numbers"), Party Time Tuesdays ("Anything Goes") and Make it Monday

I used a cute Mo Manning image that looks really like Matthew - the little chubby hands and cheeks, unruly hair and nappy sticking out the top of his trousers!!  Here's a close-up:

 

Recipe:

Papers: Fancy Pants "The Daily Grind"

Image: Mo Manning "Birthday Surprise Boy"

Colouring Medium: Distress Inks

Other: Ancient brads from stash, Fancy Pants ribbon, handmade number and letters

 

Thanks for looking!

 

Still scrambling ....

.... around, trying to get my mojo up and running.  Only one week and four days left of school, I am looking forward to having time to do things - have the usual ambitious (overly ambitious?!!) to-do list of people to see, projects to do, once-a-year cleaning jobs to undertake, etc., etc.!!  Let's see!!

My son is away this weekend at his friend's birthday party/sleepover - they went quad-biking yesterday (the horrors!), but friend's Mum kindly texted to let everyone know their sons were still in one piece afterwards!  Here's the card I made for the birthday boy:

Update 18th June: This card was given a Spotlight Artist Award on City Crafter - many thanks!

I used the sketch from this week's Deconstructed Sketch and I'm also entering this into the following challenges: Creative Inspirations ("Father's Day/Male Themed"), Papertake Weekly ("Hello Boys") and City Crafter ("All About Him").

I did a lot of doodling on this card - all the lettering, numbers, arrows, etc.  See the MS "Drippy Goo" border punch - remember a few years ago these were like gold-dust and everyone wanted them - I got one then and this is the first time I've used it!!  Here's a side-shot of the drips, doodles and dimension on the card:

Recipe:

Papers: Cosmo Cricket "Get Happy"

Punch: MS "Drippy Goo"

Other: Black and white gel pens

Thanks for looking!

It's been ....

.... a while.  Almost a month since my last post, can't really account for all that time, bit of illness, bit of Easter Holidays, bit of family stuff, and here we are in mid-April, just like that!!

It's Sunday and that means a challenge from Sentimental Sundays - we are sponsored this week by

Dilly Beans Digi Stamps

Our challenge is called "Tags".  I chose to make a card with tags on it and it's for my nephew's 18th birthday.  Here's what I made:

I'm also entering the following challenges: Moving Along with the Times ("Inspired by a Song or Film" - mine is "Night of the Living Dead"!), Charisma Cardz ("Tags"), City Crafter ("Birthday") and Creative Inspirations ("Anything Goes + Heart").

I made the numbers from chipboard - embossed with a cuttlebug folder and then heat embosed with a mixture of distress e.p. sprinkled with a bit of normal black e.p. - I think I meant to end up with this grungy look!!!  Here's a side-shot:

Recipe:

Papers: Tim Holtz "Destinations"

Stamp: Dilly Beans "Monster Boy 2"

Colouring Medium: Prisma Pencils

Other: Distress e.p., black e.p., glossy accents, ballchain, needle + thread

Thanks for looking!

If at first you don't succeed ....

.... curse a lot, have a tantrum or two, oh - and try, try again!

That's what happened when I was making my first spinner card - none of the tutorials I read mentioned that coinage is not keen to be glued together with a spacer in the middle!!  The blasted things kept coming apart every time I tried to assemble the final piece.  But I had to persist, 'cos it was my son's birthday card, and I had it in my head exactly how it should be.  Here's the completed card:

I'm entering this into the following challenges: My Time to Craft ("Men Only"), Totally Gorjuss ("For the Men") and Creative Card Crew ("Birthday").

I didn't use any patterned paper on this card.  I stamped the cloudy sky, adding a couple of extra popped up clouds for dimension, drew and coloured the crowd, printed the sentiment, hand-cut the grass edge, stamped the little guy and then masked a Manchester United footy jersey for him.  Here's a side-shot of the layers:

Recipe:

Stamps: Basic Grey "Frog Boy" and  Hero Arts "Design Block Clouds Background"

Colouring Medium: Pro Markers

Other: Googly eyes, glossy accents, four cents!

Thanks for looking!

Too close to ....

.... Christmas for non-Christmas crafting!  My friend's son has his 6th birthday today, and I am ashamed to say that today is only the second time I've managed to make a birthday card for him (last year being the first!).  Most of his relatives combine birthday and Christmas pressies, so I was determined to make a separate birthday fuss of him!!  Here's what I made:

I do think some red stitching around the outside of that lovely teal spotty paper would have been lovely, but no time.   I used the sketch from this week's Deconstructing Sketches and I'm also entering this into Totally Gorjuss ("For someone special").

Here's a side view of the layers - see the googly eyes I added to the orange sticker?  I love googly eyes!

Recipe:

Papers and sticker: Cosmo Cricket "Lil Man"

Number: Pink Paislee

Other: American Crafts eyelet, googly eyes, baker's twine

Thanks for looking!

Howzat ....

.... another card done!!

This one is for my brother - the cricket-playing one.  Here's what I made:

I used a cute Lili of the Valley cricketer image, but given that my brother ain't so cute, I tried to come up with something different to add to it, and I'm very chuffed with how it worked out.  Here's a side shot of my spring-loaded cricket ball:

I used the sketch from this week's Totally Gorjuss, and I'm also entering this into the following: Papertake Weekly and Lili of the Valley ("Anything Goes"), Kaboodle Doodles and Shopping our Stash ("Masculine") and Crafty Cardmakers ("Distress It").

Here's a closer look at the image.  Doesn't the little guy look nervous as that giant cricket ball comes hurtling towards him?!!!

Recipe:

Papers: Basic Grey "Oxford"

Image: Lili of the Valley "Cricket"

Colouring Medium: Distress Inks

Other: Spring from an old notebook, needle + thread, twine

Thanks for looking!

Funny old ....

.... weather we're having at the moment.  Last week, most unseasonal temperatures - up to 20C and a week of blazing sunshine.  This week, by contrast - there have been showers of sleet and hail, and a corresponding drop in temps!  I don't mind, I'm an indoorsy kinda girl - I like to look out at sunshine, but if it's raining, as long as I'm indoors, it's fine with me!!!

It's Thursday morning and time for another PaperPlay challenge.  Our challenge is "Shaped Cards", we're sponsored by Simon Says Stamp, and by some miracle, I've actually got two cards!!!

The first is for that friend's 50th I was telling you about on my last post - here's what I did:

And the second is from my son's birthday, I thought I had posted it already but I hadn't.  He's still into Lego in a big way, but since I've done a Lego card for him before (8th birthday, if I remember correctly), I decided to go with something else - he loves the Simpsons, so I went with Homer - and since it's a birthday with a "0" in it, really there was nothing else I could use but a doughnut!!!  So here it is:

Thanks for looking!

Spring forward....

.... fall back!  That kind of describes my crafting these days, it's all long spells of inertia followed by manic bursts of activity, usually triggered by family birthdays!  I had two friends' birthdays this week, one female and one male, and I decided to make things easier on myself by using the same sketch for both cards.  I made one card yesterday, and then I was at a crop today and made the other (and dropped it to the birthday boy on the way home, talk about last minute!). 

The sketch is this week's Mojo Monday - I like the elements, especially the pennant shape.

So here is my lady card:

And the man card:

I've also entered them into the following challenges: Totally Gorjuss ("Anything Goes with a Button"), Craft Your Passion and Papertake Weekly ("Anything Goes"), ABC Challenge ("Kraft") and Crafty Creations ("Stripes").

Here are some side-shots of the dimension and tags on the cards:

Recipes:

Papers: MME "Miss Caroline Fiddlesticks" and "Stella Rose Hazel", BG "Jovial"

Dies: Cheery Lynn "English Tea Party Doily Die" and Nestabilities "Pinking Circles"

Punch: MS "Doily Lace"

Other: Buttons and ribbon from stash, needle + thread

Thanks for looking!

Ahem ....

.... well, hello there - I've crawled out from that rock I've been hiding under for the past month!!  Work has been very busy, add that to all the kids' extra curriculars starting up again, husband working nights, and sundry other bits and pieces, and I haven't even had time to open the door of my craftroom, never mind make anything.
I always find it very hard to get back into the swing of things after such a long hiatus, I never like what I first make, and this time is no exception.  It's my entry for this week's PaperPlay, which is called "Use Black".  Nice challenge, one of my favourite colours and I used it in a card for a neighbour boy's birthday.  Last minute - the kick I needed!!  But no time to colour images or anything like that - just a quick shaped card with stuff on it!  Here's what I made:

We're back to the winter lighting again, I promise it is somewhat more vibrant in real life than it looks on the screen!!

I'd like to think I'm back on track now - especially since the spectre of Christmas cards is looming!! I haven't had time even to browse for materials and ideas, I would normally have ordered and received all by now.  Hope to get a chance to bloghop too - how I've missed that!

Thanks for looking!

On a roll ....

.... or is that a rollercoaster?!!!  Second last day, my desk in work is almost clear and only three hours to go tomorrow!  To compound the madness, one my son's friends had a birthday party today - so I made a quickish card last night.  He's the first of the gang to hit double figures, here's what I made:

Recipe:

Papers: Basic Grey "Archaic"

Other: Archaic stickers, Thickers lettering, needle + thread

I'm entering this into Basic Grey Challenges ("Stitching"), Crafty Cardmakers ("Spots and Stripes" - you have to look closely, but the dinosaurs spikes are stripey!  I think BG meant the round "spots" to be rocks, but I think they could also be dinosaur poo!!) and CES Challenges ("Anything but Square").

Thanks for looking!

It feels stranger when ....

.... your little brother turns 40 than when you do!!!  Well, that's what I'm thinking about it!! 

It's been a very busy few weeks - my daughter was Head of Costume, Hair and Make-up at a production of Hercules her school year put on, and I ended up helping her with some of the props and costumes (having said I wouldn't!!).  We had some very distinguished visitors here in Dublin - first Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, then Barack & Michelle Obama.  I didn't go into town to see either visit, mostly 'cos I was working and the weather was really bad too, but I watched avidly on TV and enjoyed every moment.

I've not had much time for crafting, but I had to make something for my wittle baby brudder!!  I find it difficult to make cards for him for some reason, even though he has quite a few interests.  He wouldn't like anything fussy or fancy either -  finally, I decided to go with a cricketing theme, as he loves the game and plays for his local club too.  Here's what I ended up with:

The papers are actually baseball themed ones, but it looks close enough to a cricket ball to me!!!  I didn't have time to check out many challenges when I was making this at the very last minute, but I'm entering the following:  Simon Says Stamp ("Something Sentimental"),  Little Red Wagon ("Use a Number") and Truly Scrumptious ("Anything Goes").

Here's a side-shot of the card, showing the shiny popped up numbers and the wiggly banner:

Recipe:

Papers: Cosmo Cricket "Lil' Man"

Sentiment + Numbers: Computer generated

Other: American Crafts eyelets, needle + thread, lots of Antique Linen distress ink

Thanks for looking!

No more excuses ....

.... I'm back, trying to work out what I've been doing since the 22nd April (not much!!), and showing the one solitary card I've made since then.  I had the most lovely Easter hols, the Royal Wedding was a fab way to finish off the fortnight - what a fun day - there was practically a me-shape in the sofa when I finally got up, 'cos I didn't move off it all day long!!!  Back to school then, and it was straight in the deep end - this summer term is so very short it's manic trying to fit everything in.  Had a great Saturday night this weekend at our friends' house watching the Eurovision Song Contest - we were disappointed that Jedward didn't win - but that still didn't make the evening any less fun.

I've made this card for another of my husband's infernal nephews - quite late, but as we knew we weren't going to see him until this weekend, I let the deadline slip by ..... emmmm .... only a month and 2 days.  Bad auntie!!  Here's what I did:

I'm entering this into the following challenges: Basic Grey Challenges ("Mix & Match" - I've used Wander papers and I think the buttons are Mellow), Mo's Digital Challenge ("Here Comes Summer" - the colours are quite bright and summery, I think), Paper Sundaes ("Birthdays"), and Stamp Something ("Anything Goes").

I used this excellent Mo Manning image and decided to try out colouring on kraft with prismas - quite hard not to obliterate the lines of the image - and the sansodor tends to soak in quite a bit, but I'm reasonably happy with the result overall.  Here's a closer look:

Recipe:

Papers: Basic Grey "Wander"

Image: Mo Manning "Video Boy"

Colouring Medium: Prismacolor Pencils and Sansodor

Sentiment: Computer generated by me!

Other: BG Buttons, Tim Holtz crackle paint around edge of image, hairy string, needle + thread

Now I have to try and sort out a card for my "little" brother's 40th this weekend - I have no idea what to get him or what to put on his card (well, maybe a 4 and a 0!) - and he hasn't yet told us what he'd like to do for the event.

Thanks for looking - I promise to be a better blogger!!