And the birthdays ....

.... keep piling up!  My stepmother and a good friend of mine both have birthdays this week - I usually make a different card for everyone, but this time, time was against me and I made duplicates of the same design for them (well, their names I changed!!).  Here's what I made:

I used last week's Mojo Monday sketch, and I'm entering the following challenges: Cute Card Thursday ("Blue and Green"), Totally Gorjuss ("Die Cuts/Punches"), Creative Card Crew ("Girly") and Party Time Tuesdays ("Anything Goes").

I made a little scene using one of an old Hero Arts set - the stamp is actually supposed to be a leaf, but I always turn it into a tree.  I stamped, covered in contact and cut out some extra little leaves to add a bit of dimension.  Here's a closer look at the image:

Recipe:

Papers: Basic Grey "Marjolaine"

Image: Hero Arts "3 Designer Leaves"

Die: Nestabilities "Lacy Circles"

Fonts: "Coneria Script" and "Precious" - www.dafont.com

Other: ribbon from stash, contact

Thanks for looking!

Who's making a guest ....

.... appearance - me!!  I won a challenge back in January on Our Creative Corner and Laura invited me to do a Spotlight post featuring my work.  I didn't hesitate to say "yes" - and today my post appears on the Our Creative Corner blog.

I made a card for my old boss's new grandson, and here it is:

I used a recent sketch from Deconstructed Sketch and I'm also entering the following challenges: Party Time Tuesdays  and Crafty Girls ("Anything Goes"), ABC Challenge ("J is for Just as you Like"), Creative Inspirations ("Lots of Layers") and Stampin' for the Weekend ("Your Favourite Stamp").

 

I still haven't bought any new baby stamps, so I thought I'd do something a little different with the Lili of the Valley one I've used so many times - I stamped on kraft, coloured with prismas and cut out a circle.  Here's a close-up of the image: 

And here's a side-shot of the layers on the card:

Recipe:

Papers: Basic Grey "Persimmon"

Image: Lili of the Valley "Baby Blanket"

Colouring Medium: Prismacolor pencils

Embossing Folder: Cuttlebug "Tiny Bubbles"

Font: "Throw my Hands up in the Air" - www.dafont.com

Other: Nestabilities "Large Pinking Circles" die, Basic Grey "Ambrosia" and "Granola" buttons

Thanks for looking - and thanks, Laura, for spotlighting my work on Our Creative Corner.

Venturing into ....

.... three dimensions.  I don't often make things that aren't cards, but spent a fair bit of time earlier in January wrangling with a sheet of card, paint, mod podge, etc., making a box to hold three Yankee Candle votives.  I did a card to match, and all was sent to a lovely crafting friend called Margie, who is going through a period of ill-health, leading up to a pretty major operation last week.  She has received her package now so I can post the pictures.  Here's the card, first of all:

I used a sketch a couple of weeks old from Deconstructed Sketches and I'm also entering the following challenges: Creative Card Crew ("Recipe - 1 ribbon, 2 patterned papers, 3 pearls/gems"), Party Time Tuesdays ("Anything Goes"), ABC Challenge ("D is for Dazzle") and Creative Inspirations ("Stamping").

I'm really liking gold and gold glitter these days, there are a lot of companies incorporating this look into their lines - I've had this fab lamé ribbon for years, and I dipped the hearts and brad, which were just plain, into glue and them gold glitter - fan-tab-u-lous!!  I made the acetate banner letters and stamped a pretty scalloped circle lightly on textured cardstock for a shabby look.  Here's a close-up:

And here's the box, it's a little bit bockety at the sides, I've altered boxes before but this was the first I've made from scratch (and I learned a lot whilst doing it!):

And here are the two together.

Recipe:

Papers: Basic Grey "Kissing Booth" and Crate Paper "Maggie Holmes"

Stamp: Hero Arts "Scallop Background"

Fonts: "Falling Rain" and "A Little Swag" dafont.com

Embossing Folder: Cuttlebug "Textile"

Other: Ribbon from stash, gold glitter, gold hearts

Thanks for looking - and if you're looking, Margie - hope you're safe at home now!

Easy to know ....

.... that I'm back in school - the house is in tatters, the laundry is backed-up and there's dust on the desk in the craftroom!!  I haven't yet managed to get up at my target time of 7am, keep lounging on 'till about 7.15/7.20 or so and then rushing around like a mad thing trying to get to school on time.  Sigh - even though it's Autumn and I love Autumn, I just hate September!!

Had a nice day on Saturday - I went to a crop and made this card:

 

Update 03/10/13 - Jen has picked this card as one of her favourites on Deconstructing Jen - thanks so much, Jen!

I used the sketch from this week's Deconstructed Sketch and I'm also entering this into the following challenges: Party Time Tuesdays (colour challenge) and Totally Gorjuss ("Stripes").  I used a stamp that my craft friend, Fiona, lent me - wrote the name down somewhere but I can't find it.  Here's a side shot of all the layers.

And here's something else I made.  We were staying in a relative's house down in Wexford at the end of August.  After such a beautiful summer, the hedgerows were groaning with ripe blackberries, so we picked loads and, combined with apples from our garden, I made blackberry and apple jam.  Here's some of the jars all prettied up and ready for gifting:

Recipe:

Papers: Crate Paper "Lemongrass"

Stamp: Will find out and add!

Punch: EK Success "Threading Water"

Other: Hairy string, crackle accents

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!

 

First day of ....

.... Autumn, yayyyy!!!  The heatwave ended after about 3.5 weeks, and now we've got the usual kind of summer weather - bit of rain, bit of dry, bit of rain, bit of dry, etc., etc.  I'm hoping it's not going to lash rain tonight - husband and I are going to an gig (and it's outdoors, so really, it's bound to rain!).

My daughter has just turned 19, this is the card I made for her:

I used the sketch from this week's Deconstructed Sketch and I'm also entering this into the following:
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge, Cute Card Thursday, Creative Inspirations and Party Time Tuesdays all have "Anything Goes" challenges.

I bought some new crafty stash recently for the first time in many month, including some new paper pads.  This card is made from a new Basic Grey line "Carte Postale" - lovely colours and patterns. I made a computer-generated sentiment, embellished with some tiny Hero Arts flowers and coloured slightly with Prisma pencils.  I love the Tim Holtz filmstrip - it made a nice frame for the 19 stickers.  Here's a close up of some of the detail:

Recipe:

Papers: Basic Grey "Carte Postale"

Stamp: Hero Arts "Row of Perky Flowers"

Other: Basic Grey "Mellow?" button, Tim Holtz Idea-ology Filmstrip ribbon, MM Tiny Alphas

Thanks for looking!

My baby is ....

.... old enough to vote!!  Not quite sure where all those years have gone, but my daughter turned 18 over the summer.  She's gone back to school today, last first day of school ever.  This time last year, as we waved her off, my son said, faux-tearfully, "they grow up so fast".  This year, he said "she's getting so big"!  What a comedian!!

Here's the card I made for her:

I went for a sort of urban/street style, had thought I had some grungy red brick paper somewhere but never unearthed it, so I went for this distressed wood instead.  I like the colour.

I'm entering this into the following challenges: Kenny K's Krafty Krew and Party Time Tuesdays both have "Anything Goes", My Time to Craft ("Milestone Birthdays"), Passion for Promarkers ("Needles + Pins") and Sentimental Sundays ("Stitching").

I used one of the Kenny K images and coloured it with Pro Markers.  My daughter dresses in this kind of style, and she loved the baseball cap!  Here's a close-up:

Recipe:

Papers: October Afternoon "Seaside"

Image: Kenny K "Brooklyn Babe"

Colouring Medium: Pro Markers

Other: Tulle, needle + thread

Thanks for looking!

A day of contrasts ....

.... we were over at my in-laws' house yesterday - it was my husband's grandmother's 92nd birthday.  She used to have parties on the 5 year marks, but since she turned 90 (had a BIG celebration that year!), she's insisting upon having a "do" every time - and rightly so!!  All her grandchildren and great-grandchildren were there, she ate more food than she normally eats in a week, and all had a nice time.  Then we went in to a pub in town to see my husband's nephew's heavy metal band launching their first album.  Wonder what next weekend will bring!!! 

Here's the card I made for "Granny Susie":

I used the sketch from this week's Papertake Weekly, and I'm also entering this into the following challenges: Bunny Zoes' Crafts, Party Time Tuesdays, Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge and Simon Says Stamp ("Anything Goes"), Crafty Cardmakers ("Distress It") and Shopping our Stash ("May Flowers").
Here's a closeer look at the cute Sugar Nellie image I used (first time inking this one!):

Recipe:

Papers: Basic Grey "Capella"

Image: "Miss Tulip" by Mary Hall for Sugar Nellie

Colouring Medium: Distress Inks

Die Cuts: Nestabilities Ovals and Scalloped Ovals

Other: Hairy string, needle + thread

Thanks for looking!