My boy ....

.... is now 14 - and growing like a weed, seems to be made of arms, legs and feet!!

With the trip to Edinburgh, I was almost too late to make a card for him, and it was a bit of a rush, but he really liked it (well, he made the appropriate noises anyway!).  Here it is:

I used a sort of a combination of this week's and last week's sketches from Mojo Monday and I'm also entering the following challenges: Craft your Passion, Brown Sugar, Chocolate Coffee + Cards("Anything Goes"), ABC Challenge ("B is for ... " boy and birthday and black), Fab 'n' Funky ("Male Birthday") and A Gem of a Challenge ("Boy's Birthday").

I made some acrylic paint on kraft panels, I also used some lovely new stamps - the ink splot I particularly like.  I made the 14 and the J, E and D and popped up the 14 on a spring from an old notebook - here's a side-shot:

Recipe:

Paper: October Afternoon "Seaside"

Stamps: IndigoBlu "Ink Splats" and My Favourite Things "Go with It"

Fonts: "Handwriting Draft" and "Dark Underground" dafont.com

Other: Acrylic paint, black e.p., spring from notebook

Thanks for looking!

Triple ....

.... trouble.  A colleague was having difficulty finding a card in the shops for her friend, who has just had triplets, all boys - can't imagine there's a huge mass-market for the taking there alright!!  So she came to me and this is what I made:

Update 17/02 - this card was chosen as Top 5 on Crafty Cardmakers - thank you, Carole!

I took my inspiration from the babies' biblical names - this is little Noah and his brothers safe in their cozy ark - and as they were born very prematurely, but fingers crossed are holding their own so far, I like the safe and sound on the stormy sea analogy too.  I've done a couple of similar cards before using this lovely October Afternoon wave paper - it's so good for little scenes like this.

I'm entering the following challenges with this card: Craft Your Passion ("Pick any Challenge" - I'm going with #174 "All at Sea"), Crafty Cardmakers ("This is a Man's World"), Totally Papercrafts ("Hey Cutie") and Crafty Girls Challenge ("Anything Goes").

I love the little swinging name banner on this card, here's a side-shot of a giant thumb and a close-up of the banner doing its thing!!

Recipe:

Papers: October Afternoon "Seaside" and "Weathervane"

Other: Bakers' Twine

Thanks for looking!

A Bird in the ....

house, or rather 13 birds in 13 houses!!  My monthly crafting group were given little plain cardboard birdhouses, in varying shapes, at our January meet-up - we had to decorate them, bring them along to the February meet, and then we would swap them amongst each other.  Here's how mine turned out:

 

I painted it white using plain old housepaint, and then added distressed wood effect papers for the body of the house.  I had some wrapping paper with pretty birds on it, I stuck one on a couple of layers of card then cut it out, wrapped wire around the perch, painted it and then impaled the bird on it!!  I spent a while thinking about the roof, I don't have any big scallop punches or straight dies, I didn't want to do individual tiles, too much faffing about.  Then I hit on a idea which worked better than I could have hoped - I used the inside edge of a postage stamp die - carefully adhering strips of paper in two different sequences and die-cutting, then distressing and overlapping the strips and finally making a ridge tile to finish it off.  I am really pleased with the result.  Here's a closer look:

 

I'm entering this house into the following challenges: Crafty Creations ("For the Birds") and Papertake Weekly ("Anything Goes").

Here's a pic of everybody's birdhouses together - aren't they fab?!

And here's the house I received in the swap - from Svetlana.  I love the woodgrain embossed paper she's covered it with.

 

My birdhouse recipe:

Papers: October Afternoon "Seaside"

Die: Nestabilities "Postage Stamps"

Other: Wrapping paper bird

Thanks for looking and thanks to Isobel for the idea to do this swap (and for providing the houses).

I'm a fairy ....

.... godmother!!!  Well, I'm about to be.  My husband and I were chuffed and delighted when our friends asked us to be godparents to their baby son, and today's the day of his baptism.  Have to go soon to get dolled up, but first I thought I'd show the card I made for him:

You wouldn't really guess it was for a baptism, I know, but I find religious cards very difficult, so I'm going with a kind of "launching into the Christian family" kind of vibe.

I used the sketch from this week's Deconstructed Sketch and I'm also entering this into the following challenges: Creative Inspirations ("Anything Goes"), My time to Craft ("Song or Film Inspired" - "We are Sailing"!) and Cute Pie Challenge ("Pretty Pastels").

Here's a side-shot of the layers:

Recipe:

Papers: October Afternoon "Seaside", "Weathervane"

Other: Doodlebug "Uncle Sam Stars" button, needle + thread

Thanks for looking - off to put on my glad rags now!!!

Made a start ....

.... on the February workload!  My mother-in-law's birthday is this Saturday, but since she comes over for dinner every Thursday evening, today was my deadline for getting her card done.  I was sticking the last bits together before I left for school this morning, and had to bring it to school for half-decent light to photograph, bit last minute-y really, but it's done and she liked it very much, so phew!!  Here's what I made:

Update 11th Feb: This card was picked as a Cupcake Cutie on Cupcake Craft - thank you!
Another Update 13th Feb: This card was picked as a winner on Mojo Monday - thank you!

I used the sketch from this week's Mojo Monday (turned on its side), and I'm also entering this into the following challenges: Cupcake Craft ("Yellow and Grey"), Moving along with the Times ("Only Girls Allowed"), Crafts and Me ("Favourite Colour Combo") and ABC Challenge ("G is for Going Dotty").

I really like yellow and grey combined, so much so I'm thinking it might look nice in the sitting room!!  I pulled together papers from 2 different manufacturers and 4 different collections, and added brads and buttons from another 3 lines.  Such diversity!!  I printed the digi image twice and cut out and layered up three petals over the base image, adding a few stripes of glossy accents for extra oomph!  Here's a closer view:

Recipe:

Papers: October Afternoon "Seaside", MME "Miss Caroline Fiddlesticks", "Stella Rose Hattie" and "Stella Rose Hazel"

Image: Digi but I can't remember where I got it - can anyone enlighten me?

Colouring Medium: Prismacolor Pencils

Other: BG "Sugared" brads, BG "Bittersweet" and "Urban Prairie" buttons, needle + thread

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!

Rushing by ....

.... to add my PaperPlay post before Thursday is over!!!  It's been a mad few weeks, from hosting visitors from Italy to my son being on crutches after a hockey injury (luckily nothing was broken).

Our challenge this week is a bit of a mouthful - "Use your Stamps with Pins and Pearls".  I was going to go all baroque and vintage and make a black/cream shaped card with lots of ribbons and pearls, but the card I was making was for my stepmother, and she's just not that style of gal!!!

So an nautical about turn was had and this is what I made (excuse dreadful middle-of-the-night picture!):

Recipe:

Papers: October Afternoon "Seaside"

Stamp: Hero Arts "Clouds"

Other: Nestabilities "Lacy Circles", pin and pearls from stash.

Thanks for looking!

Hellooooo, and happy ....

.... holidays (to those who are on holidays, that is!).  We've been off school since this day last week, and I've been up to not much - the usual holiday sleepathon for the first few days and catching up on housework and laundry after that.  The weather has been absolutely gorgeous all week, warm and bright with lots of hazy sunshine.  So while the washing was drying in super fast time on the line in the garden, I was "supervising" it on a seat under a tree with a book!!!

I have two Easter cards to show you - the first is my late (only very slightly!) DT entry for this week's PaperPlay - our challenge is "Easter Time":

Recipe:

Paper: October Afternoon "Seaside"

Image: Mami Doodles

Colouring Medium: Prismacolour pencils and Sansodor

Other: Ribbon and flower from stash, MME tiny alphas, needle + thread

I don't usually make Easter cards, but as we're going to stay with friends down in Wicklow this weekend, I thought I'd make an Easter rather than a thank you card.  Quite a quick and simple card for me, using one of our old PaperPlay DT teamie, Elisa's, digis from her online store Mami Doodles.

My second card is my GDT for Basic Grey Challenges - the challenge went up on Saturday, and I was sure I had posted it here too on that day, but I obviously didn't!!  Anyway, the challenge is also "Easter", and this card is for my stepmother's birthday this weekend.  It's only the second time in her life that she can remember Easter coinciding with her birthday, so I thought Easter colours and image would be appropriate.  Here's what I made:

I used yet another of Mo Manning's adorable images, I just love them so much!!!  Here's a close-up (is it my eyes, or are the pics of this card a bit out of focus?):

Recipe:

Papers: BG "Origins"

Image: Mo Manning "Easter Bunny 1"

Colouring Medium: Distress Inks

Punches: Fiskars "Threading Water" and MS "Doily Lace"

Other: Ribbon from stash, needle + thread

I'm entering both these cards into the following challenges: Creative Inspirations "Pets/Animals", Fussy & Fancy Friday "Springtime" - and I'm also adding my second card to A Spoon Full of Sugar "Let's Celebrate", Truly Scrumptious "Vintage" and Cute Card Thursday "No Text".

Thanks for looking - off now to get ready to go to our friends' place - barbecue, yum!!  But I see the sun has gone in - oh well, who cares, doesn't matter what the weather does as long as it's the holidays!

You should see ....

.... the giant pile of ironing in my house that's waiting to be done!!!  Nothing like a holiday to multiply the laundry by a gazillion percent, but I had a card to make for our Deputy Principal, who is now happily ensconced back in his own classroom after the arrival of the new principal. 

I wanted to make a funny card, so this is what I ended up with:

I'm entering it into the following challenges: Crafty Cardmakers ("Stitching"), A Spoon Full of Sugar (use embellishments), Papertake Weekly (card for a guy), The Shabby Tearoom (has a inspiration pic with red/blue/white colours that I've used) and Paper Sundaes (card for a man).

I've used my funny Basic Grey stamp creatures, and I decided to put googly eyes on them since they are a staple of most classroom art supply cupboards!!!  I made the banners from the lovely OA papers, cut out and glued to a red thread string, then attached at the ends so they swing freely. Here's a close-up of the images:

Recipe:

Papers: October Afternoon "Seaside"

Image: Basic Grey "Heart Girl" and "Frog Boy"

Colouring Medium: Distress Inks

Lettering: 20 year old college letraset rub-ons - I knew they'd come in useful some day!

Other: Ribbon from stash, Doodlebug button, glossy accents, needle + thread

Thanks for looking!  And tomorrow, while I'm waiting for the iron to heat up, I'm planning to get a proper look at what you've all been up to - how I've missed blog-hopping!!