Slightly belated ....

.... but I'll say it anyway, Happy New Year to one and all - hope 2011 will be a good year for you and yours!!

I've seen lots of threads on message boards about New Year's resolutions.  Typically, my resolution is not to make a resolution, I find that's an easy one to achieve!!!  But really, the most improving thing I could do is to stop procrastinating!!!

This card is a case in point, one of the teachers at school asked me to make it in mid-December.  OK, the snow was a valid excuse, then Christmas itself and all the visiting and socialising that entails.  But by last weekend, when I was still ensconced on the sofa and the house was cleaned up after the New Year's party, I had run out of excuses.  So I dragged myself up to the craftroom and, what do you know, made something!  Here's the card:

I used the sketch from this week's Friday Sketchers.  I'm also entering this card into the following challenges: Shabby Tea Room (11 elements - mine are: 4 papers, 4 hearts, 1 image, 1 ribbon, 1 border punch), Lili of the Valley ("New Beginnings"), Paper Sundaes ("Something New" - my new is the ribbon) and Papertake ("Anything Goes").

I used Pumice Stone Distress Ink to ink the edges of the papers, I like the look against those pale pink papers, makes them stand out more.  I used the same Lili of the Valley stamp that I used on the last baby card  - it's so cute - just coloured with distress inks and highlighted with stickles.  Here's a close-up:

And here's a wee side-shot of the layers - lots of paper on this card, but I kept the dimension as flat as I could as the client is sending it through the post:

Recipe:

Papers: Basic Grey "Sugared"

Stamp: Lili of the Valley "Baby Blanket"

Colouring Medium: Distress Inks

Other: MS Valentine Lace punch, Nestabilities Labels 4, diamond stickles, gingham ribbon, needle + thread

That's all for now- I'm going to go and make a start on taking down the Christmas decorations - such a gloomy job!

Thanks for looking!

Knew I'd forgotten ....

.... something, I meant to put glitter on this card, but as I've given it to the customer, bit late now!!!

It's for one of the teachers in school, for her mother's 50th birthday.  She said her Mum loves flowers and cooking.  I immediately thought of a cute little Tilda stamp that I've had for a while but never inked.  Here's what I ended up with:

I used the sketch from this fortnight's Basic Grey Challenges, used BG Capella and Sugared papers, and Sugared brads.  I'm also entering this into Magnolia Down Under (make your own embellishments - mine is the lollipop flower), Little Red Wagon (Do it in 3s - I have 3 papers and 3 brads), Cute Card Thursday (anything goes) and Stamp Something (Digi Day - OK this is pushing it a bit, but my sentiment is computer generated - does that count?!!).

The colours are very slightly off, I took the picture two or three times in different areas, either ended up too yellow with artificial light or too blue with natural light. Ah, the pleasures of winter!!  Having said all that, the adjust contrast thingie on photoshop made a massive improvement, how did I ever work without it!!

I coloured the image with distress inks, still loving this technique.  Here's a close-up:

Recipe:

Papers: BG Capella and BG Sugared

Stamp: Magnolia "Baking Tilda with Wooden Spoon"

Colouring Medium: Distress Inks

Other: MS "Branch" punch, BG Sugared brads, needle + thread

Thanks for looking - I'm off to make apple crumble now as we have a guest for dinner.  The weekend plans include making a start on my Christmas cards - production line here I come!!!

Safely back where I belong, in ....

.... my comfort zone.  I spent several happy hours last night with distress tool, inks, needle and thread and it felt good!!!

My card is for a retiring Sunday School teacher called Rosie.  I immediately thought of using BG "Sugared" paper, with its lovely blousy roses, but am branching off in other botanical directions too by using a Mary Hall for Sugar Nellie stamp called "Miss Sweet Pea"!!

My card is for this week's challenge on The Sugar Bowl, a lovely sketch (and an option to use pink/black/white, what can I say, I'm a rebel, I only used 33.3% of that option - pink/green/cream!!).  I changed the sketch very slightly by putting the "three elements" on the left hand side, I needed the right for the tag which has quite a bit of info that the customer wanted "on the front" - I love making tags for getting all the text on, but not in a way that clutters the card.

I'm also entering this on Crafty Angels ("My favourite stamp"), A Spoon Full of Sugar ("Floral Delight"), and Creative Cottage ("Pink").

I coloured this stamp using Distress Inks, love the dusky pink and olive green colours.  I have lots of the ink pads, but only a few reinkers and I am definitely going to build that collection.  Here's a close-up of the image, it's such a sweet stamp:

Recipe:

Papers: Basic Grey Sugared

Stamp: Mary Hall "Miss Sweet Pea" for Sugar Nellie

Colouring Medium: Distress Inks

Other: BG "Sugared" brads, ribbon from stash, needle + thread.

My daughter started her exams today, talk about cool as a cucumber - I don't want her to be panicking, but I wouldn't mind if she was a teeeeny weeeeny bit less laid-back either!!!!  And the next few weeks are bonkers, parish fete, boss's retirement events, car-boot sale, it's all go - and I have a long list of cards to make too.  EEEK!

Thanks for looking!

Baby ....

.... Who?

I've been waiting to make my DT entry for this week's PaperPlay Challenges all week. Elisa set the challenge, it's called "Furry Friends" - make something dedicated to our friends that bark, squeak, meow, roar, moo or neigh.

I knew I was going to make a baby card, and I knew I would be using a PB cat stamp, but the parents of the baby (who was born on New Year's Day), have not given her a name yet. So far, in the fortnight since she was born, she has been temporarily called Sammie, Maisie, Tara and Chloe, and now .... who knows? So yesterday afternoon, I gave up waiting, made the card and used temporary adhesive on the nameplate!!!!

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I've used a sketch from this week's Totally Gorjuss challenge, and am also entering it on Simon Says Stamp, whose challenge this week is "Shabby Chic" - ooh I love to distress!!! - and SFTW (just in time) and Fussy and Fancy Friday (even more just in time), who both wanted projects with the theme of "new". Baby!

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Here's a wee side view of the card.

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Recipe:

Papers: BG Sugared

Stamp: Penny Black Cat & Moon (I think that's what it's called)

Colouring Medium: Prismas

Other: Nesties, Ribbon from Stash, needle and thread, Stardust stickles

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Thanks for looking!!

Nose to the ....

.... grindstone. Nothing like a deadline to get going again!!

It's PaperPlayChallenges day again. This week, Mandy set the challenge with this sketch:

I made a thank you card for the owner of the cottage we stayed in. I wanted it to have a sort of "English country cottage" feel, and I'm very happy with the finished card, although I was tormented trying to get the three panels on straight!!!!

This week's prize is provided by Cardznscrapz and it's two cute Magnolia stamps.

Thanks for looking!

'Tis the season ....

.... to recycle.

This week's Daring Cardmaker's challenge:

"We'd like you to do your bit for the planet and make a card using some recycled items."

I had already made this card last week, using Amazon packaging for the kraft bits, and a ribbon from a clothes label, bang on the brief, I think.

What's really funny is that Sue, one of the DCM DT, used the same background paper for her card.