What an output ....

.... those of you "card-a-day" gals will be chuckling when I say that this, my seventh post this month, is my highest monthly total in about two and a half years!!!  Dang, am I on fire or what?!!!

Today's card is a commissioned card for a new baby.  Here's what I made:

I used the sketch from this week's Mojo Monday, and I'm also entering this into the following challenges: Lili's Little Fairies ("Butterflies"), Shopping our Stash ("Tag it"), Crafts and Me ("Tags or Punches") and Basic Grey Challenges and Simon Says Stamp both have "Anything Goes".

I used the ever-versatile Lili of the Valley baby stamp yet again (!), coloured with distress inks.  Here's a closer look:

And here's a side-shot of the layers and the little tag with the baby's name on it.  For any non-Irish readers, in case you were wondering how to pronounce the name on the card, it's an old Irish name(apologies in advance to any Irish Mammies of Oisins reading but it's not a name I particularly like!!).  Anyway, take the first syllable of the rapper, Usher's, name, and combine with Charlie Sheen's surname: Ush+sheen = Usheen.

Recipe:

Papers: October Afternoon "Thrift Shop" and Basic Grey "Oxford"

Stamp: Lili of the Valley "Baby Blanket"

Colouring Medium: Distress Inks

Punch: Nestabilities "Lacy Circles"

Other: Butterflies from cupcake wrapper, hairy string, needle + thread

Thanks for looking!

Yessssssssss ....

.... holidays are here at last!!!!  I am so happy - and relieved, it's been a very, very busy year.  Nine weeks of sloth and hibernation ahead.  Yippee!

The last of this week's rush cards was for my son's teacher - here's what I made for her:

I used this week's sketch from Mojo Monday, and I'm also entering it into Mo's Digital Challenge ("Book or Story" - mine is a school reader called "10 Red Apples") and Creative Inspirations ("Summer").

Thanks to my friend Anne for the fab seam binding - Anne, it is lovely stuff to work with and very crumpleable!! 

I used this gorgeous new Mo Manning image - isn't he such a cute little fella with the plaster on his elbow.  Here's a close up:

Recipe:

Papers: October Afternoon "Thrift Shop"

Image: Mo Manning "For Teacher"

Colouring Medium: Distress Inks

Other: Seam binding, flower stamps and red e.p., Hero Arts smooth gems, needle + thread

Am off to bed now and will have a massive sleep-in in the morning - woohoo!!  I love holidays!

Thanks for looking!

It's a beautiful day ....

.... here in Dublin.  I was at school and didn't even realise the sun was out until I stepped outside the door at going-home time.  Aaaaaggghh - the glare - had to grab the sunglasses quickly!!!  And now here I am at home sitting inside at the computer!!!

But only because it's Thursday, PaperPlay day.  Our sponsor this week is Simon Says Stamp and they're giving the winner a $15 store voucher.

(Please note: This is a voucher code that entitles the winner to a $15 saving off their order in Simon Says Stamp,  P+P charges will still apply unless the conditions are met to earn free P+P,  please check here if you would like to see these conditions)

This week's challenge is very appropriate - "Summer Citrus Splash", use greens, yellows and oranges.  I have been making a series of quick and clean/simple (for me!) cards and the first of them is my DT entry.  Here's what I did:

I'm entering these into the following challenges: Cute Card Thursday ("Embellish It"), Truly Scrumptious ("Summer Sparkle"), Stamp with Fun ("In the Garden"), A Spoon Full of Sugar ("Flower Power") and The Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge ("Clean and Simple").

I've coloured the images with distress inks, used rub-ons for the sentiment on the thank you card and printed the sentiment directly onto the congrats card.  I popped the images up over the ribbon for dimension and added rock candy stickles on the centre of one flower and glossy accents on the other (don't think it shows in the pics, though).  Here's a close-up - and you can see that I took the photos on different days, the light is so different!!

Recipe:

Papers: Cosmo Cricket "Togetherness" and October Afternoon "Thrift Shop"

Images: Hero Arts "Peeking Posies" set

Colouring Medium: Distress Inks

Other: Making Memories alpha rub-ons, gingham ribbon from stash, East of India hearts ribbon, needle + thread.

Thanks for looking - I think I might just have to go out to the garden now!  Happy bank holiday weekend to all my fellow Irish crafters!!!

Busy busy week ....

.... ahead - started early today as I dropped my daughter down to school at some horrendous hour of the morning - she was heading off on an outdoor pursuits week.  It was like "Night of the Living Dead" - all those teenagers with massive rucksacks on their backs lurching across the carpark in the dark towards the coaches!!!  Good luck to the drivers, that's all I can say!!

I have a few cards to add to the mix of stuff to do.  The first one completed is for one of the curates at our church, he has been appointed to his first parish, and he and his wife and big dog are moving from their tiny curate's cottage to a whopping great Victorian rectory a couple of miles down the road.  Here's what I made:

I used the sketch from this week's Papertake Weekly and am also entering this into this week's Cute Card Thursday ("couples").

I used a clear stamp set from WRMK, I got it ages ago but hadn't inked any of them yet.  The style of the houses reminds me of the big Georgian and Victorian terraces in parts of Dublin.  I stamped three plain houses and one more ornate one and then did another ornate one in red and popped it up for dimension.  I also did a wiggly banner for the sentiment, did take a close up pic but the focus went a bit mad, so you can look at it in the first pic, and I'll just show a close-up of the image!!

Recipe:

Papers: October Afternoon "Thrift Shop"

Images: WRMK clear stamps "Home"

Ink: Memories Tuxedo Black and Distress Ink "Barn Door"

Other: Computer generated sentiment, Doodlebug brad, suede ribbon, distress ink, needle + thread

Thanks for looking!

Last day of ....

.... freedom, we're back to school tomorrow, sigh.  It's been a lovely long relaxing three weeks off - now the house is clean, the laundry is done and tomorrow it'll all be a distant memory!!!

I went to a crop yesterday, had a lovely day chatting and laughing (and eating!), and making one card!!  Here's what I made:

I used the sketch from this week's Friday Sketchers.  I'm also entering this into the following challenges: Mo's Digital Challenge ("Going Retro"), Creative Cottage ("Something New") and Stamp Something ("Use a Digi").

I used papers from October Afternoon and Cosmo Cricket.  I used a gorgeous digi image from Mo Manning and coloured with distress inks yet again. Here's a close-up:

Recipe:

Papers: October Afternoon "Thrift Shop" and Cosmo Cricket "Circa 1934"

Image: Mo Manning "Angelina with Balloons"

Colouring Medium: Distress Inks

Other: MS Punch, ribbon and buttons from stash, needle + thread

 
Thanks for looking!