Just a quick ....

.... pop by to post for once.  As I forecast back in September, I haven't had much time to myself lately.  I've made only two cards since then, one being my husband's birthday card - had to make something for him of all people!!  I was so out of practice, wasn't thrilled with what I made, but he liked it and that's the main thing - here's what I made:

I used a recent-ish sketch from Deconstructed Sketches and some old BG papers and so on.  I made

the little speech bubbles on the computer and used a very old car stamp set, dunno where it's from, stamped, coloured, cut out, glossy accented and popped up for dimension.  Here's a little side-shot:



Recipe:

Papers: Basic Grey "Wander"

Stamps: Unknown set

Colouring Medium: Prismacolor pencils

Other: ribbon and brads from stash

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

Indulging an ....

.... obsession - my husband is an aviation enthusiast, so I usually try to feature airplanes somewhere on cards for him.  Here's what I made recently for his birthday:

I used the sketch from this week's Mojo Monday and I'm also entering the following challenges: Brown Sugar, Papertake Weekly and Charisma Cardz ("Anything Goes").  I printed an airplane outline and glued it to layers of cardstock, then cut out and covered with white enamel accents.  I also added another pop of white by embossing the stamp - as I had just used distress inks on the tag, the blasted e.p. stuck everywhere, so it is such unclean stamping - oh well!!  Here's a closer look at my bad stamping and good airplane:

Recipe:

Papers: Basic Grey "Wander"

Stamp: Hero Arts "Silly Scapes"

Other: Seam binding from stash, white e.p., white Enamel Accents

Thanks for looking!

Brief? What's a ....

.... brief?  You know how I can't do "themed cards"?!!  I laughed when my friend asked me to make a card for her brother-in-law's 60th birthday.  She told me his name and age (obviously!), and then went on to say he likes Jags, Man Utd., and what his job is.  I asked her who did she think I was and said she'd get the name and the age on the card!!!  I did add a little car paper and red/white colours (among others), though!  Here's what I made:

I used the sketch from this week's Deconstructing Sketches, and I'm also entering this into the following challenges: Simon Says Stamp and Show ("Favourites" - mine are BG papers and stitching), Stamp with Fun ("Three Papers") and Totally Gorjuss ("Traditional Christmas Colours").

Here's a side-show of the layers and stuff!

Recipe:

Papers: MME "Holly Jolly" and BG "Oliver" and "Wander"

Other: Handmade tags, circular numbers, needle + thread

Thanks for looking!

Churning out ....

.... the male cards!!  November is a month for male birthdays in my family, nothing like adding that pressure to that of the upcoming Christmas season!!  My husband is first, then his nephew, then a two-week gap before some more.  Gah!!!  Anyway, here's what I made for my husband this year:

I'm entering this into the following challenges: Basic Grey Challenges ("Anything Goes" - second time this week!), CES Challenges ("Entertain Us - Song or Film" - of course, mine is "The Italian Job"!), Totally Papercrafts ("Stitch It"), The Shabby Tea Room ("Homespun Fall" - a gorgeous inspiration pic that I've taken the colours from) and Our Creative Corner ("Masculine - using non-traditional colours").

Another pinwheel (or are they called rosettes?) - anyway, I love making them.  They are the perfect way to use those strips that are cut off the edge of a piece of 6" x 6" paper to make the background layer for my cards, those strips I can never bear to throw away.  I have oodles of them and at last can put them to some use!!!

I've been teasing my husband because he's getting to that stage where he's doing that stretchy arm thing when he's reading - needs to get the eyes tested, etc., and he is in complete denial.  When he looked at this card, he said "There's only one "L" in Paul", to which I replied "There's only one "L" plus an exclamation mark on your card - you need to get your eyes tested!".  Hee hee, got 'im!!!

I had to make the Mini bit three times - I had decided to try out the cracked glass technique, used about half a pot of e.p. building up the thickness I wanted, cracked OK, then my son came to see what I was doing and asked was the Mini supposed to look like it had crashed!  Oh dear, not quite the look I was going for.  The second one I forgot to distress the edges before putting one layer of e.p. on and it looked bland.  This is the third!

Recipe:

Papers: Basic Grey "Wander"

Stamp: "Mini" by Blade Rubber Stamps

Sentiment: Computer Generated

Other: Distress Inks, ribbon from stash, Doodlebug brads, needle + thread

Now on to nephew's card - eek!  He's turning 20 so no longer a teenager, but that doesn't make it any easier!!

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!!

It's Thursday ....

.... and by rights, I ought to be posting my PaperPlay DT card, but .... (hangs head in shame!) .... I didn't make one!!  Our challenge this week is "Critters Galore" and we're sponsored by Simon Says Stamp - pop over to PaperPlay and see what my exemplary teamies have made!!

While they were being good girls, I was struggling with a card for my Father-in-Law, who has just retired.  It was a difficult one - he has no hobbies, hates animals (hence no critter card!) and adored his job.  Ack, what to do?  Here's what I eventually ended up with:

I used the sketch from this week's Truly Scrumptious, and am also entering this into Papertake Weekly ("Anything Goes"), Creative Inspirations ("Punches & Dies") and Craft Your Passion ("Anything Goes").

I took ages to decide what image to use on this card, and ended up picking this one of Mo Manning's, I think Charlie looks as though he's celebrating something!  I first saw the sentiment on one of Annika's fab cards a few weeks ago - I asked her if I could use it, and apparently it's been around for ages!!  Thanks all the same, Annika!!  I clear embossed the clocks (with no hands - subtle retirement reference, I thought!).  Here's a close-up of the image:

Recipe:

Papers: Basic Grey "Wander"

Image: Mo Manning "The Tramp"

Colouring Medium: Distress Inks

Other: Heidi Swapp clock stamps, BG buttons from stash, scallop punch, needle + thread

Thanks for looking!

You know the way ....

.... that every family has one month in the year where tons of birthday seem to fall?  Well, it's November in my family, and what's more (as I'm sure I moaned about here last year too!), it's all dreaded male birthdays this month.

First on the list is my husband's birthday, he was away in London for a few days so I took the opportunity to make his card without having to sneak around!!  Here's what I ended up with:

I used the lovely sketch from this week's Truly Scrumpious (but not the optional extra of petals, pearls and pins, don't think he'd appreciate them!).

I'm also entering this card in Little Red Wagon (use something red), Stamp with Fun (all that can fly) and The Crafty Pad (stitching).

DH loves flying and airplanes, so this Stampabilities image that my friend Sabrina sent me ages ago was just perfect.  I coloured it with prismas, glossy accented Snoopy's nose, goggles and scarf, cut out and popped up for some dimension.  Here's a close-up of the image:

Would you believe I took the photos at 11am this morning - the light was atrocious.  This side angle view gives a much better impression of the true colours:

Recipe:

Papers: Basic Grey "Wander"

Stamps: Stampabilities "Snoopy Flying High" and Hero Arts "Design Block Clouds Background"

Colouring Medium: Prismacolor pencils

Other: Hairy string, needle + thread

Thanks for looking - now I really must go back to the ironing, I reckon I'm about a third of the way through!!