Nothing like a ....

.... commission to get me off my butt and up to the craftroom!!  I'm sorry for being such a completely useless blogger, but there's a reason for it - I've also been a completely useless crafter!!  No reason really - although if I was looking for excuses I could mention that my son's travails have continued - two weeks ago it was x-rays and crutches - last week he had to have a tooth extracted.  Ah yes, 10 year old boys and toothbrushes - a match not made in heaven!!

So, back to the non-crafting - when one of my colleagues asked me to make a card for her mother's birthday, I said "weeeeeeeeelll, oh alright, maybe, let's see how the weekend goes" and other lame statements - and then I made this:

I like using BG papers to boot me out of a creative slump, especially Urban Prairie - love those colours.  I'm entering this card into the following challenges: Basic Grey Challenges, CES Challenges, Bunny Zoes Crafts and Wild Orchid Challenge all have "Anything Goes", Simon Says Stamp ("Sweet Tooth") and Totally Gorjuss ("Pink and Green").

Here's a close-up of the Pure Innocence cutie I used on the card:

Recipe:

Papers: Basic Grey "Urban Prairie"

Stamp: Pure Innocence "Birthday Princess"

Colouring Medium: Distress Inks

Die Cuts/Punches: Nestabilities "Lacy Circle", MS "Branch"

Other: Wild Orchid flowers and other flower from stash, pearls, needle + thread

Thanks for looking!

If card-making was my job ....

.... I'd be living in a cardboard box by the side of the road by now!!  Honestly, I'm such a slug - I really need to crank up a gear or two or several and make more things!

But the reason I'm here is I did make something!!!  Another baby girl card, and I only realised after I'd made it that I made a card for a girl called Olivia using Basic Grey "Olivia" papers.  Serendipity!!  Here's my card:

I've used the sketch from this week's Sketch Saturday and I'm also entering it into the following challenges: Mo's Digital Challenge ("Oh Baby"), Wild Orchid Challenges ("Anything Goes"), A Spoon Full of Sugar ("Shabby/Vintage") and Stamp Something (Digi week).

I used another cute image from Mo Manning, it's part of a set called "Diaper Crew".  Here's a close-up:

Recipe:

Papers: Basic Grey "Olivia"

Image: "Diaper Days" by Mo Manning

Colouring Medium: Distress Inks

Other: Wild Orchid flowers, nestabilities, ribbon and doily from stash, needle + thread

Thanks for looking!  I'll hopefully have another card to share before the weekend (but don't hold your breath!)

Bow-challenged ....

.... not me!!  I've always been rubbish at tying bows, I generally just tie a knot with two tails and leave it at that.  But no longer - now I have my .... da da DAH .... Bow-Easy!!!  Look at this little beauty:

Mind you, I did have to watch several tutorials and then go on utube before I finally got the hang of it!!

Here's the card with the wonder-bow on it:

I'm entering this in the following challenges: Friday Sketchers (I had to leave out the tag, 'cos my card has too many scallops and it kept getting stuck on them), Basic Grey Challenges (pearls), 7 Kids Challenge (brand new challenge blog - "pink + dots"), Just Magnolia ("acetate" - my disused tag was acetate, so the compromise is a scalloped acetate circle behind the image!), Bunny Zoes Crafts (vintage - yayyyy!) and Wild Orchid Challenge ("one for the girls"). 

I used my all-time favourite BG Phresh & Phunky papers, how I love them - I stamped polka dots on the pink background and heat embossed with white.  Here's a close-up of the image, you can see the little acetate bit and the spots more clearly:

Recipe:

Stamps: Magnolia "Summertime Tilda with Bow", Hero Arts DesignBlock "raindrop background"

Papers: BG "Phresh + Phunky"

Colouring Medium: Distress Inks

Other: Hero Arts Pearls, acetate, ribbon from stash, needle + thread

Thanks for looking - I will post the winner of my candy later today (once I figure out how to use random picker thingy!)

Had another go ....

.... at digi-stamps this week for my PaperPlay DT card.  Sandie set the challenge with a lovely sketch to follow, and we were sponsored by Meljen's Designs.  I had a bunch of crafty friends round at my house yesterday - we had a super-productive day chat-wise and eating-cake-wise, but not so much craft-wise!!!!Here's the sum total of my day's hard work!!:

I'm also entering it into the new Wild Orchid Challenge (say it with flowers - I'm saying it with flower!), Paper Sundaes (lots of Layers) and ABC Challenge (You + Me).

That poor little girl - I initially coloured her face with Antique Linen Distress Ink, it picked up some of the printer ink and she ended up looking very very queasy.  I salvaged her as best I could by adding tattered rose, it took away the worst of the green tinge, but I think she looks like her face (and ears!) need a good wash!!!  But I do like how the jeans and shoes turned out.  Here's a close-up (errrrrr - not sure I really want you to see it!!!):

Recipe:

Papers: Basic Grey "Max + Whiskers"

Stamp: Meljens from Whimsy Stamps

Punch: Fiskars "Threading Water"

Other: Ribbon and flower from stash, distress inks, needle + thread

Thanks for looking!



P.S. I got a package of stuff in the post today, part of which completes my blog candy.  Just have to put it all together and photograph over the next few days - watch this space!