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!!

Hello again ....

.... remember me?!!!  It's a very long time since I've blogged, reason being I haven't been doing any craft stuff or internet/blog-surfing whatsoever.  Long story which I won't go into, suffice to say September was a bad month on all fronts, and I had neither inspiration nor inclination to make anything.  But anyhoo, I'm an optimist when all is said and done, it's now Hallowe'en, my favourite holiday, we went to Italy last week for some well-earned r and r (translation, hurtled round Umbria and Rome and came back exhausted!!!).  I went to a crop yesterday and made something and it felt gooooood!!!  Not sure if it looks good, but hey, it's a start!

Here's my card (if I can remember how to upload photos!):

I've used the sketch on this week's Basic Grey Challenges, and the lovely new Pyrus papers.  I'm also entering it into the following challenges: Simon Says Stamp ("punch 'em"), Creative Inspirations (brown, sage and cream) and Crafty Creations (Autumn).

And it wouldn't be Hallowe'en without pumpkins, here's what we made this year, the first is mine and the second is my son's:

Thanks for looking. And for all my DT teamies, followers and those that I follow, I have really missed joining in, looking at everyone's blogs and commenting, not sure how much I'll get done, either blogging or craftwise, over the next week or two, but I hope to be revving back up to top gear soon.

More seasonal ....

.... stuff - I've been overloading you all with orange for the past few posts.  Well, it ain't over yet!!

This fortnight's challenge on Creative Card Crew is called "Autumn or Fall" (covering both sides of the Atlantic!!).  We are sponsored by Sassy Cheryl, and she gave us some fun images to work with.  As soon as I saw the raggedy Star Annie, she reminded me of a spooky Hallowe'en scarecrow, so I decided to make a Hallowe'en decoration thingie on a stick.  Here's the front:

For the front, I used the sketch from this week's Sketch Saturday.  I'm also entering this into Sassy Cheryl's Challenge (use a Spellbinders' Die), Totally Papercrafts ("Let's go Dotty") and Stamp Something (Spots and Stripes).

And now for the back (and the orange!).  I printed off the lettering from the computer, transferred onto chipboard, cut it out and covered with crackle accents.  I had run out of time so, for once, the stitching is faux (eek, the shame!!):

Recipe:

Image: Star Annie by Sassy Cheryl

Papers: very very old Daisy Ds

Colouring Medium: Distress Inks

Other: American Crafts velvet rick-rack ribbon, Crackle Accents, kebab skewer painted black!

Thanks for looking!

Is it Monday ....

.... already?!!  That was a quick weekend, sigh!

My friend's son passed his driving test last week.  A few years back, in my early card-making days, when his sister passed her test, I made a card for her using one of my Snoopy stamps, so I decided to use the same stamp for him.  Here's my card (taken in veeeerrry poor light):

I used the sketch from this week's Papertake Weekly, and am also entering it into this week's Spoon Full of Sugar ("Animal Crackers") and Crafty Creations ("Transportation").

I coloured using Distress Inks and highlighted the glass and chrome bits of the car with glossy accents.  Here's a close-up of Snoopy and Woodstock:

Recipe:

Stamp: Stampabilities "Driving Woodstock"

Papers: Basic Grey "Nook + Pantry", Basic Grey "Archaic", October Afternoon "WeatherVane"

Other: Buttons from stash, needle + thread

Thanks for looking!

Summer is officially ....

.... over, and apart from the bad fact that school holidays are finished, I don't mind at all. Summer is not my favourite season, I love Autumn and Winter. So when it was my turn to set this week's PaperPlay challenge, I decided to call it "Autumn is a Comin'" - and the idea is to use Autumnal colours. We're sponsored again this week by Simon Says Stamp, the lucky winner will get store credit of €15. I love all the DT's cards, all those browns, oranges and russets look gorgeous all in a row.

As you may have seen on my desk yesterday, I've been making another series of little shaped cards using my Labels 1 Nestabilities. Here's the finished set:

Very simple, but the colour scheme is so warm and cosy and Hallowe'eny!! I made the centre panels using sponged distress inks, then heat embossed different sentiments and different placements of one dandelion stamp in black e.p., popped it up and added bows made with my bow-easy. The little black ribbons had been in a jar in my craftroom for ages, I think they were from a set of Christmas crackers some years back. Here's a close-up of one of the cards:

Recipe:

Papers: Basic Grey "Ambrosia"

Stamps: Hero Arts "Dandelion" and miscellaneous sentiments

Other: Distress Inks, Black Embossing Powder, black ribbons from stash, needle + thread

With the previous set of little cards I made, and now this lot, I'm totally prepared for any occasion!!

Thanks for looking!

A big orange ....

.... mess!!!  It's Wednesday, so it's WOYWW again!!  I've missed the past three weeks or so, and I'm definitely not on top of things yet after going back to school, but I was in the midst of my PaperPlay DT stuff for tomorrow and got my desk in a very messy state - here it is:

I've been making another series of little cards, quite addictive these!!  The old Tim Holtz inks are getting a good using, and nestabilities labels 1 too.  I tried several orange papers and just wasn't finding the right shade before I looked out some old reliable BG Ambrosia.  The little blue book is one I've just finished pasting in all my sketches to keep them tidy and accessible.  I have intentions of altering the book covers, hmmmm, another day maybe!!

I'm not mad keen on bright orange, but I love burnt orange, it's such a lovely Autumny colour.  And Autumn and Winter are my favourite seasons.  Yayyy, open fires, woolly jumpers and hibernation!!

Thanks for looking!

Aaaaah, it's the ....

.... weekend!!  Thank goodness, that was an intense three days back on the chain gang - our acting principal turned to me at the end of Wednesday and said, with all seriousness "Are you always this busy?"  Welcome to my world, bud!!!!  Got some happy news yesterday and today - my card from my last post won Sketch Saturday and got Top 5 on Stamp Something.  I am so chuffed - a voucher from one and a blinkie from the other, happy days!!  I have to apologise for the lack of commenting I've done this week, I've missed seeing everyone's work, and intend to get a good look over the weekend.

I was talking in my last post about having to make a card for a 19 year old, well it's taken a few days but I finished it this morning.  Here's what I made:

I used the sketch from this week's Truly Scrumptious and also the optional extra to use a knot somewhere on the card.  I'm also entering it into Double Dutch (favourite challenge - mine is #38 - Boys only), Creative Cottage ("celebrations") and SFTW ("shabby or vintage").

I laughed when I first saw the Mo Manning digi that I got for this card, it's the living image of the birthday boy, right down to skateboard, hat and all!!! I used a lot of orange on the card, both in colouring and the papers, as it's his favourite colour.  I made the numbers from chipboard, covered with orange paper, inked and crackle glazed.  Here's a close-up of the image:

And I thought I'd pop in a side-shot of the layers and dimension too:

Recipe:

Image: "Simon" by Mo Manning

Papers: Basic Grey "Archaic"

Colouring Medium: Distress Inks

Other: Cuttlebug Embossing folder, hairy string, WRMK eyelets, glossy accents, crackle accents, needle + thread

Thanks for looking!