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!

Rushing by ....

.... to add my PaperPlay post before Thursday is over!!!  It's been a mad few weeks, from hosting visitors from Italy to my son being on crutches after a hockey injury (luckily nothing was broken).

Our challenge this week is a bit of a mouthful - "Use your Stamps with Pins and Pearls".  I was going to go all baroque and vintage and make a black/cream shaped card with lots of ribbons and pearls, but the card I was making was for my stepmother, and she's just not that style of gal!!!

So an nautical about turn was had and this is what I made (excuse dreadful middle-of-the-night picture!):

Recipe:

Papers: October Afternoon "Seaside"

Stamp: Hero Arts "Clouds"

Other: Nestabilities "Lacy Circles", pin and pearls from stash.

Thanks for looking!

A first for ....

.... me - those of you living in the US will, no doubt, have attended lots and lots of baby showers.  Here in Ireland, until quite recently, they would have been completely unheard of, and nowadays they are still uncommon. 

So when I was told of a surprise shower for a lovely girl who runs scrapbooking classes that I and lots of my crafty mates attend, I thought "eeek, what will I make/buy/do?!".  I bought a cute baby girl outfit and I really wanted to present it nicely.  While I was thinking about it and diligently doing my PaperPlay DT duties and commenting on entries, I came upon a brilliant tutorial for a baby bottle gift box, posted by the talented Kathrin.  Serendipity - I love it.  So I rattled (haha, bad pun!) this out:

The top of the bottle is genius - get the domed lid of a plastic container (the type used for smoothies, or coffee or sometimes vegetables like cherry tomatoes) and stick a silicone bottle teat through the hole in the top and and glue into place.  I amended the instructions a bit and also trimmed off the top rim of the cup and glued it into the top of the tube so the lid would click securely on and not come loose.  Ought to have photographed that bit, but I forgot, so here's a closer look at the top of the gift box:

Everyone really enjoyed the shower, the mum-to-be was suitably surprised and loved everything, the grandmas-to-be had decorated the room beautifully and provided an amazing spread of goodies to eat.  My crafty buddies made such lovely gifts - there were tiny knitted clothes, a fab patchwork nappy bag, nappy cakes, blankets - and everything was presented beautifully (phew, so glad I found the tutorial - thanks, Kathrin!).

Thanks for looking!

Knew I meant ....

.... to do something, but I forgot.  We were away over the Easter holidays, in Iceland, and I had intended to post pics before I did my next "usual" post, but too late - as it's PaperPlay time again, I'm posting a card instead:

Our challenge this week is "Animal Antics" - we're asking participants to use their critter stamps.  I made a wedding card for my friend's daughter.  The wedding isn't until August (amazing, I know - I actually made something ahead of time!), but I've had ideas for it floating around in my head for a while so decided to get them "down on paper"!!  Here's what I made:

I'm entering this into the following challenges: Craft your Passion and 7 Kids Challenge ("Die cuts and punches"), Papertake Weekly ("A stitch in time"), Charisma Cards ("Shabby Chic") and Crafts and Me ("Vintage").

I hope you can see all the sparkle on the heart and letters - I've used different textures and colours of glitter - here's a close-up:

Thanks for looking - and I promise to sort through those holiday pics and post some!

Funny old ....

.... weather we're having at the moment.  Last week, most unseasonal temperatures - up to 20C and a week of blazing sunshine.  This week, by contrast - there have been showers of sleet and hail, and a corresponding drop in temps!  I don't mind, I'm an indoorsy kinda girl - I like to look out at sunshine, but if it's raining, as long as I'm indoors, it's fine with me!!!

It's Thursday morning and time for another PaperPlay challenge.  Our challenge is "Shaped Cards", we're sponsored by Simon Says Stamp, and by some miracle, I've actually got two cards!!!

The first is for that friend's 50th I was telling you about on my last post - here's what I did:

And the second is from my son's birthday, I thought I had posted it already but I hadn't.  He's still into Lego in a big way, but since I've done a Lego card for him before (8th birthday, if I remember correctly), I decided to go with something else - he loves the Simpsons, so I went with Homer - and since it's a birthday with a "0" in it, really there was nothing else I could use but a doughnut!!!  So here it is:

Thanks for looking!

So much for ....

.... March - tut tut - one post in one month is completely pathetic, isn't it?!!  March has been busy at school and also at home - we've had visitors, events and all sorts.  Went to a Mini friend's 50th birthday party at the weekend - great fun - some of our Swedish, German and English Mini friends had travelled over for the event and it was so lovely to see them again.  Also last week, I went to see "The Hunger Games" in the cinema with my book club.  I had devoured the books and wasn't sure what to expect of the movie.  General consensus was that it was good, but nowhere near as good as our imaginations!

Now it's April - and what's more, it's the Easter holidays, oh joy!  Two whole weeks off, and I've already made a few cards.  The first is my dear friend's birthday card - here's what I made for her:

Very bright, isn't it?!!  My friend's favourite colour is orange, not one I use often, but I went out on a limb especially!!  I used the sketch from last week's Papertake Weekly, but alas, I'm too late to enter that challenge - thankfully they're having an "Anything Goes" this week, so I can put it in there!

I'm also entering the following challenges: Lili of the Valley, Simon Says Stamp, Stampin for the Weekend and Joyful Stamper's Inspire Me Fridays all have"Anything Goes", Bunny Zoes Crafts ("Shabby Chic/Vintage"), and Creative Card Crew ("Spring").

I've used this cute "Lili of the Valley" image, coloured with distress inks.  I've been experimenting with them, trying for deeper colour contrast, and blending less smoothly - I'm happy with the clothes and skin on this girl, but am still struggling with hair.  Here's a closer look at the image:

Recipe:

Papers: Basic Grey "Picadilly"

Stamp: Lili of the Valley "Milly Just for You"

Colouring Medium: Distress Inks

Punch: MS "Arch Lattice"

Other: BG Mellow buttons, seam binding, needle + thread

Thanks for looking!

Spring forward....

.... fall back!  That kind of describes my crafting these days, it's all long spells of inertia followed by manic bursts of activity, usually triggered by family birthdays!  I had two friends' birthdays this week, one female and one male, and I decided to make things easier on myself by using the same sketch for both cards.  I made one card yesterday, and then I was at a crop today and made the other (and dropped it to the birthday boy on the way home, talk about last minute!). 

The sketch is this week's Mojo Monday - I like the elements, especially the pennant shape.

So here is my lady card:

And the man card:

I've also entered them into the following challenges: Totally Gorjuss ("Anything Goes with a Button"), Craft Your Passion and Papertake Weekly ("Anything Goes"), ABC Challenge ("Kraft") and Crafty Creations ("Stripes").

Here are some side-shots of the dimension and tags on the cards:

Recipes:

Papers: MME "Miss Caroline Fiddlesticks" and "Stella Rose Hazel", BG "Jovial"

Dies: Cheery Lynn "English Tea Party Doily Die" and Nestabilities "Pinking Circles"

Punch: MS "Doily Lace"

Other: Buttons and ribbon from stash, needle + thread

Thanks for looking!