A production ....

.... line - a long time since I've made cards that way.

I mentioned on my last post that I had to make some thank you cards for a few kids at school who gave me gifts at the end of the school year, bless them!!

I kept them very clean and simple - here they are finished:

I used the sketch from Clean and Simple Stamping (flipped it around a bit) and I'm entering the following challenges: Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge ("Spots and Dots"), Shopping Our Stash ("Can't put it away" - mine is distress ink, had to do the edges with it!), The Kraft Journal ("Sun" - for the bright summery sunshiny colours I've used) and Craft your Passion ("Citrus/Tropical colours".

I stamped using Versamark and then heat embossed in white, then I coloured the flowers with Prismacolor pencils.  I stamped, embossed and coloured an extra flower to add a little dimension, then stamped the simple sentiment and doodled the dots around the edge of the cards.  Here's a side-shot:

Recipe:

Stamps: Stampendous "Flower Swirls"

Colouring Medium: Prismacolor Pencils

Other: White e.p.

Thanks for looking!

Quick and clean ....

.... and simple.  I've been making some relatively quick cards over the last week.  I've got thank yous to send to some of the kids at school that gave me presents at the end of term, those cards are in progress at the moment and will hopefully be ready tomorrow.

But this card is a sort of get well card.  I visited my friend's wife in hospital last week - she's been in for over 6 months and ended up having a heart transplant.  She finally got to go home on Friday, I popped in to visit on Thursday afternoon having thrown together a quick card - it ended up being a bit over-symbolic, I think, but she loved it.  Here's what I made:

I'm entering this into the following challenges: CAS-ology ("Glow") and CAS-ual Fridays ("Hearts in Summer Colours").

Thanks for looking!

Pretty birds and ....

.... flowers.

I had a sympathy card to make for a funeral this morning.  I had bits and pieces of a card that I'd started months ago but never finished and it came together nicely.  Here's how it ended up:

Update 02/07 - this card was Featured on Little Red Wagon - thank you.

I'm entering this into the following challenges: Craft Your Passion ("Ribbons"), Crafty Creations ("Things with Wings"), Little Red Wagon ("Animal Antics"), Crafts and Me ("Add Wings") and Dragonfly Dreams ("Anything with Wings").

I've used an old Hero Arts cling set to make the cherry blossom branch and the individual blossoms, which added a little something to a very plain sentiment.  Here's a close-up of the detail:

Recipe:

Papers: Basic Grey "Oxford"

Stamps: Hero Arts Sparkle Clear "From our Home"

Other: Bird cut from wrapping paper, ribbon recycled

Thanks for looking!

An interesting ....

.... angle, a graduation and a winner!

June has flown by, it was a very, very busy time in work - but as of Thursday at 12 noon - we are now on holidays!!  Yippee!!

It was my son's last year in primary school.  In September he will head off to secondary and I will be going to school "on my own" for the first time in the 14 years I've worked there.  Copying an idea of my friend, Jackie's, I took a pic of Jed on the first day of 6th Class and another on the last.  Here they are - even allowing for slightly different angles, he has grown a fair bit, I think.

 

I made this thank you card for his teacher.  I was working on the distressed and stamped panel for a good while, then I laid it squarely on the plain card base, and it was just ... boring.  What to do?  I didn't want to start from scratch, hate doing that.  So I turned it at an angle.  Better.  Then I stencilled and inked the card base.  Better still.  Finally, I added ribbon, metal findings and tag.  That'll do!!  Here's what I ended up with:

I'm entering this into the following challenges: Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge ("I ought to use this more" - the metal findings, I love them but usually just hoard them!), Shopping our Stash ("Colour My World" - I have too many favourite colours, but one of my favourite colour combinations is blue and brown), Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge and Crafty Girls("Anything Goes") and Sentimental Sundays ("Summer" - what could be more summer than a thank you teacher card?!!).  Here's a closer look at the lovely metal flowers:

Recipe:

Stamps: IndigoBlu "Grand Tour 1", Kaisercraft "Numbers",

Stencil: Tim Holtz "Bubble"

Other: Ribbon from stash, Prima Finnabair "Vintage Trinkets", brad - recycled packaging

Finally, a couple of weeks late, the winner of my giveaway is .... the only one who entered:

Grá 

Thank you for entering and congratulations, Grá - email your address to me and I'll get your prize package to you asap.

Thanks for looking!

Giveaway reminder - and a card ....

.... for a very old birthday girl!

My husband's grandmother was 94 yesterday.  She still lives by herself in her own house, about an hour's drive down the country from us, and we headed down with family on Saturday to bring her out for a birthday lunch.  I had only a little time to make a card for her (and frankly, she's always more interested in what's inside the card, she opens the envelope, takes out the card and shakes it to see what falls out!!!) - here's what I ended up with:

I used the sketch from this week's Deconstructed Sketches, although I didn't have time to incorporate all the elements, and I'm also entering this into the following challenges:  Creative Card Crew ("Shabby Chic/Vintage"), Crafty Creations ("S" - my word is Summer), Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge and Crafty Girls ("Anything Goes"), Brown Sugar ("Birthday") and The Shabby Tearoom ("Vintage Love").

As I was so short for time, rather than print or stamp and colour an image, I printed off this sweet vintage image from Pinterest on photo paper.  I love the tinting and big floppy pink bow in her hair, which I echoed by tying a crumpled seam binding bow at the bottom of the panel.  Here's a close-up of the image.

Recipe:

Papers: Crate Paper "Emma's Shoppe"

Other: Seam binding

Thanks for looking - and don't forget my giveaway - HERE is the link to the post.

Giveaway reminder - and late for ....

.... my brother's birthday again, but this time, it wasn't my fault!

He was to come to us for birthday dinner on Sunday.  I scrambled around all day - went to the supermarket in the morning, came home, baked a cake, started on his card, prepped dinner and put it in the oven, back upstairs to finish the card - then the phone rang.  He was still at home and the wipers weren't working on his car.  The weather was too changeable to risk a journey sans wipers, so he had to stay home.  So, I finished the card the next day and posted it, and ate the cake!!  Here's the card (I didn't take a picture of the cake, too busy eating it!):

I used the sketch from this week's Deconstructed Sketches and I'm also entering this into the following challenges: Created with Love and ABC Challenges ("Lots of Layers"), City Crafter ("Birthday Banners"), Simon Says Wednesday Challenge and Brown Sugar ("Anything Goes").

Here's a side-shot of all the circle layers and the strip banner on the card.

Recipe:

Papers: Basic Grey "Granola"

Other: Hairy String

Thanks for looking - and don't forget my giveaway - HERE is the link to the post.

Three ....

.... hundred posts exactly.  That took a while, didn't it?!!

Details of my giveaway are further down this post, but first I wanted to show the fruits of a recent workshop.  Mixed-media artist and Prima designer, Anna Dabrowska, who blogs under the name Finnabair, moved to Ireland last year - and she's done a few workshops here since then.  Friends of mine had gone to one and raved about it, so I eagerly booked a place at an all-day workshop a few weeks ago.  I had an absolutely fab day - Anna encourages everyone to go really freeform and get mucky and painty.  I had to shatter a few of my usual habits - like measuring and planning - and just go crazy with the paints and the mists and the embellishments.  Here is the layout I made in the morning session (it didn't photograph so well, though):

And here's the altered canvas from the afternoon:

I loved these classes - if you ever get a chance to take one of Anna's workshops - go for it!!

Now to the giveaway - I've put together a pink and girlie set of bits and pieces - paper, stamps, baker's twine, embellishments.  Here's what I'm giving away to one lucky blogger:

To enter, please follow my blog (if you're not already a follower), put the pic of the giveaway in your sidebar, link it to here, and add your name to the linky.  I'll draw a random winner this day fortnight, Tue 10th June, and will post anywhere in the world.

Good luck!