My boy ....

.... is now 14 - and growing like a weed, seems to be made of arms, legs and feet!!

With the trip to Edinburgh, I was almost too late to make a card for him, and it was a bit of a rush, but he really liked it (well, he made the appropriate noises anyway!).  Here it is:

I used a sort of a combination of this week's and last week's sketches from Mojo Monday and I'm also entering the following challenges: Craft your Passion, Brown Sugar, Chocolate Coffee + Cards("Anything Goes"), ABC Challenge ("B is for ... " boy and birthday and black), Fab 'n' Funky ("Male Birthday") and A Gem of a Challenge ("Boy's Birthday").

I made some acrylic paint on kraft panels, I also used some lovely new stamps - the ink splot I particularly like.  I made the 14 and the J, E and D and popped up the 14 on a spring from an old notebook - here's a side-shot:

Recipe:

Paper: October Afternoon "Seaside"

Stamps: IndigoBlu "Ink Splats" and My Favourite Things "Go with It"

Fonts: "Handwriting Draft" and "Dark Underground" dafont.com

Other: Acrylic paint, black e.p., spring from notebook

Thanks for looking!

A Scottish ....

.... Valentine's Day.  My cousin got married in Edinburgh last week, so we went over there for a few days.  The wedding was held in Mansfield Traquair - it's a deconsecrated church in the Georgian New Town section of Edinburgh and is the most magical wedding venue I've ever seen.  Here's the front door:

And here's the main interior all set up for eating and a closer shot of the altar area where the ceremony took place:

Isn't it divine?!

The wedding invitation was art deco in style, so I made a card with a nod to that era.  Here it is:

I'm entering the following challenges: Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge ("Upcycle/Recycle" - I've used a little heart charm from a Lindt rabbit), Crafty Cardmakers ("Love, love, love"), Creative Card Crew ("Love"), Lemon Shortbread and Creative Inspirations ("Anything Goes") and Moving Along with the Times ("Words Only - No Image").

I used liberal amounts of gold embossing powder, to go with the black/red/kraft colour scheme and the art deco style lettering.  I also gold-embossed some wood veneer hearts - they came out really well.  Here's a side-shot:

Recipe:

Paper: Basic Grey "Kraft Basics"

Font: "Betty Noir" dafont.com

Other: Gold e.p., ribbon from stash, Lindt bunny charm, Studio Calico wood veneer hearts

Thanks for looking!

That was ....

.... quick - I only posted my mother-in-law's 70th birthday card a few weeks ago, now she's 71!!

Here's the card I made for this birthday:

I used the sketch from this week's Mojo Monday and I'm also entering the following challenges: Craft Your Passion, Lemon Shortbread and Cards Und More ("Anything Goes"), Paper Sweeties (inspiration pic - I went with the colours) and Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge ("One Layer").

I used a technique I saw on Pinterest for the background of this card.  I dry-brushed acrylic paint on kraft and when it was dry, inked over with pumice stone distress ink.  I really like the soft, chalk-like effect.  I coloured the stamped flower with promarkers.  Here's a closer look at image and background:

Recipe:

Stamp: Hero Arts "Peeking Posies"

Font: "KG Always a Good Time" dafont.com

Other: Acrylic Paint, Hero Arts gemstones, rock candy stickles

Thanks for looking!

See ya ....

.... January.  It's February, and that means the reveal of the January Card Chain Challenge on Deborah's blog.

I made and sent a card to Christy in California, using the theme of "friendship".  Here's what I made:

I'm going to enter the following challenges: Craft your Passion and Brown Sugar ("Anything Goes"), Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge ("Ray of Sunshine"), City Crafter ("Plastic Fantastic") and Shopping our Stash ("Dreaming of Something Warm").

I made some home-made enamel dots, out of plastic hama beads, having seen them on pinterest.  I made one batch of varying colours and burnt them, then turned the oven down and left another batch in for ages and ages, they came out ok but not perfect.  Will have to fiddle with temperature and timing to get the next lot right!!  Here's a side-shot:

Recipe:

Stamp: Hero Arts "Floating Leaves" and Kaisercraft "Chevron Texture"

Font: "Joe Hand 2" dafont.com

Other: White e,p., home-made enamel dots, baker's twine

And here's the lovely card I got from Toni - all the way from the west coast of the U.S.  Thank you, Toni!

The February sign-up is open until 6th February - if you'd like to join up, head over to Deborah's blog and see all the details.

Thanks for looking!

For old ....

.... time's sake - I was very sad to read an email from Basic Grey saying that they are stopping production - they were the first paper company whose products I really coveted.  I think Scarlett's Letter was the first collection I bought - still love that line - and so many others were divine.  Lovely colours, patterns, buttons, brads - there's an awful lot of it still in my stash. 

I pulled out an old collection, Marjolaine, to make a card for my friend's daughter - here it is:

Forgive the slightly blue cast to the colours - we're having yet another dull, rainy January day.  I used the sketch from this week's Mojo Monday and I'm also entering the following challenges: Craft your Passion and Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge ("Anything Goes"), Crafty Cardmakers ("Punches or Dies"), Little Red Wagon ("They say it's your Birthday") and Moving Along with the Times ("Embossing").

As mentioned already, I used Basic Grey "Marjoleine" papers - such pretty colours.  I stamped a criss-cross background and heat embossed in white e.p. and also embossed in silver around the edge of the sentiment layer.  I hand-drew the number 14.  Here's a side-shot where you can quite clearly see the embossed criss-crosses:

Recipe:

Papers: Basic Grey "Marjoleine"

Stamp: Hero Arts "Envelope Pattern"

Die: Spellbinders "Pinking Circles"

Font: "Bakery" dafont.com

Other: Hand-drawn numbers, silver and white e.p., hand-made enamel dots

Thanks for looking!

Little House in ....

.... the Big Woods!  Friends of ours in Sweden have moved house as they're getting married this year.  She used to live in a city and he lived in a town.  They've relocated to the countryside mid-way between the two.  I looked up their new place on googleearth - it is literally in the middle of a forest, no street view - there isn't even a street!!  They've been posting pictures of the trees, lakes and snow - it's very beautiful, and very Swedish!!  I made a card to send them, inspired by red Swedish cabins and conifer trees.  Here it is:

I'm entering the following challenges: Craft your Passion, Creative Inspirations and Creative Card Crew ("Anything Goes"), Cutie Pie Challenge ("Krafty Cuties") and Shopping our Stash ("Inspired by a Book" - see the title of this post!).

I stamped the little house, cut it out and then popped up for dimension.  I hand-drew the trees, with fear and trepidation in case I messed them up, but all was well.  The stars are white glitter paper, but you can't really see in the picture.  Here's a closer look at the little scene.

Recipe:

Stamp: Basic Grey "Nordic Holiday"

Font: "Shorelines Script" dafont.com

Die: Mama Elephant "Lots of Stars"

Other: Ribbon from stash, hand-drawn trees

Thanks for looking!

Happy 2016 ....

.... to one and all!

Hope you had a lovely Christmas - ours was lovely, mostly relaxing with a bit of nice socialising thrown in for good measure.  Back to school on the 6th - boo - and the time since has been a bit frantic.

I was sorting out photos and came across a few cards that I'd made whilst I wasn't blogging this time last year.  The first was for my mother-in-law's 70th birthday last February.  Here's what I made for her:

I'm entering this into the following challenges: Brown Sugar ("Movie Madness" - how about either "Pretty in Pink" or "There's Something about Mary"!!), Moving Along with the Times ("Spots and Dots" - just a few round the sentiment) and Shopping our Stash ("Something New" - most of this card uses old stash, but the gems were off a new pair of gloves that my daughter got for Christmas!).  I'd like to add my sympathies to the friends and family of Leslie Hanna of Shopping our Stash, who sadly passed away in December.  Her blogging friends are carrying on the blog as she would wish.

Here's a closer view of the main detail of the card - lots of layers and texture:

Recipe:

Paper: Basic Grey "Bittersweet"

Stamp: Kaisercraft "Chevron Texture"

Font: "Hanshand" da.font.com

Other: White e.p,, tangled thread, hand-drawn heart and hand-made numbers.

Thanks for looking!