Mothers Day

************

For my dear, lovely, special Aunty, my Mum's sister and a second mum to me since I was a baby and even more since my dear mum passed away 27 yrs ago.

Memory box dies - tessatina border, lavish branch, pipi butterfly
Frame - Spellbinders curved rectangles
New 'Happy' die from Joanna Sheen 
The pearls are dots of appli glue. I've had this for yonks and am just about getting the hang of making reasonable looking 'pearls' since I watered it down. I still need practice though, LOL.

Challenges I'd like to enter
My Time to Craft #240 - special lady/mothers day
CYP #206  - mothers day/for the ladies
A Gem of a Challenge #115- special lady/mothers day
The Crafters Cafe #55 - make a square card



Thank you for stopping by today :)
Cheers me dears


x

70th Birthday

************

Neighbour Mick celebrated his big seven ohhh on Monday. The image is an MG like the one he has in his garage and takes out for a spin a couple of times a year....on a fine day, lol.

The BP is LOTV's Beach Bliss, rather nice for male cards. I made a faux silk panel and sponged with a matching colour ink and dabbed gold on the edges. For the frame I used nestie curved rectangles also dabbed with gold. I couldn't decide (this happens a lot these days) how to finish it off and therefore opted for circles and some hessian.

A closer view - I've added this just to fill the space :)

Challenges I'd like to enter
PCJ - manly/boyish
Crafty Creations #258- happy birthday
Diva's - let's hear it for the boys
The Paper Shelter #148 - anything goes


Thank you for stopping by today :)
Cheers me dears

Gotta show you this! One of my birthday presents from my DD :)

x

Butterfly 50th

*************

Apologies if anyone thinks this is inappropriate but I've had news from Macmillan Cancer Support that I'd like to share.
When I arranged hubby's funeral in December, I asked for donations to the Macmillan nurses instead of flowers - had just one large floral tribute from me and the kids. Even though it was too late for  hubby to benefit from their care I know they would have been a great support.
Well, the news is that £510 was donated........isn't that great :)

Oh, and Happy Birthday to me!!! 

*****

This is made for DIL for her colleague at work.and also to join in  Brenda's 5th blogerversary celebration Well done Brenda :) and thanks for  sharing all your lovely creations with us.

I had something quite different in mind involving gold embossing when I started this card. Well!! that failed so I went and played safe with some pretty paper and butterflies - again - this die is a big favourite of mine :)

Edges inked with vintage photo DI, a little handmade flower and some string

Challenges I'd like to enter
Crafty Catz #220 - anything goes
Papertake - anything goes + optional handmade flower




Thank you for stopping by today :)
Cheers me dears


x

Birthday Butterfly

****************

I tried to get a textured look using this stencil and tried various mediums - acrylic paint for one - but ended up using white embossing powder which looks very unwhite lol.
The result is OK but I have now ordered some proper texture paste :)
I sponged Spun Sugar DI over part of the 'design' and splattered some over the rest using a toothbrush.

I think the finished card is quite pleasing.

The butterfly is embossed with texture EF is also coloured with spun sugar DI,  and then spritzed with glimmer mist.
I added some small pearls to the little flowers on the memory box lavish branch die cut and simply finished with random pink and white pearls and the greeting banner.

Challenges I'd like to enter
Just Keep on Creating #1 - anything goes
The Pink Elephant #239 - use pink
Lexi's Creations #110 - monochromatic
Allsorts #247 - ladies day



Thank you for stopping by today :)
Cheers me dears


x

Sympathy

*********

For a neighbour who lives a few doors away.  Her hubby hadn't been well for many years so news of his passing was not unexpected.....still sad though, I got on well with him.

Supplies
Radiant Rectangles die cut frame
Sentiment stamped and cut with Curved Rectangle nestie
CB 'dotty' EF
Spellbinders EF
Black net
Handmade ribbon flower
Handmade stick pin

When in doubt as what to use as a backing very often I opt for the CB 'dotty' embossing folder. So easy to join to make a larger mat and neat too.

Challenges
Feeling Crafty #25 - die cuts/punches
The Crafting Cafe - Feb Challenge - embossing
Papertake - anything goes (optional shaped card)
PCJ - emboss that
Crafty Girls #10 - anything goes
Crafty Catz #216 - anything goes
Paper Pretties #295 -texture



Thank you for stopping by today :)
Cheers me dears


x

Silver Wedding Bling

*******************

8" square

Oh my word!! Loads -a -bling!! Not only gems but glitter too - no expense spared here LOL
This is for  BIL & SIL's 25th Wedding Anniversary.

I bought the interlocking circles embossing folder at the NEC and this is it's first outing. Die cut a circle and popped it up with foam tape and adhered it to the mat with a pierced border in the style of Sue of Particraft fame - took a while to get the measurment right but love the result. 

The silver circle is die cut from a Christmas cracker and is beautifully shiny and glittery.
I used some silver cord I've been hoarding for the bow and finished with a flower made from very light metal embossed and then added a brad gem in the centre.

Challenges
Cards Galore - #2 - bling
Crafty Catz #216 - anything goes
The ABC Challenge - E for embellish
Dream Valley #74 - no designer paper
Rhedd & Rosie #25 - anything goes
Love to Create #101 - birthday celeb/anniversary



Thank you for stopping by today :)
Cheers me dears


x

Another Card for Grandson!

************************

To Grandson from me.
It is very sad not to be signing Granddad's name as well as mine this year :(

The papers are from a very old Basic Grey pad.

I'd like to enter
A Gem of a Challenge #111 - for the boys
Cards 4 Guyz - monochrome
My Craft Creations - anything goes
OLLCB #148 - a man card
Dream Valley  #73- boys/men



Thank you for stopping by today
Cheers me dears


x

Grandson's Birthday

******************

Hello friends.
I'm back.....with the first serious card since....end of November. Apart from a couple of 'thank you' cards I've not had the inclination for card making nor the time for that matter - legal stuff and form filling is so time consuming and mind boggling.

The BP's are from the lovely LOTV Beach Bliss pad. 

 I'd like to enter
Crazy 4 Challenges  #219 - sketch
That Craft Place - colour palette
Challenges 4 Everybody #37 - anything goes
Aud Sentiments #98 - any sentiment
A Gem of a Challenge - one for the boys
Crafty Girls #9 - anything goes



Thank you for stopping by today
Cheers me dears


x

Happy New Year

***************

Wishing you All the Very Best for 2014

I had 111 cards this Christmas - sadly 90 of them were sympathy cards!!
I didn't make any Christmas cards or even send any this year but I hope I'll feel like crafting and get back to blogging again soon

Take care my friends


x

Elegant Lady in Black and Blue

***************************

Oh dear! a bad few weeks and not much time for blogging!!!
Hubby is very poorly, Granddaughter has been in hospital and my lovely, kindhearted daughter's precious Pandora bracelet was stolen by the 'friend' who she  paid to help her with her house cleaning. This was a favour for this person as DD didn't really need her and she did a real crap job anyway. DD even picked her up and took her home twice a week.
The bracelet, or most of it, has been recovered but the 'friend'  and her friend who went with her to the jewellers to sell it got away scotfree, the police gave them a caution! There is more to this story but I won't bore you with any more of it. 
An awful betrayal of trust and very upsetting!!!!!

On to my card.....for my neice

I can't remember which CD the image is from. I have trouble opening CD's on my ancient PC so when I can I have been saving images in a folder.
The ribbon is navy blue but looks rather more like black in the pic.
The flower is made from some soft pliable metallic sheet - should have gone under the worktop over my appliances in my new kitchen - and is coloured with alcohol ink.
I scored the black strip at the bottom to match the blue stripey paper - I wish this showed in the pic :(
Doily painted with iridescent medium, a black feather and some pearls....and fini.
It really does look quite nice IRL

I'd like to enter
Tuesday Morning Sketches #225 - sketch
4 Crafty Chicks #169 - anything goes
Crafting by Designs - anything goes
Creative card Crew #49 - pearls
Pan Pastels - mixing it up

Thank you for stopping by today
Cheers me dears :)


x

Black and White

**************

A quick First Anniversary card for my neice and hubby.
This is what I should have been making instead of 'playing' yesterday, lol.

Some lovely lacey B&W paper - freebie from craft mag back in January.
Vines of Passion die cuts on pearly paper.
Commputer generated sentiment and a couple of gems...simples :)

I'd like to enter......
Cuttlebug Mania - black and white
Rhedd & Rosie #18 - anything goes




Thank you for stopping by today
Cheers me dears


x

Autumn Leaves

**************
I've neglected the cards I have to make in favour of a little playtime.

I stamped leaves onto a coloured magazine page following TTT technique and embossed with gold EP, cut 'em out and painted on a bit of crackle accents. I did only one maple leaf because it was too much of a fiddle to remove the centre as it is nearly a solid stamp.
I printed and tore around the quote and used loads of vintage photo on it.

I started off with this (below) for the topper - after seeing Claire's gorgeous canvas!
I don't have any Pan Pastels....yet....no modelling paste or any decent leaf stamps so I had to improvise
I used a very thick layer of cheap white acrylic paint and squished it about - added various embossing powders, a piece of net, metallic gilding wax  and a dab of a music stamp here and there.

Challenges
Pan Pastels #42 - autumn colours
Crafts 4 Eternity #146 - autumn leaves
Technique Time Tues - faux cloisonne



Thank you for stopping by today and the much appreciated comments on previous posts
Cheers me dears :)


x

First Anniversary

****************

A beef.....I have been feeling mardy and put off card making and all because I have fallen out with M&S. I went to use a credit voucher and was told it had expired!!!  I was not aware that they impose a time limit and have lost the best part of £60. Grrr - I think it absolutely wrong that this is the case - a credit voucher should last forever!
Sooo, I've told M&S to stick it, my custom has been transferred elsewhere.
Am I on my own with this thinking......or maybe it best you don't tell me, you might shoot down in flames, lol

A result...I am happy though that I have, at last, after 3 months managed to get my 82 yr old neighbour a  Visa to visit Australia.  The new rules decree that everyone over 75 have a health certificate at a cost of £350!!!!  Thanks to her sister in Oz, after talks with immigration, (the site is so confusing)  it is found she needed a different numbered visa for her trip of under 3 months. What a relief we haven't got to make the trek to Birmingham....yippppeee.

A card....for niece and hubby from her Mum & Dad.
Spellbinders Floral Ovals die - the largest is flat, the other two matted with foam tape.
I printed the sentiment and cut with middle size die then cut around it to fit as another layer.
Memory Box butterfly and Marianne Creatables for the flowers. This is a nice soft gold paper that was left over from the wedding invitations that  I made for the couple last year. The wedding colours were green and gold. Must get myself in gear, gotta make two more.

I rubbed metallic gilding wax on the edges of the die cuts - funny stuff this - using fingers is the only way for me.  I couldn't get a satisfactory result using a cloth as in the instructions cos it was going all bitty.
Nice effect in the end.

I'd like to enter
Fussy & Fancy #100 - celebration
Crafty Ribbons - anything goes...with ribbon
The Paper Shelter #133 - use only 2 colours


Thank you for stopping by today and for a comments if you feel like it and have the time
Cheers me dears :)


x

Birthday

********

I'm showing off my lovely new Memory Box dies. When I first saw them I was surprised and a little concerned  to see how thin they are. As it turns out I am well impressed, they cut like a dream....methinks I'll have to save up for more, lol.

The fern and butterflies have been cut from pearlescent card.
The two DP's are from the Bearly-Mine vintage collection and the flower a BM freebie from years back.
The stamped sentiment, from a set I won recently, is embossed with gold detail EP but "AMY" is peel-off letters which were silver (all I had) and coloured with gold dabber.

Oh, and my other new item is the Kaisercraft 'sparklet' on the bow

Challenges I'd like to enter
Bearly-Mine #107 - ribbon/string/twine
Card Mania #31 - pastel colours
Crafty Ribbons #65 - butterflies



Thank you for stopping by today
Cheers me dears


x

New Baby Card ....again!

**********************

Made for the new mummy's twin sister who flew up from Devon to meet her new niece.

I framed the photo with  Crafty Ann's pretty metallic frame from her very last collection prior to closing her digi shop - layered it with small foam squares.
The pink paper is a freebie from craft mag and the other from a very old digi collection.
The swirly corner I found in my bits box
Handcut heart

The heart is glittered around the edges

Challenges
That Craft Place - baby
Challenges 4 Everybody - anything goes
4 Krafty Girlz #3 anything goes
Crafting by Designs - anything goes




Thank you for stopping by today :)
Cheers me dears


x

Our Little Sweetheart

**************

She is so tiny...weighed 5lb at birth, which is not bad considering she was over 3 weeks early.

 For those of you who haven't read my previous post.......NO! she is not mine, lol.

This is from DD and SIL, the proud Grandparents, using the favourite photo of the moment. 

8" square

I made the frame from some embossed card (CB textile folder) it is layered on the photo with foam tape and has a tiny bit of sparkle on some of the raised parts.

The pretty rose BG paper is , once again, from Far Far Hill. I'm  using lots of roses for the baby cards as their surname is Rose :)

The corner triangle sentiment and greeting were computer generated, matted on to pearlescent card with more sparkle on the edges and fixed with foam tape. The Vines of Passion heart is cut from same card. The tattered muslin was dyed with Spun Sugar DI.

I have noticed the triangle, bottom right, looks skewy although no-one noticed it IRL. Serves me right for taking a wonky pic

 

ONE handmade rose and the other roses also dyed with the same DI.
A seam binding bow and bling and that is it.

 The inside is similar to that of my previous card using the same paper as the front. It was presented in a simply decorated box.


Challenges
Crafty Ribbons #64 - anything with ribbon
Pan Pastels #39 - anything goes - Whooopppeee - one of the top 3 picks!
That Craft Place - baby


Thank you for stopping by today :)
Cheers me dears


x

A New Baby.....

**************

..............and a very special one too.

Our Great Granddaughter was born 3 weeks early on 29 September and this is the card I made from me and GGD to welcome the little lady to the world  :)

This sooo sweet LOTV image is just right isn't it! The delicious lace is from Funkie Junkie Linda's boutique.
and I was lucky enough to find the white organza ribbon languishing in my ribbon drawer along with the ribbon that links the two panels.
The flowery BG paper is from Far Far Hill.

One handmade flower, the rest from WOC, all painted with iridescent medium for a lovely shine and my trusty leaf punch to compliment the leaves on the image - not much like them though are they. lol.

The inside....

8" square and presented in a simply decorated box.


Challenges
LOTV - anything goes
That Craft Place - baby
Cards Galore - October challenge - flowers
Oldie but a Goodie - bingo -  3 lines!! - 1 diagonal, 2 across, 3 down - old punch and organza ribbon
Lexi's #100 - pink
Pan Pastels - anything goes
Crafty Ribbons #64 - anything goes with ribbon



Thank you for stopping by
Cheers me dears :)


x

18th Birthday

************

This young lady is a dedicated and quite talented dancer and has ambitions to be a dance teacher.

Ballet shoes image - forget where this is from
Hand cut #18 sparkled up with glitter and popped up with foam pads.
Stick pin
Tulle
Muslin
Gorgeous silky ribbon bow
Handmade flower
BP free from craft mag

I'd like to enter
Polkadoodles #38 - candy colours
Crafty Ribbons #62 - anything with ribbon
4 Krafty Girlz #2 - anything goes
The Ribbon Reel #62 - pretty in pink
Cards Galore  - Sept Challenge - colour combo
RRR #80 - shabby chic with ribbon




Thank you for stopping by today
Cheers me dears :)



x

New Baby Boy

*************

Hello peeps, it's so good to be back.
Once again - not so much MIA but OOA, but feeling more my 'old' self at last, LOL.

How about this little cutie - isn't he a sweetheart.  He has been 'in the world' a while and this is rather late for his Mummy and Daddy to be receiving congratulations. As they say....better late than never.
My DIL has been so patient wating for me to get this done for her friends.

.....don't you just LOVE that 'smile'.

I'd like to enter
Totally PaperCrafts # 185 - 'happy birthday baby' or new  baby
Crafty Ribbons #62 - anything with ribbon
Diva's - anything goes





Thank you for stopping by today
Cheers me dears


x

Sympathy

*********

Hello all,
 How  pleased I am to be back in blogland.
I am fortunate to hardly ever be ill but my word...I was  laid low for five days with a nasty dose of gastroenteritis.
Fortunately I recovered well enough to attend the funeral of our friend on Tuesday.  Marion, her husband and family too,  suffered the cruel effects of Alzheimers for the past four years.
Our two families share many happy memories over 30+ years with our jaunts in our touring caravans and other holidays.


As this was a male sympathy card I didn't want it to look tooo girly and kept it simple.

A closer look

I'd like to enter this for
Bloggers - to die for
4 Crafty Girlz #1 - anything goes
Bearly Mine #102 - anything goes
Country View Crafts #7 - layers



Thank you for stopping by
Cheers me dears


x