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Monday 30 November 2009

Crafty Cardmakers 9th Challenge

It's the 9th Challenge over at Crafty Cardmakers and Vix set the DT a great challenge to either use a non-traditional stamp and colour it using red and green or use non-traditional colours on a Christmas image. Well I think it is easy to see which one I opted for :)

The base of card is an A4 sheet folded in half. The patterned paper is from the DCWV Rose Tinted Christmas stack.

Stamped image is Penny Black coloured in with Promarkers, fur trims are Woodware fluffy stuff covered with glitter and heat embossed so it puffs up. Image has been cut out using my new Nestabilities die set and matted onto metallic card. The whole image is mounted onto 3D foam.

A second strip of card was punched using the Fiskars scallop edge border punch and the bobble trim is from Doodlebug. Added embellishments are Craftime glittered snowflakes and pink gems from Paperchase.

I used the card sketch for Day 274 at 365 Cards as the inspiration for the main layout of the card, adding the extra strip at the bottom because Iove the bobble trim so much, I mean who can resist a row of perfect little snowballs. I have th4e perfect recipient in mind for this sassy likkle card and she will love it.

Really looking forward to seeing the cards submitted for this challenge and hoping to see so interesting colour combinations. Come on over and join the fun at Crafty Cardmakers

Saturday 28 November 2009

365 Cards Day 273

OMG, I have just realised that this is my 501st post, that's a lot of cards and waffle from little old me LOL

In a very rare move for me I have actually made a card for the challenge at 365 Cards on the day it has been set. OMG !!

The challenge for today, Day 273 is to use a damask pattern on your card. The papers used are from the new Chatsworth collection from Papermania. This range is not my usual style in the least but I really like the soft colour pallete in the range and the paper has a linen effect texture too. It's very classy.

The square card as been covered in the spotty paper in the chocolate and duck egg colourway and I used the Damask paper to mat on the top. I used a 1" wide chocolate ribbon to wrap around the paper. The central oval is one of the rubber stamp sets in the matching range with a sentiment from the pack inside. I used a Marvy le Plume pen in a similar shade to highlight the frame and added Sakura clear glitter pen which is very sparkly but you can't see it very well in the scan. I cut out the frame and matted it onto an oval cut from the spotty paper. This is mounted on thin foam pads to raise it from the card a little.

The pack offers designs in chandaliers and birdcages and I have the matching rubber stamps too so I'm sure these papers will be popping up in more projects soon.

Friday 27 November 2009

365 Cards Day 266

The challenge at 365 Cards for day 266 was to make a card with a stamped image that had been coloured in with something other than markers.

The stamp from this one came in a forum swap and I have no idea what make it is. I coloured it in ages ago with Twinkling H20's and a little bit of Sakura glitter pens for the finer details.

The paper I used is from the Lime Rickey collection by Basic Grey. I love how bright the colours are and it matches the bright colour of the towel perfectly. I used my new Fiskars punch on the edge of the paper and cut a border from thin white card to go underneath.

365 Cards Day 258

Another Christmas Card down and the challenge for Day 258 at 365 Cards which was to incorporate a hat of some sort into your card.

The image is a digi download from Dustin Pike and has been coloured in with my ever faithful Promarkers. The backing paper is a left over piece of a giftbag which has got flocked snowflakes on it.

The ribbon was a wider one that I cut in half and has cool metallic stars on it. The snow is a bag of fluffy glitter stuff that I found in my stash, haven't got a clue where I bought it from but it looks a lot like the Flowersoft that is all the rage at the moment but I know it was a fraction of the price and was a big bag too. Needless to say I was covered in the stuff when I finished the card :)

Sunday 22 November 2009

365 Cards Day 251

The challenge for 365 Cards Day 251 was to use only 2 colours to make your card.

The main starting point for this card was a giftbag that I recycled. The text was at the bottom of the bag and the white snowflakes are flocked, obviously as a crafter I NEEDED to recyle this and make it into a card.

I trimmed the panel and added it to a darker blue DL letter sized card blank. The added gems are Papermania and Paperchase and the blue metallic snowflake is from a Poundland christmas decoration. Keeping it simple I added a little glitterglue to the card and left it at that.

Crafty Cardmakers 8th Challenge

Sorry for being a little late uploading my latest challenge card, I am sure you will understand when you read my last post.

Anyhoo, the latest challenge at Crafty Cardmakers is to use something clear in your design.

I have really enjoyed using acetate this year to replace a card front. Of course, the Cuttlebug folders make it so easy to add an embossed design to your card and I have made some nice cards using this technique.

To make this card I trimmed a card blank down leaving a 2cm strip at the front. I used a Fiskars punch to make a decorative edge. I ran a piece of acetate through a snowflake Cuttlebug embossing folder and used double sided tape stuck it to the inside of the overlapped front edge.

The paper on the inside of the card is a piece of wrapping paper from Paperchase. They do some fantastic metallic and flocked designs and around £1 to £2 for a massive sheet they are very good value too.

The large snowflake is a 2 step Cuttlebug die that punches and then embosses the shape. It is cut from Doodlebug flocked cardstock so feels like Fuzzy Felt :) The ribbon is a self adhesive one from Papermania, the gem is Paperchase and the sentiment is from Kanban.

I have also been able to incorporate an older challenge from 365 Cards for Day 122 which was to use a piece of wrapping paper in your design.

Saturday 21 November 2009

Few Days Away :)

It was Mum's funeral on Monday the 16th so to say goodbye to her in my own way Paul and I went to Whitby for a few days.

We set off last Saturday at about lunchtime and there had been accidents on the M42 and the M1, Paul had checked on his Iphone, good job he did. We re-routed but it was going to take us another 1.5 hours, going via Manchester, Leeds and then York. It was really strange to be driving around all the places I went to as a child being a Yorkshire lass born and bred. The view over the Pennines was spectacular, to be honest I wished I wasn't driving so I could enjoy it better! The rain was absolutely appalling and I kept driving in and out of it, it was so heavy at time the motorway was flooding and you were driving through puddles. I've driven in wet weather before but this was the absolute heaviest I have known it and the spray from the lorries was nearly as high as my likkle car. We pulled into some services for a rest and a spot of lunch and the car park was like a pond.

As we reached the Yorkshire Moors it was getting much darker, I mean with all the rain it was really murky all day but it starting getting dark and I was driving on really windy roads with steep banks and you could have easily toppled off the edge as there were no barriers, but the views were amazing and I kept wanting to pull over and stop, but was starting to get tired and just wanted to get there. There were some really steep roads getting down into Whitby with gradients of 20% and the roads were so windy and remote it was like driving in a Top Gear segment, Paul loved it.

The rain had stopped when we got to Whitby, but it was extremely windy. Our B&B was only 2 streets away from the seafront and we ended up parking there, the sea was so rough and I could see the Abbey and the whalebone arch and was so excited to be there. Last time I went I was 13 and it really hadn't changed very much which was lovely to see.

The B&B was lovely. All the rooms were en-suite and were individually decorated. Ours was cream walls and carpet with everything else black and turquoise and was really nice. We unpacked our stuff, had a cup of tea and a lie down to rest for a bit and then went out in search of fish and chips. Obviously this time of year is out of season for most places but a lot of the B & B's were full and many of the shops and restaurants were open. We had a lovely meal of fish and chips in a restaurant, the haddock was so fresh and tasty and Paul's plaice was yummy too. I love the fish at the seaside :)

I'd intended that on Sunday we should go to Flamborough head and Bridlington but realised we could go there on the way back home so decided to go to York instead. I researched where the Papermill shop was of course, got to have a bit of crafty goodies LOL

York was just magical. It took me a while to get my bearings as I hadn't been for so long. Paul's Iphone was invaluable. I know I tease him about being welded to it but the apps were so useful and the GPS maps were fairly accurate so we could search for places and get around quite well. The river was very swollen, almost right to the top and we were glad it didn't rain as our car was parked underground not far from the river, it could have been messy......

We went to the Minster and went inside. I'm not religious but I did light a candle for Mum and wrote a little prayer on a card which they read out at daily services. I had a little cry outside and Paul was fantastic and comforted me. We went to a street called The Shambles where all the houses are wonky and the upper floor juts out into the the street so opposite houses are close enough that people could shake hands. It was still as fascinating as it was when I was a child. Paul loved seeing the castle walls everywhere too. I am so glad he liked it as it is one of my most favourite places and I would like to take him there for a few days next time so we can see more.

We went back to Whitby and I started writing my letter to Mum. I thought it it would have been easier to do, it really took some getting out of me. I opened a bottle of wine, that helped :) I was emotionally drained and had a nap afterwards. We ended up not having an evening meal so was starving the next morning.

The day of the funeral the weather was awful, really windy and rainy and I was very concerned that I wouldn't be able to execute my plan of setting light to the letter at the end of the pier and scattering the ashes into the sea. The weather was just so relentless and I was getting more upset the closer the time got. At about 11am the rain turned to spitting so we took our chance. When we got the end I read the words I had written the night before and it made me cry, it surprised me how much more emotional I felt than when I had written it the night before. We went down some steps to a concreted fishing area underneath the pier and set alight to it and then put the ashes into the sea. Paul was comforting me and just holding me, he has been the most amazingly supportive person and very sensitive.

Then the most amazing thing happened, almost like in a movie it was so strange. There was faint rainbow over the sea and the sun was trying to poke out of the clouds and it just got brighter and the dark clouds blew out to sea and the blue sky was getting bluer and it was like all the bad stuff had gone and I could look forward to a brighter future. It honestly was weird how it happened and the timing was amazing. The rainbow to me capped it off because when I had my nervous breakdown and had art therapy with a psychiatrist I'd drawn a rainbow then and she said to me it was a symbol of hope and happiness after sorrow, completely befitting for how I felt on Monday.

The rest of Monday was spent mooching around Whitby. We went to a great outdoors shop and I got a coat for camping and some breathable t-shirts and zip-off trousers. The prices were brilliant. I had my new favourite sandwich, bacon and brie panini, absolutely yummy. We went into the arcade and played on the 2p machines. Paul won me 2 little teddy bear figurines holding purple hearts and then we had a lovely meal at the world famous Magpie Cafe. Paul had a gorgeous fish pie and I had fish and chips with the most gorgeous knicker bocker glory for dessert. It was made with loads of fresh fruit in a coulis and just was so tasty. It is honestly worth driving all that way just for that I promise you! And they serve proper Yorkshire Tea in a teapot, with tea leaves and a tea strainer. The water up north definetely makes tea taste better :)

We had intended to light a chinese lantern but it was just too windy. The lantern was almost ripping whilst we were trying to light it and the fuel block wouldn't light so we gave up. Paul seemed more bothered than I was. It would have been nice to light it there and watch it float up but we can do that at home when the bad weather has settled down so it's not the end of the world.

The following morning after breakfast we headed off towards the lighthouse at Flamborough head and stopped off in Scarborough on the way. We drove right up to the castle and then into the bay at the other side. Paul took some photos on his Iphone and it puts a pin in a map when you do. so his new obsession is to collect map pins now..... guess who's driving? When we got to Flamborough head we seemed to be driving for ages until we got to the lighthouse. As soon as I saw it I was smiling so much. I just love being there. As it is on a peninsular the coastline is amazing all around you and there are lots of little paths that I went scuttling along to get to the edges. Paul said it was amazing to watch me running around like an excite mad thing. The lighthouse itself you couldn't go to the top as it is out of season and was probably too windy and dangerous. I have always loved lighthouses and I'm sure a lot of that is because of going to Flamborough so many times as a kid. We used to stop at the Haven Primrose Valley holiday camp or in a B & B in Bridlington and there are coastal paths from both of these that we used to walk along with Mum and Dad. They were some of my happiest family times. Holidays were always good as they spent more time with us and everyone is happier on holiday aren't they?

We popped into Bridlington as our last stop and had a pub meal. I wasn't very hungry and just had a tuna melt baguette. It was awful...... the bread was stale, couldn't make my mind up if it was a part baked one that hadn't been baked again or if it was just stale and then to top it all off I found a long blond hair in it....... needless to say I didn't enjoy it. Paul's scampi was much nicer :)

The journey home was pretty good, managed to do it without stopping as I had college at 6pm and didn't want to be late. Had enough time for a cup of tea and a sit down before I went. It was the last practice before the exam next week so it was important not to miss it.

Had a brilliant 4 days. It has been very emotional, but very uplifting at the same time. I feel I have been able to say goodbye to Mum, but also create some happy memories with Paul.

Have been very tired since coming back, not been on my computer and have got 245 emails to trawl through..... I may be some time LOL

Monday 9 November 2009

An Award

The lovely Vicky at Kip's Cards has given me this award and I've got a whole heap of questions to answer in one word. OMG, only one !!! Anyone who knows me can tell you I'll use five rather than one LOL

Anyhoo, here goes.....



1. Where is your cell phone? Handbag
2. Your hair? Brown
3. Your mother? Dead :(
4. Your father? Abusive
5. Your favourite food? Indian
6. Your dream last night? Scary
7. Your favourite drink? Tea
8. Your dream/goal? Happiness
9. What room are you in? Computer
10. Your hobby? Cardmaking
11. Your fear? Misery
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Happy
13. Where were you last night? Home
14. Something that you aren't? Egotistical
15. Muffins? Cranberry
16. Wish list items? Lot's
17. Where did you grow up? Leeds
18. Last thing you did? Cook
19. What are you wearing? Slipper's
20. Your tv? Lounge
21. Your pets? None
22. Your friends? Lots
23. Your life? Changeable
24. Your mood? Sad
25. Missing somone? Yes
26. Vehicle? Peugeot
27. Something you're not wearing? Earring's
28. Your favourite store? Crafty
29. Your favourite colour? Purple
30. When was the last time you laughed? Yesterday
31. Last time you cried? Today
32. Your best friend? Paul
33. One place I go to over and over? Butterfly Farm
34. Facebook? Yes
35. Favourite place to eat? Regards

Unfortunately my answers are peppered with sadness at the moment over the death of my Mum. It's her funeral next Monday and I won't be going because I cannot see my Step Dad so will be going to Whitby at the weekend to say my own goodbyes to her. My family is very complicated but I don't think that will be a problem for much longer as I am hoping I will be able to put some ghosts to rest once and for all next week.

Thankyou for this award Vicky and your lovely words of support :)

Sunday 8 November 2009

365 Cards Day 148

The challenge at 365 Cards for day 148 was a sketch.

I used a mixture of free papers from card magazines and the circle panel is a piece of patterned backing card from some packaging which I thought was too pretty to throw away.

The snowflake square is a chipboard shape from Brenda Pinnick's QVC kit matted onto a scrap of blue card with the edges rounded off. I have added a smattering of Stickles glitter glue to it.

The holographic snowflakes are from Christmas garlands at Poundland with a Craftime die cut shape mounted on top. The sentiment is from Kanban which I trimmed down a little and punched the corners off. Last but not least I added a bit of doodling with a fine tipped black pen to enhance the edges of the lighter panels.

365 Cards Day 8

This is a card for one of the oldest challenges for Day 8 at 365 Cards that I hadn't completed which was a sketch by Kazan Clarke from 2 Sketches 4 You.

I decided to make an easel card and used a patterned paper by Imaginisce which has got snowflakes and glitter trails on it. The snowflake is a Cuttlebug die and I have used Doodlebug flocked velvet paper. The gold ribbon is Papermania. The die cut circle and snowflake chipboard is from a QVC Brenda Pinnick kit. The silver snowflake from Craftime and the sentiment panel is from Kanban.

It's only a 4'" square card but the easel style makes it more special and it is very tactile due to the materials used. More importantly it's another Christmas card done and another 365 Cards challenge off the list!

365 Cards Day 34

The challenge for day 34 at 365 Cards was to make the dominant shape on the card an oval.

Now, I am ashamed to admit this but the central teddy bear image is a freebie digital image I printed out 2 years ago with the intention of making into a card for my Mother In Law. I'd cut it out and put a border of glitter glue all around the edge and then hadn't actually used it on a card as I'd not got round to making it !

I was determined to use it for her card this year, she loves teddy bears and I know she'll really like it.

The base card is an A4 sheet of dark green textured card. The patterned paper is from K & Co. The image is mounted on 3d foam. The ribbon is from my stash and I am so proud of my bow, it is one of the most perfect I have ever tied :) The sentiment is a sticker from a DCWV QVC 3 sets of drawers kit and was matted onto gold card and raised up on 3D foam.

365 Cards Day 85

The challenge for Day 85 at 365 Cards was a sketch.

I have used a C6 base card and rounded the corners off. The holly paper is a magazine freebie. The santa image and the sentiment are both die cuts from a Brenda Pinnick kit from QVC. The centre metallic strip is from Kanban and the red oval is a scrap of cardstock.

365 Cards Day 115

365 Cards day 115's challenge was to use paper piecing on your card.

The layered tree in the centre was made using a segment of a digital image from Pink Petticoat. I printed it 5 times onto green paper and cut each layer smaller than the other and mounted them all on 3d foam pads. I added some gems and a star at the top for a bit of bling. The trunk is just a scrap of brown card

The card was made using a folded sheet of A4 navy blue glimmer card with the last of the freebie magazine images as the paper. I again added Stickles glue to the smoke and stars and the sentiment is a clear sticker from a QVC Brenda Pinnick kit.

365 Cards Day 231

Day 231's challenge at 365 Cards was to make a card inspired by the sky.

I love a completely clear night when you can see all the stars twinkling. When we go camping in Wales we are in a farmer's field, set in a valley with the Black Mountains all around us with no street lights. When you have a clear night all you can see is millions of stars, it is a majestic sight.

The main image is another of the free papers and is mounted onto a folded sheet of white A4 card. I added a spare penguin image on 3 foam from my last card, another of the sentiments and loads of Stickles glitter glue on the stars, the smoke from the likkle houses chimleys, the trim on the hat and the twinkly footprints

Quite a quick card as the cutting out had already been done, just needed to leave the glue to dry.

365 Cards Day 224

I had some free papers recently that came with a magazine and I was inspired to get back in my craft room. Following Mum's death my emotions have been all over the place and at one point I sat at my desk and just couldn't make a card. I was surrounded by lots of lovely things and just had no enthusiasm for anything. I took the bull by the horns when I saw these little penguins, they are so cute how can one resist? I was also very lucky that there were 2 sets of the papers in my magazine so have got more to play with :)

Day 224's challenge at 365 Cards was to use fussy cutting to create a foreground and background. I find cutting out and decoupage very therapeutic as you have to concentrate. The paper pack had 4 images the same. The back layer is the whole image. This is mounted onto blue card, then a lovely pearlescent paper from Imaginisce then onto the card blank leaving a small border of the blue colour. The next layer of the image is just the penguins, the next layer is the larger penguin and the last layer is the hats and scarves. The image was layered using 3d foam pads for dimension. I added Stickles glitter glue to the trim on the hats and to the stars in the sky. The sentiment was cut from the collection name on the paper pack, mounted onto blue card and layered on 3d foam.

Monday 2 November 2009

Crafty Cardmakers 7th Challenge

Today there is a new challenge at Crafty Cardmakers and it is an introduction to stamping.

I am not the world's best rubber stamper, I love the designs and fact you can make some fabulous cards using them but would not describe myself as a 'stamper'.

I did used to have difficulty getting a clear image when I did my stamping but have recently unmounted all my wooden block ones. This has saved me a lot of space but also allowed me to stamp using the Crafters Companion Rocker Blocks and I haven't had a dodgy image since!

There are so many techniques you can use with your rubber stamps and there are so many extremely talented people who do so and could not even begin to put myself in the same category. One of my favourite ranges of rubber stamps is the Forever Friends Bears. I just love their cute little faces. The FF bears have always been popular in cards and I am just so pleased they have been licensed for crafting now.

I have made an easel card which I think could be my new favourite design. It looks really amazing but is so easy to do. In a row of cards on a shelf it would easily stand out from the others. You can see from the side view how the front of the card is propped up behind the heart so it 'displays' the card.

The size of this card is 5.5" square and it folds down to fit into a normal envelope.

To make one is very easy indeed. Just decide how big you want your finished card to be, for instance a 4" square, cut one piece of card this size for the front of the card and decorate as normal.

For the back of the card you need it to be the same width and twice as long (so 4" x 8" in this example)

Score lines at the quarterway point (2") and halfway (4") and valley fold towards you. The longest section is the base of the card and the 2 folds will come towards you.

Attach the front of the card to the 1st 2" section, you can then 'close' the card by laying it flat.

To create the easel all you need to to is attach a 3d element to the inside of the card to tuck the front behind. I used die cuts mounted on 3d foam, but it works just as well with a button or a brad.

The rubber stamp image has been coloured in using watercolour pencils with a small amount of metallic gold pen for accents on the image.

Materials used are Rubber stamp & heart brad - Papermania, Paper & White flower - HOTP, Red flower - Prima, Die cut hearts and glasses - Let's Make Cards, ribbon from my stash.

The sentiment was made on the computer using a freebie digital frame which I manipulated to fit around the text.

I have also been able to tick an older 365 Cards challenge off the list for day 88 which was to make an anniversary or engagement card