Just For You

Tis the season for amour and I love making valentine cards because I am a really soppy and romantic person.

This card is made from a lovely freebie paper pack that came from the latest issue of Simply Cards & Papercraft. It's all tweety birds and love hearts and in bright funky colours so suits me down to the ground.

I used the latest sketch at Inspirational Card Sketches for the layout. The backing paper is a red on red swirly design. The wavy heart strip was cut from another piece of the paper. The white card was embossed using the Swiss Dots Cuttlebug folder. I edged it with a black inkpad and distressed the edges with scissors. This is a technique that I have seen many people do but haven't had a go at myself. I like the fluffy edges it gave to the piece and can see me doing this again.

The central image is also from the free papers. I stuck it onto card to make it stronger so I could mount it on 3D foam. The little hearts are some great dimensional stickers I got from Paperchase on Saturday. I got oodles of really funky hearts for a £1. Last but not least the sentiment was added from the same paper pack.

I have incorporated the following challenges into this card :-

• Inspirational Card Sketches #49 - Layout of Card
• 365 Cards Day 280 - Put red & white stripes somewhere on your card (heart embellishment)
• Creative Card Crew #42 - Distressing
• Corrosive Challenge #46 - Distressing
• Creative Inspirations #43 - Use something New received in the New Year
• Flourishes - Feel the Love
• Get Creative With Ann GCA #73 - Love Is In The Air
• ABC Challenge - L is for Layering

365 Cards Day 95, Charisma Cardz & ICS 19

This card is for Day 95's challenge at 365 Cards. It's wacky colour wednesday and we needed to incorporate the colours blue, pink & orange.

I was having a look at some stash I had and the glittered chipboard present was my starting point. It is a nice dotty design so that fits in with this week's challenge 22 at Charisma Cardz - kewl! I used this week's sketch #19 over at Inspirational Card Sketches for the layout.

The papers are from a box of scraps, I think they have come from Let's Make Cards packs as they include lots of random pieces for cardmaking that are these sizes. I have matted them onto scraps of card in toning colours. All the embelishments are from craft packs at Poundland. They were fantastic value, only £1 for a sheet of chipboard shapes, a sheet of epoxy stickers and an 8" square themed scrapbook!

I have to admit these are not colours that I would normally mix together but I think it has worked well on this card as it is a bright design.

ICS 17, 365 Day 73 & Secret Crafter 32 & Created byhand

This card was made using the latest sketch # 17 at Inspirational Card Sketches.

The dress is a Pink Petticoat printable that I had done some time ago. I printed it out onto the HOTP patterned paper and pieced this over another plain one printed in the same size. I have never done this before and it was something I was inspired to do after receiving a gorgeous pieced card from my forum buddie Kerrie. I have traced over all the tiny swirls in the dress and also the handcut scalloped border (courtesy of a Fiskars template) with a clear Sakura glitter pen. It is really sparkly but the scanner hasn't picked it up very well. The use of glitter fits in with the latest challenge 32 at a new blog to me Secret Crafter.

The other patterned papers are Two Scoops by Basic Grey. I have chosen the colour scheme of pink & green to fit in with this weeks challenge at Created byhand and also because I love these papers soooo much. The swirly paper I have only a couple of small peices of left, I don't want it to run out......

The line of flowers on the ICS sketch I have replaced with Prima hydrangea flowers and have added Paperchase gems to the centres. The larger gems on the dress are also from Paperchase, the smaller ones were from a Lets Make Cards pack. I have used a little artistic license with Day 73's challenge at 365 Cards to use Circles (flowers or circular gems) Scallops (handcut border on panel) and bling (gems and glitter) Hope this is acceptable Amy :)

I'm going to try and see if I can get a nice photo of it in daylight tomorrow as you just can't see the sparkle very well and it's such a shame as the card is really pretty but the scan just doesn't do it justice at all.

Inspirational Card Sketches 15 & 365 Cards Day 68

This is another card I made on Saturday at the crafty meet up. I have used sketch 15 from Inspirational Card Sketches for the layout and Day 68's challenge at 365 Cards to make a card including or inspired by candy.

In the UK candy is referred to as a sweet, but also a dessert is often called a sweet too so I have incorporated both into this card.

The papers are from the freebie book of papers that came with Cardmaking & Papercraft magazine. The image of the icecream sundae was part of a page that I have cut this design from. I have matted it onto some scrap red card.

The swirls are by Doodlebug. The glittered chipboard sentiment came from a craft pack at Poundland and has tiny HOTP brads. The glittered candy shape is DCWV and looks just like the strawberry sauce swirled around the icecream. Since taking this photo I have also added dimensional glaze to the sauce and the cherry which makes it glisten a bit more. 

ICS, Cuttlebug & 365 Cards Challenges

I've got another 3 challenges in one card with this tag shaped beauty.

The layout is courtesy of sketch #  8 over at Inspirational Card Sketches. I have never created a tag shaped card before and thought it would make a nice change. It also game me the oportunity to punch a gromlet for the 1st time with my Cropodile Big Bite. I am pleased to say that it worked 1st time and was so easy to set. The size of the card is just under A5 so it's a nice size. I have made myself a little template so I can do this type of card again with all the measurements already worked out. All the papers used were scraps so another bonus! The patterned papers are from the Laura Ashley collection by Dovecraft and the pink card was a Brenda Walton K & Co leftover.

Cuttlebug challenge #23 is to be creative with punches. I purchased some ribbon threading punches in November 2007 and have only just used them. They are the type where you punch the paper so it's got a funny threading shape in it and then you punch the shape out, in this case a circle. I used offcuts of a rose patterned vellum used on a project a few days ago. I threaded these on a thin strip of black card and then embellished the centres with Papermania gems. Two of the papers were embossed with the Swiss Dots folder and the Divine Swirls.

365 Cards Day 21 was to make a card inspired by the song 'Lean On Me'. The sentiment is a word art download I have had for some time. I always download these things with good intentions but rarely use them. I printed a few off on a thin sheet of A4 card so I will have a few for making cards. I rally should do that more often so they are already to be used.

This is the first week that I have been able to complete ALL the 365 card challenges. I still have 4 of the earlier ones to do which I fully intend to go back to.

365 Cards Day 16 & ICS Sketch # 7

Had a bit of a nightmare of a day today. 1st my graphics card in my computer packed up so Paul has had to take the one out of his and put in in mine :) Good job he's got his Macbook Pro now.

2nd, got a problem with the brakes on the car, had to book it into the garage tomorrow and they are going to do the service at the same time.

3rd, went to the doctors to get my blood pressure checked, admittedly I haven't had it done for a good while (my fault she adds sheepishly....) It is very, very high and doctor is extremely concerned. I had been put on tablets immediately and got to go back next week to be checked. It's taught me a lesson to put my health first and not to put things off. My ex employers made it extremely difficult to take time off for appointments but being made redundant took that problem away so I need to stop making excuses and get a handle on this now. (Don't worry, I've told myself off big time !)

Anyhoo, I visited 365 Cards this morning and challenge 16 is to incorporate sunshine in your card. The little sunflower image was recycled from an old calendar and is my favourite happy smiley sunflower picture. I posted a card a couple of days ago and said I call them happy flowers, this little image is exactly what I mean by that. I used the  sketch # 7 over at Inspirational Card Sketches. I have missed the deadline because of my computer problem, but I don't stand a cat in hell's chance of winning anything anyway so it doesn't really matter. I'm not the best card maker in the world, but I love what I do. There would be no point otherwise would there?

The card blank and sun die cut are from Let's Make Cards magazine, the patterned paper is from the new Clare Curd signature collection from Papermania. Some of the designs in this pad are just gorgeous ! The glittered chipboard letters, cardstock alpha stickers and brown textured card are all DCWV from the QVC drawer sets. In hindsight I think I should have mounted the image on a contrasting card to make it pop out from the paper a bit but I had already stuck the most sticky of 3d pads on the back and they would not budge so it will have to stay as it is I am afraid. 

365 Cards Day 2 & Inspirational Card Sketches # 6

For this card I have used sketch # 6 over at Inspirational Card Sketches and have turned it round to accomodate the tag. I have also incorporated day 2 challenge at 365 Cards where you could use no more than 2 embellishments.

The starting poing was the tag as it was fairly decorative and aleady had a sentiment on it. The tag and the papers are HOTP and are from 2 different citrus packs. The flower is a Prima and the glittered brad is Papermania. I also used the clear glitter pen from Sakura on some of the flowers but it has scanned in really silver for some strange reason. Technology, can't live without it but why won't it do what it's supposed to?