Another Just Bex challenge

A very good friend of ours has just left where we work to make a huge lifestyle change, part of which is to spend more time sailing which is one of his passions.

This card was made to tie in with the tearing challenge on Just Bex.

I used a Sizzix die to cut out the boat and embellished with DCWV paper for the sail. The anchor, sunshine and sentiment are from Let's Make Cards stash.

The 'waves' were formed from papers torn on a Fiskars edge tearer, a free gift from subscribing to a magazine years ago and never before used !

The patterned paper is from a Papermania inspirations pack, and the other papers are vellum from Paperchase who do big sheets of vellum wrapping paper and I bought loads of colours from them.

The likkle man is Sizzix bity shapes which I bought from Ebay some time ago. I don't use them very often and as there are so many dies you would need to buy I felt this was the most economical way of buying them.

6th Wedding Anniversary

Friday was our 6th Wedding Anniversary.

Basically I was dreading turning 30 and we were going on holiday to America, one of those 3 centre holidays New York, Las Vegas & Los Angeles. It had been booked for ages and 6 weeks before we were due to go he announces that we are getting married in Vegas on my 30th Birthday.

After picking up jaw from floor my task was to get it booked and it was to cost less that getting married at the Stratosphere hotel where we were staying.



All told our wedding cost £500, photos, outfits, ceremony etc all in and it was the most wonderful and romantic day and passed without a hitch.

This is the card I made to celebrate our anniversary which tied in with a challenge on the Just Bex forum. I love it when I can do a 2 in 1 card !

I made it as a 3 layer card so the hearts were cut like windows getting ever smaller.

Layer one at the top the stamped image is a Penny Black from a forum swap.


The hearts were cut using a Fiskars template. The top layer is a vellum paper that I bought at the NEC. The other gems were used to hold the paper down at the corners and hid a bit of adhesive.

The second layer is a card insert with another heart cut out and the sentiments are DCWV rub ons.

The third layer is the inside of the insert with another rub-on and the domed sticker is Papermania to add texture and make it really stand out.

Happy Birthday to Me

Have just celebrated my 36th birthday and been having a wonderful weekend.

Have had some smashing pressies and some wonderful cards and feel very, very lucky indeed. My husbad has arranged for me to have a makeover session with a photo shoot which I am really excited about and my bits are on the way to have a computer upgrade.

Celebrations have lasted all weekend and I feel like I have a neverending birthday.

I am a very lucky lady :)

Di Hickman Sketch September # 2

Needed to make a birthday card for the 10 year old girl next door so used Di Hickman's September # 2 sketch as inspiration and it also ties in nicely with a older Just Bex challenge.

The backing paper and brown flower paper is HOTP from the most recent QVC TSV cardmakers pack. The other 2 papers are Making Memories Cosmopolitan. The ribbon is Papermania layered on some metallic paper from the HOTP kit. The flowers are Sizzix die cut at the top and Prima'a at the bottom. Gems are from Poundland and the sentiment is a rub-on from Lets Make Cards

Just Bex Challenge Trimming the Tree 5

This card is a mixture of the old and the new.

The sentiment and the image are from old Christmas cards. The backing paper is from DCWV and the embossed snowflakes are a sizzlits embosslits die which cuts and impresses at the same time. These are highlighted with a little silver ink to make the pattern a bit more defined.

When I was off work with my back I plonked myself in front of the TV and cut loads of shapes and embossed loads of Cuttlebug folders ready for Chrismas cards si it was nice to have them to hand.

Just Bex Challenge Trimming the Tree 4

This card uses my favourite Cuttlebug embossing folder, the snowflakes are bootiful, and highlighted with a little ink they stand out that little bit more.

The backing paper is DCVW. The tree is a decoupage made from 2 of the same images from recycled Christmas cards. This is mounted on corrugated cardboard for added texture.

The ribbon is the printed flocked stuff that Papermania brought out last Christmas that I hadn't used yet and the sentiment is one from my old stash and I know I got it from the NEC but have no idea who from !

Just Bex Challenge Trimming the Tree 3

This is a less is more card, something very unusual for me ! I don't tend to do classy and sophisticated and great admire people who do it so effortlessly.

There is a lot of blank space that is just screaming for something to be stuck on it !

This card is a mini DL size with a Magic Motif Tree, green embossing powder and gold 3D paint for the baubles.

The sentiment is a Letraset rub-on

Just Bex Challenge Trimming the Tree 2

Card 2 uses a Dovecraft backing paper overlaid with a Craftwork cards printed vellum.

The tree is a 3D embellishment recycled from an old Christmas card.

I am lucky that I work with some great people who give me their cards after the event and I get some great bits and pieces to use on my cards.

I like to do my bit for the environment where I can, and free crafty stuff can't be too bad either :)

Just Bex Challenge Trimming the Tree 1

This challenge was to make 5 christmas cards, but they all had to have a tree on them.

Card 1 uses DCWV backing paper, the sentiment is from an old Christmas card and it is embellished with brads from the Lakeland January sale

These are the first Christmas cards I have made. usually I am starting making them at the end of November so this is all a bit strange for me !

A Double Challenge Card

This card fulfils a challenge from Just Bex and also Di Hickman. The layout is Di's and Bex's was to use Spots, Stripes and Waves

The background paper and card are from a freebie with Crafts Beautiful magazine. The flowers are Prima's, the brads are HOTP and the chipboard shape was from Poundland. The rub on sentiment is a Rotal & Langnickel one that was a bugger to release off the backing sheet.

Just Bex Challenge O's & X's

Been catching up with challenges on Just Bex. This one was to make a card using a template as a guide with a O's & X's background.

The background was made from 2 DCWV Peeking posies papers with silver tape over the joins. The stamped butterfly is one that I bought from Stamping Caz when she was having a shop clear out. This was layered on holographic card which was from a paper hanky box. The card is embellished with gems from Paperchase.

I'm loving doing these challenges :)

Happy Birthday Phil

2nd Aston Villa card made for a very good friend's birthday in a couple of days. Happier with this 2nd attempt as I have tweaked the template and the shape is a lot crisper. I used the same chipboard letters as last time but I'd run out of some of the white letters and had to paint some of the other ones white. I also trimmed them down so they look more like the font the sponsors use. I also added a label at inside of the neckline and a Nike Swoosh. I suppose I should have a go at the Birmingham City strip to keep the other Brummie team happy !

16th Birthday Commission

I was commissioned to make a girly card for a 16 year old and I had to include her photo in it - this is what I came up with.

I used DCWV Peeking Posies cardstock for the main background and cut the 16 from chipboard. I made a template from the Arial font at 500 for a finished A5 size card and covered the chipboard with HOTP paper from the Garnet Cardmakers pad.

I used alphabet beads for the name on the '1' and secured with wire through the flower and shape.

I used the most Prima flowers ever in one card, 40 in total and secured them with brads through the shapes. These are on 3d foam to raise them. The paper was embellished with some tiny Papermania gems and a birthday sentiment.

This also ties in nicely with one of the older challenges on Just Bex which I am planning to work my way through !

I've Been Tagged

I've been tagged by Leigh



1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car) Butch Punto

2.YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (fav ice cream flavor, favorite cookie) Lemon Meringue Oatmeal-Raisin

3. YOUR "FLY Guy/Girl" NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of your last name) ACRU

4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal) Pink Pig

5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born) Jane Leeds

6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first) Amaja

7. SUPERHERO NAME: (2nd favorite color, favorite drink put "The") Black Coffee

8. NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers) Gerald Cliff

9. STRIPPER NAME: ( the name of your favorite perfume/cologne, favorite candy) Paris Chocolate

10.WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother's & father's middle names ) None Stuart

Everyone seems to have been tagged lately so I am not going to nominate anyone.

Well chilled out and relaxed

Yesterday my MIL and I went to Eden Day Spa at Hoar Cross Hall. My hubby had given me £100 of vouchers for my birthday last year and they were about to run out.

I had a lovely massage using lovely Thalgo oils. It was very relaxing and I almost fell asleep ! I previously was never the kind of person who was interested in being messed about with, going to the hairdressers was torture enough so the thought of a massage was not appealing in the least. This was until I had a massage in Gran Canaria last year and I was a changed person forever.

The one thing I have always wanted to do is go in a flotation tank. The thought of being in a totally dark enclosed space and floating with relaxing music is something that I have wanted to do ever since I saw it on one of those spa programmes on satellite TV years ago. OH had found out that Hoar Cross Hall did it and that is the reason why he gave me the vouchers. I couldn't book it until I got there so there was SOME doubt that I would not be able to do it, but I am glad to say that I was able to. It was the most wonderful experience and I just totally switched off while I was in there.

The food was fantastic, it was like being in a 5 star restaurant and the facilities throughout the whole spa were wonderful. If anyone gets an opportunity to go it is well worth it.

OH got me a Tom Tom as I am not good going to new places, but that made it so much easier and getting there and back was a breeze. It made me a lot more relaxed knowing I hadn't got to keep referring to maps and when I got back home I was really chilled out and still grinning like a cheshire cat.

The deal from Paul was I had to be able to drive myself to the Spa and as I kept failing my driving test and time was knocking on I was getting more and more doubtful that I would be able to do it. My confidence is growing all the time as I expand my abilities and I feel so much more positive about myself and how far I have come.

Today I feel like a new person and cannot tell you how good that feels.

Aston Villa Shirt

This card has been made for Paul's uncle who is a huge Aston Villa fan.

It is hinged at the top of the neck so it can stand up.

I used claret card to cut the shirt shape and layered with the blue arms and the stripes and neckline in the colours of the club shirt. I printed a small emblem on photo paper and used chipboard letters to add the club sponsor and name on the back of the shirt.

It is not an exact copy of the shirt as the font isn't right, some of the sponsor info is missing and I missed off the Nike 'swoosh' but it is a pretty good facsimile of the real thing.

When I showed it to Paul he just said WOW. I have never had such a strong reaction from him so know I have done well. As I know many Villa fans I am sure I will be making more of these and improving on the design.

Sam's 30th

It's Sam who we work with's 30th birthday and I was asked to make a large card that everyone could sign as they had done a collection.

This card WAS going to be about 8" square but the size of the chipboard letters dictated that it was going to be a finished A4 size. I am fortunate that there is a small art shop in Birmingham and they had 300gsm A3 card in white and black so I bought a pack of each as I usually get asked to make A4 size photo collage cards when someone leaves. My hubby Paul is generally known as the unofficial company photographer at work's functions and over the years we have built up quite a collection of staff members both past and present.

The card was covered in DCWV Peeking Posies, the chipboard letters are from THAT QVC scrapbooking kit. The '3' is formed from Primas decorated with Paperchase stones. The '0' is glitter cardstock cut with a Sizzix die, backed with 2 sizes of Flowerz and held together with a HOTP big brad and rub on.

The candle is from Asda, the present sticker is Papercellar and the cake was from Home Bargains.

There are about 30 of us all going to Leicester for the weekend later today. We are going out for a meal and will go out nightclubbing so it should be a good night !

Happy Birthday Donna

September is a very busy month for me birthday wise with all 3 kids next door's birthday's within 5 weeks spanning end of August to end of September. This is the card I made for Donna who is a funky 22 year old.

The backing paper is from an issue of Let's Make Cards. The 'D' was made from printing out a font at 450 points, placing template onto chipboard (back of a writing pad to you and me) and then sticking this to DCWV Peeking posies paper. I then coated with 2 layers of UTEE and sprinkled with glamour dust. The ribbons on the shape are also DCWV.

The complete circle on the backing paper I highlighted the edge with a fineliner and used a Papermania epoxy sticker to embellish. The Prima's are one of my newest purchases which are textured from Craft Obsessions and the pink gems are from Paperchase.

In hindsight I think it would have looked better if I had only used 2 ribbons as you can't really see the shape at the top and bottom, but overall I am very pleased with it.

1 card down, loads and loads to go........

Normal Service has resumed

I have had to pretty much stop doing anything recreational over the last few weeks as I have been studying for a Certification of Professional Competence in Road Transport & Haulage 'affectionately' known in the trade as a CPC.

I have been on a 2 week course and today I have taken my exams - 3 papers in all. As well as doing the classroom based course I have had to do a tremendous amount of studying each night and the whole weekend. I only hope that this has all paid off and I pass they exam.

Unfortunately I won't get the results for about 8 weeks so tonight I'm going to the pub to celebrate and leaving the car at home ;)

This all means I now should have a lot more free time for cardmaking and it's a good job too as September is a very busy month for me as there is a lot of birthdays and anniversaries (including mine)