Card for Ellie

I made this card for my daughter, who is doing something very exciting at the moment and living away from home for the first time.  We are awaiting exam results in August so I'm getting ready -  and, no matter the outcome I am very proud of all she has achieved over the last two years.  As she is 18, this card also meets the criteria forSt Luke's Charity Cards Challenge, where they are asking for cards for teenagers.

I chose some of her favourite things (see the little shoe?) , and,yes, that is a real i-tunes card.  I popped it up on dimensionals after mounting it on some foil paper cut out into a big note shape using my Big Shot and matching lime green cardstock. The ribbon and bow are made from some beautiful SU organdy ribbon in Lucky Limeade and I stamped a little 'Well Done', which is a bit understated, but she doesn't like a fuss!
August 6th - just found out this card was a runner up in the challenge, I'm chuffed to bits!

Brads,Brads, Brads

I was really happy when I saw the challenge for this week at 52 {Christmas} Card Throwdown was to use brads because I LOVE brads!  All shapes, all sizes, all colours - they are all there in my stash box and this was a great excuse to use them!
I wanted the brads to be the focal point, rather than just an embellishment, and with this Christmas tree design I think that's just what I've done. It could be a single tree or a forest of trees! I have used a gate fold card and used decorative paper and glitter borders to set off the tree/forest, which I cut out of gold mirri card. The star, trees and trunk are all brads and then I mounted the gold card onto green card to hide the backs of the brads.  Inside the card I have used a matching paper with Christmas greeting text - a freebie from a magazine from a while back. As a last bit of bling I have added a few gold gems.

Pear Pizazz

I am hooked to CAS at the moment and have another card for you to look at.  This time it's for the  Casology Challenge with the cue 'Fruit' to inspire us. I used a SU stamp from a set called Faith in Nature - this beautiful pear is set against text and I stamped it in Real Rock.

I coloured the pear by sponging and mounted it onto Pear Pizazz card stock. Quickly said, but I stamped and coloured the image at least four times before I was happy with the result! One of my other favourite things at the moment is this paper twine which I have used to create a tie and bow. Here is a close up of the pear, I think it looks ripe and juicy.Nothing else added, in the true spirit of CAS!

CAS with Buttons

Day two of the holidays and already I'm at it again...my addiction to card making I mean.  Speaking of addiction, this one is for the CAS challenge at Addicted To Stamps this week.

I used buttons pressed into mouldable foam to make the background, which I stamped using my Big and Juicy ink pad. I found a sentiment in my stash and added a button, tied with some paper twine.  Quick, clean and simple!

Off now to a recycling jewellry workshop with my Mum.

Back In Black

Ooooo, the summer holidays are here and I can craft all day long if I want to!
Anyway, this morning started off with a clear out and ,of course, you find all those things you've forgotten about, like black card blanks for the Cas-ual Fridays Back in Black challenge this week. This is what I came up with

I used some glue outlines and added red foil to make the gifts. Does it have a little too much bling for a CAS card, with those silver bows and little star?  I'll leave that up to you to decide, but I rather like it!

Button Wreath

I love a Christmas wreath on the door - one year I didn't even take it down after Christmas! Anyway, the theme at 52 {Christmas} Card Throwdown is, you've guessed it, wreathes. I knew that I wanted to use buttons, but this turned out completely different to the card I had in my mind. I have added lots of layers of buttons, punched frondy leaves, snowflakes, stars and bling to give the impression of depth, like a real wreath - right down to the silver 'hook' by which to hang it from your door. The stripey paper was chosen to reflect the colour combo of purple, green and red and I used a tent fold card base again to highlight the 'real' feel of the wreath.
I am entering this card into the challenge at Sarah Hurley Challenges, where they are asking for any project featuring buttons and Paper Play Challenges, for Christmas in July

Purple and Yellow Pansies

Firstly, I apologise for the quality of the photograph- my laptop has 'died' and I'm working from my husband's netbook -can't tell you what we call it at home but it's not nice! Anyway, I have had this card made for a couple of days but I can't wait any longer to post it!
When I saw the colour theme at Make My Monday this week was Purple and Yellow, I immediately thought of a card I made back in the spring, before I got into blogging, for my Mom's birthday.  I had made some pansies out of the SU Butterfly punch in various pansy colours, including purple and yellow. So I set about making another pansy card, this time just keeping to the challenge colours.  I stamped a frame in the centre, using my Wisteria Wonder ink pad, added a little purple gingham tag with a bow and layered on the flowers, using two shades of purple for the blooms and tiny yellow brads for the centres.  I have stamped a very simple sentiment in the corner and have even used a purple card blank!

Sun

I just found a new challenge blog- Casology where they put up a cue card and off you go! The cue card for this week said 'Sun'.Well, we've seen so little of it I was inspired to make this warm, jungle/oriental one layer card. I stamped and coloured the parakeets and then masked them whilst I brushed in the sun, using my Big and Juicy Sunset ink pad.  The bamboo is made with my Promarkers, leaving each stroke on for a second to make the joints in the stems. A little Hello sentiment from the SU Pennant parade set and it's all finished, very quickly! A true 5 minute card.

Blue Baubles

Over at 52 {Christmas} Card Throwdown it's a colour challenge this week, with a wintery white, black and a splash of blue theme. Pop on over and look at the other fantastic cards from the DT,   (as if you need any further encouragement)!



 The Festive Branch stamp I have used for my card was given to me by another member of the DT, Jacqueline, last year, and whilst it may have been around for a few years it's still really one of my favourites. I stamped the image and then heat embossed with black sparkly embossing powder.
I used liquid pearls to make snowflakes, and the splash of blue is added by the sentiment and some little fabric butterflies that come from a ribbon of rainbow coloured butterflies- I just snipped off the blue ones. The Whisper White cardstock is mounted onto some black and white Papermania card, and I've used a pale blue card blank.  Someone also gave me the roll of black satin ribbon and it's been so useful! Here, I've just tied a simple bow and used a glue dot to stick in on the corner of my card.

A Cascading colour challenge

This card has been two days in the making! I started with the challenge at Technique Tuesday where there is a fab tutorial on how to make cascading cards. I have made a couple, and they are so amazing! Then, I combined it with the Secondary Colours (purple, orange and green) theme at Make My Monday. I wanted the overall effect to be like a gift, so I started with the orange twine bow.  I found everything in my stash which were the required colours, including a few Fimo buttons and flowers that I'd made myself a while ago. I used double sided Papermania card to make the card base and punched out a few butterflies using my SU butterfly punch - a recent purchase.  It was then just a case of putting it all together, which I did this morning, over at a friends' house, where we had coffee and crafted for a couple of hours. Lovely!!
Thanks for the good wishes yesterday, re my daughters' leaving ceremony.  Here is a picture of us going off for the day.  We had a lovely time, but now she's officially 'left' school....sniff, sniff...

A Little Blue Bird

I have often looked at the challenges on Casual Fridays and they are always brilliant and I always miss the deadline! Now, with 8 hours to go I've made it! The challenge was to use text and so I used a new stamp from Waltzing Mouse stamps to create the  background.  I thought of the words of the sentiment and  they went well with the idea.  I used my 2 step bird punch from SU and added a little shiney blue eye as my token 'bling' Here's a close up the little bird..

I made the whole thing in blue to fit another challenge from Addicted to Stamps which is a new challenge blog with some fantastic, inspirational ideas- have a look for yourself.
Got to dash now, daughter's leaving ceremony and I am running late...........

Oh Christmas Tree

This is my first DT project for the 52 {Christmas} Card Throwdown challenge as I join the team in July.  It's a brilliant challenge based on this sketch ; 

My card was inspired by the paper with the words to the internationally renowned song 'Oh Christmas Tree'. I followed the colours in the paper, making three panels matted onto green cardstock. I stamped three trees from the Season Of Joy stamp set from SU, glittering up some of the detail, and adding the sentiment and flourish. I layered them on some Whisper White card stock with a piece of washi tape across the bottom to follow through with the music theme. Pop over to the challenge and see the other cards from the DT for more ideas and inspiration

Primary Thank You

I was sent home early from work today as they are worried that the roads might flood, but I'm not complaining as it gave me some time to create this little thank you card for the Make My Monday challenge. I have never used this combination before, nor had I used the embossing folder, which was an impulse buy in a sale a while ago, so I'm doubly pleased with this one! Here's a little close up of that flower...

I made up the sentiment by combining a couple of stamps.  First try I stamped in blue on the yellow card and it came out green...doh! So, I just used my black.  The brad is lush, don't you think? I think it would be a perfect card for a teacher thank you, but sadly my kids are past that stage now, oh well, will have to think of someone else to give it to.
Stay dry!!

Coffee and Cream Birthday card

I needed to make a card for one of the ladies at our craft club, who is celebrating a rather special birthday later this month, and when I saw the challenge at One Stop Craft Challenge was Coffee and Cream I started planning this one.  It is a tent fold card made from kraft cardstock and I've used some Papermania matching papers, buttons, ribbons and giant die cut flowers to set off the sentiment.  The brad in the centre of the flower was made by cutting a circle out of the paper and colouring in the flower with promarkers.  I have also used my markers to colour the acetate heart shape coffee colour. I shall give it to her when we have coffee (and may be some birthday cake!) at our next meeting.