Circles from Accent Essentials

Regina asked us to use the circle accent from this cartridge. I have to admit I found this a very strange cut, a series of graduated circles. I didn't get much inspiration but then came up with this, the fan is by Stampin Up and the papers are by Papermania. I used pop dots for alternating circles to give them a bit of dimension.

Ballet Slippers Card

These slippers were cut from the Mickey and Friends cartridge. I must say that Minnie Mouse has the oddest shaped feet I have ever seen! I cut off the heels, added some satin laces and made a matching envelope.

The other photo shows why I have not done much crafting this weekend, I have been too busy entertaining my gorgeous little grandson Max, he is adorable and we had so much fun with him. Click on the photo for a close up, he has the most amazing eyes! Or maybe I am just a bit biased.........

Merry and Bright Christmas Card in June!

The challenge over on Daring Cardmakers this week is to make a Christmas card (In June!) so here is one made with the ampersand from the George cartridge cut at 4". The Merry and Bright words were computer generated and the flower is layered primas with a button in the middle.

Shoe Card - Cricut Wedding Solutions

Okay, so it's another shoe - but I so love this cut that I thought I would pop it on here as the sentiment and papers are different, and I guess there may be people popping in who didn't see the green one. The shoe was cut at 4" in black, then the layers in aqua and run through the tiny mosaic cuttlebug folder. The sentiment is a stamp by Great Impressions

Just Dropping You A Line - Cricut Card

I have bought some of these really funny (and cheap) Inkadinkadoo stamps, and used this one with the fish from Animal Kingdom cut at 2". I added some dew drops for bubbles, and some prima flowers.

The scallop border was done with the new Fiskars 'threading water' punch.

Paint the Town Red - female card

The stamp here is by Penny Black, and the background is the city scene from Going Places cut at 4", then shadowed in gold mirri card. I did a bit of paper piecing, stamped the girl on white then again on pink spotty paper.The sentiment is computer generated, and should read paint the town pink given the colours, but it didn't have the same ring! The city background shows up really well against the black card, so I am pleased with the card.

My honey flies home today, arriving back in the UK tomorrow morning, so today will be a whirlwind of tidying and cleaning the house, making it look as if I have been the perfect housewife for three weeks instead of doing non-stop crafting!

Cricut Card - Just a Note

I wanted to make a really nice note card and came up with this. I used the file folder cut from Fabulous Finds at 6", then cut away a strip 1/2" from the top, leaving a tab to one side. I added pattern paper and stitched all round so that the folder is like a pocket to take a note card. Added some ribbon and prima flowers, and I was done. The 'just a note' sentiment is by studio g clear stamps and the little metal tab is by making memories.

Talking of Studio G stamps, UK readers, run, don't walk to Osbornes stationers. They have the latest set of studio G in stock. I am a huge fan of these stamps, it is such a cheap way to get a stock of sentiment stamps and they have all sorts of little flourishes and flowers on them as well.

When You're in a Jam - Inkadinkadoo Stamps

Daring Cardmakers has a simple challenge this week, to make a quick card. This is one that took me 25 minutes to make, using the new clear stamps by Inkadinkadoo. Some pattern paper, a bit of ribbon and I was done.

Chic - Female card, Stamps Happen

This stamp proved to be a real challenge. However I coloured it, it just didn't look right. I tried chalks, prisma pencils, watercolour pencils - in the end I dug out my watercolours and just very sketchily splashed paint across it. I used some twinkling H2O's on her lips and the bottom half and in the end I was satisfied. She reminds me of Jackie O. The background paper is by dovecraft and so is the brad. The stamp is called Chic by Stamps Happen.

I have been working hard on my magazine commissions for Papercraft Inspirations. That involves a totally different way of working really, you have to think not only of new and fresh card designs, but consider how they will photograph, write the article in a specified number of words and work to a deadline. I am loving it. I can be amazingly disciplined when it comes to something I want to do, and amazingly undisciplined when it's something I am not interested in - I have done NO housework since returning from the US nearly 3 weeks ago, my craft supplies have sneaked out of the kitchen where I work and are scattered all over the house. I must have a blitz before Mike comes home on Wednesday.

Happy Everything - Penny Black

Here is a happy little card using a Penny Black stamp. I love the colour combo of green and pink, it always looks so fresh.

The black and white card is from my fellow Funky Hand design team friend, Heather. She has been reading the saga of the snakes in Florida and sent me this card there. The snake is a cuttlebug die, and the background of flamingoes is stamped. Inside, the card read 'From Your Erstwhile Neighbours Mr and Mrs Hiss and the little Hisses'! Hilarious, she made it after I put down the snake away stuff to get rid of them. Thanks Heather, this certainly brightened our day.

Cricut card - Just For You

This is a cut from the Weddings Solution Cartridge, I keep finding things on this that can be used in all sorts of ways. I cut the basket at 4" then cut loads of flowers out to fill it. The paper is by provocraft. The 'just for you' tile was a freebie from a magazine and I love them.

For US readers, there are quite a few card magazines published monthly here in the UK, many more than in the States, and they all come wrapped in polythene with a gift inside. Some gifts are more useable than others! It's a clever idea though, even if it just stops people browsing through the mags in the bookstores then not buying them. There is always an element of excitement when unwrapping the magazine! Needless to say, I buy most of them every month - oh my poor wallet.

Chocolate is Cheaper than Therapy...........

I found this stamp when I was rummaging through my stuff, I totally forgot that I had bought it just before we went to the States in April. Moving backwards and forwards between two countries is always good from that point of view - I totally forget what stamps I have in each place, and it's like seeing old friends when I get back.

Anyway, this is the first outing for this little mouse, I stamped it three times, once on white, once on patterned pink paper, and once on aqua gingham. I cut out the box from the pink, and the bow from the gingham, and pop-dotted them on. The mouse was coloured with watercolour pencils, and I covered the chocolates in diamond glaze to make them glossy. The stamp is called Sweet Slumber by Penny Black. The sentiment is from one of the new Inkadinkadoo $1 stamps.

Fabric Card - Have a Purrfect Day

I found this fabric on sale in Hobbycraft (UK) and thought the little cats were so sweet. The great thing about using fabric is that you only need buy 1/4 of a yard, and you have enough for masses of cards. Look for fabric that has the design in squares, like this one. I just cut around the image, and plastered the back with glue from a glue stick, then stuck it onto white cardstock. When it is dry, you just treat it like any other paper. I added a few dots of stickles to the flowers for a bit of bling.

My nearest Hobbycraft happens to be very close to my sisters house, so we usually find our way there when I go over. My niece, Ffion, started cardmaking about 18 months ago, and this week when I was there, showed me her latest creations. I was blown away, all of a sudden she has found her 'style', and her cards are gorgeous. I am so proud of my pupil. WELL DONE FFION!

Welcome Baby Card - New Arrival

My card for today is just a simple little new baby card using New Arrival. Lots of stitching of course. This sweet pea cut is so cute, I cut it at 3", the sentiment is a clear studio g stamp.

If The Shoe Fits - Buy It In Every Colour!

I bought the Wedding Solutions cartridge JUST for this shoe, isn't it gorgeous? This is the first time I have used it, and I love the cut. I cut the base in black at 4", then the top layer in lime green which I ran through the cuttlebug using the tiny mosaic squares - I get a lot of use out of this folder, it is great for animal stuff and I think looks a bit like the markings on (expensive) leather shoes and bags.

The sewing was done with another new toy. A £50 mini sewing machine from John Lewis. Anyone in the UK looking for a small cheap machine for cards, I can recommend this one. It sews really well on cardstock, just has a few basic stitches, straight stitch at different lengths, and zig zag at different widths. Any wobbly bits are down to me, not the machine! I have a full size machine that is quite old, and it is just so heavy that I can never be bothered to get it out, and since my current passion is sewing on cards, this little machine is perfect, it only weighs 2lbs.

The other great news for me is that my new expression works perfectly. Was there a chance it wouldn't? Well, considering I had it in my hand luggage, without wheels, so slung over my shoulder, and had to run about a mile in Newark airport to get to my connecting flight, there was some disquiet about it in my mind. Not a good thing to do incidentally, security eyed it with great suspicion and puffed stuff all over it to make sure it wasn't an explosive device. They had more chance of me exploding than the cricut. The next day was interesting too - imagine the hunchback of Notre Dame with highlights in his hair and a glazed look on his face - yep, that was me........................................

Flowerpots - Walk in my Garden

This card was made using the border feature on the Walk in my Garden cartridge. The flower pots were run through the cuttlebug using the tiny mosaic folder. I quite like the colours on this one.

You will have noticed I haven't done my usual daily posting this past week, the reason being I had to return to the UK in a rush as my daughter was not well (getting better now). So everything has been incredibly hectic.

When I finally got my craft stuff out again, it was a fairly typical session for me. Stare blankly at the stuff on the table, decide to stamp an image, start colouring before the outline ink is dry, try again, get stazon ink on my new white top, get out my prismacolour pencils and remember that I have left the gamsol in the US. Remember that someone said you can use baby lotion, look at the resulting mess and think again - oh no! baby OIL not lotion - abandon stamping, have a cup of tea, stare blankly at the stuff on the table, get the cricut out, cut flowerpots out at 4" and discover that they are big enough to bath a baby in, have another cup of tea, do a bit more blank staring, cut again at a reasonable size, remember a cute saying stamp and spend half an hour going through my stuff looking for it before I remember it's in America. Finish the card - time for a gin and tonic.

BLOG CANDY CHALLENGE RESULT.............

Well, thanks to over 350 of you who left comments on the blog over the past week. All the names went into the hat, and the winner is

LANA

Congrats Lana - email me with your address and I will get your stamps out to you

Grasshopper Card - Stretch Your Imagination

This week on BBTB Regina asked the design team to use the grasshopper cut from the Stretch Your Imagination cartridge. I cut him at 3" and added some googly eyes. The sentiment was computer generated, papers by making memories.

This took me well outside my comfort zone, not only because I really was lost what to do with this little chap, I also hate all things creepy and crawly, and even when he was looking quite cute in his green polka dots and googly eyes, I could not warm to him at all. That's the fun of being on a design team though, I love the way it forces me to think outside the box.

The greeting was done using the Greeting Card Factory software. I bought it in the UK, but it is an American product. I find it really useful for generating sayings. It has a lot of stuff on it, backgrounds, clip art, poems and sentiments for outside and inside the card. You can put your greeting in a circle, wave, right side up etc etc etc, loads of fonts and colours too. So if you make a lot of cards I think it's a good buy, especially as I am not terribly skilled on the computer. Nice and easy does it for me every time!