Sketch Challenge - Craftwork Cards

Time for another sketch challenge over at Craftwork Cards - if you love sketches, why not join us on this one?

It is quite a busy sketch, and I wondered at first how I was going to get on with it, but I liked the end result....

I used Ivory and Navy colours for this. The papers are all from Craftwork cards of course, the photo corners are simply 2" squares cut diagonally in half. The leafy corners were cut from the Storybook cartridge at 2".

I cut around four of the flowers on the patterned paper. Everything was popped off the card with foam pads. The sentiment circle was put inside a great little frame - I found these in Poundland (a UK shop similar to the dollar stores in the USA). I got six vintage looking 'metal' frames, which are as light as a feather, all for £1. I do love a bargain.


As you read this, I am in the Lake District for a couple of days, far away from any sort of internet connection - I will be back..............................................

Daisies and Scrolls

The inspiration for this card is totally down to the lovely Julie Hickey, head of the design team over at Craftwork Cards. I saw a card of hers at the NEC with a split centre, and couldn't wait to try it out.

I covered the front of a 6 x 6 card with paper from Wild Raspberry (K & Co), then chopped about 1 1/2" from the middle. The daisies are from the Walk in my garden cartridge, cut at 2" and layered, and the scroll is from storybook - one of the borders.

The sentiment was just cut from the paper 'happy days filled with summertime and you...........'

So I just joined the two halves together again with the scroll and daisies, it holds together surprisingly well. I coloured the pearls to match just by running a copic marker over them
Would you believe that it's snowing in Scotland and the north of England? Apparently we can look forward to arctic blasts of icy winds for the rest of the week. Hey weather, this is supposed to be Spring

I have been busy catching up with challenge and team cards, I am up to date now for this week, and feeling all virtuous.

Special Birthday Card

Anne asked me to make a special card for a close friend Beth, who has a milestone birthday coming up next week. Now Beth is elegance personified, so I tried to make a card that would complement this, and used these Martha Stewart papers in shades of a bronzey gold and aqua. The letters were cut using the Storybook cartridge at 2 1/2" and dotted with some glittered prima flowers.

Yes, I have finally finished unpacking and was able to get organised to make this card last night. It's quite disorientating because I have forgotten where everything is kept here, so keep rummaging in drawers to find stuff. I had a minor panic when I couldn't find my nestabilities, they had been tucked into a little side pocket of a case and got overlooked. I have doubles of all the heavy items - cricut, cuttlebug etc, but the nesties, embossing folders, cartridges etc do the journey with me. So now, all my stuff is around me, and all I need to do is to get cracking on some cards.........

Get Well Cards for Polkkadoodles - and some news.....

On Polkadoodles this week, the challenge (set by me!) is to use a bug of some sort on your get well card, and to use an alternative to ribbon - string, raffia etc. I cut a random leaf shape out, and nibbled away at it with punches to look as if the bugs have been chomping on it.

I added some string, a couple of lulu ladybirds off the Sugar Birdies CD and dropped blobs of glossy accents here and there. The flower is one of Polkadoodles stampies
I made another one as well, to show that the papers from the CD can make elegant cards as well as funky ones. Here I cut a swirl from the ice blue swirl paper, and cut two butterflies using the cuttlebug cut and emboss butterflies. I printed the kiss paper out in blue onto vellum which I cut with the storybook cartridge

then used two strips of lace by Rusty Pickle to finish it off. The little sentiment is by Hero Arts

and now some news. The design team over on Funky Hand are excited about a new challenge blog we are starting on the 1st August. The challenges will be monthly, and there will be a prize (a beautiful BIG fabulous prize) every month for the lucky winner, plus freebie downloads and all sorts of other fun things. Are you ready to Get Funky?

I have just had a lovely phone chat with my teamie from Funky Hand and Polkadoodles, Kath. We nattered on for over an hour, it was lovely. I could hear the hooligan Buddy barking while we were on the phone, guess what, it was the postie with another craft delivery. Now there's a surprise.....

Wedding Card - Mojo Monday

I made this wedding card following a sketch on Mojo Monday. The scalloped card blank and bronze paper is by Craftwork cards, distressed with bronze cats eye ink. I stamped the flowers, from an old set by Stampin Up (mixed bouquet) in embossing ink then brushed with gold perfect pearls. The butterfly was cut at 2" from the storybook cartridge, first in gold and then cream, which I ran through the cuttlebug using swiss dots, and brushed with the bronze ink pad, then added a few swirls of pearls to finish it off. I made the tassel myself out of some metallic thread, thought it made a change from a bow.

I have had computer problems today, and spent the whole day sorting it out, I have been on the phone to Indian call centres for most of the day, then had to dash out and buy a new router. Now bear in mind that I have only a very hazy idea of what a router does, and Popeye the sailor man is still cavorting around the Greek Islands, so this was not an easy task. I discovered that standing looking helpless in the middle of the shop doesn't work any more (oh, where did my youth go, and when did I become invisible.....) Then I came home to call India again, only to find that I had bought the wrong thing. Back to the shop to give the spotty youth who served me a ********** (insert your own expletive here, it will be one I used I promise), and finally with much help from some patient internet thingy called a wizard (why not a witch I wonder..), got back online, but only the one computer works, the laptop should pick up the router signals and doesn't. I give up.

I have added a little search button to the blog, so if you are looking for a particular card, try typing in a word or two that you think describes it and it may bring it up for you, although I have my doubts about that - let me know if it works.

BBTB Blog Hop and Cute Daisy May Challenge

Today we have a blog hop going on over at Bitten by the Bug, hop around all the design team blogs, and every time you leave a comment you will be entered in a draw to win the download shown on each blog from the Cutting Cafe. The download to win here is this sweet Candy Box, it takes 12 mini chocolate bars, and the download even has the little wrappers on it. You can make it with a window aperture, or as shown here, plain. We all had to use this label from the Storybook cartridge as well, it's the one on the page with the number 3 on it. I used chipboard cherries from Heidi Swapp, and the sentiments are by studio G.

In addition to the download, I am going to send my winner 12 fabric cats/ladies as seen on my fabric cards. I know that some of you have had a hard time finding the Loralie fabric, so here is your chance to win a few. I will draw the winner by random org on Friday, 22nd May so leave your comment by thursday night to be in with a chance.

Now hop over to Heather's blog to see her take on the challenge, and to follow the blog hop

Cute Daisy May

Here is my card for the Cute Daisy May challenge this week. The theme is Springtime/flowers. I paper pieced Daisy (printed her out twice, once on white cardstock, then onto a pattern paper with a tiny floral pattern, cut out her outfit and pieced it onto the white base. I thought she looked a bit pensive, so I turned it into a Thinking of You card. The sentiment it from my faithfull studio G acrylic stamps.
I would be so thrilled if you can take part in the Cute Daisy challenge, Linnie the artist is such a lovely person and it would be so great to have entries from you. You don't even have to use a cute Daisy image, and you can combine it with another challenge or two. The winner each week gets the cute blinkie on my sidebar, and a free download of their choice. Hope to see you there....

Circle and Scallops for The Pink Elephant

The challenge on The Pink Elephant this week is to use circles and scallops. I wanted to do something a bit different and used this circle with a scalloped border from the Storybook cartridge. I threaded a strip of pattern paper through it (Bo Bunny) and decorated the strip with sequin ribbon (rusty pickle). The background was stamped using Stampin Up's Dream a Little set. I cut flowers from the paper and put some unravelled black fuzzy wool behind them then dotted a few gems around.

Talking of challenges, don't forget to pop over to Cute Daisy May and have a go at making a card with their cute sketch - you don't have to use their images, and you can win a free download. It's a new site so you have a good chance of winning.

Get Well Wishes

This card turned into a bit of a marathon. I wanted to use the icon on page 40 of the manual (wildcard) and cut the black lacy sheet at 5". It didn't cut quite big enough to cover my base 5" x5" card, so I scratched my head a bit and put a broad ribbon down the side. It started to look quite pretty, but I really had no idea where I was going with this card. I cut two of the shaped labels from storybook, at 3" in red, and 2 3/4" in white, the sentiment is by Great Impressions.

I had to pretty it up, so I punched three black flowers and added the red gems, the card still didn't work, so I added some red and gold beads strung onto fine gold wire, some tiny gold beads to the centres of the lacy background, and at last it came together. Good grief, I could have decorated the living room in the time it took to create this one!

Anniversary Card

I made this card with one of the frames from the storybook, 7 with the card frame ON, and lined the inside with acetate. I dotted gems along a few of the swirls. The flower was cut on silhouette (george cartridge) and I backed it with a scrap of real crunchy lace. A pretty brad (papermania) in the centre and I was done. The inside sentiment is Happy Wedding Anniversary. I really like these frame cards, and haven't used them enough. The card is 5" square, and the flower was cut at 3", first in black, then in hot pink. The white flower in the centre is cut from a strip of felt fusion.

I won't bore you with the heating saga, except to say I am still not toasty warm, and even as I write there is much banging and clattering in the garage where the new boiler is being installed today. The man hasn't done the sharp intake of breath once today, I think he is leaving that for us to do when we get the bill. Hey ho.........it's only money she sobbed.

Chipboard Challenge for Basic Grey

Over on the Basic Grey challenge site this week, the brief was to use chipboard on the card. I used Sultry papers, the bright pink piece on the left hand side was cut with storybook, using the marquee 2 cut, I cut at 4" then cut it in half. The brown scroll is from accent essentials, and the chipboard buttons are from a pack I picked up in Michaels dollar bins before I came home. They are by colorbok. I cut the marquee again for the sentiment, which is by great impressions. I do love Basic Grey papers, and those little 6 x 6 packs are such an affordable way to get your hands on them.

Thanks for all the emails with good wishes for Max. I am happy to say that he is out of hospital and seems full of beans. I am going to look after him for three days, so will probably be on my knees by Wednesday :)

A Storybook Butterfly for 2 Sketches 4 You

This card was made for the challenge this week over on Laura and Kazan's 2 sketches 4 you. I haven't had the time to do any challenges for almost a month now, so I enjoyed getting back into the swing. Lots of sewing and bling on this one, the papers are by SEI, making memories black chipboard swirl and the butterfly was cut with the 'hole' option at 3". I took a few liberties with the sketch (that's why I love sketches, they are such a great kick-start to your creativity).

I ventured down to the town centre today, here, in the UK, we usually only have sales twice a year, in January and July, unlike in the US when there are sales almost every weekend. So it's serious stuff here, especially when there is a huge credit crunch going on. The behaviour of people is always a source of great amusement to me, and never more so than watching two women having a tug-of-war with a cashmere sweater, seeing a wife turn to her husband and saying in withering tones 'Really Peter, you are SO naive!' Don't know what the poor guy had done, but he looked like a whipped puppy as he followed her out of the store. Then there were the ranks of men, sitting on chairs, waiting for their significant other to emerge out of the changing rooms, with glazed expressions on their faces. Boy, if those men had a 'beam me up' button, they would have used it. Does anybody else have the urge to go up to people who are trying stuff on and looking truly awful in it and say 'please don't do it, you will regret buying that for ever'. I don't of course, just think it. There was a woman trying on a plain, boring, navy blue anorak (a short waterproof jacket for US friends) who turned to me and asked if I thought it looked good (she obviously saw a woman of impeccable taste when she saw me :), she kept me there for at least five minutes, wittering on about the fit, the colour, the pockets. Oh please, it's not a designer jacket, it's a bloody anorak. Of course, I am too nice to say anything and stood there offering advice about the merits of buttons over zips.

House Mouse Card - Twinkling H2O for DCM

The dare on Daring Cardmakers this week is to use paint on your project. This house mouse stamp by Stampabilities is called Feeling Breezy and is one of those BIG stamps that I always have problems with, it measures 5" x 3 1/2", purchased in a buying frenzy at a used stamp sale. I coloured in with Prismacolour pencils, all my early training as a little girl of carefully colouring inside the lines coming in useful with this one. I painted over the flowers and leaves with some shimmery white H2O paints. As the stamped image filled most of the card, I just managed to squeeze in some scalloped layers, done with the Cricut and mini monograms, and added a pretty leafy border cut from the Storybook cartridge. This type of card is not really my style, but hey, I had to use that stamp someday............

Flower Frame Card from Pooh for BBTB

This week the design team were asked to use the flower frame from the Pooh and Friends cartridge. The diversity of designs was amazing. Take a look HERE
I used Bo Bunny papers and cut the frame at 3", scattered some liquid pearls about and cut a butterfly from the Storybook cartridge.

It can be quite entertaining to be a Brit living part-time here in the USA. The nice thing is that everyone loves our accent - I can be talking absolute rubbish as usual, and everyone hangs on to every word because of the accent. I find that if I say 'Cheerio' everyone loves it, so I say it often just for effect - never say it back in the UK! I do get asked the same questions over and over again, in stores, coffee shops, hairdressers, so here is my list of frequently asked questions, FAQ's and the answers:
FAQ #1 What is the Queen Really Like? - Well, like most of her loyal subjects, I have never actually met the Queen. However, just in case she is reading this blog, Hi Liz, I'll be round at four, can we skip tea and meet at Starbucks, make mine a large latte.
FAQ#2 Is Charles really Happy with Camilla? - Who knows, who cares?
FAQ#3 Do we really eat kidneys - Well yes, we do. If you have never tasted steak and kidney pie, you are missing out on one of the great gastronomic delights of life. The trick is to ignore what the former function was of whatever you are eating - a bit like not thinking about cows when you are munching into a Big Mac.
FAQ#4 How do we get around with all that fog? - Tip: Stop reading Charles Dickens and maybe take up Harry Potter instead. We stopped having fog when they passed a clean air act about 60 years ago. Now we just have rain instead, you're right about that.
I won't go into the Diana conspiracy theories or whether Tony Blair is a nice man....................So there you go, everything everybody wants to know about the UK, cheerio for now