Votive candle wraps....

I've been having fun with these candle wraps that I found in Hobbycraft....

Of course, I knew as soon as I saw them that they would not go near a candle in my house, I wanted them for cards. Pretty, intricate, lacy borders, all ready cut out for me, how could I resist?.....

I kept to the 'love theme' for these two cards, but they could just as easily be used for regular birthday cards as you will see tomorrow.....

Anyone want some of these? I have 15 in a pack for someone, and I will throw in this month's copy of Papercraft Inspirations magazine and the freebies that came with it (be sure to check out pages 54 & 55!) If you fancy these, just leave a comment under this post, I will draw a winner on Sunday and let you know on Monday

Three out of four cards done for my next magazine commission. I'm a happy bunny, hopefully the last one will be finished today, then just the dreaded step-by-step instructions to do and they should be in the mail by Wednesday. Result! See you tomorrow x

Happy Wedding

I used Elegant Edges, the new Cricut cartridge, and a Lili of the Valley stamp for this card.

I cut a heart border out of a shell pink Bazzill cardstock for the left edge, the shape on the right edge is one of the book feature cuts, and the image was stamped onto one of the oblong label cuts - see, I told you this was the most versatile cartridge ever. The image didn't need a lot of colouring, but of course I used Promarkers. The base card is a 6 x 6 white card by

Craftwork Cards

Making the card was easier then trying to post it on here - Mr Blogger has been very capricious lately. Note that I make blogger a male - he is just so darned awkward! I decided to put a load of cards I had made into drafts, already for me to add some waffle and publish later. So easy when I am short of time. A good idea don't you think? Well, no, not really. It is easier to start from scratch, Mr Blogger decides to be uncooperative and just won't let me edit posts at all. That makes him very male to me, just unable to cope with multi tasking. So I will go off in a huff to cook the dinner, doing a bit of ironing while I wait for the pasta to cook, wiping the countertops down as I go and talking to a friend on the phone the whole time...........

I will post the winner of the Street Party blog hop tomorrow, be sure to come and see me again to check............

Wedding Card

Here's a wedding card I made for Craftwork Cards. The shaped card base is one of theirs - their blank cards are lovely, such a good weight, this one is BIG - about 8"

All the papers, labels, flowers and sentiments are CWC as well. White is so appropriate for wedding cards, and I love making them. The label sentiment looks crooked in the photo, it isn't, just the angle that I photographed it.

The 'brads' in the centre of the flowers are card candy, little domes of silver cardstock you just stick on
We are looking after a friend's dog, he's quite an old chap now, but the sweetest dog. He is devoted to Mike and follows him everywhere. Mike was out last night, and Jake was really restless, he paced around the study, paced around the hall, paced around the kitchen. I gave him water, let him out...............still pacing. He came and paced as I was making a couple of cards, and eventually gave a great sigh and flopped down. Thank goodness, I thought, and carried on working. Then it popped into my head 'OMG what if he's dead!'. So I stamped my foot a few inches from his head, the poor thing leapt to his feet and resumed his pacing. When Mike came home Jake immediately flopped onto his bed and fell asleep - he obviously thought 'thank heavens I can relax now that the mad woman who always has a pair of scissors in her hand and stamps her feet isn't in charge of me...........

Wedding Card for Caardvarks Challenge

The challenge over on Caardvarks this week is to make a window card. I have had this idea floating around in my head for a while, so decided to have a go and see if it would work. I don't have design studio, so my cricut is just the basic cut and stick. I put a scalloped card base (craftwork cards) on the mat, and using the navigate buttons bought the blade down about an inch, then using the glasses from the Wedding cartridge I cut the shape out of the front of the card using the blackout feature. I practised all this on a sheet of copy paper first.

I edged the glasses and the scallops with gold krylon pen, then ran a square of vellum through the cuttlebug, using the d'vine swirls folder, which I stuck on the back of the aperture. I tied a big blue organza bow at the side to hide the fact that I hadn't exactly centred the glasses, dotted a few pearls and prima flowers around and I was done. I am pleased with the result, as you know I am super-critical of my stuff, but occasionaly a card comes along that makes me think 'not bad' - this is one of those!

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.

The Cutting Cafe - Blog Candy Post Below........

You may have noticed a new blinkie on my side bar, Regina Easter has asked me to join the design team at the Cutting Cafe, her new site where you can purchase printables to download and print. As Regina is one of my crafting heroes, I was delighted to be asked. I already work with her on her BBTB site, those of you who know her work will understand why I admire her so much. This card is made with the big frame, I printed it off and heat embossed the border in black, cut around the edges. Did you know that if you print something onto coated cardstock, the ink stays wet for long enough to emboss it? I then printed the inner, paler pink shaped piece, which fitted perfectly into the shaped card. The lovebirds were cut from the Joys of the Season cartridge at 3", with the blackout feature on. A couple of Martha Stewart punched borders, some ribbon and gems and I was done. These printables are perfect if you love shaped cards, but don't have a die cutting machine, or design studio, and of course you have them tucked away on your computer to use over and over again.

The papers are by DCWV, gems are Papermania.

I printed the frame with the dots again, but decided to use it just as an accent for this card. Such a striking shape, and I love those dots. The sentiment circle is another printable, I punched it out and added a nestability circle behind.

Yes, we have heat, I am toasty warm and happy. Just as well really, as we have a very cold snap coming with some snow expected. Mind you, those of you who live in northern parts of North America would laugh at the miserly sprinkling of snow we get, which inevitably brings the whole country to a grinding halt. Roads are blocked with cars that have skidded on the snow, the trains stop running because of snow on the lines, .....................HELLO, we know that here in the UK we can expect at least one snowfall a year, but we always seem to take a huge collective gasp of surprise when it happens, then collectively fall apart.

Wedding Card

Not much crafting this weekend either, as my little 8 month old grandson has been here to stay, he was so good, it was the first night he had ever spent away from his mummy, and I had no trouble at all.

Last week I had a call from a customer wanting some wedding cards urgently, and would you believe that out of my dozens (hundreds??) of stamps, I don't have any wedding specific ones. Not a champagne glass or cute bride and groom to be seen, so I turned to my trusty cricut and designed a few.

This one is a take on an explosion box I did for a DT challenge over on Regina's site, cut the & in cardstock at 4" from george, then again in red rose paper from HOTP. The 'mr' and 'mrs' are heidi rub ons from MM. The hearts were in my craft supplies.

Turtle Doves Wedding Card

I needed a wedding card for some friends who were married on the 22nd December, and thought the turtle doves from the Joys of the Season cartridge were perfect. I think this cut will be making an appearance for Valentines Day as well.