My new embossing folder...

A kindly person on docrafts, pointed out

an ebay seller who was selling this gorgeous embossing folder...

 

and I knew I had to have one! ( its by Darice...
called "butterflies" i think!)

(Well, it was very close to my birthday, so I got hubby to treat me :) )

I embossed it several times and made each one slightly different...

some have computer generated sentiments,

and some have a stamped sentiment.

Some have butterflies embossed,

or extra, punched butterflies added... with and without gems / sparkle.

I am entering the "with love" butterflies card into
the following challenge...
CAS on Sunday - Flutterby (closes 29/03/13)

The Easter holidays have started! Yipeee!!!!

 I'm SO glad the easter hols are finally here!

 

So...I thought I would make some cards for my "box"...

I have used a few recently, and need some I can just pull out - last minute -

when the need arises. I made this to start with...

I used part of a paper I ha already used and was in my

"paper bits n bobs" folder. I always put the left over pieces and bits in there.

The cute stamp came free, with a card making mag, last month.

Butterflies are punched.

 

I would like to enter this into the challenges...

The perfect sentiment - challenge PSC71 (ENDS 27/03/13)

Card Making Mamas - Spring colours ( ends 29/03/13)





A couple more for Mothers day...

I was asked to make a couple of cards for the weekend...

 

The forst one was for a mum who was recieving a "Charlie Bear" for mothers day.

"Can I have a card to go with the bear?!"

This went down well! Phew!

Image from my pc....decoupaged bear and sunflowers,
(glossy accents added here and there. )

Fanciful flourish swirls.

Punched butterflies.



This card was for an auntie - who is like a mum.

This needed to be floral.

Image from pc...decoupaged tulips,

 on gingham paper from stash,

 with punched butterflies.

 

Both were well received! x

 

 

 

 



2 Mums..2 cards...

One for my Mum,

One for my Mother in Law...

Both - fab mums!

I have made a card for each Mum, each very similar!

I used...

Funky fairies digi paper (no longer online, sadly)

Hunkdory diecut birdcage - a bargain sheet, from Crab Apple crafts...Rosemerry merrys craft shop

at Lady Heyes, in Frodsham. (she and her hubby Nige, are so friendly, welcoming and chatty!)

Punched butterflies...with a little sparkle on their wings!

Handcut pennants.

Floral delights flowers - memory box die....with a little sparkle round the edges!

Computer generated sentiment.

Organza ribbon and gems from stash...had for yonks!

I would like to enter this into the following challenges... 

One stop craft challenge - Mothers Day (closes 08.03.13)

Glitter and Sparkle challenge - Mothers day /Ladies day (closes 09.03.13)
Sincerely Yours creations - Mothers day (closes 12.03.13)

Made in a similar way, using the same embellishments as the first card, 

only I made this one in my personal favourite colour...

a soft lilac. 

I would like to enter this into the following challenges...

Creative creations - Just for Mum ( closes 17.03.13)
Songbird challenge - Mama I Love You (closes 15.03.13)
The Hybrid Chick - Fur or Feathers (closes 15.03.13)

Woop Woop!

Just a quick note tonight, to say....

I made the top 3 in the 

Clear it Out Challenge Blog!!!

I have never got anywhere in any of the challenges I have entered,

so I was really thrilled when I saw this news!

You can visit the challenge blog by clicking on the picture in my sidebar.

xx

Valentines card(s)

 

Thought I had better get round to making Hubbys valentines card!

(and it ended up that I made him two!) 

My friend - Chelle - has challenged me to

start and finish my valentines card, and pop it on my blog

before wednesday night. She is going to do the same.

I'm done.... C'mon, Chelle!

 

 This first card....

I punched some hearts for another card I had in mind, and quickly

realised that the hearts would make a lovely bunting...

and I do so love bunting!!!

I added a craftwork cards stamp in the corner,

 and a few gems.

I finished the card with a little hand-drawn string

for the bunting to hang from.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges...
Daring cardmakers - love is in  the air.
Just add ink - just add hearts
A Gem of a Challenge - hearts / valentines
 

So.... should I give him this one?

Or........

 This is the second card.

I punched the hearts out, inked the edges and mounted each on white.

Then raised them and popped them onto a kraft card,

with a little bow tied, in the new ribbon I bought last wekend...

it's gorgeous... its an organza ribbon, with little silver hearts through it.

The craftwork cards sentiment was stamped in the bottom corner, again.

I would like to enter this card into the challenges...
Charisma Cardz Challenge - Love
 My Sheri Crafts Challenge - Valentines
 

So..what do you think?  The first card, or the second?

I thought the heart bunting would work for so much more than just valentines day...

so I made a similar card...this time with a stamp I got aggggges ago, from QVC.

I thought thius could be suitable for

an engagement, wedding, anniversary...

 

I would like to enter this into the challenges...

Paper Crafting Journey - love

Clear it out - red and white...old stash.

One Stop Craft Challenge - Love is in the air 

 



Bits N Bobs

I made these cards a little while ago...

 

 I was comissioned to make this card...for a friend whose hubby had been in hospital

for heart surgery - this was a thankyou to the staff who had looked after

him and helped mend his heart,...literally!!

She asked for 'the blue "scrubs", a heart , and thankyou' to go on the card.

She loved it!

I made this one for our gorgeous niece ...who LOVES moshi monsters! I didn't

even know what they were, before I started this card!

I feel I know them well, now  :)

I made the image, arranged the characters, and decoupaged some features.

I tried to make it look like they were all holding a banner,

with her name on.

Apparently, she took it into school. to show, in 'show n tell' !

 

 

 

 

 



A little girls birthday

Another commissioned card...

..and I'm really pleased with how this came out. 

It's tatty teddy - as she loves him,

and some pink, blue and cream bunting. 

I cut the heart out of the same paper as the backing paper,

 embossed the edge of the card and added a few little punched butterflies.

It was a hit!  :) x

I think I shall try and enter some challenges with this one...

allsorts challenge  - something cute 

creative corner challenge  - love and hearts

Comissioned card

I always feel a bit stressed when I get asked to make a special card for someone...

 

 

...Because I always dread that they will hate it and have to pretend to me, that they love it!

 

A friend at work asked me for a card recently...

"It's for a 17 yr old girl...she'd love her name on it.

Shes also mad for Taylor Swift...and can you put "special niece " on it somewhere?!?! "

(I thought Taylor Swift was a fella,  'till I googled the name

and found it was a female!)

As soon as I spotted the pic, I knew what I wanted to do with it.

The flowers and butterflies are from my little punches.

The background is embossed with swiss dots.

The bird on a branch is a marianne die.

I handwrote her name, and the sentiment,

and drew (and hand-cut) the bottom edge of the red. I love the shape!

 

She loved the card!   :)  xx

 



Back to birthday cards...

I made these recently for friends birthdays coming up...

 This is for my friend from Uni...we took an art degree together.

I hope she won't see this on my blog before she receives it in real life!  :)

I used the grand madison window and shutters, in pearlised card,

and a few punched butterflies to finish it off.

 This image is from Pink Petticoat... I just love the chandelier! 

Image popped on turquoise background and lace effect border, with punched butterflies

and a few gems for sparkle. 

Made in the same way as the turquoise one, 

I made this in pink and brown. 

Christening cards to start the year

Blogger is letting me upload photos again...yeah!! 

I have started with some christening cards I made recently..

Two December christenings,

One January christening  (tomorrow).

I love gingham on baby cards, as you can tell...

I think its so personal to put their babies name and christening

date on the front too.

I have had some good responses from these cards :)

Glossy accents used on the cross to make it quite a feature. 

Belated Happy New Year! - and...help! (please?!)

For some strange reason, I havent been able to upload any pics...I have been trying to upload all week, and it's not doing anything for me! I click on the "insert pic" and the little wheel thing spins for about 2 seconds, then it leaves that window blank....not giving me the option to pick photos from my computer!  Anyone else having a similar problem? Is it blogger, having a "moment" ?....  or just me?!??! Help or advice greatfully recieved!

Oh, I forgot to show you... DEFINATELY the last blog of 2012!

Lol....

I forgot, I wanted to show these....

Tree decorations I made!

I made mainly Rudolphs...

I took them to a school christmas fair and they "flew" out!!  lol 

I made some a little different... with a little ribbon bow and bell....and also sold some of those too!

(They're made from coloured candle bulbs!!!

I'm afraid they don't photograph too well. They look much better in real life!!)

Last post of the year

I can hardly keep up with the days,

and just thought I would show some of the christmas cards I have been making. 

 As you can see, the grand madison window featured in a lot of this years christmas cards!

I also used the lovely house and trees on the hill die, along with the frostyville border. 

 This card was a comission...I was asked for a card,

for ..."Alexis and Guy - they're having their first christmas together in their first home together,

 in London. Can you incorporate all of that?!"

Well...that's the card I cam up with - and she loved it!!!  Phew!

I will try and blog a bit more regularly next year...but who knows?! 

Hope you have a lovely evening to see the new year in... Happy New Year! 

Christmas....

Wow! 

How fast did Christmas come and go?

Just thought I would share some pics of our place....

The living room...

 The tree...

The mantlepiece in my craft room...

A new month

Recently, we have celebrated my Grandmas 90th birthday....

 I made both the card  and flowers for her...

 I know my Grandma loves a verse on / in a card, so did that for her...

the beginning of the verse is on the front and the rest is inside -

but I forgot to take a picture of the inside! duh!!

I used my madison window die, and marianne bird on a branch die.

Hubby "encaustic-ed" them for me.

Some little punched gold butterflies to finish.

 For my Mums birthday - in summer - I made her some flowers like these...

and Grandma loved them, so I thought I would make her some for her too.

They are a form of origami I suposse, because each petal of each flower is folded, very precisely.

Then 5 petals are put together to form a flower.

These took a VERY long time to make, but they were worth it when I saw her face!

I tried to keep in with Grandmas very neutral colour-scheme, but found I just

had to add a bit of colour here and there, as they are flowers, afterall!

I diecut some butterflies and added one or two on petals, and on the "stalks".

The flowers are held held in in oasis, which has been covered with that little gold gravel stuff.

I had to "arrange" it so that the gravel doesn't fall out,

as the cats often go nosying around and knocking things off, lol!!



Wedding commissions...

Some more from the wedding commission...

 The Bride had some poems, that she wanted me to put on an "invite style" card.

This first one was for her Mum.

I kept to the wedding colour-scheme and she wanted butterflies on all of these too. 

 This one was for the Father of the Bride,

so I tried to make it less feminine. It was difficult! 

(and she still wanted butterflies... but that's fine...I LOVE  butterflies!)

This photo hasn't turned out very well,  it is so lovely in real life!

 The Bride gave this to her daughter,

and to my delight and surprise, a few days after the wedding,

the Bride uploaded a photo of her daughter receiving this...

with a massive smile!!

Then another photo was posted, of her daughter ,

walking down the aisle in front of her Mum...

holding this with her posy.

That was so lovely for me to see!

I drew the shape myself, cut the chipboard,

covered it - front and back - with "funky fairies" paper,

(Sadly, this internet site no longer exists!)

which I printed the poem onto. I added a bit of "bling" with the sparkly gems

and some little silver gems on the punched butterflies.

The Bride and her daughter were thrilled with this... which thrilled me!

It's twins!

Thought I would show you a commission I had recently...

 

 

One evening the other week, I got a text...

" Hiya!! Can you make ame a twin boys card...for tomorrow?!  thanks!!"

Ermm... OK!

I got the names of the new babies, siblings and parents, and whipped up this cute card.

It was so well recieved, that they decided

to buy a frame to put it in, in the babies room!

How lovely!!

xx  ;)



A few today.

I realised I haven't put anything on my blog for far too long!

 So, I thought I would start with this one...

I was asked..by a colleague, to make this card for a lady who is about to retire. 

My Hubby swished over the bird and branch, with his wax on an iron (encaustic art) 

 and I finished it with my new memory box teeny flowers, (which I have had for a good 

few weeks, and not used yet!!) which I cut in blue and white. 

The window, shutters and window-box are all memory box dies too.

For the embossed bricks, I used my papermania embossing folder, and inked round the edges.

I am  entering this card into the following challenges...

HIMCR68 - die cuts (ends 26/10/12)

Creative Card Crew - birds
Top tip Tuesday - things with wings (ends 23/10.12)

 

 This one was one of the more simple ones I made for the wedding commission.

I was asked to make a thank-you card for her wedding day beauty lady.

I embossed the edge, made my own sentiment in word, 

added a butterfly and then a splash of stickles glitter to the eyeline and the make-up brush.

She loved this one!

I would like to enter this in the following challenge..
Through the craft room door -  anything goes. (ends 23/10/12)

As you may have guessed, this was also for the wedding... a thank-you for the best man.

I took this photo before I put on the "thank-you" sentiment, oops!

I used the wedding colours... and the colours of the best mans suit.

This went down well, too!

I will try and keep up with my blog a little more... 

It's only another week till half term so I should have more time then.

Thanks for your comments...I really appreciate them!!!  xx

A new month.

Thought I would share with you some of the cards from the order I had recently...

I wsa asked to make some handbag cards for the bridesmaids, using the wedding colours...

So here are the ones I made. The same ...but different! 

I used pink petticoat papers..pretty doodles, 

paper and fabric flowers (with the centre of the flower, being a heart brad ), butterflies, and I made my own little "thank you" tags!

 This one is a silver colour... The photo didn't come out quite as I wanted it too.

And  this was the final handbag...pretty in pink!