Butterflies galore

The last of the three cards I made for Making Cards magazine. I used another of the Pink Gem digi kits, this one is simply called purple butterfly.  I went for a really shabby chic look with this one, distressing all the edges and then adding white acrylic paint to the jute ribbon and around the edges of the First Edition beyond the shore papers. The ribbon is from Crafty Ribbons, dies are Crafts Too butterflies and Joanna Sheen leaf flourish die. I used bronze gilding wax on the wooden butterfly and added some cheesecloth and roses from Wild Orchid.

Today is Mother's Day in England so we will be visiting my Mum today and taking her out for lunch.  Happy Mother's day to all Mums x

Barrow of flowers

The second of my cards made for Making Cards magazine using a digi kit from Pink Gem Designs at Crafts U Print.

Image - Pink Gem pink barrow digi kit

Papers - First Edition Beyond the shore

Patterned burlap - The Range

Apple Blossom - Wild Orchid

Die - Crafts Too butterflies

Early start again today as the conservatory fitters will be coming early to remove the old roof and start fitting the new one. Hopefully if will be finished tomorrow and we can give it a good clean and get everything back on Wednesday.

Shabby chic butterflies

I had three cards published in last month's Making Cards magazine using digi kits from Pink Gem at Crafts U Print. I like to use the main image as a topper by reducing the size of the digi.

Image and sentiment - Pink Gems peach butterflies

Papers - First Edition Beyond the shore

Lace - Crafty Ribbons

Flowers - Wild Orchid

Wooden butterflies painted with silver acrylic pint, cheesecloth, pins

We are having our polycarbonate conservatory roof replaced with a thermal glass roof on Monday and Tuesday next week so today we will start to pack up the things in the conservatory. 

Hello Mr Robin

This is the last of the four cards I made for last month's Making Cards magazine using a coloured Lee Holland digi. The papers are Nitwits. I used Go Kreate frilly 3, Lawn Fawn stitched circle, Marianne poinsettia, MFT pierced banner and Impression Obsession birdhouse dies.  The sentiment is LOTV.

Christmas preparations are going well. Some of the presents are wrapped and the last of the cards has been made.  Shopping trip to Tesco this morning and then late afternoon we have been invited for nibbles at the cafe and gift shop where I sell some of my gifts.  I hope you are all prepared for the Big Day.

Challenges

ABC Christmas Y for your favourite (snowmen are my favourites) 

Creative Inspirations feeling festive 

Simon Says Christmas 

Allsorts Christmas flowers

Snow family

Yes, another card made for Making Cards magazine using a coloured Lee Holland digi. Papers are Nitwits and I used my favourite GO Kreate frilly10 dies along with MFT wonky stitched oval and Lawn Fawn stitched circle dies.  I added lots of fun flock to their hats and simply added some cute wooden trees from Hobbycraft.

I would like to enter the anything goes challenge at Simon Says and The Ribbon Girl.

It is my last day at the hospital shop today so an early start and a long day. That is me done then with selling until next March. I have had a very good year but having enough stock for the hospital shop once a month plus a few craft fairs has been a lot of work. I have therefore decided not to continue with it next year and shall just be doing some craft fairs. I want to have more time for colouring and scrapbooking and time to experiment with making other things. I also want more time for going out and other hobbies. I love crafting and cannot imagine ever giving up making things but I want to make things I want to make and when I want to make them not feeling I have to make them which I have sometimes this year having to make quicker cards than I like just to keep up stock.

Hang in there

I have the second of the four cards I made for the last Making Cards magazine to share today. I diecut the Lee Holland coloured digi with a MFT wonky stitched oval die. The papers are Nitwits, wooden snowflakes from Hobbycraft, sentiment from LOTV diecut with a Lawn Fawn stitched circle die.  I added fun flock to his hat.

I would like to enter this into the anything goes challenge at Simon Says.

Give me a hug

This is one of four cards I made for making Cards magazine using Le Holland coloured digis. I was asked to do a feature using fun flock. I love Lee's digis and was very pleased with the feature. I used a Go Kreate die and Nitwits papers. I love making a frame with these dies. I used a clear sparkle pen on the background and it swooshed to give a snowy effect. The sentiment and stitched circle dies are Lawn Fawn and I used MFT layered snowflakes. I added some white glitter to the fun flock.

I would like to enter this into the anything goes challenge at Simon Says and inspired by a song at Allsorts (My song is Baby it's cold outside)

Looking forward to an evening out with hubby tonight. Pizza Express then the theatre to see a comedian we both like, Hal Cruttenden.

Venice

I made this simple card for some very good friends anniversary yesterday. They don't like fussy and as they have just been on a cruise and one of the places they visited was Venice I thought this image which came with Making Cards magazine was perfect. The paper is from the same mag and I just added a LOTV sentiment, some seam binding and a diecut sun using a MFT die.

Very early start today as we are at the hospital craft fair. Tonight we are going for a carvery with these friends wher we shall be telling them all about our holiday in Cornwall.

Flying Fox

This is the last of the cards I have made for now using the papers and toppers from the latest Making Cards magazine. I found the sentiment in my stash and layered onto yellow card matches the paper nicely. I diecut some balloons using a Marianne die and added some enamel dots.   The image is a large one so I made a 7x7 card.  I would like to enter this into the anything goes challenge at Simon Says.

In the harbour

I needed to make a card for my friend Lynsey's husband's Birthday and had no idea what I was going to use. I had a look through my printed images and found some lovely scenery toppers which came with Making Cards magazine some time ago.  I know he loves Cornwall and this image reminds me of the pretty harbours there.  I used First Edition Beyond the Shore papers, a Little Clire sentiment stamp coloured with DI Broken China and a couple of dies from a Impression Obsession set.  I would like to enter this into the anything goes challenge at Simon Says.

More travel cards

Two more cards made with the papers and toppers free with the new Making cards magazine.  I cut the image in three for this 7x7 card. I wanted some strong coloured ribbon to match the image and found this lovely seam binding in one of my ribbon boxes which was just perfect.

Challenges

Simon Says anything goes 

Creative Inspirations all tied up (add a bow)

For this one I simply created a patchwork background using the papers. I wanted to add a little something and also didn't want the pink on the image against the pink paper so I added a triangle of blue. It really doesn't need any embellishing.

Off to see my Mum this morning, then a trip into The Range and home I think as everywhere is so busy at the weekends now. We prefer to have days out during the week unless there is a specific event we want to go to.  I know the children are on holiday but it still isn't as busy weekdays.

Flowers for a duck

Whew I will be so glad when this hot weather breaks. It was over 30 here yesterday and should be again today. Thunderstorms are forecast for this evening which is to be expected. We haven't had any rain for something like 50 days. Neither hubby nor I like it this hot, 23 is plenty. It has been so hot at night we have slept with the fan on all night which isn't something I can normally cope with as I hate continuous noises.  In fact we bought another fan, a lovely tower one, so that we have that one in the bedroom and the other one in the lounge.

Yesterday was my usual crafternoon and evening whilst hubby was out on powerboat rescue. I had the tower fan in my craftroom on full speed and somehow I managed to make 6 cards. None of them were stamped and coloured though which does make them quicker to make. Plenty of water to drink and lots of running my wrists under the cold tap.

This is one from the other set of toppers free with this month's Making Cards magazine. The cute paper is also from the mag. I added some lace, silver ribbon and a doily. The sentiment is an old one from Little Claire which I coloured. That was the extent of my colouring yesterday. Hopefully I will get some colouring done soon.

Challenges

As you like it Favourite ribbons or buttons (I do love using buttons but ribbons are my favourite. They really enhance a card and I use them a lot on plaques too. There are so many colours and patterns to choose from.) 

Simon Says anything goes

Italy

These are the first two cards I have made with the free papers and toppers with this month's Making Cards magazine. I really love the art deco style of these ad plan to make some more. I won't bore you with seperate posts of each one though which is why I have posted both these together.  They really don't need much embellishing, keeping to the clean style.  For this one I added an art deco sentiment from an old Docrafts pack and some white flowers from Hobbycraft.

On this one I simply added some enamel dots. I think they create simple but effective cards.

Challenges

Crafteezee Summer

More carolsingers

Another of the cute carolsinging mice cards made for Making Cards magazine. The papers and pyramage are all part of a Paper Creator digi kit. The ribbon is from Crafty Ribbons and I simply added some pearls.

Challenges

Creative Inpsirations Winter/Christmas 

Simon Says anything goes

 Noor! Design UK anything goes

We are going out for breakfast this morning and checking out the sales in Norwich. This evening some friends are coming round for a meal, DVD and board games. Enjoy your New year's Eve.

Christmas Eve carol singers

A simple Christmas card to share today, one of a set of four made for Making Cards magazine.  I used a Paper Creator digi kit which includes the image and papers. I used a Tonic die for the card blank, Lawn Fawn stitched circle on the image and added a MFT scalloped circle frame around the image.  The snowflakes were punched with a MS punch.

Challenges

Creative Inspirations Winter/Christmas 

Simon Says party time

I love Christmas Eve especially the evening, snuggling up at home with all the festive lights watching the TV. However before that we are going to see my Mum this afternoon and bring her back to the nearby Premier Inn for a couple of nights. We will be having a meal there with her before heading home.

Snowmen fall from heaven

The last of three cards made for Making Cards using Whimsy stamps. Not much colouring required on these snowmen but they are fab snowmen aren't they. The papers are MFT, star burlap from The Range. stars from Hobbycraft.  I also used a stitched scalloped border die from MFT.

Challenges

Noor! Design UK anything goes 

Creative Inspirations Winter/Christmas

Another busy day today. Meeting my Mum in Norwich for breakfast at Bella Italia then showing her the lights and decorations. She wants to buy a new vacuum cleaner which we will take home for her and get to hers next time we are over there on Christmas Eve. Then we are going to some friends for their outside light switch on and some food. Change of plan since I scheduled this post as heavy snow forecast so meeting Mum on Wednesday instead.

Snowmen fall from heaven

Today's card is another of the three cards I made for Making Cards magazine using Whimsy digi stamps and sentiments. The papers are MFT as are the Winter tree dies. Coloured with Copics of course. I love mixing spots and stripes and red and blue is one of my fave colour combos especially for snowmen.

I have my last craft stall tonight at a school's shopping evening. The first time I have done one of these so I hope it goes well. My last shop for this year at the hospital last Friday went really well. The school is a local one so not far to travel and if I don't sell much well never mind. There is a choir coming so should be a nice Christmasssy evening.

Do you want to build a snowman?

This is the first of three cards I made for Making Cards magazine last month. There are three snowmen and sentiments on the digital sheet and when I saw them on Facebook I just had to buy them. The papers are MFT as are the Winter tree and scalloped basic edge dies.  I was asked to make cards suitable for men so not too much embellishing, just some twine and a snowflake charm. 

Challenges

Simon Says anything goes

Enjoying the snow

Have you got your copy of the latest Making Cards magazine yet? i am delighted to have three snowman cards in there which I will share with you next month but in the meantime here is a card I made using the free papers and one of the sentiment stamps with this month's edition. These are worth the price of the magazine alone. I love these fun penguin toppers which are part of the free papers. I used a new Elizabeth craft tree die I bought at Peterborough. It is a 5 part die but some of the pieces can also be used as smaller trees as you can see.

Challenges

Noor! Design UK Winter 

Dies R Us Snow

As you like it favourite Christmas colour (this is a hard choice as I do love using a range of Christmas colours but having to choose just one combo I would say red and blue are my favourite. I particularly love this combination for snowmen cards.)

Carolsinging Mice

The new issue of Making Cards is in the shops now so I am sharing one of four cards I made for them last month. I used the Carol Singing Mice ultimate kit from Paper Creator and at just £2 for the kit a real bargain. The papers and tag are all part of the kit. I used a MFT fringed scalloped border die which is one of my latest dies and is going to be used a lot. I also used a Lawn Fawn stitched circle die and some ribbon from Crafty Ribbons.

Challenges

The Paper Shelter digital delight 

Noor! Design UK Winter