Getting an allotment

I was asked to make a retirement card for someone who is getting an allotment and as luck would have it I found a Hunkydory topper which was perfect. I won a set of toppers ages ago from a magazine and some of them have come in useful although they are rather large for 6" cards.

I used First Edition Gardenia paper and added a piece of diecut fence using a Marianne die and a burlap butterfly. The sentiment was computer generated. The large topper didn't leave much room for embellishing.

 

Retire to the garden

The image and sentiment are part of the club stamp set for July from Little Claire. A perfect image for a retirement card. These silhouettes stamp beautifully using a Versafine stamp pad. I use memnto with Copics but it doesn't give a black enough image for silhouettes I have found. The paper is from my scrap pile and I used MB dies with cream linen card. I really like this card I bought at the NEC as a change from kraft.

Happy Retirement

I am determined to try out some different styles of cards this year and cas is something which is actually quite difficult to do well I think so I am going to try more of these. This is yet another ample using one of the new stamps from Stamposaurus, coloured with Copics and a touch of Sakura Golden Star pen.  Other items used are Baker's twine and pearls from The Hobby House

Retiring to enjoy the garden

A card today using diecuts and a punch. I tried to make this suitable for men or women with these colours. I have used a Joy birdhouse die with distressed Core'dinations, Marianne bench, MB branch and butterflies. The flowers were made with a small Xcut punch with pearls. The stamp is LOTV.

In the potting shed

This is such a cute scene fro LOTV, another of their diecuts which I though was perfect for a retirement card. I've edged it with DI Vintage Photo, papers are Basic Grey Wisteria. I've used MB willow dragonfly, fucshia and butterflies and a MS border punch. The sentiment is also LOTV.

Challenges

Dutch Dare Floral fantasies 

Basic Grey Punch it 

Crafty Bloggers Network Purple 

Simon Says Anything Goes 

Southern Girls Flora 

Crafty Creations Summer scene

2nd retirement card

I am really pleased with the way this card turned out. I discovered this challenge blog from somebody else's blog and am so glad I found it. The sketch is gorgeous and so right for this A5 card. The challenge is Inspirational Card Sketches . Certainly well named as they have inspired me.
Ingredients
Image - Pollycraft Crazy Daisy
Coloured with Letraset Promarkers, highlighted with glitter pens
Paper - Papermania Boutique
Die cuts - Sizzix Scribble Swirl

Flowers - Large ones are Prime, small mulberry flowers from Readicut

First retirement card today

Well as predicted I didn't get a lot of time for crafting last week. I checked out a couple of blogs last night and to my surprise found I am the very lucky winner of Vicky's (Angeldrummer)blog candy. I am very excited about this particularly as I got to chose some stamped images from her. I chose Whiff of Joy as I don't yet have any of these stamps and they are gorgeous. Can't wait to receive my parcel. Thanks a million Vicky. That's 2 things I have won this week, the first being £25 on the premium bonds (see earlier blog lst week). They say things come in threes so perhaps I will be this week's lucky lottery jackpot winner, ha ha. If I am you can be sure there will be some fantastic blog candy up for grabs.

Hubby is back at work today so apart from a few chores the day is mine for cardmaking. Spent some time blogging this morning, checking out what is happening and commenting on those blogs I follow. I have made 2 cards so far today, both orders for retirement cards. Sketch challenges are so great for A5 cards. This is for a huge Notts County fan, as you can see by the shield, which I used instead of a flower on the sketch. The sketch is from Truly Scrumptious who wanted a theme of black and white with one other colour. Perfect for this card as Notts County colours are black and white. the red just gives some contrast.

Ingredients
Stamp - Football logo Personal Impressions, footballer Pollycraft
Coloured with Letraset Promarkers and fineliner
Paper - Papermania Monochrome and red from stash

Retirement Card

A colleague at work asked me to make a retirement card so I decided that my new Papermania Bouquet papers would be perfect as they are so elegant. The sketch is from Dutch Dare Card Challenge

Ingredients
Stamp - All Night Media bought locally
Coloured with Letraset Promarkers, highlighted with glitter pens
Paper - Papermania Bouquet
Die cuts - Nestabilities
Embellishments - Flower buttons from the Range, gems from stash
Flowers - Prima, rose from stash