Summer Holiday

I haven't posted anything for a fortnight as I've been away on Holiday in Cornwall for a week and we got back on Friday evening. Me and hubby had a great time and I even got sunburn when the rest of the UK was having floods! We were very lucky with the weather with dry sunny spells for parts of every day, apart from one (when we went to the Eden project). We got to sit on the beach almost every day... It was bliss. Sadly back to work tomorrow, but I did manage to finish a card today that I started before I went away. It's another easel card as I'm still working on ensuring they don't topple over, so far it hasn't so maybe at last I've cracked it... Third time lucky as they say! I used a Sarah Kay stamp - 'Isabelle with puppy Coco' and I've chosen a bright summer colour scheme with lots of florals and butterflies. I love the stamp and can imagine sitting in a meadow on a hot sunny day making daisy chains with not a care in the world.... wishful thinking!

I used the following to make my card -

• White scalloped base card
• Coral pink textured card stock for layering 
• Sarah Kay stamp- coloured with Promarkers (highlights to hat with white gel pen)
• Papers:-
• Fancy Pants designs-Beach babe
• Me to you- Especially for you
• Raspberry Road luxury paper pack - all papers were magazine freebies
• Cream lace 
• Pink ribbon, pink wool (also used to make wool bow)
• Tonic butterflies punched from various papers used and decorated using gems, pearls and glitter.
• White punched  Martha Stewart 'Monarch' butterflies 
• Various sizes and shades of pink pearls and gems
• Felt flowers (which I added buttons to)
• Floral washi tape
• Small flower brad (on wool bow)
• White die cut scroll
• With love sentiment-magazine freebie

Again this week I've taken quite a few photos, it looks quite red in the photo's but it is actually pink  in 'real' life. I'm quite pleased with the result although my daughter thinks it's a bit OTT and is not her favourite style of card, she also thinks Sarah Kay is 'old fashioned', she was part of my childhood, so I love her, reminds me of when I was little and I'm not that old! Well that all for this week and I'm hoping to start on some Christmas cards next week or that is the plan although that was also the plan two week ago so we will see! Take care  X

 'summer days' 

Challenges I would like to take part in this week are as follows

Cardmakinmamas - Challenge #49 Rubber

Stamping with dragon - Ribbons and bows

Daring card makers - Lace and pearls

Art impressions stamps -  #challenge 71 easel card or more than one fold 

Dutch dare card challenges - I used bright colours,pearls and buttons... although I used all but Distressing, I could have gone for a full house almost!

Digi doodle stamps best - Challenge #116 Summertime 

Paper crafting journey - Fortnightly challenge - summer

Willow sketchie challenge - Sketch and/or summer holidays 

Bearly mine challenges - Challenge #43 Pearls and lace

My time to craft challenge - #183 It's raining cats & dogs

Everybody art challenge - #201 Summer

Butterflies,bows and bling

Well its been another really busy week at work and im making the most of my weekend, I have managed to finish this card last night and I'm working on another. My daughter is off to the lake district on holiday for a week... I hope it doesn't rain to much, although im sure they will have a great time whatever... it's her first holiday with her boyfriend and without parents, they arranged all of it themselves ,she was really excited, I'm sure they will be fine and have a lovely time. As it was wet yesterday I got to spend some time card making... what else could I possibly do? Housework? Ironing?Hmm... not high on the priority list!

This is my second easel card, I still haven't got the fold quite right and initially it kept toppling over, but it seems to have sorted its self out, I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong... but practice makes perfect so my next one is going to be an an easel card too. I had planned to start some Christmas cards as the other half reckons that I could make this years... I'm not so confident though. There are a few stamps that I really want to colour and use first so maybe in a couple of weeks I will start.

I wanted a soft and summery look and tried to colour Tilda very lightly (with promarkers of course) but I couldn't get the effect I wanted, although I am happy with how she turned out. I also did clouds in the background but the camera hasn't picked them up very well. I watched some tutorials on blogs and YouTube and decided to use chalks, I made some stencils for the clouds themselves. I think I need to do it a little heavier next time or use darker shades. I have added lots of bling with gems, glitter and pearls, it may be a little OTT for some but I love it, although I am running out of gems so may need to use less in future until I can go shopping... how am I going to cope?!

Sorry there are more photos than usual... I couldn't decide which ones worked best or had the best angles so I kept them all! Blue is definitely becoming ahead of all other colours in my card collection, it is one of my favourites, although I hadn't realised until I was looking at my cards yesterday how many are blue, that explains why I have so few blue papers to choose from and need to go on a little shopping spree to stock up on supplies. I still have quite a stash and a lots of freebies that I've collected from magazines, but now that I'm making cards on a regular basis a little shopping trip is required.

I used the following materials:-

• Scalloped white base card,blue textured card for layering.
• Papers-blue and yellow floral and butterflies-magazine freebie
• Paper-blue white spot(small)-Dovecraft basic
• Paper-blue white spot(large)-Cool Britannia paperpack- magazine freebie
• Paper-Pale blue with blue spot(on base)- magazine freebie
• Tilda- coloured with promarkers,glitter and white gel pen highlights
• Die cut butterflies and border
• Blue satin ribbon and double bow(two shades of blue used) 
• White satin flowers,grey mulberry flower
• Blue pearls, clear gems and glitter(on butterflies and to decorate 
• Butterfly charm

I would like to enter the following challenges -

Fairy tale challenge #44-pastel /soft colour tones 

Make it Monday challenge#95- anything goes 

Inspire Me Friday challenge #65-anything goes

The poodle parlour- cute and or cuddly

Chocolate,Coffee Cards-challenge~16-anything goes 

Hiding in My Craft Room- challenge#52- freestyle- anything goes 

Speedy and Friends - challenge114- use metal

365 Cards- day120-Sparkle and Shine - use 2 techniques/items 

Little Miss Muffett-challenge#38-Sparkle

willow sketchy challenge-theme-Sparkle and shine 

Fab'n'funky-challenge#127-cute and girly

I Love Promarkers -challenge#123-anything goes 

Pretty in Pink

Well yet another wet bank holiday weekend is over, the good news is the house is 'spick and span'. I spent Saturday gardening (it had finally stopped raining, albeit a little shower or two!). The borders are looking good, baskets and pots all filled and set to bloom in the summer (well it sounds good... and I always have high hopes for my little plants), but oh do my legs ache today! I was going to do the ironing but as Tuesday was my last day off before going back to work, I spent  most of the morning blog hopping, watching tutorial (so many skills that I want to learn), and generally pottering around the house.

I always struggle with ideas of what to create on my cards and look to blogs and challenges for inspiration, so I made an easel card. I planned to do a 'lots of layers' card as I spent lots of time in the  morning looking at lots of layers! But then I popped over to the Crafty Ribbon site and this week the challenge is an easel card, so that was it, my next card was in the making... an easel card with lots of layers using my favourite things flowers and butterflies. I have made a few errors but overall as a first attempt I'm pretty pleased. I should have used foam pads to put my stamped image on and not tape, which I realised too late as it had stuck solid (although I did mange to put a few behind the top half of it) the bottom half looks a bit squashed! I also made my fold in the wrong place, it should have been more even, which means it sits at an angle and is too far back. I think it's the most'bits' I've ever used on one card, it was to late to post last night so here I am doing it now as I woke very early as usual.

I used the following materials:

• A white scalloped card, Pink plain and textured card stock for matting
• Pink checked, word papers free download
• Butterfly paper- freebie magazine.
• Doily-Tea party from Dovecraft
• Sarah Kay stamp coloured with Promarkers
• White lace,pink braid,satin ribbon,punched border and pearls from stash.(eBay purchases)
• White roses,pink roses and rose buds bought at craft fair last week and sadly didn't keep the details as would love more!
• Rose washi tape -magazine freebie
• Sentiment and love chipboard's - yes more magazine freebies
• Punched butterflies (with left over pink card stock)- Tonic (since buying it last week at the craft fair I haven't stopped finding paper and card scraps to punch out more !..I love it.

Also check out my side bar for my new Dilly Beans challenge winner badge... I am so happy with it and another bonus I also get too choose 3 cool digi's... how lucky am I? Thank you very much to Dilly Beans designers.

I would like to enter the following challenges -

Challenge 20-easel Card- crafty ribbons challenge

Challenge# 163-anything goes -digital tuesday challenge

Challenge #92 -anything goes -Make it Monday 

Challenge-18 things with wings -Liastampz challenge

Challenge #106-make it girly- Ooh-la-la-Creations

Magical Monday -3 in a row-Paper cupcakes (I used punches,ribbon 2 or more papers)

Flowers and butterfly's-come and get it challenge

Use pink- card caravan #20-The Hybrid chick

Use ribbon or lace-The ribbon girls

Challenge #19 - die cuts and punches-The Cutie Pie challenge

Flowers, Fun and Firsts

What a busy weekend... I had a wonderful time at the Chelsea flower show on Friday. The weather was perfect and we had a great day out. The gardens and displays were both inspiring and amazing some were a little bit over the top and not my cup of tea, but you can see the passion and commitment that has gone into every one and the attention to detail was phenomenal,definitely a joy and a pleasure on all the senses.

Saturday was grocery shopping, housework and gardening day. With the bad weather we have had over what feel like months it has been left a bit neglected  in desperate need of some TLC. Sunday was another great day, whilst reading my card making magazine I discovered that there was a card and craft fair on locally, I convinced hubby to take me along, (bless him he is wonderful) unfortunately much to his discomfort I spent two hours in heaven, I made some essential purchases of must have items although if hubby had not been there I think I would have spent a teeny bit more... Happily buying one of everything. I did educate him along the way, explaining what everything was and how it was essential to purchase, although I don't think he was convinced. The next fair is in October and I'm already planning my purchases. We have decided though that he drops me off and collects me later, that sounds like perfect plan for us both!

Once home I thought I would put my purchases to use. Its my step daughters birthday next week and hubby had suggested I make her card which I finished last night. So far I haven't actually made a card for any reason in particular other than enjoyment and or felt they were good enough to give to someone so this was my big test, I hope she likes it! For the card I decided on a cute little bear from LOTV, coloured using my promarkers and testing the new ones I purchased at the fair (my collection is slowly growing but still a long way off completion).

The floral and matching stripe paper was matted onto blue card where a magazine freebie from Raspberry Road designs luxury paper collection, it's a great pack of 48 designs on A4 sheets all of which are beautiful, so nice, that I'm reluctant to use them. The edges and flower were inked with broken china, although as before with my last card I'm dissapointed as its much darker than I wanted... possibly the wrong colour to use, but I didn't have another blue. I also dont have the right tools for the job nor have I got the technique right yet and in my excitement at the craft fair I forgot to get some blender pads. I used bakers twine and made a bow,  attaching a heart charm, yes you guessed it... new purchases (I was trying to see how many of today's goodies I could use on one card... I didn't quite manage them all). The flower does have a sparkly glitter centre although I didn't think was quite right for this card, so I covered this with the same candi as used to decorate the sides, happy birthday stamped sentiment, faux stitches, little blue pearls around the stamped bear and paper butterflies (using my new punch... purchased today). 

'Birthday bear'  

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

The butterfly punch is definitely my favourite and best buy of the day, its also my first punch, I've relied on eBay purchases for punched butterflies, flowers etc, which is good. but meant I've been restricted with choices and haven't always had the exact colour I wanted, its a dream to use and I plan to make many more with the leftover pieces of card and paper that I've collected... which is a rather large pile for a relatively short space of time, due to my appalling measuring skills and inability to cut a straight line. Finally... another first was completing the inside of the card, until now I've left them blank. I used white card with the same floral paper as on the front and a punched butterfly to the top and bottom corners to finish.                                

The challenges I would like to enter this week are:

Great impressions stamps- anything goes

Phindys place challenge #107 Friday-123- (I used 1stamped bear, 2 papers 3 embellishments -candi flower and  charm)

Little Miss Muppet challenges #35-anything goes

Pink Gems challenge #47- photo inspiration-my interpretation using yellow flowers and butterflies

Allsorts challenge~156-special birthday 

Make it Monday-challenge 91-always anything goes 

Saturday Night - Sunday Morning

Well I did say I was going to make some cards, what I didn't expect was that I would be awake at 7am finishing them off and writing this. I got three finished not as many as last week but I did have more late finishes at work and less time to plan and execute my ideas. Having finished all the housework and dinner by 7.30pm it left lots of crafting time to make my cards... ideal, and, I DID IT... I managed to upload the photos on my own without resorting to calling my daughter at five in the morning... not that she would have answered but given my track record I didn't expect it to go smoothly, a little wobble when I couldn't locate the file ,then bingo found them, and it all went smoothly after that. I even remembered how to crop them, I'm not quite a pro yet but progress indeed. Sorry about the angles and dodgy straight lines I haven't mastered straight yet or the best way to take them - flat or standing, hmm... still not sure what looks best, any thoughts? They do look better in real life in my opinion! So I will keep working on it.

' Butterflies and Flowers '

This is the first time that I have inked the edges of my flowers or card and I'm happy with the results. I used some butterfly paper from a forever friends paper pack, a pretty magnolia stamped image, coloured with pro markers (of course, what else?) pink and lilac card, lilac punched flowers, butterflies and a die cut border strip. I inked all the edges with a light purple ink and layered some of the flowers and butterflies to add some dimension.I added glitter to the butterfly and fairy's wings. And added some pearls and gems to the flowers and pearls to the corners to finish. I really like the result, I think it's pretty and it may be my favourite to date

'Sweet Shop Treat '

Using papers and stamps free from magazine I made this very bright an cheerful card.I used orange and yellow card, yellow satin ribbon and bow,a small orange satin flower and some co-ordinating pearls and buttons to finish it off. I need to get some tweezers(I couldn't find my make-up ones or I would have used them in the meantime!) as I really struggled to put the pearls on as they were tiny and kept turning over on the end of my pokey tool which I was using .

'Giraffe'

Isn't he sweet? I again used a free stamp that I got with a magazine, coloured with my wonderful promarkers, which I obviously love. Pale green card from my stash to back the papers, the striped paper was free from a magazine and the spotty one is from my stash. Another bright and cheerful choice with again an orange theme to make up for such a miserable wet and dull weekend and make me smile. I used orange flower brads, paper flowers with white candi centres, orange pearls, small orange fabric flower and a yellow organza bow to finish. The sentiment also came from a magazine and coordinated well, I thought. 

The challenges I have entering this week

' Butterflies and Flowers '

Fussy and Fancy - Challenge 61: punches and dies 

Prairie Fairy Fridays - Challenge '#77: Anything With Flowers 

Crafty Ribbons Challenge - Challenge #17: Things With Wings 

Sassy Studio Designs - Dare to be sassy Thursday #121

Flutter By Wednesdays #199

'Sweet Shop Treat '

Spring Fashion - yellow and orange 

Inspire Me Friday - Anything Goes

'Giraffe'

Paper Play Challenges - Week 16: Animal Antics

DigiDesigns Challenge: Let's Meet Your Animal Friends