Not so Young Love

This is my last card as Guest DT for Cute Card Thursday, :-( this weeks theme is to have a couple on your card. Pop over and have a look at the other inspiration, why not enter while you're at it!   I've made this for my Aunty and Uncles Anniversary, we're going out to dinner with them tomorrow evening and I'm sure they'll get a chuckle out of it.  

It so suits them: They are always in their garden and, while my Aunty doesn't knit that much she does needlecraft, almost as relentlessly as I do "other" craft.  My Uncle looks (quite a!) bit like the gentleman in the image, which is "Flirty Seniors" from Make it Colourful, I love their images, so quirky!  
The background is from this (Aussie) site too, it's called Daffodil Dell, I'm entering their challenge; this time around the theme is to Colour a Background, this is the first time I've really done a background!  I used Prismacolor pencils to colour the "sky" and shadows, but chickened out and went with my lovely Copics for the rest!  You don't have to use Make it Colourful images, but c'mon, why wouldn't you....digis of course so readily and immediately available to all!  And, just so you know, I DON"T have any affiliation with MiC, I just like 'em!
I cut the image out, and popped it up on foam dots - my favourite way to get extra dimension, I used thicker-than-usual foam dots....it really stands out from the background.
The background paper is Fairie Florals by Prima, The lemon panel, which I embossed with Cuttlebugs Textile folder, the green panel and the stripy paper are from Kaisercraft's Lilac Avenue collection. I used Martha Stewart's Doily Lace border punch on the green panel.
The purple card for matting is from American Crafts Weave range. 
Lexis Creations has "Ribbon but no bows or knots" as it's theme this time around, my lovely orange polka dot ribbon, which has been "hanging around" - literally - my studio for months gets me entered there.

The sketch is from Friday Sketchers this week, I really liked it, and I got the colour inspiration from Cupcake Inspirations, so I'm entering their challenge too, how bright and cheery are those cute little cuppies?!  They have such a spring feeling to them.  I'm entering my card in the challenge at Stamp Something and Totally Gorjuss this week which both have Spring as their theme.  

Delicious Doodles has Floral Fantasy as it's theme, not only are there flowers aplenty in the background, there are flowers on the corners of the image panel, so my Flirty pair would have been going there, but one of the other challenges I'm entering limits you to entering six and that would be seven, so I'll give it a miss this time, but next time I'll only enter challenges without restrictions!!  
I just couldn't find the "right" flowers for these corners, in the end I cut up some that came as a sort of ribbon and coloured them with Copics.  I left the one at the top right without a centre: I thought it looked like the sun and the corner piece on the opposite side looks like a sun umbrella for my Oldies to sit under!  
Sweet Stampin' has "Weather" as it's challenge theme, so I'm entering there.
I finished the inside of the card really simply, using elements from the front.
I hope you liked my card, and I hope my Aunty likes it too....by the by, this Aunty is my mothers sister; my mum is unwell at the moment, she has just had Bronchial Pneumonia and now is suffering from two broken ribs - from coughing!! My Aunty, to go out in sympathy I'm sure, fell over a dog while out walking and has broken her wrist!!  Mmmm, yes it is a bit hereditary, my husband reckons I could trip over a leaf!
My niece (finally) had her baby, 9lbs 4oz - not bad for a first!  I'm off to visit, I've seen his picture and he is GORGEOUS!
 Hope you enjoyed this rather longwinded, not like me I know lol, post.  Until next time Happy Crafting, Dee

Welcome Little One

Well, another baby boy card!  As I said a few months ago, there were babies on the horizon, and they were all boys!  

This is a card I have made for my niece, as of today she is 4 days overdue - it's nice to have a card ready instead of scrambling as I usually am!  I'm superstitious though (thanks to my Celtic/Gaelic background, lol) so I haven't made it "for Rachel" exactly: it's just a baby boy card that I can use when needed :-)
The sketch I've used is for Cute Card Thursday's challenge this week: this is my penultimate project as Guest DT, I can't believe how quickly it's gone!  It is a great sketch, you know I love the straightforward ones!  Why don't you pop over and have a look at the other DT inspiration, and have a go at the challenge yourself.
I've done an easel card, which is the challenge theme for Creative Inspirations this time.  I really loved how easily it came together and don't know why I don't use them more often. I popped everything up on foam dots because I really like my cards to be 3D, which is Delicious Doodles challenge theme this week, I hope this is 3D enough!
The image is another Tiddly Inks image; "Sleep Tight" from the Baby Inks range.  Digi, of course - you know I AM a digi kinda gal!  Coloured with Copics, again - Copic kinda etc.... I've added some Stickles to the stars and the swirls, of course it looks much nicer in real life: anyone who has EVER posted pics with bling knows how it never shows up, lol.
The yellow paper is from Inque Boutique's Cabana collection and the blue "oh boy" paper is from a pack from BigW! The blue card I used for matting is from American Crafts "weave" range, Creatalicious Challenges has "Two Tone" as it's theme this time, so I'll be entering there.  
The circle is blue vellum embossed with Cuttlebugs Swiss Dots folder, this is the first time I've used vellum on the front of a card - except for a sentiment panel -  and I like how it adds a layer without adding any real "weight", if you know what I mean!   Using this panel was going to help this card fit two challenges, then I realized it didn't satisfy the other criteria for EITHER of them, oh well, it made me try something "new".
The Baby Boy embellishment came in a pack with some other cuties - they will probably feature very soon on the next baby boy card!  The pearls are on a strip by Bella - how much easier is it to add them on a strip than one at a time like I usually do?!?  
Pollycraft has "Swirls and Pearls" as it's challenge theme, and as this card has both I'll enter there, The Crafty Pad has "Use a Digi", easy peasy for measy!!!  
Tuesday Morning Sketches has "KIDS: Keep It Delightfully Simple, with a kid theme" for it's challenge, cute!  I think this fits the brief, it is certainly simple and babies are kids, so why not, lol.  Sweet Stampin' has "Slugs and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails" as it's theme, and that's what little boys are made of, so I'm entering there.

Finally, but not leastly (as they more or less say) I'd like to thank those of you who left your best wishes on the post for my Mums Get Well Card, it really cheered her up and she is well and truly on the road to recovery - she'll probably even come to the football with us on Sunday - though she is such a fanatic, she'd probably leave her deathbed to go!!
Until next time, Happy Crafting, Dee

Get Well Mum

My poor old mum has Bronchial Pneumonia at the moment, she has been very unwell but is on the mend now, I made her this card to cheer her up a bit

I would have put up this post a couple of days ago, but internet access in our whole area was down for TWO DAYS!  I didn't realise how internet-dependent I am! It's nice to be back online, that's for sure (even if it means my work email is up again too, lol)

Anyway, to this card:  All the images I used are from CC Designs Gingersnaps Spring Things digis, one of the sets heading for retirement at the end of the month - so if you like them you'd better head  here to get yours before they disappear; and they're on sale too!  The cloud is in fact a puddle - I didn't realise until I looked at the file name, oh well, it works as a cloud for me!

I used this sketch  by Claudia for Corry's Whopping Candy, using it gives another entry into Corry's Candy, which is, well, WHOPPING!  nice straightforward sketch to use, so an easy way to get an extra entry in.

The papers I used are from Kaisercraft's Bubblegum Hills collection, and the top strip is from paper my lovely son Chris got me in one of my super gift baskets he makes up for me.  It's all matted onto mustard coloured card from DCWV.

The mats for the image are cut and embossed with Spellbinders Nestabilities Labels 12.

  

I coloured the image with Copics, cutting around Ginger and popping her up from the background, and cutting around the duck and gluing "him" on the very edge of the sentiment panel.  All the panels on the front are popped up on foam dots so the card has four levels. Love my 3D!  I couldn't find the right shade of ribbon to match, so I used my magenta Copic to colour some almost-right pink ribbon; voila perfect match....I don't know why I haven't done it before!  Lexis Creations has "Use Ribbon but no Bows or Knots" as it's challenge theme this week, so I'm entering there.  The Crafty Pad has "Use a digi" so I'm already "there", lol.

The inside of the card is finished pretty simply, on a roll from colouring the ribbon on the front, I coloured a scrap of cardstock pink to edge the corner pieces.  I cut around the lamb and stuck him on the edge of his sentiment then pop dotted that onto the polka dot panel.  The "Better" are (is?) rub on letters, this was a bit of a happy accident as I had chopped the word better off the rest of the sentiment (which was computer generated) and didn't even realise until I had cut all the mats for it.... so I had to add it separately and this seemed to be a good way to do it!

I have started lining my envelopes, this picture shows the inside of the envelope for this card.  As you can see, I don't necessarily use the same paper, in fact I often don't have enough left, so what I use is something that matches or ties in with my card; the cheaper bulk pack paper is really good for this as it's not very thick, which is one of the things that makes it hard to use for cardmaking, and as you're not handling it much it doesn't deteriorate.

Papertake Weekly has "make something nice for your mumsie" as it's theme this week, and while it probably means for Mothers Day, it's not Mothers Day here until May and this card is for my lovely Mum so I'm going to enter it in their challenge.  

I had Bronchial Pneumonia when I was in my twenties -I'm asthmatic and get chest infections pretty regularly but never like this, it was tough: my Mum's 80 and I've got to say it wasn't any less tough!  She is very much on the mend, as she said today it will take more than that to put her in the ground!  All we have to do now is get some weight back on her (she is down to about 40 kilos or less than 90lbs: I don't remember that happening to ME when I had it, lol) 

I hope you like my little get well card, my Mum sure did!

Until next time, Happy Crafting, Dee  

The Music of my Heart

The sentiment on this card is a line in the N'SYNC hit "Music of my Heart", it's a lovely song here's a link if you'd like to read the rest of the words.

This card is for my GDT spot at Cute Card Thursday this week; the challenge theme is "Music".  Go and check out the rest of the DT inspiration, and why not have a go at the challenge while you're there?

The sketch I used is from Card Patterns weekly sketch challenge, great little sketch - you know I love the straightforward ones! 

I used the colour Recipe from Crafts 4 Eternity for their challenge this week, the papers I used from Kaisercraft's Lilac Avenue 6" collection have the exact shades of purple and green, the plain paper I used for the matting is the aqua in the recipe.The sentiment is computer generated, using free downloadable fonts.  If you'd like to grab it for yourself I have - or will have by tomorrow ;0) a jpg in my "Tutorials, Templates and other Freebies" page here is a link.   I cut and embossed it using Classic Circles Nestabilities.  The image panel and it's mat were too big for even the largest of these nesties, so I reverted to an old favourite: Fiskars circles templates and their cutting tool.  It did the job just fine, but it did make me realise how much easier it is with a die cutter: that Grand Calibur looks more appealing all the time!

The aqua "lace" is in fact plastic with little rhinestones in it, it's translucent so it is nice and "light" looking.  My lovely Mum and Dad got it (and loads of other goodies) for me when they were in Malaysia on holidays last week, as a reward for budgie-sitting!  Bargain really, as the bird is so easy and quite entertaining - my mum hand reared him from a featherless three day old and has taught him to say quite a few things.  My dad is Welsh, so it's quite funny to hear the bird ask for a cup of tea with a Welsh accent, no REALLY!!  All I can say is he must hear it A LOT!

I used Valentine Zoe from Digistamp Boutique, coloured with Copics.  Isn't she just adorable.  There are loads of great little images over there, I used Blooming Lullabelle on a card for my niece, here , and one of the cards I did in the first few weeks of cardmaking used a DSB image "Love Owls" here is a link to that one; my colouring has certainly improved since then - at least I think so, lol!  I've got about 20 more I haven't got around to using yet.  But I will!  DSB have a monthly challenge, and all you have to do is use one of their images, which is no hardship, so I'm going to enter this card there.

The purple flowers are from Prima, the lime green brads in the centres are from my stash, as are the purple rhinestones in the centre of THOSE.  Whoopsi Daisy Challenge this week has "Use Flowers" as it's theme, so I'll be entering there and as Papertake Weekly has "Triple Tastic, use three of something" I'll be there too with my three flowers.

ABC Challenge has "Q is for Quote" as it's theme this week.  Usually there is a limit on how many challenges you can enter along with their challenge, but this week they have lifted the restriction (for the next couple of weeks, apparently) so yay, I can enter there too. 

The inside of the card has been finished very simply, I cut some of the stripy paper on an angle  reflecting the diagonal-ness(?!) of the front.  Some more of the trim and a butterfly cut from a scrap of Kaisercraft Utopia paper using Martha Stewart's Monarch Butterfly punch.  I decorated the inside flap of the envelope (which I have recently started to do) with some more stripy paper, but a pale version  - it looks pretty good.  

Well that's about it for my Music themed card.  I'll be back in a day or so with some more waffling.  Until then, Happy Crafting, Dee

Relax and Unwind

Relax and Unwind, I thought was the perfect sentiment to go with this gift basket full of bathtime goodies.

The sentiment and the images are part of the My Rubber Ducky set from CC Designs, which is going into retirement at the end of March.  I made a tissue box with some more of the set, if you haven't seen it, here's a link.  You can get this set, and quite a few other digis being retired at the end of the month at All That Scraps: Use the code "olddigi" and get your 10% discount!!  Pop over to the ATS Blog and see what the rest of the digi Design Team did with some more of these soon-to-be retirees.

The main tag was cut out and embossed using the largest Lacey Circles Nestabilities, the white circle was cut out (and embossed) using the largest Classic Circle Nestabilities.
I added a patterned circle on the back of the tag (Kaisercrafts Bubblegum Hills 6" collection) with a plain circle to write on inside it, using the same set of Nesties.  The images (all from the same set) were coloured with Copics; I made the Ducky on the back of the tag bigger (being able to alter size and "flip" images is one of the reasons I LOVE digis so much!) and popped him(?) up on foam dots for dimension.  I added Jo Sonja's Texture Paste to the soap bubbles, which is a separate image (which is another reason I love digis, they're so easy to mix and match).  I dried the Texture Paste with my heat gun and it puffed up beautifully - I've been using this stuff for years in my decorative art and it has never done that, I've always used a hair dryer so maybe it's the extra heat that does it; for whatever reason it's perfect!  I just hope I can replicate it when I want to.

Some Diamond Stickles around the edge front and back and some pink ink around the plain circle and it's finished - or so I thought!!
I tried four different ribbons to tie this on to the basket, who'd have thought that it would be that hard!  I didn't want to clash with the main ribbon on the basket.  I settled on this ribbon because it is neutral in colour and being organza is still nice and "light" looking. 
This is the first tag I've ever made, I find I like the concept (you don't always need a card, so a tag is like "card lite")
I'm going to enter my tag in Fab 'n' Funky's challenge this week "Make it Girly". Simon Says Stamp has Anything Goes" as does Craft Your Passion so I'll be entering there too.
I'll be back in a few days with a project using some more of the retiring digis; I want to get them out there before they go forever - I will have to get on to some of my other images - I had a quick look at my digi images folder this morning and there are over 100 that I've bought but haven't used yet- that's not counting freebies and prizes or other images in sets I've used one of - OR CHRISTMAS!!  Oh My, am I the only one that does that: Sees likes buys stores, repeat!? If only these talented artists didn't keep putting out more and more gorgeous stuff, I'd be fine, hmmm.
Anyway, until next time Happy Crafting, Dee

Which would you rather be....?

The sentiment (computer generated) on this Easter card gets you thinking about which you'd rather be at Easter: a cute cupcake with bunny ears, or a brightly coloured egg! 

This is the second Easter card I've done using CC Designs new Funny Easter Images - available from All That Scraps on the 12th March, just in time to make your Easter projects! If you want to see my first card it's here.

I drew the bands on the egg, it comes "au naturel".  If you want to see some more cards using these images go and check out the rest of the DT inspiration on the ATS blog - if you leave a comment under the preview post you're in with a chance to win the whole set.

The cupcake has been coloured with Copic markers, which is what I now use most of the time; but for the egg I reverted to an old method - coloured pencils.  These are run of the mill coloured pencils (usually I use watercolour pencils) blended with odourless solvent.  The result is okay, but I think I will invest in some Prismacolour pencils as I've read so much about them and am interested to see if the result is "superior".   

I added some Stickles and some dots to the egg with a metallic gel pen, and some Royal Coat Gloss to the cupcake, I think the little googly eyes (which I've had in my stash for YEARS) have these little guys looking like they're a bit on edge, which they would be - wouldn't they! 

The background paper and the colourful stripy panel are from Kaisercrafts Magic Happens collection, love it!  The polka dot paper is from a budget pack and the white and sparkly purple strip is from wrapping paper I got on a gift at some time.  I matted everything onto purple foil card that came in a pack of six different colours, the circle was cut and embossed with Circle Nestabilities.  A couple of purple rhinestone brads finished it all off.  Of course I layered it all up with foam dots, it's what I do, lol.

The inside of the card is finished off very simply with some of the paper from the front of the card and some wavy shaped pearls I got from a craft show.  I couldn't believe how well the colours matched the colours on the stripy paper.  A strip of pearls conceals the "join" at the bottom of the card.

I am entering this card in a few challenges:  Cupcake Inspirations has this lovely cupcake as it's inspiration, The Pink Elephant has "Spring", Stamping for the Weekend has "Springtime" and Lexi's Creations has "Easter".  I used a lovely sketch by Friday Sketchers but (yet again) missed the deadline for their challenge - this time I thought I had it nailed, but I'd noted the wrong date (a week out, dunno how!!)  Must be getting tired, or old, or both!!  Next time I'm going to get it right, honest!  Just watch me!

Anyway I hope you enjoyed my Funny Easter cards.  I'll be back soon with a tag I've made using some more CC Designs images that are due for retirement (which I've got to say is how I'm feeling getting towards the end of a very long, hot - and so for us, busy - summer). 

Until next time, Happy Crafting, Dee