CBS and sewing for World Cardmaking Day...

Hello folks!! :)

Well... Happy World Cardmaking Day to you all!! :) Seeing all the posts about WCD this morning, I thought this was as good a day as any to make my long-overdue return to Blogland (again- I know!! Thank you to anyone who has stuck around this long!!) but, having actually made it to my desk to make some cards earlier- my mojo actually made one of its fleeting reappearances just in time for World Cardmaking day- how unusually cooperative of it!! ;) - I haven't got much energy left... so I will try and keep it short... it is sure to be sweet by virtue of the stunning stamp set I made my card with!! :) 

After depriving us for the month of August ;D , the lovely Steph came back with another fab CBS release last month... and I was waiting to pounce on the postie so I could make a card for a sewing friend of mine the very day it arrived... her birthday was two days later but I knew the Sew Special set was perfect!! :)

I used the stamp set and matching dies along with a lovely vintagey floral paper from First Edition, some stitching on my new little machine- which I am still in love with... but more on that another day!! ;) - and added a little watercolouring and some WOS to the images... as it was coming together, I was quite unsure but ended up very happy with the result and it was just perfect for my friend!! :)

{The List}

Cardstock - Papermill Direct - White Plain

Stamps - Clearly Besotted Stamps - Sew Special, Fabulous Fuchsias (Happy Birthday sentiment)

Dies - Clearly Besotted Stamps - Sew Special Die Collection; MFT - Fishtail Banner Stax

Inks - Versafine - Vintage Sepia; Memento - Espresso Truffle, Angel Pink, Summer Sky, New Sprout

Papers - First Editon - Floral Pavillion

Tools - Cuttlebug, my new (teal! ;D) Sewing Machine

Embellishments - Sequins, Gems and Pearls from stash

Finishing Touches - Wink of Stella Clear Brush Pen

Okay... thank you for stopping by tonight... I am truly grateful that people still want to read my blog when there are so many unscheduled and lengthy absences lately!! :) And now, I shall hit publish and head off to bed before I fall asleep right here... hope you are all having a lovely weekend!! :) And if any of you were lucky enough to make it to the craft shows on this weekend, I hope you had a fab time!! :)

Summer Butterfly... Sketch Saturday Week #308 :)

Hello!! :)

So... a while ago, Jen asked me if I would like to be a Guest Designer for the month of May over at Sketch Saturday... and- funnily enough!- I said 'Yes!!'... so here I am today very happily sharing my first GDT card using a fab sketch by Jen... which is also a birthday card for a wonderful and butterfly-loving crafty friend...

This is a simple card... just a piece of DP, one die cut butterfly and some vellum- with a touch of sparkle and a few pearls added, of course!!- but I was really pleased with how it came out... I have shied away from sketches recently but felt like my layouts were getting a bit stale, so I'm glad Jen's offer gave me a push to try something different :)

Told you there was 'a touch' of sparkle... the butterfly was cut from a glittered paper... but I still added several coats of amazing Wink of Stella to the rest... and then couldn't resist adding a bit more to the background piece, which was also already glittered!! lol

{The List}

Cardstock - Papermill - Pale Turquiose Smooth

Stamps - Clearly Besotted - Dandelion Dreams (sentiment)

Dies - Clearly Besotted - Elegant Butterflies Die Collection

Inks - Hero Arts Shadow Inks - Soft Pool

Papers - First Edition - Summer Breeze; DoCrafts Anita's - Vellum

Tools - Cuttlebug, half a broken pair of scissors for distressing edges, Heat Tool, my teeny-tiny sewing machine

Embellishments - Flat-backed Pearls

Finishing Touches - Clear Wink of Stella

Extras - Embossing Powder - WOW! Clear Semi-Dull

This week's sponsor over at Sketch Saturday is Whimsy Stamps...

... and here's the sketch for you...

Whew... I'd forgotten how much more there was to add to DT posts!! lol I do hope you'll join in, though, and you should definitely pop over to the SS blog to see what Jen and the rest of the regular DT have come up with!! :)

Elegant Butterflies... and some not so elegant stitching!!

Hello everyone!! :)

Panic post from me as I've just remembered I wanted to get this entry in for the CBS challenge... and I have less than an hour and a half!! :/

These are the simplest of simple cards, remarkable only for three things... the stunning, stunning, stunning CBS Elegant Butterfly stamps I used being the main one, along with some exceptionally pretty new inks and- finally!- my first ever attempt at machine stitching on cardstock... which is *very* obviously a first attempt... I swear I was not under the influence of drink or drugs (only the prescription variety around here but they have to be pretty potent!! lol) at the time!! lol But, dodgy, wibbly-wobbly (timey-wimey) lines aside, I was soooo excited to try this at last... and am really hoping practise makes perfect!! lol

Anyway, here are the cards...

My favourite... for a friend... I seem to need an unending supply of thirtieth cards this year... how I am surprised by this after my own at the end of last year is a mystery!! ;)

The second card with the wonky stictches... very wonky!! lol

I just love the colours in this purple card... the little snippet from LOTV's Timeless Victorian pad (cut around a die as my desk was too messy to get out my 'bug!!) just goes perfectly with my shadow inks :)

My Wink of Stella made another star appearance too!! :)

These are some little A7 one-layer cards I made very quickly and simply for a stall Mum and I are doing at her church's Easter Market event at the weekend... and you thought it couldn't get any simpler!! lol

Stella!! *sigh* it's soooo preeeetty!! ;)

And a group shot :)

{The List}

Cardstock - Papermill Direct - White Plain, Lilac Smooth and Pink Smooth

Stamps - Clearly Besotted Stamps - Elegant Butterflies; Sentiments - Assorted CBS sets

Inks - Hero Arts Shadow Inks - Soft Pool, Soft Purple, Soft Pink, Soft Granite

Papers - LOTV - Timeless Victorian

Tools - Sewing Machine

Embellishments - Auroura Borealis Gem stone from stash

Finishing Touches - Wink of Stella Brush Pen :)

Challenges: CBS - In Flight :)

Right, I'm off to link up while I still can!! :) Hope you're all well and I hope to be back soon-ish!! :)