Vinatge Loveliness for Mother's Day :)

Hello!! :)

I have been dying to share the Mother's Day card I made for my amazing mum and am finally getting around to it... I was still really ill when I made this and had to enlist a little help from my mum herself (to get things out and to turn the handle on my 'bug... with extra paper to hide the actual dies so she didn't know what I/she was cutting!!lol Did I mention she was amazing btw?!!) but I was really chuffed with how it came out and she loved it too so all the effort was well worth it... hope you'll like it too!! :)

The processes are all pretty simple and self-explanatory, I think, so I will save us all the time and effort of too many details but I managed to cram in an awful lot of new stash (when I can't craft, I buy crafty stuff- ooops!!lol) on this one as well and was surprised how it all came together... usually when I try to add in too much lately, it all goes horribly wrong!!lol

So, I have some gorgeous new stamps and dies from Clearly Besotted and PTI... and I can't tell you how much I am loving all the fun I seem to be having with dies at the moment...

...to be able to cut something as delicate as this leafy vine and then stamp it too...

...and negative alpha die cuts as well... why, oh, why did it take me so long to catch on to all this!!!lol

There is also new paper and my new MS butterfly punch... well, I got that just after Christmas but hadn't used it yet!! :) I am in craft addict heaven!! :D :D

{The List}

A6 Top-fold Cream card blank plus extra card for main layer

Paper from Papermania Vintage Notes 6x6 paper pad

PTI Block Alphabet dies

Clearly Besotted Stamps Leafy Accents and Butterfly Wishes stamp sets and matching dies

Memento inks in New Sprout and Bamboo Leaves

VersaMagic Ink in Malted Mauve

Core'dinations Vintage Collection cardstock

Martha Stewart Butterflies Punch

Papermania Scalloped Border Punch

Papermania Spots and Stripes Pastels twine

Anita's 3mm and 2mm gems

Scissor blade (one half of a broken pair!) to distress papers and Corner Chomper

I know you wouldn’t believe it from the list of 'ingredients' or even the look of the card really, but it is a fairly simple card in layout too... try imagining it without that one sheet of highly patterned paper... amazing what a difference a paper can make!! :) And apparently not so much of a divergence from my recent CAS style as I originally thought!!lol

I would like to enter this in the following challenges: A Passion forPapertrey - Negative Die Cuts :) ; Bunny Zoe's Monthly Challenge - Girly :) ; Crafty Bloggers Network - Spring/Pastel :) ; Crafts and Me - Pretty in Pink (if there is enough pink for you ladies? :) ) :) ; My Mum's Craft Shop - Spring Has Sprung (...if only, we had sunshine and blue skies in the middle of a blizzard earlier!!) :) ;

Right, that's it from me 'til next time... when that will be depends very much on whether my body stops playing silly beggars on me for more than five minutes at a time!! :S Until then, I hope you are all well, as warm as possible (come on Spring, where the heck are you?!!) and have a lovely Easter weekend... as I doubt I'll be back before that somehow!! :)

Accentuate the... Negatives!?! :)

Hello everyone!! :)

I am still feeling a bit rubbish but popping a post on my lil' ol' blog last week proved such a pleasant distraction from the stresses around here that I thought I would make another flying visit to share a couple more very CAS cards I made a few weeks ago using my two fave butterfly dies... 

... 'cos butterflies and pretty papers are a sure way to make me happy!!lol I kept these really simple after being inspired by some gorgeous creations on Pinterest and around blogland :)

This first one uses a beauitiful PTI die a lovely blogging buddy gave me last year... I just love the shape and it has become a firm favourite in my stash!! :) 

I added a simple stamped greeting to suit any occassion, inked the edges and inside of the negative in the same colour for a bit of interest and popped on a bit of seam binding...

... and then I smudged a few dots of ink all around on the main layer... which was absolutely intended from the outset and not at all because I noticed I had got a stray ink mark on there from my mucky fingers!!lol I actually rather like the effect anyway- I do like a happy accident!! :)

And this one uses my oh-so-gorgeous Clearly Besotted Butterfly Wishes die and another lovely piece of Summer Breeze paper :)

I was looking through my sentiments for something just a bit different to go on this card and as soon as I saw this one by Sam Poole, I knew exactly who I wanted to send this card to... a lovely friend who lives far too far away... oh, how I wish I could just fly on down for a cuppa and a catch-up with her!! :)

This one has a different colour of ink and of seam binding but is essentially the same... isn't that paper gorgeous?!! :)

{The List}

White A6 top-fold card blanks plus extra card for die cut layer

PTI Butterfly Die and Clearly Besotted Stamps Butterfly Wishes Die

First Edition Summer Breeze paper pad

VersaMagic inks in Pixie Dust and Aquatic Splash

Craftwork Cards Alphabet Stamps for 'hello...' 

Creative Expressions by Sam Poole Art Sayings A5 stamp sheet

Seam Binding in Peach and Rose Petal from The Ribbon Girl

So, that was my next experiment in uber-CAS cards... I am so loving CAS right now!!! :D I still haven't been well enough to play more with my new Clearly Besotted goodies but hopefully over the weekend I'll be able to... I see more CAS in my future!! Just imagine that in a Mystic Meg-like voice!!lol

I'd like to enter these in the following challenges:  Addicted to CAS - Wings :) ; Bunny Zoe's Monthly Challnege - Girly :) ; Papertake Weekly - 1, 2, 3! (One layout, two dies and three colours- aqua, peach and white... if I'm reaching to far here then please just delete me!!) :) ; Joanna Sheen - Mum's the Word (For a Special Lady) -these are heading off to two lovely friends asap!! :) ; Allsorts - Springtime :) ; Crafty Bloggers Network - Spring or Pastel :)

Thank you so much for stopping by today- I hope you like my cards!! :) And thank you for all the comments on my last post and the well wishes too... sooo much appreciated!! :) Hope you are all well and have a lovely weekend!! :) I'll be back... soon, I hope!!lol

Besotted with Clearly Besotted!! :)

Hello folks!! :)

I'm popping in today to share a card I made a few weeks ago with some simply gorgeous new stamps but will have to try and keep my waffle to a minimum as the reason I've been away so long is that I have had a major health crash along with a lot of stressful goings on and, though I am finally doing a bit better, I am still feeling pretty ropey and having to be careful I don't overdo things...

That being said, I simply couldn't wait any longer to share this card with you...

It is made using the simply beautiful Butterfly Wishes stamp set from Clearly Besotted Stamps... I am so so happy to have discovered CBS... their stamps are fantastic and there are dies to match too... I'm in crafty heaven!!lol

The first thing I did was to die cut a whole pile of butterflies and then had a lovely time stamping them out in almost every colour of ink I have... then I had a play with colour combos and decided I'd use these pinks I have never used on anything before and wouldn't have thought to put together normally... I love when something inspires me to try something different!! :)

Alongside discovering the company, I also discovered Stephanie's amazing blog and I guess I have been soaking in a lot from her cards as this card could have been cased directly from this one of hers- one of the many, many gorgeous cards she has over there... so thank you Stephanie for the amazing inspiration as well as gorgeous products!! :)

The sentiment is also from the Butterfly Wishes set with the extra 'sending you' from the other set I got at the same time, Warm Wishes :)

{The List}

White 5"x7" top-fold card blank plus extra for diecuts

Butterfly Wishes stamp set & matching dies and Warm Wishes stamp set from Clearly Besotted Stamps

VersaMagic chalk ink pads in Pixie Dust, Pink Petunia, Malted Mauve & Perfect Plumeria

I had so much fun making this card and plan to make more in other colour combos soon :) I have also already received my second order of lovely goodies from Stephanie and had little play with some of it (it was a big order and there are still so many more sets I'd love!!lol) for my mum's Mother's Day card which I will share as soon as I have energy to get the pics edited :)

I'd like to enter this card in the following challenges: Addicted to CAS - Wings :) ; CAS-ual Fridays - Colour Blocks (I hope this fits!!) :) ; CAS on Sunday - Happy Birthday :) ; Joanna Sheen - Mum's the Word (a card for a special lady- this one will be going to my oldest friend for her birthday next week!!) :) ; Allsorts - Springtime :) ; Delicious Doodles - Use Diecuts :)

I'll be back just as soon as my health allows, until then- thanks for stopping by and for your comments!! Hope you're all keeping well and wrapped up warm!! :)

Japanese-style Wood & Vellum Lantern...

Hello again!! :)

How are you all? I hope you had lovely weekends doing something fun... like crafting!! :D Well, I’m back again and so soon, too... but there is a very good reason!! :)

A few weeks ago my lovely friend, Elaine, asked me if I would like to be a guest designer for her fabulous All Crafts Challenge, which she hosts on her blog Craft My Life to give all of us who enjoy making things other than cards a place to share our projects and find inspiration... well, of course, loving my different crafts as I do, I said yes and so here I am today with something very different to share...

This is the ‘proper’ gift I made for my sister’s 18^th birthday and is a Japanese-style lantern using co-ordinating Lili of the Valley Geisha Girls stamps (as I used for her card in my last post)...

It began life as a kit- which I very happily discovered forgotten on my crafty bookcase after much head-scratching and scouring of t’internet for ideas for something extra special and just a bit different that I could make for her!! :) – with six bare-wood pieces (four legs/sides, two square pieces for top and bottom and a plywood base), which I covered in Tim Holtz Distress Stains in Black Soot, for a traditional Japanese black wood look, and Walnut Stain for a bit of warmth. I have to say that I lost count of how many coats I had to give the pieces to get an evenness of colour I was remotely happy with... suffice to say it was an awful lot and the pieces took up residence on my desk for a loooong time as I was doing it!! Then I added a couple of coats of Mod Podge but that still seemed a bit sticky and like the stain might leave marks so I added a coat of Artiste Acrylic Matte Varnish. I honestly thought I had ruined the whole thing several times during this but got away with it in the end... phew!!lol

Then it was on to making the decorative panels. I used some lovely white marble vellum I have had for years to do this and stamped and heat embossed images from the LOTV Japanese Companion stamp sheet for all four sides and then coloured the images on the reverse with Prismacolor pencils and OMS. I took some pics of the colouring just to show how much brighter and stronger the colour looks than on the outside :)

I used a fine detail gold embossing powder with some added gold glitter, masking the house, bridge and tree stamps on the second panel and stamping and embossing in three stages to get a full scene :)

Then it was time to assemble it all... and boy, was that fun... or not!!lol It was actually extremely tricky and even with another pair of hands (thanks, Mum!!) on hand to help, I was not at all convinced I’d manage it for a while... but we got there in the end and this is how it turned out...

I used super-sticky tape to attach the panels (tried the first one with silicone and nearly made an unsalvageable mess!! :S) and silicone to attach all the wood pieces together... to be honest, I can’t even remember now what order things went together in but since it was so much hard work that I doubt I will ever do it again, I can live with that!!lol

This pic gives an idea of the construction with four L-shaped legs and top and bottom which fitted between them, if that makes any sense.

Then all that was left was to add battery-powered LED candle inside... and spend ages taking pics from all the different angles!!lol

A couple of shots with the lights dimmed and the candle ‘lit’... you can’t really get a sense of the light coming through the coloured vellum here but it was quite pretty in real life, especially witht he marble effect on the vellum!! :)

This was a long and rather stressful project, which I suspect I will not try again for a long time to come but I am very happy to say that my sis’ really loved it and I was so happy to have been able to make something so very personal to her passions- the more usual purely selfish enjoyment of the process aside, aren’t those moments of making people feel happy and special what we do all this crafty stuff for?!! Lovely feeling :) 

I’d like to enter this in the following challenges: Inspire Me Fridays - #95 :) : Happy Hour Fridays - 02.08 :)

Okay, so if you have made it to the end of this post- and especially if you actually took the time to read all the way through!!lol- then thank you and well done!! ;D Please do pop over to Elaine’s blog and check out her fabulous All Crafts Challenge for some wonderful inspiration... and if you make anything other than cards- altered or upcycled items, jewellery, fabric or yarn crafts or anything else- then do stop by over there and share it with her and the rest of us!! :) Have a lovely week folks!! :)

LOTV Japanese Birthday for my sis’ 18th... :)

Hello everyone!! :)

My ‘baby’ sister turned 18 in November (where the time went I do not know!!lol) and today I am going to show you the card I made for her...

As some of you who have been following my blog a while may remember from last year’s card, my sis has a fascination with all things Japanese and when I was wracking my lil’ old brain to think up a card that would be truly special for her, I remembered the fab Geisha Girls stamps Lili of the Valley had released a few months previously... and so off I popped for a wee shopping spree as I knew they would be perfect!! :)

I knew I wanted to use my gorgeous Kioshi papers so, after a quick look to choose likely sheets, I settled down to colour the beautiful Aimi with Lantern image with my PMs and FMs... first time I’d done any colouring in ages, colour combos I’d never used before, first time colouring this stamp *and* no time to do-over if it all went horribly wrong after I’d got halfway through... so no pressure on myself there then!! :S lol Luckily, thanks to a spare image (or three!!) to test my colours on first, it actually worked pretty well first time and I was pretty chuffed :) So that was day one... now for a night’s sleep and a rest for my aching neck/back!!lol

Then back again the next day to put image and papers together... I wanted to use this lovely paper with the flowers over one side as my main piece and didn’t think it need too much fuss on it, both because that’s not really my sis’ thing and because the paper is just to pretty to cover up. So I just embellished what was there with glaze, glitter and some stamped Japanese- my sis says Kanji?!l- characters which I gilded with Flitter Glu and flakes... all (except perhaps the glitter, but you just *have* to have glitter, right!?!) to add to the traditional gilded and lacquered oriental feel... :)

I cut the numbers on my electronic cutting machine and layered them on another piece from the Kioshi pad with some more gilded characters for interest...

For the base of my easel I also cut one of my Cherry Blossom border svgs, which I designed last year, to make the stopper. The happy birthday stamp and handwritten ‘sister’ are heat embossed with gold glitter powder as I don’t ever like the look of gilding on fine text stamps. The final touches were just a few punched butterflies dotted around and some pretty blue pearls :)

The List:

• 6x6in Sq. White card blank plus extra panel for easel front
• Geisha Girls Aimi with Lantern stamp from LOTV, stamped in Memento Tuxedo Black and coloured with ProMarkers and FlexMarkers (no list this time as I can't lay my virtual hands on the photo... but if you really want to know something, ask and I'll have another look!!)
• Basic Grey Kioshi paper pad
• Scissor blade (from an old broken pair!!) for distressing edges
• Japanese character stamps from Aspects of Design’s Japanese Plum Blossom stamp plate
• Indigo Blu Flitter Glu and Variegated Green Gilding Flakes from Crafty Notions
• Quickie Glue Pen (for gilding flake detail)
• Diamond Glaze
• Sakura Clear Stardust pen
• Happy Birthday stamp from Penny Black, VersaMark ink and Gold glitter embossing powder
• X-cut label dies
• Electronic cutter for my own design Cherry Blossom border cut-file and numbers (cut from gold pearl card)
• Tiny Butterfly punch from Lakeland years ago
• 3mm Pale Blue Pearls

As I wasn’t going to be seeing my sis’ before her birthday and her main pressies was absolutely not postable (you’ll see why if you stop by next Monday...!!! ;) ), I also made a little gift to pop in the post with her card... a little glass cabochon necklace made with a piece of matching Kioshi paper :)

I added a few coloured beads to the bail on a jump ring for interest and was quite pleased with the pretty way they hung over the heart :)

And a pic of both together :) I was pleased with how they came out... and my sis' loved them too, so smiles all round!! :D

I’d like to enter these in the following challenges (either the card, necklace or both as each challenge allows): Papertake Weekly - Anything Goes :) ; Moving Along with the Times - Only Girls Allowed :) ; Beading Friends Forever - Anything Goes :) ; Inspire Me Fridays - # :) ; Happy Hour Projects Friday Linky Party - 02.08 :)

Thank you so much for popping by today- I truly appreciate the comments people have been kind enough to leave for me and am trying to do better at leaving comments and returning visits just as much as my health/energy allows :) I hope you’re all well and have a lovely weekend!! :) Oh, and don’t forget to pop back on Monday for a special post with my sis’ gift!! :)