Monday 28 March 2016

Shore Do Miss You

A huge thank you to 
The Challenge at Always Playing With Paper,
for the opportunity to be this week's Guest Designer.
I am thrilled.

The theme is masculine and there is a fabulous
inspirational photo for you to use.
(Check it out at the end of this post)



It's a little crazy, but I made this card for my Dad,
who passed away last year.
I miss him every day, and Easter is going to be tough without him.

There's not much that's nautical in my stash, but I did come up with this boat die,
which I paper-pieced and placed in a circle frame -  to resemble a porthole.
I tried printing out some wide, navy stripes, but my printer didn't want to play,
so I ended up drawing them onto card with a Copic.


The Challenge at Always Playing with Paper

Provocraft Boat Die.  Circle Nesties. Copic B39. 
Spotted DP - Echo Park, Noote To Self.  Tiny Alphabet Stamps, Stampendous.

Sunday 20 March 2016

Whooo's having a baby?

Aghhh    pastels -  they're a bugger to photo aren't they?
This card is a little prettier irl - trust me :-)



This is like a shaker card - without the acetate window, the sequins or confetti.
So, actually, not like a shaker at all then.   Ha ha!

My frame, and the little owls are popped up though,
to give the card some interest and dimension.


Challenges.
Fusion Card Challenge - Everything's Owl Right

Addicted to CAS - Delicate - 
(of colour) subtle and subdued  "delicate pastel shades"

Mama Elephant - just hatched
MFT - zig zag rectanngle die + calm and cozy chevron dp
Inks - ColorBox papaaya cream, glacier ice.
yellow ink - HeroArts color lights by Lia


Friday 18 March 2016

Shameless Bragging

Hello.
No card from me today.
Just some shameless bragging about my dd Maria.


Maria is a Clinical Physiologist at Leeds Hospital - 
one of the biggest and busiest cardiology and cardiac surgery
centres in the UK.
This week she was on their Facebook page, sharing a little
of what she does everyday.


xxxx





Thursday 17 March 2016

One for the boys.

I'm always short of  'boy/men' cards.
I find them tricky to make.
But here's one for the pile.


This week's Always Playing with Paper, colour challenge 
screamed 'masculine' at me.
And, instead of my reaching for my usual balloons,
I used one of these amigos.
They're cute, but not too childish, if you know what I mean.




MFT zig zag rectangle die.  Circle Nesties.
Mama Elephant, Three Amigos.  Happy Stamp, Lawn Fawn Year 2
DP - Lawn Fawn , Let's Polka.
Inks - Memento Danube Blue, Versacolour Lime/Cyan

Tuesday 15 March 2016

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity Jig

Playing along today with the 
CAS(E) this Sketch Challenge.
(I just rotated the sketch)


As I was making this, I was reminded of  the pretty, blue and white
bird house that I put up at my last house.
It was up for a year and a half, and the birds moved in
2 weeks before we moved out.
Of course they did.
I couldn't evict them, so I guess I need a new bird house.


I'd like to say the idea for the 'roof' was mine,
 but I saw it on a card by the wonderfully talented Yana Smakula
Unlike hers though, my scallops are on the top edge
 - 'cos them's the dies I've got   :-)

Challenges.


DP - Echo Park, Bundle of Joy.  MFT Zig Zag Rectangle Die.  Scalloped Nestie Die.
Mama Elephant, Just Hatched.   Sentiment - Avery Elle, Home Sweet Home.
Circles - Winnie & Walter, Big Bang Confetti. 
Ink - ColorBox, Glacier Ice.   

Sunday 13 March 2016

I like orange

Step back in time with me.
Remember the days before cute, die-cuts, inks in every shade,
 and two-step stamps -
when you actually had to colour an image yourself.
Haha.

This is what the LIM one layer challenge has made me do.


I dug deep into my stamp box and discovered this never inked, orange tree
and even though colouring was never my strong suit,  I dusted off my Copics
and tried to give it a little depth.
I admit - going back to colouring was totally engrossing and kind of fun.


Challenge.

Less Is More - One Layer + Sentiment.

I think the stamp is by Whiff Of Joy
Sentiment is Clearly Besotted, Say It In Style.


Saturday 12 March 2016

Holy Shit!


My BFF is 50



2 things - 
How do you stop your embossing powder from leaving 
little, black, speckles everywhere?
And can anyone recommend a good, plain, alphabet stamp set?
This is the only one I have, and it's not quite right, is it?


Challenges.

CASology - Laugh

Clearly Besotted, Round Roses.    My Sentiments Exactly Alpha Stamps.
MFT Ziz zag Rectangle die.   Memory Box Number Dies.
DP - Echo Park, Spots & Stripes.
Inks - Memento -  Rose Bud, New Sprout, Angel Pink, Bamboo Leaves.

Thursday 10 March 2016

Shake it Baby

Got 5 minutes?
Why not pop over to Seven Hills Crafts and check out their challenge.
This month it's a sketch, and it just lends itself to a shaker card.


This was my first time using foam sheet for my shaker, 
just die cutting it the same as my card.
I found it so much easier than ds tape,
and my sequins didn't get stuck at the edges as much.


Seven Hills Crafts


Stamps & Dies - MamaElephant Just Hatched
MFT ZigZag Stitched Rectangles and plain nesties.
Ink - Hero Arts, Lia Colour Lights.
Card - DCWV Tres Chic
DP, Sequins/Stars/Funky Foam from my stash.


Friday 4 March 2016

I'm Spinning Around

SPIN

To cause to turn around rapidly, as on an axis; twirl; whirl.


Ha ha! My first ever spin card and I love it.
It was even surprisingly easy to make, despite having to cut
the aperture with a craft knife.



Challenges

CASology - Week 187 Spin

WPlus9 Happy Birds.  MFT ZigZag Rectangle Die.

Wednesday 2 March 2016

Patchwork


I wracked my brains over the 'geometric' challenge
and finally came up with this patchwork design.


It was a great way to use up snippets of dp,
sticking them to a piece of base card and then using a stitched die,
to get a nice edge.


Challenges
Inkspirational - Geometric

Various snippets of DP
Lawn Fawn stitched rectangle die. Memory Box happy die.
 Xcut metal effect gold sheet.
Sequins. Gems