Hopeful birdsday

This one is probably my first attempt to use a pun on a card. I have seen others doing this sort of thing all the time and not only do I quite like the results, I also believe that funny cards have a big audience. Now we just need to work a bit more on our jokes and puns, I suppose...?

The rising goose is another one of my brooches, it can be removed and worn again. The vintage image booklet from Carla came in handy again, and I just happened to have a green glittery plastic bead in my stash to complement the eggs. I tried (not very successfully) to split it into halves - I wonder if any of you has any advice on how this can be done? Maybe with a heated wire? If you do, could you please let me know - thanks.

By the way, I have recycled the white button from a shirt that had reached the end of its life. This, if nothing else, should qualify my card for the "Go Green" challenge over at Flourishes Timeless Tuesday (FTTC9) (see the Flourishes newsletter).

Black woman brooch card

Today I finally got round to making a card with this lovely brooch - I had been looking forward to that! It can be removed from the card to be used for its original purpose. As usual, I have bought not just one but quite a few of these brooches. I am intending to make sample cards for my whole stash, so keep watching this space if you like jewellery cards.

The background is textured with a piece of flocked fabric with a gold shimmer. For the picture frame, I have embossed brown card, filed away the brown layer on the embossing and applied a light layer of bronze acrylic paint on the whole card. The background for the lady is a piece of matt gold paper.

Sparkly rainbow baby card

I have drawn my background using water colour pencils without water. Afterwards I glitzed up the colours of the rainbow with some glitzy ribbon - the sort that resembles knitting wool with the colours running into each other.

Craft space

A while ago, I saw a play in which one of the characters made the point that women were always interested in other women's kitchens. I think it's the same with crafting spaces. Some are absolutely gorgeous and probably professional working spaces, while others let you sigh with relief when you notice that you are not the only untidy crafter in the world... It can be good to know that there are others out there creating wonderful things in a tiny corner of their bedroom or at the unused half of the kitchen table.

In any case, you might pick up some good ideas from the way other crafters organise their crafting space. This can be quite an important subject matter if you consider that for some strange reason, our stacks of crafting supplies don't actually go down with every year of crafting - instead they grow... even if we are not normally shopaholics!

Nest with bird brooch

I would like to dedicate this layout to Carla who kindly sent me the vintage image pad I have used here, along with some other marvellous crafting goodies.

I have left the brooch intact so the recipient can detach it from the card and use it.

The flowers are Clare Curd Signature Range, coloured with bronze and brass acrylic paint.

Baby girl card felt relief

How's that for a headline...? Hope you too will have positive feelings of some kind when you look at my card.

Blog candy alerts

If you want to test your luck, check out the following blog candies on offer:

• 
• Tina - 01.04.
• Claudia Rosa is offering Magnolia's blog candy - 02.04.
• Ida is celebrating her new role as DT member for CCC by offering blog candy -3.4.
• Séverine is celebrating her 1 year blogoversary with blog candy (in French) - 05.05.
  
• GO and check out Lorraine's Blog for a surprise giveaway, be quick it ends tonight (13.04.)
• Wendy is giving away a Basic Grey package of goodies and a Stampin' Up Surprise - 14.04.
• Chris is celebrating Holy Week with blog candy until 16.04.
• Neverenoughrubberstamps is offering a giant ink pad as blog candy!
  

Cocktails with brad

The sun is shining out there, it's time for cheerful colours - and there's me already dreaming about summer! I'm looking forward to the season that allows you to sit outside, sipping on a cool fruit cocktail...

Easter flowers

For this card in the A Spoonful of Sugar challenge no. 44, I have been using a sketch from the One Stop Craft challenge no. 20, with doodling on the matted oval layers. The photos are cut out from some packaging. The butterfly is a brad which I have glimmer misted. Its "trail" is punched out. The white flower is Clare Curd Signature Range, with an added gem.

How much is that parrot in the window...?

The red ribbon is organza and quite see-through. I wanted a bright red to match the parrot's colours, so I had to underlay it with a strip of red paper. I am entering this card for the "special ribbon" themed Flourishes Timeless Tuesday Challenge (FTTC7) (see the Flourishes newsletter).

Time for new candy

• Janet is celebrating her (soon) 50,000 hits with four stamps of your choice up for grabs (see picture below)

• Deb is offering blog candy (- 08.03.)
• Jo is also offering blog candy until 08.03.
• Nikki is offering blog candy (- 09.03.)
• Lorraine is offering daily blog candy add-ons (- 18.03.). Here are the rules.
  
• Hege is celebrating her hits by offering blog candy (in Norwegian)
  
• Karin is celebrating her hits with blog candy (- 15.03.)
• Kathryn is celebrating her hits with blog candy (- 14.03.)
• Sylvia is offering three blog candies (- 15.03.)
• Kristen also has three blog candies up for grabs
  
• Courtney is giving you the chance to win a 50 Dollar gift certificate (- 18.03.)
  
• Caz is offering birthday blog candy until the 20.03.
  
• Jeannette has a giveaway (-21.03.)
• Jannhild is celebrating her hits with blog candy (- 22.03.)
  

• Susie is offering blog candy (see picture below) until 22.03.:

• Maria is celebrating her blogoversary with blog candy (- 23.03.)

Layout in brown, pink and blue

I have tried out different colours on this layout - this is a combination that I don't normally use.

Cocktails for Yvonne

This is my entry for the Cute Cards Thursday challenge no. 50 which this week goes under the theme of "Food and Drink".

Vintage ATC

This "Brass Fittings" ATC features a broad variety of materials, ranging from nature's products such as real snail shells and grains of rice, and everyday industrial materials like wire, fruit net and metal ring embellishments, to materials traditionally used in paper crafts such as gold and brass acrylic paint and red glitter.

Three different daffodils...

... on this Easter card: they are painted, made from fabric, and on a sticker!