A sweet tooth in blog land

It's time for some new blog candy alerts. There are gorgeous things to win, check out the following links:

• Debbie -30.4.
• Steph until 3.5.

Leaf shaker card

I have a tip to share with you today: Don't throw away used envelopes without checking out the inside first! I have been collecting a few of their inside patterns and used them on this card. They form the background of the shaker windows, all of which are closed with a sheet of acetate attached to the back of the die cut shape.

If you fancy giving acetate a try yourself, you might want to check out challenge FTTC12 over at Flourishes.

The wool ribbon was a find at a flee market, the button is from a sewing shop, the wooden beads were in a children's crafting set, as were the butterflies.

Extravagant flower card

For quite a while I have been thinking about how to use this rather extravagant picture. Due to the different colours, it wasn't easy - and then, how are you supposed to embellish this explosion of petals? I'm quite happy with what I have finally come up with. Hey, I even managed to smuggle half a vintage flower on this modern style card! That was made using a Clare Curd Signature Range flower, some fluffy ribbon and acrylic paints (bronze for the first layer and purple for the second). Then I went into my other half's workshop and sewed a couple of metallic plastic beads into halves - they would have been too big otherwise.

Bling Handbags

A flowery bling ladies' card -  an ear clip had to sacrifice its existence (as an ear clip) for this one... I hope it was worth it!?

Leafy Tree

In this teacher's Thank You card, I tried to follow the oval / almond shape idea through all the elements: card base, image, embellishments and sentiment.

I distressed the leaf shaped frames, then used piercing on the single leaf on the top left (by the way, Flourishes Timeless Tuesdays has a piercing challenge, too!) and faux stitching on the sentiment. I used a silver gel pen which is why it doesn't show up very well even on the detail photo, sorry! I also included a fabric leaf and a Clare Curd Signature Range flower - I couldn't resist its almond-shaped leaves.

My first blogging award

... has been given to me by Anne: the Kreativ Blogger. Thanks Anne, I feel honoured!

Here are the "rules" for this award:

1. Thank the person who nominated you for the award.


2. Copy the logo and place it on your blog.


3. Link to the person who nominated you for the award.


4. Name 7 things about yourself that people might find interesting.


5. Nominate 7 Kreativ Bloggers.


6. Post links to the 7 blogs you nominate.


7. Leave a comment on each of the blogs, letting them know they've been nominated.

I'll start with listing 7 things about myself that others might find interesting:

1. I like gardening and try to rescue plants that have been removed from other gardens. Apart from weeds, of course! Today for example, I picked up a Hibiscus shrub. Not sure if it will make it - it might have been out of the soil for too long already - but I think it's worth trying.

2. I try to use my bicyle instead of motorised transport on all trips under 40 minutes (cycling time).

3. My favourite food is Sushi.

4. I'm one of the (few?) people who actually like chocolate which contains 99% cocoa (although it's not sweet). That doesn't mean I would say no to a nice chocloate truffle whatever the content of cocoa is in those...

5. I once spent a weekend cooking for a whole film set (actors as well as the crew). That was in an old farm kitchen - I think they did have a dishwasher, though.

6. I have been around a race track on the back of a motorbike.

7. When I was about 15 years old, a friend intoduced me to Danish cross stitching. We proudly exhibited our efforts in a glass cabinet outside our class room.


Next, I am to nominate 7 other blogs for the award. Here is my choice, in no particular order:

World of Sarpreet
First of all, rather than nominating a well-known blog that has already received awards, I would like to encourage a new blogger. I found Sarpreet's blog when she had won a sketch challenge - it's always interesting to see the people behind their cards. Sarpreet has a nice personal style of writing and her blog already has many more followers than mine ;) so maybe this award is the next step of motivation? Keep posting, Sarpreet!

Nellie's Nest
Diane not only does stamping and card making but also makes quilts and lovely gifts in attraktive packaging. Her ideas are very inspirational.

The Paper Yard
Lori makes interesting and original cards, often romantic in style, sometimes with a modern flair. I greatly admire her sense for details.

Forever Momories for You
I enjoy looking at Tina's 3D cards, it seems she really has mastered her craft robo, and I'm so looking forward to see her hot-foiled cards!

The Pink Elephant Challenge Blog
I can recommend their varying weekly challenge and also the clear tutorials - you can find all sorts of crafty advice and ideas here.

Skissedilla
This is the first norwegian scrapbooking challenge blog! Luckily, you don't need to understand Norwegian to enjoy their creative layouts and take part in the challenges - there is a translating function on the blog's sidebar and you can comment in English.

Stamping Mathilda
Godelieve's blog is inspiring, I like her amazing projects and tutorials - and she's an apt photographer, too!

I hope you'll take a moment or two to stop by these blogs (including Anne's!) and maybe leave a nice comment. Thanks!

A window in Edinburgh castle

I admit the motif is probably a bit unusual for a birthday card. This stained glass window displaying Saint Columon can be found in St. Margaret's Chapel in Edinburgh castle.

I like the effect of the coloured light on the wall so I wanted to incorporate my ribbons in an unobtrusive way.