Diamond heart card in aqua

Do you have hot summer weather where you are at the moment? I know some of you do... if that's the case, just looking at the pool colours in this card might cool you down a little. At least it has that effect on me!

I split up a pair of ear rings which I had bought in the sales, and ruffled a satin ribbon. I'm always looking for ribbons as they are among my favourite items for embellishing cards. I was lucky to find one in the same shade of turquoise, and matching colour card stock.

It's the first time I tried this ruffling technique. It's easy enough, you just put a staple behind each ruffle, but you will need to measure your distances beforehand if you want a tidy look. I embellished it with a bow made from a strip of coarse silver sheer fabric.

The silver strip down the middle is a wide fabric ribbon of which I used the less shiny back side. And about time I did something with it - it has been in my stash for over a year and never actually made it onto a card until now.

Challenges: The Ribbon Girl Colour Ch. #10 - Aqua - 31st July, Craft Your Passion #66 - anyone- Tue, Hooked on Crafts Ch. #3 - love - Fri, House of Gilli Ch. #11 - Sparkle - Mon, KB Cute Monday Ch. #21 - cute - Mon, Stamp-N-Doodle Ch. - Love - Mon, There She Goes Ch. #115 - fabric - Mon, UnstampaBelles Ch. #1 - celebration - 31st July, Fetch-A-Sketch #2 - 1st Aug, The Ribbon Reel Ch. #6 - sketch - Mon 1st wk, Shopping our Stash Ch. #8 - old + new - due, Skipping Stones Design #84 - sketch - won!, Divas by Design Ch. #6 - pastels - this Thu, The Pixie Cottage Ch. #78 - ribbon - Wed, Simon says stamp - any - due, Moving along with the times times Ch. 107 - favourites - Wed, Totally papercrafts #75 - girly - Thu, Just Add Ink #76 - inspiration - Wed, Clean And Simple Sunday Ch. #17 - Aug. 9th, Really Reasonable Ribbon #28 - Cool it! - 1st Aug.

Re-posted: Cocktails with brad

Our task for the Flashback Friday Challenge is to re-post an old project that uses summer colours. I chose this cocktail card because when I originally posted it on the 21st of March 2009, it didn't get any comments.

I like the details and the cheerful design, however if I still had this card I would go and cut around the top left corner. No idea why I didn't think about it back then, but when I revisit old cards, I quite often get ideas how to improve them!

Challenges: Flashback Friday #12.0 - 24th June

Shoes... a hybrid card

I like this variation on the well known "Keep calm and carry on" slogan which has also made it into a film title last year. It leant itself to a hybrid card on what is sometimes reported to be a woman's deepest wish, longing or obsession. Buying new shoes can have a therapeutic effect when you feel life has let you down somehow. The subject is a first for me, but I feel my cards could do with a bit of humour so I just had to give it a go.

I combined the coloured bar on the left hand side in the Our Creative Corner inspiration with the area of circle shapes. This seemed a good opportunity to use my new assorted colour circle sequins which I had bought at the Pound Shop two weeks ago.

You can download Clare Curd's poster graphic for free here. She is offering a new digital every Monday on her blog www.clarecurd.com.

Challenges: Clare Curd's Digi Challenge #1, Make it Monday #41: Any - Mon, Bearly Mine Challenge #12: any - Tue 1st wk., Craft Room Ch. #1: any - Tue., Deep Ocean #1: any - next Tue, Papertake Weekly: any - Tue?., ABC Challenge: Wish - Tue., Crafty Creations #122: Some day over the rainbow..., Truly Scruptious Ch. #58: summer sparkle - Tue., AiFactory Challenge: new - Thu., Art Impressions Stamps Challenge #19: monochrome, - Thu., Crafty sentiments: sparkle - Thu., Digi Doodle Shop Ch. #62: no patterned paper - Wed., Meljen's Designs DT Challenge # 62: pink + pearls - Thu., Pals Paper Arts Ch. #97: my signature style, Shelley's Images: any - Wed., Guy Lou's Inimitability: monochrome - Thu., Joyful Stamper Inspire me Fridays #10: any - Wed., The Poodles's Parlour: any - Thu. 1st wk., Craft your days away #22: monochrome, CES Challenges #40: movie - Fri., Just some lines : monochrome - Fri., Challenge up your life #45: sketch - Fri., Creations by Gill M Ch. #9: circle shapes - Sat., Our Creative Corner: double inspiration - Sat., Sketch saturday #159: sketch, Create 4 Fun: sketch #87 - end of June,

A formal bunch of flowers in green and blue

For this flowery birthday card I used another variety of the stickers my ex-colleagues gave me. The challengingly formal shapes which I mounted on a piece of white textured wallpaper give it a clean and simple look, ideal for a man's card. Cutting out an even circle was a quick job for my compass circle cutting tool - I should take it out more often.

The fresh green background colour contributes to a modern feel.

I made my own embellishment by mounting some of the stickers on top of each other and glueing a sequin on top. My tip for those of you who want to do something similar is to use a glue gun instead of crafting glue so you can be sure it stays on the card.

Challenges: Cards for Men #11: no paper - Sun, CCM Spotlight: Challenge - Mon., DDH7: 1 layer - 12th June, House of Gilli #8: Flowers - Mon., KB Challenges #15: any - Mon., Lexi's Creations #41: man's - Sat., Ooh-La-La Creations #81: Bday - Sun 1st wk, Stamp with fun #113: garden - Mon., Stamping Scrapping Challenge: masculine - Mon., Woodware USA #29: forgotten embell. - Sun., Critter Sketch #67: sketch + bling - next Sun., A Spoon full of sugar Ch. #154: flowers - Mon., Scrap Creations color ch.: blue, yellow, green, Ladybug Crafts Ink Ch. #30: own embell., Party Time Tuesdays PTT #18: any - Mon., Sweet Stamps Ch. #17: masc., Top Tip Tuesday Ch. #36: ribbon, Tuesday Throwdown #51: own embell. - Mon., Belli Ch. #118: tool, Truly Scrumptious Ch. #58: Summer sparkle - Tue 1st wk, ,

Stripes and squares: red stickers on purple paper

Being known at work as a card making enthusiast has its pros and cons. I had been asked on various occasions to contribute a card for a colleague, but when I was leaving I was given some nice crafting goodies as a farewell present, including quite a few colourful stickers. They go well with a modern, clean style.

On this birthday card I used purple paper with silver stripes and arranged rectangular stickers in different shades of red and pink on it.

Challenges: Paper Pretties PWC #155: Birthday, Creative Card Crew: any, Karen's Doodles #64: Sparkles, Tuesday Throwdown #50: any, Claudia and Company #82: girl's birthday, Alphabet Challenge: c = clean + simple, Crafty Katz #83: any, Mami doodle #26: spots or stripes - Thu, Simply Create #44: special day - Thu,

Christmas Angel

Thinking of the mad rush crafters find themselves in during the months before Christmas, it can never be too early to make a Christmas card. If inspiration is an issue - and you probably don't want to get all the season's paraphernalia out just yet - you could just watch the film "Christmas Angel" for example.

The writing on the right hand side of the card has a gold-metallic shine which is very difficult to photograph so I need to ask you to imagine this detail.
I added dimension to the card with a new embellishment from my stack: a die cut angel popped up with a piece of foam tape, on top of a paper with a distressed pattern. I also recycled a ribbon which was once adorning a beautifully wrapped present.

Challenges: The Paper Variety wk. 33: movie - Tue, OWH Stars and Stamps: wings - Tue, Amber's crafts and Stuff Ch. 8: recycle - Tue, Blogger's Challenge blog hop: sketch - Fr nP, Crafty Creations Challenges #118: any - Wed, My Mum's Craft Shop Challenges #5: dies - Tue, Paper Pretties Wednesday Ch. PWC153: texture - Wed, Penny's Paper Crafty Challenges #53: any - Wed 1st wk, The Sisterhood of Crafters: shine - WEd 1st wk nP, YNSC #42: popped up - Wed 1st wk, Craft us Crazy #8: sth new - Mon, +mnth P, Crafty Purple Frog Challenges: monochrome - Thu 1st wk, Cute Card Thursday #164: distressed - Wed, Dutch Dare Card Challenges #112: winged - Thu, Pixie Dust Studio Ch. #74: shiny - Wed, A Spoonful of Sugar #152: any - Tue, Creative Craft Challenges: distr./vintage - Mon, Use it Tuesday #7: bling - Fri, Frosted Designs Fabulous Friday: ribbon/twine - Thu, Sew Many Cards #53: any stamp - Thu, Stamp Something: any - Thu, Stamping Vacation: regency glitz - 13th June, Simon Says Stamp: Sparkle - Wed, Crafts and me #35: any, Flutter by Wednesdays #155: winged - Tue, The Paper Shelter #14: distressed - Tue, Penny's Challenges #53: any - 1st wk,

Wedding cake stamp card - flashback

I posted this card originally on the 30th May almost 2 years ago. I still like it as a contemporary wedding card. It would also work for a wedding invitation as it is quick to make and does not need many embellishments which can be costly and might make the card heavy or bulky, which then needs more postage to send it. The image is from Scrapmagasinet, a Norwegian stamp company.

Challenge: Flashback Friday 11.01

Child's birthday card in red and black

This birthday card for a 6-year-old features a motorbike racing theme as this is one of the child's interests. I think it's not a bad hobby to pursue as you experience nature directly rather than through the windows of a metal box.

For this card I cut red and black solid colour papers into stripes to resemble the supported football team's shirts. The image I am using for my collage has been recycled from an old magazine.

To add some more sparkle or bling, I embellished with a piece of sequinned ribbon. I shaped another into the number 6 to glue onto a punched out shape as some kind of homemade flower embellishment. To go with the whole red and black colour scheme I also inked over the silver outline stickers that form the name.

A swirly red-and-black paper lace ribbon and a brush-end ribbon adds interest. The butterfly clip can be detached from the card and used separately. I saw it about a month ago in a local craft shop and just couldn't resist it.

I placed the Happy Birthday greeting inside the card as there is already quite a lot going on at the stripy front. The 1-2-3 recipe is: 1 paper lace, 2 sequinned ribbons, 3 letters, or: 1 image, 2 papers and 3 embellishments.
Challenges: Flourishes Timeless Tuesday #116, Stamp Insanity: Bling, Clear it out: ribbon US, Creative Craft Challenges: recycle, Tuesday taggers: old + new, Crafts and me #33 - Swirls, Cooking it up #60: green, punch, pair, Mojo Monday #189 Sketch, Scrappy Frogs: any, Sparkles Forum: any, Stampin Sisters in Christ #87, Paper Works Co Sunday sketch #80, Sketchy Colours #69: sketch, Ellephantastic #26, Shannon's Sentiments #24: handmade flower, Totally Gorjuss #78: 1-2-3, Pink Gem #20: sketch, Sketch Saturday week #153, Wags'n Whiskers Ch.#53: die/punch, Divas by Design: any, The Pixie Cottage #68: male, CACB Ch. #40: Birthday, Totally Papercrafts Ch. #65: 1-2-3, The Paper Variety: Ink, Splendiferous Creations Challenge: Nature

Royal Wedding bunting

This bunting was entirely hand made for a tea party on the occasion of the British Royal Wedding. I started the task while my other contribution - a traditional Victoria Sponge - was in the oven, spreading its lovely smell through the house. Since the bunting was going to decorate a wall I recycled the back side of old computer print outs for the flags and used new paper only for the rings - in fear of the print shining through. Painting all of them it took me quite a bit longer than making the sponge! However I decided not to involve the computer to speed things up as I enjoyed the "Victorian farm" feeling of making everything from scratch. To add sparkle, I placed some of my rarely used golden sequins at the center of the letters.

Challenges: Quirky Crafts #9: royal, Belli Channllenge #116: royal, Easy Craft Projects Ch.#37: royal, Clear it out: ribbon US, Stamp Insanity: Bling, Tuesday taggers: old + new, Creative Craft Challenges: recycle, Scrappy Frogs: any, Sparkles Forum: any, Stampin Sisters in Christ #87, Divas by Design: any, The Paper Variety: Ink, Alphabet Challenge: A: country, OTWC Challenge #52: inspiration

Mother's day flower meadow

I have had some good finds in wallpaper recently. The outdated sample books are heavy to carry but great to recycle for cards or altered objects.

This image is so pretty that it doesn't need a lot added for embellishment. I decided to leave the white space mostly free and instead have the wording at the very top of the card. I used outline stickers on a satin ribbon together with one of my new Dimension butterflies.

Challenges: Charisma Cardz week 17, Paper Play week 17, Aud Sentiments Challenge #27, The Lollipop Ladies #19, Crafty Creations #116, Papertake weekly, CI Paints, Craft your passion: any, GHWI #2, Pollycraft #91: any, One by one - May, Claudia and company #81, Clear it out: ribbon US, Creative Craft Challenges: recycle, Tuesday Taggers: old + new, Creative Card Crew: Mom, Creative Cowgirls: spring/mother, Dream Valley Challenges: flowers, Scrappy Frogs: any, Sparkles Forum: any, Cupcake Inspirations #109: mum / bright colours, 2 Sisters #37, Etsy Inspired Challenge - Imagine Studio: inspiration for the colour combination of pastels, SSDS Challenge: Mum, CES #34: inspiration: romantic muted but fresh colour scheme, Crafts 4 Eternity R#17: any, Paper Cutz Ch. #89: any,

Iris with fabric leaves

My aim was to make a covertly original birthday card for an older man who likes yellow flowers.

The photograph gains some depth from the shades of grey found in the background. This gave me the idea to make the flower three-dimensional, using long fabric leaves which I had recycled from a bunch of artificial flowers. For the bud I cut a piece of yellow pipe cleaner to shape. As it's not often that I find a use for those, I'm quite chuffed to have transformed one of them into a handmade flower! And finally I got to use my new Birthday confetti.

Challenges: Charisma Cardz week 17, Paper Play week 17 , Papertake weekly, TSG #105, Craft your passion: any, GHWI #2, Pollycraft #91: any , By the cute and girly - May: any once, Cards and things #77, Creative Craft Challenges, Tuesday Taggers: old and new, Creative Cowgirls: spring/mother , Dream Valley Challenges: flowers, Scrappy Frogs: any, Sparkles Forum: any, Stampin Sisters in Christ #87, Cupcake Inspirations #109: mum / bright colours, Etsy Inspired Challenge - Imagine Studio: inspiration to show a pond plant, Shannon's Sentiments #24: , handmade flower, Crafts 4 Eternity R#17: any, Paper Cutz Ch. #89: any,