Look what I've just made:

Padded fabric easter egg

2012-02-10T18:23:00.018+01:00

Making Easter cards while the snow hasn't melted yet led me to create this card, sporting a padded fabric Easter egg on a texturized snowy background.

There's no reason to stop using your three dimensional fabric paint after you finished your last Christmas card... The sort that fluffs up when ironed can be used on card as well. In order to get an even surface apply a thin layer with a wide paintbrush running along a ruler.

With the appliqué technique, I have found a fun way to use my fabric scraps on cards. I sewed the padding directly onto the egg and then glued the sides down onto the card with hot glue.

Because it's quite a long outline and the glue cools down quickly, it can be difficult to keep the egg shape.

I discovered that if you glue only the sides and the bottom, you get a pear shape - so maybe I'll be making summer cards with apples and pears at some point.

Challenges: DRS Challenge #11 - own backgr. - Thu, Skipping Stones Sketch Ch. #114 - Wed., Paper Sundaes Challenge #106 - Clean and Simple - Mon (many), For Your Inspiration Ch. #23 - wavy lines - Sat -, Scrappy Chick Sketch Ch. #4 - Sat,

Monogrammed Valentine

2012-02-01T23:46:00.016+01:00

Two projects posted on the same day - that's a rare one for me but I wanted to share this while Valentine's day seems to be on many crafters ' minds - I just hope "N" doesn't look at my blog before the 14th...!

It is inspired by the classic Sparks track: "Heartbeat, increasing heartbeat... This town ain't big enough for both of us..." .

I have cut out and sewn the double sided heart shaped pin cushion from satin fabric and stuffed it with leftover pieces from my mum's quilting - I don't know what you call this light, fluffy material they use inside their quilts but it's great for all sorts of cushioning.

Challenges: Our Craft Lounge Ch. #102 - heart felt - Sat,

Thanks card: fabric with plastic flower parts

2012-02-01T09:47:00.007+01:00

The image is a piece of curtain fabric which I matted on Kraft type card an embellished with bits from a bunch of artificial flowers which I disassembled, and a twine bow.

Challenges: Thankful Thursday Ch. - Kraft, flower, twine - 5h Feb (few)

Pink Thank You card with webbed background

2012-01-29T01:01:00.010+01:00

... I was inspired to use scraps left over from other projects - bits of ribbons, a small piece of card, some fabric - waste not, want not! I should do that more often really!

Challenges: Thankful Thursday Ch. - scraps - Mon (few), Skipping Stones design sketch Ch. #112. Wed, The Stamp Man Ch. - embell. - 17.Feb. (many, not random)

Sewn fabric with stickers

2012-01-26T01:44:00.008+01:00

This is the first card I have run through my sewing machine, something I had planned to do for a while. It is actually very easy to do if you can force yourself to work super exacting! I was glad I had glued the background fabric to the card with PVC glue beforehand... Unfortunately the stitches had the tendency to go wrong when I sped my machine up - I had to find out the hard way, of course!

To liven up the subdued pattern and colours of the background fabric I added a second piece of fabric by layering red metallic net in one corner. I also added a few stickers which are printed on silver holographic foil, and completed it with a green metallic birthday greeting. The somehow contradicting combination reminds me of the song "I Wish I Was a Punk Rocker (With Flowers in My Hair)"! What you unfortunately can't see because they show up as white in the photograph are the silver metallic lines in the background fabric pattern - they serve as a harmonizing element in the composition.

Challenges: The Scrappy Chick Sunday Sketch Ch. - Mon - (few), Hot shot crafts Ch #3 - flowers - 11. Feb (many),

Girl or boy - baby card with duck

2012-01-19T01:07:00.009+01:00

Baby cards with their subtle colours are among my favourites to design. I usually make them monochrome and in as near to a clear and simple style as it gets for me. The whole process is pleasantly calming.

But sometimes you just need to break the pattern if you don't want to get stuck in a rut! The result is this baby card, less calm, a lot less serious, more fun and cheerful, still bright and light. And it can be used for girl and boy parents alike which I found to be very handy.

Letterpress ornament card with an upcycled curtain background

2012-01-17T12:02:00.036+01:00

Would you have spotted the curtains if I hadn't told you that's what they were? Now it's obvious of course... I thought I would put some of those unwanted advertising brochures we get through our letter box to a good use!

If this has inspired you to try something similar, and would like to know what to look out for when working with thin paper like this, check out my tutorial (as well as my comment on that) on the Fiskarette's blog.

My favourite embellishment is - ribbons! Which is probably why I used not one but three of them... but the card still needed a center piece, so I have printed the flourish with my letterpress which was ever so quick and easy - as long as you remember to use only a minute amount of ink, that is! Else it will smudge, no matter how careful you are.

Challenges: Party time Tuesdays Ch. #51 - Bday - Wed, Scrappy Frogs Ch. - lace - Feb

Diamond heart card in aqua

2011-07-17T21:12:00.047+02:00

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

2011-06-13T16:34:00.007+02:00

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

2011-06-12T23:55:00.040+02:00

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

2011-06-05T17:51:00.021+02:00

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

2011-05-25T14:43:00.013+02:00

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

2011-05-18T10:43:00.005+02:00

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

2011-05-07T14:33:00.005+02:00

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

2011-05-06T18:11:00.012+02:00

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

2011-05-06T09:50:00.020+02:00

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

2011-05-03T12:21:00.013+02:00

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

2011-05-03T11:42:00.027+02:00

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,

Long orange flower card

2010-10-03T22:34:00.012+02:00

A rather feminine, multi-purpose card, quick to make - in theory at least. Designing it took a little longer as I was not used to the proportions of this tall narrow card size.

Since I couldn't walk past this set of glossy card blanks in four cheerful colours, I am going to try my hands on this format more often.

I still think trying out a new card shape is worth the effort for the sake of variety in the display - these cards should quite literally stand out.

Challenges: The Ribbon Girl Color Challenge no. 1, Sweetstop sketches no. 76, simon says stamp, sketch-n-stash no. 45, Creative Card Crew, Daring Cardmakers, I heart 2 stamp ,

Sunflower painted by Klimt

2010-08-08T02:27:00.009+02:00

It's sunflower season again... A few days ago I saw positively HUGE ones in a friends' back garden. They must have been well over 2 metres high - best enjoyed from the first floor window! Now I can understand why Klimt painted his sunflower head so close to the top edge...

Challenge: Crafting with Christina #3,

Flower medley

2010-08-03T23:39:00.006+02:00

It is not quite a meadow on the paper I used but still has this summery feel to it. I had to go easy on the embellishments for obvious reasons, so I chose just one flower cut out from an embroidered fabric and used a stylised flourish punch on a wide red layer.

Challenges: Moving along with the times #57, Craftalicious #5, Create 4 fun week 30,

Circuitboard flower card

2010-03-07T20:35:00.028+01:00

This card was designed around a piece of circuitboard. Its surface was yellowed by a burnt in trace of oil which inspired me to go for the patched Shabby Chic look. The flower is pierced as you can see in the detail.
Challenges: Flourishes blog, Crazy4challenges C4C27, Caardvarks Photo inspiration Challenge, Pollycraft Challenge Blog, 2sketches4you, Creative Inspirations, Little Paper Shop LPSC57, Mojo Monday 128, 365 cards Everybody Art #80, Papertake Weekly, Simon says, Crafty calendar, Our creative corner, Willow sketchie, 365 cards, Daring cardmakers, Promarker challenge, Sketch Saturday, Allsorts, Card patterns, Our creative corner, CPS, Cutie Sunday,

Black and white organza card

2010-01-06T19:39:00.004+01:00

A Happy New Year to all the friendly commenters dropping by last year, and especially to my regular followers. - I hope there will be more of you by the end of this year!

I am starting off with a card I made using the first item I purchased in this year's sales - an organza door curtain with a pretty pattern which I thought would make a good motif. The fabric was already cut in strips and the edges were sewn, so I just needed to cut it up a bit further, sew the remaining two edges, glue the piece onto my card and then embellish - the bit I like best!

Challenges: One Stop Craft #61,

Aquarium Birthday

2009-10-01T23:16:00.003+02:00

I made this men's birthday wallet for a young colleague. As per request, it had to feature an attractive male on the outside... and have a flap for an IKEA voucher on the inside. I think I might have found the perfect picture - a magazine cutting which had been in my stash for ages.

Challenges: 2 Red Bananas,

Policewoman's birthday card

2009-09-07T21:42:00.018+02:00

I have been asked to make a card for a british policewoman's birthday. Their uniform has these funny black and white checkered stripes that you can see on her hat. It was an interesting challenge in itself and definitely worth my while as this is a theme hard to find in the shops.

For an Indian Summer feeling, I placed her in front of a starry sky and complemented her visibility vest with some of my favourite buttons - a non-shiny sort that varies in colour and seems to emit a wonderful soft glow. The curling ribbon on top of the dotted one adds a lighthearted swirl.

Challenges: Truly scrumptious #16, 2 Red Bananas , One Stop Craft #45, Charisma Cardz #35, Dutch Dare #58, Stamps and Smiles #31, Christmas and birthday cards #44, Everybody Art #56, Caardvarks, Sketch Saturday #67, Abc, Moving along with the times #12

Dragonfly retirement card

2009-08-15T20:15:00.015+02:00

It's the first time I have made a retirement card but didn't find it difficult to get into the spirit of the theme - it was quite relaxing actually! I used light purple lace and made a little flower charm from metallic pearls. The ribbon on the right is knitting yarn.

Challenges: Scrapmaster's Paradise Colour Combo #10, ABC, Charisma Cardz # 32, stamps and smiles #28, Rainbow lady's # 72, Jacksonbelle, Lily of the valley #34, Stamping for the weekend #11

Pink, brown and green flower card

2009-08-10T20:40:00.013+02:00

On this card are quite a few items I got in the sales: the shiny buttons for example, and a tapestry border in musty pink and green with dangling pompoms. I have taken one of the pompoms apart and used the threads to make the flower. The card base is brown and cream.

Challenges: Dutch dare, Sweet Stop Sketches, My time to craft, Simon says stamp, Jehkotar Card, Double Dutch #24, Jacksonbelle

Computer keyboard card

2009-08-09T19:39:00.003+02:00

This is a contemporary birthday card for a male twen who spends a lot of time in front of computers.

Challenges: SSS16, Challenge up your life

Under the sea: Fish stamp birthday card

2009-08-04T23:31:00.018+02:00

Summer is the season for going to the seaside! Inspired by the sunny colours in the art work of Lauren Alexander, I used bright colours for the fish and also added some Shimmerz, to let it stand out from the blue background. The shimmery effect doesn't show up very well in the photo unfortunately.

I also stuck on one of those moving eyes with eyelashes - voila, a female fish!

The ribbon is from a reel of rather expensive knitting yarn from a specialist shop. Of course it goes a long way in card making.

Challenges: Sunflowers and Dragonflies, Crafty Creations, Friday Sketchers, Creative Inspirations, Creative card crew, Papertake Weekly , The Sweet Stop , Sunday sketch and stamp, Daring Cardmakers

Overgrown garden card

2009-07-30T01:15:00.014+02:00

I like visiting large old gardens, overgrown ruins or disused grave yards (in bright sunshine only!) - they can be very scenic.
If only my own little garden was half as pretty to look at when nature takes over...

For this card, I enhanced the picture with 3D embellishments and some shimmering details.

Challenges: Midnight Madness, Flourishes Newsletter #23 and #25, A Spoonfull of Sugar #62, IC Sketches, High Hopes #41, Creative Inspirations

Impressionist sisters

2009-07-12T21:09:00.012+02:00

I have found these slightly odd sisters in my Russian impressionists postcard book... They could be twins if it wasn't for the size difference. I'm not sure if they are pictured on horseback - the crop is there, but where is the horse? - or making their way through an equally invisible crowd.

All things considered, it seemed best to take the focus away from the sisters and concentrate on the harmonic surroundings.

I made two flowers using knitting yarn and tiny gold glass beads.

This punch is one of my favourite crafting tools. Its pattern, centered around a small heart, and the Organza ribbon and bow with blue diamond cut teardrop add a "dusting of sugar" to the card.

Challenges: A Spoon full of Sugar, CPS #124, The Secret Crafter Saturday, ICSketches, My Papertake Weekly

Purple baby card with pendants

2009-07-12T18:47:00.020+02:00

I came across this delicate purple lace totally by accident. I had just been cycling past a small shop offering sewing supplies when the heavens opened, so I decided to take refuge. After spending a pleasant 30 minutes in the shop keeping dry, I felt I had to buy something - and chose this lace.

I salvaged two of the pendants from an ear ring. Jewellery on cards in one of my favourite things... although I have to admit it still feels strange to buy a piece of jewellery with the intention to dismantle it...

Challenges: The Next Level #6, Creative Card Crew, Stamps and Smiles #23, Carol's Sketch Fun, ICSketches, My Papertake Weekly

1,000 Dollar contest prize

2009-07-12T16:30:00.007+02:00

The Cuttlebug Spot are trying to reach 1,000 followers by the end of July. In this contest they are offering a 1,000 Dollar gift certificate to Custom Crops. That's the biggest prize I've ever seen offered... To enter all you have to do is go to their site, sign up as follower and leave a comment.

Good luck!

Bird in window birthday card

2009-07-08T19:02:00.006+02:00

"A bird that doesn't know its place"... another card in my Russian impressionists series, embellished with a detachable brooch.

Challenge: Smells Like Homemade

Wedding cake stamp card

2009-07-02T13:44:00.004+02:00

I like this idea for a contemporary wedding card. It would also work for a wedding invitation because 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.

Challenge: Creative Card Crew

Christmas card with chipbord sock

2009-07-01T00:11:00.006+02:00

I'm not sure what you call this fibrous paper... I like it because the rough structure adds a rustic feel, it tears nicely and lets the layer underneath partly shine through.

Stork flying over summer meadow

2009-06-30T11:08:00.010+02:00

... carrying a baby. The meadow is a reproduction of a Russian impressionist painting. Its pink summer flowers are connecting backgound and foreground. The brush strokes in various shades of green give it a romantic fairytale flair.The sticky back paper lace adds to that.

I also did some doodling with metallic gel pens around an acrylic domed "baby girl" sticker which I backed with aluminium foil for a soft metallic look.

Challenges: CPS #122, Mothers and Daughters Creations, Stamp, One Stop Craft, Carol's Sketch Fun, Cupcake Craft, Everybody Art, A Spoon full of Sugar.

Graduation card

2009-06-30T00:18:00.004+02:00

It's so warm outside, the graduates must be hot in their black robes... so I just had to choose a cool colour scheme for my congratulations card. Light blue and lime green is one of my favourite colour combinations.

I raised the mortar board with foam and punched a small hole in the center for the tassle which I made from a few strips of gold tinsel.

Challenges: Everybody Art, Trimmie's Craft, CPS #122, The Pink Elephant, Carol's Sketch Fun, Charisma Cardz, Papertake Weekly.

Roses and hearts

2009-06-29T23:07:00.008+02:00

Roses and hearts, these traditional symbols of love are so versatile... I like to think of this card as a wedding card because the image reminds me of a close-up on a wedding bouquet. It could also be used as a Wedding anniversary or even a Valentines card.

The image was part of my scraps stash, I have cut it out of the packaging of Valentine-themed chocolates (yummy truffles if I remember rightly) .

The fruity colours and the roses give this card a summery feel, subdued by the overall colour scheme of pink and cream which adds some elegance.

Challenges: The Secret Crafter Saturday, Spoon full of Sugar, Scrap Online, Charisma Cardz, My Grafico, One Stop Craft, The Pink Elephant, Cupcake Craft, Everybody Art.

Family in the garden - a century ago

2009-06-28T23:47:00.012+02:00

Sitting outside chatting to friends or family, that's just the summer thing to do... be it back in the old times or today!

Again I used an image from my Russian Impressionists postcard book. This birthday card is one of my favourites, I think the embellishments actually increase the harmony of the scene.

The fake snakeskin button is great for vintage projects. I actually have it in two sizes, this is the smaller variety.The flowers are made from a variety of knitting yarn.

I completed the card with a pearlescent envelope - mental note to myself: must get more of those!

Challenges: 2Redbananas, Stamps and Smiles, Cafe Mojo, Mothers and Daughters, Everybody Art, Flourishes Newsletter.

Cat in a street cafè

2009-06-27T21:02:00.010+02:00

A summery card just right for the 2RedBananas, the OneStopCrafts challenge and .... the list goes on!

The image is a reproduction of a Russian impressionist painting, taken from a post card book. I embellished it with a yellow woven ribbon that is sparkling with 4 gold threads, and made two bows into a loose ribbon flower. The cat pin can be removed from the card and worn on a lapel or bag.

After taking this picture, I added a small golden sentiment sticker to the yellow ribbon on the right, to transform it into a birthday card for Louisa, a lovely lady running a street cafè.

Wire heart with gems

2009-06-08T16:29:00.010+02:00

This card features an embellishment I have made myself, using wire with gems already attached to it, and organza ribbon. I aimed for an airy design with a lot of white space which is why I used shiny cardstock and a decorative hole punch rather than adding any more elements on top. This is also very quick to make.

I am entering this card into CPS 119 and also for the allsorts challenge, the Easy Breezy challenge on the flourishes blog and the Stamp Something challenge.

Baby thank you card

2009-06-02T16:39:00.005+02:00

This baby thanks card features another Scrapmagasinet stamp: the baby on the pillow is one of my favourites. The background consists entirely of scraps: it's a weave made from coloured paper ribbons. I am entering it into the 2RedBananas challenge.

Another wedding thank you card

2009-06-02T01:31:00.006+02:00

May is over but the wedding season isn't, so I'm staying with the theme for a little bit longer. Again, the image is from Scrapmagasinet, a Norwegian stamp company. The frame is made from a ribbon which qualifies my card for the 2RedBananas challenge and for the Timeless Tuesday Challenge over at Flourishes Newsletter.

Blog candy alerts

2009-06-01T10:51:00.025+02:00

Every few weeks I post a list of blog candies, which might save you some time. And here we are again:

Denise is celebrating the new release of 3 new Whimsy Animals stamps and 2 new Whimsy Kids stamps with blog candy chances (but you will need to hurry as it ends in a few hours!)
Marlene's blog candy ends on the 5th June
Katrina is offering blog candy - 7.6.
Melissa has a gorgeous giveaway until the 12th June
Sarah's blog candy ends on the 14th June
Quixotic Paperie is celebrating their new web shop with candy until 14th June
Mina is celebrating her hits and blogoversary until 15th June
Emily's generous blog candy -15th June
the Scrapmagasinet blog has candy until 16th June
Miamikel is giving away some travelcandy until 19th June
Jennie has blog candy until the 20th June
Clare is celebrating her hits and blogoversary with a giveaway until the 22nd June (10 am)
Michelle is celebrating her hits with a big blog candy until 24th June
Mary is offering yummy blog candy until the 25th June
Angella is celebrating her blogoversary with blog candy until 26th June
J ane Matsumoto is celebrating her birthday with a giveaway until 28th June
Kim is celebrating her blogoversary with candy ending 1st July
Leslie is celebrating her 42nd birthday with a candy drawing on the 6th July
Nicole is having a big blog candy until 12th July
Clare is celebrating her birthday with a lovely giveaway until 12th July
Chelsea has sweet blog candy until 5th July

Golf birthday card

2009-05-31T19:32:00.005+02:00

There is always a need for male birthday cards - here is one for a golf enthusiast.

The ribbon qualifies it for the 2RedBananas challenge.

Lace matted on gold

2009-05-31T11:04:00.005+02:00

The heart used to be a pendant. I sawed it in two halves to reduce the weight and thickness and attached dangly hearts on gold wire together with a gauze bow. To complement the "gold on white" embellishment with a "white on gold" ribbon, I matted vintage lace on gold metallic card.

The ribbon qualifies my card for the 2RedBananas challenge.

Wedding cake card

2009-05-30T22:49:00.003+02:00

This wedding thank you card is relatively quick to make. The cake is from Scrapmagasinet. The idea for the background came from looking at my tray of scraps. I usually sort them by color but being short of one tray, I placed orange crosswise over the pinks - and then quite liked the combination, so I recreated this on my card. The flowers qualify it for the 2RedBananas challenge.

Gold background card

2009-05-30T22:04:00.004+02:00

The leaf detail is cut out from flocked papers, I'm using them for the first time. I embellished the card with a detachable brooch. The flowers qualify it for the 2RedBananas challenge.

Pink cats

2009-05-24T19:09:00.003+02:00

If you are seriously into pink, you like EVERYTHING to be pink, right? So why stop at cats, I said to myself...! It's another stamp from Scrapmagasinet, by the way.

Baby after its bath

2009-05-24T15:22:00.005+02:00

When is a baby at its cutest? Probably after it had its bath... at least in this motif from the Norwegian stamping brand Scrapmagasinet. The flower should qualify it for entry into the 2RedBananas challenge and the popped up image for MDCC44.

Feeding you some sweets

2009-05-17T21:22:00.018+02:00

Sorry, I haven't taken much time recently to post about blog candies. I'll better make up to you for that by feeding you some sweets now:

Jacqui is celebrating her hits until the 16th May
Dragonflytime has a lovely blog candy open until 18th May
The Shimmerz blog is offering blog candy until 19th May
My Paper Adventures is celebrating blogoversary with candy until the 19th May
Kristine is also offering interesting candy until 20th May
Aurora is celebrating her birthday with blog candy until 21st May
Debbie is celebrating her birthday with candy until 23th May
Denise's birthday blog candy until 24th May
Clare is celebrating several things at once with two candies until 23th May
Anne is offering candy in celebration of her 250 posts until the 25h May
El Sapone is offering some lovely soap (in German) until 26th May
Carly is celebrating her 30.000 hits until 6th June
T he Next Level is a new challenge blog launching with blog candy (open until end of May)
Gayle is offering birthday candy until the end of May
Lorraine is offering lovely blog candy until 8th June
Emily's blog candy ends on the 16th June

Cat birthday card

2009-05-12T10:55:00.004+02:00

This is my first birthday card for a cat lover. Expect to see more to come as I have bought quite a few of these ear rings with dangling cats. They are so easy to dismantle and recycle on cards, and of course I couldn't resist their sparkling eyes! In keeping with that, I placed the cat in front of a nighttime street (recycled from a post card).

Bow tie card

2009-05-12T00:34:00.003+02:00

For a card with a twist, why not recycle an everyday item to decorate your card. This male birthday card features a silk bow tie that can be removed from the card and worn.

A few favourites from the past

2009-05-05T11:57:00.008+02:00

... compiled to apply for design teams - wish me luck! It's been a difficult task to decide which projects to select, I just don't seem to have the necessary distance to choose among my own work. I always like my newest cards best... however, looking back in time, there are a few cards which I like almost as much as when I made them.

Presenting a necklace

2009-05-01T00:30:00.004+02:00

I wanted to present this sea bird necklace in a unique context. It seems to integrate quite well into the lively photograph, which in turn becomes surreal through the embellishments.

The string of plastic pearls stays flexible since it is attached with a dot of glue at the ends and in the middle only. I should have taken a video to show the effect when you open the card: the pearl string deforms into a wave shape as the cardstock bends, then flattens out again.

Key fob with initial

2009-05-01T00:17:00.006+02:00

The initial is a badge pierced through a piece of silver coloured leather which was part of an ear ring. It is now adorning a key ring on a chain.

These chains can be quite useful when you clip them to a loop on your jacket, your jeans or a bag handle. It saves you searching for your key in the depths of your hand bag, as you can just pull on the chain and voila, there it is!

Ornamental key fob

2009-05-01T00:10:00.005+02:00

The dangling part of an ear ring seemed to be just solid enough to adorn a key chain instead!

Key fob Dolphins

2009-05-01T00:00:00.004+02:00

I was lucky to find dolphins small enough - I had to dismantle a piece of belly button jewellery to decorate the ear ring meant to embellish the key fob!

A sweet tooth in blog land

2009-04-27T17:00:00.003+02:00

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

2009-04-21T11:26:00.005+02:00

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

2009-04-19T15:52:00.006+02:00

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

2009-04-16T18:21:00.001+02:00

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

2009-04-15T15:05:00.011+02:00

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

2009-04-06T23:35:00.010+02:00

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

Here are the "rules" for this award:

Thank the person who nominated you for the award.

Copy the logo and place it on your blog.

Link to the person who nominated you for the award.

Name 7 things about yourself that people might find interesting.

Nominate 7 Kreativ Bloggers.

Post links to the 7 blogs you nominate.

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

2009-04-04T00:14:00.005+02:00

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.

Hopeful birdsday

2009-03-31T21:45:00.008+02:00

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

2009-03-28T23:50:00.003+01:00

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

2009-03-28T14:59:00.003+01:00

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

2009-03-26T10:22:00.003+01:00

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

2009-03-24T11:16:00.009+01:00

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

2009-03-23T00:18:00.007+01:00

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

2009-03-21T18:47:00.016+01:00

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

2009-03-21T17:43:00.004+01:00

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

2009-03-20T19:01:00.005+01:00

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...?

2009-03-19T00:26:00.005+01:00

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

2009-03-07T01:56:00.020+01:00

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

2009-03-06T17:05:00.005+01:00

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

Cocktails for Yvonne

2009-03-06T14:53:00.003+01:00

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

2009-03-02T15:11:00.006+01:00

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...

2009-03-01T02:02:00.006+01:00

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

Gold Dalmatian

2009-02-27T23:27:00.004+01:00

This is the first card I made with my new Dalmation brooches. In a weak moment, I bought a whole load of them...

They are gold with black dots and small diamonds in their eyes - is that as bling as can you get with Dalmations?

They came in two varieties, one with its head turned which looks kind of cheeky. For this card, I have chosen the other one for its more frontal view.

Hedgehog birthday card

2009-02-26T14:36:00.003+01:00

Blog candy in French

2009-02-24T06:14:00.009+01:00

How about an opportunity to use your French? You can do so by entering blog candy offered by francophone crafters, for example:

Pour faire connaitre son livre Edwige a décidé de lancer un blog candy (jusqu'au le 28 février 2009 minuit). A gagner: un Lot Scrap avec kit papier ,rubons, découpe chipboard, pochette d'embellissements, et un tampon Love non monté.
Voici le 2eme blog candy de notre Scraposphere:
Pour tenter de le remporter il suffit bien evidemment de copier ce message, de le coller sur votre blog ET de venir mettre le lien vers votre blog en commentaire ci dessous http://scraposphere.over-blog.com/article-28004966.html
(tirage au sort le 16 mars 2009). Les photos des lots à gagner sont sur Scraposphère! La Scraposphere ajoutera également 10€ de tampons au choix (montés sur mousse statique) à chacune des 4 gagnantes si nous depassons les 100 commentaires avant la date limite... passez le mot ...

New Elzybells stamp range

2009-02-23T17:10:00.003+01:00

Elzybells stamps have just come out with their new February releases - if you are into stamping, why not go and check them out. I can recommend her cute images - everyone likes sweets and cupcakes! - and particularly the funny Eggstravaganza sentiments which would be great on Easter cards.

Three daffodils

2009-02-22T19:20:00.005+01:00

After planting a lot of spring bulbs in the garden, I'm really looking forward to seeing them come out and blossom.

In the meantime, we will just have to look at the painted version! I used the water color image by Val Pettefar because it's so fresh and crisp - what a contrast to the dried flowers in the background of the photo!

ATC with bunch of flowers

2009-02-22T18:25:00.003+01:00

The blossoms on this ATC are made from fruit nets. The leaves are taken from artificial flowers which I tend to pluck (though it's a bit of a shame to do that) to use blossoms and leaves separately.

Lace card

2009-02-22T18:11:00.006+01:00

My aim for on this Christening card was to use lace in a creative way.

The body of the butterfly was originally an earring which I purchased for cardmaking because of its beautiful shimmering stone.

Parrot card

2009-02-22T17:51:00.004+01:00

I just happen to know that some of you guys are absolutely mad about parrots...

When I saw these bling parrot brooches, I just had to get my hands on them - to make cards with, of course!

This is the first result. I left the brooch closing mechanism intact in order to allow the recipient of the card to remove it from the card and use it as a brooch again.

The right side of the card features a real feather (though probably not from a parrot...).

Candy without the calories

2009-02-18T12:12:00.031+01:00

... that would be - yes, Blog Candy! Especially if you are a blogger yourself, you should consider entering a few blog candy offers even if you haven't done so before. Not only is it a good chance to win some lovely crafting goodies, but it will also indirectly spread the word about your own blog. Here are a few current blog candy offers:

Patricia is offering handmade cards in her blog candy until 26th Feb.
Clare Curd is celebrating her 10,000 hits with blog candy until 27th Feb.
Carlz anniversary blog candy with stamps and flowers ends on the 28th
Alison is celebrating her hits until the 28th of Feb.
Marlene is offering blog candy for 4 lucky winners until the 28th of Feb.
Diane of Nellie's Nest is offering blog candy until the 1st of March
Heidi is celebrating her hits with blog candy until 2nd March
Nes is offering blog candy until the 3rd of March
Wendy is offering a Scor-Pal until the 5th of March
Allison's blog candy is open until March the 4th
Lim has anniversary blog candy until 6th of March
Steph is offering Promarkers as blog candy until the beginning of March
Nikki has blog candy on offer until 8th of March
Sem See is offering blog candy - great for making cards (not only) for males - until the 8th of March - which is her birthday!
Jill is offering blog candy (including some lovely Laura Ashley products!) until 8th of March
Zoe is offering blog candy until her birthday which is on the 8th of March
Kath is celebrating her blogoversary with cany until the 10th of March
Cardmaking Galore is offering two sets of blog candy until the 15th of March

A musical card

2009-02-17T15:33:00.001+01:00

The guitar can be removed from the card to be worn as a badge.

Valentine's card

2009-02-17T14:09:00.002+01:00

2 cards with Circles

2009-02-08T23:48:00.004+01:00

... using metallic stickers, round satin ribbon and - yes, pipe cleaners!

Froggy card

2009-02-06T20:30:00.004+01:00

You will need to kiss many frogs to find a prince... this is what the card should say inside, I think. At the moment, it's still a multi-purpose card.

The metal charm hanging from the ribbon is a leaping frog - unfortunately it has turned over for the photograph... It is attached with a jewelery fastener so it can live longer than the card, as a talisman on a bag, zip or key ring for example.

Card with a bow

2009-02-01T13:24:00.003+01:00

I would like to share a multi-purpose card that did not take me very quick to make. I have recently started trying to use wrapping paper as backgrounds on my cards. The choice of designs is so tempting, and you get lots of it on a roll, so no fear to use it up too quickly...

BUT a word of warning, too: wrapping paper is often very thin, which means it will need to be matted onto another piece of card if you want to raise the design. And most of all, at least if you use a waterbased glue like I often do, it can be hard to attach to your card without wrinkles... doh!

Blog candy alerts

2009-01-25T12:07:00.028+01:00

Enfys is celebrating her blogoversary with blog candy until the 4th of Feb.
Brandin offers her new collection for scrapbooking until 5th or 6th of Feb.
Fiona is offering blog candy until the end of the first week in February
Jeannette offers you stamps of your choice in her blog candy until 6th of Feb.
Caryn offers you the candy shown on the pics on my side bar until 7th of Feb.
Sarah's blog candy is open until the 8th of Feb.
Sarah Bonsell gives away ornate stamps and paper until the 10th of Feb.
Carol is offering her blog candy also until the 8th. of Feb.
Irina is giving away some CHA candy until Feb. 9th
Emma 's blog candy runs until the 11th of Feb. which is her birthday
Sharon is offering Magnolia stamps as blog candy until 13th of Feb.
Dawny P. is celebrating her blogoversary with blog candy until 14th of Feb.
Kaboodle has blog candy open until 20th Feb.
Lyndsey Marie is also offering her big blog candy until the 20th of Feb.
Lorraine is giving away blog candy on her birthday, the 28th of February

Birthday in Greece - One Stop Craft Challenge

2009-01-20T21:56:00.005+01:00

This is my entry for the One Stop Craft Challenge. And I was lucky, the random number generator came up with my comment number... which means I can look forward to a lovely Jolly nations friendship stamp!

You can't see it very well on the photo - the buttons are decorated with a flower made from rice grains, painted with gold acrylic paint. The backing paper on the left hand side is a photo showing coins at the bottom of the Fontana di Trevi in Rome - I liked the way the water distorted their shapes.

Birthday card with foam embellishment

2009-01-09T19:09:00.004+01:00

I made the main embellishment from a circular piece of foam. Another opportunity to use my new buttons! The blue satin round ribbon matches the colour of the middle one.

I punched the lacy border into a matted silver paper which resembles brushed aluminium.

The greeting is printed on the computer.
One day I thought it would be a good idea to just try out various fonts to create a collection of birthday sentiments. This gave me a nice stack in different colours to choose from.

Flower made with knitting yarn

2009-01-08T15:13:00.003+01:00

For this birthday card I recycled a postcard of a painting showing a cricket game. I toned the embellishments down in colour as it's more of a men's card. I used Fantasia Chunky knitting yarn to make the flower. Isn't the button cute - I love the stitching on it!

Ice queen style

2009-01-06T11:03:00.003+01:00

The image on my "season greetings" card reminds me of the ice queen in the Narnia story. I know she is a scary baddie but nevertheless I can identify a bit with the way she dresses in those blue, icey green and blueish grey colours, which is what I often choose for my clothes. And she wears the sort of dress that I think would look good on me, too. I hope the similarity ends here!