Monday 5 December 2011

Eleventh Anniversary Card

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Today is our 11th Anniversary, i couldn’t post this card any earlier in case OH saw it.  I am really happy with how it has turned out. The card is an A5 size cream pearlescent cardstock.  Used Clarity Stamps Allium set  as it is a particular favourite of mine these stamps are so versatile.  I wanted them to represent fireworks on this card as well as the flowers.  They could also be used as snowflakes.

The wording has been done using vinyl.  Cut them out using my Pazzle Inspiration electronic  die cutting machine. Used the 12 x 12 sheets of outdoor vinyl as i want this card to last. 

Used Encore 4 colour metallic ink pad to stamp the flowers and then added a small  crystal to the centres of the smaller ones.  The insert has also been stamped with these stamps as has the envelope.

Tried to keep to multiples of 11 for everything as my OH has a saying of ‘Don’t mess with 11’s’, there are 9 images on the front and two on the reverse of the card, not counting the words.   Oh, almost forgot to say because of OH’s saying i didn’t mess with 11’s and made our cards exactly the same which i think will surprise him.

It is snowing here as i type, more like sleet and hail mixed but i am hopeful that we can still go on our date later and not be too snowed in.  Thanks for dropping by and stay safe and warm wherever you are:-)

Thursday 10 November 2011

Where have i been?

A quick post to say sorry for not blogging for quite a while.  Not been too good and am just starting to get my head back into things. Have also been trying to learn to sew and have knitted a couple of very small items to keep me going. 

Visited a local sewing machine shop to see what was available, prices etc. Was told there are two different types of machine, a sewing machine and an embroidery machine, seems the affordable choice is to get two different machines instead of one.  Looking at around £1,500 for a combined machine or around £1,100 for two.  Seems silly to me that these types of sewing machines are not more readily available.  An affordable hybrid machine seems to be the answer, going to wait until i can afford a basic machine and by then i am hopeful that all machines will have reduced in price and i can afford a hybrid. I can daydream...

Thanks for dropping by:-)

Saturday 24 September 2011

Less Is More Challenge Number 34

I’m very early posting this weeks card for the absolutely fantastic Less Is More Challenge.  Am so glad that all the Limettes tried their hardest to reach the magic 1000 entries that our leaders Chrissie and Mandi had requested we try last week.  There were over 700 which i think is fantastic and probably hasn't been seen in Blogland for a very long time! 

Sorry to say i’m not feeling too well again so have thrown card together for the SKETCH challenge.

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The image is from a CD i purchased a few years ago and drawn by a wonderful fantasy artist called ‘Ching Chou Kuik’. I adore this lady’s amazing talent for bringing to life such beautiful characters. Printed onto a matt photo paper then matted and layered onto matching card stock and a multicoloured mirror card. Bling is from stash and i am sorry to say i have used peel off stickers for the sentiment, something i very rarely do these days…

I have to say a huge Thank You  to all the people who managed to comment on last weeks cards!!! Your efforts are much appreciated.

Am going to be taking a break from entering LIM  challenges for a few weeks as i have to get going on making my hand made xmas presents and i really don’t have the energy to do both.  Once again Thank You to those of you who regularly comment and give some wonderful feedback,  really has helped me to move forward with some of my little problem areas.  If i do get some time i will try to drop in for the occasional challenge.

Chrissie and Mandi have built a wonderful community of Limettes who are full of talent and who love to help others. Really appreciate you putting the site together Lady Divas, and  you’ve made a place for us to visit full of fun and learning and where we can meet new friends.  I hope i will still be a Limette even though  i won’t be regularly posting…

Thanks for dropping by and i hope to see you all very soon.  I will be blogging the items i make when possible so if you feel like keeping in touch please do drop by when you have the time.

Take care:-) xxx

Thursday 22 September 2011

Less Is More Challenge Number 33 (10)

The final card for this week, yeah!!!  Thank you for visiting any of the ten entries i have uploaded this week.  Really wanted to help our leaders Lady Limettes Chrissie and Mandi from the Less Is More Challenge Site to achieve their 1000 entries. I can go to sleep hoping that all of my cards were CAS enough to be entered into the challenge.  Really struggled at one stage but managed to get here eventually.

Here is a card from Crafty Individuals stamp set CI-263.  this stamp set is of four different style houses and their flora and fauna. Such stunning images in this set. I love most of their sets, so timeless and classic images which will always be in fashion.

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Stamped image and sentiment using Versafine Ink Vintage Sepia as i thought it would look quite good on pearlised cream card. I really enjoy stamping directly onto card and have only know this since it was one of the first challenges Chrissie and Mandi gave us, i finally found something i really enjoyed doing.  Still not too sure what my style is but i know joining in with the weekly LIM challenges has been a wonderful and learning experience and one which i will continue to join in.  Think i’ve only missed three weeks out of the 33 which is quite good isn’t it!

Anyway, thanks for dropping by and commenting and i really do hope we reach the 1000 entries. Thanks for dropping by:-)

Less Is More Challenge Number 33 (9)

This card was made using Crafty Individuals stamp set CI-277. A set all about friendship and childhood.  These images suit monochrome colours imho, i haven’t been adventurous enough to try colouring them in just yet as i think it might detract from the wonderfully detailed images.

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Purchased some fine detail pens from Tesco which were on special offer last weekend.  There were 3 pens with 0.3, 0.5 and 0.7 sized nibs and a wonderful ink which is waterproof, says on the packet they are made for journaling.  Drew the above frame by hand using the 0.7 sized nib.   I am not a lover of anything hand drawn by me, but i can make an exception for a frame lol.  The sentiment is from the same stamp set.

Thanks for dropping by:-)

Less Is More challenge Number 33 (8)

I really do hope i’ve made my cards CAS enough for this weeks challenge over at the Less Is More site.  This card was made by stamping a flourish image and adding flock to give a rich looking and tactile card.

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Can’t remember where this set of large flourishes came from, have had them a long time and don’t use them often as they are a tad difficult to stamp with.  The sentiment is from stash as is the bling.

Thanks for dropping by:-)

Less Is More Challenge Number (7)

A couple of weeks ago i went to a large craft fair and managed to get my hands on some of the Gorjuss stamps which i have wanted since they came out.  Got three images, Waiting, Mushroom and Winter Friend. Have used the image called ‘Waiting’ on this card, coloured her in slightly seasonal colours and have also made a couple of mistakes along the way.  This was the first impression and the first time i had coloured any of the images.  Used  Promarkers and found myself not liking the intense colours to start with.  Put her down and pondered for a few days and decided to use her on an xmas card.

Apologies if my English is not as good as it should be, it is now 1.10am and i am VERY tired and really need to rest, only another 3 cards to post and then my marathon job is done. Next job is to then add the links to the LIM page and then i can sleep…

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Love the Avec border punches, have used the flowers on the base card.  The sentiment is from American Crafts, the card stock and the bling is from stash.

Thanks for dropping by:-)

Less Is More Challenge Number 33 (6)

I apologise if you are getting bored looking at my entries for this weeks LIM Challenge, please don’t feel like you have to comment on every one even though your efforts will be very much appreciated. I will go and comment on as many as possible but if i don’t manage to get to yours i apologise as there are lots to get around this week.  I am hoping you are all enjoying taking part and have managed to recreate some of your favourite designs and techniques.

So, card number 6 has been made with a delicate and intricate lace butterfly cut out using my Pazzle Inspiration electronic die cutting machine teamed with a wonderful sentiment from his highness Mr Tim Holtz.

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Had to take a macro shot as it shows the wonderful  design of this Pazzle cutting file.   This is one of the most CAS cards from this weeks entries. Bling is from stash.  Love using turquoise and copper colours together, they look so warm and opulent.

Thanks for dropping by:-)

Less Is More Challenge number 33 (5)

Over at the LIM Challenge site we have been asked to upload as many entries as we can this week, i am now up to number 5.  Here is another Stampotique character called Karin.

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Maybe i should have just put Karin and the sentiment on the card, but, i couldn’t resist giving her an xmas halo.  Love the fun these characters bring out in my crafting, they appeal to my naughty and slightly rebellious side lol. Some Friends are going to do a bit of a double take when they open their cards this year.

Cosmic Shimmer mica spray was misted onto cream lightweight card and then Karin was stamped over the top using a Versafine Ink pad.  The sentiment is from an old Cee Dee set where you can add words to a basic greeting to create your own bespoke words. Karin has a wonderful personality reflected in her blingy heart, colour choices and her wonderful snowflake halo.

Thanks for dropping by:-)

Less Is More Challenge Number 33 (4)

Card number four for the LIM Challenge  is another xmas card.  Tried to create a square out of inchies except somewhere along the line my cutting and measuring didn’t quite match so we have slightly off centre inchies.  It’s all down to shakes and tremors and no matter how much i try to centre a perfectly aligned card it doesn’t always happen…

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Used the Snowflake Cuttlebug Embossing Folder which is one of my all time favourite folders, would love a stamp of this design as it is so versatile and would make me a happy bunny… Did two of the squares embossed and two of the squares debossed to add a little interest to the texture.  Sentiment is from stash as is the bling.

Thanks fro dropping by:-)

Less Is More Challenge Number 33 (3)

Third card for this weeks LIM Challenge is Peggy from Stampotique cutting out her lovely hearts to send to her friends for xmas. Used Versafine Black ink to stamp image and sentiment. Used a watered down Cosmic Shimmer mist to colour Peggy’s hearts etc.  First time i’ve used Peggy, isn’t she something special.  Love Stampotique characters.

limwk3303 

Thanks for dropping by:-)

Wednesday 21 September 2011

Less Is More Challenge Number 33 (2)

Second card for the LIM  Challenge is from a Kanban kit i purchased a while ago and has images of Fairies and Mermaids on pearlised card.    Don’t often use coloured base card but thought this image needed a darker background.  The border was made from an Avec border punch and the sentiment was also from the Kanban kit.  It says ‘To Someone Special’.

limwk3302

Thanks for dropping by:-)

Less Is More Challenge Number 33 (1)

The challenge is to post more than 1000 entries onto this A M A Z I N G site in one week, not individually of course but as a team of Limettes.  We can choose any design as long as it conforms to the CAS rule.  In a bid to help with numbers i hope to blog 10, yes 10 different cards!  Won’t go into too much detail as this is going to take me a couple of hours.  Hope you will appreciate that this weeks it is better to focus on numbers than descriptions. Have  just checked, so far they are just short of 450 entries. 

Without Further ado here is number one.

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Chose a Christmas theme for this card.  Used Cuttlebug Embossing Folder Snowflake and an Avec border punch, holographic card and a ready made sentiment from stash.  Hope there is enough white space around for the Lady Limettes Chrissie and Mandi to allow this one. The macro image shows the snowflake embossing folders beautiful designs.

Thanks for dropping by. Am not expecting too many comments this week as there are a lot of cards to be looked at so will appreciate any that are left more than usual  :-)

Tuesday 13 September 2011

Less Is More Challenge Number 32

Had a very bothersome week because i upgraded my Windows from XP to Win 7.  Microsoft have decided not to include Photo Editor in this latest upgrade and because of this i’ve had to find another photo editing programme.  I don’t use Photoshop or anything like that, i enjoyed the simplicity of Photo Editor and only need one for basic photo editing.  Had a look around and decided on Photoscape v3.5 which is a free download.  So far quite easy to play in and doesn’t go too in-depth with layers etc.

I’m also using the new version of Windows Live Writer and again it is a tad different.   This time we have ribbons at the top of the pages which makes it easier to use and navigate.  I am hopeful that i will be able to resize my images in here and get them correct for web pages.   Enough waffle, it’s time to write about this weeks challenge.

Chrissie and Mandi have given me the HARDEST CHALLENGE so far,  i really struggle with double images, mirror images and dimensional projects.  Just can’t seem to get my head around what’s needed, what colours go where etc…I apologise if my entries are not up to standard but i had to have a go.  Please leave your constructive comments as always especially this week as i need all the help i can get lol.

First entry has 3 of the same stamped image as i wanted to make a border across my card, sorry if this does not comply with rules and i understand if it has to be excluded.  Still hope you like my efforts.

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Got out my old See-D’s leaves stamp set,  masked off the card to create the strip of colour and used DI Bundled Sage and Frayed Burlap for the background colour.  Also used DI inks Rusty hinge and Spiced Marmalade to stamp the leaves as wanted to keep the feel of the card autumnal. The sentiment is one of the first i ever purchased and is one of my favourites, sorry can’t remember who it is made by.

This one is for my friend who has two cats so wanted to put the with love sentiment on there as she really adores her cats and i am hoping she will find this amusing.  Now when you look at this card and wonder what’s not right i can tell you, it’s the wiggly lines i tried to draw to ground the images.  Really unsure how to do this and hoping to get some feedback to tell me how to do it correctly.

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The stamp is from a set of Halloween images and  been stamped using Versafine Black ink.  The sentiment border was bought second hand and the stamp manufacturer is not visible.

The technique i used to mirror the cats was to ink the stamp and roll a brayer over the top to transfer the image onto it, brayered the image onto the card first (left cat) so i could see where to place the next image so it looked mirrored (right cat).  Had to try this a few times on scrap paper first as i haven’t done this before and wasn’t confident enough to go straight onto cardstock.  If there are any tips on how to do this easier i would appreciate the help.

Last card has a definite Halloween theme and my first one this year. Enjoyed making this one as it was fairly straight forward.

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Stamped two large bats, wanted them to be larger than the house so the card would look slightly off balance… Once again i tried to ground the house with the wiggly line and i know it isn’t correct but have no idea how to make it look anchored. Do i need to add more of a background to achieve this perhaps???

All the stamps are from the same set as the cat came from, used Versafine Black ink for all the images and then watered down some DI Spiced Marmalade to colour the sentiment and the roof.  wanted the colour to slightly bleed as nothing is as it seems on Halloween....

Think this is one of the longest posts i have ever done, like to keep them short so you don’t get too bored! Sorry if this has gone on a tad too long.

Thanks for dropping by and leaving some wonderful comments.  I love to read them and am learning from your feedback so thank you for taking the time to pass on your wisdom and kind thoughts.

I also want to apologise for not commenting as much as i would like to and am hoping to spend more time this week visiting as many of your entries as possible Smile 

Monday 5 September 2011

Less Is More Challenge Week 31

Wasn’t able to join in with last weeks challenge over at the Less Is More site and haven’t managed to do much for this weeks challenge as been too tired and got another cold but thought i should try to do at least one card.  The challenge is to use anything metallic on our CAS cards.

limette 31 01

limette 31 02

Chose to use a Tim Holtz flower made from two of his dies, Tattered Florals and Flourishes.Used tv magazine for the paper which was embossed using a Craft Concepts folder called Vine. Coloured the pages using DI Barn Door and added a large pearlised brad. Have alternated the petals using mirror card and very flimsy magazine paper which helps to give both durability and shape to the petals.  Used a flourish as a flower stem. Decided not to use a sentiment on the card just yet as might make a set of notelets instead of a single card. Might change the size of the base card as after looking at this image the flower seems a little too big for the base.  Think a square card would be better, what do you think… ?

Hope the card is suitable for this weeks challenge and will try to get around to commenting in the next couple of days.

Thanks for dropping by, take care:-)

Thursday 25 August 2011

Card For Jared

Made this card for Jared whose birthday was last week.  The topper was made from two different Cuttlebug folders.  Did the flower one first and then the owl folder last.  Pleased with the way it’s turned out.

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Used Distress Inks to colour everything apart from the owls eyes which were coloured with Sakura Glitter Pens.  The letters are from Tim Holtz die cutting range and coloured with Sakura pens, the happy birthday and flower are from peel off stash. The mirror card background was stamped with a Martha Stewart border punch called ‘Daisy’.

Posted Wednesday and on it’s way to the USA for Jared’s Card Party:-)

Wednesday 24 August 2011

Less Is More Challenge Number 29

Things That Move is the theme for this weeks Challenge over at the Less Is More Site. Needed to get my head around what to make and hope to keep the cards CAS.  Made five cards but only two different designs and i am hopeful that they will be acceptable for the challenge.
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Used Stampotique character ‘OJoy ‘, i do enjoy his likeness to The Grinch… Cut out two 2” circles which were then embossed in the Cuttlebug Folder Snowflake from 2009 i think.  The lightweight card had already been sprayed using Cosmic Shimmer mica sprays to achieve that wonderful glow and i used a fine sandpaper to slightly distress them.  The hanger is made from a strip of  OHP film and glittered using a glue pen and silver Glamour Dust.  The Xmas alphabet is from a See-D’s Crafting set 50320 and used Barn Door DI to stamp.  Sorry you can’t see this card too well i thought  the picture was ok but actually it’s not too clear.  Hope you are able to see it but if not i will take another picture if requested to.
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The next few cards are all the same design but with different images.  Hoping that this moving card is acceptable to Mandi and Christine.  I have perforated the card so that when the person receives their ‘present’ they can remove their bookmark.  Have kept all the bookmarks flat so that they can be used in any reading material.  The cards are A5 size and the bookmarks are around 2” wide, have used Distress Inks on them all and have sealed them using Krylon Crystal Clear acrylic coating 1303.  This means that they will not bleed onto any book pages and are moisture resistant and non yellowing.
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The above image is to show that i have inked the reverse of the bookmarks too as i think that they look better than plain, just a personal thing.  Will add inserts and matching envelopes before sending them off to my special charity for sale.
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This last card is made using another Stampotique character, Karin. Have added a beaded dangle instead of a ribbon just to add interest. The background is another mica spritzed one.  The beads have been kept to one side using a clear sticky dot but it can easily be removed when it’s time to bookmark. Am entering this card into the Stampotique Challenge which is to make a bookmark.

Hope you like this weeks cards and as usual all feedback is welcome. Fingers crossed my cards will qualify.
Forgot to say that all the images are either Tim Holtz, American Crafts or Stampotique the borders are either Prima or from border punch by Avec. Ribbon from stash, beads & findings from stash, most inks are DI but also used Encore multi coloured metallics and a brown Versafine.

Thanks for dropping by:-)

Tuesday 16 August 2011

Less Is More Challenge Number 28

Once more we are back to the second week of the month and so our challenge is for a

ONE LAYER CARD

The special feature we would like to see this week is for you to

USE INK
** This does include ink pads **

...hopefully in a way you haven't tried before.... or using a favourite technique.

 

Above is the criteria to enter this weeks challenge over at the quite wonderful Less Is More Challenge site.  I enjoy using mica sprays to make backgrounds so chose to use this technique but keep it very subtle, used Dawn Bibby’s Gold  mica spray as this is a rich deep gold colour which i thought would enhance the rest of the card.

LIM wk 28 hearts 01

Used Crafters Companion original Ultimate Board to make the scallops; Paper Artsy stamp for the heart, Crafty Individuals for the sentiment; Versafine Ink Onyx.Love using Distress Inks so used Barn Door watered down to colour in the red areas of the hearts.

Hope this qualifies for this weeks challenge.  Not sure if i will make another will see what time and energy i have…

Thanks for dropping by:-)

Tuesday 9 August 2011

Less Is More Challenge 27

Over at the  Less Is More Challenge site  this weeks challenge is about using the colours of Your Flag.

 

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Was really impressed by the St George flag card that Mandi did, so very beautiful and was inspired to have a go using the colours from the Union Jack.  Here are my three cards. I have used some of the images that i already had stamped as i wanted to use already stamped and cut pieces to make the cards this week. There are so many pieces lying around that i don’t use and thought it was about time i started to look at how i craft and to try and be more economic.  Hope these cards are okay for this weeks challenge.

wk 27 01 hearts 

wk 27 02 hearts 

This card was done using a Fiskars heart hand held die cut, chose two different types of card and one heart in vellum.  The vellum heart is from a Dawn Bibby set i purchased many years ago, it was my first purchase from QVC and my first ever proper card kit.The border was made from an Avec border punch then coloured with DI Barn Door and Chipped Sapphire.  Added Icicle Stickles for a tad of bling.

wk 27 03 hearts

wk 27 04 hearts 

Will make the envelope on my Pazzle Inspiration as it is an odd shape.  Used Cuttlebug Embossing Folders large spot and swiss dots to make the background.  Added ribbon from stash and another vellum heart from Dawn Bibby kit and the Icicle Stickles to add a touch of bling.

wk 27 01 animals

wk 27 02 animals 

wk 27 03 animals

This card is another cut off from making a square card from an A4 sheet. Folded into three and added the animals from Inkadinkado  Patterned Pets set.  Added ribbon from stash and used Sakura Gel Pens to add colour and shine.  Decided to add a tad extra to these cards and after added some very funky coloured paper clips so this could also be part of a present to whoever gets the card.

wk 27 04 animals

wk 27 05 animals

Thanks for dropping by:-)

Thursday 28 July 2011

Less Is More Challenge Number 25

A very late entry into this weeks challenge over at the LIM site. We have been asked to follow a RECIPE using either RIBBONS or BUTTONS on our cards.  Have only made one card this week as have been too down and tired to concentrate. This is as simple as i can get …..

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The base card is approximately 250gsm, the hammered card topper is  around 220gsm.  Used ribbon from stash, the bird is a Marianne die, the flower is made from a old Sizzix die and the button is from stash.  Took me a long while to put this together but really looks like i sat there and threw it together very quickly doesn’t it. 

Thanks for dropping by:-)

Monday 18 July 2011

Less Is More Challenge Number 24

Over at the LIM challenge site the challenge this week is circles. Sort of sums up how i’ve been since getting some very sad news yesterday. One of my oldest friends has passed away after having a heart attack.  He was only 46 years old and leaves behind his wife and two young boys.  It was a shock for everyone and my thoughts are with his wife and family at this time…

Tried to numb the sad news by attempting this weeks challenge, couldn’t sleep and my mind wasn’t really on the job so forgive the really bad cards, lack of descriptions and my lack of comments this week. 

Here are the six cards for this weeks challenge.

limwk90 01    limwk90 02

 limwk90 03    limwk90 04

limwk90 07    limwk90 08

limwk90 09     limwk90 10

limwk90 11   limwk90 12

limwk90 13 limwk90 14

Thanks for taking the time to drop by and i hope you all make the most of every moment of every day!!! :-)