Butterflies, butterflies, everywhere......

Welcome to my new follower, Liz McGuire of Buttons for Brains.  Please pop over to her blog to see her lovely creations.

I'm home from a few days in the beautiful Lake District, so I need to catch up on my blog visiting over the next few days.

I was lucky enough to win some lovely blog candy on Kath's blog recently, which included some fabulous butterfly papers and dies, which I've used on this card.

I used a Sizzix 'Circle Flip-Its #2' die for the base card.  The patterned paper is from a Wild Rose Studio 'Butterfly Glade' paper pack.  The tips of the butterfly wings on the paper are purple, although they don't show up very well in the photo. I used a scalloped circle die from the same set to die cut snippets of grey and purple card.  The butterfly is die cut with Poppystamps 'Elsa Butterfly' and 'Lyndon Butterfly' dies from snippets of white and purple card and finished off with tiny white pearls.

I would like to enter my card for the following challenges:

Pixie's Snippets Playground - Week 222 ~ Use Snippets

Allsorts Challenge Week 356  ~ Wings

New Venture

Friends of ours are opening a new cafe next week, after renovating a house in the centre of Bristol which was the home of the 18th century poet, Thomas Chatterton.  This a completely new venture for the family and I thought I'd make them a card with a 'cafe' theme to wish them 'Good Luck'.   

 The card base was die cut with a Sizzix 'Circle Flip-Its #2' die.  The patterned paper is from a Dovecraft paper stack.  

The cupcake on the reverse of the circle was punched with a SU punch and I embossed the top part with a Cuttlebug 'Tiny Bubbles' embossing folder, before attaching the top part with foam pads.

I would like to enter my card for the following challenges:
Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge ~ Food and Drink
Craftyhazelnut's Patterned Paper March 2016 challenge

Outside My Window

Welcome to my new follower, Mac Mable of The Sweetest of Peas.  Thank you for following my blog.

I didn't think I'd have time to make a card this week  for the Less is More challenge as we were in beautiful North Devon and only came home last night.  However, when I looked outside our caravan window last weekend, after seeing that the challenge was 'What's outside your window', I remembered a stamp I had at home which would be perfect for the challenge. So..... I'm sneaking in a last minute entry today.

Here is the view from the window....

......and here is my card.

The caravan is stamped on a snippet of cream card, with a £1 Hobbycraft stamp.  I used Promarkers for the windows, curtains and tyres and the image was then cut out.  The grass is embossed with a Cuttlebug 'Forest Branches' embossing folder and die cut with a Lawn Fawn 'Hillside Borders' die.  The clouds were die cut with Memory Box 'Puffy Clouds' dies.  

I would like to enter my card for the following challenges:

Less is More Challenge #268 ~ What's Outside Your Window

Pixie's Snippets Playground - Week 221 ~ Use Snippets

Addicted to Stamps and More Challenge #186 ~ Anything Goes

Flower Power

I was lucky enough to win this lovely flower stamp recently over on Helen's Craft Haven blog, so I thought I'd use it for a 'Thank You' card.

The flower stamp is quite a large Woodware one, so I used a 7" x 5" white card base.  The image is coloured with Promarkers.  I originally coloured the centre of the flower, but changed my mind about the colour and paper pieced it with a snippet of patterned paper.  The pattern is very subtle, so it doesn't show up very well in the photo.  The sentiment stamp is an old wood mounted one - I'm not sure of the make.  I punched a border down the side of the purple mat with a Martha Stewart 'Half Daisy' border punch and added a white pearl to the centre of each half daisy.  

I would like to enter my card for the following challenges:

Pixie's Snippets Playground - Week 220 ~ Use snippets
Stamping Sensations March Challenge ~ Flower Power
Bizzy Bec's March Challenge ~ Anything Goes
Twofers Challenge #15 ~ Organic
Moving Along With The Times #15 ~ Purple Haze

Easter Card

A simple Gate Fold card to share today, another of my Fiskarettes DT projects.  

The patterned papers are from a Tatty Teddy paper pad, which I think was made by Papermania. I used a Fiskars Rainbow border punch to make a pattern  down the sides.

I would like to enter my card for the following challenges:

Craftyhazelnut's Patterned Paper March 2016 challenge

Reach for the Stars

The Less is More challenge this week is back to the dreaded popular 'One Layer', with the theme of making a sentiment the focus.  The bonus of joining in the 'One Layer' week is that I'm improving at stamping the image/sentiment straight first time!

I used my favourite sentiment stamp of all time, a wood mounted Inkadinkado stamp I bought many years ago.  The stars on the right are stamped with a tiny Lavinia stamp.  I used a Versafine Majestic Blue inkpad for the stamping and coloured the moon with a gold Wink of Stella glitter pen.

I would like to enter my card for the following challenges:

Less is More Challenge - Week 267 ~ One Layer - Sentiment

The Runaway Train.....

Welcome to my two new followers Dr Sonia SV of Cards, Crafts and Kid's Projects and Mac Mable of The Sweetest of Peas.  Please pop over to their blogs to see their lovely creations. 

What fabulous weather we've had this weekend!  My DH and I have spent the weekend with twenty four friends, overlooking Saunton Sands and enjoying the North Devon coastline. 

Onto today's card, another of my Fiskarettes DT projects.

I used a Fiskars train stamp and banner punch.  The backing paper is by Anna Marie Designs.

 I find this the easiest way to make sure the letters land up in the middle of each banner, using the punch upside down.

I would like to enter the following challenges:

Little Claire's Monthly Blog Challenge # 67 - 'Anything Goes'!

Sweet Stampin' Challenge ~ Boys to Men

Bizzy Bec's March Challenge ~ Anything Goes

Craftyhazelnut's Patterned Paper March 2016 challenge

Heard You Caught a Little Bug.......

The Less is More challenge this week is Colour - Citrus,  not necessarily fruits, but citrus colours.

The stamp is from a Woodware set, 'Take it Easy' and coloured with Promarkers.  This stamp comes with this sentiment as part of the stamp.  However, I wanted to add 'Get Well Soon' on the front of the card in the same font.  So I computer generated the 'Heard you caught a little bug', stuck a Post It note on top and stamped just the image above the printed sentiment.  Hope that makes sense!  I used Memory Box 'Stitched Rectangle' and 'Stitched Country Border' dies.

I would like to enter my card for the following challenges:

Less is More Colour Challenge ~ Citrus

Addicted to Stamps and More! Challenge #184 ~ Clean and Simple

Penny Black and More March challenge ~ Feature a Creature

While I had my stamps, pens, dies and card out, I decided to make a second card using the same colours.  The stamp is from the same set.  I didn't have matching pearls, so I coloured white ones with the same colour Promarkers as I'd used for the image.

Proud as a Peacock

When I saw this peacock die as a free gift with the latest 'Simply Cards and Papercraft' magazine.....the temptation to buy it was just too much. 

The patterned paper was part of the free gift with a sister magazine, made to coordinate with the peacock die.  The peacock is die cut using turquoise glitter card, matted and layered on a SB 'Picot Edge' and a MB 'Stitched Circle' die cut.  The embossing folder is Creative Expressions 'Fantails'.  The design is just like the feathers of a peacock when they are fanned out - perhaps that's why it's called Fantails! ;-)

As the peacock die is a NBUS die, I'll be popping over to Darnell's blog with my last NBUS entry.  The challenge closes tomorrow, so you've still got time to enter.

I would like to enter my card for the following challenges:

NBUS Challenge #6! ~ (Never-Before-Used-Schtuff) 

Craftyhazelnut's Patterned Paper March 2016 challenge

Bizzy Bec's March Challenge ~ Anything Goes

Spring Fold Mother's Day Card

Today is Mother's Day in the UK, so

Happy Mother's Day 

to all Mums.

Another of my DT projects has been posted on the Fiskarettes UK Facebook page today, together with a tutorial of how to do this fold.   You can find my tutorial HERE. (I hopes the link works - if not I'll add the tutorial on this post.) 

I used three Fiskars flower punches, two Daisy punches and the Intricate Sunflower punch and also the Fiskars Daisy Border punch across the bottom. 

Sadly, I can't give this to my Mum as it's the twenty-eighth year without her, so this card will be going into my box of cards to sell for charity.

One Baby........Three Cards

Three cards to share today to celebrate the birth of a beautiful baby girl, Lillie, who arrived last week..... one for her grandparents, one for her parents and one for her four year old big sister.

First the card for Lillie's grandparents, (my crafty friend Ruth and her husband, Jim).  The stamped image is by Woodware and is coloured with Promarkers.  I used a Spellbinders 'Dainty Dots' embossing folder for the background. 
I am joining in the following challenges with this card:
Alphabet Challenge ~ A for Anything Pink
Bizzy Bec's March Challenge ~ Anything Goes

 Next the card for Lillie's parents.  The image is a NBUS £1 stamp I bought in Hobbycraft some time ago, coloured with Promarkers.  The image is die cut with a Memory Box 'Stitched Circle' die and matted on a Spellbinders Lacy Circle die cut.  The embossing folder used is Crafts Too 'Baby Feet'.
I am joining in the following challenges with this card:
Pixie's Snippets Playground - Week 219 ~ Used pink snippets
NBUS (Never-Before-Used-Schtuff) Challenge #6 

 Finally the card for Lucie, Lillie's big sister.  Lucie has a chocolate brown Labradoodle who she adores, so this lovely pre-coloured digi stamp from Beccy's Place was just perfect.  The embossing folder is by Sizzix.  I added a paw print punched border across the middle and made a banner with Lucie's name on.  
I am joining in the following challenges with this card:
Crafty Cardmakers Challenge #156 ~ For a Special Woman (hope this special little lady counts for the challenge)

CAS Butterfly Card

The Less is More Challenge this week is to include some wire, more of a challenge than I first thought! 

After a few false starts thinking of a design to use wire, I decided to thread wire through three silver beads to make the butterfly's body and curl the ends round to make the antennae.  The butterfly is a Memory Box 'Pippa Butterfly' die cut.  For the border I used a NBUS Memory Box 'Spring Border' die. To add a little glitter, the die cuts were covered in a clear Wink of Stella glitter brush, before attaching to the card base.

I would like to enter my card into the following challenges:
Less Is More ~ Recipe - Some Wire 
Butterfly Challenge ~ #49 Butterflies + G is for Glitter and/or Grape
The Craft Barn Two Weekly Challenge ~ CAS to include a flower and a sentiment
NBUS (Never-Before-Used-Schtuff) Challenge #6 
Moving Along with the Times Challenge #15 ~ Purple Haze

Bokeh Effect

Welcome to my new follower, Jules of 'Always with a Heart'.  Please visit her blog to see why she has chosen her blog name, as well as to see all her gorgeous creations.

My third DT project for Fiskarettes.  

I remember seeing some time ago cards made with a Bokeh effect for the background, so I thought it was time to try this technique, which is new to me.  It is so simple to do, please click HERE for my mini tutorial on the Fiskarettes Facebook page.  I used the same inks to ink a punch Fiskars Intricate Butterfly punched shape and to ink the mats for the large circle in the middle and the sentiment.

I would like to enter my card for the following challenges:

Simon Says Monday Challenge ~ Take a leap into the unknown