Glasgow Butterfly Card

The Butterfly Challenge this fortnight is 'Butterflies + T is for Texture and/or Teal', so I decided to make my card with both.

I used a old wood mounted rubber stamp 'Glasgow Butterfly' by Stampendous.  I've got a little collection of wood mounted stamps in the Rennie Mackintosh style.  A current craft magazine has a whole sheet of images and sentiments in this style, so I gave into temptation and bought the magazine, mainly for the sentiments to match the stamps I already have. I've had my wood mounted stamps for many years, which just goes to prove how styles come back into fashion if you wait long enough! The image is coloured with three shades of Promarkers, and is matted and layered on teal pearlised card, die cut with Memory Box 'Stitched Octagons'.  The sentiment is from the freebie gift with the magazine.  I used a Sue Wilson 'Butterfly Dreams' embossing folder for the background.

I thought I'd share a little tip I picked up a couple of years ago, in case you haven't seen it before.  If you want to make a thin coloured border around the edge of a card you are going to mat and layer in a particular colour,  just draw a line with the thick end of a Promarker (or similar) all the way round the edge of the front of a white base card.  I doesn't have to be neat, as part of it will be covered up.  Just make it slightly wider than the border you want. 

This is what I did with my card as I wanted the border to match one of the colours on the butterfly.

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

Butterfly challenge #53 ~ Butterflies + T is for Texture and/or Teal

Stamping Sensations April Challenge ~ One for the Girls 

Addicted to Stamps and More Challenge #190 ~ Photo Inspirations (Butterfly)

Rudolph Days April Challenge

It's the 25th of the month which can only mean one thing - time for the Rudolph Days April Challenge.  The challenge is open every month from 25th until the end of the month. So, you've got just a few days to get your entry in and have the chance to win a lovely prize.

I'm on the DT team this month and this is the card I made.  I thought I'd have a change from red or green and decided to use some of the beautiful papers from a Lili of the Valley 'Frosty Christmas' paper stack.  

All the patterned papers are snippets from a Lili of the Valley 'Frosty Christmas' paper pad.  As Lili of the Valley have stopped selling their lovely paper pads, I'm try to make sure I don't waste even the tiniest piece!  I saw a tutorial in a magazine last year to make this fold and it was on my list of techniques to try......BUT.....I discovered on Janice's blog HERE that Spellbinders make a pop-up die set, 'Happy Days', that does all the work for you! How could I resist such a brilliant set of dies?  The tree is a Poppystamp 'Snow Flocked Tree' die cut, with Glamour Dust added to make it sparkle.  The snowflakes are from the Memory Box 'Twilight Snowflakes' set of dies.  The tree and sentiment were die cut from snippets and are attached with foam pads.

I'm looking forward to seeing all the lovely creations this month over on the Rudolph Days Challenge, so get out all your Christmassy stash and join in the fun.  

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

 Pixie's Snippets Playground - Week 226 ~ Use snippets

Crafty Boots Monochrome Challenge

Merry Monday Challenge  #202 ~ Let it Snow!

Friendly Dragon

Welcome to my two new followers, Julia and Carol.  I'm sure they would be delighted if you visit their blogs to see their lovely creations.

A dragon card to share today.

The image is from Beccy's Place, the free one this month, which is very appropriate as it was St George's Day yesterday.  I used the pre-coloured version and added a computer generated sentiment.  The die cut on the left is Die-namics 'Peek-a-Boo Stars', which I backed with alternate strips of green and yellow to match the image.  

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

Beccy's Place April Challenge ~ Anythings Goes with a Beccy's Place image

Less is More Week # 273 ~ Saints and Dragons or Heroes

Mobile phone

After tearing my hair out thinking of a design for masculine card without a sporting or DIY theme, I remembered a brilliant card my Fiskarettes teamie, Shabneez, made HERE recently.  You may have seen it if you have 'liked' the Fiskarettes UK Facebook page.  I decided to CASE Shabneez's card, putting my own twist on it.

I couldn't find any suitable patterned paper for the background - I know, I have stacks of it and you would have thought one little piece would have looked okay!  After a few false attempts I decided to use plain red card instead.  The red card was embossed with a Sue Wilson 'Linen' embossing folder.  The mobile phone is made from matt silver, white and black card with a white peeloff greeting.  

Glasgow Rose

Have you ever had one of those crafty days when nothing seems to go right?  Well, today was one of those days!  After finishing a few masculine cards this week, for birthday coming up, today I was going make a card for the 'Less is More' Challenge - 'Use 3 stamps'.  I had this idea in my head to use an old wood mounted Glasgow Rose stamp, stamp it out three times and use it on my card.  However, halfway through making the card, I read the guidelines again.....to use three stamps, not one stamp three times!  So, it was back to the drawing board.

I decided on two old wood mounted Glasgow Rose stamps, layering the circle one in the middle of the square one with foam pads.  The images were coloured with Spectrum Noir Sparkle pens and a silver Wink of Stella pen.  I had a matching Happy Birthday stamp, but it was bigger than I'd remembered and I'm not sure if it looks a little too big, but it was the only one I had with a font that went well with the images, so I went with it.  Originally the background was embossed, but it looked too fussy, so I cut off the images and sentiment and attached them on a plain card, after adding very narrow, green border around the square and rectangle.  I finished off my card with red, green and silver pearls.  A current craft magazine has a set of clear Glasgow Rose stamps, so I might end up buying it, if it's got a few matching sentiments. 

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

Less is More Challenge #272 ~ Use 3 Stamps
Stamping Sensations April Challenge ~ One for the Girls

Tri-shutter Butterfly Card

I've missed the deadline for the last couple of Butterfly Challenges, so I was determined that I would join in this fortnight.  The challenge is 'Butterflies + F is for Fancy Folds and/or Fuchsia'.  The middle of last week I thought that I had plenty of time, but suddenly it was 4pm today, I'd just got home from supply teaching all day, time was fast running out and I hadn't even started my card!  So, with hubby out all day and not back until late tonight, I cracked on with making my card.

I decided on a Tri-Shutter card, using a Presscut die for the base card.  I've made several card with this fold by hand in the past, but this die does all the work for you.  My next job was to find some fuchsia coloured card or paper.  I decided on some patterned paper from a paper pad which came as a free gift with a magazine several years ago.  It has tiny mint green coloured dots in the pattern, so I used some plain card of  this colour for some of the panels and embossed it with a Cuttlebug 'Swiss Dots' embossing folder.  The long mint green die cut is Memory Box 'Latchet Border' and for the butterfly I used a Stampin' Up punch.  A few punched daisies finished off my card. 

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

Butterfly Challenge #52 ~ Butterflies + F is for Fancy Folds and/or Fuchsia

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge ~ Butterfly Beauty

Bizzy Bec's April Challenge ~ Anything Goes

Adding a little sparkle

Welcome to my new follower, Suzana.  Thank you for following my blog.

Another of my Fiskarettes DT project to share today.  I wanted to add metallic thread to my card and I came up with the idea of punching holes along the edge of a square piece of pearlised card. I thought it might give the same effect as 'Pin Thread Art' which was very popular in the 1970s!

 I used a 1/16th inch hole punch to punch fifteen holes, 1/4" apart along one edge, then repeated along the adjacent edge.

I repeated on the opposite corner and the card looked like this.

 I attached the end of the thread on the back with tape.  To get the pattern, I brought the thread up the first hole at the top of the vertical line of holes and down through the first hole on the left of the horizontal line.  I then put the thread up through the second hole on the horizontal line and down through the second hole at the top of the vertical line. This was repeated along the holes until the end of each line. I turned the card around and repeated on the second corner. 

I punched two butterflies from a snippet of white card, using a Fiskars Intricate Butterfly punch.  A piece of wire was threaded through some gold beads and the ends curled round for the antennae.  This was attached to one of the punched butterflies to form the body.  The butterflies were layered on the card and tiny white pearls added to show the flight path.

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

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge ~ Butterfly Beauty

Pixie's Snippets Playground - Week 225 ~ Use snippets

Bizzy Bec's April Challenge ~ Anything Goes

Use Your Snippets!

Another of my Fiskarettes Design Team projects to share today, this time to use up a few of the left over snippets of card from my ever-growing pile!

The black background is embossed with a Creative Expression 'Checkboard A4 Pinpoint' embossing folder.  The four coloured squares of card were cut slightly smaller than the four white squares and two opposite corners were rounded on each square. Two flowers were punched with a daisy die and layered to make them fuller. 

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

Simon Says Stamps Monday Challenge ~ April Showers Bring May Flowers

Shark Bookmark

Another of my Design Team projects was posted on the Fiskarettes UK Facebook page yesterday - a corner bookmark. I've made corner bookmarks before HERE and HERE, but this time I decided to make a shark.

I've made a template for the basic shape of the corner bookmark.  Cut off the red areas and score along the other lines.

 Start with a 5” square piece of grey card and cut as shown in the template.

 Fold along the score lines.

Using a small strip of white card, cut a zigzag pattern along the edge to make the teeth.

Use DST to attach the teeth to the top of one of the triangles.  Fold the second triangle over the first and stick down well with strong DST.

Cut three fins and attach to the back, as shown in the photo.

Add two eyes.  This photo shows how the bookmark fits over the corner of the page.

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass..............

There are a few April Showers challenges, so I made this card today.  I guess a storm is a bit more than a shower, but some showers lately have been quite heavy -  and I do love the sentiment.

The raindrops were made with a Memory Box 'Raindrops' stencil and 'Chipped Sapphire' Distress Ink. The image and sentiment are from Inkylicious, die cut and layered with Memory Box 'Stitched Ovals and Rectangles'.  The main, image is attached with foam tape to raise it up. The embossing folder is an A4 folder, 'Dots' by Sizzix.  I felt the card needed a little something in the top right hand corner, but I wasn't sure what.  After trying several things, I remembered some blue, self-adhesive teardrops gems that came free with a magazine many years ago.  I've had them so long, they weren't very self-adhesive any more!

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

Cuttlebug Mania Challenge ~ April Showers

The Craft Barn Two Week Challenge ~ April Showers
Simon Says Stamps Monday Challenge ~ April Showers Bring May Flowers
Dragonfly Journeys Challenge #52 ~ April Showers

Geometric Pattern

A second post today as I'm trying to catch up with a few challenges.  The Less is More challenge this week is a One Layer with 'Geometric Shapes or Patterns'.

I masked off half a Creative Expressions 'Stripy Spots' stencil and used Adirondack Red Pepper, Sunset Orange and Sunshine Yellow ink pads to create an ombre effect.  The ink was applied with Ink Dusters.  Does anyone else hold their breath when they stamp the sentiment on a one layer card - hoping it stamps cleanly the first time? The worst that can happen is another sentiment needs to be added over the top on a die cut, but that would be no good for a one layer card.  Luckily it stamped fine first time.  Phew!

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

Less is More Challenge Week # 271 - One Layer Card ~ Geometric Shapes or Patterns

Masculine card

A masculine card today for a friend who's taking over as Chairman of a local club tonight.

I kept it clean and simple, layering the computer generated image on Memory Box 'Stitched Squares' die cuts.  The backing paper is from Anna Marie Designs. I resisted the temptation to add any embellishments as I wanted the card to look quite classy.

Wedding Card

Any blogging experts out there?  Several of the blogs I follow are suddenly appearing under the heading 'hidden' in my list of blogs.  Any new posts these bloggers make no longer appear in my 'reading list', so I've missed a lot of their new creations.  Anyone know how I can rectify this?

A friend of mine was married last weekend and this is the card I made for the happy couple.  I used the theme of  butterflies and colours of deep red, silver and white to carry on the theme on the invitation I received.

The main deep red panel is Memory Box 'Butterfly Heart' die cut , which I layered on white, before matting on silver.

Here is a close-up of the die cut which shows the butterflies a little clearer.  The die doesn't cut out the butterflies, but leaves the bodies still attached, so the wings can be lifted. The embossing folder is an A4 one, although I'm not sure of the make.  The tiny hearts were the waste from a Memory Box 'Heart of Hearts' die cut.

I would like to enter my card for the following challenges:
Creative Card Crew Challenge #110 ~ Die Cuts
Bizzy Bec's April Challenge ~ Anything Goes

Pastel Flowers

A 'Get Well' card today.  

The image was stamped with an old wood mounted Stampendous 'Glasgow Rose Garden' stamp, coloured with Promarkers.  The embossing folder is Spellbinders 'Dainty Dots'.   I made the scalloped edge with a Memory Box 'Stitched Border' die and added a pink pearl in each scallop.

As all the white card was snippets, I'll be popping over the the Playground in the morning.

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

Dies R Us Blog Challenge #46 ~ Use Scallops
Little Claire's Monthly Blog Challenge # 67 - 'Anything Goes'!
Stamping Sensations April Challenge ~ One for the Girls
Pixie's Snippets Playground - Week 224 ~ Use Snippets
Creative Card Crew Challenge #110 ~ Die Cuts
Creative Corner Challenge ~ Flower Power

Cute Elephant

My great niece was five years old last weekend and as she recently told me she doesn't like fairies or princesses, I decided to use a cute elephant image.  We joined in Eve's birthday celebrations on Sunday and as Eve lives near where we keep our caravan, we took the opportunity to have a few days back down in Devon again to enjoy the sea air.  

The card base was cut with a Presscut Step die and I used a pre-coloured digistamp, 'Ellie with Daisy', from Beccy's Place.  The panels were embossed with a Cuttlebug 'Daisy Pattern' embossing folder.  The daisies were punched from snippets of white and yellow card.

I would like to enter my card for the following challenges:
Beccy's Place - April Challenge ~ Use one of Beccy's images
Pixie's Snippets Playground - Week 223 ~ Use Snippets
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge ~ Happy Birthday

Less is More ~ Guest Designer project

I was delighted to have the opportunity to be a Guest Designer for this week's Less is More challenge.  The theme for the challenge is 'White Space, but not white', so this is the card I made for the theme.

The embossing folder is an old Sizzix one, which I think has been discontinued.  I punched small white flowers from white card and pushed a ball tool in the centre to make them more 3D and added small lilac pearls in the centre of each one.

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

Cuttlebug Mania Challenge ~ Monochrome

I also made a second card with White Space, but not white. The sunflower is a Cheery Lynn 'Sunflower' die.  The petals are cut out twice and layered. I added brown pearls to the centres of the flowers of the Poppystamps 'Trudeau Border' die cut to match the centre of the large sunflower.  The sentiment is a Die'sire die cut.

Football theme

A masculine birthday card today, although it could be used for a female football supporter......there are a lot of us! ;-)

I used Memory Box 'Grand Happy B-Day' and 
Die-Namics 'Dots' dies.  The die cuts were done at the same time on black card, attaching the dies with low tack tape.  The football was attached with foam pads and tiny grey pearls show the flight of the football.

I would like to enter my card for the following challenges:
Less is More Challenge #269 ~ Polka Dots
Cuttlebug Mania Challenge ~ Monochrome