Christmas Bauble

It's Rudolph Days Challenge time again, which runs from the 25th until the last day of each month, leading up to Christmas. You have seven days this month to make a Christmas themed project/card and join in the challenge. 

I'm not too happy with the photo, the gold mirror card looks more bronze than gold, but metallic card seems to always change colour in a photo! The die I used is Poppystamps 'Vesha Ornament', a gift from the lovely Scrappymo.    My plan was to cut the shape in gold and red and inlay the red stripe and spots.  This would have worked for the stripes, but the spots were too tiny and also different sizes.  So, it was onto plan B, which was to draw around the die on red card, cut it out and lay the gold die cut on top.  I used a tiny piece of red and gold thread which I attached to the bauble and the gold punched bow.  The patterned paper is from a paper pad which came free with a magazine some time ago and the design seemed perfect to go with the bauble die cut.  The sentiment is computer generated and die cut with Lawn Fawn 'Everyday Sentiment Banner' dies.  I've attached the bauble, bow and sentiment with foam pads to raise them up. 

I am joining in the following challenges:

Rudolph Days July Challenge ~ Make a Christmas card/project
HLS July Christmas Challenge ~ Gold
HLS July Anything Goes with Dies Challenge

CHNC Challenge #291 ~ Use a sentiment
CHNC Challenge extra for July 2016
Craftyhazelnut's Patterned Paper July 2016 Challenge

Meeting Darnell

What a delight it was to meet Darnell during her UK tour, meeting fellow crafty bloggers along the way.  Kathy brought Darnell to a local restaurant, where Ruth and I joined them for a fun evening, with lots of laughter.

Kathy and Darnell

Me, Darnell and Ruth (I'm not sure why I've got a surprised look on my face!) - Darnell's photo

A photo of just a few of the dishes we shared between us.

I just wish I had been quick enough to take a photo of Darnell's face when she realised what she was eating when she'd taken a bite of this little one's brother!  Read Darnell's post HERE to find out more.

I'm looking forward to reading about the rest of Darnell's tour on her blog.  I know wherever she is, there will be lots of fun and laughter! 

Retirement

Yesterday, I got to meet Darnell of djkardkreations as she travelled through my home town on her UK tour.  We were joined by Kathy of Purple Princess Diaries and Ruth of KangaRuth.  What a fun evening it was!  Darnell is just as delightful as everyone has says she is.  Photos to follow in a later post.

Today's card is for a friend I've known for over 20 years who has just started her well-deserved retirement.  She often includes flowers on cards she makes, so I thought it appropriate that I include flowers on the card I made for her.

Most of the dies I used were Sue Wilson dies:
'Double Pierced Ovals'
'Double Pierced Rectangles'
'Stitched Lattice Frames'
'String Flowers'
The sentiment was die cut using Sizzix dies and the leaves were Poppystamps 'Loopy Stem' die cuts, which I snipped off to make them the size I needed.  I added white pearls to the middle of the flowers.  Lots of snippets were used making my card, but my pile of white ones never seems to get any smaller!

I am joining in the following challenges:
Pixie's Snippets Playground - Week 239 ~ Use snippets
HLS July Anything Goes with Dies Challenge

Denim and Dimension

The Butterfly Challenge this fortnight is 'Butterflies + D is for Dimension and/or Denim'.  My card is for a friend who loves butterflies and also a bit of sparkle.

Hope this colour counts as denim.  I used a Sue Wilson's 'Linen' embossing folder to make it look more like fabric and also to add some dimension.  I layered three Spellbinders 'Marvellous Squares' die cuts in cream and blue.  The Spellbinders 'Papillions Two' butterfly is attached just in the middle, so the wings stand up, adding more dimension.  Three clear gems for the body added some sparkle.

I am joining in the following challenges:
Butterfly Challenge #58 ~ Butterflies + D is for Dimension and/or Denim
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge ~ Things with wings
HLS July Anything Goes with Dies Challenge

Repetition

A second card today, so I can sneak in a last minute entry for the Less is More Challenge this week.  It's a theme week and the theme is 'Repetition'.

The stamp is a really old Funstamps wood mounted stamp, 'Glasgow Nouveau 2'.  I stamped it three times, added a little colour with Spectrum Noir Sparkle pens, then mounted on black card. I really like these pens, the colours are so vibrant and add lots of sparkle.

Don't you just love it when you've finished a card, uploaded a photo of it, linked it up to a challenge......and then notice a mistake on the card!  It wasn't until I looked again at my post, I noticed the right-hand panel was upside down!  It was very similar upside down but not exactly the same. I managed to ease it off without ripping anything and put it the right way up.  So, if you happened to look at my post in the ten minutes after I made the post live, I hope you didn't spot my mistake. :-)

I am joining in the following challenges:

Less is More Week 285 ~ Repetition

Penny Black and More July Challenge ~ Anything goes with a stamp

Off to the seaside....

A friend is moving next week, changing her life in the city for a life in Cornwall, by the the sea.  I wanted my CAS card to reflect the new life her family is going to have....and what a perfect time to move to the seaside!

The beach hut is a Joanna Sheen Signature die.  I cut it out twice in cream and pink and snipped off the pink roof and base and stuck over the cream beach hut.  I love how the door opens on the die cut. The sea is Memory Box 'Oceana Border' die cut. I used gold glitter card for the sand and the sky is mottled blue patterned card.

I'm joining in the following challenges:

Cuttlebug Mania Challenge ~ Summer

Dies R Us Challenge #53 - Water and/or Beach

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge ~ Nautical/By the Sea

HLS July Anything Goes with Dies Challenge

The Craft Barn ~ CAS

A Black Cat for Good Luck

A card today for a friend who's changing jobs at the end of this week.  

The cat is a Poppystamps 'Large Walking Cat' die cut. I used Memory Box 'Stitched Octagons and Rectangles' for matting and layering the image, sentiment and paw print.   I used a Woodware paper punch for the paw print in the corner and the embossing folder for the background is Sue Wilson's 'Pawprint Lattice'.

I am joining in the following challenges:

HLS July Anything Goes with Dies Challenge

Bizzy Bec's July Challenge ~ Anything Goes

Memory Box Challenge #14 ~ Sketch Challenge

Footie Physio

Yesterday was my daughter's birthday. The temperature in the UK was soaring above 30 degrees centigrade, so we spent the afternoon in the rooftop spa pool, overlooking Bath.

Usually any football cards I make for her are in blue and white, the team colours of the football team she's supported since she was a child.  As she is now one of the two physios at Tiverton Town football club, it was a lovely change to make her birthday card in their team colours of yellow and black.

The circle of footballs and L-shaped corners are dies from the Dixi 'Football Circle & Corner' set.  When I bought the dies, I thought they cut out pentagon shaped apertures, which I planned to back with black card.  However they cut out the football circles and just embosses them.  I left the dies covering the die cuts and dabbed black Distress ink through the holes in the dies, which worked really well.  The sentiment is die cut using Memory Box 'Stitched Circle' dies.  Tiny black gems finished off my card.

Here is the template I made for my base card.  I needed it slightly bigger than using an A4 sheet of card to fit the circle of footballs.  As long as the length is double the width,  the size of the card can be changed to fit any image or die cut.

The folded card should now look like this.  The square and rectangular panels were decorated before attaching the triangle to the rectangle with strong double-sided tape.


This shows the finished card from a slightly different angle.

I am joining in the following challenges:
Country View Crafts July Challenge ~ Have Fun with Circles
HLS July Anything Goes with Dies Challenge
Bizzy Bec's July Challenge ~ Anything Goes

There is a DT call for Papermilldirect. Click HERE to find out more.

White on White.......with a pop of red

We returned from a fabulous week in Ireland today.  Sitting in an Irish pub in Galway, listening to traditional Irish music, means I can cross something else off my 'bucket list'.  I'll post a couple of photos later in the week.

Today's card is an anniversary card for friends of ours.  I can post a photo on my blog, now I know the card has been received.

Spellbinder 'Lace Hearts' dies were used for the heart and corners.  I used the heart die again with red card so I could add the little red heart in the heart shaped aperture in the large white heart.  The heart was raised up on foam pads. I used a DoCraft 'Small Polka Heart' embossing folder for the background, which I die cut with a Sue Wilson 'Double Pierced Square' die.  I used lots of white and red snippets for my card, so I'll be off to play in the Playground.

I am joining in the following challenges:

Pixie's Snippets Playground - Week 238 ~ Use snippets

Butterflies, butterflies, butterflies.....

The Butterfly Challenge this fortnight is  'Butterflies + Y is for Years and/or Yellow' and The Craft Barn Challenge is 'Butterflies'- more than one, so my butterfly card is for a soon to be 80 year old, predominately yellow and definitely has more than one butterfly!

I created the background using a Die-namics 'Flying Butterflies' die.  I usually use this die as a panel down the side, but this time I used the die twice, side by side, to make the rows of butterflies wider.  The butterfly is Poppystamps 'Lyndon Butterfly' and 'Elsa Butterfly' in yellow and blue to match the background, with three tiny white pearls added for the body.  The butterfly is layered on MB 'Stitched Circle' and 'Stitched Scalloped Circle' die cuts.  MB 'Stitched Rectangle' dies were used for the sentiment and two of the 'waste' yellow butterflies from the background were added on the sentiment panel.

I'm joining in the following challenges:
Butterfly #57 ~ Butterflies + Y is for Years and/or Yellow
The Craft Barn Two Weekly Challenge ~ Butterflies (more than one)
Poppystamps Challenge #22 ~ Fly Away With Me
That's Crafty Challenge ~ Feminine Theme

Kitchen Colours

The Less is More challange this week is a colour challenge, 'Colours of your Kitchen'.  My kitchen has white units with pale green walls, so my first job was to find a piece of pale green card the right colour.

I used a recently purchased Tattered Lace 'Sheep Border' for the die cut.  I resisted the tempted to buy this die for a long time, but when I saw it online for half price, it sort of fell into my basket!  The sentiment came with a digi image from Digi Stamp Boutique.  The embossing folder I used is Embossalicious 'Ornate Corner' and the background is layered on a white card blank.

I am joining in the following challenges:
Less is More Challenge Colour Week #283 ~ Colours of your kitchen

Sailing

A second card today, this one for my brother's birthday next week.  

The yacht is one of the Poppystamps 'Marina Sailboat' dies, the set also come with the two wave dies I've used on my card.  The scene is matted and layered on Memory Box 'Stitched Rectangle' and 'Scalloped Circle' die cuts.  Two Memory Box ' 'Puffy Clouds' die cuts were added.  The Happy Birthday patterned paper is by Anna Marie Designs and I used a Sheena Douglass 'Water Ripple' embossing folder.  A punched anchor finished off my card.  The scene was made with lots of snippets, so I'll be off to share my card in the Playground.

I would like to enter the following challenges:

Little Claire's Monthly Challenge 70 ~ Create a Scene

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge ~ Red, White and/or Blue

That's Crafty Masculine Challenge 

Dies R Us Challenge #52 ~ Outdoor Fun

Pixie's Snippets Playground - Week 236 ~ Use Snippets
Country View July Challenge ~ Have fun with Circles
Memory Box Challenge #14 ~ Sketch Challenge

Serene Swan

Welcome to my new follower, Sandma of Sandma's Handmade Cards.  Thank you for following my blog.

It's a week since I last blogged and the lack of a wifi connection for the few days while we were away means I'm behind on my blog visiting too.  However, I had a relaxing few days in Devon and managed to continue with batch making some Christmas cards.

Today's card was made for a friend's birthday this week.  As she loves swans, this Memory Box 'Gentle Swan' die was perfect for her card.  

The swan is layered on a Memory Box 'Stitched Scalloped Circle' die cut, with a tiny white circle peeloff added to each scallop.  The corners are die cut with an All Occasion 'Finishing Touches' die a borrowed from a friend.

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

Simon Says Monday Challenge ~ Red, White and/or Blue

Addicted to CAS - Challenge #91 ~ Fly
Country View July Challenge ~ Have fun with Circles
Bizzy Bec's July Challenge ~ Anything Goes