True Blue

Welcome to my new followers, Anne from Stamps and Paper and Marjeta from Marjetina ustvarjalnica.  Thank you for following me. 

Another blue and white birthday card today for a football fan, made in the team colours.  The football shirt has blue and white quarters and this is reflected in the design.

I started with a black card blank.  I cut a square of white card slightly smaller and drew pencil lines to mark in quarters.  Two blue and two white squares of card were embossed with a Crafts Too football embossing folder, and positioned along the pencil lines on the larger white square card.  This was then attached to the card blank.  I attached a circle of blue card in the middle and layered the white circle with the sentiment on foam pads.  The footballs are one of the dies from the Dixi Craft 'Football Circle & Corner'.  As the die only cuts the outline and embosses, I added the black parts with distress ink using a dauber through the apertures in the die, while the die cut was still in place. The footballs are raised up on foam pads.  Lots of snippets were used on this card, so I'll be off to play in The Playground.

I am joining in the following challenges:

Pixie's Snippets Playground - Week 248 ~ Use Snippets

HLS September Anything Goes with Dies Challenge

September Rudolph Days

It's the 25th of the month, so time for another Rudolph Days Challenge, which run until the end of the month.  A CAS Christmas card today, one of six I've made so far of this design.  

I used a Poppystamps 'Let it Snow Channel' die directly into the red card blank.  The snowflake is one of the MB 'Twilight Snowflakes' dies, which I attached with foam tape.  The embossing folder is a Crafters Companion one, 'Snowflakes' and tiny white pearl in the middle of the red snowflake finished off my design.  

I am joining in the following challenges:
Rudolph Days September Challenge
PSC#24 September Challenge ~ So Boss!
That's Crafty Christmas in September Challenge

Diamond Corner

The Less is More Challenge this week is 'Diamonds' and I'm sneaking in with a last minute entry.  After abandoning my first efforts with stencil and embossing folder, both with diamond shapes, I eventually settled on a corner die.  

The corner die is one of the MB 'Distresssed Windham Collage' dies.  The flower die is one I picked up in a bargain bucket for about a third of the recommended price! I wasn't sure what to do with the die, as it cuts out a very thin outline, which easily goes out of shape it attached straight to a card blank. So, I decided to inlay the die cut, a new technique to me, but one I've seen used a lot on other bloggers' cards.  I used the die first in the white card to get the shape of the flowers and pot.  Then I inserted the green die cut outline, before finally using the die cut again with snippets of lilac and green card and inserting all the little pieces.  I'm sure someone will tell me that's how the die is supposed to be used! LOL! 

I am joining in the following challenges:

Less is More Week #294 - Theme ~ Diamonds
HLS September Anything Goes with Dies Challenge

New Home

I saw a sketch challenge on the Craft World Facebook page, so decided to use the sketch layout for my New Home card.

The stamp is an old wood mounted stamp by Create-It. The image is coloured with Promarkers and die cut with a MB 'Stitched Square' die.  I used an Embossalicious 'Antique Keys'  for the embossed background.  The sentiment is computer generated and die cut with a MB 'Stitched Circle' die.  Two strips of ribbon finished off my card. The pieces of green card for layering were snippets, so I'll be off to play in the Playground.

I am joining in the following challenges with my card:

Cuttlebug Mania Challenge ~ A New Home

Pixie's Snippets Playground - Week 247 ~ Use Snippets
The Craft Barn Challenge ~ All around the house (keys)
Addicted to Stamps Challenge #131 ~ Trees/Branches and or Leaves
Crafty Boots Challenge ~ All Squared Up
Penny Black and More September challenge ~ Add a sentiment

There is still time to be in with a chance of winning my blog candy.  Click HERE for details.

Sunny Sunflowers

Thank you for all your Anniversary messages on yesterday's post.  We had a lovely day in the Cotswolds and the weather was perfect.

The Less is More Challenge this week is One Layer - 'Your Favourite Flower'.  Although I love poppies, fuchsias and snowdrops too, with my blog name my choice of favourite flowers has to be sunflowers.

My first job was to choose a stamp to use.  Over the years I have collected quite a few!  I settled on this one, a wood mounted Hooks Lines & Inkers stamp, which I stamped in Memento 'Tuxedo Black' and coloured with Promarkers. The sentiment is an old Inca Stamp.

I am joining in the following challenges:

Less is More Challenge Week #293 - One Layer ~ Your Favourite Flower

42 Years!

My DH and I are celebrating our 42nd Wedding Anniversary today.   Here is the card I made for him.  I had intended giving him the card I made HERE for the Less is More One Layer challenge I made recently, but I'm not sure he understands CAS.  I think he thinks of CAS as being 'unfinished'!  So, I made this card for him instead. 

The heart is an Impression Obsession 'Heart of Hearts' die cut, matted and layered on MB Stitched circle die cuts.  I used Sue Wilson Double Pierced Squares for the borders.   The embossing folder I used is an x-Cut one, 'Small Polka Hearts'.

I am joining in the following challenges:

Allsorts Challenge - Week 380 ~ Anniversaries and special occasions
Creatalicious Challenge #98 ~ Anything Goes with optional anniversary
That's Crafty All Square Challenge (Lots of square die cuts)
Cuttlebug Mania Challenge ~ Anything goes with die cuts!!!
HLS September Anything Goes with Dies Challenge

Here are a couple of photos from 42 years ago, in the days when wedding dresses always went right up to the neck and the sleeves went down to the wrist! 

Joy Fold Butterfly card

Welcome to my new followers, Pamela and Carol .  Carol has some gorgeous blog candy to give away HERE.

I made this card and tutorial for a Fiskarettes DT project earlier in the year but, but due to a glitch with Facebook, it never appeared on their Facebook page and I didn't getting round to blogging it here.  As the Butterfly Challenge is 'Butterflies + L is for Letters and/or Lavender' I thought I'd show the card and the tutorial on my blog now. (I hope the sentiment counts as 'letters').

I made a Joy Fold card using Papermania patterned papers.  I used a Fiskars Intricate Butterfly Punch.

Cut a plain piece of card 10” x 4”.  Score at 4”.

Cut two contrasting pieces of patterned paper - 5¾” x 3¾” and 3¾” x 3¾”.

Using double sided tape, attach the smaller piece of patterned paper to the front flap and the larger piece to the inside of the card.

Cut a piece of plain card 3” x 7” and score at 3”. Cut a piece of patterned paper 2¾” x 2¾”. 

Attach the square of patterned paper to the front flap as shown in the photo. Punch a butterfly and attach over the patterned paper.  Stick the longer back flap to the inside of the card.

Close the card and put a pencil mark close to the bottom left-hand corner of the front flap.  Pierce or punch a small hole through the pencil mark (just the front of the card).  A 1/16^th  circle punch is perfect for this.

Push a brad through the hole.

The corner of the butterfly panel can be slipped behind the brad to keep the card closed.

Stamp a sentiment on patterned paper, cut out and mat onto plain card.

Add the sentiment to the front of the card.

This photo shows the card open, revealing the space to write a personal message.

Layer on a second butterfly, attached just by the body, to give dimension and add gems for a body and a few extra pearls for decoration. 

I am joining in with the following challenges:

Butterfly Challenge #62 ~ Butterflies + L is for Letters and/or Lavender

Anniversary card

Welcome to my new followers, Terri, Susan Renshaw, Nikki, Rebecca Sandy, and rcraddock901.  Thank you for following me.

I've been AWOL for a week in Devon in our caravan.  Before I went, I packed a box with card, dies, stamps etc., everything I needed - just in case the weather was wet, with the intention of making cards for current challenges, cards needed for September birthday and anniversaries, as well as making a few more Christmas cards .  Well, we had several wet days.... but I left my craft box at home!!! So there was no crafting all week so I missed all of the challenges last week that I intended to enter.  I also found it really difficult to get my crafting mojo back when we came home on Friday.  The good news is that my camera that could have taken up to six weeks to repair was repaired in just 11 days! :-)

Enough of my rambling and onto a card I made today, as it needs to be posted in the morning.  This card is for friends who celebrate their wedding anniversary on Wednesday, the same day as my DH and me.  (We've been married 2 hours longer though! )

The embossing folder was a freebie with a craft magazine.  I used a Stampin' Up Bird punch, using up some of my small white snippets of card.  The hearts were the waste from a MB 'Heart of Hearts' die cut.  I raised the birds and the sentiment up on foam pads.  I'll be posting a photo of the card I made for DH later in the week.

I am joining in the following challenges:

Pixie's Snippets Playground - Week 246 ~ Use Snippets

Allsorts Challenge - Week 380 ~ Anniversaries and Special Occasions

That's Crafty All Square Challenge (Square card)

Creatalicious Challenge #98 ~ Anything Goes with optional anniversary

Mr & Mrs

Welcome to my new followers, Richa,  Carrie and Chriss.  Thank you for following me, I hope you visit my blog again soon. 

I made this card a couple of weeks ago, but knowing that Di of Pixie's Crafty Workshop was planning to give away this amazing pop-up card die set, I thought I'd blog it when I knew that Di was offering it as a prize.  

The die set is Spellbinders 'Pop-Ups - Happy Days'.  The Mr and Mrs die is part of a Sue Wilson, Creative Expressions set of dies, which also comes with the heart dies I've used.  The border punch is by Fiskars.  I used a snippet of DoCraft patterned paper, which has tiny red hearts on for the front panel.

This shows the card from a different angle.  If you'd like to be in with a chance of winning the Spellbinders 'Pop-Ups - Happy Days' dies, pop over The Playground with a card you've made using snippets and enter this week's challenge.

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

Allsorts challenge - Week 379 ~ New beginnings

Simon Says Stamp - Wednesday Challenge ~ Anything Goes

There is still time to be in with a chance of winning my '100 followers' blog candy HERE.

On Safari

Welcome to my new followers, Judy, Vinita Jane, Bearlea, AnnaRobyn, Michele, Alicia, LeAnne, Pat, Valerija, Alice, and Leanne, Denise, scrAPpamondo and Glennis.  (I can't seem to find a link for a few of the blogs.) I hope you are able to visit again often.

My camera has gone in for repair this week.  Although it's under guarantee it will take up to SIX weeks to repair!!  I'm taking photos on my mobile phone for my blog, so hopefully the light will be good enough to get decent photos of my cards.  This one seemed to come out okay.

I've had the Little Claire 'Elephants' silhouette stamp for quite a while, but I've never got round to using it.  When we received an invitation to a Safari themed 50th birthday party, I knew it was the perfect stamp to use for the birthday girl.  I made the background with Ink Dusters and Adirondack inkpad using 'Red Pepper', 'Sunset Orange' and 'Sunshine Yellow'.  The image is stamped with Versafine 'Onyx Black'.  I used Memory Box 'Stitched Rectangles' for matting and layering.

I am joining in the following challenges with my card:

NBUS CHALLENGE #7 ~ Use some Never-Before-Used-Schtuff

Addicted to CAS - Challenge 95 ~ Silhouette

That's Crafty All Square Challenge (Square Card)

CASology Challenge #213 ~ Stitch (used stitched dies)

Simon Says Stamp - Wednesday Challenge ~ Anything Goes

There is some blog candy on my blog HERE to give away.