Sketches

I made a few cards inspired by sketches in the Creative Minds - Kind Hearts Facebook group.  

Butterfly Window Card

The Butterfly Challenge has the theme of 'W for Window Card'.  You can find the instructions for this fold HERE and it's a really easy one to make.  The challenge closes later today, so I'm cutting it a bit fine to join in with the challenge.  The other 'W' elements are Wood/Wheat/Wisteria/Wild Blue Yonder + a Butterfly.  I decided to go with Window Card/Wood/Wheat/Wisteria + Butterfly.

The patterned papers are from two different paper pads from The Range.  I folded the 'window', then cut two squares in the wheat and wisteria coloured patterned papers slightly smaller than the window and layered them inside.  The sentiment is a Cut & Make die cut.  The numbers from The Works are wooden and already painted white.  I added little punched butterflies in the corners of my cards and put a pearl body in each one. 

The card folds flat for posting.

I am joining in the following challenges:

Butterfly Challenge #173 ~ W for Window Card (Window card/Two colours/Theme + Butterfly)

Golden Wedding Anniversary

Friends of ours celebrated their Golden Wedding Anniversary this month and this is the card I made for them. 

I used a new Marianne Designs 'Cross Stitch Heart' die and stitched the stripy cross stitch design with crochet cotton.  The background of my card was embossed with a Creative Expressions 'Heart Lattice' embossing folder and I added a strip of ribbon across the middle.  The heart is attached with foam pads.  The sentiment is a golden brown colour, although it looks more red in the photo.  Three heart shaped pearls finished off my card. 

I am joining in the following challenges:

Allsorts Challenge - Week 695 ~ A/G with option Spots and/or Stripes

We Love To Create Challenge - Week 10 ~ Anything Mixed Media Goes

Krafty Chicks Challenge #630 ~ All Occasions

Through the Purple Haze Challenge #196 ~ Use a Ribbon and/or Bow

Little Red Wagon Challenge #672 ~ All You Need is Love

NBUS Challenge #42 ~ Use Never-Before-Used-Schtuff  (Heart Die)

Simon Says Monday Challenge ~ Emboss it

Christmas Reindeer

The Rudolph Days September Challenge begins today and runs until the end of the month.  In three months time it will be Christmas Day! 😮  Here is my card, which didn't turn out at all like I planned.

I bought the Gemini 'Holly Berries' embossing folder recently.  I was looking for a holly background embossing folder and when I saw it reduced for only £1 in a craft store, I popped it in my basket.  If I'd looked more closely, I would have realised that the embossing was only a frame and the centre square was flat.  So, onto plan B.  I die cut a stitched square and added a Memory Box 'Leaping Deer' die cut.  The sentiment is a Penny Black stamp.  I added three tiny clear gems down the top right hand side of the white square..... then I accidently dropped a blog of glue near the gems! I peeled the gems off, die cut a stitched rectangle, added five tiny clear gems to the die cut and covered up the mess I'd made. 

I am joining in the following challenges:

Rudolph Days September Challenge

NBUS Challenge #42 ~ Use Never-Before-Used-Schtuff  (embossing folder)

Can You Handle the Pressure Challenge ~ Anything Goes Embossing With A Twist of LEAVES

Moving Along With the Times Challenge #146 ~ Trees and/or Leaves

Try It On Tuesday Challenge ~ Emboss It

Corner Box Pop Up Card

A Corner Box Pop Up Card which I made for a friend celebrating her birthday this month.  I followed the instructions for the fold on the Creative Minds - Kind Hearts blog HERE.

This shows the card closed with a belly band.  The papers are from a paper pad from The Range.

 This is what's revealed when the card is opened.  I used lots of snippets for the flowers, leaves and sentiment.  The dotty paper was a snippet too. I used dies from the Lisa Horton box set for the flowers, adding tiny pearls in the centre.  The leaves are Sue Wilson 'Petite Vinery' die cuts and the sentiment is a Cut & Make die cut.

I am joining in the following challenges with this card:

Snippets Playground Challenge #437 ~ Use Snippets

Craftlandia Challenge #12 ~ Leaves

Krafty Chicks Challenge #630 ~ All Occasions

NBUS Challenge #42 ~ Use Never-Before-Used-Schtuff (Sentiment die) 

Tic Tac Toe Challenge #180 ~ Flowers/Any Sentiment/Leaves

Over on the Nifty Noodles Crafting Facebook page, Lisa demonstrated an idea for using some of the patterned paper many of us have with a large pattern.  I certainly have quite a few and wasn't sure how I could use them, apart from covering the whole card front with one piece.  Here are my versions of cutting them up after watching Lisa's demo.

Diagonal Double Fold Card

We celebrated my hubby's cousin's 60th birthday this week and this is the card I made for her.  I followed the instructions for the fold on the Creative Minds - Kind Hearts blog HERE.

The patterned papers are from a paper pad from The Works.  I used Memory Box 'Stitched Scalloped Circles' and 'Stitched Circle Layers' dies.  The flower was made with dies from the Sue Wilson 'Passion Flower' set.  I added a tiny pearl to the centre. 

A scalloped die cut circle was put inside for the message.

I am joining in the following challenges with this card:

Bizzy Becs September Challenge ~ Anything Goes

HLS September Birthday Challenge ~  Anything Goes

Dragonfly Dreams September Challenge ~ Happy Birthday

Addicted to Stamps and More! Challenge #438 ~ Birthdays

My second card is one I made following a sketch.

The patterned paper is from a very old Papermania paper pad.  I die cut the circles with Memory Box 'Stitched Circle Layers' dies, embossing the green circles with a Cuttlebug 'Swiss Dots' embossing folder.  The flowers are die cuts from the first Lisa Horton box kit and the banners are Sue Wilson 'Stitched Flags' die cuts.

I am joining in the following challenges with this card:

HLS September Anything Goes with Dies Challenge

Creations in Pink Challenge # 50 ~ Anything Goes in MAINLY Pink

Our Anniversary

My hubby and I celebrated our 48th Wedding Anniversary yesterday and this is the faux stepper card I made for him.

The image is a digi stamp from Bugaboo, which sadly are no longer available, and I coloured the image with Promarkers.  I used a Creative Expression, 'Heart Lattice' embossing folder for the background.  I added a matt silver heart, die cut with a Sue Wilson die and raised it up on foam pads.

I am joining in the following challenges with this card.

Dream Valley Challenge # 277 - Embossing Dry or Wet

Bizzy Becs September Challenge ~ Anything Goes

Friends of ours celebrate their wedding anniversary on the same day as us, we were married two hours before them.  We first met about 10 years after we were married.  This is the card I made for them.

I used the same Creative Expressions, 'Heart Lattice' embossing folder on this card.  The cross stitching was done on a MFT 'Cross-Stitch Tag' die cut, which I cut into a rectangle.  I added a strip of ribbon, layered on a red mat and the sentiment is raised up on foam pads.

I am joining in the following challenges with this card.

HLS September Anything Goes with Dies Challenge

Simon Says Monday Challenge ~ Die Cuts

Challenge Up Your Life Challenge #150 ~ Anniversary

For those who suggested in my last post that I was brave, remember.......

Thinking of You

It's been a strange week, with lots of different emotions.  This time last week we had arrived in North Wales for a short break.  My daughter had given me a voucher on my last birthday for a Zip Wire Experience on the longest in Europe/fastest in the world zip wire.  Joanna and I decided we would do it together and booked for last Tuesday.  (Photos at the end of this post.) What an amazing experience! We came home last Wednesday via the fabulous Lavinia Stamps shop.  On Thursday we heard the very sad news that Queen Elizabeth had passed away.  It's still hard to take in as she has been the only British monarch in my lifetime.  May she rest in peace after a lifetime of service.

I thought today would be an appropriate time to share a card I made recently for a friend who recently lost her husband.  She lives in New Zealand and I hope the card has arrived by now.

Music played a very big part in the lives of my friend and her husband, so I decided to used a music embossing folder for the background.   I die cut the Memory Box 'Spendid Poppy Stems' in green and in red, snipping off the red flower heads and layering over the green die cut and added a little black in the centre.  The sentiment is a Woodware stamp.

I am joining in the following challenges:

NBUS Challenge #42 ~ Use Never-Before-Used-Schtuff (NBUS poppy die)

Tic Tac Toe Challenge #178 ~ Sentiment/Free/Any Shape Die

Here are a few pictures of my zip wire experience.

View of the top of the zip wire from the visitors' centre.

Standing at the top of the zip wire looking down at the landing area! 😲

You may need to click on the videos twice to open them.

My hubby took this first video of me and Joanna on the little taster zip wire, before we were taken up the mountain for the main one.  I'm the one in purple and Joanna is nearest the camera.

This is the official video on the main zip wire, the camera was attached to my helmet.

 

*~*~*~*~*~*

 

For any visitors to my blog who love Lavina Stamps as much as I do, I took some photos inside their little shop.

Last month, Jenny of Cardsarus generously gave two regular visitors to her blog a voucher each to a craft store of their choice.  I was one of the lucky two and chose a Lavinia Stamps voucher.  This is what I bought, including a few extra things which fell into my basket. 😉  Thank you so much Jenny!