Spot the difference

It's my turn to dare this week, and it's...Journalling spots. They're used all the time in scrapbooking where it's extra personal to read someone's words and memories in their own hand. Use a journalling spot, be it stamped, premade, handcut, digital or doodled, to frame your handwritten message on your card.

I used BG Boxer, some of that new Core-denations cardstock embossed with a cuttlebug folder and sanded with a nail file, and a new set of Papermania stamps, they've really come a long way with their new designs! Finally some ribbon, teeny prima's and brads finish it off.

Thanks for looking :)

Happy Day

I was inspired to make a card by this sketch here. I'm loving bright summery colours at the moment, and the BG Gypsy papers are still a favourite, even though in crafting time they're old enough to draw their pension!
Felt die cut letters & flower, BG Gypsy paper, scallop scissors, cuttlebug embossing, ribbon and a papermania brad. Thanks for looking :)

Thank you

Both for visiting and for your lovely comments. Here's some thank you cards I've done recently for some brilliant people. I've used the delicious K&Co Urban Rhapsody papers, yummmm.

Oooo Juicy!

Juicy Lemon and Orange colours are the inspiration behind this weeks little extra! Slurpable!Stamps are Autumn Leaves and Firefly, PP is DCWV posies pad and some cutting, inking and ribbon finish it.

1000 miles...and another two weeks

Another two weeks of not uploading! I'm not going to say sorry though as I've been doing important stuff. My fantastic Mother in Law lent me her car to go and see Grandma and Grampy. Grandma's still poorly after her stroke but I think Grampy enjoyed the company and home cooking, he's really pining for her, they've not been apart like this for 60 years, that's a long time. The 1000 mile round trip left me shattered though.

As my Grampsies are 86 and 84 they don't have internet so although I took my laptop (to share the wedding dvd) I wasn't able to find anywhere to plug it in and get online, hence the disappearing act!

Anyhooo, as they say, Rachel and Keryn sponsored this weeks Dare... To use SU products to make a love or friendship themed card. I do love the way everything matches, the inks are the perfect tone for the card and the patterned paper, it's all very clever
Everything is SU except I used a pair of Scallop scissors. I love the little seal stamps, soooo cute!

Hope you had a lovely Valentine's day and was showered with lovely thoughts and feelings, I'll have to borrow my card back from Matt to get a pic to share!

Happy New Year!

Wowee 2008! How did that happen? 2007 was a fabulous year for me with some massive stuff like getting married - how much fun was that. and starting my own business. I hope this years just as fun. Here's my favourite two wedding pics. Just let an old married reminisce...

Did you watch Heroes Series one... Recognise the composition? It was the first thing we thought of once we knew it was going to rain.Here's a piccy of some Notebooks I made as stocking fillers which I can share now. I did make quite a few things but some of the photos came out so badly...pah. Still, we're getting an extra 2 minutes per day of light now according to bbc sunrise and sunset times, wooot!
And finally, I have a tradition not to set New Years Resolutions, which is why it's ok that I'm late for DCM... again! It may be a New Year but some things never change. Fab cards on the blog as always and hopefully I'll have time to come and see your gorgeous creations.Here's to a happy, healthy and creative 2008.

4 of the best

Buttons, Frame it, Handcutting and Ribbon, all together in one card, phew!
Now remind me not to say why don't we do all four together next time before actually thinking about when I'm going to do it myself, oops.The sentiment is inside the card like the Pirate card below but you can't really see that in the photo, I'll try and get a better one in the daylight tomorrow. Stamps are new Autumn Leaves, scrummy! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas :)

Merry Christmas!

Wow, what a hectic week so far! I had a birthday with gorgeous cards and pampering, a surprise visit from my Dad and plenty of Christmas preparation. I have been creating but nothing I can share as its all wrapped up ready to be opened tomorrow. Have a fantastic day whatever you're up to. Here's another Christmas card, a tilda cutie.
Now we're past the shortest day theres going to be more light, so hopefully the photo's will improve from now on. Seasons Greetings Everyone!

My first Tilda!

These Tilda stamps didn't appeal at first but the more I see beautiful cards made with them the more I like them. The lovely Nic let me stamp a load out last week and I had a play last night, they really are nice to work with and wonderful to paint.The colours are actually a much better match than in this photo. I had to use the flash despite it being the middle of the day. The Christmas tree is up and making the whole place a bit brighter, and just another week and the days will be getting lighter. Meanwhile I've a to do list longer than Santa's, ok perhaps a slight exaggeration!

Scallop Scissors and 7 things about me

I don't seem to be able to put my new scallop scissors down! I'm not sure if it's a good thing or whether I'll be looking back in a year embarassed at how much I was using them, still its fun and thats what matters. Here's a couple of cards I made over the weekend.


I've also been experimenting on photoshop with making papers, wow, its amazing the things you can do with layers. I never really understood them before but Matt showed me how they work properly and now I can see how things work a little clearer. What I really need to do is start carrying my camera round all the time so I can shoot textures so I have some usable photos to play with, it's exciting and it'll make a good winter hobby! I haven't actually made anything I'm pleased with yet but as soon as I do I'll share of course.

I've been tagged by Dawn! So here's my 7 things...

1. I'm rubbish in the mornings, I'm very much a night owl and always have been.
2. I'm a messy crafter, like really messy to the point of covering every surface with stuff, but I'm trying to be tidier because it's frustrating not being able to find things and trying to work on a two inch square corner of desk.
   
3. I smoke (yep giving up is on the life list), but I don't smoke in my craft room because of my precious papers and pretties might get contaminated.
4. I used to save up my pocket money as a child to buy craft stuff, I still have a pyrography iron I bought when I was about 9.
5. In 5th year at school when we were choosing our careers (lol, like you can shoose a career at 16) I narrowed it down to Art School or Dentistry. I would have been much richer as a dentist but I'm glad I went with my heart. Art school was fab!
   
6. I like gardening but I'm such a fairweather gardener, as soon as we get to autumn I just can't be bothered with it, but I'll be back out there in march. I just say to myself it's a wildlife haven!
7. I love twiglets and I'm not very good at sharing them, the new packets made me and Matt laugh so much that I took a photo, great for sharing... lol I don't think so!

Thank Dawn, now the people I would like to know 7 random facts about are... erm, I'll get back to you!

Postcard Pandemonium!

Jane's dare this week is to make a postcard... and actually post it! I decided the only way I was going to be sure to keep all the bis stuck on through the post was to use a laminator, so I went shopping!

After a few tests I realised the plastic was strong enough to support quite delicate edges so I didn't have to stick to a plain rectangle... yippee!

I used Fiskars Scallop scissors, CropODile for the holes, K&Co Paper, Gelatins, Autumn Leaves & Doodlebug stamps and doodling.

The back is stamped too...

Im going to use a CD pen to write on it, I tested it and it's permanent so it won't wipe off in the post bag!

In The Frame

What an eventful evening yesterday, I had car problems at 5 past 5, always just when the garages are shut, lol. So I phoned my students and luckily managed to catch them all before they left their houses for the class. I didn't know how long I'd be or whether it was serious. Still, it could have been worse, it didn't actually break down the exhaust just fell off and made an awful noise. I had been wondering what that funny noise was on my way into town too and thinking I'd have to get Matt to have a look. Anyway, the nice man from the rescue service came and took the hanging half of the exhaust off and I could drive it tentatively, and noisily, home. The joys of having a car of a certain age!

So instead of teaching last night, I started going through my storage boxes in my craft room to have a clear out. Of course now its a huge mess but I do have a big charity shop pile and the bin's a bit fuller.

Back to cardmaking, which quite frankly, is much more interesting than cars or tidying up.

Lynne set the fabuloso dare this week to use a frame... and I'd just got my paws on some delicious frame stamps from doodlebug. This is my favourite from the set, I just love its doodle appearance. I also used BG Recess papers, Dovecraft brad and stamps from Duo Designs and Hampton.
A Christmas one too, even though I'm in disbelief at the shops being full of Christmas nonsense already.

DCWV paper, cuttlebug snowflake embossing die, bosscut reindeer and Studio G sentiment stamp.

Right, I'm off to the garage now!

Vroom Vroom

This weeks Little Extra is trains, planes and automobiles, anything with transport! Meanwhile isn't it cold and windy, going to have to get the wooly jumpers out very soon. Still, when it's raining I don't feel like I'm missing the sunshine by being in my craft room. Back to the card...

Shash : Cuttlebug dies, a Hero Arts stamp, Recess BG Paper.

Time

I could really do with some more time at the moment, about 4 more hours in a day would be good! Two weeks tomorrow til the big day, I have some things to share on that front but it'll have to wait til I get some photos taken, time is short!

This weeks Dare is set by the wonderfully talented Kathy who has given us the challenge...

"It's About Time"
So you can use clocks, calendars, quotes, sayings, pictures, nursery rhymes, or altered art-type stuff, whatever takes your fancy - just take some time out to play and have some fun; remember, time flies when you're having fun!

I had a bit of a creative block at first, nothing would work, but after a busy day I had two ideas at ones. See, just like buses!

The first one uses Basic Grey Sublime papers. One of the older collection pads I have but such lovely warm colours. The border is cut freehand on one side and with those decorative edge scissors I never thought would see the light of day on the other. The clock hands are Papermania photo turns with a Making Memories Brad. The ribbon is from my local craft shop, inked to tone it in with everything else. The ribbon slide is trimmed down from a cuttlebug die cut, all on a kraft brown card blank.


I was less happy with this one to start with but its growing on me. Rusty Pickle Papers, Stamps by Hampton, Graphicus and Leave Memories. The border is cut with my new favourite toy the Basic Grey Notch tool, I love it!

It's actually black and cream whereas the pic makes it look black and white, I need a photography lesson, anyone doing any up this way?

The Daring Cardmakers Design Team have, as always, come up with some stunning examples of things to do with this theme. I hope you dare too!

Check this!

Friday already! Jane's dare this week is to use checks or squares....

So I raided my paper collection and came up with this!


Papers are HOTP, DCWV, Making Memories; Spotty ribbons are Berisfords; Stamps are Melissa Fraces, Studio G and Sassafrass Lass; Papermania Brads; Rob & Bob Clip and hand drawn stitching.

Check out the other cards on the Daring Cardmakers Blog!

Happy Cardmaking

Pockets of Fun

Hiya folks, long time no blogging! It's amazing just how much time organising a wedding actually takes...!

I managed to find time this week for Lynne's fabulous first dare.

POCKETS
I’d like to see lots and lots of pockets. Pockets full of posies, Brass in Pocket (love the Pretenders).Pockets on clothes, Pockets from clothes, Library Pocket, Pockets of this and Pockets of that.
Get the idea?
Pockets and Pockets of Pockets.

Now, as I've got weddings on the brain I had to do a wedding card, but I tried to steer away from the traditional and go fun and funky!

I used DCWV pockets full of posies paper (cool how the name matches the dare eh! well they do say small things plaese small minds lol) Rob and Bob clips and eyelets that Ive had so long I can't for the life of me remember where they came from. The congratulations is a hero arts clear stamp and the font for the 5 blessings is Bosshole.

Thanks Lynne for a fabby dare, there are an amazing collection of cards on the DCM blog, well worth a look for some inspiration to get your ideas going!

3 little things

This weeks Daring Cardmakers Little Extra is a recepie challenge...

1 stamp
1 piece of chipboard
1 piece of metal

I used, one papermania metal rimmed tag, one text stamp by purple onion and a chipboard flower form a sheet I found at poundland. I used my decorative edge scissors and a K&Co Peabody Border and a little bit of the gorgeous chatterbox inc paisley paper. See the other gorgeous cards from the design team on thre DCM website!

Monday monday

Some exciting news I can finally share! I'm now published, very exciting! Im designing for The Wedding Crafter who do loads of fab bits for wedding stationery. Its a very exciting opportunity and its getting me all wedding-ed up. Ok, I know its not a word, but how else do you describe it!

I'd just like to say thank you all for your lovely comments. Its great to know who's reading my blog! I had a brilliant play over the weekend with the goodies Sarah sent me and it was great fun. Thanks again for making my weekend. I used Becky Fleck sketches for inspiration, I love her Page Maps library, its fabulous. If you haven't seen it, its worth a look.


The wedding planning is going really well, so much is organised already and I'm surprisingly calm. I'm planning on getting the invites finished over the next week or so and my shoes have arrived in the shop! 3 of my favourite styles in my size for me to try on and choose from, fab! If youre local, its Elegance in Letham, so friendly and helpful. How high a heel can I actually walk in though, lol.

I was so glad it rained this weekend, I was starting to think it would never happen, and now all the trees have finally burst into green. It was so odd having the May blossom out when the leaves were still in bud. Plus, it gave me the perfect excuse to hide away crafting and meant I didn't have to do my 8 watering can round!