Paper pieced flowers .....

... Hi everyone from a very sultry Northville.  It's not as hot as yesterday, but much more humid.  I managed to get a couple of hours in my craft room to play this afternoon and I've a card to share:

• The Play Date Cafe Challenge - PDCC182
• CAS-ual Fridays Challenge - CFC101

Stamps:  Hero Arts - Curly Flowers; CAS-ual Fridays Stamps - Mum's the Word
Inks: Memento - Tuxedo Black
Accessories:  Kaisercraft DP - Elegance, Remember Me; Gems; White Lustre card

I'm so pleased to use the colours from this week's Play Date challenge - they are just lovely, but it was only this afternoon that I came up with a card!!  It's loosely based on the card in the challenge graphic.  I have quite a few packs of pretty papers and I don't always like to use them, however, the CAS-ual Fridays challenge to stamp on DP means I have to!!!  I used this lovely soft green stripey paper (Elegance) to cover the base of the card.  Next I stamped the sentiment in the corner and used my stamp-a-ma-jig to stamp three flowers.  I stamped the flower head onto a couple of pieces of red paper (Remember Me) and then cut them all out.  After attaching the flowers to the card, I finished off the front by adding a few gems.  Another birthday card for my stash.  As yet, I haven't decorated the inside, but I think I'll do that when I decide who it's going to.  I might try to take another photo of the card as the green paper is looking a bit blue!  It really is a lovely soft jade colour.

That's all for now - time to pace away for a while and make a start on dinner.  Thinking of grilled pork chops and salad!!  See you soon.

Birthday flowers .....

.... Hi, I'm running very late with this card - I've a birthday card to share made with three challenges in mind:

• CASology - CAS44 cue word "Bloom"
• Colour Throwdown - CTD242 - bright, bold colours
• Freshly Made Sketches - FMS86

Stamps: Stampin' Up! - Mixed Bunch, Raining Flowers, Sassy Salutations; CAS-ual Friday Stamps - Mum's the Word
Inks: SU - Tempting Turquoise, Real Red, Daffodil Delight
Accessories: SU - Bloom Punch; SU Card - Lucky Limeade; White Lustre Card; Gems

I thought of this card while I was having my massage this afternoon, but I wasn't sure I'd get home in time to make it and upload it to the CASology challenge - I made it!!!  I love these colours, thy are so bright and bold, perfect for this bright, beautiful flowers.  I stamped two of the flowers from Mixed Bunch, one in red which I used the coordinating punch to cut out, the other in yellow which I cut by hand and then layered.  I stamped the medium size flower from Raining Flowers in yellow and red, cut out the layers and created the multi-coloured flower.  I added gems to the middle of all the flowers.  I was pretty faithfully to the sketch, but decided that it didn't need a bow!  I love the font used in the birthday sentiment.  On the inside I cut a mat layer in Lucky Limeade (don't have Kiwi Kiss) and on the white card I stamped a greeting and some graphic style flowers.  This one will go into my stash - I've lots of birthdays coming up.

Kathryn really enjoyed her first massage and is keen to repeat the experience as soon as possible!!  We both had a super time and our skins are softly scented with lavender - bliss!  We followed the massage with a nice coffee for me and vanilla skake for Kathryn.  It was a lovely way to spend the afternoon.

That really is all for today - Jonathan will be back from his photoshoot shortly and I need to make dinner - steak and salad.  Bye for now!

Birthday Dude ....

... Morning everyone - hope you're having a good day.  It's lovely here in Northville - sun shining, blue skies and birds singing - just fab.  I've been in my craft room this morning making a birthday card for a young man who will be 18 years old at the end of May - our nephew, Jacob.  I can't believe how quickly the time has gone by - he's so grown up now!  I used a few challenges to make Jacob's card:

• The Paper Players - PP146 to make a CAS masculine card
• Addicted to CAS - ATCAS13 - to make a birthday card
• Just Add Ink - JAI166 - perfect guy colours

Stamps:  CAS-ual Fridays Stamps - Exclamations, Rad; Stampin' Up! - Deligthful Dozen
Inks: SU - Midnight Muse, Crumb Cake, Lucky Limeade
Accessories: SU/Sizzix - Chevron EF; White Lustre Card; SU Markers - Lucky Limeade, Crumb Cake; SU - Dazzling Diamonds Glitter

I love these colours - they are perfect for a guy card.  I cut a mat layer in Lucky Limeade and a white panel on which I stamped a number of sentiments and some star bursts.  After stamping the panel I ran it through my bug using the chevron folder - I like the texture that it adds to the card.  I used my glue pen on the star bursts and added a touch of glitter - it is after all for an 18th birthday.  For the inside I cut another mat panel in the green and stamped a birthday sentiment on the white card.  I like the sentiment here - there are lots of little phrases which I think are just perfect.  I added some more star bursts too.

Yesterday I told you that we were going to the Motor City Comic Con - well we headed for it.  It took us over half an hour to get onto the showgrounds and once we'd parked and found the queue to get in, we realised that it would be at least two hours before getting inside!!!  We decided that it was just plan silly waiting in the hot sun, so we headed to the cinema instead.  We still had our geeky day out - we saw Star Trek - which was brilliant and then we saw Iron Man 3 - another superb movie.  And we rounded the day off by watching the finale of Dr Who on TV.  Three very happy geeks!!!

That's all for now.  I'm taking Kathryn for her first full body massage today - I'm having one too.  And while we're being pampered, Jonathan will be off at a photo shoot.  A perfect day all round.  Hope you're all enjoying your weekend.  See you soon.

Teacher Appreciation ....

....  Morning all - I was awake silly early this morning - 4.30am!!  But I didn't waste all that time, I put it to good use making a card for this month Waltzingmouse Blog Party, where the theme is Teacher Appreciation.  I've gone with a tried and trusted theme - an apple for the teacher:

Stamps: WMS - Peace & Plenty, Say It Loud, Victorian Frippery, Teeny Trees, Join Us, Free Spirit Sentiments, Say It with Style, Asian Gardens
Inks: Stazon - Jet Black; Memento - Tuxedo Black
Dies: Spellbinders - Squares Lg (S4-126) # 7
Accessories:  Silks Acrylic Paint - Olive Vine, Pretty Peridot, Key Lime, Carmen; White Lustre card

I started off by finding the centre of my card and then stamping a grid of apples in Stazon ink.  Then I painted the entire card with my new silk acrylic paints (they're fab).  It's very subtle, but I think you can just about see the ombre effect from the darkest (Olive Vine) at the bottom to the lightest (Key Lime) at the top.  The paints go in really smoothly, dry quickly and have a fabulous shimmer.  Next I painted some card red - it's such a bold colour - and over stamped with a mixture of thanks and thank you sentiments from a number of sets.  I used my die to find the best arrangement of words and then die cut the shape.  I stamped a few more apples on the left over card, cut them out, coloured the stalks and then arranged them in a pile.  Not so much an apple for the teacher, but a huge pile!!

We're off to Motor City Comic Con later this morning.  As fans of Dr Who, Star Trek (in all its forms), Star Wars, Living Dead, Warehouse 13, as well as DC and Marvel Comics etc, etc - we will be in good company.  Anyone who reads comics will know Stan Lee - he's the headline guest today!!!  There are also going to be lots of other stars attending - I might even manage to get a photo or two :)

That's all for now.  Have a super weekend and I'll be back soon.

Christmas sweets and treats ....

... Good morning everyone, I can't believe how quickly last week went by - so quickly that I barely had time to play in my craft room.  Our challenge at 52 {Christmas} Card Throwdown this week is to make a card featuring Holiday sweets and/or treats.  I decided I'd be very literal with my card this week and I've made a card featuring some Christmas sweets - peppermint candy to be precise:

Stamps: Waltzingmouse - Candy Jar Christmas, Candy Jar Christmas Fillers, Oven Fresh Gingerbread Joy
Inks: Staz-on - Jet Black; Memento - Tuxedo Black; Stampin' Up! - Calypso Coral
Dies: Die-namics - Fishtail Flags Layers Stax
Accessories: White Lustre card; Promarker - Ruby; Black and clear embossing powders; SU Card and Design Paper - Calypso Coral, Certainly Celery; SU Marker - Certainly Celery; Martha Stewart - Crystal Tinsel Glitter; SU - Dazzling Diamonds; Acetate

I've used a couple of other challenges in the making of this card and they are this week's Colour Q - cQc189 challenge and Waltzingmouse Christmas Card Challenge - WMSCCC05-13.  This month the Waltzingmouse challenge is being hosted by Charmaine Stack and she wants us to use glitter on our cards.

Edited to add:  Ardyth has kindly pointed me in the direction of a new challenge - Festive Friday Challenge - FFC08 and their trigger is "Sweet" - my card fits, so I'm submitting it.

I cut a mat layer in Certainly Celery and stamped the jar label onto the coordinating design paper and embossed with black powder.  On the white card I stamped the jar filled with peppermint candy, colouring them in with a Promarker.  Next I stamped the jar lid in black onto Calypso Coral card, then I used the matching polka dot stamp to fill in the lid and embossed with clear powder.   I stamped a number of the large candy clusters onto white card, coloured them in and then covered them all with glitter - two different types - one fine glitter and one tinsel glitter.  I stamped the empty jar onto acetate and cut it out leaving some tabs on each side.  Using a scalpel I cut a small slit down each side of the jar and pushed the acetate tabs in - causing the jar to appear rounded.  I attached the jar with some dimensional gel.  I finished the front with a simple greeting.  Here is a close up of the jar.

I kept the inside very simple with a green mat layer and white panel on which I stamped a fun sentiment. 

That's all for now - don't forget to check out the inspiration card from the rest of the Design Team.  And I'm looking forward to seeing your creations for this week's challenge.  See you soon.

A coloured card ....

... Hi - goodness only knows what's happened to this week - I had big plans to get in my craft room, but only managed a couple of hours this afternoon.  However, I do have a card to share with you and I think I'm only just going to be in time:

• Less is More - LIM119 - to use a coloured card blank
• One Layer Wednesday - OLW140 borders

Stamps: Docrafts - Candle Border; CAS-ual Friday Stamps - Bold Wishes, Countdown
Inks: Memento - Tuxedo Black
Accessories:  Stampin' Up! Card - Pacific Point; Staedtler - Ergosoft Pencils

I've been thinking about the Less is More challenge all week and trying to work out what colour card blank to use.  I finally decided to go for a bold blue base.  I've combined the LIM challenge with this week's One Layer Wednesday to make a card with a border; it's being hosted by Heather this week and it's been quite a while since I joined in.

The card was really easy to make.  I simply cut the card to make a standard 5½" × 4¼" card base.  I used my stamp-a-ma-jig to position the row of candles along the base of the card and then added a couple of score lines above.  I added a clean, bold sentiment to the front and finished by colouring the candles with pencils.  First I filled them all in with white pencil and then went over the top with colours.  For the inside I cut a panel of white card and repeated the candles (second impression) at the bottom, coloured them and finished with a birthday greeting.

I think the inside could also work as a card front - it's clean, simple and bold and I'm really pleased with it.

That's all for now.  See you soon.

Happy Birthday - make it move ....

... Afternoon everyone - hope you're having a good day.  My day has been going great.  I've got lots of housey stuff done and managed to get an hour in my craft room.  I've made a card for a couple of challenges:

• Waltzingmouse Stamps Make It Move - WMSMIM challenge
• Colour Throwdown - CTD241

I didn't think I'd manage to make a card for Claire's challenge as she wants us to make an interactive card and I'm not great with that kind of thing.  However, I found a super tutorial on U-Tube by Christina Griffiths showing how to make a "magic" slider card.  Here's my take on the card:

Stamps:  WMS - Vintage Garden Heritage, Frame-It
Inks: Staz-on - Jet Black; Stampin' Up! - Elegant Eggplant, Regal Rose, Certainly Celery
Accessories:  SU Card - Crumb Cake, Regal Rose; White Lustre Card; Acetate; Eyelets; Martha Stewart - Border Punch



I followed Christina's instructions to the letter and was delighted to find that it works.  When the slider panel is inside the card the flowers are clean and simple - black stamping on a white background, but as you pull the ribbon you the image is "magically" coloured!! I coloured the image behind using my aqua pen and Stampin' Up! inks.  The back of the card is very pretty - punched for interest with my Martha Stewart border flower punch.

While I'm very pleased how this turned out - I don't think I'll be making another one soon!!!  Christina's instructions are really clear and easy to understand, but I'm not very good at making interactive cards!

That's all for now - I'll be back tomorrow!  See you!

Happy Mother's Day to my US friends .....

... and to my UK friends too - it doesn't hurt to celebrate twice!!  I don't have a card to share with you today as I didn't get into my craft room at all yesterday.

Jonathan and I were up yesterday morning at 5.00am and drove into downtown Detroit to meet up with a photography group.  We arrived at 5.50am and the plan was to take photos of sunrise over the river and capture the glow against the fabulous GM Building.  Sadly, the cloud cover was total.  However, that didn't stop us - we simply took lots of photos of the various landmarks against the cloudy sky.  It was really good fun and I got some really super photos.  Here are a few that I took:

This statue, Gateway to Freedom, commemorates the underground railroad - it was designed and sculpted by Ed Dwight.  There is a companion piece on the Windsor (Canada) side of the river.

The GM Building - looking fabulous in the early morning light.

The Horace Dodge Fountain (no water at the moment) in Hart Plaza, directly in front of the GM Building.

After taking these photos we headed to the Guardian Building - known as Detroit's Cathedral of Finance.  The building was designed by Wirt Rowland and built in 1928; opening in 1929.  It is a masterpiece of Art Deco design and is now the home of Wayne County Administrative offices and is therefore open to the public - a true gem in downtown Detroit.

I love this letter box - so very elegant!  The colours are typically Art Deco.

 I love this image - so beautiful and framed by the fabulous stepped tiles and ornate lamps.

The ceiling of the main entrance hall - it really is stunning.

If you want to see the rest of the photos from the morning (well those that made the cut) click on this link to my Flickr account.

As it's Mother's Day here - I'm being spoilt by Jonathan and Kathryn - off to the shops for some retail therapy followed by lunch out!  Bliss!

Christmas colours .....

.... Hello and good morning.  It's time for our colour challenge at 52 Christmas Card Throwdown and I think this is a classic combination - RED and WHITE - ONLY these colours are to be used in the design of your card.  Here's my take on our colours:

Stamps:  Waltzingmouse - Nordic Winter, Yonder Star
Inks: Stampin' Up! - Real Red; Memento - Tuxedo Black
Accessories:  SU Card - Real Red; White Lustre card

For me, red and white always suggests a Scandinavian/folk feel for a theme and I have just the perfect set of stamps!!  I stamped the borders in Real Red directly onto the card base.  I cut a thin panel of white card on which I stamped the stags and stars, mounted it onto Real Red card and attached to the card base.  I finished the front of the card with two sentiments centralised above and below the panel.  For the inside I cut a mat layer of Real Red and on the white panel I stamped the outline star and a bold sentiment.  As it's not the front of the card I used black for the sentiment.

Don't forget to visit our blog and check out the inspiration cards from the rest of the Team.  Have a super weekend.  See you soon.

Great Lakes Mega Meet ...

... hello everyone - hope you're having a good day.  I've been busy this morning catching up with some ironing and I finished it.  It was made so much easier as I watched Silver Linings Playbook - which was excellent.

I told you yesterday that I was going to the Great Lakes Mega Meet - well, it was brilliant.  I took two classes about colouring with Copics - well worth it too.  I feel much happier about colouring now.  My third class was about Zentangles.  Our teacher was Diana Hirsch - she is a super teacher.  She created a wonderful atmosphere of calm, which was very welcome after walking around the exhibition, and then started to teach us three basic tangles.  After our class we had all completed a tile - here's the photo of the group's work:

With only three tangles - each work is totally unique, and it really was lots of fun.  I felt very relaxed at the end of the session and also want to learn more!  Here's a close up of my very first tangle - I think I'll be making more.

I did get a number of bits and pieces at the show, but I was reasonably restrained.  I got some scrapbook templates to make shaped pages, a few books with new tangles in them, some stencils for mixed media and art journalling, some wonderful new shimmer acrylic paints (Silks), some Cuttlebug 5" x 7" embossing folders, some laser cut titles for scrapbook pages and, the best deal of the day, a lot of new Copics.  I got a selection of greys and the fluorescent colours!  Very pleased with my stash!

That's all for now, as I'm off into my craft room to play - got to make a card with some of my new stash!!  See you soon.