Wedding request ....

... Afternoon all!  Sorry it's been a while, but I've been making the most of my Mum's last week here with us.  Mum asked if I'd mind making a card for her as a friend of hers is getting married in August.  Such a silly question, of course, I don't mind making a card - I hardly need an excuse to play!! 

Stamps: Waltzingmouse - You're Lovely; Kanban - Lace; Cas-ual Friday Stamps - Heart Beats; PTI - Wet Paint
Inks: Versafine - Smokey Grey; Memento - Peanut Brittle; Versamark
Accessories: Cream Lustre Card; Gold Matt Mirri Card; Gold Perfect Pearls; Gold Wink of Stella Brush

I've gone for a very clean, simple and elegant card.  One of Mum's favourite stamps is the WMS dress which I've used on a several other wedding cards.    I cut a layer of matt gold mirri card and adhered a panel of cream card on top.  I stamped the sentiment at the top of the card.  I made the dress by stamping the image twice, once on plain cream card and the second time onto card that I'd stamped with the lace.  I stamped the lace in Versamark and then added gold Perfect Pearls to pick out the lace pattern.  I cut out both images, adhered the lace dress onto the base and finished the dress with some gold sparkle on the collar and shoulders.  I adhered the dress to the card with dimensional tape.  On the inside I cut a mat layer of gold card and stamped a bold, but simple greeting.

That's all for now.  See you soon.

52CCT - WMSFC - Blues ....

....  Hello all!  I managed to get a couple of hours in my craft room yesterday afternoon while Mum was out in the garden enjoying the sunshine! 

It's time for our stash challenge at 52 {Christmas} Card Throwdown and Ruth has a fun challenge based on the wedding rhyme "Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue".  Ruth wants us to make a card using all four if possible, but two at a minimum.  I managed three - old, new and blue!  Here's my card:

Stamps: Dare 2B Artzy - Owl be home 4 Christmas
Inks: Distress - Salty Ocean, Chipped Sapphire; Versafine - Onyx Black; Memento - Tuxedo Black
Dies: Dare 2B Artzy - Owls
Accessories: White Lustre Card; Cuttlebug EF - Distressed Snow; Copics; Wink of Stella Clear

The old is my Cuttlebug folder, the new my Dare 2B Artzy stamps and die and of course it's blue!  I used the debossed side of the embossed panel and coloured it with two shades of blue so that the snowflake pattern was enhanced.  I stamped the sentiment directly onto the panel. I stamped the owl onto white card and coloured him with my copic markers, adding a touch of sparkle to the scarf and then die cut him with the matching die.  I adhered him directly to the card.  I've not done the inside yet, but will do that soon.  For more inspiration cards check out the blog to see what Judy, our guest designer, and the rest of the team have made.

I made another card for our Waltzingmouse Fanatics challenge (and I'm very, very late getting my card made).  At WMSFC we want you to add texture to your card.  I based my card on Ruth's challenge and the layout is based on the sketch from CAS - Colours & Sketches - CASC&S#75.  

Stamps: WMS - Folk Art Christmas Additions
Inks: Stampin' Up! - Marina Mist, Soft Sky, Lost Lagoon; Versafine - Majestic Blue; Versamark; Distress - Chipped Sapphire
Dies: WMS - Folk Art Christmas
Accessories: White Lustre Card; Cuttlebug EF - Ice Crystals; Silver Thread; Silver EP

Once again I used the debossed side of the embossed panel and lightly rubbed on some dark blue ink.  I stamped four baubles in shades of blue/teal, die cut them and put silver thread through to hang them from.  I stamped the sentiment in Versamark, heat embossed with silver powder and cut out a banner.  I stamped the bauble again and embossed with silver powder and fussy cut the centre.  For extra texture, I adhered the embossed panel with dimensional tape.  Again, I've not done the inside, but will do it soon.

That's all for today.  It's Memorial Day weekend here in the States and we are taking Mum to visit the Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village to see the show - should be a super weekend.  Bye for now.

ASM - Anything Goes ....

....  Hello!  I managed to get an hour in my craft room this morning to make a card for this week's challenge at Addicted to Stamps and More!  This week is our ever popular Anything Goes challenge - so got for it!  Our sponsor this week is Rick St Dennis.  Now, I'd not heard of him before this challenge, but I love, love his digi images.  They range from cute, cute with an edge, sassy, funky, scary to down right mad!!  Here's the card I made using Art Will Set Us Free:

Stamps: Rick St Dennis Digi - Art Will Set Us Free; Stampin' Up! - Work of Art
Inks: SU - Pacific Point, Rich Razzleberry, Melon Mambo, Pumpkin Pie, Daffodil Delight; Versafine - Onyx Black
Accessories: White Lustre Card; Copics

When I was browsing through Rick's collection of digis I came across this image and knew I had to use it.  I think at heart, many of us are mad crafters and this image really captures that feeling.  I printed off a couple of images (varying the size) and coloured them with Copic markers.  Once coloured, I cut them out and found the one to fit this card.  I decided to make her have mad green hair (wish I was young enough to get away with a style like this) and colour the dress (straight-jacket) grey.  If you look at the digi you will see that each paintbrush has a colour - which is what I used to stamp the brush stroke image on the card.  I finished with a bold, simple sentiment.  I've left the card inside blank for my own message.  The brushstroke image comes from one of Stampin' Up! new sets which I think is fabulous and goes so well with the digi.

For more inspiration check out our Addicted to Stamps and More! blog to see what the rest of the team have made. 

I know it's been a bit quite around here lately, so I thought I'd say thanks to everyone for dropping by and leaving such lovely comments on my Birthday Surprise post - they are all very much appreciated.  I told you that I'm having a great time with my Mum here, well last weekend we headed over to Grand Rapids.  I took Mum to see The Glenn Miller Orchestra playing with the Grand Rapids Symphony at DeVos Theatre.  It was a wonderful afternoon and we had a great time.  Here's a clip of the band playing In The Mood - fab!



That's all for now - see you soon.

Birthday surprise ....

.... Hello!  I've a birthday card to share with you today for a very special lady.  Many of you know Sandie of London Days, she always leaves such lovely comments on cards.  Today is Sandie's birthday and we are surprising her with a Birthday Linky Party which is being hosted by Nonni.

Stamps: Stampin' Up! - So Very Grateful; Avery Elle - Handwritten Notes
Inks: Memento - London Fog; Versafine - Onyx Black
Accessories: White Lustre Card; SU DP - Melon Mambo; Copics; Wink of Stella; Sequins; Silver Pen

Sandie always makes the most gorgeous clean and simple cards, so I thought I'd make a CAS birthday card for her.  I used a few challenges to make the card.  The colours are from this week's Colour Throwdown - CTD#292 and the layout is from CAS(E) this Sketch - CTS#76.  I didn't get chance to make a card for Addicted to Stamps and More! - ASM#95 earlier this week, but I realise that in making this card, I've taken inspiration from the flowers and colours.  I stamped the flower spray in grey, coloured it with Copics and added some sparkle to the flowers with my new Wink of Stella pen and then I fussy cut it out.  I cut a panel of white card and drew silver borders on three sides, then adhered it directly to the card.  I stamped the birthday sentiment in black and finished the front with a few sequins.  On the inside I cut a mat layer of pink design paper and on the white panel stamped some more flowers and coloured them with Copics. 

Not quite sure when Sandie will get this card, but it is on the way!!

I've been busy this week spending time with Mum, which is why I've not been around much.  It was such a lovely Mother's Day weekend for us both.  On Sunday the weather was fabulous and we went out to a local flower and flea market - such fun, this was followed by lunch out and then a lovely drive round the area.  Monday was another day of indulgence with us both having a massage - so relaxing.  We managed to get home before all the bad weather arrived.  Monday afternoon the tornado warning sirens went off - we sheltered in the basement, but fortunately nothing happened in our area. Sadly the weather has been awful for most of the week, but I think we've gotten off lightly compared to some.

Before I go, I must share some fab news about my wonderful husband.  Last night Jonathan attended a presentation event for Canvas Pontiac.  We had all submitted photographs to the competition. and we found out last week that Jonathan had had one of his photos selected to be made into a large canvas and hung on the walls in Pontiac.  As part of our trip on Sunday we drove up to Pontiac to see the large canvas print of Jonathan's photo.  Here's a photo of Jonathan's image on the wall.

I'm so proud of Jonathan.  It's a super photo, so full of life and has a great position on the wall by Lafayette Market!

I'll be back soon - taking a bit of a break while Mum is here on holiday!  See you soon.

52CCT - Colours .....

.... Good morning all!  It's time for our colour challenge at 52 {Christmas} Card Throwdown and Ruth has picked some fabulous colours for us.  Here's my card (the correct version), see note below:

Stamps: My Favourite Things - Musical BG, Seasonal Sentiments, Cheerful Christmas Greetings, Ornament Banner Builder
Inks: Stampin' Up! - Gumball Green, Melon Mambo, Raspberry Ripple, Lucky Limeade; Memento - Angel Pink
Dies: Spellbinders - Labels 25 (S5-077) #3 & 5, Adorning Labels 25 (S5-210) #4, Lacey Ovals (S4-314) #4
Accessories: White Lustre Card; SU Card - Lucky Limeade, Raspberry Ripple; SU DP - Melon Mambo; Gems; SU Marker - Gumball Green

Aren't the colours just fabulous?  I've managed to use them all in my card, but you only have to use three.  I used the sketch from this week's My Favourite Things Wednesday Sketch Club - MFTWSC#175 for the layout.  I created the bottom layer by adhering strips of card and design paper.  I stamped the musical background in lime green onto white card and because this is a very large die I had to cut it on an angle.  I also used one of the dies from my new Adorning Labels 25 set - I really like the delicate filigree pattern.  I stamped the musical background again in pale pink, die cut a smaller panel and then stamped the sentiment.  I edged the die cut with green marker pen and added the lacy oval behind, and adhered it to the card with dimensional tape.  On the inside I cut a mat layer of lime green card and on the white panel stamped some hanging ornaments and finished with a simple sentiment.

Our guest designer, Judy of Created Just 4 U, and the rest of the design team have more inspiration cards using these colours.  Really looking forward to seeing what you make.

Edited:  Just a quick note to say that the picture below was the one I originally posted on this page, but I realised that I'd forgotten to include the little gems!! Silly me.  

It's Mother's Day on Sunday and I'm so pleased to have my Mum over here with us - she gets to have two celebrations this year!!  I'm not sure what we'll be doing, but being able to share the day with my Mum makes it an extra special day for me.  That's all for now.  See you soon.

A trio of green ....

... Hi!  Just popping in with a quick post.  I'm really enjoying having my Mum here to stay, but it does mean that I'm not getting into my craft room to play very often.  However, I managed a quick half hour this morning and have a very clean, simple card to share with you.

Stamps: Stampin' Up! - Work of Art
Inks: SU - Green Gable, Green Galore, Glorious Green; Versafine - Onyx Black
Accessories: White Lustre Card

This one came together based on a couple of challenges - Less is More - LIM#170 to use either three colours or three shades of one colour and CAS-ual Fridays - CFC#131 - three thirds.  This is a small card only 5" × 3½".  I was lucky enough to go the launch of the new Stampin' Up! catalogue last week and we were all given a free set of one of the new stamps - Work of Art - it's fabulous!  I used one of the stamps from that set, stamped it three times in three shades of green and kept it on a third of the card.  I finished by added a simple sentiment.  This card is a mix of old and new - the new stamp set and old, discontinued colours from Stampin' Up! which I got recently.  I absolutely love them!!  The inside of the card is blank for my own message.

Even though Mum is visiting, I was able to go to the Great Lakes Mega Meet yesterday morning.  I had hoped to watch the demos by Tim Holtz, but sadly the crowd was so deep around him that I couldn't see anything!!  Still I had a great time.  I had gone hoping to get a few things specifically some new Spellbinder dies and Copics and I did.  Here's a photo of my goodies.

I got some fab new dies as well as some of the new enhancing elements.  I got new Copics and found some new Dylusion stamps.  Really pleased with my stash!

The weather here has been a bit of a mixed bag this week.  We started off the week with storms, thunder and lightening, and yesterday we set a new record high in Detroit with a temp of 86°F (30°C) and glorious sunshine.  Mum is really enjoying the warm, sunny weather.  It's a bit cooler today, but that's no bad thing!  Anyway, that's all for now.  See you soon.

ASM - CAS ....

...  Hello all!  It's time for our Clean and Simple challenge at Addicted to Stamps and More!  I really enjoy making CAS cards, although I think I do tend towards a slightly more layered look than the entirely clean and simple card.  The idea is to have a clean, crisp image, minimal embellishments and lots of white space (you should note that "white" space can be coloured).  Here's my take on a clean and simple thanks card:

Stamps: StampArt Design Digi - Jem; Winnie & Walter - The Big, The Bold and You, Big Bang Confetti
Inks: Stampin' Up! - Wisteria Wonder, Perfect Plum
Dies: Spellbinders - Wonky Rectangles (S4-306) #5
Accessories: White Lustre Card; SU Card - Perfect Plum; Copics; Glitter

Our sponsor this week is StampArt Design and I've used on of Kathryne's fabulous images on my card.  I do like the way you can make the image exactly the size you want.  I've used the colours from The Card Concept - CC#9, I like the monochromatic purples and the style is Clean and Layered.  I printed Gem off twice, used my Spellbinder wonky rectangle dies to cut out one of the images and I coloured and glittered the wings on this image.  On the other image I coloured Jem and her wand with Copics and then fussy cut it out.  I ran one of the copic markers around the edge of the die cut panel to define the image and then adhered the fussy cut Jem.  I stamped a random pattern of stars on the card base and a few on the panel and I finished the front of the card with a bold sentiment.  On the inside I cut a mat of light purple card and on the white panel stamped some more stars.

For more inspiration card with a clean and simple theme - check out the rest of the team's work.  Looking forward to seeing your projects.

I told you that we had Jonathan's 50th birthday party on Saturday; it was a huge success.  So many friends were able to join us and celebrate and Jonathan has lots of lovely birthday cards and presents.  I made Jonathan a fruit cake for his birthday - nothing fancy, just a plain cake with a funny candle.  Here's a photo that our friend Rachel took:

We had a bit of a theme going for the party - sort of Hawaii 5-0 - hence the leis!!!  It was so nice that Mum was able to be here too.  Today Mum and I did a bit of shopping - not clothes, books!!!  I share my Mum's love of a good book.  Well that's all for now.  See you soon.

WMSFC - Colours ....

...  Hello again, I'm back with our new challenge at Waltzingmouse Fanatics and this time it's colours.  I think the colours we've picked are absolutely gorgeous - bold, bright and vibrant.  Here's my card:

Stamps: Waltzingmouse - Crackle Background, Compact Sentiments
Inks: Versafine - Onyx Black; Colourbox Pigment - Apple Green
Dies: WMS - You're A Doll; Lil' Inkers - Stitched Squares #4; Die-namics - Mini Delicate Doilies. Fishtail Flags Layers Stax #2
Accessories: White Lustre Card; Stampin' Up! Card - Concord Crush, Summer Starfruit, Crisp Cantaloupe; SU DP - Calypso Coral; Vellum; Promarker; Gems

Along with our lush colours, I used the layout from this week's My Favourite Things Wednesday Sketch Club - MFTWSC#174.  I made the card base from Concord Crush (a really wonderful purple) and cut a panel of white card to go onto top.  I stamped the crackle background in apple green and inked the edges of the panel before adhering it to the card.  I used the Lil' Inkers stitched squares to cut the square panel and adhered it to the card.  I cut the flag banner using my Die-namic fishtail flags - cutting both ends to give a double fishtail.  I used one of the mini doilies to cut three vellum doilies which I coloured with a dark green Promarker.  I finished the front with a flower die cut from two shades of coral, some gems and a simple sentiment.  For the inside I cut a mat layer of Crisp Cantaloupe and a white panel, which I left blank for a message.

For more inspiration using our colours - check out Tara's card and leave some love!  You have plenty of time to join in with the fun, the deadline for submission is Thursday 15th May, 5.00pm BST (Noon EDT).  As always your creation must include at least one Waltzingmouse image, sentiment or digi.  Really looking forward to seeing your creations.

I hope you all have a super weekend.  Today is Jonathan's 50th Birthday Party - should be lots of fun!  Hopefully, I'll get time to pop in again on Sunday.  Bye for now.

52CCT - Sketch ....

....  Good morning everyone!  It's time for our new challenge at 52 {Christmas} Card Throwdown and this month our hostess is Ruth - she has some fabulous challenges in store for us.  As usual, we start the month with a sketch.  Here's my take:

Stamps: Waltzingmouse - Oven Fresh Gingerbread Joy, Half Baked Gingerbread Joy, Alpine Christmas, Bitty Banners, Seasons of Love
Inks: Stampin' Up! - Old Olive, Calypso Coral, Pumpkin Pie, Pretty in Pink; Versafine - Onyx Black; Memento - Tuxedo Black
Dies: WMS - Gingerbread Family; Lil' Inkers - Stitched Squares #2 & 6
Accessories: White Lustre Card; SU DP - Pumpkin Pie, Pretty in Pink;

I used a few other challenges to help me make this card:

• Colour Q - cQc#239 - just love these colours
• Merry Monday - MM#106 - to feature a gingerbread man/woman
• Jingle Belles - JB:14:09 - to use at least three layers

I cut a couple of mat layers for the card; the pink layer was cut using the stitched square die from Lil Inkers - I do like the effect it gives.  I stamped the gingerbread couple onto white card using the outline stamps, then stamped the clothes and finally die cut them using the matching dies.  I stamped the top hat in Versafine to get a really deep, even black colour and fussy cut it out.  I stamped the dotty banner and cut it out by hand.  I finished the front with another stitched square, stamped the sentiment here and added a bit of holly and a couple of stars.  On the inside I cut another mat in orange and stamped a few gingerbread babies and a sweet sentiment.

For more inspirational cards based on this sketch check out the work of our Guest Designer - Judy.  Judy makes wonderful cards and she plays along with us regularly.  The Design Team also have a great selection of cards to share with you - do stop by and leave some love - we all like comments!  Can't wait to see what you make with this sketch!  Bye for now.

Smile - it's your birthday ....

.... Good morning - can you believe, it's 1st May!!  I must thank everyone for the really lovely comments you've been leaving recently - I am always so pleased to know that people do take the time to stop by and leave a message for me - thank you all.

Today I have a birthday card to share with you.  It's the card I made for Jonathan's birthday yesterday.  I saw the sketch at Seize the Sketch - STS#19 on Tuesday evening and decided it would be perfect for Jonathan's card.  Here's the card:

Stamps: There She Goes - Oh Snap; Clearly Besotted - Many Messages
Inks: Stampin' Up! - Pool Party, So Saffron, Pear Pizzazz, Pirouette; Memento - Tuxedo Black; Versafine - Onyx Black
Dies: Lil' Inkers - Stitched Rectangles #5
Accessories: White Lustre Card; Kaisercraft DP - Happy Snaps; Copics; Clear Embossing Powder

Last week, while browsing in Stampeddler, I came across this pack of design paper from Kaisercraft based on a photography/film theme; I had to get it as I knew it would be perfect for anything for Jonathan.  I turned the sketch on its side as it works better for the card.  I covered the card base with a sheet of design paper; I like the different colour film strips.  Next I used a die to cut the central panel and stamped overlapping images of different cameras and a film strip, I used pastel colours based on the backing paper.  I stamped the sentiment in Versafine ink and heat embossed with clear powder.  I stamped the big camera onto white card and used Copics to colour; it's a really funky camera!  I adhered the scallop border and then the birthday panel.  The camera was attached with dimensional tape.  I finished the front with a little date taken label - 30th April - Jonathan's birthday.  On the inside I used another sheet of design paper for the mat and added a tag from the paper stack, attaching it with a stamped tack! 

Sorry about the quality of the photos!  I didn't get the card finished until late on Tuesday evening, and then yesterday morning was really wet, so I had to do the best I could with my craft light.  I'll try for a better photo tomorrow.

I don't think I'm going to get chance to make a card today or tomorrow - busy with party preparations and just spending time with Mum, but do drop by on Saturday for our new challenges at 52 {Christmas} Card Throwdown and Waltzingmouse Fanatics!  Bye for now!