It's the run up to Christmas again!!

Hi Everyone

I haven't posted for some time but I haven't been idle.  After a fantastic holiday I had to crack on with the dreaded Christmas cards, however this year I've really enjoyed making them.  Below is a selection of my efforts and thanks for looking.

Mum's birthday card

Hi Everyone

This is my last post before a holiday which will see me miss my mum's 85 birthday!  My poor hubby hasn't had much luck choosing holiday dates this year as we missed our daughter's birthday on an earlier trip.  Still, I've finished a card for her which I think she will like and we'll celebrate on our return.  I used my favorite Marianne Creatable die set (LR0242) and some flowers from my box of odd bits and bobs!  Thanks for looking.

 

Penny Black "Uplifting Occasion" stamp

Hi Everyone

I really love this stamp and this is the second card I have made with it.  At the last Craft Fair I went to I watched some beautiful flowers being made and, although I have had little success in the past at making my own flowers, I decided to have another go and use them with this image.  I hope you like the finished card and thanks for looking.

A little experiment!!

Hi Everyone

I've had to make so many cards for family members and friends of late that I felt it was about time I played around with some new ideas.  The pinwheel technique came up when I was surfing the internet and so I have had a go.  I'm quite pleased with the effect.  If you want to take a look at it I have added the link  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YqAAM1XbwI .  Thanks for looking.

Get Well card

Hi Everyone!

Ir's a beautiful sunny morning and doesn't it make us all feel good?  Today I want to upload a photo of a card I've just finished for a good friend who has just had a hip operation to be closely followed by a knee operation (I certainly don't envy him!).  This card was made using a "Birds Cards" free digital image which I have coloured with Promarkers and partly decoupaged.  I thought the wording and image were so appropriate.  Thanks for looking.

Commissioned New Job card

Hi Everyone!

This is a welcomed break for me from all the pressures of dealing with the produce from my husband's allotment.  As a family we all appreciate the wonderful fresh fruit and vegetables that we get each year, but why oh why does it all have to come at once and in such quantities!  Oh well, I've escaped to my craft room and completed this card for my daughter's friend.  I used the Happy Day set of clear stamps and lots of odds and ends from my own paper stash.  Thanks for looking.

Another birthday card

Hi Everyone!

This is another card for my elder daughter's birthday coming up this month.  I thought the image would amuse her since she loves buying bras and also loves cats (even though she seems to be allergic to them!).  I bought the Penny Black stamp from the internet (I think it is actually discontinued now) and coloured it with Promarkers.  I used papers and gems from my stash for the rest.  Thanks for looking.

Great shoe image!

Hi Everyone

I made an almost identical card for my daughter's birthday since she loves shoes and is also a pianist, so I thought this one could go in our Community Centre card box.  I used Serif Craft Artist to enlarge the image and insert the sentiment.  Thanks for looking.

New Baby Girl card

Hi Everyone!

My friend and ex-colleague has just become a dad for the very first time and I can't wait to see his beautiful baby girl tomorrow and his beaming face!  Had to do a card celebrating the occasion and thanks to another friend, Carole, who let me borrow her dies and supplied me with some Cricut letters, this is the finished product.  I hope you like it.

Thank You card

Hi everyone!

I've been very fortunate to have spent a wonderful fortnight with my French friend and penfriend of nearly 50 years.  We began writing to each other back in 1964/5 and have kept in touch throughout all life's big events such as marriage, children, divorce and even death.  She - Monique - took the time to take my hubby and myself on a tour of the Pyrenees and the Basque country so we have lots of wonderful photos and memories.  During the visit we stayed at the most wonderful B&B and I wanted to send a handmade "Thank You" card to the owner who made us very welcome.  I hope she likes it.

Sympathy Card

Hi everyone
Unfortunately it's a fact of life that sympathy cards are always in great demand.  When I saw this quote on the internet I thought it was so apt and beautiful that I had to make a card using it.  I hope you like the card and are also touched by the sentiment.

Woodware JGS325 Love Tulips

Hi Everyone!
Can't resist Craft Fairs and this stamp is my latest purchase, along with a few other items of course!!  The lovely lady from Wear Crafts, who was demonstrating this particular image, provided the inspiration though I must say it was time consuming so I will do something easier next time I use the stamp.  I also bought the Mix'd Media inx by Donna Salazah to try and loved the effects you can create with these.

I stamped the image twice (once on watercolour card) and then used the Mix'd Media Inx to colour the image.  I cut around it (the really fiddly bit!!) and then used foam pads to mount it over the plain stamped image.  As it was fairly elaborate I kept the sentiment simple and added three gems to lift it a little.  I hope you like the end result.

A couple of cards commissioned by my daughter

  My daughter will be a bridesmaid for the first time this weekend and asked me for a special wedding card for her best friend.  She also wanted a birthday card for another friend so I hope these two cards will fit the bill.

Donemark Craft Club Challenge - Wk 13 Christmas Wreaths

This week my friend Karen cut out seemingly hundreds of snowflakes on her new toy, the Brother Scan-n-Cut.  We then had to make a Christmas Wreath card and this was mine!  Hope you like it.

Donemark Craft Club Challenge - Wk 12 lace and pearls baby card

Well I've just spent a few exhausting days in London with my very good French friend Monique so now I've got some more catching up to do.  This week's challenge gave me an irresistable opportunity to use the Tattered Lace pram die.  I chose to set it within my favorite Marianne Creatables set LR0242 and was quite happy with the end result.   Not so happy with my positioning of the sentiment but hey ho it's done now!  A few pearls added the finishing touch.

Donemark Craft Club Challenge - Week 11 Bingo "Thank You"

Hi Everyone

I had the opportunity to use my new birthday present for this week's challenge: - Sue Wilson's Striplet - Embroidered dies.  I am very happy with the card and hope you like it too.

Commissioned card for a train enthusiast!

Hi Folks

This is a card I have made for a friend to give to her husband who is a train enthusiast (that's putting it mildly!!).  The image is from Just Inklined and although I at first thought it would be a nightmare to colour, I thoroughly enjoyed doing it and feel reasonably proud of the finished card.  I used paper from my stash, a computer generated message and some Candi.  Hope you like it.

Mother's Day Cards

Hi Everyone!

Although I didn't get to see either of my beautiful daughters yesterday, they made sure I had a lovely Mother's Day and didn't forget their Grandmother either.  She particularly loved the card I made for her this year so here is a picture of it.  Hope you like it.

Donemark Craft Club Challenge - Wk 9 White Wedding

Hi Everyone!

I'm working hard to get this blog up to date but this will be the last post for today.  I love wedding cards and really enjoyed making this one.  I printed the sentiment onto a piece of A4 card (having worked out the spacing on a piece of scrap paper first) and then embossed the card with the Die'sire Embossalicious Regency Frame embossing folder.  I added the ribbon to match the card layer beneath and then added the die cut hearts (the top heart was embossed with the Cuttlebug D'vine Swirl folder).  I added the bow and pearls to finish the card off.  Hope you like it.

Donemark Craft Club Challenge - Wk 8 Feeling the Christmas blues

Hi Everyone!

It's Christmas again!  Both these cards were completed quickly and easily which has got to be a good thing.  I used the Die'sire "Snowy Village" and Memory Box "Snowflake Border" dies for the first card and for the second I used the Cuttlebug "Ice Crystal" die and "Snowflakes" embossing folder.  Hope you like them.