Pearls and lace

This is one of the stamps I bought at Farnborough on Friday. It doesn't look terribly clear in this picture, but it is really pretty. It has been heat embossed with Silver Pearl.
I've been wanting to use some of this lace which has been knocking around for ages, and this is the first time I have managed to use some without it overpowering the card.... probably because half of it is obscured behind the image.
I began by just mounting the black onto some pearlised gunmetal paper, but it looked very drab. As soon as I added the pink layer the whole thing looked move vital.
The sentiment is a little old Stampin' Up one and I love it!
Penny Black - Pearls and Lace
Charisma Cardz - Black and White + One other colour!

OLW 42

I have been away from my desk quite a lot this week and only just got around to seeing what the challenge for One Layer Wednesday was. It had to have some musical reference.
I dug out these stamps with what turned out to be sad irony... the sentiment reads "Where words fail, music speaks". No sooner had I finished the card when the phone rang and a friend from the Isle of Wight, the conductor of a choir with whom we have sung many times, told us that her husband had passed away this morning.
The sentiment on this card was perfect for this occasion and I quickly wrote our message and rushed to the post box to catch the last post this morning.
Both the stamp and the sentiment are from Stampin' Up and I love them both. I stamped the image onto scrap and cut out the square shape to use the remainder as a mask for sponging colour onto the image. I used Old Paper and Spun Sugar distress inks.

As the last card was used so suddenly for a sad occasion, I thought I'd do another card for the challenge. The layout of this was inspired by Heather T ... simply masked and stamped, with addition of a touch of red in the form of a few tiny butterflies!

Week 4 "Less is More" Three Squares

For our challenge this week at "Less is More" we have an easy recipe to follow... not many ingredients... just 3 squares. Other things may be added of course (in moderation, as we are a Clean and Simple Challenge).
For my card I have used the 'Cracked Glass' technique. A tutorial for this is on our challenge blog, so do check it out if you are curious to know how it's done.
The beautiful butterfly stamp is from a set of fabby handbag stamps from Sheena Douglas, whom I have discovered were designed by Sylvie, one of our participants in "Less is More". How exciting is that!
The inks used for sponging are both from Stampin' Up in Pretty in Pink and Sahara Sand.

Here you can see the 'Cracked Glass' effect in more detail and if you click on the photograph you should get a super-enlarged picture.
If you've not tried the Clean and Simple technique and would like to learn more, do visit 'Less is More', you'll find lots of tips and tutorials from us and fabulous inspiration from fellow crafters.
Mandi and I had a wonderful time yesterday at the craft fair in Farnborough. We met up with the lovely Julia of WOYWW fame, and Sharon, with whom I was a fellow DT member at One Stop Crafts. We did actually wear our "Less is More " badges... but no-one seemed to recognise them apart from Julia and Sharon. Maybe lots of attendees weren't bloggers! I intended taking my camera to capture the occasion, but when I looked yesterday morning the battery was dead...so sadly no picture.
However, here is what I came away with.

Lots of toys to keep me quiet for a while, the problem arises when I need to stow them all away!
The Res-Q Challenge - Squares

Farnborough Friday!

Well, I have just spent a couple of days at my daughter's, where I had a lovely time with my two grandchildren, however Daisy was a bit of a pickle yesterday...  the terrible twos spring to mind!
Today I will be meeting Mandi and together we'll be heading for Farnborough for the craft show. I can't wait! Our new blog "Less is More" has been such a phenomenal success in its first weeks that we will have so much to talk about...despite emailing each other about 40 times each day.
This card is my final contribution as Guest Designer for Daring Cardmakers and this time the challenge is to use something from the Pound Shop!
Here you can see the card I made for a friend to give to a male friend. The stamp is from a SU set and the paper is from Pink Petticoat.  The item from the Pound Shop is the duo pack of adhesive tape. This is foam tape and pads, loads for just £1. The reel is great for making shaker cards and the pads for any kind of cards where elements need to be in relief.
Well I hope to go goody hunting today... I let you see what I got later!

Cards & Things

I love things in threes and this sketch is no exception!
The images are from Stampin' Up's Pocket Silhouettes set and they are so versatile. Here they have been simply stamped in Chocolate Chip ink and cut with rectangular Nesties, embossed and then sponged with ink whilst still in the die. Mounted on another piece of card with some chocolate ribbon  and edged with a little more ink.
Job done... and the finished card pleases me (not all my cards do and a fair proportion get slung in the bin if I'm not happy)
Card & Things - Sketch

WOYWW

I think someone must have taken a couple of days from this last week, as it certainly doesn't feel like there have been seven days since last Wednesday!
This muddle of things on my desk this morning is just as it was when I went downstairs to prepare dinner last night. I had started to prepare the bits and bobs for a card for a challenge... I think it's for 'Card and Things', but I'd have to look to be sure.
As you can see I use the 'scrape to the sides' method of keeping my glass mat clear...usually managing to work on just about a quarter of it.
I must have a tidy up, Mandi, my partner in "Less is More" will be coming to the mainland on Friday and she is uber tidy! At the moment she wouldn't even be able to get her toe in my craftroom...so today's the day for a tidy up!
Pop over to Julia's... she has connections... and see the workdesks of the world!

Hats

The theme this week at My Time to Craft is 'Hats'.
That set me wondering.
I did wonder about one of the fabulous Bugaboo red hat images?... an Easter bonnet?... a cowboy hat?... but eventually settled on this great image by Mo Manning. I coloured it with Copics and Promarkers and mounted it simply on a navy blue background, which I embossed to give a little texture.
The sentiment is computer generated and cut with a Spellbinder die. The blue is broken up by the strip of white cut with my Fiskars Upper Crest border punch.
The image didn't fit any of my Nesties so I cut it with a trimmer and embossed the edges by hand  using a Nestie and an embossing tool (ie not through the bug).
Do join us and let us see what hats you have in your cupboard!
Craft Your Passion - Male card
Incy Wincy - Use Punches or Dies
Karen's doodles - Masculine
Paper Playtime - Technology

More Hearts

Here is another card made with my Hero Arts 'knitted'  background stamp and SU Hearts. This time the background is in Basic Grey ink and one heart has been coloured with Copics.
A simple sentiment has been added and heat embossed in silver and the square popped up on dimensional pads.
The Stamp Man - Hearts

Sweet love

I came across this little Hero Arts background stamp the other day and fancied using it again! I heat embossed it with silver and die cut it with a Nestie. The SU hearts were embossed and punched out..
I embossed the front of the card with a Nestie and mounted the topper with dimensional pads.
I didn't add a sentiment but thought that it would be fine for engagements, weddings etc.
Crafty Calendar - Love
Challenge Up Your Life - Monochrome
Crazy 4 Challenges - Use dies
2 Sisters Challenge - Embossing

"Less is More " Week 3 Spring

Another astounding week for us at "Less is More" has just passed with no less than 195 fabulous entries and a following of 410 lovely crafters. We are elated!

This week the challenge has the theme of Spring... although mine is a One Layer card, that is not a requirement for the challenge this week, it just happened that this is what I chose to do.

I generated the sentiment on the computer and there's a tutorial on how I did it on the "Less is More" blog.

The image is a digi from Fred She Said, coloured with Distress Inks and a little Perfect Pearls powder in Interference Green, applied with a water brush.

I really hope that if you haven't joined us yet, you'll turn your hand to a little Clean and Simple card-making and have a go!

Mami Doodles - Flower Card

Charisma Cardz - Spring has sprung
Allsorts - Inspired by Nature

OLW 41

The challenge at One Layer Wednesday this week is for a Christmas card in Green and Red stamped on White or Cream.
Sounds easy I hear you say! Oh dear me no! Once I decided on my stamps which took quite some time as I found the limited colours a challenge in itself, I then proceeded to get the positioning wrong, the stamping uneven,   and the realisation dawned that I would have to mask the  'y' in 'Merry' in order to add the holly!
Finally I got that lot sorted only to  see a trace of ink on the bottom of the card and a little dab of green outside the line.... so that went in the bin.
The is the last chance saloon... this is it... no more attempts... I actually quite like it now!
Can't remember what make the stamps are as they are clings and the packaging has long since disappeared but come next Christmas, there'll be one fewer card to make!
I've just realised that I've given the holly albino berries... I was wondering whether to do mistletoe or holly and eventually settled on holly, but I think I must still have had the mistletoe in my mind... senior moment!
Fabulous Friday Challenge - NO pattern Paper

Steampunk!

Well this is a far cry from my usual Clean and Simple cards. It is the third week of my Guest Designer term at Daring Cardmakers and the theme this time is Steampunk!  Actually I don't think I'd even heard the word before and I had to look it up on the internet to see what is was. I'm not sure if this is totally 'steampunk', but it's my version.
The stamp is from Stampotique and most of the other stamping is from Tim Holtz stamps, I think the watches are from MSE. I did heaps of sponging and made the tag from a piece of card even adding a homemade reinforcement ring to add authenticity!
I have to admit that I did enjoy all that inkiness for a change!

The background card is embossed with a brick wall embossing folder from Tim Holtz.
Stamp Something - Funky

Nice and shiny!

I decided to get out my fab SU alpha set the other day as I wanted to make some Mother's DAY cards to sell at my choir. Having printed out the word 'love' I decided to twinkle it up a little, so I glued and and glittered it with Glamour Dust, my favourite glitter!

I made the sentiment on the computer in a shade to match the Pink Petticoat paper. The daisies are from a Cuttlebug die and the border is from a SU punch! I rounded the corners at the base of the card with my We R Memory Keepers corner chomper.

Here's another in a similar vein!

...and another.
Since I discovered how great this alpha set looks when the letters are positioned in close proximity to each other, I've used it a lot... and will continue to do so I should think. I quite enjoy cutting out the letters too!
Cute Card Thursday - Shiny
Dutch Dare - Sparkle/Glitter

WOYWW 89

Quite a bit of yesterday was spent messing around with this file. It has all sort of useful  information in it and one section has print-outs of Pink Petticoat colours. What I spent time doing yesterday was to go through each one in Paint and pick up the combos of Red, Green and Blue which make up each shade and writing them down on each colour of the palette.
It all started because I wanted to make the sentiments for these two Mother's Day cards in a font colour to match the paper. SO I thought whilst I was finding it out, I'd do the lot.

The cards have large sentiments printed with a SU alphabet which Mandi gave me, you may have seen a stack of sets of stamps she gave me some weeks ago.
 I love these and I made up positioning acetate squares to use with my Lego right angle in order to get them stamped where I want them. It's so useful!
My grandson Sebastian is doing well, thought you might like another peek!

Hop over to Julia's (the link is on my sidebar) to join in the world-wide snoop around workdesks and have a good day!

Going round in Circles

When I saw that the challenge at My Time To Craft for this week was entitled 'Going round in circles' I thought of a video I'd seen on You Tube, where someone made a bag from two circles.

 So this is my version!

I cut 2 circles from double sided card and then trimmed off the bottom of both circles to make the base of the  bag. Placing the sides together, I cut out the handles with a slim oval Nestie. The inner part of the bag should have been made with a paper bag, but as I didn't have one, I made one but it took me longer to make that than the rest of the bag. 

Decorated with a strip of card and a paper flower made from a variety of scallops and flower shapes finishes it off. A length of ribbon secures the handles together.

I like doing this kind of thing, but I don't always find a use for them.

Ladybug crafts - Anything but a card
A Spoonful of Sugar - Anything but a card

Pretty birthday card

 A friend asked me to make a card for her niece and I spent an unproductive spell making a mess of each thing I tried and was totally lacking in inspiration until my dear friend Mandi said, do her name...  HUGE! So I did and I love this card.
I used the huge SU alphabet she gave me, to stamp the name in Almost Amethyst and then glued and glittered it with Glamour Dust. I stamped and punched and glittered a couple of Martha Stewart butterflies and added a butterfly charm to the ribbon.
I made the sentiment on the computer picking up the colour from the Fred She Said digi paper.
The border punch is SU and the sentiment tab is Spellbinders.
One stitich at a time - Pretty
Robyn's Fetish - Bling it Up
Challenge Up Your Life - Monochrome

Pretty Pink

This shade of DP from Pink Petticoat is called Pretty Pink, so I think it's a good choice for this challenge from Penny Black. The image is called 'Duhlbergs'. I had to look that up to see what it meant, and all I got was that it was a stamp from Penny Black (I knew that anyway) so I'm no nearer knowing where the name came from.
It's pretty anyway! I coloured the heads with Papermania ink and the stems with a Marvy pen.
The sentiment is also from Penny Black.
Penny Black - Pretty in Pink

Off at a tangent

Do you ever start something and then kinda stray away?
This card started with the sketch from Clean and Simple, and I decided to use the colours from Colour Create. That was the beginning of the straying...
The cardstock is white and one of the colours from Colour Create is cream, so I thought I'd triple emboss the image once I'd stamped and die-cut it to make it a creamier colour. Then of course it didn't match the cardstock any more and so I decided to add some DP with a creamy background. The one I chose to go with the colour scheme was this harlequin pattern from Pink Petticoat... which kinda strays from the clean and simple element... Hey Ho, I like it anyway and it's only a card after all so why worry!
Clean and Simple 127
Colour Create - Chocolate, Strawberry and Cream
Pals Paper Arts - Vintage

One Layer Wednesday 40 & Surprise Bouquet

Jennifer is being really strict with the One Layer Wednesday challenge this week. We may use 2 and 2 only images and NO sentiment.
Here I stamped the background rectangle with Sahara Sand and then stamped my new acquisition (Lovely as a tree from SU)  over the top!
I find it quite pleasing. I did experiment with a different shape card to begin with but preferred this square in the end. I seem to be a little behind with my card making. Must have something to do with a certain new grandchild I think.
 Yesterday I was surprised by my daughter and her hubby who sent this lovely bouquet to me to thank me for the support I gave her prior to Sebastian's birth. What a lovely daughter!

OLW 40 - Two for the Show

JUGS Spotlighting Technique

I think that this is only the second time I have tried this particular technique... I needed to make a new home card and so I thought I would use my SU wheel for the scene. The sentiment is also from SU and the ribbon is cut out from a top I bought in the sales. (It says 'Maine' on the other side!)
Just us Girls - Spotlighting technique

Who would have thought it!

Well our first week at "Less is More" was way beyond our wildest expectations!
The crafty blog ratings rose from number 637 or thereabouts at the beginning of the week to number 53 today! Our followers have soared to 335 and our first challenge had 167 entries!
What a beginning! Mandi and I never thought that our new venture would have this impact and we can only thank everyone who has supported us in whatever capacity!
Today our new challenge begins and this week it is for a One Layer Card, with the theme of a flower or tree.... and here is my example!
I sponged the masked card within the square with 3 colours of ink (SU Sahara Sand + Pumice Stone and Frayed Burlap Distress inks) and overstamped it with the SU tree image in Walnut Stain Distress ink!
The Hero Arts sentiment was placed using my Lego stamp positioner.
I really hope that this week's challenge will be as successful as last week's!

Ribbon recipe

Here it is, already the second week of my Guest Designer spot at Daring Cardmakers  and the challenge this time is sponsored by The Ribbon Reel who provided some fabulous  notions for us to use for our cards. 

The recipe is more than one ribbon, at least one heart element and a  button or buttons (I used adhesive gems).

The papers are from Pink Petticoat. When printing the black spotty paper, my printer was running out of black ink and I didn't think it was printed evenly enough, so I overstamped it with a SU wheel with gold ink. I love the script paper at the bottom of the card.

The surround of the heart was made with a Martha Stewart border punch. You can see a tutorial of the method of curving it around a shape here.

Musical Valentine

Here is yet another Valentine for a member of my choir. Again the SU Music notes wheel has come into play... I love it! There is a paper from HOTP and a Spellbinder heart, embossed with a Cuttlebug folder and embellished with a bow onto which I threaded a heart charm. A Martha Stewart border punch and a simple sentiment and the job's done! Not my finest hour, but I hope the recipient will like it! (She is actually the mum of a chap I used to teach, whom I saw on the TV last week in One Born Every Minute! He's an anaesthetist!)
Fresh Brewed - Use a Charm
Creative Card Crew - For a loved one
For Fun Challenges - Hearts
Scrapbook Sisters - Valentine
Stampin  Royalty - Hearts, hearts and hearts

WOYWW 88 and Proud Granny!

This is the first picture of my actual desk for a couple of weeks as many of you may know,I've been staying with my daughter awaiting the birth of Sebastian Jack. Now he's here (nine days late), I'm back at home. It's amazing how quickly mums return home from hospital with their newborns these days, Libby was only in hospital for about 6 hours.

Here I am having a first cuddle!
Back at home and faced with a whole bunch of cards to do, I couldn't seem to get going very well, as much of my time has been spent commenting on the fabulous number of cards from crafters who have entered my new challenge blog "Less is More" which I have just begun with my friend Mandi! We have been delighted with the response... if you haven't seen it, do take a look, we'd love to hear what you think!

I made a few Valentine cards yesterday, which I sold at my choir last night! This is one of them! You can see the wheel I used for the manuscript on my desk!
Join in with Julia and the rest of the WOYWWers to see the workdesks of the world. The link is on my sidebar!
A Spoonful of Sugar - Let's see some love

My Time to Craft Hearts and Flowers

I almost forgot this DT card for My Time to Craft, I'm so out of sync with my cardmaking.
The images are from Stampin' Up, the tags just arrived from the USA. I love this little one, it has the look of  such fabulous texture to it!
Incredibly clean and simple, but then that's what I like!
Simon Say Stamp - Love is in the Air
Crafty Hos - Love theme

Valentines for my choir members

Lots of the cards I make for sale at my choir, have a musical reference and this is no exception.
I have just bought the manuscript wheel from Stampin' Up which I used to decorate these hearts.I think that I will get quite a lot of mileage out of that stamp. The top heart has been mounted on pop dots to add a little relief and both have been edged with Basic Gray ink to add definition.
All the Valentine cards I made were sold really quickly and I have orders for a couple more.
Stamps R Us - Valentine
Stamp with Fun - Love
The Pink Elephant - Be my Valentine
Crazy Challenge  - Lots of Love
Ooh La La - Someone Special
Allsorts - Love, Love, Love
Crafty Cardmakers - Hearts
Raise the bar - Hearts
Simply Create - Give your heart away!

He's Here!

For those of you who have been awaiting this occasion almost as much as I have... my grandson is here.. born at 5.55am today and weighing in at 8lbs 3oz my still unnamed little treasure turned up very quickly in the end..., but 9 days late.
My daughter was in hospital for about 6 hours and now is home with her little family... and I am home!
I'll let you know a name when I discover what it is!
I've just found out it's Sebastian Jack!
Thank you everyone for your kind words of congratulation and welcome, I feel  blessed indeed!

Awarded again

I am so fortunate to have been given this award from the lovely Elizabeth, the Silver Scrapper who is enjoying trying C&S cards  after seeing some I have done. It is so kind of her to give me this award, I am supposed to tell you 8 things about myself, but as I was lucky enough to receive this award a short time ago, I'll refer you to the things I wrote about myself here.
Thank you SO much again Elizabeth!

It's all in the numbers

This is my final contribution as a DT member at One Stop Crafts. I have decided to step down after a wonderful spell with a super bunch of designers, in order to devote a little more time to my new venture with my lovely friend Mandi, the Clean and Simple Challenge "Less is More".
At One Stop Crafts the sponsor this week is Helen from Ellephantastic  cards and crafts. I love using her images, but being away from home for a prolonged time, sadly I haven't been able to use one this time.
This one is yet another of the raft of Golden Wedding cards I made for some friends.
This looks slightly art deco to me. The paper is from Pink Petticoat and the tiny tag and numbers are from Cuttlebug dies.
The sentiment was computer generated and mounted on Nesties.
Clean and Simple!
We are really hoping that the awaited grandchild arrives this weekend!

"Less is More" begins today

Here it is, my first card for our new challenge at "Less is More".  As it is the first challenge of the month it's a colour challenge and for our first combo we have picked Pink, Black and White.
We have been totally overwhelmed by the fabulous response and support for our venture from bloggers from all around the world, and Mandi and I hope you will all enjoy joining in and visiting each other's blogs and leaving a few kind words.
This card uses an image from a Stampin' Up set which Mandi gave me, bless you Mandi, and a sentiment from yet another of her donations to me!
There is lots of white space here and  the sentiment and the image balance each other along the bottom of the card. Notice that I moved the image to the right of the mount to achieve this.
When there are minimal elements on a card the positioning of these elements is all important and sometimes it helps to move them around until you see an arrangement which is pleasing to the eye!
Trial and error is a good way to find out!
The joy of using acetate to position a sentiment is a great asset as you can move the stamped acetate around your card to see where the sentiment would be best placed.
Take a look at the challenge blog to see how I did this one.
Wish us luck on this very exciting day for us, we can't wait to see what you produce.
Paperplay challenges - Stamp it out!
Charisma Cardz - What! no embellishments!

Guest Designer for February

I was surprised and delighted to have been invited to be a Guest Designer for February at Daring Cardmakers.
This week the challenge is a flower for February .... a primrose or a violet!
I did this card in readiness some time ago as I knew that I would be here in Bath with my daughter and her family at this time.  Still no baby so far today!
I coloured the flowers with a mixture of pencils and distress ink.
The lovely scalloped border is from my Fiskars Upper Crest punch and the sentiment is from Stampin' Up!
C.R.A.F.T. Challenge - In the Roll of a Die (Use a die cut)

Colour Create - Lemon, Green & White

I made this card some time ago but never got around to blogging it, but when I saw the colours from Colour Create this week, I thought that it was time to show you! However some of you may have seen it lying on my desk one WOYWW some time ago.
It's made using one of my favourite techniques, sponging with ink and then overstamping.
The stamps are from Stampin' Up and I love them.
I mounted the ribbon over a strip of green card a) to show up the spots and b) to give me layer to wrap the ends of the ribbon around.
I find this type of cardmaking very satisfying.
For those of you who are waiting to see... there's no new grandchild yet!

WOYWW 87

You may well wonder what a picture of a chest of drawers is doing here!

I am still in Bath.

We are still awaiting the arrival of my second grandchild!

Yesterday my daughter and I spent much of the day wandering around Ikea in Bristol looking at furniture. She has been trying to persuade me to get rid of the bed in my craft room and get it properly kitted out as a functional crafting space. This chest of drawers and some others similar, are part of the plan.  I shall have to measure up properly but I have great ideas. Of course re-decoration and new flooring will have to come first, and I think I will have to try to find someone to do the home-assembly, I hate it and my husband is all thumbs!

We did buy a tall chair for Daisy, it looks like a miniature bar stool, and she loves it. She can sit at the table with us and reach perfectly! She looks so grown up at two!

I am missing crafting and hope this baby turns up very soon!

Here's a picture of a card from my folder which I made before I left home!

I was just experimenting really.. I'd like to be experimenting again... soon!
Hop over to Julia's and see what others around the world have on their desks... or like me, just what they have been up to this week.

Flourishes

Well it's now February and the new little person whose arrival we are awaiting has still not put in an appearance!
Each day we think maybe this will be the day!
So on to other things.
This is my DT card for My Time to Craft this week, where the challenge is 'Flourishes'. I made this card  (before I left home to come to my daughter's) as a contingency plan should I have to remain here longer than anticipated... what a good job I did, as I have no card making facilities here.
This image from Stampin' Up, was another gift from my lovely friend Mandi. She is SO generous!
I love the flourishes on the bird's wing, which are echoed and expanded as part of the branch.
The sentiment was made on the computer and I love the juxtaposition of the swirly script font with the upper case typeface font. I cut it out with an oval Nestie and punched holes to make it into a slider to mount on the ribbon, which I placed on a strip of black card to add definition.
I wonder what today will bring!
Crazy Challenge - Happy Birthday
Kaboodle Doodles - Make it monochromatic
Shabby Tearoom - Get Creative
Crafty Ho's - No Designer paper
Ginger loft - Things that fly