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!

More than one fold

One evening at my choir, I had requests for six Golden Wedding cards. In fact they were for just 4 couples but nevertheless, it quite an achievement for quite a few people.

This is the first of my cards. I just made up this fold, which is simply a double tent fold at the base with a single, larger tent fold stuck onto it. Easy peasy!

The die-cutting is from Spellbinder dies, apart from the numerals which are from Cuttlebug's Olivia alphabet. The embossing is from Cuttlebug folders.

I made the flowers from a Woodware punch and trimmed them with a few adhesive pearls.

The names were computer generated!

It's my DT contribution for One Stop Crafts challenge this week, which is More than one fold!

DO join us!

A card for a child

It was my turn to choose the challenge at One Stop Crafts Challenge this week and I decided to use this charming image from Robyn's Fetish, our sponsor this week, to make my card for the Card for a Child challenge.
The paper is also a digi download from the same source.
Once more it's a simple design, which I have used in many mutations over time. The border punch is Fiskars Upper Crest and is one of my favourites. I had quite a job to find it, but after scouring the internet, I was lucky enough to get one.
The tiny tag is from a Cuttlebug die.
Tonight there is a 'Come and Sing' concert at my choir. We will be doing Mozart's Requiem and my husband and I will be singing the bass and alto solo parts respectively. I might just have to have a glass of port before we start... it helps to lubricate the vocals!

New Beginnings

Happy New Year Everyone!
We celebrated the arrival of the New Year with friends over a shared meal and a bunch of games. It was fun, but none of us wanted to let the party go on too long after midnight as we were all ready for bed after lots of wonderful food and drink!
The challenge this week at One Stop Card Crafts is New Beginnings which we hope you will join in with. This card is my contribution, which I also made for part of Stamp TV's Christmas challenge.
The background was made by 'Cuttlebugging' a piece of waxed paper in an embossing folder and then ironing the paper between sheets of card. I then sponged the card with SU Bashful Blue ink. I rather like the effect!
The stamps are from Stampin' Up (a Christmas gift from my daughter) and the border punch is from Martha Stewart.
It won't be long now until our new grandchild arrives, we're really excited, it's due n the 29th!
Crafty Hos' - Babies
Quirky Crafts - New Beginnings

Do you believe in fairies?

Today over at One Stop Card Crafts there is a sketch to follow with the theme of 'Fairies', set by my teamie Val! The sponsor this week is Robyn's Fetish with goodies to be donated to the winning entry. The only other small stipulation is the use of a charm.
I'm afraid that this picture looks a little pale, I may try again later.
The papers are digis from Cuddly Buddly and the image is by Robyn's Fetish. The flowers are from a Woodware punch and the sentiment is SU.
It started snowing here about half an hour ago, so I imagine that the proposed visit from my son this weekend will be off. It's a three hour drive on a good day, so it would be foolish to attempt it when it's snowing. It's a shame as he was supposedly bringing Christmas gifts for the family.... but they can wait, his safety is more important.!
Alphabet Challenge H - Hats (It's actually a flower but it's being used as a hat!)

Anyone for coffee?

A friend asked me to make a card for her to give to one of her friends and this pastime is something which they loved to spend time doing! It's perfect for the challenge this week at One Stop Card Crafts, where the theme is tea or coffee. The DT have made some stunning examples, so do join in the fun and show us your creations.
The image and main sentiment are from Unity Stamps and always leave a superb print. The lettering is from Cuttlebug's Typewriter alphabet dies and the birthday sentiment is from a  Stampin' Up set.
Happily, after last night's rain the snow is disappearing, so it should be fine for my husband's trip to the supermarket to do the grocery shopping... he enjoys doing it (honestly), so that's one less job for me. Maybe I should make some cards... I still need to write our annual Christmas letter to include with our Christmas cards. It's all go isn't it!

If only he could wobble!

Looks like winter's coming... on this card at least!
The challenge from One Stop Cards and Crafts is Snow people....you  can't say we're not politically correct!
The challenge has been set by Sharon, who hasn't been too well this week so do send her a big hug. It is sponsored by Robyn's Fetish and this is one of their images. It reminds me of when my son was small and we were living in the USA, he had some toys called Weebles and they wobbled but didn't fall down. I would love to make this image wobble and have played around a little but haven't come up with a practical solution as yet. If anyone can't think of a way of doing it I would love to hear it!
The background was made with my splodge Rollagraph wheel using the emboss resist technique, and I used SU Bashful blue ink over the top of the clear embossing.
Both the snowman (which I coloured with a mix of Promarkers and Copics) and the snowflakes are mounted on pop dots.
The sentiment is from Stampin' Up.
I belong to a Stampin' Up club and was lucky enough to win £45 worth of stamps and punches from Victoria my Stampin' Up demonstrator, I've been drooling over the catalogue and can't wait to choose my gift.. how cool is that!!! If you need any Stampin' Up products, (and who doesn't) I'm sure she'd be delighted to hear from you!
Stampin' for the weekend - Winter
ABC Challenge -  H - Holidays
Paper play - Let it Snow
Delightful Challenges - Baby it's cold outside
Totally Papercrafts - Snowflakes & Snow

Pop Ups

The theme this week over at One Stop Cards and Crafts is Pop Ups, chosen by my teamie Janet!
There must be loads of methods of making a card pop up in some way or other and you can see quite a few different ones if you 'pop' over to the challenge blog and see what the rest of the Design Team have come up with. I'm sure you'll be inspired. There are lots of tutorials to help you on the web and Splitcoast Stampers is an excellent place to look for help.
This is a slider card, and the image from Digi Doodles Shop Best, pops up when the tag with the ribbon is pulled, revealing the sentiment beneath.

The brown paper was stamped with the gold leaves using my Rollagraph wheel, after masking the edges so as to leave a border matching that at the bottom. The green DP is from My Mind's Eye and the sentiment is from Stampin' Up. The corners are my old favourites from Cuttlebug.
Since making the last one of this type of card, I have acquired a Fiskars trimmer which allows me to cut within a piece of card and I found this much easier than using a craft knife and ruler.
Stamp Something  - November Digi Day

Another new purchase

This elegant creature was stamped with my new purchase from Penny Black... part of my haul from the NEC on Thursday. It's for Itzuvit's 'Embossing' challenge from One Stop Cards and Crafts this week. The embossing here was made with a Tim Holtz tree bark  folder on some rather grainy brown card.

The stamp itself doesn't have a sentiment, so I began by adding one which was a partially masked clear stamp from Papermania. In fact the stamp didn't have the umlaut, but there was a tiny dash of ink from where the stamp was masked, so I added the umlaut with the tip of an embossing tool to disguise it. I then realised however that it was over the wrong letter... it should be over the 'e'. So that went in the bin and I started again deciding to choose a different stamp altogether for the sentiment. I should have tried to get them side by side for a spot the difference test!

Thank you everyone who entered the Blog Hop last week, it was lovely to be visited by so many lovely people... the results of all the winners and  DT's candy draws will be announced later today. So do check back on the challenge blog for details.

Any kind of embossing will qualify for this challenge, so triple embossing, dry embossing, heat embossing, brass templates, scored lines and shapes, any of these will be great. So do join in and let's see your creations!
Crafty Ann's Challenge - Christmas card ... non-traditional colours

Anything Goes...It's a Blog Hop... Plus Candy!

Whoo Hoo!

It's One Stop Cards and Crafts Challenge 2nd Blogoversary and we're celebrating in style. This is our very first Blog Hop!

Do join us for this special occasion with a super easy challenge... ANYTHING GOES! So just have fun.

We have lots of lovely Sponsors with heaps of fabulous prizes... and there just might be incidental candy on the way too, so what could be better?

Link your card on the challenge blog and then visit all the DT members, following the list.

My card uses a Penny Black cling stamp which I coloured with Whispers pens and is mounted on Nesties on a background embossed with a Papermania embossing folder. The sentiment is from Stampin' Up.

I also have this candy on offer for one lucky blogger!

1 x Papermania Elegance Designer Stickers

1 x Papermania Elegance 3D Stickers

2 x Papermania Elegance Die-Cut Accessories

1 x Papermania Elegance A5 Designer Paper Pack

1 x Pot Gold Glitter

1 x Glue tape runner

For the chance to win this candy... just leave a comment here and I will choose someone at random at the end of the week. If you would like to become a follower and pop back again from time to time, that would be even better.

Do check back to see if you were the lucky one.

Blog Hop Order

If you arrived here from Cat's Blog, then you're in the right place. 

The next place to head to is Francesca. 

If you should get lost on the way you can always check back at the Challenge blog to see the complete list of the DT members and get yourself back on track.

We'd love to see all your cards and projects, so do get creating and join us... and have fun!

Chrissie

Congratulations

It's my turn to choose the challenge at One Stop Cards & Crafts this week. As it is the 100th Challenge, I thought that the theme of Congratulations would be quite suitable.
Of course we need congratulations cards for lots of different occasions and I chose to try out my Lilli of the Valley bride and groom stamp for the first time.
A pair of fine tweezers which I ordered from Hong Kong arrived recently. They took a while to get here but as they only cost £1.00 including postage, they were a real bargain... of course I had to try them out. I made the flowers, starting with some Nellie Snellen Punch and emboss punchies.  This type of flower is so bulky, I had to make a box for the card too.The foliage is from a Leonie Em punch and the tag and mount are Spellbinders.
I was just asked to make a card for a couple who have recently left my choir, who had been members for 40 years. Quite an achievement! I'll have to put my thinking cap on for that one.
Sweet Stampin - Punch it out

OSCC Sketch challenge + Autumn

The DT at One Stop Card Crafts was fortunate enough to work with some gorgeous images from Robyn's Fetish, who is our Sponsor this week, for the sketch challenge which our teamie Val has produced, adding that we should use autumn colours. (Phew, what a long sentence!)
I coloured this jolly looking pumpkin with my Copics and mounted him using Fred She Said papers. The leaves are from a Papermania Punch and the sentiment is from Unity Stamps. The team have come up with some amazing cards, so do hop over and take a look, so that you too can join in the fun.We'd love to see what you all come up with.
I had to go to the dentist this morning for a check-up and a little remedial work to one of my teeth. The dentist had thought that the problem was going to be worse than it turned out to be, so both of us were relieved.
Tomorrow our daughter and son-in-law are treating us to lunch in a swish restaurant in Lyme Regis for our respective birthday presents. I'm really looking forward to it. I'll let you know what it was like when we get back!
Delightful Challenges - Pumpkins
Stempel-Magie - Autumn Colours
Incy Wincy - Autumn Colours

Butterfly memory

My teamie Cat at One Stop Crafts Challenge has chosen the theme for this week's challenge, which is a photo inspiration. She has given a choice of two pictures, one of a caterpillar and this one of a butterfly. Whenever she sees a butterfly, she is reminded of her mother who died recently.
For this card I used my new Glimmer Mists and overprinted the paper with some large Artemio silhouette images. I was having difficulty in obtaining a decent print from these stamps, but Julia of WOYWW fame, gave me the wonderful tip of lightly sanding the surface of the clear stamp with an emery board and then washing it in soapy water. It worked like a dream, so I thought that I would pass on that helpful tip.

The butterfly stamp was a cheapy from Hobbycraft and the sentiment is from one of my favourite sets from Hero Arts.

These days I seem to be moving towards more simple styles of cards, maybe I'm being influenced by my daughter who loves them!

Do come along and join in the challenge this week, we'd love to see all your beautiful creations.

NOT a card!

The challenge of Not a Card at One Stop Cards and Crafts this week has been set by the exceedingly talented Sharon. You will be AMAZED by the contribution she has produced this time, I can hardly believe that it's made from paper/card. You really must take a look, they seeing is believing, but even looking at it, it's hard to believe what she has achieved.

My 'Not a Card' is this little bag, which would be great for popping a gift card or cheque into.

I printed a sheet of Pink Petticoat 'Flourish' paper onto a piece of thinnish card and then printed the reverse side with the bag template.

After cutting out the components, it was easy to assemble and I added the black edging by punching a strip of black paper with my Stampin' Up border punch and then partially snipping it to make it fit around the curves.

The fastening is made with a make it yourself Papermania Brad. The ribbon was coloured with Copics and the flap is secured with a Velcro circular fastening.

I think it's quite sweet!

Summer fun

This is my card for this week's challenge at One Stop Cards and Crafts Challenge. I actually used the sketch which was current at Papertake at the time I made it, as I love the comparative simplicity of it, but of course it's too late for that challenge now!

Our theme this week is Summer fun and this image from Meljen's Designs is perfect! Do come along and join in with our challenge!

The digi papers are from Fred she said and Cuddly Buddly. The sentiment is Hero Arts and the colouring was done with Copics.

It's also for the ABC Challenge... A - August

I'm still struggling with taking pictures of my cards and haven't really sussed the lighting for my light tent. This looks a bit washed out! Maybe the light should be further away!

Patterns

Over at One Stop Crafts Challenge, the theme for the challenge today is 'Patterns', chosen by our lovely team mate Kathryn. This should give you loads of choice as there is an almost infinite number to choose from... spots, stripes, heaps of different checks, zig zags... the list goes on. Personally I've always been a sucker for stripes, hence my choice for this card.

I am including it in the challenge from Stamp with fun - Card for a man or boy.

I believe the images are Whimsey Doodles and the lovely stripy paper is a free download from Fred She Said. The paper piecing on the chair, uses a piece of Cuddly Buddly paper.

The ribbon was a birthday gift from a lovely bloggy friend and the corners were made from Cuttlebug Vintage 2x2 dies. There are 4 in the set... two corners and two squares. These are from one of the squares, cut in half diagonally with a few of the cut bits trimmed, to make it look as though it was meant to be a corner!!

I always put double sided tape on the back of the card before cutting fiddly die cuts like these, then all I have to do once they've been cut is to peel and stick!

Monochromatic

I really think that I'm having rather too many senior moments, for although I posted this card some days ago on the DT blog for One Stop Crafts, I completely forgot about posting on my own blog... what a noodle!

I saw this technique on Stamp TV this week and thought it was so nice I'd just have to have a go.

I began by stamping the (Inkadinkadoo) butterflies on some gently textured cream paper and then heat embossing them with clear powder.

I then chose 3 colours of Distress inks - Old Paper, Tea Dye and Walnut stain and began with the lightest shade and sponged some colour randomly over the paper.

Following the use of the Tea Dye which gives the warmth of colour I used the Walnut stain around the butterflies themselves to make them stand out. After wiping off the excess ink from the butterflies with a paper towel I overprinted the whole thing with a (Hero Arts) French Script stamp.

I really rather like the effect and wanted as much of the design to show, hence the use of just a small embellishment.... Snellen flowers and leaves.

I typed the sentiment on the computer. This is one of the marathon number of cards (13 in fact) which I made for my friend at the beginning of the week.

Do join in with our challenge and show us your fabulous creations!

One Stop Crafts and knot tutorial

I made this card with an image of AJ from The Stamping Boutique. They are sponsoring the challenge at One Stop Crafts this week, so do pop over and join in the fun. The theme is 'One for the boys' and I think that this image is perfect for it!

The sentiment was added in Word Art and the image coloured with Copics.

I think that the thought of a little boy with all sorts of useful things, like pieces of string, in his pockets made me think of using some for the embellishment.

The last time that I used this knot on a card, someone asked how I did it, so this time I took a few pictures along the way to show you how it's done.

The string was a little curly as I'd had a go at some crochet with it and then undid it, it's also a little discoloured where it's been knocking around for ages, but it all adds to the interest doesn't it!

I used 3 strands for each side, but you can vary this according to the effect required.

1. Lay out the first 3 pieces like this

2. Then with a second set of strands, lay them across and under the first set as illustrated.

3. Then working in an anti-clockwise direction, take the piece on the extreme left and lay it over and under then next two pieces thus.

4. The final two weaves are done as in this picture.

5. With this, the knot is finished and just needs to be tightened. Care should be taken to keep all the threads flat and you may just have to sort them out a little before pulling on the ends of the threads to make the flat knot complete.

If you're anything like me, I'd rather look at the pictures than read instructions, so I hope that these help!

When attaching it to the central part of the card, I cut out some little notches in the edges of the panel so that it wrapped around neatly.

Have a great weekend!

My sketch at One Stop Crafts Challenge

This is my sketch for this week's challenge at One Stop Crafts.

I did two cards for this sketch. One using an image from Digi Sparkle, this week's sponsor and one because I fancied it! Although from the same sketch they seem completely different. The space ship card has papers from Cuddly Buddly and a sentiment from MSE. The corners were made with 2 square Nesties, cut together and the resulting frame cut in half diagonally.The second card has DP made with my SU Vintage Jumbo roller, the sentiment is also from SU, the manuscript stamp is from Stampabilities and the violin from Rubbadubbado. I didn't make the flowers, they are from Prima, but I did punch the splat centres. The corners are my rather overworked Cuttlebug dies. I really love them!

Have a great weekend everyone!

One Stop Crafts - Make your own DP

I really love the Vintage jumbo roller from Stampin' Up which I used for this background paper. I began by punching out some flower shapes and laying them on a piece of paper before spritzing it with Shimmer Mist in Antique Copper and then using the roller with Basic Gray ink.

I distressed the edges with a little Cats Eye ink in copper.

The French Script stamp is from Hero Arts and the butterfly is Anita's, which I stamped in SU Basic Gray ink and quickly embossed with clear embossing powder before colouring with Perfect Pearls in Antique Copper. The corners are my old faithful Cuttlebug!

I think that's it!

Enjoy your weekend!