CAS Christmas

I hate computers!  I have some free time so have been trying to leave comments but more times than not nothing happens when I click on a 'leave comment' box and a message pops up that the blog doesn't exist - excuse me! what then am I looking at!

Anyway, deep breath, and when I checked my blog post listings I saw Charisma Cardz are looking for CAS designs this week.  This card I made a while back and is just a plain ivory base, the red you see behind it is the envelope. I've cut out the fancy red layer from red card then added a stamped and fussy cut oval layer with 3d tape.  It's one of the stamps on a My Paper World Christmas set and I've coloured with Copics then added touches of sparkle.  The text in the middle is, I think, from LOTV stamped in red - clean and simple!

And over on the Christmas Card challenge blog it's anything goes so I can enter with them too.

I have to clear away my craft stash from the dining table and sideboard as the family are descending for Mother's Day.  I commented to my eldest that although it's lovely to see them all I didn't fancy slaving in the kitchen to feed 8 people a roast dinner - so he said he'd cook it!  That will be something to look forward to, perhaps someone might even bring me breakfast in bed .. .. but I'd better not hold my breath!

CCT Floral Delights

So sorry I'm late! it's been one of those days, but at least I got most of the things done on my list of chores.  This week on the Cute Card Thursday blog we are celebrating with flowers and our sponsor is Bugaboo Digi Stamps - stop by the CCT blog to read all about it and see the rest of the DT's makes.

I have gone back in time with my card, using an old wood mounted rubber stamp by Anna Griffin to stamp with grey Momento ink before colouring with my Copic pens.  I like the soft look and the way it turned out, although I didn't notice the tail of the ribbon covering up some of the design, but I think you can see it ok and get the general look of what I did.  Here's the card:

It's a simple layout, square on square with a little foam tape here and there for dimension.  The white embossed layer is created with a new Crafts-Too embossing folder I got recently, it's a rectangle but easy to cut in half and layer to make the square and then hide the join with ribbon.  The pretty heart button is from my stash. and the patterned paper is more from the Maya Road pad I recently won with edges softened with snowcap Distress marker thingy (it's late and my ME brain isn't working at remembering the names of things).

Divas by Design theme is for button and bows, and Crafty Ribbons it's Ribbon and buttons - hope just the one is ok.

I need to get to bed now or I'll be useless tomorrow - so catch up again soon.

Eline's Baby Bear in a Basket

The current challenge over at Marianne Design Divas blog is for a baby creation, using at least 3 different MD products of course. Marianne has just brought out some beautiful baby dies and stamps, but unfortunately I'm not able to add them to my collection just yet (need to pay the car insurance first).  So, I have made a simple little card with a digi image and papers from Eline's baby sets available at Cuddly Buddly - you will recognise the style as Eline also has created lots of stamps and dies for Marianne Design too.  And, whoopie! my printer is working again .. .. unfortunately the pc was not working over the weekend having gotten itself a nasty bug or two so that didn't help things much!  It's going to need a little more tlc before fully recovering but at least I'm able to blog a little and browse Pinterest so I'm happy again.

And here is my card - I took the picture yesterday in the conservatory as the sun was glorious for a little while, but of course it has given me shadows too although that helps you to see the embossed faux stitches around the edges of my patterned paper.  I coloured the cute teddy bear image with my Copic pens then cut out and matted with a lace doily.  The die cuts are of course all by Marianne Design and the white flowers I've cut out of sparkly felt for a little touchy feely texture. A length of gross grain ribbon and a pearl button, plus the pearls in the centre of the flowers and the butterfly body finish things off.

These are the Marianne Design dies I used:
lace doily CR1201
lace strip and faux embossed stitches LR0161
white sparkly felt flowers LR0145
pink flowers from the cupcake die LR0160
pink swirls LR0116
little butterfly LR0261

At last it has stopped raining, although the wind is still not far short of a gale .. .. I wonder if it would be mad to finish painting the fence?  That tin of blue paint I told you about, well it was old and didn't mix too well so by the time I was half way through it was pale blue, and then at the bottom almost white!  I've gone over the original coat of blue so now all except the top bar is looking sort of blue/grey, which I like a lot better! I have a tin of Jasmine white wood paint I can use to go over the top rung and do the other side - that is so that I can see the fence in the dark when I'm driving towards it and stop in time!

Shabby Chic Butterfly

It was a miserable afternoon yesterday and impossible to do anything in the garden, so I thought I'd have a bit of a play.  The cover of the March issue of Cardmaking & Papercraft magazine caught my eye recently, with cards created by Fleur using two sets of the Viva Decor My Paperworld stamps that I have, so I got it to see what she had made - some beautiful cards for inspiration.

I dug out my heat gun and some old white embossing powder (I must try the Frantage stuff some day) and got to inking and heating .. .. this is my first effort with white embossing powder on kraft card:

The finished card, another of the off cut bases and a pretty piece of paper from a Maja Design pack called Life in the Country that I recently won from Live & Love Crafts. I've added snowcap dabber to the image oval and the kraft scallop oval and the edge of the patterned paper, although it is not to clear in the picture.  I've also added Picket Fence Distress Stickles around the edge of the image and to some of the flower, again not showing up!  My embellishments are Marianne Design die cut leaves and swirls, punched flowers from the same paper with the edges inked with Pumice Stone DI, and little pearl stamens also from the same prize win. I've added pearls to the centres of my flowers with a Waco pearl pen, I see some have spread a bit, ah well perhaps it adds to the shabby chic style!

I saw this morning that the Fussy and Fancy Friday challenge is for Shabby Chic this week - perfect!

I have to go on the drug run this afternoon for all Mum's pills so will do a bit of shopping at the same time, although Tesco in Padstow is small and doesn't have everything I need but at least I can stock up on fruit and veg.  One side of the fence is painted blue now, I managed to get out between showers this morning, apart from the bottom piece that still has to be put on.  There wont be enough paint to do both sides, but I'm not totally convinced about the colour anyway .. .. still it might grow on me!

It's a Wild World!

It's Thursday so time for another challenge at Cute Card Thursday - this week we are going wild!  I've been rather poorly so the Easter Bunny is about as wild as I'm feeling just at the moment, and he's one of my older LOTV stamps I've coloured with my Copic pens then cut out with an egg shaped die. I have given his fluffy tail a wee touch of sparkle with Lace Stickles .. .. I do hope he doesn't land in the middle of those daffs!

Our sponsor for this challenge is Whimsy Stamps, do stop by the CCT blog to read all about it and see the rest of the DTs creations for inspiration, then come join in the fun!

And here is my card, another of the off cuts from creating a small square base so room to hang an embellishment off the side and still have it fit the square envelope.  I've used up some of my Easter pad papers from last year and green Coredinations card from my stash that was a good match.  The rest is just odds and ends of ribbon and pearls and butterflies die cut from a scrap of orange card.  The text came as a magazine freebie and although I've layered it and the egg with 3d foam, it's barely 1mm thick so doesn't add too much dimension to the card for posting.

I will have to browse the challenges to see if I can link up to any, my tummy is still not right but I am on the mend, just feeling drained and tire at the slightest effort of doing things.  Everyone else has been ok so I put it down to a bug at the Hospital last Friday when I took Mum for her appointment - we were there for hours, and hours and with lots of doors to push open, goodness knows what I picked up.

I found a challenge to enter: at Crafty Ribbons this week it's anything goes with ribbon, so with my acid yellow organza I can enter with them.

I am itching to paint the fence that Jason has made in the garden and at 2am remembered I had a tin of blue wood paint in the shed!  I'd brought it with me from our old place, although I can't remember the shade of blue and the tin was never opened so there should be more than enough to give the fence a couple of coats, as long as I can find it, and if it  doesn't rain too heavily over the weekend that's what I plan to do.

Spreading Wings

I'm scheduling this one, so fingers crossed you get to see it!

My card today is one I made with the cut off card piece from yesterday's square card, but with overhangs so it will still need the square envelope. I've inked one of my LOTV robin stamps and coloured with my Copic pens for a traditional card in shades of red and green.

Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas challenge is called 'spread your wings', whilst the Crafty Little Fairies want to see things with wings this week - so I can enter this card with them.

Here's the card.There's some plaid and stripe paper in the background with the faux stitch edging inked in brown chalk ink.  I've decorated with various Marianne Design die cuts, pearly red gems and a scrap of brown ric-rac ribbon. I hope you like it.

These are the Marianne Design dies I used:
banner COL1324 with text from COL1325
mini poinsettias LR0142
ivy sprays LR0206
twigs and pine cones LR0286

Girls, Girls, Girls!

I'm back!  I've gone back to Chrome and things seem to be working, Jason used Safari and that was useless for pictures, so hopefully now I will be able to blog, browse and maybe even do some commenting!

This week's theme at Cute Card Thursday is an easy peasy one - Girls, girls, girls!  Our prize is from Whiff of Joy and you can see the rest of the DT's creations on the CCT blog - I'll go and load mine once I finish here.

I had this cutie already stamped up, she is called Dawn Sharing a Biscuit from Nellie's Choice stamps and I've coloured here with my Copic pens then added touches of Stardust Stickles for the snow.

And here's the card - another of my small squares created with SU! card then a scrap piece of Nitwits paper with a white mat.  I've given the image a mat as well and added the embossed faux stitches around the edge.  I actually had the image coloured up in my Christmas box already, left over from before last Christmas and I had planned to keep things quite plain and simple, my version of CAS!  But, I just had to have a little embellishment especially as I wanted to use the sparkly red berries I recently won.  I die cut the pine cone from Coredinations and sanded it back then added the pine leaves, topping things off (to hide the glue mess) with the text on a die cut banner.  All Marianne Design dies of course, here't the list:

faux stitches with LR0161
pine cone from LR0286
pine leaves from LR0227
banner from COL1324 with text from COL1325

Not sure if there are any challenges I can link up to as I've been without the pc for the last week and haven't caught up yet - I might find some and add in a bit .. ..

I have to take Mum to Trelisk Hospital tomorrow so will schedule a card for the morning, fingers crossed it works.  Then I have no idea what is happening at the weekend as DH has a broken van, again!  We had planned to visit the Farmers's Market at Bodmin Herbs on Saturday morning then go for a carvery lunch at the Weighbridge garden centre as I have a voucher - plus no doubt there would be a plant or two to catch my eye!  And hopefully now that Jason is back home we can do more to finish off the jobs around the house and garden .. .. the gravel area by the shed is now finished, Jay just wants to put a fence across to give some privacy and divide things up a little.  He's dug out a semi circle of lawn around the drain cover ready to lay a brick edge and then infill with the left over gravel to give an area for the BBQ or seating - just need to get stuff from the builders yard to actually do the work (plus a little more gentle nagging from me!) So weather permitting I will be in the garden, but if I do get a moment to myself I'll try crafting a little and catching up with you all.  Whatever you have planned, I hope the sun shines and you enjoy!

Having problems

I'm having BIG problems with my 'new' pc .. .. I have my son's old machine as it was supposedly going to be faster and has more memory and operating capacity HA! I can't get on to Pinterest at all, (and I could live on that site) and since last night I can't get into Facebook either.  I can't load pictures, see pictures, or click on anything with pictures including my emails.  So, apart from chucking it out the window I'm not sure what I will do - well me, nothing.  I will have to do a lot of moaning and groaning to my son and hope that he can fix it.  So far the excuse is that 'something' is blocking the internet signal between my bedroom and the box in the living room - so it wasn't entirely my old machine at fault then.  But even so, my old machine could load pictures with just 3 bars of signal, this one can't and most times I'm only getting 2 bars - oh for the days of a 5 bar signal .. .. just once, now and then.

I will be back, don't know when or how - so until then friends .. .. ..

A gem of a challenge!

This week we have a gem of a challenge for you at Cute Card Thursday - yes, we want to see a touch of bling!  Well, the postman came with this cute Marianne Design basket die (and a few other bits and pieces) I found at Bunny Zoe's craft shop, it has been on my wish list a while but being an older die is not always available, so I grabbed it quick!  Nikki is sponsoring our gem challenge and did you know she is offering 20% off stamps .. .. I had to have a few of those too!  Anyway, as soon as I opened the die I had to have a play with it, and with the gem theme in mind I got out a little bag of flower gems I got at a show way back, fiddled about with other little die cut pieces and this is what I made.  It's a small C6 card and fairly flat despite the flower gems.  The bigger flowers, the clear ones, have a dip in the centre so I added little pink gems to them and to the bodies of the tiny butterflies too (from another new to me die set - they are so sweet).

Here's the list of Marianne Design things on this card:
Pretty Paper bloc PK9089 Beautiful Butterflies for my pink patterned background paper I've edged with pink Stickles.
ivory lacy background die cut from LR0272
basket die CR1206 and tiny leaves CR1210
larger leaf sprays LR0192
butterflies from LR0261
banner with text stamp COL1324

I couldn't see any other challenges to link up my flower basket too, perhaps you know of one or two?

This morning I've woken up with a stiff neck and headache, due no doubt to carrying a large heavy pot of lilies from one end of the garden to another .. .. I should know by now not to strain my neck muscles.  So, I've dosed myself with Ibruprofen and after another cup of coffee will have to get the car out and go to Tescos or I can't do any laundry, and I need to do change Mum's bedding today.  I'll take it easy, and maybe craft a little when I get back, although with the boxed set of A Song of Ice and Fire to read, a gift from DH, I keep getting distracted.  I'd told him that I'd like to ready and/or see the Game of Thrones, so he got me the set at a bargain price - that's 7 big fat paperbacks to read!  Well I've just finished the first one, Game of Thrones, and enjoyed it, but found I needed to concentrate as there was a lot of 'story' going on.  I'd seen the first few episodes on freeview tv a while back and would like to see the rest so need to find a friend with Sky!  I was pleased that the tv series seemed to be sticking closely to the story in the book - I wonder how it will turn out, a few heroes already dead or done for, and a few villains too, but as each chapter is written from a character's view point, you can find out that not everyone is as they seem!

Christmas Shopping

Where does the time go!  I have been busy in the garden, digging and lugging buckets of gravel from front to back to create a mud free area by the shed and water butt, then trying to dig over the compacted clay that is the rose bed.  Oh my! I think I'm getting muscles!

Anyway, this card was started last week for the Crafty Little Fairies challenge 'shopping'.  I got the cute LOTV lass and her spaniel stamped, then blanked her out to add the background from a My Paper World Christmas set, I rather like the result.  I've coloured the image with my Copics and added lots of sparkle with Stardust glitter.

And here is the card that I've finally managed to finish decorating this morning, the Stickles on the flower is still wet!  The papers, stamped text and die cuts are all by Marianne Design and I simply finished off with more glitter on the poinsettia and the blue pearls.  Here's the list of MD dies I used:
Poinsettia - LR0122
red doily snowflake - LR0185
blue snowflakes - LR0123 & LR0124
red twigs - LR0286

I had better be quick and link up to the Crafty Little Fairies blog as the challenge finishes in a few hours!  I can also enter the ABC challenge that is G for girls, Crafty Catz where it's anything goes, and Stampin' for the Weekend where it's sparkle and shine.

I'm still having computer problems so not using it much - think I will have to get a new one or convince Jason to let me have use of his as he's no longer living here .. .. but I will need to get a new tv/monitor to go with it, and I guess a printer too. I keep putting it off and trying to muddle by but am finding anything to do with Yahoo (my email) is dreadfully slow and half the time doesn't load, and blogger is also a bit of a slow coach especially if I'm trying to add comments to an already picture heavy blog.  So, yet again apologies for not commenting, but I do still stop by to visit my favourites and friends!