Happy 21st Birthday

I was asked to make a card for a 21st birthday with a theme of 'horses'.  Here is my card:

I used Centura Pearl card for the base and Core'dinations Gemstones and Silver Matt card for the matting and layering.

The image is from Joanna Sheen's furry friends cd-rom, printed twice onto glossy photo paper so I could decoupage the image.

The flower arrangement comprises of feathers, hat pins, mulberry flowers, Marianne die-cuts and white ribbon.

The sentiment is Lili Of The Valley, heat embossed with Silver Detail embossing powder sat on a mat cut with a Spellbinders ironworks die.

This is the inside of the card:

I scored my card on my Ultimate pro at the gatefold lines.  I embossed the central section using my Keepsake Majestic embossing board and carefully cut around the shape.

I created the two ovals using the same embossing board and attached them with jump rings.  The butteflies were created using a Marianne Die. 

The panels were embossed using a Darice embossing folder from Crafters' Companion and little white pearls added for the flower centres.

Finally, I stamped the two flourishes using a Dimension Fourth stamp, and heat embossed with silver detail embossing powder.

I made a box from Centura Pearl card, using my boxer board, to house the card.

My card is for the following challenges:

Aud Sentiments Challenge - Bingo - "Happy", Flowers, Bling

Digi Doodle Shop Challenge - Farmyard or Zoo

Allsorts Challenge - Use a Die

The Crafty Pad - More than 1 Fold

Pile It On - Make Your Own Embellishments

Moving Along With The Times - Happy Birthday

Wild Orchid Challenge - Punches or dies

Thank You In Black And White

Good Morning

My card for today follows the challenge over at Diva's By Design which is Thank You.

I had a number of thank you cards to make, so kept this one quite simple.

I used a stamp from Dimension Fourth, stamped onto black card in versafine ink and then heat embossed using white detail embossing powder.  Some simple matting and layering and then some black peel offs to complete the card.

Short and sweet today!

Jo x

Thank You

Good Afternoon

It's a while since I joined in with the Less Is More Challenge, and as I needed to make a Thank You card, I decided to tie it in with their challenge for this week which is Silhouettes.

I started by embossing the card using a Nestabilities die. I stamped this lovely stamp from Dimension Fourth and heat embossed with white detail embossing powder. With the die in situ, I used ink dusters to apply ink from a Big & Juicy Waterfall ink pad. I added silver peel offs to the card to complete (I'm not actually sure about the positioning of the peels offs, but they're firmly stuck now so will have to stay.

My card is for the following challenges:

Less Is More - Silhouettes

Allsorts Challenge - One Layer Card

Rainbow Lady's Challenge - Give Thanks

Crafts and Me Challenge - Keep It Simple

Sentimental Sundays - Thank You Card

Thanks for visiting my blog today.

Jo xx

Autumn Leaves

Good Afternoon

This is another of the many thank you cards I have been making recently:

This uses a stamp from Dimension Fourth embossed with Copper Dreams embossing powder and coloured using a Big and Juicy ink pad.  Some simple matting and layering and a gold peel off complete the card.

I would like to enter my card in the following challenges:

Stampin' For The Weekend - Autumn Colours

CES Challenge - Forever Autumn

Paper Sundaes - Halloween or Fall

Pile It On - Fall is fun

Craft Challenge - Autumn

Stamps R Us - Nature's Gifts


Now please can I ask for your assistance.  I want to top up my stash of distress inks and I want to get a blue that is good for Christmas Cards.  I already have faded jeans so am trying to decide between broken china, chipped sapphire, tumbled glass and stormy sky, it's hard to know the true colours when looking at a screen.  If you've used any of these, please can you let me know what you think.  Thank you :-).

Jo x

Let It Snow

Good Afternoon

My title isn't a request!!!  Here is my card for today which follows the current challenge over at Willow Sketchie Challenge which gives us a sketch to follow with the addition of a snowflake:

My main image uses a Dimension Fourth stamp from this months project club.  The snowflake is made up of lots of 'Christmas Words'.  I stamped it using versamark and then mixed some of my very neglected mica powders with some clear detail embossing powder.  It looks lovely and sparkly in real life but unfortunately I can't capture it on camera. I die cut a large snowflake using my ironworks die, added some gems, and placed this under the stamped snowflake.  The snowflakes and sentiment are from the same stamp set.  The doily is a gorgeous Marianne die and the corner punch Martha Stewart.

My card is also for the following challenges:

Bah Humbug - Glitz and Glitter

A Gem Of A Challenge - Let it Snow

Saturday Challenge - Sparkle

Whoopsi Daisy - Let's Do Christmas

Papertake Weekly - Use 3 Different Shapes

Crafty Ann's Challenge - Inspired By A Christmas Song (Let It Snow)

My Mum's Craft Shop Challenge - Reminds You Of A Song (Let It Snow)

Sparkles Christmas Challenge - Christmas Songs

Bling It On - No Patterned Paper

Thanks for visiting my blog today.

Jo x

Less Is More - Monochrome

Good Evening

Today's challenge over at Less Is More is monochrome.

This is my entry:

My base cardstock is a white pearlescent card. The image is a stamp from Dimension Fourth, which I stamped directly to the card using Vintage Photo Distressed ink. I then heat embossed using detail clear embossing powder.

The sentiment tag is a spellbinders die, again the words were stamped in Vintage Photo and heat embossed. I then added Vintage photo to the tag using cut and dry foam.

Thanks for visiting my blog and for all the fabulous comments you leave, I really do appreciate them all.

Jo x

Walking In A Winter Wonderland

Good Evening

In an attempt to avoid the usual panic, I am determined to make a proper start on my Christmas cards. For the card, I followed the current challenge over at Winter Wonderland which is Blue and White. They are also having a blog hop.

This card is made using some of my project club stamps from Dimension Fourth. All the images are stamped onto white card. For the polar bears and icy rocks I went round the edges with a light grey pen. The signpost is coloured using a light brown brushmarker. I used pinflair snow dust on the polar bears and iced diamond on the snow. I made a stepper card, and then fitted a gusset underneath to stop it splaying. Some blue card, torn along the edges to add an extra effect, was then attached to the layers of the stepper. I stamped some paw prints onto the various layers.

I am also entering my card in Creative Inspirations Challenge Christmas In May

Thanks for visiting. I'm now off to blog hop!

Jo x

Puppy Birthday Card

I had plans to share the rest of my Easter cards with you today, but when I came to upload the photos they had vanished!! So instead I am showing a birthday card that I was asked to make, for a 16 year old girl who loves dogs, particularly scotties.

This image is from Joanna Sheen's puppies and kitchens cd-rom, which I matted onto cardstock and then decoupaged. The backing paper is from the same cd. The flowers are mulberry flowers from my stash, and the leaves are made using a small punch I have.

The same backing paper is used on the base of the card, and the name is stamped onto some paw print paper, printed from Jayne Netley Mayhew cd-rom, using Dimension Fourth's alphabet stamp. This forms the brake for the card.

I made a box for the card using Crafters Companions new box maker board and white hammered card.

Thank you for having a look.

Jo x

Happy Birthday To You

Good morning.

I hope a good Mothering Sunday was had by all. I had a lovely day and was well and truly spoilt, some new crafty goodies amongst other things :o) and a handmade card from Emma. John and Emma went to watch City play in the afternoon, and they won 5 - 0, so big smiles all round.

Today is my younger sister's birthday. Happy Birthday Kathryn. So today I am sharing one of the cards that we sent her for her birthday.

This card is using Joanna Sheen's Precious Petals cd-rom.

I printed the image twice so I could add some dimension to the card. Some of the tulips are on 1mm foam and the others on 2mm foam. The frame is on 2mm foam. The flower border across the top was die cut using a Spellbinders die, and the wording was created using Dimension Fourth stamps.

Have a lovely day, I'm off to play with my new goodies!

Jo x

Have A Sporty Birthday

Hello!

Today's card is for my nephew who's birthday is next week. He loves his sport, especially football and golf, so I decided it was time to ink up some of my Sporty Lofty stamps from Joanna Sheen.

This is my first attempt at a double twisted easel card, I thought it was a good way to display the images.

The images were stamped onto watercolour card using versafine ink, and then coloured using my Lyra Aquacolour Crayons. They were then layered onto a larger oval, cut using a Nellie Snellen die.

The sentiment stoppers came on the stamp sheets and were stamped onto card using a Big & Juicy inkpad. The same inkpad was used to stamp the Happy Birthday sentiment, which is a Dimension Fourth rubber stamp, which was stamped directly onto cardstock which had been Martha Stewart punched. A pale blue card from PaperMill was used to make the easely bit!

I'm quite pleased with how this has turned out. I'm not the most confident watercolourer, but think this has turned out ok.

Have a lovely, crafty day.

Jo

Pretty In Pink

Good Morning

Today's card is made using this months Project Club stamps from Dimension Fourth. As soon as I looked at them, I knew they would make the perfect card for a friend of mine who loves shoes.

I made this card along the lines of one of the suggestions in the set. I stamped the shoe onto watercolour card using Versafine black ink, masked the shoe and then stamped a second. I coloured them using colours from a Big & Juicy ink pad, soothing sunset. The shape that the shoes are stamped onto was made using my Get In Shape templates.

The gorgeous borders I have added to the card were die cut using a Spellbinders Fleur De Lis die from my new set. The little accent I have used to make the brake is from the same set, with some ribbon threaded through and a rose added. Some mulberry leaves and some more of the same roses were added to the main image. I wrapped the wire I had cut from the stems around a darning needle to make the little 'twiddly bits' (technical term there!) that I added to the flowers.

The sentiment comes on the same stamp set and was stamped using the same Big & Juicy ink pad.

Hope you have a great day today.

Jo x

Christmas Tagged

Good Morning

It's a lovely sunny morning with clear blue skies here today. Freezing cold if you open the door, but still makes me feel happier :-)

This evening I'm at the doctors for the results of my repeat 24 hour blood pressure tape and numerous blood tests. Fingers crossed!

Today's creation is my entry into Winter Wonderland Challenge:Tag It With A Shape

As you can see, my goodies I was impatiently waiting for arrived, and very quickly too. This is made using my newest Marianne Dies. The large tag was made by a bit of jiggery-pokery! I die cut the top part of the tag and then cut the rest on my guillotine. The ribbon border was cut using another new Marianne die, to which I threaded through a lovely green satin ribbon and then attached to the rest of the tag. The same ribbon was threaded through the top of the tag. I've got stacks and stacks of vellum that I haven't touched, so decided to use some to add a bit of decoration. I then cut some snowflakes out of silver mirri using a Martha Stewart punch and added these randomly.

The smaller tag was cut using the same die, I then stamped some snowflakes using versamark ink, using a stamp from Dimension Fourth, and heat embossed using a sparkle embossing powder.

I hope you like this.

Have a great day, I hope the sun is shining for you too.

Jo

Less Is More - Off The Edge

Good Afternoon

This is my card for this weeks' challenge over at Less Is More and also One Stop Craft Challenge

You'll be surprised (not!!!) to know that I struggled to get started with this card. I looked at the challenge as soon as I got up this morning! Then I thought, and thought, and browsed through all my stamps, and browsed again lol - I'm sure you get the picture. Anyway enough waffle, here's what I came up with.

I did numerous test stamps onto copier paper til I was happy with the design and then stamped onto some smooth white cardstock using a corner stamp from Dimension Fourth and a Big & Juicy Hydrangea ink pad. It took a long time to complete, and I really hope it meets the requirements for this weeks' challenge. It all looked a bit 'unfinished' so I stamped the sentiment using the same ink pad.

Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog :0).

Jo x

Clean and Simple

Good Afternoon

I've been following the new Less is More Challenge blog and decided this week to be brave and have a go!!! I'm not sure I'm getting it right though!!

This week it's a theme challenge and the theme is 'Spring'. So I took a sheet of plain white card and turned it into a card blank. I then took a Dimension Fourth corner stamp from one of their monthly project clubs, and stamped directly onto my card blank four times to create a circle. I then chose 3 spring colours and coloured in the design using brushmarkers. Finally, I took a small accent stamp and stamped a tulip in each of the corners.

Now I was thinking no layers, 2 stamps, 3 colours would produce the right sort of card, but now it's done I'm not sure if it's too 'busy' for the challenge. But, you live and learn and so I decided now it's made I may as well enter it and see.

I'd love to know what you think.

Enjoy your Sunday.

Jo

Oh I Do Like To Be Beside The Seaside

Good Afternoon.

I hope you've all had a lovely weekend.

Today's card is made using the fabulous new Faye Whittaker stamps from Joanna Sheen, this set is called Seahorse. I've always found seahorses quite fascinating.

The shape of this card was made using one of my fancy layering templates, this is my favourite one in the set of four.  The image was stamped onto watercolour card using versafine, and then coloured using Lyra Aquacolours.  The word 'Mum' on the stopper was stamped using the Crystal Tips Alphabet Set from Dimension Fourth, and embossed using Beachcomber embossing powder and does really look like sand.  The seahorses were again coloured with Lyra's, and then I applied some Glossy Accents to make them look wet.  The little shells were from my stash.

It's my mum's birthday next week, and I'm one of three girls, so this seemed the perfect card for her.

Thanks for having a look.

Jo x

Tea and Cake Anyone?

Good Afternoon

Another dull, grey day here mean't I needed cheering up!!  So today I decided to use brighter colours, and two of my favourtie things, to come up with this thank you calendar for my friend.  We love to share tea and cake together and she's one of those people that you always feel better after talking to.

I've seen some lovely shaped cards on blogs just recently, made using some of the XL dies that are available.  I don't have any of these dies, or the machine that can cut them lol, but it reminded me about my layering templates from Stamps Away, that I'd tidied up before Christmas.  So then I was on a mission to find them, which eventually I did.  Incidentally, from my experience, and reading those of others, it makes me think we'd all be much happier not tidying our crafty goodies away.  Since my last tidy up I've had my large acrylic block, 2 bone folders and a craft magazine go missing.  And they're just the things I can remember!!!!

Anyway, I cut the base card out of cream cardstock, and then cut the same shape out of pink cardstock, but slightly smaller, then smaller still for the dotty backing paper.  I stamped out all the images using a stamp set from Dimension Fourth, and then coloured in using brushmarkers.  A bit of jiggery-pokery was required to shaped the pink cardstock that the calendar sits on and again for the sentiment, but I think it worked out ok in the end.  I do enjoy colouring the images from this stamp set, I feel that 'anything goes' with them.

I do hope you like it.

My body is not letting me do much again today, so I'm going to spend the rest of the afternoon making up some house mouse cards, another guaranteed way to bring a smile.

Thanks for visiting.

Jo x

Birthday Rascals

Good morning.

Today's card I have made using the L'il Rascals stamp set from Dimension Fourth, this time using both the boy and girl.

 

This is a lovely set of stamps to work with, the boy, girl and fence are front and back stamps, which makes them very versatile.  I coloured all the images with brushmarkers.  The base card is made from Pearlescent white cardstock from PaperMill.

I hope you have a lovely day, whatever your plans.

Jo x

A Few Creations To Share

Hi

It's good to be back in cyberland.  I feel like I've been given my right arm back!!!!

I hope you don't mind, but as I've not been able to post for a while, I've got a few creations to share with you today.  If I can work out how to upload them that is!!!!!

But firstly I had to share this photo of Murphy trying out my laptop with you!  He's such a character.

This is a selection of some of the desk calendars I have made - I've made 30 so far!!!!  These are all decorated using images from a selection of Joanna Sheen cd-roms.

An 18th birthday card I was asked to make, using Nancy Watt papers and vellum from an issue of Making Cards magazine.

 This card was made using Happy Hoppers Decoupage from Joanna Sheen, and the backing paper printed from the Messy Rabbit Christmas cd-rom also from Joanna Sheen

and finally ........

 A birthday card for my nephew.  I stamped the image using Dimension Fourth's Li'l Rascals stamp set (front and back) and then suspended him on some invisible thread, fastened between the apertures.  I coloured him using brushmarkers and the number and Happy Birthday text were also stamped using Dimension stamps.

Sorry for such a long post today!!!!!

Jo

Santa Claus Is Coming To Town

Good Afternoon

I hope you are keeping warm and well.

Today's card is made using a stamp set from Dimension Fourth, these were November's project club stamps.

The main image was stamped onto white card using black versafine ink.  I then coloured Santa using brushmarkers and added polar white flowersoft to his beard, moustache and fur.  The Happy Christmas sentiment and the holly sprigs were stamped using versamark, then I used gold detail embossing powder.  I used the main stamp randomly around the frame, again with versamark, and applied gold embossing power.

I really like this stamp, he is a very traditional Santa.

Jo x

Christmas Sleigh Ride

The temperature remains below freezing here, and the paths are still very icy so there's no sign of me going out for a while.  Ah well!

Today's card is from Joanna Sheen's Thomas Kinkade cd's, the Christmas disc.  I've probably said this before but these cd's are absolutely stunning.  This card uses the image 'Sunday Evening Sleigh Ride'.  I've printed the image out onto matt photo paper.  The base card is made from white pearlescent card from papermill.  I made the snowflake frame using papermill's white pearlescent paper and the Martha Stewart snowflake corner punch.  I must admit it took me a while to get the frame to the right size, but I think it's 'passable'!  The snowflake frame is mounted onto some silver pearlescent card, and after adding the image to the frame I added some fine border peel-offs.  I added some sparkling snow glitter (purchased from Joanna Sheen) to various parts of the image, I have to say that I think this glitter is fabulous.

The large letters were stamped onto some snowflake paper using Dimension Fourth's large alphabet stamps, and the rest of the words (again stamps from Dimension Fourth) were stamped using Faded Jeans distressed ink.  The snowflakes were punched out of the same silver pearlescent card using the Martha Stewart edge punch.  All I've got to do now is add the insert, I don't much like that part!

I hope you're all keeping cosy and warm.

Jo x