Tea-Time

Hello

I hope you're having a good weekend.  We've got sunshine here which is lovely.

My card for today uses Joanna Sheen's Patience Strong cd-rom for the main image, and flowers from The Big One cd-rom, build a blossom:

I used a scalloped-edge 6 x 6 card blank which I scored to produce the diamond pattern.  I matted the image onto gold linen card.  I cut out the roses and leaves, shaped them with various tools, and then added a pearl to the centre of each.  My first attempt at these particular flowers, they took some time to make but I am pleased with the result.

My card is for the following challenges:

Craft Challenge - No designer paper

Allsorts Challenge - Anything Goes

Sentimental Sunday - Focus On Your Sentiment

Thanks for visiting today.

Jo x

Paint Fusion Sweet Peas

Hello

As soon as I saw the sweet pea decoupage on Sheena Douglass' new Paint Fusion cd-rom it was sold to me.  Here is my first card using this gorgeous image.

The base card is also printed from the cd-rom.  Using a glitter girls board to produce a frame, I embossed the base cardstock, and then some co-ordinating cardstock, to which I added border peel offs.  The butterfly is also printed from the cd-rom.  I printed it onto cardstock and then triple embossed it.

My card is for the following challenges:

Flutterby Wednesdays - Anything with wings

Divas by Design - Wings and Things

Cute Card Thursday - Flower Power

The Poodles Parlour - Mothers Day/Female

Truly Scrumptious Challenge - All Creatures Great and Small

PaperPlay Challenges - Critters

Thanks for visiting my blog today.

Jo x

Craft Your Days Away

Good Morning

The current challenge over at Craft Your Days Away is to use stitches (real or faux) on your card.  I decided to use the Paper Embroidery technique.  Here is my card:

The pattern for this card is a download from form-a-lines.  On the pattern it uses just gold thread, but I decided I wanted to add some colour to mine.  Metallic threads are used to stitch the design, and then a simple 'Happy Birthday' banner added to complete the card.

Thanks for visiting my blog today.

Jo x

Pretty In Lilac

Good Afternoon

The card I've got to share with you today is one I've had such fun making this morning.  I really have loved every minute.

I followed the current sketch over at Fetch A Sketch and here is what I came up with:

I had already decided to use this gorgeous digi stamp from Crafty Sentiments Designs, and decided on my backing paper at the outset.  This paper was a freebie in the latest Cardmaking and Papercrafts magazine, and perfect colours for me!

I took a scalloped card blank and distressed the edges with Milled Lavender and Dusty Concord Distress Inks. I cut the paper to size and then distressed the edges using my latest toy, a distressing tool!  It was such fun!!!!

I die cut the circle using core'dinations cardstock and a Marianne die.  I then sanded it slightly and added some little pearls.  The flourishes and flower and also Marianne dies, cut from the same cardstock and lightly sanded.  The centre of the flower was one of the die-cut shapes that also came free with the magazine.

I coloured the image using a combination of promarkers and spectrum noir alcohol pens.  I'm still very new to these pens and trying to get used to them!

Along with Fetch A Sketch I would also like to enter my card in the following challenges:

One Stitch At A Time - Anything Goes

Paper Sundaes - Sundae Bar - I chose distressing and pearls

Crafty Sentiments - Love (this is for a close friend)

My Mum's Craft Shop - Pearls and Swirls

Crafts and Me Challenge - Distressing

Penny's Paper Crafty Challenge - Anything Goes

Thanks for stopping by.

Jo x

Strawberry Kisses Valentine

Good Morning

A warm welcome to my new followers.  Thank you for joining me.

Thank you to Pauline and Claire for clarifying the followers situation for me, that's put my mind at rest.

My card for today is a Valentines card that Emma asked me to make.  She has chosen all the images, colours and backing papers and then left the rest to me.  Emma also helped with the painting of the 'welly' image.

The images are stamps from the Strawberry Kisses range, coloured using Lyra's.  The backing paper is from the accompanying cd-rom.  The mats are all cut with Spellbinders label 3 dies and the sentiment are peel offs.

I also made a little gift box using the cd-rom and then completely forgot to photograph it!!!!

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

Creative Inspirations - Lots of Love

My Mum's Craft Shop - It Must Be Love

Divas By Design - Love is in the Air

Craft Challenge - Valentines Day

Paper Play Challenges - Love Letters

Rainbow Lady's Challenge - Have a Heart

CD Sunday Challenge - L is for ...

Cards For Men - Valentine/Love

Fussy and Fancy - With All My Heart

Creative Craft Challenges - Valentines

Joanna Sheen Challenge - Love is in the Air

Crafty Sentiments Monthly Challenge - Love is in the Air

Thanks for visiting my blog today.

Jo x

Happy 90th Birthday

Good Morning

I have been asked to make a 90th Birthday card for a Mum.  This is what I came up with.

I thought that this image from Joanna Sheen's Jane Shasky cd-rom was perfect.  This is from the decoupage section, printed onto glossy photo paper.  It took some cutting out but was well worth the effort, it decoupaged beautifully.  I used some pearlescent card for the base card, and scored the diamond pattern using my boxer board from Crafters Companion.  The sentiment mat is a spellbinders die to which I added a peel off and some gems.

I wanted to make the card extra-special for such a landmark birthday.  I have tried to make this style of card in the past, but have never been very happy with the finished result.  Well recently, I purchased a Crafters Companion Ultimate Pro with the loyalty points I had built up.  I followed the instructions and hey presto - this is the inside of the card:

It all came together perfectly.  I printed one of the backing papers from the Jane Shasky cd directly onto pearlescent cardstock, twice.  On one of the sheets, I scored and embossed using my ultimate pro and cut out the butterfly shape.  The dangly butterfly is a Marianne die, which I cut twice, once on co-ordinating cardstock and once onto yellow vellum.  I layered them together and added gems on the butterfly wings.  This was then attached using tiny jump rings.  I die cut two shapes using spellbinders ironworks motifs, added the number 90 to the centre of each, and attached to the inside of the card with foam pads.

Finally I printed a smaller panel of the same backing paper, which was added to the back of the card for the sender to write their message on.

I would like enter my card in the following challenges:

Crafty Sentiment Designs - Girly

Totally Papercrafts - Rainbow of Colour

CES Challenge - Lots of layers

Allsorts Challenge - Anything Goes

The Crafty Pad Challenge - B is for - Butterfly

Sentimental Sundays - Shaped Cards plus a sentiment

If The Shoe Fits - Anything Goes

Bunny Zoes Crafts - Celebrations

Phew, sorry for the long post, thanks for stopping by.

Jo x

A Message To All My Followers

Good Morning

I hope you've had a lovely weekend.

I've read on a few blogs this weekend that the Google followers option is to be discontinued at the end of February.  I really don't want to loose all my lovely followers, so I've installed a new followers tool which I hope you will use to continue following me.  I'm going to visit all the blogs I follow to re-subscribe to those blogs too.

Many thanks

Jo x

Two Little Cuties

Good Afternoon

My card for today uses the Furry Friends cd-rom from Joanna Sheen.  I have had such a lot of use from this cd. Here is my card:

I printed the image twice onto glossy photo paper and then matted and layered it onto silver mirror card and then navy card.  The image was then decoupaged.

The backing paper is also from the cd-rom printed onto satin paper.  The sentiment tag is cut with a spellbinders die and a peel off sentiment added.

My card is for the following challenges:

Moving Along With The Times - Cute Critters

Alphabet Challenge - A for Animal Antics

Papertake Weekly - Anything Goes

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

Jo x

Strawberry Kisses

Good Morning

I hope you're keeping nice and warm.  It's a lovely bright, sunny morning here although bitterly cold.

My card for today uses the new Strawberry Kisses stamps and cd-rom that hubby got me for my birthday last week.  This is the first time I've used them and thoroughly enjoyed making this card, and I'm delighted with how it's turned out.

The card base is made from A3 card which I added an extra layer to strengthen it.  I stamped the two adorable images with memento ink and coloured using coloursoft pencils blended with babyoil.  Stickles glitter glue was added to the shoe and parts of the cupcake. The mats were cut with a spellbinders die from Core'dinations cardstock.  The backing papers are from the cd-rom and the numbers were stamped and cut out of the backing paper.  The mat the number 40 is sat on was embossed with a sizzix embossing plate and then lightly sanded.

The Happy Birthday was stamped and embossed with silver detail embossing power.  The flowers are 'Build A Blossom' from La Pashe with some gems added to the centres.

My card is for the following challenges:

Crafters Companion Monthly Challenge - Anything Goes

The CD Sunday Challenge - A La Mode

The Crafty Pad Challenge - Spring Colours

Stampin' For The Weekend - Embossing

Paperplay Challenges - Get In Shape

Crafts and Me Challenge - Bright Colours

Divas by Design - Anything Goes

Thanks for visiting my blog today.

Jo x

Peter Rabbit

Good Afternoon

I hope you're having a good weekend.

Here is another calendar I have made.  This one uses the Peter Rabbit cd-rom from Crafters Companion:

The image and backing paper are both printed from the cd-rom.  I cut two frames from core'dinations card using Marianne dies.  I lightly sanded the card.  I added two eyelets at the top of the calendar to thread the ribbon through.

My calendar is for the following challenges:

Creative Inspirations - Use a tag

Aud Sentiments - Anything but a card

Penny Black and More - Colour Bingo - Blue Green and Kraft (Kraft being the colour of the rabbit, hope this is ok?)

The Poodles Parlour - Anything Goes

Thanks for visiting.

Jo x

Crafty Calendar Challenge - Love and Marriage

Good Morning

Don't the months pass by quickly?  Today see's a new challenge over at Crafty Calendar Challenge and this month our theme is Love and Marriage with the option of lace and pearls.   This month we are sponsored by the lovely Heather Ellis, and my card uses one of her digi stamps.

I used a 6 x 6 scalloped card blank to which I added a lovely swirly vellum, punched along the bottom with a Martha Stewart border punch.  The mat the gorgeous image is sat on was cut using a Nellie Snellen die.  The image is coloured with a mixture of promarkers and spectrum noirs, and some stickles glitter glue was added to the flowers.

The three flowers are printed from the La Pashe 'The Big One' cd-rom from the Build a Blossom section.  These were layered up and some pearls added to the centres.  The ribbon was from my stash.

I do hope you'll join in our challenge this month, and please pop across to the challenge blog and have a look at the super cards my teamies have made.

Our Boss at CCC, Lynne, has had a tough few weeks, and I want to send her lots of Get Well Hugs.

My card is also for the following challenges:

One Stitch At A Time - Anything Goes

Creative Craft Challenge - Bingo (Ribbons, Pink, Gems)

Ladybug Crafts Inc - Love

My Time To Craft - A for Adorable

Bling It On - Love

Penny's Challenge - Love is in the air

Stamps R Us - Love/valentine

Crafty Ann's Challenge - Love Is In The Air

ABC Challenge - In Pairs

Saturday Challenge - Hugs and kisses

Allsort Craft Challenge - Anything Goes

Thanks for visiting my blog today, I look forward to seeing your creations.

Jo x

Fairy Magic

Good Morning

There's definitely been some fairy magic around me the last few days.  Yesterday was my birthday and on Saturday I was invited over to my sister's and was well and truly spoilt.  I loved it!!!

Kathryn had cooked a delicious meal for 10 of us.  She made 2 scrummy birthday cakes (it's my mum's birthday next week so we had a joint celebration).  We all had a lovely time.

Grace made me a gorgeous birthday card and so did her sister Niamh (who's 3).  Here they are:

Aren't I lucky?

Hubby had yesterday off work and we had a lovely lunch which of course included cream cakes!  I got a lovely selection of presents including the new Strawberry kisses stamps and cd-rom, and so many beautiful cards.

Thank you to you all for making my birthday so special.

Jo xx