Give Us A Cuddle!

Good Morning

Todays card is another using a Teddy Bea image, can you tell I've fallen for these little bears?

I'm sorry about the poor quality of this photo, this was the best I could do!

The digi stamp was printed onto watercolour paper and then coloured using Derwent watercolour pencils. The backing paper is from a Crafters Companion cd-rom (possibly SWALK 1, but I printed it a while ago so can't be certain). The mat Teddy Bea is sitting on is cut using a Marianne die. The border is using a Martha Stewart Deep Punch. The flowers are prima, the pearls from Joanna Sheen and the sentiment is a LOTV stamp.

Thanks for visiting today.

Jo x

The CD Sunday Challenge - Transport

Good Morning.

Who took the sun? Whoever it is, can I have it back please because I always feel better when the sun is shining!

Today's card is my entry in this weeks' CD Sunday Challenge, the theme for this week is transport.

My image is another of the fab digi stamps from Teddy Bo, which I have coloured with my Lyra's. The backing paper is printed from the Crafters Companion boys cd-rom, and I die cut it using a Spellbinder fleur de lis die. This shape reminds me of the wheel on a boat! I added a few buttons from my stash and some card candy.

Thank you for visiting today, enjoy your day.

Jo x

A Gem Of A Challenge 17 - Anything But A Square

Good Morning

I can't adjust to this new time at all. It's such a struggle to get up in the morning, Murphy's struggling even more than me!

Today's card is my entry into the current Pink Gem Challenge

This time the challenge is 'Anything But A Square'.

For my card I used the digi stamp Summer Milly, which I printed onto watercolour paper. I coloured her using my Lyra's. The shape of the card was made using my Get In Shape Templates. The card is from PaperMill. I arranged a few mulberry flowers and leaves onto some acetate which I added to the stopper for my easel card, which is die cut from one of my new Spellbinders dies.

Have a good day, whatever your plans.

Jo x

Less Is More Week 8

Hello

Aren't the weeks flying by quickly? I don't know where the time goes.

My card for today is my entry into this weeks' Less Is More Challenge, this week we have a sketch to follow.

My card uses a DL card blank, to which I have applied some lilac backing paper and a matching ribbon made with a Martha Stewart punch. The jar of flowers is from a Sheena Douglass stamp set, which I coloured using my Lyra's. I then applied glossy accents to the jar, which doesn't show up so well on the photo, but looks good. The sentiment is from another Sheena stamp set. I'm not sure if the sentiment is a little too high? Other than that, I'm pleased with my card.

I'm now off to have a look at some of the other entries.

Jo x

It's those bears again!!!

Good Morning!

Don't you just hate it when an hour of your day is 'stolen' from you. I do wish they'd leave the time alone!

I'm feeling very grumpy this morning because I've got one of those horrid bugs that's going around and I feel rubbish! Because of all the medication I take on a daily basis, there's nothing else I can take so just have to ride the storm.

This is a card I made last week but just haven't felt up to posting.

Isn't that just the cutest image? I coloured the teddies using watercolour pencils and then mounted them onto pearlescent cardstock. I cut a Fleur de Lis Border from the same cardstock using a Spellbinders die. The backing paper was free in a magazine I've had ages. I'm not sure if the paper is 'too much'. I chose it partly for the colours but mainly for the words that run along the paper - laugh, giggle, discover, happy, fun, journey, wish. I think they suit the images so well.

I am entering this card in TotallyPaperCrafts Challenge Cuddly and Cute

I've bought some more of these digi stamps from teddybo.com that I'll be using very soon.

Have a lovely Sunday.

Jo x

A Lovely Place To Live

Good Morning

The sun is shining here today once again, long may it continue, at least for the weekend anyway.

Today's card is one made using the Pilkington Lane stamps. These are beautiful stamps with so much detail in them. I have 2 of the sets and would like to add the set of trees, Pilkington Woods, to my collection at some point, but they will have to wait for now.

I stamped the houses onto some textured cardstock using Sepia Versafine ink, and then coloured using Lyra Aquacrayons. This was then layer onto some green cardstock, then onto linen white cardstock and the ribbon added as a finishing touch.

Thank you for your visit today, and a big welcome to my new followers.

Enjoy your day.

Jo x

It Was Only A Matter Of Time

Good Morning

I've been admiring some beautiful cards over on my friend Edna's blog, where she has been using some gorgeous stamps featuring Teddy Bo and Teddy Bea. As you know I've very little willpower when it comes to crafty goodies, and after seeing the amazing card Edna made yesterday, I just had to give in!!

So off to the Teddy Bo store I went. I chose 2 stamps to start with, because I am still lacking confidence when it comes to colouring in. Here is my first card using the images.

I printed her onto watercolour paper, and coloured her using watercolour pencils. The backing paper I have had for ages, and looked at it many times! The ribbon border and tags were die cut using a Marianne die, as was the flourish. The ribbon was from my stash, pearls from Joanna Sheen. The buttons I bought from ebay a while ago, and in the pack was this little teddy button, so cute!

Teddy Bo has a challenge blog, and this time the theme is buttons and bows, so I am entering this card into the challenge, full details can be found here

I am also entering the card into Totally Papercrafts Challenge add buttons.

Thanks for your visit today.

Jo x

An Eastern Flower For Mum

Good Morning

The sun is trying its best to shine this morning.

Today's card is the first one I have made with this fold. I've seen it a few times and liked the effect, so decided to give it a go.

The decoupage is printed from Joanna Sheen's Eastern Treasures cd-rom. I love the blue in this design. I printed the decoupage onto a gloss photo paper which has given a lovely effect. It wasn't the easiest decoupage to cut out, but well worth the effort in my opinion.

I printed one of the matching backing papers onto centura pearl paper and covered the whole card with it. I was going to add some pearls but really don't think it needs any, this is such a gorgeous image.

This card is for my mum for Mothers' Day.

Thanks for calling in today, enjoy the rest of your day.

Jo x

A Walk On The Wild Side

Good Morning

Today's card is the second birthday card for my Dad. His birthday is at the end of the month.

I am entering this card into The CD Sunday Challenge Wild Thing

My card is made using the Jayne Netley Mayhew cd-roms from Joanna Sheen.

I printed off the image for the front of the card twice, so I could decoupage the baby elephants. They were matted onto some matt gold cardstock, then orange cardstock, and then onto some pale green cardstock of which I had punched around the edges using a Martha Stewart punch. The Happy Birthday was created using my alphabet stamps from Dimension Fourth. The H and B are cut out of a silvery-grey paper to tie-in with the elephant theme, and then the rest of the words were stamped using Big & Juicy Spice Ink pad.

For the middle of the card I printed out part of the shaped cards section from the cd-rom.

I glued the print-outs to card for extra stability and then cut everything out. I embossed the edges of some matt gold card using my Keepsake Borderfold embossing board, and then attached the shaped elephants to this. The elephants separate and there is a panel behind them for writing a message.

I hope you like this card. Thanks for your visit today.

Jo x

House Mouse Competition Card

Good Morning

Today I would like to share with you the card I made for the recent House Mouse competition that was open to all members of Joanna Sheen's forum. I am delighted and still very excited at being runner-up.

I decided very quickly the image that I was going to use, and upon selecting the image decided I was going to embellish the card with some lengths of wool. Whilst putting the decoupage together, I decided to dig-out my knitting needs and have a try at knitting one of the little chicks with the jumper on. I didn't have a pattern of course, so it took a few attempts until I got one that I was happy with. I then added some plastic feet, some black beads for eyes and made the little beak out of some card. I made 3 chicks in all.

It was then that I came up with the idea of having the knitted chicks in a shop window, like little manequins, displaying the clothes for chicks. So I also knitted some little hats and scarves to display in the window. Having knitted the chicks I was able to determine the depth that the window needed to be and cut this out of some pearlescent card stock. I then cut out the four windows and added some acetate. I searched for a suitable image for in the window, and then attached this to the cardstock before attaching 2 of the little chicks and the other accessories. Of course a name was needed for over the shop window, so I decided on the name 'La Chic Boutique'.

The middle section comprised of some pearlescent paper with the corners punched out, a little image from the cover sheet of the decoupage pack, and then I punched some holes all around the edges and threaded through some lengths of wool.

The back of the card represented the back room of the shop, where the Happy Hopper is knitting all the clothes for the little chicks, which will then go on sale in the shop. I searched for some images of balls of wool which I then adjusted to the size of the back section of my card. The decoupage was applied to this section.

I then knitted a few more rows, which I then transfered to a couple of pins which I had cut the sharp end off, as these represented the knitting needles. I then wound up the rest of the wool into a little ball. This was then attached to the back section of the card.

It took many hours to complete the card but I was very pleased with it once it was finished. It was good fun to make too.

Less Is More Challenge

Good Afternoon

This is my card for this weeks' challenge over at Less Is More, and the theme for this week is Masculine.

It's my dads birthday at the end of the month, so I make him 2 cards, one from me and hubby and one to grandad from the girls. I'd already decided that for one of them I was going to use the Toffee Shop stamp from the Pilkington Lane range, and this challenge gave me a kick start.

I'm adding a second photo which I have taken this morning, hopefully it will show the detail a bit better.

You wouldn't think so to look at it, but it has taken me most of the afternoon to get it finished! I started off with a sheet of black linen card, and die cut each of the corners using my new spellbinders Fleur De Lis dies. I love this set, in fact I love it so much I've now ordered the accompanying set! I then stamped directly onto the card using a white ink, and then embossed the image using a detail clear embossing powder. There is such a lot of detail in these stamps and this is the first time I have used them without watercouring the images.

The black linen card was then matted onto some white card, and then another layer of black linen card, and then finally onto the base card which was made from white linen card, I hope I haven't exceeded the number of layers allowed?

I'm really pleased with how this has turned out, and I think Dad will love it too. Now I just need to decide on his other card.

Last week I visited the blogs of over 150 other entrants to the challenge. I tried to leave a comment on every blog I visited, but sometimes I couldn't, I got a message 'you are not authorised to comment'. So it's not that I didn't want to comment on all your cards, I just wasn't able to do so.

Thank you to everyone who has visited my blog and left me comments, we all love to receive comments don't we. I'm now off to have a look at some of the other entries.

House Mouse & Friends Welcome Spring

Good Morning

The Challenge over at House Mouse & Friends is 'Welcome Spring'.

Well, spring wouldn't be spring without all those showers, so for my entry I chose to choose a Happy Hopper image.

My card is made using a decoupage sheet from Joanna Sheen, and an insert, used as a backing paper, from the new House Mouse inserts cd-rom, also from Joanna Sheen.

I used a white textured cardstock for the base card and then matted some yellow cardstock onto there with the insert/backing paper onto that. I punched out some flowers using my Nellie Snellen punches, and some leaves using an x-cut punch, a pearl was added to the centre of the flowers.

I cut a tag from the same yellow cardstock using a Nellies Choice die, threaded some blue satin ribbon through it and then added the sentiment. Finally I used some clear glaze on the umbrella, puddle and raindrops, and added a few to the leaves for good measure.

Enjoy your Saturday.

Jo x