Thank You

Thank you all for your messages following the loss of my Mum.  We've had her funeral and it was a very difficult day for us all.  The sun shone, which I'm sure helped a little, and we had put together a lovely service to give mum the send off she deserved.

I'm back at home now and very much in limbo.  People say about getting back to normal but there is no normal any more because such a huge part of my life has been taken from me.  There are so many times when I think "I must tell mum about that", or think of things I want to ask her.

Dad's keeping busy and my two sisters who live near to him are calling in to see him each day.  I speak to him on the phone most days too.

I have so many happy memories and I hope these will help me through, it really isn't sinking in at the moment.     I know Mum will always be with us in our mannerisms, sayings and memories.

I love you Mum.  Night, night, God bless.

Very Sad News

I am so sad to have to tell you that my lovely mum died last Monday morning after a sudden and very traumatic illness.  I have been staying at my sisters so I am closer to her, my dad and my other sister, but have now come home for a few days to spend some time with my husband and daughters.  Her funeral is not until Monday, 4th March.  We are all in shock at the moment and doing our best to support dad and each other.

Please keep my mum in your prayers.

Jo x

Kingfisher

My card for today is made using a beautiful image from Joanna Sheen's Jayne Netley Mayhew cd-rom:

A5 card

Image printed onto watercolour card, matted onto gold mirror card then Core'dinations card.

Both backing papers from same cd-rom, printed onto Satin Finish printer paper and matted onto gold mirror card.

I have also decorated the inside of the card:

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

Fab N Funky - What's inside

Charisma Cardz Challenge - Anything Goes

Good Luck In Your New Home

Good Evening

A very warm welcome to my new followers.

I was lucky enough to be bought Joanna Sheen's Holly Pond Hill cd-rom for my birthday and this is my first card made using these gorgeous cd's.  I needed a new home card and loved this image:

8 x 8 card

Image printed from the decoupage section onto glossy photo paper.

Backing paper printed onto satin printer paper.

Gold mirror card and raspberry pink card from PaperMill used for matting and layering.

Memorybox Riviera Corner die and Poppystamps Bubble Daisy Border die used.

Sentiment from cd-rom

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

Raise The Bar Challenge - A Couple of Things

My Time To Craft - Decoupage

Forever Friends Fortnightly Challenge - Anything Goes

My Valentine

This is the card I have made to send to my hubby.  I followed the sketch over at Fetch-A-Sketch:

8 x 8 card
Image from Do-crafts Country Companions cd, printed twice so I could decoupage the heart.
Papers from same cd.
Marianne dies used to cut frame for image.
Buttons from my stash threaded with metallic thread.

My card is also for the following challenges:

Paper Pretties Wednesday Challenge - Valentines

Charisma Cardz Challenge - Love

Cute Card Thursday - Love Struck

Totally Papercrafts - Valentine/Love

Crafty Catz Weekly Challenge - Feature a Heart

Totally Gorjuss - Love

Allsorts Challenge - Valentines Card

One Stop Crafts Challenge - Love is in the Air

Dream Valley Challenges - Valentines

Happy 50th Birthday

This is a card I made for a friend of ours who has photography as his hobby:

I imported the image from one of the La Pashe cd-roms into Craft Artist to create the card.  I printed his name out a second time so I could decoupage it.

My card is for the following challenges:

Delicious Doodles Challenge - No Designer Paper

Crafting When We Can - Cards for Boys

Chocolate, Coffee and Cards - Hobbies

Crafty Bloggers Network - Anything Goes

Daffodils Just For You

I'm so cross with myself. I followed a sketch for my card today, combined with the themes of some other challenges, I've been messing about trying to decide how to finish my card and when I have gone to the sketch blog to post my card have found out that I am too late. AArgh!

Anyhow, enough complaining, here is my card:

I printed the decoupage image and backing paper from my Forever Friends cd-roms from Do-crafts.

I die cut some mint green card using my Cheery Lynn Polynesian Sails Oval die and cut a mat from white card for the image to sit on.

I cut Cheery Lynn Mini Fanciful Flourishes from the same card, and punched two strips using a Martha Stewart deep edge punch, I then used decorative scissors along the other edge.

The sentiment is from Lili of the Valley sat on a mat cut with a Spellbinders floral motif.

I triple tied the bow using ribbon from create and craft.

Finally I added pearls from my stash to the decorative frame.

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

Cheery Lynn Designs Challenge - Add a flourish

Bearly Mine Challenges - Anything goes

Addicted To Stamps Challenge - Pearls and swirls

Forever Friends Challenge - Animals

My Time To Craft Challenge - Decoupage

Angelica & Friends - Mariella

It's the turn of Mariella today, she has such a pretty name don't you think?  Once again I coloured her with my Spectrum Noirs, I'm trying to build up my confidence to use these pens more often.  I think it's the hair that I find most daunting.

7 x 7 card

Backing paper printed from the cd-rom onto Satin Finish printer paper from Crafter's Companion (highly recommended), inked around the edges with Chipped Sapphire Distress Ink.

Image stamped onto Neenah card using Memento ink.

A Crafts Too die was used to cut the mat the image is sat on and the sentiment mat.  These were cut from Core'dinations card.  The sentiment is Lili Of The Valley.

I embossed some card from PaperMill using a Beatrix Potter embossing folder and once again inked around the edges.

The flowers were created using Die'sire Sunflower quilling die.

Finally, ribbon from Create & Craft was added to the card.

My card is for the following challenges:

Sunday Sketch & Stamp - Sketch

Forever Friends Fortnightly Challenge - Use ribbon or lace

Whoopsi Daisy Challenge - Use ribbon and/or lace

Crafty Sentiment Designs - Anything Goes

Penny's Paper-Crafty Challenge - Ribbons and bows

Angelica & Friends - Isobel

I'm back with another of these delightful images from Crafter's Companion, today it's the turn of Isobel:

7" Square card

Image stamped onto Neenah card using Memento ink and coloured using Spectrum Noirs.

Backing paper from cd-rom printed onto Satin Printer Paper

Lilac card is from PaperMill cut using Joy Noor dies

Sentiment is from Lili of the Valley, stamped using distress ink onto a scalloped circle.

Marianne dies used to cut leaves and flourish, flowers and feathers from my stash, flower pin from Wild Orchid Crafts.

My card is for the following challenges:

Sketch Saturday - Sketch

Wild Orchid Crafts  - Anything Goes

Papertake Weekly - Anything Goes

Angelica & Friends - Eleanor

Hello and welcome to my blog.

I'm back with another of the lovely new images from Crafters' Companion, and today it is the turn of Eleanor.  I chose this image to fit in with the current challenge over at CD Sunday which is Showtime:

A5 card

Image from Crafters' Companion Angelic & Friends range, coloured using Spectrum Noir pens.

Card for matting and layering from Cupcakecrafting.

Backing papers from cd-rom, printed onto Satin Finish printer paper.

The mat the image is sat on, and the bunting, is created using Nellie Snellen rectangle dies.

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

The Sweet Stop Sketch Challenge - Sketch

CD Sunday Challenge - Showtime

Crafting For All Seasons - Colour inspiration

Moving Along With The Times - Only Girls Allowed

Angelica & Friends - Jessica

My gorgeous new Angelica and Friends Collection from Crafters' Companion arrived yesterday afternoon, so while I was watching television last night I cut out all the stamp sets so I could craft with them today.  I decided to colour in Jessica first for no other reason than she was on the top of the pile!  I followed the sketch over at Sketchy Friday to create the following card:

A5 card blank

I stamped the image onto Neenah card using black memento ink and coloured with my Spectrum Noir pens.    I added some DecoArt Glamour Dust to her wings.

I used Lea'bilities Curved Frame dies which I got for Christmas to cut the mat for the image and the sentiment.

The lilac and green card are from PaperMill.

I embossed the green card using a Beatrix Potter embossing folder from Crafters' Companion.

Both backing papers were printed from the cd-rom onto Satin Smooth printer paper.

I used ribbon from create and craft, tied on the Bowdabra with a flower charm from my stash.

I stamped the Lili of the Valley sentiment using Shaded Lilac Distress Ink

My card is also for the following challenges:

Allsorts Challenge - Let's Get Cute

No Matter Which Challenge - Ribbons and Bows

Pretty Little Ribbon Shop - Anything goes

Flutterby Wednesday's - Open plus fairy or butterfly

Diva's By Design - Winged Things

Penny's Challenges - Ribbon and Bows

The Lighthouse

My card for today is made using the Seascapes stamp set from Inkylicious:

A6 card blank

I stamped the lighthouse and cliff onto Satin Silk Art Card (also from Inkylicious) using black Stazon Ink.

I then masked the stamped images and cut 2 little circle masks for the sun and its' reflection.

I brayered the sea using a Big and Juicy waterfall inkpad.

I used the same ink for the sky, cut some paper into the shape of the clouds and then added ink using Ink Dusters.

I added yellow ink for the sun.

The hill was coloured using Frayed Burlap and Pine Needles distress inks and then I stamped some grass using Pine Needles.

I stamped 2 of the shells from the stamp set and coloured using Frayed Burlap.

I used a Nellie Snellen die for the mat for the main image and C'art Us scolloped circle die for the mats for the shells.

I embossed some blue card with D'vine Swirls embossing folder to represent the waves.

I cut the tag for the sentiment by hand.

Finally I stamped the birds from the stamp set in black ink.

My card is for the following challenges:

Seize The Birthday - Sketch plus theme - Masculine Birthday Card

Inkspirational Challenge - Anything Goes

Simon Says Stamp - Anything Goes

Hanna and Friends Challenge - Anything Goes

Craft A Scene - Create a scene including a lighthouse.