Annabelle's Garden

Hi Everyone

I'm still really struggling with the side effects of my latest additional medication which is having a huge effect on my life in general and particularly my crafting.  I've always found crafting a welcome 'release' but just lately I'm finding it really difficult to motivate myself even to do any crafting.

I needed to make a birthday card and didn't know where to start, so I visited the Seems A Little Sketchy Challenge Blog to give me the much needed layout for my card.

I had some gorgeous printed panels and a paper pack from Wild Rose Studios (Annabelle's Garden) which I wanted to put to good use too, and here is my card:

I used a 6 x 6 scalloped card blank for my base.  Some mint green card from PaperMill was used for all my mats and the Happy Birthday greeting which was die cut using Tattered Lace sentiment dies.

I cut around the image using a C'art-us Scalloped circle die and inked around the edges using Spun Sugar Distress Ink.  I added this to the card using foam pads to add dimension.

The roses were created using Martha Stewart Paper Clay and a mould I purchased from Amazon.  This is great to use for embellishments as it is light as a feather.

The ribbon strip was re-cycled.  Some pyjamas I received as a present had this ribbon wrapped around them and I thought the colours matched my card perfectly.

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

Seems A Little Sketchy - Sketch

Alphabet Challenge Blog - C for Country Flowers

Crafty Ribbons Challenge - Use Ribbon

Cute Card Thursday - Girls, Girls, Girls

The Crafter's Cafe Challenge Blog - Flowers

Thanks for visiting my blog today, I really do appreciate it.

Crafty Calendar Challenge - Animal Antics

It's time for a new challenge over at Crafty Calendar Challenge and our theme for this month is Animal Antics.

We are lucky enough to be sponsored by Cuddly Buddly and the prize they are offering is an amazing £25 gift certificate.  Cuddly Buddly ship worldwide and stock 100's of amazing European products.  You will also find everything you will need for your digital crafting!  What a choice!

The design team were lucky enough to be provided with some fabulous images to work with, and here is my card using the image Toby Tumble Just Saying Hi. (If you click on the name of the image, it will take you straight to it in the Cuddly Buddly store).

Image printed onto Neenah card and coloured using Spectrum Noir pens.  I cut around the image and added to the card using foam pads to add dimension.

Oval die cut from blue cardstock (Papermill) using Spellbinders Floral Oval die, then embossed using a Darice embossing folder from Crafters Companion.  I went over the clouds with a white ink pad but this doesn't show up very well in the photo.

I used a backing paper from my stash which had come free with a magazine quite some time ago!  This was matted onto some dark brown cardstock from Papermill.

I used orange and brown ribbon from Create and Craft to pick out the colours of the sunflower.

I created the three sunflower heads using Martha Stewart paperclay and a silicone mold I purchased from Amazon.

I hope you'll visit the challenge blog to see the lovely cards my team mates have created.  I'm sure you'll agree it's well worth entering our challenge with the chance to win such a fabulous prize.

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

Tuesday Morning Sketches - Sketch

Challenges 4 Everybody - Anything Goes

Come and Get It Challenge - Flowers

The Corrosive Challenge - Animals

Sunflowerfield Challenge - Birthdays and/or Flowers

Sweet Stampin Challenge - Cute

Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge - Anything Goes but must use patterned paper

Die Cut Diva's - Embossing

Natalie and Amy's Challenge - Flowers

Crafty Catz Challenge - Anything Goes

Crafty Calendar Challenge - Love Is All Around

Good Morning

It's time for a new challenge over at Crafty Calendar Challenge and this month our theme is Love Is All Around.  We're sponsored by the fabulous Hannah Lynn Art and my card uses the digi image Ladybug Love:

I coloured the image using Colour Soft pencils blended with baby oil.

Spellbinders Wonky Rectangles die.  Co'redinations Card.  The backing paper came free in a magazine. The ribbon was recycled from a Chocolate Reindeer!  The heart charm and buttons are from my stash.  The butterfly is made using paper clay which I bought from Create and Crafts months ago but have just put to good use.

Please do pop across to the challenge blog to see all the lovely creations from my fellow design team members.  I do hope you'll be able to join in our challenge this month.

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

Tuesday Morning Sketches - Sketch

A Creative Romance  - Show Us Some Love

Crafty Hands Challenge - Shades of the Same Colour

Winter Wonderland - Use a Digi

C.R.A.F.T. Challenge - Love/Valentines

Today is my birthday.  To celebrate, I'll be putting some candy up on my blog in the next few days.

Gruffies Take A Bath

Hi

I'm still frantically making calendars to send out to family and friends.  This one is made using the Gruffies and Happy Hoppers cd-rom from Joanna Sheen, and uses a decoupage image from the Gruffies section:

I made an easel card and matted the decoupaged image onto Spellbinders die, decorative labels 8.  The backing paper is from Joanna Sheens Housemouse Inserts cd-rom.

The decorative border which the calendar tab is sat on is made using Spellbinders Borderabilities Curved Borders Two, they are my latest dies and I love them!  A few clear Dew Drops from Kraftyhands are used to decorate.  I cut a small piece of towelling in co-ordinating colours to decorate the easel part of the calendar.

My calendar is for the following challenges:

Gruffies & Guests - Anything Goes

All Crafts Challenge - Anything But A Card

Crafting From The Heart -Challenge 5 Fancy Folds

Created With Love - Anything Goes

The Cutie Pie Challenge - Cute and Blue

Year of the Horse

Hi

This weeks' challenge over at CD Sunday is Year of the Horse.  My niece is a big horse fan, so her birthday card fits in with the challenge perfectly:

Image and backing papers from Joanna Sheens Furry Friends cd-rom.

Gold matt paper from Papermill used for matting.

Memory box and Marianne dies used to create flowers, Cheery Lynn die used for flourish.

Gold glitter ribbon from Create & Craft, horse charm from ebay.

Sentiment Lili of the Valley, stamped in gold Encore ink.

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

Pile It On Challenges - Animals

Paper Creator's - Anything Goes

Crafting for all Seasons - For The Girls

Divas by Design - Anything Goes

Crafty Calendar Challenge - Let's Celebrate

Happy New Year.  I hope that 2014 is a good one.

It's time for a new challenge over at Crafty Calendar Challenge and this month our theme is 'Let Celebrate'. For my card this month I decided to use a cross stitched image, I hope you like it.

The image was stitched on 14 count white Aida fabric using DMC threads.  I created the card blank using white hammered card and lilac card from Papermill.  The sentiment is computer generated, matted onto silver mirror card.

Please do try and join us for this months challenge, I look forward to seeing you there.

Cheery Lynn Designs Challenge - Anything Goes

I hope you've all had a lovely Christmas.

This is my entry into the current challenge at Cheery Lynn Designs Challenge which is anything goes:

Items used:

Cheery Lynn Polynesian Sails die, cut from white glitter card.

Memory box tree die cut from silver holographic card.

Image and backing paper from Joanna Sheen's Enchanted dreams cd-rom.

Keepsake card craft snowflake stamps, heat embossed with silver fine detail embossing powder.

Sentiment from Lili of the Valley, stamped in silver ink.

Ribbon and gems from my stash.

Thanks for visiting.

Crafty Calendar Challenge

It's time for a new challenge over at Crafty Calendar Challenge and this month our theme is All Things Christmas.  We are being sponsored by Elizabeth Bell  and the design term were lucky enough to be given some images to work with.  Here is my card:

The lucky winner will receive two digi stamps and the image I've used on my card is included in the prize.

I coloured the image using Spectrum Noir's and added Hunkydory's Snowdrift for an extra wintery look! The lilac card is core'dinations and I used a Marianne Die to cut the beautiful doily the image is sat on.  The co-ordinating backing paper is from my stash.  I die-cut the holly corner from green mirror card to tie in with the holly on her hat, I used a Cheery Lynn die and added some red beads for the berries.  I used a Memory box die to cut the snowflake border from white glitter card, and the sentiment is from Hunkydory.

Please pop across to the Challenge Blog to see the lovely cards my teamies have created.  I look forward to seeing you there.

Thanks for visiting my blog today.

Jo x

CD Sunday Challenge - Butterfly

Hello

Hasn't the last week gone by quickly?

This is my entry into this weeks' challenge over at CD Sunday, the theme being Butterfly.

I love this pattern from Stitching cards, which I stitched using metallic threads and then added the sentiment. Now for the part of my card that uses a cd - the insert.

This is from Joanna Sheens's In Other Words cd-rom, this is one of the first cd's I bought.

Thanks for visiting my blog today, have a lovely weekend.

To The Moon and Back

Hello and a warm welcome to my blog today.  A big thank you to everyone who has stuck with me through my long absence.  I am trying my best to get back to regular crafting but am still having some issues with my health.  I don't want my hobby to turn into a worry or a bind, so I am going to take it steady.  To ease me back in, I am going to post once a week, if I manage more that's a bonus.

What better way to get back into the swing than to participate in the CD Sunday challenge.  This has always been one of my favourite challenges, and I love that it gets me using my cd-roms more.  So I am going to join in with the challenge each week again.

Here is my card:

Forever Friends Retro Collection cd-rom used for the decoupage, backing papers and moon and star embellishments.

Gold linen card from Create & Craft used for matting.

I used the remainder of the backing papers on the inside of my card:

I would like to enter my card in The CD Sunday Challenge - To The Moon And Back.

Crafty Calendar Challenge - Halloween

Hello to all my lovely followers.

It's time for a new challenge over at Crafty Calendar Challenge and this month we want to see your Halloween creations.  I do hope you can join in with our challenge.  The lucky winner will get to choose 5 digi stamps from Whimsy Stamps.

This month I have made a trick or treat bag:

I printed the pumpkin design onto card stock and made it into a liitle bag, threading ribbon through as a handle.  The cute witch is a digi stamp from Pink Gem designs which I decoupaged and the added to the bag.  The purple card stock is from Papermill.

Please do hop over to the challenge blog to see the fabulous creations from the Design Team this month.

Crafty Calendar Challenge - We're Going On A Bear Hunt

Hello to all my lovely friends and followers.  I'm sorry I'm still not around very much at the moment, I'm not doing much crafting at all just lately, I can't seen to get back into the swing of it at all.  Still lots of health issues to contend with which are still making me extremely tired.  Anyway, I didn't come on here to moan!!

It's the first Saturday of the month again all ready which means it's time for a new challenge over at Crafty Calendar Challenge and this month our theme is We're Going On A Bear Hunt!  This month we are lucky enough to be sponsored by

and as every Crafter knows, you can never have enough ribbon!

My lovely teamies have all come up with some lovely creations to inspire you, and I do hope you will visit their blogs for a closer look.

Please do join in with our challenge this month, I'm sure you've got some lovely teddies in amongst your craft stash.