A new baby boy card

Good morning from a very grey, windy and miserable Scruff's Corner today. It's been like this since I got up an hour ago so I think it's time Mr Sunshine was woken up, we want blue skies now, not grey :)


I received an email on Thursday from a very good customer of mine with a list of cards to do over the next couple of weeks or so with the most urgent being a baby boy card for her sister as he was 'due in the next two weeks' I thought I would make a start on that one first. Good job really, he arrived yesterday! So here we have one frantically finished card lol

It's difficult to make out but baby's name is actually in the train....it says Dexter. I've always got a stash of knitted bootees and hats but always forget I've got them, until now. Everything was from my stash. But don't faint, I actually had to print off a sheet of the gingham card as I didn't have a large enough 'Snippet' (sorry Di :))


Sorry about the rubbish photos, they don't look so bad when you click and enlarge them. As I said earlier, we had grey skies and it doesn't warrant decent photos, however, the sun has made an appearance now that the card has gone:)


I would like to enter the card into the following challenges


Allsorts Challenge - week 3 of the anything goes challenges
Secret Crafter - Bingo week and I chose brads, flowers and bows (my flowers are on the beautiful 'Marianne' frame. I really like the flower and leaf detail on this one!)


Thanks for looking.

What a day!!

What makes insignificant little geeks sit in their lonely abodes and spend the days writing viruses? I picked one up, on my lap top, this afternoon and my poor son has been sat for nine hours so far trying to sort it all out for me!

I was having a mooch around the internet this afternoon trying to look for wedding stationery colour trends for  and all of a sudden my lap top went stupid. However, the virus showed itself as a system checker and it was only when I couldn't get rid of it by running task manager and shut down that I realised something was wrong.

I'm up to my eyes in stationery orders at the mo and have the first in a series of wedding fayres starting on Thursday evening and am having to redesign my invitation album all at the same time, so this I can definitely live without, you little grot!!

Of course it goes without saying that I haven't backed up any files and both my C and D drives appear to have been trashed :( Luckily though, hubby did my accounts for me at the end of October and he still has a copy on his machine and when we had my old lap top fixed just before Christmas I never wiped any of the files off it so it is still how it was on the day I knocked it off the arm of the settee and DD2 hasn't wiped anything from it either. DS appears to have managed to save my Party Nights folder which has all of my wedding work, photos etc in it so I think I should be ok once he can sort it for me. He is busy clearing everything off it now ready to reinstall Windows in the morning. I shall make do with working on this one until after Friday and then start sorting out my folders etc.
....and after all that it hasn't worked :( He has run spyware, malaware, and heaven knows what other 'aware and is no further forward than he was when he started. The newest report is that the files appear to be hiding behind whatever the virus has dumped onto my machine. It looks as though it might have to go into the poorly lap top hospital which isn't good really as I have three wedding orders on the go and the files are on that machine.

I think I might just go and sit in a corner, bury my head in my hands and cry *sob*

Anyway, I did manage a couple of quick challenges this morning

These stamps are from the same Seedee set I used the other day for the dress card I made. I don't know what any of the papers are today as they are all from my pink snippet file. The gems, button and ribbon are all from my stock. The challenges I'm entering the card into are as follows
Pollycraft - Warm It Up (as in teapot ;))

DCM - Kitchenalia

Colour Create - pink, green and a handmade flower

Secret Crafter - food and drink

Passion For Promarkers- recycle (the ribbon on the flower is from a blouse)

Delightful Challenges - distress / vintage

Thanks for looking, see you tomorrow :)

Something blue.....

I was playing with some blue papers the other day, making my DT card with the lovely blue freebie paper from Funky Hand, when I decided to make a start on an album for the sister of a very special friend of mine. Carol was 50 the week before Christmas and wanted an album to put her birthday photos in.

I've used the sketch, again on it's side, from Kathy's Waffle Sketch File image is a See Dee stamp from years ago, it is one of my favourite clothes stamps but I always forget about it, and am going to add my page to the following challenges

Pixie's Crafty Snippet challenge as the small pieces of paper are Funky Hand snippets (I must be heading for a turn on the roundabout now :))

Anything Goes Challenge blog and their challenge this week is Anything Goes

Funky Hand - January Blues

Secret Crafter - Anything goes with blue

Sir Stampalot - Monochromatic

Thanks for looking!

Passion........

..For Promarkers set the theme of "Celebrations" for their last challenge and as we have birthdays on Christmas day and Boxing day in our family it was easy to fit this challenge in with my last minute makes. I did a few different celebratory cards but am only entering the first one into the challenge as none of the others use Promarkers on them.

My first card is for hubby's nephew who was eight on Christmas day.

Image is Skateboard Ian from the Greeting Farm, paper is by Kanban (freebie) and MME, the rub on letters are Doodlebug and the rest is from my craft cupboard.

 Papers are Sweet Love by First Edition, sentiment stamp is from a set of Kids Quotes by Inkadinkadoo, greeting is from Craftwork Cards, flowers are die cut and premade paper roses and the ribbon is from my craft room.

 The guest book was a last minute commission which came in two days before the wedding!

 Quote is from a set by Stampendous (I just love them) and everything else is from my stock. I found the ribbon (it reads Health, wealth, happiness, fertility, long life) and the tiny silver stick on hearts when I was sorting through a drawer a couple of weeks ago...I don't know how long they had been there but I unearthed other stuff too which will make an appearance over the coming weeks :)

The last card was for my dad who was 75 on Boxing Day.

The big numbers are made using Word as I showed in a tutorial a while ago, I have 'misplaced' my large numbers since I put them somewhere where 'I would know straight away where to look!!' Papers are by MME again.

As well as the Passion For Promarkers challenge I am going to enter my cards in the following challenges

Secret Crafter - Anything Goes

Jules Crafty Snippet challenge #51

Thanks for looking. I have a table plan to make today for one of the Holiday Inn, Doncaster for their New Years Eve dinner tomorrow evening so must crack on. I'm hoping to come back later and show case my five favourite Christmas cards, oh, and I have some really good news to share.

What started as one....

led to 7...cards that is! I bought a 6 x 6" paper pad ( First Edition - Hideaway) in the Range last week and decided yesterday morning that I would use it. It is so unusual for me to do that for two reasons, one is that it's very rare for me to actually buy papers at the mo (I'm still trying to deplete the paper and card mountain) and the other reason is that I have had it for less than a week and have used it already :) Normally I hang onto papers until they are well past their sell by date and I've stroked all the pattern off, and then I use them :)

I decided that I would use my pretty new papers to make a birthday card the new sketch on Kathy's Sketch File (which doesn't go live until next week). I then thought I would use the scaps to make another card and decided on an engagement card as I was down to the last couple on the rack, and this is what I came up with and it fits the new challenge at the Allsorts Challenge Blog, which is Lemon and Lime and the Papertake Weekly challenge which is "Here Comes the Sun - It was here yesterday but now it’s gone again, so for most of the UK girlies we will really have to use our imagination as we don't see the sun that often lol!!

So quite simply you just need to create a card that reminds you of summer or has a sunny summery feel."

The lace is from Creative Treasures, the ribbon, flowers and gems etc are from my craft stock and the butterfly is a MS punch.
Once I had finished this I thought I would use the remaining paper to make another card while it was on my desk but there wasn't enough so I had to cut into another sheet and I made this one which fits this weeks challenge at Passion For Promarkers which is "set by Andie and she has chosen “park life”.  We want you to dig out all your images that show what you can do in the park, such as play on the swings, walk your dog, ride your bike etc." It also fits the challenge for Penny Black at Allsorts and the remit is to use your favourite Penny Black Stamp. I really struggled with my choice of stamp as although I don't have many PB stamps, I do have a few faves :)

 The Penny Black image was coloured with Promarkers. 

The next card was made from the offcuts from the previous one (notice the pattern emerging?) with a strip from 

 another sheet used to cut the flowers and flourishes which are both Sizzlit dies. This card fits the Secret Crafter challenge of embossing as the brad was triple embossed and then dunked into some Glamour Dust.

 The next card was made for the DCM challenge from yesterday. It's Lythan's turn to set the Dare this week and her remit was to make a wedding card but I forgot my something blue, sorry Lythan. My card also fits the challenge at Moving Along With The Times which is "A card with clean lines, minimal elements, areas of white space and few or no embellishments." I haven't seen this challenge before but I love CAS cards.

I couldn't find a 'congrats' rub on so used a tiny peel off *sharp intake of breath* lol and the final card is made up of the tiny pieces left over from all of the above cards (Jules would be so proud of me :))

The image is from Pink Petticoat and the sentiment is a Papermania sticker. The gems are from my stash.


Well that's it from me for now. I am so pleased that I managed to do some challenges at long last and I'm off to bed now.


Night x

Happy summer!

My searching skills on the web are diabolical. I usually find what I'm looking for eventually but it takes me a while as I'm never quite sure how 'refined' my searching terms should so I went happily in search of 'free water digi stamps', then images, I came across the fabulous free digi stamp by Hambo Stamps and it just fitted the bill perfectly.

The theme this week on the Secret Crafter's blog, set by Wendy is water. She would like to see water somewhere on your card. The theme for the monthly Sir Stampalot challenge is "Lazy Hazy Days of Summer. We all have different ideas of what this time of year means to us and how we like to spend our time, so we want you to share your take on the Summer season."  and yet again they have another fantastic prize on offer. I also used the current sketch for the Sketch Saturday challenge

 I coloured the image with Promarkers and used a white gel pen to highlight his rubber ring etc. Paper is from cosmo Cricket (I think, from a while ago) and the brads and ric rac are from my stash.

I shall be back in the morning to add my card to the relevant challenges.

Take care and sleep tight.
 

Secret Crafter

"This week's challenge has been set by the lovely Victoria and she has chosen her challenge with Wimbledon  in mind. She has chosen a theme of:-

STRAWBERRIES & CREAM

Now this can be actual strawberries or just a colour combo for inspiration - it's up to you."

 

I chose to go with the fruit instead of just the colour....far tastier :)

I can't find where the image is from. On my old lap top I had all my digi images in folders under the name of the artist. When I started reloading all my data onto this machine, half of the names seem to have disappeared for some strange reason, so if it is your image, I am truly sorry. The image was coloured with Promarkers, the large piece of pink paper is from Stampin Up and everything else is from my stash.

Thanks for looking x

Keepsake box

The theme on Secret Crafter's blog this week is wedding (right up my street!) and as I've had a couple of wedding orders I've been working on this week I can take part :)

The butterflies are cut with a Quickutz die and everything else is from my stash!
Thanks for looking.

By the skin of my teeth

The cover of an album I'm working on at the mo which has been made to the brief of the Secret Crafter's challenge of Buttons and Blooms. Flowers are cut using a large Stampin Up punch and the heart is the old Sizzix #1 die.

I think I'm just on midnight which means I've broken my run of blogging every day....I've been meaning to upload this all day but have been stuck into the album and also spent an hour weeding the garden :(

wedding cards

part two! My daughter delivered the wedding card yesterday to the brides mum who was in turn delivering it to her mum (the brides nana who commissioned it) and she liked it so much she asked me to make her one too hence the daughter and son in law on the front. I also had to make one for DD to take with her as she has gone to the evening reception. However, it is still on the back of the chair, where she put it to remind herself to pick it up!!!

Image is by Sally-Ann at The Digistamp Boutique, no DP on this one just more white card punched with a Martha Stewart corner punch, ribbon, rings and gems from stash. I made this card for the Secret Crafter's challenge of no patterned paper and forgot to upload it last night

DD's card I made for the Friday Sketchers challenge for last week and again forgot to upload it last night.....what a muppet lol

No patterned paper on this one either, I just used embossing folders instead but the camera hasn't picked it up. I love this stamp...yet another very old one. I can't remember where I bought it as it is unmounted but I think it might have been from Rubadubadoo. Everything else is from my stash.

Right, I photographed all the work we have done for the Wrap Up A Kiddie so am just about to go and upload it.
See you tomorrow :)

Secret Crafter

have Get Well cards as their subject this week which is very handy as my dad isn't well :) He had a hip replacement on Wednesday and this is the card I made him

 The sketch is from Papertake Weekly, papers are from my box of bits and pieces and the images were sent to me by a friend so I'm not sure where it came from. It made him smile anyway :)
Thanks for looking :)

Mother's day

Valentine cards are all done so it's onto Mother's day cards now! I've mixed a couple of challenges starting with the sketch from Sketch and Stash

My new item is the lovely daisy image which came for my DT work from Nikki at DewDrop Craftz It really is a lovely set to work with :) I've used

Papers are from Pink Petticoat 

Bazzil Bling

Promarkers

Nestabilities

Lace 

Papermania Shimmer Dots

The Secret Crafter's challenge today is Monochrome tones of one colour and white so my card fits that challenge too.

I made this card yesterday for the Secret Crafter's challenge of 'hearts' for last week and when I came to blog it last night I realised it was after midnight and therefore too late lol

Back soon, thanks for looking

Secret Crafter's

Saturday challenge had a colour challenge this week and I thought the colours were perfect for a man's card!

Materials: papers - Brenda Pinnick and We R Memory Keepers, image - Digi Stamp Boutique, Promarkers,

ribbon - Ribbon Oasis and rub on - Crate

TFL

Pink Petticoat

Good morning from an absolutely miserable and very wet Scruff's Corner! Pink Petticoat have a challenge on their blog for the month of November and the brief is
To win them you need to make a pillow box using your Pink Petticoat goodies!

If you need a template, there is even a free one you can download on the blog. Below is the scrummy prize Liz has on offer.........now who wouldn't want to win these :) I only popped over to the blog to leave her a comment on the gorgeous new penguin digi stamps she has just released. It was just coincidence that I needed a couple of quick gift boxes (the pyramid box template is on the Pink Petticoat blog too) and cards. Materials used are Snowflake papers and Penguin digi stamps - Pink Petticoat, satin ribbon - Ribbon Oasis,
Sakura Gelly Roll and Glaze pens, Glamour Dust, flower - Prima, DewDrop from stash

The red box is my entry to the competition.
I am entering the blue one into three challenges.
Colour Create - the colours this week are blue, white and silver and the extra challenge is winter and glitter

Papertake Weekly - Digi Sparkle, So we want to see a something digi on your card - could be an image or paper, whatever you want to use - plus a bit of something nice and sparkly and blingy. I think Glamour Dust is wonderfully sparkly and blingy!

Secret Crafter - Four seasons, Now you could use all four or just one season - it's up to you!

Thanks for looking.

When will I ever ......

....learn to read properly!!?!!

I visited the Secret Crafter's blog this morning to see what the new challenge was and saw the message from Wendy about the DT place prize from last week. I didn't notice when I did last week's challenge that you had to add DT to the Mr Linky/comment to be in with a chance, consequently, I didn't do it :( )h well, that will teach me!

Anyway, I've made a card for the challenge which is by Debby and she wants us to use Autumnal colours I also used the sketch #73 from Friday Sketchers

Materials: images - Pink Petticoat, ribbons - Ribbon Oasis, flowers - Prima,
flower centre - dew drop from my huge tub of them :))

DH has a wedding and a renewal of vows this evening so the cards are both for him.

Secret Crafter

The challenge on the Secret Crafter's blog this week is Now onto this week's challenge which is set by Secret Crafter herself WENDY and she has chosen a theme of:-

CELEBRATION

We want to see any project as long as it could be for a celebration.
What could be easier? There are some fab prizes on offer too as they are celebrating their blogaversary!

Materials: 'cake' paper and glittered vellum - Papermania and everything else is from my stash.
Oh, and the sentiment was done on the lap top

I'm pleased with the way this card turned out as it was made almost entirely from bits on my desk, yes, let your imagination run wild as to the state of it LOL. I haven't even got the courage to put a picture on the What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday. As usual my card is on the simple side (I mean not cluttered, not stupid :)) and the only thing which was used but wasn't on my desk was the vellum and unfortunately I had to cut into a new sheet *:0*, because I didn't have any in my off cuts box!

I may be back later with a couple more cards but I have a stationery order to finish and they are being collected about four oclock.

Take care x

One for the girls

for today, my card for the Secret Crafter which is "This week it's the lovely DONNA's turn to set the challenge and she has taken pity on us and chosen something that we all love. ONE FOR THE GIRLS Any creations as long as it's girl themed. Now you can embellish until your hearts content LOL."
and Mojo Monday's sketch challenges for this week.

Materials: Image and sentiment - Patti Picklicious, ProMarkers, Prima flower, Card Candy - Craftwork Cards

And finally, another commission. This time it was to make a 'ticket wallet' for Arctic Monday tickets as a birthday pressie but I had to incorporate the cd cover too. I decided to make it look like a cd and was quite pleased with the way it turned out. I have an album to do for the same person but that is Monday's job.He he, I've just realised that I forgot to edit the last picture. I'll do it tomorrow and upload it again.
I must get back to work now as I have a wedding fayre tomorrow and still have two seating plans to make and my stuff to sort.

One card.........

three challenges :) which are Kathy's Sketch File (which is the sketch), Stamp Something (This week we are challenging you to create some Animal Somethings! We want to see some cute and sweet and funny animal images on your creations this week!) and Secret Crafter's challenge (which is Flights Of Fancy-We want to see anything with wings on your projects.)

Image- Penny Black Embrace, Promarkers, Ribbon- Ribbon Oasis,
Rub on sentiment-Crate Papers (I think), Paper - Pink Petticoat, Heart charm - stash

TFL

Secret Crafter's...

.....Saturday Challenge #27 with a twist! This week's challenge has been set by our lovely DONNA. She has designed a fabulous sketch to follow but with a colour twist of Chocolate Orange with the yummy pic as inspiration! As usual any project but we must be able to recognise the sketch and also using the colours as the main palette.

Papers used are My Mind's Eye one of which has been punched with an MS border punch bought in Michael's in Greenwich Village (I love saying that (even though that's about all I did manage to buy!)) Card Candy is from Craftwork Cards, stamp is by Funstamps and he has been coloured with Promarkers and had his heart and nose Glossy Accented, the ribbon is from my stash and the sentiment was done on the computer.

Two in one!

Challenges and card that is LOL I decided to combine challenges again as time is against me once more. I have weddings coming out of my ears at the mo, which is fab, but I also need to fill my card box as I've got about a dozen left to sell 8-) Every time I get in front of myself one of my shops pinches them lol

Anyway, I have a couple of cards to show. This one is for the DCM challenge, set by Jo, from last Friday which states "I would like this week to see cards with a chick, a bunny or both!Of course you may add anything else to your cards"
and The Secret Crafter's challenges which is STITCHING
As usual any project as long as there is stitching on your card faux or real - it's up to you!

I even used another of my own sketches :)) (which I will upload as soon as I have tidied it up)

The yellow striped paper is an off cut, the zig zag was punched using one of my new MS punches from New York, sparkly floral ribbon is from Michaels ($1 a roll!) and the flowers are a mix including Prima and Dunelm. The image is another beauty from Sally-Ann at Grab-a Doodle-Do which I coloured with Promarkers, the faux stitching was done with a Sakura metallic pen and the sentiment was printed.