Sue's Snippits

Jewellery gifts

2012-01-05T16:25:00.002Z

Quite a few of the Christmas gifts that I gave this year were handcrafted jewellery items. Some were made from scratch but a couple were made from ‘bits’ which I had given to me and then altered.

These cute little memory wire bracelets were given to my grandaughters as stocking fillers.

This cascade style bracelet was made for my daughter, it uses silver plated jump rings, silver coloured shiny and textured beads and pink glass drop beads.

These 2 pictures show the altered jewellery items which were in fact both broken. I simply used the components to make my own, with the addition of ear-ring wires and silver plated chain.

Sue xx

‘Special’ Christmas cards

2012-01-01T13:37:00.003Z

I realised i’ve not blogged for absolutely ages so thought i’d post the cards I made for the family this Christmas.

The week before Christmas I received a lovely gift of flowers through the post from my Mum, 10 days later they still look beautiful.On Christmas eve Mick gave me a potted orchid as he couldn’t find any nice flowers. Another bud has opened already, I just hope I can keep it alive.

Family cards

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I hope everyone had a good Christmas and a very Happy New Year.

Sue xx

Baby time again

2011-11-03T12:09:00.003Z

My daughter’s friend had a baby boy last weekend, the card has already been sent but i’ve just finished off the blanket which I have been knitting.

The card uses an image and background papers from Teddy Friends cd by Peerless designs. It’s all printed onto pearlescent paper to give a nice sheen to it.There’s a narrow mat of silver foiled card behind the image.

The inside has the same image suspended on fine wire in an aperture.

The blanket is in white and to finish it off I managed to crochet a single chain into each of the holes around the edge. This is done in pale blue and gives it a nice fresh look. It measures about 27 inches square and is knit from corner to corner, increasing each row until the size is achieved then decreasing each row.

This little fellow just had to get in on the act but he’s staying with me.

Sue xx

Male cards

2011-10-19T22:02:00.003+01:00

It’s my brother’s birthday today and my brother in law and young nephew have birthdays next month so here are the cards I made. They all use images from MCS.

This is for my brother who has his own motorbike. I’ve put various bits and pieces together to make this image then added the text before printing. I used a very dark cardstock for the card.

This is for my brother in law who likes his fishing. I’ve added a tag and scrap of silver yarn.

This is for my nephew, all layered up in MCS before being printed.

Thanks for looking.

Sue xx

Decopatch

2011-10-13T10:01:00.002+01:00

This was a new craft introduced to me back in May, along with my daughter I covered 4 letters to go in the kitchen on a canvas. Sadly i’ve not finished the project.

However at the recent ICHF show in Cardiff I came across the stand selling the items and paper to cover them.

These geckos are something i’d noticed before and to me this paper seemed to be made especially for them.

The canvas measures about 16x20 inches and has distress ink in orange and green shades roughly rubbed over it.

This is the large gecko done in a stone colour paper with brown veining. It looks like cracked paint. The smaller ones are done in a lovely bright green with dark green veining. Where i’ve not layered so much paper the colour of the mdf gives them an almost yellow tinge.

The canvas is ready to go on the wall now, in the hallway right by the front door.

Sue xx

Finished bunting.

2011-08-24T21:55:00.002+01:00

Following on from my post of a couple of months ago here are the 3 sets of Tando bunting that needed to be finished. Each of my grandchildren now have their name to display.

First one is for our Grandson with different paper on each piece, silver letters, which don’t show up very well in the photos, a few buttons and lots of card candy, painted in pale green and tied together with pale blue ribbon.

’Little’ Faith all in pink spotty paper with purple letters on pink backgrounds. Embellishments include adhesive ribbons, flowers, brads, card candy and pearly doodles. This is all fastened together with lemon ribbon. I think this is actually my favourite, I just love the way the painted background goes so well with the spotty paper.

‘Big’ Faith has purple starry paper with darker purple letters outlined in silver faux stitching on purple backgrounds. Embellishments include buttons, brads, flowers, self adhesive ribbon and card candy. All held together with white ribbons.

A few close-ups now.

Now all of them together………

It’s a good thing all of them have quite short names.

Sue xx

More Romance

2011-08-18T12:24:00.002+01:00

It was our 37th Wedding Anniversary yesterday.

The card I made was quite simple, using the materials I had out on my desk. I think it works though and like the way it turned out.

It’s an A5 white card with a pale green textured backer.

The hearts have been stamped and embossed in white on pearlescent paper and layered up with just a tiny white border. 3 little paper daisies have green brad centres and have been added to the top corner.

The sentiment is also stamped and embossed in white with the whole thing finished off with a few pieces of card candy.

Another wedding card, this time for the couple next door who are getting married in a couple of weeks.

I’ve used white and pale pink pearlescent paper onto white hammered card, a Martha Stewart punch and white embossing powder on the heart stamp.

This time adding a loop of small pink seed beads and a couple of silver peel-offs.

Sue xx

Sugar Bowl #65 take 2

2011-08-18T11:54:00.003+01:00

Another card for the Sugar Bowl challenge using the same sketch but a different image.

This is my new Luv a Latte stamp from Sugar Nellie. In good light the pink doesn’t dominate the card quite so much as it appears here, it is after all a blue challenge.

I’ve used Promarkers to colour along with a Cuttlebug folder, Martha Stewart punch and peel-off greeting.

Sue xx

Matching set.

2011-08-16T21:59:00.002+01:00

Following on from the memory wire bracelet I did a few weeks ago, I decided to make a necklace to match.

I had to carefully count the seed beads and space them out as they are the last that I have in this lovely colour.

I’ve made 2 bracelets in this colourway now, one chunky incorporating the larger beads and one quite fine using just seed beads. Both are so easy to wear, I love them.

Sue xx

Wedding card

2011-08-14T11:09:00.002+01:00

Here at last is the wedding card I was asked to make.The base is hammered white card, overlaid with silver mirror board and pink pearlescent paper with a punched heart border. The sentiment is computer generated.

The hearts have been stamped onto white pearlescent paper, embossed in white and layered up onto mirror board. Swarovski crystals have been hung from the top of each one.

There are 4 pages of inserts, though i’m showing only 3 as the first has a photo of the couple. The centre pages are printed onto the same pink pearlescent paper as on the front while the outer 2 are on super smooth white paper.

This page has 3 verses and a photo of one of my son’s doves.

This has 1 verse and the dove with room for a handwritten message.

The last page is a picture of the vessel on which they will be spending their honeymoon.

The reverse of the card features the same papers as the front. (excuse the finger-marks on the mirror card, they will be wiped off)

The card measures around 19cm square so a single A4 sheet was not big enough, that’s why it’s joined in the back. It also gave me the chance to hide the workings of attaching 4 separate insert papers as they go between the fold and back piece.

Sue xx

Sugar Bowl #65

2011-08-12T20:20:00.002+01:00

Another challenge from the Sugar Bowl challenge blog. A sketch to follow and the colour blue to be used.

Having 3 Grandaughters and only 1 Grandson most of my crafting tends to be pink or purple but I found a piece of blue backing paper in my Henbury Lane stack to use. I teamed it with pink roses from the same pad, a Martha Stewart punch and some white ribbon. The bow is hung with a silver jump ring. The image is Daisy from Sugar Nellies, she has been coloured with Promarkers.

I’m also entering this for the Sugar Nellie fb challenge which is to use punches/die cuts. It also fits in as:

a girly card on the Stampavie challenge this week.

Say it with flowers on the Pixie Cottage.

Sue xx

More beads and a card.

2011-08-11T16:48:00.002+01:00

It’s my Mum’s birthday later this month, her card is all ready for her along with a bit of beading, in the form of a matching bracelet and necklace set.

I’ve used large seed beads in a matt finish and the cascade method of attaching them with silver plated jump rings. I’ve only used a small section for the necklace as it can get quite heavy, and attached decorative chain to it at either side.

I’ve used this lovely Daisy stamped image coloured with Promarkers for the card. The papers are Henbury Lane, the dots on the middle piece are actually glossy but it doesn’t show up very well.The punch is by Martha Stewart and the swirl is a die-cut but i’ve no idea where from. The circles and ovals are Nesties. It's a large card made by scored an A4 sheet into a square shape and attaching another sheet cut down to size for the back.

Sue xx

Paper and beads

2011-08-08T22:24:00.002+01:00

I made these for my friend Lynn whose birthday it was last week.The image is a beautiful digi from Funky Kits. Coloured with Promarkers, it is simply layered with the addition of a die-cut corner and some pearlescent card. A few pieces of silver card candy finish it off.

The memory wire bracelet uses seed beads in a beautiful aubergine colour, larger beads in amethyst and 2 different shades of pink glass beads. I honestly try to do random with my spacing but this is as good as it gets – between 19 & 22 seed beads between each cluster of 3 larger ones. lol.

The bookmark uses lots of different elements found in my stash along with a little ‘made with love’ heart charm. Sorry about the rather bright blue background.

Sue xx

Sugar Bowl #64 take 2

2011-08-08T15:54:00.003+01:00

This time a square card using the same image and layout but in a different colour scheme.

I must admit i’ve cheated a little bit by using a lace edge punch from Martha Stewart rather than actual lace.

Sue xx

Sugar Bowl #64

2011-08-08T09:38:00.002+01:00

A card at last!

This is for the challenge on the Sugar Bowl blog.

This is the sketch provided for the challenge, the other thing was to include lace, which I managed.

Here is what I came up with.I’ve used A4 cardstock folded to make an nice large A5 card. The image is a digi coloured with Promarkers. her hair looks a little bit pink in the light I had for the photo this morning but in reality is a soft shade of brown. HOTP papers and a Tim Holtz flourish form the backing and I wired a few flower and seed beads to sit on top of the lace and a tiny gem for a bit of sparkle.

I’m also including this for the Sugar Nellies fb challenge to use orange and yellow.

Sue xx

RELAX

2011-08-03T22:26:00.002+01:00

Something else a little different to show today.

I’ve been working on this canvas for over a week now even though it has been planned for far longer.

I found the letters way back in May and that’s when I had the idea. At the time I wasn’t sure where the finished piece was going to live but once we started decorating the bedroom at the back of the house I knew this is where it would go.

I painted the canvas with the same paint as the main walls and the chipboard letters in the gorgeous damson shade of the feature wall.

The swirls are coloured with promarkers in Apple then toned down with Ivory. I added card candy, self adhesive gems and fabric flowers.

Thanks to Paddy for cutting the swirls out for me and to the very generous Lynn for the hot glue gun to stick all the bits and pieces in place.

As soon as it was assembled this morning my lovely hubby put a fixing on the back and hung it on the wall for me.

Sue xx

Journal pages

2011-07-13T10:48:00.002+01:00

Following my find of water soluble wax crayons a few weeks ago I decided to have a play. The background was done a couple of weeks ago and left until I knew what to do with it.

I used the crayons and a damp brush to create the colour then brushed white acrylic over them – it was supposed to be gesso but I picked up the wrong tub and used it without looking. Doh! It looks ok I suppose but not what I had in mind.

The Paper Nation stamp seemed to fit with the words I had in mind and the flower border filled in the space on the other side nicely. It’s a straight border but because it’s a clear acrylic stamp I could bend it easily.

The doodling is not very imaginative but i’m working on it.

Sue xx

Sugar and Swirl

2011-07-12T21:48:00.002+01:00

The postman brought me a little crafting goodie this morning so I had to have a play. I bought this lovely swirly die from a friend, it’s a sizzix Tim Holtz die called Elegant Flourishes. I’d used it before at the Bubbly retreat last year but didn’t think it would fit in my Cuttlebug, however when I found this for sale I did a bit of research and was so pleased to find it was compatible.

I’ve cut quite a few out this morning in different colours but funnily enough this is one I cut last year. The lovely little image was also acquired at the retreat but only just coloured in. She’s a Sugar Nellie Gorjuss Girl. I’ve used Promarkers in shades of purple and grey and added a tiny heart gem in her hair.As usual i’ve used my favourite purple and lime green combination. The papers are Henbury Lane from Papermania and i’ve edged them in the same Promarker used for the dress. The swirl is cut from green pearlescent card and a Martha Stewart punch used on the purple mat, i’ve used a purple gem at the end of each swirl.I’m including this into a challenge i’ve found on facebook on the Sugar Nellies group page, ‘Anything goes’.

I just realised this is the first card i've blogged in almost a month as i've been so busy with beading and crochet projects. I have made cards between times but just not shown them for some reason.

Sue xx

More beads

2011-07-05T09:41:00.002+01:00

A couple more beaded bracelets to show, this time on memory wire.

I’ve used the whole piece of about 5 loops to create these two.

This first one uses creamy white seed beads and Chinese crystal bicones.

I wanted a more wintery feel to this one so used seed beads in an aubergine colour and matched them with larger beads in a similar shade in both matt and pearlescent finishes. A lot of my winter wardrobe is in burgundy so this should go well with it.

They are very easy to make as it’s just a matter of threading the beads but the wire is very stiff so making a loop in the ends to keep the beads on can be a little tricky. I actually broke one of the crystals doing this and had to replace it.

I should have had 2 more to show using half the amount of loops but my daughter was here at the weekend and tried them on. Strangely she ‘forgot’ to take them off when she left.

Sue xx

I’m on a roll now!

2011-06-28T12:07:00.002+01:00

Following on from last night’s crochet lesson I decided to find a video tutorial for a flower and this is my result.

To say that i’m pleased with myself is a bit of an understatement. However this is nothing in comparison to this piece I just found of my Nan’s work. Mine is worked in DK yarn whereas hers is in fine crochet cotton.

I have 6 smaller coaster sized ones as well, this one measures at least 17 inches across.

It was made at least 40 years ago and must have taken her many hours to complete with all those tiny stitches. I remember though she used to make table mats with string so she was very versatile in her work. Funnily enough I don't remember seeing her use a pattern for anything, I suppose so many years experience gave the the confidence and knowledge to work it out for herself.

Sue xx

I did it!!!

2011-06-27T19:45:00.002+01:00

I am so pleased with myself tonight.

After many, many attempts I think I have finally got the hang of crochet. My Nan tried to teach me many times when she was alive and I could never get to grips with it. She used to produce some beautiful things, some of which I still have.

I was given a website address a few weeks back and tried then but couldn’t quite get it right so thought i would have another go.

Suddenly something clicked and I knew what i’d done wrong. I’d always been able to do a simple chain and knew how to hold the yarn and hook but that certain something eluded me.

This is what I managed in only the time it took for my tea to go cold. lol

Now I know my tension is all over the place but what do you expect in my excitement, at least it looks like the picture online and I have the correct number of stitches.

Sue xx

A few beads

2011-06-26T11:35:00.003+01:00

A few beads and a lot of jump rings to make up this bracelet.

I started playing last night and just finished it this morning. I can see a few of the rings need closing a bit tighter but there are enough of them to hold it together.

I’ve done 2 double chains and fastened them together with double links then added more rings with 3 seed beads on each.

I've done it a bit shorter than I need it but added a few plain links on the end, it's surprising how low it drops onto my hand with the weight of all those rings.

Sue xx

Puss cat card

2011-06-16T08:35:00.002+01:00

It’s my daughter’s 25th birthday today, HAPPY BIRTHDAY SALLIE, and as soon as I saw the new cd that Joanna Sheen was bringing out I knew that i’d find an image for her card. The Furry Friends cd features images by Rachel Hale

I think this particular image is so beautiful. The card uses 2 pieces of A4 to make an 8inch square card, the join being disguised by the insertion of a piece of pearlescent paper punched with a Martha Stewart edge punch. I’ve printed the image in 2 sizes and given them pale pink pearlescent backers.The swirl is cut from green pearlescent card, I think it’s a sizzix die, it’s been slotted just under the main image. I’ve glittered the roses and layered them onto white paper flowers.

Even the left side of the insert has tiny paw prints all over it, I had to leave the other side plain to print the verse.

Sue xx

Name banner

2011-06-08T11:02:00.002+01:00

I wrote in a previous post that I had been trying lots of different things in my crafting – using chipboard was one of them.

This set of scalloped banners is from Tando Creative. There are 5 inner pieces and 5 scalloped outers in the pack.

I’m going to do one for each of our Grandchildren, luckily they all have short names. This is the first of those for the youngest.

I’ve sponged acrylic paint over the scalloped pieces and coloured the edges with Smooch ink in green.

The inner pieces have been covered in pretty paper from K & Co. I cut letters with my craft Robo Lite and after colouring them with Promarkers covered them in glossy accents.

I added a large flower to the first piece and lots of embellishments to the others – flowers, brads, buttons, ribbons etc., the pieces have been tied together with narrow ribbon, a ‘made with love’ charm hung from the end and braid attached to enable it to be hung.

Sue xx

Card & pressie

2011-06-07T17:58:00.002+01:00

Showing the card and jewellery gifts I made for my daughter-in-law’s birthday last week.

The pearlescent backer and patterned paper are both from a pack I had from Crafter’s Companion some time ago.

The pretty little dream catcher embellishment is from a necklace I found recently in a fashion shop which was closing down. I simply removed it from it's original cord and attached a couple of jump rings so that it hangs freely. Topped off with a small pink organza bow I think it looks a lot nicer than it did hanging from the beaded cord.The border is a Martha Stewart punch and card candy finishes the it off nicely.

I put my newly acquired beading skills to good use and made a set of earrings, necklace and bracelet with small blue beads.

Sue xx

A touch of purple

2011-05-30T16:53:00.002+01:00

I was asked by a friend to make a 65th birthday card, the only clue I was given was that the recipient likes purple. That’s not a problem for me as I love the colour myself.

There’s just a touch of it I think you’ll find. lol Coupled with my other fave at the moment pale lime green.

I’ve used, once again, the two little mice from Penny Black and coloured them with Promarkers. The doiley is a Marianne Creatables die cut and the scalloped mat is a Nestie. The sentiment is computer generated.I’ve used lots of fabric flowers with paper flowers and brads for the centres. Organza and shiny ribbon finish it all off.

The insert uses a background and images from MCS, but i’m not sure which cd they come from.

I must remember to get Sallie to bring the mouse stamp with her when she visits again as I have now run out of the ones I had stamped. It’s a lovely little image, so useful for many occasions.

Sue xx

Different

2011-05-29T17:50:00.002+01:00

Another entry onto my journal pages. This time a double page spread with the theme of different.

Why Different? Well, since March a lot of things are different in my life – new home, new doctor, dentist and hairdresser. Yeah we finally got a dentist here in Wales after travelling back and forth for over 4 years. ha ha

In my crafting also a lot of different things for me to try. This journaling, with it’s doodling and writing is very new for me as well as some of the inking techniques.

I’ve not used acrylic paint before in my crafting but have used it quite a bit this weekend in a couple of projects. Using chipboard is something different as well, but i’m not ready to show that project yet. I’ve used digital stamps for the first time and have a few samples to share later. Beading is not entirely new for me but i’ve not enjoyed it as much before.

Another very different thing I want to try is crocheting but i’m going to have to go online for instructions and be very patient with myself as i’ve tried and failed before.

Sue xx

My first time.

2011-05-26T17:44:00.002+01:00

At the recent Retreat some of the Bubblies did a class on Art Journaling, I wasn’t so sure about this so didn’t buy any supplies. In the raffle though there was an A6 notebook and a couple of pens so I thought i’d have a go.

I’ve had an enforced craft day today as Sky phone lines have been down, meaning no internet for us.

I decided to get inky and painty and amongst other things I managed a page in the journal. I don’t have the water soluble wax crayons which were used but tried with acrylic paints instead, painting and sponging 2 colours together.

This is what I came up with.

I used a small flower border stamp and coloured in with white using black and purple pens for the writing and doodling. I’ve got a long way to go yet before I have the confidence to do much freehand doodling but i’m pleased with this as it is my first attempt. I hate my handwriting normally but it’s not bad like this.

Sue xx

Show & tell

2011-05-22T18:42:00.002+01:00

Following on from my last post, here are photos of most of the other things I made last weekend.

These images are digital downloads from Funky Kits.

They are so easy to colour, i've done them with Promarkers, layered them up and added paper flowers and brads.

These cute little mice are among my favourites and are from Penny Black.

Again coloured with Promarkers, layered up using doylies and flower dies from Marianne creatables.

The letters are from a class we did using chippie letters and decopatch papers. I did ‘H’ & ‘M’ and Sallie did the others to make ‘HOME’. I’m planning to put these onto a canvas but need to decide on a size and layout first.

Sue xx

Something different

2011-05-22T16:27:00.002+01:00

Last weekend 13 of us from the Bubbly Funk forum spent 3 nights away together at a cottage in Shropshire. This is the 3rd year for most of the ladies but only the 2nd for me. It was as though we had never been apart as we soon settled into chatting, laughing (lots), eating, drinking and crafting.

One of the classes was to be shown how to make a cascade bracelet from jump rings and beads.

I was impatient and decided to make a pair of earrings but was surprised at how quick and easy they were to make so started on another piece.

I added a couple of lengths of chain and a clasp and made a pretty necklace to match.

Sue xx

Hedgie

2011-04-27T21:44:00.002+01:00

Following the theme of the previous cards I made this for my sister’s birthday, again using a cute little stamped image coloured with Promarkers, cut with Nesties and layered up with a doyley and ribbon. Paper and fabric flowers with brad centres finish it off.

Sue xx

New House

2011-04-25T18:05:00.007+01:00

A few more pics of our new house as on my computer the ones on my previous post have somehow been replaced by little red crosses. Not sure if this is how everyone else sees them or not. Most confusing! We've managed to get rid of boxes from 2 of the bedrooms now. This is our 'girly' room, we've painted an old cupboard and a wooden bed frame in a soft lime and added Forever Friends transfers.

As there was some paint left over we decorated one wall as well. These colours fit in well with the purple curtains we had in the old house. This is our room up on the 2nd floor, with it's lovely sloping ceiling.
We don't have anything permanent up to the window yet, but are hoping to get a blind fitted before any neighbours move in behind us. In the meantime we have a voile curtain.

Sue xx

4 of a kind

2011-04-17T16:14:00.003+01:00

4 cards all using the same stamped image but looking quite different, thanks to the colouring and embellishments used.

I do love this little stamp of 2 little mice cuddling under a flower and have used it lots of times, mainly for birth congratulations cards. These will be used for birthdays though and I have used a variety of colours and background papers to make them individual.

I have coloured them all with Promarkers and shaded the card with chalk to soften it. Each has been cut-out with Nesties and in a couple layered up onto a doyley. each has a strip of ribbon or lace and a couple have paper flowers with brad centres.

The colouring on these 2 is very soft but I love the vibrancy of this last one with it’s bright red and yellow mats.

Sue xx

Back online.

2011-04-12T22:18:00.001+01:00

At last after a whole month without internet access we are back online. We moved last month into a new house and have had to wait for the phone line to be connected.

This is how the house looked the very first time we saw it back at the end of October last year.

We even went on New Year’s eve to look at the progress. The exterior was complete but we couldn't get close enough to find out what had been done inside. A month later and the garage had been built and the porch roof added. The drive has been compacted ready for the block paving and the front tidied up a bit. Round the back the patio has been laid and the ground prepared for the turf.From our bedroom window we can just make out the fairy-tale shape of Castell Coch through the trees . The roofs have been tiled now and the leaves are beginning to grow on the trees so we’ll only be able to see the castle during the winter months.

Sallie chose these border tiles for the bathroom, they seem to take on a different colour depending how you look at them. The ones below are in the en-suite shower room and i’m sure they are not the ones we chose but I love them. They are so textured with small irregular dots covered in what can only be described as glossy accents! This is the business end of the kitchen/diner on the front of the house. We still don’t have any window dressings as we can’t decide what style to have.

Sue xx

New Baby

2011-03-04T11:09:00.002Z

Another new baby has arrived in our circle of friends. The card uses images and backgrounds from MCS but isn’t how I would have liked it to be as all my embellishments are packed away somewhere ready for the move to our new house later this month. I was lucky in that the cd’s are installed on my laptop and I knew where to find the box with basic cardstock.

I’ve used the Papercraft Library volume 5 for the various components and put them all together on a spotty background. The text has been shaped using the MCS text programme. The printed page sits on a mat of pale purple card which matches one of the colours of the image.

I know exactly where all my knitting yarn is! The pattern for the little hats is a download from Crafts Beautiful magazine and is still on my laptop so easy to get access to. My laptop will never get packed away that’s for sure!

I’ve knit it in a textured pink yarn which has a slight shimmer to it and a pale lemon baby yarn, both very pretty. Each took only a couple of hours to knit and is ideal for using up yarn left from larger projects. I love the scalloped edge the pattern gives them.

The recipient will get them today so i’m safe in blogging them now.

I’ve decided to carry on knitting baby items as and when the fancy takes me so that I have something ready whenever it’s needed. I have loads of yarn ready to use. It relaxes me to knit and it’s something that I can do anywhere and at any time. In fact I have 2 blankets on the go at the moment.

Sue xx

Everyone’s 30!

2011-02-28T11:28:00.002Z

I’ve had 4 30th Birthdays to make cards for among my friends and family in the past few months. What was it about 1980-81 that produced these babies and brought them into our circle of friends?

This first one was made back in September for a friend. Forever Friends bears holding numbers, matted onto blue backing paper and layered onto a swirly background from the Docrafts cd.

This one was for my daughter’s partner who plays football.

The images and papers are all from the Docrafts Forever Friends Cd. even the band of spotty tape. At the time it was made I hadn’t come to grips with the way this Cd works so imported the images into MCS, this enabled me to give the rosette a drop shadow to give it a decoupage look. I also used the MCs programme to shape the text.

Made for my ex Daughter in Law from an MCS Cd, possibly Walk in Wonderland. The image has been digitally layered onto the background. The ‘clothing’ and parts of the wings have been enhanced with purple glitter to give texture to the card.

This final card was made for my son who had his birthday just last week.

It is made from the Forever Friends Black & Gold Cd. Lots of elements and images layered together then matted onto a gold paper and cream cardstock. The ‘holes’ in the tag have been covered with card candy to match the colour theme.

4 completely different looks even though 3 of them use similar images, all to celebrate 30th birthdays.

Sue xx

Meiflower blog candy

2011-02-08T16:56:00.003Z

Mei is a recent friend on facebook and on looking through her blog I came across her first ever blog candy giveaway.

She is giving away £50 worth of super crafting goodies, so very generous and lots of lovely items for a lucky winner. Do pop over and have a look.

Sue xx

Decorated Candles

2011-02-08T11:42:00.004Z

Something i’ve wanted to do for ages now is decorate candles. I actually bought some plain white candles for this purpose over 12 months ago but never got round to doing anything about it.

Well I finally plucked up courage and got out my stamps and inks and after scrabbling around for some white tissue paper which I knew I had somewhere from my cross stitch days. (Used when mounting finished projects to protect the fabric from any nasties in the backing materials.)

This one has been decorated with a Forever Friends image of the bear holding out a rose and some swirls. I've not coloured this as I didn't know if it would be safe to do so, but on reading through other blogs I see images that have been coloured so may try it next time.

This 2nd one was made with a family member in mind for her birthday. I used the stamp a few years ago on her card but have not used it since. I stamped it 3 times around the candle so it looks good from all sides.

I'm linking to a few challenges with these: Teddy Stampers - #29 Love Bears. Crafty Creations - #104 my love is like a red, red rose. TandaStamps - #164 share the love.

Sue xx

Knitting

2011-01-20T23:18:00.003Z

Here is a blanket i’ve knit for my new baby grandaughter Lily. It’s a very simple pattern, just cast on 4 stitches and then increase 1 stitch at the beginning of each row until the piece is the required size. Work 1 row straight before decreasing 1 stitch at the beginning of each row until you are back to 4. Then cast off. Simples!

I started off on short needles and ended up on a circular needle with 250 stitches.

The finished blanket measures 24 inches along each side and has been done using double knitting weight yarn on size 8 (4mm) needles. The colour is a variegated pink/orange mix which sounds odd but took my fancy when I first saw it.

I’ve since realised that it’s probably because I made myself a dress in fabric which was pink with tiny orange flowers when I was a teenager (many years ago)

Sue xx

80th Birthday

2011-01-10T15:41:00.002Z

It’s my MIL’s 80th birthday later this month and I actually got my stamps out to make a card. It makes a change from all the Cd images I used for my seasonal cards.

The stamps are from Joanna Sheen and I used a marker pen in Ballet Blue from Stampin’ Up instead of an inkpad. The ‘tea’ is coloured using a vanilla Promarker. The tablecloth has been embossed with Cuttlebug Swiss Dots and has a coloured lace border courtesy of Martha Stewart. The flowers and brads are Docraft and the numbers are about the only thing i’ve used my CraftRobo Lite for yet.

I particularly like the colour of the flowers on this and feel it gives a nice Spring-like feel to the card.

Sue xx

Grandparents again

2011-01-02T16:26:00.003Z

On New Years Eve we became Grandparents again, this time to Lily Hope who arrived at 2:25pm and weighed in at 6lb 8oz.

The Congratulations card uses an image and background paper from Teddies Friends cd by Peerless Designs.

It has been decoupaged and layered onto silver holographic card. Paper flowers have been coloured with Versa colour ink and held together with tiny pink brads.

Close-ups now, because I have a new camera capable of taking decent photos. Thanks to Mick for my surprise Christmas pressie.

Thanks for looking and HAPPY NEW YEAR to you all.

Sue xx

Merry Christmas

2010-12-24T15:51:00.002Z

I want to wish all my blogging buddies a very Merry Christmas, thank you for reading and leaving comments throughout the past year.

These are the cards I made for my Mum & Mum in Law this year. Images from Forever Friends cd, embossed backgrounds using Cuttlebug folders, lots of organza ribbon, seed beads and fabric flowers.

Sue xx

Christmas Bunting

2010-12-20T00:15:00.002Z

Over on the Bubbly Funk forum a group of us have worked together to make and decorate pieces of bunting. The pieces I received are in the green/red/gold combination but we also made pieces in a blue/white/silver combo for those who preferred it.

As you can see each one that I made is slightly different.

I had my pieces back last week and this afternoon decided to do something with them so armed with a hole punch, yards of glittery green cord and a large needle I sorted them into order. I ended up on the kitchen floor with them before hanging them from the door to get the spacing right.

I like how they turned out. Thank you everyone who took part, each piece of the bunting is totally different. I'd love to see how the other colour combo worked out.

In close-up.

Sue xx

‘Special’ Christmas cards

2010-12-18T13:40:00.003Z

Each year I try to come up with something different for the family cards I need to make. I’ve used images from Forever Friends Cd for all of them.

These first 2 are for my sons and are A4 in size. I imported the images and backing papers into MCS and manipulated them and added text. Both are layered up onto mirror card.

This is for my daughter. It’s an 8 inch square card that started off as A4 but went wrong so had to be layered up again. Another image from the same cd with added silver yarn and a Martha Stewart punched edge.

Sue xx

Frost & Ice

2010-12-09T16:20:00.001Z

Here, where we are in South Wales we have been very lucky with the weather in regard to the snow that most people have had recently.

At the beginning of this week though we have had some very hard frosts. This is what our front looked like on Monday morning, it stayed so cold that the the plants were white over until yesterday. It must have warmed up enough for it all to thaw out, not that the increase was noticeable. As you can see I stayed inside to take the picture – far too cold and slippery to venture out.

It does look very pretty though.

This icicle has formed from the air outlet from the shower.

Sue xx

Bag charms

2010-12-09T16:07:00.001Z

I made these 3 charms for my Grandaughters and my sister for Christmas.

The one for my sister was intended for last year, that’s when I bought the beads, just never got round to doing it.

The other 2 feature Hello Kitty which seems to be very popular right now.

The boxes are handmade too on my Hougie board. A brad and spacer has been used for the girls to enable them to get the lid off easier.

Sue xx

Kids Company

2010-12-01T17:16:00.002Z

A friend from facebook put me onto this site which helps under privileged children in London. She was knitting scarves to send out to ‘wrap up a kiddie’ so as I already had my needles out decided to knit a few as well.

I’ve only managed to finish 3 so far but with this very cold weather thought I had better get them posted off to be put to use.

The blue one is in chunky yarn and the other 2 use 2 strands of double knitting yarn. I’ve done single rib on BIG needles to make them feel very soft and warm.

Sue xx

Emerald Anniversary

2010-11-18T20:26:00.003Z

A friend asked me to make Anniversary cards for her Nan. I had done several cards for her own Wedding a few years ago.

I used my Forever Friends cd to make one for her young son to give to his great Grandparents.

It’s a DL sized card as I folded the A4 sheet back on itself.

This one is an image from Romantic Moments cd from MCS. The original is a single rose but I copied, flipped and rotated it. I added a simple sentiment in a fancy font.

It’s printed on pearlescent paper and mounted onto green cardstock. The hearts are a Martha Stewart punch. Small adhesive gems complete the look.

The final one is a large 8 inch square card. Again it’s an image from MCS Romantic Moments Cd. simply printed onto super smooth paper and mounted onto pearlescent paper decorated with another MS punch then onto green card.

This is a close-up of the sentiment.

It took me ages to match up the font for the insert as i’d forgotten that i’d done the front on the laptop and realised that the fonts are not the same on the pc. Why I don’t know as they both use the same edition of Windows.

Sue xx

Sad moment

2010-11-14T16:38:00.003Z

My Dad passed away at the end of last year and a couple of months ago we went with Mum to order the headstone for him.

I helped her with the wording and the etched image on it is taken from the card I made for her Birthday in August. It’s a fuchsia image from the MCS Cross Stitch Cd.

It was erected last week and I have just been to see it for the first time. It was very sad seeing it in place as it made everything seem so very real and final. I’m not ashamed to say that I shed a tear or two as I looked at it.

Sue xx

New baby

2010-09-14T12:20:00.001+01:00

An ‘old’ friend from a crafting forum and fb recently gave birth to a daughter so I made a card and knit a few things for her.

This jacket is my all time favourite to knit for babies, probably every baby I have knit for has worn it .

The lemon hat is a new pattern for me but i’m pleased with the way it has turned out. The lilac one is another favourite with it’s heart button to match the ones on the jacket.

The card features an image and background papers from Teddies Friends by Peerless designs.

It is the first time I have tried this style of card with the cut-out inside but I love the way it has worked out.

The hanging panel is suspended on fine wire and is the same as the one on the front, it is double sided .

Sue xxx

Dragon Hunting

2010-09-14T10:50:00.002+01:00

In Newport, Gwent where I live there have appeared some 60 large dragons throughout the City and surrounding areas this past month. Officially called Newport Super Dragons.

Here is the link to the official website.

During August while we had Faith with us we went out and about and actually found almost 30 on the first day. Sadly I didn’t think to take a picture of her with each one.

At the weekend I took Sallie and we found a few more.

Sadly some of them have had to be removed from their original positions and placed indoors for their own safety. Can you believe that some mindless (drunken) people actually ripped one of it’s plinth and threw it in the canal.

There are always some in the Den being repaired, this is such a shame as they look so beautiful around the place and have provided much pleasure for so many people. They will be auctioned off in October for charity.

Sue xxx

Anniversary & Engagement cards

2010-09-08T11:55:00.003+01:00

I was asked at the last minute by a friend to make an anniversary card for him to send to his wife.

He likes his cards to be romantic so this is what I came up with.

The image from MCS is printed onto super smooth card and layered up onto a gold coloured mat.

The sentiment is a gold peel-off.

The insert has the same image and a suitably romantic verse.

It was also our Anniversary last month and this is the card I made for Mick.

It is a printed from a Forever Friends cd. I printed the image onto the background paper and then onto super smooth card and decoupaged it on top.

Mum asked me to buy her an engagement card for her neighbour. BUY!!! I don’t remember the last time I actually bought a card so I set to and made her one.

This is what I came up with, again from the Forever Friends cd. Simply printed onto super smooth card and layered onto the white cardstock.

The insert has the same hearts background and smaller image printed onto it.

Sue xxx

Just because

2010-09-08T11:08:00.002+01:00

This is a card I made for my Mum to let her know we were thinking of her on what would have been her Wedding Anniversary.

It doesn’t seem right to ignore the date, which i’m sure is still important to her, because my Dad is no longer with us. It always will be the anniversary of the date they married.

The image is a Forever Friends stamp, coloured with Promarkers and layered onto squares of a paper by K & co. The sentiment is layered onto a scrap of the same paper. The cardstock is an ivory textured one with a slight sheen.

Sue xxx

One for the Girls.

2010-08-10T15:02:00.001+01:00

Over on Wild Orchid Challenges this week the theme is One for the Girls.

I've produced 2 cards with the toppers shown earlier for my grandaughters’ birthdays next month. One is going to be 6 and the other 9 years old.

I’ve used an A4 sheet of cardstock and folded it on the DL line to give a square shortfall card. The front has then been layered with pale green paper, to match the shoes and pink glitter card to create the full width required. The edges have been crinkle cut and the green paper decorated with the same punch which was used on the topper.

Scalloped and plain ovals cut with Nesties have been put on the glitter card and decorated with a peel-off number. The greeting is a peel-off and card candy finishes the card along with a pink crystal in the tiara.

This 2nd one has been cut the same but due to a mistake with the glue has more layers and a few border peel-offs, because of this i’ve not been able to fit a number on. Gold coloured card has been used to match the colouring on the topper. I've used a small peel-off greeting and 4 gems on the card as well as the gem in the tiara.

Sue xx

Card & Book

2010-08-08T14:39:00.003+01:00

I made this card and little book for Lynn’s birthday.

Since the schools finished for the holidays she seemed to have nothing but rain so I thought this image quite appropriate for her. Thinking back i’m almost certain I used an umbrella image last year for her.

It’s an easel type card held up with blue gems (raindrops)I’ve also used fabric flowers and spotty braid. The image, which is a new stamp but from where I can’t remember, is coloured with Promarkers.

This is the book I made for her, it’s only about 4 inches square and fastens together with spotty organza ribbon. The papers are K & Co but I don’t know the stamp as it was borrowed from Kaz.

The pages are cut, folded and glued back to back with a stiffer card for the cover.

Sue xx

Toppers

2010-07-23T13:07:00.001+01:00

I sat last night and coloured in some images with Promarkers and managed to get these 2 mounted up ready to use on cards. Both are the same Tilda image but using different colours for the hair and shoes. The different mounts make a big difference to them as well. I used glitter card and pearlescent card. The corners have been cut using a X Cut flower punch and my trusty corner rounder.

I know 2 little girls who will love the Birthday cards i’m going to use them on ;-)

Sue xx

More wrecking!

2010-07-21T11:56:00.001+01:00

Document time passing. Done with a collection of car park tickets since November last year.

From the M5 as we travelled home. we brought Mum with us so I sat in the back and was quite bored as I couldn’t see where I was going so well as from my usual seat. The cover has been decorated with Promarkers, they will write on anything including the shiny surfaces.

Sue xx

80th Birthday

2010-07-11T11:07:00.001+01:00

It’s my Mum’s 80th birthday next month but i’ve made her card already as I knew which image, from my stash of cds, I wanted to use.

Dad used to grow many varieties of fuchsia and Mum has managed to save a few for the garden this year.

The decoupaged image is from the Cross Stitch cd by My Craft studio, it has been printed onto super smooth paper and layered up onto backing papers and borders from the same cd. I’ve used a stepper card, folded with the help of my Hougie board, so that I could size it to fit the image.

The ‘80’ is in silver card and cut with my newly acquired Craft Robo Lite cutter.

The card is finished with a ribbon and bow in 2 shades of purple to match the images.

I’ve written this with Windows Live Writer so we’ll see if it turns out ok, if it does it’s easier to use than blogger for layout. Fingers crossed!

Sue xx

Not much to show!

2010-06-30T19:11:00.004+01:00

What a numpty!!!
The first time i've blogged in absolutely ages and i've very little to show. I've been making cards as when i've felt like it using new stamps and a new Cd. I have 5 birthdays coming up in July so decided to get the inserts printed and written all ready for when they are needed. Like an idiot I wrote the envelopes and sealed the cards inside before I realised i'd not photographed a single one of them.
I had 3 birthdays in June as well and forgot to photograph any of those cards either so will have to make do with a card I made way back in May for my great niece.
The images are from the Forever Friends cd by DoCraft.
I had a play and decided I couldn't really get on with the graphics package included with it so imported the images into MCS Pro and manipulated them that way. I printed the insert to match with lots of stars and ice cream sundaes, just right for a 3 year old.

Memo to self - photograph cards as soon as they are made in future.

Oh, i've had to put comment moderation on as some kind soul keeps posting ads for adult meds. They only do it one posting but quite persistantly keep commenting on an almost daily basis. annoying or what??!?

Wreck this Journal

2010-05-09T18:34:00.006+01:00

Sallie and I went to Barry Island yesterday and took our journals with us. She had already taken hers for a walk, so I tied string round the spine of mine and embarassed her by dragging my book along behind me. It had started to rain so it got a bit wet and manky. The corner that Lewis had turned up has been worn away completely now.I walked along and crossed the road, banging the book up and down the kerb.To prove that I had done this in public we waited for some others to pass by. Even the dog ignored us!

Wreck this Journal

2010-05-01T12:25:00.005+01:00

I've had this book for a few weeks now and after I got over my initial belief that books should be looked after and kept in good condition I am quite enjoying the various tasks. My first thing was to break the spine and bash it about a bit. I sent it unwrapped through the post but it came back in perfect condition! All that my son could bring himself to do was curl up the front corner. I must have brought him up well to respect books.

This is how it looks at the moment, doesn't close properly because of things glued into it but also because it has been wet under the shower and dried out.

These are my 'white' pages, My favourite at the moment I think. I've heat embossed and stuck various things in. I'll probably keep adding onto these as I think of things.

This is the first page I did with ink covered fingers.

I gave Mick a haircut yesterday and saved the hair for this picture. Mine would be too grey to see on the white paper!

Oh I really enjoyed doing this page! Scratching away with my scalpel and pokey tool.

I found this page after Sallie had gone home the other weekend. She wouldnt let me do anything to hers!

My 4 letter word page - all of them clean, I don't go in for swearing especially the 4 letter ones. I'll add to this as the fancy takes me.

Just a few things on this page at the moment. I pricked my thumb with my pricking tool and it bled so I squeezed it to get enough to put on the page.

It's not really wrecked yet judging by some of the things Sallie tells me she has done with hers in the past week, making a lead and taking it for a walk in her lunch break across the road and into the park!!!

MCS Cross Stitch CD Samples

2010-04-16T21:25:00.008+01:00

I was asked to make samples for the My Craft Studio POTW on Create & Craft tv. So far I have seen all 3 cards and the stationery set, but not the notebook or pillow gift box.
We were asked to do projects with a given image set from the Cd. Mine was this beautiful hibiscus. I used fancy folds on all of the cards, the first time i'd tried any of them so i'm really pleased with the way they turned out.

A5 size Side stepper card with matching envelope.The decoupage is printed out onto pearlescent paper.

I changed the colour for this easel card and added a few fabric flowers, lace and gems.

I'm not sure what this fold is, I saw it in a magazine and thought it looked interesting, basically it's a gatefold with the corners folded in.

This stationery set took a bit of working out as I didn't use a template at all. I printed the note paper and envelopes as well as all the backing papers to match.

The pillow gift box and notepad were quick and easy to make but quite useful little items.

Finished!

2010-04-05T13:12:00.001+01:00

At last I can show the finished pram blanket that I have been knitting for what seems like ages.

I finished the sewing up and tidying ends last night and this morning I threaded the ribbon through the eyelets.

I decided to go neutral with lemon ribbon, that way it doesn't matter if the baby is a boy or girl when it arrives.

While I was watching tv late last night I started on a little hat, so quick and easy it was finished off this morning. All stocking stitch with a cute rolled up edge. I'll quickly add a small crocheted flower for a girl or small button for a boy.

Bunny hops.

2010-03-28T18:56:00.000+01:00

I've spent the past week stamping and colouring bunnies in plant pots ready for my Easter cards.

I used a Penny Black stamp - Bunny Friends and stamped them onto scraps of textured cream card and a couple on some smooth white coated card. I used Promarkers to colour them, it was interesting to see the way they turned out differently depending upon the card surface.

The white coated card was a new purchase for use with my Promarkers and I am very pleased with the results it gives.

I'm not sure where all the backing papers are from but I do know that some are K & Co and others are Making Memories.

I've also used organza ribbon, brads and fabric flowers. A couple have peel-off letters for the greeting.

I'll have to get them posted out tomorrow, I wonder who they are for???

A little Teaser!

2010-03-25T09:45:00.003Z

Just a little teaser of what I have been working on for the last few weeks.

I've knit 48 of these!

Only 3 stitches to begin with, increasing for 20 rows then decreasing until back down to 3 stitches. Every row different and so difficult in the beginning although after the first dozen I could do them without looking at the pattern.

Now this is a lot easier but not finished as I seem to need miles of it......

Start off with 8 stitches increase until 12 and then cast off 4 and start all over again and again and again, you get the idea i'm sure.

I've started on the sewing up now so will be back with the finished thing quite soon -I hope!
Ooops almost forgot i'll need yards of ribbon as well. Mmmm pink or blue???

Dress Up 2010

2010-03-16T12:21:00.003Z

I started these challenges from Margaret's blog only last month so am a little bit behind with them.

Here is the one I made for February. Inspired by the fact that Valentine's Day was not so long ago I thought a Wedding dress would be appropriate. I used the template by Gini again. The skirt is 2 layers of wide lace, the top of the bodice is edged with tiny silver seed beads stitched in place. My favourite part is the super OTT bouquet, made with a couple of ribbon flowers, flocked greenery and a decoration of pale pink seed beads.
The back has been covered in pearlescent card to hide the ends of the lace and has a net train held in place with a decoration of silver tubular beads and the same pale pink seed beads as the bouquet.

Karen, who introduced me to this challenge has used the theme of love for her dress also but as you can see from her blog taken a totally differnt angle on it.

March Madness!!!

2010-03-06T15:55:00.004Z

Sallie is here for her Dad's birthday today and to take me to the Cinema last night to see Alice in Wonderland with the yummy Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter.

Of course she brought Big Stitch, Little Stitch and Baby Stitch with her.

They had seen my picture of my Stitch modelling the ribbon dress and were very jealous so while we were getting ready to go out they raided my knitting and decided to dress themselves up. Big Stitch found a jumper that just about fitted him and the other 2 thought my squares for the pram blanket would be better for them instead.

Baby Stitch sneaked into my bag afterwards and managed to get in to see the film with us, he had to hide his eyes a couple of times when it got a bit too scary for him.

The others stayed at home, we had to tell them we were going shopping otherwise they would have wanted to come too. They sat in bed and played games on my laptop, they thought my mini mouse was bought especially for them.

Dress Up 2010

2010-03-04T11:29:00.003Z

Browsing through Karen's blog yesterday I came across this new challenge.
Dress Up 2010 is the idea of Margaret who decided to make a dress a month for the whole of the year. Anyone taking part needs to leave a link to her blog so that everyone can see the creations.
Karen also found a super template for dresses on Gini's blog which I have used for this first one. Gini is also taking part and has a super woollen dress on her blog. As this is for January I was inspired by the card I made for my niece's 21st birthday which I made for that month.
The bodice is champagne coloured pearlescent card with a snowflake punched out and backed with pale blue pearlescent card - this 2nd layer hides all the ends of the ribbon quite neatly and securely.

Tiny star shaped self adhesive gems were added to the bottom of the bodice for a bit of bling. January is still the 'party season' after all.

Stitch insisted on modelling it but really it doesn't quite fit very well!

This dress fits in with the challenge on Bubbly Scrumptious Whispers of Colour #1 which asks for the colours lilac, blue and a splash of deep pink and cream.

Mother's Day

2010-03-02T16:16:00.003Z

I've just finished making my Mother's day cards using the My Craft Studio Parchment craft 3 Cd and vellum lace panels. I printed a fan image onto pearlescent paper to make the fan on the front and found the same image in a bookmark style which I copied, flipped and stretched to make a matching insert.

The cards have been made using an A4 sized card scored and folded on th DL line to make an almost square shortfall card. This first card is in pale lime green with ice white pearlescent paper as a backer on the front and inside. This second card is in pale lilac with very pale lime green pearlescent backing paper. Both fans have been printed in pale lilac the same as the inserts.

A peel-off complements the colours and flowers with glittered brads complete the fans.

Not Football

2010-03-02T14:05:00.003Z

It's Mick's birthday at the weekend and I thought I would be a bit more imaginative and not do the usual football related card for him.
This is what I came up with from the Crafter's Companions Popcorn Bear Romance cd.I used an A4 sheet of card and scored and folded it on the DL line to give a shortfall almost square card. I used the circle pyramage image, 2 co-ordinating backing papers and a matching insert as well as a piece of silver patterned paper also from Crafter's Companion.

Man Utd. v Cardiff City

2010-02-28T12:37:00.002Z

I think in this case Cardiff come out on top!

I made these 2 cards using the same image and backing papers, from Peerless Designs Teddies Friends Cd. One in red for my son and one in blue for a friends son. Both with matching envelopes.

The only difference is the way in which I used the backing paper. I much prefer the way it has turned out on the blue card. The colour helps as well I think as it is so much brighter.

Either way Ashley loves his Manchester United card.

My Craft Studio samples

2010-02-25T19:46:00.007Z

I was asked last week to make some samples for the Ideal World Pick of the Day.
This was for Cd's from My Craft Studio. This first card was shown during the show today.

Here are the other cards I made and sent in.

Firstly a shaker card filled with heart shaped sequins.

This image is printed onto pearleacent paper with ribbon and gems.
These images have been cut and layered to give a pyramage effect with added lace and ribbon.

This is a large gatefold card with lace down the opening.This one is far from my usual thing. I've torn both the image and the backer to give a vintage feel to the card which uses several images from the Cd layered onto one another.This again uses several images layered using the graphics programme.

Layering and a touch of lace and gems complete this one. A baby card with patterned card and a button detail added.I changed the colour on this one and made an envelope to match.

The item on tv was for a 2 Cd set, I only received one of them to make my samples with. The other one contained lots of super ideas and images for creating wedding stationery and some really beautiful samples were shown.

Baby Knitting

2010-01-31T10:10:00.004Z

I've just finished a couple of baby jackets for a friend whose partner had their first baby on Christmas day.
The girls on the Bubbly Funk forum wanted to see them so here they are.

The pink one is my very favourite baby pattern and I must have knit it up in various colours well over a dozen times now, starting with my own babies.

The lilac one is a pattern I have had for many years but only just recently used, this is only the second time i've knit it. I love the picot edging on the bottom, cuffs and neckline but I hate sewing it all in place!

Mick took them to work with him this morning, I hope they fit. It won't be too much of a hardship to knit something bigger if not.

I'm having a go at a pram blanket now, knit in squares and stitched together, for another friend whose partner is expecting their first baby in April. I'm giving myself plenty of time as I want to knit other things for them as well. All white or cream this time as they don't know if it is a boy or girl.

A few florals

2010-01-29T15:58:00.003Z

I bought a new Forever Friends stamp last week and have been having a play colouring it in with Promarkers.
I really enjoy colouring this little bear as he is so easy to get into some simple shading. I'm still learning with my promarker pens, but have found a combination of colours I like for these images. I've teamed him up with papers from K & Co and some fabric flowers and brads. The flowers in this first one and the papers, I think, were a gift from Lynn. I know she'll correct me if I am wrong.

This last card uses a stamp I bought way back in October but has just had it's first inking. I can't remember the make but she is coloured with Promarkers. Again it is teamed up with paper from the same Sparkly Sweet designer pad by K & Co. The bench from Magnolia I know was from Lynn as I think were the flowers with their shiny beaded centres.

Any of these cards , but particularly the last one I think is suitable for the 'Blooming Gorgeous' theme on the Cute Card Thursday challenge blog this week.

21st Birthday ribbons

2010-01-16T13:30:00.003Z

For this I used the circles of pearlescent card left over from a couple of Christmas cards. Naughty me hadn't put them away!

The card is a 6 inch square in soft white.

I've put a bodice style peel-off onto cream pearlescent paper and cut it out. Onto the back of this i've stuck lots of short lenghts of organza ribbon in pastel colours and used foam pads to secure it to the pink circle.

The greeting is a peel-off as well.

Pearlescent pink pearly self adhesive dots have been used in 2 corners to take away the bareness.

A Round Tuit!

2010-01-16T13:15:00.002Z

Can't believe it was early December when I last Blogged so I thought i'd better get around to it again.
I have good excuses really for not blogging.

In mid december I went into Hospital for planned surgery, however when the Consultant did her rounds I discovered i'd had a hysterectomy as well as the planned repairs 'down below'.
I was in Hospital for 5 days but really was not up to crafting or much else before our computer went on the blink.

On 27th December my Dad passed away so that really took any inclination I had for crafting and anything else right out the window as you can imagine.
Since then time has passed in a blur of travelling and arrangements but is slowly beginning to get back to something like normality. I still can't concentrate much on crafting but do have a card to get on here at some time which i've done for my niece's 21st birthday which is tomorrow.
I've made a calendar as well but that's not goint to be shown because I forgot to check the pages were in the right order before I bound it and had to prise the whole thing apart and try again. Consequently the wires are a bit squiffy so i'll keep it to myself.

More shakers

2009-12-03T09:42:00.004Z

After making the shaker card for the Crafter's Companion challenge last week I decided to make a few more.

This first one is again an 8inch square card. I've used pearlescent pink card for the background and pearlescent blue card for the matting and circle on top of the acetate on the shaker element. The stars backing paper is from the Cute companions Cd.

The Christmas tree stencil, from Dreamweaver, has been embossed and then inked with Brilliance ink. The silver stars inside are from my stash and the snowflakes are from Nesties and have been cut in the same blue and pink card with the addition of a glittered silver snowflake, all held together with a pale pink brad.

The sentiment is from Lakeland.

The stars and sentiment look pink but it must just be the reflection from the pearlescent card.

These next two are A5 in size and use the same stencil embossed and coloured with Brilliance inks in purple and pink. I've used glittered snowflakes from Craftime and peel-off sentiments. On one I have used silver paper and the other pink pearlescent paper for the backer. The circles are pink pearlescent card or purple matt card. Silver trees and stars under the acetate are from my stash.

Dotty organza ribbon from Ribbon Rasis and lace complete the cards.

I bought the stencil with the idea of using it with glitter on double sided sticky sheets but haven't got round to that - maybe next year!

Crafter's Companion #11

2009-11-28T10:33:00.004Z

As usual this time on the Crafter's Companion blog challenge there is a sketch but also a few requirements.

The card must have the colours blue/silver/white and some ribbon as well as a shaker element.

Now the colours and ribbon were ok but i've never tried a shaker card before. This is my second attempt as the first wasn't quite right somehow.I've used a large 8inch square white card and covered it with matt silver paper. The star panels are from the Cute Companions Cd and have been layered with the same silver paper. Silver ribbon overlaid with white lace with a touch of silver has been placed over these.

The shaker element uses an image from the Popcorn Christmas Cd printed onto card and layered onto the same 2 backing papers. The top of the shaker is acetate held in place with a ring of blue pearlescent card. Inside are holographic silver snowflakes.

A peel-off greeting and snowflake cut with Nesties topped with a white brad complete the card, which is for my Grandson's first Christmas.

I just have to make 2 girly versions now for my Grandaughters!

Secret Advent

2009-11-27T15:57:00.004Z

Over on the Bubbly Funk forum we are doing a Secret Advent calendar swap thingy again.

This is the lovely pile of goodies delivered to me last week in readiness for 1st December. Each is individually enclosed in a super little pillow envelope wrapped with silver thread and tagged with the date to be opened.

The big one is for Christmas day!

A big 'Thank You' to my secret partner, I won't find out who she is until I open a card with the final gift. That won't stop me from guessing though!

An Award

2009-11-24T11:28:00.003Z

The lovely and very caring Gez sent me this award. I hope she won't mind me saying this but she has come along way in her crafting and is a very multi-talented person.

I have to share 5 facts about myself and then pass the award to 7 other deserving people so that we can find out a little about them as well.

1. I love chicken.

2. I'm addicted to facebook.

3. I have a phobia about certain reptiles and can't even bring myself to type the word 's***e' Ughh makes me go cold to think about it!

4. I never drink tea while I am out but rarely drink anything else at home.

5. I'm a very messy crafter!

Well a very random few facts about myself, lets see what my awardees come up with. It's so hard not to take hints from the person who sent it on.

Hazel - My Crafty Outlook

Karen - Karen's Carry Ons

Lynn - Craft and Waffle

Net - Caique Momma

Janice - Serial Crafter

Have fun ladies!

Wedding photos

2009-11-22T16:26:00.013Z

A selection of photos from the wedding of our Son, Lewis to Lisa on 17th November.

Little Faith getting ready with her Mummy.

Faith waiting with her Daddy. Baby Oscar with his Daddy. So cute in his little pink shirt and waistcoat.Lisa with her Dad and the 2 Faiths arriving in the limo.The happy couple with their family.Champagne for the bride and groom in the limo.Goodies for the girls as well. Back home. Baby Oscar is fast asleep.Cutting the cake with both girls looking on and waiting for a piece!

They took this one themselves the next day, I just love it.

Wedding cards

2009-11-22T11:08:00.005Z

Here are the Wedding cards I made but couldn't show last week.
This first one I made for Faith to give to her Daddy. I used a Popcorn Bear pyramage image from a Crafter's Companion Cd. It's layered up onto a matching backer and silver card. The sentiment is a peel-off on pearlescent paper.

The insert is printed fom the same Popcorn Bear floral cd.
This is the one we sent.
It has layers of silver card, pink pearlescent paper and cream pearlescent paper. The heart stamp is from Elusive Images and has been stamped with pink Brilliance ink and layered onto silver card cut slightly larger than the image. Tiny silver seed beads have been threaded and hung from each heart to give some movement to the card.
The sentiment is from the same stamp sheet and has again been layered onto silver card.
Tiny self adhesive crystals have been put in the corners of the sentiment plate and top cream layer.

The decoration for the envelopes are from Crafter's Cmpanion Cd's. The bottom one obviously matches Faith's card but i'm not sure where the other is from - maybe one of their Cute Companions Cd's

Can you guess the theme of the Wedding was pink and silver?

New Nesties.

2009-11-13T19:28:00.004Z

I've spent the last couple of days making Wedding cards but can't show them yet as the Wedding isn't until next week and my Blog feed goes straight to facebook where it could be seen by the recipients.

Instead I thought I would show the embellishments I made with my new nesties. I bought the snowflake set of dies and had fun using just 2 colours of paper and a few gold star shaped brads.

I can see i'm going to have fun with colour combinations when I finally get around to using them properly. I'm thinking purple/silver, blue/silver at the moment.

Crafter's Companion #10

2009-11-13T18:59:00.005Z

This week on Crafter's Companion challenge blog we have another sketch as well as some items to be used.

These are: the colours Red/White/Gold, Ribbon, Gems and Embossing.

I made mine into a square card and used an image of Popcorn Bear along with a paper strip from the Christmas Cd. The main colour of my card is red with mats of red, gold and white. The embossing on the white mat is done with Swiss dots on the Cuttlebug. The ribbon is white spotty organza and the gems are in the corners of the gold mat. A lousy photo i'm afraid but it has been raining most of the day and the light is just awful.

Crafter's Companion #9

2009-10-29T10:42:00.004Z

Over on the Crafter's Companion challenge blog this week it is Yvonne's turn to set the sketch.
This is what she has come up with, something quite different to the usual I think and a bit more challenging because of the shapes.

My new Cds arrived yesterday, they are the Hobby and Occupations from Crafter's Companion. I found the perfect image on them for my nephew's 9th birthday.
I hope Yvonne doesn't mind but I messed around with her sketch a bit by rotating it and flipping it to fit the decoupage on.I've used the comuter games decoupage from the Hobbies Cd printed onto card and layered up using a mixture of DST, foam pads and silicone glue to give different dimensions to the pieces.
The base card is white size A5 onto which i've put blue holographic card.
The stars have been printed onto a slightly smaller paper and the shape cut out to make a window through which to show the holographic card.
The ribbon has been fastened around the base layer and an oval of blue pearlescent card added. This has a peel-off greeting and message decorated with a pale blue brad.

Birthday and Good Luck

2009-10-23T16:01:00.007+01:00

A couple of cards to show.

Firstly my brother's birthday card, which I made last week, using a free template from Simply Cards & papercraft magazine.

I used the template to cut out cut out and ink the different parts of the cupcakes and then assembled the pieces onto dark paper, raising the icing up on foam pads. The base card is pale blue and i've used a couple of mats in silver and dark blue.

The greeting is a peel-off.

This next one is a Good Luck card made for my husband to give to a colleague who is leaving work.
What should have been a simple card to make actually took me most of the day due to said husband being at home and constantly interrupting me and generally putting me off.

In the end I am quite pleased with the colouring, done with Promarkers onto an stamped image from Lili of the Valley. It's been cut out, a necessity since I was distracted and marked the card it was stamped onto, then layered up onto gold and red mats cut with Nesties. Half the card is covered with a pale green paper, from my stash, cut with a scalloped edge. The greeting is a peel-off.

Crafter's Companion #8

2009-10-23T15:42:00.003+01:00

The sketch this time on Crafter's Companion blog challenge is from Rachel.
Here is my card using an image of Popcorn Bear printed from the Christmas cd. I've used bright blue and silver on white backing papers from Crafter's Companion with an added piece of pale blue pearlescent cardstock.

The embellishments are a piece of white lace with a silver detail, a couple of holographic snowflakes and some silver peel-off stars.

Don't look Sallie!!

2009-10-18T14:38:00.004+01:00

You'd better not be looking at this Sallie!

This is a desk calendar I have just finished for Sallie to keep at work with her. She's not going to get it until Christmas. I've used a photo of Evie on the cover. Evie is the cat who had kittens last year. She gave her and the kittens up as she was not supposed to have a pet in the house she is renting.

I used a single sheet of card, folded into a 'V' shape to make a stand. The front cover is acetate to protect the top photograph which is printed onto glossy photo paper.

All the pictures of kittens and cats are from clipart on the computer and have been printed onto 6 x 4 matt photo paper. The calendars are from a free download from My Craft Studio resized to fit. The whole thing was bound using my BIA.

Crafter's Companion #7

2009-10-10T10:50:00.007+01:00

This is the latest sketch on the Crafter's Companion challenge.

I am rather last minute with this as a new one comes out on Monday.

I decide to turn the sketch on it's side.

I had a play with some new Promarker pens which I bought last week and coloured in this cute Forever Friends stamped image. I am rather pleased with my first attempt at shading but unfortunately it doesn't show up too well on this picture.

The grey and blue backing papers are both from a pad by Crafter's Companion and the holly strip is from the Popcorn christmas Cd.

The image has been layered up onto the same grey backing paper, both shapes being cut cut with Nesties.

Holographic silver snowflakes and 3 tiny blue self adhesive gems complete the card.

ichf workshops

2009-10-05T13:10:00.003+01:00

Sallie and I went to the International Craft & Hobby Fair in Cardiff on Friday.

We didn't do any of the free 15 minute workshops this year but did 2 workshops lasting 45 minutes with a lovely lady from FINDINGBEADS4U. They cost £2 each but were well worth it for the handbag charm and bungee bracelet we both made.

The metal charms on each are on lobster clasps so can be removed if not required.
The fair was very quiet this year, we got there about 15 minutes after opening and the place was virtually empty! It was so nice though to be able to wander round without getting squashed and lovely to sit down for a couple of hours for the workshops.
I managed to spend a bit of money, of course, but mainly on items which were already on my shopping list.

Sample making

2009-09-21T18:07:00.005+01:00

A few weeks ago I was accepted as a sample maker by Arts & Crafts Direct, the company with which Stephanie Weightman of Create & Craft fame is associated.

My first samples were made last week and were seen on tv this morning. They were to showcase a set of die-cuts.
I used the plates with embossed rims as my main item, along with other pieces included in my sample pack and images from My Craft Studio Cd's as well as bits from my stash.

These 2 have acetate fronts

I love this made to celebrate a birth with ribbon and pearlescent backer.This uses vellum lace die-cuts and a metallic dragonfly embellishment..With the addition of spirelli and a metallic stickers. This last one simply features a die-cut frame backed with pearescent paper and a swirl image from a cd. I was very excited at seeing my cards on tv especially as I got my name mentioned as well!

Crafter's Companion #6

2009-09-17T21:11:00.005+01:00

This time on Crafter's Companion challenge the sketch is from Anne.

I have used the ATC I made for the challenge on my previous post as a topper. I simply backed it with pink paper to make it stand out from the rest of the card.

The floral backing paper and decoupaged image are both from the Popcorn Bear Floral Cd. The pearlescent pink backing paper is from a paper pack also by Crafty Companions.

I added 3 self adhesive gems, a peel-off greeting and an organza bow.

I'm very pleased as I have managed to do a card each week for this challenge blog so far, hope I can continue.

Tilda & Friends ATC Challenge

2009-09-17T21:00:00.005+01:00

Over on the Tilda & Friends ATC challenge blog we have been asked to 'layer it up' meaning decoupage an ATC.

My image of Popcorn Bear holding a huge bunch of tulips has 4 layers and is taken from the Popcorn Floral Cd by Crafter's Companion. The backer is a matching paper taken from the same Cd.

Rosie-Dee's Challenge #52

2009-09-16T15:49:00.005+01:00

This months theme of SHAPES continues with a recipe. So, we'd like to see 2 squares and a rectangle on your project this week please.

My card will be saved for my Brother-in-Laws birthday in November.

I used Stampin' Up cardstock in calendula which when scored on an A4 fold gives a shortfall card. The front edge was trimmed using a scalloped cutter and then inked with Cosmic Copper Brilliance inkpad.

The backing paper in a gold and cream criss cross design is from a Crafter's Companion pack, with a strip of the same being put just inside the card. It reminded me a football goal net.

The sentiment is a free download from My Craft Studio and the toppers from Teddies Friends cd by Peerless Designs.

A very apt card I think for a footie fan, Wolves in this case, which came together very quickly and easily.

Christening card

2009-09-10T15:54:00.004+01:00

This is a card I made to celebrate the Christening of our 2 year old great niece at the weekend. The artwork is a free download from Rusty Alfrey designs and can be found here. Do take a look at this blog as there are some super designs.
I manipulated the image with a Photo program to get it the right colour and size (clever eh? It started out blue) It was then printed onto pearlescent paper and layered onto pink card.
The white card blank is A5 size and has been covered with a mat of pale pink card and white pearlescent paper the same as the topper. A double layer of different widths of pink organza ribbon have been attached across the corner of the larger matting and a pink organza bow on the corner of the topper. A simple peel-off sentiment completes the card.

2 of those!

2009-09-08T14:16:00.002+01:00

I've spent the morning measuring and cutting to make these 2 notebooks. The 'hearts' one is a Thank You gift and the other is part of a Birthday gift for 5 year old.
I added a charm and ribbons to the adult one and lots of bright coloured pages for the childs.They were very quick and easy to make as the front covers are postcards from Ikea cut down to a 10x15 cm size with a backer and pages to fit, all bound with my BIA.
I've got to find a padded bag now to fit the thank you gift into then off to the Post Office.

My Birthday cards

2009-09-06T19:01:00.006+01:00

These are all the lovely hand crafted cards I received for my birthday last Sunday.

Thank You so much to everyone who took the time to make a card for me, I really appreciate the effort put into them.I had to smile when I opened Keren's card as I had used the same image for her birthday which is just the day before mine. I hope none of you mind me displaying your cards for all to see but as most of you have blogs of your own I thought it ok to show your lovely creations on mine.

All of my presents from family and friends have been crafty ones so I am very lucky to have people who know my likes so well.

2 for 1

2009-09-03T11:24:00.003+01:00

This week on Cute Card Thursday the subject is 'Back to School'

I made the toppers for these 2 cards yesterday and just finished them. They are for my 2 Grandaughters. The youngest starts 'proper' school on her 5th birthday next week and the eldest moves up to Junior school. The stamped image is from Paper Nation and has been coloured with Promarkers and cut using Nesties. The oval has been coloured on the edges with purple or red ink to match the backer which is from a pad I have had for ages, think it's a sizzix one. The other backer is card put through a Cuttlebug embossing folder, again with inked edges. The greeting is a silver peel-off.