Bestest Friends !

Here is a card for my Best Friend Sally`s Birthday next month. These two little girls remind me of us as kids ( a loooooooooong time ago ! )
I actually sat down to make her birthday card today and when I pulled some card stock out of my paper trays, this one landed on my desk ! I`d started it some time ago and completely forgot about it ! How about that for a senior moment! I had almost finished it, I just added the sentiment a couple of extra flowers and the stitched border stamp which is a Molly Blooms from Sir Stampalot.

The image is LOTV which I`ve coloured with distress inks. The papers are from the MME - Stella Rose collection and Craft Creations. The flowers are from Carnmeal cottage, punch is Ash Branch available from Sir Stampalot and the Sentiment is SU.

I`ve been crafting up a storm today, got my mojo back now my work troubles are behind me and I can finally relax a bit and get my life back in order. I`ve been making some samples for Kay Rutter who is launching her new techniques book soon to go with her FAB Hougie Board so watch this space....

Thanks for looking in, bye for now and Happy Crafting xx

Snow Business

I know, I can hear you saying it ......... "CHRISTMAS !! "
No I haven`t gone mad ... ( not yet anyway ! ) This is a sample I have done for Sir Stampalot who will be having their Christmas launch soon, on the crafter`s calender it`s time to start thinking about all things Christmassy, when you have a lot of hand made cards to do, you need to get started early on in the year. I have to say I don`t usually start thinking about making mine until late September but making this one kind of got me in the mood for it !!
The stamp is a Penny Johnson clear stamp which I`ve coloured in with distress inks and added stickles - diamond and glossy accents just for the finishing touches.
The papers are Bo Bunny- double dot and Magnolia.
It`s quite a busy image so I kept the design simple and just added a red ribbon to pick out the red I`ve used in the image.

I haven`t been doing a lot of crafting lately, hence this is my first post for a month. Life hasn`t been treating me too well lately and I haven`t really had much inspiration to craft, plus I`m very nearly running out of some basic craft stash as I`ve been on a limited income since the start of the year, I haven`t been able to replenish. Hopefully things will start to look up soon but in the mean time, please bear with me as there won`t be many posts for the time being.
Thanks for visiting, bye for now xx

Shutter Album

This is the shutter album I did for a mini workshop with 3 friends, they wanted a more 3D project and something to do with fantasy/fairies and this is what I came up with. I got the original idea for the shutter album from a tutorial on U Tube and I`m sorry but I cannot remember the ladies name who did the demo so I appologize for that but if you go on U Tube and type in " shutter Album" you`ll find it easy enough. It`s basically 2 shutter cards stuck together at the back with a couple of panels added to the front for flaps, very easy to achieve once you get the mechanics of the shutter cards in place (which took me a while I`ll admit LOL!)


Once you open the front of the album you get several layers of folds, there are options to which way you fold this but I opted for this version as it gives a little window area to peek through to glimpse the layers beyond. I have used Kaisercraft papers - Magic Happens collection - Topaz, Pixie and Enchanted all available from Sir Stampalot they went so well with the Lavinia fairy stamps which I adore !!



I`ve used ink dusters and distress inks to achieve the soft background colours and just added some liquid pearls - platinum and glamour dust for the fairy dust sprinkles. To get the effect for the moon and the glow within the secret doorway I just used masks made from good ol` post-it-notes.
I added a pocket on the left hand side just inside the flap as I thought this would be a great way to present a gift voucher to someone instead of just shoving it in a normal card, the recipient would have a lovely keep sake too.



The sentiments are from Lavinia stamps and LOTV and the little key (for the secret door!) is a little metal charm from the ribbon girl.


As the album is over 2 feet long when fully opened ! it`s difficult to photograph so I hope you get the idea of the layout from the photos ! but like I said, the demo on U Tube is very easy to follow.


Well I`m off to get ready for a lovely crafty morning with the same friends I did this workshop for, I have the next project to show them for a future mini workshop so I hope it`s as well received as this one was.
Thanks for stopping by my blog , bye for now and Happy Crafting xx

A "Fairy" Good Birthday !

I made this card for my friend Louise`s birthday, she`s a fantastic crafter and makes such beautiful cards. I don`t know if I`m alone in this but I find it harder to make cards for other crafters than I do for any non-crafters ! Louise is a stamper like me and it`s difficult to find an image to stamp that she hasn`t already got LOL !
She loved the card though so ... phew !!

The image is a lovely one from LOTV, (I just cannot get enough of their stamps). I`d like to enter this one in the latest LOTV challenge which is " I believe in Fairies "
I have coloured with distress inks and added glitter to the wings and flower heads.
The papers are MME Stella Rose - Mabel "little lady" posies , K&Co classic K Bailey and MME Bloom and Grow. The flowers are from Prima and Carnmeal Cottage and the die cut is Sizzix extended cuts Swirly. The glittery ribbon is from an old Do Crafts pack that I`ve had for ages.
This was my first attempt at stitching on a card, my sewing machine is donkeys years old and I`ve made just about every soft furnishing in my house on it so it doesn`t owe me anything but it is a bit old and cranky now so it complained quite a bit at stitching through paper and cardstock, I need to invest in one of those handy mini sewing machines if I`m going to make a habit of sewing on cards. It seems to be a fashion to do it at the moment and when I see it on other peoples cards it looks fantastic ! Maybe I just need a bit of practice at it LOL !

My first mini class that I hosted last week went really well, it was just 3 friends (I thought I`d cut my teeth with people I know !) they all thoroughly enjoyed the class and want me to do another one and I was pleased with the project I`d designed (I`ll post here soon ) The only trouble is, now I`ve got to come up with another project for next time to top the one we`ve done, it was so well received that I`ve got my work cut out for me now !
I`d best get on and start designing, thanks for looking in, bye for now and happy crafting.

A Day at the Beach

Over at the Allsorts Challenge they are having a Blog Hop and the theme of this challenge is to take inspiration from a picture of the seaside, here is my take on the challenge.
I`ve used Molly Blooms stamps available from Sir Stampalot. Molly sitting on the beach ball and the Donkey and I`ve actually pinched the Donkey`s hat from another Molly Blooms character! (hope she doesn`t mind LOL). I`ve coloured with distress inks and the backing papers are both Magnolia. The sentiment is SU and the starfish is from a Sizzix embossing set also available from Sir Stampalot. The aperture is cut from Nesties circle dies.



The little shells are some I have been collecting from beaches all over this country since I was old enough to walk. Each time I visit a beach I always pick up a handful of shells and bits and pieces from the sea that wash up on the shoreline. Some of the tiny shells on this card have come all the way from Arisaig in Scotland where I visited when I was 7 years old. See, us crafters never throw anything away ! ( Mum calls it hording !) I have over the years collected enough shells to fill a large biscuit tin and I still collect shells even now when I visit a beach.



I`m lucky enough to live only a 45 minute drive from the coast and I love being by the sea, I suppose it comes from being a water sign - Cancer, I`d love to go today, it`s a lovely warm day and there is hardly a cloud in the sky but I have to get prepared for a class I`m giving on Wednesday and I haven`t even got the project designed yet so I`d better get a move on !
Thanks for stopping by, bye for now and happy crafting xx

Daisy Mouse !

I made this card for my Brother`s partner Judy for her birthday this week, it`s a clear stamp I have had for a while by Tina Wenke from Stampavie available from Sir Stampalot. I love this little character and I`d forgotten all about it until I had a recent sort out of my craft space and organized all my clear stamps into folders, it`s amazing what you find when you have a sort out LOL !!

I have coloured with distress inks, the backing papers are MME bloom and grow and Kaisercraft - country grove - harvest. The ribbon is Ruffled Bazzill and the punch is loopy border from Martha Stewart. The sentiment is SU, flowers are Prima and the leaves cut from a Bosskut die - Daisy Leaves, which is a useful little die that I`ve had for absolutely EVER!



I have added Glamour dust to the little dandelion heads (I think that`s what they are, they look like it to me but horticulture isn`t my strong suit !!) and I`ve added a bit of Glossy Accents to the Ladybug.
I tried to do a bit more crafting today but after the great 6 card session the other day I think my muse has once again left me, I am amazed that sometimes I can sit at my desk and produce things I am very happy with and then other days most of what I make ends up in the bin ! I am supposed to be getting on with samples for Sir Stampalot and Kay Rutter but I just couldn`t achieve anything today , maybe I`ll have better luck tomorrow, you`ll have to watch this space to find out ! I hope that what I come up with will be worth a return visit LOL !
Thanks for looking in, bye for now and Happy Crafting xx

Jane`s Fairy

This Fairy stamp from LOTV was kindly given to me from my friend Jane so I thought I would christen it by making her a thankyou card with it.

I have coloured with distress inks and added SU Stampin` Glitter - Dazzling Diamonds to highlight her tiara, flowers and wings. The nestie used is Labels 10 and I have cut the swirls from Tim Holtz - Elegant Flourishes Sizzix die. The backing papers are SU Designer series papers - subltles (which I love and cannot stop using !) Imaginesce- Fairest of them all and Overton House designs - Pink Faux/ Toile. The outer flower is Prima and the ribbon flower is from Hobbycraft ( I think ? ) and the corner punch and sentiment are SU.

I would like to enter this is the latest LOTV challenge 96 - Ribbon and Bows.
The muse was with me yesterday, I put a classical music CD on the player, turned up the volume , got to work at my craft desk and made 6 cards ! That is a record for me I usually make 2 or 3 at the most in a craft session but I had some lovely new stash given to me by Sir Stampalot to make some samples for them and I had a couple of birthday cards to make also and I just kept going, I could have crafted all night !!
I have to get some housework done today, the carpet around my desk is covered in little bits of paper, 3D foam backs, glitter, ribbon ends etc etc... You all know what it`s like after a good craft session !! So I`d better sign off and get on with that now, thanks for looking in, bye for now and Happy Crafting xx