Flutterby

I saw a card made by Kathy at the daily marker a couple of weeks ago when she was doing a pop-up challenge using lines as the theme. She made a card with butterflies and added tiny eyelask lines around each of the images . I also saw a couple of other cards that blended contrasting colours into each other  and thought I might have a play and combine the inspiration they had given me. 

I don't normally buy craft magazines but whilst shopping with my hubby he started looking at magazines and board of waiting I did too and it cost him 2 magazines one as it had a butterfly stamp and the other as it had freebies too.

I used the butterfly and did some masking to form the image of my card or background whichever way you want to look at it.I guess the decoupaged butterflies could be the forground and the stamped butterflies the background. I stamped a couple more on a spare piece of card. I coloured the images with promarkers taking 3 oranges and 3 yellow shades one dark,one medium and a light shade in each.

I used the darker colour of orange first and worked from the outline of the butterflies and using flicking lines towards the center with each colour till reaching the body of each butterfly and then using the lightest yellow shade I filled in any white bits missed by the other colours. The bodies I coloured in black and using a fine ink pen I added small dots around each butterfly, I tried lines on one of the spares but they just didn't look right so I went with dots.

The spare butterflies I cut out and stuck to the card over 2 of the butterflies to add a 3D effect  decoupage style though not flat so they look like they are fluttering or sunbathing in early autumn sunshine that we are definitely not having today.

I added a mat of yellow to a white base card and attached the butterfly layer to the yellow mat, I added an orange ribbon and bow to the white space.

I think it makes the perfect card to cheer up a dreary day like todays weather at my house.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:-

stampavie and more - bows

really resonable ribbon -  autumnal colours

suzy bees - create your own background

kraftin kimmie - fall

the pencil case-anything goes

hiding in my craftroom - freestyle

addicted to stamps and more - clean and simple

paperminutes - eye catching backgrounds

simply papercraft - anything goes

through the craft room door - anything goes

Wingardium leviosa happy birthday wishes

My young nephew has a birthday in a few weeks so I thought this cute lily of the valley image was perfect to send him birthday wishes. His favourite colour is blue so thats the colour theme I stuck with apart from the sakura and embossing powder sparklies for the stars on the background and the matting layer. The mirri-card adds more magical sparkle well whats a magical birthday without sparkle?

I coloured the image with promarkers and kept the rest of the card pretty simple really ,well it is for a boy, haven't decided yet what kind of sentiment to add be it a simple happy birthday or something a little more but I have time to decide before I need to send it.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:-

Deep Ocean-for the boys

Cardz und more - for men

Cardz for guys - myth and magic

Little miss muffet - one for the boys

Left of center-  mostly blues

 

Oriental butterflies

The stamps I used to create this card are from the stampman and are some of the very first stamps I bought. I remember travelling up to Skipton during one summer school holiday, on the way there we passed through torrential downpours of rain and I really thought we were going to get soaked. It was still raining when we arrived in Skipton but fortunately by the time we found somewhere to park and a cafe for lunch the sun was shining and we had a lovely afternoon feeding the ducks on the canal and spending time in the stampman shop. The staff were lovely and so helpful especially since my son was in a wheelchair and anything he wanted to look at they spent time taking it to him and in return he kept the whole shop entertained despite being around 8 years old.

I had an idea of what I wanted to do after seeing a layout at kraftin kimme but also didn't want to use promarkers but something different for a change, so after having a rummage and finding I still had some moonglow inks also from the stampman I decided to use them. My hardest decision was settling on a colour scheme . I had some Japanese style paper not sure of the brand (sorry) so chose a background and worked from that.

I used stamps to make the two patterned strips and painted them in the same inks along with the border strip. I mounted both the central image and the base layer on gold mirri-card and finished by using 2 bamboo skewers coloured in the same inks and tied to look like the bamboo in the image with white florist wire.

I'm not sure what I will use the card for it could be a birthday for male or female or simply a just because or thinking of you card who knows.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:-

Aurora wings - anything with wings

The paper shelter - come fly with me

kraftin kimme wonderful Wednesday - anything goes and layout

creative artist -anything goes with butterflies and flowers

Simon says Wednesday challenge - anything goes

crafting by designs - things with wings

fab n funky - things with wings

polkadoodles - things with wings

lisa somerville bloggers challenge-come fly with me

crafty gals corner - lots of layers

crafty catz- golden oldie

kitty bees - in the sky

Pastel pretty

This card wasn't made for anything or anyone specific more just because I love the image and daisies. I think this stamp from funky kits sugar nellie has to be among my favourites its just so lazy summer days and time misspent , happy days.

I had coloured this image ages ago and fussy cut it and it has been sat on my desk screaming out to be used so I eventually listened. I used a white base card and matted with a freebie digi paper from bird house. I decided to add some interest by making a border of white daisies and bows and highlighted the flowers with small pastel shade buttons. 

I set the image in a die cut oval ring just to frame it , no sentiment but might add one when and what I use the card for.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges;-

stamping sensations-use a stamp and a diecut

craftin' desert divas -photo inspiration

paper sweeties-photo inspiration

suzy bees - anything goes+add a border

Indigo blue-frame it

kraftin kimme - buttons and bows

crafting with dragonflies - floral

eureka-button button

stamp and create -one for the girls

filo fax to memory book

It's my hubby's 50th birthday in September and as part of his celebration I am trying to compile a memory book for him. I know, think I have left it a little late but when I did start sending out messages to ex-work colleagues I found on Facebook and managed to send 3 messages before being told by Facebook that I have been blocked from sending messages from anyone not a friend for a month. It took me a while to work out why but then I realised it was because I had put in the message that any memory was good,funny or embarrassing , and there-in I broke the Facebook code of not using it to embarrass others.

 Please don't get me wrong it's good in one way but Facebook obviously only looks for key phrases and not at context and content as my message did actually explain who and what it was for and provide a private email for comments to be sent to so why pick on this when so many children and teens get bullied on Facebook and nothing appears to be done about that.Needless to say I haven't had many replies so I'm not even sure if the recipients got or read the messages.

If I do eventually get some memories to fill my little file , the outside is ready and waiting to be filled. I used a cheap file that I got from Asda, it already has cards inside. This one is orange and quite vibrant so I tried to soften the colour by spraying with various moonglow metallic sprays in golds, bronzes and purples which I reckoned were autumnal shades and would blend well onto the orange, well nature can't be wrong can it.

  The design for the front was again dictated by the colour scheme, I used the Atlantic hearts challenge layout and used bronze metallic card which I embossed with little dots before cutting into strips.I had sprayed the metallic spray patterns with cheap hairspray to fix it and stop it rubbing off the plastic file so was a little skeptical that double sided tape would hold the strips in place but it worked quite well.

I die cut a 'happy birthday' sentiment and attached this to the file too. 

I used some leaf shaped brads to add the details to the layout and hey presto the file is now ready and waiting to be filled with memories, hope they arrive soon or I am so going to have to get my thinking cap on, especially as I plan on having 50 in the file.

So sorry about the picture quality but hubby still hasn't got around to sorting my computer so still no photo editing so all landscape photos and rubbish artificial lighting today as at present its quite gloomy and wet in my part of the UK.

I would like to enter this project into the following challenges:-

Atlantic heart sketches - layout

craft your passion - always anything goes

Incy wincy - birthday wishes

house of cards-metallics

get creative challenges - no printed papers

crazy 4 challenges - something that relies on the wind

the craft barn weekly challenge - spray

crafting from the heart - anything goes

QKR - use a diecut

just us girls - autumnal leave colour  photo inspiration

Lisa Somerville bloggers challenge - backgrounds

Always and forever

Next thursday my hubby and I will be celebrating our 22nd wedding anniversary, I can't believe we have been married so long ,it really doesn't seem that long. I really loved our wedding day we had such fun  though the day could have done with being longer. On our wedding day I sent my hubby to be a card and on it I wrote love you always and forever and have put this on every card I have sent him since, so it just had to go on the anniversary card I made for him this year too.

I used this super cute teddy from Lily of the Valley I do love so many of their stamps, and coloured him with promarkers. I fussy cut him out ready to attach to my card.

I wanted to keep my teddy the focal point of my card so I kept the rest of my card white and simply added white dotty embossed card and a punched lace border to each edge, before sticking teddy to one side. Hope hubby likes his card.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges;-

613 Ave.create - anything goes optional girls night out

sweet stampin'- spots and or stripes

sister act - always anything goes

simply papercrafts - anything goes

chocolate,coffee and cards - use a sentiment

alphabet challenge - N for no designer papers

I love promarkers- anything goes

crafting with an attitude - anything goes

artbymiran - anything goes

A 50th celebration

From the end of July to early September my family has quite a few celebrations 8 birthdays and 4 wedding anniversaries and that's not including any friends birthdays and anniversaries of which there are quite a few. This year we celebrate a special birthday at the beginning of September as its my hubbies 50th birthday. He is one of the kind of people who treat birthdays as just another day especially when its his own ,I must attract them as my son is the same and so is my step dad, would have said its genetic but obviously my step dad can't fall into that category, does that mean its just a man thing.

I had all these fun ideas for parties in my head as I did for my sons 21st earlier this year and really had wonderful celebrations planned for my hubbies birthday but then he throws into the mix that he wondered about going away for the weekend of his birthday so i then had to put party plans away as how could I plan a party early in the year booking venues and entertainment in the form of a casino if he had the idea of not even being in the country. I'm still not sure whether he just had an inkling that I might plan something and just said that  or not but he has been known to give me 2 days notice for a trip to the USA so I really couldn't risk it. 

I still can't plan anything as he is working on his birthday and may just pop to the works local with friends for a drink after work so to book a meal out could also be a problem ,why do some men make it such hard work to plan nice surprises for them?

Well anyway the one thing I can rely upon is that he will open cards on his birthday so here is the card I have made at my sons request for his Dad.

I used more Lily of the Valley stamps Thomas the cat sipping sparkly fizz and presenting a birthday cake. My son has a super cute cat though she is a girl and has my hubby sorted , when she is at my house as I cat sit whilst my son is at work as she is suppose to be a house cat( but that's another story), when hubby comes home and sits on the sofa she goes to the pack of dreamies and paws at it or knocks it over till hubby complies and throws them for her to chase and catch.

I coloured the images I used with promarkers and added a bit of sparkly with sakura glitter gel pen. The glasses  and the cake frosting I added glossy accents to to add that bit of shine, the cake had to be chocolate as hubby is a chocoholic without question.

The papers are from a wellington set and I thought they worked really well when added to the red base card. I chose red as my son has earlier this year been told he is now partially sighted as he has cone dysfunction and some macular degeneration making him colour blind though he does say he can sometimes see red shades so I really wanted him to be able to appreciate  the card he requested for his dad.

The sentiment is a large peel-off and the large numbers are from my stash but I can't remember where they came from sorry.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:-

the craft barn weekly challenge-sweet and sugary 

(think both bubbly and cake could fit the sweet bit)

fussy and fancy - birthdays

sassy studios - for the boys

glitter n sparkle - happy birthday

passion for promarkers - layout

creative knockouts - celebration time

daring card makers - lets hear it for the boys

creative fingers - anything goes

In the Pink

Afternoon all ,well what was bright warm sunshine an hour ago has turned to dark skies and buckets of water falling from the heavens with occasional rumbles of thunder though no lightening yet, thank goodness we got back from our outing for lunch when we did.The one good thing is that this rain will hopefully stop it feeling so muggy.

I made this card earlier and now have chance to post it though hope by the time I get around to taking the pictures its a little bit brighter (if not and I end up posting tomorrow you'll know that the rain stuck around for longer than expected). Apologies also for the photo quality as hubby still hasn't got around to sorting out restoration of my windows profile with all my photo editing on so pics are simply uploaded and I am not the worlds greatest photographer.

I made this card with one of my friends in mind her birthday isn't till September but as time just seems to disappear of late thought I better get prepared.

I wanted to push myself away from the clean and simple style I seem to be drawn to making of late so actually spent time working out how I could achieve that without getting into choosing what papers to use to match the image and all that.Many of you will know i'm not a pink girl so guess I really tried to stretch myself by using pink as my main colour must have really been having a brain storm or something like that.

I started with the Atlantic hearts layout which itself is fairly CAS and then decided I would use a lace stamp from the stampman to create the backing layer but to use a glue stamp pad and cover with glitter. I sprayed this with hairspray to try and stop the glitter getting brushed off too much. I used one of the deeper pink colours I used to colour the image to edge the card layer and then stuck it to the base card which I had already added a layer of stripped pink forever friends paper to.

The image I chose is a lily of the valley fairy but after colouring with promarkers and adding sparkle to her wings with a sakura gel pen I fussy cut her as she was a little too big to fit onto the spellbinders die cut rectangle I had decided to use.I added a foam pad under her wings to give a 3 dimensional look. I actually think she looks better stuck to the die with the dandelion seeds spreading towards the edges of the diecut.

The sentiment is also lily of the valley which I stamped in memento ink and added some roses and a blossom style flower around to balance the card.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges;-

Aud's sentiments-fairies and a sentiment

fab n funky -things with wings

the corrosive challenge - utterly feminine

creative card crew - lace

die cuttin' divas - celebrate

fan-tastic tuesday -glitter

shopping our stash -layers

ruby's rainbow - die cuts or punches

papertake weekly- to die for

CRAFT -fantasy

seize the birthday - anything that flies and birthday

in the pink - flyaway

Atlantic heart sketches-layout

Allsorts - roses

QKR - use a diecut

A simple anniversary card

I have another anniversary card today , again its quite simple in design and I took some inspiration of adding a simple mock stitching line inspired by the daily marker pop up challenge of lines.

I started with a white base card and used a scrap of embossed card , only a bit of the card was embossed and the other half was plain. I decided it would make a perfect base for my card. I used a darkroom sentiment stamp  and stamped twice vertically up the card centre. The image i used is from Lily of the valley which is coloured with promarkers and fussy cut then simply placed across the centre

 of the card. I added a simple mock stitch line around the plain side of the card to finish.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:-

tuesday throwdown-texture

paperminutes - celebrations

Inky chicks - hearts

through the craft room door-anything goes

kraftin' kimme wonderful wednesday -anything goes

Simple back to School

Not sure who this card will be for as my sons school days are long gone and his cousins would really think I'd lost the plot if I sent them a card for back to school but I made it anyway. I haven't added a sentiment as it may well end up as some other kind of card .

Anyway I used this super cute lily of the valley stamp of a cute wee boy ready for school, although I'm not sure his uniform is likely to be like any other I thought I'd make it colourful.

I have been away from crafting for a while whilst sorting my sons house and garden amongst other things but am having a few problems getting my creative head back in gear and my cards are all a little on the clean and simple side and this card is no exception though not out of choice they just seem to be happening this way.

I coloured my image with promarkers and fussy cut him out and simply added him to a plain white base card in one corner. Although it may appear a bit sparse I actually like all that white space, I did wonder about adding lines for handwriting practice or doodles but decided to just leave it blank.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:-

retro rubber challenge-back to school 

one sweet challenge- back to school

addicted to CAS- school

hiding in my craft room -back to school

city crafter challenge-around the corner

the paper shelter-back to school

pennys-anything goes

simon says -back to school

the shabby tea room-ABC-123

Kraftin kimme-back to school

Anniversary Chic

I need  a couple more anniversary cards this month so here is the first I made for my step brother and his wife. I must admit i have really struggled making anniversary cards this time round, not sure why whether its as I have so many to make or whether its just that I am only just getting back into my crafting and my brain is on go slow in the ideas and creativity area.

I found a starting point in the layout at crafting musketeers and went from there. I initially thought of placing a flower as the central point but then went with ribbon and a flower. My next problem I only had narrow black ribbon so decided to tie a triple bow and thread a wired paper rose through the knot . I spiraled the wire to add texture.

I added a small peel-off sentiment after laying the ribbon over dry embossed dotty paper layered on glossy black card on a white base card.

I think the card is quite chic and has a classy look hope my sister in law approves.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:-

crafting musketeers-layout

cupcake inspirations-glam

scrapbook stamp society-anything goes option frame it

incy wincy-tic tac toe(monochrome,free,lace/ribbon)

artistic impressions-anything goes

crafting from the heart-anything goes

quirky crafts challenge- embossing