Addicted to CAS(E)...Happy Anniversary...

Hello there peeps!

The dreaded 'Nojo' has continued to plague my creativity and that is why I haven't been here for a while.  Despite the fabulous inspiration that you and all the challenge blogs provide, my mojo is, it would seem, as stubborn as I am and refused to make an appearance - doh!!

In an attempt to force my mojo out of its apparent retirement, I decided to sit at my desk and remain there until something came of my 'patience'!  Also, it is my in-laws anniversary on the 1st April so I needed to make a card, mojo or no mojo.

I used this weeks' CAS(E) this sketch sketch and took inspiration from the code word over at Addicted To CAS - 'Spring'.

Ordinarily, when I use a sketch for inspiration, I CAS-ify it - this time the opposite happened and the layers just kept coming!  Go figure!?  I think this is proof that my mojo is off kilter!  The colours were inspired by the word 'Spring'.  Given all the terrible weather (it was snowing here this morning would you believe?!!!) I wanted to make a bright card - I thought it's be nicer for the in-laws to open :)  

I feel as though my mojo could be on it's way back - I do hope so as I miss making cards and blogging!

I hope everyone has a lovely day tomorrow for Easter - I hope you all eat and drink too much and spend some quality time with your families :)

Thanks for stopping by ;)

Supplies
Card:      Paper Mill Direct - White, Raspberry, Pink Sorbet, Primrose, Sky Blue, Peppermint
Stamps: Verve - Wishful Elegance
Ink:        Ranger - Perfect Medium
Other:    Cuttlebug ef - D'Vine Swirls; Spellbinders - Fancy Tags Three; WOW! - Green ep; Crafty Ribbons
             Rose Quartz seam binding; thread, rhinestones

A blast from the past...!

Hey!

I scoured the challenges for this week to find something to kick start my missing mojo and I came across The Play Date Cafe challenge which is a challenge I haven't played along with for AGES!  I have, however, missed the deadline which is a bit annoying - but the inspiration was still helpful!! The colours, alongside the awesome sketch over at Retro Sketches, sparked something within me and I managed to come up with a card.  I'm not honestly sure how I feel about it yet, but I think it's growing on me :)

I was a little stumped by the theme at Addicted To CAS - Wings.  I'm not an 'image' person really so I was trying to work out how I could incorporate wings into a card without actually needing an image.  I was looking through my embossing folders and came across the perfect solution - I have an embossing folder named 'Wings'!  If that wasn't meant to be then I don't know what would be!  :)

Here are all my inspirations;

...and here is the card that I have made for my best friends' birthday...

Luckily, my friend is not a 'girly girl' - in fact I don't think I have many girl friends who are especially girly?!  I'm not sure what that says about me really?!  Anyway, slight tangent there, sorry!  My friend is a big fan of blue and green (she's always wearing blue and her wedding colours were lime green, black and white which was just stunning!  I'll get the photo's of the stationery that I made on here one of these days) so I think there's quite a large possibility that she will like her card, despite the splash of pink - she will get over it I'm sure :)  Can you see my sneaky wings embossed on the tracing paper there?!  I'm quite pleased with how that turned out and it adds a little bit of girly-ness to an otherwise plain card :)

Despite missing the Play Date Cafe deadline, the colours over at The Paper Players this week are strikingly similar, there is just an extra colour - brown.  I am waiting for my new WOW! embossing powders to arrive (I was lucky enough to win last months' challenge and got to choose 12 powders!) as one of them was Bark and will be perfect!  I hope they arrive before that deadline!  :)

I am going to get back to my desk now and see if I can find my mojo - it WILL return!!

Thanks for stopping by ;)

Supplies
Card:      Paper Mill Direct - White, Peppermint, Pink Sorbet; Tracing Paper
Stamps: Verve - Hope Blooms
Ink:        VersaColor - Black
Other:    WOW! - Ebony e/p; Craft Concepts - Wings e/f; Crafty Ribbons - Sky Blue seam binding; pearls

'Nojo' crisis...!!

Hey there!

How is everyone? It's been a while since my last post because the 'nojo' situation has got a little bit out of hand - my mojo has disappeared completely and I am not impressed!!  It's my other half's birthday on Monday and I am really struggling to come up with something worthy; I'm still working on it :(

In the meantime, I've managed to make a card for the sketch at Viva La Verve - it was definitely a help with my lack of mojo!

Here's Jen's cool sketch; 

...and here is the card I made for my cousin's birthday using the sketch;

I decided to use the flame colours (a previous CASology theme) with black and white because I think it's quite striking and bright :)

I am also entering this card into the WOW! Challenge - Anything Goes.

Thanks for stopping by ;)

Supplies
Card:     Paper Mill Direct - White, Black, Primrose; Tracing Paper
Stamps: Verve - Hope Blooms, Wishful Elegance
Ink:        VersaColor - Black; Distress Ink - Barn Door, Spiced Marmalade, Wild Honey, Antique Linen
Other:    Spellbinders - Labels 18, Classic Edge Two; WOW! - Ebony and Bright White Super Fine e/p; 
             Craft Concepts - Grunge Dots e/f; Tonic corner punch; wool; rhinestones

In stitches...

Hey guys!

I hope everyone is well  :)  I have been making the most of the two sunny days we've had here by spending some time in the garden and getting it ready to plant our veg!  That has eaten into my crafting time a little, but not too much.  I have made another card for the challenge over at The Paper Players this week;

This card is on it's way to a friend of mine who I haven't seen in an unacceptably long while!  :(  I really must make an effort to go and visit her :)  In the meantime, I hope she likes her birthday card;

Like me, my friend is not a 'girly girl', therefore I have made her a more graphic card with just a hint of 'girlyness' in the lilac sentiment and a few purple pearls :)

This card may have been a little labour intensive, but it was really satisfying!  I can see some more of these being made in different colours :)

Thanks for stopping by ;)

Supplies
Card:     Paper Mill Direct - White, Black
Stamps: Verve - Hope Blooms
Ink:        VersaColor - Violet
Other:    Spellbinders - Classic Circles (as templates); Papermania - Clear e/p; Thread - black, white,
              pewter; pearls

I finally made it...!!

I love the sketches over at CAS(E) this sketch, so imagine how disappointed I was when I sat down to participate in this weeks sketch only to find that my mojo had done a runner!!  One was not impressed...

So, determined, I sat there and thought that I would start by choosing the colours I might use and maybe that would kick my mojo into gear...apparently not :(  

This is my third, yep that's right, THIRD attempt at this sketch!!  How ridiculous right?!!  Don't get me wrong, I think the sketch is brilliant, my brain just wouldn't play ball.

Bearing this in mind, please don't expect too much from today's card!

See how good this sketch is?!!  The card really should've made itself!  Anyway, here's mine...

It's kinda growing on me...I think...I'm not sure!  Oh well!  Also, my photography skills (what few I have) abandoned me completely too - this butterfly is actually super sparkly!  I used WOW!'s clear hologram embossing powder to make this little guy the main attraction and I just could not get a shot that made the sparkles show up, so you're just going to have to take my word for it!  The sentiment is embossed in WOW! earthtone grape which I think is a really nice shade of purple :)  I am entering this into WOW!'s challenge too :)

Thank you for stopping by ;)

Supplies

Card:     Paper Mill Direct - White, Pink Sorbet, Lilac, Primrose

Stamps: Verve - Hope Blooms; SU! - Bliss

Ink:        VersaColor - Violet

Other:    WOW! - Clear Hologram, Earthtone Grape e/p; Craft Concepts - Venus e/f

Viva La Verve...Mother's Day

Hello there!

As promised, I am back today with a card for Mother's Day for my Nan from my Mum!

It's a new month which means a new round of sketches over at Viva La Verve.  This week is the turn of Amber, and as always, the sketch is fab!

Here is my take...

A flower!

I'm hoping that my Mum and my Nan will like this :)  As I did a little stitching on this card, it is also eligible for the challenge over at The Paper Players this week.  I'm hoping to come back with a more 'stitch-orientated' card before the deadline is up.

Thanks for stopping by ;)

Supplies
Card:     Paper Mill Direct - White, Pink Sorbet, Spring Green, Raspberry Pink; K&Co - Best Of; handmade paper
             from extensive and unused collection!! Tracing paper
Stamps: Verve - One Person, Bloom & Grow
Ink:        VersaColor - Peony
Other:    WOW! - Tickled Pink, clear e/p; Spellbinders - Classic Circles; Tim Holtz Alterations Die - Tattered  
             Florals; Verve Cut Above Die - Elegant Leaves; Crafts Concepts - Venus e/f; thread; pearls 

I am prepared..for once...!!

Yes, I am!!  

I am terrible - despite my best intentions, things always seem to get done last minute!  I think I need the pressure to kick me into gear?!  On that note, my brother made me aware of this quote yesterday;

I think it's perfect, don't you?!!  (this image came from here)

Ok, I went off on a tangent there, sorry about that - back to the matter in hand :)

It is Mother's Day over here next Sunday and ordinarily I'd be posting my Mum's card on Friday afternoon hoping that the Royal mail would notice that indeed I have used a first class stamp and that means it should get there the next day - unfortunately it rarely does!  Anyway, this year my Mum asked me to make a card for my Nan from her, so I had to make sure it got to my Mum in plenty of time for her to be able to write it and send it on to my Nan.  As I was having to send this to my Mum, it made sense to get her card made and a birthday card for her partner, who's birthday is on Thursday - she's going to be so proud of me!  Ha ha!  

This card is for my Mum.  I used the sketch over at Retro Sketches this week for this one.  When I sat down to make it I had a serious attack of 'nojo' (for a description of this, and many other co-mingled words, please visit Darnell's blog - she has a fabulous way with words, and cards!) until I saw the Retro Sketches sketch, then it just came to me!  

And without further ado, here it is;

And...as this card has heat embossing (as does pretty much every card I make...ever!) I am submitting this for the challenge over at WOW! Embossing Powder as this month, Anything Goes!  I can see there being just a few entries for this challenge!  I was lucky enough to win last months' challenge - thank you guys!  :)

A little close up, just to prove it :)

Ooh, one more thing before I go - my dear blogging friend, Kelly, has recently had a baby girl :) (awww, she is cute!)  This means that the spare time she used to use for making beautiful cards is now taken up with mothering.  Because of this Kelly is selling some of her fabulous SU! products on e-Bay here.  If you love SU! (who doesn't!?) and would like some very well loved stamps etc then pop over there and have a little spree!!  Thank you ;)

Ok, that's my ramble over for today I think you'll all be pleased to know!  I'll be back tomorrow with my Nan's Mother's Day card!

Thanks for stopping by ;)

Supplies
Card:     Paper Mill Direct - White, Raspberry, Pink Sorbet, Primrose
Stamps: Verve - One Person
Ink:        VersaColor - Peony
Other:    WOW! - Tickled Pink e/p; Craft Concepts - Venus e/f; rhinestones

Addicted To CAS #7

Hey there!

I have recently found a new (to me) challenge blog - Addicted To CAS - how fantastic!!  The code word for this challenge is;

Which is just perfect timing as there are a few male birthdays coming up in the near future!  I have made this card for my Mum's boyfriend who's birthday is very soon;

This card came together super fast - which as we all knows just NEVER happens!  I have the idea in my head as soon as I saw this challenge and luckily it came out exactly as I had imagined - why can't they all be like that hey?!
It was quite difficult to stop myself from adding any rhinestones or frills, but I'm quite pleased with myself as I managed to refrain!

Thanks for stopping by ;)

Supplies
Card:      Paper Mill Direct - White, Black
Stamps: Happy Birthday (freebie and I have no idea where it came from!!)
Ink:        Distress Ink - Broken China, Crushed Olive; VersaColor - Black
Other:    Baby Blue Grosgrain ribbon