Happy 30th birthday...erm, I mean 21st!!...

Hi guys!

I am here today with a birthday card for my partner's son's girlfriend!  (my would be step daughter-in-law I guess?!)  It is her 30th birthday today, but we have decided that it should actually just be another 21st because 30 sounds too old!!  :)

I made this card using the sketch from CAS(E) this sketch - I've been so busy lately...you know, in the real world (ugh...don't you just hate that it eats right into the time you could be spending doing something you actually WANT to do?!) and I was so pleased that I managed to find some time to join in with this challenge as it is fast becoming one of my favourites, which is hardly surprising as the sketches and inspiration from the DT are always so amazing...right!?  I am really pleased to hear about the alterations they are making over there as of the next challenge...the deadline is being extended from Tuesday to Thursday (which is super helpful for me, I'll have fewer excuses now!) and they are going to invite past winners to be guest designers - how exciting!  As if we all needed another incentive to play along :)

I have just noticed that it's the 30th challenge which I think is nicely coincidental with Sara's 30th birthday...it's the simple things in life...ha ha! ;)

Here's the sketch...

...and here's my card...

Hopefully you can tell that I did use the sketch, albeit as more of a jumping off point than actually following it strictly it transpires!  You should know me by now...I struggle with rules ;)  I just added a little decorative border at the bottom instead of the banners and put my banner at the top...my Mother would agree that I always have to do everything arse upwards ;)  (her terminology, not mine!)

Personally, I am not really an animal print kinda gal, I'm much more plain than that as I'm sure you've all noticed.  Sara, however, loves leopard print and so I got this paper just for her!  Yep, this is another crazy British wallpaper - I know Ardyth was astounded at the Disco Black glittery wallpaper that I used on her birthday card!  So Ardyth, here's another one for you! 

I know it's a bit difficult to see as my lighting situation has yet to improve...and my photography skills for that matter...but I have used that lovely Clear Matt Dull embossing powder from WOW! again on the background to add some subtle flourishes.

I am also entering this card into the Catered Crop Recipe Swap, which this time round is 'Mellow Yellow'.  I know there's nothing remotely mellow about this card, but it certainly has the yellow element!  

Thanks for stopping by ;)

Supplies
Card:      Paper Mill Direct - White, Black, Daffodil; A.S Creation - Leopard Print Wallpaper
Stamps: Stamping All Day - Art Deco Birthday; Waltzingmouse - Fancy Flourishes and Scallops and Dots
Ink:        Ranger - Perfect Medium
Other:    WOW! - Clear Matt Dull and Ebony e/p; Spellbinders - Classic Edges Two and Decorative Inserts
             Three; flowers; rhinestones

You're how old??!!...

Hey!

Last weekend I took some time out in order to sit at my desk...I didn't realise quite how much I'd missed it and just how therapeutic it is!  I managed to join in with some challenges that have been neglected by myself of late...woohoo!

Today is the turn of the Fusion challenge!  The sketch and the inspiration were so cool that I went with both, and here they are...

I decided to use the colours from the inspiration image and the white-on-blue background and went with a literal take on the sketch...this is how it turned out...

Some of you may remember that I was making a bundle of birthday cards to send to my Mum for her to have on standby to give to her friends.  Well, I made and sent them to her, and bless her, she loved them :)   (that's the best thing about Mother's, they're seldom disappointed :))  When I spoke to her on the phone the other day she mentioned that a male friend of hers birthday was coming up soon.  I couldn't remember whether any of the cards I sent her would be suitable for him, so I told her I'd make one specially.  He has a good sense of humour (which is lucky!) and is going to be turning 64, so Mother and I decided that this sentiment would be ideal!!  He he!  Mean, I know :)  

I never really got into the bunting/banner trend when it was, well, trendy...but here I found myself making a little bunting for this card...talk about being a little behind!  :)  I'm actually quite pleased with how it turned out and hopefully Keith will enjoy his card too :)

I am hoping to join in with all the other challenges I love this week too...I think I'll have to train my other half to cook dinner and wash up so that I have more time to craft!  Wish me luck!!  ;)

Thanks for stopping by guys ;)

Supplies
Card:      Paper Mill Direct - White, Sky Blue, Bright Red
Stamps: Papermania - Celebration
Ink:        Ranger - Perfect Medium
Other:    WOW! - Opaque White super fine and Ebony e/p; rhinestones; thread

A biker wedding...

Hello there!

On Friday night a good friend of mine asked me to make a card for his friend's wedding which was this afternoon.  When I asked him what the wedding colours were, he had no idea!  Hmm, helpful!!  The couple who were getting married both have Harley Davidson's, however and the grooms bike is black and turquoise so he decided that he'd like a card in those colours, so that's what I did :)

I don't know about you, but I find it difficult enough to make wedding cards (which I can only put down to the pressure of wanting to make something extra special for an extra special day!?) let alone making one for people I've never met!  Anyway, I gave it a go and this is what I came up with...

I have used this combination of die cuts for a wedding card before (for my best friend's wedding last year) and I think it looks pretty intricate without being too difficult to make - which is always a bonus!  

When I showed the card to my friend to make sure he liked it (although it was a bit late for him to say no as it's not like he gave me a great deal of notice!) he then told me that the brides bike is pink!  If I had known I'm sure I could've incorporated a bit of pink in there somewhere!  Hopefully she has had such a wonderful day that she won't notice too much :)

I am going to pop this card into the CAS-ual Fridays challenge which is 'Congratulations' this week.  This card is to congratulate the bride and groom on their wedding day so I think that counts!  ;)

Thanks for stopping by ;)

Supplies
Card:     Paper Mill Direct - Black, White, Teal, Pale Turquoise
Stamps: Waltzingmouse - Big Day Additions
Ink:        Ranger - Perfect Medium
Other:    WOW! - Silver super fine e/p; Spellbinders - Parisian Motifs, Fleur De Lis Motifs; Crafty Ribbons
              - Silver seam binding; pearls

Happy Birthday, Ardyth!!...

Surpriiiiise!!

Today is the fabulous Ardyth Percy-Robb's birthday and the equally fabulous Darnell is throwing a blog birthday party!  I was so honoured to be invited along!  If you would like to join in the fun, just pop over to Darnell's blog and link your birthday wishes up to inlinkz - the more the merrier!!  :)

I can't imagine there is anyone in blogland who doesn't know who Ardyth is?!  She is such an inspiration and her mojo never seems to wane.  She comes up with the most incredible ideas and has a fantastic knack of interpreting challenges in her own unique way - which is always sensational :)

So, then it came to making a card.  What could I possibly make that would do justice and be a fitting tribute to such a wonderful designer...?  Well, I really had only one option...rainbow!!  A woman after my own heart, Ardyth loves a rainbow card...I do hope you like this one Ardyth, it's especially for you!

Ta da!  Happy Birthday, Ardyth!!

Here's a close up...the black background is SPARKLY!  The sentiment is also glittery, although as I am no David Bailey and have only one light source, it's really difficult to see the sparkle in the embossing powder...but I promise you it's there!!

The background paper is actually wallpaper and it has the most apt name for this occasion - it's called Disco Black Glitter!!  What's a birthday party without a disco?!!!  :)  You may be seeing more of this paper...it's too cool  :)

Anyway, Ardyth, I hope you have a wonderful day and enjoy your virtual birthday celebrations as well as your 'real life' ones ;)  I also hope you get spoiled rotten by your nearest and dearest and cherish every moment of YOUR day!

I am entering this card into the Addicted To CAS challenge - the code word being 'Birthday'.  Also it would seem I missed out on their previous challenge which was 'Rainbow' - erm, well, this card kinda makes up for that!  ;)

Thank you for stopping by everyone, as always, I really appreciate it ;)  I know I've been MIA recently, internet issues still plague me and time has become somewhat elusive of late...I will endeavour to make more time however as I am starting to get withdrawal!!  :)  See y'all soon!

Supplies
Card:      Paper Mill Direct - White, Black, Bright Red, Citrus Orange, Daffodil, Spring Green, Ocean Blue,
              Grape, Lilac; Wallpaper - Disco Black Glitter by Graham & Brown
Stamps: Stamping All Day - Art Deco Birthday
Ink:        VersaColor - White
Other:    WOW! - White Twinkle e/p; sequins

Guest Designer anyone...?!

Hello there!

It's been a while hasn't it!!?  My absence has been due to technical internet issues I'm afraid - I don't know how I've coped without it for so long?!!  Two weeks is way too long!  Also, during this time my iPhone decided the best thing to do would be to delete ALL of my contacts!  I was horrified!  Luckily I managed to retrieve them - phew!  I have now realised that I should back my phone up a little more often - apparently it hadn't been done since November 2011 when I got the phone - whoops!  I am a little concerned about how much my life depends on all this technology and how lost I am without it!  

Anyway, enough of all that!  Thank you, thank you, thank you to all of you who still stopped by my little blog and left so much love and encouragement during my absence - I did manage to receive a few emails intermittently throughout my internet-less time so that was lovely :)  I am planning on visiting you all very soon!

Another wonderful thing that has happened (possibly given away by the title of this post!) is that I have the opportunity to be a Guest Designer over at Catered Crop this week!  Woohoo!  I was one of the three winners of the Make An Impression Recipe Swap :)  My first ever GD spot and I'm so excited!!  Another great big thank you to Lyndal for introducing me to this challenge ;)  

Some shameless boasting there, sorry!  I'm just too excited!  The Recipe Swap this time round is 'Fabric of Friendship'  - how fab is that?!  I have a bag full of fabric remnants from my brother and a friend of my sister who is a seamstress so this was the perfect opportunity to use some unfairly neglected fabric!

Here is my contribution to the challenge;

I have to say, I was part way through this card when I thought 'wouldn't it be lovely to have a sewing machine!'  My fingers were somewhat sore after this!  (I had done some sewing for another three cards previous to this one and my paper piercer makes the holes slightly too large so I have to use my needle - after 100 holes or so it really starts piercing through your finger with the eye end! Ouch!)  

I had an image of how I wanted this card to look in my mind, as we all do.  When I was part way through, I really didn't think it was going in the right direction, however I persevered and it actually ended up just how I wanted it!!  Phew!  I like that the fabric and the stitching looks a little messy (for me anyway!) that was the soft touch I was going for :)  If my brother doesn't see it on here first, I think this may end up as a birthday card for him!!  

I can't wait to see what the other GD's and the DT come up with, not to mention all the participants too - the last challenge was jam packed full of beauties!

Thanks again to Linda for this opportunity - you've made this girls week!  :)

Thanks for stopping by everyone, I'm hoping to be back a little providing that the internet behaves!  Ciao for now ;)

Supplies
Card:      Paper Mill Direct - White, Sky Blue
Stamps: Stamping All Day - Art Deco Birthday
Ink:        VersaColor - Silver
Other:     Fabric remnants; thread, WOW! - Silver Super Fine e/p; sore fingers!!!

10/10 for effort...

Hey peeps!

How's it going?  I hope you all have glorious weather where you are like we do today!  Gonna get myself out in the garden - whoop whoop!

As expected, Mother rejected the previous card I made for her friend who is moving house...I knew it would happen.  She tried to be diplomatic about it however when I emailed the picture over to her... 

"Ooooh thats lovely, but can you add a "New house" or "Good luck in you new home" type message-think that would be more appropriate.
 
Thats one for the collection tho'
 
Love you more xoxoxox xoxoxox xoxoxox "

...so there you have it - verbatim.  Back to the drawing board I went.  Then I saw the sketch for this week over at CAS(E) This Sketch and I knew exactly what I was going to do!  Don't you just love it when that happens?!!

I am loving this sketch - the possibilities are endless...wouldn't you agree?  For my card, I stuck with the red, black and white colour scheme of before as I have it on good authority that these will go down well with the recipient (and Mother)... 

I think it's safe to say that this is very obviously a 'New Home' card and I cannot foresee any 'suggestions' this time!  ;)  Unfortunately, I don't have ANY stamps whatsoever relating to 'new home' or 'moving house' or even 'good luck' as it goes, so the trusty nibs and ink came out.  They do get a bit neglected now that I have more sentiment stamps now actually, which is sad.  I should make more of an effort to actually write things myself!  The only draw back is that I love to emboss my sentiments...so unless I can find some liquid embossing writing ink then that's not going to happen...I see a hole in the market here!  

Lacking in embossing writing ink, I embossed the chevrons instead!!  Another present from the fabulous Chupa in her blog candy giveaway ;)  This card actually started life as a rectangular one, but he just didn't look right so I chopped him down and he looks much better square!  The house and sentiment are popped up on foam tape so it's a little more interesting. 

A big thank you to Lyndal for pointing out that there is a challenge over at Catered Crop - Make An Impression and that my previous moving card and now this one would qualify!  Thanks girl!  So, I'm entering both cards into that one too :)

Right...I'm off to enjoy the sunshine now...knowing our weather today will qualify as our whole summer and I'd hate to miss it!!  Have a wonderful weekend my lovelies, especially those of us with a bank holiday coming this Monday :)  We're going to a bike rally with our Harley friend and it's gonna be good!

Thanks for stopping by ;)

Supplies

Card:      Paper Mill Direct - White, Black, Bright Red

Stamps: Gel-a-Tins - Chevron-tastic

Ink:        Ranger - Perfect Medium; Windsor & Newton - Scarlet

Other:    WOW! - Apple red and Ebony e/p; rhinestones

Fusion felicitations...

Hey peeps!

I am popping in with a little card for the Fusion challenge today...talk about last minute hey?!!  That's just how I roll ;)

Once again, I decided to go with just the sketch.  Don't get me wrong, the colours and the flowers from the inspiration image were wonderful, but there was no way I was going to be able to make them look anything other than an experiment in achieving the ugliest recycling paper!  I am aware of my limitations and sometimes it does just as well to stick within them as it to push them :)

Here is the fab Fusion sketch and image for this/last week...

...and here is my card...

This card is another one that is destined for my Mother's address.  Her friend is moving at the end of the month and she asked if I could make a card for her.  Now, I am aware that there is no mention of 'new home' or even an image of a house anywhere on this card, but I think it is a cause for felicitations.  Her friend has been trying to sell her house for over a year and it has finally happened!  Too tenuous?  I don't know - I'll send it to Mother and see what she says...I still have plenty of time to make another one when she says that this one won't do!  ;)

I had a bit of fun with this card...you see those outer rings?  They have been heat embossed with glow in the dark embossing powder!  Te he!  The inner circles have been embossed with clear gloss embossing powder.  I thought they looked like little planets and that it might be fun if a card on someone's mantel piece was to glow in the evening!  (I think this cold has gone to my head a little more than I first thought!)  I did try to take a photograph of it 'glowing' to no avail...I was not impressed.  Danielle Daws made this card and she seemed to be able to capture the 'glowing'...my photo's just came out black :(  I'd love to blame the camera, but only a bad craftsman blames his tools.  You can see in Danielle's photo what it look like in the dark though :)


ETA:  Lyndal kindly pointed out that this card would also qualify for the challenge currently on over at Catered Crop so I'm popping it in there as well!  Thanks girl!  :)

Thanks, as always, for stopping by...your time and comments mean a lot to me ;)

Supplies
Card:      Paper Mill Direct - White, Black, Bright Red
Stamps: Waltzingmouse - Big Day Additions 
Ink:        Ranger - Perfect Medium
Other:    WOW! - Glow-In-The-Dark, Clear, Metalline Red e/p; Spellbinder - Large and Small Circle Dies;
             Cuttlebug - Swiss Dots e/f; Tonic - duo corner punch