Two Posts in One Day - Crikey!!

My Second DCM GD Card... This is having to be added very quickly during lunch. There are a few ladies to whom I owe blog visits, I promise I will get to you today & I haven't forgotten the PIF people. You are selected & I will let you know soon.

Straight on to our Little Extra challenge for this week then:
Big & Little We'd like you to use items in pairs of Big and Little - so you need to have both sizes on your card ie big & little buttons, big & little die cuts, big & little hearts, big & little circles etc The theme of your card can be whatever you like this time, so that's nice of us, isn't it?
As usual, here are a few cards to get you thinking, don't forget to come back and leave us a message and we'll pop over to your blog to see your creations.Have fun!

My card uses BG, Stella Ruby. Thick & Thin ribbon, market stall buy. Hearts & plaques are all cut from cereal box card, painted with acrylics & the hearts are coated with 3D gloss for that shine. I competed the big & little theme by using big & small , HS bling!!! Love is white stick on letters from Asda.

AllAbout Eve - A Day in my Life

Another fabulous challenge over on the Eve blog. Most of my day is spent at work, so I decided to make this layout clip/noticeboard style & am really pleased with the finished piece. I lvoe the riot of colour without it being too "in your face" !I adore my funky title made from foam letters, some stick on crystal ones & my brand new HS chipboard alphas, centre of attention, lime. Papers are script, K&Co & some torn from a notebook. Ribbons are oddments from papermania collections, paperclps, staples, brads (to mimic pushpins, also papermania.) Scroll Stamps, DCWV, hampton arts.

Journalling reads, Most of my day is spent at my desk in the office, but bottles of water & cappuccino keep me going until I get home & then I spend time at my own computer as it is my crafting tool. Endless mugs of tea help me to create!

AJ WK 36 Life is Beautiful & TMTA- Slidemounts

I have gone butterfly crazy today. I just saw one & it reminded me of fragile beauty.

This fitted the "Life is Beautiful " prompt perfectly for the Art Journal. The picture is one my friend, Joy sent me of glasswinged butterflies. I cut out tiny ones to sit on the edges & wrote in silver around the middle picture, Life is beautiful & soft like fragile wings...

Then I remembered purchasing this background paper on the TMTA ATC, quite some time ago not really having an idea how I would use it. I handcut my slidemount from white card as mine are all too large to place on an ATC & covered it in handmade onion paper which I bought in a craft shop in Corbridge, Northumberland. I also added a butterfly & wrote in silver pen, Love is like a gentle butterfly...soft, fragile, fluttering along... I'm afraid I'm no poet but I think it looks good!!

ATC Trade I forgot to Show!!

I did a private trade with the lovely Hermine a few weeks ago & I completely forgot to show the two that I made for her. So excited was I at recieving the ones she had so beautifully made me!!
Grab a mug of tea/coffee & spend a few minutes looking at her beautiful blog.

The first one, Miss Time is based on a card I made for a DCM dare, I loved it so much thought it would look cool in minature! The second, Lady in Red, is an alcohol inked background. I felt she needed no embellishing, she says it all & each time I look at her I keep remembering a book I red called The Red Tent, by Anita Diamant. She kind of looks biblical to me & the book was loosely based on biblical times. A very good read if you haven't.

Now as some may remember, I was PIF'd by Janine a week or so ago! (Gee where does time go??) Well I decided to select 5 people instead of 3 & will be revealing in due course who will be recieving little gifts from me & who are then PIF'd themselves.......

DCM - Christmas

I am very fortunate to have been asked to be guest designer over the next two weeks for the ladies on the DCM blog.

This is my first card challenge.

Well, the time has come for our first Christmas card dare of 2007.But as loads of you have already shown some fab Christmas cards on your blogs, we thought we'd make things a little more Daring, interesting, tricky or downright mean - depending on your point of view!
So, we'd like you to make and show a Christmas card which incorporates the following:
Some Paper Tearing
The colour Purple
AND
It has to have at least one hole somewhere in the design!
......BUT by "hole" we don't just mean the sort of hole you poke a brad through, or the holes you make for/with stitching - or even the hole you make to put an eyelet in - although you can use all those techniques too if you want.
We want you to be a bit/lot more inventive and creative than that, and we think you'll be able to come up with some wonderful ideas for making cards to fit this recipe.We'll leave it to you to guess which team member said "if I put Baby Jesus on my card, will that be "Holey" enough?"

Paper is from the old Icy rainbow pad, HOTP have now revamped it. (Have to say I don't like the new one half as much) Stamps are large holly, Anitas. Snowflakes, Dovecraft/Hampton Arts. The holly was stamped twice. The first had a leaf cut out & then the second stamping was heat embossed & attached with sticky pads to raise it up. Purple gross grain ribbon, papermania. Greeting compouter generated.

This has now been updated from my first attempt at work very sneakily this morning!!

The pic was too small!!!

DCM extra -Soft & WS - Mulberry/Handmade paper

The DCM little extra was to use something soft on your card. Well I have used a lot of fibre of late so it was time for something different. The card didn't make it here this morning as it was too dark by the time I had got it finished. I had to sit & knit the three flowers first, which took until bedtime!

Papers are K&Co, Somerset. Large eyelets papermania. Leaves, Lakeland Ltd.

I left it greeting -less as some people like them completely blank.

Below is my card for the Wednesday Stamper.

We had to use mulberry/handmade papers & of course a stamp. I found this image courtesy of Vintage Resources a while back & wanted to create something heavenly for them. I think I have achieved this with the blue & pink textured paper & the gorgeous cream with gold pieces mulberry. I used gold metallic paint to stamp the star lightly so it didn't domiant the design & added smaller ones behind. To finish off I used a small cut out flower from my last DCM project.

Light ruins Crafting!!!

I was home late last night & never managed to finish any craft projects in time for good light! Photos are getting harder now as I find it is either too bright or too dark & the flash ruins the shots by making my papers look too pale & the design flat. It really annoys me!! So here is a pic of something I made a while ago. Just simple punched squares, a ornate stamp, blossom by Scrapfairie stamped with a love defintion by Anitas.

I took it into work & it was bought within 10 minutes! Really ought to make another with different colours! Oh well, I should have my DCM little extra to show tonight, when I can take the picture!!!

I was thrilled to see that my Reincarnation - Sindy page was selected as one of the favourites on the All About Eve challenge. Makes me feel really fuzzy & warm!! Thanks ladies.xx

AJ Wk 35- Strength & TMTA - Men

AJ prompt for this week, Strength. I admit I usually like my cards to have pictoral references to each prompt but somehow this paper from DCWV, Far East just spoke to me. It reminded me of flow charts & training workshops. I cut blocks out, wrote a word on each & then atttached them with foam tape to raise them like bricks in a wall. The arrows lead the eye down.

Below is my entry for the TMTA challenge, Men.

The men are my Grandfather & my Father as a boy.

I found this old corn merchant receipt on Vintage Resources & thought it pefect as we were a farming family back then. I inked & distressed all the edges. Paper is DCWV, Olde Worlde.

Inter Team Scraplift -Sept 2nd

Here is another team challenge. Papers are some off cuts from some old CherryArte. Photos are of myself going through a spectacles phase & doing Ronnie Corbett Impressions! Here is a link to the original on the 2peas gallery, by Kristina Contes.

Missed Mid WK DCM / Wednesday Stamper - Blue

These pictures were taken the same time, but the sun went in on the second shot! How different the colour is.
This card was in the bin following my disastrous attempt at the DCM mid week extra.
I chose "B" & it went wrong, but I have blue alcohol ink background, bear, butterfly, bookmark & if pushing my luck there are blue blooms, blue vellum pocket, the bear is brown!!!! Okay I might be!!
Bear is an image from Rein, one of her Monday shares.
I also wanted to enter this for my very first attempt at Wednesday Stamper. I have seen this on all the TMTA ladies blogs & have longed to play. This week is Blue & you have to use a stamp somewhere on the card. I stamped the bookmark, that goes into the blue vellum pocket!!

ATC's Made By Hermine

I have admired Hermine's work for some time & I was delighted when she asked if I would like to do a personal swap with her. These two gorgeous cards arrived in the post. I love them!!

I have been PIF'd by Janine. It is Pay it Forward. I saw this some time ago on a blog in Australia & I understand the rules to select 3 random people over the next few days from my comments & send them a homemade gift. All you have to do is PIF others if you want happy mail. The gifts are made from the heart, to give someone a warm smile. I will email or leave a comment on the 3 blogs over the next week for your snail mail to send the gift to you. I love getting things in the post so I thought this a lovely idea.

DCM - Die Cuts

As you may know, my mojo had walked out where cards were concerned! I tried to make something for the mid week extra, but although I had my list of B's & all the bits to hand, I couldn't make a design from them!!

I have no idea where this has come from, must have been after I pulled my latest layout out of the hat, all about Sindy & her fabulous amount of fashion!

Anyway, it has 2 double die cut flowers & 2 single die cut flowers. The bodice was cut from a template as I don't have the big shot die for it.

Papers are (background) Papermania, inspirations warm tones, (flowers & bodice) DCWV, Once Upon a Time.

Papermania buttons, brads & pearl brad. Flower for skirt, from a dear friend in Australia. Stamps by Memory Makers Collection & Hampton Arts.

All About Eve - Reincarnation

I decided to go with my sense of humour & be totally quirky. Well, Why Not?

Paper is a double sided sheet of Tres Mango Chic Collection, Mango Madness as I thought the pattern fitting for my 1970's Sindy. Spot tape, Heidi Swapp, pink dashed ribbon, papermania.

Prima flowers from Pearl, button centres, market stall purchase.

Titles are papermania chipboard & pink rub ons & the word Sindy is MM white glitter stickers coloured hot pink using my whispers permanent markers. Sadly the photo didn't pick up the glitter.I stuck closely to the sketch as my mojo had walked out last week!! I had fun & just enjoyed myself!

The journalling reads, Yes when I am reincarnated I am going to be a doll. Not any old doll mind, Sindy my childhood friend! Well, why not!! She has countless careers despite no qualifications. Yet, appears paid well as she has her own house with horse, furniture, jeep you name it. Every available Action Man wanting to take her on hot dates. And if she has any more outfits she'll need a second home! As if all this isn't enough, she is also adored by millions of little girls everywhere....

Happy Birthday Helen!

Today is my team mate, Helen's birthday. I was going to upload the card I made her but as usual blogger is broken right now & won't let me so alternative methods were needed.
Paper from Inspirations pack & image courtesy of Vintage Resources, as was my fairy ATC in the post below.
Hope you have a fabulous day, girlie!!

Art Journal wk34 & TMTA - Metal

Art Journal wk 34, what makes us laugh, what do we find funny?

Well for me is has to be classic comedy, pure genius, Billy Connolly & the TV show Father Ted.

For this weeks' TMTA, we had to use Metal. I have no metal papers/sheets etc, but I do have these gorgeous metal letters from Papermania, which goes so well with the fragile wings of the delicate fairy girl. I added purple glitter glue with a cocktail stick to the edges of her wings & the top & bottom of the metal letter to give shimmer. Paper is DCWV, Once Upon a Time..

I have been given several blog awards by various people & I will eventually get them onto the blog. It just concerns me how everytime you upload a picture you are using your free space. Once you hit your limit you will have to pay for more!!! I was always under the impression that blogger was free, but no more. Next time you upload to blogger using new post, add image, look at the bottom & it will tell you how much space you have left. I have currently used 10% of my space.

Mojo search!

As my mojo has gone walkabout, I have nothing new to show. However, this has not seen the blog so it is kind of new, to you readers anyway!

I made her two weeks ago, she started out as an ATC idea & might just make it onto one yet!! Papers are Papermania Inspirations warm tones, blossom given to me some time ago by a friend in a little rak. Sequins dropped off someones vest top & she saved them for me. Honestly, my colleagues are treasures.

DCM Buttons

I'm feeling very pink at the moment, must be all the Heidi Swapp goodies I have. Shame they can't help my creative block! Its taken me two hours to make these two cards & I still don't like either of them very much.

Im going to have a lay on the sofa & read a novel. Forget about crafting for a full day & see if it comes back. I have 3 layout challenges I want to complete, but as yet none are speaking to me.

My sketches are not making it onto the craft table. I am however doing quite well with my teamies CJ & my entry is all but finished & I am chuffed with it. So a small victory!!

Papers are DCWV, Inspirations warm tones. Buttons papermania. Flowers Dunhelm & Scrapfairies They look like prima but they aren't & half the price!! Adore is from a jotter sheet, Heidi Swapp. Baby outfit from a friend, Cat.

Blog Birthday attempt 2 & DCM Card

Here is the flipflop card, that blogger wouldn't let me upload this morning despite telling me i have used 20 more mb of my space! Hah! that's a joke.
Below is the card for the DCM mid week extra. Dots, dashes & stripes. Dots & stripes, paper (obviously) the dashes are the pink running through the ribbon. Best I can do.

Happy 1st Birthday, Blog!

I never thought I'd blog for a whole year, this last 4 months I have considered stopping altogether. Lets see what happens.

I was going to upload a picture of a flipflop card I made for my manager as it is also her birthday today, but sadly blogger is being a pig as usual & won't work!!!!

So not quite the happy birthday I planned for my poor blog!!

Art Journal wk-33 & TMTA - Music

For this weeks' Art Journal challenge, we were given the prompt 10 minutes.

Just create for 10 mins & see what you come up with. Layer it on & enjoy yourself!

Well I certainly did! I used my fav floral stamp,

lace & foam alpha stamps.

My first music ATC. I love the image of this violin.

This is my favourite of the two music ATC's but sadly the light is poor & the photo doesn't do this justice. Hopefully this is clear enough for you to see the vellum over laid on two edges of the picture.