Time flies!

Hi guys!  My word, where has this last fortnight gone to?   I can't seem to do for doing, at the moment - I'm busy trying to finish design work for the next disc, keeping on top of housework (or not as the case may be!), meetings to try and keep our village school open, everyday jobs...and it's Carnival this weekend, so I'll have to make a costume for youngest!  If only there was an extra hour in the day..or two, or three!  We've already passed summer solstice and are on the slippery slope toward...dare I say it?...Christm....no, I can't do it - we haven't had summer yet!!  Anyhow, thought I'd share a card with you that I made myself sit and make, just for the heck of it...(apologies now for the quality of the photos)...

...at last, I managed to stamp and colour Sarah Kay's Finn Whistling - this is the last stamp I got with my Simon Says Stamp voucher, and he is just adorable!  I kept the colours quite muted, just colouring Finn with brown and green tones.  The papers were just scraps from in my stash - the background paper is a 12x12 that I got whilst on hols, the brown dotty paper is from Dovecraft's Masculine paper pad and the cream was something I picked up on my travels - not sure where, or when!?!....

...inside, I decorated with co-ordinating papers and added a little packet of gypsophilia seed sticks to go with the garden theme...

...the sentiment was printed onto Safmat and reads : "For your Birthday these wishes are sent to express, the hope that every day will bring growing happiness."  All edges were inked with Vintage Photo Distress Ink. the roses and chrysanths were from WOC and a Martha Stewart butterfly (punch), inked with Vintage Photo.  I finished off with a highlight of Stardust Stickles and 2 stunning hat pins, in a gold tone.
I have to say, photos never do the cards justice (especially when they're as bad as these ones, lol!).  Thanks for looking, Lisa X.
Just managed to enter this card in Stampavie and more challenge which is Butterflies.

Simon Says...Let's get Fruity

Hi guys!  Had a play today to make a card for the Simon Says Stamp Challenge, which has a theme of Let's get Fruity with a photo inspiration...

...so, I decided to draw myself a nice fruity sundae to use on my card...

...I was really pleased with the way it turned out - it looks good enough to eat...

..I coloured the image with my Promarkers, then highlighted with Glossy Accents and Glamourdust.  The frilly frame was made using the Die-namics crochet border attached to the back of the edges of the red matt, I have to admit, it was just the perfect size without me measuring (not very often that happens!)  I had also drawn the large strawberries and leaves as an embellishment, so coloured and cut these out, then highlighted again with Glossy Accents (the only thing using it on red is that it changed the colour to a more orange tone)

 ...The silver spoon charm was from my stash - I'd forgotten all about them TBH and they literally fell out of the cupboard whilst I was getting something else!  The red gingham paper was one I made myself, especially for this card - I had tried other papers, but they just wouldn't work.  I stitched around the edge of the gingham matt, although it doesn't show very well in the photo, I straight stitched with red cotton (which I coloured with my Poppy Red pen), then blanket stitched with white (Carole, eat your heart out!).  The large rose is from WOC and the small pink flowers from Hobbycraft, the little doily I got from a pub whilst in South Wales, after being served our drinks on them (the half on the front of the card reminds me of the fan wafers that you get in ice cream sundaes, so I thought, fits the theme well)...

...I'm really into decorating the inside of my cards at the moment - something I've noticed a few people do - and this card was simply an easel card turned on it's side so that when opened, the front and back sit parallel with one another - just another way to use a versatile fold.
Hope you like it as much as I do...after making it, I popped out to the garden to pick some whopper strawberries of my own - you can't beat the taste of home grown!  Until next time, happy crafting and have a great weekend!  Lisa X
I'm entering this card into the following challenges :

Simon Says Stamp Challenge

Let's get Fruity!

Totally Papercrafts

Summer

Papertake Weekly

Anything Goes

Card orders

Hello there!  My intention of posting a card was scuppered when I received some last minute card orders, so I thought I would share them with you - I delivered a Diamond Wedding Anniversary card yesterday morning (don't get asked to do many of them!), then a friend asked if I could do two 50th Birthday cards for this afternoon, so here they are :

...for this first card, I used am image which has been on my comupter for years - I turned it into a digi stamp, then added the cocktail glass, before colouring with Promarkers and highlighting with Glamourdust and Glossy accents.  The daisy flowers were from Crafts4U and the little red flowers are made from an XCut mini flower punch, which came in handy to fill in around the WOC rosebuds.  Both Marianne flourishes were cut in silver mirri, plus a Nellie corner.  I added a pack of Safmat to my latest order of Promarkers and used this to print the greeting on the little tag - I have a few of these layering Sizzlits tags and didn't use them in the past because they were so difficult to get the wording lined up, but now, they have a new lease of life! (clever old Safmat!)...

...the second card was made using Mo Manning's Checking digi stamp - love this one, it's a nice change from pretty, pretty, but still feminine enough to dress up!  (coloured using Promarkers, my only medium of choice at the moment!)  The papers are from my First Edition Up, up and Away paper pad (this pad is sooo versatile), Die-namics lace border, teal grosgrain ribbon, daisies and cream rosebuds.  I thought the little charm (which I think is supposed to be a handbag)  looked rather like a laptop bag, so added the peel off (I know, I know!) numbers coloured with Poppy Red.  The sentiment was made to look like an email, or that was the intention - I put the recipient's name in the 'To' header.  I finished by adding another Nellie corner, although this time, I embossed it, then cut around the outside with scissors and glittered where the holes would be.  I embellished the coffee cup and laptop with Glossy Accents, et voila!  Finis!
Hope you (and the recipient) like them,  thanks for looking.  Lisa X

Holidays!

Hi guys!  Sorry, no card this weekend - DH came home on Thursday night to tell me he'd booked Friday off work, so we decided to drive down and surprise the boys in South Wales.  We arrived where they were staying after 11pm, so they got a lovely shock on Friday morning when they found us there!  The weather was fantastic and never mind the low twenties, I think it was nearer 30 degrees!  We visited Carew Castle and Mill, wandered around Tenby, spent Friday evening on Pendine Sands, ate out most meal times (so I now feel a stone heavier!) and finished it off with a day of running around the adventure play park at Folly Farm.  DH and myself joined in, whilst Nain sat and watched with a coffee - I think she had the right idea, as I'm sure I got slide burn on my bottom!  All in all, it was a wonderful weekend just spending time together and forgetting about work...if only it could last - I'd need to win the Lotto first!  Kid's back to school and hubbie back to work tomorrow, so I'll hopefully post a card then.  Hope you enjoyed your weekend and thanks for stopping by.  Lisa X

What a beautiful day!

...the sun is shining and it's warm for the first time in weeks!  So, I thought I would make something to reflect the happy mood I'm in, thanks to the glorious weather...I used my new digi from Emerald Faeries called the Larakins, Ashton & Boo...

...they're a right mischevious little pair!  This card sort of developed as I made it - firstly, I coloured the little cherubs in, then decided that they needed a beanstalk to hang from and so the card has ended up being a bit green!  If I'd had the beanstalk idea from the beginning, I wouldn't have used green on the clothes, but hey ho, hindsight is a wonderful thing! The card is a tri-fold concertina - I drew the beanstalk myself, then scanned into the computer and printed onto the front of the card before colouring with Promarkers, cutting around and attaching acetate behind to give the card it's rigidity back...

...the mushrooms, I also drew myself, then coloured with Promarkers and decoupaged inside.  The sentiment was made using single alphabet stamps, then the edges inked with Vintage Photo...

...it turned out rather fun, different from my norm and I think it's good to think outside the box once in a while!  TBH, it was a card that Colette had made that inspired me to do something different, so thanks, Colette!

Whilst writing this, I've just had a phone call from my own little elves, who are enjoying a break with Nain (Welsh for Grandma) down in South Wales - they called from Manor Park Wildlife Centre (Anna Ryder Richardson's Zoo) to tell me all about the animals they've seen and what they're going to be up to next - should have some good photos for the scrapbook when they come back!

Hope you're enjoying the good weather and thanks for looking!  Lisa X

I'm entering this card into the following challenges :

Inky Impressions

Shine on!

(Acetate and glitter)

Stampavie and more

More than a fold

(Tri fold card)

Stamptacular Sunday Challenge 

Bugs or Boys

Isla

Hi everyone!  Could summer be on the way?!!  It's still most definitely Spring out there just now, but at least the sun is shining and the forecast looks good - we might even see the low twenties by the weekend! (Fingers crossed)
So, I thought I'd share a card with you that I made using one of the Emerald Faeries Digi Stamps, Isla - isn't she just the cutest?!...

...I made this one for you, Sarah - not a hint of pink in sight!!  I coloured Isla using my Promarkers - Coral, Dusky Pink and Satin for the skin, Spice, Honeycomb and Mustard for her dress and Olive Green, Pear Green and Lime Zest for her tights and hat...

I made the frame using a standard oval nestie and one of the embellishment dies from the Nestabilities Pendants, Renaissance Heart.  All edges were inked with Vintage Photo, then a touch of Glamourdust for a bit of sparkle and some small pearls (one of my ever growing list of essentials!).  The flowers were from WOC...

 ...I removed the outermost petal from the large blue rose, to make it smaller in size and twisted the cut off stems around my pokey tool to make the tendrils.  Fimally, I decorated the inside with matching papers and a panel inked with Peeled paint and Vintage Photo, then stamped with a dandelion seed head stamp coloured with my Promarkers...

...No sentiment on this one - but I didn't think it needed one, her little face says it all!  I love the way it's turned out and hope you all like it, too. Thanks for looking!  Lisa X
I'm entering this card into the foloowing challenges :

Allsorts Challenge

Things with Wings

Paperplay Challenges

Blssoms and Blooms

A Spoonful of Sugar

Flower Power