A card and a sentiment...

Good morning, dear Blogger buddies and a happy Thursday to you all!  At the beginning of the week, I got a lovely email from a fellow crafter, Carolyn Bell, sharing a card she'd made using one of the designs from my Boys2Men CD.  I love to see other people's creations and asked if I could share her make here on my blog and she agreed, so here's a brilliant diarama card using the football topper and papers...

...I haven't made one of this style card (I know, where have I been?!) but think I might just have to!  You could easily incorporate team colours and fancy it up if you want to, but I also like the simplicity and mainly black and white colour tones.  THANK YOU SO MUCH for sharing, Carolyn! (Off to make a sample card like this for my upcoming Sincerely Yours Shows in Glasgow and Edinburgh!  Just over a week to go! Aargh!!)
I also promised one of the girls at our workshop that I would post the sentiment from the last card we made at our class, so here it is...well, I had to make it again as I hadn't saved it, but it should be near enough the same!...

Can't believe it's May tomorrow! We're looking forward to another long weekend, although the weather isn't looking great so it'll probably end up being an indoor one prepping for Scotland! Enjoy what is left of the week and don't forget there's still time to enter into our 'Easel Does it!' challenge over at Passion for Promarkers!
Hugs,

Passion for Promarkers - Easel Does it!...

Good morning, my lovely Blogger friends!  Gosh these days are whizzing by!  I am spending a lot of time designing at the moment (and really enjoying it too!) plus with all this marvellous weather we've been having, I've been trying to get something done in the garden and keep up with all the chores!
But never mind all that!...it's Tuesday (again!) which means we have a brand new challenge starting over at Passion for Promarkers.  This week it's the lovely Lou in the hostess chair and she's chosen the theme, 'Easel Does it!' - so we want to see your easel creations!  We have 2 sponsors this week, Michele R Designs and Letraset...so get your entries in!...

...I decided to use the teatime digi from the March set of A Year in Cards and paper pieced the image a little with the rose and damask paper from the May wedding set.  The image was then coloured and shaded with Pro/Flexmarkers and highlighted with some glitter...

Card Recipe - 

Image - teatime digi from A Year in Cards

Papers - Scarecrow polka dot and heart papers from February set A Year in Cards

Wedding Bell rose and damask papers from May set A Year in Cards

Owl polka dot from Animal Antics

Sentiment - March design set A Year in Cards

Dies - Spellbinders Oval

Spellbinders Floral Ovals

Marianne Lace Ribbon Border

Marianne Bunting Die

Embellishments - Cream grosgrain ribbon, paper flowers and pearls

Hope you like my pretty pastel creation and that you can find the time to join in with our challenge this week!  Don't forget to hop over and see what my wonderful teamies have for your inspiration and I look forward to seeing your fabulous creations,

Crafty hugs,

I'd like to enter my card into the following challenges :

Lil Patch of Crafty Friends

#8 Anything Goes until 31st

Crafting from the Heart

Anything Goes until 3rd May

Crafty Girlz Monthly Challenge

Anything Goes / or April Showers until 14th May

The Paper Shelter

It's a Celebration closes today
Glitter n Sparkle Challenge
Easel cards until 2nd May

Workshop cards and a special make...

Good afternoon, dear Blogger buddies!  Just popping in to share the cards we made at workshop yesterday...

...First we made a trifold floral card...

...Second was a sweet gift card/money wallet with a pocket on the inside and a lion made from different die shapes.
Hubby and I have also been busy on a little project for the last few weeks, creating solar lights for the garden...

...I'm really pleased with how they turned out!  They're made from a brake drum and prop shaft from an old hackney carriage taxi, a ceiling light and some solar garden lights! We're just wondering what we can make next!...
Hope you're having a fabulous weekend!
Hugs,
Lisa x

Passion for Promarkers - Tag You're it!...

This card came in the Top 3 at I Love Promarkers...thanks so much, ladies!

Good morning, my lovelies! Tuesday's come around again which means it's time for another fab new challenge over at Passion for Promarkers.  It's my turn to host this week and I've chosen the theme 'Tag, you're it!', so I would like to see a tag somewhere on your creation, this could either be a tag shaped card or project, a removeable tag, a tag as part of the design or simply a sentiment tag...nice and easy!  The DT girls have come up with some fabulous inspiration for you to take ideas from, so don't forget to hop on over to the Passion for Promarkers blog to see their amazing work....thank you so much ladies!...
We are being sponsored by the wonderful Polka Doodles who are offering 2 digis for the winner...

Don't forget to be in with a chance to win the prize, you MUST use your Letraset products and follow the theme.

...I decided to go with a tag shaped card for this gardening themed make...

...I created the tag shape by drawing around a large XCut label die onto Kraft style card...

Card Recipe -

Brown Kraft card

Image - my own, coloured with Pro/Flexmarkers

Jute Roll (from Poundland)

Spelbinders Circle dies

Sue Wilson Pierced Fishtail dies

Die-namics Dainty Lace border die

Embellishments - Bakers twine, Buttons, metal oval tag

I finished the inside with a sentiment panel for writing on.

I really hope you can join in with my theme this week and can't wait to see all your wonderful creations! Have a totally terrific Tuesday and I hope the week follows suit!

Crafty hugs,

I'd like to enter my card into the following challenges :

As You Like It Challenge

Favourite Alcohol Markers or Distress Inks and Why...closes 22nd

I have to say, I love my Promarkers, so it would be alcohol pens for me every time! I have never really tried watercolouring and like the brighter tones you can get with alcohol markers, though I would never say never!

Fab n Funky

Bingo closes today

I've used Sentiment, Digital Image, Die Cuts

Craft your Passion

Always Anyhting Goes closes 19th

I Love Promarkers

Ink it up closes today

I've inked all my edges with Distress Inks and used my favourite inks of all - Promarkers!

The Paper Shelter

Birthday with a Sentiment closes today

Workshop cards...

...Good morning, lovely peeps!  Well, I'm back as promised to share the cards we made at class yesterday.  Firstly, I'd like to say a big hello to the lovely Ruth who came along for the first time yesterday - hope you enjoyed it!...

This card came in the Top 3 at Creative Craft Cottage - thanks for choosing me, ladies!

...The first card we made was this pretty, pastel butterfly card - there are a lot more layers to this than first seems and it was a bit of a manic first half an hour whilst everyone tried to get their elements die cut! It's a bit like the Grand National - everyone starts out of the blocks at break neck speed wanting to get ahead and by the end of the class everyone is just dawdling along at their own pace...so funny!...

Card Recipe - 

Papers - 

Stripe, polka dot and gingham from the Sewing design set of A Play on Words

Dies - 

Marianne Swirl frame and lace border

Sue Wilson Stitched Flags

Spellbinders Petite and Scalloped Ovals

Spellbinders Label Eleven

Cheery Lynn Leaf Strip Border 

Punches -

Martha Stewart Monarch Butterfly punch

Fiskars small flower 

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges :

Crafty Cardmakers

Wings 3rd entry until 18th

Try it on Tuesday

They who have Wings 3rd entry closes tomorrow

Creative Craft Cottage

Use Die Cuts 2nd entry until 20th

Papertake Weekly

Anything Goes 2nd entry closes tomorrow

Our second card was a simple swing card using the vintage car from A Year in Cards...

 Card Recipe -

Papers - 

Stripe and check from June Vintage Car design set of A Year in Cards

Image -

precoloured Vintage Car from A Year in Cards

Dies - 

Sue Wilson Stitched Flags

Embellishments - 

Old Paper Distress Ink, metal star brad, pearls

I created the sentiment in PS and thought it was quite apt for the image...

Right click on the image and Save Image As...to your PC

So that's what we made!  Everyone seemed very happy with the results and went home with 2 lovely cards and hopefully the inspiration to have a go at adapting them with their own crafty stash!

I'll be back on Tuesday with a new DT card for Passion for Promarkers - it's my turn as hostess, so I hope you can play along! Have a super Sunday...

Hugs,

Christening card number 2...

Good morning again, everyone!  Yes, I'm back with the second of my commissioned christening cards...however, number 3 got deleted from the camera, as I thought I'd already copied it to my PC...it will now be in Ireland, so there's no chance of getting a pic!
This one was made for the godmother to give...

...I decided to make an easel book with this pretty verse - 'May God guide you with His gentle hand, May He watch over you through life's journey, May He bless you with the gift of kindness and fill your heart with love...'

...I added some lace and pearls to the stop bar and decorated with pink grosgrain ribbon, organza bow, cross charm, WOC sweetheart blossoms, mini roses and Cheery Lynn Leaf border dies.
Short and sweet from me today!  I'll be back tomorrow with the cards we made at workshop.  Have a fabulous weekend!
Crafty hugs,

Bee Happy...

Good morning, Blogger friends!  I would like you to picture the scene...I was sat on the bench in the front with a cup of tea yesterday afternoon, in the warm sunshine, overlooking the Berwyn mountain range.  The lambs were bleating in the fields, the birds were singing and you could hear the distant hum of a lawn mower...suddenly, rising out of the bush in front of me like an apache helicopter and with sound effect to boot, was a huge bumblebee!...

This bush is a mass of flowers this year and the bumblebees seem to love it!

Now a couple of days ago, I received the Spellbinders hexagon die set that I ordered after seeing lots of clever cards on Pinterest and they have been sat on my table, unopened since.  Well Mr Bumblebee gave me inspiration to open them up and get creative!  This is what I came up with...

...I used the smallest hexagon die and one of my new papers to create a honeycomb background, then die cut a frame from antique gold cardstock...

...I needed some bees, so had a root around in my die box to see what I could come up with and came across the Marianne stitched flower and leaf die.  I used the leaf die, minus the stem as the body and cut it in black, yellow and white for each bee so that I could cut and piece the detail.  The flower was cut from silver detail vellum, then cut down to two heart shapes for the wings.  I added some cream jute/hessian and bakers twine with a small sunflower charm and bow...

...The inside was finished with a printed insert.
I like the way this little card turned out and all thanks to a bumblebee!  I wonder where you will find inspiration?! The sun is still shining today - I won't know what to do when this spell of warm weather ends, it'll be a bit of a shock to the system, although it has been fabulous for the school holidays, the kids have been out everyday and playing in the river! Better than sitting on their electronic gadgets!
It's workshop tomorrow, so I'd better go and check everything is in the boxes ready - have a fabulous weekend and I'll be back soon with some more craftiness.
Hugs,

I'd like to enter my card into the following challenges :

Creative Craft Cottage

Use Die Cuts until 20th

Crafty Cardmakers

Wings 2nd entry until 18th

Try it on Tuesday

They who have Wings 2nd entry until 13th

Papertake Weekly

Anything Goes until 13th

Top Tip Tuesday

Mellow Yellow until 13th

Naughty Blogger!...

..It seems Blogger decided to publish my scheduled post, so if you've spotted the clip in your Reading List and come over looking for my Bee Happy post, it'll be going live in the morning, as it should have done!  Naughty Blogger!
Sorry everyone! x

Christening card...

Good morning, dear Blogger buddies, on another beautifully sunny day here in North Wales! I absolutely LOVE the sunshine - I'm not bothered about heat, 20 degrees is just fine for me, but the brighter days give me so much more energy and motivation!  Only problem is, I don't want to be inside!  The washing machine doesn't know what's hit it and I've been doing some weeding in the garden.
I have had a couple of card orders to fulfill, so I have been crafting inbetween times - this is one of 3 christening cards that I was asked to make, all for the same person!  I find this so hard as you have to come up with 3 completely different ideas!  Anyway, this is number one...

...I decided to make the sentiment the focal point as I didn't really have an appropriate image, so it had to be my Marianne doily dies!...

Card Recipe -

Papers - First Edition Love Letters

Marianne doily die sets LR0141 & LR0180

Spellbinders Circle Dies 

Sue Wilson Pierced Flag Die

Cheery Lynn Leaf Strip Border and Exotic Butterflies #2

Dusky Rose Grosgrain Ribbon

WOC carnation, sweetheart blossoms, mini roses and rosebuds

Small cross charm

 The card had to be placed in a box and I finished the inside with a printed insert and verse.
That's it from me today, I'm off to have a hop around, then it's bathroom cleaning and maybe a bit of design work later....Have a totally terrific Thursday!
Crafty hugs,

I'd like to enter my card into the following challenges :

Crafty Cardmakers

Wings until 19th

Crafty Catz

Anything Goes closes in 2 hours!!

The Crafting Cafe

April Challenge - Flights of Fancy

Try it on Tuesday

They who have Wings until 13th

A happy, sunny, Easter weekend...

Hello, my lovelies!  Hope you have all had a wonderful Easter weekend, whatever you have been doing!  We have had a fabulous family weekend, started by a visit to the cinema on Friday evening to see the latest Fast ad Furious film (awesome and you've gotta love a bit of Vin Diesel!) even our big man graced us with his presence for the night! It was then a sort out on Saturday, trying to get my craft room into some sort of order...it's getting there, but still not finished! Yesterday, me, hubby and our little man, had a lovely day out at Erddig House near Wrexham - being National Trust members it was free to get in and with the warm weather, turned out to be a fantastic day!  Today, I finished the weekend with afternoon tea in the nearly finished garden room (this is the posh name)/lean to.  I made sandwiches, frittata, a victoria sponge and had my first attempt at making scones and was quite pleased with the results - here's a pic, after the boys had got their hands on them!...

...We burnt off a few calories with a game of swingball and then sat listening to the radio in the sunshine...bliss!  (Shame it has to end!)
I also have a quick card make to share with you.  It's my best friend's daughter's birthday tomorrow and she asked me to make a couple of cards, so this is one I created in PS...

...I used some of the embellishments from Animal Antics and added some glitter and pearls.

...I also got a lovely email from Margaret Cowburn who had made a version of the burger card for her grandson's birthday.  I really love when people show me what they've made and am so pleased if I can inspire or help other crafters to create something they didn't think they'd be able to, so THANK YOU Margaret for sharing your wonderful creation and a happy birthday to your grandson!
That's it for now!  Have a fabulous week!
Hugs,