Distress - Cuttlebug Challange #16

After this challenge I am not sure who or what was more distressed - me or the card. :-) I don't normally distress things and wasn't going to share this but my daughter came in and liked it. So thought I might as well show off my attempt. Practice, practice I think.

The cuttlebug challenge this week was to add distress as part of the texture. I had already cut out this VW bug decoupage from a magazine and thought why not distress it. So I used SU Bashful Blue as the base card which I cuttlebug embossed with swiss dots. Then inked around the edges of everything with Staz-on Timber Brown and dragged it across the top. I then attached the background image with four brass eyelets. Next I layered up the car, the body image I used my swiss dots cuttlebug again. The front fenders and side mirrors I crumpled up and then opened them up and wipe them across the Timber Brown ink. Something else was needed so I went through my scraps and made up the flag which I used 'Cheers' rub-on from Letraset.

Roses For You

I have had this card for a little while but never thought it was quite finished. So I have added the Gold For You stickers along the top and stamped flourishes (SU Priceless) in clear Versa Mark around the edge. The roses are stamped onto white gloss card in the brown ink. We then used white crayon to hightlight/outline certain areas of the roses. We then put brown ink onto a tissue and rubbed over the roses area. The crayon lines resisted the ink so therefore you end up with the nice highlights. Then we the area around the roses was rubbed with a blue ink to finish off the card topper.

Decopage Flowers

Here I am with my next decoupage attempt. I took the colours for the card from the flowers. I used SU Pumpkin Pie for the base card, then cuttlebugged SU Ruby Red with Swiss Dots. I added the base image which is from a mag called 'Cardmaking in easy steps'. (This was issue one and after doing a quick search, sadly, I don't think there are anymore issues. ) I then cut out the swirl of flowers and added them as the second layer, cut out the centre flower and raised that with the 3D double sided foam. Added some Kaisercraft bling to the centre of the flowers. Along the bottom I used a strip of SU Garden Green which I pin pricked down the centre. The tag with the rub-on flower and bling from Kaisercraft are made from a bread tie......... I love recyling. :-)

Butterflies

I did find another card that I made at Ruth's Stamping Up Workshop. Belinda was the creator of this card design. I enjoyed making this one with all the layers and the pretty border but was disappointed on how the flower image stamped up. So it was put aside until yesterday. I recentely bought these gold butterflies from the Sticker Store and they are perfect to hide my little errors. :-) I stuck the butterfly stickers to marbled paper that I had created ages ago using shaving cream. I have found that the colours fit perfectly into the butterflies wings. I then stuck another butterfly sticker to the card and then glued the butterfly with the marble paper on top with the wings folded up. This way the butterfly looks like it is ready to take off.

Decoupage

Hello this wonderful Tuesday morning. Today is the start of the school year for my daughter and she is off to the High School. That's our baby. :-(

Now for the card I have fun playing with yesterday. My Mum and I discovered this wonderful new UK magazine on the shelves late last year called 'Cardmaking in easy steps'. It was issue one and offered wonderful cards and lots of free papers, alas we have not another issue. I finally had time yesterday to cut out a couple of the decoupage sheets, so guess what my cards will look like in the next few days.

I decided not to add the big centre circle and flowers to this background I have saved them for another day. So I added the three pink material flowers with KaiserCraft Bling in middle and layered the smaller flowers with 3D foam. The centre of the main daisy is a bling split pin. The paper background was then layered onto SU black and SU Almost Amythest.

Stencil Card

I am back. I have been away these past few days with my little brother. We flew down to Brisbane to surprise by little sister on her 40th Birthday. A surprise she did get as my sister had not a clue that we would be there. :-)

Today I thought I would share with you a card I created over at Craftmad with a stencil we were all sent and challenged to make a card.

I used the flower stencil to emboss a piece of worded vellum. I then attached the vellum to a piece of pink board and the card with random cross stitches around the edge. Added a bling centre to the card.... done!

Cuttlebug and Colour Combo Challenges

I have just finished this card and couldn't wait until Monday to share. So very quickly this is what I have done. I have used the challenge from over at Cuttlebug Challenges #15 we had a sketch to use. I also used the Colour Combination Challenge #202 from Splitcoast Stampers.

I used SU Old Olive as the base card, edged with clear versa mark, stamped along the bottom with flourishes (SU Priceless) in clear versa mark. I attached a variety of circles, silver shim, SU Regal Rose, SU Bravo Burgandy, also used Kaiser Craft Rub-ons on some pieces of the shim. I used the cuttlebug embossing folders - Forest Branches, Stylized Flowers, and Swiss Dots. Added buttons and a bit of bling. The dream cirlce I ran through the cuttlebug with stylized flowers and then again on top of the folder to flatten it out. The pink flower is a retro flower paper punch.

I wasn't entirely happy with the card before so I have cut the front off the card and adhered it to the front of a black card so now we have a portrait view. Also added some silver dots around the greeting.

Things will be quiet

Hi everyone, just letting you know that I won't be posting for a couple of days. I have a surprise up my sleeve for someone. ;-) Be back Monday I am sure.

Acetate Flowers

I made this card for a swap over at Craftmad. The challenge was to use acetate on the card. I used green bazzill bling as the base card, then a layer of pink which has been cuttlebugged with a Bloom embossing folder. I punched five medium size retro flowers from red acetate and to the centre I added smaller punched flowers and a split pin. The smaller pink flowers I punched a flower from paper and one from jak paper I then peeled one side of the jac paper away and stuck it onto the punched out flower. Then removed the other side of the jac paper and covered this in pink glitter. I placed these flowers on the card and hand drew the stems and leaves. Finished with a Happy Birthday sticker.

Sewing Today

My 13yo daughter got the bug for sewing on Monday. We dusted off the machine....cardmaking has taken over my sewing table. I grabbed out some small pieces of material from my stocks and Melissa started sewing. I will post photos later today of two pillows and a pair of overalls for her toy monkey. Then while we were out shopping later on Monday we stopped off at Spolight and picked up a skirt pattern (Burda 7910) and some material. This is the first ever sewing project Melissa has done from wo to go. In the past she has created clothes for her dolls, pencil case, or small pillows. Melissa enjoyed the experience except for cutting out the pattern. I am with her on that. I would much rather just sit down and sew. I did do the mock shirring around the top edge of the skirt....something I have never done before but wasn't too hard. When all the sewing was done Melissa wore the skirt for the rest of the afternoon.....thats a good sign that we did well. :-)

A little story. While making the skirt it was much longer and came down past her knees and at one stage I asked her to try it on to see if we had the elastic right around her waist. Out comes Melissa with the skirt up under her arms and a black belt just under her bustline. She had turned it into a dress and it looked fantastic but I made her continue with the skirt plan. Later that night we were watching on TV GOK Fashion Fix and what should he do but get two of the same skirts....one he put on the model as a skirt and the other he put over her head and then put a belt just under the bustline. He must have been looking through Melissa's window.......

Blue Edge Card

I have made this card using all Blue Edge Crafts products they sell. Mandy the owner sent me the wonderful blue toy stickers ages ago and I finally found a way to add them to a card. I had a great time cutting all the different patches for the card, added a sticker to each and then machine stitched them to the Bazzel Bling card. I add a strip of blue through the centre, glued on three buttons and used a greeting from a magazine offer that I had collected ages ago. The hardest part was figuring out where the patches went.

Blog Candy

Well this is something new to me but I figure I might as well join in as it looks like fun. This blog - Crafty Coo run by a lovely lady called Lorraine and what a generous offering it is. Lorraine's cards are lovely.

Thanks for the Comments

I just wanted to say thanks for everyone visiting my blog. I really have enjoyed the comments and love sharing my creations with you. And thanks also to all those people that offer challenges and sketches on their blogs as they certainly have got me creating again.

I just love all the blog hopping you can do....my house isn't liking it so much. But hey, the housework is always there. There are so many amazing cards, I am just loving it.

Oldie but a Goodie

Morning everyone, no time for crafting yesterday. I spent a lazy Sunday watching Harry Potter on tele, reading a few things and time with the family. So this card I made back in August 2008 but I think it is good enough to share now. I made this for a card swap over at Craftmad and the theme was to use 'Vellum'. I haven't used a lot of vellum so this was a challenge for me. I never know quite how to attach the vellum. For this card I used:

SU card - Always Artichoke for the base card

SU card - Rose Red for the embossed strip

I embossed using Cuttlebug Folder - Bloom and then I brushed Glimmer Chalk (Craft-T) over the embossing.

Then stamped the vellum with the butterflies from SU Priceless using white ink and then embossed. Stamped the butterfly image again with Rose Red ink on to some white board and mounted them with 3d tape on top of the embossed butteflies. Added maroon ribbon to each side and attached the vellum with three eyelets.

Altered Coaster

This is my first attempt at altering a coaster. At first I had no idea what to do but then I thought even though it is altered it would be great if it could still be functional. So while going through my papers to decide on a colour. I came across cold lamininated papers left over from a journal making day. So I started with Kaiser Craft - Rough and Tough - Dirty added a flourish from SU Priceless set, punched one large and two medium Retro flowers. I added fluff to the centre of each of these flowers. Fluff (my name for it) is something I acquired from Mum. It is like the shavings from felt and originally was from either Trichem or Hobbytex many many years ago. To finish off I used KaiserCraft Basics rubons, then inked the edges with Timber Brown Stazon ink.

The reason for the coaster? It is for our monthly craft swap over at Craftmad. These swaps are fun and I hope that my partner doesn't spy this before she receives it. Most months we swap two handmade cards made to a nominated theme. We have also swapped a matchbox crammed full of embellishments, ATC, Fat Quarters and sewn projects. Happy Sunday everyone.

Cuttlebug Challenge #14

Hi everyone, I have worked on another wonderful challenge from over at Cuttlebug Challenges. This time it was to use your favorite Cuttlebug embossing folder or Cuttlebug die to make a card. I have chosen the Swiss Dots embossing folder. I just find it very versatile. This is the card I created. One of those that one time I look at it I like it another I look and think something is missing. So if you know what the missing thing is please share with me. Thanks for visiting.

Tidy Craft Cupboard

Mornin' everyone. I didn't get the cushion covers made but I did clean out and tidy up my craft cupboard which was a major achievement. I now know what I have to use again. My son was surprised that I could fit that in one cupboard. It does have four shelves so I can fit a fair bit.

I do have a question for anyone reading. How do you store all your handmade cards that you are given and wish to treasure? Currently mine are in plastic sleeves and then get stored in a drawer never to be seen again. That is not why I have saved these wonderful works of art. I have kept them so that can enjoy looking at them as well use them as inspiration. So I am looking for a way to store them and keep them visible. Any help appreciated.

I also managed to create this card for my friend. I had fun doing the tear bear as I haven't done one for such a long time. I just like how they slowly come to life with each piece that you add and then the chalking to highlight and lastly the eyes and nose. I added some wire with a twist in them for the flower stems. The greeting is a rub on from Letraset that I bought over at Blue Edge Crafts as well as the love flower bling.

Projects for today

This is what I hope to achieve today. Turning these embroided pieces into cushion covers like I intended to do last Easter when I embroided them. :-)

I embroided this rose from a picture my daughter (12yo) had drawn. I just like the simplicity of the rose.

This design I hand drew first onto the calico and then decided on colours as I went.

A friend has asked for a card like this except with a pink background, happy birthday greeting and pink ribbon. So I am hoping to have this made today also.

Craftmad Sketch Challenge

Thought it was time to give the Craftmad Sketch Challenge -January another try. My first attempt was posted 5th January.

So I had the sketch and decided I should make a male card for a change.

I used:
Stamping Up cardstock - Chocolate Chip
The stripe paper I have had for a while so don't know the name.
Ribbon is from Uni-Trim with no name.
Topper is Stamping Up - Not Quite Navy and a piece of white board
Sticker is from the Sticker Store
Raffia bow and Best Wishes greetings from a magazine page.

The last of Ruth's Workshop cards

Mornin' everyone, this is last card I made at Ruth's Stumpin Up workshop a Belinda design. A nice quick and easy card. Today I will have to pop over to Splitcoaster and see what their challenge is for today and start creating more cards to show you. Have a good Tuesday.

Colour Challenge

I made this card for the colour challenge #CC200 over at Splitcoast Stampers, Brilliant Blue, Garden Green and Pumpkin Pie. Not a combination that I would normally use but I like the end result. I had a wonderful time creating the patty cake. I cut a piece from and a foil patty cake liner, cut the icing from SU Sage Shadow, went around the edges of the icing with some ink, sewed on seed and bugle beads for a bit of sparkle. I then cut a real birthday candle in half and half way through the candle to the wick so that it would sit flat on the card. The cupcake was then added to layers of white which I stamped with swirls from SU Fun Filled, Garden Green and Pumpkin Pie. Base card is Brilliant Blue. I punched circles from Garden Green and cut white cirlces on my craft robo as I don't have a smaller circle punch. Then stamped with the cute milkshake and cupcake stamps from SU.

I just can't thank you enough

Another wonderful card I created at Ruth's Stamping Up workshop. I really enjoyed making this one. Love the idea of the scalloped squares we punched and then folded in half and added a split pin to. Also like the double scalloped edges of the card. Once again I am not sure of colours used or stamps used but could easily find out if anyone wanted to know. Have a happy Sunday.

Ruth's Workshop

This is a card that I made at Ruth's workshop. Sorry I don't know the colours or stamps that I have used but could find out if anyone wanted to know. The workshop was great fun. Very busy as we made 5 cards and the fish tank that I have already posted. A quiet day for me today. It is Saturday and the rain is falling (wet season is here), the rest of the household are still sound asleep at 8.10am. Have a good Saturday everyone.

Combined Challenges

I think this card looks better in real life when you can see the glitter sparkle. However, I had fun combining two challenges into one card. One challenge was the Cuttlebug Challenge #13 to create a white card. Couldn't help but add a touch of blue. The other challenge was a Splitcoast Stampers technique challenge #202 - Tacky Glitter.

This is what I did. I used white gloss card as my base card, added strips of jak paper and then topped that with white glitter (really looks better in real life), cuttlebug embossed Stylized Flowers and Swiss Dots and added as strips in between the glitter. The topper is a daisy that I cut using my craftrobo, added a heart split pin for the centre of the flower and another to hold the 'Thanks' trinket which I was lucky enough to receive from my Secret Santa over at Craftmad.

Melissa's Creation

Time to share a card that my daughter Melissa (13yo) created for her cousin's 5th Birthday. Melissa wasn't too happy with the outcome...I think the bit of messiness. I loved the way she added the black white to the front of the card and the coloured daisies through the centre.

Cuttlebug Challenge #12

Here is my creation for the Cuttlebug Challenge #12 The challenge was to use something that had been embossed and sanded.

I used: SU River Rock cardstock as the base card, inked around the edges, embossed Stylized Flowers on blue paper and sanded with an emery board, added blue and white layers to a Friendship sticker that I was give a couple of years ago. (I have always liked these stickers just not found the right place to use them.) Added ribbon to the bottom of the card and five cream buttons.

January Card Sketch Challenge

I made this card for the Craftmad January Sketch Challenge. I decided to turn the sketch around and ended up moving the bow but otherwise the same.
I used SU cardstock River Rock as the base card, stamped the left hand side with flourishes from the SU Priceless set, added the ribbon, cuttlebugged Forest Branches onto white paper, then topped with the daisy picture that I was given by a lady in Canada a couple of years ago. So nice to finally find a use for it. Finished off with the little white bow and stamped 'Thanks'. Can't remember what stamping set the 'Thanks' comes from. It is a clear set that I use an acrylic block with.

Fish Tank

Mornin', this is a fish tank I created at my friend Ruth's SU workshop. It was great fun, Ruth also showed us an example of a christmas theme so the idea is really endless. Sorry I can't remember the stamp set we used on this but could always find out if you needed. We stamped a coral flourish on the blue background stamped a fish, shell and seahorse and then cut these out and adhered them to a piece of acetate, then added glitter for the bubbles. The acetate was then adhered in the centre of the box. To make the box we used a piece of blue for the back and green for the front and sides. We punched a rectanglular hole from the front and added a torn strip of brown cardstock along the front edge with a shell stamped on. The box measures approx 10cm wide, 8cm tall and 5cm deep.

Calendar Envelopes and a Squash Card

Finally got hold of my camera, so I have photos to share today. The envelopes I created from a 2008 calendar. I thought the pictures were to pretty to just toss away. So I dug out my envelope template and made up some envelopes. I lined the top of each envelope with green so that you can't see the calendar dates when opening the envelope.

The other project I have been working on was a Squash Card which was a challenge over at Splitcoast Stampers - TLC201 Fun Funky Fold

This is what I came up with and have decided to use it for my niece's 5th birthday.

I used:

Kaisercraft paper Playtime - Giggle, Twirl and Laugh.(What brilliant names)SU - Priceless stamps - flourish on outside and butterflies on pink inside. Stamped using clear versa mark. Metallic butterfly stickers.

Friday all day

Hi everyone, no photos this morning. The camera is in my daughters room and she is still snoring away. I have a couple of projects on the go though. One is a challenge over at Splitcoast making a squash card. I have made the card and half way through decorating it. I will use that card for my neices 5th birthday. Over at Craftmad they have just posted a sketch challenge for the month of January so I will be trying that out. I am also ummming and aaahhing as to whether I should attempt the scrappage sketch challenge Craftmad have posted. I haven't done any scrapbooking and thinking this might be a way of starting a book. Yesterday, I took our two calendars down and replaced them with new ones. One of the old calendars had beautiful photos of trees from around Oz. So I dragged out my envelope template and turned nine of the pictures into envelopes. My son just kept shaking his head. I think they look terrific and will take a photo to show you tomorrow.

Happy New Year Everyone - 2009

Good morning everyone, hope the New Year is treating you well so far. We had a quiet family night at home playing Cluedo and Triominos and then watching the Sydney fireworks on tele. I did manage a little sleep-in but everyone else is still sleeping away.

This card is my first attempt of a Splitcoaster Colour Challenge They nominated three SU cardstock colours to use on your card. I think I will be doing more of these in the future as they will get me using different combination to what I normally think of . The three colours we had to use were So Saffron, Handsome Hunter and Bravo Burgandy. I ended up creating this card for my daughters 13th birthday which is on the 12th of January. The best bit was that I created it while she was sitting at this computer which in the same room as my crafting desk. :-)

Things I used:

SU cardstock Handsome Hunter, Bravo Burgandy, Always Artichoke

So Saffron paper

Retro Flower punches....Large and Medium

Kindy Glitz

Swirl ...offcut from a craftrobo project

Cuttlebug embossing folder - Forest Branches

Number stickers which I coloured black with permanent markers and then smudge gold ink on top of that.

Letraset rubon - Birthday girl

As for the photos of this card....I think that it looks better in real life. The kindy glitz doesn't show up too nicely here.