Isabella Butterfly

As I'm not working at the moment and we're obviously not away in Cali, I've more time for crafting.  So, in future I'm moving away from only posting my cards on Wednesdays and will post as and when I' want to link to challenges.  I'll still post Folksy Fridays and my non-cardmaking item on a Sunday.

Today's card is one I made for my friend's birthday using one of my favourite butterfly dies.

I covered the front of the card blank with pink floral paper, leaving a border around the edge.  I die cut 'Happy Birthday' from white hammer card and attached it across the bottom of the card, lining up the edges with the paper.  I die cut 'Happy Birthday' from red pearlescent card and inlaid the letters.  To finish, I die cut a butterfly from red pearlescent card and attached it above the sentiment.

To make this card I used:
     6" x 4" white hammer card blank
     Memory Box 'Grand Happy Birthday' and Memory Box 'Isabella Butterfly' dies
     Lili of the Valley 'Heartfelt' paper pad
     Snippets of red pearlescent card

I am entering the following challenges:
     Crafty Calendar Challenge - Use a Butterfly
     Happy Little Stampers Anything Goes with Dies - April Challenge
     Seize the Birthday - Anything Goes

Kath x

Cross Stitch Initial Keyring

Another cross stitch keyring - this one with a friend's initial.  I do enjoy stitching these small items - they're great for using tiny pieces of aida and oddments of thread left over from other projects.

I've just bought another pack of blank keyrings, so there will be more to show soon!

Kath x

Festive Sheep

My final card today is for a couple of challenges asking for 'Festive Animals'.  I wasn't sure I had anything suitable for the challenges until I delved into my upcycling box and found this image from a card I received last Christmas.

To make this quick card I die cut the image, layered it onto dark red textured card and attached it to the centre of the card blank.  This card was so quick to make it feels like cheating - but I do rather like the simplicity of it.

To make this card I used:
     6" x 6" warm white hammer card blank
     Upcycled Christmas card
     Snippet of dark red textured card

I an entering the following challenges:
     Fezziwigs Festive Frolics - Festive Animals
     Happy Little Stampers Christmas Challenge - Festive Animals
   
Kath x

Thinking of You

I bought a magazine several weeks ago as I liked the fern stamp and die set which was a cover gift.  I put the magazine into Cali to read when we were away - how life can change over a few weeks!  I've emptied Cali as we're obviously not going away for several months and have found the magazine.  The stamp and die set is perfect for Darnell's new NBUS (Never Before Used Schtuff) challenge.

I die cut the fern from brown card and then used my MISTI to stamp the coordinating fern.  I embossed the fern with clear embossing powder and set it aside.  I trimmed the paper to make the largest square possible and layered it into brown card before putting it into my MISTI.  I placed the fern onto the card to line up the sentiment.  I removed the fern before stamping and embossing the sentiment and then attached the panel to the card.  To finish I used strong glue to attach the fern.

To make this card I used:
     5" x 5" white matt card blank
     Bright Rosa 'Fern' stamp and die set
     Versafine Vintage Sepia ink
     Stampendous clear embossing powder
     Snippets of brown pearlescent card and Wild Rose Studio 'Peach Blossom' paper

I am entering the following challenges:
     Allsorts - Something Old, Something New (the snippet of paper is old - the pad was first used on my blog in 2016 - and the stamp and die set is
     new)
     NBUS - Challenge 13
     Pixie's Snippets Playground - Challenge 375

Kath x

I am not over the hill ...

My first card today is one I made for a friend's 60th birthday.

I resized the Bugaboo digi stamp and printed it onto white card before colouring it with Promarkers.  I trimmed the panel, layered it onto red card and attached it to the card front.  I then die cut '60' from red card and attached the numbers to the lower corner.

To make this card I used:
     7" x 5" tent fold kraft card blank
     Bugaboo 'Gus Over The Hill' digi stamp
     Memory Box 'Classic Numbers' dies
     Promarkers
     Dark red textured card

I am entering the following challenges:
     The Male Room - Make me Laugh

Kath x

Cross Stitch Notebook

This cross stitch picture was from another card kit, but I chose to use it in the front of this notebook that was amongst my craft stash.  The little girl is really quick and easy to stitch and I'm going to be stitching more soon.

Kath x

Garden Delights

I made this card to send to Suze for the March Card Chain Challenge.  I used the Theme Option (Things with Wings, Flowers & Friendship) and the Product/Technique Options (Embossing/Designer Paper).

I trimmed a piece of beige/green paper so it was slightly smaller than the front of the card and attached a strip of pink paper down the left side - ensuring that my sentiment would fit across the bottom.  I stamped and embossed the sentiment along the lower edge and attached the panel to the card.  I die cut the precoloured image with a circular stitched die and attached it to the card.

To make this card I used:
     6" x 6" white matt card blank
     Lili of the Valley 'Garden Delights' Art Pad
     My Favourite Things 'Inside & Out Stitched Circle STAX Die-namics' die
     Clearly Besotted 'Dandelion Dreams' stamp
     Versafine Vintage Sepia ink
     Stampendous clear embossing powder
     Lili of the Valley 'Antebellum' paper

I am entering the following challenges:
     Pearly Sparkles Challenge - Bunnies, Birds and/or Bears 
     Try It On Tuesday - Beauty of Nature

This is the lovely card I received from Linda:

Kath x

Just for You

Jess from Lincolnshire Marbled Art has sent me some snippets of beautiful marbled papers.  The designs are fabulous and I used one to make this quick card for the AAA Cards 'Made in Minutes' challenge .

I trimmed a piece of paper and used my MISTI to stamp the sentiment - stamping it a couple of times t get a good depth of colour.  The paper was layered onto black mirri card before being attached across the lower edge of the card.

To make this card I used:
     6" x 4" cream tent fold card blank
     Clearly Besotted 'Fancy Sayings' stamp
     Versafine Onyx Black ink
     Marbled paper from Jess
     Black mirri card

I am entering the following challenge:
     AAA Cards - Made in Minutes

Kath x
   

Beautiful Balloons

My first card today is one I made for my father-in-law's birthday.

I attached a piece of dark blue sky paper to the top of the card blank leaving a border around the edge.  I die cut 'Happy Birthday' from white hammer card and attached it across the bottom of the card, lining it up with the edge of the blue paper.  I die cut two balloons - one from mustard card and one from bronze metallic card.  I attached the mustard balloon directly onto the card and attached the bronze balloon over it using foam tape.  I die cut 'Happy Birthday' from mustard card and inlaid the letters in the the card.

To make this card I used:
     6" x 6" white hammer card blank
     Memory Box 'Grand Happy Birthday' and Memory Bob 'Beautiful Balloons' dies
     Snippets of dark blue sky paper, mustard card, bronze metallic card and white hammer card

I am entering the following challenge:
     Allsorts - Men and Boys

Kath x

Cross Stitch Best Wishes

I made this card with another cross stitch kit that was a magazine cover gift.  I didn't like the card blank that came with the kit as it was too flimsy so I trimmed a piece of dark red textured card so it was slightly smaller than the card blank and die cut a scalloped circle in the centre.  I fastened the cross stitch behind the aperture and attached it to the card.

Kath x

March Rudolph Day

My final card today is a Christmas card for the Rudolph Day challenge - this one uses dry embossing.

I embossed a piece of white card and trimmed it before layering it onto a piece of dark blue foiled card and attaching it to the card front.  I die cut the 'Let it Snow' from the dark blue foiled card and used strong glue to attach it to the centre of the card.

To make this card I used:
     6" x 4" white matt card blank
     Creative Expressions 'Festive Collection - Let it Snow' die
     Darice 'Snowflake Background' embossing folder
     Snippets of dark blue foiled card and white matt card

I am entering the following challenges:
     ABC Christmas Challenge - E for Embossing   
     Fezziwig's Festive Frolics  - Anything Christmas Goes
     Happy Little Stampers Christmas Challenge - Anything Goes
     Rudolph Day - March challenge
     Winter Wonderland - Blue Christmas

Kath x

Jack, Patch and Puss

This card is for Steve's niece's 18th birthday, made using a cute Lili of the Valley Art Pad image.

I attached pink heart paper to the front of the card, leaving a border around the edge.  My square dies were all the wrong size to trim the Art Pad image, so I cut it into a square and then placed it into a die to make the stitched border around the edge.  The panel was then attached to the centre of the card.  I die cut '18' from red card and attached it to the lower corner of the card.  There were three small hearts on the image, but to balance the '18' I punched one medium and three small hearts, attaching the larger heart over the middle one on the image and the three smaller hearts around it.  To finish I added Glossy Accents to the two smaller hearts.

To make this card I used:
     6" x 6" white matt card blank
     Lili of the Valley 'Jack, Patch and Puss' Art Pad
     Lawn Fawn 'Outside In Stitched Square Stackables' and Memory Box 'Classic Numbers' dies
     Woodware Regular and Small Heart punches
     Lili of the Valley 'Heartfelt' paper pad
     Glossy Accents

I am entering the following challenges:
     Allsorts - Anything in the Animal Kingdom
     Pearly Sparkles Challenge - For the Ladies/Girls
     
Kath x