Thank You

I love patterned papers with bold patterns to make quick cards - this pretty paper was perfect for a 'Thank You' card.

I die cut a stitched square in the centre of the card blank and attached the paper behind the aperture.  I then added another piece of card behind the patterned paper.  I die cut the sentiment from white card and attached it above the flowers.

To make this card I used:
     6" x 6" white hammer card blank
     Lawn Fawn 'Outside In Stitched Square Stackables' and Cheery Lynn 'Thank You' dies
     Wild Rose Studio 'Antique Library' paper
     White hammer card

I am entering the following challenges:
     Crafty Calendar Challenge - Flowers
     Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge - June Challenge
     Happy Little Stampers Anything Goes With Dies - June Challenge

Kath x

Happy Birthday to my Husband

It's Steve's birthday today and as he liked the sailing boat card I recently made I made a similar card for his birthday.  This card uses the striped boat instead of the spotty one.

I covered the front of the card blank with blue paper leaving a border around the edge.  I die cut the waves from both blue textured card and white matt card, layering the blue onto the white to create the white tops of the waves. Thankfully I had got my MISTI to stamp the sentiment onto the wave as it was three separate stamps and they took a bit of fiddling around to get them lined up.  I stamped them several times to get a good depth of colour as I was stamping onto textured card - even so, there were some stamped bits missing on 'husband' so I filled them in with a black pen!  These strips were trimmed and attached to the card - the top layer was only attached along the bottom so I could slip the boat between the waves.  I stamped and embossed the boat before using the coordinating die to cut it.  After colouring the boat with Promarkers I attached it to the card with a foam pad behind the sails.  I die cut three clouds,  the largest and smallest were attached to the card with glue and the medium cloud attached with a foam pad.

To make this card I used:
     6" x 4" white matt card blank
     Clearly Besotted 'Sail Away' stamp and die set, Impression Obsession 'Ocean Border' and 'Clouds' dies
     Hobby Art 'General Greetings' stamp
     Versafine Majestic Blue ink
     Promarkers - Chestnut, Forest Green &Ivory, 
     Snippets of pale blue paper, blue textured card, white matt card and white hammer card

I am entering the following challenges:
     Pearly Sparkles Challenge - For the Boys/Men
     Seize the Birthday - All About Summer

Kath x

To a Very Special Couple

I made this Christmas card using more bits from my snippets box.

I trimmed a piece of white card so it was slightly smaller than the card blank and attached two snippets of red paper, covering the join with a piece of self-adhesive ribbon.  I die cut the stitched oval and then used my MISTI to stamp the sentiment in the lower corner.  I rounded the corners of the panel before attaching it to the card.  I die cut the precoloured image with the stitched oval die and inlaid in into the panel.

To make this card I used:
     6" x 6" white matt card blank
     Lili of the Valley ''Tis the Season' Art Pad
     My Favourite Things 'Inside & Out Stitched Oval STAX' die
     Clearly Besotted 'Happy Birthday All' stamps
     Versafine Onyx Black ink
     Woodware 'Regular Corner Rounder' punch
     Snippets of Lili of the Valley 'Classic Christmas' paper and white card
     Floral self-adhesive ribbon

I am entering the following challenges:
     ABC Christmas Challenge - L is for Love
     Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge - Anything Goes
     Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge - June Challenge
     Happy Little Stampers Christmas Challenge - Anything Goes

Kath x   

Framecraft Cross Stitch Trinket Box

I recently bought this Framecraft trinket box and some patterns to make a small gift.  Although I have plenty of  snippets of fabric, I decided 14 count would make the design too big and and 18 count would be too small, so I bought some 16 count which is 'just right'.  I also bought a skein of dark green stranded thread which matched the colour of the trinket box.  The pink, red and yellow threads were all from my 'oddments' box.

Kath x

Happy 30th Birthday Asha

Steve asked me to make a card for a colleague's birthday - someone who likes flowers and is going to be 30.

I trimmed the green paisley paper, layered it onto burgundy card and attached it to the card front.  I die cut the precoloured image with the fishtail die, extending it so the image was the correct length.  This was then attached to the card.  I printed the sentiment onto white paper, trimmed it, layered it onto burgundy card and attached it across the top of the image image with foam tape.

To make this card I used:
     6" x 6" white matt card blank
     Lili of the Valley 'Garden Delights' Art Pad 
     My Favourite Things 'Stitched Jumbo Fishtail' dies
     Snippets of burgundy card, green paisley paper and white paper

I am entering the following challenges:
     Crafty Calendar Challenge - Flowers
     Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge - June Challenge

Kath x

Magical Fairies

A cute birthday card using more 'odds 'n' ends' from my box.

I've had the blue floral card blank for ages - I think it originally came in a card making set - and it was a perfect colour match for the fairy's wings.  I die cut an oval from the front and added a piece of white card to the rear of the front panel.  I die cut the fairy precoloured image and inlaid the oval.  I stamped and embossed 'birthday' before cutting it with the coordinating die.  I also cut an extra 'birthday' from white card and attached it to the back of the stamped sentiment. I didn't have a 'wishes' stamp so used 'best wishes' masking 'best' before stamping it onto my card.  To finish I attached 'birthday' to the card.

To make this card I used:

     5.5" x 5.5" pale blue floral card blank

     Lili of the Valley 'Magical Fairies' Art Pad

     My Favourite Things 'Inside & Out Stitched Oval STAX' die

     Clearly Besotted 'Modern Calligraphy' stamp and die, and 'Fancy Sayings' stamp

     Versafine Majestic Blue ink

     White matt card

I am entering the following challenges:

     AAA Cards - Birthday

     Allsorts - Magical World

     Moving Along With The Times - Things With Wings

Kath x

Hello & Card Chain Challenge Blog Hop

The Card Chain Challenge is a simple idea - sign up and send a handmade card to the person above you on the list and receive one from the person who signed up after you.  Each month there is a Colour Option, Sketch Option, Theme Option or Product/Technique Option - the card has to be made using at least one of the options. 

Gail, who runs the CCC had decided to have a celebration when 3,000 people had signed up for the challenge and last month I was the 3,000 person to sign up! To celebrate Gail and Jo are running a blog hop from today until 28 June - all the details can be found on the Card Chain Challenge May Reveal post - there will be lots of prizes for people who leave comments. There will also be some games on the CCC blog during June, so keep popping back and have a look - there will be prizes for the games too!  All winners will be announced at the end of June and there will be a few extra prizes as everyone loves happy mail in these difficult times.

This is the card I made to send to Linda in Michigan for the May Challenge using the Colour Option (Raspberry, Rose & Cream) and the Theme Option (Repeat).  Linda is the next person on the blog hop - so why not pop over to see her card.

I die cut the flowers (using a die that I've had for ages and never used) from raspberry, rose and cream textured card and set them aside.  I stamped 'hello' in the lower corner of the card and then laid one of the flowers onto the card so I could see where to emboss the two lines - one above and one below the flowers.  I embossed the lines and then attached the flowers to the card.  To finish I added a Wink of Stella to the flower centres.

To make this card I used:
     DL white matt card blank
     Creative Dies 'Flower' die
     Ultimate Crafts ''L'aquarelle Designs' stamps
     Brilliance Orchid ink
     Snippets of raspberry, rose and cream textured card
     Wink of Stella

I am entering the following challenges:
     NBUS - Challenge 15
     Pixie's Snippets Playground - Challenge 379

This is the lovely card that Dee in Kenya has sent me:

Kath x

Christmas Tree Ornament

A friend recently sent me some cross stitch kits, one of which was this Christmas tree.  It was a perfect fit for a gold coloured frame that was amongst a box of cross stitch items I purchased a while ago.

Kath x

Celebrate in Style

I'm still working my way though my 'oddments and snippets' box and came across some papers I'd trimmed but not used - perfect for making a quick card for a friend's birthday.  I had wanted to add a 'Happy Birthday' sentiment but as the card is only 5" x 5" the 'Best Wishes' sentiment looked better on the smaller card.

I layered the 'Celebrate in Style' paper onto the black paper and placed them onto the card front to see how they would fit.  I then attached the papers and trimmed around the edge of the card.  A simple stamped sentiment in the lower corner finished the card.

To make this card I used:
     5" x 5" white matt card blan
     Clearly Besotted 'Fancy Sayings' stamp
     Versafine Onyx Black ink
     Wild Rose Studio 'Man About Town' papers

I am entering the following challenges:
     AAA Cards - Happy Birthday
     Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge - May challenge
     Seize the Birthday - Anything Goes

Kath x

We Three Kings

Whilst looking through my box of upcycled images I came upon this card (one of the Christmas cards we received last year) which is perfect for the current ABC Christmas Challenge.

I die cut a stitched square from a snippet of gold mirri card and then die cut a circle from the centre before attaching it to the card front.  I die cut the crowns and sentiment into a circle and inlaid it into the frame.  A quick and simple card using an ucpcled Christmas card and a snippet of mirri.

To make this card I used:
     4" x 4" white matt card blank
     Lawn Fawn 'Outside In Stitched Square Stackables' and My Favourite Things 'Inside & Out Stitched Circle STAX' dies
     Upcycled Christmas card
     Snippet of gold mirri card

I am entering the following challenges:
     ABC Christmas Challenge - K is for King
     Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge - Anything Goes

Kath x

May Rudolph Day

It's time for another Rudolph Day and another of my embossed cards - this card used both wet and dry embossing.  I'm using a wreath stamp set that I bought ages ago and have never used - perfect for Darnell's NBUS challenge too.

I stamped the wreath in green ink and embossed it with clear embossing powder.  I used lilac pearlescent ink to stamp the extra small snowflakes.  I die cut the square and used my embossing mat to emboss a line around the square.  As I didn't have any lilac card for my matt layer I cut a piece of white card slightly larger than the embossed square and inked the edges with the lilac pearlescent ink.  I then layered the wreath panel onto the matt layer and attached it to the card.

To make this card I used:
     4" x 4" white matt card blank
     Clearly Besotted 'Happy Holidays' stamp set
     Spellbinders Nestabilities 'Classic Squares Large' die
     Kars tan embossing mat
     Versafine Olympia Green ink and Brilliance Pearlescent Purple inks
     Stampendous clear embossing powder
     Snippets of white matt card

I am entering the following challenges:
     52 Christmas Card Throwdown - Embossing
     Christmas Kickstart Challenge - Wreathed in Christmas Smiles
     Happy Little Stampers Christmas Challenge - Anything Goes
     NBUS - Challenge 14
     Rudolph Day - May challenge

Kath x

Cross Stitch Picture

I made this picture over twenty years ago but haven't displayed it in our current home, so had forgotten where it was stored. I found it a few days ago whilst looking through a box of old photographs - I'mnot sure why it was in there!

I recall the cross stitch taking ages to complete as it was stitched with two strands of thread on 18 count aida - I think my eyesight must have been a lot better when I stitched the picture.

Kath x