Happy Anniversary Mum & Dad

I made these cards for Steve's parents' wedding anniversary - as his father lives in a care home I've made two identical cards so they can have one each.

To make these cards I used:
     6" x 6" white matt card blanks
     Apple Blossom 'Flourish Heart' die
     Lili of the Valley 'Heartfelt' paper
     Snippets of red pearlescent card 
     Computer generated sentiment 'Algerian' font
     Wink of Stella

I trimmed the red card so it was slightly smaller than the card blank and then trimmed the paper so it was narrower than the card, but left the length to make it easier to go through the printer.  I printed the sentiment in dark red ink, trimmed the paper and layered it onto the red card before attaching it to the front of the card.  I die cut the Flourish Heart from red card and attached it above the sentiment.  To finish I highlighted the sentiment with a Wink of Stella.

I am entering the following challenges:
     Crafty Calendar Challenge - Add a Sentiment
     Love to Craft - Anything Goes
     Love to Scrap - Anything Goes

Kath x

Mini Poinsettias

I made this card to send to Viv for the December Card Chain Challenge.  This month's challenge is 'Tic Tac Tic Tac Toe' and I have chosen the top horizontal line (Green, Slimline, Scraps, Ribbon, Red).

To make this card I used:
     DL white matt card blank
     Lawn Fawn 'Outside In Stitched Square Stackables' All Occasion Dies 'Small Poinsettia' and Memory Box 'Mini Holly Leaves' dies
     Clearly Besotted 'Cheerful Christmas' sentiment stamp
     Versafine Crimson Red ink
     Snippets of red textured card, green textured card, white matt card, gold holographic card and gold and white ribbon

I trimmed a piece of white card and stamped the sentiment along the lower edge using Crimson Red ink.  I wrapped a piece of gold ribbon around the centre of the panel before layering it onto a snippet of green textured card and attaching it across the front of the card blank.  I die cut five small stitched squares from tiny snippets of green textured card and set them aside.  I die cut five small poinsettias from red textured card and embossed them with a silicone mat.  These were layered and attached to the green squares.  I used lots of tiny snippets of gold holographic card to die cut the holly berries which were then attached to the centre of the poinsettias.  The squares were attached to the card using foam tape to ensure they were securely attached above and below the ribbon band.

I am entering the following challenges:
     Love to Scrap - Anything Goes
     Merry Little Christmas Challenge - Anything Christmas Goes
     Winter Wonderland - Anything Christmas Goes

This is the lovely card I received from Joanne:

Kath x

Thank You Very Much

I've made a few small 'thank you' cards today and this is one uses my last snippet of a beautiful pearl marbled paper from 'The Whimsical Marbler'.  

I die cut a curved border from a snippet of white card and embossed it before trimming it to the same width as the card blank.  I placed the border into my MISTI and stamped the sentiment with purple ink before attaching it to the bottom of the card.  I die cut three small flowers from the marbled paper and attached them along the top of the border.  The flower sentiments were die cut from a tiny snippet of pale green mirri card. 

To make this card I used:
     4" x 4" white matt card blank
     Spellbinders Borderabilities 'A2 Curved Border One' and Creative Expressions 'Finishing Touches - Pierced Summer Blossom' dies
     Clearly Besotted 'Simply Said' stamp
     Versafine Imperial Purple ink
     Snippets of white matt card, marbled paper and green mirri card

I am entering the following challenges:
     Allsorts - Clean and Simple
     Alphabet Challenge - T is for Thank You
     Happy Little Stampers Anything Goes with Dies - December Challenge
     Snippets Playground - Challenge 444 (Anything But Christmas)

Kath x

Action Time

I made this card for my youngest great nephew's birthday using the last image from my Lili of the Valley 'Action Time' Art Pad.

I trimmed a snippet of brown textured card so it was slightly smaller than the card blank.   I die cut the precoloured topper with a stitched circle die and set it aside.  The wood effect paper was attached to a thin piece of copy paper to make it the same thickness as the LOTV topper.  The paper was trimmed so it was slightly smaller than the dark brown mat layer before a stitched circle was die cut from the centre.  This paper was layered onto the brown card and attached to the card blank before the topper was inlaid into the circle.  I die cut two medium stars and eight small stars from snippets of brown card.  '7' was die cut from the centre of one of the larger stars before being layered onto the plain star and attached to the top of the card.  I die cut '7' from the wood effect paper and inlaid it into the star.  To finish, I layered the smaller stars and attached them around the topper. 

To make this card I used:
     6" x 6" white matt card blank
     Lili of the Valley 'Action Time' Art Pad
     My Favorite Things 'Inside & Out Stitched Circle STAX Die-namics' , Xcut 'Nesting Stars' and Memory Box 'Classic Numbers' dies
     Snippets of brown textured card and Papermania 'Wood' paper

I am entering the following challenges:
     Crafty Calendar Challenge - Anything Goes
     Happy Little Stampers Birthday Challenge - Anything Goes
     Snippets Playground - Challenge 443
     The Male Room - Transportation

Kath x

Mistletoe Kisses

As always, my final Christmas card is the one I've made for Steve.  This year's card uses a lovely Hunkydory card set.

I trimmed the cream card to remove the mistletoe edging, layered it onto gold mirri and attached it to the card blank.  I attached both the frame and mistletoe topper with foam pads and added a small sentiment topper to the lower edge.   To finish I trimmed the coordinating paper insert and stamped a sentiment on the inside of the card.

To make this card I used:
     6" x 6" cream hammer card blank
     Hunkydory 'Mistletoe Kisses' toppers, backing card and insert
     Snippet of gold mirri

I am entering the following challenges:
     Allsorts - Anything Goes
     Christmas Kickstart Challenge - If it's Christmassy, Link it Up
     Crafty Calendar Challenge - Anything Goes
     Happy Little Stampers Christmas Challenge - Anything Goes
     Winter Wonderland - Anything Christmas Goes

Kath x

Embossed Birthday

My Christmas cards are all now in the post, so it's time to start making cards for a few birthdays in the New Year.

I embossed a piece of white card and trimmed around the edge of the design.  I stamped the butterfly and 'birthday' with blue ink onto snippets of white card, stamping several times to get a deep blue colour.  These were then embossed with clear embossing powder and cut with their coordinating dies.  I placed the embossed panel into my MISTI and laid the butterfly and 'birthday' onto the panel so I could see where to position the 'happy' stamp.  I removed the butterfly and 'birthday' before stamping 'happy' in dark blue ink and embossing it with clear embossing powder.  The panel was attached to the centre of the card blank.  I coloured the butterfly wings with a cream coloured Promarker.  As the Promarker had bled through the card I die cut a butterfly from a piece of copy paper and glued it to the rear before attaching it to the card and shaping the wings.  I die cut another 'birthday' from a snippet of white card, layering the stamped one onto the plain one before attaching it to the card.

To make this card I used:
     7" x 5" white matt card blank
     Card Making Magic 'The Best of Card Making Magic' and Clearly Besotted 'Modern Calligraphy' stamps and coordinating dies
     Xcut 'Swirls' embossing folder
     Cosmic Shimmer Clear Detail embossing powder
     Versafine Majestic Blue ink
     Ivory Promarker
     Snippets of white matt card

I am entering the following challenges:
     AAA Birthday Challenge - Embossing
     Allsorts - Anything Goes
     CAS on Friday - Embossing (heat and/or dry - I have used both)
     Color Hues Challenge - Navy and Cream
     Happy Little Stampers Birthday Challenge - Anything Goes    

Kath x

Cross Stitch Unicorn

This is my final card using cross stitch from our last campervan trip.  The completed design was mounted behind a frame made with two stitched dies and attached to the card.

Kath x

Cross Stitch Caravan

This card is made with another piece of cross stitch from our last campervan trip that I've only just made into a card.  After stitching the design I mounted it behind a frame made with two stitched dies and attached it to the card.

Kath x

Cross Stitch Kingfisher

This cross stitch kingfisher was stitched on our last campervan trip.  After finishing the stitching I mounted it behind a frame made with stitched square dies and attached it to the front of the card.

Kath x

Twiddle Muff

Something a little different on my blog today.  

My father-in-law has dementia and the staff at the Care Home where he lives have suggested he may like a twiddle muff.  I followed the instructions from Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust using oddments of different yarns I've bought from charity shops - the large buttons, ribbons and tassel are from my oddments drawer.  There are buttons and ribbons on the inside of the muff too.

Kath x

Pierced Summer Blossom

I made this card to send to Joy for the November Card Chain Challenge.  I've used the Colour Option (Chocolate, Orange and Slate) and the Theme Option (Scraps and Friendship).

I die cut a circle from a snippet of white hammer card and stamped the sentiment at the bottom of the circle using dark blue ink.  I embossed it with clear embossing powder before attaching it to the centre of the card.  I used snippets of orange textured card to die cut two large flowers, two medium flowers and two small flowers.  The leaves were die cut from snippets of dark brown card and the flower centres from snippets of dark blue card.  I layered the flowers and added a blue centre to each one.  I fastened the leaves to the back of the flowers before attaching them around the die cut circle.

To make this card I used:
     6" x 6" white hammer card blank
     Creative Expressions 'Finishing Touches - Pierced Summer Blossom' and My Favorite Things 'Inside & Out Stitched Circle STAX Die-namics' dies
     Crafter's Companion 'Sweet Florals' sentiment stamp
     Memento Paris Dusk ink
     Cosmic Shimmer Clear Detail embossing powder
     Snippets of brown, orange, blue textured card and white hammer card

I am entering the following challenges:
     Love to Craft - Anything Goes
     Love to Scrap - Anything Goes

This is the lovely card I received from Hilary -

Kath x

Grand Happy Birthday

I made this card for a friend's birthday using a new set of floral dies.

I die cut 'happy birthday' from a snippet of dark red textured card and trimmed it so it was slightly narrower than the card blank before attaching it to the card.  I die cut the sentiment again from white matt card and inlaid the letters.  I used another snippet of dark red textured card to cut the largest flower and also cut one from a lighter red textured card.  I cut a flower centre from a tiny snippet of light green textured card and two large leaves from dark green textured card.  I layered the flowers with the lighter red on top of the flower and attached them to the top corner of the card.  I attached the flower centre and the two leaves underneath the flower.

To make this card I used:
     6" x 4" white matt card blank
     Memory Box 'Grand Happy Birthday' and Creative Expressions 'Finishing Touches -Pierced Summer Blooms' dies
     Snippets of dark red, red, dark green and light green textured card and white matt card

I am entering the following challenges:
     Color Hues - Scarlet & Green
     Happy Little Stampers Anything Goes With Dies - Anything Goes
     Happy Little Stampers Birthday Challenge - Anything Goes
     Seize the Birthday - Anything Goes
     Snippets Playground - Challenge 442

Kath x