Poppies Galore.

Meant to post this earlier but hands have been too cold to do much typing. New challenge is up and running over on the Butterfly Blog. Poppies with lots of panels on your card and here are the cards that I have   made for inspiration.  

I used A Woodware stamp ' Poppy ADS506' just repositioning the stamps to where I wanted them to be.  coloured using my Promarkers and a gold gel pen. The sentiment is part of the stamp set. Butterflies are SU's  'Beautiful Wings' Die Set. So glad I purchased them when I did as they are no longer available. The dark green panels are coloured acetate sheets and the pale green is shimmer cardstock

This next card is a Digi image by Stitchy Bear Designs (a name from the past) called Poppy Black Work. The butterfly is from  a sheet of butterflies that originally were freebies in a magazine.I have had them a really long time!! The sentiment was a pre printed one.

Last card is another digi this time by Delicious Doodles (not sure if they are still going or not) called 'Poppy Butterfly'. Coloured with my trusty Promarkers. Sentiment is a stamp by Woodware and I used up the off cuts from the previous cards for the panels. I am on a mission to use everything up as it saves me having to put it all away again. 

The challenge is running until Tuesday 21st November.

 The stye under my right eye is still lingering on. Two people this week have told me of the old Wives Tale of rubbing over the rim of the eyelid with a gold ring. Has anyone else heard of this and does it work? I would be interested to hear.

Lets Go Monochromatic.

Long time no see.  Sometimes life especially health just has other ideas for you.  So the news is the Butterflies are back and a new challenge is posted today on their blog.  We are going Monochromatic and I have two cards for your inspiration.  The first is a Joy Fold Card.

I have used design papers from a 6 x 6 pad from The Works.  The lace is Dies cuts from Tattered Lace. 

I had lots of strips of the papers left over so I decided to stick them onto a sheet of card  rather than just put away. Then used a die cut by Creative Expressions stitched collection 'Scallop Layered Rectangle' to cut a panel out. This left a border which I used inside of the card. 

I still had strips left so I kept going till I had used them all and made these up too. Just enough left in the end to die cut  a butterfly with. I do so like using everything up.  The challenge is running for 3 weeks and will  end on Tuesday 7th November 8pm (BMT). Hope to see you in the butterfly garden. Still lots of flowers and butterflies out though we are in for another storm starting today in the UK till Saturday. A good time to be in  our craft rooms methinks!!

 

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Blue it is.

I don't use a lot of blue in my cards but I was challenged to use a Butterfly, use Blue and make the card Square. Well square it is but I went a bit further and made it into an Easel card. In for a penny in for a pound as they say. 

Design papers are from The Works called Natures Blues. Die cut frame is Crafts - Too Square Dies Scalloped edge and the sentiment is from Creative Expressions by Lisa Horton. The Butterfly is 'Willoughby' by Memory Box and is going to be another firm favourite with me. Below is a closeup

of the Front design. 

Entering into the following challenges:

Creatalicious Challenges #264 Anything goes/different fold technique.

Gem of a Challenge #15 Anything goes.

A Perfect time To Craft #8 Anything goes.

Crafting Happiness #145 Anything goes.

Crafts Galore encore #114 Anything goes.

Creative Aunts #80 Anything goes.

Ellibelles Corner # Anything goes.

Love To Craft #75 Anything goes.

Love To Scrap #162 Anything goes.

The Crafty Addicts #4 Anything goes.

 

Can't seem to settle to anything. No sooner do I get out in the garden it rains. I come in and it stops. I got drenched going to the shops yesterday but not  just because it was raining. Came out of one shop and it started raining  so sheltered for a bit under the over hang of the building and then decided to make a bee line for the bus shelter.  Nice and dry one thought. Nope. White van man decided to speed up deliberately when he got to the shelter and drenched us both from head to foot from the kerb puddle he shot through!! 

Stay Dry

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Ceramic Vase.

I recently chanced going ( as there were only a few others  ) to a pottery class at my local craft shop where we made ceramic vases. We were each given a lump of brown clay that we had to thump and need till all the air bubbles were out of it and then roll out to a uniform thickness.  There were several design on show and I choose to make a shape with a wavy top edge and to over lap where it met around the base.

 

Once we had out shapes cut out we then pressed fresh flowers and leaves into the clay to leave impressions. I chose to work with lavender and instead of using leaves used a stylus to cut grass stalks around the base. The dragon fly was a stamp pressed into the clay. Next came the fun part of painting our pieces.  I had a small piece of the clay over (as I hadn't made feet for my vase) and made a small plaque instead. They then went off to be fired and glazed and I picked mine back up this afternoon. 

Not sure where the plaque is going but the vase is on my kitchen window ledge and filled with fresh  lavender from the garden. 

I  managed to arrange/wring out  a Dr's appointment from the receptionist who tried her best to fob me off with all manner of excuses  as to why I couldn't have one. It is not a face to face just a telephone  call for the 9th August after I finally  waved my flip phone at her to show I couldn't use my smart phone to use the link to make it myself.  Watch this space!

Tea Bag Anyone!

That was the week that was again.  I did manage to get out in the garden on Friday but Saturday it rained all day so had a play in my Craft Room instead. Thought I would do a spot of teabagging  which is a follow on really  from the origami I have been doing. 

This first one was inspired from watching Paul Ford on You Tube. I had not seen this kite fold before.  The pattern paper is from a  6 x 6 pad from The Works. Brad for the centre and the sentiment from my stash. 

Entering this card into the following challenges:

Shopping Our Stash #501 No Stamping allowed.

Allys Angels #72 Anything goes.

Crafting Happiness #144 Anything goes.

Crafty Calendar # Anything goes.

Love To Craft #75 Anything goes.

The Creative Crafters #66 Anything goes.

Next card was inspired by watching Jill Lancett on You Tube.  Again I had not seen it done with circles before.  The design paper was a freebie from making Cards magazine Aug 2014. (I'm gradually working my way up to the current stuff !). It isn't double sided so I just coloured with a promarker where I didn't want any white showing. I used a small circle die by Julie Hickey for the folding.  The stalk and leaf is a part of a die set from Sizzix that I chopped about to get the positioning of the flowers right.  Sentiment is in a stamp set from Uniko.  Sequins from my stash.

Entering this card into the following challenges:

A Perfect Time To Craft #7 Anything goes.

Crafts Galore Encore #113 Anything goes.

Lets Craft & Create Challenge #197 Anything goes /add flowers.

The Crafty Addicts #3 Anything goes.

Fun and games at the hospital last Monday. Both The Doc and I had blood tests booked for one after the after. Machine for booking in worked fine with hubby but didn't like me at all so consequently the nurse wasn't expecting me. Hubby let her know I was waiting outside and the response was that the machine is always breaking down and not working properly.  Hubby is still waiting for his results. Mine came through on a text on Wednesday and not at all what I was expecting to get. Told to go on a link and read all about what I have now got and then to go on another link and tell the Dr my thoughts!!  Not,  " I have made an appointment for you  to come into the surgery". I don't have a smart phone and the link when I tried it on my computer crashed it. Took me nearly 2hrs to get pc back up and running. So now I have to do battle with the receptionist (at the surgery) to try and get an actual face to face appointment to discuss the Meds they want to put me on which are not compatible (found that out reading up on pc.) with ones I am already taking!   Moral of the story don't get sick and go  buy a Smart phone!!

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Another Find

Another card found in my stash from a Julie Hickey Card Class using her stamps and dies. Needed to take a picture  quick as it is going off to a Cousin for her Birthday this month. 

I stamped straight onto the card base with black ink and then attached a thin black frame on top. Stamped another flower and leaves onto a scrap of white card and die cut using the matching dies. Smooshed some Distress Oxides  in pink, purple and two greens onto a blending mat and picked up with a paint brush. Stamped the sentiment onto black card in white and heat embossed before adding to the front of the card with 3d pads. Added the little heart out cuts  to the top of the card. I see that I have one more so must have nabbed the extra one from somewhere!!!  Also added some crystal gems to the flower centers. 

Nearly half way through July already and haven't a clue where time is going.  I did have a hospital appointment booked for October but got texted yesterday that it had to be cancelled and I would get a new date in due course. Had waited 18 months for that one.  Such is life. 

Entering into the following challenges:

Sweet Stampin # Flowers/ blooming beautiful.

Lil Patch of Crafty Friends #209 Anything goes.

Make My Mondays #204 Birthday.

Allys Angels #72 Anything goes.

Crafts Galore Encore #113 Anything goes.

Crafty Calendar # Anything goes.

Die Cut Divas # A Birthday.

Lets Craft and Create Challenge #197 Anything goes/add flowers.

Love To Craft #75 Anything goes.

Stamping Sensations #14 Summer Flowers.

 

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Someone Special.

A happy find.  Whilst looking through all my stash for a stamp that I knew I had but couldn't remember where I had put it I found a box of cards that I had made at various workshops and never shown.  This is one of them.

Would have been made at a Julie Hickey workshop at least 5yrs ago using Julie Hickey stamps. The background is made from a piece of card smooshed into Distress Oxide inks and then flicked with water. I stamped the flower on top,  cut out  and then  raised up with 3d pads onto  slightly larger black card  which I adhered directly to the card blank. A larger  thin die cut frame was also adhered to give the illusion of a picture frame.  I stamped the sentiment onto the rest of the smooshed card and die cut the banner. Finished off with gems and a small piece of ribbon. 

I eventually did find  the said missing stamp (4hrs later) after I had looked in every box and cupboard twice and then thought to just check one more place and of course there it was! I know. Should have gone to Spec Savers. 

Entering into the following challenges:

Krafty Chicks #671 Stamp Act.

A Perfect Time to Craft #7 Anything goes.

Crafting Happiness #144 Anything goes.

Ellibelles Corner # Anything goes.

Lets Craft and Create Challenge #197 Anything goes/add flowers.

Mix It Up #66 Anything goes/ optional aperture.

The Crafty Addicts #3 Anything goes.

Unicorn Challenge #89 No Design Paper. 

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