Pop Up Butterflies

Time again for another challenge over on the Butterfly Blog and the letter is P.

#132 Spin The Butterfly Wheel with the Letter P for Pop Up Card.

I have  been looking at lots of Pop Up card Tutorials on You Tube and have several versions to try.
This card is Version I. which is just a simple pop up mechanism.  As usual you will find a Tutorial for you to follow over on the Butterfly blog at the top of the page under  the banner on the card shape  page.

This card uses all the seven elements 
Pop Up Card/Pear/Peach/Periwinkle/ Pattern paper/Pearls/ Butterfly

For the card base I have used a Background Card by Kanban called English Riviera - Roses - Lilac and decorated the front with a peach doily and a butterfly shape from my stash along with peach pearls. The sentiment is by Julie Hickey from her Circle Sentiments stamp set.
The fun is on the inside with the pop up mechanism shown below.

The pop up really is very easy to do . The peach paper is from The Works and the digi dotty paper is by Nitwits from their Lavender collection. The butterflies are really old circa 1986/87 and were salvaged from when we cleared out the parents home. Mum used to do a lot of scrapbooking when my children were small and always had a box of assorted embellishments for them to use when they went for a visit. These butterflies are embossed and were all attached to each other on sheets via small tabs so each one had to be cut away from the others. (The only info on them that I could find on the sheets was the Initals M L P and the dates plus a post code which doesn't exist anymore.) I found four that were the same and mounted them to look as if they are fluttering out of the card as you open it up. The banner was made from a scrap of card that I already had the colour on from an oxide ink pad. The sentiment is by Woodware.
Hope you will come and have a play with this new challenge. It is the last butterfly challenge before the Elves/Pixies/Gnomes/ Imps and Fairies come out to play for the month of December. The butterflies will be back in the New Yr to continue  with the last 10 letters of the alphabet.

Entering this card into the following challenges:
2 Crafty Critter Crazies # Anything goes.
Love To Craft #40 Anything goes.
Love To Scrap #127 Anything goes.
Brown Sugar #295 Anything goes.
613 Avenue Create #227 Anything  goes + optional Use your scraps.
Lil Patch Of  Crafty Friends #117 Anything goes.
Pixie's Crafty Workshop #365 Use your snippets.
Through The Craft Room Door # Anything goes.

Glitter does it.

Time for the girls in the Christmas Card Club to show our next makes. We had no set theme this fortnight so it is anything goes.  I have two of the six cards that I made at the recent workshop I attended finished  now so can show them. We were using glitter card (the smooth no shed kind I hasten to add) and some of Julie Hickey's new Christmas stamp range. A few might have accidentally fallen into my basket on the way out. Can't think how!!! Julie had already cut the glitter card up into  strips of varying widths and also in lots of colourways for us so we were spoilt for choice.
For my first card I used pink, turquoise and dark silver to make the tag.( I cut my tag shape when I got home using my SU tag punch). Poinsettia was stamped in black twice and then fussy cut to make the different layers. Again I finished at home using silver glitter glue. Pearls were from my stash. The sentiment is one of Julie's new dies. I cut the frame  away from the wording to get the separate words.

Entering into the following challenges:

Dream Valley #213 All that Glitters.

Ellibelle’s Corner # November’s challenge Christmas holidays. 

Addicted To Stamps #366 Anything goes.

CCC Digi Creations #109 Christmas.

Tales From The Craft Room #10 Tags and trimmings.

Unicorn Challenge #49 Christmas Winter.

For my second card  I used light and dark silver and gold bronze to make the strip across the card. We were pretty much allowed to do our own thing for the pattern of laying down our strips so I went for making a herringbone design. The poinsettia was again stamped out twice and fussycut. I finished at home adding the silver glitter glue and the gems from my stash.  Sentiment by Julie Hickey.

Entering into the following challenges:
Aud Sentiments #239 Anything goes + add a sentiment.
Fab 'n'Funky #456 Paper piecing.
Southern Girls # Christmas.
Country View Challenges # Hand stamped.
Daisy Chain Challenges #36 Christmas/winter.


I'm off to see what the rest of the girls have come up with.

Flower does it.

I've been having what I call spuddle time just doodling some flowers using a bronze gel pen and then filling in with my promarkers. I quite liked the result so have now made into a card to share.  The green design paper is from a pad by The Works.  The sentiment is by Julie Hickey and the  oval die cut is also from The Works. I found the scalloped blank card  lurking in a box whilst looking for something else.

 I have laid the card down flat in the next picture to show the lovely gleam from the bronze gel pen when you turn the card under a light.

Still struggling to get all my bulbs planted. This wet weather is not helping but I did manage to get out for a few hours yesterday in between the rain and plant some more. I hope squirrel was not watching where they were being  put! I dug up quite a few peanut shells from where he had hidden them  from last winter. I can confirm that the summer house is watertight and lovely and warm when the sun does shine on it. Been having breakfast and lunch out there. Will get pictures sorted out this weekend and posted up.
I am going to post this in the All Sorts Challenge. Kathleen will be so proud of me as there isn't a butterfly in sight!!
Entering into the following challenges:
All Sorts Challenge #544 Make your own flowers.
Through The Craft Room Door # Anything goes.
Water Cooler Challenges #246 Feminine anything goes.
Colour Crazy #43 Anything goes.
A Bit More Time To Craft #103 Anything goes.
Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge # Anything goes.
Crafts Galore #69 Anything goes.
Crafter's Castle # Anything goes.

More One Layer

Time for me to show you some more inspiration for the current Butterfly Challenge.
#31 Spin The  Butterfly Wheel with O for One Layer Card. 

 First Card.
Using: One layer card/Oval/Only one xtra embellishment/Old Gold/Olive/Orchid/Butterflies.
I used a sheet of blank white cardstock to make a base card. I then die cut  an oval shape using a scalloped oval stitched die from The Works which I placed in the centre of the card front to create a mask. Using Distress Oxide in 'Peeled Paint' I inked around the mask and covered the entire front of the card.  When I removed the mask I had a nice blank oval. I had bought some mini wooden floral stamps 'Nature '(set of 15) at the Weekend by Paper Poetry and used two of the leaf sprays to ink round the outside edge of the centre piece.  The gold roses were stamped using my Heyda Peg stamps  called 'Roses and Leaves'. The butterflies stamped all over the Olive green are another Heyda Peg stamp called 'Butterflies'. At first glance I must admit, because of the angle I have stamped them that they look a bit like distorted oak leaves!! My 1 embellishment is the Orchid felt butterfly die cut using 'Cascadia' butterfly trio by Memorybox.  The sentiment is another new purchase from Woodware 'Deco Sayings'. I used my trusty pink Big shot for all the die cutting. 

Entering the card above into the following challenges:
Cuttlebug Mania # Thankyou / Thanks.
Lets Craft and Create  #153 Anything goes +optional Thankyou. 
Country View Challenges # Hand stamped. 
Creative Fingers #174 Anything goes.
Brown Sugar #295 Anything goes.

Second Card. 
Using: One layer card/Oval/Only one xtra embellishment/Old Gold/Orchid/Butterflies.
For this card I used the piece of card I had die cut the oval from to make a mask on the front of the card.Then completely coloured the oval shape in using Distress Oxide in Spiced Marmalade.  When I removed the mask I went round the edge of the scallop with an Old Gold gel pen and then added the dots for good measure. I found the woolly fringing in the same box I was looking in for the felt I used in the card above and thought Why Not? So I did.  The butterfly stamp is Stamplorations 'Trendy Butterflies' and the sentiment is another one from Woodware from my stash. 

Entering the card above into the following challenges:

Creative Knockouts #322 Clean and simple.

Scrapping 4 Fun #152 Anything goes.

2 Crafty Critter Crazies # Anything goes with th critter.

Craft Stamper # Anything goes.

Love To Craft #40 Anything goes.

It seemed a pity not to use the already die cut and partly coloured oval that I had used to mask the first card with so I came up with the Third Card.

Using: One layer card/Oval/Only one xtra embellishment/Old Gold/Olive /Butterflies.

You don't have to use blank card. Here I have used a one sided sheet of  glitter design card from The Works. Cut to required size and folded in half to make the card base. Then I simply coloured the oval with some more Distress Oxide to cover and stamped the sentiment (again from Woodware) and the Heyda Butterfly once it was dry. Used my Old Gold gel pen to go over the sentiment and the butterfly and added the dots around the edge to decorate. Adhered this to the front of the card as my I extra embellishment. Job Done!!

 Taken at an angle below to show it is indeed just a piece of patterned card stock folded in half.

Entering the card above into the following challenges:

Through the Craft Room Door # Anything goes.

Lil Patch of Crafty Friends #117 Anything goes.

Crafter's Castle # Anything goes.

Crafts Galore #69 Anything goes.

Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge #Anything goes.

Hope I have given you some inspiration. One layer cards really aren't  intimidating at all. 4 people have already submitted a one layer card. The challenge runs for another week and closes Tue 12th.

Happy Hauntings.

Having had fun making the Never Ending Card for my last Butterfly Challenge I decided to use the shape again  and make a Halloween card to send to our Grandson.  It has been posted so he should be opening it today.
All of the digis are freebies from various sites I have collected over the last few years and knew would get used eventually.  I used orange and black cardstock to make the base card and the layers.

 This is the front of the card.  The house line is City silhouette by Beyond the Fringe. Wordings I created in word and printed off.  The cat with pumpkin  and the bat wings poster are  from The Sum Of All Crafts freebies.
The card opens up to reveal the next layer. I had already given the card to The Doc to sign it before realising  I hadn't taken any photos of the inside of the card so I have blanked out Grandson's name.

 The black cat is called Spook Cat from Digi Stamp Boutique. The witch and halloween scrap book page paper are from The Sum Of All Crafts freebies. This then opens up to the next layer.

 The last layer is then revealed below. The witch potion poster is from The Sum Of All Crafts freebies.

This layer then returns you to the front of the card to start all over again!! It really is never ending.

Entering this card into the following challenges for Halloween:
Daring Card Makers # Make It Spooky
Shopping Our Stash #407 Halloween.
Little Red Waggon #521 Scary It.
Tales From The Craft Room #9 Halloween.
Water Cooler Challenges #245 Anything goes.



To go with the card I also made this box of treats.  'Pinky' had entered a gorgeous butterfly candy bar box that she had made for the last Butterfly Challenge and she also included an excellent video on how to make. Check out her entry here  at No 7.
I used up the scraps from the card above to decorate the box and also made it slightly deeper as the pumpkin balls were larger than a flat candy bar. I made my sides 3 qtrs of an inch instead of half an inch. Pictures as below.

 I made a witch slider for the box closure

 Side ways view.

You slide the witch down the slider bar  to open the box up. 

 The open box showing the halloween goodies inside. I even had a few left  over for The Doc!

Entering this box into the following challenges:
Crafty Card Makers #244 Halloween.
Always Fun Challenges #134 Halloween
Lil Patch Of Crafty Friends #116 Anything goes.
Pixie's  Crafty Workshop #364 Use up your snippets (Used from card making  above).
Not Just Cards # Anything goes.

One Layer Cards.

Time again for another challenge over on the Butterfly Blog and the letter is O.

#131 Spin The Butterfly Wheel with the Letter O for One Layer Card.

Sorry , my camera is making the purple look blue.

I have chosen One Layer Card as the card shape (although not strictly a shape it is a definite style of card and for the purposes of this challenge if you are making the card shape then one layer really means one layer so you can use only a blank card/or cardstock folded to make your base card to either stamp/paint/colour directly onto. You may use only one embellishment of your choice to be adhered to the front of your card. 

No die cuts unless this is your 1 added embellishment or you are cutting an oval in the front of the card and your design is therefore showing through from the  inside of the card.

I know that several of you struggle with making  this type of card so that is why I decided on it as  my choice for the letter O. Hopefully my examples will give you some inspiration for your own cards. You do not have to use the one layer element to take part in the challenge. Just choose from the other parts of the wheel as there are several prizes to be won.

1st Card.
One Layer Card/Only 1 extra embellishment/Olive/Old Gold/ Orchid/Butterfly

I have been watching a lot of videos on You Tube showing how to  paint loose Watercolor Florals  and have been trying my hand at painting  some myself. They are really easy to create.  The lady I have been following is called Creationsceecee.  They are ideal as little notelet cards and perfect for making one layer cards.

I have used the three colours from the wheel and  my Caran D'ache Gouache Studio watercolour palette box of paints. I mixed my colours to get the right shades.
The sentiment is by Julie Hickey from her 'Beautiful Butterfly' stamp set.  My 1 added extra embellishment is the gold sticker from my stash. A really easy peasy one layer card.

Entering the above card into the following challenges:
Water cooler Challenges #245 Anything goes
Crafty Catz #480 Anything goes.
Scrapping 4 Fun #152 Anything goes.
Lil Patch of Crafty Friends #116 Anything goes.
Not Just Cards # Anything goes,



.

2nd Card.
One Layer Card/Ovals/Olive/Old Gold/ Orchid/Butterfly

For this card I have cut an oval aperture from my card base and stamped my image to be coloured onto the inside of the card. I used my Graph'it markers to colour the butterfly image along with a silver gel pen to highlight. The stamp is Marianne Design   from CS0927 stamp set. The sentiment stamp is by Phil Martin from his Scribbled corner sentiments Everyday set. he flutted Oval die  cut is from The Works.

I used the same oval die to embellish the inside of the card.

Another easy peasy one to make.  Hope you will come and have a play and don't be put off by the one layer. If I can do it so can you.

Entering this card into the following challenges:
Die Cuttin Divas #444 Anything goes.
Tuesday Throwdown #443 One layer wonder.
Polkadoodles Craft Challenge #43 Anything goes.
The Sisterhood of Crafters #Make it clean and simple.
Craft Stamper # Anything goes.
Love To Craft #39 Anything goes.

Just To Say...

Well the Summer House is all done. It stayed fine here over the weekend so I was able to turn over the mud in front of the house and let the air dry it out. I added loads of top soil into it too and it did the job as this morning I was able to level it out and get the stepping stones relaid and the new front step in situ. The floor matting is in and the furniture as well. Even a wall hanging and ornament or two!
I was surprised that only 2 people guessed the colour of the table and chairs so for the rest of you,  here is a little teaser.

The image is a freebie that I found on Beyond The Fringe called 'French Cafe' which I thought was very appropriate to use.  Coloured using my Graph'it markers this time. I created the mat under the table and chairs and randomly selected markers that matched the real carpet. I took a photo of the matt whilst it was still laid out in the lounge and have used that as the background behind the image. I was pleased at how well my 'faux mat' matched.!!!!
I am going to enter this into the All Sorts Challenge which is to make your own background. Well I took my own  photo and drew my own background to the little scene so tongue in cheek and see what Kathleen says!!!
Been a bit of an emotional day for me today so will share the summerhouse piccys from start to finish tomorrow.

Entering into the following challenges:
All Sorts Challenge #543 Make your own backgrounds.
Creative Moments #179 Anything goes + optional for the girls.
Creations in Pink #15 Anything goes mainly in pink.
Creative Craft Cottage #123 Make it pink.
Scrapping 4 Fun #152 Anything goes.
Colour Crazy #42 Anything goes.
Crafty Catz #480 Anything goes.
Love To Craft #39 Anything goes.