Yellow is the colour

The New Theme/ Colour

for my Butterfly Challenge is

#57 Butterflies + Y is for Years and/or Yellow.

Here is my inspiration for you.

I was on a roll making these as I ended up with 5

Here are the first 2

I used a white base card and a Kanban topper left over

from a previous make. This is actually the surround to the topper.

I used gold outline stickers for the rose and butterfly. Painted in  using Distress markers

which I scribbled onto an acrylic block and diluted down with water and used a fine 

paint brush to fill in the details.

Numbers and letters are more gold stickers.

I raised the topper on 3D pads for more definition.

Entering into the following challenges:

Through The Craft Room Door # Anything goes.

Jo's Scrap Shack # 144 Anything goes.

Brown Sugar #204 Anything goes.

Lets Craft and Create Challenge # 114 Hearts and/or flowers

Scrapper's Delights #56 Anything goes.

 2nd card.

Here I have used yellow holographic card and a printed vellum paper 

layered  up  with a butterfly gold sticker and yellow gems to finish.

The 50th was actually a silver colour but I coloured in using a

yellow distress marker which has given a lovely gold appearance.

I thought this would make either a birthday or a gold 50th anniversary.

Entering into the following challenges:

Craft Your Passion #318 Anything goes.

Creative Fingers #112 Anything goes.

Sister's Of Craft # Anything goes.

Creative Ladybirds #16 Anything goes.

Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper # June Anything goes.

Cute Christmas

Time once again for the girls in the Christmas Card Club to reveal our makes. The theme this time round was set by Sylvie who has chosen 'Cute'.  I found this a rather hard challenge as cute is very
subjective to ones own choice.  I chopped and changed my mind several times not only on the style of card but the content as well. This is my final choice so hope you will like. 

First up is my card using  a card front from my used  christmas pile stash. I cut the card front down to just show the image and salvaged the sentiment too. As the card backing colour is a pretty teal colour 
I sorted through my digi christmas papers and found a coordinating selection to compliment. I backed all the papers with  cherry red card stock and matching gems from my stash. I used a liberal sprinkling of  Glamour dust  around the sentiment.

Backing papers are all by Nitwits .

My second card uses freebie papers and toppers from Making Cards Magazines Nov 2015/Dec 2016

I have backed onto card to make more sturdy and then distressed round the edges and layered up.

Ribbon and gems from my stash.  I used glamour dust on the snowflake  for added dimension and raised the image on 3D pads. 

Entering this card into the following challenges:

Scraps Of Life By Scrappy Mo # June  Rudolph challenge.

Crafty Gals Corner #77 Sparkle and shine.

C.R.A.F.T. Challenge #369 Animals.

Simply Create Too #112 Christmas in July

Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper # Anything goes.

Crafts and Me # Anything goes.

Sister's Of Craft # Anything goes.

Creative Artiste Challenge #15 Anything goes.

Creative Ladybirds Creations #16 Anything goes.

Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge # Use a Sentiment.

Mouse Marathon!

Something slightly different from me today prompted by two cards I saw on other blogs. Marilyn had used a 'High Hopes Stamp' and in my comment to her I said I had a couple of their stamps and never used . Having a rootle around I found 3 in fact and this got me somewhat into craft mode and I decided to ink up 'Sweet Lili Mouse ' L-121 and have a play.  Well this started up a bit of a Marathon as I kept inking up, painting/colouring and discarding my efforts. The first 2 uncharacteristically of me actually ended not only tossed into the bin but torn into shreds too .

 Here is effort  no.3 that very nearly ended up in the same place but got pushed to one side while  I inked up a further two!

Image number 4 was a disaster from the word go and in desperation I changed tactics of trying to paint a brown mouse  and got out my Copic Markers and coloured up a white one instead. Still not happy, but by this time the little mouse above had dried out and having been left for a couple of hours whilst tea called  I decided  didn't look so bad after all!! This is where Tina came into play as she had used the June Cheerful Sketches Challenge to make her card.  Now I don't follow sketches normally but I rather liked the look of this one and the little mouse was looking for a home so  I made the following card. 

Design papers  are all by Hunkdory 'Boutique Chic' free with Paper Crafter Jun 2016 mag. I distressed the edges.

Doily flowers and square pearls from my stash. I used brown pearlised card stock to die cut the Sizzix scallop rectangle frame which I put through a Sizzix EF  Flowers 656978. There is a piece of acetate sandwiched between the frame and the image but as luck would have it I managed to get a photo without the usual glare showing on it.  The mouse was stamped onto a scrap of white card (that was on my desk. I had given up trying to use watercolour paper by this stage) using distress ink vintage photo. I then scribbled some distress marker pens onto a clear stamp block and with a fine paint brush and loads of water mixed into the colours filled in the image.  Of course it buckled and pilled and looked a mess as had the previous 2 now in the bin.



Here is the sketch that I followed. I rather like the finished result! Mouse is not the colour I had in mind but heck she's a Field Mouse!!!!!!!!

Then instead of having just told you about the afore mentioned disasters I thought I would show you

them. I painstakingly fished  the pieces out of the bin and pieced/glued them back together again. Took me 2hrs!

 So here they are Warts and All.

Effort No 1.

 On watercolour card using distress markers.

I coloured the ribbon was pleased with that then did the arm.

Too dark and I went and smudged the eye. Darnation!



Effort No 2.

Brown colour perfect, bow not so good and then I

mucked the nose up. Grr.

I will show you Meeces 4 and  5 next week

Does this give a new meaning to paper piecing I wonder. Lol.

I'm off to lie down in  a very dark room now

but first I would like to enter my card into the following challenges:

Cheerful Sketches Challenge # Juni   Follow the sketch above and use a stamp.

Pixies Crafty Workshop #234  Use your snippets up.

Love  To Scrap #80 Anything goes.

Tuesday Throwdown #299 Distressing.

Crafty Creations #318 Anything goes.

Inspiration Destination #91 Anything goes.

Penny's Paper Crafty #283 Anything goes.

2 Creative Chicks #11 Anything goes.

Crafts Galore # Anything goes.

One Crazy Stamper # Anything goes.

Petal Lu Challenge #16 Anything goes.

Oval Netty.

Here is my next  inspiration for you using the colour Olive and Oval shape  for the 2nd week of my

#56 Butterflies + O is for Oval and/or Olive.

Base card is a pink pearlescent which I used tent fold. Backing design paper is by Jennifer Ellory and came free in Quick Cards 2013. I distressed round  the edges and adhered to the base card. The central flower is paper from the Nancy Watt Collection 'Pretty Pansies'  free this time from Making cards. I've used the Olive negative piece of card from the previous make to create the oval shape.

Bet you can't guess what the white netting is from. It just happened to be on my desk from where I  had salvaged it from the fridge. It was originally a net bag containing little round cheeses !!  Waste not want not is my motto so I sandwiched it underneath the die cut and over the flower image. I used my Spellbinders Marvelous Square to die cut the four corners from a further scrap of the backing design paper. It does look a bit like I have die cut them from the Oval but they are glued on top honest!.

Butterflies are Memory Box  'Isabella' die cut from another scrap of the Olive card stock. I also cut a smaller oval for the sentiment using my Xcut oval nesting dies. All cut using my big shot manual machine. I had to succumb to using a new cutting plate as one of the older ones broke in two and was quite badly marked. (Well I had been using it for the past 6 yrs so I think I got my monies worth).

The other plate is still intact so will do for a while longer. Finished off with gems from my stash.Close up below showing the plastic netting. I'm quite pleased with how that turned out. I have another bag on my desk!!

Entering into the following challenges:

Dies R Us #51 Butterflies.

A bit More Time To Craft #22 Anything goes.

Chocolate, Coffee and Cards #111 Use a Die Cut.

Crafting With Friends #23 Anything goes.

Creative Fingers #111 Anything goes

My Time To Craft #323 Summertime.

Crafty Boots # Summertime.

Craft Your Passion #317 Anything goes.

Cuttlebug Mania # Midsummer

Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper #Anything goes.

Say Cheese!

My Internet is continuing to limp along up one minute and down the next but is managing to reconnect  on its own without a reboot.  I will keep this short and sweet as I want  to  get round your blogs whilst I'm up and running. 

I saw this challenge at Shopping Our Stash this week and knew I had the ideal digi to use.

It is a pre coloured one from  Paper Creator by Sassy Cheryl called 'Snowmen Selfie'

I have created another acetate fronted card. The base card is red card stock and I have used an orange 

spotty design paper (to match one snowman's scarf) along with  dark green vellum. I printed the image onto white card and die cut using Spellbinders Romantic Rectangle. I decorated the acetate

front with various  old stickers from my stash and a gold sentiment sticker.  The red stickers are holographic so really sparkle on the acetate.

You can see the front of the card here with the stickers attached.

Entering into the following challenges:

Shopping Our Stash #256 Let take a Selfie.

A Snowflakes Promise #24 Anything goes.

Crimbo Crackers #108 Anything goes.

C.R.A.F.T Challenges #308 Christmas.

Crafty Catz #329 Going Dotty.

Winter Wonderland # Add some sparkle.

Crafty Hazelnut's Extra # Christmas cards.

Semi Chic!

The New Theme/ Colour

for my Butterfly Challenge is

#56 Butterflies + O is for Oval and/or Olive.

Here is my inspiration for you.

My starting point was the pre printed  oval image

from the Nancy Watt Collection Called ' Summer Ladies'

free in Making Cards Aug 2012 edition.

I took inpsiration from the blue and yellow flowers on her hat

and pulled out this pretty yellow floral design paper from my stash.

Adhered to a white card blank and distressed round the edges

Sorry I have no name for this one but it would have been a freebie in a mag.

The blue and yellow flowers, cream lace and ribbon were from my stash.

I matted the image onto a larger oval using olive card stock and Xcut oval die.

Butterflies are memory box  matching  Pippi and Isabella dies cut

using cream cardstock and more of the olive. Pearls added to the centres

and raised up slightly  using 3D pads

A liberal sprinkling of Stickles in Platinum and job done.

It really does sparkle IRL!

Hopefully my internet and email account problems are now 

sorted. Still avoiding ' W10' like the plaque.

Entering into the following challenges:

Pixies Crafty Workshop #233. Use up your snippets. (lace under ribbon was a snippet).

One Stitch At A Time #264 Anything goes with layer it up.

The Crazy Challenge #224 Bingo (die cut/design paper/flowers)

Craft Your Passion #316 Anything goes.

Through The Craft Room Door # Anything goes.

Crafty Creations #317 Tic tac toe (flowers/image/summer theme)

Create and Inspire #48 Anything goes.

Inspiration Destination #90 Anything goes.

Penny's Paper-Crafty #282 Anything goes.

The ABC Challenge # Just as you like.

Star Of Wonder

I have had an absolute nightmare of  a time today with my internet showing as disconnected with a nasty flashing orange light instead of solid green for go.
 Im on of sorts but in between AVG doing an upgrade, Windows 10 constantly trying to install  (with me cancelling it PDQ) and sorting out what is going on with my router  I'm rather late for the Christmas Card Club where we show our makes every fortnight following a different christmas theme each time.
The theme  today is Star of Wonder  or anything goes and was chosen by Zoe.  I have had to delve into my unposted items as I have not been able to make anything with the above going on.  I remembered a Christmas Button Book I made for  a swap  in Oct 2014  which I had never gotten around to showing and two of the pages in it came to my rescue so here they are. Each page of the book was either depicting a nursery rhyme or a song and I had used buttons to  illustrate.

I had found these  gorgeous buttons for sale in a fabric shop

and immediately thought  of shooting stars (as one does) 

and knew I had some star type resin shapes to go with them. 

The background scene is part of a 12" x 12" design paper that 

a friend had sent me from America and this was all I had over.

All that was left for me to do was create in word and print off the words.

(I'm pretty sure the song was by Perry Como.)

So come on show your age and sing along too!!!

The same shop had these crystal  snowflakes

 so into the bag they went too.

The background is navy pearlescent card put through 

a star embossing folder called Twinkle by Crafts -Too

A few white sequins and the rhyme to match.

Hope these will suffice Zoe. 

Garden Stream.

I thought I would share some pictures of the garden.

This is just one of the many fountains that we have in situ.

We call it the leaky tap as it is solar powered. 

You can't see the solar panel that sits to the left of this picture 

just out of camera range. 

Now that the garden is again fully south facing

(No we have not installed a giant turntable)

 just finally won our 20 yr battle 

with the local council to remove the 4 trees that overhung our 

property making the garden in shade the whole time. 

Now as  soon as the sun hits the solar panel the tap pours water into 

the bucket which overflows  into the water butt below.

It doesn't actually overflow into the stream below

but I designed it visually to look as though it does. 

We have newts in this part of the pond

The stream has stepping stones across it

in two places to get to the shed and also

to the stone circle which has table and chairs on

You can see the first stepping stone below

and a little bit of the stone circle in the top left of 

picture below.

After the second stepping stones 

The pond narrows down to a narrow stream

and this is where the frogs live.

The entire pond plus stream runs from 

one side of the garden to the other

so about 20 ft long as the garden tapers

down as this point. 

There is also a pond outside  the kitchen window

 at the top of the garden in which

more frogs and toads live plus another

spieces of newt and the dragon flies

like to frequent. 

No photo to show here but there is a funny story

attached to when I was digging out the hole

for the said pond liner to go in but

I will save that for another time.

Shaker Card.

This is a card for another swap that I do every month which goes to Australia. This is one of the cards

which I made for the February swap that I have never shown.  The theme for this challenge was to 

recycle something  from your trash can. I joked that I was going to send my partner a card with fish bones on it so she was relieved to see I had made a shaker card using one of The Docs trusty custard tart boxes instead.!  I used a Crafts-Too embossing folder with a rose design on it to further enhance the card that I had cut from the box.  The roses were made from some of the hand made paper that I had made in a local craft club I go to.  It has all been used up now.  The shaker element is white opaque sequins that i had a packet of in my stash.  Card base was made from blue card stock.

I'm still  in two minds about using fish bones on a card so watch this space is all  I can say!

Entering into the following challenges:

Shimmer Butterfly

I try and join in a card chain challenge every month which is hosted by Deborah in  America.

The May  challenge was to use  any or all of the following:

A  colour swatch of Ollive/Pistashio/Faded Peach

A sketch to follow

Dogs/ food/friendship

Coloured pencils/pastels/or Hero Arts stamp

I managed to use all 4 of the requirements.

The card base was a lucky find in my stash. I had a packet of blank cards which just happened to have the 3 colours I needed on them. 

I followed the sketch and used frienndship. I die cut the Britannia word die and used the negative part on the card.  The butterfly is a Hero Arts digi along with the patterned circle underneath. 

I coloured the wings in using my coloured pencils (in the three colours) and then smooshed over with a wink of stella pen and sprinkled with glamour dust. It sparkles beautifully.

My card went to Gail in Norway this time. 

Apricot Butterflies

KandA and I are back  to show you

some more inspiration for my 

#55 Butterflies + A is for Aperture and/or Apricot.

The challenge is running for 4 weeks this time

and this is the half way stage.

There is still 2 weeks left to enter your projects.

We would both love to see you over at the 

Butterfly Blog. 

Here is KandA's cards.

Please do pop on over to KandA's blog

for full explanation on how they were made.

Thankyou KandA for coming up trumps with

both of these cards.

I love the apertures on them .

Here are my cards to help inspire you.

I have used a Clarity Stencil 'Poppies' and coloured through 

the stencil  using water colour pencils.

I must admit I'm a tad disappointed with the result.

Firstly as I  still wasn't feeling a hundred percent when I made the card

and then the pencils I was using were only cheap ones

 which kept breaking.  I couldn't get a fine enough point on them.

I will be investing in some dearer ones . You get what you pay for

is a good idium!!

Anyway I diffused the result with a piece of sparkly gauze material

which did make it look slightly better.

The aperture was cut using X Cut Rectangle dies.

The whole thing was adhered to apricot card stock as the base card.

I added an extra strip of cardstock along the bottom which I punched

using my Martha Stewart ribbon threader. 

Decoupage butterfly is more of the ' Tbz -Kaart ' sheets in my stash.

I cut and layered 2 using 3d sticky pads

then swooshed over with a wink of stella pen and sprinkled 

with glimmer dust. I picked out one of the colours from

the butterfly for the ribbon I threaded through the punched holes.

Gems and black glossy sticker sentiment from my stash.

Entering into the following challenges:

Sisters Of Craft # Anything goes.

Petal Lu challenge #14 anything goes.

Crafting With Friends #21 Anything goes.

Creative Fingers #111 Anything goes.

Craft Your Passion #314 Anything goes.

My second card uses a Craft Die by Sue Wilson

'Butterflies in flight'

It cuts like a dream and comes with 4 separate

matching little butterflies.

I have just used two of them  and cut from

the same cardstock that I have backed the trellis aperture with.

I cut the trellis out on cream water colour card.

The design paper was from Making Cards July 2015

 their Busy Butterflies collection. 

All adhered onto apricot card stock

folded to make an oblong card base.

Entering into the following challenges:

Through The Craft Room Door # Anything goes.

Create and Inspire #47 Anything goes.

Inspiration Destination #88 Anything goes.

Penny's Paper Crafty #280 Anything goes.

A Beautiful Mess #3 Anything goes.

Hope we have inspired you to play along.