Twine and Twins

A new theme  has started  over on the Butterfly  challenge

#98 Spin The Butterfly Wheel with the Letter T.

Here is my inspiration for you.

First card is using Tomato/Twine with my Butterfly.

 The flower image is by Woodware called 'Poppy' and the Butterfly is from  Inkylicious 'Flutters 2' set. The border stamp is from Faye's FaDoodles 2 set from Whimsy Stamps and available from 'Dies to Die For' here in the UK.  I have coloured using a mix of  Graph'it  marker pens and  Marvy LePlume II water colour pens + a gold gel pen. I wasn't sure if mixing the two types of pen would work but they went well together. I mounted onto orange cardstock and used a red/green twine wrapped round several times before adhering to the base card.

Then I got an Acetate moment so made this card!
Second card is using  twin butterflies as my Two Identical items /Teal.

The image is a digi by DZ Doodles 'Deedle Dee Hydrangea' and coloured using a mix of  Promarkers and Graph'it pens plus a gold gel pen.  I used the Teal on some of the flower petals and the two butterflies which are stamped using the same Inkylicious Flutters 2.  I very vaguely followed a tutorial on Splitcoaststampers by Linda Nicolson for attaching the image to the acetate so that the ds. tape wouldn't show. Sentiment and ribbon were from my stash.

Side ways view which shows the Teal colouring in a better light and below showing the panels attached on the inside of the card.

The colours on the wheel really do work well together so I hope you will come along and spin the wheel on the Butterfly challenge which runs for the next fortnight.

CAS Christmas

Well it never rains but pours here. my IPad has now  spectacularly died on me , completely zilch. The Doc spotted two Open Reach vans  again at the top of our road with the manhole cover up and them looking down the hole. We have already  had to reboot the internet server today. The telephone line is still up at the moment. I could well be down the local library resorting to their internet connection!!
Anyways ever onwards as they say.

This has to be about the most CAS Christmas Card I have ever done. I might well bling it up inside with some holly design papers when it comes to signing it but for now it is what it is.
The holly topper was in my stash left over from another project. The die cut is a Nellie's multi Frame's MFD 017 which I thought mirrored the prickly leaf of the holly.  I used the small die to cut in red and then the plain circle die for the green and lastly  I cut a larger die in the white card panel which I adhered to the card front with 3D tape to raise it up to make a recess for the ivy image  thus creating a frame around it.  The sentiment is by Phil Martin from his  'Scribbled Christmas Sentiment  Corners'.

I have already missed out on one deadline through procrastination on my part  but  wanted to enter a couple of  other challenges as I missed out on them last month.
Entering into the following.
Scraps of Life By Scrappymo # Rudolph March challenge.
The Holly And The Ivy #25 Anything goes.
52 Weeks To Christmas #12 Anything goes.
Fab 'n' Funky #386  Christmas.
Dies R Us #93 Frame It.

Naptime.

This digi image is called Naptime from Patties  Creations. Coloured with my Promarkers and a gold gel pen.  The jokes for the week I sent this card to my Grandson all began with the letter T so we were on Tigers.

The card base was a ready made card blank in my stash which went perfectly with the pussy cat which I die cut out using my Crafts-Too Square dies scalloped edge PCD77.

Are you sitting comfortably for the jokes. Remember I am only the messenger!!!!

Q.     On what side does a Tiger have the most stripes?

A.     On  the outside.

Q.     Who went into the Tiger's den and came out alive?

A.     The Tiger.

Q.     How do you take a Tiger's temperature?

A.     Very carefully.

Don't shoot me.!!


Entering into the following challenges:
The Creative Crafters #2 Anything goes.
A Bit More time To Craft #63 Anything goes.
Lil Patch Of Crafty Friends #78 Anything goes.
Through The Craft Room Door # Anything goes.
Creative Moments #139 Anything goes.
Penny's Paper Crafty #372 Anything goes.
Colour Crazy Challenge #12 Anything goes.
Crafting With Friends #63 Anything goes.

For Someone Special

Here are my last two inspiration cards to show you for the current Butterfly challenge which still has a week to run and will finish on the 27th March. I hope you can come along and play. The more the merrier as the saying goes.

First Card using the last combination of  Light Blue and Lace from the wheel. I have also managed to add layers to the card and the sentiment counts as the letters.  It really is that  easy to spin the wheel. The papers are digital from an Etsy shop called PO and PO digital . The Base paper is a solid pattern and the top paper has the blank space in the design for you to add your own sentiment.  The stamp is by Woodware from their stamp set  'Just to Say'. The lace is actually a single picot edging that I have placed with the straight edges meeting and then covered with the blue dotty ribbon to hide the join line. The top paper has been adhered to cardboard and then raised up with 3D tape for dimension. Butterfly from my stash.  The base paper was attached to a blue cardstock base.

Second Card uses all seven elements of the wheel.

1.     Lavender. (Base Cardstock, birdhouses on the design paper,birdhouse coloured with promarker).

2.     Light Blue.  Precut butterfly.

3.     Lemon. ( Lemon cardstock, birdhouses and watering cans on design paper, lemon flowers).

4.     Lace.

5.     Layers.

6.     Lettering . Stamped over the digi image. Sentiment.

7.     Butterfly.

The base card has been layered up with lemon cardstock that the edes have been distressed using my edge chomper.  The next layer is an unknown paper that I acquired in a large pack of bits and bobs that a craft shop was selling off as they were no longer running a craft club on the premises.  The digi image just fitted the design theme on the paper . It is by QKR Stampede and called 'Birdhouse and Vines'.  I have coloured with my promarkers and a gold gel pen to match the paper.  I then had a heart in the mouth moment when I placed it in my Misti and overstamped with the Crafty Individuals script Ci - 161. Fortunately it worked. I adhered to cardboard for thickness and gave it the same distress edges and raised up on 3D tape.  The sentiment is from the same Woodware stamp set as above.  Again given the same treatment. 

Tilly and Jenny

I'm a sit in the shade person when I go on holiday so I always like to take some type of small crafting item with me to do whilst sitting down.  Generally I take some water colour paints and images to colour but several years ago I had just purchased a book on Zentangles and I took that with me instead along with some blank cards and black pens. Whilst having my craft clear up I came across the forgotten book and the packet of zentangle card images that I had done years earlier were still with it. I  remember that I had gotten bored  quite quickly just doing samples of the zentangle patterns and had decided to make some of the designs into Fashion Ladies instead (inspired by a range of rubber stamps by Emerson Quillin though these are my own drawings and ideas) and had made a batch of ten in all. I'd doodled some quirky girls faces and then added the shoulders and necklines.  Looking at them again today I thought they were cool enough to make up into cards so here are the first two.
Please meet Tilly and Jenny.

I simply die cut an oddment of black cardstock using my first Edition Pinking Edge Die and adhered the images to it with 3D tape and then added to a white card blank.  I didn't want to risk stamping with a sentiment in case I messed up so I found some silver sticker sentiments in my stash and used them instead.

Entering into the following challenges:

Alphabet Challenge # Z is for Zentangle.

A Bit More time To Craft #64 Anything goes.

The Creative Crafters #2 Anything goes.

Pixies Crafty Workshop #322. Use up your snippets.  (stickers and black card.)

Keep Shovelling Norm!!

We woke up to 6" of snow this morning.
I sent Norm out  to clear a path to the bird feeders but I think he spent more time leaning on his spade than shovelling!! Sam very wisely is just keeping tabs on him from the dining room window.

Christmas Card Club post is just below.

Christmas Flowers

I have absolutely no idea where the past two weeks have gone to but it is time for the girls in the Christmas Card Club to show our next makes. The theme was set by Rachel and was to make cards with Christmas Flowers. 
I only had one used card front in my card stash but after a quick look in my Christmas Design Paper box I found several sheets with Poinsettias on so I was good to go.

The first card uses the old card front which I trimmed slightly to neaten up and then attached to green card stock. I used a piece of one sheet of poinsettia design paper which I glued to cardboard and then attached to my gold cardstock base card with 3D tape to give a bit of height. Lastly adhering the card front on top.

Second card uses some of the other poinsettia design papers which were all freebies from Making Cards Magazine Christmas Edition 2015.

 I made a cardbase from dark green cardstock and adhered a piece of green poinsettia paper to the front. There was a matching sheet with a white background that I adhered to cardboard and then distressed round the  edges with my edge chomper. Repeated the process with a smaller piece of the green paper and attached the two together.  The wreath  was part of the freebie  papers and came as a set of 6 different designs on the one sheet. I chose the one that matched the green paper. The wreath was glued to cardboard before being die cut using my Sizzix scallop circles 657552 and then attached to the green paper with 3D tape for dimension. Before assembling the card I wound green thread several times round the bottom and tied off in a bow. finally I attached to the card front using more of the 3D tape. Nearly forgot, I added the gold sticker sentiment from my stash.  

Treasure Trove.

The telephone line is still down. The new deadline for fixing it is by 5pm today but we shall see. The reason given for the delay was that there was a major problem in the village which had to be fixed first.  I 'm busy  trying to schedule as much of next week as possible as when they do arrive  the internet will probably go off and who knows when we will get that back. We have a lot of surface water around which doesn't help as all our lines are underground and tend to get waterlogged. The bottom of our garden is under about an inch of water. Still the frogs like it!

I recently attended a 1/2day workshop where we decorated a small wooden box.  The sizing in the pictures is deceptive as it only measures 90mm x 55mm x50mm but is the perfect size for housing  small items of everyday wear jewellery.

We first painted the box with white gesso which I then stained with with distress ink to age the box slightly.  The ivy leaf vine was die cut and then coloured with inks and inka gold. The butterflies were originally in a darker pink but when I got the box home I decided (as I had the same butterfly punch) to punch in a much paler colour of card stock. I also added the smaller roses to the top of the box and the pink gems to the butterflies and edges of the lid. I also added gold metallic  ink to the edges of the box to finish.

Here is the top of the box opened on it's hinges and showing the back side edge.

The back of the box closed.

Sideways view.  I had fun making and all of the class ended up with a very individually decorated box.
Entering into the following challenges:
Crafty Creations #362 Anything goes.
Fab 'n'Funky #385 Anything but square.
Frilly and Funkie # Knock on wood.
Altered Electics # Anything goes.
Crafty Girls Creations #45 Anything goes.
Crafts Galore #Anything goes.
Creative Artiste #36 Anything  mixed media.
Love To Craft #20 Anything goes.
Rhedd's Creative Spirit # Anything goes.
Unstampabelles #76 Decorate something wooden.

Lavender but not Lace.

A new theme  has started  over on the Butterfly  challenge

#97 Spin The Butterfly Wheel with the Letter L.

n.b. Winners post is now up on the butterfly blog.

Here is my inspiration for you.

First card is using Lemon/Letters with my Butterfly.

n.b. For the lettering you may interperate this as being just the letters, a sentiment or as in mine an extract from a letter.

This card so nearly turned out to be a total  disaster and barely looks like how it started out. The only remaining embellishments on it are the gem on the butterfly, the large lemon framework and the 3 square gems! I kid you not.

I had an entirely different piece of backing paper the only piece of it I might add(clue there) as the base. I had a different letter in plain white and black script for the lettering which I had cut to fit the lemon framework. Attached behind it (as I wasn't intending for it to be removed.) and then adhered to the card base. Then I used the trio butterfly die to cut 3 lemon butterflies that were flying across the page, each with a heart pearl gem with the 3 square gems down the top edge side of the card.  Just didn't sit right with me .The black writing on the white paper looked to stark even with the butterflies covering some of it. I had the bright idea of placing the yellow insert back into the framework but I could  still see the writing underneath so another not so bright idea, tear the letter out completely which in doing so ripped part of the backing paper outside of the frame. Oops was not the word I used by the way!!  No alternative but to start all over again and this is the card as you now see it.

Butterfly is now sandwiched together and in a paper by Pink Petticoat from their Isobelline papers called Bold Daisies. The only alternative piece of paper with writing on it was  the size you see it. No amount of stretching it on the rack was going to make it any bigger so I found an already pre cut die frame (Sizzix Deckled Rectangle) to put within the lemon frame (Crafts-Too Rectangle Stich hole PCD98) and attached the paper behind it which is a  freebie one from Making Cards July 2015 called 'Busy Butterflies' of which I only had 3 pieces left all the same size. The butterfly is now sandwiched together  using  paper (by Pink Petticoat from their Isobelline papers called bold daisies)  which matches  the  smaller insert frame that had been cut in a smaller pattern version of the same design. The die is Cascadia butterfly trio  by memory box.  now I like it!!!

Second card you  will be pleased to hear went like clockwork and I love the result. 

I have gone  with using  Lavender/Layers with my butterflies. The image is by A Day for Daisies 'Pearls in my Hair' and coloured using my Graph'it markers and a silver gel pen.  Each layer has been first glued to old cereal box cardboard  and then distressed round the edges with my TH. distress gadget. The papers are freebies from Making Cards Magazines Mar and May 2015. The flowers are more foam ones using Leane Creatief  flower foam and a die cut by Presscut PCD09 flower#1. Stamens from my stash along with the silver sticker sentiment. Small butterflies cut  using a tonic mini punch.

Entering this card only into the following challenges:
Through The Craftroom Door # Anything goes.
Creative Moments #138 Anything goes.
Little Miss Muffet #184 Anything goes.
Southern Girls # Pop it up.
Colour Crazy Challenge #10 Anything goes.
Crafty Catz #407Layer it up.
Jo's Scrap Shack # #224 Anything goes.
Lil Patch Of Crafty Friends #77 Anything goes.
Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge # Anything goes.

I hope you will come along and spin the wheel on the Butterfly challenge.

Another Cat.

This time it is 'Schrodinger from Dr Digi. coloured with Graph'it markers, a silver gel pen and chalks using the Pontilism coloruing technique.  We were on the letter S for this weeks supply of animal jokes.

I used Nellies Multi Frames Straight Dotted Rectangle die to cut the image out. I had this pack of space decorated card blanks in my stash which I thought went quite well and found the silver stars and sentiment in my stash as well.

And now the bit you have all been waiting for the jokes. These are just two of what I sent my Grandson.

Now just remember . I don't write them, I just find them!!

Q.       What was the Snail doing on the Motorway?

A.        About one mile a day.

Q.        Why did the Seagull fly North?

A.        Because it was too far to walk.

Told you!!

Enterng into the following challenges:

Spring Flowers.

It's the 2nd week  for the current  Butterfly Challenge  and here are my last two cards showing you some more inspiration. 
First  card is showcasing the colour Navy and No Stamping as this is a Digi image and not a stamp.

The digi is by Delicious Doodles and called " Spring Corner". Coloured using my Marvy LePlume II watercolour pens. I have used Navy card stock to make a tent style card base. The corners have been rounded using a Fiskars Decorative Corner punch. The sentiment is a tonic die which I had previously cut from glitter card and had in my stash not used. It was a brighter pink but I used a Tonic Nuvo Glitter Marker pen 'Raspberry Tart' which I thought was the same colour on the wooden button but it clashed so I went over the sentiment with the glitter pen. Then I made a woopsy as the glitter on top of the glitter took a long time to dry and as I glued it down on the card it smeared over the edges and made a right mess.

I quickly managed to lift it from card and left it to dry completely before sticking to matching white card trimmed with my Xcut corner chomper and just covering the mark left underneath. Phew! I found a small pink ready made bow in my ribbon stash to complete the card.

Last card is using all the 7 elements on the wheel.

1.    Butterfly. (Punched from  snippet of cardstock).

2.    No Stamping . (Digi image is by Little claire Designs 'Camillia).

3.    Not Square.( Using a 4" x 6 "  Five Panel Fold card).

4.    Numbers. ( Tonic 'Birthday Numbers Die cut).

5.    Naples  Yellow. ( Promarker used for flower).

6.    Napier Green.  (Promarker used for the leaves).

7.    Navy. (Cardstock used for punched butterfly).

Nearly came unstuck here as I was convinced that I had an embossing folder with numbers on. Found one with music notes and one with words but not the one I wanted so I had to improvise by spending a whole evening gluing individually die cut numbers randomly onto the panels on the sides of the card to mimic an embossing folder!! 

 Flower panel was die cut using my Xcut 'Rectangle Parenthesis' and a gold sticker sentiment added.
To finish the card off I made a belly band closure from the cream cardstock and matching yellow ribbon.

Challenge runs till Tuesday 13th and I do hope you will come and play along .

Napier Green with Numbers.

Here is some more inspiration for the current Butterfly Challenge

#96 Spin The Butterfly Wheel with the Letter N

For this card I have chosen to showcase the colour Napier Green and teamed it with the theme of Numbers. Inadvertently I have also used Naples yellow/ Navy/ Not Square so have in fact used 6 of the  elements from the wheel. 

I have used white cardstock to make the base and then layered up with green card stock. Before I adhered the green I positioned where I would be putting the trellis work and then die cut randomly some numbers using Sizzix 661163 Metal birthday numbers. (Choice of numbers wasn't quite as random as I needed a 7 and an 0 to be in there as this card is for The Docs cousin whose birthday is on Friday). I put snippets of navy cardstock behind those numbers to not so subtly show the  age! 

Trellis is a Tonic Studios die 'Parquet Trellis Set' and the sentiment has been cut twice and layered up using my Xcut Happy Birthday die cut. The stamped butterfly is the same one as shown on the Butterfly Wheel (though coloured differently) and is a Marianne Design from their clear stamp set CS0927. 

There is still over a week to join in the challenge so I hope you will come and Spin The Wheel. 

Entering into the following challenges:

Addicted To Stamps #281  Anything goes.

Alphabet Challenge # Y is for you choose.

A Bit More Time To Craft Challenge #63 Anything goes.

Crafting With Friends #62 Anything goes.

Lil Patch of Crafty Friends #77 Anything goes.

Artistic Inspirations #95 Anything goes.

Love To Craft #20 Anything goes.

Love to Scrap #107 Anything goes.

Patties Creations #144 Lots of Green.

Simply Create Too #136 Use Green.

A Clutch of Robins.

Well it was my turn this week to choose the theme for the girls in the Christmas card card and I decided on Robins. I sorted out a pile of old christmas card fronts and then riffled through my christmas papers for inspiration. These are the card fronts

and this is what I made with them.

First card. I trimmed the card front slightly smaller and then found some almost matching papers colourwise and used them to cut and layer onto cream card stock. I rummaged in my ribbon box and found a small piece of red ribbon which was just enough to make into a small bow.

 Second card and out came the acetate which I adhered to the card front with 3D pads and then hid them on the front with large cream flat pearls which do look a bit like the snow falling in the picture.
I backed the card with a blue spotty paper and a red design paper which came free in a Making Cards magazine Christmas special 2017 and used the same papers to also decorate the inside of the card.

Third Card  I made as a tent fold from Green card stock  and another paper from the same Christmas Papercraft Special 2017. Layered this up with dark red cardstock and die cut some fancy corners with my Sizzix Architectural Accents Set  654470.  Again I used the same paper to decorate inside the card and added more of the corner dies. 

 Fourth Card Another tent fold. I used my largest Sizzix scalloped circle to die cut the wreath  from the old card front  and layered up with a spotty snow paper and a brown and white ivy design paper that matched the wreath perfectly. The  cardstock base also matched the  red in the wreath. A length of ribbon trimmed and tied into a knot at the top of the card just finished it off nicely.

 Finally my last card . These Robins on this card front were just crying out to be made into a joy fold card. I trimmed the top row of  robins along with the sentiment and used as my front design

 with the rest of the robins inside. I used papers from Lily of the Valley's Krafty Christmas pad and used kraft card to make the card base. I added a tag inside and the warm wishes are stickers from my stash.

Five more cards to add to my Christmas Card Stash which is still a bit behind my target.
Looking forward to seeing what the girls have come up with for their cards.

Black and White Cat

Another of the cards that I regularly send each week to our Grandson who loves to receive post  addressed especially to him.  I've used the last of the Daisy and  Dandelion cat image ready-stamped designs that came free with Simply Cards and Papercraft magazine. I have also used another of the pre made card blanks I had in my stash.

Coloured using my Graph'it marker pens this time and edged with a silver gel pen.  After colouring I die cut using my Xcut Parenthesis die. Sentiment came as part of  a stencil and stamp set which was a freebie in a Practical Publishing magazine. Punched out using my SU  Extra-large Modern Label.

We were up to the letter P for animal jokes so these are just a few of what I sent in the card.

Q. What do you call a Penguin in the Desert?

A. Lost!

Q. Where do you find Polar Bears?

A. Depends where you lost them!

Q. What is a Parrot's favourite game?

A. Hide and speak.

Well I never said they were going to be funny.

Entering card into the following challenges:

City Crafter #401 Die cuts.

Through The CraftRoom Door # anything goes.

Aud Sentiments #198 Anything goes + a sentiment.

Crafty Creations #361 Anything goes.

Crafty Gals Corner #160 Anything goes.

Penny's Paper Crafty #369 anything goes.

Cardz 4 Galz #66 Furry Friends.

Cute Card Thursday #519 Anything goes.

Colour Crazy Challenge #9 Anything goes.

Dippity do dah, I have used a snippet of  white card stock for the sentiment so I'm off to throw a few snow balls in the playground!!

Pixie's Crafty Workshop #320 Use your snippets.