The Garden

I'm taking a respite from making cards so thought I would show you some pictures instead  of the back garden which is looking particularly nice at the moment. Though our house is two stories all the upstairs rooms are in the roof so it looks a bit like a cottage but with a tiled roof and dormers.A few yrs back I redesigned the garden by taking the lawn away and making it into a cottage style with winding paths and round  stone slab patios and lots of different seating There are 3 different sets in this garden so we can follow the sun/shade around all day. Apart from a deweed in spring and autumn the garden pretty much looks after itself. Yay!!  This is the view from the back door. 

 We also have lots of solar power fountains as well.  3 in this garden and one in the side garden which we call the garden of the Headless Lady (after Norm knocked the head off when he was giving it a scrub up. see here)

 The rockery

 
 You can just see one set of chairs and table .

 One of the ponds. Again there are multiples. 4 in fact. Why do things in half measures!! Home to 2 types of newts and various toads/frogs.

Looking out from the dinning room double doors.  I will be sitting here with a glass of wine later or might well be two.!!

Hinged Cards.

Time for a new challenge over on the Butterfly blog. The theme this time is

#124 Spin The Butterfly Wheel with H for Hinged Card.
The challenge is back to its normal two weeks.

 You will find the instructions and tutorials over on the Butterfly blog under the tab called card shapes. Click on the card name to be taken straight to the tutorial.

You will need a fancy filigree style die to make this card but it is still a simple card shape to make and the results are very stylish.

I have also included instructions for making a simple Hexagon shaped card using a die and A4 size design paper using the hinged method. 

Here is my first inpsiration card for you.

Using  Hinged card/Hot Pink/Hunters Green/Butterfly.

 I have used spellbinders Romantic Rectangle die and a design paper from The Works to make the shape. (The Paper is double sided so I only needed to cut one extra to cover the join. )
I fussy cut some of the roses and tiny blue flower from some of the leftover paper and adhered to the front of the card using 3d pads to give dimension..

 I used stickles silver glue to give sparkle to the centres of the roses.  Butterfly is an SU Punch. The sentiment is from a stamp set by Kaisercraft called Birthday wishes. Below you can see the card opened up.

My second card for you is showing another hinged style using Spellbinders Marvellous Squares.

Using  Hinged card/Hot Pink/Heat Embossed/Butterfly.

I have used hot pink design paper for the front of the card and heat embossed the butterfly and sentiment using Wow Silver Metallic embossing powder. Butterfly is a freebie from Paper Crafter magazine along with the sentiment on the inside of the card. The best wishes sentiment is by Kaisercraft.

Design paper used on the inside is LOTV Nitwit collections Pastel Dreams paper pad.

Last card uses a Hexagon die which I have used to make a hinged card.  You will find the instructions over on the Butterfly blog under the tab called card shapes.

Using  Hinged card/Hot Pink/Hunters Green/Hexagons/Butterfly.

 Hexagon die is by Julie Hickey called 'Layers,Frames & Banners Hexagon'. Design papers are from The Works. Sentiment is by Kaisercraft 'Birthday Wishes'. Butterfly from my stash.

Hope I have given you some food for thought and that you will come and have a spin of the wheel.

Flowers sort of!

It's time again for the girls in the Christmas Card Club to show out next makes. Kate chose the theme of Christmas Flowers. My shoulder is way too painful for me to craft at present so I looked through my unpublished photos stash on my computer and found this card which whilst holly is not strictly a flower it is at least christmassy.

Card base is made using green mirror card. The lattice design is a Tonic Studios die. The holly wreath is from one of the old LOTV pre- coloured pads which I die cut using a Sizzix scalloped die. The front was finished with  green pearls (which I do remember did match the mirror card at the time).

I found some matching design paper in my stash and used on the inside cutting another of the lattice design and for some reason (I have forgotten why as I made this card way back in 2013) I die cut a plain circle for the centre. The sentiment is a Britannia die. As there is no glare from it I think I cut from plain green card.  

 Short and sweet from me this time as it is painful for me to type for very long  as well. I have had one physio session and been given exercises to do but have been told it is going to take a long time for my shoulder to heal. 

Hamilton.

Grandson No1 also has his Birthday in December and this is the card that I made for him and haven't shown yet.
The digi is a very old one from Polly Craft which I bought in a discontinued bundle called Hamilton.
Coloured with my promakers and a silver gel pen. The paper was in my stash from way back when along with the number topper.

The boys are growing up so fast and I will have to put my thinking cap on for finding images for their next cards.

Off Centre Gate Fold.

We are into week 3 of the Butterfly challenge and I have a different version of a Gatefold card to show this time.

#123 Butterfly Wheel with G for Gate Fold 

Card uses  Gate Fold/Granny Smith/ Butterfly from the wheel. I have added a tutorial for this card over on the butterfly blog under the  Card Shapes tag. This one is Version III  'Off Centre Gate fold'.

 The design paper is a  freebie from  Making Cards magazine March 2015  Called ' Potted Petals.'
Topper images are also a freebie magazine set which included the sentiment.  The butterfly is a puffer dimensional one.  I adhered one of the flowers to hang over the edge and then adhered a leaf on the opposite flap (using a 3D pad) for the flower to tuck behind thus forming the closure.

 Above the card partially open and below fully opened.

Challenge has another 2 weeks to run. I will be posting one more design idea here next week.  Hope you will play along.

Reindeer.

Christmas card show time again with the girls in the Christmas Card Club.  Rachel's turn for the theme which is Reindeer.  Whilst turning over my stash looking for a  Christmas Lights  theme for the last challenge I had come across this Reindeer paper from'The works' and thinking ahead had thought it ideal for this challenge. I still had a bit of the red check paper left so I just layered up onto red card stock for the base.  The sentiment by Creative Expressions  has been die cut twice from the red cardstock to give dimension to the front of the card.

Yellow and Grey.

It's week 2 of the month long Butterfly challenge and here is another style of closure for making the Gatefold card.

#123 Spin The Butterfly Wheel with G for Gatefold.

Card uses Gatefold/Gingham/Gems/Gun Metal/ Gold/Butterfly from the wheel.
 Card base is made from yellow card stock  and the flower design paper is a digi  by Pink Petticoat from the Isabelline  range called Dandelion Clocks.  Gingham check paper is from Making Cards June 2015. The grey card is by Glitz It Now called 'Love you Madly'.

The butterfly is a punch by SU and the gem and sentiment (which is a black patent sticker) are from my stash.  The closure is made from a small square die cut by Spellbinders Basic set A which I have adhered to the top right panel to catch the edge of the centre piece. I Used a 3D pad to given room for the flap to tuck behind.

Showing the card open below.

Challenge is running for another 3 weeks. I hope you will join in. I will be posting another card next week showing a different style Gatefold.

Game On.

Just getting round to showing the card I made for Grandson no2's  Birthday last December. If I wait much longer it will be time to send the next one!!
He is computer game mad so this digi by Beccy's Place called 'Little Phil with game controller was perfect. I coloured with my promarkers and a gold gel pen. The design paper had been in my stash for years and the numbers too.