Sixies and Sevens

We are all at sixes and sevens this week after receiving the devastating news that a very close family member has been admitted to hospital as his cancer has progressed to his spine. We were not expecting this news so it has thrown us completely. He is now undergoing 5 days of intensive radiotherapy and we are in daily contact with him.
These are the two next Rocker  inspiration cards  for The Butterfly Challenge that I should have posted yesterday so apologies for the delay.  Again I have added tutorials for both of these cards over on the Butterfly Blog under the Card Shapes tab at the top of the page.

This is Version III
A Double Sided Rocker Card. using Rocker Card/Raised Up/ Raspberry/ Riffle Green/ Butterflies.
The paper is from a very pretty pad by The Paper Boutique called 'For Her'. the butterflies are my most  go to ones  'Isabella and Pippi' by Memory Box.  The Happy Birthday stamp is a recent addition to my stash and is already becoming a firm favourite with me. it is apart of a Woodware set called 'Posy Ring'. The die cut Best Wishes is a Britannia Die and the gems from my stash. The flowers were created from a punched flower shape that severl were still out on my desk from a previous make so I simply scrunched  up with water and allowed to dry overnight and then painted with silver glitter glitter glue using a paint brush ( my much preferred way of using the glue at the moment).The leaves were already die cut and out on my desk so I used them up. The circle die cuts (baring the cardstock base cut with a side plate) are by Julie Hickey. The most important thing to remember with a rocker card is to balance the embellishments evenly so that the rocker sits on an even line when it comes to rest. ie. stationary .

Entering this card into the following challenges:

Through The Craft Room Door # Anything goes.

Tuesday Throwdown #499 Layered die cuts.

Dies R Us #137 Birthdays  (Memory Box dies)

Pixie's Crafty Workshop #370  Use your snippets(punched flowers and leaves).

Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge # Anything goes.

Ellibelle's Corner # Use new goodies or old favourites (I have used  favourite butterfly dies).

Happy Little Stampers # Anything goes with dies.

Love To Craft #42 Anything goes.

The Flower Challenge #40 Shaped cards.

This next card I have made up and am calling it a Side Rocker Pram card cos it looks like the old fashioned prams from the fifties/sixties. You will find it under Version IV on the card shape page as mentioned above.
I have used  Rocker Card/Raised Up/Rajah/Riffle Green/ Butterfly. 
The paper is from a pad from The works.  the larger Butterfly this time is using ' Widbey and Theo' by Poppy Stamps. The gems from my stash which were need to balance the card up so that it rocked evenly. Both sentiments are from Kaiser Craft 'Birthday Wishes'  I went round the edge of the papers, butterfly and the sentiments with a dauber and dark green distress ink.  Again the butterfly has been painted using a brush and silver glitter glue.

 A side ways view of the card. N.B.  If you find your card keeps on slipping down then use a narrow  strip of cardstock  inside as shown on the Card Shapes page under the tutorial Version I.

Entering this card into the following challenges:
Always Fun Challenges  #147 Sparkle.
Incy Wincy Designs # Anything goes.
Aud Sentiments #243 Anything goes + a sentiment.
Creative Moments #183 Anything goes.
All Sorts Challenge #556 Take flight
Crafty Friends Challenge #127 Anything goes.
A Perfect Time To Craft #1 Anything goes.
Love To Scrap #129 Anything goes.


Do hope you will give the Rocker Card a try and come on over and join in at The Butterfly Blog. The challenge doesn't end until Tuesday 4th Feb (8pm BST).

Hugs

Sea Life

I had intended in making some more christmas cards (over the weekend ) from a pretty pad of papers I bought in a sale and catch up on all your blogs but time dictated otherwise. I had to resort  to checking through my picture store as I knew I had this card that I made way back in the beginning of last yr and haven't gotten round to showing.  I went to a class run by Lisa B (aka Lisa Pearce) and was taken right out of my comfort zone with the two cards that we made. This is one of them.

Stamps are Hobby Arts ' Mermaids' by Lisa Pearce. Background was created on water colour cardstock using oxide inks and painting the images using inks and a brush. The sentiment came in the set. I finished off round the edges of the images with a silver gel pen when I got home. I am really pleased how this card turned out as this is a set of stamps that I wouldn't think to normally use. I am annoyed now that I didn't buy them on the day of the workshop!
Entering into the following challenges:
Incy Wincy Designs # Anything goes.
Colour Crazy Week 3# Anything goes.
Crafty Friends Challenge #127 Anything goes.
Classic Design Challenge #1 Anything goes.
Love To Craft #42 Anything goes.
Love To Scrap #129 Anything goes.

Cat Walk.

A family member has just had her 70th Birthday but she still does modelling for a local boutique that puts on shows regularly throughout the yr.  Also likes my fancy card shapes so decided to make her a Never Ending Card to see if she could fathom out  how it works !

The papers are all from the works. All the sentiments I have created and printed out in word.

The digi image of the dress on a hanger is by  Dig Stamps for Joy which I resized before printing out.

 Card opens to show this arrangement I have coloured the dresses with my Graph'it markers and then painted with either silver or gold glitter glue to make them really sparkle like evening gowns from the Fred Astaire Era of films. I loved watching all those dance movies he did with Ginger Rogers.

 Card then opens to the next selection.

 Last selection which when opened up takes you back to the beginning of the card.

Had a text to say that she loved her card.

Entering this card into the following challenges:
Dream Valley #217 Spots and or dots.
Jan's Digi Challenges #6 Anything goes.
Incy Wincy Designs # Anything goes.
Papercraft Challenges #54 Use 2 design papers minimum ( used 8)
Through The Craft Room Door # Anything goes.
CCC Digi Creations #110 Shaped and /or Easel cards
Creative Moments #183 Anything goes.
Southern Girls # Anything goes.
CD Sunday Plus #27 Anything goes.
Lil Patch Of Crafty Friends #123 Anything goes.

Lets Rock.

Righto, time for another challenge over on the Butterfly Blog.

#135 Spin The Butterfly wheel with R for Rocker Card.

Here is the wheel to use.

N.B. The colour Rajah is a  light orange  and Raised Up simply means raised on 3d pads to give dimension.

This is my inspiration for you.
 Card one using Rocker Card Version I
Rocker Card/Raspberry/Rajah/Riffle Green/Raised Up/ Butterfly.

 Design paper used is from the works. Sentiment is by Woodware.  The Butterflies are a Die Cut from Holland  by Precious Marieke. I die cut the circles using Julie Hickey's  'Layers,Frames & Banners Circles set'.  The pink flower was an oddment found in a secondhand stamp set I had bought so waste not want not! Sides ways view below.

Entering this card into the following challenges:
Tuesday Throwdown #499 Layered die cards.
International Art And Soul #75 Recycling (Recycled the flower.)
Crafter's Castle # Anything goes.
Happy Little Stampers #  Anything goes with dies.
Classic Design Challenge #1 Anything goes.
Though The Purple Haze #163 Anything goes.


 Card Two using Rocker Card Version II
Rocker Card/Raspberry/Rajah/Riffle Green/Raised Up/ Ribbon/Butterfly.

This card is a side Stepper Rocker.

I used a 7.5" side plate to draw round for the base card size and then circle dies from Julie Hicky's die set as above.  All 3 sizes of the Butterfly die which I have painted in gold glitter glue.  The sentiment is also by Julie Hickey. The ribbon was out on my desk and just begging to be used. Design paper is again by The Works.

Entering this card into the following challenges:
Incy Wincy Designs # Anything goes.
Crafty Cardmakers #248 Anything goes.
Lil Patch Of Crafty Friends #123 Anything goes.
Love To Craft #42 Anything goes.
Ally's Angels #30 Anything goes.
A Perfect Time to Craft #1 Anything goes.


Do hope you will come and join in the fun for the next two weeks.

Holly and Ivy

Time again for the Girls in the Christmas Card Club to show our next makes. The Theme was set by Elizabeth who asked for Holly and/or Ivy.  I was doing really well making my cards when I suddenly realised they were for a future theme for February so I hurriedly had to go back to the drawing board and make some more. (Well at least I won't be late for Febs card show. )

The Ivy was no problem as I had just bought an Ivy stamp and matching die cut by John Next Door (JND133 and JND 134) when I was at a workshop with him last year.

The Poinsettias are a stamp by Woodware JGS674  called Poinsettia Mix which I stamped in Distress ink (Firebrick Red). The ivy I stamped in Forest Green onto green cardstock and then die cut out using the matching die.  All mounted on 3D pads for dimension.  Sentiment is by Julie Hickey and the die cut frame by Tattered Lace. I rounded the edges of the card base to match.
Entering this card into the following challenges:
Through The Craft Room Door # Anything goes.
Crafty Friends Challenge #127 Anything goes.
Merry Little Christmas #18 Anything goes.
Happy Little Stampers # Anything goes with dies.
Love To Craft #42 Anything goes.
Love to Scrap #129 Anything goes.
Classic Design Challenge #1 Anything goes.


The next two cards are using Holly. The stamp set is Julie Hickey and called Poinsettia Border.

 I stamped this out in green distress ink and then used a selection of distress ink pads to paint in the colours using a wet paint brush and picking up the stamped ink from an acetate block. When Dry I painted the ivy with silver glitter glue along with the white mistletoe in the centre. The sentiment is part of the same stamp set.  Gems from my stash.
Entering this card into the following challenges:
Crafty Sentiments Designs # Anything goes.
Addicted To Stamps #370 Make your mark.
Crafty Hazelnuts Christmas Challenge#473 Anything goes/use a sentiment.
Sweet Stampin Christmas # Add some sparkle.
All Sorts Challenge #555 More than a single word sentiment.
Crafts Galore #71 Anything goes.
Ally's Angels #30 Anything goes.

The final card uses the second stamp in the Poinsettia Border set above. Again I have stamped in green distress ink and then painted using more distress ink same as before just changing the colour of the Poinsettia. When dry I used silver glitter glue to paint the ivy leaves, berries and mistletoe. The sentiment is by Woodware and gems from stash.

Entering this card into the following challenges:
Little Red Waggon #532 After christmas is before christmas.
Colour Crazy # Anything goes.
The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge #63 Anything goes.
Christmas Crafts All Year Round # Anything christmas or holiday related.
A Perfect Time To Craft #1 Anything goes.
Craft Stamper # Anything goes.
Through The Purple Haze #163 Anything goes.


Hope you like my selection Elizabeth and thanks for a fun challenge when I did get it right.
So my total  Christmas Cards now for 2020 stands at five plus the 3 I have yet to show in February!

Oopsy!

Thought I had too much time on my hands!!
I have now added the two Tutorials for the cards shapes in the post below as Version III and Version IV over on the Butterfly Challenge Blog under  the Card Shapes tab. Sorry for the delay. I forgot I not only had to take the photos and edit them  but to post them also.

Just 4 Folds

It is the second week of the Butterfly Challenge and I thought that a card shape using  just four folds to create it would be an easy one so here are another 2 cards to  help inspire you.
#134 Spin The Butterfly Wheel with The Letter Q for Quarto Fold Card.

Both of these cards use an 8" square of double sided design paper. Once you have cut your square there is no other cutting required.  As with the first weeks cards you will find full instructions for making them over on the Butterfly blog under the Card Shapes page under the banner at the top of the page.

Version III
This fold is known as a nappy fold and also looks a bit like those paper boat shapes we used to make as children.

 Design paper used is by The Works but it was a bit too thick for the purpose of folding here  so I would use a Lighter  120 - 150 GSM. The butterflies are silver acetate stickers from my stash along with the quartz gems.  Quote was generated in word and printed off. Ribbon was a scrap  out on my desk so used it.

Entering this card into the following challenges:
Use Your Stuff #389 Anything goes.
Lost Coast Portal Challenges #90 Anything goes.
Creative Fingers # 177 Anything goes.
Creative Craft Cottage #12 Anything goes.
Crafty Calendar # Add a tag.
Make My Monday #113 Anything but square.


Version IV
This card  again ues an 8" square of design paper which I simply folded four times to create the pocket as shown.

 Design paper by The Works.  The butterflies are silver acetate stickers from my stash along with the quartz gems.  Quote was generated in word and printed off. Ribbon was a another  scrap  out on my desk so again used it.

 Showing the inside of the card and below the Pull out tag that fits in side the created pocket.

Entering this card into the following challenges:
Crafty Card Makers #248 Anything goes.
Incy Wincy Designs  # Anything goes.
Crafty Sentiments # Anything goes.
Through The Craft Room Door # Anything goes.
Lil Patch Of Crafty  Friends #122 Anything goes.
Ally's Angels #30 Anything goes.
Through The Purple Haze #163 Anything goes.

Sew Special

I came across this paper whilst sorting out some others to use on a card. I remembered that I had the sewing machine digi saved (though it took me absolutely ages to find it) on my computer so a card was born.
I took the colours from the design paper which is from a a 12" pad by 'The Works'  and coloured the digi in with matching Graph'it markers and a silver gel pen. I had printed it out onto white cardstock but decided after having coloured it that it would look better on cream card so I fussy cut the image out and adhered to a scrap of cream and then re-applied the cotton thread coming from the spool down and through the needle free hand.

I tilted the card to show the silver gel pen but it now looks as if the card is not square but it is IRL. The cream card also looks white which it most certainly isn't.
The digi stamp is from Pink Petticoat ' Material Girl with Roses' and also came with a selection of sentiments to print off.  The buttons are a die cut by Joy Crafts. The thread was on my desk from a shop bought tag and the oddment of ribbon was also left out on my desk so waste not want not. The ribbon wasn't long enough to tie into a bow but just enough to wrap round the card and adhere with one of the die cut buttons.

Entering into the following challenges:
Jan's Digi Challenges# 5 Anything goes.
Frilly and Funkie # Tic,tac,toe. I have used diagonal line, Layers/Sentiment/Ribbon.
Southern Girls # Anything goes.
Cute Card Thursday #616 Embellish.
Cards 4 Galz #112 Haberdashery.
Colour Crazy #week 1  Anything goes.
We Love 2 Create #1 Anything goes mixed media.
Crafter's Castle # Anything goes.
Angie's Digital Stamps #38 Anything goes.


Penguin update.
As it has been fairly quiet over in the the Playground I sent the penguins off to play on the giant slide.
They are now teaching the Ducks on the pond how to Line dance but don't tell Miss Di.

Four Folds

Time for the Butterflies to come out again and play. The new Challenge for the next fortnight is:
#134 Spin The Butterfly Wheel with The Letter Q for Quarto Fold Card.

Quarto fold is a card with 4 distinctive folds to it.
 The colours are Quick silver/ Queen pink which is pale pink/ Quinacridone  which is Magenta.
The 2 themes are Quotes and Quartz Gems.

Here are my first two inspiration cards to get you into the swing again after the christmas holidays.

First Card. 
Using  Quarto fold card/Queen pink/Quinacridone/Quotes/Butterflies.
 This shape is called  an Easy Petal Square Flap Card  and cut from an 8" x 8" square of design paper.

 The design papers are all from a Paper Pad by The Paper Boutique  called 'Butterfly Ballet'. The die cut butterfly is Memory Box 'Pippi' and 'Isabella'. Below is the card opened out. I have put a Tutorial for this design over on the Butterfly Blog under the card shapes tag at the top of the page under the header banner.  The quote is word generated and cut out  using an SU punch.

 Entering this card into the following challenges:
Crafty Creations #405 Anything goes
TGIF Challenges #245  Very vanilla/rich razzleberry/B'berry bliss.
Crafter's Castle # Anything goes.
Classic Design Challenge #1 Anything goes.
Love To Craft #42 Anything goes.
A Perfect Time To Craft #1 Anything goes.



Second  Card. 
Using  Quarto fold card/Queen pink/Quotes/Butterflies.
 This shape is an Envelope Lock Card  and cut from an 9" x 8"  sheet of cardstock.  Again I have put a tutorial on how I made it over on the Butterfly blog under the Card shapes Tab.  The design papers are all from  Paper Pads by The Paper Boutique  called 'Butterfly Ballet' and 'For Her'. I have used Poppy Stamps 'Whidbey' and Theo butterfly dies for the locking mechanism.  Here is the card all folded up and locked.

 Photo below showing the card unlocked and partially open.

 Card below fully opened showing the inside. The quote is word generated and cut out  using an SU punch.

Entering this card into the following challenges:
Crafts Galore #71 Anything goes.
Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge # Anything goes.
Love To Scrap #129 Anything goes.
Dies R Us #136 Must use a die anything goes.
Brown Sugar #297 Anything goes.
Lil Patch of Crafty Friends #121 Anything goes.
Make my Monday #113  Anything But Square.

Hope you will come along and play. The challenge runs until January 21st.

Sparkle and Shine.

It is the 1st challenge of the year for the girls in the Christmas Card Club and Granmargaret has chosen the theme of Angels or Fairies but I am going with our fall back card of Anything goes as I feel as if I  have been doing nothing but fairies for the past month  (with my own challenge) and I only have one tiny angel stamp (which I don't like).
The Doc waffed a used tumble dryer sheet my way the other day and asked if I wanted to use it for  something in my crafting. I most certainly did as I had been meaning to have a go at the Tumble Dryer Sheet Technique for ages after having seen several videos on You Tube on how to.

So my First Card I am showing is using the said dryer sheet.

The tree stamp is a Tattered Lace by Stephanie Weightman and the sentiment is by Woodware.  Stamped using distress ink in green onto white cardstock. When dry I went over the top completely with a glue stick and then laid the dryer sheet over the top. (It is important to be a used one). Once it was nicely adhered, I trimmed it to fit the image and whilst the glue was still damp I sprinkled over with Glamour Dust.  You get this lovely diffused sparkle effect.  I added matching green ribbon and green card stock to finish the card.
Entering this card into the following challenges:
Alphabet Challenge # T is for try something different.
Merry Little Christmas # H18 Anything goes.
Polkadoodles Craft challenge # Anything goes.
Fezziwigs Festive Frolics #1 Anything goes.
ABC Christmas Challenge # A and B are for Anything goes/Bingo.( Lots of layers/christmas sentiment/glitter).
Happy Little Stampers Christmas Challenge # Anything goes/trim the tree.( My trees are growing but I have made them nice and sparkly so hope this counts.)

My  Second Card  is showing another technique I saw on You Tube where you make snow banks.
I have used the same tree stamp inked up in blue but this time a freebie sentiment from a magazine. I used glitter glue along the lines of the sow banks for a sparkly effect. Mounted onto blue cardstock. My first two christmas cards completed for 2020.

Entering into the following challenges:
Creative Knockouts #331 Anything goes.
Brown Sugar #297 Anything goes.
613 Avenue Create #229 Anything goes/optional make it shiny.
Creatalicious Challenges #178 Anything goes with optional wishes.
International Art And Soul #74 Monochromatic.
Lil Patch of Crafty Things #121 Anything goes.
Simply Create Too #156 Monochromatic.


Well I did take the Penguins to the cinema and they watched Happy Feet I.  We were asked not to come back again though, not because of the rumbustious dancing in the isles but because  every time they spotted Mumble on the screen they all cheered like mad, whistled and yelled  "That's our Cousin"!!  Honestly, I can't take them anywhere.

Marching In!

So where were we up to! Oh yes:

On the Tenth day of Christmas my True Love/Not sent to me a Platoon of Penguins.
Now what am I supposed to do with this lot.  At least they are not singing. I wonder if they fancy a spot of mining. I could always say there is fish down there!
Hmm. No one has made a bee line for the lift shaft. 

Penguins, igloos and sentiment all freebie magazine stamps. Coloured using my Graph'it marker pens. Silver edging from my stash. 

On the Eleventh day of Christmas my True Love/Not sent to me a gift wrapped box. Oh joy of joys my True love  loves me after all. I knew he wouldn't let me down.  

 I can hardy wait to see what is inside.  Oooooo lots of sparkle. Can only mean one thing. He has bought me something sparkly a necklace maybe or a bracelet or earings even .  Shall we open the box and see?

I can't think what it can be.

My True Love, Loves Me Not. A paper chain of sparkly penguins was not what I anticipated. 

 Cute as they are.

On the Twelfth day of Christmas  the last batch of Penguins arrived.  The decorations are all down now, the elves have departed (probably because the bottle of bourbon is empty and the chocolates all eaten) so it only behoves me and the wrteched Penquins left  to say:

Entering into the following challenges:
Christmas Kickstart #27 Penguin Parade.

Thankyou to everyone who joined in the penguin fun with offers of fish and homes for them to go to. You are all fabulous blogging friends and long may it continue. 
I am taking this lot off to the cinema. Hopefully I can sneak out the back once the film has started. 

Bonnie Bookworm

I was a Featured Creation on Scrapping 4 fun Challenges for my entry in #154 and nominated as a
Guest Designer for their current challenge #157.

Here is the card I have made for them.
The image is a digi called  'Bonnie BookWorm' by OddBallArt. which I purchased from their Etsy store.
Coloured using my Graph''t markers, silver gel pen and Pearlescent Chalks.  The design paper was a freebie in a magazine. Both the sentiment and the die cut are by Julie Hickey JHE1014 and JHD-CUT-1004. The fringe was made from wool in my stash.

Thankyou  Scrapping 4 fun Challenges for inviting me to be a Guest Designer.

Entering into the following challenges:
A Perfect time to Craft #1 Anything goes.
Classic Design Challenge #1 Anything goes.
Crafts Galore #71 Anything goes.
Crafty Creations #405 Anything goes.