ValeryAnne Designs

Monday, January 20, 2014

Thank you.

I needed to make a Thank You card and this is the one that I sent. As with my pledge to try out new card shapes and techniques I found this video by Christina on making a trellis without the use of a die cut.Christina also has a fantastic blog.

Card base made from two pieces of craft paper hinged at top.

Both aperture windows cut using a craft knife .

Embossed with a Butterfly folder free with Papercraft Essentials magazine.

Navy blue strips from my stash of paper oddments adhered to back of front frame.

Butterfly die by Cheery Lynn Designs DL 113AB

Sentiment cut using Britannia dies.

dp behind trellis and on banner by Hunkdory Butterfly Wishes

Side view of card.

Inside of card showing Hunkydory floral topper.

Die cuts by Spellbinders 'Deckled Rectangles' and 'Romantic Rectangles.'

Entering into the following challenges:

Aud Sentiments #98: Use any sentiment.

Penny's Paper-Crafty #160: Embellishments.

Simon Says Stamps: Emboss it.

It's all About the Vintage and Beauty #60: Embossing.

Vintage Utfordring #73: Dies and or/punch.

Come & Get It : Butterflies or dragonflies.

613 Avenue Create #55: Anything goes/use shades of blue.

Pixie's Crafty Workshop #108: Use up your snippets (navy blue strips for trellis).

Quirky Crafts #2: Birds, bugs and butterflies.

Sarah Hurley 365 #88: Thank you.

All White.

Never an easy card to make or to send but we had occasion to do so last week as one of our friends that we have both known for over 40 yrs lost his sister on Christmas Eve. The funeral was last week and this is a card I already had in my stash.

Embossing Folder by Sizzix 656978 Floral Flourish.

Sentiment stamp by Wow using London Fog ink pad.

Ribbon and pearl from stash.

Entering into following challenges:

Fussy and Fancy #105: Monochromatic.

Hiding in My Craft Room #133: Clean and simple.

Friday, January 17, 2014

Birthday Blues

I needed to make a card for a male family friend who has a birthday next week. As he is football mad I wanted the card to be in his teams colours and also to have a football theme.

I decided to challenge myself and see if I could make a recipe from scratch using just my stash, a paper trimmer and using a new technique another of my New Yr resolutions !

Recipe.

1st off I needed a number of assorted blue papers. Now a ready supply of these come in the post almost daily. Namely those irritating white envelopes, you know the ones that come with bank statements and nasty bills inside! Well once you have thrown those straight in the bin you are then left with the envelopes which if you slice open have some rather natty patterns on the inside mostly in blues and greys. I keep a pile of these to hand (don't you? No! Tut tut) so out came the blue ones.

Next I needed to throw in a mix of extra papers so out came my handy box of strips (you do keep all those don't you?) and sorted out a few more of the blue ones and then cut a few of the envelopes up into random size widths using my trimmer as I needed dead straight edges.

New Technique.

Finally throw in a little bit of origami paper folding and this is what you should end up with.

The Origami shirt is in the brand new 2014 Club strip!

I folded from white paper and then added the blue stripes afterwards.

I found the tutorial for shirt here.

Sentiment cut using Britannia word dies.

Strips of paper randomly stuck to a piece of old cardboard with white strips in between(as the cardboard was a grey colour).

Edges trimmed to neaten and then adhered to a slightly larger blue backing sheet.

Entering into the following challenges:

Cardz 4 Guyz #1: Happy Birthday.

Deep Ocean Challenge #69: Birthday.

Tuesday Throwdown #178: Stripes.

Charisma Cardz #2: It's a Boy Thing.

Card Mania #38: Anything goes.

My Craft Creations: Anything goes.

Melon Headz: Birthday challenge.

Country View Crafts #11: Monochromatic.

Pixie's Crafty Workshop #107: Use up your snippets (those nasty envelopes and odd strips).

Paper Pretties #293: Monochromatic.

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Thinking of You.

Well that is my 1st New Year's resolution accomplished! I was determined not to blog until I had sorted out my craft stash and space and had a new home for everything and everything in its place. (I may well be going nuts in a few days time though when I can't remember or find where the new home is for the item I need a.s.a.p.)!!

Another resolution I made is to try new card shapes and techniques out and this is the first card shape here a 'Side Stepper'. My good blogging buddy Debbie of Love Paper Crafting

used this card shape on her blog and when I commented that I had only ever done centre step cards before she very kindly popped two of the ready made shapes in the post to me so that I could use and also see how to make my own version. This card along with a matching tag was made for a swap and is now safe to show as the recipient has received.

Stripe backing card is actually the base from a custard tart box!

Topper is by Hunkydory 'Flutterbye Wishes' Aqua Spray.

Large butterfly is Memory Box's Isabella98507/Pippi 98508.

Small butterfly punch from Tonic Studios.

Sentiment is a stamp by Hero Arts.

Side view of card.

Matching tag.

Bakers twine from stash along with the pre shaped oval for the sentiment.

Entering into the following Challenges:

The Crafter's Cafe #45: Anything goes.

Penny's Paper - Crafty #159: Anything goes.

4 Krafty Girlz Challenges #9: Anything goes.

Simply Create Too #52: Anything goes.

Card Makin Mamas #78: Anything goes.

Scribble and Scrap #9: Anything goes.

Pixie's Crafty Workshop #107: Use your snippets up (pieces of card from The Doc's custard tart box).

Challenges 4 Everybody #37: Anything goes.

Artistic Inspirations #74: Anything goes Feminine.

Crafty Boots: Anything goes.

The Paper Nest Dolls: Anything goes.

Victorine Stamps #75: 3 layers.

Cards Galore: Anything goes.

Seemacrafts: Anything goes.

Oozak #29: Anything goes/blue tones.

Monday, January 06, 2014

Celebrations.

It's time again for the midway reminder for the Craft My Life Dec/Jan challenge. The sponsors for the current challenge are:

The Theme is as usual Anything Goes.....but no cards. We would be delighted to see you so do please come on over and join in the fun.

I have chosen to work with a Bugaboo image and created a 2014 Wall Calendar. This is the January page and as you can see I'm still celebrating!!

Image has been coloured using Graph'it pens and Pearlescent chalks.

Die cut is Spellbinders 'Romantic Rectangles'.

Blue pearl paper a snippet from stash along with the bakers twine.

Date created in word.

Month cut from a mini planner.

Close up of digi.

I really missed not being able to use my light box.

You can see the difference in the wall colouring though the photos were all taken at the same time.

I coloured the image twice and cut out the figure and balloon from one of them.

Side view showing the image adhered on top using 3d foam pads.

Entering into the following challenges:

Paper Minutes #302: wall decoration.

Brown Sugar #75: Use ribbon or twine (I used Bakers twine).

Digi Galore: Girly.

Natalie and Amy's Challenge #16: One for the Girlies.

Creative Inspirations #246: Celebration.

Catch The Bug :Anything goes.

Pixie's Crafty Workshop: Use up your snippets (blue pearl card).

Creative Craft #26: Anything goes.

Creative Moments #33: Anything goes.

Crafting By Designs: Anything goes.

Saturday, January 04, 2014

The West Wing!

We have a lovely friend who decided to downsize and move in with her daughter. Part of her daughter's house has been converted into a grannie annex which has now been nick named 'The West Wing' by the rest of the family! Brenda has settled in and this is the card that I sent which can now be shown.