The Dining Room Drawers: March 2009

Tuesday 31 March 2009

2 Sketches 4 You Challenge Card

What?!! No bows, buttons, flowers or glitter!!? We have an older nephew's birthday coming up, and the 2 Sketches for You challenge seemed a really good one to work with.
I used my new Inkadinkado stamp set, Sizzix Stars die, MM ribbons and letter stickers, some ancient wood effect sticky-back plastic, and Colorbok silver star stickers. I bought some thick acetate sheets on Ebay for the clear card front, and made my own card back, with textured black card. I just stamped in white an Autumn Leaves journalling panel, and used the white uniball pen for the message (This is about the 5th white pen I have tried, and is far and away the best - really smooth and opaque)

Monday 30 March 2009

Papertake Weekly Challenge

A card made using the Papertake Weekly challenge to use a Circle, Ribbon and Stamp/Image. These aren't colours I would normally use together, but they just kind of happened this way!
I watercolour painted the Magnolia image, and used K&Co paper, with Stampin Up punches for the layered circle.

Card Positioning System Challenge Card & starting a new Mini Album

I made only my 2nd Easter card so far, this time using the CPS layout - I made my own card blank printed on both sides with Pink Petticoat designs. The lettering is from Base Camp Cricut cartridge, and everything else was just bits.
I also decided to start a new mini album, using the K&Co Ancestry Questions pad. My Grandma will be 90 soon, and I thought it would be nice to ask her to fill in the details. I have some of the ancestry flower stickers, but they are really dimensional and I wanted something flatter for the inner album pages, so using K&Co paper I copied some of the flower designs and made my own flat versions - they turned out OK!
Yay! Someone just said I'm in the 'Fab 5' for the last 2 Sketches for You challenge - that's nice!

Thursday 26 March 2009

Mojo Monday Challenge Card

I'm still trying to do more male cards to have on hand, but they still seem to just be boy's cards... one of these days I will have to do a scary bloke's card! I enjoyed fitting this in with the challenge, and making the wheels the scallops.

Wednesday 25 March 2009

2 Sketches 4 You Challenge Card

I had fun doodling on this card, for the 2 Sketches 4 You challenge...

Sunday 22 March 2009

Boy's Card

I'm getting a good stock of cards on hand now, but realised I have no boy's cards or masculine ones. Here's a pretty simple boy's one - I like this little stamp from Hero Arts, and I have millions of metal spirals to use up.

Happy Mother's Day!!

Thank you to my Mum, Eileen, and to Scott's Mum, Meg, for all you do!!

Friday 20 March 2009

2 Sketches 4 You Challenge Card

I made this card a couple of days ago, with a new stamp I got on Ebay - I loved it because it reminded me of Enid Blyton Faraway Tree-type kids! I'm not that sure about the card though - I'm going to make a few more with the stamp to try and achieve the nostalgic feel I'm after. Any ideas for how to use it would be welcome!

Caarvarks Challenge Card

A card using the sketch over at Caardvarks - with Basic Grey papers, swirl cut with Sizzix, and coated with glue and glitter, Cuttlebug embossed and Spellbinders cut panel, and Stampin Up sentiment stamp.
It's a gorgeous sunny day here today - I've rearranged the dining room now, so all my craft bits are in one place - it's such a pleasure to use everything now, and I can be right next to the garden with the door open... lovely!

Wednesday 18 March 2009

Ooops!

This is our latest acquisition... we weren't planning on buying it, but managed to knock it over in a shop, break it, and then have to buy it. I was able to super-glue it back together, and so Harry and I have spent a nice afternoon blowing eggs and painting them (and eating scrambled eggs on toast...) A nice project to do with the rest of the kids later.

Tuesday 17 March 2009

Papertake Weekly Challenge and Daring Cardmakers Challenge Card (plus another one!)

The challenge at Papertake Weekly is to have something edible on your card (not literally...though that does give me some ideas having said that!). I combined that with the Ready Steady recipe challenge at DCM to use 3 different papers, plus other bits. I really enjoyed making this one - there was nothing worth watching on the telly last night, and so I had a really good old play (along with my oversize headphones and MP3 player). I stamped the cupcake background with watermark ink and added stickles, and the chipboard frame and cupcake are Sizzix cut. The notepad edge is made using a Stampin Up punch.
I've been re-organizing the dining room cupboards and drawers recently too, and found this watercoloured Magnolia image I did ages ago, so I finished up a card to stick it onto to.
I should be at playgroup helping out at the moment, but they sent me home as I couldn't stop coughing. I'm getting fed up of this cold now. As soon as I got back home my daughter's school rang me to say that on the way to school this morning, she has somehow managed to lose her lunch and a big book pouch full of flute music out of her bag!! How on earth do you manage that?! I will have to go and have a drive along the route in a bit and see what I can find. The life of a mother is never dull.

Monday 16 March 2009

Mojo Monday Challenge Card

Card made with the Mojo Monday layout, using MM and Stampin Up papers, and other bits and bobs from my stash... (the sewing machine was still out from making Grandma's apron, so we got a bit of card stitching done too!)

Grandma's Apron!

I've been saying I would make my Grandma a new lap apron for ages, and finally got round to it today. I'm quite pleased with how it turned out! I've not done things like pockets or frills before and it all went OK. This is good recycling... the green floral trims are from an old skirt I used to have when I did my Speech Therapy placement on the Isle of Wight (we are talking 14 years ago!) and the main fabric is from an old seat cover we inherited from Scott's Mum. At least I can partly justify to Scott why there are tonnes of plastic tubs full of fabric scraps under our bed! (They are there for when I take up 'free-style quilting' - another thing I want to have go at some day- probably when we retire...) The 'F.F.' stands for 'Ferocious Florrie' - my Grandma's nick-name! (She is the lovliest, tiniest, gentle lady of nearly 90...) This picture is for Mum anyway, following this morning's chat on the phone!

Sunday 15 March 2009

Bits and bobs

I had to come home from church early today because my two youngest felt ill (getting the cold that I've had all week), so while they were doing puzzles, I got on with sorting out all my old drawings & paintings - something I've been meaning to do for a while. They've all been shoved in a couple of old sketch books for years and were getting very scratty, so it's lovely to have them neatly in one place now. I did most of them when I was 15/16 years old, and looking at them again bought back some memories! I also found this scrapbooking layout that was left in the album I used for my drawings...

Card Positioning System Challenge Card

A card inspired by the CPS challenge layout. The ribbon is Stampin Up, with a layered Melissa Frances image, and Sizzix cut chipboard frame coated in glitter. (Oops! Just noticed the button has slipped, in the picture.... glue not dry yet, he he!)

Saturday 14 March 2009

Mojo Monday Challenge Card

My friend is expecting a baby girl any day now! I made this card with Basic grey paper and Melissa Frances images.

Card Positioning System Challenge Card

I liked the curves in the CPS layout - they reminded me of the curves of a vase, so I've tried to make the edge of the card seem like a vase, with a butterfly landed on it. The paper is Laura Ashley, with Cuttlebug embossing folder, Sizzix butterfly and tag.