Happy Birthday Donna!

A birthday card for my crafting buddy Donna! It's her birthday today, and she likes bright colours and is also partial to a bit of bling!

 I used Karen Burniston's Pop n' Cuts die, with the magnetic section positioned as shown with this card.

I used the companion 'Label & Flourish' Sizzlit (I cut out one in black too, and cut it up to make a shadow layer round the label.), also the 'Buckle, Heart & Paperclip' Sizzlit.

The flowers and scalloped borders were cut using Eileen Hull's 'Hydrangeas and Borders' Bigz die.

 I used a Stampin' Up birthday stamp, and two round punches, for the sentiment.

 The letters and 'to' are cut from Cuttlebug's 'Olivia' Alphabet. I triple layered them for 'Donna'.

I'm putting this card in the Simon Says Stamp's 'Happy Birthday' challenge.

Blue Birthday Card

A birthday card for an old friend I went to university with...

 I used the following blog challenges as inspiration:

Mojo Monday's Layout...

 also, Simon Says Stamp & Show 'Anything Goes' challenge,

Sweet Stampin's 'Scallops' challenge,

Shabby Tea Room's challenge to use blue, white/cream, kraft and a sentiment, 

Simon Says Stamp's 'Happy Birthday' challenge,

and Totally Gorjuss' challenge to include sparkle (it's a little hard to see in the picture, but the swirls are cut from glitter card, and the vellum butterflies have lovely sparkly flecks embedded in them.)

I used Melissa Frances papers (which I added blue Copics to, to get the shade of blue I wanted), and the resin swirl and corner elements are by Melissa Frances too. The cardstock swirls are from Sizzlits 'Label & Flourish' and 'Phrase, For you w/Swirls'.

The large butterflies are from a Stampin' Up punch, the leaves from a Martha Stewart punch, and the scalloped circles are from Spellbinders.
I added Liquid Pearl drops around the stamped sentiment.

(A little later...)

I was an 'Honorable Mention Cups of Tea' over at The Shabby Tea Room for this card!

Sizzix Accordion Album Butterfly Card

I've been really inspired in the last few days by the use of clear material in Karen Burniston's Accordion Album die, for example in this gorgeous card by Karen, and also this brilliant card by Shelly Hickox on Inspiration Journal.

I should actually be packing for a road trip, but itchy fingers won out!

I wanted to give the impression of a 'drift' of butterflies, fluttering through the card.
(Click on the picture to see it in a bit better detail.)

 I used the Accordion Album die on some acetate sheets, and used the accompanying Frame & Label, Bracket die on some Tim Holtz papers and Basic Grey 'Curio' papers. I rounded off the outer corners with a Zutter Round-it-All (great for cutting through thick stuff.)

For the butterflies, I used an assortment from Stampin' Up 'Beautiful Butterflies' die, Stampin' Up's Butterfly punch, Tim Holtz's Movers and Shapers Butterfly dies, and a little Crafts-Too punch.

The swirls are from Sizzlits 'Label & Flourish' and 'Phrase, For you w/Swirls'.

I cut the butterflies from loads of different papers including glitter cardstock and vellum.

The 'Happy' and 'Birthday' are Cheery Lynn dies.

I'm putting the card into Simon Says Stamp 'Anything Goes' Challenge, and Inspiration Emporium's 'Add A Little P.O.P.' Challenge.

I also made a load of cards for some of the girls in the Youth Programme which I run at my church. I make a batch of 10-20 a few times each year, and another lady sends them out to the girls.

I used Tim Holtz's 'Tattered Floral Garland' die, for the flowers.

Also, last week I was featured in an Aussie Scrap Source blog post about Karen Burniston's Pop 'n Cuts dies and other pop-up cards, which was really nice, and also on Scrapbooking 24/7, with my Robot card.

Some of products used:

   

Sizzix/Cricut Easter Card

Another Easter card, inspired by a card which my friend Donna made that I really liked.

 I used the Pop n' Cuts base die, Tree and Heart, Picket Fence, Movers and Shapers medium Oval, and Tattered Flower Garland die, Papertrey Ink Clouds dies, and Cricut 'Country Life' for the clothes, and 'Base Camp' for 'Easter'. The 'Happy' is a Heidi Swapp stamp.

I am putting this into the following challenges: 

The Ribbon Reel's 'Spring Cottage' challenge - I love the inspiration picture for this one...

The Shabby Tea Room's 'Anything Goes',

Sweet Stampin' Challenge's 'Lots of Layers',

Simon Says Stamp's 'Easter/Spring' challenge,

and Inspiration Emporium's 'Add a little P.O.P' challenge.

Sizzix Pop 'n Cuts Pie Card

Well, it's our 17th Wedding Anniversary today, and we were all going to spend the day hiking in the Malvern Hills, but with heavy snow forecast all day, and the temperature not reaching above zero, that got put on hold! Time for some crafting, instead...

I've always liked the old red Sizzix Pie die, but never got round to using it - I set myself the challenge to make a card with it.

I used the Sizzix PNC base die, with Thanks insert, and made an extra pop-up part on top of the 'Thanks' section, by cutting two slits and folding that section the opposite way. (I cut a section out of the doily, to fit round it.)

 The steam wisps, and cherry were cut with Cricut's 'Country Life' Cartridge. I also used 'Scallops' On the Edge die, a 'Thanks Set' Sizzlit for the inner Thanks lettering, and I just typed the sentiment on Word and printed it out.

 I'm adding this to the Inspiration Emporium's 'Add a Little P.O.P.' challenge.

Sizzix Accordion Die Thank you Card

I will just show you a card which I made for Karen Burniston, a little while ago, to say thank you for a lovely package which arrived in the post from her!

 I wanted to use her brilliant Sizzix Accordion Album die for the card base, and also the accompanying Frame and Label Die.

I cut out letters from some Cosmo Cricket 'Girl Friday' paper, and stuck them to silver cardstock, and hand cut them again. The rest of the papers are also from the 'Girl Friday' range.

I added a line of thread down one opening, and attached paper hearts back to back on it, so the heart can spin round.

For the back I used a Gorjuss stamp to stamp some paper-chain people, and hand cut it out (bit fiddly to do, but I like them!!)

Toy Car Art!

When my younger kids get a bit fed up, I sometimes show them my Pinterest boards to see if something will spark their imaginations. We did that last night, and my 7 year old liked this picture:

I love it!! (I have it on my 'Nice Stuff' board!) There was no link with the picture, but this is the info pinned with it: ''The Toy Atlas Rainbow is an installation of 2,500 old toy cars by UK artist David T. Waller. The piece won the People’s Award at the Arts Depot Open last year.''

Anyway, Harry got all the cars he could find, and made this 'car art' in our living room...

He asked if I would put it on my blog.

He thinks he could do an even better picture if he too had 2,500 toy cars, rather than his 146!
(If anyone would be kind enough to leave him a comment, I think he would be delighted!)

Sizzix Flip-its Sewing Room Thank you Card

A Thank You card for my crafting friend Donna, who bought me the Tape measure rubber stamp used on the card.

I used the Sizzix Square Flip-Its die for the card base, Movers and Shapers Mini Sewing room set for the dress stand, and some papers and measuring tape stamp from the Papermania Happy Days range. I coloured down the side of the dress stand with Copics, to give it a bit more definition. The ruffled ribbon in from Stampin' Up, and I used some ancient chipboard buttons, a mini cotton reel and metal Thank You charm from my stash. The stamped sentiment (from Hero Arts 'Sew Artsy' set) is floating on an acetate sheet, in a window cut out with a square Movers and Shapers die.

I'm putting this card in the Totally Gorjuss 'Something Old' Challenge (I'm sure I've had some of those embellishments for several years!)

Also, in The Shabby Tea Room 'Anything Goes' Challenge.

Tattered Florals Baby Girl Card

I wanted to have a go at another Sizzix Pop 'n Cuts/Colander/Tattered Florals card, only in pinks this time.

I made it as a Baby Girl card.

 I used lots of flowers from Tim Holtz's Tattered Flower Garland die, and smaller Tattered Florals to make the layered flowers. Most the papers are old ones from various sets, and I glued gems onto flat brads which hold the flowers together.
All the flowers ready to be inked and layered up...

 I stuck on a dome shaped piece of cardboard to the back of the layered up Colander die, to make a good base to stick the flowers to.

 I'm putting the card into Tim Holtz's Tattered Florals Challenge,

and the Shabby Tea Room 'Anything Goes' Challenge.

(Later...)

I was one of the 'Honorable Mention Cups of Tea' over at The Shabby Tea Room for this card!

Nice surprises!

Well today has had a couple of nice surprises!

One was being featured by Karen Burniston on the Sizzix Blog, in her post entitled 'Awsome Accordion Album Adaptations' with the card I made for my friend Ali,

and the other surprise I came across by accident, when I looked on Tim Holtz's Blog, at his post 'Blogworthy Springtime Links' and saw my name and a link to this card which I made last month! 

I was really chuffed!

'Happy Everything' Cricut & PNC Clothes Line Card

This is simply a 'just because' card - it isn't for any occasion, or anyone in particular, or for any blog challenge. I had a quiet Saturday evening (sorry about the poor lighting for photos), and felt like doing some more Cricut stuff.  I cut the clothes from the Country Life cartridge, and used papers I have had for a long time (smaller polka dot paper from Papertrey Ink). 

The card came together really quickly and I thoroughly enjoyed making it!

I used the Sizzix Pop 'n Cuts (PNC) base die, with Label insert, only I folded the top of the label bit back down, and attached a rectangular piece of cardstock to the top of it, to hide the cuts.

I used the Sizzix Flagpole w/Lantern & Sign die for the washing poles (stamping them and the little clothes pegs with a Stampin' Up woodgrain stamp), and hand cut the grass.

I made a little sign, with a Melissa Frances stamp, and added eyelets, and tiny vellum bunting.

The scalloped trim used the Stampin' Up Scallop edge punch.

Pop 'n Cuts/Cricut Robot Birthday Card

 As much as I would like to make girly cards all day, with 3 boys I have a good quantity of boys' cards to make, for them plus friends. I saw a robot card over on Amy's blog, and it inspired me to get my Cricut 'Boys will be Boys' cartridge out, and have a go at one too.

I also used the Pop 'n Cuts Base die, with Label Insert, Movers & Shapers Flower & Star set, Borders & Hydrangeas die for the zig-zag strips, Alterations Gadget Gears die, Black Copic to colour in above and below the zig-zag borders, and chevron paper printed from Mel Stampz. The embossed 'Happy Birthday' is from the Sizzix Textured Impressions Mustache Set.

I am putting this card into the Crafty Cardmakers' 'Masculine Birthday Featuring Technology or a Gadget' challenge, and Daring Cardmakers 'Make a Cute Angle' challenge.

While I have all the Cricut & Sizzix stuff out, it's very easy to just cut out repeats, and make multiple cards, so here is my next little fella ready to go...

(A little later...)

Extended Height Accordion Album Card

It's my good friend Ali's birthday today (seems like yesterday when we worked part-time in the same shop, in our student days - but it's half our life times ago!) This is my card for her.

I used some Cosmo Cricket 'Earth Love' papers, Cheery Lynn dies for the 'Happy Birthday', and cut the toadstool and other bits by hand.

Karen Burniston cleverly showed how to extend the height of her Sizzix Accordion Album die, on her blog here, and I did similar, though didn't make mine quite as tall. For the patterned papers which I added to the frame parts, and the centre parts, I just drew round my base shape, and cut them out by hand, so there were no folds on them.

Tim Holtz's '12 Tags of 2013' March Challenge

This card was inspired by Tim Holtz's '12 Tags of 2013' March challenge. I started out planning to make a tag, but couldn't resist using the Pop 'n Cuts base die instead... (and including bunting once again!!)

I used the Movers and Shapers Bunny die on the new Movers and Shapers Sized Ovals - middle sized die, then layered this onto more glitter card cut from the largest oval. I hand cut my grassy strip, used Papertrey Ink Cloud dies, and the Alterations 'Regal Crest' die for the banner, which I cut a couple of times and layered up. I used the Alterations 'Tattered Flower Garland' die for the flowers. The patterned papers are from the K&Co CutNPaste range.