I wanted to make a birthday card for Scott's Grandad, and the challenges from Caardvarks to use Trees, and from Wednesday Stampers to use orange, gave me the idea for a more masculine card. The stamps are from Stampin Up - for the trees, I peeled the rubber off a roller wheel, cut the images to separate them and mounted them on EZ Mount. I got the leaf cutter from Stampin Up too (a Sizzlit). The paper is Basic Grey.
Wow I am so fickle...I've taken up vegetable gardening in the last few weeks, and not had a single thought of cardmaking. I think I'm finally getting a bit bored of peering into my new beds every 3 hours or so now though, to see if anything has grown, so last night had a look at the challenge blogs. 
Three posts in one day... honestly I am not just sitting round crafting all day!! I promise the washing and ironing are all done, the house is clean, I have done jigsaws/played with Harry, and even done some more grouting in the kitchen... just enjoying guilt free crafting!!
I was really pleased to see this challenge - I've had the Cricut Home Accents cartridge for ages, and never used most of it, so it was great to have a go with the apple, and I was pleasantly surprised with how it turned out. I will use it for one of the kid's teachers later on.
This card is a bit of a cheat, as the gorgeous image is just a Jolee's stick-on. I've had fun today though - my friend came over with her new Big Shot, so I could tell her how to use everything. While we were in a crafty mood I thought I'd like to have a go at making some templates for envelopes/gift boxes etc. I made the card above with the Sizzix BigZ scallop Circle die, then made this mountboard template for a matching envelope, just the right size. It was really satisfying to do - I made an A6 size template too, and want to have a go at a gift bag next :)
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.
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 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'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.
I had fun doodling on this card, for the 2 Sketches 4 You challenge...
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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!)
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!
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...
