Sympathy Cards

I had loads of sympathy cards to make yesterday so sat down and just did a few simple cards. I don't really have any images that are suitable for these kinds of cards so just stamped a sentiment. The papers are from 

Basic Grey. For the first card I used PTI's Framed stamp set and cut the paper using the Take Three die.

 The next two are identical bar the paper. The stamp set is PTI's Fillable Frames #10.

For this one I debossed the background paper and then die cut butterflies. I sewed the first butterfly on and then ballsed up the second one, so I just wound the thread round it and stuck it on! Quick fix :) The border used both the die cut and the negative from PTI's Victorian Lace border die. Thanks for looking!

Papertrey Ink Blog Hop

This is my first time joining in with the PTI Blog Hop! The challenge is to use a stamp that hasn't been used in a while. I used the library card for this teenage boy card, as it's an image I love but never really know how to use. I also used the Celebrate sentiment from the Framed stamp set and the Happy Birthday stamp is from the Fly Away set. The little stars are from the Banner Builder stamp set. The patterned paper is Basic Grey and the black CS is from AC. The kraft CS is from PTI. I also added a little ribbon tab from The Ribbon Girl.

Thanks for looking!

Pear Tree Designs Challenge: Blue

I had to make a baby boy card last night, so I decided to enter the Pear Tree Designs Challenge: Blue. I used my new Banner Builder dies to create the banner which I threaded on some blue and white bakers twine. The birds are cut from felt and the clouds have been inked with some blue distress ink. The dies are also from PTI. The sentiment is from PTI's Inside & Out Baby stamp set.

Inside of card: stamps are all from PTI's Banner Builder set and Inside & Out Baby set.

This card is made for my teenage cousin. The papers are all scraps, the ribbon is from The Ribbon Girl and the stamps are from Inkadinkado and Bombshell Stamps. Thanks for looking!

PaperPlay Challenge: Back to Black

The challenge over at PaperPlay is to use a black base on your project or card. I had loads of scraps lying around so this only took about 5 minutes to put together. The orange border is stamped with music notes and cut out with PTI's Victorian Lace border die. The notebook page is a die cut from PTI as well. I inked it with Tim Holtz' Barn Door Distress Ink. I then stamped the cherry image from PTI's Everyday Button Basics stamp set. The red buttons are from stash and the red gems are from Hobbyhouse. The bakers twine is from The Twinery. Thanks for looking!

Moxie Fab World Colour Challenge

I am determined to do more challenges this year so I made this card for the Moxie Fab World Colour Challenge. You have to use these 4 colours in your card.

And here is my submission. The flower is cut from PTI felt and it matches the ribbon, although they look like different colours in this photo. No idea why! The music background stamp is from Purple Onion Designs and the ribbon is from The Ribbon Girl. The button is from my stash and has orange and white bakers twine threaded through it.

This is another quick card made using the PTI Take Three die and some scraps of Basic Grey paper. I added a little tab of scrap ribbon to the side and all done! Thanks for looking :)

Big Surprise, More PTI Cards!

Two more cards from this evening using my PTI goodies! The first one is made using the Take Three die. I used the off-cut from another card to make the film strip effect. Then I cut out some patterned paper using the same die and stuck then in there. The sentiment is from the Everyday Button Basics set. Such an easy card to make!

This card uses the Banner Builder stamp set and dies. I stamped the banner on to the card with different colour inks and then die cut the little pink accents out of card. I threaded some purple bakers twine through it and added some die cut felt birds from the Little Bitty Bird die (this die belongs to Lou but she let me cut some before I hand it over!) Again the sentiment is from Everyday Button Basics and the butterfly button is cut from a pair of PJ's :) PS this card was really hard to photograph so sorry for the rubbish picture!

Another PTI Card!

This card is made using the Take Tree: Winter stamp set from PTI. The sentiments are mostly holiday related but I just really like the stamp images. The flourishes can be used for any kind of card really.

 The other three images are snowflakes. I used the matching die, which cuts out these lovely squares with slightly rounded corners. I stamped them with Fresh Snow ink and mounted them on Basic Grey paper from the Stella Ruby collection. The striped paper is from the same collection. The little tab on the edge is an off-cut from one of the squares. I stamped it with a sentiment from the same stamp set. The ribbon is from The Ribbon Girl. Thanks for looking!

Close up of the stamped squares and tab.

Playing With New Papertrey Ink Goodies.

I got a lovely parcel from PTI this morning and had to make a few cards with them. One of the things I got was the Dress Form die and stamp set. It is so pretty and dainty looking, I just LOVE it! I was looking through the PTI gallery and a card from Dawn McVey stood out to me, so I lifted it. Dawn, you are an inspiration! 

Both cards are more or less the same. For the first one, I cut the dress form out of stone coloured card and  stamped it with a light pink ink. The sentiment is from the same set. The border is new also, and is the Victorian Lace border die. The dress form is matted on PTI kraft cardstock and is stamped with Polka Dot Basics.

For the second card, I cut the dress form out of AC linen textured CS and wrapped some bakers twine around the middle. I threaded a button through it as a final touch. The twine is from The Twinery and is great quality. Again the sentiment is from the Dress Form stamp set. More cards to follow, made from the rest of my new stash! 

Thanks for looking :)

Congratulations Card

This card is to give to a couple who got engaged over the Christmas. I made it using the CPS Card Sketch  and found it a great little sketch to use. The card is all from the AC Valentines cardstock pack. The border is cut using a Martha Stewart punch and the hearts are Quickutz dies. The sentiment is from Papertrey Ink. Thanks for looking!

Challenges: Creative Inspirations- Celebrate

A Few More Layouts From Today

Again, I tried to use as much of my older paper as I could with these layouts. It feels really good to clear it out 

and make room for new purchases! The first LO uses papers from DCWV Rockstar and All Dressed Up stacks, lots of remnants of ribbon and AC Glitter Thickers. Also added a few Prima flowers and an AC jewel brad for it's centre.

My Fabulous Friends!

These photos document my 2 year old's first foray into baking! I used Basic Grey Cupcake collection papers for this LO. I bought a few of these yonks ago when they were on sale and and seriously struggling to get through them! I layered a sheet of acetate from Papermania over the Basic Grey background page and attached it with Making Memories brads. I used AC stickers and flair to accent this page and both AC Thickers and Papermania foam letters. 

A Productive Day!

I haven't posted anything all week as I had to spend most of my time clearing out my craft room. The mess had reached epic proportions and I could hardly walk into the room. Not the most creative atmosphere to be in! So I finally tackled it over about three days and celebrated yesterday by having my friend Lou over for a mini crop. I managed to finish a few layouts that had been lying around and did a few new ones too.

  

I finally used my gorgeous Bo Bunny die cut page for this LO. I have been holding onto it for ages, but my new resolution to use my stash. So onto the page it went! It's a pretty girly LO but I think it's ok. I used a lot of Prima flowers with brad centres and die cut hearts. All cardstock is American Crafts. The letters are a mixture of Bo Bunny and Doodlebug Design.

 This is another LO which used a lot of old paper stash. I'm a bit rusty on their origins, but I think they're all Papermania. They were some of the first papers I ever bought! The ribbon is from The Ribbon Girl and the letters are AC Thickers.

 This LO was a bit hard to photograph as I used mirror card as a mat. I wanted to keep it very simple and just to focus on the pictures and the concert ticket. 

 

This LO used an AC paper for the background. The heart diecuts are Sizzix and the bird diecut is Bosskut. The Time With Grandma sticker is from Bo Bunny.

Lucy's Cards Sketch Challenge Day 7

I had to make a quick birthday card for my brother today so I decided to follow another of Lucy's Sketch Challenges. This is the last sketch and was really lovely to follow. Again, I used a Papermania card blank and AC cardstock. The Happy Birthday sentiment is from Papertrey Ink and the foam letters were a great find in the €2 shop. The ribbon is from some old stash and I finished off with faux stitching using an Inkssentials white pen. Thanks for looking!

Other Challenges: Charisma Cardz Challenge: Happy Birthday.
 Craft Your Days Away: Anything goes.

Lucy's Cards Challenge

Here is my entry to Lucy's Cards Sketch Challenge. The cardstock is from an American Crafts Valentine selection. The hearts and sentiment are both from an AC stamp set. The card blank is from Papermania. I used PTI Fresh Snow ink and I really don't like the way it came out. I don't know if it is just my ink pad but the ink is so wet and sticky, it just makes it impossible to get a clean image :( Anyway, maybe it will improve the more I use it!

Happily Ever Crafter Challenge #13

Ted at Happily Ever Crafter is hosting a challenge on his blog. The rules are one base card, one matting paper, one stamp, one ink color, and one embellishment. I decided to use my Thank You stamp from Purple Onion Designs as it is nice and big. It saved me thinking about how to fill up any wide open spaces! The background card is a Papermania Kraft blank. I have to say I prefer the PTI kraft card so much more. The Papermania one is just the wrong shade of brown.  My matting paper is from American Crafts and for my embellishment I used Peapod Bakers Twine from The Twinery. I'm afraid it's not a great photo as it was taken at midnight! (Edited to replace the photo with a better one.) The deadline is the 29th of January so head over and join in! There is a Papertrey Ink $10 gift card up for grabs :)

New Year's Resolution

My New Year's resolution is to get at least two layouts finished every week. And yesterday I got 4 done. On track so far then! I went shopping the other day and managed to get a huge amount of American Crafts scrapbook kits reduced to clear in TK Maxx. I was down in Lou's house yesterday for a bit of scrapping and got two layouts finished there and another two at home. The first layout is more or less the same as the example that was on the back of the kit. I just really liked the sentiment and the mix of papers.

I love this picture; it is of Ethan with his Nanny and Great Nanny. I kept this layout very simple as the papers are so "in your face" The papers and thickers are all from American Crafts and the tabs are from Colorbok.

This is an 8x8 layout. I am finding it a little hard to get used to the smaller size! Again papers, flair and chipboard shapes are AC. Foam letters are from Papermania and the ribbon is from The Ribbon Girl.

Back to 12x12 again. The pictures are from a day at the beach. Ethan became fascinated with a crab he found! Cardstock, stickers, embellishments and papers are all from AC. Beginning to see a pattern here! The title is cut from a sticky back velvety type paper, using Tim Holtz' strip die Carnivale. It is harder to see in the picture but is a lot clearer IRL.