CD Sunday - Garden Pleasures

I can't believe that another Sunday has come around already, but as it has, it's time for a new challenge over at the CD Sunday challenge blog. This week it was Christine's turn to choose the theme, and she went with Garden Pleasures. We still have Tess with us as guest designer this week, and the design team have put together some lovely inspiration cards for you, do pop over to the blog and take a look. I can think of nothing more pleasurable than sitting in a garden just like this one, admiring the countryside around me, the delphiniums, foxgloves, pansy's even the daisies. With all of the hot weather we've been having lately, my grass has been sun burnt, and not very green at all. For this card I've used Joanna Sheen's, Shirley Barber project book and CD. The topper is decoupaged, put together using glue gel. The ribbon is from my stash and the flowers and leaves from Nellie Snellen Punches. I added the sentiment Home Sweet Home, as I thought it would make an ideal new home card to pop into the box ready for when I need one.

Thanks for taking the time to look, and your kind comments which are always appreciated.

Sue

Fairy Glen

I've actually managed to do some crafting this morning, and I have made this card to enter into the Lavinia Challenge,which is to use punches or die cuts, and also My Craft Creations challenge which is die cut shapes. I started with a background I had made using sprinky sprays and a glass cutting mat. I cut out the shape from an X-Cut die, then stamped the fairy, leaves and mushrooms. I added some glitter to the fairy wings and to what I like to think are seeds shes planting. With a piece of cream linen card I echoed the colours used on the shape onto the card, and added a deep golden yellow ribbon and bow around the middle. I then added the smallest butterfly die in the spellbinders range, colouring it with green ink. Finally I added some flowers cut from some yellow card with a crealies die, the leaves are also from a crealies die. It was all finished off by popping onto a 6x6 cream linen card base.

I'm also entering this card into the following challenges:
Lady Anne's Challenges - Anything Goes
Creative Fingers Challenge - Anything goes
Inspire Me Fridays - Anything Goes
Sister Act Card Challenge - Anything Goes
A.R.T card Challenges - Anything Goes

Thanks you for taking the time to look, and your kind comments which are always appreciated.

Sue

A Couple Of Christmas Cards And A Busy Time And Some Happy News

I decided that it was about time I started to make my Christmas cards, and as I had bought a new stamps set from Stampin Up I decided to start with these. I have made 3 of each colour for starters. After stamping the image in distress ink, Faded Jeans and Vintage Photo, I used a spellbinders die to cut out the bauble shape, then with a wet paint brush dragged the colour  for the outline to give the stamped image more depth, I added just a little extra by using ink from the pad onto an acrylic block. When this was dry I added some glitter to the roof and around the ground to make it look like snow.

I then stamped the sentiment, also from the set and edged the blue with a promarker and the brown with ink from the ink pad. For the backing I scored lines into the card using a score board, then just added a small dab of glue where every line crossed and added glitter. This is probably as near to CAS that I'm likely to get, as it's not really what I do.

One of the reasons I've been so quite lately is we are having a new kitchen, so have been emptying everything out of the cupboards and taking them down ready for the new one. This week saw the electrician coming in and taking chunks out of the wall, also disconnecting my cooker (which has not been reconnected).

Then today was the turn of the plasterer, another early morning and another load of mess (still no cooker). Now he's gone the wall has to dry and Hubby can paint it before the new Kitchen is fitted, this will be in about two weeks time.

Next week we have the floor tiler coming in for three days. This will be fun as we will not be able to walk on the floor, even the dog (might have to farm him out to my daughters for a couple of days).

Now onto some good news, those of you who follow my blog will know that over the last twelve months we've had a very trying time, with the death of my Uncle, and then recently the death of my Mother-in-law (funeral is tomorrow). My Daughters partner/boyfriend (they live together) surprised us all by proposing to my daughter. I don't think anyone was as shocked as she was, and of course she said yes. Needless to say we're over the moon, and can't wait for the wedding now. Just what we needed to cheer us all up, and hopefully on towards happier times.

Thank you if you've taken the time to read this rather long post, and any comments you care to leave are always appreciated.

Sue

Craft A Scene - Week Three Under The sea

I'm back again with my second post today, and this time with my other hat on. It's week three on the Craft A Scene blog so there is still plenty of time for you get making those Under The Sea Scenes and joining in. For this weeks card I've again used a background made using Dylusion sprays which I've over stamped with the Sea Bubbles stamps from Designs by Ryn, and then using sea weed stamps from Chocolate Baroque, which were stamped in various shades of green distress ink pads. I stamped the mermaid and fish, also from Chocolate Baroque, onto some white card then coloured with distress markers before cutting out, and then placing them onto the front. The sentiment again was from Chocolate Baroque. I then place onto a blue 6x6 card base.

Thanks for taking the time to look, and your kind comments which are always appreciated.

Sue

CD Sunday - Dreams and Dragons

Firstly I would like to thank all of you who left such kind comments on last weeks post, they were really appreciated, not just by me but the whole family. What wonderful weather we've been having the last couple of weeks, I hope that everyone has been enjoying it. This week has flown by and it now time for another new challenge over at CD Sunday, and this week it's my turn to choose the theme. I love anything magical and mystical so the choice had to be Dreams and Dragons, and I'm looking forward to paying you all a visit this week to see what you've made. This week we still have Tess as our guest designer, and I know that along with the rest of the design team there will be plenty of inspiration for you over on the challenge blog, do pop over there and take a look. For my card this week it had to be Joanna Sheen's Enchanted, and the beautiful images from Josephine Wall. I've made a 6x6 card, using one of the toppers and matching backing papers, and some green card for the matting. I added some pink ribbon around the centre of the card and attached a small dragon charm that I've had in my stash for sometime. The flowers were from Prima, and I added a flat backed pearl to the centre. Lastly I added a sentiment, that was stamped using the petite pairs set from Stampin Up.

Thanks for taking the time to look, and your kind comments which are always appreciated.

CD Sunday - Christmas In July and A Very Sad Weekend

I don't very often talk about myself or family members on my blog as it really just for crafting. But yesterday morning my Mother-in-law passed away, very peacefully. She had been ill for the last seven months or so, but recently went into a care home as she was getting more stable. Unfortunately two weeks ago she went down with pneumonia, and last weekend the decision was made that there was nothing more the doctors could do for her, other than let nature take it's course. It's been a very trying two weeks for all of the family, but she is now no longer suffering. I feel I was very lucky as I have always got on with mother-in-law and thought of her as another mother, along with my own. She will be sorely missed by us all.

Now onto today's challenge over on the CD Sunday blog, and this week it's Christmas in July. The subject was chosen by Wendy, and a good reminder to us all that we really should be thinking of making those Christmas cards now ready in time for the big day. Tess is still with us as guest designer and along with the rest of the team has made a lovely sample to inspire you. Do pop over to the blog and take a look. For my card this week I've used Debbi Moore's Victorian Christmas, and an 8x8 card base. By coincidence I also made this card for a mother (seems quite appropriate somehow). I chose this lovey lady all in red, and decoupaged her. I used gold mirri card for matting and also the corners which were cut using a Marianne die. The flowers were Prima flowers, and i thought that the red matched the dress perfectly, I just added some leaves and gold mirri card candy to the centres and added a sentiment made using the PC. I do hope you can join us this week, it's great popping by to see what you've all made.

Thanks for taking the time to look, and your kind comments which are always appreciated.

Sue

Craft A Scene - Under The Sea

I'm back again for the second time today, this time it's the start of the new challenge over on the Craft A Scene blog. This month we are asking you to make a scene with an under water theme. My background for this card was made using Dylusion inks sprayed onto a glass cutting mat and them picked up onto the card. When this was dry I stamped onto it using the Sea Bubbles, Sea Weed set, School of Fish, from Designs By Ryn, straight onto the background. Also the Mermaid silhouette stamps from Chocolate Baroque. The small Seahorses are from the Seahorse set also from Designs By Ryn, these were stamped out onto card then coloured with promarkers and added to the scene.  Then to finish it off I gave it a spray with Crafters Companion Silver Spray and Sparkle. I popped the finished scene onto some silver mirri card and then onto a light green centura pearl card base. The sentiment is from Chocolate Baroque, once stamped out I went around the outside with the Sea Bubbles. Do pop over to the blog and take a look at the what the lovely scenes rest of the Design Team have made.

Thanks for taking the time to look, and your kind comments which are always appreciated.

Sue

CD Sunday - Hats

I'm hoping that this is going to post correctly, as I'm out most of this weekend I am going to schedule it for Sunday morning. As I'm writing this it's a beautiful Friday afternoon and the tennis has just started on the TV, the big question is, get outside and enjoy the sun? or sit on the edge of my seat and watch the tennis?

Anyway onto this weeks challenge on the CD Sunday blog, and this week it's Hats. As it's the first Sunday of the month we have a sponsor, and this month it's Jems Designs. Also we see a new guest designer for July, and it's the return of Tess. Tess used to be on the design team, so it's lovely to be welcoming her back. The lovely ladies at Jems Designs have given the DT one of their CD's to play with, Hat Box Collections. There are some wonderful hats on the CD, but this is the one that I decided to use. Also the great thing about these CD's is that they are Jpg images, so you can take them into the graphics program of your choice. Mine was My Craft Studio. I resized the A4 backing paper to A5 so that I did not lose any of the design, and popped onto a pearlised white A5 card base, with a cream coloured ribbon across the middle. I printed off one of the toppers, which had some flower embellishments which could be layered, and fixed using glue gel. The cameo was also an embellishment, which once printed and cut out I popped onto the ribbon and added some square gems onto the edge and along the ribbon. Then I just resized one of the sentiments so that it was not to large on the card to finish. Do pop over to the blog and see what the rest of the Design Team have made.

Thank you for taking the time to look, and your kind comment which are always appreciated.

Sue