52 Cards Wk5: Valentines Card

For this weeks 52 Cards Challenge Nat dived into her prompt jar and pulled out three prompts for us to use

The first idea which springs to mind on seeing these prompts is obviously Valentines Day. Luckily for me on Tuesday I room delivery of the Beloved paper pad from Fancy Pants which has some lovey dovey Valentines designs but also some which can be used all year round which is why I brought it (that and also to make my order of page protectors look more interesting lol). So using my new papers and some glitter card stock, once I could find it, I made this card for Ian. 

I didn't want it to be too pink as obviously it is for a guy and not for me lol, so I chose the blue triangle paper to sit with the gorgeous watercolour effect heart paper. I used some XCut nested heart dies to cut the hearts from glitter card, I've noticed in using my Big Shot more since making cards which is good. The heart trim is from a roll I've had in my stash for ages. The sentiment is made using Authentique letter stickers. 

A spot of Sunday baking

Remember last year when I said I was going to learn to bake and make a cake a month? Well me being me that never happened! I had other things going on leaving me with little time to myself but it was mainly due to me worrying that I would mess it up, it would taste awful and be a black burnt mess. That's the kind of person I am, I think about things too much rather than doing them. 

Then this week my dad had some test results back which showed he was borderline diabetic which made him reevaluate what he eats. He read that bananas contain a lot of sugar so the bunch he had brought for his weeks pack up was goring spare. A couple were turning very ripe and being a fan of banana bread I decided to have a go at making one. 

So I called on Queen Mary Berry and while it was pouring with rain this morning actually baked! Me Mrs can't cook, never learnt to cook! I'm rather chuffed with the finished result and can report it taste as good as it looks and smells. 

52 Cards Wk4: picture inspiration

This weeks prompt for the 52 card challenge is to draw inspiration from this picture 

I kept looking at this picture over and over again and kraft jumped out at me straight away as to did the lace doily. I was certain I would definetly run with these two ideas but I kept changing my mind and eventually made this card 

After looking through Pinterest I like cards with white embossed elements to them and as I want to use my embossing folders more I ran with this. I chose a polka dot folder as this mimicked the dots on the cookies and then instead of using a doily I used a Martha Stewart lace edge punch for a lace effect. 

Whilst deciding what to do all week I came across a pack of MME embellishments I had brought on impulse from Create & Craft some time ago but have never used. The embellishments picked up both the colour scheme and the small flowers from the picture so I added one of these along with some ribbon I received in an old kit but had never used. 

Ice cream in the park

Well my crafty mojo doesn't seem to be going anywhere at the moment and I like it! This week I've managed to do the weekly challenge over on UKS. This weeks challenge was set by the Scrap Apples who gave us a list of elements from which we had to choose three. The elements were: 

1. Hot tropical or warm summer colours

2. Ribbons or flowers

3. Birds or butterflies 

4. Sparkle and bling

5. Break open new stash after the holidays

6. Use your favourite photo from 2013

7. Ice cream 

8. Sand or water

9. Frame the photo

10. Scrap lift someone else's work

When I saw this list I knew straight away which photos I wanted to scrap. Last year when Jojo and I went to London we stopped and had an ice cream break on the deck chairs in St James's park. I then decided I wanted to use a sheet from the Hello Again collection from Carta Bella which came in a Kit, a collection I love! After pulling a sheet from Amy Tan which matched perfectly I made this layout. 

I couldn't fully decide which other element I wanted to use and as it turned out I went for two, butterflies punched with a Martha Stewart punch and some bling in the way if sequins. My title is made up from some glitter foam Thickers, stickers from Studio Calico Sundrifter & stickers from Authentique. I also used some coloured doilies from Dovecraft and cut Sparta from Elle's Studio. 

52 Card: Wk3 a birthday card for dad

This weeks prompt for the 52 card challenge is this sketch 

This is a nice clean sketch and I used it to make a quick cars for my dad's birthday which is today

I borrowed (well I say borrowed but it's not as if I can give it back lol) a Kanban topper from mum. I thought this suited dad well as he is an aging rocker/biker, and even though he's just turned 62 he recently had the Nirvana greatest hits cd for Christmas! I used a scrap of Echo Park Halloween paper to fit with the rock star theme. The small alphas are from Glitz Designs, I had to stick them onto another scrap so they would not get lost. 

Sketchy Scrappers: We love Wales

Woohoo my first Sketchy Scrappers post of 2014! As December is understandably a busy month for everyone, Decembers sketch is carried over to January to give us all time to enjoy the festive season and to scrap. This months sketch was chosen by Julia who chose this sketch from Shimelle Laine 

I rummaged through my photo box and came across some old holiday photos from 4 years ago. One photo which stood out as I looked through them was one we took on Snowdon of a heart shaped pebble we found. It has become a tradition or habit that we have to look out for heart shaped stones to bring home, something Ian's mum got us into as she always finds them on beaches and has a basket of them at home. I thought this photo would be good to use as a title page for my holiday scrapbook especially as practically all our holidays are in Wales. So I sat down and made this layout

I went for a neutral, earthy colour scheme to match the photo. The background paper is from Glitz Designs Dapper Dan, I love Chevrons! The other papers are Kesi Art, K & Company (a scrap I have had for ages!), Alison Kreft & Lilybee Designs. The paper bag came in a Kit ages ago and I had been hoarding it for holding small embellishments. The kraft doily has been in my stash for ages, again I had been hoarding it! The frame is from an old kit, the wood veneer is Studio Calico, the sticker is MME. The title is made from Amy Tan Thickers and some with a wood grain effect on them. 

Birdy birthday card

I said to myself at the end of last year that I wanted to make more cards with the hope of making a dent in my stash, and so far so good as I have another card to share with you! After making my thank you cards last weekend I sat down and made a card for a certain birthday girl whose birthday is today. 

I was having a kraft and doily day last weekend lol! The papers are American Crafts Mayberry from one of the 6x6 paper pads I've collected lately. The birdy was punched using a Stampin Up punch, one I love but is sadly under used! 

I'm certainly on a roll making cards, here's hoping it lasts! 

52 Cards: Wk2 bright colour combo

This weeks prompt for the 52 cards challenge is this vibrant colour combo

I decided to have a go at the monthly card sketch Sandra had set my team the Tag-a-longs on UKS to help get me started. 

I started by going through my scraps and pulling out any papers which matched the colour scheme and then made this card

I have got lots of lovely embossing folders which I admit I have never used so I'm making an effort to use these more. For this card I used a wood grain folder from Stampin Up to emboss some Papermania cardstock. The stripe and heart paper are the same sheet of Dear Lizzy Lucky Charm paper, the spotty paper is Lilybee Designs. I added two different American Crafts ribbons across the centre to cover the join. I needed a little embellishment for the scallop circle so added a cute flair badge

52 Cards: Thank you cards

After a break over Christmas I finally managed to get some crafting done today and boy did it feel good! As a crafty New Years resolution I am having a go at the 52 card challenge this year in an attempt to actually use my stash and to get better at card making. The first prompt of the year asked use to use new stash we received as Christmas presents, the perfect prompt for me as I could use the papers Ian brought me for Christmas. I needed to make some thank you cards so on a wet and miserable morning I sat down and made these using papers from Glitz Designs. 

I brought the tags back in the summer when mum & I went to an antiques fair, trust us to find a stall selling something crafty lol! The doilies are from Dovecraft and the alphas are October Afternoon.