The Key to My Heart

I really enjoyed making this card, probably because red is one of my favourite colours. The main heart digi-image is from the Valentine's Pack at Stitchy Bear Stamps, and was part of the prize that I won! I designed this card in my head the other night when I couldn't sleep. I don't count sheep!!! - I design a card instead, the only drawback being that I sometimes fall asleep and forget the design!

Anyway, I cut two of the 'Heart' Digi-Images out, to create layers and coloured the frill edges with Promarker Rose Pink. The paper in centre of heart and background is from the gorgeous  Papermania Red Hot Pad. I cut a rectangle of red card and used my wavy scissors on the edges and put a layer of pink underneath one end and used silver stickle on the other.

I decided to be brave and try decorating with silver stickles all around the outer edge! I've never had the nerve to do it before as I don't have steady hand. Thankfully it came out quite well.

Red Rose - detail

I suddenly remembered that I bought some lovely red roses from Wild Orchid Crafts before Christmas, so added one of those with a bow and silver leaves from stash. When I photograph roses on my cards, I've noticed they always look very matt and so I've added some Star Dust Stickle to give it some dimension.

The middle strip of card with the hearts on the left and the flower and button on the right, I designed and printed on computer. And it actually holds a secret!  The tab pulls out, so that you can add an extra, private sentiment!  You just have to make sure that you glue only the top and bottom of the card it slides into!

Secret Tab

I made the Sentiment "You're the Key To My Heart" on the computer also and mounted it on a small nestabilities rectangle of red card. The little key is from my jewellery stash. 

Sentiment

I am entering this card into the following Challenges:

Charisma Cardz - Challenge No. 4 - Valentines/Love

Top Tip Tuesday - Challenge No. 19 - Fabulous Flowers

A Spoon Full of Sugar - Challenge No. 136 - Valentine

Wild Orchid - Challenge No. 15 - Let's Get Sentimental

Creative Inspirations - Challenge No. 96 - Buttons and Bows (polka dot button on centre of red flower)

I have to say, that I am loving my new Sizzix Big Shot! I was a bit worried that the handle might be hard to turn, but it is surprisingly easy! I am glad, though, that I watched some You Tube videos on using the machine before I started using it. I would have had palpitations at every creak as the sandwich emerged! And those scratches on the mats!!!  LOL

Blog Award!

No card this post - but I am working on some ideas for Valentine's Cards.

I had a lovely surprise this evening - I was sent a Blog Award by new friend Laurie.

Thanks Laurie! - I am pleased to accept it - very honoured in fact! It is hard getting started and I'll never forget those first posts and what seemed like a long and lonely wait for a comment or follower ... so I really am grateful when folks take the time to comment and visit my website. I know you've only recently started your blog Laurie, but your cards are fantastic and I love that they are all so different - variety is the spice of life after all! If you haven't visited already, do pop over to Laurie's at DesignerDiva and take a peek, her cards are amazing!

Here are the conditions for the 'Love Blog' Award.

You have been TAGGED and want to participate?

Create a post where you post the 'LOVE BLOG' image.

You should also blog the person's link that gave you the award and inform her/him that you accept the award.

You can then choose 3 - 5 favourite blogs which you also link in your post, then each blogger will inform you that they have been tagged. 

Formalities over: 

I would like to give this award to:-

Pat - because you were my first follower and I am grateful that you take the time to comment! and because I love visiting your blog to see the wonderful cards and crafts that you make, you are an inspiration!

Sarah - because I love your website and think that you have a real flare for design and will go far ...

and last but not least,

Laney - for giving me some much needed encouragement and taking the time out to comment! I love your cards - they are gorgeous!

I hope that you all accept,

as I pass on 

the 

Leibster Love 

Sue xxx

Getting Warmed Up!

As soon as I saw Stampin' For The Weekend's's  Challenge No. 2 - "Getting Warmed Up" I knew the kind of card that I wanted to do.  For me, there's nothing nicer than coming in from the cold and getting warmed up with a mug of cocoa, perhaps some marshmallows and even a few giant chocolate buttons! 

The 'cup and saucer' digi image is from Digi Stamp Boutique. The plate of marshmallows and chocolate buttons I made myself. I drew the plate on computer, the marshmallows by hand, then scanned and coloured them digitally to match real marshmallows. I stuck on some card candy to look like chocolate buttons.

Cup and Saucer (Digi Stamp Boutique)

The cup, saucer and plate are coloured with Lime Green Promarker. The flower was coloured with Copic R20 blush.  The hot chocolate effect in cup was done with bronze glitter but it didn't come out as well as I wanted. In fact, I think I am going to have another go with this image as I do love it. Because I cut out the cup and saucer to mount with 3d pads, I had to retrace the steam onto the card in the background! 

The papers are some I got with Simply Cards & Papercraft Magazine. I think the bottom paper and the stripey are Funky Hand design. The top one I can't remember. When I saw the Truly Scrumptious Challenge for Brown, Pink and Green, I knew that I had some funky papers of that colour in my stash, and when I found them they fitted in well with the look I wanted to create. It's nice when it happens like that!

The Thank You was done on my 'new Sizzix'!!!!  (thank you santa!!!) and I went over the embossed letters with silver metallic pen. I thought it would be nice as a Thank You card, but I might make another one with Get Well, as it would be nice design for that sentiment also.

Challenges entered:

Stampin' For the Weekend - Challenge No. 2 - 'Getting Warmed Up'

Truly Scrumptious - Challenge No. 49 - 'Brown, Pink and Green'

Top Tip Tuesday - Challenge No. 18 - 'All Sentimental

I Won a Prize!

Thought I would share my good news!

Random.org picked me on the Truly Scrumptious draw last week. It's the first time I've won anything on my blog and so it was a lovely surprise.

My prize was a $10 voucher to spend at Stitchy Bear Digital Stamp Store. I spent a nice afternoon choosing some stamps and was spoilt for choice but settled on "Waiting for Santa" which I couldn't resist even though Christmas has just gone!  Also 'Tree of Love' which is a gorgeous kitten with tree and heart - perfect for upcoming valentines cards. I also chose 'Sweet Treat' because I've been looking for an image with cakes on! And finally 'Indian Summer' which is one of the many gorgeous silhouette digi stamps that they have.

Another nice surprise was that when I placed the order I got a free gift.  Stitchy Bear have an offer on at the moment, for the whole of January. With every order of $10 or above there is a free gift of Valentine Love digi stamps which includes some lovely papers, sentiments and love themed images.

Anyway, it was a nice unexpected treat that brightened up my week.

So a big thank you to Truly Scrumptious and Stitchy Bear Digital Stamp Store.

Dreaming of Summer ...

My new Papermania Pads and Card have arrived! A lot of my stuff has been stuck in the post due to backlog, so I was very excited when this arrived on time. I bought Papermania Capsule Collection "Verde Paper Pack" and "Red Hot Paper Pack" both by Tina Higgins available from Crafty Devils Paper Craft. Very pretty paper and all co-ordinated!

The Truly Scrumptious - Challenge 48 - "Dreaming of Summer" inspired me to make this card. I found this really cute free digital image "Sleepy Bee" on Digi Stamp Boutique and it seemed just perfect! I used the "Verde Paper Pack" - gorgeous shades of green!  The stripey paper I wanted to look like awning - don't know why but it reminds me of summer, and also because I had turned the sketch round, I thought it might look quite good.

"Truly Scrumptious" Sketch - Challenge 48 - Dreaming of Summer

The Wavy edge was cut with Scalloped Scissors. The green ribbon that I had didn't look right so I decided to use the strips of card but made a bow out of the green organza ribbon. I wanted to put the words in clouds and that caused me no end of trouble, getting them right size and shape. I used a font called 'Bubblegum' and went around the edges of clouds with silver glitter pen.  I'm still not sure they look right? Can you tell that they are clouds! LOL.

"Sleepy Bee" detail

Colouring:

Leaves: Pear Green Promarker and Copic G85

Bee: Promarkers Black and Canary

Wings of the Bee: Sakura Glitter Pen - Clear Star

Flower: petals and centre cut from Papermania papers

Green square gems and felt flower and gem from stash

As well as the Truly Scrumptious Challenge, I hope that the card is also okay for the Cute Card Thursday Challenge which is "Monochrome", as it is mainly all one colour, just different shades. I think that it will also count as Oldie But A Goodie's "Bright and Cheerful" Challenge - looking forward to summer!

Challenges entered:
Truly Scrumptious - Challenge No. 48 - Dreaming of Summer
Cute Card Thursday - Challenge No. 147 - Monochrome
Oldie But A Goodie - Challenge No. 10 - Bright and Cheerful

One thing I love about this card is that by using the words, "Dreaming of Summer" it is quite an open sentiment and so thinking about it, it could be used for all sorts of occasions - Birthday, Get Well, Cheer Up!

Tea Party

New year, and I seem to have completely lost my mojo!  This was supposed to be a subtle girlie card and it has turned out to be a striking, almost Japanese-style card. Oh well, I suppose they do have tea ceremonies in Japan! 

I have used Lili of The Valley's - Sketch by Lena - Challenge No. 79 (see below for sketch). The gorgeous stamp "Tea Party" is from Lili of The Valley and is new to my stash, hence my entering the "New and Blue" Challenge with Stampin' For the Weekend and "Something New" Challenges from Creative Cottage and Cupcake Craft. Also, as it is a Birthday Card, I am entering it into Charisma Cardz - Birthday Challenge. 


Papers are from Kate Knight pad that I got free with magazine last year. (I love her designs!)  Flowers are from various places; roses from Wild Orchid Crafts, Purple Flower from Handy Hippo as is baby blue glitter card and black ribbon. The tiny flowers are from long, long ago can't remember where .... leaves are done with Beech Leaf X-Cut punch, available from Crafty Devil's Papercraft using some pink backing paper scraps that I had over.

"Tea Party" detail

Colouring:

Promarkers

Face, Skin: Vanilla with Copic R20 (blush) on cheeks

Dress, hat and shoes: Blossom, Cocktail Pink

Flowers on Hat: Pastel Blue, Pastel Pink, Cocktail Pink

Hair: Canary

Table legs: Tan, Shale

Tea Set: Pastel Blue

Spots on Tea Set and Flowers: Sakura glitter pen, clear star

Lili of The Valley - Challenge No. 79 - Sketch by Lena

Challenges entered:

Lili of The Valley - Challenge No. 79 - Sketch by Lena

Stampin' For The Weekend - Challenge No. 1 for 2011 - New and Blue (new stamp)

Creative Cottage - Challenge No. 30 - Something New (new stamp)

Cupcake Craft - Challenge No. 124 - Something New (new stamp)

Charisma Cardz - Challenge No. 1 - Birthdays and Celebrations

Is it just me?

As often happens, this card did not come out as I planned it! 

I had in mind peachy/cream colours and wanted to use a lovely peach backing paper that I  bought last year. It seemed like a good idea but when I tried colouring the stamp's tea-set, dark peach with white dots, it was a dis-aster! (said in Craig Revel-Horwood voice). I started again, and somehow the tea-set got coloured pastel blue. Sometimes I do wonder whether I have any control at all over these things! LOL. 

So then somehow, to stay with pastel theme, the clothes, hat and shoes became pink. Needless to say, it didn't go with my peachy paper. So I went through my stash of backing paper and found this Kate Knight paper that I really love and thought it looked quite good as background. 

As it had black on the pattern, I thought highlights of black card might be nice for mounts, etc, and while searching for my black card, I came across the baby blue glitter paper - and hey, that matches the hat, dress shoes! And so it began …. and that's the, hopefully not too boring, tale of how my card morphed from a subtle peaches and cream girlie card into the one above.  Ah (sighs) my peachy paper will have to wait until another day …..  

Hope 2011 is a good year for you!

Bling it On!

I was pleased to see that  By The Cute and Girly  have got a Bling It On Challenge, a good excuse to show off the earrings that I made myself for Christmas!  I wanted some earrings that were very dressy and different, and also a bit exotic looking. I buy all my jewellery findings from Palmer Metals and noticed whilst browsing, some beautiful filigree silver beads which I just had to have and so built the design around them.

I began with a Sterling Silver Eye Pin 38mm long and added beads as follows:

4mm Swarovski  Round Crystal Bead

12mm Sterling Silver Round Bead with Filagree Pattern 

8mm Swarovski Crystal White Pearl

5mm Flower Bali Spacer Bead from stash     

4mm Sterling Silver Mirror Bead (glitters like a mini disco mirror ball)

Then using round nosed pliers form a loop at the top. Open the loop slightly to attach ear wire:

Sterling Silver plain Safety Wire Ear Fittings

All the stuff was bought from Palmer Metals apart from the spacer bead which was bought a few years ago from a website called Julesgems that unfortunately ceased trading. I was so sad when they closed down as I bought all my tools and stuff from them when I first started out doing jewellery. 


Challenges entered:
By The Cute and Girly - Bling It On - January Challenge

Anyway, I hope you like my earrings. Not sure when I would ever wear them! Maybe one day I shall go to the Ball !!! LOL .....

Happy New Year 2011!

Hi, I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! I have only been away from my blog and the cardmaking for just over a week and already I have got itchy fingers and want to get back to it!  So I was glad when my daughter asked me to make a quick Art Deco Card, classy but with sparkle and bling!

I hope this fits the bill then! She chose the image "Le Messager" from the Art Deco Set on Printable Heaven. I mounted the image on gold card. Outlined certain lines with glitter pen and added small gems along bridge and dress. A line of larger amber gems down side of card, and finally the peel off "Happy Birthday" mounted on black and gold card. It really was a quick card as it needs to go in the post tomorrow!


Im entering it for the following Challenge:
By The Cute and Girly - Bling It On Challenge - January 2011


Santa brought me a Sizzix Big Shot for Christmas - as it is my first ever die cutting machine - I am so excited!!  I haven't tried it out yet, but have sent for some dies. As they are expensive I am trying to start off with basic "nestabilities" shapes which I think I will use a lot. I have to try to curb my spending a little this year !!!  


I can't believe I only started my blog in September - it feels like I have been doing it a lot longer. One thing that I can say for certain is that both the blog and the cardmaking are addictive!