It's a Boy!

I was holding off adding another picture until I'd sorted out my watermarking but as I haven't found 5 minutes to do that yet - here is a baby card from last week so you all know I am still here!

This was a request from work.  I initially looked out images of all the baby cards I have done and stamps I have not used yet - seem to have quite a lot!

The choice made was for this 8x8" card.

The base has a square of blue card with some lovely patterned vellum on top attached with brads.

Some Forever Friends decoupage and then a Congratulations peel off mounted at the top.

Peel offs also used to add the date and weight and this circle is mounted on a blue scalloped circle which I have used with silver thread to make a spirelli shape.

Birthday cards

Unfortunately with this post I have to admit that it was my birthday yesterday!

As a member of the Crafty Bunch I am also in the birthday club where we send everyone on the list a birthday card so when it gets to your own you get a nice little pile of lovely cards.

I also did quite well on a few crafty presents - like I need any more stuff but I 'had to have it'!!

All the cards were lovely and I shouldn't single any out but I have to add an extra picture as Karen over at Serendipity Dragonfly made the most fabulous box - even before a lovely creation went inside.

This is the box, it is 6cm high which is rather impressive:

The card from inside is at the back of this picture - apologies it's not a great picture but hopefully you get an idea of the lovely creations I received.  It was a bit of a rush before I got taken out for tea yesterday!

Quilled Anniversaries

A couple of commissions today and I have finally done some quilling.

Quilling has been very neglected this year, something which I must definitely make up for next year.

These two cards were for 2 different people and I resurrected a design I haven't done for ages.

The design uses a little filigree, some fringed flowers, folded roses and some little 'normal' quilled flowers and leaves in between.

The Ruby anniversary obviously has touches of red and some matching strips added to the edge of the card.

The Silver anniversary has silver bells and the white flowers are edged with silver too.  The middle of the fringed flowers are tight coils that I have dabbed with silver ink but the folded roses are made using grey paper.  Silver paper has been added down the side of the card like the ruby card.

Peel offs used for the sentiment in both cases.

For a spot of diversity tonight I have just made my first Ferrari/Alonso birthday card - to follow soon!

More butterflies

A lovely evening at Montacute House on Saturday with our friends and a picnic - and some great 80's music!

Every day I keep catching up with my commissions (excluding an ongoing Wedding project!) and promising myself I will do some quilling and every day I keep coming home with a new request but I have actually done some quilling in between recently so will share some tomorrow.  And it is kind of nice to get so many card requests!

Another card today on a variation on some I did a few weeks ago.  I've made a few of these for various Birthdays this month.

An A6 kraft card with Stampin' Up embossing folder.

The lovely SU butterfly stamps with matching punch finished with some gems and - yes you've guessed it - SU sentiment also punched out with SU.

I've tried to get away from my 'one colour' theme I did with the last ones of these and used my colour coach to pick up burgundy, pink and a brighter brown to tie in with the kraft.

Picnic packing!

A quick non-craft post in pasting!

A little more cloud and a light breeze around today although it is still very warm.

I popped out with Mum this morning for coffee at Montacute House which is just down the road for us.  We had a quick stroll round the grounds too.

I've just made myself get too hot doing some household chores that I have been ignoring in the heat as I get a well earned rest this evening.

We are back off to Montacute House where an 80's tribute band are performing in the grounds so we're off with some friends and a picnic.  I'm expecting it to be packed!

A musical number

I can now post this card I finished last week.
An office chat recently lead to my colleagues being surprised that I could add music to the inside of a card and I was asked to 'up the ante' for my latest creation.
We had this chat in the week after 'box card' night at Crafty Bunch.  So, I give you ..... the first musical box card!  (and boy have I now started something with this at work too!!).

The other part of the brief was just to go with flowers and pastel colours.

The front of the box is layered with yellow and cream card and some paper from my vast stash.

The flowers are stamped from the Woodware clear set 'JGCL572' which has the 3 different size flowers, 2 leaves and a sentiment (not used here).

I've stamped the flowers on some pastel paper and gone over the swirl with stickles for extra sparkle and added a gem in the centre.

SU sentiment punched out with matching SU punches.

This is the inside.  The border has been punched with Martha Stewart punch around the page.  

Background is another Woodware clear script stamp which just takes away a stark background.

3 more flower sets stamped out on different papers from a pad and leaves added.

The last image shows the open card with some layers to allow room for writing on.

This picture was taken rather quickly because (after quite a bit of planning) I have hidden a music module in the card so when it opens it plays Happy Birthday.

It went down well with the recipient today apparently and some requests for a Christmas version for other colleagues has been mentioned!

Not to even start on how you top this for next years Birthday.

More 'Joy'

A few days later than promised after trying at the weekend and my pics didn't want to play!

For anyone that wasn't at Crafty Bunch this is another view of a couple of the joy cards so you can see a little better how they are made.

I used a selection of random papers for mine but all Stampin' Up stamps - to the point where one lady headed for Ebay to see if she could rustle up the now retired Vintage Vogue set!

The first picture shows the cards stood up with the top layer lifted up from the little 'stop' which keeps them flat.

This picture shows the inside of the vintage vogue one.
They were fun to do and it's good to try something different.

Hope everyone is surviving better in the heat than I have the past couple of days - I haven't even been loitering outside and my body still rebelled which hasn't been good.

Back on a spot of card making again this evening though so must be better!

Joy cards

A quick peek at the 'Joy' card samples I made for tonights Crafty Bunch - I must look up why they are called that!

I had not seen them before and it was nice to try something different.

I'll pop past next post with more info!

Bike ride

Sample cards made for tomorrow nights Crafty Bunch - don't want to spoil the surprise though!

Just to throw in to the mix this week (and why I still am vv behind with my quilling!) I was asked to make some cycle-related thank you cards.

Regular visitors may recall there have been a few over the years and as this years are needed for Thursday they had to be quite time efficient.

So I have just made 10 of these:



The bike is an inkylicious stamp which I have heat embossed with black versafine ink - it stands out just that little bit more for being embossed.

The sentiment is from a set that had been on my list for ages, it is 'Bicycle' from Oyster Stamps Our Daily Bread range.  There are a couple of other great sayings and another bike in the set too.

I've just stamped the words and punched out with a circle punch and lightly dabbed the edge of the circle with black ink so it stood out a little against the white card.

SU Extravaganza Day

A quick review of the great day we had with Jenny of Stamping Moments on Saturday for those that were not there!

We did 3 projects during the day and even though Jenny does lots of prep and supplies us with pre-cut bits and pieces it's still a very full on day.

The first project our table did was decorating this lovely little tin and making 5 cards to go inside it.

The stamp set used was Lacy & Lovely.  A set I wouldn't really of looked at twice but have many ideas after having a play which is handy as we get to keep the set for the day.

This project took quite a time to put together but then we had project 2!!

This is such a clever idea.  It is a little organiser with 12 pockets (all made out of envelopes) so you can keep track of birthdays each month of the year.

This did require some patience and lunch took a near miss as I was determined to finish it.

After a quick sandwich we then had project 3.

There were 2 parts to this project and they involved quite a large amount of stamping and punching.
As you can see the 'card' on the right contains a box on its base which holds a box of chocs.

The little card with it is also very cleverly made from an envelope and has a little pocket in for a gift card or money.

An exhausting but very productive day with some more great ideas I will definitely be trying again.

Finished some Crafty Bunch samples tonight so can hopefully post those next.

And many mower ...

What a great Stampin' UP Extravaganza day with Jenny today - details to follow!
I am now completely exhausted though.

Today's card is the 'main event' from a set I have used a bit recently called 'And Many Mower'.  It is a retired American SU set.

This card is for my father-in-laws birthday, luckily he found it quite amusing!

The image and sentiment are one stamp which I've coloured in copics and mounted on a selection of card and paper from the stash with an added SU border punch and some bakers twine.

'And many mower' is a separate stamp in the set which I have then punched out and mounted with SU punches.

This and the golfer quite amused me and are stamps that will be quite useful - hopefully!

A busy day tomorrow with commissions, samples, birthday cards and tennis (only watching) - it was meant to be a gardening day but I think it might be too hot!

Have a par-fect day!

So, a tooth out and now conjunctivitis - what a treat of a week.
Good job we have Jenny's Stampin' Up Extravaganza to look forward to on Saturday!

This card is made from some more stamps from the SU retired American set 'And Many Mower'.  The title will make more sense on my next post!

After getting the set I had a look on Splitcoaststampers for some inspiration and thought the use of the golf ball on the background was brilliant so have very much stolen it.

It's a 6x4" card with the fold at the top edge as I made this in to a stand to go on someones desk.
The 'ball' is a punched circle which has been embossed on a cuttlebug with the swiss dots folder.

I've stamped the golfer and coloured him in copics.  I've 3D'd the hat and golf ball for some extra dimension and paper pieced his shirt.
The sentiment (one of a couple of reasons for buying this set) is stamped and punched out with SU label punch.

Football

Just a few words with today's card - a couple of long days at the velodrome at the weekend and a tooth out today means I'm off for an early night!

It was my nephews 7th birthday at the weekend and I did have a plan for a card but I'm not quite sure what it was!

So guess what .... a box card!

I've used some great paper from Anna Marie on the front and 3D'd some of the footballs.

SU sentiment stamp attached to a wrap with a velcro fastening.

Some masking involved for the Forever Friend bears inside which are coloured in Harry's football team colours.

Some handy 'sky' and 'grass' card in the background.