Easel Drawer Card

 Hello there everyone, hope you are all well this fab sunny weekend, hope wherever you live you have had some sunshine.  Sorry about the lack of posts this week, had a couple of family problems, its been a bit difficult to concentrate and my mojo went AWOL.  Things are a little better but still not resolved but I won't bore you any longer...... onto my card today and its yet another easel drawer card, really loving this style at the moment!   For this card I used 300gsm watercolour card....... its a bit sturdier than normal card  and I quite like the effect of it.  I have used a Martha Stewart punch around the page..... sorry, forgot the name of it! ........ The edges have been distressed with Frayed Burlap DI........  The papers are Nitwits Thimbles n Threads..... Image is Lili of the Valley coloured using Distress Inks................. Flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts as is the small metal corner which has been painted and embossed to give it a shabby vintage look............ sentiment is Lili of the Valley and tag is Spellbinders.... little leaves are Marianne.

I will be back tomorrow to show you my DT card for this weeks Challenge #65 over at Sunday Sketch and Stamp which is a fab sketch by Uma.

Hugs

Sunday Sketch and Stamp Challenge #63

Hello everyone, hope you are all well this lovely sunny evening, its been a glorious warm sunny day here in Cheshire today, hope it lasts, can't believe we are already into July ........you know its true what they say... the older you get the faster the time flies.............before we know it Christmas will be upon us, oops.... I mentioned the dreaded 'C' word!!!!  I keep thinking I should really be making a start on the old 'C' cards but somehow it just doesnt seem right to be looking at snowflakes and snowmen when the sun is beating down!

 This is my DT card for this weeks challenge #63 at Sunday Sketch and Stamp - a fab sketch by Marie. 

The gorgeous paper is Nitwits Thimblesnthreads

The beautiful image is from Tina46Kreativeblog

Stamping around image and edges of card - Stampelgede Grunge Collection

Flowers, metal corner, pearl button and seam binding ribbon - Wild Orchid Crafts

Film strip ribbon by Tim Holtz

Sentiment - Whimsy Stamps

Butterfly - Martha Stewart punch

Lace, pearls and charm from stash

Just noticed ... oops ... the charm is hiding behind the ribbon!  I sent this card to my granddaughter for her birthday so I can't take another photo of it..... note to self ... make sure all embellishments are visible before taking photo .... duh!! 

Thats it from me for today, thanks for dropping by and enjoy the rest of your evening.

xxxxxx

Barbara

Easel card with Drawer

Good afternoon my lovelies, hope you are all well and ready for the weekend.  I really hope this weather improves very soon, don't know about you but I am soooo fed up with all this rain.  It should have been sports day today for my grandson and it had to be cancelled as its too wet, hopefully it will take place next week when it might just be a bit better, we can live in hope eh!!

Onto my card for today, I fancied making an easel card with a difference so hence this little card with a pull out drawer.  I followed a really easy tutorial here by Missmagic 1975.  It was great fun putting this together and one I will definately be making again only next time I think I will try and make it a bit larger.  This one measures 4" x 4" excluding the punched borders.   

The papers I used are Prima - Sparkling Spring

Punch is Martha Stewart Punch around the page

Image - Lili of the Valley coloured with Promarkers

Sentiment - Film Strip Sentiments by Whimsy Stamps

Lace and crochet flowers from stash.

Well thats it from me today, thanks for dropping by

Hugs

xxx

My Sewing Bargain!

Good afternoon everyone .......... hope you are all well and enjoying some sunshine today.  Just had to share my bargain with you all.......... I was so excited when I saw this as I have been looking for ages for a small sewing machine to use exclusively for my cards ............. the ones I have seen have been around the £50 mark which I couldnt justify paying for a machine to just sew card.  I found this little beauty at our local £stretcher and it was reduced from £50 to £24.99!!  Its a really sturdy little machine, ideal for sitting on your craft bench, its got 8 stitch styles and its electric, not battery operated! 

I am away to have a play! Enjoy the rest of your day.

Katies Book Card

Good evening everyone, hope you all enjoyed the lovely hot weather today but I have to admit it was too hotfor me, just nice now its cooled down a bit.  I know some parts of the UK didnt have any nice sunshine today, the weather map showed it 32 degrees in Kent and only 11 degrees in Lerwick!  How strange and unpredictable our weather is!! 

Well onto my card for today and its a very special card I made for Katie for her 30th birthday at the weekend.   I followed a fab tutorial here by Tina and believe me its not as complicated as it looks ...... I really enjoyed this project, if you haven't already done so, please visit Tina's blog, her work is amazing.

Tilda and butterflies coloured with Distress Inks, edges all distressed with Frayed Burlap

Stempelgede Grunge Collection around image with Versamark Vintage Sepia

Prima 'Sweet Fairy' paper pack

Martha Stewart Punch

Flowers and seam binding by Wild Orchid

Lace and ribbon from stash

Vintage Alphabet by Tim Holtz

Birthday verse found on internet

Apologies for the hundreds of photos but I wanted to capture every angle of the card so you can see it from all sides.

Thats it for me for today, I am off to walk the dog before it chucks it down!!  Thanks for dropping by, enjoy the rest of your evening.

Cinderella and Captain America

Hello my lovelies, hope you are all well and had a fab weekend, the weather has been gorgeous today, so hot, hope it lasts, its about time the sun made an appearance!

Well its our youngest daughter Katie's 30th birthday today ...... OMG where did those years go!!!  She had a big celebration party last night which was fancy dress and the theme was Disney or film..... she had to be Cinderella....... naturally!! and this is the dress I made for her.  I am quite pleased with the end result, I had a few nail biting moments with it I can tell you!  I havent done any dressmaking for years, when the girls were little I made all their little dresses and fancy dress outfits for school and the last dressmaking session I had was 13 years ago when my daughter Alison was married and she had 9 bridesmaids!!  So when Katie asked me to make this one I thought it would be a doddle...... how wrong was I !!!  The dress material is satin and the sleeves and 'puffs' are a chiffon type material, well it was slipping and sliding all over the place!!  Then I had a problem with the measurements and couldn't get the bodice to sit right...... however after a few nips and tucks it was ready to attach the skirt, no probs there until I came to attach the zip and discovered I didnt have a zipper foot for my machine...... arrgh!!!  Anyway, I managed to finish it on time and Katie was very pleased with it and everyone at the party was very impressed with it, so I was happy and secretly very proud of myself!!  The photo is Katie with her hubby Gaz.... aka Captain America!!  A good time was had by all with some fab outfits, everyone made a real effort to make Katies birthday a huge success.

I have made a very special card for Katie's birthday but with all the hustle and bustle of the celebrations I didnt get chance to take any photos of it ........... duhh, bird brain I am!!  So I shall take some photos tomorrow hopefully and post as soon as I can.

       xxxxxx

A card for Nana Nell

 

Flowers close up

 

Good afternoon my lovelies, hope you are all well and enjoyed the sunny weekend.  We had a lovely day yesterday with our family for Father's Day, hubby was totally spoilt as he deserves to be after all he has been through. The weather here in Cheshire today is glorious sunshine, hope it stays awhile, it was good to get out in the garden this morning to mow the lawn and wash the patio furniture, those birdies don't half leave a mess!

Onto my card today and its a commissioned card for an 85 year old lady, when I was asked to make this card I immediately thought 'vintage' and 'shabby chic' and knew exactly how I wanted the card to look, I have to say its not far off how I envisaged it to be, in fact I am quite pleased with the end result.  Tricky bit was taking photos of it, I really struggle to take photos of easel cards, does anyone else have this problem?  I really need to invest in a decent camera too, I always think my photos look a little 'hazy' and not as clear as I would like them to be, so apologies for the poor quality.

The gorgeous image is from Tina's Kreative Blog - Tina has some of the best vintage images I have ever seen, do have a look at Tina's blog if you get the chance.  If you like Shabby Chic, loads of inspiration there.

The papers are from Raspberry Road - Shabby Chic 1 and 2

The tag is Marianne die LR0154

Flowers, pearls and Filigree corner are Wild Orchid

Martha Stewart Butterfly punch

Seam binding by The Ribbon Girl

Alphabet letters - Tim Holtz Vintage Market

Sentiment - A Day to Remember (Whiff of Joy - I think!)

Lace and net from stash

Hope Nana Nell likes her card as much as I enjoyed making it.

Thats it from me for today, I have another creation to share with you very soon!  Thanks for dropping by today and enjoy the rest of the evening.

 

It's Summer!!

What a horrible, wet and miserable day!  Who would think it was June......... and to top it all its cold as well, I have had to put my heating on today... I was frozen!  My daughters have gone to Manchester today to the 'Take That' gig!!  They will be soaked wet through, its an open air concert!!  Rather them than me, I will wait until its televised and watch it in comfort!!

My card today is my DT contribution for this weeks challenge over at Sunday Sketch and Stamp which is a fab sketch by Lisa.  The gorgeous image is Sugar Nellie 'Summer' from Funky Kits.  She is coloured with Promarkers, I just adore these images, they are a breeze to colour.  Don't know if you can see very clearly on this photo but I followed a fab sky tutorial by Bev Rochester here using Distress Inks.  Its my first attempt with this technique and definately something I would try again.

Papers - Sparkling Spring by Prima.

Roses -Wild Orchid Crafts

Sentiment - Lili of the Valley

Seam Binding is Pink Tulip - The Ribbon Girl

Bakers Twine - The Ribbon Girl

Charm and Gypsophilia from stash  

I am entering this card into the Addicted to Stamping Challenge, the theme this week is 'Summertime'

Enjoy the rest of your evening and lets hope the weather improves for the coming week.  Thanks for taking the time to drop by!

Hugs,

 xxxxxx

Sugar Bowl Challenge #61

Close up of gorgeous Wild Orchid Crafts - Poppies

Good afternoon everyone, hope are all well and had an enjoyable weekend.  Its a pity the hot weather didn't stay around for very long but the gardens are in need of some drenching, in an ideal world it would rain all night and sunshine all day, but we don't live in an ideal world......... ahh well!

My card for today is one of the gorgeous Sugar Nellie digi's from Funky Kits and this cute little miss is Sybil.  Isnt she just adorable?  love those curls and the dolly shoes!!  She is coloured with Copics and Promarkers, I only have a few Copics, I would love more, I much prefer them to Promarkers but they are a bit pricier so I buy one now and again when I am feeling indulgent!

The paper is Classic K McKenna Pink Swirls, the scalloped one I have no idea, it was in my stash, but it just matched perfectly. 

The flowers are Poppies from Wild Orchid Crafts as is the seam binding, Light Beige

Sentiment is Hero Arts - Sparkle Clear Tickets

I am entering this card into the Sugar Bowl Challenge #61, a fab sketch by Kiki with the optional theme of Love/Weddings.

Well thats it for me for today, thank you so much for your visit and enjoy the rest of your day!

Hugs

Barbara

xxx

Teddy Bo Challenge # 11

Good afternoon everyone on this very fine and sunny day, although this morning it was pouring down with hailstones thrown in, but now its a beautiful day, fingers crossed it will last!

The challenge at Teddy Bo this week is 'Shaped Cards' which I am really pleased about as it gives me chance to use my latest purchase from Which Craft, these fabulous Elegant Step Cards and at £6.99 for a pack of 10 they are really good value.  They are a dream to use and so much choice of different shapes of cards, make sure you have a peek, you won't be disappointed! 

For this card I used 'Strawberry Picking' Teddy Bea,

 she is coloured using Prisma pencils.

The lush papers are a freebie from Raspberry Road - Wild Strawberries

The gorgeous flowers are Wild Orchid Crafts

The strawberry sentiment is Magnolia

'For you' sentiment and tag - Lili of the Valley

Leaves are Marianne Die LR0156

Ribbon from stash

Hope you enjoy the rest of your day and thanks for dropping by!

Hugs,

Christening Card

Good evening everyone and gosh I can't believe I am here again so soon, 2 cards in as many days, I must be on a roll..

... lol!!  

My card today is a commissioned Christening card and again I have used the delicious Girl's Paperie Vintage Whimsy...........I must try and find some more of this lovely paper.

The image is of course Lili of the Valley coloured with Promarkers.

Flowers are Wild Orchid Crafts

Beautiful filigree corner is again Wild Orchid Crafts

Martha Stewart border punch

Ribbon and lace from stash

Sentiment created on PC

Another miserable day weatherwise but ................ it's going to warm up by weekend, yayy!!

Thanks for calling by today, enjoy the rest of your day

Hugs,

Sunday Sketch and Stamp Challenge # 57

Hello again everyone, hope you are all well and enjoying the Bank Holiday weekend and fitting lots of crafting in!!  At least the weather has improved a little, the rain seems to have stopped and we have seen some sun in Cheshire but its its still a wee bit chilly!

Well it's challenge time again at Sunday Sketch and Stamp and this week we have a fabulous sketch by Gry and this is my DT contribution for the challenge.  Make sure you hop on over and take a look at the fab DT entries.  

The fabby papers are Echo Park Springtime

Image - Lili of the Valley Dandelion Clock

Image coloured with Promarkers

Sentiment - Kaisercraft, Mini Clear Stamps - Birthday

I am also entering this card for challenge # 98 over at Lili of the Valley this week which is I Believe in Fairies

That's it for now, thanks for dropping by, your visit is very much appreciated!

Hugs

Barbara xx

Challenge #107 Magnolia and Hanglar and Stanglar

Good morning everyone, hope you are all well and not too wet with the miserable weather we are having, where has our summer gone??

Well onto this card and its my entry for the Magnolia and Hanglar & Stanglar Challenge #107 this week which is a fab sketch by Donalda.  I have wanted this stamp for ages, I think she is so beautiful, she is Hawaiian Flower Tilda. I have coloured her with Prisma pencils and although you can't see it very well on the photo she is covered in Star Dust glitter (the light isnt brilliant for taking good photos today).

The gorgeous paper is Vintage Whimsy by the girls paperie

Flowers from Wild Orchid

Butterfly punch by Martha Stewart

Kraft card from Tracey at Dies to Die for

Lace and rhinestones from stash (oops, just noticed 2 little stones missing from butterfly body!)

I am also entering this card in the following challenge:

Creative Card Crew - Anything Goes

Thats it for today folks, thanks for dropping by and enjoy the rest of your day!

Hugs,

Step Card for Jack

Good evening everyone, hope you are all well and not too wet after all the rain we have had.  Hopefully it's going to brighten up a bit towards weekend, so the forecasters say .............. hmm........ well we shall see!

Seems ages since I last blogged, probably because it is ... lol.... !!!  So much going on at home at the moment, time just slips away and before you know it the weekend is creeping up again.

Well onto this card I made for a friend of ours who has just given birth to a baby boy. I have been itching to use these scallop step cards since I got them from Which Crafts and boy did I have fun making this one!  The cute images are Elines Babies Itty Bitty Nursery from Cuddly Buddly. The paper is from my stash, sentiment done on PC and letters done on Cuttlebug.

I am entering this card in the Fun with Shapes and More Challenge #83 and the theme this week is 'Congratulations'

Apologies for the poor quality of photos, not much sunshine here in Cheshire today!  Well thats all from me for today, thanks for stopping by.

Hugs

xxxxx

Ooops nearly forgot this one!!

Hello there everyone, hope you are all well.   What a strange day its been today weatherwise, Don had an appointment at a hospital near Leek today.  It was beautiful when we left home this morning, we had a nice pub lunch before going to the appointment and as we left the hospital the sun was still beating down.  As we headed towards home we could see really heavy dark clouds ahead of us, looked in my rear view mirror and all I could see was sun and blue sky!  As we got nearer to home the sky was getting darker and darker, then the heavens opened, torrential rain and hailstones, then forked lightning and thunder.  We reached home and had to sit in the car for about 20 minutes, we couldnt get out of the car, we would have been soaked to the skin!  As I am sat here now though, the sun is shining again with a cloudless blue sky!  I know we needed some rain but I think this is a case of be careful what you wish for!!

Anyway, enough waffling from me, onto this card which I made weeks ago and forgot all about it!  I think I made it for a challenge but I missed the deadline..... duh!! so it was put on one side and abandoned.  Not for long though as it was granddaughter Jessica's birthday in April and this card was ideal for her.

The image is of course one of the fab Teddy Bea digi stamps and as a change from Promarkers I used Prisma pencils to colour her.  I just adore these little bears, there are oodles to choose from and they are a dream to colour.  The papers are Eline's Huis Roses are Red and the lovely postcard, which has been distressed with Tim Holtz Antique Linen, is from Lili of the Valley new Additions stamp collection.  The sentiment I did on PC.

Well that's it for me for today, enjoy the rest of your evening and thanks for dropping by!

Hugs,

Christmas in May!

Hello everyone, hope you are all well and enjoying at least a little sunshine this weekend.  Its lovely and sunny here in Cheshire at the moment but there are some dark clouds lingering around so I am sure we will have some more rain before the day is through. We needed a bit of rain... well the plants and gardens certainly do, just hope it doesnt last for weeks like it usually does..... !!

Well onto this card, I know ....... Christmas cards already, but its never too soon to start cos it soon creeps up!  The challenge over at Lili of the Valley is 'Animal Antics' and I straight away thought about this cute James bear 'Deck the Halls' image, I think he's trying to be a christmas tree don't you??

The paper is from Pepper's Christmas Party paper pack.  

Image coloured with Prisma pencils and Sansador.

I am also entering this card into Sketch n Stash Challenge #60 which this week is 'Free Choice'.  They have a fabulous selection of sketches and you just choose from the catalogue the sketch you fancy using. 

This one is sketch # 30.

Apologies for the poor photo quality, the light wasn't brilliant when I took this photo yesterday.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend and thanks for your visit,

I really do appreciate it!

Hugs,

Sunday Sketch and Stamp Challenge #53

Well it's Sunday again (where does the week go?) and its time for another fabulous challenge over at Sunday Sketch and Stamp. This week its my turn to provide a sketch (yayyy!! ) and this is what I came up with. This was my first ever attempt at creating a sketch and to be honest I didn't have a clue but with a bit of playing about here and there in Word I managed to cobble this one together, it's not bad for a first time effort is it? 

Onto my card and I used one of the fabulous Teddy Bo images and this one is Teddy Bea on a swing.  I love these images, they are so easy to colour.  This one I have coloured with Prisma's for a change, I love my Promarkers but sometimes I just like the softer finish that can be achieved with the Prisma pencils.  The paper is Prima Sparkling Spring, the punched border is Martha Stewart Punch Around the Page Vintage Floral.  The flowers are the beautiful new Sweetheart Blossom from Wild Orchid Crafts and the ribbon is Tulip Pink seam binding from The Ribbon Girl.  Sentiment I have had ages, don't know the make, sorry!  Buttons and pearl brad from stash.

Make sure you pop across to Sunday Sketch and Stamp and see the beautiful creations from the DT and there are some fab prizes to be had, so why not give my sketch a whirl?

Thats it for now, hope you all enjoy the rest of the long weekend, the weather has been glorious but its a tad breezy, hope tomorrow is a little calmer.

Hugs,