Template Card

My friend Debbie has a free template on her blog which you can find here. The template is to make an easier card that allows for 3D embellishments on the inside.

I used the template to make this card for my brother's girlfriend. The cat in the bra stamp in a Penny Black which I have "borrowed" from my Mum as I love it but she doesn't really use it that often. I paper pieced the clothes in the image and H2O'd the cat. The Happy Birthday stamp is one that came free with a magazine.

I used co-ordinating papers and embellishments to decorate the inside.

Raspberry Ribbons Sketch Challenge

Here is this fortnights Raspberry Ribbons Sketch Challenge. This is my DT card for the sketch. It is also another invitation for Ellie's party but this is one for one of the boys in her class so I thought I'd use a Sugar Nellie stamp rather than a fairy.

Papers: Daisy Bucket Designs

Stamps: Hamish by Sugar Nellie ~ Sentiment by Stamping Up

Coloured With: Twinkling H2Os

Embellishments: Velvet Brad ~ Starfish Charm ~ Ribbon ~ Adhesive Gems

New Year Resolutions for 2009

For those of you who have been visiting my blog for a while, you may remember that last year my New Years resolution was to make two Christmas cards a week and that would have worked out fine if I was just making cards for the kids to give their school friends as usual. However what I forgot to take into account was that, as Peej is now self employed and not the IT Director for a large company any more, we did not need to order 100s of Christmas cards and therefore do not need to get any specially printed with our signatures already in.

This was fine for Peej as he just went out and bought a couple of packs of charity cards to give out to his family and friends. I just couldn't bring myself to do that - it's like being a vegetarian and eating a meat dish because it's there and already cooked rather than go and make a meal yourself. You know you could but it goes against everything. So I still ended up with the mad rush of making loads of Christmas cards on the run up to Christmas and I did end up running out of time and so a few people didn't get cards that I would have liked to have sent cards to.
Sorry if you are one of those people.

This year I am aiming to make one Christmas card a day. This is not set in stone and I am not going to beat myself up if I miss a day or two but hopefully it will encourage me to craft every day and get a good stock of Christmas cards built up in the process.

So this is my first Christmas card of 2009 and, between me and you, it almost didn't get made. I suddenly realised at 8pm yesterday that I hadn't made one and was going to break my N.Y.R. on day one. So I quickly whipped this up.
Stamp: Penny Black
Coloured with: Twinkling H2Os
Papers: Cricut
Equipment: Cuttlebug ~ Nestibilities ~ Die cut sliders
Embellishments ~ green ribbon ~ Peel Off Stickers

This second card I made today. It's another quick one, if you don't include the time spent colouring. The gorgeous snowman stamp is one my Dad and Liz bought me for Christmas. The rectangle Nesties my Mum gave me and the Distress Inks I coloured the image with were a Christmas present from Peej. If the papers had been a Chrissy pressy too it would have been made entirely from presents - how cool is that?!Stamp: Rachelle Anne Miller
Coloured with: Distress Ink
Paper: Daisy Bucket Designs
Equipment: Cuttlebug ~ Nestibilities
Embellishments/sentiment: Free with magazine

Christmas Card For Mum

Here is the Christmas card I made for my Mum. I love this lady by Paper Nation as she reminds me of my Mum at Christmas when we were younger. I actually made this using a sketch for a challenge on the Lili of the Valley blog but I was too late getting it on here! Whoops. You will be pleased to hear I have not come down with Peej's Flu bug. I've felt really tired for a few days and had a nap on the sofa every afternoon while the kids were at school and (fingers crossed) whatever it was seems to have disappeared without coming to anything. I'm so pleased, I do not have the time to be ill right now. Right I'm off to make some lunch...

Sketch Challenge

Sorry I've not updated for a while. I've not had any commissioned work for ages and then in the space of two weeks I've have had 5 cards and a chipboard baby album to make, plus a card for one of the "Bunco Ladies" who is leaving next week to move to South Africa. So I've been busy busy busy!!! Hopefully now that I have them all done I can relax a bit and just concentrate on the stuff I need to do for Christmas.

These are three cards I made for a sketch challenge over on the PCJ's blog. The papers for the first card are all by Daisy Bucket Designs and the flowers are Primas.

These papers are all by K&Co as is the sentiment sticker. The image is one a lovely blogging friend sent me.

The papers for this one were sent to me by my PCJ friend, Sabina, who lives in Australia. The stamp is from Crafty Individuals.

Yet Another Christmas Card!

Here's another Christmas card done using my nestabilities in my Cuttlebug, papers by Daisy Bucket Designs, image by Ladybug and Friends and coloured with Twinkling H2O's. I just love these images, they are so cute. Thanks Hanne!

New Years Resolution Card

This is my new stamp that I won as blog candy on Hannes blog. Isn't it just the sweetest?! I love the little bird on it. So cute. The papers on this Christmas card are all by Daisy Bucket Designs, the stamp is by Ladybug and Friends and is coloured with Twinkling H2O's. The sentiment came free with a magazine and the snowflake was made with my new paper punch.

Teacher's Gifts

This is the portable Post-it pad that I made for Ellie's teacher. I made up a little story (below) to go in the card to go with it. Now my hubby thought I was nuts for the story bit but my mum and one of the mum's I showed it to both thought it was nice. I will let you be your own judge!
>Once upon a time there was a reception class teacher called Miss Keane. One day Miss Keane decided that she would take her class to Stapeley Water Gardens for the day.

Towards the end of the class trip Miss Keane said to some of the mummy helpers “The children have been coming out with some wonderful things. It’s at times like this I wish I had a post-it pad that I could wear round my neck so that I could write them all down!”

Little did Miss Keane know that a tiny water fairy, who was dipping her feet in the fish pool next to where Miss Keane was standing, was listening to every word she said.

The water fairy decided to follow Miss Keane around to see if she was a teacher worthy of having a wish come true. Well, the tiny fairy didn’t need to follow her for very long to realise that Miss Keane was a very special teacher who was very kind to the children in her care and who seemed to have a special place in her heart for each and every one of them.

The water fairy said “I will make Miss Keane’s wish come true and she can have it as a gift from the children at the end of the school year then she will know that all the children have a special place in their hearts for her too.”


I was then asked to make two tins one for the class teacher and one for the teaching assistant. All the children were then given two cards and asked to write and/or draw a message for Miss Keane and Mrs Roberts on them and these then went in the tins. It was a fab idea so how could I refuse. These are the tins I did. The papers on both the tins are by Daisy Bucket Designs and the lettering was done with my Quickutz.
And then because I'd made something for Miss Keane but nothing for Mrs Roberts I bought some small boxes of chocolates and made a sleeve to go over each one and then made a matching card to go with it. They also have little tags with a hand written message from Ellie on too but they are tucked in the top of the chocolates.The papers on these are from K&Co and the writing was done on my Cricut .

Card for Cazzy.

On Monday it was my friend Cazzy's birthday who I know through PCJ's and blogging. I didn't quite get her card off in time so I sent her this belated birthday card.
The papers are by Daisy Bucket Designs. The girl, the tulips and the shoes stamps are by Magnolia. The sun and cloud stamps are by Sugar Nellie, all coloured with Twinkling H2O's.

New Magnolia Stamps.

I can't take total credit for the design of this card as I saw this card on Tiets Blog and thought what a fabulous idea to put the shoes at the side, so sorry Tiet I pinched your idea but it is just so adorable! This card I made for Ellie's teacher as an end of year thank you card.
The papers are by Daisy Bucket Designs.
The stamps are by Magnolia and coloured with Twinkling H2O's.
The Thank you I embossed using my Quickutz then sanded to make the letters stand out more.

Ellie's Birthday Cards

These are the cards I made for Ellie for her birthday today. This is the card I made as a sister card from Josh. The papers are by Blonde Moments, the stamp is a Sugar Nellie, the Ellie was done on the Cricut using the Jasmine cartridge. The bling frame is one that Dee sent me for winning her card challenge.

This card was made using papers by Daisy Bucket Designs, The 5 is chipboard which I painted white with acrylic paint then embossed it with UTEE then sprinkled with glitter while it was still warm. The flower is from K&Co although I took off the bottom layer and used it to make a template to do a base in paper to match the card. The Happy Birthday and Ellie are done on the Cricut.

Sweet Sugar Challenge

You know how much I love my Sugar Nellies, well I have recently found the Sugar Nellie Challenge Blog and this fortnights challenge is to "is to make something different with your Sugar Nellies thats not a card!"

I made this tin for my daughter's 5th birthday which is tomorrow and I thought it would be perfect to enter for the challenge.

The stamp is by Sugar Nellie. The "Ellie" and ovals are done on the Cricut. The paper is by Daisy Bucket Designs I think?!

Pay It Forward Rak Cards

These are three cards I made to send with my PIF RAKs. This one is made with paper by Daisy Bucket Designs, the Hello sticker is from K&Co, the flowers and brad are by Making Memories.

This one was made using my favourite stamps which I hardly ever use, which is a bit back to front! There are also some rub-ons on this too.

The last one has paper by Laura Ashley, flowers and brad by Making Memories and a tag by K&Co.