Cards for Twins

I made these two cards for twins who turned 13 a few weeks back. For the card for Grace I used papers by Hot Off the Press. The stamp is by Sugar Nellie which I coloured with Twinkling H2Os. It's the first time I've used this stamp but I think it's perfect for this age range.

I tried to make Jake's card in the same sort of design to Grace's. These papers are by K&Co and didn't have the little tags so it didn't quite work out the same. The image is a Woodware stamp again coloured with Twinkling H2Os.

Girlie Card

I made this card for one of my daughter's friends at school who was 8 last week. The papers are my Hot off the Press, the stamped images are by Kanban coloured with a mixture of paper piecing and Twinkling H2Os. The flowers were made using a die by Marrianne Designs.

Happy Birthday Mum

It was my mum's birthday on Friday. I thought I'd make her a card that was a bit different from the norm this year. My mum loves hot chocolate and chocolate in general so I thought I'd make this mug shaped card in to a frothy hot chocolate card. The papers are by Hot Off the Press. The flowers I made using a die cut by Marrianne Designs

in my Cuttlebug.

The stamp on the tag says "All you need in life is a friend who has chocolate" which is from a set by Inkadoo.

Inside the card I put "or a daughter who has Gooey Chocolate Brownie Cake!" We'd made my mum a birthday cake using a Gooey Chocolate Brownie recipe. Then we spread chocolate icing over the top and decorated it with mini eggs and chocolate buttons. Very squidgy but delicious! Mmmmmm.

Happy Birthday Josh and Happy Father's Day

Today is my son's 12th Birthday. Doesn't time fly? I can't believe he'll be a teenager next year... Ooooh scary thought.

This is the card I made for him. I used some green metallic card that Josh bought me for my birthday last year, plus papers from a set by Hot Off the Press. The image is from a set of Forever Friends papers. The Happy Birthday and Josh are made using Go Kreate dies in my Cuttlebug. I added a couple of small buttons just to finish off.

Josh opened his DSi before his birthday - long story but he got lots of great games for it for his birthday. I'm sure we won't be able to drag him away from it today.

Of course it's also Father's Day today. This card I made for my dad who's away on his holidays right now. Hope he's having a good time.

and this one I made for my friend Charlotte to give her Dad.

and the inside.
Hope you are all having a lovely Sunday.

Quirky Crafts Challenge 20

Hooray! It's the new Quirky Crafts Fortnightly Challenge!!! It's time for challenge 20 already and this fortnight it's Deanne's turn to set the challenge which is "Teddy Bear". You can't go wrong with teddy bears can you? A great challenge.

So I've made two DT cards for this one again. The first one being on a feminine theme where I've used Debbie's teddy bear images from The Crafty Pad Designs and I've used some Cuttlebug embossing borders in my Bug to make the beautiful flower border at the top of the card and the "with love" at the bottom.

For the second card I used a Forever Friends bear and went with a more masculine theme. I used papers by Hot Off The Press which I distressed using brown chalk ink. The Bear is coloured with Twinkling H2Os (of course, you know me so well!)

So if you would like to join in with our Teddy Bear challenge over on Quirky Crafts you can find more details here.

Hope to see you there!

Quirky Crafts Challenge 16

I'm a bit late putting this on here. It was supposed to go on last weekend! Whoops.

The challenge this week has been set my Julia and is to make a project with a "Masculine Theme"

I made two cards for the challenge. The first one is for a birthday I have coming up next month. I've used a Penny Black Stamp and papers by Hot Off the Press.

The second card I made for my Uncle Don whose birthday was on Wednesday. The papers again are by Hot Of The Press. The bear stamp is by Judith at Stamp Addicts. The rod is a die cut by Go Kreate which I shortened slightly to fit better on the car and I hung a little silver fish charm on the end of the line.

If you'd like to join in with this weeks challenge you can find more details, including what the prize is, here.

Hope to see you there!

Thank You Card

I made this thank you card for my Mum. We went over to Bradford yesterday to see her and my Auntie Ann and I took it with us to give to her. We had a really lovely day complete with chocolate cake! Yum. The papers are by Hot Off The Press and the image is of course a Tilda by Magnolia. I embossed part of the backing paper using a Cuttlebug embossing folder in my Cuttlebug. I made some extra flowers using different sized paper punches. I added detail with adhesive gems and a flower charm and pearl brad.

Quirky Crafts Challenge

I made Ellie's teacher's thank you card with the same papers I used for her Retirement Tin so that they match. I also thought I'd use my little bird stamp by Imaginisce so that I could use this card for the Quirky Crafts Challenge which this week is "Animals"

The papers are all by Hot Off The Press. The Thank You is a Quickutz Die which I used in my Cuttlebug. I stamped the bird onto the patterned paper then used the paper piecing technique to give him a blue body and pink flower in matching paper.



I used the bird stamp again and some off cuts from the front of the card to decorate the inside. I used a "Pointy Frame" Die Cut by Go Kreate to create the white space to write the message on.

If you'd like to join in with the challenge you can find out more about it here.

Teachers Gifts

I was looking through my "stuff for altering" stash and found I still had a couple of these paper pad sets left from last year so I thought I'd alter one as a Thank You gift for Josh's 1 to 1.

This is the raw version.

And this is it decorated. The paper and tag are from a set by Hot Off The Press. The wording I did using a Quickutz Die in my Cuttlebug. I added a couple of flowers and a velvet brad to finish.

This is the raw inside.

and this is it after I finished altering it.

Josh's class teacher is actually leaving to have a baby so I had the idea to make her a baby tin. They start off looking like this.

and this one ended up looking like this!

I used papers by Dovecraft and a gorgeous Magnolia stamp that belongs to my mum. The ribbons are a selection from my stash, I know the green spotty one is by Blonde Moments but the others I have no idea!
The only problem with the paint tins is that they aren't very big and trying to find baby things small enough to put in them is not as easy as you would think. They are probably better being used to put handmade biscuits or small chocolates or treats in. Oh well you live and learn!

School's out!

Yes Josh and Ellie finished school on Friday. Hooray! For Josh this is a big turning point as he is starting at the High School in September. It's going to mean big changes for him but I think once the newness of it all has worn off and he settles in I think it will do him the world of good.

On Wednesday it was Sports Day and despite doing many rain dances throughout the morning, the sun shone and it wasn't cancelled. Bah Humbug. As usual Josh ended up in tears after the first 10 minutes and then refused to take part and I was left to deal with him, as usual.

Did I actually think this year would be any different?! No, that's why I was praying for rain! LOL!

We ended up just finding a quiet spot and messing about until it was all over. I don't know why I don't just keep them both off on Sports Day. It would make life a whole lot easier and be a lot less stressful.

On Friday Josh and the rest of the Year 6 kids had a leavers assembly and I have to say I was doing fine until they started singing the school leavers song at the end. The lyrics were along the lines of:

This is our leavers song
We're proud of what we've done

Go from here with confidence

With all the things to come

We've never been so mature

As we head out through that door

We're leaving for ******** High

Time to say Goodbye

There were more verses but Josh can't remember them.

Anyway seeing all the kids up on the stage, most of whom I've known since they started in reception 7 years ago. Kids that I've been on school trips with, walked with them to the church for Harvest Festivals and Christmas services, I've lit their Christingle candles for them and watched them intensely to make sure they didn't set fire to themselves. I've seen them taking part in various assembly's and plays throughout the past 7 years and seen them all grow up so much in that time and to see them all up there singing those lyrics... well soppy sod that I am, I blubbed like a baby!

It didn't help that my favourite teacher at the school is also leaving. She's the only class teacher that Josh has ever had that has actually understood him and known how to handle him to get the best out of him. If it wasn't for this teacher I dread to think what Josh would be like now. She is an amazing lady and I'm gutted that Ellie will never get to have her as a class teacher. I am mortified that she's leaving.

This is the card I made for her.

The papers are by Hot Off the Press and the stamp is a Woodware.

Altered Paint Tin

My daughter's teacher is retiring on Friday. I thought I'd make her a Retirement kit using one of the paint tins I ordered.

I started by covering the lower part of the tin with paper by Hot Off The Press.



Then covered the top of the paper with co-ordinating ribbon.


I used adhesive letters by K&Co to spell out "Retirement Kit" around the top part of the tin. Although it looks really wonky on this photo?! Hmmmm.



When my mum came over last week I asked her if she would bring over her "old lady" stamps, so that I could stamp some out to use on this project. I cut round a few of the images and coloured them with Twinkling H2Os. Then used them to decorate the bottom half of the paint tin.



I added a few ribbons to the handle to finish.

For the lid, I used my Cuttlebug and Nestabilites to cut a circle from co-ordinating paper. Then used another of Mum's Old Ladies to finish. Stamps: Old Ladies Borrowed From Mum
Coloured With: Twinkling H2O's
Paper: Hot Off The Press
Adhesive Letters: K&Co
Embellishments: Ribbons
Equipment: Cuttlebug ~ Nestabilities

I just need to make the card to go with it now.

What a Day!

My daughter had a school trip to Tatton Park today which is pretty exciting in itself but it was also her teacher's 60th Birthday too and to celebrate that and also that she is retiring at the end of this school year while they were on the trip she bought them all an ice cream or ice lolly. How lovely is that?!

Of course, never being one to pass up an opportunity to make a card, I made this one for Ellie's teacher. It does say Happy 60th Birthday on it but you can't see it very well on the photo for some reason?! The little charm hanging off the flower is a dragonfly.
The papers for this are all by Hot Off The Press. I think they are gorgeous and are lovely to work with. They aren't as thick as the K&Co but the designs and colours are beautiful. The stamp inside says "Happy Birthday! How many fingers are you? Shane O'Donnell, Aged 4"
Ellie's says that her teacher giggled when she read it. :-)

This afternoon we had Joshua's statement review. I always dread it and work myself up into a bit of a tizzy over it. We always have to face the headmistress and I can't stand her and she can't stand me. We came to verbal blows over Josh and how the school was treating him a few years ago. I was trying to explain how they could help him as he was coming home very distressed every day (see previous post here for more info) and I was basically told that the school is perfect and that they couldn't possibly do any more than they were already which was incredibly frustrating to hear. Since that day forward we've both harboured a grudge and hate each other with a passion. So the Statement reviews as a result are always very stressful.

Anyway what completely failed to register with me this time around, is that the Head is no longer the SENCO! Hurray!

Last year she was in the process of handing over to Mrs S (Who is our angel and I love to bits because she's so fab!) so they were both at the meeting, this year Mrs S has taken over completely so no headmistress!!!!!!!!!!!

All that stressing for nothing! Bah Bl***y Humbug!!!

I don't mind saying though, it was such a different meeting without her there. It was so relaxed and informal and nice. A complete 180 from all the meetings we've had in the past. The atmosphere was great. In previous meetings it has been so tense and everyone as been on edge and everyone just wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible. Not good.

The SENCO from the High School was at the meeting this time and she took lots of notes on the points we made about Josh and where he struggles, and what he's going to need a lot of help with. She was so positive, as was Mrs S and Joshua's class teacher that he has now. I came out feeling really good about it all. It made a wonderful change. I'm actually sat here with a smile on my face and not chuntering about it at all which is what I normally do afterwards! LOL!

It's mad to think our next one will be at the High School. Wow! I wonder what that will be like?! Hmmmmm! :-)

Cards For Dad

It's my Dad's Birthday on Saturday but he's on holiday for it so I had to get his cards in the post at the beginning of this week so that he'd get them before he goes. Unfortunately I ran out of time for the kids to make him cards of their own so I had to make one for them to give him. I even had to take it to school to that they could sign it when they came out then we put it straight in the post box on the way home!!

I used a Penny Black image which I coloured with Twinkling H2Os and papers by Hot Off The Press.
I used my new plane stamp for my Dad's card from me and Peej. The papers are Hot Off The Press again and the Happy Birthday was done with my Cuttlebug using a Go Kreate Die. I really hope he got them in time to take away with him.

Just Magnolia Challenge

Josh was invited to his friend's 10th birthday party today so I thought I'd use the Just Magnolia sketch challenge to make the card. I think this has to be my favourite Magnolia stamp at the moment. I think its adorable. I used papers from the Retro Pack by Hot Off the Press. The lettering I did using the Moxie alphabet by Quickutz.
For the inside I used Retro Papers again and did the Happy 10th Birthday using my Go Kreate Dies. Stamps: Tilda Sitting and Wall by Magnolia
Coloured With: Twinkling H2Os ~ Paper Piecing
Papers: Retro by Hot Off The Press
Equipment: Cuttlebug ~ Go Kreate Dies ~ Nestabilities
Embellishments: Flowers ~ Brads ~ White Gel Pen

40th Birthday Card

I have made this card for a friends 40th Birthday. Her husband has organised a surprise party for her. It's ok she doesn't visit my blog! She's one of the "Bunco ladies" so we've had a whip round and all chipped in some money so that we can get her something nice and I said I would make the card.

I used a stamp by "My Favourite Things" it's only the second time I've used it but I do love it and I thought it would be great for a 40th card. I kept the card quite simple and embellishment free as I wasn't sure how many people are going to be signing it and so I needed to leave space on both the inside pages for people to be able to write a small message. It's not easy to write on the inside cover if there are bulky embellishments on the other side! LOL! Stamps: My Favourite Things
Papers: Hot Off the Press
Equipment: Cuttlebug ~ Quickutz Alphabet ~ Go Kreate Dies

Birthday Card For Luke

Ellie was invited to her friend Luke's birthday party this afternoon. I challenged myself to make a card with "white space" These days I tend to start all my cards by putting a square of patterned on it, so I thought I'd see if I could make one without. I am very pleased with the way it turned out. This is the inside of the card. Stamps: Dovecraft

Papers, Tag and Images: Hot Off the Press

Equipment: Cuttlebug ~ Go Kreate Dies

Wahoooo! I'm back!!!!!! :-)

I have now finished all Ellie's invites, well the outside anyway. I am hoping to do all the insides today.

The card below I made for one of the Sugar Nellie blog challenges which was "Blue and Green." However with my computer being out of action I didn't get to post it in time and it's gone now. Never mind. That's life! :-) But what would you know? The new Colour Create Challenge is..... Blue and Green!!!! Hooray. So I can enter it for that one instead.

You can't see it very well on the photo but the green paper behind the image has been embossed with "Script" and the green piece with the ribbon on has been embossed with "Argyle". The oval behind the image I coloured with green and blue chalk as the white background stuck out like a sore thumb. The chalks helped to soften it and made it blend in with the colours of the card.

Stamps: Sugar Nellie ~ Stamping Up
Coloured With: Twinkling H2Os
Papers: Hot off The Press
Equipment: Cuttlebug ~ Nestabilities ~ Embossing Folders
Embellishments: Adhesive Pearls ~ Ribbon ~Chalks

Ellie has invited three boys to her party this year, this is a big thing as Ellie has never invited boys before. I decided rather than make fairy cards for the boys I'd use one of my Sugar Nellie stamps instead.

This is the last of the three boys cards. Stamps: Sugar Nellie ~ Stamping Up
Coloured With: Twinkling H2Os
Papers: Papermania
Equipment: Cuttlebug ~ Nestabilities
Embellishments: Adhesive Gems ~ Ribbon

Magnolia Vs Stampavie Sketch Challenge

This is the new sketch for the Magnolia Vs Stampavie Challenge. Isn't it gorgeous?! Here is my card for it. Although I do need to add some wings to Sarah Kay as it's an invitation to my daughter's birthday party and she's asked for a fairy theme. I have already done it with one of my daughters invites and it actually looks really cute!

Stamp: Sarah Kay by Stampavie ~ "Your Invited" by Stamping Up ~ Rhonna Farrah Swirls

Coloured With: Twinkling H2Os

Papers: Hot Off The Press

Embellishments: Prima Flowers ~ Brads ~ Adhesive Gems

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all those Mum's out there in blog land.

I went over to Bradford to visit my Mum yesterday and took her this card and a hand picked mixture of her favourite liquorice sweets that I made my own packet for. This is the inside of the card.

I also took her a bunch of beautiful flowers and a DVD that Peej made for her of the kids when they were little. It's a brilliant DVD, I got a copy for Mother's Day too as well as five cards, two bunches of flowers and a box of Roses Chocolates. I also got breakfast and lunch in bed. What a lazy but very relaxing and enjoyable day! :-)

Mother's Day Cards

My mum was asked to make two Mother's Day cards for a friend of hers and as I needed to make some Mother's Day cards for an article on PCJ's I asked Mum if I could make them for her. She very kindly agreed and these are the two cards I made. This is the inside.

This is the second one.

and the inside.

Papers: Hot Off The Press

Stamps: Hedgehogs by Penny Black ~ Sentiment by Inca Stamps

Coloured with: Twinkling H2Os

Equipment: Cuttlebug ~ Nestibilities ~ Flower Punch

Embellishments: Prima Flowers ~ Adhesive pearls ~ Brads ~ Ribbon

You can see more examples and a beautiful altered tin by Debbie on Papercraft Junkies here.