Crafters' Companion Challenge

Since starting my blog on 15 February, almost two weeks ago, I'm discovering challenges! This card is for the Crafters' Companion Challenge 'Romance' which I came across yesterday - and it closes today! Yikes. I had housework to do today but .......I've made it in time and I hope you like it.  I've used silver grey pearlescent card from Papermill, maroon ribbon from Joanna Sheen, embossed hearts made with the help of the Glitter Girls' board. I've chalked over the hearts with Readicut's maroon coloured chalk The 'With love' sentiment in the bottom right corner is made with a Cuttlebug embossing folder. The red heart gem is from my stash.

Sunday's Card

More stamps from Joanna Sheen's plate of Children stamps - the main image is called Sailor Boy and the sentiment 'Boys are Special'  are stamped on to Spellbinder nestie shapes,  and both are edged with Distress Ink.. The card is from Papermill ahd the glitter card, if I remember correctly, is from Create and Craft. The 'water paper' is from one of Joanna Sheen's CDs but I've forgotten which one! Sorry. Photo corners are die cuts from a QuicKutz die. The image is coloured with Lyra Aquamarkers.

It was a beautiful sunny morning but now it's dark and overcast. I'm happy because we've got nothing planned for today so I'm going to be crafting most of the day. Eric is quite happy to do the crosswords, Sudoku and catch up with the newspapers. A peaceful day for us and I hope you all have a happy Sunday.

Less is more Challenge

This is only the second challenge I've ever entered but I'm really enjoying them. This is for the Less is More weekly challenge http://simplylessismoore.blogspot.com/ which I discovered today, thanks to Jan. The card blank, siver card and white paper all from Papermill. I've used Provocraft stamp shape and elephant dies. The white ribbon is from a roll I inherited from my sister. I've checked out all the other entries so far and I was very impressed so I hope mine can keep up with them.

Saturday's Card

Today I've made a card using a stamp I've had for years - it was on a stamp plate bought from Joanna Sheen entitled 'Children'. It's the first time I've used this stamp. The backing paper is a freebie I got with a Simply Papercraft magazine. The stamp is coloured with Lyra Aquamarkers and is set on a nestie circle with a scalloped red Mirri board nestie behind. LOTV sentiment is bottom right and the flowers are from Hobbycraft. The jewel flower centres are from my stash but the leaves are new! My new Marianne die today, had a frame and these leaves so I had a play with them.

Lili of the Valley Challenge

Today I've made a card for this week's Lili of the Valley Challenge - Circles. This is my first attempt at a challenge so I hope you're all gentle with me. My card is made with creamy yellow Papermill card and a peachy gold pearlescent card has been punched with a Martha Stewart punch as a trim down the left side. The LOTV stamp 'Coffee Break' has been stamped on to a cream circular Spellbinder nestie shape, coloured with Promarkers and the edge distressed with Distress Ink before being backed with a gold Mirri board scalloped circular nestie. A LOTV sentiment 'Dreaming of Summer Days' has been stamped on to a matching cream card nestie shape and this one has been backed with a peachy coloured scalloped nestie. Three gold metal 'suns' are set at the top right - these I bought from Create and Craft a few years ago.

Thursday offering

It's a beautiful day today and we've been to visit my sister in the Care Home. She was in a good mood and so we had a lovely visit. After the Care Home visit, Eric, my other sister and I went for lunch at a local restaurant and now we're home ready for play. Well, I'm ready to play but Eric is ready for a snooze on the sofa. The sunshine makes everyone feel much happier so let's hope the weekend is just as nice. Here's my card for today, again, I started it last night and just needed to finish it off when I came home today. It's a freebie stamp that I got with a magazine, coloured with Promarkers, and set on nestie labels, one of which is edged in Distress Inks. I've used a Martha Stewart punch on the background paper and this has a strip of vintage lace across the centre. A narrow organza ribbon from Joanna Sheen is down the left side. The small sentiment was printed on the PC and set on a small nestie oval with a pearl adornment from my stash. The card blank and papers are all from Papermill.

Wednesday - more mice

I made this card yesterday and have just finished it off today. Today we've been to visit Eric's Aunt who is 89 and very fit, apart from being registered blind. We took her out for lunch and she was thrilled to have us there. We've promised that we'll try to visit more often but the days just fly by before you realise. My card today is another House Mouse Design, handcoloured with Promarkers and mounted on an oval nestie with two navy blue ovals embossed with Cuttlebug embossing folders behind. The backing paper is from Joanna Sheen's Precious Petals CD and the sentiment is from LOTV. Three blue flower gems from my stash are top right. The card blank was made with Papermill card.

We've had a lovely day and made an old lady very happy so I hope your day has been as good.

Oops, forgot to save the card image. Here it is now.

Good afternoon

Hello, I've been watching Tim Holtz so I'm a little late today. I hope you're all having a happy day. My work is all done so I'm able to play. Here is the card I've just finished. A Sunflower House Mouse Design stamped on to a Spellbinders nestie and coloured with Promarkers, the edge of the label has been distressed with Distress Ink old paper. Pearl gems from my stash and a little metal sunflower that I've had for years help to enhance the card. I bought a packet of these sunflowers from John Lewis more years ago than I care to remember but have only one left now. Straight embossing down the sides of the card and then finished off with a yellow satin ribbon that I bought in Australia. Thanks for checking in.

Back to a cutie!

Here is another Magnolia stamped image, coloured with Promarkers all from Joanna Sheen. The background papers were from Costco, in a huge pack for scrapbooking. They are very subdued, grungy colours but I love them. There's another Lili of the Valley sentiment and a flower from Hobbycraft with a Crealie die cut leaf. The pearls were a freebie in a magazine many moons ago and the lace is vintage from many years ago - I stuck it on the wrong way round but hey ho, mistakes happen.:) I used my Spellbinder nesties of course, I can hardly make a card without them nowadays. Have a happy day.

Slightly different theme today

I've changed my theme today and here is a 'grown up' card. The owl is stamped on to a nesties label, edged with Distress Ink and coloured with Promarkers and set on an embossed bronze card.All of these from the Joanna Sheen shop! The brown/gold A4 card was bought from our Papermill shop before it closed down. The flowers are from a huge pack I bought from QVC and I coloured them with Distress Inks, their leaves are from a Crealies die. The sentiment is from the Lili of the Valley site. The jewels are from my stash.

I finished Coffee Break Girls card

I did manage to finish it so here it is. The card is made with Joanna Sheen's stardream card, Lili of the Valley stamp and sentiment, sticky ribbon from Hobbycraft, papers from the magazine free pad and teapot button and pink buttons from C&C many years ago. I used Promarkers but I need to invest in a few more colours.

No card so far today

I've posted that there'll be no card today and that's because I've only just sat down! I've had a busy morning but I'm so happy because I've done lots of work. I feel so much better after catching up with the dreaded housework and gardening. When number one son and his friend left last weekend after doing lots of DIY jobs for us they had left a lot of spikey shrubbery that we just didn't have room for in the two cars when we went to the tip. They had done a lot of gardening and we filled both cars but I told them to leave this and I would get rid of it in to the garden recycling bin as soon as the weather got better. Recycling comes on Monday morning and after listening to the weather forecast I thought I should try to get rid of it in case of snow. I put my crocs and a mac on (it was pouring with rain) my thick gardening gloves and dragged it all in to the garage. I then chopped it into small pieces and put it in to the recycling bin, hurray! That was before I'd even made breakfast or fed the birds. After breakfast I put one load of washing in and made a tray of cheese scones. I've now done three loads of washing and the last one is in the dryer. It's time for a rest after a coffee and two cheese scones. I'm half way through a card so if I do get it finished I'll show it to you later. Hope you're all happy today on this miserable Saturday morning. (I think the weather is probably the same where you are.)

Another Magnolia stamp

I'm using my Magnolia stamps again after looking for 'cute' stamps. Over the past few weeks I've made some  cards with cute images and actually liked them! Today this card has background papers from a pad given free with Cardmaking and Papercraft magazine a few months ago - they are very pretty. The stamp and ribbon are from Joanna Sheen and the sentiment is from Lili of the Valley. I'm so pleased I have these, I love them, so thanks to Rosietoes. The flowers are from Create and Craft, a few years ago so can't remember the maker, and the leaves are a Crealies die. I'm sorry the scan isn't very good - it will be a miracle if this scanner EVER gives me a straight scan. If I put the card in the correct place I only get a partial scan. I move the card over the glass and scan and take pot luck. Never mind, it keeps my brain active trying to think of where to place the card next. Lol. :)

Here is a card that I've just finished at lunch time today after it lay on my desk for a few days. I think I might have to put something in the top right corner but that may come later!! Magnolia stamp coloured with Promarkers, flowers and ribbon all from Joanna Sheen Ltd and a sentiment from Lili of the Valley, the background papers I've had for ages. These are the 'cuties' that Eric doeasn't like because they don't have mouths!

It's never too late to smile:
So few muscles needed.
So little effort.
So many benefits.
Smiling brightens our faces and lightens a room.
It can disarm
Charm.

So says Patrick Lindsay in his book It's Never too Late.

I try hard to remember this in my day to day living and it certainly makes me feel better.
I'll try to pop on again later with a card.
I hope you're all having a happy day.

This is a card I made yesterday. I used a flower stamp that I got free on a magazine a few years ago. I made the leaves with my Crealies die. The bunch of flowers is backed with gold paper. The frame and the corners are the 'bits left over' after using one of my label nesties.

I've done it!

Well, after much deliberation I've started a blog. I can't believe it. I didn't think I'd ever have one but now that I've slowed down a little I seem to have more time to play. I'll be chatting on here and showing my creations from time to time so I look forward to talking to you all. Please come and visit when you can and let me know if I'm doing OK. Stay happy. Hazel