Tiles

Card production is still on high as I'm managing to sell them for CRUK.  So to add variety to my sales box I decided to follow the slightly more unusual sketch over at Sketch Saturday.

I used some Hero Arts flower heads, mounted on stitched border tiles (cut using SSS dies), then set these tiles onto a tiled paper by Doodlebug, the result being...

Challenges;
Sketch Saturday
PB@Allsorts - Birthdays
Stamping Sensations - One for the girls
Dragonfly Dreams - Spring is in the air
Jx

...and thank you so much for my wonderful $25 Simon Says Stamp prize, Jx

Box Card

This must be a first - me doing the latest crafty trend item!  Normally these projects come and go and pass me by, but not this time!

Welcome everyone to the latest challenge over at Diva's by Design, which is

Anything Goes

and we are sponsored by Bunny Zoe Crafts this week so there is a fab prize up for grabs.

But first, back to my project - a box card made after my blogging friend Ann insisted I have a go as they were so easy! (It was the last bit that swayed it for me!)

And here is my little work of art!

So Ann, the instructions you sent me were perfect, the box was easy to put together and there were only 2 things I didn't like.

No 1 - I don't have stamps and dies that work together, so all my flowers were hand cut which took a while & worse than that, it meant the hoover had to come out as I made a mess with paper clippings!

No 2 - was fair delighted with my floral arrangement till I tried flattening it and puting it in an envelope... my creation is a bit wide so the secateurs will have to come out!

So for those of you who haven't yet had a go at one of these, I urge you to do so - here are Ann's basic instructions which are simple to follow,

Score an A4 card in landscape at 7, 14, 21 & 28 cm.
Turn to portrait and score at 7 & 15 cm.
Cut off at 15cm and use this bit to make 2 inside supports approx 2cm deep for inside the box.  These should be 7cm wide + a 1cm scored tab at either end so they can be glued in place.
Next, cut the 4 shorter scores (7cm) so the crease line to create the box flaps and glue together.

I know this sounds a bit complex, but honest it's not.  Once you start working with the card and visulise the finished product the folds and cuts make sense.

Challenges;
Stamping Sensations - Anything Goes
Stampin With The Dragon - Flowers
A Little Bit Crafty - Flower Power
4 Krafty Girlz - Anything Goes
Charisma Cardz - May Flowers
Crafty Little Fairies - In the garden
Creative Knockouts - Lots of Layers
Top Tip Tuesday - Here comes Summer

Finally, I just want to thank my fellow Diva's for having me on the design team this last year.  I've loved working with you all and am sure our paths will cross in the future.

Training Update
Well folks, I hang my head in shame, the schedule has gone to pot, there has been no exercise for days as I have a horrid cold and cough.  I'm breathless just going about the house so to try and run would be pointless. Hopefully training will resume before the week is out!

CaS - Stamping on Designer Paper

I do love CaS cards and one of my favourite CaS challenges at the moment is CASual Friday.  This week their challenge was to stamp on designer paper. so I whipped out an old MME sheet and this is what I made.

The stamps used are from a Hero Arts clear set bought a few years ago.  The card is finished with a doodle border.

Challenges;
CASual Friday - Stamp on design paper
Sweet Stampin - Oodles of Doodles Jx

26th May
Yipee! My card was in the spotlight over at Sweet Stampin and won me a £10 voucher over at Crafter's Companion.

Read All About It!

It's taken me all week to get round to doing this card, but I really wanted to do this one.  The challenge at Polka Doodle was to use news paper, & as soon as I saw it, I could picture my card - so here it is:-

The stamp is a favourite of mine by Hero Arts called Dogwood, and its simply stamped on a newspaper, cut out and mounted on white card. The edges are also inked with TH Pumice.  Simple really, but I love the effect!

Polka Doodles - Paper Piecing with News Paper
Penny Black & More - Anything goes Jx

Cupcakes

Another Cupcake thank you - this time for Craft Your Days Away again using my Hero Arts Stamp & Dovecraft papers. Jx

More Cupcakes

Another cupcake thank you, this time for the where the prize is some lovely Funky Kits Stamps.

The image is Hero Arts, I've paperpieced the cupcake case, coloured the image with Promarkers & added a ribbon & bow. Papers are by Dovecraft.

Stamp Something - Thank you Jx

Kath's Class

Gosh, it's almost a week since I last posted on here so I have a few cards to mention and a few more to catch up on. (Production always falls during school holidays!)

So, my first post of the night is about the wonderful craft class I went to in the Papeterie yesterday, taken by Kath Stewart. What a great class it was, and how helpful Kath was in guiding us through matting - a technique new to me and several others in the class.

The other exciting bit about yesterday was that I finally met up with Ann my blog buddy from Annie's Place. After a slight hic-cup at the beginning of the day and her bus being late in, followed by me disappearing off into Hobby Craft, never to be found, we eventually met up & enjoyed each others company throughout the day. So much so that I think we will be repeating the exercise in the coming months.

So thanks Kath for a brilliant class, & thanks Ann for travelling north to meet up. Jx

Less Is More

I struggle to make sympathy cards, but when I saw the challenge over on Less is More I thought it might help me a bit with a card I had to make.

Stamp - Hero Arts + Card Candi. Jx

Cupcake Card

This is one of my favourite big stamps at the moment. It's a Hero Art's cling stamp, & it's just perfect for paper piecing. My card uses blue/green Doodlebug paper which is the challenge on Crafty Creations this week. I've also used paper piecing and Cuttlebug embossing which are two of my favourite techniques - along with card candi & ribbon, two of my favourite embelishments which links with the favourites challenge over on Top Tip Tuesday.
Finally it's a special birthday card - a 40th - which also ties in with the Crafty Catz challenge this week. Jx

Cupcake

The sketch over on Sketch & Stash this week tied in perfectly with this large Hero Arts Cupcake stamp so I had to put the two of them together! I also did a bit of paper piecing on my paper case to link with the I Love Promarkers Challenge.

Papers - Cream - K & Co; Green - My Minds Eye. Colouring done with Promarkers. Jx