Bookmarks...

Both my daughter and I are avid readers and we both buy books like there is no tomorrow.  Just the other day (after finding one on the shelf that I'd crazily bought for the second time) we decided we needed a bit of organisation.  Laura bravely took on the job of writing each and everyone of them in a notebook to try and bring some order into our book mania.  The number of books she wrote down was/is scary.  Oh my goodness I have nearly as many books as I do rubber stamps and that is a lot!  

Anyhow as she had took on this tedious job I decided to make a sort of 'thank you ' bookmark and one for myself too as with 175 books to get through we both need to do some serious reading.  I've added a name tag on Laura's, but I guess the pink gave the game away anyway.

The stamps I've use are by Stamptivity and are available from Debbie Moore Designs.  There are actually 3 different sets, but I particularly have a fondness for dandelion images (not on the lawn though) so I chose that set.  I actually got an email from the company yesterday and they have free postage till the end of September and if you add the code STAMP10  there is 50% off. What a bargain?

My bookmarks are also for the following challenges...

• Totally Stampalicious - Bookmarks
• Rainbow Lady's Challenge Blog - Black, white and silver.
• Tuesday Taggers - Books

Phew two posts in one day - amazing.  Back at work tomorrow so got to make the best of a free day.

Ann xxx

A romantic dance...

Another anniversary card - I am going to be so organised this year. This time I have used a silhouette stamp from a set of clear stamps by Stamptivity. My daughter loves this image and encouraged me to buy the set - as if I need encouragement! The card layout is an adaptation of a sketch set in a challenge at Ismaki a little while back.

My card is for the challenge at Cute Card Thursday where the theme this week is Music and Dance.

Materials used:

• silhouette stamp by Stamptivity
• black glitter card
• Cuttlebug Divine Swirls embossing folder
• silver mirri card and black card
• silver brads and peel off sentiment from stash

First Christmas Card 2009...

Oh my goodness can you believe it? I'm not sure I can!!

The three crowns I've used are from a company called Stamptivity, who do some really amazing stamp designs. They also have their own group at http://www.papercraftplanet.com/ and just this week have started a weekly challenge. The theme this week is glitter which led to my crowns mounted on gold and embellished with gems.

My card is also for the 'open themed' challenge at http://wednesdaystamper.wordpress.com/.

Materials used:

• Stamptivity stamp set
• gold mirri card
• cream hammer card
• gold sentiment and corner peel offs
• gems from stash

Embossed Special Christmas Card...

Another card using that gorgeous set of silhouette stamps from Stamptivity. I'm really proud of this one as it uses 5 different stamps on the same piece of card and not one blotch or slightly wonky bit of stamping - an amazing feat!!!

The red frame around the central image is embossed with a holly border using the Fiskar's Shapeboss, which I love. You can't see it very well in the photo but in real life it is very effective (honest). The challenge at http://thesecretcraftersaturdaychallenge.blogspot.com/ this week is embossing so this card is perfect for that.

I am also entering my card for Suzanne's challenge at http://suzannelily.wordpress.com/. Suzanne is very much aware that most of us are very busy finishing off our preparations for Christmas and so she made her challenge one that most of us might be thinking about anyway. She wanted us to make a card `That has a sentimental thought behind it `.

My card is for my Mum and the sentimental thoughts behind are perhaps too deep to express here. Perhaps the photo of the inside of the card might express some of my thoughts for me.

Snowy Christmas...

My very first card made at my new desk - did I tell you I had a new desk - lol - well maybe once or twice!!

I really can't seem to stop making Christmas cards (or buying yet more stamps on a Christmas theme). I really must stop now, but this Christmas silhouette stamp was just too hard to resist. It's part of a clear stamp set by a company called Stamptivity. The stamps in their range are just gorgeous. The corners and the sentiment I've used are part of the same set.

My card fits the challenge at http://stampchallenges.blogspot.com/ where the theme is 'Snow Somethings' and also the challenge at http://lotstodocallenges.blogspot.com/ where the the theme is Christmas.

Materials used:

• New desk
• white and black card
• Cuttlebug swirls embossing folder
• Stamptivity Christmas stamp set
• ultra fine glitter and gems (not easily to see in photo)

Gift bags...

Christmas is definitely getting nearer and thanks to challenges giving a bit a push in the right direction I think card wise I am actually well organised. I wish I could say the same for challenges as I was going to enter these two gift bags for the challenge at http://www.dutchdare-cardchallenges.blogspot.com/ but it seems that particularly challenge is well and truly over.

I know I'm usually late with my entries but I've never been two weeks late before!!! Make mental note to update challenge list more carefully!! LOL!

Anyway these two bag are some that I made with daughter last weekend. I bought a set of 4 at Poundland with the intention of 'changing' them.

Shelley, my daughter, did the red one. Isn't it fabulous? She used the Christmas stockings from that gorgeous clear stamp set I have from Stamptivity and did some paper piecing.

I'm embarrassed to say that the other one is mine and I was so lazy and used peel offs, but in my defence I was helping my daughter's friend to do hers and I was chatting to a friend on the phone in the middle of it all so that is my excuse.

Materials used silver gift bag:

• white card
• snowflake cuttlebug folder
• silver holographic card
• silver bauble peel offs
• silver sentiment peel offs
• white organza ribbon

Materials used red gift bag:

• white and red card
• clear stocking stamps by Stamptivity
• gold border and stocking peel off

Hand drawn element + sketch...

The challenge at http://artygirlzchallengeblog.blogspot.com/ is to use a hand drawn element in your design and it doesn't have to be something elaborate which is perhaps as well in my case!!

I had already started work on this fantastic sketch at http://cutie-sunday.blogspot.com/ and really needed to make my green layer on the card match the rest of the papers.

Using a black marker I drew the irregular square on to the green paper to match the cream layer and then used a fine tipped pen to draw the stitching line all the way round. I was really pleased when my daughter thought the paper was already made that way - yeah it must be a good match.

The green bauble is a clear stamp by a company called Stamptivity and is stamped on to the green paper, cut out and then topped with a bow. All the other images and main frame were cut from papers in my stash which I believe were originally from the English Paper Company.

Materials used:

• white base card
• papers from stash
• clear stamp by Stampivity
• green organza ribbon
• black card