Kazan's Sketch #15

Can you believe it's been nearly 2 months since I last played along with 2 Sketches 4 You?? Life just gets in the way sometimes doesn't it? Anyway, I'm up to date with all my DT work & needed to make a card for my stepfather, who is in hospital ATM, so I thought it was the perfect opportunity to try out Kazan's latest sketch.
Masculine cards can be a bit tricky but the papers (Prima Marketing: Cavalier) made it easy. The image is from a bunch of replica ephemera that I picked up at the Museum while visiting the Christmas markets at Bury St Edmunds a couple weeks ago - from the 'Home Front' pack. My stepfather has an interest in WWII, so this was just perfect. I distressed and inked all my edges before machine stitching the papers into position & then just stapled the sentiment (SU!) & velvet ric rac into place. Just cuz it's a man-card doesn't mean that it can't have texture! LOL.

My stepfather is much better but will probably have an operation before they let him loose on the world. We don't expect him home before the weekend.

I blew the NaBloPoMo challenge to blog every day this month but I shall carry on with the thankful theme anyway. & who knows ... maybe next year I'll blog every day - one month at least! LOL
Today I'm thankful for:

• Ready Brek. They used to advertise it as 'central heating for kids' & it keeps me warm & nourished on cold wintery mornings.
• The internet. Just this morning I have shopped for groceries, bought a couple of Christmas presents, blogged, applied for a DT post & e-mailed my dad (who lives abroad) ... all before 9am. Later on, I shall be stocking my Misi store with more yummy stuff ... Gotta wonder how I managed without it!
  
• Energy Saving Lightbulbs. I have used these for years ... started when they were still a new thing but now big business seems to have caught on we keep getting them through the post - so that's an even bigger saving!!
  

Laura's Sketch #12

Another great sketch at 2S4U this week. I'd actually already decided to use these papers for my next card, left over from Nina's wedding album (post about that coming soon!), before I saw the sketch. Spookily, that means that, like Laura, I have a butterfly theme going on. It does mean that my card is an awful lot like hers, bar the colour ... but I love it, so I guess it's OK.

As well as the Jolie Chocolat papers & die cuts, I've used kaisercraft pearls & flowers, A heidi swapp felt butterfly & american crafts ribbon ... rather pleased with that bow: 'twas a pig to get right but I love the puffiness of it. Note to self: plain ribbons are easier to tie ... you don't have to manipulate them to get the pattern face up! LOL
I've included a close up of the flower detail ... mostly for the li'l butterfly. It's really easy to make but looks kinda cool. I punched two butterflies from patterned paper (The punch is by SU! ... retired now I think), stapled them together & gently curled up the top wings before sticking into position.

2S4U DT Entry

Here, as promised a couple week's back is the scheduled post in which I share the cards I made for the 2 Sketches 4 You DT Call. Obviously, at the time of writing, I had no idea whether these were winning cards or not ... either way, I really like them so I don't actually lose IYGWIM.

This first one is based on Laura's sketch & immediately made me think pleated paper: I sanded along the edges of every pleat to expose the white core & then gently sanded the top to pick up all the ridges where the pleats layer beneath the surface. The pleated panel is machine stitched to the card, close to the edge of each pleat. Plenty of sanding on the other papers too - love shabby style! Here you'll see a lot of the papers & elements I've been playing with recently - cuz, as you know, I like to use the scraps from my desk for card making. The bird is a Heidi Swapp XL Ghost & I've just highlighted it by dry-brushing beige acrylic on the back. The rhinestones are from Kaiser ... this was my first play with them ~ oh my! I love them!!
The second card is based on Kazan's sketch. I saw the line at the bottom, presumably for a sentiment & thought of creating a slit to tuck the top flap into. Lots of black ink on this one, which I don't use so often, cuz I wanted to pick up the polka dot paper as a feature. A different pile of scraps for this one (still from my desk! LOL), this time Bo Bunny Teen Chic & a Fancy Pants Die Cut, from the Jolly Holly range. The Kaiser rhinestones also adhere really well to velvet ric rac! This last pic shows the card open & yes, it will stand on the point!
So that was my DT entry & by the time you read this, I'll know whether I made the team ... exciting times huh?
A li'l update: So I didn't make the team ... but I love doing the sketches & there's always next time, right?

Kazan's Sketch #12

A bit late with my cards for this week's challenges at 2 Sketches 4 You ... but then I didn't get back home until Thursday, so I guess I did OK! LOL. I'm in the mood for Christmas planning right now - which means looooads more Christmas cards, tags n gifty things. I've been using up my stash too & with any luck I'll get to start fresh next year cuz I'll have used up all my Chrimbo stash ... wish me luck - that's no small task! LOL.

Anyway, the first card is based on Kazan's sketch #12. All the papers/alphas/tags are from the same freebie paper pack I used in yesterday's post ... flowers n buttons from Making Memories (nearly finished this pack too) & some ribbon from my stash ... loving gingham right now!

The second card is from Joke's bonus sketch. I think this is only the second round card I have ever made ... just used a small cereal bowl to make the card base - same paper supplies again, with the addition of the larger die cut tree & holly leaves (from a random pack of freebie die cuts I have), flowers from a Making Memories freebie prize (more about that another day), some odd buttons, A Muse gems & some black Kaiser rhinestones (I love these sooooo much!)

That's me done for today - boring computer stuff to do, so I don't suppose I'll get to craft again until tonight!

2 Sketches 4 You - Bonus Sketch.

Totally loving Lisette's Bonus sketch & card on the 2 Sketches 4 You challenge blog. I had thought that I had some of the Noteworthy journal pages but I guess I haven't so I had to rethink it. Much as I'm fairly sure I have sufficient Christmas cards, I want to gift some to DH's relatives while we are there next week & I'll also be donating some to DS4's school fayre in early December ~ & anyway, I like making Christmas cards! LOL.
This card is all scraps again ... Along with a couple new embellies *smiles* ~ I just love the Prima Artful Collage flowers & leaves - think I have them in every flavour ... well a girl can't have too many flowers, right? Papers are Daisy D's & when I went to get my prima leaves, I spied that loopy ribbon trim in my lace jar ... I have no idea where (or when) I get it but it was just perfect.
Everything on this card is inked, save for the gingham cotton fabric & the lace trims: Flowers, papers & the sentiment ribbon (it was too bright & modern looking). I have a whole jar full of these printed ribbons from various Personal Shopper kits & a couple of other sources - I very rarely use them, so I thought maybe it was time I did. It's not really the sort of thing I use on layouts (although maybe I will) but they are great for cards & altered stuff ... be prepared to see them cropping up over the next month or so - I'm on a mission the clear 'em out & use 'em up!!

I'm not sure I can share the cards I made for the 2 Sketches DT Call, so I'm scheduling a post for after the announcement ... You'll be able to see them on Tuesday 4th November cuz I guess that will be OK whether I make the team or not!

2 Sketches 4 You - Laura's Sketch 11

Red & Black is one of those colour combos that I keep coming back to time & time again. I made this ladybird (from the maya road bugs chipboard) a while ago when I was playing with my flock & glitter ~ it's been sitting on my desk for weeks & this sketch from 2 Sketches 4 You was just perfect for it. The papers were also on my desk from this layout, so it seemed like a good time to clear the scraps again! The flowers are from the Petaloo Palette Of Petals Daisy Layers (Yummy Cupcake & Halloween mixes) & check out my stitching on the printed ribbons ... now didn't I say I'd got better? LOL
Actually, Laura had published some thoughts about stress on the current sketch post, particularly as we face the holiday season (happens every year, so how does it always manage to creep up & surprise us???) & that is particularly poignant for me right now. You might have noticed that I have slowed down, that I am blogging less projects ... but that those projects are maybe more complex & technique rich than before? Yup! I got sick of churning out tons of projects months ago & switched to the new do-less-&-enjoy-it here ... since then I find I'm actually crafting more - go figure! LOL.
So in November, you can expect to see a whole bunch of crafty makes & more cards ... all part of my Christmas preparations. And that's on top of the usual DT projects posted regularly. Yup! November is gonna be an exciting month!
Right now, I have a couple blog posts to do & some to schedule so you don't miss me too much while I'm away! LOL. Oh! & then there's the 2 Sketches 4 You DT to apply for - loving this blog soooo much that I'm totally up for that one! Wish me luck!!

A Very Vintage Christmas

I've been having a bit of a play this last couple days - revisiting old techniques & experimenting a bit. This card is the result of one such experiment. The poinsettia started as a bright red fabric flower & I painted it with Ranger crackle paint - took forever to dry! LOL. The paint holds relatively well but will fall off in bits - so after I had inked it up, I just painted a coat of PVA over the surface to seal it ... v. happy with the result.
I also dug out my old distressing comb - haven't used it for at least a year. Just wanted to shabby up the edges of these papers a li'l bit more - everything is machine sewn & I kinda think that the papers look a bit like fabric with their frayed edges.
I found this challenge site over on the APAAT forum 2 sketches for you - there's some great cards over there & this is my take on Kazan's Sketch #11. They also have a DT call right now ... so I might just apply for it ... what d'ya think???