Crafty Cardmakers and More Challenge134

This time, at Crafty Cardmakers and More, we're gearing up for Mother's Day which is coming up soon, so the theme is For a Special Woman. Since I don't have anyone to make a Mother's Day card for, I decided to make a birthday card for my sister.

I cut one of Sue Wilson's Striplet dies three  times using some pearly card, and backed it with gold mirror card. For the centrepiece, I used a Papermania decoupage flower which I layered on more of the pearly card (cut using a Spellbinder's die) and printed a sentiment to finish.

I hope you can join us this time.

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:

Catch the Bug where anything goes,
Sister Act where anything goes,
Penny's where they want 'one for the girls',

The Crazy Challenge where the theme is 'Birthday',

A Couple of Birthday Cards

I had to make a couple of cards for upcoming birthdays. The first is for my nephew who's turning 21. He's into bikes, so this decoupage from Imag e nation seemed idea.

I used a small version of the image to tile into a background paper over some Photoshop Elements generated stripes, and a larger version to print onto some shrink plastic. I've personalised the card inside, but won't show because I'm very wary of putting other people's names online. The ribbon is one of those pre-sticky ones from Tiger.

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:
Digital Tuesday where they want something masculine,
LEJ Designs where they want us to 'show us your ribbons',



The second card is for a colleague. I made this one a while ago. While the card was being passed around at work for signatures, one person implied that she'd like to keep the card for herself rather than passing it on. So, her birthday's coming up now, and so I did something similar.

I made it into an 8 by 8 card because these image from the Enchanted Dreams CD are too detailed to print any smaller. The paper is from the CD too, and I've used a Martha Stewart border punch and butterfly dies from Spellbinders, and Marianne. To give them some sparkle, I sprayed the butterflies with Crafter's Companion Spray and Shine in irridescent.

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:
Cute Card Thursday where the theme is 'Butterfly Kisses',
Creative Moments where they want 'things with wings',
Flutterby Wednesday where it's an open challenge,
Catch the Bug where anything goes,

Some Commisioned Cards

I make quite a few cards for one particular colleague (and since she's also a qualified hairdresser, I never pay for a haircut!) This year, she's got three men in her life each with milestone birthdays, so she gave me a list of names and interests, and these were the result. (Each card has a name on it, but I've removed it from the photograph. There's very little chance that any of them will stumble on my blog, but I'd rather keep them anonymous for now.)

This card is for a sports car owning gentleman! I've used one of the images from the La Pashe Big One CD I bought last year. I mainly bought that CD for the male type images, and so far, I'm not disappointed! The car is decoupaged, and mounted on some embossed and sanded Coredinations Black Magic card (embossed using a Sizzix folder). The paper is my own design - meant to imply the chequered flag but softened to match the colours in the image. I cut the mats with a Spellbinders die set.

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:
Hotshot Crafts where they want 'One for the Boys',
Craft Us Crazy where anything goes,
Paper Pretties where they want us to add texture (embossed backgrounds)

This one, surprise, surprise, is for a bass guitar player! The image is from Kenny K and it's coloured with Promarkers. The paper is my own, incorporating the colours I used in the image with guitar and bass clef images.

I'd like to enter this into the following challenges:
Crafty Pad where 'B is for Bass Player'
Digi Doodles where they want 'one for the boys',
DRS where they want us to make our own background paper,

And finally for a nature lover! I've used one of the Trinitage sets from the La Pashe CD. To make the background paper, I took an area of background from the main image and stretched it!

Since it's Trinitage, it's got a fairly special inside to the card, although I can't think of a way to photograph this style of card that shows it off properly - the angle is impossible to get right!

I finished the card with some Promarker-coloured ribbon threaded through a Spellbinders Borderability die cut.

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:
CES where they're looking for lots of layers. (Front and inside have three-layer images as well as matting and background papers.)
Crafty Ribbon where they want 'one for the boys',
Papertake Weekly where anything goes,
The Ribbon Carousel where anything goes (with ribbon)

Easter Cards

I don't know what it is this year, but I really struggled to find time to do some Easter cards. It's not like I do an awful lot - just close family - a grand total of six.

I originally planned to use some decoupaged flowers and stitching, and I made one using that format.

And that card was all I managed, until I gave up the idea of stitching, and instead used one of a set of stamps I got at Olympia a couple of weeks ago. It's from 'Words Like Honey', and it seemed like a really useful set of crosses of various designs which will be useful for Easter cards as well as sympathy and other religious occasions. And once I got started, I created five!

I embossed the central cross image with Gold Mirror powder, then stamped around it using some tapestry stamps and a range of Versacolor inks. I edged the image layer with more Versacolor ink, then finished the cards with Papermania Capsule Collection papers, again edged with ink. The greetings are hand-written with my new Promarker Gold pen.

And in more detail,

I'd like to enter the top card in the following challenges:
If the Shoe Fits where the theme is 'sewing'
Karen's Doodles where the theme is Easter,
Papercutz where the theme is Easter,
Delightful Challenges where they want flowers,
Little Miss Muffet Challenges where they want stitching,


I'd like to enter the lower card in the following challenges:
The Res-Q Challenge where they want us to use our corner rounder (which I did, on all five!)
Tellen's Place where they want embossing,
Floweret Stamplar where the theme is 'Easter'
Stampin' Royalty where they want heat embossing,
Creative Craft World where they want Easter cards.

Crafty Cardmakers Spotlight on Decoupage

This week's spotlight on Crafty Cardmakers is Decoupage. Now, I sometimes layer an image I'm working on, but I rarely do 'proper' decoupage, you know, with more than a couple of layers. One reason is that I just prefer other techniques, and another is that I don't trust my cutting skills. (Seriously, if you ever see me with a craft knife in my hand, run!) But, there's one lovely thing about Decoupage, and that's the fact that it combines so well with other techniques, and I decided to combine mine with stitching. (And I bought some die cut decoupage flowers so my sanity remained intact.)

The decoupage is from a range called Prestigious Pearls, and they've got a lovely pearlescent sheen to them. This one's layered with Pinflair Glue Gel (and I've got to say, I've been really disappointed with that glue. Its life in the syringe seems more likely to be measured in minutes than days. Despite retracting the plunger after use, the nozzle becomes blocked and the only option I've found is a complete clean. Silicone is usually ok for a few days.)

The stitching uses a pattern by Vette de Joke from Easy Embroidery on Paper. The gems are coloured with Promarkers, and the paper is from MME.

I'd like to enter this into the following challenges:
Creative Card Crew where they want 'no stamps',
The ABC Challenge where they've reached 'Q for Quilting or Sewing'.

One Stitch at a Time Challenge 54

This week at One Stitch at a Time, the challenge is to make something 'for the boys'. This week, we're sponsored by Joanna Sheen to the tune of a £10 token for her shop. (And don't forget she doesn't charge postage to send anywhere in the world!)

So, no flowers, glitter or lace. (At least, that's how I interpret 'one for the boys'. My oh and two sons would run a mile if I gave them something they thought was 'cute' or 'girly'.)

I was lucky enough this week to work with a pack from Toucan Scraps, and while she does lots of girly papers and packs, she also does this lovely Weathered Wood Card and Gift Box.

I could have just printed and assembled, but I felt like doing a little bit more, so I printed an extra copy of the white label part of the card, and several extra copies of the bird.

Here, you can see the layering and how I 'feathered' around the wings and tail feathers.

And to complete the set, there's also an insert and an envelope.

(I know you can't see the insert, but believe me, it's there, inside the card!)

So, hope you can join us this week!

I'd like to enter these into the following challenges:
AI Factory where they want 'things with wings',
Crafty Sentiments where they want 'animals',
Paper Pretties where they want a masculine card,

Ooh La La where 'it's a Man Thing',

(Although I've linked these here, I won't be available to link to this post until later as I'm off to the craft show at Olympia. Anyone else going?)

18th Birthday Card

My nephew is 18 soon, and I set out to make him a card. Like all male cards, it's hard - even harder than my husband or either of my sons because humour is more unpredictable. (My nephew lives 400 miles away and I see him once or twice a year so I really don't know what he'd find funny and what would embarrass or irritate him.) So, knowing that he's got a motor bike and having spotted an appropriate decoupage set in a recent magazine, I set to work.



The rider is, I think, from Crafters Companion, and he's been decoupaged with silicone glue. the tools on his belt are from my collection, and I must try to get some more of them. They're useful! The tool box is of my own devising. I knew the card needed something else, but flowers and/or butterflies just didn't seem appropriate, so I put the box together on Namo Web Canvas and layered that too. The background paper's mine too - just a simple stripe put together on Photoshop Elements, as was the sentiment. I've also used a Fiskars border punch, and my nesties - the pinking circles to match the border punch.

The overall card is bigger than I usually do - A5 - but the size of the image dicatated it couldn't be any smaller than that.

I'm entering it for the Allsorts Challenge Week 42 which called for 'Cards for Men'. And, despite the fact that it makes me feel old, at 18, he's legally a man!

Anniversary Card

One of my colleagues' parents' celebrate their 51st wedding anniversary at the end of this month. In fact, they got married one day after my own parents, although sadly my dad died just short of their fortieth anniversary. I did a fairly serious golden card last year, and this year, she decided she'd like something 'fun', so this is what I came up with.



The central image is one I got from Craft Creations. I've embossed the raindrops and puddle with holographic powder and decoupaged the image. The background papers I made in Photoshop elements, based on the umbrella. The sentiment is one of those 'needs no ink' stamps which have their own reservoir and it and the heart are also embossed with the holographic powder.