Julie's Little ....

.... Helper!  Have to share this picture of my cat wrapping the Christmas presents with me the other night.  This is the "before" picture - had there been another photo it would have been Jess going all ninja on the string and me sucking the scratch on my hand!!

Hoping you all had a lovely Christmas.  We had a lovely day, very laid-back and stress-free - that's because we went to my step-mother's for dinner!!! 

Thanks for looking!

I'm a crazy ....

.... scavenging lady!!  At the side of most motorways and suburban roads here, there are bushes growing more or less wild that, in summer, have either red or greenish/yellow leaves, and in winter, the bare branches are also red or greenish/yellow.   I think they're called dogwood, but I am open to correction on that!!  I've been eyeballing them for years as I drive past, thinking "I bet I could make a wreath out of those".  Well this was the year. I decided to make it for my son's teacher, and here's the story!!

Last weekend, my daughter and I made a bunch of pom-poms in a few different sizes.

On Monday, I walked up to the bypass near our house, armed with a pair of secateurs and a sack.  The kids refused to come with me, wonder why!!  With the traffic whizzing past, I scrambled around in the bushes, cut a pile of suitably shaped branches and then carried them home.

Tuesday, I washed the roadside grime off them, and began twisting them into shape.  At this point, the cat joined in - those branches were whippy - and she thought this was the.best.game.ever - there were twigs, cat and claws flying through the air!!!

Last night, with today's last-day-of-school deadline imminent, I grabbed my new hot glue gun and stuck down the pom-poms, some jingle bells and a ribbon and bow.  Wow, how did I ever craft so long without hot glue - it's such a doddle to use - instant drying, super stickiness - fantastic.

And this morning, before school, I hung the finished wreath on my front door and took photos - still not fully daylight and it was a "red sky in the morning, shepherd's warning" kind of sky so the light was a bit wonky, but here it is:

A closer look:

And even closer:

I'm really chuffed with how it turned out and even my daughter (my harshest critic!!!) said "It doesn't look homemade, it looks professional" - not bad for a virtually cost-free project!!

I'm going to enter the following challenges: City Crafter ("Jingle Bells"), Craft Your Passion ("Christmas Anything but a card"), Brown Sugar ("Anything Goes") and Make it Monday.

I'm so happy, we're now on holidays - two full weeks off - hallelujah!

Thanks for looking!

The last teacher's ....

.... Christmas card, ever!!  My son is in his final year of primary school, and next year in secondary school, he will have way too many teachers for individual gifts and cards!!  So this is the very last time I'll have this particular task to add to the Christmas panic!!  Yippee!!  I still haven't finished the present, there'll be a morning-dark picture taken tomorrow before we head in to school, but here's the card I made:

I used a recent Deconstructed Sketch and I'm also entering the following challenges: Basic Grey Challenges ("Anything Goes" - very sad, their last challenge - this was the first challenge blog I ever entered back in the day), Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge ("Use a stamp"), Stampin for the Weekend ("Use some Red"), Papertake Weekly ("Last Christmas card of the Year") and Creative Inspirations ("Anything Goes").

 

I used a plethora of Basic Grey on this card - papers from two different Christmas collections and a stamp from another.  How I love Basic Grey at Christmas!!  Here's a closer look at the little scene I created - the roof and windows have been stamped twice on different colours of card and decoupaged and popped up for dimension.  I wanted to put glitter on the snowy chimney and roof, but Jed said he didn't want to give his teacher a glittery card.  OK so!



Recipe:

Papers: Basic Grey "Figgy Pudding" and "Jovial"

Stamps: Basic Grey "Nordic Holiday", Hero Arts "Stunning Snowflakes" background

Die: Nestabilities "Lacy Circles"

Other: Font "Yummy Cupcakes", white e.p.

Thanks for looking - wish me luck with finishing the teacher's present!

Don't forget the ....

.... Christmas birthdays!  My birthday is in December, but far enough away from Christmas to have always been treated separately by everyone.  But my friend's son has was born perilously close to Christmas, and it's very easy to overlook it.  He is old enough now to realise if people don't mark his special day, so I make a concerted effort to separate Christmas and his birthday.  I will send off his card so it will arrive in the post specially addressed to him on the right day (hopefully, fingers crossed the over-worked posties can make it happen!) and his birthday present will definitely not be wrapped in Christmas paper!!  Here's the card I made for him:

Update 19/12 - this card was chosen as one of the Top 3 on Charisma Cardz - thank you, ladies!

I used the sketch from this week's Mojo Monday and I'm also entering the following challenges: Little Red Wagon ("Holiday Birthday") and Charisma Cardz ("Your Favourite Word" - I reckon Happy or Birthday are everyone's favourite words!).

I always hold on to string and cord, especially if it's coloured, from parcels, new clothes, old notebooks or whatever, so I was happy to recycle some black cord on this card.  I have no idea where I got it originally, but the hoarding is now justified!!  The card ended up being quite a bulky one with lots of dimension - here's a side-shot:

Recipe:

Papers: Cosmo Cricket "Get Happy"

Font: Computer Generated - "Little Bird"

Punch: MS "Drippy Goo"

Other: Glossy Accents, eyelets and black cord from stash

Thanks for looking!

Dusting off ....

.... my long-neglected blog, oh dear, where has the last month gone?  I haven't been crafting much, but have a few bits and bobs to post, most recently I made another sympathy card, for my step-mum's friend.  Here's what I made:

I used a Deconstructed Sketch from a few weeks back, and I'm also entering Charisma Cardz ("All Distressed").  I love the duck egg blue/brown colour combination on this card - they are the recipient's favourite colours and I hope she likes the card.  I used some very old papers and fussy cut the little medallion.  Here's a side-shot of the layers on the card:

Recipe:

Papers: Cosmo Cricket "Everafter"

Other: Hero Arts pearls, computer generated font

Next, my craft club had our final meeting before Christmas.  We always do a Secret Santa and I gussied up a plain kraft bag to wrap my gift in.  Here's how it ended up:

There are oodles of Christmas challenges out there - I'm entering ABC Challenge ("A is for Almost Christmas"), Totally Papercrafts ("Anything Christmassy but a card"), The Ribbon Girl ("Ho ho ho - Christmas challenge") and Corrosive Challenge ("Anything Goes").

I used some lovely Basic Grey papers, glammed up with some gold card, and made a matching gift tag - here's a pic of that:

 

Recipe:

Papers: Basic Grey "Little Black Dress"

Dies: Nestabilities "Pinking Circles"

Other: Pinking Shears, ribbon from stash

Thanks for looking - will hopefully post a bit more in the next few days!  Don't wait up, though!!

Indulging an ....

.... obsession - my husband is an aviation enthusiast, so I usually try to feature airplanes somewhere on cards for him.  Here's what I made recently for his birthday:

I used the sketch from this week's Mojo Monday and I'm also entering the following challenges: Brown Sugar, Papertake Weekly and Charisma Cardz ("Anything Goes").  I printed an airplane outline and glued it to layers of cardstock, then cut out and covered with white enamel accents.  I also added another pop of white by embossing the stamp - as I had just used distress inks on the tag, the blasted e.p. stuck everywhere, so it is such unclean stamping - oh well!!  Here's a closer look at my bad stamping and good airplane:

Recipe:

Papers: Basic Grey "Wander"

Stamp: Hero Arts "Silly Scapes"

Other: Seam binding from stash, white e.p., white Enamel Accents

Thanks for looking!

The promised ....

.... pumpkin post!!  I've got three pics, the camera ran out of batteries and then we realised too late that we hadn't put the pumpkin lids back on!!

Here's Jed in a blur of movement just as we finished carving, right on the dot of 6pm.  His costume was just finishing in the tumble drier (a gorilla onesie - he'd worn it to the party on Wed night and played football in a muddy field in the dark, as you do) and his friends were at the door waiting to go trick or treating, so there was no posing for photos all costumed up.

Here's Jed's Minion pumpkin - very on-trend!!  This was a hard one to carve - the teeth and glasses were very very fiddly - he made a few mistakes and was upset and annoyed - but when we lit it up the mistakes didn't matter and he was thrilled with how it looked.

Mine - I don't know what it is - a sort of ghoulish melty guy?

Anyway - that's that for another year. 

Thanks for looking!

Happy Hallowe'en ....

.... to everyone.  I'm posting a very quick post - Jed and I are about to go and carve pumpkins (I'll put up pictures of them tomorrow), bit under time pressure, so I'll get to my card.  It's a Hallowe'en birthday card for Jed's friend - his party was last night.  Again, I was under time pressure, then the crackle glazed bat didn't dry properly, then it was too dark to get good pictures (and so the excuses roll on!).  Here's what I made:

 

I used the sketch from last week's Deconstructed Sketches and I'm entering the following challenges too: Daring Cardmakers ("Spooky Birthdays"), Simon Says Stamp ("Anything Goes"), Crafty Creations ("Make it Yourself"), Card Crafters Circle ("Autumn Splendour") and Totally Gorjuss ("Spooky").  I made the letters from the birthday boy's name, and I also made a spring-loaded bat!  I glued several layers of black cardstock together, drew and cut out the bat shape, then liberally coated it with crackle accents.  Then I swanned off for lunch with some friends, confident that when I came back, the bat would be both dry and crackled. BUT, it wasn't!  Eeeek - what to do?  So I put it in the hotpress for another hour.  No difference.  Then I took a heat gun to it.  Eeeek - dry but blistered.  So, as time had run out, I stuck two googly eyes over the worst blisters, attached the spring (from an old notebook spine) and called it a day!!  Here's a terribly lighted side-shot of the bat:



Recipe:

Papers: Cosmo Cricket "Matilda" and Rusty Pickle "Costume Party"

Other: Computer generated font, googly eyes and spring from stash

Thanks for looking - for those who enjoy Hallowe'en - have a fun evening!!

Une carte ....

.... Française aujourd'hui!! Flippin' 'eck, I had to google that spelling, my school French is way past rusty!!  My stepmother's nephew and his wife, who's French, had a baby girl, so I thought I'd give a nod to her French heritage and put the sentiment in French.  Here's what I made:

I used a sketch from a couple of weeks ago on Deconstructed Sketches and I'm also entering the following challenges: Lili of the Valley Monthly Challenge and Stamping for the Weekend ("Anything Goes") and ABC Challenges ("X-tra Special").

I stamped the ubiquitous Lili of the Valley baby stamp yet again!!  About time I invested in a few different baby stamps maybe?!!  Here's a closer view:

Recipe:

Papers: Kelly Panacci "His and Hers"

Stamp: Lili of the Valley "Baby Blanket"

Colouring Medium: Distress Inks

Other: Mesh, buttons

Thanks for looking!

Loving the autumnal ...

... colours around at the moment - it's my second favourite season after winter - and I got to use lovely autumn colours for my DT entry this week on Sentimental Sundays - we're celebrating Calypso's birthday all this month, with oodles of sponsors, and this week, our challenge is "Happy Birthday - Sentiments Only". 

I had a lot of fun with this challenge.  I made a 50th birthday card for one of my colleagues in school - we were at his fancy dress party (70s theme!) last night - almost all the guests dressed up, going to great effort to do so - a great night was had by all!  This is what I made for the birthday boy:

Update 21/11/13 - Jen has picked this card as one of her favourites on Deconstructing Jen - thanks so much, Jen!

I used the sketch from this week's Deconstructed Sketches, and I'm also entering this into the following challenges: ABC Challenges ("W is for words"), Papertake Weekly ("Two by Two" - I've got two numbers and two banners"), Daring Cardmakers ("Birthday Banners and Bunting") and City Crafter ("Trick or Treat or use Orange as main colour").

I made up the sentiment on the computer and printed it onto kraft paper.  Printed the name once more, glossy accented it and popped it up for dimension.  Here's a side-shot.

Recipe:

Papers: Basic Grey "Carte Postale" and Tim Holtz "Destinations"

Other: Cuttlebug "Tiny Bubbles" embossing folder, Doodlebug brads, glossy accents

Thanks for looking!

A special surprise ....

Happy Birthday, Calypso!

 

Calypso is having a birthday today!  We are so excited to share with you a Surprise Birthday Blog Hop!!!  Every stop along the hop has a surprise birthday card or project for Calypso created by members of two Design Teams... 

Sentimental Sundays and Scribbles Designs.

Calypso keeps all of us so organized; is such an inspiration to all of us and also is right there with unfailing support and compassion for any of the team members. Her talents abound and we adore her!

Please join us in the (surprise) Birthday Hop for Calypso 

and stop by her blog at the end to wish her Happiest of Birthdays! 

Happy Birthday, Calypso!

Here is my card:

Now head on over to Karolina's blog for the next project!

Be sure to comment on the Birthday Hop post on one or both blogs 

Sentimental Sundays and Scribbles Designs.... 

one person will be randomly chosen (on October 8th) from all comments collected from both blogs to receive a prize in the mail. The prize will be sent to you and we welcome you from anywhere in the world you reside in!   

Here's the lineup in case you get lost 

(Make sure your last stop is CALYPSO so you can wish her a Happy Birthday!)

We'll start with Angi of Sentimental Sundays

Doreen of Sentimental Sundays

Vicky of Scribbles Designs

Jennifer of Scribbles Designs

Archana of Sentimental Sundays & Scribbles Designs

Deanna of Scribbles Designs

Sharla  of Scribbles Designs

Julie of Sentimental Sundays

Karolina of Sentimental Sundays

Lisa of Scribbles Designs

Cely of Scribbles Designs

Sam of Scribbles Designs

Tracey of Sentimental Sundays

Nick of Scribbles Designs

Sandy of Sentimental Sundays & Scribbles Designs

 

(Your last stop is CALYPSO so you can wish her a Happy Birthday!)

 

Calypso 

I have to show you this picture of my cheeky cat, Jess, who wouldn't get out of the way while I was taking the picture of my card - she kept jumping on the chair and sniffing the card, thus knocking it over.  So here she is looking evil and about to strike!!

 

Recipe:

Paper: Glitz "Afternoon Muse"

Stamp: Kraftin' Kimmie "Francesca"

Colouring Medium: Distress Inks

Punch: EK Success "Binding Edge"

Other: Glossy Accents, Dymo label maker

 

I used the sketch from last week's Deconstructed Sketch and I'm also entering this into the following challenges: Kraftin Kimmie ("It's your birthday"), Daring Cardmakers (colour challenge), Moving along with the Times ("Anything Goes"), Cute Card Thursday ("Signs of Distress") and Simon Says Stamp ("Going Dotty").

 

Thanks for looking - and enjoy hopping!!

 

Easy to know ....

.... that I'm back in school - the house is in tatters, the laundry is backed-up and there's dust on the desk in the craftroom!!  I haven't yet managed to get up at my target time of 7am, keep lounging on 'till about 7.15/7.20 or so and then rushing around like a mad thing trying to get to school on time.  Sigh - even though it's Autumn and I love Autumn, I just hate September!!

Had a nice day on Saturday - I went to a crop and made this card:

 

Update 03/10/13 - Jen has picked this card as one of her favourites on Deconstructing Jen - thanks so much, Jen!

I used the sketch from this week's Deconstructed Sketch and I'm also entering this into the following challenges: Party Time Tuesdays (colour challenge) and Totally Gorjuss ("Stripes").  I used a stamp that my craft friend, Fiona, lent me - wrote the name down somewhere but I can't find it.  Here's a side shot of all the layers.

And here's something else I made.  We were staying in a relative's house down in Wexford at the end of August.  After such a beautiful summer, the hedgerows were groaning with ripe blackberries, so we picked loads and, combined with apples from our garden, I made blackberry and apple jam.  Here's some of the jars all prettied up and ready for gifting:

Recipe:

Papers: Crate Paper "Lemongrass"

Stamp: Will find out and add!

Punch: EK Success "Threading Water"

Other: Hairy string, crackle accents

Thanks for looking!

It doesn't seem ....

.... like a year since our little godson, Matthew, was born - but we attended his first birthday celebrations yesterday afternoon.  The birthday boy revelled in all the attention, smiling for the cameras, doing all his cutest performances and generally wowing all his admirers!!!

Our challenge on Sentimental Sundays this week is "Happy Birthday", so my card for Matthew is also my DT sample. 

This week's sponsor is:

Birdie Brown Store

Birdie Brown Challenge Blog

Donating: 3 digital images, winner's choice

Here's my card:

 

I'm entering the following challenges: Mo's Digital Challenge ("Goodbye Summer"), Card Crafters' Circle and Shopping our Stash ("For the Boys"), Daring Cardmakers ("Heavy Metal"), The Ribbon Girl ("Use numbers"), Party Time Tuesdays ("Anything Goes") and Make it Monday

I used a cute Mo Manning image that looks really like Matthew - the little chubby hands and cheeks, unruly hair and nappy sticking out the top of his trousers!!  Here's a close-up:

 

Recipe:

Papers: Fancy Pants "The Daily Grind"

Image: Mo Manning "Birthday Surprise Boy"

Colouring Medium: Distress Inks

Other: Ancient brads from stash, Fancy Pants ribbon, handmade number and letters

 

Thanks for looking!

 

And another ....

.... one - the usual "end-of-summer why didn't I make more cards?" guilt fest!!

This is for a friend of mine who, as you can see, is turning 50.  Her favourite colour is black, and she's a bit of a glamour-girl, so I went for black with a bit of glitz on her card.  Here's what I made:

I used the sketch from this week's Mojo Monday and I'm also entering Little Red Wagon ("Layers").

It was difficult to photograph - there's so much glitter.  I've been meaning to make one of these rolled-up paper candle cards for ages - it's so easy and so effective.  Here's a side-shot of the candles and dimension on the card:

 

Recipe:

Papers: Basic Grey "Little Black Dress"

Die Cuts: Spellbinders "Lacy Circles"

Embossing Folder: Cuttlebug "Textile"

Other: Black Diamond and Platinum stickles, sequins from stash

 

Thanks for looking!

 



Oops, guess I've ....

.... been having too many lovely days!!  Haven't had time to craft, it's been nicely busy around here. 

We went camping with the Mini Club last weekend, the weather forecast was pretty bad, but luckily, it didn't turn out so bad after all.  We got the tents up in the dry on Friday, some rain and wind on Friday night but nobody's tent leaked!  Saturday was dry, some heavy rain at about 2am, and then Sunday was a lovely day. 

I keep meaning to take a picture of just how much stuff you can pack into a Mini (or two, as we took two cars).  We had five people, two tents, airbeds, bedrolls, lots of sleeping bags, picnic table, fold up chairs for five people, stove, eating and cooking utensils, food, five pairs of wellies, coats and raingear, plus clothes and other assorted camping gear.  A miracle of organisation!

I made this card for the family of an Mini friend who died recently.  He was in his mid 80s, an absolute gentleman, who had restored a beautiful 1960s Mini and drove it like a rally car!  I've stamped a Mini on the inside of the card, but here's the outside:

I used a sketch from a few week's ago from Deconstructing sketches, and I'm also entering this into the following challenges: Crafty Creations ("Shabby Chic"), Papertake Weekly ("Flower Power") and Craft your Passion ("Summer Flowers").

Here's a little close-up of the image - I distress inked the background watercolour paper first and splattered water on it, then dried it.  Then I heat-embossed the image with clear e.p. and added some more distress ink on the sides and edge.

Recipe:

Papers: Basic Grey "Hipster" and "Wisteria"

Stamp: Hero Arts "Dandelion"

Other: Distress inks, ribbon from stash, hairy string, Basic Grey button

Thanks for looking!