Have a 'Mice' Retirement

The lady who was my mentor when I started my career 25 years ago was planning to to take her well-earned retirement today, but I think all this current mess has meant she's had to change her plans with just days to go.  All that hard work to get to the finishing post has been thwarted at the last minute.  It felt odd enough to think of her leaving, because she's been such a key part of the company for so long.  She's one of those people who do so much without recognition that the company's real loss cannot be anticipated, and will only be realised once she's gone. I hope she gets to enjoy her retirement really soon.

Anyhoo, I've used a sweet Lili of the Valley image on a card I made for her. I've edited the 'with love' text and covered it over with a typed 'Good Luck' sentiment instead.  I've also added 'Enjoy your retirement' in the same font.  Hopefully I'll be able to give it to her soon.

Water-coloured on Langton Watercolour paper with Ranger Distress Ink Reinkers:

• Mice: Antique Linen, Brushed Corduroy, Vintage Photo, Tattered Rose
• Grass: Bundled Sage, Peeled Paint, Forest Moss
• Pencil: Milled Lavender, Wilted Violet, Antique Linen, Frayed Burlap
• Tag: Old Paper, Milled Lavender, Dusty Concord
• Sky: Milled Lavender

Card Recipe:

• LOTV Love Tag
• Creative Expressions Chic Floral papers
• Organza Wired Ribbon
• Wild Orchid Crafts Cosmos Daisy
• Wild Orchid Crafts Open Roses
• Wild Orchid Crafts Hip Rosebuds
• Wild Orchid Crafts Mini Rosebuds
• Wild Orchid Crafts Lily Flowers
• Crealies Crea-Nest-Lies XXL41 Pierced Circles
• Card Making Magic Die Set Easel
• Circle Cutter

I've been inspired by:

• Simon's Monday Challenge - Spring Mood Board (purples, florals)
• Simon's Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes

Happy crafting
Annette
xx

Good Luck on your New Adventure

I'm feeling 'lost in space' today with my astronaut themed scene using a set from Gerda Steiner.  I stamped the little guy, his martian buddy, the spaceship and masked them all along with the moon (a plain masked circle) before using my dauber to ink around the edge of the card with some DI Stormy Sky, Faded Jeans and Black Soot inks.  I then coloured my scene trying to give a little moon-glow to my spaceman's outfit and shaded the moon with some Scattered Straw ink.  I stamped the sentiment at the end to finish it off.

Water-coloured on Langton Watercolour paper with Ranger Distress Ink Reinkers:

• Hair: Antique Linen, Brushed Corduroy, Vintage Photo, Gathered Twigs, 
• Skin: Tattered Rose, Tea Dye, Worn Lipstick
• Martian: Twisted Citron, Shabby Shutters, Mowed Lawn, Peeled Paint, Forest Moss
• Sky: Stormy Sky, Faded Jeans, Black Soot
• Reds: Abandoned Coral, Fired Brick, Aged Mahogany
• "Whites": Weathered Wood
• Spaceship: Weathered Wood, Hickory Smoke, Black Soot, Tumbled Glass
• Flame: Fossilized Amber, Spiced Marmalade, Carved Pumpkin, Rusty Hinge
• Moon: Scattered Straw

Card Recipe:

From Dies To Die For:

• Gerda Steiner Blast Off
• Versafine Ink Pad

I've been inspired by:

• Simon's Monday Challenge - Road Trip
• Gerda Steiner - Share Your Designs

Happy crafting
Annette
xx

Lucky Mouse

There's a new release at Lili of the Valley today and hot off the press is my sample featuring one of the new images.  This one's called Lucky Mouse and he's really cute.  I managed to find a clover charm too that's been looking for a home for a while.

Card Recipe:

• Lucky Mouse from Lili of the Valley
• Button Twine
• Frantic Stamper Stitched Scene Builder Edges
• Watercoloured with Ranger Distress Ink Reinkers
• The Langton Watercolour paper
• Clover silver charm

I've been inspired by:

• Simon's Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes
• Allsorts - Metal Charms
• Country View Crafts - 30 Minute Challenge

Happy crafting
Annette
xx

Believe in You

This is a card that I made for one of my colleagues who had just had a promotion to take charge of our company's IT function.  It was previously something that had officially fallen under my remit (along with my normal day-job), but despite dabbling in programming when I was in my early 20s and having an active interest in technology since then, I have no formal training in IT.  My IT role was really a liaison between the technical IT team, which he managed, and the company's managing board.  I was therefore more than happy to relinquish that responsibility to someone who could actually push the right buttons (so to speak!) when needed. Since IT underpins almost everything that we do, I appreciated it was a daunting responsibility for him to take on, so the sentiment I used made us both smile!

Card Recipe:

• Image - Oliver Game Boy from LOTV
• Sentiment - Sweet & Simple from LOTV
• Colouring - Distress Ink Reinkers
• Stazon Ink Pad
• The Langton Watercolour paper

I've been inspired by:

• Simon's Wednesday Challenge - CAS

Happy crafting
Annette
xx

Good Luck Jasmine

Just a quickie from me tonight because I'm still catching up on my unposted creations.  This is another sample from my pull-out feature in Papercraft Essentials issue 135 featuring Jasmine laptop from Lili of the Valley and Time For Tea Cottage papers from Nitwits.  

Card Recipe:

• Image - Jasmine Laptop from Lili of the Valley
• Sentiment - Sweet & Simple from Lili of the Valley
• Colouring - Distress Ink Reinkers
• Nitwits Papers - Time For Tea Cottage Collection
• Stazon Ink Pad
• Lawn Fawn stitched scalloped border
• The Langton Watercolour paper
• Pink Button Twine
• Cosmos Daisy

I've been inspired by:

• Bunny Zoe - Summer Florals
• Creatalicious - Anything Goes
• Seven Hills Craft - Colour challenge (Strawberry one) using Scalloped Border
• The Ribbon Girl - Any Image

Happy crafting
Annette
xx

Good Luck

Today is my first post since I joined the uber talented DT at My Mum's Craft Shop and I'm a teensy bit nervous!

My début creation features Stamping Bella's Woodsies Maisy and Madeline have some tea. It's my first time stamping these little furballs too, and I must admit I think they're adorable.

I made this card as a Good Luck card, but really the image could be appropriate for almost any occasion, possibly even a 'with sympathy' which I find is a really difficult theme to get right.

I also think this image would make a great 'thinking of you' card, which are my favourites because those kind of cards just whisper in someone's ear: 'even though it's not a special occasion day, you're still in my thoughts'.

Card Recipe:

• Stamping Bella Woodsies Maisy and Madeline have some tea
• MFT Stitched Rounded Rectangles
• Typed Sentiment
• Colouring - Distress Ink Reinkers
• LOTV paper pad (retired)
• Stazon Ink Pad
• The Langton Watercolour paper
• Flat Backed Pearls
• Whiff of Joy Bunting dies
• Star nesting dies

I've been inspired by:

• Cupcake Inspirations - Patterns
• Crafty Calendar - Anything Goes

Happy crafting
Annette
xx

Patsy - Good Luck

This is the final sample of my set of 4 for Crafty Sentiment Designs, and this one is 'Dressing Up' with one of the sentiments from the same set.  I love the bright reds on this one, and one of my favourite layouts too.

And here's a close up of her when she was on the TV last Friday with Suzette!!!  :0)

Card Recipe:

• Image & Sentiment - Dressing up by Crafty Sentiment Designs
• Colouring - Alcohol Markers
• Lili of the Valley paper pad
• Momento Stamp Pad Ink
• Wild Orchid Craft Flowers
• My Favourite Things Stitched Circles
• WOC & Mulberry Flowers
• 15mm Satin Ribbon
• Button Twine
• Flat Backed Pearls

I've been inspired by:

• Ribbon Girl - Any Image

Happy crafting
Annette
xx

Patsy - Dressing Up

Today I'm sharing my second card featuring the new release at Crafty Sentiment Designs available from Hochanda TV.  This one's called Dressing Up and includes the sentiment.

And here is my card on TV from a screenshot I took during Suzette's show yesterday.  You were fab Suzette!!!  I loved the shows and it was fabulous to see both you and our cards on the screen.

Card Recipe:

• Image and Sentiment - Dressing Up by Crafty Sentiment Designs
• Colouring - Alcohol Markers
• Lili of the Valley paper pad
• Momento Stamp Pad Ink
• Wild Orchid Craft Flowers
• My Favourite Things Stitched Ovals
• Lawn Fawn Stitched Scalloped Border die
• Memory Box Stitched Clouds
• WOC & Mulberry Flowers
• Flat Backed Pearls

I've been inspired by:

• Simon's Monday Challenge - Best Friends
• Winter Wonderland - Something New (brand new stamp only released yesterday!)
• Simon's Wednesday Challenge - Create with Critters

Happy crafting
Annette
xx

Good Luck Barry - Pink

I was recently tasked with making two 'good luck' cards for some students, one masculine and one feminine.  The masculine one was posted last month (here) and today's is the pink and girlie one  :0)

It's given me the opportunity to use my Vintage Summer Basics paper pad again.  I really love the soft colours in this pad but it's getting used up rather too fast as I'm a little bit addicted to it!

Card Recipe:

• Image and sentiment - Barry Good Luck from Stampfairy
• Colouring - Promarkers, Copics
• Clouds - Dovecraft chalks
• Maja Design Vintage Summer Basics paper pad
• Magnolia Doohickey Border Die
• Cardworks Card base
• Neenah Classic Crest White Stamping Card
• Vintage Style Ribbon
• Pearls
• Crystal Glamour Dust
• Glossy Accents

I've been inspired by:

• Nordsalten Hobbyklubb - Round
• Simon's Wednesday Challenge - Back to School
• Sparkles Challenge - Back to School

Happy crafting
Annette
xx

Good Luck Barry

I'm sharing the first of 2 Good Luck cards I've made recently; this was one for a guy, so I tried to keep it masculine.

I used twine instead of ribbon and there's a distinct lack of embellishments.  Not a pearl in sight!  OK, so I did sneak in a little charm (to match the clover in the image) but c'mon, cut me a little slack!! I steered away from feminine satin ribbon and pearls, surely a little bit of metal is still masculine?

I've also used some blue papers from my gorgeous new Maja Designs Vintage Summer Basics pad.  I am really loving these papers, they're almost too good to use!

Card Recipe:

• Image and sentiment - Barry Good Luck from Stampfairy
• Colouring - Promarkers, Copics
• Maja Design Summer Basics paper pad
• Clouds - Dovecraft chalks
• Cardworks Card base
• Neenah Classic Crest White Stamping Card
• Blue Twine
• Clover Metal Charm

Happy crafting
Annette
xx

Good Luck Barry

I've got a 'just for fun' card to share today, and it features Barry the bear.  I've not used him for a while so it was good to see him again!  Green isn't a colour that I use a lot, as it's not one of my favourites, but these papers are so pretty that I didn't mind!

Card Recipe:

• Image and Sentiment - Barry Good Luck from Stampfairy
• Colouring - Copics
• Cardworks Shaped Card base
• Nitwits Digi Papers
• Neenah Classic Crest White Stamping Card
• Pearls
• Crystal Glamour Dust
• Glossy Accents
• Green Bakers Twine from The Ribbon Girl
• Border die

I've been inspired by:

• The Sketchy Challenge
• Simon's Wednesday Glitter Challenge
• The Ribbon Girl Colour Challenge
• Simon's Monday Lucky Challenge

Happy crafting
Annette
xx

Good Luck Barry

There is a new release and freebie today at StampFairy, and this week it's Good Luck Barry!  I've printed him in a pale grey for the 'no lines' technique, and then painted / water-coloured him with my DI re-inkers.

I kept the theme quite plain because I wanted it to be a masculine card, so I've added a ribbon (mainly just to cover the join in my papers), a bow (ok I couldn't resist) and some pearls in two corners.

That's it!

See my cards available to buy on eBay


Card Recipe:

• Image - Barry Good Luck from Stamp Fairy
• Colouring - Distress Ink Reinkers
• Cardworks Shaped Card base
• First Edition Papers
• 15mm wide Green Satin Ribbon
• Pearls
• Glossy Accents

Please pop on over to StampFairy to see the newly released digi images.

Here's a preview of the set being released today:

I've been inspired by:

• Simon Says Stamp - A Bit of Green
• Anything Goes Challenges - Make it Manly
• The Ribbon Girl - Add Ribbon or Twine

Happy Crafting

Good Luck Cats

I've got a little Good Luck card to share today, from an image by LOTV of some little kittens playing with a lucky horseshoe which I've coloured using watercolour pencils.  I've used embossing, two patterned papers, and some ribbon & lace. I've pierced the main backing paper all the way around the edge with three rows of piercing and added my favourite array of flowers.  I've used a blue theme this time for a change from my usual pinks and lilacs.  Hope you like my lucky card.  The sentiment is one of my own and will be a freebie available soon.

I've been inspired by the following:

• A Gem of a Challenge - Sketch
• Totally Papercrafts - Recipe
• Craft your passion - Anything Goes
• Cupcake - Something beginning with C (Cats)
• Pollycraft - Anything Goes
• Really Reasonable Ribbon - Double Dutch (Ribbon & Lace)
• Papertake - Anything Goes
• Creative Inspiration - Embossing
• Simon Says Stamp - Paper piercing
• LOTV - Animal Antics
• Paperplay - Show us your Style (layers, flowers, ribbons, cute)
• Sentimental Sundays - Anything Goes

Have fun.