Art Deco card

A couple of years ago I bought the lovely Hunkydory Deco Delights mega kit and only did a couple of cards with it. Yup! Too much stash. I've got lots of birthdays during the months of July and August and I've put this mega kit to good use.

It's a new challenge at INTAAS this week and our challenge is Dies.

The centre image is from the Hunkydory but I've used the Spellbinders dies Astoria Labels and Decorative elements to make it stand out . the feathers came with the kit too.

Please join us at International Art and Soul with your beautiful die cut creations.

What a scorcher!

What fantastic weather we are having, just a little cooler today, windows open wide and the breeze is blowing the cobwebs away. My dogs are loving the warmth unless it gets just too much for them but there are a few cool places for them to sleep.  Miss Tuppence is a bit of a sun worshipper and we have to turn her over as she will just lays there cooking! Alfie being white is sensible and stays indoors.

NEW CHALEENGE

The challenge this week at International Art and Soul is is to create anything you like 'With Elements of Nature'.  This can be just about anything thats living or breathing or at the close of day when autumn comes, deep winter etc. Loads to choose from!

I found this sentiment on Pinterest but could not find a source to acknowledge the creator, such beautiful words.  The butterflies were from an old Kanban kit that I've had for ever and I thought I could use them on my card.  The banner was created with Spellbinders Baby Bunting and the edge of the card was embossed with a Sue Wilson Noble Pierced Square. Very simple but I'll save for just that right time.

Please pop over and see the fabulous cards my teamies have made for the challenge here.

What beautiful weather!

Hasn't the weather has been amazing! My garden is really going into blossom overdrive with everything showing off and the pots around the garden all trying to outshine one another.

This Sunday starts a new challenge at InternationalArt and Soul and the theme this week is Flowers. So, please show us your treasured flowers so that we all can enjoy your beautiful Creations.  Please join us INTAAS.

I made this card or big tag for a friend for with her birthday in mind. I cut the shape with a Tattered Lace Tag Die and covered it with paper from the Kanban Apricot Dream pad.  I cut and made the flowers with the Heartfelt Creations Arianna Bloom die. The rest of the flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts and the wired large pearl strands are from Anna Marie Designs. The little birthday sentiment tag is by Sue Wilson and underneath all the flowers is the big Cheery Lynn swirl die in gold glitter paper and little leaves from Marianne Dies.  I hope she likes it.

Sadly, a friend of my husbands passed away and I don't usually post sympathy cards to my blog but I'm sure the sentiment can easily be changed to something more appropriate. It's always difficult with what to say at times like these but Ive kept it light with using brown and ivory and a Memory Box poppy.  I generated the sentiment myself and popped it on a Spellbinders label die.

For the Men in Our Lives!

A fortnight has just whizzed by since my last post and so much has happened with my card breaking down and no mobile phone, a fabulous long weekend away with friends and just all the comings and goings of life in general. Next week is happing up to nee the same with a visit to our local RHS garden with friends and lunch and then off to London to meet a lady over from Canada who I hope to meet again in two/three months time actually in Canada.

For the Men in our Lives is the theme for the challenge over on the International Art and Soul Challenge blog (intaas)

It was my grandsons birthday last week and he has celebrated being 19 years old. We are proud as such as he is studying Criminology in a uni in Canada.  This was the card I made for him. The timing was perfect, the challenge and his birthday.

I've used three shades of brown card and cut them with Sue Wilson's Pierced Squares, A & B to give me narrow layers and I embossed the top one with a chevron embossing folder.  The image was a freebie from the company called Design bundles, check them out weekly on the internet.  The ribbon I bought from the Creative Expressions stand at the recent Ally Pally show, lots of different colours for 50p for a couple of metres, bargain!  The dies I've used for the sailing ship I bought from a lady on Facebook, no idea where they came from originally.

If you drop in, please let me know and Ill return the favour,  have a great week!

Anyone seen the month of May??

Anyone seen the month of May?  It seems to have just flown by and not stopped for me to enjoy it. My roses are out in full bloom and I've missed seeing them bud and blossom. The perfume from the pink one is amazing I'm told, (I don't have any sense of smell!). As it's on a north facing wall and in the cool of an evening, many people have passed by on their way to our local and commented.

It's time for a lovely new challenge at International Art And Soul (INTAAS) and the challenge for the next two weeks is Stitching. Please drop by the blog and show us your lovely cards.

For my card this week I chose to stitch with my little pink sewing machine, still can't stitch straight with it as you can see!!  I can't believe this little machine can do so many stitches.  I chose three pages from the First Edition Spring Feast paper pad and layered them up and distressed the edges .  The little green die cut is part of a Marianne Dies set, I think its called Anja's Squares, feel free to correct me.  The centre bird house image is by Hunkydory from my stash as is the birthday sentiment. The little pink poppies are from Wild Orchid Crafts.

Please drop by my teamies and see their fabulous creations.

Before I go here the previous fortnight's card, just no time in the last two weeks to get to the blog. It looks like June will be the same, where did I ever find the time to go to work? A fabulous stencil from Red Dot Laser Designs and using Sue Wilson's double Pierced squares A and B. Sentiment from Spellbinders.

Vintage!

Its time for a new challenge at International Art and Soul here and our challenge for the next two weeks is Vintage.

For my card this week I had  root around in my stash for some vintage looking paper that must be at least five years old. This background paper was a 12 x 12 sheet and I've used it before and had cut off the paper info.

The image came from a card set that I've had for years. (its definitely going to be vintage!) All the images are of children and I love the sepia tones of it. The ribbon roses came from the US ages ago from a lovely lady called Sharon Johnson and her store, The Stamp Simply Ribbon Store. I'm not sure if Sharon still has these colours but her store is a joy to wander around and her blog is brilliant.  There's a little WOC flower from the bottom of my flowers box and the leaves are a Marianne die from ages ago too. Three little black pearls to finish off. The little tag is from a Tonic die that was a freebie at Christmas.

I find lots of information about magazine freebies coming up  from Christina Griffiths and her brilliant blog called, Flowers, Ribbons and Pearls. Christina also has lots of videos on Youtube with some great ideas and will give you lots of inspiration on how to use the magazine dies and stamps..  Who doesn't love a freebie?

If you drop by, please let me know as I am happy to come and visit you.

May the Easter Bunny bring you lots of chocolate Eggs!

Wishing everyone a peaceful weekend.

Theres a new challenge over on the International Art and Soul blog here called Wings.  Plenty of different wings to play with, birds, dragonflies, bees, ladybirds, fairies and angels to name just a few.
So, please come and join us and please let us know you've been, we would love to see your creations.

For my card I chose to highlight a butterfly from Memory Box called Vivienne, it's such a pretty and lacy die.

I chose to start with Spellbinders A2 Matting Basics and then used Spellbinders A2 Tranquil Moments using all of the four dies to mat and layer.  I've cut the butterfly die in matching card and vellum to give it some depth.  I've used such a pretty and glossy blue card for the main mat but sadly with my camera it's not showing.

If you land on my blog please let me know as I am always happy to return the visit.

Distressing, definitely!

It's time for a new challenge at the International Art and Soul blog here.  Our theme this fortnight is, Distressing.

Well for me it was distressing as I had in my minds eye exactly what I wanted to create. What ever I seemed to do went wrong, I threw away the two previous attempts.

Well, here it is in all its glory!

I couldn't even take a decent picture of it what with my green bin in the background too.  Funny enough my husband loved it.

The background paper is from a Dovecrafdt pack and the Butterfly is by Sue Wilson. The lovely Butterfly sentiment is by our very own INTAAS co-ordinator Jane Bradshaw.

Time For a New Challenge!

It's time for a new challenge at INAAS (International Art and Soul) and we'd love to see your creations with the challenge theme of Embossing.

For my card this week I've embossed the lovely sentiment on my card and embossed all the die cuts too.  The sentiment  bought at Ally Pally last year as my friends nickname is Bubbles and this was so perfect.

 

 
The background paper is from my stash and I cut the Spellbinders Intertwined Spirals in off white card and just added some TH Spun Sugar to soften the white die cut. I used one of the Presscut Circle dies in the background paper and then placed my centre embossed sentiment on.  The flowers are mainly from Wild Orchid Crafts and I've added some Versamark Brilliance ink to give them some colour. The leaves were cut with a Memory Box die Lavish Branch.

Please come and join us at the International Art and Soul blog here.

If you have the time, please leave me a comment, I see lots of visitors but I just don't know who you are.  I am always happy to come visit you.

Fancy Borders at INAAS

Time to shake out those lovely border dies and come along and share your creations at International Art and Soul challenge number three!

I made this card for my Granddaughter who is now officially a teenager!

The dies are the Art Nouveau Layering Die Set from Tonic Studios and the lovely stamp is Uptown Girl Paisley by Stamping Bella. The stamp has been coloured with Promarkers. The flowers are by Wild Orchid and the leaves are from Essential Tags by Tattered Lace.  The little tag is from a handy freebie set by Tonic called  Multi-Tag Die Set.

Please come along and join us at the International Art and Soul Challenge Blog here

Our Second Challenge at International Art and Soul

Today is the second challenge at International Art and soul and this week our theme is, Recycling!

International Art and Soul

Challenge 2 Recycling

Enter our challenge with a creation of all those lovely bits and pieces we save from bouquets, Christmas cards and gifts, buttons we save from clothes we buy or anything you find when out and about.

For my card this week I recycled a Christmas Card I received last Christmas

The lovely friend bought this card in aid of Help the Heroes and it was too nice to dispose of. I've used the Creative Expressions Noble Double Pierced Squares A & B. I embossed the card with one of the squares just to break the plainness of the white card. I've cut the Christmas card itself and the two silver mats with the A & B dies.  This was a difficult colour on the Christmas card to match and I've kept it fairly simple with the other silver colours.  The bow die is from Memory Box, a favourite of mine.

I will sell this card and donate the money to Help the Heroes at the next Christmas Fair.

Please let me know you've been avisiting by leaving me a comment below. Lots of people drop in and I'd love to see who you are so that I can leave you a comment too.  You don't always need a blog to comment.

Its a New Year and a new challenge blog

Lets start off by introducing the new challenge blog:

                                International Art and Soul

My teamies and I are all old friends and we would love you to join us as we begin this creative journey together.  We will have fortnightly themes for you to follow and create whatever pleases you as long as it fits in with our theme.

The very first challenge is 'Love is in the Air' and for my tag I had bucket loads of inspiration from Christina Griffiths and you can find her gorgeous blog below. I was lucky enough to win one of Christina's beautiful tags to inspire me.   Christine has an amazing amount of videos on Youtube now and she shows you how to make something from start to finish, please check them out and her blog too. Flowers Ribbons and Pearls 

My tag was cut using the Tattered Lace Tags die which is great as there are so many sizes to choose from. I've covered it with a scrap piece of Graphic 45 paper and added lots of glitter.  I glued down a piece of lace and then added a mixture of flowers from Anna Marie Designs, Ribbon Girl and Wild Orchid Crafts.  Behind the flowers sits a piece of cheesecloth and a Memory Box die called La Rue Flourish.  The key I pick up in Paperchase in York, I think, the words are self generated.

Please join us on a craft journey and post your creation to our blog, just click on the link in the International Heart and Soul heading above.