Cheery Get Well

This is another bright card made using the free owl stamps which came with a recent magazine purchase.  Again I've raided my scrap boxes to come up with all the bits to die cut the layers and the striped backing paper is from a Papermania pad which I've had for quite a while. Luckily I was able to pick scraps to match the colours in the stripes.  Have a good weekend and I hope that the threatened snow doesn't materialise.

Boy card

This cute boy with a kite image came to me courtesy of a kind friend so I duly coloured it with Flex Markers and made it into a card suitable to send to a boy.  I'm not sure simple kites are around any more, they seem to have gone very high-tech these days - hasn't everything??  Backing paper was from my stash and I dug out a scrap and some matching coloured card for the layering, added a piece of tied string and there it is - nothing too complicated.

We've had a mixture of hail and snow this morning after a very rough, wet and windy night - roll on spring!!

Inspired by Literature

I must say I really didn't like the look of the challenge on Make My Monday this week where they are asking us to make something inspired by a literary classic by Jane Austen.  English literature was my absolute least favourite subject at school and although I read a great deal I must confess that  I'm never drawn to any of the 'classics'.  However, as I was working on a card this morning it occurred to me that maybe this 'sit up and beg' bicycle is maybe reminiscent of a gentler era with its slower pace of life so maybe it will fit in with the challenge.  If I have a better idea later in the week I may try again just as long as I don't have to actually read the book!!

 Background paper is from Papermania capsule collection, a Couture Creations embossing folder has been used, the bicycle is a Memory Box die, mounted onto a Nestabilities label.  Sentiment produced on the computer and the bow was cut with a Die-namics die and embossed.

Birds in a Tree

I heard an interesting theory that the wire baskets in craft shops are actually magnetic which of course must be the reason why so many dies seem to jump into mine when I'm 'just looking'. This ornate fence die from Spellbinders did just that earlier in the week when I met up with a couple of fellow crafters for coffee, lunch and a browse around the shop. I think dies and embossing folders are such good value because there are so many ways in which they can be used. I decided to combine the fence with a tree and some little birds (Memory Box dies) on a background of Core-d-inations card which was overstamped with some delicate foliage and simple greeting using stamps from Chocolate Baroque.

One for the Boys

Well this is the theme this week for the Make My Monday challenge and often making a card suitable for a man is a challenge in itself anyway.  I've used  Tim Holtz Stampers' anonymous stamps with kraft card using both white and black inks for variety. Background paper is from the wonderful scripts pad by Prima and various bits and pieces have been used as embellishments, details below - goody, more scraps of card used!! Even the piece of black raffia was tied around a packet of home made cakes from the local farm shop - I told you I can't bear to throw anything away!!

Postage stamp punch and stamp - Stampin' Up
Tattered banner - Tim Holtz die (Sizzix)
Large oval punch - stampin' Up
Oval embossing on tag - Sizzix for SU
Cog - X-cut die with screw head brad in centre
Stampers' Anonymous stamps
Prima script pad

Free Stamp from Craft Stamper

I've used the free stamp which appeared on the current issue of Craft Stamper - this wasn't an impulse buy though because I actually have this magazine on subscription.  The image was stamped twice and the moth, or is it a buterfly?? was coloured, glittered and cut out so that I could add some dimension. Background paper is from a Prima scripts pad and all the other elements were made using bits and pieces from my scraps.   A clock die cut using a Marianne die; small 'postage stamp' using a Stampin' Up stamp and matching punch; square behind image was embossed using a script embossing folder, layered onto a Spellbinders large 'postage stamp' style die cut; thank you message stamped onto a Tim Holtz ticket with a bit of splodgy overstamping.

Getting Inky

I had a lovely time yesterday getting inky and making the background for this card using distress inks and water stamping with the addition of some Twinkling H2Os.  Once dry there was some overstamping with versamark, embossed with glittery silver also used to emboss the stamped flowers which were coloured with H2Os and cut out.  This was inspired while watching demonstrations on C & C by Sheena - I just knew I had some flower stamps (from Tanda) which could produce something similar to one of her demonstrations.  I really can't recall when I last used the H2O paints but it was good to bring them out of retirement and I was pleased to see they've not deteriorated at all in storage.