That New Year's Resolution Again!!!!!!!

This card was made with no other purpose than to use up some older 'stuff',  it will probably go to a charity shop.  I have so much older stuff that's just not going to be used in a hurray.  I did a big clear out and gave away bags of it to a local club just starting out but I still have an awful lot left.

There is not a lot to be said about this card, the origins of the paper are so lost in the mists of time, I haven't got a clue where it came from or who made it.  The Sunflower sticker I have had for about 7 or 8 years and is by K&CO.  The butterfly is a good few years old, I bought it from our local garden centre who were selling them as Christmas tree decorations, they make very nice additions to cards.  The sentiment is a gold peelie and the jewels are by Papermania.  The Spellbinders die used is Curved Rectangles, cut and the very edges chalked to match the paper.

Well, I've got to get on and get ready to go to the cardmaking club tomorrow morning.  There's not a lot of room to spread out at the tables, so I like to have all the pieces of two or three cards ready to just assemble, it takes me hours to get to that stage.  It will keep me busy for most of the afternoon, I can think of worse ways to spend a wet and windy afternoon, can't you?  Bye for now, have a good and crafty day.  Hugz, Janice

Christmas Is Here

I'm entering this card  for the For Fun Challenges - Christmas Is Here challenge.  It's a lovely card in nice soft colours and as usual the Lily of the Valley stamp is a cutie.

The background paper and card are from my stash, the paper is from quite a few years ago old and was leftover from another card, so I don't have a name for it.  The stamp is LOTV Skating Along, stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black and coloured with Copics.  The Spellbinders die used is Large Labels.  The punches are both Martha Stewart, Double loops and Aspen Snowflake.  I've embellished with jewels from Papermania, the hat and her fur trims have been 'Glamour dusted'.  Copics list:  Clothes BV02,04,31.  Bags BV02,13.  RV000,10,13.  Skates W1,3. C1.  Dog C1,3,5.  Skin E0000,00,R20.  Hair E33.  Ice B60.  I love using Lily of the Valley stamps and I adore Christmas, so making this card was a joy.  I hope you like it as much as I enjoyed making it and that you get some inspiration for your own early Christmas cards.  There are so many Christmas challenge blogs around now that people are starting their Christmas cards earlier than ever. 

Have a fun day and enjoy your crafting.  Hugz, Janice.

Tiptoe Fairy

I was feeling very virtuous when I made this card.  The background paper was a 12X12 sheet I bought maybe 6 or so years ago, and used a fair bit of it on a card at the time, and then the rest just sat in the file doing nothing except taking up space in my already space challenged craft room.  The ribbon was from a visit to Letham Crafts near Forfar and I think this would be from one of my first visits around 8 years ago.  So still true to my New Year resolution of using up older 'stuff'.

I love this Lily of the Valley stamp - Fairies on Tiptoes, I've seen so many lovely cards made with this image, I just had to have it.  It is stamped with the usual Memento Tuxedo Black and coloured with Copics.  My apologies, I don't have a copics list for this card.  The flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts, the pearls are from my stash and the sentiment is a peel-off.  The Spellbinders used are Standard Circles Large, Classic Scalloped Circles Large and Labels Five.  The border punch is Martha Stewart Double Loops punched twice and layered. 
 I entering this in the For Fun Challenge - Flowers and a sentiment
I hope you like this one, let me know what you think, leave a comment or use the reactions buttons.  Hugz, Janice

Spellbinders Christmas Card

This is a lovely card made using Spellbinders dies.  I'm going to enter this one in a challenge on Christmas Card Challenge .  The challenge is called 'No Stamping'.

 
The Spellbinders are, Fleur Di Lis pendant punched twice and Fanciful Hoidays which provided the tree and the corners.

Tanya Baking

When I'm making a card the bit I enjoy most is getting everything together and making sure everything matches as best as I can.  I think it's colours I like rather than just making a card.  Well, here is my offering for today.  The stamp is a Belles & Whistles image called Tanya Baking.  I used this stamp to make my daughter's birthday card using greens and blues, see the earlier post, but these colours give an entirely different look.

The background paper is Sparkle Sunrise Bouquet from Cloud9Design.  It's a real zingy paper and not my usual quiet colours.  The flower came from Dawn Bibby's shop but I can't remember the maker.  The flower center is from Glitterati.  All the die cuts are nesties and the sentiment is from Lily of the Valley.  I stamped the image and coloured with Copics.  

Copics list:  Clothes - E11,33,37. R02,05. BG02,09. W1,3.  Bowl & spoon - BG05,09. Y02,08. E00,33.  Skin - E0000,00,11. R20.  Hair E33. YR23,31.

It's bedtime for me, I tried to go at my usual 10.30 but we've just changed the clocks to British Summer Time and it'll take me a few days to catch up.  Happy and great Monday and happy crafting.  Hugz, Janice

Flutterbye Fairy

I really adore Lily of the Valley stamps, they make such lovely cards.  I think this one might be my first LOTV challenge card.

I have used the Dandelion Fairy, stamped and coloured with Copics.  The spellbinders used were Standard Circles Large and Large Scalloped Circles.  The flowers are, of course, from Wild Orchid Crafts and the wooden butterfly came from Hobbycrafts.  The Martha Stewart punch is Double Loops and the border is embellished with ribbon.  The background paper is from a Paper Cellar pad called Celebrations and the pearls are Kaiser Craft in colours to match and some clear jewels on the butterfly.

Copics list:  Clothes and wings - YG00,03,63. Y00,02,08. B93,95,97. E33,51,53.  Hair - E33,YR23,31.  Skin - E0000.00,11,R20.  Flower - V000,06,12.

The Dandelion Fairy makes a lovely card and I really enjoyed making it, and 'YES' I think I'll put this into the LOTV Challenge this week.  All I need now, is the 'how to' advice from this lovely website http://craftbloggers.blogspot.com/   , 'cos I haven't a clue how to enter it.  Wish me luck!!!!!!!
A Spoonful of Sugar - Ribbons, Pearls and Flowers

Enjoy the rest of your weekend.  Hugz, Janice.

Oh Baby!!!!!

Good morning all!  I have two baby cards to show you, both made with my Cricut.

These were made using my Cricut Expressions and the Design Studio.  The wording came from Storybook, which is one of my most useful carts, and the bootees from New Arrivals.  I used the design studio to 'weld' them all together, cut them from plain white card and edged with glitter gel pens to make them stand out. I'm sorry I can't give you the name of the paper, it was bought a couple of years ago from the Glasgow craft show, it was on the Sizzix stand and those papers have no names printed on them at all.  The silver edging is a peel-off and the dots are holographic peel-off dots in silver.

Once the design studio work was done and saved, these were very quick and easy cards to make, and I think, quite effective.  Whoever gets these cards won't have any duplicates, as so often happens with shop bought ones.  I hope you like these cards, I haven't shown you any Cricut cards so far.  And I'm ashamed to tell you I have been neglecting my Cricut in favour of my Cuttlebug, Spellbinders and stamping.

Have a good and happy crafting filled weekend.  Remember to use the reactions buttons at the bottom of the post if you don't have time to leave a comment.  Hugz, Janice

Birthday Fairy

The stamp is another one I bought at the Glasgow spring craft show, I bought loads of stamps over my two day visit and still don't have enough.  And, of course, the question is 'define enough'?  Yet another Lily of the Valley stamp and this is my first card using it.  I do love LOTV and I'm hoping to work up enough courage soon to go in for one of their challenges, GULP!!!!!!!!!,  especially now I know how to put their banner on to my sidebar.   

The card and paper are from my stash.  I've used Spellbinders Labels One, Labels Five and also their Fancy Tags.  The stamp is called Birthday Fairy and was stamped using the usual Memento Black Tuxedo inkpad, must remember to pick up a refil soon,  and coloured with Copics.  There are jewels all over the place, and the corners and sentiment are peel-offs.

Copics list:  Clothes RV10,21,23,V12,15,17.  Wings BV31,B60,RV000,10.  Skin E0000,R00,20.  Hair YR20,31.  Bear E31,50,51,53.  Present YG0,23, Y00,02,08.

That's it for today, my husband finishes early on a Friday and we usually go down the coast to Ayr and have a fish supper at the shore.  I hope, I get time later to make another card for tomorrow.  Have a good weekend.  Hugz, Janice
ps.  Did you notice the reaction buttons at the botton of the posts?  Use these if you don't have time to type out a comment.

Just to let you know.

This is just a wee post to let you know how much I appreciate the interest you have shown my blog over the last two weeks.  Yes, this is me into my third week as a blogger and I've thoroughly enjoyed it.  But, boy, is it addictive or what?  I've still got loads to learn, eg how to enter a challenge and how to make additions to my sidebar.  There's a great blog called  http://craftbloggers.blogspot.com/  which promises to be of great help.  I just hope that it's in a blogging for dummies style.  

Well, I'm off back to my ironing.  UGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hugz, Janice 

Rosy Glow

This is one of THOSE cards, 'I made this card to see if I could'.  It's a flowery die-cut card and not a style of card I'm comfortable with, I'm not sure I really like it.

I don't have a name for the paper but I do know I bought it at Craft World, it's a lovely glittery distressed paper in beautiful muted rich colours.  The Spellbinders are Eyelet Circles and Standard Circles Large.  The other die-cuts are Marianne dies.  The flowers are all from Wild Orchid Crafts and match the paper perfectly.  I've added some jewels for some more sparkle.

Still not sure I like this one.  Ah well, it happens sometimes. It's after one in the morning here and time I was asleep.  Have a good crafting day, Hugz, Janice

Kanban Christmas Teddy

Sorry, I haven't had time to make a new card for today.  I was out for most of the day yesterday and then spent most of the evening arguing with B&Q about the start date for my new kitchen.  We did get it sorted out, eventually, but all the agro sure does tire you out, I had an early night and got nothing done. 

I thought I would show you a Christmas card I made in December.  This was soooo easy to make and everyone at the craft club seemed to love it.

The base and die cuts are white hammered card, with a layer of mid green card and I've used papers from a Papermania pad called Home for Christmas.  The teddy, I got out of the Kanban factory outlet when I was on holiday two years ago.  The Spellbinders used are Eyelet Circles, Standard Circles Large and Labels Five.  The white die cuts were chalked with a soft green while still in the dies to create the nice white border.  I used peel offs and clear jewels to embellish.  The eyelet circles were done with shiny gold mirri card, also from the Kanban factory shop at 30p a sheet. 

I hope you like this card, I have quite a lot of the reject Kanban sheets left, mostly they're sold cheaply because their die-cutting is off centre but all it takes to make them usable is to use Nesties to re-cut them a little smaller.  I was a bit disappointed with their shop, my expectations were a little off, I thought they would have a lot of plain card but no, they didn't.  It was still worth a visit and I would go back again.  Well. if I'm going to make a card for tomorrow then I'd best get started.  Have a great day.  Hugz, Janice

Warm Winter Wishes

A very quick post this morning, I'm off to my daughter's in Livingston, for a good walk and a wee visit to the new Dobbies garden centre for lunch.  I have two Christmas cards for you made with the same stamp but two entirely different looks.

This one is bright and in your face.  The backing paper was from a pad from maybe four years or so ago, sorry I can't remember the name.  The stamp was from a kit from Create & Craft with no name on it, it was bought 5 years ago and I don't use it often enough.  I stamped using Color Box green inkpad and embossed with clear embossing powder on white card and then chalked around the edges to soften the look a bit.  The die cuts are all Spellbinders, Labels One and Create A Flake One.  No jewels were used on this, instead I used holographic peel-off dots.

Same stamp but different papers, again with no names, bought before I started blogging.  I stamped using Color Box Lime inkpad and again embossed using clear embossing powder and chalked around the edges.  The Spellbinders this time is Labels Five and chalked while still in the die to give me that white edge.  The ribbon was from a wee craft shop in Letham, near Forfar, they have the most fantastic range of ribbons and all at very reasonable prices.  The jewels are Papermania and I bought these in Craft World, which is my local craft shop, and I think, the best stocked shop I've ever been in.

I hope you like both of these cards.  Well, I'm off to have breakfast and get my day started.  Have a good crafting day.  Hugz, Janice

New baby boy

I was raking through my stamp drawers and came across the clown and just couldn't resist the temptation to use it again.  It's been a few years since it's last outing and I suppose I thought it was a wee bit out of date (like myself) but I still love it. This is one of my oldest stamps, probably about eight years old, bought in a kit from QVC.

I stamped the image as usual, on white pearlescent card with a Memento Tuxedo Black inkpad and coloured with my trusty Copics.  The card and paper for matting and layering was from my stash.  The Spellbinders used were Large Scalloped Circles, Standard Circles Large and Eyelet Circles, they make it soooo easy to make lovely cards.  The Martha Stewart border punch is Double Loops.  I've embellished with ribbon from my stash,  jewels and Candi dots, the sentiment is a peel off.  Copics used were:  Face E50,51,53.  Clothes B93,95,97,YR23,31,Y38.  The clown's pop-pom and hat band are covered with Polar White Flower Soft.

The start of another week and I'm off this morning to do the weekly shop.  Need to get the supplies in, although I don't like shopping but we do have to eat.  I could probably go without eating for a month and lose some weight and it would do me good.  I've been a good girl though, I've either been out walking or on my exercise bike the last few days and I can feel myself waking up after the hibernation of the winter.  Have a good crafting day.  Hugz, Janice

Flutterby Fancies

This card was soooo easy to make and so quick.  It depends entirely on the paper, which is fab, it has the beautiful border with the butterflies already on it and in such fantastic colours.

The paper is by Rayher, their website is www.rayher-hobby.de and there doesn't seem to be a name for the paper (sorry).  I used the rest of the butterflies from the border to cut out and decoupage.  The fancy ribbon tag is from Spellbinders Shapabilities, Ribbon Tag Trio Two, and I chalked around the edges and used a glitter pen right at the very edge to lift it out from the card a bit more.  The pearls are from Wild Orchid Crafts, the ribbon was from my stash and the Happy Birthday is a peel-off.  I hope you like this one, I've picked the best photo I have to show the 3D look of the butterflies but it's never as good as real life.  Enjoy your weekend, I'll make another post on Monday.  Hugz, Janice

Lily of The Valley 'Hello Cupcake'

I know I'm a bit late with my post today but better late than never.  I made this card at our last craft club meeting.  This was the first time I've used this stamp and it was a joy to colour.

 

The papers are from a Dovecraft 6X6 paper pack called Tea House, the colours are sooo pretty, I just love these papers.  The LOTV stamp is called Hello Cupcake and was stamped on to pearlescent card using a  Memento Tuxedo Black inkpad and coloured with Copics.  The circles are both Spellbinders, Classic Circles and Large Scalloped Circles.  The flowers are mostly from Wild Orchid Crafts, and the pearls are mainly Kaiser Crafts.  Copic list:  Skin - E000,00,11 and R20.  Hair - E31,33.  Clothes - RV10,21,23,34, R85, YG00,03,63.  Cake stand - Y21, YG00,03,63, B00,60, BG01, C1,5.

Well that's it for today, I hope you have a good weekend, enjoy your crafting.  Hugz, Janice

Merry Christmas

I don't have a card ready this morning, so I thought I would go for one I made for Christmas.  Not a Copic in sight for this one.

I was in a 'using up the odds and ends mood' when I made this card.  And feeling very virtuous, 'cos I'm not good at going back and using up all the scraps.    I'm sorry I don't remember the name of the lovely paper I used, I do have a little bit left but not with the name on it.  The Spellbinders used, from the front of the matting and layering, were Petite Ovals Large, Labels Ten and Labels Five.  All the twiddly bits are from Spellbinders Fanciful Holiday, the two corner bits, the heart shaped pieces, came out of the middle of the other twiddly bits, waste not want not, and still feeling very virtuous.  The Merry Christmas is a peelie, as are the holographic dots.  I hope you like this card and my apologies to those who have already seen it.
Have a good Thursday and I hope the weather is not too cold where you are.  Hugz, Janice

Simple and I hope elegant

I don't usually do this size or style of card but decided to give it a go anyway, it was quick and very easy.

The photo doesn't do the card justice, it's more 3D in real life.  It's a C6 card,  made from a creamy white pearlescent card.  I used the largest nestie from the Spellbinders Labels Eight set to cut the largest mat, it then went through the Cuttlebug with the Flourlished Farm embossing folders and the edges were chalked with a mix of orange and yellow.  The second size from the bottom of the Labels Eight nesties was cut and chalked like the large one and foam pads used to centre it on the larger mat.  The butterflies are dies from Joy Crafts, this is the first time I've used them and was well impressed, they were cut out of the same pearlescent card as the rest and then chalked.  I added jewels to give the card some interest and that's it, a quick and simple card which I think looks quite elegant.

Tonight is the second meeting this month of our craft club and I need to decide what I'm  taking and gather up the stuff I need, this takes me absolutely ages.  Decisions, decisions!!!  Have a great day.  Hugz, Janice.

Floral Get Well Soon

I made this card with the hope that I won't need it in the near future, all my friends are keeping well and I'm keeping my fingers crossed.  But like an umberella, if you don't have one to hand then you'll definitely need it, and so this card was born.

The pretty pink paper was from my stash and bought so long ago that I've forgotten what it was called.  The matted and layered circles are from Spellbinders - Eyelet Circles and Large Scalloped Circles.  The sentiment was a stamp from Stamp-it, an Australian company, it was stamped with Versamark and then chalked.  The leaves and trims are Marianne dies and the flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts, although I can't be sure about the white rosebuds.  If I'm going to blog, I'll have to pay a lot more attention to the little details.

Well, I hope you like this card, do let me know.  My enthusiastic husband is down by our local river with his fishing club, celebrating the start of the fishing season which opens at midnight.  This is why this post is getting done now and not in the morning, I'm not going to bed until he is in and I know he hasn't fallen in the river in the dark. Have a nice Tuesday and enjoy your crafting.  Hugz, Janice

Here is one I made earlier

In the best tradition of Blue Peter, here is one I made earlier.

I used Spellbinders Labels Five for matting and layering the flower.  Marianne dies for the leaves and the pine branch  is a punch.  The flower is made up of  five circles of paper cut from Spellbinders Large Scalloped Circles, using the third size from the smallest, one each of the two smallest.  Take each circle and scrunch it up until it's all wrinkly, straighten it out enough to punch holes in the middle and thread on to a brad.   Again scrunch up each circle tighty around the brad until you have a wee ball of paper, then gently pull the layers into the flower shape you want.  It was amazingly easy to do, I have very shaky hands that don't always work properly but this was easy.  Give it a go and see how you get on, any circles will do, they don't have to be scalloped and the paper I used was fairly stiff.

Have a good Monday, I'm off to do the weekly shop this morning and I expect, I'll do some crafting later on.

LOTV Christmas Candle

This is another stamp I bought at the SECC Glasgow craft show and was desperate to make a card with it.  I wanted to do colours that were a wee bit different, I'm usually a red, green and gold Christmas person, very traditional (it's my age).  I stamped as usual with Memento Tuxedo Black, onto white pealrescent card and coloured with my Copics.  I made up the 6X6 card blank using the same card, and matted and layered with blue card from the Papaterie and pink Christmas paper from Daisy Bucket Designs called Wrapped Wishes, got this from Craft World.  The die cuts are all Spellbinders and the snowflake border punch is Martha Stewart.  The pins came from Wild Orchid Crafts and I bought the pearls at the Glasgow show.

Copics:  Clothes B00,02,05,RV13,21,23.  Shoes C1,2,3.  Skin E000,00,11,R20.  Hair E31,33.  Candle & holly YR20,23,31,Y20,R59,YG63,65.

Lily of the Valley are my favourite stamps of the moment, I just love them to pieces.  I'm looking forward to using this one again with more traditional colours.  And when I figure out how to enter one of Lily of the Valley challenges I'm going to have great fun.  Well that's all for today, I hope you're having a good weekend and it's not too snowy where you are.  It's still white from yesterday's snow here in East Kilbride.  Hugz, Janice

My daughter's birthday card

I decided to be organised this year with birthday cards and get all the family ones made early.  My daughter's birthday isn't until November, I am soooo ahead of myself and feel very virtuous.  I bought the lovely Belles and Whistles stamp at the SECC Glasgow craft show and couldn't wait to give it a go.  The only boo-boo I made was Suz visited on Thursday to give me a quick lesson on how to use Facebook and I forgot to hide the card.  So here it is.

The stamp is Tanya Baking.  As usual I stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black and coloured using my lovely Copics, this image is soooo easy to colour it was great.  The paper was from my stash, as was the card (using up some of the older stuff, this was my New Year resolution).  The 'Candi' dots I bought from Craft World in Glasgow, where I get almost all my supplies, it's a great shop, large, well stocked and the staff are very pleasant and helpful.  I've used peelies for the Happy Birthday and popped some on top of the Candi dots.  Hope you like this card, my daughter does, this is right up her street, she loves to bake and adores green, it's her favourite colour.  Well, I'm off to start my day.  Hugz, Janice

Christmas Choir

This is one of my favourite stamps and I can't resist using it.  I make a lot of Christmas cards in a year up to two hundred, some for myself, some for my daughter and the rest to charity, so I need to make them all year round.  I love Christmas and all the glitz associated with it that brightens up the mid winter blues, so it's no hardship to make these cards even in the summer.  I bore the life out of my friends at our craft club showing them Christmas cards all year long, except of course during January when I like to make most of my birthday cards.  We're a small family so I don't have many to make really.

 

This is a Penny Black stamp called Caroling Trio, I think the mice are soooo cute.  I've stamped on white pearlescent card using a Tuxedo Black Memento inkpad and coloured using my Copics.  The circle and scalloped circle are both Spellbinders, aren't they wonderful, I love nesties.  The doilly behind them came from a stall, sorry I can't remember the name of the company, at the Glasgow SECC craft show a couple of years ago.  The paper and card came from my stash and are mostly several years old.  Note to me: must use up more of the older 'stuff'.

Hope you like this card.  Have a nice weekend and thanks for taking a peek at my blog.   Hugz, Janice

Sugar Nellie's Outdoor Adventure

This is the first post on my new blog (gulp!!!!! Can I really do this - maybe).  This is a card I made last night when my husband was at his fly tying class and I was all alone, what better way to pass the time.  I bought this stamp at the SECC Glasgow Spring Craft Show and couldn't wait to give it a go.  I hope you like it.

It's a Sugar Nellie stamp - Outdoor Adventure.  It was stamped onto cream pearlised card using a Tuxedo Black Memento inkpad and coloured with Copics (I'm still practising).  I used a pale yellow card for the base and two shades of brown for matting and layering and finally a nice paper from my stash.  Spellbinder dies and a Martha Stewart border punch were used along with some ribbon from my stash.  To finish off, I used gold peelies and a few wee gems.

Well, that's my first post, it's a start.  I hope you get some inspiration from my cards as we journey on through my crafting obsession.   Hugz, Janice