New Years Resolutions........

Many many of them that I don't usually keep, but one is to get to grips with blogging on my ipad. Photo taken and imported into my ipad with camera connection kit - done. Photo manipulated with Snapseed, fantastic photo app and it's free - done. Now all that remains is to complete my post so here goes.....

New years eve and we tend not to go out, the main reason being the dogs and the endless fireworks, after coming home once to my dining chairs having been eaten our New Years Eve antics have become a quieter affair.

Anyway earlier today I made a 70th birthday card and thought I would start 2012 off with a post, another resolution is to blog more. The card was for my uncle following a desperate call from my mum to see if I could make him one, of course I could.
The usual male card dilema hit me but my mojo kicked in and card done..




My craft studio cd An Important Date provided the NSR image, 7 Gypsies papers, old minature playing cards, naturally aged, Ebay bargain. Art parts for the fob watch distressed with gold embossing powder, clock face Kanban, then covered in glossy accents. Text computer generated, bit of ribbon and fob charm - done.

Happy New Year to you if you are reading my blog

Amanda x

Xmas Cards better late than never!!!

Well where did December go? As always it gets lost as working in retail it all becomes a blur, it is always at this time of year that I question my choice of career but it's too late now...... it does make time fly and subsequently little time to make Christmas cards,let alone post them on my blog! note to self "make them earlier!! (I just know that wont happen though) Anyway I followed daily Tims 12 Tags and even though I knew I would not get around to making them I took inspiration from his techniques this year and included some of them in my Christmas cards. I only make a few cards for family and special friends and totally admire those of you out there that make 100's. Anyway I have included a selection of the cards I made.

based on Tims tags 2 & 7

Kraft glassine and alcohol ink holly leaves Tag 7

Based on Tag 4

Just love that crackle paint!



Based again on Tag 7 and just love those
 Tim Holtz stamps



Based on the reindeers of tag 2 and those holly
 leaves again (recurring theme cos they are fab)

Techniques from 4 seperate tags

Those stamps again Tim Holtz Joyful Song based on Tag 7



Not Tag inspired based but as you can see very Tim inspired
 using his snowflake products including on the edge die,
embossing folder, movers and shapers die, kraft glassine plus
 a few additional bits. This is the card I made for my partner.
  

Anyway that was xmas for another year just New year now and fortunately having worked upto yesterday I am happy to say that I now have a few days off, 4 to be exact, time with my partner, family and friends and hopefully some crafting as I got some lovely crafty xmas presents that I haven't even really had a chance to have a good look at yet.

Happy New Year to everyone and may we all have a crafty 2012 X

Cupcake Daughter

Hi, My friend Emma has been inspired by my craft room, so much so I have started her off on her desire to make cards and do some scrapbooking. With a whistle stop tour of my stuff and what you can do with some of it we arranged a crafty shopping day, mission accomplished and she is now armed with a little bit of stash to make some christmas cards, another convert in the process. She asked if I would make a card for her mum, which I agreed. Emma is well known for baking cupcakes so I thought of my idea for her mums card, Baking Tilda.

I have coloured Tilda and cupcakes with Distress Inks I have also used my new spellbinders edgeabilities, I bought all 6 sets for a great price from Create & Craft and still haven't managed to play with them all yet, the card base and backing card is all Kraft card, others papers are from my stash, all sit on a page from an ol recipe book that I have. A little bit of embossing and Marianne rolled flower die finish the card off.

Cupcakes are given a bit of sparkle with picket fence and denim stickles.

My next task has to be to start my Xmas cards, I have been suffering with a really bad cold this last week and haven't really felt like doing anything, I have at least today had a look through the plastic boxes, 4 large ones, that house all my Xmas stash I don't really need to buy anything but I will.... infact I couldn't resist and I have, I love the internet lol!!!

Speak Soon X

Celebrate with Elegance

Hi

Well where has the lovely weather gone? Saturday short wearing weather, yesterday dilemma shall I put the heating on? shouldn't complain after all it is October.. The change in weather yesterday allowed me to finish off the birthday card for my lovely friend and golf partner (when we get the chance) Cathrine, Happy Birthday Cathrine. A bit of an epic make really as I made it through a busy week with snatched moments of cut a bit, glue a bit, design a bit and then onto something far less interesting that needed doing.

This started off as one idea and ended up as something completely different which I find is so often the case... Lots of Tim Holtz, Magnolia and stash papers, Whimsey sentiments stamps and plenty of stash put to good use. Flowers are made from old dress patterns which are great to play with.

A stop of on my way home from work meant that I could hand deliver it and get a cup of tea.

I have also introduced another friend of mine to blog land please visit her newly created blog that is:-

Emma's cupcakes 

Graphic 45 saves the day

I needed to make a card and make it quick. So I set about a quick card using Graphic 45 Le Cirque papers. Why is a quick card never that quick? Anyway after several hours which ended up not quite as quick as I had intended I had finished. Graphic 45 paper is a great stash item to have to make a not so quick card?

Sorry that my blogging is like waiting for a bus, nothing comes along for ages, then along come two lol.

With the darker nights closing in, and the British weather being predictably rainy my craft room gets more attractive. See you soon x



Magnolia Down under Challenge

The challenge this week over at Magnolia down under challenges is what inspires you by this photo.

It is very green and pink and looks like a lovely place to relax and enjoy a cupcake or two....

and

so my idea was born.

Coloured with DI's, teatime papers from my stash, stiching, embossing with cupcake folder,distress crackle paint hearts, pink gingham velum die cut tag embossed in white along with sentiment and finished with pink pearls.

A little bit of Bling!!

Well where have I been? I have had some technology nightmares, so much so I am now the proud owner of a brand new laptop and back in blog land. I have been looking at everyones blog on my ipad but have been unable to post any myself. I have also got back into scrapbooking and rediscovered my cricut which had been sat there gathering dust for far too long. My mum also bought me, as a little treat, a gypsy which I have been getting the hang of and I am now up and running and enjoying cutting as if my life depended on it lol.

Anyway "A little bit of Bling" a birthday card for my good friend Sarah who is a bit fed up at the moment, and what's the best thing to cheer anyone up? A bit of bling. She is also a bit of a rocker so I automatically thought of Kenny G images, the one I have used is a digital download, that I have coloured with promarkers (still trying to get to grips with those), I got in the post today 4 packs of their new flexi markers (which aren't used on this card but having had a quick play seem a welcome addition). Rockstar papers all distressed with tonic paper distresser, a bit of cricut text, sizzix stars die cut on my vagabond and plenty of BLING!

Not the best of photo's but hopefully you get the idea, Star text is black mirri card and is just bouncing the light back and the light is also washing out the promarker colouring. Like most of the cards that we all post they look better in the flesh after all we are crafters not photographers!!

I am entering this card in this weeks passion for promarkers where week 115 is "Anything Goes".
I love Promarkers challenge 81Anything Goes
Pile it on Challenge "Girls just Wanna Have Fun"
                                                             

Less is More Wk 27 Colour

Hi

Well I have just returned, well friday to be exact, from a week at Center Parcs with all my family. Having taken some crafting with me it remained in the bag that I had taken it in any of you that have done Center Parcs will know that, it's just one activity after another.................... and now I have another week off work to recover from the week that was and plenty of scrapbooking to do. I did however conquer a long time fear of mine and accompanied my 2 nieces aged 4 and 7 to "Cool creatures" I have to say that a 4 inch cockroach and 2 snakes amongst others is not my idea of "cool", but I did touch a snake!!!!!! unlike my nieces who had it wrapped around their necks, kids have no fear...........

So I needed a crafty fix and this weeks Less is more challenge is colour. the challenge is to create a card in the colour of our national flag, as I am from the UK mine is red, white and blue. I had recently purchased Artictic Outposts new Loverly London and London Underground stamps, which I had to mount and cut out before I could use them, I hate that bit.... I thought as I have to create in our national colours I would also create a national theme and what better than our capital city.

I just love these stamps

Background is stamped using D.I. stormy sky and fired brick. I cannot tell you how many times I attempted that union jack with the 2 colours but got there in the end. Foreground images are stamped with archival cobalt blue and the text in versa magic red magic.

Happy birthday Julie

Hi
Well I have been on a day off from work today and I have spent the whole day crafting, so much so eating has not been on the agenda I have survived on cups of tea alone (and many of them) oh I did go out, I had to nip out and get milk had to keep the mugs of tea flowing. All jobs usually reseved for my day off just got ignored, trouble is they haven't gone away, but there's nothing that is life threatening, so who cares?? My very good friend Julie has a birthday next week and for once I wanted to get ahead of myself not like my usual last minute card making panics and I have done just that one whole week before her birthday (no late night cutting and sticking for me this time). gosh I run the risk of becoming organised here, oh it wont last......

I decided upon a friendship themed easel card and blue and brown seemed to be calling me.  Stamped image is coloured with promarkers and cut out with nesties. Lots of matting and layering all distressed with tonic distress tool, stitched and edged with antique linen distress ink. Paper is from my stash picked it up ages ago. The little envelope I have made to just finish the base off with. Flowers are made using Tim Holtz tattered florals die and finished off with old buttons again from my stash.

It's been a good few weeks since I last entered a blog challenge so I am entering this card into the following challenges:- simon says stamp - show some stitching
                   allsorts challenge July Free and Easy

Where did June go?

Well where did June go? I can't believe a whole month has passed without me blogging at all, I am afraid that I will just have to write June off. It's not that I havent been crafting it's just that I haven't managed to finish anything so hopefully July will bear more fruit from a blogging persepective.

Two very good friends of mine recently had a civil service in Blackpool, what a deliciously camp day that was!! and then the following week the reception venue appeared on TV in channel 4's "4 in a bed " what a small world. I did manage to make them a card, I couldn't not. I am sure you all have the same problem in that if people know that you make your own cards they feel totally disappointed if it states Hallmark on the back. I couldn't for shame pay for a card...

Anyway civil ceromony card what do those look like? well here is my attempt.

Very simple design, had to be black and white (in my opinion) stamped with Tim Holtz stamp but I had to mask the 3rd man off, computer generated text (can you actually get a civil ceromony stamp? and would I ever use it again?) and a bit of nestie cutting.

Good Luck to them both

PS my trauma in June was that my beloved vagabond just stopped working and now I have a tim Holtz ornament...... waiting for it to be collected and replaced though - thankyou QVC

"Less is More": week 17 Pick a square

I can't believe that I haven't blogged for a while, I just don't seem to get any time at the moment to finish anything and therefore have nothing to post. I have a few altered projects on the go at the moment so might manage a flurry of postings once I get them finished. I think I need to give up working (I wish!!!) As this is the first bank holiday weekend this year that I haven't worked I just had to get in my craft room, even though I should have tackled a pile of ironing. A friend of mine suggested to me to send it out, have you seen how expensive that is!!!!!???  and it puts you in a catch 22 situation, more time to craft but spending money that could well be put to all those must have items that I currently don't have!! needless to say there are too many things that I need........ so my ironing remains where it is, hidden.
Anyway enough of my domestic trauma's, I tackled this weeks Less is more challenge this is only my second time entering although I got some lovely comments on my first it was probably a little bit too much "more"..... Hopefully my second attempt is more inkeeping with the Less is More philosophy (a personal struggle I am trying to overcome)
Anyway I picked my square and here goes.........


Time flies

The clockwork bird rubber stamp is from Happy Daze and is stamped in versafine sepia and embossed with clear powder. I then stamped and embossed it again on a old book page and cut out sections of the bird to stick to the original, I have left the wing flapping. I have added some watch parts to enhance the clockwork feel of the bird. I then stamped the saying again in versafine sepia but left it as is. The edges are slightly coloured with distress ink, and then to finish it, mat and layered it onto my card, now that might be my downfall in adhering to the Less is More principles but i am enjoying my therapy!!!

I am also entering this card into The secret crafter saturday Challenge whose challenge this week is clean and simple.

Texturise it - Great ideas are the fuel of progress

Well this is my second submission to a blog challenge in as many days, which must only mean one thing, the rain has come here in the UK after a long spell of lovely weather, it was always going to happen, and as lovely as it was at least it means I don't feel guilty spending hours indoors, indoors crafting...... its another first as I join Wanda's tag challenge over at dragonsdream tag it on.  This week the challenge is texture.

My texture comes in the form of adding and melting wax crayon to cover my tag, which gives a raised textured finish to my tag, to add further texture I have added paperartsy paints using bubble wrap. I have then stamped Barbara Gray hot air balloon stamps on patterned paper and cut out. Compass is a Tim Holtz sticker with a circular fragment over it finished with a game spinner. The torn map, I have stamped a map onto tissue paper and coloured with watered down distress inks and then crumpled it before tucking it behind my compass.

At the back of the tag, so it just pops out, is a Tim Holtz journal tag distresses with vintage photo ink. The phrase I have just cut out and again distressed with vinatge photo. A cluster of watch parts finish my tag.
Hope you like it and I look forward to next wednesday for a new challenge.

This tag has also been posted on Tag it on Tuesday where this weeks challenge theme is "One for the Boys" This is also the first time that I have posted on this blog and there is some great work to look at by my fellow crafters.