Cuppa, Anyone?

  Just because it's called "Teas Up" doesn't mean we coffee drinkers can't play too, and the newly released paper collection from Funky Hand is too good NOT to get your hands on - whatever your tipple!

The first thing I made with these lovely new papers was a little Gift Box with some herbal tea bags in it - which I "borrowed" from hubby because I don't drink tea hehe

 I might save this and give it to him at C-word Time (will he know they were his teabags already?)

other stash: 

Nesties Die, Fibres, Brown seam binding

Here's a sneak peek at some of what you get in the download:

Click HERE to see more about the  Teas Up Collection

Next the cards I've been making with the download - all the papers are from the "Teas Up" collection and in this case I printed them on double sided printer paper and 2 designs on each side.

other stash: 

fibres, brass teapot charm

other stash: 

image from Colour Me Happy CD, fibres, narrow organza ribbon. copper brads, scrap card

other stash: 

Nesties Die, Fibres, Brown seam binding

EK Success Border Punch, brown seam binding

The papers are really lovely and they print beautifully on various different papers and card - at  £3.40 for 24 different designs, including a sentiments sheet and some lettering ones they are a fab price for smething you can use again and again!

I'm off now to watch some Wimbledon along with my lunch and a nice cold drink -it's steamy hot here today - and I bet it'll be roasting hot in SW19.  I went to the tournament a couple of times with my dad - absolutely loved it - we were so lucky and had brilliant weather each time we were there.  One year it was sooooo hot that they ran out of cold drinks and ice lollies!  I don't think I could be bothered with the queueing now though and tbh they are a special "Dad and Daughter days" memory that I hold very dear now he's gone.

Thanks for visiting today, I hope you liked what you saw and will come back soon!

Old, New, Borrowed and Blue

There's a wedding looming in Lythan's family and it's provided the inspiration for her dare-setting over on the Daring Cardmakers this week.

According to the old rhyme a Bride should always include

"Something Old,

Something New,

Something Borrowed

and Something Blue"

in her outfit for her wedding day, so Lythan asked us to include as many of them on our cards as possible this week.  They don't need to be wedding cards though.

If nothing else, It's a darned good excuse to get the ribbons, lace and frills out and have some fun.

Something Old: 

I can't even remember where I found this lovely lace originally, but I knew I had to "rescue" it.  It's been languishing in my "Useful Some Day" box waiting for a good excuse to use it!

The pearl in the centre of the flower is a vintage bead from the 1930's

The rub-on sentiment is from my older stash

Something New:

I almost never find anything useful when I venture into Poundland but on Tuesday I was lucky!  They had various sets of organza strips so snapped a few up and used some to make the flower.

The papers are quite new, they are from the Bo Bunny Timepieces 6x6 pad

Something Borrowed:

This was tricky but in the end I "borrowed" an earring from my jewellery box to hang from the lace (is that cheating?). 

Something Blue:

Flower, Paper for sentiment background, blue inks, ribbon, gems and pearls.  The pearls started off white, but they were too much of a contrasted so I coloured them with a blue pen.

The flower is made with circles of organza and the help of a tea-light. I saw a tutorial for making them ages ago (couldn't find it to watch again, so just had to make it up as I went along) and haven't got round to getting any organza to have a try till now. 

There's something quite soothing about holding organza circles near a flame and seeing the fabric take on a new shape - I made the flower for this card on Wednesday - but I couldn't resist spending most of yesterday afternoon making more "petals" .  So you'll probably be seeing more of these flowers as I now have a little pile of the petals - so many that I need to find a box to put them in!

Please head over to the DCM BLOG and see all the frilly, frothy, fantastic cards the Team have made this week - they are all so lovely.  We'd love it if you'd join in with us this week too.

That's all for today

Thanks for looking.

A Little Bit Vintage Again!

Okay, so Blogger is playing nice today and letting me load my photos into my post.  So Here's the Crafty Template projects I tried to add yesterday and failed.

There's a bit of a vintage theme with this month's templates.

I used to have a lovely porcelain Owl shaped money box that looked very much like this - I bet it's packed away in a box in the loft - probably not been unpacked since we moved to this house - I know it used to be on the landing window in the old place.

Because the template reminded me so much of my money-box owl I chose to use papers from the fab Bo Bunny "Timepiece" paper pad (6x6) rather than papers from the Crafty Goodies kit to make him. 

There are a couple of dress templates in this month's set and my favourite was this one, which I thought would look fun viewed through a "shop window" so I cut a large aperture in the front of my card blank

From the Crafty Goodies kit I used: card blank, all papers (except the pink) Paper Doily

From Stash: Pink Tulle, Pink paper (dress) MME Stella and Rose, Lace for rosette, Pink Lokta paper for coiled roses, green mulberry paper, turquoise ribbon, turquoise seam binding

I love the vintage radio design - it reminded me of the one my Grandma had when I was little - actually I think most people probably had one of these!  My grandma's radio was cream, but I thought it would look good in pink instead.

From the Crafty Goodies kit I used: card blank, all papers, Paper Doily

From Stash:pearlised soft gold card (radio), flowers, ribbon, buttons, brads

Sentiment is pc generated and ready to be filled in with the "to and from" details

I know I say this every month, but Leo's Crafty Templates always work so well and there's always something I really want to use. Taking a subscription out means you soon build up a fab library of designs which can be used in all sorts of ways and time and time again.

That's my plug for the day over!  Thanks for visiting, I hope you'll come back tomorrow when it's Daring Cardmakers Day and you can see what Lythan asked us to do this week :-)

A Little Bit Vintage

I'm late again sharing my Crafty Templates projects for this month, but as always Leo has come up with a lovely set of templates and I had fun using them, along with the Crafty Goodies kits that you can buy as an additional extra.  All the info is HERE

As Blogger is refusing to allow me to add my photos today, I'll come back later and try again!

Let's Rock

It's my turn to set the dare for the Daring Cardmakers this week.

If you've visited my blog over the last few months you'll have noticed that I've made quite a lot of Rocker or Wobble cards - I'm blaming Anice for this little phase I'm having because I just adore the "Wobble" card template that appeared on Funky Hand's most recent CD "Craft the Year Away".  Anyway, all this is just by way of explaining this:

Hi, it's Kathy here with this week's new challenge:
Rocking All Over the World
This week I'd like you to make a Wobble Card - these are cards which have a curved base so that when you tap them they rock, or wobble from side to side.
Now what you put on your card is up to you, BUT if you're up for a bit more of a challenge, how about adding something of a pun, and giving your card a "rocking" theme too?
  Rock and Roll, Rocking Horse, You Rock My World, Whisky on the Rocks, Rocket Man ....ohhh the list is (almost) endless!

And the team have really rolled with the theme and produced a wonderful array of cards which can't fail to inspire, so please visit the DCM BLOG to see them - and also to see who won the fab Echo Park paper pad, kindly donated by

Click HERE to visit the store

Now, Crafty Emma's is one of my newest favourite shopping spots - this shop has been the main cause of my collection of 6x6 paper pads increasing so much in recent weeks.  Plus she has some really lovely flowers which are just a bit different from the usual.  And I'm a sucker for flowers, after all.

I thought I'd see if I could get ahead and use this challenge to make my anniversary card for hubby by using a bit of a pun (I likes a pun, I does;)) and one of those new paper pads from Crafty Emma's was just perfect.

Materials:

Wobble card Pattern from  Funky Hand (Craft the Year Away CD) 

All Papers from Fancy Pants 6x6 "It's the Little Things" collection

Card; red, black, Nesties "Lacey Circles" die, EK Success border punch. Wording is cut on the Craft Robo, large heart is cut freehand, 

Googled-for World image resized and printed. 

Heart brad and ribbon from my stash.  

Birdies and heart, and birdie I ♥ U both cut from one of the papers.

I'm really pleased at the way this turned out - it was touch-and-go for a while, but I just kept adding stuff till it all came together!  I have to rein in my flowers and ribbon lust as my hubby thinks they are too girly!  I think I can get away with the tiny bit I've used though.

I hope you'll join in with my challenge this week, these cards are such fun to make and you don't really need a ready made template - just use a circle or an oval shape folded in half and away you go.

Just a quick note about the new challenge over on Get Funky! - as always launched on the Funky Fifteenth and lasting till the next 15th of the month comes round, this time it's Anice, the Boss Herself setting the challenge and she's come up with a lovely LO sketch to use.  There's a fabulously flowery freebie to grab this month too, and a winner's prize of a free download of their choice.  Just remember whatever you make must use at least one Funky Hand product to qualify for the prize.

That's enough waffle for one day, thanks for popping in, hope you'll leave a message and come again soon!

Nice Ice

A few weeks ago Leo asked her Crafty Templates DT if we'd like to make some cards using a sheet of templates she was giving away free in Papercraft Inspirations magazine.

Well Leo emailed me yesterday to say the article and free template download were now up on the PI website.

Excited?  of course I am!

Here are sneak peeks of the cards I made that are on the magazine's website

I also had a bit of fun with the template sheet that Leo made and turned the pieces upside down to make a clown!

His hat is the flat bottomed cone and his head is the ice cream scoop, I just traced the shape of the "drips" onto the orange card, then cut the other edge in a curly "hair" shape.

It's a fab template sheet, with scallops and bunting as well as the patterns for the ice creams so it's definitely worth heading over to the magazine website and grabbing the freebie download.

The June "regular" Crafty Template set will be out soon and I'll be back in a day or so to share the cards I've made with those.

That's all for today, thanks for visiting

No Fuss

The BFoP is in residence and trying to divert me from making my DCM card for this week.  Or maybe I'm just doing other things while another part of my brain tries to work out what to do?

Anyway, one of the things I procrastinated about long and hard recently was making a First Holy Communion card for a customer.  In the end here's what I came up with

Materials:

Card base:  Rose Pink Stardream card with soft shimmery finish. 

Other card; White and Silver

White Lace and White satin ribbon

Silver cross charm hung on silver thread with pearl beads,

Chalice cut on Craft Robo in Silver card and decorated with tiny silver gems

Sentiment is pc generated

The "Boss" at Funky Hand has recently moved house so I made this card, using pretty much the same LO as for last week's DCM card (the Santa one!)

Materials:

White card base, Funky Hand papers (pink and brown)

Lots of brown and soft pink seam binding

Little house is one of my most used Craft Robo templates

I-Rock pearls by Imaginisce

Well. I've managed to get all the way to lunch time without starting that card, so the BFoP is probably feeling very pleased with herself - but she's getting the Order of the Boot after lunch - yes I mean it!

Thanks for visiting. please come back soon :-)

June Sketch Update

First of all - my sympathies to all those, who like me suffer from hayfever!  It's sooooo bad atm, isn't it?  I must have gone through a whole box of tissues over the weekend (thank goodness for Kleenex Balsam or my poor nose would be red-raw by now).

It rained all day yesterday (good news for the garden so I don't mind too much) - on Saturday evening we had the most incredible storm with thunder lightning and hailstones - which completely covered the grass in white stuff!

 Any way back to today.

June Sketch

I'm not showing anything new today, but I wanted to mention how chuffed I am to see some fab new links for projects made with both the May and June sketches over on The Sketch File.  It's such a thrill when people join in and make things using the sketches and I love to go and visit to see what they've made.  The links can be found in a couple of places over on The Sketch File if you'd like to follow them too.

Today there's a June update over there with gorgeous new cards made by Jackie and Lynda using the June sketch so it's definitely worth a visit to see what they've been busy with!

May Sketch

Back tomorrow with the First Holy Communion card I was asked to make - and keep forgetting to blog!

Hope you have a lovely day, Thanks for visiting

I'm Not Thinking About It!

Jo is a great friend and a fabulous crafter, but every now and then she shows her...shall we say, "mischievous" streak - this usually seems to coincide with her turn to set the challenge for the Daring Cardmakers.  When you see Jo's name come up on the list you know there'll be a "panic" moment, or a "aaggghhh" moment or an "oh noooooo" moment.

It's the middle of June, some places here in England have already been declared as being officially "in drought" - I think if we've had 4 days in the last three months when any amount of rain (and that includes the odd 5 minute shower) has fallen then that would be all.

and then Jo says: "I was thinking about something with a Christmas theme...."

and Kathy's heart sinks right to the toes of her crocs and out of the little holes it finds there!

Yes!  this week the DCM have all been making cards with Father Christmas on them and that's what we'd like to see on your cards when we follow your links this week......

I like Christmas - I LOVE Christmas.

But I like it to happen in December

and I don't like making Christmas cards till after my birthday in September = BUT a challenge is a challenge and the challenge this week has been to overcome my "bah humbug" and make a card with Father C on it.

  Oh Jo....what a meanie you are! hehehe

I

It was probably the bah humbugness that made making a card soooo difficult - that and a bolshy refusal to dig out any Christmas stash.

Originally I thought I might try to do a "Father Christmas is on his Holidays" or "Wish you were here?" sort of card, but I couldn't find an image I liked.  In the end I found this cute copyright free image of Santa waving and thought it would work with a tongue-in-cheek "see you soon" sentiment.

Converting the image to a Craft Robo template was the easy bit - but once again it was creating a background that was the tricky bit and in the end I gave up trying to be clever and just made this really simple LO.  Poor Santa was beginning to look a bit tatty after being glued on and ripped off three other cards!

Funny thing is, I quite like the final result - my Christmas cards are usually quite simple in design so that I can make lots in a fairly short time so maybe something like this will work when the "right" time comes!

I used:

14cm square white card blank

red, black, beige and white card, White Flowersoft

Santa and sentiment are Craft Robo templates - email if you would like a free copy

Red Seam Binding is from Creative Treasures - I've now got a lovely big bag filled with most of the colours Tracy sells (yum yum!)


The cards the DT have made this week are great fun and definitely worth a look, we hope you'll enjoy seeing hat we've made and you'll  conquer any anti-Christmas-in-June feelings you have and rise to the challenge of putting Father Christmas on your cards this week!  You can see all the cards the team have made HERE

We have a prize on offer too, it's a gorgeous Echo Park paper pad and has been kindly donated by Crafty Emma's Store 
Check out the DCM BLOG for all the info on how you can get your sticky mitts on it!

From this month The Sketch File will have a new LO sketch going out on the first Tuesday of each month - it's about time we put it on a more organised footing, hopefully the blog will get more use if the dates are more reliable! 

I do appreicate that this is totally my fault and I promise to be better from now on hehehe

You can see the newly released June Sketch above and on The Sketch File Blog - over the next few days and weeks we'll add more photos of the things we've made using it.

I kicked off on Tuesday with this card:

There's STAMPING on it - are you shocked?  haha

The background is made with three colours of Distress Ink, I also made a second piece for stamping a couple of sets of the flower squares.  The first set of squares were arranged on the card - some have a chipboard layer beneath them.  I then cut some of the flowers from the other images and added them to the squares, also with scraps of chipboard for more dimension.

I inked up some black and white Bakers Twine with more DI to match the card and wrapped it around before pulling the strands together with a knot.

Please take a look at The Sketch File- there are lots of (what I hope are) inspiring LO ideas there - and at them moment we have some Blog Candy up for grabs too.

That's all for now, thank you for visiting, I hope you'll come again soon

Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary

How does your garden grow?

It's the first Friday of the month and if you're a Daring Cardmaker that means it's Flowers of the Month time.

 Two real beauties for June;  Rose and Honeysuckle

In my garden the honeysuckle bloomed a few weeks ago and the flowers are now gone.  We only have a couple of rose bushes and the one against the pergola is in full flower right now - there's a photo of a couple of roses on my previous post

I thought that I could combine the challenge with a wedding card I need for a customer.  The wedding is in June, so I what better to use than the flowers associated with that month? Well, ok maybe a bit contrived but you've got to take the chance of a 2 in 1 when it's offered, hehe.

I used

Cream "Stardream" pearlised card blank, 

Pink, Lemon and Cream Bazzill card

EK Success border punch, Pinky-burgundy ribbon, Leaf trim, 

Wired pearl sprays,

Roses: 3 x wired roses (deep pink, pastel pink, yellow) 

2 x coiled paper roses (Pink, Lemon Bazzill scraps), 

1 x larger rose made from lemon card, edged with pink and highlighted with Glamour Dust and Glossy Accents "raindrops"

Honeysuckle: templates for flower components made using mainly pre-set shapes in Paint Shop Pro then cut on Craft Robo, 

Dusty pink and yellow inks, tiny pink gems from Anita's gem wheel

I really enjoyed making this card, it's always a joy to be working with paper flowers and to have an excuse like this was fab!

I hope my customer and the wedding couple like what I've made for them.

It's a real Garden of Delights over on the DCM BLOG this week, so please pop over to see all the wonderful flowery creations the team have come up with.  We're hoping you'll be inspired to join in and play along with us this week.

Last week I mentioned that the card I shared wasn't the one I started out making and abandoned half-way.  Well I did go back and finish it, but I'm still not very happy with it - but it's good not to add something else to the "it was a good idea when I started it" pile of unfinished and unloved projects!

See what you think:

I love the shape of the shoe, and I love the papers.  The shoe wasn't stable enough to make a completely shoe-shaped card so I needed to have a "regular" card back - that was when it all started to go wrong as I couldn't find a background style I was happy with.

There's Glamour Dust all over the heel and around the shoe "upper" and the glittery effect is much nicer irl - not as splodgy as it looks on the photos.

I used:

Stella and Rose papers throughout, Handmade rosette and tassels, 

pink flower is made by cutting in to the centre of a Prima flower then twirling it up rather like making a coiled rose. 

Wired acrylic and bead flower, green dew drops,

Green and pink seam binding (Creative Treasures sell a massive range)

EK Success Border Punch

That's all for today, thanks for visiting

Other Challenges:
CRAFT: Weddings/Love
MAWTT No Patterned Papers
By the Cute and Girly: In the Garden
Cupcake Craftroom: Flowers and Leaves

2 Pages, 1 Bag and a Few Garden Photos

So much for getting my blog up to date.

I'm not sure who is stealing away all the days just now, but I'd really like it if they'd stop!  Anyway, as I'm in a bit of a procrastination phase - got a card to make for a customer and I don't know where to start  - I'll just have a quick blog while I mull it over for a bit longer. 

Last time I blogged I showed a card made using the May sketch on The Sketch File blog (we have blog candy over there atm.....;-) ), today I'd like to share something else using the same sketch.  It's a page from a mini album I'm making - we're life members of English Heritage already, but as an anniversary present to ourselves last July we bought a year's membership of the National Trust - I thought it would be good to make a record of all the NT places we visit through our year.  If you're a regular visitor you'll know my track record for finishing projects like tihis isn't the greatedt, but never mind, here we go again!

I used the LO sketch for the right side of a double page spread 

 

The left side page sort of echoes the LO with the matching paper strips, but has a little piece about the location and the addition of some paper buttons along the lower edge

The June sketch is ready and will be up on the Sketch File blog soon. remember projects made using it will also be entered for the blog candy - if you make something for each of the May and June sketches then you'll get TWO chances of winning Jackie's fab bundle of goodies.

Something else from the "forgot to blog this" file here's a teeny weeny carrier bag - made to present a jewellery birthday gift.  I've used an idea from an online class the fabulous Beckie Dreyer did quite a few years ago now it's been one of those brilliant projects that gets used time and time again - so a big Thank You once again to Beckie! 

At this dinky size, this one is seriously cute though at no more than 7cms high!

Finally a few photos taken in the garden this morning, click on them for a closer look.  It's a shame I didn't get some shots of the clematis a bit earlier as they're past their best now - but it's been too windy to do any photos really

Right, I can't pout it off any longer, I must get that card done and ready to parcel up.  Then I might even get a chance to do some of the other stuff on the "to do" list.

Thanks for visiting today, please come by again soon xxx