Join Me For A Coffee?

Hello Everyone.

I'm back!   My computer had to go in for immediate and urgent repairs.  Fortunately all good now AND I have a new photo program......Photoshop Elements 12!!  Yaaaayyyyyy. lol

I managed to edit this photo with my new program.  There certainly is a lot to learn about it.

Anyway on to the card.  This is the first card I made with my new Maja Design papers called Coffee In The Arbour.   These papers are absolutely gorgeous.

Also on this card, I used some other new toys.   The metal corner has been embossed with Stampendous Shabby Pink Embossing Enamel.  The teacup, saucer and spoon is a new Marianne Design die set. The pretty, pretty lace is new too.  The ribbon is some I've had for years.  The frame is called Tiffany by Memory Box.

Thanks for visiting today and I'm pleased to be back with my large computer screen where I can see everything.  

 

The Big Catch!

Can you see it?   The big fish?? lol  I had a lovely time designing this card because I was having a chuckle all the while.  This card was inspired by a card made Cootje - here.

I used a base of Stampin' Up Early Espresso.  On to that I layered a piece of creek pebble dsp that I purchased while I was away at camp in March.  The image is from Joy Crafts Fishing Fun paper block. I chose this particular image because I felt that it was more of a creek or dam than the ocean and would go with my 'pebbles' well.   The green layer is Wild Wasabi (I think) and the hessian paper is one out of the Kaisercraft Base Coat range.

The woven jute ribbon is from Linda at the Funkie Junkie Boutique.  This jute ribbon is fabulous BUT it is interwoven with nylon, like fishing line so it's a bit of a nuisance to try and fold. The grass die is Impression Obsession and I use it a lot.  The man in the boat silhouette and fish dies are from Joy Crafts.  I die cut the smallest fish out of silver card and added a bling eye.  The fishing 'line' is some hemp twine.  The Big Catch stamp is from one of the matching stamp sets in the Joy Crafts Fishing Fun series.  Unfortunately I cannot purchase the other one. It's mostly in Dutch but I just love some the images and words in it.  Pity.

Last but not least, is my Gone Fishin' sign.....an old stamp by Stylish Images.  Love it.

The ladies in class who made this card were thrilled with it and they had a chuckle too. lol

Thanks for visiting my blog.

 

Treasured Memories.

Do you remember going to the beach and looking for shells along the high tide mark?  I do.  I loved the beach when I was a kid and still love walking along the beach when I get a chance.

This card was inspired by this card by Primia.

I love it.  Thanks Primia.

OK, I started with a base of  Stampin' Up Naturals White.  Next layer is Night Of Navy.   The dsp is Fab Scraps which I purchased from Charlotte's Web and Daisy Chain Scrapbooks.

I used three different papers of the same range.  Love them.   The image is from the Nellie Snellen Vintage selection.

I layered the image onto Kraft card stock then Night Of Navy.  The hessian and cheesecloth are from Linda at The Funkie Junkie Boutique.  'Treasured Memories' are a Kaszazz stamp set.

I then arranged some different flourishes and flowers at the side of the image to mimic the colours of the seaweed and ocean.  Also to give a bit of a lift to the arrangement, the apricot flowers and glass spray highlighted the little girl's hair.  A cluster of pearls with some little shells and my card is finished.

The photo doesn't pick it up but there is Clear Rock Candy distress stickles on the ocean and dry Clear Rock Candy distress glitter on the sand.

The sketch I used is from Lili Of The Valley Ideas To Inspire Blog sketch #11.

The ladies will be making this card in class tomorrow.  I'm pretty sure they'll like it.

Thanks for visiting today and hope you like my card.

 

White Wicker Basket Of Flowers.

Back again.

This time with a class card the ladies made a few weeks ago.   While away in March, I visited a paper craft shop in Nambour called Daisy Chain Scrapbooks.    I found some wonderful goodies there and yes, I did purchase them. rofl

This was one of them.....12 x 12 paper depicting white wicker work.  I remember basket chairs made out of the plastic wicker work and I think there is still one at the farm in my old bedroom.  I had a child size one too. 

I actually think this card is based on a Mojo Monday sketch, #337.  Well onto the card.  I used a base of Stampin' Up Naturals White because the dsp wasn't quite white enough for Whisper White.

Then a layer of  Blushing Bride because I wanted to use some K & Co papers I have had for ...well let us say, a very long time.  The next layer, of course, was the dsp from Daisy Chain.  Then I found in my lace stash, this absolutely gorgeous floral lace.  Well I had to use that didn't I because it went so well with the daisy paper I was using.   Then came the image problem?  Mmmmm well I knew I didn't have anything suitable in my stash, I also knew I wanted the image to have a basket in it to match my dsp and I also wanted daisies to be in the basket.  So I went googling, new word, I've just coined it.  lol   The image I  found was perfect.  So I adapted the size and printed it out on Whisper White card stock.  It matches in quite well because the lace is white.  I then die cut the image and matched the size of it to fit into the Blushing Bride nestie I used.  I'm sorry but I can't remember which one I used, oops, yes I can.... Stately Circles.

I added a metal corner from Linda's shop, The Funkie Junkie and embossed it with Ranger Antiquities Weathered White embossing powder which Linda also has in her shop.  It can purchased in Australia as well of course.  I used some pretty green bling on the centre of each of the lace flowers and a bow made from seam binding from Sharon's shop, The Stamp Simply Ribbon Store.  The colours I used were perfect with the card's colours.  I tied the bow this way by Deborah Saaranen.  Mine ended up a bit more scrunched up than Deborah's but the ladies didn't seem to mind.  They loved the card.

I think that's it.

It's Easter Sunday lunch time here.   I was flat out yesterday afternoon.  Two trays of Apple Crumble and one of Potato Bake got made and one of the Apple Crumbles delivered to Ilbilbie which is 10 minutes down the road (Bruce Highway). The Ilbilbie Hall Management Committee were catering for a function at the Cape Palmerston Holiday Park.  I volunteered to make one of the Apple Crumbles.  Hope it was enjoyed.  Today it's washing time because I have a feeling we are in for more rain. 

I also have card orders to complete, so really had better get on with them.

To Leslie, who is wonderful and comments on my blog posts regularly....thanks so much for liking my cards and I'm glad you like the links. I hope Wally and Lulu are enjoying their Easter.  Hugs to them both.

Here are links to Leslie's blog and to Wally and Lulu's blog.  Enjoy everyone, both blogs are well worth looking at.

Take care,

Happy Easter.

 

Secret Garden.

I've had the Graphic 45 Secret Garden papers for some time but haven't used a lot of them. They are so pretty that really I couldn't bring myself to cut into them, but one can't hoard everything so I used them today.

This is the card the ladies will be making in class tomorrow afternoon.

These ladies just like to make cards without learning techniques and stamping so I'm pretty sure this one will go down well.

The base card is Stampin' Up Very Vanilla with the next layer being apricot Bazzill.  I love the blue with the apricot in the papers, so I felt that the blue silk threaded through the lace with a blue silk ribbon bow would be a perfect contrast to the pale peach roses.  I tucked a couple of little ivory sweetheart blossoms in amongst the roses to pick up the lace and doily ivory colour. The leaves are from my favourite leaf die at the moment, Elizabeth Craft Designs Curvy Leaves and they've been cut from Always Artichoke and Pear Pizazz.  The pretty, pretty eyelet lace is from Linda at The Funkie Junkie.

Sharon from The Stamp Simply Ribbon Store has silk ribbon and seam binding kits to match the Graphic 45 Secret Garden papers.

I cut the image and Baja Breeze layer with Deckled Rectangles Nestabilities.  

Thanks for visiting my blog today.

Keep well everyone.

 

Baby Girls For Mojo Monday 337

 Good morning all.

I'm here again with two baby girl cards.  These two cards were orders from two of my class ladies.  The other  ladies in the class didn't want to make baby cards. lol

I used the latest Mojo Monday sketch #337 as my starting point and went from there.  The top card was inspired by Sharon Wheet's card called Stork Delivery.  I loved Sharon's idea of the embossed vellum with the doiley peeking through the Tattered Angels frame. 

As I was using Stampin' Up Blushing Bride card stock, I inked the frame in the matching ink and sprayed it liberally with pearl Glimmer Mist.  I backed the vellum with blushing bride card stock and embossed the same greeting, 'Welcome Baby', that Sharon used, in white.  I do wish I could find a lovely cream embossing powder.  Next it was a matter of following the sketch but I added some shabby seam binding with pink twine, all from Sharon's shop, Stamp Simply Ribbon Store, on the other side of my frame.  The papers are from Kaisercraft called Bundle Of Joy....I think.  Having come this far, the top right hand corner was bothering me.  So out came my embossing powder again and I white embossed a metal corner and sponged with distress paint.  Well I'm thinking that's what I did.  This was early last week after all and I've had a full week. lol

The next card was has been done differently.  I decided that as much as I liked the embossed vellum in the frame, that I didn't have time to do it again and that I should make the next card a bit differently.  I stayed with the same sketch but changed the elements I used.

For the centre image, I used a die cut from the paper and added a die cut lacey circle to frame it.   Instead of the embossed metal corner, I added a pretty venise lace butterfly with a hand painted tri bud to the top right hand corner.  The papers had a very pretty scalloped border so I used it under the lace instead of the larger polka dot piece as is on the first card.

Both are pretty cards and the ladies were very happy with them.  I must mention that the metal corner, venise lace butterfly and tri bud are from Linda's shop, The Funkie Junkie Boutique.

Thanks for visiting today and hope you like my cards.
 

Baby Girl Baptism

A couple of months ago, one of my class ladies asked me to make her a Baptism card.  I said yep, no worries,  then got home and started to have a worry because I didn't really have anything remotely suitable.  So I decided to go through some of my favourite card designers and found this one by Tina which is the one that inspired one of my previous cards on here.  I've since edited the post to reflect this.

I really, really wanted to make this card a lot more vintagey and to use some of that wonderful Stampendous Frantage Shabby Embossing Enamel on the image but I resisted.  Some people don't like the edges distresses and inked so I left this alone.  I just added different elements to the card.  The main feature is the zipper pull which is gorgeous.   The papers are Kaisercraft and the image is from Inkido.  The hand dyed Venise Lace heart, tri bud, and dyed seam binding are from Linda at The Funkie Junkie.  The rest of the embellishments are out of my stash. The sentiment I printed out on the computer and then positioned the stamp around it.

I've since been told that the card was a great success and very well received by the parents.

Thanks once again for visiting, 

 

Sewing Card In Blue

OK, I'm trying to keep up with my blog so here is another card I have made.  This was an order by a friend of mine who wanted something for a lady who is into sewing and all sorts of other crafts.  I'm afraid I used several different cards for inspiration, all gathered from the Pion Design Blog.

The metal corner piece was embossed with Ranger Antiquities Weathered White embossing powder then I rubbed Weathered Wood Distress Paint over it to match the Pion Design papers I used. I think the rest is self explanatory.  The butterfly and spool cards were also cut from Pion Design papers.  I wound DMC embroidery thread around one spool and some pretty lace around the other.  I can't remember where the pins came from originally.  The scissors,sewing machine charms, dress form clip and bling lace are from Live and Love Crafts.  Linda at the The Funkie Junkie Boutique has Pion Design papers in stock.

The card stock I used is Stampin' Up Very Vanilla and Bordering Blue (retired).

Oh, the sketch, well that's something else I can't remember, where I got it from.  So sorry.  If I could remember I would give credit.

I hope you like the card because I really enjoyed making it.

Thanks for taking the time to visit my blog.

 

Edited to add.  I've remembered where I got a lot of my inspiration for this card from....Thanks Tina.

Twin Girls And Good Intentions.

Well so much for my good intentions.  It's nearly a month since I posted (sigh).  Sorry everyone.

At the moment, I'm battling yet another bug.  This is the 3rd or 4th time this year I've been sick and all in the last four months!!

A lady who works at the Tourist Centre in Sarina with me wanted a special card for twin girls.  The card I came up with was inspired by this one by Monika.

The bootees and papers are digi images by Gina Jane.  I added little tri-bud venise lace appliques that I coloured with ink to match the papers and ribbon.  The tri-buds, butterfly and pegs were purchased from Linda at the The Funkie Junkie Boutique, an absolutely fabulous place to shop. Under the congratulations banner is an embossed piece of vellum which I ran through a heart embossing folder.  Underneath that is a pretty piece of matching gingham paper.  I raised the booties up on dimensionals to take up the slack from pegging them on the line.  To finish the card off, I added a single rose at the beginning of the banner sentiment and strawberry slush ribbon.

Thanks for taking the time to visit my blog today.

 

Tea Thyme For Birthday

This card is for another very special friend of mine who loves pretty things.  I used lace, feathers, pearls, burlap and flowers to create lots of texture and interest.  The red rose was added to give the colour palette a lift and it ties in with the red border on my tag.  This card was inspired by Warm Winter Wishes by Kathy. 

We've had some very rainy weather and I think it means to continue for another day or so.  

Thanks for visiting my blog.

Keep well.

 

A Special Birthday Card

All of my school girl friends are turning 50 this year.  The first party was last night.  All four of us bought a present together and it was my job to make the card.  This is what I came up with for Lindy's birthday card.

It did the rounds at the party and everyone including Lindy loved it so I was pretty chuffed. 

The idea came from this card made by Andrea Ewen.  

I used the same series of papers but different colours and embellishments.

Thanks once again for taking the time to visit my blog.

 

Ladies Diary.

I follow a blog called In My Little Korner and this lady makes absolutely stunning cards.  I love them.  So after seeing this post by Kathy, I cased it and made the four cards you see below, using dies, lace, seam binding, cheesecloth and doilies.
I didn't change a lot because I loved Kathy's version so much but had to improvise due to the different card sizes...eg metric and imperial.

Thanks for visiting today,
 

Happy Birthday Mate Ute.

Good morning everyone.

Here is one the cards that I made for the Artist of the Month display at the Sarina Tourist, Art and Craft Centre.   This particular card is based on a project that Anna-Karin made for her son.  I had a different jalopy done but mucked it up so had to improvise and use another jalopy that I was going to bin.  The day I was working on these jalopies (I made 6 cards in total), was also the day that I managed to stab myself with a pair of scissors.  My finger bled so much, I didn't think it was going to stop. lol  Too much hurry and not enough care.  That was two weeks ago and it's only getting better now.  Anyway onto my jalopy.

I've used Distress Crackle Paint, Ranger Verdigris embossing powder, Opals utee, Adirondack dabbers and inks on my ute.  The background paper was made by myself by putting together different pictures of Queensland number plates, resizing them, adding a brown background and then printing out on Kraft card stock.  Lots of Tim Holtz stamps and products were used on this card as well as Stampin' Up card stock.

I've decided that I really love working on Grunge Board and Grunge Paper, it takes ink etc beautifully.

The rusty metal bottle top and nails were a good touch I thought and with the Happy Birthday mate, made this a really Aussie bloke card.

Thanks for visiting,

 

Vintage A La Linda!!

 These cards were made after seeing a card that Linda Coughlin - The Funkie Junkie made some weeks ago now.  The papers are some digital ones that Linda has used on her card. The feature tags are from The Graphic Fairy.

I made two of the flowers myself using Linda's technique with crinoline, tulle and dye.  The lace has been hand dyed with tea bags and on the two birds card, with a Tim Holtz reinker.  Both metal corners and the butterfly have been given Linda's treatment using Ranger's Weathered White embossing powder and distress stain.  I used a Tim Holtz doily die and Cheery Lynn dies for the backing doilies.

Stampin' Up card stock matched perfectly for all three cards.

Even though I love these cards, I wasn't sure how they would be received by my potential customers but I needn't have worried....all three have sold.

I'll leave it that and if you have any questions, feel free to email me.

Enjoy your day everyone and once again thanks for visiting my blog.

Pretty Pixie Glen.

 Good morning everyone.

Today I'm showing two cards that I made after reading a magazine called Australian Simply Cards.  The particular issue in question was absolutely jam packed with fabulous inspiration and beautiful cards.

I used Prima Pixie Glen papers for both cards and matching SU Blushing Bride card stock and ribbon.  I had a play with a couple of new Tim Holtz dies also corners from Linda Coughlin.  The pins were a lot of fun to make and I must do more of them.

Thank you for visiting my blog yesterday and taking the time to comment and welcome me back.  Very much appreciated.

Today is a waiting day.....my son had a car accident two and a half weeks ago.  We are waiting for the insurance company to come to a decision as to whether they will pay for the repairs to the vehicle or not.

I'm not good at waiting for these sorts of decisions....I like the know and know NOW!!!  lol

Meanwhile I hope I can settle enough to get some more cards made as I have more orders to finish.

The stocks at the Tourist Centre and my friend's coffee shop are very low so will have to get something accomplished soon.

Enjoy the day and take care.
 

Pretty Everyday Enchantment.

For a long time now I've been an admirer of Joanne Leddy's work.  I think the way Joanne creates cards using bits and pieces of different papers is amazing.  These particular cards were cased from a  Valentine's card Joanne made.  I've used the same sort of elements and sketch but did change the sentiments and added an extra layer of card stock.  Thank Joanne for your inspiration.

The last few days here have been busy, busy, busy.  We have managed to find someone for my son to board with in town (Mackay).  While he has been living here at home, the kilometres and petrol that have been going on his car whilst going back and forth to work in Mackay is unmanageable for his wage.  So to lessen the load for him, I've been cooking up a storm!!!!   On Friday I did a total of 18 meals, spaghetti bolognese, curried mince and rice and curried sausages and rice.  They are now in the freezer.  I still have to make fish cakes with a sweet and sour sauce and rissoles.  

In addition to all that, my cards are selling really well and my stocks are low. So have been frantically trying to get cards made as well as the normal everyday household jobs.

Last week my Big Shot died.  What a disaster!!! lol  The bearings in the handle collapsed.   Charlie pulled it all apart to try and fix it but unfortunately it was not to be.  So I ordered another one and thankfully it arrived Thursday.  I had pulled out for the emergency my old 'critter' (cuttlebug) but it's amazing how used you get to using one sort of tool.  Anyway it did the job very well.

OK, that's it from me.  I'll have another coffee, finished my blog reader and get on with my jobs for today.

Keep well everyone.
 

Springtime Vintage Buttons.

These two cards were made for very good friends of mine, Jean and Heather.  My inspiration for these cards came from a fabulous lady called Linda and a card she made here.  I admire her work and as much as I would love to be able to do the same sort of work, I'll have to resign myself to wanting to be like her when I grow up!!!

The corners on the cards were originally brass coloured.  Mmmm well perhaps less said about how they ended up looking like they do, the better.  I will say, that I experimented for some time to get the look I wanted but without success.  They didn't turn out too badly though and after a while, grew on me. lol

The seam binding has been dyed in two different colours...pale plum and perfect plum, then a bow made using the two colours at the same time.  I also dyed the cheesecloth and layered it underneath my toppers to soften the whole effect of the card.

Lots of other different elements on these cards, mostly self explanatory.  The gorgeous lace, button, metal corner and lace heart came from Linda.  The buttons card is a Stampin' Up stamp from a set called Sew Suite.  The papers are Stampin' Up Springtime Vintage unfortunately retired now.

There is lots to look at on these cards but that's how I wanted them to be.  I did start with a sketch but it's no use showing you that because these cards look nothing like that sketch now, in fact, far from it. lol

Thanks for visiting my blog today.  Keep well.