Explanation and Wedding Cards

Here I am at long last. Now where have I been....well April was a bit of a write off with working around Easter time. Also about that time a friend of mine was coming once a week to my place to make cards, so I was busy doing kits for her to make while she was here. I was doing challenges still but by the end of April I was a bit had it.

The beginning of May saw me in Melbourne at the SU Convention. I went down a few days earlier to do the tourist thing and enjoyed myself immensely.

This year's convention was the BEST!!! We had a fabulous time and I can honestly say this year was the first time that I gained something out of every class, wow and stage demonstration. Absolutely brilliant.

We are all sooooo proud of Kim Gavarra, our team leader for being Number Two SU Demonstator in Australia. Way to go Kim.

It took me a week to get over Melbourne, so tired but this year, not deflated like I've felt after other Conventions, but elated, keen and rejuvenated.

Next year's convention is once again in Canberra.
 

May also saw the beginning of our cold weather and this year, it is colder than other years because of the real 'wet' season we had.

I started making a few cards but was just enjoying being home for the rest of May.
 

The beginning of June, Jenny had to go away so I worked again for a few days.

Unfortunately, it also the dreaded flu season too and a couple of weeks ago I came down with a bit of a bug...not really bad thank goodness but still felt blaahhh. lol

I think that's all over now and thankfully am feeling much better.

It was the Queen's birthday weekend on the 11th, 12th & 13th June and my son came up from Toowoomba for a visit. Wonderful to see him but his visit only last a few days çause he had to go back to work.

My challenge participation has been lacking but I have been making cards. These two wedding cards were cased from a card that I saw on Julie's blog. Thank you Julie.

Right, I think that's it for an update. I'll be back with more cards that I've made tomorrow.

Take care everyone.

4 Crafty Chicks Challenge

Once again I'm cutting it very fine for the 4 Crafty Chicks challenge. This week it's a sketch. I used the Stampin' Up set Just Believe with Sahara Sand, Bashful Blue, Pumpkin Pie and Cajun Craze as my colours.
When I started this on Sunday I wasn't too happy with it but after not looking at it for a couple of days, I'm liking a lot more now.
I have to go back to work so this is very short.

Edited to add: The sponged circle focal point with the Just Believe set was an idea I saw on a card and I'm terribly sorry I can't remember whose card was. The original card was blue and green tones, if anyone knows who I have to give credit to please let me know. Thanks so much.

How Cute?

I found some absolutely gorgeous little chicken 3d's in my local papercraft shop and thought they would go perfectly with some papers I had in my stash. One of Sharon's kits actually. So using Karen Giron's Sweet Sunday Sketch challenge 111 I made this baby card. I'm so happy with the way it turned out. The cardstock I used is Stampin' Up Confetti White, Old Olive, So Saffron and Blushing Bride. Perfect matches. The little saying out of Nursery Necessities with some pearls finished the card off.

Thank you to the 4 Crafty Chicks once more who selected my card as one of the three Golden Egg award winners. I always get so excited if I get selected and certainly gives one a boost. Thank you.

Today has been tidy up day after a fortnight of having relatives popping in and out for visits. My girlfriend who has been visiting on a Saturday has gone away so I've cleaned up from all the crafting Saturdays we've had. Then I went through my cardstock scraps and sorted them out this afternoon, so that's another job done. Next thing is to do this week's 4 Crafty Chicks challenge which is a sketch.

Thank you once again for visiting my blog and all the comments you leave. Very much appreciated.

Inspiration Picture and a Sketch

Well I will say this week's challenge on 4 Crafty Chicks was a real challenge. This week we were given an inspiration picture....here. I'm not really very good with inspiration pictures so here is the result of my labours and I must say that I'm only getting in by the skin of my teeth. I used The Sweet Stop sketch for this week number 103. Instead of the sentiment I've added flowers and as an extra embellishment..pearls. Stampin' Up's Marina Mist and Blushing Bride went perfectly with these papers.

I've been missing in action for a bit. The last week has been quite busy here with work, relatives visiting and funerals. Thanks for visiting and hope you like my card.

My Buttons Made It!!!!!

Thanks so much to the ladies from the 4 Crafty Chicks challenge. I have won another Golden Egg Award. Woo Hoo, very exciting. The card, which is the one with the buttons inspired by Heather Summers, is so different to my usual style. It was good to have a change and make something different. Thanks again to the 4 Crafty Chicks. Enjoy your day everyone.

4 Crafty Chicks Challenge - A Recipe!!!!

The challenge for this week on 4 Crafty Chicks is a recipe - 1 ribbon, 2 dsp, 3 buttons. I've been working on this card for a day or so and when I saw the recipe challenge, well I couldn't believe it. It was the same as I had been fiddling with. So here it is, in all it's glory.

I saw on Heather Summers blog how she used these designer big buttons, so that's what I decided that would be the focal point of my card, thank you Heather.

As at yesterday, 31st March, this card could have been called, Past, Present and Future. The chocolate chip grosgrain - past, Sweet Summer stamp set - present, buttons and dsp Sweet Stitches - future.

I know this card is not my usual style but the sketch seemed to fit what I wanted to do. The sketch I used was Inspirational Card Sketches 107.

Thanks to the team at 4 Crafty Chicks for the challenge. It's still raining here. Have a good day everyone.

Love Letter Eyelets

This week on 4 Crafty Chicks the challenge is to dig deep, dig real deep in our stash and use eyelets. Mmmm well, I did have to dig deep çause I had never bought Stampin' Up eyelets, by then, I was over eyelets. Well I think I've risen to the challenge. I used a sketch I saw on a challenge by Our Craft Lounge that I really liked.

Once again I've used the Love Letter dsp. For the sentiment I used a stamp from the set Perfect Punches. I stamped the sentiment minus the flourish, cut out the oval, then matted it on black punched with the wide oval punch. Yes, I know it's on an angle but I liked it that way. The sketch just had a button on it but I tried it and didn't like it. So the bow with button got the tick of approval. Light Riding Hood Red sponging around the Eiffel Tower panel and the sentiment oval blended the colours in a bit better rather than stark vanilla on black or red.

That's it I think. Yes, two posts in one day but tomorrow is out for crafting. I have to go to town in the morning then work in the afternoon.

It's been raining all day here and I mean rain not drizzle, real wet season rain. It was the same yesterday and Saturday was a bit grey too. They reckon it's going to continue for a few days yet. Oh dear, paddling around the slush of the back yard....yuck. Can't do anything about it though and I would rather rain than drought. Thanks for visiting and hope you like my card.

Love Letter for Connie & Mary

I've been following the Create with Connie and Mary challenge blog for some time but this is the first time I've actually entered a card for it. Below is the sketch for this week, CCMC143.

This is the card I came up with for this sketch challenge. I hope it qualifies, çause I've made a square card but kept the essential elements of the sketch still. Well I think I did anyway.

I used Love Letter dsp which at the moment is copping a flogging çause now that I've decided I liked it, I have to use it. Instead of the sentiment in the sketch I've added a flourish from Baroque Motifs, black embossed to give a bit a depth and texture (hmm not that you can see that in the pic). The butterflies are from the Sale-A-Bration set Bliss and the circles they are sitting on were punched out of the motif in Artistic Etchings. I lightly sponged around the edges of the punched scalloped oval and circles with Riding Hood Red ink to take off the starkness a bit. I absolutely love my Well Scripted set and use it a lot. Black satin ribbon, pearls on the bow, butterfly bodies and greeting finished this card off.

I think I've covered everything, hope you like my card and thanks for visiting today.

Lap of Luxury Thank You

I saw this card by Teneale Williams and decided that this was exactly what I needed to make a commissioned Thank You card. I have changed the colours and papers but used the same stamp set, Bliss out of the current Sale-A-Bration catalogue. I also wanted to try a little trick that Jean pointed out to me on Heather Summers blog. After reading Heather's blog, I understand that this tip came from Mary Fish. You punch the Decorative Label Punch and then feed it back into the punch and cut again when you've got the little knobs on the end even.

The stamped background I used is something that is very popular at the moment, making a picture and then embossing it with the Square Lattice EF. Squashes it all down and melds it together so to speak.

The little Thank You is out of the Teeny Tiny Sentiments set.
Hope you like my card and thanks for visiting today.

Another Golden Egg Award

Wow, guess what? I've won another Golden Egg Award. I usually can't win an argument so winning this award along with the two other ladies is so exciting. Thanks so much to the 4 Crafty Chicks challenge blog.
Enjoy your day everyone.