Sweet Peas

I've been browsing around the new release at There She Goes this weekend and can't wait for some of the new sets arrive :-)   They have a new challenge too, which is a lovely sketch so I dug out some of my older TSG stamps and played along.

Here's the link to the challenge if you want to play along - you can even win a voucher to spend on their stamps http://tsgclearstamps.blogspot.com/2012/02/tsg145-sketch-challenge.html

I've used the lovely sweet pea stamp and inked it up in green and coloured the flowers in mostly in my softest copics with a hint of deeper pink at the centres.  I added the definition stamp in a matching pink ink and created some layers to match the decorative papers I chose (my favourite ever My Minds Eye set - Pretty Please).  Nice quick make and perfect for Mother's Day and as Paper Play want cards for mothers or female relatives I'm entering their challenge too  http://paperplaychallenges.blogspot.com/2012/02/12-week-8-for-mother.html

Christmas stickers

Another weekend gone by means another card in my slowly growing Christmas card colleciton thanks to 52 Christmas Card Challenge Throwdown http://52cct.blogspot.com/2012/02/embellishment-challenge-2.html and this week the challenge is to use stickers.  I thought I was going to have to dig deep in my old stash for this one, then I opened a drawer and found some stickers and tags I bought in the John Lewis sales in January - et voila - inspiration struck!

I hand drew some lines to hang the baubles off, used the backing card that came in the stickers pack as my DP and picked out the red with some metallic red tape behind to form a fake matt.  Finished with a rocket red sentiment from the holiday edition of Say it Loud from Waltzingmouse.

I'm loving this weekly challenge and am so pleased that my Christmas card stash is gently growing week on week as I feel confident I will not have to resort to bought cards this year!

Sketchy colourful thanks

I needed to make a special thank you card today for my Aunt, and for my special cards I always go first to my Waltzingmouse stmaps so I thought I'd check out this weeks' sketch challenge for inspriation  http://waltzingmousesketchchallenge.blogspot.com/2012/02/challenge-86february-25-2012.html  and in the spirit of trying to be more daring with my colours I went to todays lovely CR84FN which are kraft (love!) yellow and grey  http://cr84fncolorchallenge.blogspot.com/2012/02/cr84fn49.html

I stamped two layers of the nestie lable stamp in two shades of yellow chalk ink on kraft paper, cut out the central square and layered it up, cutting the circle out so the sentiment is stamped on the bottom layer.  I added the darker ink to the floral elements of the frame, overglittered it and added smoe gems.  I stamped the grey background with a hero arts stamp, layered with a tiny yellow border and created the shape on the sketch adding some looped yellow ribbon for added interest.  I finally brought the detail from the frame to the base card using the cleverly co-ordinating stamps from the same set.  The thank you sentiment is from a paula pascal set.

Can't wait to see the rest of the WM sets that are about to be released - todays samples were awesome.

CAS scraps

The recipe for this weeks's LIM challenge is to use stuff from your snippets stash I love a snippets challenge http://simplylessismoore.blogspot.com/2012/02/week-56-dont-scrap-it.htmland you can't make a card with snippets and not go and play in the Sunday snippets playground with Pixie, cos frankly that would just be rude!  So here's the link http://pixiescraftyworkshop.blogspot.com/2012/02/pixies-crafty-snippets-challenge-number_19.html    see you on the swings!

Ever since I did my patchwork class last month, I've been looking and lusting at quilts and quilt patterns and I've been using excel to plan out my own designs (excel is useful as you can drag to repeat the patterns you create).  I'm not sure if I will ever get around to making it up, as I'm not sure my sewing skills are up to it, but this is one my design blocks, recreated from 0.5 and 1cm scraps of paper (yes it took AGES!!!)

The patterned snippets are all my minds eye from the same pad so the colours match and I used some matching solid shades to help define the shape. After cutting all the squares I used a glue runner over a sheet of graph paper to help me get the blocks lined up straight and then I simply cut around the finished shaped and stuck it on my card.  I used the "great big Hugs" sentiment from Frame It from Waltzingmouse as quilts always make me think of being wrapped up in a big warm Hug.

I'm going to make dinner now, so I don't end up with a repeat of last weeks fish finger incident - I've promised DH Lasagne Pastachina this week and I'd better not disappoint for a second week or he'll be padlocking the craftroom door ;-)

Catch you all later.

Another pun

When I had my first go at this week's CASual Friday Challenge I didn't read it quite right.  http://cas-ualfridays.blogspot.com/2012/02/cfc41.html   They had specifically defined a pun as "a humerous play on words" so whilst my first card made me laugh, I don't think it was strictly a pun.  So, quick sticks, here's another go....

This one is from a papersmooches set just stamped and masked and stamped again - well who could resist a smiling tomato??? 

Then it seems once you've hit on what a pun, you find you actually have a tonne of pun stamps in your stash, so I couldn't resist a 3rd attempt!

I just adore this set of fabulous mustaches from the Crafts Meow - I rarely buy stamps that aren't available in the UK as I hate getting stung for import tax, but I just couldn't resist these and they have the perfect set of puns to go with them.

I think that's my punning over now......

CASual Pun

This week's CASual Friday Challenge is to use a pun or funny sentiment.  http://cas-ualfridays.blogspot.com/2012/02/cfc41.html

As it's getting close to Easter, I decided to ink up an as yet uninked egg stamp - it makes me smile so hope you all find it funny too!

The stamps are from the LOL Taglines set from There She Goes, they appeal to the comedy fan in me.  I used my new sunflower yellow brilliance ink which is perfect runny yolk colour :-)

Can't wait to see what other funnies everyone comes up with this week.

CAS Horses

It's another birthday club birthday at work tomorrow so a card is needed, this time for a fella but as he's very much into horses it doesn't require as much thought as most men's cards as to what to use ;-)

Both horsey images are from an inkadinkadoo set and the greeting is waltzingmouse.  Simply stamped onto kraft with rich cocoa ink with the main image on white (the head on its own is a bit Godfather though isn't it!!)  I picked up the cute horseshoe "ribbon" at a local fayre - its very thick natural material so lends itself to masculine I feel.    Sorry the image is poor, I forgot to photograph it so had to resort to scanning it as I don't have the camera with me.

I am entering into the current masculine themed challenge at The Paper Players http://thepaperplayers.blogspot.com/2012/02/challenge-83-cas-masculine-theme-from.html

It also has a vintage feel which makes it perfect for the current challenge at here come the boys  http://herecometheboysblogchallenge.blogspot.com/2012/02/21-vintage-feel.html

Caught a bug?

Just a quickie tonight before I jump in the bath.  I'm trying to force myself to do more colour challenges as I find the particularly difficult but find that without them I just defer to my default teal in almost every card!   So I'm having a go at this weeks colour Q - I don't have stampin up inks though so am just  guessing that the colours I've used are close enough.

Not sure I have enough orange and I probably deferred too much to my safe blues, but hopefully with practice I'll get better!  Paper-pieced papersmooches bug and spoon finished with liquid black pearls.

Fallen angel

I thought I was going to struggle on this week's 52 Christmas Card Throwdown as it's another theme week and this time the theme is angels and I didn't think I had anything angelic in my stash.  However I had a little route around and found this stamp, which I thought at first was a fairy, has a halo, so I guess she's actually an angel, and I was going to go with a "bah humbug" type theme to go with her fallen angel pose, but decided to make it more festive!  Quick and simple but quite fun.

Dies, colours, love, lace and backgrounds

Well, much later coming to play with the LIMettes today as I've been out shopping with my Aunt who had a cataract operation this week and isn't allowed to carry.  A nice afternoon of card making was required to recover, but I did get carried away which means tonight's mutton curry is now off the menu as I should have started it an hour ago!

Anyhow, this is going to be a big post as I made 3 cards, all using die cuts which is the theme this week at Less is More http://simplylessismoore.blogspot.com/2012/02/week-55-theme.html but I have combined a couple of them with other challenges.

The first one is very simple - a pink base card, with a embossed panel simply stamped with a greeting from Waltzingmouse.  There are two die cut elements on this card, the leaves are stampin up (and came with some stamps) and the felt flower is created using a dynamics die from MFT.  I rolled it around a diamante left over from my tiara making days.

The second card is a simple little one on the theme of "love and lace" which is our challenge over at my charity card making challenge for St Luke's Hospice - do check it out if you haven't already - we have a lovely set of La Blanche stamps as a prize this month.  http://stlukescharitycardschallenge.blogspot.com/  I stuck rows of sheer ribbon to a square of card a cut it with an old sizzix die (called heart lace), popped out the centre, inked the edges and stuck into onto a vellum layer which was matted onto silver cut with a lace-like nestie.

My final die cut was the one that took the hour I didn't really have ;-)   This is a technique I learnt on Jennifer McGuire's recent Clean and Simple online class (you can still take it and it was a fab class). 

From this photo it may not look that exciting, but if you look at the close up below you can see the hidden technique which is to layer up your die cut shapes on top of each other to create intricate die cut with chipboard like dimension.

For this card I used the lovely colours at CR84FN as my starting point - chartreuse, grey and lavender and die cut one lavender butterfly and 5 white ones, carefully glued on top of each other.  I then made a background for the grey base using a damask stamp from Hero Arts with pear tart ink (as close as I could get to chartreuse).  Annabelle stamps want you to "say it with background stamps" this week, so I am entering this card into their challenge too.  I added a double layer of sheer ribbon and a raised ribbon sentiment (Elzybells) and hey presto, my first Mother's Day card finished.

Thanks for sticking with me if you read this far - better go and dig some fish fingers out of the freezer now - do you think DH will spot the difference?????

CASual Ribbon

If you've come looking for my Waltzingmouse Blog Party post, please scroll down....

The challenge this week at CASual Friday's is to use ribbon in readyness for Mardi Gras.
http://cas-ualfridays.blogspot.com/2012/02/cfc40.html  Well we don't really do Mardi Gras in the UK so I'm not sure if this is along the right vibe, but lets give it a go and see what our US friends have to say.

I decided to "rescue" one of my cards from last weeks LIM challenge, that was a bit of a disaster,  but as the embossing bit worked well I just opted to cover up the disaster with a strip of pink card card onto which I stamped a Hero Arts sentiment.  I then made a ribbon rose from a delicious strip of pink and black velet ribbon.  I tied a knot in one end and then wound it round and twisted it to make a rose.  Finished with a black flourish die cut and 3 black gems for balance.

It also fits the super easy challenge this week at Aud Sentiments which is to create any card as long as the sentiment includes the word HAPPY http://audsentimentschallengeblog.blogspot.com/2012/02/happy.html

Catch you later.

Spingtime Waltz

As today is the 17th, then it's time to party over at Waltzingmouse - there will be a linky thing later I do believe to give everyone around the globe a few hours to join the party.  The theme for this month is SPRING.

To me, Spring is all about the fresh green buds on the trees and the soft blue skies that finally start to appear after the longs months of grey gloom.  So I used that as my colour inspiration and this is what I came up with:

I made the carnation flower from felt - no fancy dies required, just a pair of scissors and a bit of tape.  I die cut the leaves from green felt and added a glittered vein.  I used the ribbon from Eat Cake, stamping it twice, first directly onto the DP, then once again onto white, which I carefully cut out out (except for the dots..) and paper pieced on top for dimension, finishing each swag with a diamante.   I added a sentiment from the same set below and used the same ink colour to stamp part of a doily from Dainty Doilies 2 (small) to echo the shape of the flower with a few green diamante to bring in the leaf colour.  DP is from an old DCWV stack.

Can't wait to waltz around with the other party goers later.

Red, Green and Gold

The challenge this week at 52 Christmas card throwdown is to create a card using only red green and gold. http://52cct.blogspot.com/2012/02/color-challenge-2.html

I've not been feeling great this week so haven't  been up to much craft wise.  I was determined to finish this one tonight though so it's just very quick and simple.  Green wreath (woodware) stamped again in red and berries paper-pieced.

 

One Layer Stripes

This week's challenge at Less is More is stripes, and as it's the second week of the month it's one layer week - so stripes but no layers - dang - I have lots of striped paper but no striped stamps! http://simplylessismoore.blogspot.com/2012/02/week-54-one-layer.html

A lot of head scratching and sorting through all  my drawers and I managed to find a couple of stripey things and have actually made 3 cards in the end.  These challenges are good like that, otherwise I just use the same stuff or new stuff all the time - this made me dig deeper and older!!!

This one is a bit outside the box, but I think the train track counts as stripes!  Stampin up wheel and TPC trains, planes and automobiles stamps.  I think this was in part a reaction to my blogging buddy Deborah's news - wish you lots of luck for your move to the States.  Wish we were coming too to share in all that US crafting goodness :-)

For this one I was inspired by Mandi's stamping stripes into nesties but I twised it up an stamped my stripes as a border strip after inking and embossing my nestie shape.  The flower is Hero Arts, clear embossed and glittered.  DI's blended and pearled to make the frame.  The stripes is actually a layer from my papermania cake stand stamp - told you I had to look at things hard this morning!  The sentiment is from an Elzybells set which has just been re-released by Penny Black (yeah!!!)

I'm not so thrilled with this one - very simple embossing folder with a sentiment stamped in the gap that is on the folder.  Just don't think the sentiment works, and I can see this being recycled with the sentiment covered for an non one-layer card.

That's it for a while as I have a very bad headache today - a phonecall at 4.30 am about the alarm at work is probably to blame....   Time for lunch and a quick nap I think!

Catch you later

CASual paperpiecing

The challenge this week at CASual Friday is simply to paperpiece your image.  I had to play along as soon as I got home as paperpiecing is probably my favourite technique.  This is my second card, my first was a more complex image which didn't work as well as I thought it would.  This is really simple but works better.

Recipe:
Kraft base card
Papersmooches Sunny Side Up
Picket fench distress stain
Snippets of paper from stash

If you want to use up some snippets - play along here, http://cas-ualfridays.blogspot.com/2012/02/cfc39.html and also join in with the weekly challenge to use up your snippets by joining Di in the snippets playground.  http://pixiescraftyworkshop.blogspot.com/2012/02/pixies-crafty-snippets-challenge-number.html  I must admit it's my first visit since Di took over from Jules - sorry Di - will try harder!

Hero Arts Contest

Although I've been a fan of Hero Arts stamps for a long while, and there were in fact some of the first stamps I bought, I didn't actually realise that they had a blog and challenges (Doh!)   Now I've found that they do, I thought I'd have a go at this months challenge http://heroarts.com/blogs/club/february-2012-contest-details/   There are 3 ways to enter - create a friendship/hello card, use one of the sketches below or to use some die cutting on your card.

I decided to combine all 3 ways of entering the challenge into one card and using the right hand sketch, this is what I came up with.

I started with a 6 x 4 white card and cut a piece of thick white card 1 cm smaller all around.  I die cut an aperture from it and lined it up my card.  I masked off the area on the base card around where the aperture would be and then used the first Hero Arts Clear set I bought years ago from QVC which has butterflies and florals and sentiments (sorry no idea what it was called) to create a pattern in the aperture using chalk ink on its second stamping for a really soft look.  I ran the card with the aperture through my floral vines embossing folder to add texture and used foam pads to mount for dimension.  I cut a couple of ribbons in complementary colours and stamped the greeting from the same clear set using the background ink but at full strength.

The butterfly is from my new Hero Arts/Sizzix stamp and die set (these sets are fab - very good idea to collaborate by the two companies!)  I coloured the butterfly directly on the stamp using my old whisper brush markers and then spritzed it with pearl spray to get a good stamp impression and some shimmer.  I filled the white areas of the wings with glossy accents and glimmer dust.  A few black pearls finished the body.

I'm really pleased with the outcome - I even managed to keep the white white despite the mess of ink on my hands!

Excited :-)

I have just spotted in the new release of Penny Black T is for Transparent sets that one of my all time favourite stamp deisgners "Elzybels" appears to be designing for them.

http://pennyblackinc.com/display_item.php?PID=6962&CAT=RStransparentsets

I have this set from when Elzybels had her shop and I DEARLY hope that this means we're going to see some new designs from her coming our way thanks to Penny Black as I was sooooo sad when she closed her shop.  That would make me a very happy bunny indeed!!!!

Felt heart

After seeing Kirsty Allsops series before Christmas on TV, I like many other crafters (as the amount of the kits selling out indicates), fell for needle felting.  Therefore my wonderful husband organised my family into purchasing everything a girl needs to get started in such a craft (I know, I know, like I need ANOTHER craft to play with lol!)  I haven't really had much time to play with it properly, and did break a needle on my very first attempt (that'll teach me to not read the instructions....)  But, I did manage to make a lovely little plump and pretty pink heart - and naturally I've stuck it on a card:

The heart is actually a petal from a rose made using a very clever clover felting mold and it took about 10 seconds - litterally - needle felting is soooo speedy :-)  Simply stuck on a Valentines background stamp - I think its my fave V-day card ever.  One day I may actually even make a rose ;-)


Over at Annabelle stamps this week, they want us to say it with hearts so I am entering it into their challenge. http://annabellestamps.blogspot.com/2012/02/say-it-withhearts.html

While you're there, do check out their very groovy looking new forum http://stampembellishcreate.ning.com/  which is just starting out but already has some lovely people and great tutorials and I think is going to be a very lovely place to hang out online :-) 

I'm also going to enter into Allsorts challenge for this week which is Free and Easy http://allsortschallenge.blogspot.com/2012/02/week-140-free-easy-february-pt1.html  

and the To the One I love challenge over at one stop craft challenge  http://onestopcraftchallenge.blogspot.com/2012/02/challenge-168-for-one-i-love.html

Craftilicious x

Birthday Girls

One of my very good friends celebrations one of those special birthday which ends in a zero next week, on Valentines Day to be precise, not the best day to have your birthday as it makes going out difficult as everyone is being romantic so no much place for big girly get togethers!   So we're getting together on the 15th instead and naturally a special birthday requires a special card and I'm showing it early to meet the deadline over at Quixotic Inspirations as I used their lovely sketch as my starting point for the design.

I used my favourite new range of stamps - the wonderful Uptown Girls from Stamping Bella which Elaine over at Quixotic Paperie imports and sells and I am reliably informed that the newest release is winging its way over the Atlantic as we speak "swoon"  I need the ALL.......

For this card I used Victoria and Julliette's Night Out (currently out of stock but restocks are coming too) and cut their legs off to fit them in the circle on the sketch - wasn't sure about doing that, but I actually love the effect of using just a bit of them and it reminds me a bit of the opening to the old bond movies ;-)  Coloured with copics, pencils and lots of glitter!

DP is papermania capsule collection and then I embossed some teal strips with a birthday EF and die cut some swirls which were finished with matching teal gems for the obligatory special birthday sparkle.  The age was stamped in black and then filled over with a teal pearl drop (sorry can't remember who the stamps are by)

Here's the link to the sketch challenge:  http://quixoticpaperie.blogspot.com/2012/01/quixotic-paperie-sketch-challenge-no3.html

I'm also entering into:

Allsorts Challenge - Free and Easy

Catch the bug - Anything Goes

Craft us Crazy - Anything Goes

The heart of Christmas

I can't quite believe it, but we are already onto the second sketch in the 52 Christmas Card Throwdown  - the challenges are weekly but they follow a monthly pattern so this being the first week in the second month, it's the second sketch which is pictured below:

I had an idea to use a new Magnolia image I got in the January sales but I've then been struggling to make it fit the sketch, so am hoping my slight twist on where the sentiment goes is ok!

The lovely tilda image is coloured with copics with a little glimmer dust on her fur trim, fussy cut and then attached to the card stamped with a lovely Kaisercraft sentiment.  I used the ribbon the sentiment should been on to break the line between my DP's from a My Minds Eye stack which turned out to be a little too close to each other in shade.  I inked the edges of one with some mahogany DI for the same reason.  Have to say making this made a pleasant change from valentines cards....

http://52cct.blogspot.com/2012/02/sketch-challenge-2.html

CASual movie

I've got a few birthdays coming up this week and next so I have a few cards I have to make and the challenge at CASual Friday's this week gave me the idea for one for our little nephew.  The challenge is to make a card inspired by a movie and as little boys love dinosaurs, I took my inspiration from Jurassic Park but made it cute and cuddly:

I used my great paper smooches stamps and did my fake chipboard trick again cutting the dinosaur out several times and layering him up, colouring with copics and finishing with glossy accents and a googly eye.  The grass is actually an icicle die and I don't have a grass one but I think it works for a jungle...

http://cas-ualfridays.blogspot.com/2012/02/cfc38.html

Love and Hugs

I'm taking our St Luke's Charity Card stall to the Crucible Theatre next Saturday to sell at a special matinee they are putting on in aid of the charity, so thought I should rustle up a few Valentines appropriate cards as it's a few days after.  The gorgeous sketch at Waltzingmouse this morning gave me the idea for another.

I started with my largest scalloped edge nestie and put it on a square card deliberately hanging it over at the join slightly so it doesn't come into two pieces.  I then took my colour inspriation for this weeks Daring Card makers challenge which is red and pink, usually a combo I find difficult but I challenged myself and this is what I came up with.

I used the kissing technique with the great woodgrain background stamp from the WM Way out West set to make my Fiskars heart stamps look wooden.  I cut mounted onto red card and cut again.  I stamped a larger frilly heart and added "with love" from part of a sentiment from Christmas Cottage and took "hugs" from another part of a sentiment from Frame it and handwrote the ampusand.  I then used the heart border from Nordic Winter to create my border centre strip and mounted that onto card.  The  floral DP is Papermania Raspberry Champagne, cut with a nestie and I hand coloured the border with a copic pen.  I finished with some teeny-tiny heart shaped buttons that I got yesterday and now wish I ordered loads as they are just adorably cute!

I am entering the following challenges with this card:

http://waltzingmousesketchchallenge.blogspot.com/2012/02/challenge-84february-4-2012.html

http://daringcardmakers.blogspot.com/2012/02/februarys-colour-comb-challenge.html

http://divasbydesignchallenge.blogspot.com/2012/02/challenge-20-anything-goes.html

Off to make something warming for DH for dinner as he may well be walking home from work in the snow....

Happy Birthday Less is More!

My favourite weekly challenge is one today - 52 fabulous challenges have been and gone and I entered 51 (it would have been 52, but I didn't actually find the challenge until week 2....)   I REALLY can't remember what I did on Saturday mornings before I found the site, it probably involved household chores but they are so dull and the challenge is a much more pleasant way to start my weekend!!!  Through the site I've not only improved my card making skills thanks to the tips from Chrissie and Mandi and all the lovely LIMettes, but I've made a heap of blogging buddies and even sourced the Design Team for my own charity card making challenge blog.  What a difference a year makes ;-)  Thanks ladies, and long may it continue.....

So for this weeks' challenge we have colour, and for me it's a goodie as I LURVE all shades of aqua my wardrobe is full of little else but black teal and aqua.  So I can see me coming back later with lots of cards as I have tonnes of aqua everything in my craft room, but I wanted to use this new set of stamps first as I bought them with my fellow LIMettes in mind:

The keep calm motto from WW2 has seen a massive renaissance in the UK over recent years - currently the best seller in my husbands comic and sci-fi book shop is a Dr Who version - "keep calm and call the Dr" in poster form which they have to keep getting reprinted!  So when I saw this set of stamps from Personal Impressions I had to buy them instantly - there are lots of options so you'll be seeing it again for sure, but I thought this version was perfect for those of us that see the weekly challenge (particularly where acetate is involved lol!) and go "oh no, what am I going to do this week???"   I'm going to keep this little mini card on my desk to remind me I can do it - White on White was my first big challenge and I hated the idea of it, but loved it in reality, and that is one of the major reasons I keep coming back week after week, as the challenges really stretch me and make me a better crafter.

Right I have a few cards to make for birthdays this week, but like Arnie, I will be back....

Black and White Flashback Friday

I really like playing along with Flashback Friday - its fun to search back and find the "first" of certain cards or projects you've made and see how far you've come.  The latest challenge is to show off your first black and white card. http://flashbackfridaychallenge.blogspot.com/2012/02/flashback-friday-200-celebration.html

Here's mine from October 2010:

A black pearl DL simply finished with some gorgeous ribbon (reminds me I have a BIG roll of that so should use it more as I love it!!) to which I added a few black pearl accents.  I matched these by creating a line of white liquid pearl drops on the opposite edge of the card.  A simple "thinking of you" die cut sentiment finished the card.  For once, my "first" isn't so awful, and I could see me actually reusing this design now!   What does stand out though is how RUBBISH my photography was back then!!!

This is the 20th Flashback Friday challenge and in celebration Amy who runs the challenge all on her ownsome (with a guest designer for each challenge) has decided to very generously offer a prize package of 20 items to match the 20th challenge ($95 worth!!!)   How generous is that?!?!?!   All you have to do to be in with a chance of winning is hop along with Amy and the past GD's and link up your own first B&W card.  So go get a coffee, enjoy the hop and dig out your B&W creations and all this goodness could be yours.... 

....darn I shouldn't have told you that, now you might win it and not me!   Good job I'm a generous soul....

Love and Lace for St Luke's Hospice

It's time for a new challenge over at St Luke's and this month we've gone all romantic and are looking for cards with a love and lace theme - not just valentines but weddings, engagements, anniversaries or just a card for the one you love to show how much you care.

For my inspiration card I went very pink and girly with lots of frills - a bit of a departure from my normal style.  I think it would be suitable for either a wedding or an anniversary.

I started with the idea to cut through the top layer of my card and join the gaps back together with my hearts - an idea I CASed from the super talented lady of LIM.  I then added the lace to the bottom section using my sew-easy tool and some thick embroidery thread to colour-match my base mat.  I stamped my sentiment into the top corner of that layer.  I cut my hearts on my cricut, ran them through an embossing folder and coloured the smaller one with a copic.  I carefully ran an inkpad flat over the embossing to get a suede-like effect.  I glued them into place to hold the two sections of card back together and added a pearl heart for balance and detail.  I added a layer of delicate floral paper as a second mat.

There are lots of similar challenges to ours at the moment so I'm entering my card into the ones below as well:

St Luke's Charity Cards Challenge - L'amour - http://stlukescharitycardschallenge.blogspot.com/

Valentines - http://wagsnwhiskersrubberstamps.blogspot.com/2012/01/challenge-71-valentineslove-card.html

Lots of Layers -  http://crazy4challenges.blogspot.com/2012/01/crazy4challenges-c4c121.html

Stitching - http://onestopcraftchallenge.blogspot.com/2012/01/challenge-167-stitching-faux-or-real.html

Valentines - http://toptiptuesday.blogspot.com/2012/01/challenge-69-valentines-tipper-week.html

Embossed, punched hearts  http://cookingitupwithkatie.blogspot.com/2012/01/cooking-it-up-88-punch-me-embossed.html

Do come and play along with us - we have a lovely set of La Blanche stamps as a prize to our favourite entrant.