Good Luck Card no. 2 and news from NEC...

Yeah my third and final 'Good Luck' card for Laura to give to her workmates. She really loved the cards and I hope her friends do too. This one is a variation on the acetate idea that I was shown at the Sheena Douglas workshop the other week. No scene on this but the folded card between the acetat is a really cool way of giving even thin acetate the stability it needs to stand up.
Sorry about the terrible photo quality I had to take this using my daylight lamp late last night as I knew Laura would be taking the cards this morning. This is the back of the card. As you can see I attached a 'Good Luck' message and medic bag image to the back of the front piece of acetate, but inside the card. It looks much better in real life - HONEST!

On the base strip I've added a rectangle of white so that Laura has somewhere to write her message.

Materials used:

• Dark blue pealescent card
• Bristol board and Promarkers
• Acetate
• Clear stamp set by Woodware
• sentiment stamp by Making Memories
• Scalloped frame cut using Spellbinder die
• ribbon and gems from stash
  

Challenges:

• Creative Card Crew - ribbons and gems
• My Time to Craft - so many scallops

NEC news - phew what a day?! It was a lot of travelling beginning with a 1 hour wait in the cold for the coach and then another hour picking everyone one up before we even started our journey, but wow it was worth it.

I'm afraid my 'wish list' went to the wall and I came away with all kinds of things that I didn't even know I wanted - isn't that always the case? I spent way too much (you knew I would Max and I really didn't want to let you down) and broke into my reserve fund that was tucked in the back pocket of my bag.

I blame the complete stranger (but woman to my own heart ) who was at the Clarity stand and noticed that if you bought more Big and Juicy ink pads it worked out cheaper!!! Well that explains the inkpads, but hey the DVDs ended up in my basket too! Yep, I definitely need a bigger craft room now.

I really did buy far too much to mention on here and had loads of fun even though I lost my friends, Susan and Marjorie, which led to spending half the afternoon like the film says 'Desperately Seeking Susan'. Just when I had given up guess who turned up?!

Watch this space for new Penny Black cards - punched creations and Just Rite stamps appearing or maybe I will do what I normally do and just 'stroke' them - lol!

Have a great weekend everyone and if you go near a craft shop or online store, beware of the lady I met who encourages you to put more in your basket.

Good Luck...

This is card number two for Laura's friends at work. Only one more to go and then I can put this set of doctor and nurses stamps away for a while. I do love these stamps though - such a lot of useful stuff on one sheet of stamps - definitely a really good buy.

Materials used:

• Woodware clear stamp set
  
• 'Good Luck' sentiment stamp by Making Memories
  
• Promarkers
• red embossed card and dark blue pearlescent card
• chain from old keyring
• organza ribbon and gems from stash (coloured with Promarkers to match card)

Challenges:

• Sketch Saturday - great sketch - many thanks to the team over there.
• Creative Card Crew - ribbons and gems (there are gems on the ribbon at bottom left)

Well no more sleeps to go now to the NEC - I'm off - oooooooooooooh so excited I can't wait to take a look at all those lovely goodies. Will let you know what I bought when I get back.

Get punchy with it...

So hard to get a decent photo when using mirri card, but in real life it is such a brilliant backing for images on cards and I particularly wanted to use it to form the background for these punched squares.

I used the squares to form a border down each side of the gatefold card and to add to the opulence of the mirri card I added pearls to the centre of each punched motive. I must admit I toyed with the idea of adding a pearl in each corner of each square, but when I totted up how many this would need I decided to be a cheapskate after all!!

In the middle of the gatefold is one of Joanna Sheen's fantastic Favourite Flowers rubber stamps. Just beautiful each and everyone one of those. This one is the freesias stamp and is one of my Auntie's favourites so I can see this being used when her birthday comes round again next year.

The gatefold opens up to reveal a birthday sentiment from Hallmark Card Studio - a great programme for verses and such a bargain if you buy it using the Tesco clubcard offer (only £7.50).
Materials used:

• white pearlescent base card - joined to create 8" x 8" gatefold card
• gold mirri card
• Papermania punch
  
• pearls, border peel offs and circle punch to do corners from stash
• Hallmark Deluxe Card Studio - to create verse for inner

Challenges:

• Fun with shapes and more - borders and frames
  

• Daring Card Makers - Get punchy and use your latest craft punch

oh my goodness only one more sleep now!!! NEC here I come!!!

So Many Scallops...

As Laura and all the other nurses at the Care Home she works at are being made redundant she has asked me to make her a few cards with 'Good Luck' and if possible a nursing theme. This is the first of a batch of three and I must make one for Laura too or I will be in big trouble.

Luckily both the girl this card is for and Laura have got new jobs so my card is also one to say 'Congratulations'.

The cardbase is a large scalloped edged white circle folded in half. Then it has straight edged smaller circles matted over the top. To echo the dotty DCWV paper I added gems to the scalloped edge.

The image was stamped on to an oval shape and then matted on to a scalloped oval.

Materials used:

• Woodware clear stamp set
• DCWV paper
• dard blue card
• Promarkers
• tag cut using cuttlebug die
• gems, peel off sentiment and organza ribbon from stash
• oval nesties

Challenges:

• Creative Card Crew - ribbons and gems
• My Time to Craft - So many scallops!
• Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps - tags

Just realised that not very long ago one of the sample cards I made for Joanna Sheen using one of the Lofty Celebrations rubber stamp sets had a similar layout and papers to my nurse card.
I really love these large scalloped circles that can be folded in half to form a card. I have tried to cut them on my Cricut, but it doesn't work the scallops become too large. The ones I've used so far have been bought in a set at Whichcraft in Doncaster. I have seen some gorgeous Magnolia themed cards on show there using these circles.

oooooooooooooooooooooooh only two more sleeps now to the NEC - don't think I will be able to sleep tonight I am so excited.

Have a great day everyone.

Ann xxx

Happy Anniversary

This is another of the large sized sample cards I did for Joanna Sheen's new Favourite Flowers range of stamps. I just think this rose stamp is so gorgeous and so romantic.

Materials used:

• Joanna Sheen stamp Roses from the Hothouse Flowers set
• pearlescent card in two shades of burgandy
• roses paper by Anna Griffin
• rub on sentiment and organza ribbon from stash
• Fiskars Shapeboss to create heart embossed frame
• tag cut using cuttlebug die
  

Challenges:

• Rainbow Lady's Challenge Blog - Anniversaries
• Fun with shapes - borders and frames

Thanks for looking again and for the wonderful comments I receive each day. It's amazing how they really do make you feel good about yourself.

Only 3 more sleeps to the NEC and I've already got a plan of action involving Just rite stamps and a certain snowflake die. Oooooooooooh so many lovely things it's gonna be tough deciding which to get.

Pink Elephant Day...

Can't believe Monday has come round again and it's time for a new challenge at the Pink Elephant.

This week is a colour challenge and our colours are Brown (yes that is brown in the photo), Yellow, Neutral and one colour of your choice. I chose to use a sheet of 12" x 12" card that was part of the stash in a Docraft's goody bag. It made the whole card so easy to create as all the essential colours were there and waiting for me. An added bonus was that the card was reversable making it easy to create contrasting cuttlebug panels using the plain distressed side.

I decided to combine our challenge with the sketch challenge at Pollycraft. I just love Pollycraft stamps and Paula's sketch is so cute and easy to use (which is how I like them). Thank you so much Paula.

Materials used:

• Stamp Winter Reflection by Pollycraft
• reversable patterned card by Docrafts
• brown card,gems and organza ribbon from stash
• snowflake cut using Quickcutz die
• Promarkers
  
• scalloped edge and plain circular nesties
• sentiment stamp from stash
  

Challenges :

• The Pink Elephant - colour challenge - brown, yellow, neutral and one to choose.
• Pollycraft - sketch

• Creative Card Crew - snowflakes

Have a great day everyone - only 4 more sleeps till the NEC - not that I'm excited or anything!!!