No sharp edges!

Today our challenge at International Art and Soul is Nothing Square or Oblong. So, lets see all those beautiful cards using Circles or Ovals or Unusual Shapes.  Head on over to the blog and check out the fabulous ideas my team mates have come up with.

For my card I dug out my Spellbinders Grand Circles and the Decorative Circles. I love these large dies and I wish they had made a few more. However, I have used the largest of the Decorative Circles as my base and folded and creased well across the centre/ The stripes layer is another from this set and and the pale pink layer is the smallest die in the set.  I have used a sheet from the Hunkydory's Little book of Cakes and Bakes as my centrepiece. Its perfect as Lily is three in a couple of weeks time. Her name was cut out using the Spellbinders Art Nouveau font set and threes of flowers, pearls and gems.

If you pop by, please let me know and I'll come visit you too.

Cards, Cards, Cards!

I've been away from my blog again and it's time for me to do a catchup.

First of all, let me show the two cards made for the International Art and Soul blog.

The Challenge No 32 theme was for Interactive.  Now this theme always baffles me as to what to make. I decided to make up a card from  Hunkydory's Art Deco kit. I love this kit and reach for it when I just can't think of what to make. It's interactive because the lovely bookmark can be used after.

The current challenge at INTAAS is All About Boys and Men.  After a smashing visit to Ally Pally last month I borrowed a lovely Sue Wilson Steampunk die from my sis-in-law. I was asked to make a card for a gentleman who was going to celebrate his 60th birthday. I made two cards to show.

This one 

we sent but the chosen card from the brief I was given I haven't taken a photo of, BLAST!

A couple of others:-  this one was for a special little girl who celebrated her eighth birthday at the beginning of May.

 And two cards made for Red Hat friends.

Please let me know if you have been with a comment, I'd love to here from you.  I have lots of visitors but I haven't a clue who they are.

See you in a week or two, fingers crossed that life doesn't get in the way!

Time for Tea!

Its time for a brand new challenge at International Art and Soul that you can find right here. Its a fun challenge with no prizes but we would love to see your creations, anything to do with Paper Piecing.
Check out those lovely little pieces of paper in your stash that you just couldn't bear to throw away and use them on a project.

I hope you can make out the lovely teapot from Kanban (I think) in the top left hand corner that I stamped and embossed with clear powder. The tea cups are a set of old dies from Spellbinders called Nested Tea Cups and I've used papers from Kaisercrafts High Tea paper pad.  I was inspired by Deb Saaranen's blog post here in using the High Tea papers but I do love the teapot. Perhaps next time I'll emboss it in silver.

Please pop along to the blog as we'd love to see your creations, we are always ready to send some love your way.

Add Some Humour

Many apologies for my late post again, struck down with the this dreaded virus thats doing the rounds, its the third time this winter but thankfully not as bad as before.

Add Some Humour is the challenge this fortnight at the International Art and Soul blog until 31st March.  I was asked by my OH to create a card for a friend of his, Roy, who was celebrating his eightieth birthday.

I have seen these scrabble style cards on Pinterest and thought I'd have a go. I sent off for some proper scrabble letters but due to the snow they arrived far to late for me to work with them.  I managed to find a scrabble style font to use and created the wording myself, lucky for me the lettering fell just right.

Some stars to finish off. I know he was pleased with it as I was.

Emboss and Use a Die

Challenge No. 28 has started on the International Art and Soul blog today Sunday 4th March. We would love you to join in with us and create a project using embossing and die cutting.

I started by using a buttons embossing folder on half of the card that I picked up at Ally Pally a couple of years ago.  I dusted over the base with an Encore Ultimate Metallic ink pad in pink. It came out a lot darker than I expected but as I had buttons that were of a similar shade I carried on.  

The sentiment came from a card created by a good friend of mine, Tammy Davidson of Highland Made cards.  I cut the sentiment out with the centre dies of a Spellbinders Intertwined Spirals. The purple lilac card was almost a match.

Please come and join us at International Art and Soul with your creations. Everyone can join in on this just for fun challenge and we would love to see our young crafters too.  

Please let me know you've been, lots of you pass by but sadly I have no idea who you are, I'm always happy to come and visit.

Late as usual.

It totally slipped my mind to post an entry on my blog, so much 'stuff' going on in my life. I thought when I retired I would perhaps be bored but no way, Pedro!  I've got a new little buddy to craft with called Ellie and she just loves doing stuff! Healthwise, we shall see.

Pop on over to see the fabulous creations of my teamies at International Art and Soul. Our challenge was to use 'Use Stuff You Already Owned'. I wanted to use a picture of my craft space in my bedroom but that was too easy. so, here's what followed.

It was my great niece's birthday a couple of weeks ago and I had been overhearing a conversation with her Dad as to how much she loved unicorns. I've had the CD, 'Flights of Fantasy' by the fabulous artist, Morgan Fitzsimons for some time and knew there was an image of a unicorn on the double CD.

This is the image on the card I sent.

I've used some background paper from the CD and just added some ribbon and a simple sentiment and used Stampin' Up punches to cut. Most little girls love glitter and theres lots on the card.

Some Texture!

Our new challenge no26 at International Art and Soul (here) is for Texture on your creation. Our design team have created some amazing projects for you to see and enjoy.

I created this for my son's birthday in mind, he's a bit of a graphic artist himself so I'm hoping he likes it.  I took a piece of corrugated cardboard and peeled it apart.  Into the spray box and attacked it with all sorts of Mr Huey's paint mists and Tim Holts Distress Paints until I was happy with it, great fun!  I've also edged some Treasured Gold wax on there too.

The bird is from a set of Spellbinders nested Birds that I've had for ages, gilding wax on it too. There's a small piece of hessian ribbon behind the bird, it's always shredding whenever you touch it and little tie of raffia on the edge to finish.

Please come and join us at International Art and Soul with your creations. It doesn't have to be a card for you to enter.

Using Something Digital

I've made this card for the challenge the International Art and Soul blog.

The challenge to Do Something Digital.  The baking image I found on a website called Design Bundles here.  I can recommend this site for its great freebies and free weekly font giveaways.
I love subway art and this image was perfect as I was able to link it with a Marianne Designs die that I've had for years. The little sentiments were just how I felt on the day I made it, could have done with a cupcake or two.

Please pop over to the International Art and Soul blog and check out what my very imaginative team mates have created.

Happy New Year!

After a lengthy time away from blogging, ( long holiday in Canada and three months of sickie days!)  I am back with cards and other stuff.

Today is the first of the new fortnightly challenges at International Art and Soul. Our challenge this fortnight is to create something WOW, aka white on white.  Please hop over to our blog and enter your creations. Create something white, it doesn't always have to be a card and if its difficult to photo then add a smidgen of colour to highlight.  Please check out my team mates for their fab creations too, gorgeous and yummy!

For my card this week I've used Tonic Studio's Victorian Frame die. This die make a whopper of a card and I'm hoping that it will fit into an 8" x 8" card box. It's going away under my bed for Christmas next year.

On the last layer I've popped a Sue Wilson Dove from a couple of years ago with the matching peace die that comes with it. I glued some crystals from my stash onto the body of the bird to give it some sparkle.  At this time of the year the light levels are so low and so wet and cold outside that Ive had to photograph it on my windowsill.

Roll on Spring!

Art Deco card

A couple of years ago I bought the lovely Hunkydory Deco Delights mega kit and only did a couple of cards with it. Yup! Too much stash. I've got lots of birthdays during the months of July and August and I've put this mega kit to good use.

It's a new challenge at INTAAS this week and our challenge is Dies.

The centre image is from the Hunkydory but I've used the Spellbinders dies Astoria Labels and Decorative elements to make it stand out . the feathers came with the kit too.

Please join us at International Art and Soul with your beautiful die cut creations.