Sunday 28 December 2008

Baby cards

Yet more baby cards!
This was with the help of Di Hickmans template this week.


This one used the CPS sketch-I just could not get it to lie flat in the scanner so ended up with this image with the top chopped off!
and finally -I love the papers on this one-they are covered with glitter-shame it doesn't show on the photo


My inspiration has now gone walkabout so off to rummage through my stash to see if its hiding in there somewhere-I have 3 birthday cards to make ready for January and absolutely no ideas

Thanks for looking






Monday 22 December 2008

I've finally wrapped all the christmas pressies-and finished making part of mum's birthday present-she asked for a doorstop for her bedroom door to stop the cats closing it

To be honest he looks scary enough to stop the cats even going into the room!

I also made some fudge, tablet and peppermint creams to add to christmas presents-evidently the fudge is lovely but deadly!


After 4 months of waiting I got my subscription gift for a craft magazine today......


and used it to make Mum's birthday card-her birthday is on Christmas day

the template is from Sketch saturday's challenge blog


and finally I've started on the 6 birth cards I need to make for friends in the NCT group who are due soon! I think its kind of cute so I guess it can go under the open theme at Cute card thursday this week!


All in all quite a productive day. Thanks for stopping by!






Thursday 18 December 2008

2 sketches 4u challenge

Went to craft central with mil on sunday-not realising they would be closing soon ;-( I do feel for all the poor staff-they were always so lovely in our branch.

We came away with some bargains-managed to treat MIL for once by suggesting I bought everything together to get us a better discount rate-then refusing to let her pay me back heheheh

I got 2 lovely DCWV pads in their Nana's nursery range. I have baby cards to make for all the girls in my NCT group soon (2 of them are already over their due dates so I really should get a move on!) I also wanted to make some thank you and announcement cards ready for our immenient arrival
But the papers are so versatile-I've already done a CJ layout and 5 thank you cards-none of which particularly scream baby at you.
Thanks to having my sewing machine back on my desk where I can reach it-and with the help of a lovely sketch from 2sketches4u this week I managed to get the cards done very quickly





Off to check my birthday card stocks for January. Thanks for stopping by


Friday 12 December 2008

DCM challenge

Finally I've finished all my Christmas cards...I think!

Thanks to this week's DCM challenge to make a christmas card in 10 minutes I used up these stickers I got from Poundland last year-so thats a bit less xmas stash to pack away


My next projects are sewing-a doorstop for mum and bibs and maybe bootees for the girls in my NCT group.
I'm off to craft central on sunday with MIL so am on the lookout for baby patterned papers I can use for thank you cards, announcements and congratulations cards-all without being gender specific-think this may be a tall order!!!
Thanks for looking



Thursday 11 December 2008

getting there.......




I've made yet another batch of christmas cards tonight-I'm getting to the stage now where I'm wanting to make something else so I'm having to force myself to finish ALL the christmas cards I need before I start on the baby cards for the girls in my NCT group

Just made it in time for the Stamp something challenge of Snow this week

I had bought these packs of Heidi Swapp iron on letters at a craft show ages ago-not bad for the £1.50 I paid but they were reduced from £7.50 a pack! No way were they worth that for the amount you got in them.
I had to layer the O over the other letters to fit this one on the card-but I think it looks quite good that wayThis one is for Di Hickmans sketch this week


I'm trying to use up some of the odd bits I have floating around rather than spending more(says she who's taking MIL to craft central this weekend!)and they all help towards using up the dreaded christmas paper mountain

This was for the Caardvarks challenge this week-to use no patterned paper


yes I got the cuttlebug folder the wrong way round but ts going to a non crafty individual so she'll never know.

Are you bored yet? Last one is using the new cupcake stamp from Dewdropzcrafts



Isn't he cute????
I start maternity leave today-so hopefully I'll have a bit more time to make cards and sew-I may even blog a bit more regularly!
Thanks for stopping by









Saturday 6 December 2008

Getting christmassy!

6 cards today-all Christmas- if I kept this up I might be ready in time for christmas eve! Not likely with another 4 days left to go at work-and quite a few christmas gifts to make too



The Daring Cardmakers challenge was set by Kathie this week and was to take inspiration from a pattern in your home.Having looked around I have a very unpatterned home!!!

I finally hit on this panel from the border in the nursery-I like the blocking of the letters




and I made this christmas card
-not my usual colours at all, but it has used another sheet of the dreaded DCWV pack!


The next challenge was on Tag your it-to make a triangular tag. I think this is the first time I've joined in with one of their challenges-I really enjoyed making these and they made nice cards so you'll be seeing more tags from now on!






I didn't punch holes in them because I've used them on cards



The last card was for the daily christmas challenge on carolyn's forum-I'm only one behind now! Sue set us a challenge to use turquoise and pink on a christmas card-not an easy task!!!

I may not have time to make cards tomorrow-I have a morning of baking planned-I make my dad a sponge cake once a month (he asks for that as his birthday pressie each year) I've also promised hubby rock cakes (nice and simple) and said I'd make a cake to take to our antenatal reunion!

I am so looking forward to starting maternity leave on thursday-I don't have enough hours in the day at the moment!

Thanks for stopping by!













Sunday 30 November 2008

Finally-some christmas cards!

I've decided my problem with christmas cards is the paper... I buy packs and packs of patterned paper every christmas-then find them so highly patterned I can't work out how best to use them.

So my personal challenge this year is to make 5 cards from each pack-even if I don't like the papers!

This was with an old Dovecraft pack- using the Papertake template this week





and this one uses paper from a Papermania pack I got last year then hated

Not the most original layout in the world-but the Santa is so lovely he deserves to take centre stage. It also fits the ABC theme this week of Snow.

Only another 32 left to go.

Thanks for looking!


3 cards and a hedgehog

Yes, I'm still putting off the 34 christmas cards I need to make!
All three cards made today were using pictures from a stamped image swap again. I have a pile of them on my desk and I'm gradually working through them rather than stamping new stuff.

However this will change-have you seen the new cupcake stamps Nikki is bringing out this week?? I have to have at least 3 of them-they are gorgeous!!!

I needed 2 thank you cards and a sort of get well card-oh and a pincushion after the pin box explosion this week! I never would have tried a medallion stamp myself but I really enjoyed colouring it in and I think it looks quite effective.

The pincushion is from the Sew Hip magazine-hubby thinks it looks half hedgehog, half brontisorus

Stamp something's saturday challenge was a card using black

and my final card was for the Secret crafter saturday challenge

I'm off to make a cuppa and put off making some more christmas cards

Thanks for stopping by!

Friday 28 November 2008

2 days running!

It can't last! Well I was up at 3 again-my dodgy hip won't let me sleep so I got caught up on a few challenges
Daring cardmakers this week was a christmas card in white and pink. Now there aren't many people I could think of to send a pink christmas card to-except my 6yr old niece!


The image came from the stamped image swap on caroline's again-she just looked christmassy to me!

I also made these for a couple of challenges on Carolyn's forum




I'm off back to bed now-I may be back later with a pin cushion-there's a cute hedgehog pattern in the new Sew Hip magazine I want to try after dropping my pins all over the floor last night
This all depends how much I get roped into help stripping the cd's etc from the living room so Si can decorate!

Thanks for stopping by!

Thursday 27 November 2008

Lilac

I actually managed a challenge! The Cute card thursday challenge this week was Lilac.
I received this very cute baby stamp in an image swap on Carolyn's forum-isn't it gorgeous?

Its mad-I don't need a baby card right now what I should be doing is Christmas cards!!!



Wednesday 26 November 2008

A little sewing project




I've not made many cards since the crafts by carolyn forum challenge weekend-I really must make a few more christmas cards this weekend

I've been a bit busy making curtains for the nursery. The ones that come with the range we have are A plain and boring,B tab top which we can't use and C flippin expensive!!!!

I got all the fabric, lining etc for £22 and even have some left over to make a few little projects with-bargain!!!

Sorry I took the pictures at night so they aren't great-here's a couple of close ups of the machine embroidery


I did a couple of sample pieces first-I haven't done any machine embroidery in about 10-15 years. I did a city and guilds in embroidery and I did enjoy the machine stitch part I even embroidered celtic knots on my best mate's wedding dress back then
The samples worked pretty well though so we are going to frame them for the nursery too
I have a couple more sewing projects planned for christmas presents so the machine is staying on my desk for now :-)
Thanks for stopping by!





Saturday 25 October 2008

Spooky!

Isn't she cute? About as non-scary as a monster can get really!
I used a new stamp from Dewdropcraftz (love the robots too, I already have plans for him!)
and a template challenge from Tuesday's DCM

The little spider hiding behind her tail is a cover-up, I smudged the glitter glue!

Friday 24 October 2008

Baby cards

I have 4 or 5 friends due to have babies in the next month or so -so I thought I'd get ahead! I've been stamping alot recently so challenged myself not to stamp on these!

The first one fits the Cute cards Thursday challenge this week-Stars or Spooky (might have a go at Spooky later too!)


The star does hang straight honestly-I just couldn't get it to scan

The others fit a couple of challenges over on Carolyn's forum...



Thanks for stopping by!



Sunday 19 October 2008

Autumn challenge

I luckily don't have many birthdays this month-given my lack of output lately thats a relief! But I wanted to get aheadstart on November's cards so I can then get on with Christmas with a clear conseience!
I made this one with Nikki's Autumn challenge in mind ,autumn is always my favourite time of year too. These die cuts have been floating around on my desk for a while now so I'm glad I've finally used them
Off to make a couple of baby cards now-there are a couple due pretty soon on one of the forums I use-whats the betting if I make one pink, one blue they'll both end up the same sex?

Saturday 27 September 2008

Sparkle

The Cute card thursday challenge this week was Sparkle. You are going to have to trust me-it does sparkle on the trees! I made 6 similar last week, 3 blue and 3 red/green in an effort to use up craft stash and not buy anymore xmas bits........................................................

Since then I have bought a pad of dovecraft paper and 5 packs of xmas stamps-so the spending ban begins again now!



My favourite picture this week came from my 6yr old niece Charlie-evidently this is how I now look!

She is so excited about the baby and keeps asking questions-has she got eyelashes yet? what colour are her eyes? hehehe

She's a talented girl-she beat me on the rock cake competetition yesterday-I made 13 but she and Nanny made 15 (grandad did admit some were a bit on the small side!)

I've finally finished my CJ to send off this week so today's list is 2 bookmarks for a swap on Carolyn's and a birthday card with a guitar on-wish me luck!

Thanks for stopping by


Thursday 11 September 2008

More thank you cards

2 more done-only 6 left to go-although I keep remembering more people I need to make them for. We have the HMSA weekend on the 19-21st of September and I'm making the thank you cards for all the speakers and helpers

This one fits the DCM midweek embossing challenge-and Joanne's challenge on Carolyn's forum to make a card with a black background-embossed with the swiss dots cuttlebug folder

and this was made using Di Hickmans template this week-have to say its my favourite so far-the stamp (free from Craft stamper magazine) fits the flowers on the paper pretty well


We are off to the New Forest on Sunday for a few days so I need to get the rest made before then-or I'll be in a mad panic-what did we do before Challenges came along to provide inspiration?!


Thursday 28 August 2008

school cards

Thanks to a couple of challenges I've managed to finish New school, and back to school cards for my niece and nephew
I love this new stamp from Dewdrop craftz-the template is from Fridaysketchers


Brandon's card was a more difficult challenge. Leo from crafty templates set it-to include orange, and a hidden component. I hid brandon's photo behind a door in the spaceship





Thanks for looking!