Almost White Papercraft Challenge

Good morning blog friends. Thanks for dropping in to check on me. Well today's post is a card I have made  for my entry into Linda's Creative Harmony challenge of an almost white papercraft challenge - which you can find  Here.I decided I would do something to get me out of my comfort zone and I certainly think my card has done that! I have never made a shabby chic card before. Yes I know, I can hear the shrieks of horror all the way to Oxfordshire! So this has given me a few firsts - first shabby chic card, first time I have taken a sewing machine to my card,  (or to be more precise - taken my card to a sewing machine) first time I have made such a busy card and finally the first time I have distressed a card except with ink. This was really a weird sensation for me and all the time I was using my distressing tool ( yes I've had the tool for a long time!) I was feeling guilty for descrating this lovely cardstock. I kept expecting my mum to pop up behind me and tell me off for being destructive! Lol! But on seeing the picture maybe it could have done with a bit more distressing!

A sneak peek inside.

Obviously white is the main colour, (I'm pretty quick!) followed by pink and with the green of the leaves to give the third colour. Hopefully I have got them in the right proportion.

Anyway this is the outcome, for better or worse. The cardstock is Bazill Basics Diamond and so has a nice sheen to it. I distressed the edges with an Xcut distressing tool and then inked them with Color Box Chiffon White, which is in fact the palest of pale pinks. I used the sewing machine on a couple of the pieces of card. The trellis die cut at the side is Memory Box Tessatina cut down to fit the space. I used two Spellbinders Labels 18 at right angles and typed my quote and downloaded a rose image from my Greeting Card Factory Deluxe programme. The heart die is from Nellie Snellen hearts and swan dies. There are some really pretty hearts in this set but the fancier ones were too big for the space. The flowers are WOC, the leaves are from a Woodware punch, and a Zva pearl swirl. The lace and little pearly hearts are from my stash to finish off. I almost forgot, the little flower on the heart at the bottom is  Mariannnne Creatables small flower set.

It doesn't show up well  in the picture but in real life you can see the text quite easily.  It is a quote by Albert Einstein and reads " There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle."

I'm not sure that I'm totally happy with it but  it's done now. I actually found it quite difficult to just add a little colour. I think I would have been able to do all white tone on tone much more easily.  But hey, that's what a challenge is all about isn't it?

Well I hope you all have a great day and manage to fit in a little crafting.

With love from Christine xx

I am also entereing this in the Perfect Sentiments Challenge - Anything Goes.

I am sailing

Hi folks,

I almost missed the birthday of my husband's friend so this was a very quick make of the night before.
I found a couple of toppers in my stash that I had bought a couple of years ago when the local craft shop was closing down. These things do come in very handy in an emergency don't they?

The cardstock is bronze, the dull gold cardstock has a very fine ribbed appearance and  I matted the toppers onto rust colored card. The clock embellishment was from my stash and then I just added  the little brass buttons which were from my button tin. I do find masculine cards difficult and I procrastinate forever. However I do seem to work better under pressure and this turned out better than I expected.

Well that was a very quick post again. Hope you all have a good day.

With love from Christine xx

Wedding Album

Hi everyone,

I don't have a card today. Instead I thought I would show you a double page spread from the album I made for my sister when her younger son was married.

 I really loved the backdrop of the stained glass window in this picture.

They are 12x12 pages so very difficult to photograph - they were flopping around all over the place! There is also a lot of reflection, which is not on the original album pages, but I think you can still get the idea of the layouts. Anyway my sister loved the album - and so did her son and new daughter in law.

Well that's it. Have a good day.

Love from Christine xx

Sunflower - clean and simple

Hi there blog friends!

The colours of this card looks so springlike it should have a daffodil instead of a sunflower - except that I don't have a daffodil stamp!!

The sunflower stamp is from Papermania and coloured with promarkers. The ribbon and pearls are from my stash.  I wrapped the ribbon round the punched centre strip but it is barely visible. The sentiment is from Craftwork Cards. I decided not to add too many embellishments, but to follow the freshness of the papers and keep it clean and simple.



Well this week has been very busy but hopefully things will ease off next week and I can settle down to do something a bit more challenging. But no matter how simple, it is always nice to do some crafting.

If you have anything  planned for the bank holiday I hope you enjoy them - and let's hope the weather is okay where you are. Dream on eh? Fine bank holiday weekend?  Who am I  trying to kid.  It is pouring down here in Oxfordshire.


Have a good day.

Love from Christine xx

Ten minutes - or less!

Morning folk.

Whilst I was rifling through my scraps box the other night (when I found my embossed Christmas tree) I thought I could use these pretty pieces of card - in my favourite shades!

They were bits left over from a Making Memories pad. Scraps of silver mirri to mat, a peel off dress form matted onto cardstock, the tag was in there too (must have been fiddling around at some stage), a couple of Prima flowers with a gem in the centre and the organza ribbon was taken from a birthday card I received at one time or another.

Well I think I'll put those peel offs out of sight now and get back to something worthwhile.  It does look quite pretty and delicate in real life actually, and very cheap and easy - especially since I have been very pushed for time this week!

Have a great day whatever you are doing.

With love from Christine xx

Masculine card

Hi,

A late start for me today.

Yesterday we were out all day and this morning I have been helping John scarify the lawn i.e. John does the work and I empty the wheelbarrows!! This year there is so much moss in the lawn it is an absolute disgrace. He was going to dig it all up and start again but he decided to try this first.  On the internet there are many varying opinions on scarifying  - some think it is great, others say don't do it at all. Ah well, it can't look much worse than it does now.

I had in my mind a masculine card and when I was going through my stuff I came across this Hero Arts Wordstamp - another of those I haven't used for years. I don't usually use mirri card in such quantities,  normally I would just use it as a narrow mat.  However, I tried it with some dull gold cardstock but because the dark green was very dark  I felt it needed something to lighten it. I stamped and embossed it with detailed gold embossing powder onto more of the dark green card.   Before attaching the gold mat I punched out the maple leaves. The other leaves are Spellbinders foliage and then I attached some   green and gold ribbon - with a masculine knot rather than a bow. A very simple card but  I think it looks quite classy - oops! I meant classic!

I have never entered a challenge before but I thought this might be a good one for the http://fabnfunkychallenges.blogspot.co.uk/
Well that's it for now. Hope to be back tomorrow. Enjoy the rest of your day.

Lots of love from Christine xx

Happy Birthday Charlotte!

Morning everybody.

Another Sarah Kay image, this time Lucy and Kitty. Purples and lilacs again , sorry, but I had no option - Charlotte is my great niece (and she really is great!) and purple is her favourite colour. She also adores cats and kittens so this image was the obvious choice. I don't think I have left anything uncoloured this time. Lol.
She will be twelve this week. She  is also my biggest supporter I think and told me I should  have my own blog! Well, she has been on holiday until yesterday and doesn't know that I do have a blog now, so she will get a surprise. I shan't actually let her know until the end of the week though - don't want her to  see her card in advance!

I made an easel card because I haven't done this style of card for a while. Although it is very dark the little purple banner says Happy Birthday. The papers are Papermania which I have had for a few years.  Punched flowers in purple and lilac with a Hobbycraft gems and Craftwork Cards candi. I wanted to keep the embellishments fairly flat so it would go in the post easily.

Charlotte likes to craft too, so next time she comes to stay I will get her to do something and put it on the blog for you to see.

Well that's it for today. Have a great day everybody.

With love from Christine xx

Embossed Christmas tree

Hi, I had rather a busy day yesterday and no time to craft. I was going through a box which had all my scraps etc and came across this embossed tree from last year which I had probably  planned to use but didn't.  Anyway, I had a few minutes to spare and so matted it onto silver mirri card. I had a pile of peel offs next to my desk which are about to be given away ( I don't know why I bought all these things because I rarely ever used them) and since I didn't really have time to get out my Grand Calibur and start looking for dies I had a quick flick through the peel offs. A few minutes later I had this little card finished.  Extremely simple, but at least it gives me something to pop on my blog now. I've got a busy week ahead so not sure when I'll get the time to do any crafting.

Because it was so late when I did this the light had gone so the picture is not too great.

I hope you all have a good day.

With love from Christine xx

Can I tell you a secret?

Well, at least I seem have lost my terror of colouring! I know it is far from good, and I still have lots to learn but that is only going to come with practice. So I am going to  post a coloured image at least once a week - hopefully.  I thought I had  better qualify that statement because you never know what crops up in this life!

This is a Sarah Kay image which I won as blog candy from Bev Rochester last year and this is the first time it has been inked. It is so sweet that it certainly won't be the last time. I love Sarah Kay images and I have ordered some more.  Am I brave or what? No stopping me now. Lol!

The stamped image is cut with Spellbinders labels 18 and matted with purple card.  I made a very narrow mat by drawing round the outside of the same size die. I first saw this done by Becca Feekin and I do it often.The background papers are digital downloads from Cuddly Buddly - Country House papers by Pachela Studios and the colour is wisteria. The lavendar gingham ribbon is from my stash, as is the little silver butterfly charm. I think this was from The Works - £1 for six, if my memory serves. The flowers are WOC - naturally, and the silver leaf is a Marianne Creatables.

I have not yet added a sentiment because I don't know who this card is for, and it can easily be added at the last minute.

Oh I have just realised what a clot I am - take a look at the bunch of flowers! Only forgot to colour them in didn't I? I will have to go and remedy that now.

Off to Zumba class again this morning. I'll keep fit or die trying!!!

With love from Christine xx

Gods Garden

Hi blog friends.

I made this card yesterday for a very dear old friend of my mum's. She was so kind to me when mum died and I keep in touch with her. I only see her very occasionally because she lives in the north east. She is 91 years old and a wonderful Christian friend.

For some  reason this verse kept going through my mind during the course of the morning although I don't know why. Maybe I had seen something or heard something about a garden? Who knows how the mind works.  I started to look through my cardstock to see if anything caught my eye  to make a card today, not for this lady particularly, and came across this gorgeous card. It was another of my bargains and I got it at the NEC last year. It is 12x12 excellent quality cardstock and was £1 for four sheets. I am a great one for suffering from after thought, and really wished I had got lots more.  As soon as I saw it this verse came back to my mind.

The picture is absolutely dreadful.  So disappointing.  It is so dark here today though. Perhaps if you right click and open it in a new tab you may get a better idea.

I don't use green a geat deal but always think how lovely it  looks when I do. The cardstock is so lovely that I didn't really feel it needed much else. I typed the verse and used  Parisian motifs to cut it. The lace and ribbon from my stash and the little green pearls are from Hobbycraft. The cardstock is so lovey that I didn't really feel it needed much else.

I actually typed out the entire poem onto cream parchment paper and added it as an insert. I think we all know the one verse because it is seen on so many garden plaques, bird baths etc, but I thought it deserved to be seen in its' entirety for a change.

Well that's it for today. Hope you all have a good weekend.

With love from Christine xx

Christmas again

Good morning crafty friends. A quick post today. I won't be boring you with my version of "the everyday story of country folk!" today. Phew, I can hear the sighs of relief all the way to Oxfordshire!

I thought I would pop another Christmas card on the blog today then leave Christmas alone for a while. This one is a very simple one (just like me, lol!) so very quick to make, which is just what is needed when there are a lot to make. And I make a lot, believe me!

This is a Mo Manning image, Little Elf Kin, and was very easy to colour - just red, and green basically. Oh and the skin of course. I added glitter to his his hat and vest and that's it. Simple as that. The pretty red organza ribbon, from my stash, has a picot edge which mimics the Spellbinders lacy squares frame. I used Cuttlebug Swiss dots for the background and then added the Marianne snowflakes which I diecut from glitter paper which in fact is not particularly glittery so I won't be using that again!  A red gem stone finished them off. I still find Swiss dots is one of my favourites, even though I've had it forever, or so it seems.

Well that's it for today. I hope youall have a great day whatever you are doing.

With love from Christine. xx

First Christmas Card

Hello friends,

Well, the weather is so lousy it didn't  actually feel out of place to be making Christmas cards. It's 2 pm and extremely dark so it is obviously about to pour with rain. To be honest, I'm not too averse to rain now and again. We are quite isolated and are not connected to the mains, so our water supply is from a well.  There has been so little rain over the last two years that the water table has dropped quite markedly and we have been having problems. We have always harvested rain water for the garden, but we are now harvesting even more and using  it for washing, showering, toilet flushing etc. (Rain water is supposed to be good for the complexion!!  Lol!)  Poor John had to change the whole system to make sure this water wasn't mixing with our "real" water from the main well. Don't want to contaminate the drinking water! Ah, the joys of living in the country!!

Anyway enough of the waffle! As I said this is my first Christmas card, and it is actually using the very first Christmas stamp I bought about 11 years ago and is by a company called Petulama.  I was going through the box of stamps and this poor little thing has been badly neglected. - not seen ink for years!  I stamped the image with black pigment ink and heat embossed it with blue pearl embossing powder which gives it a really nice blue shimmer. I then used glossy accents and masses of Diamond Dust on the trees and roofs to give a real snowy effect and matted it on navy cardstock.  This was then matted onto card embossed with the Cuttlebug Ice Crystals embossing folder.  The navy ribbon actually has white flowers printed on it but they look a bit like snowflakes. I also coated the Marianne snowflakes with glossy acents but used a crystal ultrafine glitter. Neither of these show up very well on the picture, but in actual fact the diamond dust is really thick and almost 3D. Looks really icy.   The close up gives a bit better impression of the diamond dust. I used to do a lot of heat embossing but haven't done it for years. I must do more though because the effect is pretty good especially if, like this, there is no colouring.

Well, thanks for visiting today. See you again tomorrow.

With love from Christine xx

No card - again!

Sorry dear blog friends but there is no card again today. Yesterday I acted as John's chauffeuse again while he did some more walking. There was a National Trust property close to the end  of his walk where I would be picking him up so I spent a lovely few hours there. The weather was glorious so after I had some lunch, viewed the property and walked around the grounds I then spent the rest of the time sitting reading in the gardens in the sunshine till John rang to say he needed his chauffeuse again. It was very relaxing and very peaceful!  I must admit to feeling very envious of their beautiful lawns and flower beds. We are bothered by rabbits and deer which seem to like my plants. My vegetable garden is very well enclosed  fortunately - rabbit proof and deer proof!  Also, a couple of times a year the moles migrate to another area,  using our lawn as a stopping off point en route. Pesky little rascals! That is not whatt John calls them , I hasten to add!

Well I'll be back tomorrow to share something with you. Have a great day!

love from Christine xx

Quote Card

Hi

I said in my first post that I was a lover of quotes. I often use them inside a card but I think they can make quite an impact when the quote becomes the focal point of the card. So today I took one of my favourites and mounted it onto Spellbinders label 16.   

I used ivory card from my stash and the same card for the quote which I cut with the Labels 16 and matted with mink coloured Bazzil cardstock.  The backing paper and striped ribbon are Papermania Lincoln Linen. Flowers from WOC, leaf spray is a Woodware punch and the butterflies are Marianne Creatables. Once I took the photograph I realised that the Zva pearl flourish got lost in the background so I will replace it with one that has bigger pearls. The lace from my stash was a fabulous buy.  I bought it some years ago from a shop that was closing down. The card held 27.6 metres and cost £1.50 - less than 6p a metre, reduced from 59p a metre. And we all know how much crafters love a bargain! Lol!

In the picture it looks as if I have matted the card lopsided, but it is just the angle I took the picture.  I need some photography lessons!

Well that's all from me so have a great day everybody!

love from Christine xx

Quick and easy

Morning everybody. 

I had a pretty quiet day yesterday. This is just a very quick card using an LOTV diecut, Spellbinders petite scalloped circles, and Craftwork Cards sentiment circles. The football backing paper is from Buzzcraft and the football boots embellishments are from my stash. These are so easy to do that I did a few at the same time so when I get stuck, or my muse goes walkabout, I can still pop something up on the blog.

I started to make another piece but, like Sue (Planetsusie) the other day I dried up part way through. But that's okay, the muse will return I'm sure. I'll just put it to one side, forget about it and pick it up in a couple of days and then see what happens. In crafting there is always something else to do.



I have been practising my colouring, by the way.

Enjoy your day. For all those who work (you poor people!) I hope you are busy enough to make the time pass, but not too busy to be frenetic. For everybody else, just enjoy!

love from Christine xx

No card today - sorry.

 

I don't have a card today I'm afraid and it's all down to John!! He does a lot of walking and today wanted to do a walk which was  linear rather than circular so I offered to drive him to his start point and then pick  him up later. The problem is, he has done all the ones that are fairly close to us so it meant a drive of over 40 miles. I then decided to stay in the area so that I didn't end up driving the best part of 160 miles. A bit of a wasted day really even though I did a little shopping. So that is the saga of the absence of a card.   By the time we got back I didn't really feel like starting to craft.  As Lindyloo said to me - enjoy your blog but don't let it rule your life, so  I have taken her advice. However, I will certainly be back tomorrow.

He's a lucky man to have a wife like me - and I like to remind him of the fact! Lol!  But actually, he did a lot for me in June when I did the London to Brighton Bike Ride. He drove me to Clapham Common for the start, then went on to Brighton to wait around for me getting in, and then still had the 140 mile drive back home. We both appreciate each other which is the important thing in any relationship I think.

Anyway, enough of me waffling on. Have a great day and enjoy the sunshine.

Love from Christine x

At last - some colouring!

Hello again,

Well I have finally dared to put out a card with a coloured image instead of a diecut! As you can see, it is an extremely simple image with just a few shades of brown, but I'm going in the right direction! I only have a few of the brown  promarkers anyway. Mostly my colours are pinks, blues,and purples. I'm obviously going to have to increase my stash of promarkers! As Jenny commented yesterday, you really need to see them to see what the colours are like. My nearest craft shop is Hobbycrafts which is nearly 50 miles .  Far from ideal. I mostly have to rely on the internet, or craft shows.   I've got quite a few diecuts so I'll  still be reverting back to them - especially when I want something to look a bit more professional than I can make it.  The buttercup plaid backing paper was a freebie from Jak Heath. This is another great site, if you are not familiar with her work . I then just added some Prima flowers with liquid pearls for the centres. I tried some narrow ribbon with a tiny bow but it looked too much so out it went. The sentiment is a Craftwork Cards circle sentiment, mounted on a Spellbinders scalloped circle.

I think now I have broken out of my mould I'd better practice a bit more. I have some LOTV printed images, like digi stamps, which came free with a magazine (can't remember which magazine)  so I've got something to play around with.

Well thanks for visiting. Hope you all have a great weekend.

love from Christine xx

With Love

Good Morning Blog friends

I'm glad you liked the little flap box yesterday and hope you managed to take a look at
Amazing Paper Grace. Becca  does the most fabulous work and I have learned so much from her site. I have it saved in my Favourites list and had a quick check - it was on February 17th 2012 so you can easily find it in her archives list. (Click on that month and this particular tutorial is on page 4.)
Well we had our little trip out yesterday to the National Trust property that we had originally planned for Wednesday. The weather was great and we had a lovely day out and lunch too.

Since I already had a card prepared from a couple of days ago it was an easy job to just jot down a few lines, attach the picture, and Bob's your uncle.

The image, of course is LOTV, backing paper is doubleside card stock, Isabella  from the First Edition pad, Cheery Lynne Fanciful Flourish, and the ribbon and little heart charm are from my stash. I really love this flourish die and it can be made to look so different. Today I just added it as it was with nothing extra added. A very simple card.

Wel I hope you all enjoy today, whatever you have planned to do.

Love and hugs from Christine x

PS Just edited this post - the image is a diecut. My colouring is awful, can't quite get the light and shade right, although I am practising!

Something other than a card!

Well after all that we didn't get out yesterday. The weather was pretty dreary so John decided he had things he could  be doing - which left me free to craft. Do you hear me complaining? Having said that, by 2pm it was absolutely beautiful, but too late was the cry. There's always another day.

Since I have named my blog Cards and Crafts, implying I will do things other than cards, I decided to make some flap boxes, which I saw on Becca Feekins "Amazing Paper Grace" site earlier this year.  If you don't know her work you really should pay a visit. She truly is amazing! I haven't yet worked out how to add a link I'm afraid . (So much to learn!!)   Her web address is www.amazingpapergrace.com  She has a video tutorial both there and on Youtube.

These are so easy to make from 1 piece of 12"x12" double sided cardstock. It is purely down to folds, no glue necessary.  Like origami. Maybe it is origami, I don't know. At Easter I made quite a number of them, put in some shredded tissue paper and added some Cadbury's mini cream eggs. ( Whoops, I'm advertising, but since it is a part of the company I worked for maybe it's allowed!) Once made you can add  embellishments to make them as simple or ornate as you like. These three are pretty simple but I did one for my sister which was gorgeous and I put a small piece of jewellry in for her birthday.  But I totally forgot to take a picture! What a wally!

The pictures are pretty rubbish actually but I think you can get the general idea. I tried to show inside a box too. The lid just slides into grooves on the under side of the lid. Pretty nifty eh?

Well that's it for today. Enjoy your day, whatever you are doing.

love from Christine xx

How the Olympics changed my card!!

Oh my goodness, the Olympics has been so exciting! My love is cycling, and oh boy, have I been catered for! I was so disappointed in the road race when Team GB didn't place, then nearly shouted myself hoarse and my palms stung with clapping when Bradley Wiggins won his gold at the Time Trial and Chris Froome took silver. And since then it  just got better and better. So many medals - and so many of them gold! Apart from cycling I'm not a fan of sports, and maybe it's because it's here in the UK but I have never watched - and enjoyed!- so much sport in my life!!

 In fact I forgot to take a picture of my card yesterday I got so involved! Still, it means there is another one all ready for Thursday. I made this for my sister's wedding anniversary this coming weekend ans was already photographed. I must be in a blue phase! It is an LOTV image on the same blue pearlised card, matted on gold mirri card, organza ribbon and the little pull out tag is Spellbinders Damask Accents on a front stepper card. I left one side of the die cut open so that the tag could pull in and out. WOC flowers, of course.

Hopefully we are going out to visit a National Trust property today since the weather looks  more promising. Since I retired we have visited all the ones that are fairly close so now it means making a full day of it. It's a hard life being retired!! lol!

Have a good day everybody and I'll be back tomorrow.

Love from Christine xx

30th Birthday Card

Thank you for visiting my blog yesterday and thanks also to those kind people who signed up as followers.  I am so grateful for all my friends from Linda's "community" who made the trip! Phew! It's such a relief to get that first one out of the way. Now it's time to start enjoying it, and you know, I really think I am going to  enjoy it!

This is a card I made for my nephew's wife .

The card is pale blue pearlised card, although it doesn't show up too well. The dies are Spellbinders Parisian Motifs/Accents, the flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts (enhanced with a little help from my Promarkers), the double bow is made from organza ribbon from my local haberdashery store with a little blue WOC rose and the blue pearls are Adhesive Gems from Hobbycraft.  I tried to put in a pic showing the cut-out from the die but I couldn't get it right.  Never mind I will persevere and get there eventually.



Well that's it for now. Hope to be back tomorrow with something else to show.

Have a good day everybody - hoping for a little sunshine but I think it will probably be nearer the end of the week now.

love and hugs from Christine x

My Very First Blog!! Thank you Linda - Lindyloo.

Well, I have finally plucked up the courage to start a blog. I have no idea what on earth I am doing! Have I completely lost my mind? Very likely, but hey, let's give it a go!

I have visited so many blogs, and become a follower of quite a few, but never dreamed that one day I would have one too. The wonderful Linda from Creative Harmony has encouraged me so much, but I always shied away. However, now I think I need to get out of my comfort zone and try something new. So thank you Linda!! Or maybe I will be saying at some point - "It's all Linda's fault!" lol.  I am only joking of course, you really have been an inspiration to me Linda. The fact that you have so kindly showcased my cards (and those of other non-bloggers) has been a spur to me.

I have a great fondness for quotes and I am sure you will find them popping up in my blog every now and again.  One that springs to mind at the moment is : ""Life does not require that we be the best, only that we try our best." H Jackson Brown Jr 
Going forward I think I will take this as my mantra when I worry that everybody's blog is terrific and how did I ever think my work was good enough to put out on a blog!

Well, enough talk. I hope to be back tomorrow with a piece of work to show. And let's hope that somebody  actually comes  by to take a look!

Have a great day everyone.

Best wishes from Christine x