Reluctant Cardmaker meets reluctant stamper!

I've known the talented Elisa for a couple of years via the forum at www.craft supplies.ie and she is one talented lady - her blog always inspires me and one day I will do digi! She claims to be a "reluctant cardmaker" but just check out this cute digi stamp that appeared in my inbox yesterday - I had vowed to use ink at least once a week and well digi images are almost stamping and I did use my Tim Holtz distress inks on the card base.
Card is made from ivory linen and then inked with Weathered Wood and Peeling Paint, the gorgeous swirl is part of one from ZVA creative - I buy the large swirls and snip them apart, so I get 3 or 4 cards from one. The button came off my daughters outgrown and too worn to pass on trousers and the ribbon is a bargain bin find from long ago. The digi image is by Elisa and I added the sentiment before I printed it off, coloured with promarkers and I added glamour dust to the wings.
Sorry for the poor photos but I only seem to get chance to do stuff in the wee hours.

folded frame picture tutorial

Hope it makes sense!
here

paperplay - no red or green

So Elisa's challenge was to use no red or green in a Christmas project - looking at my last few posts you can see a trend emerging - I love, love, love these little folded frames and they are so much quicker than a Christmas card - I think my nearest and dearest might get them instead of a card this year...
So this time I downsized and started with a 7inch and a 6 inch square of scrapbooking paper from Cherry Arte and Memory Box Co - when folded you get these really cute sized frames - perfect for hanging on the Christmas tree (except I haven't bought mine yet, it's top of tomorrows must do list). Tied with ribbon and little button detail with some confetti snowflakes that I use every year and yet they never show signs of running out. I added a bit of glamour dust to the photo for extra sparkle.
tfl

first time using promarkers and Caardvaark challenge

And it shows! I didn't have the complementary colours - only one in each colour group but I like the way they colour, although did have some bleed with the pens on the paper. The image is a digi one, based on a photo of my dd - since she was born, she has been my golden haired child and that explains the rather violent yellow hair - Gold is the only yellow I have at present - hurry on Santa!!! Her dress is Berry Red and Ruby, shoes, Olive green and her face is blush, satin and pastel pink.
Anyhow, I resisted my urge to bin the lot and cut and mounted her with nestabilities labels 1 and inked the edges with old paper and peeled paint Tim Holtz distress inks.
The frame is a folded sheet of 12 by 12 secured with brads, the edges of the frame are drawn together and held with a length of white satin ribbon. Sentiment and snowflake from Papermania elements range. This weeks Caardvaark challenge is to use a digi image.

Paperplay challenge - read all about it.

So I've put all I need to do on the long finger so that I could try this week's paperplay challenge. The theme was "read all about it" - immediately I thought of the 1897 Sun editorial - Indeed Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. I wanted a modern version and found this wordle on the very article, so I printed it off twice and layered one part over the other with foam pads. As I was making this my dd1 broke her necklace and so I snaffled the beads and glued them along the edge of the layered panel- handcut holly and the flower and label have been on the kitchen counter for a month at least

Started my Christmas cards .... finally

For a cardmaker I really hate making cards for events! New Year cards - never, Easter - I really don't do them - I love real live rabbits but cutey, flopsy ones leave me cold - Halloween? Nah. Christmas, now those I do under sufferance - cos it's expected of me and I just can't get away with bought cards. In fact my family would be more insulted with a bought card than no card at all.
This year I'm doing cards for the kids, personalised with their name and inside a letter from Santa - I've got the parents to dish the dirt, so they'll believe that Santa is indeed omnipotent!
Anyhow I made a start on the cards ..... digi designed with a second or third layer decoupaged on top and then the bits you can't really see - glitter, stickles and glossy accents, then a few bits and bobs to finish.
all that said - I do love making cards but I like quirky - I think we should have happy haircut cards, your dog is seven card - stuff that's fun to do - plumber arrived on time congrats card, anything that is creative rather than necessary.

Creative Christmas CD and free downloads

Yet again it has been a while since I blogged - been busy with the Crazy Crafts blog plus I have been doing a few free demos for the ICA's in the area and the active retirement groups, when you only get a few hours to yourself a week it means that you have to let other things slide (like this blog) but I have put together a Creative Christmas CD - crammed with easy peasy printable Christmas cards, all in pdf form - just press open and print! All with decoupage layers and free printable elements available at www.maryandbendy.blogspot.com
..... watch here for more free printables ..... the cd has 70 printable cards, 30 backing papers and more ... here's a peek at them ...
if you want one - send me a mail - for the next 5 days they are just €10

OK I'll post the pics when I find them...
but in the meantime I made this today

Amazin blog Candy from Jak

Jak, designer of all those "flippin things" has one flippin mad and is giving away an amazing blog candy
look here and good luck!
and it's Sharon's birthday and so she has some fab candy too here I have been lusting after some pro markers so fingers crossed!

anniversary card

A last minute card as usual - so it's quite simple. A lot of Spellbinders dies - I seem to be using them a lot lately, labels nine and locket, some cuttlebug embossing and prima hydrangeas, club green ribbon and a few diamantes. Can't believe it has been a year since their wedding, dd2 will be one very soon - I missed the craftzone weekend last year as it clashed with the wedding but I have my car packed ready to head off to Athlone in the morning - yipeeee! It is crammed with stash, I couldn't decide what to bring - I must remember to pack a change of clothes!
So here's to a weekend of crafting yumminess and shopping delight.

Paperplay - tag it! and papertake - fake it! challenge

I combined 2 challenges for this card - the paperplay use a tag challenge and the papertake fake it challenge (faux stitches and paper button).
The overall design looks a bit wonky but truth be told, I'm too busy to redo it. The other baby card is slightly more successful I think.
Anyhow's it all Pay per box card from different eras, cuttlebug embossing, prima hydrangeas and odds n ends from my charm box - the feet I made a long time ago from sculpey, they are really cute and a great any use baby embellishment.

cupcake socks

These are my favourite ever gift for a mum to be. The original idea came from the ultra talented Lauren Meader - I just expanded on the number of "buns" and used 2 different sizes of sock.
Each bun is made up one pair of baby socks - size 0-2.5 for the topping and one single ladies sock size 4-7 for the bun base. So my finished box has 6 pairs of baby socks and 3 pairs of socks for mum.
They were pretty tricky to get a picture of and I think they look much cuter in real life.
Lauren has a brilliant video showing how to make the socks - you can find it here Her cupcakes look really full compared to mine but I think that is because she uses different sizes of sock...

no patterned paper

This week's paperplay challenge - set by Kate, is to make a project using no patterned paper. Here's my take on it - I've been meaning to try these bowls for a long time and finally (with a bit of help, made enough strips to construct a soup bowl sized dish and mini flower pot).
Can you tell they are made from the Sunday Times magazine? A real recycling recession busting craft project and while you can't eat your dinner out of them, they will withstand a damp cloth and so I use mine for MM's or peanuts. Basically it is folded sheets of magazine paper with the ends glued down then you stick all the strips together with sellotape and roll into a "snail". Tape the ends down and carefully lift the edges up, bringing up the middle just as if you where making a clay pot. I painted them with black acrylic paint and then sealed with 2 coats of PVA and water glaze.
The flower is a Spellbinders die with swiss dot embossing and brad centre stuck to an inked kebab stick . Chipboard is three bugs and charm from E-bay.
And I've finally nailed by Nestabilities class for Athlone - I have far too many projects for the time frame but they'll be there for inspiration.

I am making stuff really,

Just it all seems to be work in progress or is for my GBCE class - I'm revising my ideas every week, but have to make a decision this weekend as to what I am doing. At present have enough for a 7 hour class! So have to whittle it down to a manageable 3 projects - all I'll say is it's Christmas Time and there are no cards...
Here's a baby rattle I made using only Spellbinder dies - nestabilities for the base and the bottom, pendant die for the the rattle (and there's a little shaker made from 2 small circles of card edged with foam tape and filled with rice in the middle, so it really rattles!)
I also decorated bth sides of the card to make it more like a real rattle, I've seen quite a few cards recently that are decorated inside and on the reverse and while it's a lot of work, I think the results can be stunning - I barely have time to finish a front and I confess I hate putting inserts in cards, but I do try and make the effort and usually add a verse or quote as well.
I did my GBCE profile as well here, near the bottom with the dorky photo and I had intended to add an "odd fact" about myself but forgot - so, here it is - I had my tongue pierced 16 years ago by a guy who had practiced on pig skin and jaffa oranges...

Paper Play - Back to School

Ok, so mine is more finished school than back to school but it's for a guy who's going to be a teacher - so it is back to school in a sense....
"Spring fold" card - embossed with Cuttlebug herringbone folder, it adds gorgeous texture, The tassel came off Marina's cushions (she gave them to me, I didn't go round with my scissors and surreptitiously castrate her scatter cushions). Scroll is a scrap of paper and red ribbon, sticker letter on nestability circle.

paperplay challenge, procrastinating and new rubber

So I should be making 140 wedding invitations but I've run out of little sparkly crystals - I know I have them somewhere but they are eluding me and so rather than face the tedium of insert printing I thought I'd blog instead.
Here's my this weeks paperplay challenge - set by Mandy, she gave us a sketch to work with and I thought I'd use it to show a preview of the new rubber stamp line that crazy crafts will be showcasing. Don't you think Alana is just the cutest and she's homegrown Irish to boot. The card has a nestabilities aperture inset with a cuttlebug panel, the new Morrocan folder - and wow, the new folders are fabulous - all the embossing is so deep and crisp, I'm using them on everything.
The paper is old Sassafrass "In Stitches" and the borders are by - oops I forgot, possibly very old sassafrass now I think about it.
tfl

My poor neglected blog

I'm struggling to find the time to do all I want. Things that get made are last minute and gone, so never see a camera - while other things are piling up - not least 140 wedding invitations for mid week, eek!
The potatoes are being dug and I'm replacing them with purple kale and some green cabbage - I admit I am no gardener but I love going out and then bringing in something we can eat. Other than my spasmodic efforts the slugs, snails and nettles are welcome to the rest of the space, I just invade the wilderness now and again but so far this year we have had radish, lettuce, sorrel, potatoes,carrots, peas, beetroot,runner beans,onions and blackcurrants - the cauliflower and courgettes were a disaster but still it's not too bad for the first attempt by a city girl.
A little flower card I did in the week - the greeting is in the text on the leaves - I thought it was cute. Card base by petaloo.

CRAZY CRAFTS, Ennis are looking for a DESIGN TEAM!

Mary and Bendy at the Ennis based craft store, Crazy Crafts are looking for a design team - I have to say I am over the flippin moon that they have asked me to be part of that team already. They are looking for 4 talented crafters who can each bring their unique style and design to the fore to create beautiful cards, layouts and projects. The requirements are simple - you have to love to craft! Entries are being accepted from any part of the globe, even interglactically - so get the entries rolling in and make it hard for them to choose.
The chosen team members get free craft goodies - Mary and Bendy are currently working hard to bring a brand new line of rubber stamps to Ireland but that's all the info I have for now. Both Bendy and Mary will be at the GBCE in Athlone along with the shop. So if you are interested click the link on the right and you'll find all the info you need on their blog.
later,

cheeky cow

Just a bit late with this weeks paperplay - didn't think I'd get it done at all but I had another train to do and they wanted a cow in the carriage, so I did a quick cow card. Not a lot to say other than - I really must go to bed or I'll meet everyone coming back in the other direction!

baby pram

I'm really enjoying shapes at the moment and I'm half way through a couple of other things but I made this last night, after seemingly hours of trying to get baby to bed. She is a little minx and I think I need Jo Frost to teach me how to get her in a bedtime routine - I react emotionally and too quickly to her crying and so she has me totally sussed now - somedays I don't mind and she only takes half an hour to feed and get to sleep, other nights(and always when I have things to do!), it can take over 2 hours and by the end of it I'm drained.
Anyhow, I cobbled together this little pram using the same build as you go technique as the train (honestly it is easy - I can never find a ruler so there's no measuring or stuff). I started with the a box for a base and then drew around a bowl to make a circle, I cut each circle in half and then folded and glued it together to make - A SEMI CIRCLE! Difficult stuff huh? I took a strip of card wider than the base and cut tabs along both sides then using double sided tape stuck it along each side of the curved part of the semi-circles to make the hood. This was then taped to the base. Nestabiliites made layered wheels and I added a jewel brad to the centre and I curved strips of card over a apray can to make the handles.A little cardboard coverlet with some lace went inside and I lined the hood and covered the exposed tabs with pink gingham card. A bit of embellishing and I was done, just as well as it was way past bedtime - I'm going to rework the handles, I tried using a wooden piece with beads but it was too heavy and I never like the look of the wire ones. The finished pram is just the right size to tuck 3 pairs of newborn socks into or perhaps a baby mini album, if you have time for more creating!
tfl and enjoy the rest of the week.

treating myself

To my first proper day off since Brie was born, she is nearly 10 months now and what with breastfeeding and letting her sleep in my bed (can't get her out of it now though!), I think it's time for a bit of me time. So I booked my class today at the An Siopa Bui Extravaganza next weekend - I'm doing advanced cards with Philomena Sullivan and then a Flowersoft class with Helen and I can't wait. It's practice for the main event - The Great Big Craft Event in Athlone at the end of September, I'm teaching a two hour class using the new Spellbinders dies and nestabilities - my dies should arrive tomorrow, fingers crossed - DHL has them at their depot....all I need is time to play.
Quick anniverary card with the sizzix pop up platform inside, forgot to take a pic of that bit though. duh.

Do I like a challenge?

Well I do and I have the best of intentions but then real life catches up and lately the only cards have been sample invites that take all my time and energy, then come to nothing. I've had nothing left over for "fun" makes.
But by some miracle both my children went to bed by half eight last night and I made this little train with cards. It's a First birthday card for twins - I made congratultaions cards for them last year, they were very premature and I can remember worrying about suitable wording in the circumstances but now they are two bright nearly toddlers and their Aunt, Marie, wanted a special card.
I didn't use a template, I just tried a prototype (the one with A on the front) and then put it together as I went along. It's literally a series of boxes or part boxes for the basic shape and then nestabilities circles for the wheels, cylinder ends and buffers. I made little boxes for carriages and each carriage has a simple monogram card - one for each boy. To package it I made a 2 inch deep box base with 2 card loops that went over the front and back, then wrapped cellophane over the whole thing.I've left it open at the back, as I thought it would be nice to add chocolate buttons or something into the back of the train.
It was a really fun make - dd wants one (of course) - it's her birhtday next month and time permitting my aim is to try a purple one (her fave colour) with Dora the Explorer in the train and Boots and entourage as passengers in the carriages... watch this space.

wild west wedding

Tis been a long time since I blogged but I have been keeping my blog eye on everything! With CHA in the US I have been too busy drooling over peoples creations and making yet more wish lists to actually make anything.
Our friends are getting married in November and are having a wild west themed wedding - Yeeeehaaaa! So here's my first attempt at their wedding invitation - it needs tweaking, I've added real rivets but still think it needs a bit more dimension. The white background is for the photo and not part of the invitation - it's just on a brown mat.

salad days

Not a card to be seen lately - busy trying to keep the slugs at bay - I had an attempt at growing veg this year. The spuds are doing magnificently and I'm waiting patiently for a crop of white floury potatoes but my peas befell the cows from the field next door, they broke through and seemingly bored with grass took the top of my pea patch but there is still a nice crop coming on.
And so to why I have shown you my lunch - this is my first from my garden dinner. The salad leaves, scallion, beetroot and garden mint are all grown by me - the tomato came from a friend's greenhouse and had that gorgeous, warm smell that a tomato should have.
I thought it looked so bright and colourful, I could make it into a card!

lads n dads

My friend Jenny did it again - she rang this afternoon looking for a card for a 21 year old jockey and oh, she needs it for this evening.
Anyhow, it's not great and looks rather cobbled together (which tbh it is)- but it was all I could muster at such short notice.
The other is a Father's Day Card wallet - it looks incomplete because, well it isn't finished! It's for my friend's husband and she needs to add the photos of her kids. I quite like this - it's just made up from a folding board, it's an open top wallet with a pocket on the front and then has a card inside that uses a tab that loops over the top of the wallet and fastens on the front.
tfl
I have to go and make Father's Day cards from the girls - Aoif has "helped" with hers and I also have paint to clean up!

Christmas in June

I didn't manage to get my Paperplay challenge for last week up in time - so I'm determined that I will this week - the theme, set by Kate is Christmas. Eeeeek.
So here's 2 quick Christmas inspired invitations. The first uses 3 bugs in a rug paper and is a sidefold wallet card, the other a trifold card - both use a sizzix sizzlit bauble die.
tfl

paper play "twist" challenge and I'm late!

But at least I managed to get it done finally. My twist is a brown and green wedding card - not the usual colours and a second twist, it's a sizzix spinning platform in the centre that "twists" up when you open the card.
Papers are Sassafrass Lass.

wallet card

I'm in love with little wallet cards at the moment and was asked to do a birthday card for a girly girl who likes pigs! I came up with this and inside the card is a pic of a cute little piglet with "hope your day is piggin'perfect".

paper play challenge

I'm not finding much time to make things for fun, so I decided to try and participate in the paperplay challenges. There are always gorgeous cards and LO's for inspiration but somehow I'm late in my first attempt at playing. Oops - I used the sketch provided to make this card for my OH birthday.

not enough hours

I'm trying to get some of my cards onto a website and have reached the point where cardmaking and craft in general feels like a chore - I've a million different ideas but just not enough time or funds to put everything I'd like into action.
For now you can see my efforts here

So what do you do with a digital layout?

Elisa asked this on her blog last week - www.hybridalien.blogspot.com.
I don't do much digi scrapping but I use my computer a lot for cardmaking, particularly for sentiments and to add names to cards. If I had an A3 printer I might do more digital - but I have used A4 digi pages as a base for some pictures for my wall. I like to print off a background paper add the journalling then print it out, I then add a seperately printed photograph and embellish with traditional paper embellishments.
So here's one I did of DD1 - the quote was taken from a digi freebie by Summer Driggs a couple of years ago - I didn't have the file but I had kept the quote, I just used Word and different sized fonts and layered it over a digital paper file. Once I had printed it off I added the photo and a few blue rhinestones from Hickey's.

Quick Wedding Card

Other half is heading off to London at 5am for his pal's wedding. I have cried off - hauling a baby and a toddler onto an early morning Ryanair flight tomorrow and then back on Sunday morning is not my idea of fun. Especially as the itinerary consisted of arrive, pub, eat, pub, sleep - wedding, pub, probably not sleep,home.
Just as well I wasn't going ; as my errant carpenter needs his tail chasing - he is now at the end of week three of what was to be a week job and he vanished for 7 days over the bank holiday. I am sick of the mess and everywhere needs painting again and the furniture guy is meant to be coming tomorrow and there isn't room to manouvere a flat pack let alone the whole fully assembled furniture I have ordered.
So I've just been making a last minute card for the happy couple & I'm off to bed. The patterned paper is Making Memories with pen stitches around the edge
Stamped the Love stamp directly onto the card and then stamped another onto scrap card - cut out the pieces and applied them over the original letters. I offset them slightly and used foam pads for bit of height. I coloured the letters with felt pen scribbled onto plastic then applied to the image with a wet brush. I stamped a wooden square tile with a small whatever that is called flower and inked the edges, layered with Cardstock stickers from Daisy D's added some ivory ribbon, pale blue gems an odd button and a resin butterfly that fell off a fairy ornament.