RESQ31 challenge&raise the bar 5

So here's the brief for RESQ 31 - an inventory check up.
- Go through your stamps....pull out ones that haven't seen ink in a while and give them a try!
- Also, you could try to use up some scraps but even better is using a sheet of patterned paper you have been hoarding for a while! Go ahead and use it already!
Raise the bar wants a stamp you would never part with - and this little Gruffie is so cute and so easy to colour and just so cute, I'd never ever part with him.
So I have hoarded my 3 bugs papers for too long, the stamp hadn't seen ink in 12 months and I was keeping my last packet of pearl swirls purely because it was my last pack and I'm loathe to have none in my stash. They are ZVA creative and similar to the Prima ones but in my opinion even more yummy, they also make the brads, which are a whopping half inch and just gorgeous. Again it was a fear of running out that kept them in my stash boxes instead of on my cards.
The card itself is a bit OTT - combining 2 of my favourite cards - the folded frame and the easel card. Inside the frame I used the Spellbinders Fleur de Lis pendant die (another under used favourite)topped with a Stampabilities "Gruffie" and finished with some embossed paper flowers. The ledge for the easel has the fleur de lis accent stuck on with foam pads and there's lots of pearls everywhere.

New Year - New thinking....

Ok so I know it's almost mid February but it's not that late into the Chinese new Year, so that's the one I'm going with this year. 2009 was up and down, the start of 2010 has been pretty awful - so I'm making this the start of my year....
I have seperated from my partner after over a decade, I just hope we can try and keep things civil for the sake of the girls but it's strange. I feel a bit like a balloon that has been cut from its anchor - I'm bobbing along but I need to get my life in order, try to organise some kind of income, the maintenance wont even cover rent. I do feel positive though and I've been getting early (or least earlier) nights, reading, tidying and generally getting things done. The girls are hard work and I relish bedtime! I am trying to get them to sleep alone, I have spoiled them on that front - it was not uncommon for 5am to come around and I had not been to bed, just gone from one to the other feeding, reading, singing trying to stop them from crying... so now it's a new regime and once they are fed, warm, safe and clean then they need to learn to comfort themselves and sleep through. It means very broken nights at the moment but hopefully things will resolve and it will be a change for the better.
I also lost my dog. I was heart broken - he was my pseudo child for a number of years and then such a good dog to have around the girls, I really miss him; although I have no interest in replacing him for a long time yet.
I've made a few cards over the weekend, not felt like crafting for a while so it was good to get some mojo back!
The baby boy "Julien" card is a digi card - I find them quick and easy when I'm stuck for an idea. I layered the card in Publisher and then printed two copies,one for the base and then one to add some decoupage. Bit of ribbon and bling, then to make the card extra special I made a matching box.
The other card was for my baby sister, who turned 16 this week - where has the last decade gone? It's an easel card but the top layer is a square card which lifts up to reveal a distressed photo of the girls. I've had the scrabble tiles for ages and I've vowed to use them - this is the year of stash liquidation! The rub on is 3 bugs and the paper Sassafrass.

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!