To have and to hold

Traditionally there are always more weddings in the summer months than during the winter ones. Having just made a card for a Ruby Anniversary I found myself reaching for the same digi set to make a wedding card.

Materials used:
Deedee's Digi Stamps sets - Two Hearts and
Framed Comfort
Britannia rose dies and leaf die
heart shaped dies
shimmer white paper
Copic pens
white printer card
centura pearl card
white A5 card blank
memento rose bud ink pad
silver pen
spray and shine
clear wink of stella

Method:
I printed out the frame from the Framed Comfort set with the words from the Two Hearts set and the names of the couple and the date in the middle. I cut around the outside of the frame to make the topper. Using the silver pen I traced over the design of the frame and then went over the top with the Wink of Stella pen. I cut a piece of centura pearl card slightly smaller than my card blank and embossed some heart shapes on it using the heart dies. I then blended the memento rose bud ink over the card. It left a very subtle watermark effect which does not really show up very clearly in the photo.

Using the Britannia dies and the shimmer white paper I cut out the rose petals andleaves and coloured them with Copic pens before making up the flowers. When the flowers had set I sprayed them and the leaves with spray and shine.

Finally I attached the topper to the card blank and arranged the flowers and leaves along the bottom edge of the frame.

This is the first card commission I have had for a while and I am happy to report that my customer was very pleased. She had given me a good idea of what she wanted so I guess I was following a recipe for it.

Thank you for dropping by. Take care.

Pippa

I would like to enter my card into:
Simon Says Anything Goes
Crafty Gals Corner Challenge #30: Anything Goes
ATSM Challenge #155 - Photo (flowers; colours white and pink)
Word Art Wednesday Challenge #194 - Anything Goes/Family Friendly
DSC #140 - Anything Goes!

PS This will be the last post for a while as I am off on my summer holidays. Hoping that the weather warms up a bit and the sun comes back for good!

Two hearts as one for a long time.

Today I would like to share a card I made for friends celebrating their ruby wedding anniversary.

Materials used:
Deedee's Digi Stamps - Two Hearts
blending card
Copic pens
silver pen
Wink of Stella Clear
Spray and Sparkle Iridescent
red card
silver rose embossed card
silver peel off stickers
heart dies
A5 white card blank

Method:
I printed out the entwined hearts image and coloured it with the Copics and the silver pen. I fussy cut the image making the inside area of the hearts slightly bigger by reducing the heart shape edges then sprayed the flowers with the Spray and Sparkle. I added some Wink of Stella to the heart frames.

I trimmed the red and silver card to the correct size for layering then used the heart dies to cut some hearts from the silver card. I printed out a sheet of backing paper from the set and attached my cut out image onto it. When the glue had dried I cut it out. I attached the red and silver card to the card base and attached the topper then placed my peel offs in the heart shaped apertures.

Thank you for dropping in. Take care.

Pippa

I would like to enter my card into:
Simon Says Stamp - Anything Goes
Crafty Gals Corner Challenge #30: Anything Goes
Word Art Wednesday #194 Anything Goes
Create and Inspire Challenge 26 - Anything Goes
Inspiration Destination Challenge Blog: Anything Goes Challenge No. 44
Through the Craft Room Door Challenge
Crafty Creations Challenges: Challenge #294 - Four (I have put in 4 red hearts and there is a 4 in 40!)

Give a Crafter a Cookie

I may just be able to sneak in a couple of challenge entries before we go away. Fortunately the image for the Art By Miran progressive challenge will also fit the Give a Crafter a Cookie challenge. It's so much easier when you can combine challenges!

Materials used:
Art By Miran - Digi Girl 226 (only available from Facebook page)
stamping card
lilac and purple card
white A5 card blank
Britannia flower dies and leaves die
Shimmer White paper
Copic pens
gems
acrylic happy birthday stamp
black archival ink pad

Method:
I printed out the image and coloured it in with the Copic pens then trimmed it to size and matted and layered it onto the lilac and purple card leaving a narrow border each time. I attached my topper to the card front.

Using the dies and the shimmer white paper I cut out five flowers and three leaf sprigs. I used copics to colour them before making them up into flowers and attaching them to my card base. I stamped the sentiment on the front with black archival ink and finally added a gem to the centre of each flower.

This is the inspiration picture for the Give a Crafter a Cookie challenge. I picked out fairy, butterfly and flowers to inspire my entry and also the pink and purple (though a lighter shade).

Thank you for dropping by. Take care.

Pippa

I would like to enter my card into:
Art By Miran Facebook Progressive Challenge
Give a Crafter a Cookie Challenge #23
Art By Miran Progressive Challenge
Digitally 'Sweet' Challenges #140 - Anything Goes

Mmmm Cherries

While my youngest daughter was at university and had long summer breaks she got a job at a local cherry farm. I may be biased but Somerset cherries are the best cherries ever and those from Whitehouse Farm are the best of the best! That leads me into my card for this post, my entry for the Imagine That Design of the Month Challenge with July's image featuring lots of cherries.

Materials used:
Imagine That Digi of the Month - Treat Stand
Bugaboo Stamps - Make It Snappy Blank
White blending card
Copic pens
designer papers Papermania - Happy Days
A5 white card blank

Method:
I made the blank frame the size I wanted and added the cake stand and sentiment to it. Having printed it out I used the copics to colour it in. I drew in the tablecloth with a black pen. The frame border I coloured in to match, as closely as a could, the background colour of the cherry designer paper. I cut out my image and matted and layered it onto the designer papers before attaching it to my card blank.

I used a coloured image from the set to make the paper for the card insert.

After a day of non-stop rain yesterday I am happy to say that today there is blue in the sky and the sun has made an appearance. Hopefully summer has returned to stay a while.

Thanks for visiting. Take care.

Pippa

I would like to enter my card into:
Imagine That July Digi of the Month Challenge - Treat Stand
Brown Sugar Challenge Blog #156 - Anything goes

Outlawz Progressive Challenge

Card makers are often heard to say that making cards for the men and boys is tricky. Most of the images trending at the moment are very feminine characters with the big eyes - not to everyone's taste and especially not suitable for the males of the world! So when this month's Outlawz Progressive Challenge freebie arrived it made a refreshing change.



Materials used:
Freebie from Outlawz Progressive Challenge - Farmer Fred (I think)
white stamping card
Happy Birthday acrylic stamp
black archival ink pad
core'dinations card stock
designer papers - Papermania: Happy Days
circle die
Adirondack ink pads: stonewashed, meadow
blending brushes
Copic pens

Method:
I printed out the image and coloured it with the pens. I used the Adirondack inks and blending brushes to put in the sky and grass background, then trimmed the image down to the size I wanted and matted it onto some mustard yellow core'dinations card. I stamped out the Happy Birthday sentiment with black ink and cut out the two semi-circles in the middle before attaching to a snippet of the yellow card and cutting with a circle die. I covered the front of a white A5 card blank with two of the designer papers and attached my topper with 3d foam pads. Finally I stuck the greeting onto the card.

The weather here has turned dramatically from the sunshine we have been enjoying for some days now to torrential rain. Although the garden desperately needs water and the pond even more so I do wish it would confine itself to overnight rain! It is so dark that we are having to put lights on - in July! On the other hand the weather does mean that we will not be going anywhere so more time to sort out my craft room between warming cups of tea!

Thanks for dropping in. Take care.

Pippa

I would like to enter my card into:
The Outlawz Challenges - Progressive Freebie
Week 29 -Crafting Challenge at Polkadoodles - 2 or more Patterned Papers
Through the Craft Room Door - Anything goes

Taking it easy

There is a strange mix in the themes of recent challenges with Christmas in July sitting happily beside summer fun. The progressive freebie image from From the Heart is of Birdbrain relaxing in a swimming ring with something nice to drink.

Materials used:
Inner Tube Birdbrain
Fancy labels die set
Copic pens
A5 white card blank
dark red and green card
X-press it blending card
black peel off greeting

Method:
I printed out the image and coloured it with the pens then matted and layered it onto red and green card die cut with the labels die. I attached my topper to the card base and added the peel off greeting.

I am trying to finish all the progressive challenges for this month in the next few days before we go off on holiday for a couple of weeks. At the same time I am attempting to sort out and down size my craft room in the on going preparations for when my husband retires next year and we have to vacate the spacious vicarage and return to our little cottage. Being ruthless and getting rid of things that have not been used for ages is quite hard but very therapeutic. Earlier in the year I took a box of crafting items to a craft retreat and managed to pass a lot on to loving homes and raise some money for the British Heart Foundation at the same time. The intention is to repeat the process next year so the gathering together is going to be an on going process.

Thanks for dropping in. Take care.

Pippa

I would like to enter my card into:
From the Heart Progressive Challenge - July