Bordering on Romance with butterfly

There are some gorgeous colours going on at the ColourQ site this week as usual and I've been hoping to get the time to make a card with them. Those dots in the inspiration photo fascinated me (scroll down to see it) and I thought I could use the flower border in my Bordering on Romance stamp set to recreate the feel of them. Come and see:

I stamped the flower border three times and coloured in the petals with markers to make the background. For the butterfly, I layered die cuts together and tied them together with bakers twine. Once I'd made the butterfly I was able to work out the position of the sentiment and stamp it using my stamp-a-majig for position.

Here's a close up of that dimensional butterfly on the floral background. The panel was attached to an Island Indigo card base which has a Whisper White panel inside for writing in and it lies flat for posting so it's practical too!

Here's what you'll need to make today's card:

Stamps: Bordering on Romance, Elegant Thank You

Ink: Island Indigo, Real Red

Card stock: Whisper White, Island Indigo, Lucky Limeade

Other: Beautiful Butterflies Bigz die, Beautiful Wings embosslits die, Big Shot, Lucky Limeade bakers twine, Patterns designer paper, stamp-a-majig

I'd be delighted to order any of these items for you and can have them delivered to your address in the UK. I'm committed to providing excellent customer service and am always happy to offer help and advice. To place your order, just send me an email or give me a call on 01280 820593.

I've spent the week catching up on everything after my giddy time away and was able to spend some time crafting at the end of the week. My desk is in the living room which means that I have to keep it very tidy but also means that I get to chat to everyone as they come in and out which I love. Yesterday my oldest son had some of his gang round - the loveliest boys! I asked one rosy-cheeked blond boy whether he had a cat of his own as he was petting Tuppence. He shook his head. "Perhaps you're more of a dog family?" I suggested. "No," he said. "We're more of a fish family actually!"

Have a lovely weekend!

One layer Sweet Cake

I didn't think I'd have time to enter all my favourite challenges this week but when I saw that Cheryl's One Layer Wednesday challenge was to make a card featuring something sweet, I immediately thought of my new Sweet Cakes stamp set! How long could it take? I thought! Well it didn't take long at all - AND I was able to incorporate this week's gorgeous ColourQ palette (although I haven't done it justice at all.) Come and have a look:

I love this vintage seaside-style image (and the three stunning sentiments that go with it!) Wouldn't this make a cute little card to pop in a lunch box?! I think it also lends itself well to teen cards and this sentiment would work well for a sixteenth birthday.

I coloured the rubber with markers before stamping to get this multi-coloured image because I was going for a one layer card, but it would be fun to layer elements up on another occasion.

Here's what you'll need to make today's card:

Stamps: Sweet Cake

Ink: Poppy Parade, Pool Party, More Mustard, Crumb Cake - all markers

Card stock: Whisper White

Other: Stamp-a-majig

I'd be delighted to order any of these items for you and can have them delivered to your address in the UK. I'm committed to providing excellent customer service and am always happy to offer help and advice. To place your order, just send me an email or give me a call on 01280 820593.

Talking of putting notes in people's lunch boxes, My daughter and I were having a clear out of her books a little while ago and this popped out and brought the memories flooding back:

It's a little note I put in her lunch box when she was having a tough time at school at just six years of age. I'm so touched that she kept it and the sweet thing is that those are actual clothes that we wore and that little green table and chair actually lived in her room! She tells me she loved getting notes in her lunch box and I do think it's a great thing to do regardless of whether your loved ones are having a tough time or not.

Oops, I've got distracted again... it's back to the kitchen for me! Enjoy your weekend won't you, and I'll see you very soon.

Hugs,

Three Minute Button Buddies

Can you guess what I think of this week's ColourQ colour palette? Yes, there are no prizes for working out that I love them as usual! There's a great inspiration photo too. I really like the floral pillow case and one of the flowers on it reminded me of the fabulous stylised flower in the Button Buddies stamp set. That flower coordinates with the small scallop circle punch which makes for a very quick and easy card! Come and have a look:

After I'd stamped the flower and cut them out with the punch, I stamped the flowers again - this time in Lucky Limeade, and cut the middles out with my 3/4" circle punch. These make lovely flower centres and add a bit of interest to the card when they're popped up with a dimensional.

The sentiment is from Sincere Salutations which is a very faithful servant to me!

Here's what you'll need to make today's card:

Stamps: Button Buddies, Sincere Salutations

Ink: Tempting Turquoise, Wisteria Wonder, Lucky Limeade

Card stock: Whisper White, Basic Grey

Other: Scallop circle and 3/4" circle punches, stamp-a-majig

I'd be delighted to order any of these items for you and can have them delivered to your address in the UK. I'm committed to providing excellent customer service and am always happy to offer help and advice. To place your order, just send me an email or give me a call on 01280 820593.

I'm loving having my teenage daughter home on study leave as she does some of her revising with me while I'm working and is great company. While she's at my desk I get her to pass me things which can be quite entertaining. Yesterday, for example, when I asked her to pass me my Snail adhesive, she made it slide along the sofa and added slimy noises!

Thanks for popping in today. I shall be back tomorrow with an idea I had using the new Labels framelits and you're very welcome to join me!

A Bordering on Romance background

I adore the colour swatch at the ColourQ this week - well of course that's nothing new!

The colours remind me of 20s or 30s china - like this gorgeous cup and saucer set and so I thought I'd have a go at creating a vintage style background with my new Bordering on Romance stamp set.

Come and see what you think:

First, the large flower image from the set was stamped all over my Whisper White card stock using Always Artichoke ink. Next I took my aquapainter and filled in the background with a Pear Pizzazz wash and coloured the large flowers with Daffodil Delight. After that I used markers to fill in the rest of the leaves, flowers and berries. It's very quick and easy because it's such a random look - you don't want anything to look too precise.

The sentiment label is decorated with the same stamp and mounted on one of the new labels framelits with the edges bent inwards before attaching to a card stock banner.

Here's what you'll need to make today's card:

Stamps: Bordering on Romance, Sincere Salutations

Ink: Always Artichoke, Daffodil Yellow, Tangerine Tango, Pear Pizzazz

Card stock: Whisper White, Tangerine Tango

Other: Markers, square, oval and scallop border punches, Labels framelits, Simply Scored, sponge daubers

I'd be delighted to order any of these items for you and can have them delivered to your address in the UK. I'm committed to providing excellent customer service and am always happy to offer help and advice. To place your order, just send me an email or give me a call on 01280 820593.

I always like to feel that our crafting can help others. I was reading this post by Jo Street of Dinky Daisy Designs yesterday - she has been devastated by the plight of a little girl at a playgroup her son attends. Jo wants to do something to help so she's holding a sale of cards to raise money for Candlelighters, the organisation which will be caring for the little girl and supporting her stricken family. It seems to me that it's easy to make two cards if you're making one and I think lots of us could spare some from our stash, so do pop over to Jo's blog and offer your services.

It looks as if it's going to be perfect crafting weather again in the UK this weekend so make the most of it and I'll see you very soon.

Hugs,