A lot of white!

Hi and a very big welcome to all and especially  to my first two followers. I am so chuffed to think I am worthy of your time in stopping by and taking a look at my artistic (well sometimes) offerings. Thank you so much it is greatly appreciated and thanks too to those that have left comments. I really like to know what people think and I don't feel that I am just talking to myself all the time!

I had a lovely afternoon at LOTV on Saturday at their open day and met some really lovely people - they know who they are - a special hello. It is so nice to chat and compare notes with like minded people and make new friends.
I was also able to put faces to names of some of the design team and watch them at work - and wow all different in style but so talented.

The new release was awesome - too much choice and not enough pennies sadly. So well done and thank you to all at LOTV for wonderful stamps and a brilliant day.

Right onto a very quick card - a lot of white and well out of my comfort zone. Sadly on occasion these card are required though - Sympathy that is.

An oval cut in a spare piece of card and used to ink through with distress ink and then the flower stamped in black archival along with the sentiment. A very quick one layer card. I thought afterwards perhaps it should have been a circle and not an oval. What do you think?

It's been a nice day here today, lets hope summer is with us at last.
Take care friends
Crafty hugs xx
Carole

Here at last!

Hi ! I'm back! - No I haven't been on holiday, I think the mojo has, but hopefully coming back refreshed from wherever it has been.
I have been busy though - making favour boxes this time for - you guessed it my son's wedding later this year. I expect to be kept busy between now and then with "card and cake" in various stages. All will be revealed in September after the wedding.

So did you all have a good Bank Holiday and enjoy the sunshine? back to winter here yesterday and today no better. Pouring with rain and quite cold. I am sure fed up with this British summer.

On to a card then, a quick one made from scraps basically but nice and summery in it's feel.

 

 



The background was a plain piece of copier paper that I embossed in my Grand Calibur with the A4 Spellbinders "Garden Lattice" folder and wow how that alters such a plain piece of paper so dramatically. No need for expensive backing papers! -- so why do I have a room full? You know why!

 I gently inked with Milled Lavender Distress Ink to highlight the embossing.

 

The image is a Pink Petticoat stamp the was free with a recent magazine. I stamped in black memento and coloured with Copics. A little glitter to highlight and some faux stitching with a black fine liner. This was then layered on to some purple pearlescent card.

 

The little tags are from LOTV - so useful this set and fastened together with a dragonfly brad from my stash and then fixed to the corner of the topper. All mounted on thin foam pads for a bit more dimension.

Here is a close up of the topper.

 

 

 

I try so hard to keep things one dimensional for the post, but seldom succeed.

 

I added a verse inside and there it is all set to pop in the post box. 

 

Let me know what you think, I love and appreciate any comments you might leave and thank you for taking the time to stop by.

 

Hugs x Carole

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SON!

Hello Friends.

Today is the birthday of my eldest son - Happy Birthday Andrew! and here is the card that I have made for him.

I decided to try clean and simple as he likes the minimalist look, inspired by Chrissie on her "Simply One of a Kind" blog. The next problem was what to put on it - don't we always have a problem with men's cards!
I decided on a shirt stamp that I had from way back, BUT guess what - That's right I couldn't find it! perhaps I dreamt I had it. Anyway on rummaging through all my lovely wooden mounted stamps I came across this one of a sports car  - an Anita stamp I think. It has a greeting across the bottom but I masked that off and decided to go with it. ( I also found a lot of other beautiful stamps that I had forgotten about in the process and promised myself I must use them soon - some have never seen an ink pad)!!
The embossed strip is from a Spellbinders M-Bossability - Kicking rubber. These folders are fabulous. I mounted it on red to give an edge top and bottom and to match the car that I stamped in festive berries distress ink and embossed with clear powder. I then cut it close to the image and mounted on the embossed panel.
The sentiment was a mixture of two different stamps from my stash, stamped and embossed the same as the car.
An insert and greeting inside - and job done. Quick when you have the idea. It took longer to think about it all.
Hope he likes it!

Enjoy your Bank Holiday and the sunshine too if the forecast is correct.
Crafty Hugs Carole

Think Pink!

Hi Friends!
I have been busy busy but alas nothing to show - that's new anyway. I have been baking wedding cakes (fruit) for my youngest son's wedding in September - all done and wrapped and maturing now, and also been making their wedding invitations, so as I say busy but all under wraps at present till later in the year.

So -- its a card from a while back that you have not seen and that I did for someone's special birthday. This particular recipient likes shopping and pink, and always wanted a pair of pink shoes! I don't know if she ever got them.

I used some of my Craftwork Cards papers for this card along with a stamp I had in my stash. I used Copics to colour the image and a little distress ink to highlight the die, cut from a Spellbinders Oval.  The pink shoe was also something that I had collected along the way knew it would come in sometime - like we crafters do- never throw anything away! You can just see a little shoe brad at the top of the sentiment on the tag as well.

I die cut the 50 and also the flowers  and stamped the Happy Birthday and then cut it the banner shape and added a touch of Craftwork Cards candy to finish.
Could this possibly be me shopping for an outfit for the wedding? NO I'm not that thin and certainly it will not be a trip to Paris to buy one!

Thanks for stopping by. I'll try not to leave it as long next time.
Hugs
Carole

Happy Easter

Well the weather has not improved much has it, still very cold and some snow hanging about.
I have  some Easter cards to show you today, lovely spring colours - spring? British Summer Time starts this weekend!! don't forget to put your clocks forward - yes an hour less in bed. This weather needs to catch up!

Back to the cards made with the LOTV "Spring bunny with eggs" stamp. I had a go at colouring him in browns and then the greys using my copics.

 

The papers were from my stash and the border was cut with a Spellbinder - "in spades border" and the little bits that fell out were utilised on the corners of my mounted up image.The image was cut out also using Spellbinders - "Romantic rectangles" and then inked with a little distress ink (Antique Linen) to soften the white. A touch of glamour dust to the eggs and his tail. The sentiment is also from LOTV -  "Happy Circular Sentiments"

 

 

 

 

Next one up coloured in grey and using the lovely purple and green from the "promises" paper pad also from LOTV

 

similar idea but the border was a Martha Stewart punch this time, and I added a bow, mainly because this card was not being posted so didn't need to keep it thin! I also mounted the image on 3D foam pads.

and lastly a slight variation on the die , this time Spellbinders - "Floral Ovals"

Well folks hope you like, and I hope you all have a lovely Easter break despite the cold. A good excuse to stay in, eat chocolate and craft. Hope you get lots of chocolate!

Back next week
Hugs xx

 

Happy Mother's Day

Hi there, and A Happy Mother's Day to all the mum's out there, hope you are all being spoilt and pampered.

I thought I would share with you all my Mother's Day card for my mum along with the box I had to create to put it in because of the flowers on the card.
First the card

and then the box (it had a plain bottom) and the top was from a sheet of Kanban card.

close up of the flower made from a combination of Spellbinders jewel flowers and flourishes and a Memory Box die, and a  bit of stickles Stardust in the centre. Got to have a bit of bling.

 and both together

Enjoy your day! I am off to visit my mum this afternoon and take her goodies, lets hope she likes!

Hugs Carole

Happy Birthday LOTV

 

Lili of the valley are celebrating their 9th Birthday today! Happy Birthday LOTV

 

 

I am entering this card in their competition.

Have been to the celebrations today......fantastic. They have all worked so hard and the shop looked really nice, lovely balloons, great products (too much temptation) and really nice people. Thank you for all the effort LOTV, I am sure it is appreciated by many people.

Crafty hugs
Carole