Paris Inspiration

Hi all,

Yes it's me - I'm still in the land of the living!  I'm sorry but I've been totally lacking in the crafting and blogging department of late. You know that saying - "can't think, brain dumb, inspiration won't come" - well, that's been me, however, I need to make a few cards for upcoming birthdays etc, so I spent a little time in my crafty room on Saturday night and I have to say I totally enjoyed it.

This card today is for the new challenge over at Crafty Cardmakers. The challenge theme, chosen by Josephine, is HOLIDAYS. (Create a project which depicts, or is inspired by,a holiday)

I took inspiration from our easter break in Paris.

I used a kraft card base, the red tag is a Stampin Up die, the black flourish card was packaging and I overstamped and embossed it in gold with the SU 'En Francais' stamp.  The Eiffel Tower is a Hero Arts stamp and matching die and I finished it off with a 'Bonjour' epoxy sticker, which I found whilst rummaging in my drawers! Isn't it amazing what you find!

Our sponsors for this challenge are Sir Stampalot.

My card also fits nicely with the challenge over at Let's Craft and Create - "Tags".

Well, that's it for today, hopefully I'll have something else to post in the coming days, as I still have a couple of more cards I need to make.

Thanks ever so much for popping in.

Take good care.

Suze x

Steampunk in Monochrome

Hi all,

Well the start of another week and can you believe we're half way through the year already and the sun has finally made an appearance in the north of Scotland!

Firstly, I must apologise  for being totally AWOL the last couple of weeks.  Life has taken over and together with the absence of Mr Mojo, I just haven't been blogging or crafting. 

Anyway, I still wanted to fulfil my duties in producing something for the new Crafty Cardmakers Challenge which this fortnight is STEAMPUNK.  Have to say, this is not really my genre but I found an hour to play at the weekend and I find making a tag is a good way of trying out new styles or techniques, so that's what I've gone for ...

The backing paper was from The Graphics Fairy, then I layered on a TH die cut clock which I silver embossed, a 'Steampunk' flower and sentiment which are PaperArtsy, then I stamped Mr Umbrella man onto acetate and layered him over the top.  The acetate is held in place by a couple of grommets.

Our sponsors for this challenge are Di's Digistamps and The Stamp Man.  Hope you can find the time to play along.

Well, my son's Air Cadet Squadron are having a family barbecue tonight and I'm on "bun duty" so I'd better shift my bahookie down to the supermarket!

Thank you so much for popping in, 

Take care
Suze xx

LOTS OF NOTEBOOKS

Hi everyone,

The last couple of weeks I've busy making "stuff" for Saturday's summer fayre at the local primary school.  I didn't sell an awful lot but as I always do really well at their Christmas fayre I thought it would be rude of me not accept their offer of having a table!

I made some notebooks in various styles as these always seem to be popular.  

These masculine ones fit in with the new challenge which starts today over at Crafty Cardmakers.  Feebs is the hostess this fortnight and as it will soon be Father's Day here in the UK, she has chosen that as her theme.  She should like to see anything you've created for or have been inspired to make by the father figure in your life.  (Please be sure to let us know the inspiration behind your work).

showing the inside

My dad loves cowboy films (in particular John Wayne ones), gardening and making lists!

He's also a dab hand at DIY and in his (much) younger days had a motorbike.

I also made some "girly" ones for the sale ...

They're pretty self explantory, made with various diecuts, DP and a little stamping.

Our sponsors for this challenge are The Paper Shelter (who are donating a $20 voucher) and Woodware Craft Collection.  Hope you can join in with us.

I'm not going to be doing much crafting the next few weeks.  Via the wonders of the internet, I've been in touch with a "newly found distant cousin" in Australia.  She's meantime in the UK on holiday and she's going to be spending about 10 days here in Aberdeen, so I'll be up to my eyes in family history stuff and doing the "tour guide" bit with her.

Thanks for popping in, it's always greatly appreciated.

Take care
Suze xx

A Fancy Tri-Shutter Card

Hi all,

Hope you've all had some nice weather this weekend.  I actually managed to fit in some weeding and tidying up in the garden and then I remembered I hadn't made a card for the new Crafty Cardmakers Challenge, so that was my Saturday night taken care of!

Annette is our hostess for this challenge and she has chosen a Tri-Shutter Card with a Stamped/Digital Image (with the added optional twist of using blue, yellow and green)

Well, I have to admit I found this challenge very tricky, I've never made a tri-fold card before and although the actual folding & cutting of the card was straightforward enough, I found it quite difficult filling in all the different sections.  However, I persevered and this is what I came up with ...

Supplies used:

Stampin Up Stamps - Fresh Vintage, Autumn Days, French Foliage, Sincere Salutations

Card Stock and Ink - Stampin Up Raspberry Ripple & Lucky Limeade

Textured Satin Card punched with EK Success Border Punch

Some Green leafy DP

Butterflies punched from inky, glittery scraps I had lying around

Our sponsors for this challenge are 

Di's Digi Downloads

who are donating a $10 gift voucher

and

Hobby Art

who have donated a stamp set and chalks

Sorry, I haven't been around much again lately, I've been asked to take a table at the local school summer fayre which is this coming Saturday so I've been busy trying to think up and make some Father's Day and Teacher's thank you gifts.  To say the house is like a bomb site is an understatement!

So thank you very much for popping in, see you all soon.

Take care

Suze xx

Three Different Techniques

Hi All,

Monday has come around again and it's time for a new challenge over at Crafty Cardmakers.

Sharon is our hostess this fortnight and her challenge is to use three of the following techniques on your card or project ...

Embossing (wet or dry)

Distressing

Masking

Making your own flowers

Paper piecing/patchwork

Shrink Plastic

I used embossing, make your own flowers and shrink plastic

Tim Holtz dressform diecut from textured kraft card

Flowers made using a Martha Stewart punch and cardstock inked with various DI's, with a touch of stickles and bling.

Leaf is a Stampin Up diecut

French script stamp is Stampin Up, embossed with gold

Stamped 'Love' onto shrink plastic with Stazon then shrunk with my heatgun

Mounted onto DP and gold miri

Our sponsors for this challenge are

Milk Coffee Digital Stamps with a prize of 5 digis

and

Sir Stampalot who have donated a Stampendous Fran-tage Mica Frantage Kit

I'd also like to enter my card into the following Challenges ...
Artful Times - #29 - Blooming Marvellous
Let's Craft and Create - #69 - One for the Girls

Okay that's me for today, sorry haven't been around much lately, life seems to have taken over again - trips to the garage with squeaky brakes, the optician to replace my son's lost glasses and shopping for new footwear for him as his feet seem to have grown overnight from a size 8 to a 9 1/2! ... blah, blah, blah ... never a dull moment in the life of a housewife! Lol!

Thanks for popping in, hope you're all well.

Take care
Suze xx

Coloured Card Base

Hi all,

A quick post from me this Sunday morning.  I've a wee card for this week's Less is More Challenge - (the challenge, in addition to being a one layer card, is to use a coloured card base), and also for Addicted to Stamps and More - (Addicted to CAS)

I've used a peachy hammered card base and stamped the image (Papermania) and sentiment (Stampin Up) in black Versafine and clear embossed.  I added a touch of colour with some Gelly Roll pens and added a touch of Stickles, so it's quite shiny and sparkly IRL.

Okay that's me for now - told you it was quick!

Hope you're all keeping fine - thanks for popping in.

Suze xx

Fabric ATC

Hi all,

Well did you all remember to wash you face in the dew this morning? Ah well, neither did I, so the wrinkles are still there!

I've something a wee bit different for you today.

When I saw the current challenge over at Anything But a Card was "ATCs", I knew immediately that I wanted to have a go at making a fabric ATC.

I'm also entering into the brand new challenge blog Our Creative Corner - "Anything Goes"

I've gone for a very simple design but if I have time I may do another one and have a go at fabric stamping and inking.

I started with a calico base then I added the semi circle (which is actually a light gold fabric). 

I then stitched around the semi circle with a variegated thread.  

The foliage is from the TH pinecone die and I stitched around this too to define it a bit.  

The butterfly is also TH.  

I then added some tiny circles punched from copper sheet.

I then zig zagged around the edge in the variegated thread.

It was nice to have a play on the old sewing machine for a change and doing something as small as this meant I could get it finished!! Unlike all the half finished sewing projects I have lying in bags and boxes in my craft room!

Okay that's me for tonight, thanks a lot for popping in.

Take care
Suze xx