First of Feb

So far so good... my new years resolution of posting once a month is paying off so far. Here is the second instalment for the year. A commission for a friend, who wanted me to incorporate a young ladies interests, with a modern twist and a Cath Kidston element. The inky edges on the white stripes started out as an accident, so to cover up my misake I carried on! Think it brings a cool dimension to the card!

Long Time No See...

Well, well, well, it has been sometime. But my resolution for this year is to try and blog (at least) once a month. So where have I been? Well been around, but busy having my second son last september :)

I was recently asked to make a commissioned card for an engagement to include the couples name, a bible text and the date.

So I decided to do something a bit different for the date by finding the digits in different papers. So that you get 25.12.10

Same but Different

It all started with making my card for this week's SALT challenge...The theme was taken form Psalm 46:1 "Be still and know that I am God". Lythan writes in her blurb 'I need to know that I am not on my own in all of this - that I can rest in God and he will give me strength. I wish I could follow Desmond Tutu's advice “I am far too busy to pray for less than two hours a day” I certainly need this time to reflect and create and be still with God'. I found this verse that I had stamped form my sister in lawscollection and used it to make this card.

I love the colours from these K&Co papers (the name escapes me...) and while I had the bits and pieces out I went on to make this birthday card. I was showing a friend the other day how to do heat embossing, it reminded me of how I used to almost , always stamp and heat emboss! As I still have lots of powders I decided to add it to this card. (although it isn't very clear from the photo....)

I love the way you can start with some co-ordinating papers, and then use the scraps to make such different cards with the same 'feel'. Trying to pick up my old habbit of using scraps while I have them out on the table, rather than to keep saving them, only just to pile up!

Mae-de for Mae

I have a new neice! Her name is Mae (pronouced May), and this is the card I made for her...

I used dymo labels to add the names of the family around the fabric flower, and stuck some mini butterflies to add effect to the feather (as my sister is likes butterflies!). My inspiration started with the wooden fabric heart and the scalloped paper and I built on that, but then I had trouble completing the card, thats where my trusty quickutz swirls came in!

Helping Hand

My sister in law is having a craft day to raise some money for a charity called Caring For Life, I made up some felt flower corsage kits to make your own, for her to sell. I thought they would make ideal stocking fillers, or Christmas presents.A friend of mine is organising a baby shower for her sister in law. I made this fimo cake topper for her so that she could have it as a keepsake. It was my first attempt at making something like this and was a bit time consuming, but very enjoyable. Don't look to closely or else you will see some faults! Very difficult not getting fingernail marks and scratches into the fimo (modelling clay) when it is soft!

I dont know if you have seen these before? It is called a nappy cake, made up of nappies, breast pads, scratch mits, socks, cotton buds and hidden inside is a music box, which the duck on the top sits on. We completed it with ribbon, and I added a few finishing touches to bring the colour together, some flowers and feathers!

Like Mother like Son?...

One morning we woke up to my son's attempt at cake making.... The results may look lovely, but this is a result of letting a 4 1/2 year old loose at candles and sprinkles, this is only part of the mess! The other cake attenpt that he tried was to try and make cake using dried milk powder and milk, with icing...!!!!

And these are some that I made....

Graduated Growth

My turn for the Salt Challenge this week. It came to me almost in a flash, whilst trying to think of a topic. I came up with the word 'Growth' I was thinking along the lines of seeds and how from a small seed comes a tree (been watching a bug's life!) but also about spiritual growth, and how it needs to be worked at. How we grow and learn through testing times. I loved the broadness of the subject, and am excited to see what the design team will achieve and interpret with it! Used a mixture of varieties of Tapestry stamps and similar ones, to create a graduated growth picture, with the verse 'But grow in grace of our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory for ever and forever! Amen. 2 Peter 3:18. I offset the word 'growth' to create a shadow effect and 3d mounted the letters, added some prima flowers to complete.

Choccy Cakes!

These chocolate cakes were made under extreme circumstances- as the electricity went in the middle of cooking them! Argh! thankfully they managed to cook in the heat of the oven.

I recently bought some new sprinkles, and wanted to test out my new mini star cutter (another b'day pressie) and my fabby new piping bag! (again another pressie). By the time I put the butter icing on, it had gone a bit loose due to the butter softening so much, but everyone was kind and said they couldnt tell! But you know when things dont turn out just how you want them...

These little gems are made from beetroot! Yep beetroot and chocolate cake, they are very moist and yummy! My mum gave me the recipe, although it is meant for a big cake I thought I would try them out as cupcakes. They are a gorgeous rich maroon colour. I added the hearts for a touch of pazazz!

Beloved Bird

One of my sisters went to america, and rather than buying me a 'lousy t-shirt' brought back a Martha Stewart Dove punch that I had my eye on! I love it, it is such a great little creature to fill those gaps, and makes a change from using butterflies (my other trusty punch!). I created these 2 cards.
This first was for a friend, a card with a meaning, I used elements of the card to potray her life. The 3 buttons to the bottom right represent her children, the word joyful expressed her, the tag shape, because she used some tags at her party so we knew who's glass was who's. The 2 love birds was her and her husband, and the gingham ribbon to represent the school uniform that our children go to. The strap was from a broken watch that I found on the floor!

You now when time flies... and dates spring upon you! Well my inlaws had there wedding anniversary recently, so I knocked together this card using yes! My birdy punch, and some die cut shapes my sister in law gave me for my birthday, the memories label blended a bit better in colour in real life! I liked the simplicity of this card, and might well make soem more like it!

Alternative Alterations

I think when you make an alternative card, especially a baby card, it tends to stand out from the usual blues, pinks and yellows. I liked the idea of using notepaper, but never done it before, so this was the start of the inspiration to this card. I used some bright pink felt flowers and filled with buttons, added brownsand turqouise and it all came together in the end!

I was admiring a brooch on a ladies bag, when she went on to tell me it was made from a zip! It was so effective, and looked like it was colured stitching rather than part of a metal zip. Inspired I looked through the internet to see if I could find a pattern, but to no avail. Instead I found a few other designs. Combining the ideas, this was my first effort maknig a zip brooch, with locally charity shop sorced zips!