Ah, Cute!

This will be the final post for me today - honest! I'm just trying to catch up on a lost Saturday as I had a bad headache and then yesterday I was at an outdoor craft fair all day (yes, outdoors in this weather! Actually it was in a heated gazebo, but still outside!)

This card fits nicely with the Cute Card Thursday challenge which asks for:

The Blues

I've used papers from Funky Hand - Blue Christmas download plus some plain silver and blue card from my stash. I've added an embossed with Swiss Dots layer of vellum which I've rounded the corners and added a dotted border too.


The ribbon I found in my stash and the sentiment is computer generated. The image is from Di's Digi Downloads and I've coloured it with Promarkers plus added liquid pearls for the snowflakes.

Now that the Craft Fair is over and all my Christmas card orders are completed I now don't need to worry too much about making Christmas cards! It's a good feeling!!

• Backing papers: Blue Christmas download from Funky Hand
• Image: Di's Digi Downloads, coloured with Promarkers
• Sentiment: Computer generated
• Dies: Cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossing folder
• Everything else: My stash

A Bright Three

I'd been asked to make a Birthday card for a three year old boy and as luck would have it, the Cute Card Thursday challenge is:

Primary Colours

Which fitted in quite nicely! I've used papers from The Funky One with the letters cut from plain blue card which I've used Microsoft Word Art to create the lettering.

I've added some pale yellow card candy and that's it! Three year old boys don't want fancy things do they?!!

• Printed backing papers: The Funky One from Funky Hand
• Blue card: My stash
• Ribbon: My stash
• Card Candy: Craftwork Cards
  
  

Baby Giraffe

The Cute Card Thursday was an easy one for me this week!

This week we want to see you use a tag, make a tag card, basically we want to see a tag somewhere on your creation!

Only easy because I have a number of ready made tags all waiting to be added to cards! I found this one in the box and because I am a bit short of baby cards I used this one. The tag is a super sized Sizzix scallop die cut using papers from the Huge Funky Love download. The cute giraffe has been coloured with watercolour paints and I think it was sent to me by Jozza. Ribbon, buttons and flowers are all from my stash.

• Backing papers: Huge Funky Love
• Dies: Sizzix Super Sized Scallop Tag
• Image: Sent to me by Jozza and coloured with watercolour paints
• Everything else: From my stash
  
  

Pink Marshmallows and Chocolate Brown

The Cute Card Thursday Challenge this week is:

Marshmallows and Chocolate

Or at least the colours! I've had, for a while, on my list of things to do, to make an acceptance card for a Wedding we have been invited to (its Hayley's - I made her invitations and here is her forthcoming birthday card!) And as the challenge is in keeping with her colour scheme, I made this card.

The cake is a die cut from pearlescent creamy white card (had it in my stash for a long time!) and I've added pink and silver seed beads to the layers. Behind it is a piece of pink vellum and I've added a chocolate brown ribbon underneath.

Must remember to post it off to her now!

• All materials: From my stash
  

Pinkie Pops and Flowers

The Cute Card Thursday challenge this week is:

"Family Affair"

A nice easy one for this week!! We want you to make a card for a member of your family. As simple as that. Could be mum, dad, husband, son, sister - anyone!!

This card has been made well in advance for one of my cousin Jane's Birthday in June - as I am likely to forget between now and then! The backing panel has been printed onto vellum and I've used the Pinkie Pops download from Funky Fairy Papercrafts. The flowers are also from the same download.

The black ribbon is from my stash (Blackburn market for 10p) and I've rounded and inked all edges.

• Backing paper and flowers: Pinkie Pops download from Funky Fairy Papercrafts
• Ribbon: From my stash

Cupcake Alert!

The Cute Card Thursday challenge this week is:

"FOOD & DRINK"

Create a card with an item of food or drink on it somewhere - as simple as that!

I'd bought a few chipboard templates a while ago but not got round to using them (unless you count taking them out of the pack a few times and looking at them!) One of the templates was a cupcake which I thought would be perfect for this challenge. Plus I really should make more shaped cards as I really enjoy it!

The cupcake wrapper (is that the correct terminology?!) has been cut from pink corrugated card and the fondant iced top is from Funky Daze (Fun Daze collection). As I liked the dot pattern, I decided to layer it a little and randomly so it looks like the icing is slithering down the bun. Yum!


All edges have been inked in pink and I've added some tiny beads for sprinkles - I think they were a freebie from yonks ago and I'd just not used them before. I've used two ribbons around the middle of the cake (the organza was donated by Enfys - the spotty one I bought from Hobbycraft) and the daisy brad was from a lovely lot of stash as part of my camper van swop with Alex last summer.

Inspiration for the colours has been drawn from Molly and Izzie - but be warned - don't visit if you are hungry!

I think I could be making more of these as they look so good! And they passed the 'what is it test' - asked the boys what they thought it was. Slight pause before they both said CAKE!! Just need to watch Jacob as he will probably try and scoff it!

• Backing papers: Funky Daze
• Template: From Craftwork Cards
• Ribbon: From Hobbycraft and Enfys
• Brad: From Alex
• Gem sprinkles: From my stash
  
  

Signs of Spring

The Cute Card Thursday challenge this week is:

Signs of Spring

This could be interpreted through your image, an embellishment or even your colour-scheme

I found these scraps of backing paper on the table (I'm not sure why there were quite a few all the same size!) and only trimmed about a centimetre off the end so they would fit on the cardstock. All have had their edges inked. The ribbon stuff is actually raffia. For a change.

The flower is made from a scrap of fabric (I bought some fat quarters many moons ago and never used them) and I drew round the outside of a sellotape roll to get a 8cm circle then sewed a running stitch around the edge of the circle and pulled the thread together so it all bunched up (inspiration came from the recent Crafts Beautiful magazine but I must be a bit gormless as the instructions didn't seem to be particularly clear, so in my usual style, I made it up as I went along!) The lovely button is a recent purchase from Peggycrafts - I think I may have bought a fair bit of her stock (sorry Helen!) as I had a difficult time choosing which designs to buy!

Again, dodgy lighting courtesy of the kitchen lights.

• Backing papers: Funky Daze
• Raffia: From my stash
• Button embellishment: Actual covered button from Peggycrafts - I made the other bit
  
  
  

Lady Marmalade

The Cute Card Thursday challenge this week (and I've not done a CCT challenge for quite some time!) is:

Music and Dance

You'll have to excuse the poor quality photographs - its the best I can do with the halogen spotlights in the kitchen at 6:30am!

I'm really pleased with the Holly and Madison downloads from Charmed Cards and Crafts and really wanted to use this image plus it reminds me of the song 'Lady Marmalade', which is one of my favourite songs! I've just bought the backing paper - its a 12 x 12 scrap page - Far East Print by DCWV and is not something I would normally buy, but at 25p a sheet, it would be rude not to!

I added the layered ribbon and the gems and then decided it needed something else, so out came the wire and the pony beads!

A fairly simple card (yes, the image was pre coloured!) but it took me ages to make as I kept faffing around with the layout! Ah well!

• Backing paper: DCWV - Far East Print 12 x 12
• Image: Holly and Madison downloads from Charmed Cards and Crafts
• Ribbon & Gems & Embellishments: All from my stash
  

Cute Card Thursday - Punches

This is the first Cute Card Thursday challenge I've managed for a while. The challenge this week is:

This week we like you to dust off your punches (not die cuts!) and use them on your cards, you can either punch some borders or corners or use punched out shapes on your cards.

So, even though I didn't go mad on what I used, I did use a corner punch (how I have managed so far without one of those is beyond me cos it is a lifesaver!) and also one of my very fab Martha Stewart border punches. The backing paper is Funky Hand and I think its from It's Funky Too. Ribbon and buttons, as always, from my stash! I've used watercolour pencils to colour the Tilda image and I've added gold glitter on the wings.

• Backing papers: Funky Hand
• Image: Watercolour pencil Tilda image
• Punches: Corner rounding punch and a Martha Stewart border punch
• Other Bits: All from my stash
  
  

A Christmas Hedgehog - Cute Card Thursday Challenge #30

And this time I CAN use a Christmas Image - the challenge says so! The Cute Card Thursday Challenge this week is:

Christmas Animals

This week we would like you to use Christmas themed animals on your cards.

So here is a cute Penny Black stamped hedgehog which I have coloured with watercolour paints and a little gold glitter 3d paint. The backing panel was a in a bargain pack for £5 last year at Hobbycraft (there were loads of bits and bobs in it and around 20 of these embossed cream panels and also 20 similar ones in red). The ribbon, as always is from my stash and I think Blackburn market originally.

The image has been layered onto dark gold card for a bit of emphasis as it looked a little lost just bunged on the card!

• Backing panel: Part of a bargain pack I bought last Christmas from Hobbycraft
• Image: Water coloured Penny Black image with a little gold glitter 3d paint on the present
• Ribbon: From my stash (more than likely originally Blackburn market)
  

Carol's Sketch 4 & Cute Card Thursday Lots of Sparkle

Combined two challenges into one for this as it sort of happened as I went along!

My Funky Hand DT team mate Carol's 4th fun sketch is:

And the Cute Card Thursday challenge is:

Challenge 29
This week the theme for the challenge is Lots of sparkle!
You can add bling, glitter, baubles, stickles, anything that makes your card sparkle!

Well, I'm still on a bit of a Christmas kick right now, so decided to go with that theme! And the baubles fitted right in! The baubles are made from a template I drew myself and they have been cut from some lovely silver thick card from the Scrap Store (I only picked up a few pieces and now I am kicking myself as they are fab!) which was then run through the Snowflakes Cuttlebug embossing die.

The baubles have been edged with 3d glitter paint, with ribbon around the top and for the loop and I've added fringe fibres and threaded beading for extra detail. Both the backing papers (left over from a challenge last week) are downloads from Mad About Cards, and they have been inked in blue before layering.

• Backing papers: Downloads from Mad About Cards
• Embossing: Cuttlebug snowflakes folder
• Ribbons & Fibres: From my stash
• Other Bits: All from my stash
  
  
  

Cute Card Thursday - Food!

I had a rifle through all my stamped images for food images and I only found one! So, had to use it (thanks Jozza for the image!) The Cute Card Thursday challenge is:

Challenge 28 - Food

This week we would like to see some food on your card

The backing paper was from my blog candy win a while ago from Jozza so not got a clue what it is! And the Penny Black image was from the same package. The image has been watercoloured and the icing has been covered in silver glitter paint. The three square brads were also in the package from Jozza, but the grosgrain ribbons are all mine!!! They are Dovecraft - 99p rolls.

So really, the card is all down to Jozza's generosity - thanks!

• Backing paper: Don't know - from Jozza!
• Image: Penny Black - painted with watercolours and glitter paint
• Ribbon: Dovecraft grosgrain
• Brads: Don't know - from Jozza!

Cute Card Thursday Challenge 27 - Cats & Dogs

I've had the die cuts of the fashionable lady and her pooch for ages and have been meaning to do something with them, but not sure what! And it all came together after I'd printed off some of the Pinkie Pops papers from Funky Fairy.

And then I realised that it fitted the Cute Card Thursday Challenge # 27 which is:

Cats and Dogs
This week we would like to see Cats and Dogs on your cards!

The edges of the cardstock and vellum have been lightly inked in black, and eyelets have been used to thread the ribbon through. Added gems to the swirls on the vellum and the dog collar for a bit of bling!

• Backing paper: Pinkie Pops from Funky Fairy
• Ribbon: From my stash
• Die cut image: From my stash
• Other bits: Eyelets - Making Memories, gems from my stash
  
  

Cute Card Thursday - Pretty In Pink!

And how about this for a cute pink card?!

The Cute Card Thursday Challenge at the moment is:

Pretty In Pink

We would like to see lots of pink on your cards

For some strange reason there are a lot of birthdays in September for which I need to make cards for! And I am determined to have them ready before I need to post them! This card is for one of my oldest friends (she's not old, just we've known each other since about the age of 10) and for her youngest, Isobel who will be 1 at the end of September.

It's based on a card design that I have made before, but I bought a batch of the embroidered buttons from Incy Wincy Stitches a while ago with the intentions of using them on special numbered cards.

The pin wheel has been made from a template traced onto pink vellum and then the corners of the sails have been glittered, as have the edges of the card with silver glitter glue. The pink organza ribbon is from my stash and the sentiment is computer generated.

Ok, so not lots of pink, but it's subtle and it's pink!!

• Paper: Pink Vellum
• Ribbon: From my stash
• Button: From Incy Wincy Stitches
• Other Bits: From my stash
  

Cute Card Thursday Challenge 25 - In The Water

Just when you thought that I'd stopped doing Christmas Cards! This one is for the Cute Card Thursday Challenge #25, which is:

In the water!
As always a little flexibility is allowed in the theme, it can be in, on or beside water and the water can even be frozen i.e. snow or ice!

This one was quick to make as I'd already watercoloured the Penny Black Image a while ago. It's been layered onto navy blue card and then onto silver vellum, upon which I have used my brand spanking new Swiss Dots (yeah!) Cuttlebug folder. Expect to see that used more as it is fab! The ribbon has tiny stars on (which you can't see in the photo - the light was terrible for taking pics but I am impatient and it had to be taken then!) Snowflake made from layered silver vellum and cut using a Sizzlits snowflake die. A tiny white and silver pom pom is in the centre of the snowflake.

• Image: Penny Black, handcoloured with water colour paints
• Backing paper: Silver vellum
• Dies: Cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossing folder, Sizzlits Snowflake die
• Ribbon: Blue collection from A&M Bargains
• Other Bits: Silver and white pom pom from my stash

Cute Card Thursday Challenge 24 - Brights!

Would you believe it! Two challenges to date and no Christmas Cards!!! I have a feeling all the ones for this week (with one exception) will be non Festive!

The Cute Card Thursday Challenge 24 for this week is:

to make a card using BRIGHT COLOURS

I'll own up now and tell you that this is a slight cheat as I made this card a week or so ago as a commission for Lisa for her daughters 13th Birthday at the end of the month. But, I thought it was too good an opportunity to miss as I feel it fits the challenge perfectly!

The card is made from my own template and has been directly printed onto from the Now That's Funky cd and the Funky Diva colour collection (sentiment also). The vellum has also been printed on and has been layered. The ribbon (and this is going to be a shock!) I found in my stash and was a perfect colour match! Eyelets from Kath's recent generosity have been added around the edges of the vellum to give it a bit of weight. And I've added 13 pink seed beads to the sentiment and some on the wire attaching it to the handle.

The centre of the vellum flowers also have tiny silver seed beads added.

• Backing paper & sentiment: Funky Diva collection from Now That's Funky including sentiment
• Ribbon: From my stash (and I don't think Blackburn market this time!)
• Other Bits: Seed beads from my stash; eyelets from Kath

Cute Card Thursday - Soft Furnishings - Challenge 23

Over on Cute Card Thursday, the challenge this week is

Challenge 23
Soft Furnishings
you can use fabric, ribbon, stitching, buttons etc, anything you can find on the soft furnishings in the home ie curtains, cushions, sofas etc.

I've taken this one literally! The backing is actually fabric from a very posh sample book for cushions, curtains etc; I think the correct word is drapes. Hehehe! Came courtesy of my friend Shirelle. And because I was not really concentrating too well on cutting straight lines (I was watching the Olympics) I had to edge the fabric with glue to stop it fraying and then went over it lightly with 3d glitter glue.

Sumptuous ribbon from Lynsey's fairly recent clear out. Sizzix Christmas Trees cut from some very lovely gold sheen card bought from ebay some time ago which have also had the glitter glue treatment.

I have 2 big sample packs of the fabric, so I have a lot to go at. I've even been thinking that some of it would look quite fab as cushions..... who knows?! The old Singer may just come out of retirement (again) - last time it was for curtains for Jacob's room just before he arrived.... And I mended 3 pairs of jeans on Saturday with knee patches. Poor Samuel has waited that long for me to do the patches that the jeans no longer fit him! Jacob now has more jeans than he can shake a stick at!

• Backing paper: Actually furnishing fabric!
• Ribbon: From my stash via Lynsey
• Embellishments: Christmas Tree (Sizzix) cut from gold card with 3d gold glitter paint
  
  

Cute Card Thursday Challenge 21 - In The House

I do like the Cute Card Thursday challenges as I can use anything!

Challenge 21 - In The House

The challenge this week is to make a card with the theme of 'In The House' , anything which can be found in the home is fine.

I'd already had the card stock ready - left over from last year (I'd printed it, looked at it, put it down, looked at it again and then ran out of time). I've chalked the edges of the card - lightly hammered cream card, on which the backing has been printed directly - its a Christmas download from Mad About Cards. The Christmas Pudding recipe sentiment is also from the same collection and has been layered onto matt gold card.
The two embellishments I have made myself from fimo. The Christmas Pudding turned out a little chunkier than I imagined, so I am now on the look-out for a cheap pasta sheet making machine!

I tried to make the holly and berries from fimo but it was far too fiddly and the holly looked more like a strange green blob, so I've punched them from green card and red glitter card.

• Backing paper - Traditional Christmas download from Mad About Cards
• Embellishments - Handmade by me and available from September to buy from Tip Top Toppers
• Ribbon - Thin ruby red satin ribbon from Blackburn market

Cute Card Thursday Challenge 20 - Things That Grow

I really enjoyed the Cute Card Thursday Challenge last week and decided to go for it again! This week it is:

Things that grow!
The obvious things would be plants etc but really there are lots more things that grow, we look forward to seeing your own interpretations!

I think the image is a Penny Black one which has been coloured with watercolour paints and pencils. The background is paper from the Berry-licious collection from Vicki's blog and the layers are also from Vicki's blog but use two of the Rustic Walk collection papers. Each of the panels have been 'dotted' with 3d gold paint, with the outer edge of the card having the same treatment but with a gold gel pen. And I've hand written the 'for you' sentiment, added some perfectly matching (no way eh??!) silky ribbon.

Cute Card Thursday - Challenge 19

Not done a challenge for a few weeks and as I've been doing some blog hopping over the weekend, I thought I'd attempt the Cute Card Thursday Challenge! Plus my stamp collection has grown some what (and a little bit more after my bargain visit to The Range on Saturday!) and I thought I'd better be using them!

So Challenge 19 is:

Animals Only - No People Allowed

The challenge this week is to make a card using animal images only -

NO PEOPLE OR CHARACTERS AT ALL!!

So this is my entry! The backing paper is a download from Vicki's Blog (sorry, can't remember which collection!) and I really liked the old gold look of it. The cat and sentiment stamp is from the Catt-itude set from Lakeland and they have been stamped with gold ink. The sentiment is edged with gold gel pen dots and has two gold eyelets through which gold edged organza ribbon has been threaded. And that was another Saturday bargain buy - the ribbon was 54p for around 3 metres (Blackburn market). Can't really remember where the gold corrugated card came from but I found it in my stash!

Sorry for the slightly wonky photo - I think I was blinded by the bright sunshine early this morning!

I have a few more design challenges on the go at the moment, so will be adding those over the week!!