Happy Happy Birthday

I wanted to make a feminine birthday card incorporating some exquisite lace that my friend Linda had sent me – thanks again Linda:) So I decided to ink up the pretty Leafy Vines stamp and make a fabric flower and leaves for the card.


Stamps (Hero Arts) – Leafy Vines & Birthday Messages

For some shimmer, I embossed the Leafy Vines image with enchanted gold embossing powder. Then I added Linda’s lace to the panel and embossed the sentiment in gold on peach card.



The flower was made with a shimmery fabric and some netting. I used the same type of shimmery fabric, in a darker colour, for the leaves and just added some machine stitching up the centre of them. Then to tie in with the lace, I added some pearls to the flower centre. I must go shopping for some pearls as I seem to go through loads of them in no time - it's a good excuse to go to my lss again!

I’m submitting this card into the current Hero Arts Challenge as well as Simon Says Stamp Happy Birthday Challenge.

Scrappy Birthday Card

I just love the Tuesday Trigger over at Moxie Fab World this week.



I made a card inspired by just about everything in the photo - all the gorgeous felt, the yummy colours, the pretty buttons and beautiful stitching. To start with I dug into my heap of fabric scraps and button jars.


Stamp (Hero Arts) - It's Your Day

Then I die cut away to my hearts content using Hero Arts Geometric Shapes dies and circle and star Nestabilities. As there is a little touch of red in the Trigger photo, I just added a splash of red too on the stitched sentiment piece, by stamping and hand stitching the sentiment, and having the tips of the red star peeking out from behind the sentiment circle.



Sorry for the blurry photo but my camera doesn't seem to like doing close ups! I am also submitting this card into the Simon Says Stamp Happy Birthday Challenge which is in celebration of Simon Says Stamp's 4th birthday.

Welcome Baby

I wanted to try the letter tile technique that you can see here in Shari Carroll's brilliant video. So I decided to make a baby card and use some pretty pastel colours inspired by Cath's Pastel Pretties Tuesday Trigger over at Moxie Fab World this week.


Stamps (Hero Arts) - New Baby, Dolls, Adorable Baby Girl and Small Variety Alphabet

I just used a bit of baker's twine for the clothes line and added little letter tiles and tops which had been embossed. It was fun looking through my stamps for some little images to put on the tops.



The sentiment strip was cut to match the letter tiles and the sentiment was embossed on it. To finish I added the little heart pearls and dots with a white gel pen.

Tuesday Trigger - Pastel Pretties


Well as you'll see from the photo below, once I started making the baby tops I couldn't stop making them and enjoyed picking out Hero Arts images and punched pieces to go on them. Now I'm all prepared for any babies that may arrive!


I'm also submitting this card into the current Hero Arts Challenge.

ATCs Swapped with Libby

Last week I blogged about the fabulous ATCs I received from Libby in a swap organised over at the Hero Arts Flickr Group. Now Libby has finally received the ATCs I sent her. Unfortunately, this set was made in bit of a hurry as I mislaid the set I had originally made for Libby, so please ignore the dodgy bits on the ATCs! Libby came up with the great idea of making the ATCs based on what we love, so here are some of the things I love:

1. Family and home & 2. Gardening and butterflies


Stamps (Hero Arts) 1. House with Plant & Right at Home 2. Leafy Vines

On the first ATC I just applied distress inks to a piece of paper from a book and coloured the house with markers. For the second one I embossed the vines, applied mowed lawn distress ink and spritzed with a mix of perfect pearls and water. The tiny layered butterflies were punched out.

3. Sewing/fabric & 4. Ireland



Stamps (Hero Arts) 3. Sew Artsy & Be Happy 4. Postcard Collage

For the sewing ATC I embossed the machine, cut out the image and added some thread. Then I frayed some fabric for the background, stamped the sentiment and hand stitched over it. On the Ireland ATC I just stamped the map on some kraft card, distressed the edges and used markers to colour the map of Ireland.

5. Hillwalking & 6. Glendalough/historical places



Stamps (Hero Arts) 5. Be Happy 6. Scattered Leaves & Magical Background

On the hillwalking card I rummaged through my fabrics for a mix of colours, shades and patterns and tried to make a background that looked like a lake and mountains. The sun was stamped on card with distress ink applied. Then on my last ATC I framed a photo from Glendalough in a die cut window and added it to a background which had been covered with distress ink and stamped with the Magical Background and leaves.

I had so much fun making these little cards and really enjoyed my swap with Libby.

Handmade Home Décor - Happy St Patrick's Day

I promise after today I won't post any more St Patrick's Day projects until next year! But today Handmade Home Décor from Paper Crafts goes on sale and I am thrilled to have a project in it, especially one for St Patrick's Day.



It was a pretty quick and easy project to make thanks to my Silhouette Cameo. I just love these flourished hearts and thought they might make a pretty shamrock.



When I received the magazine I was delighted to see I'm sharing a page with Isha who I got to know through the Hero Arts Group over on Flickr. Isha made the most adorable Easter Bunny Banner - you can see a little peek of it in my photo above.



I'm more used to making cards rather than anything else so it's brilliant to find a magazine full of paper crafted home décor items for each season. I think I'll be neglecting the housework a bit to try my hand at some of the ideas in the magazine!

Double Rainbow Shamrock

Happy St Patrick's Day! This morning (I know I'm very late!), I decided to make a St Patrick's Day card to celebrate the day that's in it.

Of all the symbols associated with Ireland I think my favourite has to be the shamrock, because of how pretty it looks and the story of it and St Patrick. So I thought I'd do something a little different with the shamrock and play on another symbol associated with St Patrick's Day - rainbows.



Stamps (Hero Arts) - Magical Background & Celebrate Everyday

To make the shamrock I took scraps in a rainbow of colours and cut the bigger hearts using my Silhouette Cameo and punched out the smaller hearts. Then I layered them up and added some stitching. As I can't draw to save my life, I used the outline of one of the bigger hearts to make the stem of the shamrock. Then it was just a matter of stamping the sentiment and adding a background stamp.



After looking through my stamps, I picked the Magical Background stamp as it reminds me of the circular patterns often found carved into stone in historical places here including Newgrange, Knowth and Dowth in the Boyne Valley.



Carved stone at Knowth

The Tuesday Trigger: Elegant Emerald over at Moxie Fab World inspired the use of a number of different shades of green on the card and I added the layers and layers of hearts to represent the ruffles.



I'm also submitting the card into the Happy St Patrick's Day Challenge at Whimsical Designs.

Yikes I just looked out the window and it looks like we might have a bit of white to add to the green today - it's snowing lightly! Well I'm off to enjoy the day. Hope you have a fun St Patrick's Day!

Wedding Card in Card Creations Vol. 11

Today I have a card that I made back in October but can finally share here, as it was recently published in Card Creations Volume 11.


Stamps (Hero Arts) - Lace Background & Warmest Wedding Wishes

Besides playing with paper I just love playing with fabric so, whenever I can, I enjoy combining both on a project. On this wedding card I tried to achieve a pretty, romantic look, so started by making the satin and organza flower which dictated my colour scheme and then I just went to town on the card with embossing, lace and pearls.



Card Creations Volume 11 is such a big magazine packed full of wonderful cards and ideas. I love the way it’s divided into sections for every imaginable occasion and I know I’ll be dipping into it again and again for inspiration.

We’re enjoying an extra long weekend this weekend with a bank holiday on Monday. This morning I can see blue skies and am hoping the weather forecasters are wrong with their predication of showers for St Patrick’s Day. Hope you have a wonderful weekend wherever you are!