Thursday 30 December 2010

A card and a Blog Award!

Happy New Years Eve!


Have you had a good day?  I met up with a friend in town for coffee, lunch and more coffee, and a couple of shops thrown in, but not many.  We were having too good a time catching up! 

I have a little card to share with you that I made some time ago.  I really love the red and green October Afternoon papers, they are yummy. 

Over Christmas I received a fab 'Stylish Blogger Award' from Pauline over at Craft Obsession. What a lovely surprise!! I'm not sure about you but often you wonder if anybody ever reads/looks at your blog, so it's such a fantastic surprise when you get an award. Thank you Pauline!


By accepting this award I have to:

1. Thank and link back to the person who gave you this award. Thanks Pauline!
2. Share 8 things about yourself
3. Pass it on to 8 bloggers
4. Contact those bloggers and tell them about their award

Ok, so 8 things about me...
  1. I love Tudor History, particularly anything related to Henry VIII, and the Victorian period.  I need films/documentaries to bring them to life for me though otherwise I forget what I've read lol
  2. I have a ridiculous number of self-help books, I always want to improve myself and learn something new too.  I am my worst critic, nobody can say anything as harsh to me as I can!  New Year time can be a nightmare for me, I already have a million and one things I want to achieve, but I can't possibly do them all!  Step at a time, Ruby, step at a time :o)
  3. I am a trained Life Coach, but haven't actually put anything into practice yet!
  4. I am totally addicted to coffee and chocolate! Something I really need to sort next year!
  5. I love old fashioned films, like 'White Christmas' and 'To Kill a Mockingbird', anything with actors like Cary Grant, or Doris Day, Bing Crosby etc.
  6. I love Audrey Hepburn, her style, her films, she was iconic
  7. I love Betty Boop, and want her curves lol
  8. I enjoy listening to all sorts of music, including indie, pop, classical, some rock but not all, the list is endless, but I love Nina Simone, Ella Fitzgerald and Madeline Peyroux the most
  9. I am always learning French, but never get very far.  It's been on my New Year resolution list the past goodness knows how many years, but I guess I just need to move there to immerse myself.  I love anything French, such a beautiful place and language
Ooh, I just hit 9, oh well, maybe 2 and 3 can count as one thing!  It's been quite interesting reading through my list.  It looks like I should have been born in a different era with my old films, actresses and music lol

I am going to pass it onto our new design team members at the Play Date Cafe.  It will be lovely to learn a little more about them.

Michele Gross
Tracey Kuzniak
Jinny Newlin
Libby Hickson
Fiona Shultz
Colleen Dietrich 

I'm also going to add Wendy over at the Stamp Attic because she is always such a big help to me when I run out of cardmaking supplies!  Thanks Wendy!

I start my new term on the Etsy Inspired Challenge Design Team soon, can't wait!  You will LOVE some of the shops they have picked as inspiration. FABULOUS! 


PDCC 62 and some news!

** Edited to add a card **
** If you are looking for Create: Challenge & Card Patterns please scroll down.. **

Well hello!  A happy belated Christmas to you all!  Sorry I'm late with my posting, I thought I had set it as scheduled but had saved it as a draft.  I really am a bit ditzy at the moment, not sure why!!  It could be age, the fact that I'm slowing down because it's Christmas and there's no work to do, or just that it's me!!  Who knows! I am going to have to seriously use my diary more though.

I had every intention of blogging regularly over the Christmas period, but I ended up doing nothing!  I have been really lazy the past few days, it's been fabulous!!  I've watched a few films, done puzzles with my family and read a couple of books, a perfect Christmas! I got lots of wonderful pressies, cardmaking things, a beautiful hand made teddy, some jewellery and an iPod deck for my studio.  I'm sure you will be seeing lots of my cardmaking goodies over time.  Did Santa bring you any nice pressies?

I spent some time in my studio the other day making the card for today's Play Date Cafe challenge, I wanted to try my hand at a bit of shabby chic, a style I always admire but never quite master.  One of my pressies from my man were some of the new PTI stamps and dies, woohoo!  I used the dressform die (or tailor's dummy as we call it here over in the UK)


The colours this week are I was going to tell you the colours this week, but it would be better for you to see them!  We all had a very interesting conversation about whether the colours were ruby red, poppy, fuschia, orangey red, etc. etc.   When I looked at the swatch on my pc it looked really pink, on my blackberry really orange, so this is my interpretation of what I see in my colour swatch lol. I did add a bit of brown though!

I'm sure we will all come up with very different interpretations!  Let me know if you think I achieved Shabby Chic, it's one of my New Year resolutions to try and crack it!

I actually made the card below before I made the PDCC one.  I loved the peachy orange in the swatch that Julie had sent us and found a paper to match it.  I then decided to make it again in the PDCC colours.

There is a little story about this .. My Marmie needed a birthday card so this is what I came up with.  I was showing her bits of it as I went along, like the papers, the die cut etc, and then finally I showed her the ribbon before I attached it.  All the way through she had been saying, 'yes, that's lovely' or 'I love the paper' but when I showed her the ribbon, she said, 'do you want crumpled ribbon on it'!!  CRUMPLED??  I said (in a jokey voice), 'I'll have you know that is no ordinary crumpled ribbon darling, that ribbon has been hand died, and hand crumpled by your very own daughter, and it happens to be extremely popular on cards right now'.  LOL.  She is so funny!  So, I do hope that you all like my 'crumpled' ribbon!  I was so proud of it the first time I made it!!


Last week we had our big reveal of all the new girls on our design team, and I'm really pleased to be working alongside them all, we've already been having such a giggle with our email conversations.  Some of us in our current team have moved up, me included, to Senior DT.  Can you believe that?!!  That's a seriously big WOOHOO!!  I cannot begin to tell you how excited I am about it!!  Sav is also now on the Senior DT too and Andrea is our new Private Blend Designer.

Andrea Ewen (Private Blend Designer)

plus our new girls will also be joining us so check the submissions and you will see some of their loveliness there too!  Here are their links..

Michele Gross
Tracey Kuzniak
Jinny Newlin
Libby Hickson
Fiona Shultz
Colleen Dietrich {New Private Blend Designer}
Pop on over to the Cafe and link your post. If you use an online gallery, please use the keyword PDCC62, and remember to use our inspirational colours to be eligible to win!

Here are the details of how I made them
  1. Mat card base with patterned paper that has been distressed prior to adhering
  2. Die cut and stamp dress form
  3. Die cut nestie label and doily, distress edges
  4. Tie ribbon around card
  5. Attach doily and then the label using pop dots
  6. Attach the dress form directly onto the label to finish
  7. For card 1, tie the ribbon on twice; do one bow and then knot another bow over the top of that one to make it fuller 
  8. For card 2 stand back and admire your ribbon and smile to yourself that your Marmie thinks it just looks crumpled!
Stamps: PTI Signature Series: Dress Form, MFT Die-Namics: Decorative Doily
Dies: PTI Signature Series: Dress Form, Labels 14 Nestie
Papers: Card 1: Prima Marketing Shabby Chic Collection, My Lovely, Card 2: Basic Grey Curio 6 x 6 pad
Accessories: Ribbon from stash, Ranger Distress Inks - Antique Linen and Walnut Stain, white adhesive pearls from stash for card 2 that I coloured using a Copic to match the card

Now enough of my laziness!  I am officially back in the swing of things in my studio, so you should see more of me.  I look forward to seeing what you create too! I'm off to work out what my goals are for 2011.  I have them in my mind, but I need to commit them to paper otherwise they will never happen.  I may even share some of them with you, there are no excuses then, are there?!

Create: Challenge & Card Patterns Challenge

Post number 2 of the day!  I have been making a card in my studio, definitely not a ten minute card.  The idea was created in a flash, but the making of the card wasn't!



I had started this card, and others, yesterday but it just wasn't happening.  In fact if I had posted what I'd made I'm sure you would have laughed.  I had these papers out and I just had to walk away and shut the door on my studio!  Finally I got there!

I am in lurve with this paper pad by Cosmo Cricket, aren't those colours and patterns SO me!!  This card makes me happy!  I have been playing around in my studio today trying to perfect bows, I'm quite pleased with how this one came out.  I find satin ribbon a bit tricky where it slips and slides all over the place, and basically just misbehaves!

I made this card for the Create: challenge - to make a Happy New Year card, and for the Card Patterns sketch here, such a fun sketch but as you have probably worked out I do like my circles!


I can see myself returning to this sketch again and again, it conjures up loads of different ideas.  I absolutely love it when that happens.  I am trying to find a good way for storing my sketches, because I really do love them.  How do you store yours?  Have you come across any good links for how others do it?

I'm off now, but hope to be back again tomorrow with some info about a blog award I received, and a new card. 

Have fun!

Thursday 23 December 2010

PDCC - Challenge #61 & evil ribbon!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!  Only a few sleeps to go!  Are you nearly done with your Christmas shopping?  I've remembered a few people that I haven't bought for yet, not good!  Oh well, there is always tomorrow! 

Hopefully Tink isn't reading my blog but my friend and I are taking her and her daughter to see Cinderella in Panto tomorrow!  She has no idea yet, so hopefully she will enjoy it!  We are willing the snow to stay away for just one more day! 

Today it's our PDCC challenge.  This time I played with a new doily cutter that arrived the other day, I LOVE this cutter, it's total utter gorgeousness!  It's from MFT.


Now before I share the details of this card I want to tell you about my evil ribbon!  I bought some lovely red polka dot ribbon in the East of India range, I used it the other day for my 'Sew Lovely' card. It's easy to use, looks really pretty too.  Well, its evil cousin, the beige and red stripe version is not 'sew lovely'!!  I've tried to use it a few times before now and do you think I can get it to sit right?  Not a chance!  I pulled, twisted, knotted, undid, pulled, twisted, knotted, undid, but got absolutely nothing that resembled anything decent.  Now I wouldn't mind if that was the first time, but this was about the third card I've tried with it!  So, if anyone wants some evil ribbon let me know, I'll post it out to you lol.  It would have been so nice for this card as well, a perfect match, but I don't think I am the right owner for it, hence the sparkly ribbon instead, which is really pretty, but not quite the match for our challenge.  Hopefully I can get away with it under artistic licence!

This is the gorgeous pic that Sarah gave us, isn't it adorable?!


So here are the details for my card...
  1. Mat card with polka dot patterned paper
  2. Die cut doily and distress with Antique Linen ink
  3. Stamp snowflakes with Tumbled Glass distress ink, stamp off once before staming onto the doily for a lighter effect, add finished doily to card using pop dots for dimension
  4. Stamp, colour and fussy cut a reindeer, add to doily with pop dots
  5. Pull, twist.. (you get the picture) the evil ribbon to see if you can make anything half decent with it, then give up on that and cut 3 strips of sparkly ribbon, one for the reindeer's collar, the other two for the bottom of the card
  6. Stamp the 'Noel' sentiment, distress edges and cut corners off at angles
  7. Move the evil ribbon out of sight before it gets cut into lots of little pieces!  Find it a new loving home!
Andrea Ewen

Pop on over to the Cafe and link your post. If you use an online gallery, please use the keyword PDCC61, and remember to use our inspirational colours to be eligible to win!

Stamps: Lawn Fawn, 'Frosties' & 'Critters in the Snow', Papertrey Ink 'Signature Christmas Greetings'
Papers: Basic Grey 'Oliver' paper
Accessories:Sparkly ribbon from stash, Ranger Distress Inks, 'Tumbled Glass' and 'Antique Linen'

Happy crafting!

Wednesday 22 December 2010

PDCC continued !!

Hello again!  Are you sick of me this week yet?!  It's not often I post so regularly, is it?!  But it's for good reason... We have another reveal for you today.  It's been such fun getting to chat to the new girls on the Play Date Cafe team, there have been e-mails flying around all over the place! We are all on so many different time zones it's a bit of a challenge getting to chat together, but we're definitely doing well so far! :)

Pop on over to the main Play Date Cafe blog for more information and then don't forget we will be back on Thursday with another new challenge. You will love this week's colours, they are fab! ;o)


Using some Cosmo Cricket 'Early Bird' papers and embellishments this card took about 5 miutes to pull together.  The hardest part was giving up my lovely bird embellishment to put on a card.  I am definitely a collector of embellishments rather than a user!  Are any of you like that, or is it just me?!

It's my man's birthday today so I'm hoping to take him out for a meal (ssshhh, don't tell him, it's meant to be a surprise!)   Back tomorrow with another card for this week's challenge.  See you soon!


Tuesday 21 December 2010

PDCC - The next reveal!

Hi everyone

It's time for the Play Date Cafe's next DT reveal!  Go and check out the main blog to see who else will be joining our design team!  We have some great girls joining us :o)

I have a quick card to share with you today.  I often forget to use pre-made embellishments, they are so quick and easy, not sure why I forget them!  This one is by Amy Butler, as is the patterned paper.  Just a strip of lime green cardstock behind the label, a couple of pearls and ta-da, job done!  Now that's my kind of card lol


I'll be back tomorrow with another reveal!  In the meantime have fun!

Monday 20 December 2010

Check out PDCC - We have exciting news on our new DT!!

*Edited to add a card, as promised! *

Happy Monday everybody!

Can you believe it's only a few days to Christmas now. I'm STILL making Christmas cards. Despite checking my list, checking it twice, I've managed to miss a few people off the list, uh oh! It's a good job I'm not Santa!

Anyway, I am a bit behind with my posting because I messed up, but I will have a card to share with you later. In the meantime you have to go and check out the Play Date Cafe blog, we have now started to announce our new DT! Each day this week we will reveal a new member of our team, and what a FAB team we will be!!!

Pop on over to the main blog to see who's first up on the list!

Ciao for now, back later!


I'm hoping I haven't posted this before.  It's one I made in the Summer.  I always used to wonder how people can't remember if they posted something or not, but now I get it! 

Saturday 18 December 2010

Lawn Fawn Challenge & Some News!

Hiya everyone!

Today I have two cards to share with you that I've made for the Lawn Fawn challenge.  This really was a challenge.  You were only allowed to use one Lawn Fawn set, and not combinations, and you weren't allowed to use patterned paper.  Eek, you all know how much I use patterned paper!






The first one is pretty self explanatory.  For the second one, I used Martha Stewart edge and corner punches, I made my own background paper using the hearts from the Bake a Cake Collection.  To finish it off I added a little bit of 3d foam on the top of the cake.  Cute stuff!

I'd hoped to post earlier today but my little princess has been poorly.  She seems to have a dizzy/headache virus, poor little thing.  It came on suddenly in the night.

I'm going to head off to bed myself now too, we might wake up to snow in the morning, watch this space!  What's your weather like where you live?  I'd love to know :)

I nearly forgot to tell you my news!  I am very excited to tell you that I've been chosen to be part of the Etsy Inspired Challenge team, see the link here!  I am soooo pleased, I am doing the happy dance!!!! 

On a separate note I am no longer on the Tiffany Doodles DT.  I found digital fun but not being very digi literate it was taking up a lot of my time trying to figure out how to resize/colour etc etc.  I will still be playing along from time to time.  Tiffany has such fun designs and I know she has chosen some fab members to add to the team, so do pop on over to see her.

Have a great weekend :o)


Thursday 16 December 2010

PDCC 60 - Post It Note Holder

Hi there everyone. It's Play Date Cafe time again!

I'm feeling very sleepy right now so I''m hoping this will make sense!

Today's colour challenge is a colour splash. This time it's black and white with a splash of yellow.

Natasha has a lot of pressies to make for her teachers, and we were trying to come up with something that would be simple for her to make, but a nice gift at the same time. Lots of teachers say they get too many sweets/chocolates at this time of the year, so this is what I came up with as a little post it note holder..

The stamped image is the perfect size for a little post it note pad.  I did try to take a picture of this for you, but for some reason it keeps coming out really blurred :o( so I may have to update my post later.  

If you take off the back of a 3 x 3 post it pad you can stick the pad onto the card base, and then every time the person replaces the notepad they will see a little happy note!  Natasha is going to stamp the 'smile' sentiment on the top of each post it pad so that they have a little message when they get the pressie too.

The steps are very straightforward for this one..
  1. Stamp frame onto white cardstock (one that you can use for Copics)
  2. Stamp flower image again onto a separate piece of white cardstock
  3. Colour in the flower twice, pop dot one on top of the other and add glossy accents for some definition and some stickles to the centre of the flower
  4. Stamp sentiment in the centre of the frame, and colour in with Copics
  5. Mount entire card onto black cardstock, rounding corners to finish (you could use a harder card/chipboard to make it a bit sturdier)
I needed to make another card as a thank you for my Uncle.  He recently put a radiator into my studio and it is now really toasty warm.  Lovely!  I made him this silly cute card using Lawn Fawn's latest stamp collection, 'My Silly Valentine'.  It is based on a very simple design I saw on their blog some time ago.  Inside I thanked him for being a top banana lol.  


We have now finalised the search for our new DT!!!  We will have six brand new Designers and a new Private Blend Designer who will be announced during the run up to Christmas, how exciting!!!!

Don't forget to check out the rest of the DT's inspirational pieces.

Andrea Ewen

Pop on over to the Cafe and link your post. If you use an online gallery, please use the keyword PDCC60, and remember to use our inspirational colours to be eligible to win!

Stamps: Stampendous 'Clipboard Decor'
Papers: Black and White Cardstock
Accessories: Various yellow copic markers, Stickles, Glossy Accents

Tuesday 14 December 2010

Etsy Inspired Challenge #118

Hey there everyone, how are you all? Did you have a good weekend?

We went over to Winchester for a Christmas market, I just love the atmosphere there, it's wonderful. It was cold, but not so cold you don't enjoy it! We got most of our Christmas shopping done. I'm at the stage now that I think I'm nearly done, but I'm starting to wonder who I've forgotten! I hate that!!



Today's card is a bit of a break from Christmas!  Sometimes you need a bit of a break, don't you think!  I'm not Christmassed out yet though :)  When I saw the Etsy Shop that EIC were featuring I immediately thought of this beautiful patterned paper. It really does all of the talking for you!  What beautiful pieces, stunning!  These were the actual pieces that inspired this card.




Using an idea I got over from Lawn Fawn for circular cards I decided I'd make one.  This was so simple to make.  I just die cut two circles in cream, scored the back (see Lawn Fawn for details on that!) and then added a piece of patterned paper across 2/3 of the circle.  Before sticking that down I wrapped some turquoise ribbon around it, and then I added another 1/3 of patterned paper which I'd turned on its side for interest.  Finally I stamped celebrate, inked the edges and that was it. 

I had a fantastic parcel arrive in the mail yesterday.  As you may remember I had my very first card featured in Cards in July ..  and I had been waiting to see a copy of it in print, well it finally came in yesterday!  Wow, it felt absolutely great to see it in that magazine.  It's always been one of my favourite magazines for inspiration.  We used to be able to buy it over in the UK, but I can't seem to get it anywhere now :o(  I may have to order it from the US, but it takes so long to get things over here, and although I like online viewing there still is nothing quite like sitting with a mag in your hand, curled up on the sofa drinking a cuppa!

Well that's it from me today.  Happy cardmaking, Christmas shopping or whatever it is that you are doing!


Thursday 9 December 2010

PDCC 59

Happy Thursday!

As you have probably noticed I am in a quick and simple card mood at the minute!  This week's colours over at the Play Date Cafe were put together by Sarah, and this is what I came up with...


It doesn't show very clearly here but the background colour is actually a dark purple, then the royal blue is on the patterned paper and the blue for the birds and banner.  I'm finding it quite difficult to photograph cards here at the minute, the natural daylight has a blue-y hue to it. 

Here's Sarah's pic..


I love the artwork by BonnieRose too!

Here's what I did..
  1. Mat cardbase with purple cardstock
  2. Cut a piece of patterned paper, tie around some bakers' twine
  3. Stamp a banner and add the sentiment, then paper piece
  4. Stamp birds onto patterned paper and then again twice onto pale blue paper, and fussy cut.  Attach one of each bird directly onto the stamped images, and then attach the second ones using pop dots to add dimension
  5. Pop dot the finished panel onto the card
  6. Smile at the cute stamps, don't you just love 'em!
I couldn't just stop at that one colour combo, so made a couple more..



Mini cards are so much fun to make.  I love being able to fussy cut little stamped images while I'm watching tv!  Sarah was the one who inspired me to paper piece many months ago, now there is no stopping me.  Thanks Sarah! ;o)

Don't forget to check out the rest of the DT's inspirational pieces.

Andrea Ewen

Pop on over to the Cafe and link your post. If you use an online gallery, please use the keyword PDCC59, and remember to use our inspirational colours to be eligible to win!

As you may have seen we are in the final stages of selection for our additions to the design team, so keep a look out, who knows it could be you!
    Stamps: Lawn Fawn, 'Fly Free', 'Sophie's Sentiments', 'Bannerific'
    Paper: Leftovers from Stash, possibly K & Co??, Bazzill cardstock (purple)
    Accessories: Baker's twine from Ribbon Girl


    Wednesday 8 December 2010

    Create: challenge

    Hi guys

    I wanted to play along with Create: Challenge again today.  This week's theme is Quick & Easy Christmas Cards and I made this little card using Lawn Fawn ''Cozy Christmas' stamps.  Aren't those little lights the cutest?!



    I had seen Kelly Marie over at Lawn Fawn colour the little mini lights and then add glossy accents, which I thought looked adorable, so I thought I'd have a play. The little bulbs go so well with this Cosmo Cricket paper, don't you think?  If you look close enough you will see they are really glossy.  They feel like light bulbs too :o)

    I also have a little Noel card to share with you today.  My Mum needed a batch of Christmas cards made up, so I went into production (that's what it felt like!) and made these.  I'm not sure they would quite fit into the category of quick and easy because of the colouring, but it is something you can do while watching tv so they actually don't take very long at all once you get into a routine! They were really therapeutic to make as I got to play with my Copics too.



    Did I tell you I recently got Copic Certified? 


    It doesn't mean I'm any good at it, but at least I now know the techniques to try and learn!!!  Seeing as I've collected a set of them I really ought to try and put them to good use now, huh?! 


    Tuesday 7 December 2010

    Secret Crafter Challenge

    Happy Tuesday everyone! I hope the start of your week is going well.  Things have definitely calmed down here, finally.  It's nice to be able to breathe again!  Lots of school activities are coming up between now and Christmas, but I have reduced my hours working so that's definitely helped.  A carol service is the first social event on the list this year.  I just love this time of year, do you?  There is such an air of expectancy everywhere you go, love it!

    I have a Christmas card to share with you today, for the Secret Crafter challenge. The theme is Christmas so it was a good excuse to make another much needed card for my never ending list!


    I seem to be in a bit of a strange mood at the minute, one day I like traditional and the next cutesy, so I guess you will be seeing both styles on here for a while!  Maybe that will be my kind of style going forward, who knows!  Today it's more traditional. Do you switch styles like that?

    I loved the background paper and knew I wanted to dig out my Waltzingmouse stamps for the label, and this is what I came up with.

    Stamps: Holiday Labels 14 by Waltzingmouse Stamps
    Dies: Nesties Labels 14, Victorian border die by Papertrey Ink, Sizzix 3d flower
    Papers: Cosmo Cricket
    Accessories: Felt from stash, distress inks

    If you haven't done so already there is still time to enter the Play Date Cafe Challenge!



    Sunday 5 December 2010

    Brrr.. It's cold outside...

    So this snowman is perfect for the day. We have just got over our first bit of snow, but it was fun playing around with my new stamps from Papertrey Ink. I think we may be due more snow soon, but for now it's just very cold.

     This card is for the latest Etsy Inspired Challenge.  The challenge is to look through the Etsy Shop and find something to inspire you to make a card. 


    This heart is so much fun, and the little flowers remind me of snowflakes and the colours of this patterned paper by Cosmo Cricket.  I could make quite a few cards using this picture as inspiration, I love it!

    So how is your weekend going? We had fun putting up our Christmas decorations last night while listening to some Christmas music, drinking mulled wine (well actually it wasn't wine, it was a cordial type drink) Not that we don't drink wine on occasion, just that we were trying something a bit different for a change :o) Once the decorations were up we decided to sit down together and watch 'Elf'. Such a funny film.

    It is quite an old film now, but silly and still very funny!  It always makes Tink belly laugh so it's totally worth watching! 

    Enjoy the rest of your weekend.  I am back into the swing of blogging again now, finally!!  It's so nice to have time to pop by and comment, and get inspiration from others.  Love it! 

    Back soon :o)


    Thursday 2 December 2010

    PDCC 58

    Hi there everyone

    Life is starting to finally slow down so I will be back blogging properly again. It should have happened last week but I wasn't so well and our heating went too!  It never rains but it pours!  Well actually, we have a little bit of snow here, plus more expected so it looks really pretty :)

    Today for my Play Date Cafe Challenge contribution I decided to make a tag instead of a card. The colours are gorgeous, and I could do with some tags for Christmas so thought this was the perfect excuse!


    Here's the gorgeous inspiration pic...

    Yum-mee!!!

    Here are the details of how I made the tag;
    1. Die cut and stamp a little jar, stamp again using polka dot stamp to fill jar
    2. Die cut label, stamp in black for the outline and then stamp the sentiment in red
    3. Stamp snowflake in red, cut out
    4. Add glitter glue to snowflake, attach to tag
    5. Cancel step 4 and start again because by now you will be covered in stickles glitter glue where you were trying to stick the snowflake to the tag before the glue has dried!! 
    6. Sooo... attach snowflake to tag using 3d pop dots, then... add stickles glitter glue to snowflake for a bit of bling and finish off with a gem
    7. Tie around some baker's twine
    8. Add hole to top of tag and thread through some more bakers' twine to finish
    Don't you just love these little jars? They are SO much fun to make!  It's like being a kid all over again! :o)

    Don't forget to check out the rest of the DT's inspirational pieces.

    Andrea Ewen

    Pop on over to the Cafe and link your post. If you use an online gallery, please use the keyword PDCC58, and remember to use our inspirational colours to be eligible to win!

    Stamps: Papertrey Ink 'Friendship Jars', Lawn Fawn 'Frosties'
    Accessories: Bakers' Twine, gem from stash

    Back soon with another card, ciao for now!


    Thursday 25 November 2010

    PDCC 57

    Hi there everyone and Happy Thanksgiving to those that are celebrating it! I'd love to hear how you all celebrate. I just have a normal Thursday today, doing the usual, but I'm hoping to get a bit of cardmaking in too. Sorry I haven't been around this past week, things are starting to slow up now so life should be a bit easier. 

    Today I have a card to share with you for this week's Play Date Cafe Challenge, but first I want to say thank you again to all of our players, for without you we wouldn't have a challenge blog.  We love the creations you all submit, and I know I love to look to the submissions for inspiration too!

    For once I'm actually quite pleased with how my card turned out!  Here it is..



    Our sponsor this week is Stamp Attack who are giving away two free plates, with a $40 dollar value.  For more information check out our main blog.

    We were sent some stamps of our choice and I chose 'Flourishes'.  I LOVE flourishes!  I needed to make a baby card, but not in the traditional baby colours so I rummaged through all of my papers to see what would match Sarah's inspiration picture for the week.  I had been mulling different ideas over, but it was really last minute that this came together.



    I used the flourish stamps as my inspiration and then worked on from there.  I usually start by looking at my papers for inspiration, or various sketches, but occasionally it's the image that I start from, as in this case. I really liked the length of the larger flourish so tried to match the nestie up alongside of it.

    Here's what I did...
    1. Rummage through papers to find a selection of ones to match the colour combination, try not to get too distracted (easier said than done when I see pretty papers!!)
    2. Cut grey patterned paper and mat to card base after distressing edges (2/3 across card)
    3. Stamp flourish onto brown patterned paper in coffee ink and emboss with clear powder, make slightly shorter than the grey to add a bit of layering, distress edges
    4. Die cut label in brown and grey papers, distress all edges
    5. Stamp smaller flourish onto grey paper, adhere to bottom section of label
    6. Wrap big bow around the label, attach to card using pop dots
    7. Stamp and cut out teddy bear, distress edges (It seems like I'm doing a lot of distressing!)
    8. Attach a silver button to teddy's tummy, with some twine tied to the centre beforehand, attach to label using pop dots
    9. Stamp the sentiment, distress edges and attach with pop dots to finish
    Don't forget to check out the rest of the DT's inspirational pieces.

    Andrea Ewen

    It's Sue and Lisa's final week with us this week, so do pop over and leave them some comments.  I was saying to them yesterday that I can't believe where the time has gone.  It seems only five minutes ago since we all joined as a team.  They have both created some lovely pieces during their time with us and I know I will miss their inspiration.  Lisa's favourite project for me had to be the snowflake collection she made (see here), stunning!  Sue's favourite of mine was the pail she decorated here - wow, that must have taken forever to make!!  I look forward to seeing more of their creations as I hop around in blogland!


    Pop on over to the Cafe and link your post. If you use an online gallery, please use the keyword PDCC57, and remember to use our inspirational colours to be eligible to win!
    Have a special Thursday, whatever it is you are doing in your part of the world!


     
    Blog Design By -Lindsey Joy Design- ©All Rights Reserved