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Monday 30 July 2012

FOSTV 31 - Die Cuts

This week's challenge at Friends of Speedy TV is to use die cuts.  You can find the challenge over at Friends of Speedy TV challenges as challenge 31 

My original idea was to die cut an MFP image and use it on a card with some other die cuts but then I saw this week's JUGS inspiration photo and I went back to the drawing board and came up with this card.  The sketch is actually VLVJuly Week 5 but it is far from CAS!


I used the butterfly from Daffodil Greetings and stamped it all over the card base in grey ink.  I stamped another in black ink which I popped up and glittered!  I added the red touches with Pan Pastels.  The flowers, foliage, oval and strip were all die cut with dies - mostly Spellbinders.


This is a close up of the popped up butterfly - you can see the sparkle from the added Stickles.

We would love it if you played along this week. There is another great stamp set called Wild Horses for one lucky participant this week.  Good luck.

Friday 27 July 2012

Simple Card after 33 Years

Most times I need to make a card for hubby I go for something complicated or intricate or something with lots of colouring.

This time I went clean and simple using this cute little dog stamp from Katzelcraft.  I am entering the card in this week Stampin Sisters in Christ Challenge.  We celebrate 33 years of marriage tomorrow. 

We have decided to spend the evening at open air theatre performed by a small local group.  It should be fun.  This is what we will be seeing at Theatre Workshop Coulsdon.

Have a great weekend and enjoy the start of the Olympics.

Janine

Thursday 26 July 2012

Sentimental Sundays - Wings

Used this image from Katzelcraft and some Pan Pastels - my first play with them to create the image for this card.  The greeting and the oriental symbols are from the Asian Delights set recently released by Mark's Finest Papers.

Wednesday 25 July 2012

VLV July Week 3 Anniversary

I am trying to ensure I have enough anniversary cards to prevent last minute panics.  It is our Anniversary this weekend and as soon as that one is over a batch spring up - you can see my first career was teaching and all my friends married in the school summer holidays!

This card is one to add to the collection and uses the rosebud from Marks Finest Papers Love Remains set.  I have used the VLV July Week 3 sketch, some anniversary paper from Kanban and some scraps from my trays as well as some thread / cord from a Christmas present.  The image was cut with a Spellbinders die.

Thank you for dropping in!

Tuesday 24 July 2012

Beach Days

Another card for the young man who turns two on Friday.  They don't live far from the coast but I cannot see him playing ball with a dog unless it is someone else's dog!
I used Jugs Challenge Colours and a very simple layout.  The stamp is Faye Whittaker from Joanna Sheen. The sun has some stickles shimmer.

Thanks for looking.

Monday 23 July 2012

FOSTV 30 - Silver Wedding Joy

Monday has rolled round again and this week the challenge at FOSTV is to make a joy fold card.  Now I have to say I needed a nudge to make one of these again but they make for something a little different and yet they are quite simple to do - yes I have given a link to the tutorial.

http://www.marksfinestpapers.com/media/0e/a2079181350ab029bf5f05_l.jpgYou really should play along this week as there is a cute set on offer to one lucky person called Tweet Blessings .   You can find the challenge as challenge 30 at FOSTV















My card uses another great MFP set called Mother's Magnolias.  I love this set.  I used the acrylic distress technique using silver coloured paint and some blue ink.  The magnolia was coloured with Copics.  I used a Spellbinders m-bossabilities folder for the background and a Martha Stewart border punch to give the lacy edge.




I made the card for Chris and Debbie who recently celebrated their Silver Wedding anniversary by hosting a dinner dance for about 200 people who had been closely involved with them over some period in their married life.  What a wonderful idea.
  

 I hope you give the challenge a go this week - we would love to see what you create.

Have a good week.

Sunday 22 July 2012

Summertime and the living is easy

The High Hopes challenge this time around is summer fun.  All that kept coming into my head was "Summertime and the living is easy" and that is what made me use this image. 

I originally wanted to use the boy with his dog sitting on the dock but I cannot lay my hands on that image - I can't believe I have lost it! 

This one though is quite topical as it is for my MIL to give her great grandson when he turns 2 later this week.  She used to have a wind up tortoise that talked about taking it "slow real slow" that she used to bring out as her party piece and make everyone laugh so the turtle is as close as I can get.  Bradley won't remember but I suspect his Mum might!  The layout is one from Splitcoast Sketch Challenges.


I think the butterfly and turtle are having some fun.  Hope you are too. 
Janine

Saturday 21 July 2012

And now distressed

I have gone from classy and sparkly to grungy and distressed.  This card, in case you didn't guess, is for someone turning 50.  He likes his football, work in London, uses numbers in his job and also worked in Africa - the card captures all of these themes and uses the Sentimental Sundays challenge colours and distressed challenge.

Thanks for checking this out.

Stampin Sisters In Christ - Sparkle

I am glad I made this card a day or so ago because I don't feel too sparkly right now.  Work is getting me down now that I am working for a company that I did not choose to work for and who I found out yesterday do not value my contribution.
Anyway on to the card which is for the Stampin Sisters in Christ challenge.  I have never made a pocket style card like this before but after seeing Marilynn's beautiful example I had to give it a go.

This is the pocket section with the inner tucked inside


This is the card with the insert fully displayed. You can see I have used pearls, gems, glitter and mica powder to add some sparkle.  The image and sentiments are from Kanban.


This is the sparkle on the sentiment.


Thanks for looking and hope you and me find some sparkle.

Friday 20 July 2012

Sketch Frenzy Friday and OCC

Mark's Finest Papers a Heinrich Company's July Blog Hop! - please see post below.  Thank you

This card is made using last week's Sketch Frenzy Friday sketch and OCC colours of Pink and Navy.  I also have a mauve blue colour from brayering navy over pink - I hope that counts as a third colour!

Hot & Spicy

Welcome to Mark's Finest Papers a Heinrich Company's 
    July Blog Hop! 

This month's New Stamp Set Releases are
Asian Delights Featured July 17
Wild & Free Featured July 18
Garden Art Featured July 19
Hot & Spicy Featured July 20

I made this card with this new set and took my inspiration from the peppers we saw hanging up in Pike Place Market, Seattle.  It was actually beautiful and sunny while there but not too hot.  Inside is reads Don't use the chilli peppers and has a single pepper stamped too.



My second card  is made using the VLVJuly Week1 sketch but I put it together in the wrong order and had to use a little poetic licence to get the sentiment to work in the top box - you can't leave off that sentiment! The background paper, which to me has a Mexican feel was free with a magazine ages ago and the other square is from Basic Grey.



Please hop along with us! Tammylee is next.  You have a chance to win one of the above stamp sets! Just comment on the following blogs (don't forget this one), each day for more chances to win! (You do NOT have to comment on all the blogs each day! The names are drawn randomly!) All four winners will be announced on July 21, 2012 on the Mark's Finest Papers blog. You can go back and comment if you missed a day. (HINT: The more you comment, the more chances you have to win and comments on the MFP blog count twice!) The deadline for commenting is 11PM EST on Friday July 20, 2012.

Thursday 19 July 2012

Garden Art

Welcome to Mark's Finest Papers a Heinrich Company's 
    July Blog Hop! 

This month's New Stamp Set Releases are
Asian Delights Featured July 17
Wild & Free Featured July 18
Garden Art Featured July 19
Hot & Spicy Featured July 20

I made two cards for today's post using this Garden Art set.  The first card uses the gnome and the toadstools stamped on designer paper.  A crazy card but very colourful.



My second card today uses the toadstools and the butterfly with a sentiment from Pussy Willows stamp set.


Please hop along with us! You have a chance to win one of the above stamp sets! Just comment on the following blogs (don't forget this one), each day for more chances to win! (You do NOT have to comment on all the blogs each day! The names are drawn randomly!) All four winners will be announced on July 21, 2012 on the Mark's Finest Papers blog. You can go back and comment if you missed a day. (HINT: The more you comment, the more chances you have to win and comments on the MFP blog count twice!) The deadline for commenting is 11PM EST on Friday July 20, 2012.

Wednesday 18 July 2012

Wild and Free





Welcome to Mark's Finest Papers a Heinrich Company's 
    July Blog Hop! 

This month's New Stamp Set Releases are
Asian Delights Featured July 17
Wild & Free Featured July 18
Garden Art Featured July 19
Hot & Spicy Featured July 20

Please hop along with us! You have a chance to win one of the above stamp sets! Just comment on the following blogs (don't forget this one), each day for more chances to win! (You do NOT have to comment on all the blogs each day! The names are drawn randomly!) All four winners will be announced on July 21, 2012 on the Mark's Finest Papers blog. You can go back and comment if you missed a day. (HINT: The more you comment, the more chances you have to win and comments on the MFP blog count twice!) The deadline for commenting is 11PM EST on Friday July 20, 2012.


I made a card and a little box of note cards with today's sets.  Making the box nearly killed me!  It should have been so simple.  I started out with a pizza box style and having stuck it together found it was too small for the envelopes, the 2nd attempt I got the measurements wrong so went for a basic box and even now the lid is a little too big! 





 

Tuesday 17 July 2012

Asian Delights

Welcome to Mark's Finest Papers a Heinrich Company's 
    July Blog Hop! 

This month's New Stamp Set Releases are
Asian Delights Featured July 17
Wild & Free Featured July 18
Garden Art Featured July 19
Hot & Spicy Featured July 20

I have made 3 cards using the Asian Delights set.  Some look far better in real life than they do here and getting photos was a challenge.
The first one, a simple card, uses embossing powder on the oriental symbols with silver outline sticker strips and some oriental paper.


My second card uses the VLV week 2 sketch for July with some gilding flakes on the oriental ladies.  It was a very difficult card to photograph.  I took a close up photo too so you can see the ladies better.


My third card uses the faux window technique and I am entering it in this weeks Jugs challenge.



Please hop along with us! You have a chance to win one of the above stamp sets! Just comment on the following blogs (don't forget this one), each day for more chances to win! (You do NOT have to comment on all the blogs each day! The names are drawn randomly!) All four winners will be announced on July 21, 2012 on the Mark's Finest Papers blog. You can go back and comment if you missed a day. (HINT: The more you comment, the more chances you have to win and comments on the MFP blog count twice!) The deadline for commenting is 11PM EST on Friday July 20, 2012.

Monday 16 July 2012

Wonderful Hospitali-tea

I know that it a bit corny but a dear friend from college hosted a reunion of a few of us this weekend and she made it a wonderful time.  She also happens to have quite a few tea pots and we did do quite a bit of tea drinking - after all we are British!
This card I am sending to her uses a High Hopes sketch and image.  I generated the sentiment on the computer, first trying to print it on a scrap of card and then spent 1 hour trying to unjam the printer!  I ended up using a whole sheet and then cropping this little bit off.


The spotted paper was in my trays but I don't know the make - shame because it is so pretty.  The other paper is from SU.  The image was coloured with Copics and some Star Dust Stickles were added to the butterfly and the flowers.  Spellbinders dies were used and a little sponging of Memento inks around the tea pot.

Note - went back and finished the little bit of colouring I missed which I only noticed after posting here - fortunately before physically posting!

FOSTV - sketch challenge

Today over at FOSTV challenge 29 is a sketch.  Now I am not particularly good a following the rules exactly so my card uses the spirit of the sketch rather than the exact proportions.

This card is going today to my Mother in Law for her 92nd Birthday.
As you can see I have used a very traditional flower the pansy from the set Spring Flowers or  Natures Pansies Mini.  If you just want the pansy group they can be found in the set Today, Tomorrow and Always.  I have also used traditional pansy colours of a blue-violet and yellow.  I used a Cuttlebug embossing folder on the plain yellow cardstock and Spellbinders dies.The violet paper is from Papermania and the yellow from Craft Creations.  Copics markers were used on the image.

Well it is your turn now so hop over to Friends of Speedy TV - check out challenge 29 and lets us see what you can create with the sketch.



 The prize this week for one lucky person is the set What a Fox.
What a Fox Stamp Set

Sunday 15 July 2012

Asian Bridge

This card uses this week's Mojo Monday sketch - number 249.  I have used brayering with Lavinia stamps to make this little scene.

I used ribbon and lace across the centre and an embossing folder on the lilac panels.

Thanks for looking.

Thursday 12 July 2012

Jugs144

OK so this was a bit of an experiment.  I ordered the Just Rite border stamps and a friend in the USA brought them over when she visited.

I thought I would only use them for borders and probably would not spend time colouring all the details but then this card came into my head!  The butterfly and sentiment are from Marks Finest Papers and the central panel is made with the border stamp stamped twice.

The butterfly was covered with glitter for a nice girlie sparkle

Thank you for fluttering by.

Wednesday 11 July 2012

SFF Inspired Rose


This card layout was inspired by this sketch over at Sketch Frenzy Friday. My butterflies replaces the top circle and my bow replaces the button - oh and my image is off centre!!!  The sketch was in my mind rather than on paper and you know what tricks the mind can play!

The image is from Darkroom Door and it is coloured with Copics.  Paper was from my stash so sorry no idea what company.  The die use was Spellbinders Romantic Rectangles.

Thanks for checking in - keep safe and dry.
Janine

Monday 9 July 2012

FOSTV 28

Want to win a wild and crazy stamp set that you will just love then head on over to MFP Speedy TV and enter this week's FOSTV challenge - number 28 which is to make a vacation themed card.  If you win this set will be your prize.

I used the palm tree from the set on my card.  The background was done with the Acrylic distress technique that I cam across recently.  I used a Spellbinders M-Bossabilities folder which is sea shells related. 
My sentiment is from the Adirondack Summer Mini Set and the glasses are from my stash!

I hope you get to have some fun in the sun - in the USA I hope it cools down for those of you who are cooking and if you are in the UK I hope it dries up!
Here's to some better weather!

Sunday 8 July 2012

New Challenges over at MFP

In case you missed it there are all sorts of new challenges over at Marks Finest Papers Speedy TV as well as tutorials and ideas.
There is a challenge this week as part of Simple Salutations to use an animal.  Now I did not end up with a simple card as I used this week's Mojo Monday sketch and combined it with both Stampin Sisters in Christ and Sentimental Sundays challenges.  My card uses pink, kraft and lace (as well as flowers, pearl, stamp and die cut - if I had added some twine with a charm attached it would have been full house!).  I used 2 digital papers and embossed one with a Spellbinders M-Bossabilities folder and then used Frayed Burlap distress ink on the raised parts.  The fancy brown edge was done using Spellbinders dies. The flowers are sprayed with glimmer mists.  The image and sentiment are from a set by Marks Finest Papers called North American Woods.




Thank you for dropping in on my blog - I hope you like my card and that you have a good week.
Janine

Friday 6 July 2012

Another Degree Celebration

This card uses a Digital image from Bugaboo Stamps and is also going to Bath.  This one is for Gareth, Lauren's boyfriend who has also been studying with her.  I am entering this card is this week's Pan Pastels challenge which is to use a digi. 

Well done to Gareth.

Thursday 5 July 2012

Penny Black Metal

Hi - another quick post from me tonight.  This time I am using metal as per the Penny Black challenge this week.  I used a new Penny Black stamp too with the gilding flakes so as well as the Penny Black Challenge I am also entering this card in the Stampin Sisters in Christ challenge to use something new.  The gilding technique is also quite new to me as this is only my 3rd attempt.  I over-stamped it with Red Stazon ink to give it a bit more definition.  The sentiment is from Papertrey Ink.  Brads were added to the corners and a Spellbinders die was used for the sentiment panel with some ribbon from my stash.

Thanks for looking.

Star Pupil

I had a text from my niece on Tuesday telling me that she was one happy girl - she just found out that she has received a BA with honours level 2:1.  She has been studying Music and Drama for the last 3 years in Bath.  She loves it down in Bath and is working down there until she starts a teaching course in September. 

This card uses the sketch with a twist over at MFP Speedy TV along with this weeks Jugs challenge to use stars and sparkle.  Girly colours (Cath Kidston ish) are in order for this special event.  The numbers and stars are die cut along with the rectangle and circle.  I stamped butterflies all over the blue paper and added bling and Stickles to the numbers.


Monday 2 July 2012

FOSTV - Red, White and Blue

Hello it is Monday again and time for another Friends of Speedy TV challenge.

OK I went out on a limb and coloured my poppies blue.  I have seen blue poppies but only the once!  I added the red with sponging around the edge of the image and through a template to add spots to the card base.  I also added small red gems in the corners.  After completing the card I actually wished I had sponged spots across the whole background but I ran out of time to go back and re-work it.




We would now love to see your red, white and blue creations so please join us at FOSTV for this week's challenge.  The set you might win is called Train Talk.  You can use any stamps to enter but if you use Marks Finest Papers stamps your name gets added to the draw twice.
Train Talk Stamp Set

Sunday 1 July 2012

USA / UK Celebration

This card is for a Wedding in the USA for someone with English connections - red, white and blue is therefore correct for both.  It uses an image from Lili of the Valley with a Hero Arts background cling stamp.  I had a bow and a ribbon to add but decided to leave them off as it needs to be mailed and thickness could be an issue and the simple gems I think added enough without detracting from the central panel.


I am entering the card in this week's Sentimental Sundays challenge to be patriotic.  Thank you for looking and have a good week.