Inkspirational #179

Hello there,

I've 'discovered' a new to me challenge called Inkspirational. It's a photo challenge this week and looks yummy so I thought I'd give it a go.

For some reason the first thought that popped into my head was Baby. Maybe because we are expecting a new grand daughter in the spring lol. So that's what I went with,

 Luckily I spent a good part of Thursday getting messy with Luminate micra paints and a bit of smooshing. For these I used Grapefruit and Jasmine.
Once the paint was dry I gave it a quick spray of white spritzing ink to give it a bit more sparkle.

A close up of the shimmer.

I used a Crafts Too border embossing folder for the card front.
The hearts are cut out with a Sizzix Framelit die and I've mounted them onto some white hearts to give a bit more depth.
The letters are by Yvonne creations cut from a piece of scrap card.


Thanks for popping in x

Simply Less is More # 113

Happy Easter Everyone.

I hope you`re enjoying the long weekend and not eating too much chocolate hee hee.
As march has 5 saturdays we have a lucky dip week at Simply Less is More and this time we are asked to use SCALLOPS on our creations.
This should have been a walk in the park really but I had trouble coming up with something out of the ordinary. See what you think,

 My first card is pretty standard really. I started off well enough but lost the plot when it came to the sentiment.
Dp is Crafty Impressions Romanza. The upper panel is cut using a Spellbinders Scallop die and then run through with a Crafts Too EF.
I didn`t have any ribbon in the right shade of pink so I`ve coloured some white with a Promarker.
The sentiment is by Flourishes, cut out with a nestie Labels 4 die.

I was asked to make a card during the week using something I haven`t got so I had to make a trip to Hobbycraft and pick up a decoupage sheet. This prompted me to rake out all the old decoupage that I`ve been hoarding for years and not using. I thought I might as well put some to good use and make a card with it.
I`ve used a pale peach card base and made a panel with white card which I`ve punched along the long edge with a MS Doily punch.
The sentiment is by Flourishes and the decoupage is from a book by TBZ.
It`s a bit twee but I`m sure someone, somewhere likes twee :-)

Ruby is quite poorly at the moment. She had her penultimate dose of Chemo the week before last and seemed to be doing really well but then developed a temperature which was up and down for a few days. Yesterday Mum noticed some fluid from her ear and she had a high temp so it was off to the the local hospital for tests.
Ruby`s white blood cells are extremely low which means she cannot fight the infection on her own, so she`s had a blood transfusion. This isn`t out of the ordinary as the chemo knocks her bloods down anyway but with a severe ear infection too it has made her poorly this time. She`s on 2 lots of IV antibiotics and will be in hospital for about 5 days.
This morning Ruby insisted on getting out of bed to play as she wasn`t poorly enough for bed but after about 10 minutes admitted defeat and went back to bed. She is one tough cookie and I know she`ll pull through this. Just one more bout of chemo in a couple of weeks and that should be it ( fingers crossed).

Thanks for popping in...Lynne xxx

Birthday Wishes

Good afternoon all!

I hope I find you well and happy. Not too soggy in this terrible rainy weather? For a couple of days I really thought summer had turned up, just goes to show.
I`ve been in a really strange mood this week, sort of...blah! Not sure if it`s post holiday blues or what but it`s playing havoc with my mojo. I keep getting the urge to make a card but then can`t come up with an original idea at all.So I`ve Cased one.
I`ve been stalking following Debbie from Lime Doodle for a while now, she really is the Queen of CaS and has some fabulous designs. My card is made using This card as inspiration.

 I`ve changed the EF and the colour of the panel. I used a flower instead of a bow but the overall design is the same.
My flower is made using lots of layers of black tissue paper, cut out with a nestie scalloped circle, scrunched up and then prized(?) apart again, all held together with a gorgeous pink sparkly brad.
I`ve added a piece of thin ribbon in black too.
The sentiment is a mix of Layers of Color (birthday) and Waltzing Mouse (wishes).

A close up of the sparkly brad. Not the best piccy I`m afraid.
After I`d made this card I realised I could enter it into this weeks Dynamic Duo`s #7 which is Melon Mambo, black and an option of ribbon.

I`m going to have to hurry though as the challenge closes soon.

Thanks for popping in...Lynne xxx

Poppy Anniversary Card.

Good afternoon All!

Well the beautiful sunshine we`ve been enjoying has finally come to an end. I wonder if it`s because I have a day off tomorrow lol. The clouds are building but it`s still warm, hopefully summer will start proper week after next when I`ve got a week off work ;)

It was Cheryl and Darren`s wedding anniversary last sunday so ofcourse I made them a card. As Cheryl`s fave colour is red and she once told me her favourite flowers were Poppies, I`ve once again gone with a red poppy card. In fact she loves poppies so much Ruby was going to be Poppy for a while.
Anyway, enough waffle, here`s the card,

It`s a rubbish photo I`m afraid. I had a marathon card making session over the weekend and by the time I took piccy`s the light was at the wrong side of the house so all this weeks pics are dreadful. Note to self...take photographs in the morning.
Back to the card.
Red base card run through the cuttlebug with Crafts Too Damask EF.
Poppy stamp from Chocolate Baroque Fresh Florals set stamped onto strip of white card and coloured with Promarkers.Corners rounded and then raised using foam pads.
Sentiment by Rubbadubbadoo stamped onto a tiny strip of white card and placed across panel with foam pads.
Nice, simple but effective card.

I had a better nights sleep last night which is just as well as we`ve been mega busy at work today and I`ve got a wedding card to finish so I can mail it tomorrow. See you then.

Thanks for popping in...Lynne xxx

Wonderful Mum.

Good Afternoon all!

A quick post for change from me. The playground over at Pixies Crafty Snippets has been extended to two weeks so this gives me a chance to show the second card I made from my white card snippets. This one is not for a specific Mum. It`s another card to go into the fund raising box and I thought it was time I made some cards especially for the mums. I really ought to be doing Dad cards but they take much more thinking about lol.
Anyway,here it is,

No image this time. I thought the embossing on the panel and the beautiful flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts, were enough to keep it delicate and simple.
The sentiment is computer generated and cut out with a nestie label 4 die, mounted onto a nestie beaded oval.
I`ve added a pale pink ribbon and bow to finish.

I`ll be back tomorrow with some more Mum cards that are about as far removed from this one as you can get.
Thanks for popping in...Lynne xxx

A Birthday Card

Hello All!
 A really quick post from me today as I`ve got some sort of bug. I feel much better today than I did yesterday but still a bit fuzzy headed and achy.
Last wednesday it was a work colleagues birthday. I didn`t find out until  tuesday so it was a bit of a rush job and then I had to be devious and ask in a very roundabout sort of way, what her favourite colour was. I think you`ll guess the answer to this when you see the card I made lol.

Not the most imaginative card I`ve ever made but Billie was pleased with it.
I used a Damask EF from Crafts too matted onto some red card leaving a very thin border.
The flowers are made from the same red card cut out with a scalloped circle nestie and some red brads.
The sentiment is computer generated cut out with a labels 4 die and matted onto another die cut.

We had a bit of scare with Ruby over the weekend. Nothing too serious but when the results of her last blood test came back, her red cell count was low so it was touch and go whether or not they could go ahead with this weeks chemo. Another blood test on monday showed all was well so the chemo went ahead. Apart from that Ruby is fine. Her hair is almost gone now but doesn`t seem to be bothering her at all.
I`ve got an easter bonnet to decorate for her for when the weather gets warmer so that should keep both of us amused lol.

Thanks for popping in...Lynne xxx

Less is More wk 30...Take 3 challenges

Good afternoon all!

Can I firstly welcome my new followers. It`s always lovely to know that you think my little corner of cyber space is worth a peek at.
Secondly could I say a massive thank you to all of you that left massages of support and sent cyber hugs after my little outburst last week. Although my situation hasn`t changed, I heard something the other day that put all of my problems into perspective and after giving myself a stern talking to I`ve realised that things could be an awful lot worse and I`m feeling a lot more positive now. Those hugs were lovely, thank you.

Right, this week at Less is More we are to combine 3 of the last 29 challenges. Easy peasy and spoilt for choice, thank you Chrissie and Mandi.

For my card I`ve gone for, wk 9, A Touch of Red,
wk 13, Thank You or Congratulations and wk 15, Embossing.
I started with a 5x5 white card base.
I wanted a strip of embossed card but I also wanted to put an edge around it to give it a more finished look but I don`t have long rectangular dies. So, I used a short die and a longer piece of card, placed it into the cuttlebug but instead of rolling all the way through, I stopped just short of the end. I then moved the die along the card to the length I wanted, keeping it in line with the cut I already had, turned it around, and rolled again almost to the end. This gave me the correct size panel. I then placed the panel into the Damask EF  from Crafts Too and embossed the whole thing. I returned the panel to the original die and went around the edge with a ball tool, moving the die down the panel until the whole thing had an edge. My instructions are a bit garbled but I hope you understand what I have done and I`m pleased with the result.
Next was the frame. I ran a small piece of scrap card through the Bug with the Swiss Dots EF, Then placed a nestie labels 4 die with a nestie oval die inside and made the frame. Once again, with the die still in place, I ran around the edge with a ball tool. The sentiment  by Rubbadubbado, was stamped in clear embossing ink and detail silver EP, cut out with a labels 4 die but trimed slightly smaller than the frame.
I made a rolled rose using a Marianne designs Rose Die. I find that these are better if made using paper rather than card but I didn`t have any red paper. So I cut a piece of red card large enough so the die would fit and ran the card through my ribbler ( one of those thingys that makes corrugated card) about 10 times to soften it then scrunched it up a few times in my hands. This breaks down the fibres and also makes the card seperate. I then seperated it into 3 sheets and used one of them to make the rose.
I punched a butterfly with a Martha Stewart punch out of a piece of the swiss Dots embossed card and added some red gem stones to finish.
It probably took longer to write this post than it did to do all the techniquey bits, they are not at all as complicated as they sound.
Edited to add- Chrissie has a tutorial for lengthening die cuts Here much easier to follow than mine lol.

Thanks for popping in...Lynne xxx

Pink and Green

Hi All!

A mege quick post fromtoday as I`m supposed to bepacking to go away.
Just thought I`d post my card for this weeks challenge at CR84FN.

Here is the inspiration piccy,

Aren`t these colours fabulous?








And here is my card,

At last a card I`m really pleased with. I think I`ve finally found `My Style` if you know what I mean. I love the layered panels and the cleanness of these type of cards without the simpleness lol.

Anyway, the deets,
A6 white card base.
Embossing folder Damask by Crafts Too.
Sentiment Label by Waltzing Mouse.
Sentiment by Flourishes.
Rolled Roses Die from Marianne Designs.
Ribbon from stash.

Sorry its short and sweet, gotta go...

Thanks for popping in...Lynne xxx

Colour Throwdown # 142

Happy Saturday All!

It`s ages since I`ve had the chance to join in at Colour Throwdown but when I saw this weeks colours I just had to have a  go.

 What a brilliant colour pallette this is.





Here is my card,

It was a bit trickier than I anticipated,trying to get the colour right but I was a good girl and persevered.
White base card.
Grey card run through the Cuttlebug with a Crafts too Damask folder then matted onto Black card.
I tried stamping and embossing with versa color Lime and clear EP but it looked too wishy washy so I stamped in a combination of clear ink and versa colour Lime then embossed in Lime EP. Ofcourse the two Limes were different shades but I think the end result is much brighter and clearer.
The stamp is Elusive Images Damask Background and I matted that onto black card too.
The label is Waltzing Mouse Vintage Labels 4 stamped in Black Versafine and embossed in clear EP, cut out with a nestie labels 4 die. The sentiment is from Flourishes Tag Lines.
A piece of black ribbon to finish.

I`ll keep it short and sweet as I`ve got a busy day ahead. See you later.

Thanks for popping in...Lynne xx

Less is More # 14 x2 WoW

This is my 2nd post today. for my OLW card please scroll down.

I would like to thank every one for their lovely comments and advice on yesterdays card. Every comment is very much apreciated. Thank you!

This is my second go at this weeks Less is More Challenge and I`m much happier with this one.

It is definitely more `me`. Plain and simple lol.

I`ve used nearly all the same ingrediants as yesterdays card. EF from Crafts Too, Damask.
Rolled roses from Marianne designs
This time though I embossed a piece of card and cut a strip off. I placed it slightly below the top of the card then scored a line above and below .
Using the same EF I lined it up along the bottom edge of the card just enough to get a full pattern on and then ran it through the Cuttlebug. I then scored a line using my easy score board along the top to give it an edge.
I made the Roses using white paper as against card which I used yesterday and they seem to be much softer and more pliable. I made one large and two small, sticking to the rule of three.
I finished them off with a pearl in the centre of each.
The sentiment is from Flourishes Tag Lines Stamped and Embossed in detail silver EP.

As I said I`m much happier with this one. Maybe in future I should make one card but not post it, and then make a second much better one and post that instead lol.

Thanks for popping in...Lynne xxx

Less is More #13 take 2 Thank You

Hello everyone, happy Sunday!!!

Yesterday I shared my Congratulations Card for the Less is More challenge. Today I want to show you my Thank You card.

Apologies for the piccy, I`ve had trouble chasing the sun today.

A very quick make once I`d decided on colour and matched card to ink.
I ran a panel of white card through the cuttlebug using a new Damask EF from Crafts-too. Then used a scallop die from Spellbinders a;long the bottom.
I scallpoped the bottom of a piece of bright yellow card and matted my white card on top leaving a border of yellow. The scallop die has holes for threading ribbon ( I think) so I`ve used yellow pearls to hide them.
The sentiment is by Flourishes Tag Lines stamped in Versacolour Marigold.
The Vintage labels stamp from Waltzing mouse is also stamped in Marigold and cut out with a nestie then mounted using foam pads.
I`ve kept this one as clean and simple as I could, letting the sentiment say it all.

Right, I`m off but I`d like to say thank you to all of you that commented on my recent posts and I hope to get round to some more of you later on. I`d also like to say a massive welcome to all the new followers I`ve gained over the last few weeks.
I`ve a very busy few days ahead of me. I`ve got the final numbers for the wedding invitations so I`m going to be up to my eyes in those for the rest of the week. I`m sure I`ll still get round to see you all though.

Thanks for popping in...Lynne xxx