Vintage cards

Here's some cards that I made this week - using a technique from this site:

http://techniqueszone.wordpress.com/tag/direct-to-paper/

I used the 10 minute collage technique - a lot of fun, and very effective! Then I cut up my paper using their template:

http://trishbee.co.uk/techniqueszone/archives/10minutecollage_files/10minutecollage.pdf

I really enjoyed making these cards - the collage DID only take 10 minutes, and I'm going to definitely play with more of my stamps! What a great way to use them - making my own background papers.

PIF - ("Pay It Forward")

I own a group called Crafty Frenz, and we have just started playing PIF - you can read all about it in this post, and if you would like to participate - go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CraftyFrenz - join the group, and then you can play with us!!

---

A PIF is like a RAK and a 1-4-1 ... all rolled into one. They are random, and must be returned ... BUT not to the person that sent it.

If you would like to play "PIF" please add your name & address to the PIF Database list.

Send ANYTHING crafty to anyone on the list. When they receive it, they must "Pay It Forward" by sending a return to someone else on the list within a month - who then does the same.

Do NOT tell the recipient that a PIF is being sent to them - they are random, and must be a surprise. BUT ... when you receive a PIF, you must acknowledge it on the group, and thank the sender - and please add a pic to the PIF Album.

All envelopes must be clearly marked with "Pay It Forward", our group name, and your name. I also add a little note with my gift, to explain who I am, what group I belong to, and that it's a PIF gift.

You may send any type of CRAFT gift - any theme, any colour, any size, any style, any medium - a doll, an ATC (or 2), a postcard, greeting card/s, a selection of crafty bits/embellishments etc, fabric, threads, papers, drawings, books/magazines, jewellery, inchies/twinchies/4 x 4's, stuffies, pincushions, embroidery, cross-stitch, aprons, patterns, templates etc etc etc ... your choice! And if you're concerned about the cost, just send within your own country, or send something flat in a regular envelope.

Please - ONLY send to members who have signed up in the PIF database.

And last of all, if your gift does NOT get acknowledged, please don't get upset about it - this is a RANDOM swap - all our gifts are being sent out into the big wide world without us, and sometimes the recipient will not let you know that it has arrived, or maybe they've left the group recently, and forgotten to remove their details. But I'm sure that ALL gifts will be loved in their new homes, and who knows, the recipient just might send out something to someone else - which is what PIF is all about!

BUT ... just remember that if YOU are on the PIF list you WILL start receiving gifts - so lets play!!

hugs

Lynette

Polka dots, pink & a bow - Pink Elephant challenge

Well, finally - I've made a card for the Pink Elephant challenge! It's been so long ... and I've missed it - these challenges are great, and I really enjoy seeing what everyone comes up with.

Anyway, the challenge this week was "Polka Dots, Pink & a Bow" ... the background is handmade paper, with a strip of builders tape over the top. I used a pre-made tag, and stamped swirls and the word "Adore" with Shabby Shutters Distress ink, then backed it with black card - embossed it with CB Swiss Dots, wrapped lace and ribbon around the bottom, stapled Polka Dot ribbon to the top, and attached the tag to my card. The butterflies are CB die-cuts, and the circle is a pre-made one, embossed with Swiss Dots.

This was a pleasure to make, and I can't wait for the next challenge!

Cuttlebug hearts

It's been MONTHS since I last posted on this blog - due to family and personal crisis' ... but 2010 is going to be a much better year than 2009 ... that I'm sure of! I've made a lot of cards in the last 12 months - and it's time for me to start sharing them again ... so, here we go!

This card was made for a NZ Mail Art swap - the theme was "Hearts". I rounded and inked the the edges of the background paper, embossed the striped paper with the Cuttlebug "D'vine Swirls" folder, put it on top of a dovetailed piece of ribbon, inked the edges of CB die-cut hearts and used foam squares to attach them.

The Pink Elephant challenge: Yellow, pink & green

This is my card for this week's Pink Elephant challenge ... the theme is "Pink, Yellow & Green" ... not a colour combo that I normally use, so this was a REAL challenge for me!! I used the CB "Birthday" embossing folder for the yellow background, pink for the base card, green & pink ribbon, and green ink ... and I'm VERY happy with how it turned out ... this will definitely be a combo that I'll use again.

Button Card for Pink Elephant Challenge

This is my entry for the Pink Elephant challenge - the theme this week is Buttons. I had a lot of fun making this card, the brown background strip, and the slider are cuttlebugged, and the button is a gorgeous flower one that I found while going through my stash!

The tag is from a C & COMPANY tag pad ... there's 24 tags in the pad - 12 different ones - all lovely. I bought two different pads, and the tag I used is from the pad called "Life's Journey". They're 11cm x 6 cm, and fit beautifully on cards.

Moments that take our breath away

These three cards were made with a sentiment stamp from Rubbadubbadoo - this is one of my favourite sayings, and one that I agree with wholeheartedly! The top card has a sb paper background, with a cuttlebugged (Divine Swirl) piece on top. I used my corner rounder on the cb piece, and glued cb flowers on top, with rhinestones on top of them.

All of the images and sentiments on these cards have been stamped onto thick brown card - thicker than ordinary card, but not as thick as chipboard. I also made the embellishments from it - it goes great thru the cuttlebug!
The stamp on this one is from Montargo, and is my fav stamp (yes, I LOVE seahorses!! LOL) ... sb paper background, rhinestones, and a cb star. The little dots are Crystallina Kindy Glitz.
I really like this stamp - it's from Stampabilities - and the saying on it is "Carpe Diem" - Seize the Day - which goes rather well with the Rubbadubbadoo sentiment. The background card is brown, and I inked the edges of the light brown card with black ink - and if you look carefully you can see the Kindy Glitz in the wings, and the centres of the cb flowers.

Cards for men

The stamped image on these cards is one of my favourites from Rubbadubbadoo, I think it's perfect for a masculine card ... I enjoyed making the first one so much that I just kept making them!! LOL

I stamped the image onto sb paper in the top left corner, and cuttlebugged the right side, and rubbed an ink pad over the cb impression on 3 of them - this is a fun technique, and one that my dh particularly likes on my cards ... the D'vine Swirls looks good done this way, as does the Sylized Flowers ...

Christmas cards 2008

These are some of the Christmas cards that I made for Xmas 2008 - the background papers are from free papers that I received in a magazine, and the chipboard images are from my local craft shop. I'm really happy with how these all turned out - and will definitely make a start on this years ones soon, as I have quite a few images left! I'm following a blog called Christmas Cards All Year Round, and I'm hoping that this will inspire me - why don't you check it out??

"What a WONDERFUL World" by Louis Armstrong

Christmas cards for my mother

"Surfin' Santa" - x-st & cuttlebugged. The mount behind him is card that I covered with fabric. The design is from a Xmas x-st book that my dh gave me for an early Christmas prezzie!!
"Waving Santa" - x-stitched & cuttlebugged - the stars are from the Warehouse, they're very glittery in real life.

I loved stitching these snowmen - they're so cheery!
X-stitch penguin - mounted on white card, then on black. The cuttlebug background is the "Snowflake" border.
"Xmas Ornaments" - x-stitched from my new book - thank you DH!! You can't tell from the scan, but the back stitch is all done in metallic threads ...

These cards were all made for my mother for Christmas - I gave her 12 hand-made Xmas cards, all boxed up in 2 gift-wrapped and decorated boxes. This was definitely a good gift for someone that has everything, and didn't really need any more "stuff" ...

2009 Stitching Resolutions

Do you make New Year's Resolutions? Why not make some stitching goals and see how many you can achieve this year?

My Stitching New Year's Resolutions:

I will make time to stitch every day.

I will keep my supplies organized because this will help me make more time to stitch.

I will purge my collection of cross stitch & embroidery patterns and supplies. I will keep only what I intend to use and sell the surplus, give the other items to another stitcher, or donate them to a charity.

I will complete any unfinished projects.

I will learn some new stitches or techniques.

I will try a new fabric or stitching surface.

I will stitch a project for charity.

I will teach someone to stitch.

I will share my experience with others by posting more in my blog.

I will pass my tips and tricks along to others through my blog, and my Yahoo! craft group - Crafty Frenz.

I will purchase a new tool or gadget for myself.

I will display at least one of my stitching projects whether it is at the local fair, at my workplace, or elsewhere in my community.

I will design my own pattern(s).

I will sell some of my Cross Stitch projects.

Do you have any other stitching resolutions? How about crafting/card-making resolutions??? Leave me a comment if you do, and I'll add them to my list - thank you.

And, have a wonderful Christmas all of you!! Enjoy your time with your loved ones, and don't forget to remember the reason for the season ...

Cuttlebug 90th birthday card

I made this card for a friends 90th birthday - she belongs to our local Embroidery Guild group, and they were having a party for her - and needed a birthday card, which I was asked to make. I consider this to be an honour, as she is a very special lady, with a wonderful attitude, and a wicked sense of humour - which is why I think she got to be a wise, wonderful and healthy 90 year old!

The card is quite a bit bigger than my usual ones, as it needed to be large enough to add a few names and messages, so I started with a large envelope, and made a card to fit! lol As you can tell, I used my cuttlebug for all the backgrounds - and all that I added was a few rhinestones, and a bit of Kindy Glitz ... the ladies were very happy with it, and tomorrow I'll find out if the recipient liked it ...

Blog Action Day

October 15th is Blog Action Day - click here for more info. This years theme is the subject of poverty.

Poverty is not only a pressing issue, it is a complex one. It's easy to think that there isn’t much an individual can do. Fortunately this isn’t the case at all. With activities ranging from advocacy and professional contribution to charity and financing, there is in fact many ways that we can act.

You can find a range of resources about poverty, about what the average person can do as well as dozens of post suggestions and ideas in the Blog Action Day Resources section.

World Cardmaking Day

These are the cards that I made on World Cardmaking Day - I had these x-stitch images ready to make into cards, and this was the right occasion to finish them. I really do enjoy x-st, and am very happy with how these cards turned out - now I need to get busy, and stitch some more!

If you want to find out about World Cardmaking Day - have a look at this site for the history of the day, lots of ideas, card gallery & more!