Keep For Ever Cards

Challenge 5 - First Signs of Spring

2012-02-26T18:00:00.004Z

First of all, let me apologize to anyone who reads my blog for my tardiness lately. I have had a few things to deal with and have not been keeping up with my Blog...sorry about that, I will try to do better.
Today is the launch of Challenge 5 on Quirky Crafts Challenge Blog. It is my turn to set the challenge. As I said I have been a bit down and this time of year I am always desperate to see the first little shoots coming up in the garden with their promise that Spring and Summer is on it's way. I hate the cold and wet winters, and it certainly has been very cold of late, so what better theme to cheer us all up than something looking forward to Spring. For the First Signs Of Spring Challenge I am asking for a Double Z Fold card from the cardmakers among you, and an item concealing something that indicates the coming of Spring for the non card makers, by that I mean perhaps an exploding box containing Spring items or something along those lines.
The sponsor for the challenge is The Stamping Boutique, who are kindly donating a prize of the winner's choice of 5 digi stamps. The winner will be chosen by the design team. Head on over to the blog to check out the design team's examples.

Challenge 3 - Create a Scene

2012-01-29T18:01:00.000Z

Challenge launch time at Quirky Crafts Challenge Blog.
This time the theme is Create a Scene. Our sponsors are Limited Runs Digital Stamps and Squigglfly. Please head over to Quirky Blog to see the prizes on offer. Sorry about the short post today, but major internet problems have meant that I needed to post quickly while I had a chance.

My scene would look lovely on a nursery wall. Limited Runs images were used in Craft Artist to create the scene and extra images printed to create decoupaging. Hope you like....

Quirky Crafts Challenge - Challenge 2...Silhouettes

2012-01-15T18:01:00.005Z

Good Afternoon Challenge Bloggers....
At Quirky Crafts Challenge Blog it is time for a new challenge. Thanks to all who entered the challenge I set last time. There were some lovely entries, but once again some worthy entries had to be discounted when the team came to decide their winners because the entries did not obey the sites rules. The main thing that people are not reading is that their entry can only be entered into a total of 6 challenges....so that is ours +5 others. PLEASE read the rules, it is heartbreaking when we have to exclude some of the lovely entries, it makes us sad :(
This challenge is set by Caro, and she has gone for Silhouettes, so she wants to see a craft item...not just a card, it can be anything hand made, but it must include silhouettes of some kind. Our challenge has been sponsored by Stitchy Bear Stamps who are kindly offering a prize of a $10 digistamp voucher

Here is my offering this challenge:-

I would just like to say that my thoughts are with Lyn (Spyder) and her family. Lyn wont be with us for this challenge as she has some tough family stuff going on right now......hugs to you all Lyn.
Thanks for looking in...

Challenge 1 of 2012 - Food Glorious Food

2012-01-01T18:02:00.000Z

Happy New Year to everyone in Blogland. I hope it is a healthy and happy one for all. I must admit I am feeling much more positive about the up coming year, we have a few not so good ones on the trot and I figure it is about time that changed.

Time for the first challenge of the year over at Quirky Crafts Challenge. I have the honor of kicking things off this year, and we are also honored to welcome aboard a new sponsor, Bugaboo Stamps.

This is a refreshingly different range of digital stamps, please check them out...I think they are great!
I was trying to come up with the theme for this challenge whilst I was up to my neck cooking for Christmas. I was thinking how we would all be sick and tired of the site of food by the end of the festivities, so in my warped mind it seemed like the ideal theme, and there are some great digital stamps at Bugaboo that just fitted right in there....so that is it. I want to see a card, or any other crafting item, with the them of food glorious food. This should be an easy one after taxing you brains with the last challenge, so I hope to see lots of entries this time. Here is mine example. I chose the Bugaboo JJ Cook Stamp to work with, and there are a few in this series, with some great sentiments to compliment too. Hope you like my make...come on over to the challenge and join in. You could be lucky enough to win a bunch of digistamps for free!

Quirky Crafts Challenge- last one of 2011

2011-12-18T18:01:00.004Z

Its is Cazzy's turn and she has decided Christmas or New Year with a twist...and her twist was Steampunk! A new thing for me completely. Our sponsors this time are StitchyBear Stamps and I chose the LiteBrite stamp to work with. I had a great piece of backing paper, a really dark red, that I have been saving for ages and I decided now the time was right to use it. I decided on an easel card, but I have printed the stamp onto acetate so I could create an acetate bubble/dome to the easel part of the card. I coloured the acetate on the reverse and then used a lovely festive ribbon as my stop.

I hope you like it. Please come along to The Quirky Crafts Challenge Blog, check out the challenge and have a go at winning the prizes......yes there are prizes!!
Have a good Christmas Everyone in Blogland...and a Happy and Healthy New Year to you all!

Quirky Crafts Challenge - 24 - Clean and Simple

2011-11-20T18:03:00.014Z

The new challenge is set by Caro, who has decided on Clean and Simple. I love and admire this style of card, but find it really difficult not to over fuss thinks. choose the Boo Boo Bunny stamp from our lovely sponsors, Digital Delights by Louby Lou. Coloured with promarkers, here is what I have come up with....

Challenge 23 - Attitude

2011-11-06T18:03:00.003Z

Another fortnight has sped by and it is time for another challenge at Quirky Crafts. Cazzy has set this challenge and she chose Attitude. We were to use Digital Stamps from The Stamping Boutique who are our sponsors for this challenge. Click on the link to go to The quirky Crafts Challenge Blog for full details of the challenge and the prizes on offer. Please read carefully as we have decided to change the way that the prizes are awarded.

I chose a digital stamp from the Stamping Boutique called Max. He just screamed attitude to me the moment I saw him. i decided to create a stand card so that i could make it look like a stage. The centre part where you would normally attach the tag is where i have created the stage backdrop, and i mounted Max on to acetate so I could adhere him to the front section of the stand, making it look like he is on stage in a spotlight. Max is coloured with promarkers and decoupaged. I couldn't resist the blue streaked hair!
Come and check out the challenge....

Quirky Crafts Challenge 22 - Autumn colours and leaves

2011-10-23T18:07:00.000+01:00

My turn to set the challenge this time, it is surprising how quickly my turn comes around again. Looking out my craftroom window gave me the inspiration. The trees have some beautiful colours at the moment, I love Autumn. SO my choice was easy this time. I want to see Autumn colours and I want to see Leaves. As always you can make whatever you like, it doesn't have to be a card...whatever takes your fancy. Here is mine

This challenge is sponsored by Stitchy Bear Stamps. There is a prize on offer of free digital stamps from the Stitchy Bear Store. The design team were given some stamps to play with. I chose the Snuggle Birds, they looked so cosy. Leaves were punched out and coloured with promarkers. Come and join the challenge.....

Quirky Crafts Challenge -21 Spooky or recipe

2011-10-09T18:03:00.000+01:00

Yet again time for a new challenge....Lyn's turn this time. we had some lovely images from Limited Runs to work with...and there is a choice of digi images for a prize, so head on over to Quirky Crafts Challenge Blog and enter.
Here is mine

It is a tent type card, but with a folded bit inside, like a stepper card.....I have no clue what the official name is for this fold...sorry! I coloured the bat with trusty promarkers and mounted him onto an acetate strip, so I could get the effect of him flying out at you from the haunted scene behind. I don't really get into the whole Halloween thing much......but I quite like this one....

Quirky Challenge- In the jungle

2011-09-25T18:00:00.006+01:00

Please excuse this very quick post this time....I have been quite poorly this week and should be resting.....If I am on the computer for long I will get nagged by my ever loving Husband to rest.
Just a quick post to show you the door hanging I chose to make for the challenge this time at Quirky Crafts Challenge Blog. Please click the link to go there and see the details. I used two digistamps provided by our sponsor (details on the challenge blog) to make this door sign for a nephews bedroom. Hope you like it.

Quirky Crafts Challenge 19- anything but a card

2011-09-11T18:00:00.020+01:00

Caro's challenge this time, sponsored by Robyns Fetish once more. Anything but a card she said! I am not really into the old altered art scene...so I didn't have some wonderful old relic laying around to be made over...except me that is! SO....what to do????

I decided I would make something from scratch, and as everyone is talking and thinking about kids going back to school (although mine are way past this stage!) I decided a pen/pencil box would be nice. I dug out some old mount board scraps...you know those little bits that get left from boxes and frame etc, those bits that are just a tincy bit too big to feel good about throwing them away. I knew they would come in handy for something one day, if I kept them long enough.This is what I made

I covered the mount board with some printed denim look paper. Painted the inside with H2O paints. Cut a cuttlebug die buckle to go on the blue seam binding type ribbon, and then coloured the images kindly donated by Robyns Fetish, our sponsors this challenge. Couldn't resist a bit of grafitti too. Voila!

Come and join in our challenge.........Quirky Crafts Challenge Blog

WOYWW 116

2011-08-31T09:54:00.000+01:00

Here is my desk this morning. What can I show you??
Well the postie came yesterday with my Martha Stewart stamp around the page. Shouldn't have bought it really, but I happened to catch it on screen and thought it looked good. Haven't had time to play yet as yesterday was busy. My Son enrolled at College, having done really well in his GCSE's he could choose the course he really wanted. We also had haircuts here yesterday so the afternoon just disappeared. Hopefully I can play today. You can also see a card I am working on. Mum wanted a card for my Cousin's Son, who is to be 11 years old and who is mad on Scrapheap Challenge etc. I thought this one would be easy, but I have found it really hard to find images that were suitable. I think I am getting there now though...just needs finishing off. Apart from all my storage there is not much more to see really.

Hop on over to Julia's blog to see lots of other workdesks...

Quirky Crafts Challenge - 18 - Flourishes and embossing

2011-08-28T18:03:00.000+01:00

Time for me to choose a challenge again over at Quirky Crafts Challenge Blog. This time I have chosen Flourishes and embossing. I want to see at least one flourish and a bit of any kind of embossing on each entry!
He is my Design Team Offering:-

The backing paper was from a free digikit, unfortunately I don't know where that came from now..and the flourish and Love were cut using my Gazelle and the fabulous Make The Cut Software.
The main image is of course a lovely digistamp provided by our sponsors this challenge Robyn's Fetish, this one is called Blossom. The image was coloured using a mixture of promarkers and flexi promarkers (which are fantastic!). I used Blossom and Pale Blossom with marsh green and cocoa. It doesn't show in the picture, but the centres of the flowers are decoupaged and embossed with clear to make them shiny. The white oval mat was also cut from my Gazelle, and I used Penny Duncan's faux nestie effect cuttlebug embossing method to emboss the edge....mark 1 had swirls embossed on the mat too....but I decided that was a step too far!
Come and join the challenge....there is a $10 voucher to be won!

Quirky Crafts Challenge 17 - Red Hat

2011-08-14T18:00:00.001+01:00

New challenge time again and this time we have the challenge of Red Hat. You can make anything you like as long as there is a red hat there somewhere. He is my offering

I used the Red Hat digistamp provided by our sponsors Robyn's Fetish. I decided to enlarge the stamp to make a hat shaped card. The red and black flower paper is from a Summertime Designs digikit I downloaded for free ages ago, i traced the flower outlines with a glue pen and added black glitter. The ribbon section of the hat is also black glitter. The image has a flower on the hat already, but I wanted it to be more 3d, so I set about making one of Penny Duncan's Grunge roses from the file on her website. I think it sets the card off a treat.

Come and join in the challenge....

Quirky Crafts Challenge 16....numbers

2011-07-31T16:01:00.013+01:00

Over on Quirky Crafts Challenge Blog our next challenge has just launched. The theme this time, chosen by Lyn is NUMBERS. We can do anything we like, as long as it has something to do with numbers.....ATC card, shaped card, scrapbook page....anything. Here is mine

The chef digistamp was kindly supplied by our sponsor for this challenge Digital Delights By Louby Loo. Check out the Quirky Challenge Blog for details of the challenge and the prizes on offer this time around. We would love to see your entries....

WOYWW

2011-07-27T10:53:00.000+01:00

Hello Everyone,

My desk is a bit of a mess today I am afraid, as you catch me desperately trying to finish a card for my friend's birthday today.

I also have to get my thinking cap on for a challenge dt card this weekend...no idea what I am going to do yet! Anyway...I will think about that one later. Here is the finished card

Pop over to Julia's blog to see lots of other workdesks snapped for prosperity today.

Quirky Crafts Challenge- 15...puzzle pieces

2011-07-17T18:00:00.007+01:00

Another Two Weeks have flown by, and we had lots of entries to last weeks challenge of No Patterned Papers over at Quirky Crafts Challenge Blog. Now it is time for the new challenge. The new challenge is puzzle pieces, sponsored by The Stamping Boutique. Choosing a stamp to work with was easy, as I had already spotted the Candy Store Stamp in their new releases on the website. I love it, so 'oldy worldy'. I had fun making this birthday card with the stamp, and i actually used it twice to create the puzzle box lid and the part made puzzle itself. The cream mat ( which I wanted to look like a tablecloth under the puzzle) was cut on my Gazelle using a file from Monica. If you haven't seen her website and you have an electronic cutter, you really really should, she has some fantastic files there, and all for free. She is so talented. Hope you like it...

Do come over to the challenge blog and enter our challenge this fortnight......it is fun, and you could win yourself some digistamps!

WOYWW

2011-07-06T15:05:00.000+01:00

Better late than never!

Here is my desk today..

I am just finishing a card for my cousin, whose birthday is coming up soon, trying to get ahead of myself as I have been chasing my tail lately! You can also see a handbag card I have made for a challenge set over on the Make The Cut Forum. Angela decided it would be nice to set a challenge for the UK and Ireland users of Make The Cut Software. As it is an american based software there are not many Brits on there so we are trying to get together. The handbag was made using a template from my friend Sara's site...Cardmakingparadise. If anyone has checked her site before and has been put off by the annual membership (although it is great value) she has now decided to make her fantastic templates available singly and at a very reasonable cost too. I have been helping her by providing all the different cutting file formats she needed.

If you zoom in and really nose around....it's ok, you are allowed....you will see my new Fiskars precision cutter/trimmer. I have to say that I have had many trimmers before, but this is by far the best I have had....just a shame it isnt big enough for 12x12"...oh well you cant have it all. I also have the new Fiskars stamp wheel, but haven't had chance to get it out of the box yet.

Oh well I think that's me for today..head on over to Julia's blog to nose at more desks.

Happy Days!

Quirky Crafts Challenge 14 - no patterned paper

2011-07-03T18:00:00.001+01:00

Good Afternoon Everyone....time for the next challenge at Quirky Crafts. This time the challenge is to not use patterned papers and to use a digistamp.

Here is my attempt:-

As we were not to use patterned backing papers i decided to go with an embossed background. This one is a cuttlebug one. my first thought was to ink the raised areas, but then I decided I liked it the way it was. White organza ribbon done the middle with a line of silver mirri card. A nice organza bow finished it off. The image is from Stichy Digital Stamps, who are the challenge sponsors this week. This iris is lovely, I have used this before. This time I have coloured it using Inktense pencils and a waterbrush. I inked the edge of the mat with a matching chalk pad and mounted on a thin silver mat. Three sparkly stones to finish, coloured to match with a promarker.
Hope you like it, come on over to the challenge blog and show us what you have got!

WOYWW

2011-06-22T13:50:00.000+01:00

Welcome to my blog on a very dreary and wet Wednesday.....where is Summer??????
It is my Husbands birthday today, so I have his card to show you. He and my Son have recently got quite into fishing...hence the theme. His pressies were all fishing related too.
Ok.....where's the picture I hear you cry??? Well blame Mr Blogger......is it just me, or have there been loads of problems lately?? I cant get the picture to load into the page....I get the little spinny circles (technical!) to try to fool me into thinking it is thinking about doing something....but nothing.
I shall do the British thing and carry on regardless! (an come back and edit the post another day).
Hopefully others will have had better luck and there will be something worth looking at if you head over to Julias Blog

Quirky Crafts Challenge 13- Lyn's Recipe

2011-06-19T18:00:00.002+01:00

New challenge time again!
It's Lyn's turn this time and she has given us a recipe to follow. This is new to me, not worked to a recipe before, but its cool. At first I thought we had to include everything and I thought I would end up with a right mess, but the girls soon put me straight. Her is her recipe

And here is my card

I have managed to use 5 sections of the recipe. There is my digi stamp of course, from Robyn's Fetish, who have very kindly sponsored the challenge along with Crafty Ribbons. I have lace, I have used coffee and cream colours, 3 backing papers (the third is printed onto the mat with the stamp), and I have 5 flowers. What do you mean I can't count???? Two flowers on the card.....and three on the cup!

Come on over to the challenge blog and let us see your entry....you might win some stamps or ribbons.

WOYWW

2011-06-15T14:33:00.000+01:00

Good Afternoon Everyone,

I tried to post this morning...but Blogger wouldn't let me. Any one else having trouble lately? Even now things are not right...my signature seems to have disappeared!
Any way, I will continue and see if I can get to the end and post. Apologies for missing the last couple of weeks, been rushed off my feet. On to business:-

My desk today.

I had a birthday card to do, which needs to be in the post tomorrow...nothing like leaving it to the last minute! I have also been working on my design team contribution for the next Quirky Crafts Challenge which I obviously can't let you see, so that is hidden under the very masculine black paper. Sorry about that, but the girls wouldn't like it! Heres a closer shot of the birthday card though...

Just a simple one for my cousin. If you like the easel, I made it from a template available at Cardmaking Paradise (see side bar). I am working with Sara to help re-organise the templates on the site. I have been using her site for years and have still come across templates I didn't know she had there.

Please pop over to Julia's blog to see loads of other workdesks preserved for prosperity today.....or just to have a good nosey around.

Please Mr Blogger...let this post?????

Quirky Crafts Challenge 12- Under The Sea

2011-06-05T18:11:00.001+01:00

It's my turn to set the challenge again...already!!! Where does the time go. I thought I would go easy on everyone this time and not specify a card design, so entrants can make anything they want....as long as it fits the theme Under The Sea. We are sponsored by Digital Delights by Louby Loo this time. So we are sure of a nice prize for our winner. Check out the store!

So this challenge make happens to coincide with a request from my Mum to make a card for her to send to my niece, who will soon be 3 years old.....We were given some lovely stamps to work with from Digital Delights. Here is what I came up with:-

I printed out the lovely mermaid stamp onto white card, coloured with promarkers and marvy pens and then used a diamond glaze on the mermaid body to make her shiny and wet looking. After fixing her to the front of the card I cut around her so she looks as though she is sitting on a rock. I stuck some sea backing paper to the inside of the card. My favourite bit is the clam shell....he looks sooooo cross!

Hope you like it.

Come on over to the Quirky Crafts Blog and show us your entry!

Quirky Crafts Challenge 11- Spyders Sketch

2011-05-22T18:00:00.001+01:00

We were given some lovely files to work with this time around for Spyder's Challenge, which is a sketch. The sponsors are The Cutting Cafe. This site is well worth checking out, with cutting files and digis for all tastes. Please visit the Quirky Crafts Challenge Blog for details of the challenge, prizes and of course the sketch to inspire you....actually I believe there are two to choose from...what more can you ask for?

Here is my design team entry for this one...hope you like it...

Finished Card

2011-05-15T14:34:00.000+01:00

Anyone who visited via the WOYWW last week, might be interested to see the finished card that was on my desk at the time. I promised I would show it...so here it is:-

I wasn't sure what I was going to do with the paper piecing baker that I created in MTC. I decided that he really needed to be stood up, so went for the pull up card. I fastened him to the sliding portion and then decided that the sides of the card were much too plain....ribbon didn't work for me, neither did any of the border punches I have...so out come the MTC software again. The borders were created on there, just little cupcake shapes cut out from a wavy border. I then coloured the cupcakes with promarkers and fixed them in place with sticky pads to give some dimension to the card.

Here is the card open showing the verse, and the whole thing was completed with a label on the back to allow the sender to sign it. I handed it over today and she was thrilled to bits with it, so I am happy too.

Take care,