A few wedding flowers

I thought that, as wedding season is approaching, I'd share with you some pics of some wedding flowers that I made a while ago.  This corsage spray is made with Aqua roses which are a lovely blue-y pink colour.  I've added a bit of gyp and some diamantes, together with a bit of soft ruscus foliage. 

Not being very organised, I forgot to take a picture of the bouquet when I made it, so I've managed to crop it from a picture I took at the service, when the register was being signed. 

By the evening reception the petals had become a bit bruised by being knocked around a bit, but this picture is a bit clearer.

Here's another simple corsage that I made - red rose, spray carnations, gyp and some camellia leaves "borrowed" from my mom's garden!

Sadly though, the flowers lasted almost as long as the marriage did, oops!!!

Thanks for looking,

Amanda

Craft Your Days Away - Father's Day

We have our newly expanded DT over at Craft Your Days Away and it is the first time to see some fab creations from our new DT ladies.  Our challenge for the next two weeks at CYDA has been set by Sarah and she has chosen for you:

FATHER'S DAY (or a card for a man)

So, it is the perfect excuse to get your card made ready for Father's Day in the UK on 19th June 2011.  For those of you who are not celebrating it yet, you can make a card for a man too.

We have our regular sponsor, Simon Says Stamp, who are joining us again for this challenge and they are offering a $10 voucher to one lucky winner.  We are also on the look out for a new guest designer to join s for challenge 23 and Sarah will be picking her Top 3.

Now, onto my card ..... its an unusual choice, I do realise that but I have made it for a Dad who is Harry Potter mad!  He's not into football, or fishing, or golf so "normal" man images wouldn't really fit the bill.  When I saw this HP style image from Bugaboo (called The Chosen One) I knew it would be perfect for him!  I have coloured the image with pro markers and the paper is a free download from Summertime Designs.  I found the spider image on Flikr and it was free as long as it was for personal use only.  I added the googly eyes and have dangled him over the card with a thin ribbon so that he moves about.

I am going to enter this card into the following challenges:

Aud Sentiments - Card for a male

Charizma cards - Boy oh boy!

Digi doodles - Anything goes

Meljens Designs - Father's Day

Crafting for all seasons - Anything goes

Digistamps 4 joy - Anything goes

Thanks for visiting today,

Amanda

Simply Homemade - so much inspiration

Just got back from the weekly shop at Tesco where I spotted the current issue of Simply Homemade magazine.  I just had to share with you what a great buy it is for £3.99.  I love the cute unmounted stamps that came free with it and the mag is jam-packed with crafty inspiration!  There's a brilliant template sheet too.

I want to make EVERYTHING in the mag but I especially love the crochet shopping bag and the mini sewing box.  This is such a brilliant magazine for "Jack of all trades" crafters like me.  Oh no, I can feel another visit to Etsy coming on for some more supplies!!!

The next issue is out on 16th June so you've got about 2 weeks to get your copy too!

Amanda

Pollycraft's Dudley dinosaur

I'm getting back in the swing with crafting, slowly but surely.  I have the next 5 days off work (yay! another Bank Holiday Monday for us in the UK!!) and so I intend to get some crafting done.  I have done a little bit of retail theraphy on Etsy tonight - I've bought some lovely vintage style mohair and some adorable teddy patterns so I hope to get my sewing bag out in the next few days and have something nice to show you.  Retail therapy definitely helps - I recomend it, but then again, I'm not a bank manager, just a craft-aholic!!!

Today's card was one that I was asked to make.  It is for a little boy who lives overseas and so I have had to keep it fairly flat so that it can be posted easily.  I was asked to make a card with a dinosuar on it and so I thought that this Pollycraft image (Dudley with Balloon) was just right.  As usual I have coloured the image with pro markers, the papers are Its a boy thing by DCWV and I've cut the main shape with nestabilities.

The orange paper is supposed to be a giraffee but I thought it could also be scaly dinosaur skin (with a bit of artistic licence!).  I have embossed a strip of it with a Sizzix texture plate.  The card candy was originally white and I coloured it with a pro marker to get the colour match.

I told the lady (who the card was for) if Henry asks what kind of dinosaur it is, tell him it is a "Doyathinkhesaurus" - but then again, a five year old  boy probably knows all of the dinosaur names much better than the adults!

I am entering this card into the following challenges:

Crafting for all seasons - anything goes

Creativ Belli - use old/forgotten tool (Sizzix texture plates)

Digi stamps 4 joy - boys, boys, boys

Paper shelter - anything goes

Creative card crew - anything goes

Digital Tuesday - texture (embossing) and Pollycraft digi image

Stamps R us - going digital (Pollycraft image)

Thanks for looking,

Amanda

Sharing a few birthday pictures ....

So sorry for being a bad blogger and not being around very much this week.  It hasn't been the best of weeks and I just haven't seemed to be in the right frame of mind to sit down and craft.  Actually, it is quite un-nerving as I have been in a bit of a cleaning and tidying mood all week which is not really me! 

I thought that I would share a few pictures of my son's recent 18th birthday - just to let you know that I'm still here and hopefully the crafting bug will bite again next week.

So here's me with my son on his birthday and, yes, I am wearing heels!  Can anyone spot the purple Papermania craft tote that I "forgot" to put away?

When we said that his taxi had arrived, this is what was waiting outside for us.  There was loud music blasting out and flashing lights inside - I think that all of the neighbours heard us and several came outside to see what the commotion was!!!

It was great fun being driven around before we went out for the night - we certainly turned a few heads.  My mother was waving out of the back of the limo just like the Queen.  We didn't have the heart to tell her that the windows were tinted and no one could see her!  Here's my youngest son enjoying the ride ....

And finally, here's me, yet again with a glass in my hand!  Must hide it next time!

Thanks for stopping by, I think it might be time to start making a new teddy bear, to get me back into the crafting mood.

Amanda



Tilda with flower pot card

This was the Tilda stamp that made me give into temptation after I had made a little pact with myself not to buy any more until I had inked up and used all of the others that I have bought.  I spotted it on a few blogs and it was a case of needing it, not just wanting it - you're with me on that one, right?  If you scroll down a couple of post you will see when I inked it up and added a little bit of grass and a butterfly that has been in my collection for almost 20 years.  I'm really pleased with how this one has turned out and I'm liking the bright summery colours at the moment!

Here's what I've used:

Magnolia stamp - Tilda with Flower Pot, coloured with pro markers

Pink paper by Anna Griffin

Flower paper by My Mind's Eye

Martha Stewart scallop lace heart punch

Happy Birthday stamp by Stamps Away

Tape ribbon (don't really know the correct name for it) - recycled from a sewing kit that it was wrapped around

Buttons and pearls from stash

I am going to enter this card into the following challenges:

A spoonful of sugar - anything goes
Anything goes challenge - Bingo (I chose Ribbon, flowers and Punches)
Claudia and Co - girl's birthday card
Cupcake craft - in the garden
Creative cowgirls - anything goes
One stitch at a time - anything goes
Pear Tree designs - use a stamped image
Divas by Design - anything goes

Thanks for looking!

Amanda

Craft Your Days Away #20 DT card

Is Blogger playing now? Don't know about you, but I really missed my daily fix of catching up with all of your new crafting makes. Looks like Blogger is still catching up posting some of the posts that were "lost".

Anyway, onto today's challenge at Craft your Days Away and we have the results of our DT call over on the challenge blog.  Today's challenge has been set by DT member Lesley who has chosen a great challenge for you:

White + One Colour

Pop over to the challenge blog to see what the DT have made to inspire you for this challenge and to meet our new DT members.  Our sponsor for this challenge is Heart Song Designs - they have some beautiful images in their digi shop but I especially liked the Cupcake Tier image that I used.

I've kept my card fairly plain and simple for this challenge and chose Lilac as my "+ one colour" and not a speck of glitter in sight!  Here's what I've used:

Image - Cupcake Tier by Heart Song Designs, coloured with pro markers

Polka dot paper - Back to Basics by Dovecraft

Embossed white card using Cuttlebug embossing folder (with a lilac ink pad lightly brushed over to add a dash of colour)

Ribbon and button from stash

I am going to enter this card into the following challenges:

Fabulous Friday - Use ribbon or twine

Fab 'n' Funky - Buttons and Bows

Divas by Design - Anything goes

Crafty Creations - Anything goes

Penny's Paper Crafty - Anything goes

Sew Many - Anything goes

Make it colourful - dotty background

Thanks for looking, fingers crossed - hope this posts okay Mr Blogger!

Amanda



My newest and my oldest stamps working together

My newest Tilda stamp arrived yesterday from Sunrise Crafts  - Tilda with Flower Pot (yes, I gave into temptation again!).  I ordered it on Thursday so I was almost lurking behind the front door on Saturday morning ready to pounce when the postman called!!!  I was having a play with my stamps this morning and looking through my folder of stamps when I re-discovered two of the very first stamps I ever purchased in a teddy bear kit nearly 20 years ago.  This was when I first dabbled with rubber stamping - before I got the bug BIG TIME!  The little tuft of grass and butterfly probably haven't been stamped by me for over 15 years but they are perfectly sized for Tilda's and I think I'll be using plenty more of them from now on.

So, Tilda looks lovely all on her own but I always struggle with drawing something for her to stand onto.  I don't really like to see her floating in mid-air so I usually just draw a straight line - but not any more!

I made a little mask by stamping onto a repositional note and cutting around her foot area.

Who would have thought that this 20 year old, tuft of grass stamp could make such a big difference?  (They were originally a foam mounted set but I ripped the foam off and mounted them onto E-Z mount to use with my acrylic blocks).

Do you agree with me that Tilda looks so much better now that she has something to stand on?  The butterfly finishes the little picture off perfectly too.  Okay, so it may be obvious to some of you to do this - but for me it was a bit like a light-bulb moment this morning and I'm just glad that I can make use of some of my older items too!

Right, that's it for me - I'm off to colour this new image in now.  Time for you to hunt through your stash for a tuft of grass stamp!

Thanks for looking,

Amanda

In the Garden - my new digi stamp

I've made a card with my new digi stamp this morning, which is by Leanne Ellis - I just love her range of digis.  They are available from her Etsy shop HERE and the one I've used is called "In the Garden".  The sun is still shining in my little part of the UK which probably influenced my yellow colour scheme.   I ordered myself some bits from Sunrise Crafts yesterday and I've just realised their website has the same yellow colour - maybe that was the inspiration.  Can't wait for the order to aarive - I gave in and had to buy one of the new Tilda stamps amongst a few other bits.

Here's what I've used today:

Digi stamp - In the Garden by Leanne Ellis, coloured with pro markers

Polka dot paper - Digi freebie from Summertime Designs

Other papers - Kay and Co

Butterfly punch - Tonic punches

All other bits and pieces from my stash

I am going to enter this card into the folowing challenges:

Flutterby Wednesday - open challenge
Divas by Design - Anything goes
Claudia and Co - Butterflies
Craft your passion - Anything goes
Stamp with fun - lace or ribbon
Everybody Art - I used their sketch

Thanks for visiting me today!

Amanda

Look what I made!!!

Okay, so I know that it is only a small tote bag but I MADE IT and I'm really pleased with how it has turned out!!!  It makes a change from my hand sewn teddies or just getting out my sewing machine to repair things.  The theory is, now that I have a little craft tote I can keep all of my bits 'n' bobs to hand, but nice and tidy (yeah, right, you all know I'm making that part up!).

As I only finished it on Monday and it is still on display I thought this would be a good time to share with What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday (or work chair in my case as I do not have a work desk - I craft where ever I find a space!).

I bought the instructions and fabric from the NEC Hobbycrafts show in March from Mandy Shaw's stand - she had some lovely stiched goodies, patterns and haberdashery on her stand.

Look inside - there's lots of lovely little pockets to keep my stash tidy (ha, ha!):

Here's the instructions that I used - you can buy the complete kit from HERE and make your own.  I also bought Mandy Shaw's new book last week - lots of inspiration to make "little and pretty" things.  (I purchased my book from Amazon which was a much better price than buying direct).

Also, still out on the table and on my mental To Do list is this cushion bought from my trip to Dunelm this weekend - no prizes for what my next sewing machine project is going to be!  While I was there I just had to have a little detour around the small craft section.  I picked up a couple of packs of mini alphabet stamps for a bargain price of 99p, a reel of red double sided tape which is the best I've found and some lovely glitter paper - the kind that gets you covered in glitter bits everywhere.



Thanks for having a look around my workspace today,

Amanda

Dancing Willow

First of all I want to say a big Hello and Thank You to my newest followers - I will try to get around to your blogs as soon as I can.  Hope you like the new background - I felt it was time for a change from the pale blue.  I'm liking my gingham at the moment - hence the background I've gone for!

Today's card is a fairly flat one so that it can be posted easily - I always worry about sending heavily embellished cards through the post in case it arrives to the recipient ruined.  Also, in the UK we are charged more postage if the envelope is more than 5mm thick so this one just fits under that.  Add to that, I think I may be going through a bit of a "clean and simple" phase at the moment - I keep trying to stick more flowers on but my hand just won't do it!!!

I made it for the Craft Your Days Away current challenge {Music and/or Dance} and then I realised that we had some sponsor images to use (see my below post).  Don't forget that we are having a DT call with our current challenge over at Craft your Days Away!

The stamp is Dancing Willow by Whiff of Joy and I have coloured it with pro markers.  The paper is from an old set by DCWV but I thought that it went perfectly with the images - dresses, handbags and shoes, what more do we girls need for a night out dancing and partying?  I've used flowers from a sizzix die, a MS deep edge punch and my nestabilities for the main shape.

I am going to enter this card into the following challenges:

Mami doodles - let's get girly
Paper cutz - Anything goes
Wags 'n' Whiskers - use a die cut/punch
Little Miss Muffet - use a die cut/punch

And lastly, for all UK bloggers - have a great May Day bank holiday and enjoy your day off work! 

Fingers crossed for sunshine!

Amanda