Cottage calendar

I found this cute cottage die at the craft fair in the NEC - I'd been looking out for it for ages.  I really like the way the windows and door open up! I've used it here with SU paper and a kraft card to make a desk calendar for an upcoming craft fair - I think I'll make a few in different colours.  The leafy die is a Magnolia Doohickey one and the tiny wee flowers were made using a punch. I bought the mini fence die ages ago, (not sure which company) knowing it would come in useful.  The 2014 was die cut using one of the first sets of dies I ever bought, by Quickutz (they have been very well used and still cut cleanly).  I will enter the Simon Says and Cute Card Thursday challenges this week, as they are both 'Anything Goes.'
Oh, I've just noticed my blog header has moved back to its normal place on the page - for the past few weeks it has been half off the top of the page and nothing I tried would shift it - hopefully it will behave now and stay where its supposed to be!

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On my work desk this week you will see lots of mini crackers I'm preparing for a table at a cakes and crafts fair.  Each one contains a large after dinner mint cream - so I thought they might do for putting on the Christmas dinner table.  I have used the Tonic studio cracker die, but trimmed it down a bit and used a SU border punch on the ends.  The ones you can see on my desk were made using SU pool party card and paper, but I have made lots more in the traditional reds and greens.  To visit everyone else, go to Julia's blog HERE.

Wink of Stella

While at the craft fair in the NEC, I watched one of the demonstrators using the Wink of Stella brush pens and just had to buy some!! This card was made using a SU stamp, dies, ruffled ribbon (baked brown sugar) and card, but I coloured it using the new brush pens to give a lovely glittery effect - unfortunately it doesn't show up all that well in my photo.

Gardening

A 70th birthday card I was asked to make recently.  The image is from one of the LOTV art pads and the sentiment was computer generated.  The garden twine has been sitting on my desk for ages and the leaves were bought a few years ago now - I have a little jar of them, but rarely ever use them as they are too nice to use up!!  I used a 'wood' embossing folder on the crumb cake card (from SU).

Mini crackers

These crackers were made using the Tonic studios cracker die - I just trimmed off the tabs at one edge and cut off the last section of the other edge, then scored the centre of each alternate 'diamond' cut out.  Then I used a border punch to decorate the ends and a strip of paper to go around the centre.  I folded all the scored lines then used the red very sticky double sided tape to join it together and tied it at each end with contrasting ribbon. The holly was made using the Seasons  Greetings die that came with the cracker one.  I will enter them into this weeks Allsorts challenge - 'Make a Gift.'

Tilly Daydream

Yet another of my Tilly Daydreams decoupage cards - and I bought some more sets at the NEC last week!! They are quick to put together and make a lovely card in next to no time! This one used some cream flowery chiffon ribbon and a die cut '6'.  The sentiment is from SU, cut out with one of their oval punches.  The shaped orange panel was cut using a large Go Kreate die.

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A little more messy than usual today - I still have some of my stash from the NEC to sort and put away.  The black folder thingy is great for storing lots of dies - there were 10 pockets came inside it and I bought another refill pack, so it really holds quite a lot! I also used some of my other magnetic sheets to put in dies back to back in some of the folders and even then there's room for more! The cottage die is a new purchase as well - I've been looking out for that one for ages.  The buttons were great value -£1 per pack, but I still need to sort them into my containers - I have one for each colour.  The cute hessian bags were bought plain and so I've been decorating them with felt flowers to sell at our craft stall.  There were only a few of the LOTV art pads left, but I managed to find two I wanted. Visit Julia's blog HERE to see what everyone else is doing this week.

Spots and stripes

I think I'll have to look out for more of these decoupage designs at the NEC tomorrow - I've used them nearly all now! This one was made following the layout on this weeks Sketch and Stash challenge - the sentiment stamp is my old stash as it was one of the very first sets I bought from SU! The paper and card are also from SU - Not Quite Navy and Real Red and the decoupage design is by Docrafts and is my new stash.  The die used to cut the central panel is from a set by SU and the circles were made using punches.  It's turned out a bit like the American flag only with spots and stripes instead of stars and stripes!  I will also enter the Papertake Weekly challenge as its 'Anything Goes' this week.

Splashing in the puddles!

Another decoupage card following the layout on this weeks Friday Sketch Challenge.  The card is from SU, as is the clouds embossing folder and the little umbrella is a die cut.  I had the ribbon in my stash and the sentiment stamp is a retired on from SU, cut out with a circle punch and a Nestibilities die.

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Not much by way of crafting on my desk this week - just a decoupage image waiting to be made up into a card and my wee notebook/diary where I keep a record of current challenges I think I might enter.  The exciting reason for the passports/boarding passes/tickets etc is that my daughter, my friend and I are all flying over to Birmingham for the big craft fair at the NEC on Friday! Mind you, the flight leaves at 7:10 and we need to leave home around 4am, so we'll probably be half asleep by the time we get there!! (These big pages are covering up an ever increasing pile of inky stamps, needing to be cleaned and put away!) To find out if everyone else has some proper crafty things ongoing this week, pop over to Julia's blog HERE and join in!

Birthday girl

Here is a card I made recently using a LOTV image from one of their artpads - so handy for quick cards.  The 'happy birthday' is a SU stamp and the punch used to cut it out is also from SU.  The little banner was made using a die and I have had a big roll of that baby pink ric-rac for years!  Simon Says challenge is Anything Goes this week so I'll enter it there.

Autumn birthday

I made this card using the layout on this weeks Sketch and Stash challenge.  The decoupage image is by Docrafts, the cardstock is from SU (Raspberry Ripple), as is the designer paper and sentiment stamp (though now discontinued) and the hemp cord is from Crafts U Love.  The leaves were die cut using a 'Joys' die which I've had for years and my other really old stash is the sentiment stamp - they were my very first SU purchase! The die cut decoupage sheets are quite new and as there is a tree in the design, I think I can enter this weeks Allsorts challenge - 'Treemendous!'