Crafty Cardmakers Challenge #205 - Love & Romance

Hello everyone and welcome to my crafty space!  Hope you are having a wonderful day!!

The new Challenge has started over at Crafty Cardmakers! 
Marlene is the host for this Challenge  and the Theme is Valentine based, so it's all about Love and Romance!
As always, anything you care to create is fine as long as it follows the Theme!

So, once again, I have created a card.
This is not really a Valentine's card though.  Hubby and I have been married for 50 years (yeah!  I know!!  I can't believe it either!  LOL!!) but we have never celebrated  Valentine's Day.  Just never felt we wanted, or needed to, so, this card will simply be used to send a little love to a rellie or maybe a close friend on their birthday. 

The background was created with some texture paste through a mini 'Art Is' stencil by the Crafters' Workshop.

Once the texture paste was dry, I sprinkled on a little LSG Magicals powder in Rizzo's Rowdy Red and then sprayed over that with water.   I love the way it splatters everywhere and I love all the different colours you get with this technique. 

Topped it with my usual cluster of gauze, diecuts and flowers.

The sentiment was printed with a label maker and then mounted on a piece of chipboard.

Once it was all assembled, I swiped the cluster with a little gesso and added some stamping along the edge!

Unfortunately, the stamping was not very clear and I must have hiccupped while doing it!  LOL!  Still, I don't mind that it's a bit messy.  It is handmade after all, so not meant to be perfect!!

Do go on over to the Crafty Cardmakers Blog and check out the fabulous creations by my Team Mates.  You will be inpsired to join in, I'm sure!!  Looking forward to seeing what you create!!

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge #205 - Love and Romance.

Thank you so much for stopping by.
Have yourselves a wonderful day!
Take care and God Bless.
Marg oxox

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge #204 - Get Inky/Messy!!

Hello everyone and welcome to my blog.  So pleased that you dropped by!

It's time for another Challenge over at Crafty Cardmakers and the Theme this time around is to get Inky or Messy!!  Chanya is our host and, as always, you may create whatever you like as long as it meets the current Theme.
You may be pleased to know that we no longer have a Challenge limit, so you can enter as many other Challenges as you like.

Well, as usual, I have created a card.  Actually, I created a number of cards or, I really should say, I created a number of backgrounds using Lindy's Stamp Gang Magicals, but most of them were a total failure!   Just couldn't seem to get the process right.  I simply ended up with  these big blobs in the middle of my paper but, I am happy to  say, that I did manage to get a couple I liked, one of which I am sharing here.

This was, actually, the first background I did .. and didn't really like at first.  Wasn't sure what kind of card I wanted to make either so, I put it aside, and tried again, and again, and again .. four times again, as a matter of fact, LOL!!  Finally I made another one that I quite liked and did start making a card with that one but, even that, wasn't working out for me.  So, I went back to the first one and, all of a sudden, it just came together!  

When I had a closer look at it, I really did start to like the different shades in the background and, once I started to build up the card, I was liking it more and more.

At first, I wasn't sure what to use for the cluster but then I remembered a card made recently by Lisa of A Mermaid's Craft.  She used a Chloe Stem Die by Memory Box on her card and it looked gorgeous and I remember thinking that I have that die but have never used it.  So, I got it out and voila! .. I love it!!

The die below is the Garland Threads Die by Altenew which I purchased just recently from
Megs Garden.  I really love that too!!

I didn't even use any prills this time!  Didn't think they were needed.

Tried to capture the shimmer on this photo, but it is really difficult to pick up with a camera.

In the end, I am really happy with my summery, shimmery card and I also know just the person to give it to!  All good!

Would love for you to pop on over to take a peek at the lovely creations by my Teamies.  I am sure you will be inspired to join in with Challenge!  Would love to see what you create!!
To check it all out, and to link up your entry simply follow the link below.

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge #204 - Get Messy/Inky!!

Thank you so much for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day!!
Take care and God Bless.
oxox Marg

My first post for 2018

Hello everyone and welcome!  

Sorry I haven't been here for a little while but I took a bit of a break over the holidays just to recharge the batteries, so to speak.  So, as this is my first post for 2018, I would like to wish you all a very Happy New Year and hope this year turns out to be your best one ever!!

It's taken me a while to get back into feeling creative again.  This card I am about to show you took ages to complete but, once I got a taste of crafting again, it just took off like a rocket and now I've got six of them waiting for a blog post!  LOL!!  It really was nice to get back into my craft room.
The papers used on this card are from a 6.5" x 6.5" paper pad by Kaisercraft  called Rose Avenue. A really pretty collection with pale blues and pinks  with a bit of green thrown in as well.

A few bits of pretty lace for interest and texture and I cut the top layer of paper with a Tim Holtz MM die.

I very rarely use such large flowers on my cards but I really love this one.  It's made by Little Birdie and I really love the almost grungy look of it.  A great contrast, I feel, to the delicate papers behind it.

There is a bit of gauze tucked in underneath the cluster and, of course, I had to add some prills and micro beads.

I do love those pretty papers and I also love the bottom layer peeking through the die cut.  Adds such a lot of interest I feel.

Before I go I would like to thank all of you for all the encouragement and support you gave me in 2017.  For all of the visits, and for all of the lovely comments I received, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.  I really do appreciate it all.  Thank You.

And, thank you also for your visit today.  I love that you came by to take a peek.
Take care and God Bless.

 

A Christmas Trio

Hello everyone and welcome to my bloggy place. 

Thank you so much for stopping by at this very busy time of the year.  I hope all your Christmas preparations are going to plan.  

Hubby and I have just returned home from Victoria where we helped my sister celebrate her 80th Birthday.  Just have to point out that she is a bit older than I am .. LOL!!  We had a wonderful time while we were there catching up with family and friends but, it is so nice to be back home again.  The only thing I don't like about coming home is all the washing that has to be done!!  I hate housework.  I can think of many, many better ways to spend my time .. such as crafting for one!  Ha! Ha!  I am looking forward to catching up on everyone's beautiful works though!  Might take a little while but I will get there!!

I would like to share a few more of my Christmas cards with you.  These three cards are basically the same design with just a few different elements.

The papers I used are a mix by Kaisercraft and Crafts Smith.  I die cut the top layer on two of the cards with a Tim Holtz MM die.

I found those little plastic pine cones in one of our cheaper outlets but I can't remember which one.  Duh!!   I only bought the one pack and have been trying to find them again but not having any luck.

The pine branch is a die by Impression Obsession and the flair is handmade.  Simply printed out the greeting, used a circle punch to cut it out and then covered it with an epoxy sticker.

The poinsettia was made with a Poppy Crafts die and I simply added some prills for the center.

I randomly swiped the flowers and pine branches with Liquitex Matte Medium and then sprinkled on some glitter.
This time I used a scallop punch for the flair and covered it with Glossy Accents.

Lightly highlighted the flowers and pine cones with gesso and used some gold twine to make the bows.

As I said at the beginning of this post, the design of these cards is the same  but I used different papers and elements so they wouldn't all look the same.  Easy peasy!

Thank you so much for taking the time to come and have a look.

I would like to thank you all so much for the encouragement and support you have given me over this past year and would also like to wish you all  a very Merry and Blessed Christmas and a Happy and prosperous New Year!!

Have fun, take care and God Bless.
oxox Marg

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge #202 - Christmas

Hello everyone and welcome.  So pleased you dropped by, especially at this busy time of year.

The last Challenge for 2017 has gone live at Crafty Cardmakers.  June is our host and, surprise!, surprise!, the Theme is Christmas!!

As usual, anything you would like to enter is fine, as long as it is Christmas themed.

For this card I have used more of the papers from a 6" x 6" pad by Craft Smiths.

Instead of adding lace, I used some white cardstock which was edged with the Deep Edge Floral Vine border punch by Martha Stewart.

Placed some scrunched up cotton underneath the cluster for more texture and there is a small die cut doily hiding underneath there too.

Added micro beads and glitter to the flowers and, of course,  I scattered some prills around the card as well.

The chipboard pieces are by Scrapmatts.

I hope you are inspired to join in with our final Challenge for the year.
To have a look at the fabulous creations by my Teamies and to link up your entry

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge #202 - Christmas
Please read the rules and take note of the 15 Challenge limit.

Thank you so much for your visit and enjoy the rest of your day
Take care and God Bless.

More MM for Christmas

Hello again everyone and welcome to my blog space.  
Hope you are having a wonderful day!

Well, here I am, still creating Christmas cards.  Don't know about you, but I'm almost getting a bit tired of them!  Almost!!  LOL!!  Still have a few more to go and they have to be finished by the end of this week!

This is another of my Magicals cards, the background having been created with nothing but a few Lindy's Stamp Gang's Magicals.

 This one is very much like a card I created a little while ago HERE,  but the coloured area for the background is larger and I have used different embellishments.

The colours of Magicals used are Rizzo's Rowdy Red, Greased Lightning Green and Glory of the Seas Gold.

Love these cute little pine cones I found.

The sentiment was printed with my label maker.

Added some prills!

Et Voila!!

I really love this one and not sure I want to give it away .. might be giving myself a Christmas card this year .. LOL!!

Thank you so much for finding the time to pay me a visit .. I know how busy it gets at this time of the year so I really appreciate it.

Enjoy your day!!
Take care and God Bless.