Crafty Cardmakers Challenge #237

Hello everyone and welcome!!  So happy that you stopped by.
A very special welcome for my new followers!  So pleased you decided to join me on my creative journey. 

A new Challenge is now live at Crafty Cardmakers and the Theme is Dies or Punches!  Jo is our lovely Host and, as always, you may create whatever you wish as long as it follows the Theme.

For my DT contribution, I have created a masculine card and, as I don't have very many punches, I have used a couple of dies.  

The papers are by Kaisercraft.  I love to use their 6.5" x 6.5" pads as they are the perfect size for cards.

  Some embossing and stamping on the background.  Both the harlequin and the script stamp are also by Kaisercraft.

The die above is called Texture Subway and, you guessed it, it's by Kaisercraft!!  The greeting is also by Kaisercraft.  In the back of their paper pads they have a couple of pages of little punch out greetings.  Another reason I love their pads.

The clock is a printable from the net and the Cogs & Gears die is by .. wait for it! .. Cheery Lynne.  Surprise!! It's not by Kaisercraft!  LOL!!

These types of diecuts can be very thin and flimsy and I like my embellies to be a bit more substantial so I usually cut the shapes out a few times and then glue them on top of each other for more dimension.  I also aged the cogs and gears by swiping them with a bit of Nuvo Embellishment Mousse.

Used a bit of the same paper to decorate the inside.

So crafters, get out your dies and punches and join in with the Challenge!!  Would love to see what you create.  If you pop over to the CCM blog you will find a whole heap of fabulous inspiration by the rest of the Team.

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge #237 - Dies or Punches.

Thank you so much for stopping by.

Take care and God Bless.

oxox Marg

Embossing and a Couple of New Dies

Hello and welcome to my blog.  So pleased you decided to stop by.

We have a lot of birthdays coming up in the next couple of months so I finally got back into my craft room and have been madly making cards, both masculine and feminine ones.   I purchased some new dies recently and have been experimenting with some different ideas gathered from around the net.  Nothing new really, just some simple techniques that I thought would work.  Some of my experiments have been total disasters but others have turned out quite nicely (Well, I like them anyway) so here I am to share the first of the 'nice ones' with you.

The papers and the stamps are by Kaisercraft.  I simply stamped with Distress Embossing Ink and then heat embossed with Rangers' Seafoam White Embossing Powder.

The white diecut is one of the new dies I purchased.  It is called Texture Subway and it's by Kaisercraft.  I cut it out a couple of times and then glued the two together for extra strength and dimension.
The branch die I have had in my stash for a while and have no idea where it's from.

The flowers were created from some loose petals I've had for ages.  I simply glued a couple together and then used prills to create the centres.  The circle greeting is also by Kaisercraft.  In the back of their small paper pads they have a few pages of pop-out tags and greetings that match the paper collection and this is one of those.  I layered it onto a piece of cardstock before adhering it to the card.

Blue is my favourite colour, and the techniques used are very simple, but I do love how this turned out.  I hope the friend I sent it to will love it as well.

Thank you for stopping by today.  I will share the rest of this batch of cards over the next few weeks and I do hope you will come back to take a peek.

In the meantime, have fun with your crafting.
Take care and God Bless.

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge - #236

Hello sweet visitors.  Welcome to my blog.

I'm here to share my project for the new Challenge at Crafty Cardmakers.  Angela is our lovely host and the Theme is 'Anything but a Card'.  As always, you may create anything you like, as long as it isn't a card.

Thought this would be the perfect time to share another of my Amigurumis.

I have crocheted quite a few small animals but this is the first actual doll I have made.  I used a pattern by Laura Tegg called Standard Weebee which is available free on Ravelry.  This pattern is for the full body and has a simple hair cap as well.  The hair I have crocheted for my doll is from another pattern.

The boots and knickers are removable.  I used the appropriate sections of the original pattern and simply used a slightly larger hook so they would go on and come off easily.

The hair was done following a pattern by Denise Angelo.  She shared it on Facebook for the WeeBee Appreciation Society.  You need to be a member of this group to access it.

Her dress is also made with a free pattern by Laura Tegg.  It is called the Pretty Shells Dress and is also available on Ravelry.  The underskirt I created free hand and also added a simple tie at the waist.

I crocheted the doll and the clothes with 4ply acrylic yarn and she stands approx. 8" tall,

I named her Esmeralda but she will have a new name now as she has gone to her forever home with a friend's little girl.  Hope they have some wonderful times together.

Would love it if you would pop over to the CCM Blog and check out the awesome creations by my Teamies.  They have some amazing inspiration for you over there.  The link is below

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge #236 - Anything but a card.

Thank you so much for stopping by.  Am looking forward to seeing what you create for our Challenge.

Take care and God Bless.
oxox Marg

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge #235

Hello my dear friends!  Thank you for stopping by today!

The new Challenge is live at Crafty Cardmakers and it is my turn to host!!  The Theme is one of my absolute faves .. Masculine!!  Right up my alley!!

 As always, you may create whatever you wish.  A card, scrapbook page, mixed media piece, home decor or anything else that takes your fancy as long as it fits the Theme.

My DT project is the card I created for my oldest son's 50th Birthday last year.

A few layers made with Kaisercraft papers, a couple of computer generated clocks and some added bits of washi tape make up the base. 

This card was made late last year so I cannot quite remember where I got the wooden flourish from.  I do remember though that I coloured it with Distress Inks and then clear heat embossed it.

The large cog was also coloured with Distress Ink and then I randomly swiped it with Nuvo Embellishment Mousse.  The number 50 was treated the same as the flourish.

The tags at the side are removable and, of course, I had to add some prills and microbeads.

A couple of fun quotes on the back of the tags.

Still haven't quite accepted that my son is now 50.  Doesn't seem that long ago that we celebrated his 21st!  Time does fly!!

I hope I have inpsired you to join in with our Challenge.  My Teammates have created some fabulous inspiration so please do pop over to the CCM blog and check them out.  

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge #235 - Masculine

Thank you so much for visiting and I do hope you will join in with the Challenge.  Looking forward to seeing what you come up with.

Have fun with your crafting!
Take care and God Bless.
oxox Marg

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge # 234

Hi everyone and welcome.  So happy to have you here for a visit.

The new Challenge is up and running at Crafty Cardmakers and Josephine is our host.  

The Theme for this Challenge is Birthdays and, as usual, anything you create is fine as long as it meets this Theme.

  The papers are all by Kaisercraft.

On my desk, I found a piece of scrap paper from which I had punched out a few circles, so I added that to my layers.   I really like how it adds a bit of interest to the card.

The clock is a printable from the net.  I popped it onto a piece of chipboard and clear heat embossed it.

The chippie pieces were all heat embossed and the Birthday sentiment is a sticker by Creative

Just for a bit more interest, I added some white slpashes with watered down gesso.

Hopefully, I have inspired you to join in with our Challenge.  Would love it if you could pop over to the CCM blog and take a peek at the wonderful creations by the rest of the Team.  I'm sure you'll find lots of inspiration there.

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge #234 - Birthdays.

Thank you so much for stopping by my blog today.
Take care and God Bless.
oxox Marg

Just Playing - Making Cards #5 and a little Amigurumi

Hello everyone, thank you for stopping by and hope you are having a wonderful day.

I'd like to share another card from my 'Just Playing' series and, at the end of this post,  also thought I'd share another of my Amigurumi as well.  Killing two birds with one stone so to speak!  LOL!!

So, first up, the card.

The papers are by Kaisercraft. 

This was the last card I made while playing with my 'made up kit' and so there wasn't a lot left in the way of embellishments.

I used up one of the last clocks and, as you can see, I also used a piece of hessian fibre ribbon and a little chippie but was left with a mainly blank card.

Luckily, I had a light bulb moment, and punched out some circles from the remaining papers and used those as embellies!!  Did a little doodling around the edge of them and was quite pleased with the result.

I know I could have delved into my stash and found numerous other things to fill up the card front but I'm glad I stuck to my guns and only used what I started out with.  Was a great excercise for me and it was fun!!

Before I gave this card away, I did add a sentiment but forgot to take an updated photo.   Happy to say, the recipient was thrilled with it!!

So, now onto the Amigurumi!!

 This is my little Bean Bag Puppy!

This was one of the first Amigurumi I made and hadn't yet learned that you need to use a slightly smaller hook.  As you can see, the holes between the stitches are a little big and shows the stuffing.  One of those things you only learn from experience!

The pattern is a free one (if you're interested, HERE is the link) and I used a lighter yarn than the original so mine is a little smaller.  The pattern states he should be about 5" tall but mine is just 4". 

Has a cute little tail too.

My second Amigurumi is adapted from another free pattern called 'Little Big Foot Lion'.

The original pattern has him standing up but I adapted it so he could sit because, I think, it looks more natural.  (and cuter too!! LOL!!)  HERE is the link to the original pattern.

I made his paws a little bigger too and stitched in the toes.

Don't you just love that mane??

So there they are!  My Big Foot Lion and Bean Bag Puppy and I love them both!
I'm actually getting quite a collection of these Amigurumi.  I really love making them and have now started crocheting dolls as well.  Will show those some time too if you're interested.

Thank you so much for stopping by.
Sorry that this post is a bit long but I'm so pleased you stuck it out to the end.

Have a wonderful day and, whatever kind of crafting you're into, have fun with it!!

Take care and God Bless.