Not Just Cards Challenge blog - February Challenge

Hello My Crafty Blog Friends and Visitors

How was your weekend?  Our daughter and son-in-law came to dinner on Sunday. They are going to Washington DC soon and we are looking after their hamster. My shoulder is still hurting me and I am finding hard to sit at the computer for long spells. I will try to keep up with my comments.

As it is the 11th of the month the new challenge starts on the Not Just Cards Challenge blog. The theme is truly always Anything Goes.

I made this card at the request of a friend. The brief was that the card was intended for someone who loves their garden. In the background I used the corner dies from the Sandwich Box die set from John Next Door. I put this over some gingham patterned paper. 

Our challenges are always Anything Goes if you click on the logo you will be taken there to join in. 

This topper was ideal and came from a Hunkydory kit that came free with a magazine sometime ago. I cut a mat for the image with the Double Pierced Circle dies from Creative Expressions. 

I added a 70 in the corner using a mixture so dies to complete it. 

Around the image I placed leaves cut with the Star Flower leaves around the image  I added small Star Flowers and tiny Dragonflies all cut with dies from John Next Door. 

The lady in question received this card some time ago and I know she was very pleased with it. 

I would like to enter the following challenges:

The February Challenge at Craftyhazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge blog

Challenge 441 at Krafty Chicks Challenge Blog

Challenge 14 at the Crafter's Castle Challenge blog

The February Challenge at the Crafting by Designs Challenge blog

Challenge 236 at the Crafting from the Hear Challenge blog

Challenge 57 at the Crafting with Attitude Challenge blog

Challenge 162 at the Creative Moments Challenge blog

Have a great week. 

Happy Crafting

Hugs Jackie

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Hunkydory Poppy Mother's Day Card

Hello My Crafty Blog Friends and Visitors

How was your weekend? We really enjoyed the American Idiot musical we went to see on Friday. It really helped checking out the Green Day album before we went. Saturday was spent tidying and taking things to the tip. On Sunday we went to visit our parents. and helped both sets out with a few things.

At the moment I am not getting a lot of time to craft. So when I found a Hunkdory papercraft kit free with Papercraft Essentials magazine it was just what I needed. . One of the images and some of the papers featured poppies. My mother-in-law loves poppies. 

The backing paper is so pretty with its poppy border. I cut the corner lattice die from the Sandwich Box die set from John Next Door in gold mirror card to add interest to the corner. 

This the poppy topper from the kit. Now I did sick this down the wrong way round but I really don't think it makes too much difference. I added a small butterfly at the side. 

This is a Signature die I cut it once in red and once in white. The white shadow helped the die to show up against the lattice. 

With the same kit I made a very simple Mother's Day card for my Mum. It is very pretty I think she will like it. 

I know my Mother-in-law will like this card. There are lots of pretty images and papers left in the kit so I will be using it to make some more cards. 

I would like to enter the following challenges: 

The January Challenge at Craftyhazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge 

Have a great week. 

Happy Crafting

Hugs Jackie

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Merry Christmas Wreath

Hello My Crafty Blog Friends and Visitors

I hope you had a great weekend and are ready for the week ahead. We found out on Saturday that our in-laws want to spend Christmas Day with us after all. This means that our plans have changed completely. I have written lists of everything and there is a lot to sort out. We will get it all done I am sure.

I have been looking back through my files for cards that I haven't shared yet and I came across this one.

I made this card with the free gift that came with issue 166 of Papercraft Essentials magazine. It was from the Winter Wonderland Collection from Crafter's Companion there were three dies and a 6" x 6" embossing folders. I used the embossing folder on the gold mat and the white centre. The wreath was cut with the branch die in two shades of green. I added dots of glue and some glitter to make it look frosty. 

The sentiment comes with its own mat which means that it shows up nicely. 

I added a tartan bow. 

This was a lovely free gift and I am sure I will be using it all again next year.

Have a great day

I would like to enter the following challenges:

Challenge 224 at the Crafty Cardmakers Challenge blog

Challenge 232 at the Crafting from the Heart Challenge blog

Happy Crafting

Hugs Jackie

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Kinetic Easter Card

Hello My Crafty Blog Friends and Visitors

I hope you had a good weekend. We were busy as usual. We have started looking for another car but this will take a long time it always does with us. The Bootleg Beatles concerts was amazing and we had a good time with our friends. On Sunday we visited our parents. The photo books of our daughter's wedding I ordered looked amazing and were very well received.

I think this is my last Easter make to share. I made a Kinetic card with the dies that came from Papercraft Essentials magazine. I made this to sent to my cousin who just loves Hedgehogs.

I used a cloud embossing folder for background. 

The spinner element was a cute hedgehog. The stamp came free with the magazine along with the slider dies. 

The daffodils were cut with some dies from Creative Expressions. 

Another Creative Expressions die I have used it a lot this year. 

I know my cousin liked this card she sent me a lovely message.

I would like to enter the following challenges:

Challenge 66 at the A Bit More Time to Craft Challenge blog

Challenge 69 at the Make My Monday Challenge blog

Challenge 202 at the Crafting Form the Heart Challenge blog

Challenge 463 at the Allsorts Challenge blog

Have a great week. 

Happy Crafting

Hugs Jackie

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Kinetic Father's Day Card

Hello My Crafty Blog Friends and Visitors

How was your weekend? We worked on the wedding invitations but they are still not finished frustratingly the design keeps changing. We were hoping to visit on Sunday but the snow put us off.  This week ahead I will be helping at two Felting Workshops as one was postponed because of the previous snow.  I do enjoy these workshops and I am learning a lot. I was thrilled with the pot I made a few weeks ago. It is a lovely fluid craft you are never quite sure how things are going to turn out.

I have been trying to get ahead with my cards again. With this in mind  I managed to get the latest issue of Papercraft Essentials Magazine. The free gift was a Kinetic Creations Spinner & Slider Stamp and die set. There were also bonus papers to download from the magazine's website.

I used a cloud embossing folder for the back layer. The scene was one of the free papers to download. 

This balloon was stamped and then coloured with Copic pens. I mentioned to our daughter that I wanted to try them and she lent me hers. Which is very kind of her. I am so used to Promarkers I think it will be hard to change. The slot was cut with a die from the set. The smaller balloons were stamped with one of the stamps from the set. The balloon doesn't slide as smoothly as it might but it was my first attempt. 

This is such a useful die I use it every year it is a Signature die. 

Like usual when I make cards ahead I just have to remember where I have hidden them when the time comes. 

I hope you have a great week. 

Happy Crafting

Hugs Jackie

Snowflake Penguins

Hello My Crafty Blog Friends

How is your week going? I know lots of people are on Half Term holidays this week. Our drive is very nearly finished. I must say it is looking very good it is a shame about the rest of the house. Oh well we will just have to save for the next job to be done.

I had a bit of a walk yesterday and I had every intention of being good but I just couldn't resist the Snowflake Penguins die set that came with issue 152 of Papercraft Essentials magazine. When I had finished the card I had been asked to make for a 90th birthday,  I had a little play.

I used some glitter card to make one of the mats and I embossed the top mat with the Falling Snow Embossing folder from Creative Expressions. I added a line of ribbon. 

The penguin, the baby penguin, the fish and a piece of holly come in the die set. I flipped the one of the penguin die cuts so the adults could face each other. The blue snowflakes in the background were cut with the penguin. 

I will be making some more cards with this die set our family is rather fond of penguins. 

Enjoy the rest of the week. 

I would like to enter challenge 40 at the Merry Christmas Challenge blog. 

Happy Crafting.

Hugs Jackie

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Cottage Garden Thank You Cards

Hi My Crafty Blog Friends

The weekend is here. I hope you have something nice planned. Now we are back from holiday we need to get on with sorting things out. The spare room has to be ready for the rabbits in September. We are looking after our daughter's rabbits while she and her new husband go on Honeymoon. By putting the Honeymoon off for a few weeks they saved quite a lot of money. One thing we will be doing is taking the wedding dress to be cleaned I didn't realise that is would be so expensive.

I wasn't sure whether to share these cards or not they are a bit simple. Since the wedding I have been struggling with my card making I just don't seem to be very focused. I needed some cards to say thank you for some of my leaving presents.

I used two dies one was the Cottage Garden die that came with issue 149 of Papercraft Essentials Magazine. The other was a thank you die that I got free with a magazine sometime ago I can't now remember which one - sorry.  

The Cottage Garden die is very pretty and it gives a lovely lacy effect. The thank you die seems to match it quite well. Both dies cut well. 

I made the card in two colours ways. It would be easy to adapt to other colours, I did decorate the flap on the envelope with a die cut. 

I will post these cards to the recipients next week. 

Happy Crafting

Hugs Jackie

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Sunflower - Thank You cards

Hi My Crafty Blog Friends

How is your week going? As you can imagine we are very busy with the lead up to the wedding. This will be my last blog post for a while. Tomorrow we are setting off to Bristol for the wedding. We have a meeting at the venue where we hand over all the decorations and the table plans. Then on Friday everyone starts to gather and Saturday is the day of the wedding. Until we return home I won't be around much in blogland there just won't be time.

I love sunflowers they are just so cheerful so I treated myself to issue 148 of Papercraft Essentials magazine with its free sunflower stamp set and paper pad.

I have just invested in a Tim Holtz stamping platform and I am so glad I have. I just makes stamping so much easier and if you miss a bit it is so easy to go back and re-ink it. For batch making it is a dream I am going to use it to make some Christmas cards. I had all the stamps on the platform and I stamped them all at the same time. I cut the layers out with the Double Pierced Rectangle dies by Creative Expressions. I added a lattice cut with Trellis Edger die set I extended it to make it long enough it was very easy to line up. 

All the stamping was done onto water colour card with Watering Can archival ink. All the colouring was done with my Spectrum Noir Sparkle pens. I wanted to stamp the pot straight onto the card as I liked the shadow for the pot. 

The bee came from another stamp set. 

The sentiment came with the set. 

With all the stamps in place it was easy to make this smaller card. 

Sunflowers are so cheerful. I now have three thank you cards for the end of term. 

I would like to enter challenge 122 at the Creative Moments Challenge blog. 

Happy Crafting

Hugs Jackie

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Safari Friends Birthday card

Hi My Crafty Blog Friends

How is your week going. Yesterday we went to see Sister Act at the theatre it was brilliant. Today I have been on a school trip to look at rivers in the New Forest ( this will be my last ever school trip). I am a bit tired and a bit behind with things. Hopefully I will be able to catch up over the rest of the week.

I could resist buying issue 145 of Papercraft Essentials magazine with its Animal Friends embossing folder and stamp set back in April. As our daughter is getting married in a zoo I used this set to make her birthday card.

The Zebra paper was left over from makes for the wedding. The flowers were created with a punch and the leaves with the Laurel Leave die designed  by Sue Wilson for Creative Expressions. 

All the stamps were stamped in black archival and coloured with me Spectrum Noir Sparkle pens.

I cut the animals out with my Brother Scan and cut that way they can have an even border. 

I made a little scene with the couple. I framed it with a Sue Wilson die it was nice to have the hearts in the frame. 

Yes I used my Crafter's Companion Happy Birthday die again it is a good size. 

I took this photo on the trip. We were doing activities around the river and this group of horses with a foal came for a drink and then went again. 

She was very pleased with this card. I did enjoy using the stamps it is a great set. 

I would like to enter challenge 158 at the Dream Valley Challenge Blog. 

Happy Crafting

Hugs Jackie

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Cute Pandas Valentine's Day Card

Hi My Crafty Blog Friends

Happy Valentine's Day. I hope that you have a wonderful day today whatever you are doing.

I made a Valentine's Day card with the free embossing folder and stamps from Issue 142 of Papercraft Essentials Magazine.

I started with the background I cut a piece of card to fit the hearts embossing folder. I then used the Heart of Hearts die to cut an aperture. Finally the card was embossed and sanded back. 

The girly panda was stamped onto a piece of white card and coloured with my Spectrum Noir Sparkle pens. Then she was placed behind the heart aperture. The happy boy panda was stamped onto another piece of card and then cut out by hand. 

The sentiment came with the stamp set. 

We had our Valentine's meal on Saturday we did the meal deal from M&S. We swapped cards this morning otherwise nothing special is happening.  I hope that you have a good day.

Happy Crafting

Hugs Jackie

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Me to You Tatty Teddy Birthday Card

Hi My Crafty Blog Friends

How was your weekend? I hope it was a good one and has  set you up for the week ahead. On Saturday I made a start on the wedding invitations. Then on Sunday we had an unexpected visit from our daughter and her fiance which was nice. We had lunch together and we were able to discuss more bits and bobs to do with the wedding. There are a surprising amount of things to do and organise.

I did go to the local Craft shop sale it was brilliant and I picked up a few bargains. Then today I treated myself to a copy of Papercraft Essentials Magazine which came with a lovely embossing folder and some cute Panda Stamps. When I got home I had a bit of a play.

Here is the 6" x 6" card I made. I cut of piece of mauve core'dinations card stock to fit the folder and I used the folder from the magazine to emboss it. Then I used a sanding block to reveal some of the core of the card. 

I stamped Tatty Teddy on to water colour card with watering can archival ink. Then he was coloured with my Spectrum Noir Sparkle pens. I cut him and the silver mat with some Sue Wilson dies. 

The Happy and Birthday stamps came with the magazine. 

Here are my purchases the most anything cost was £2. I do have the matching dies for the number stamps. 

Enjoy the rest of the week. 

Happy Crafting

Hugs Jackie

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