Silver 25th..........

I was commissioned to make this card by a customer at the shop. The brief was- a 25th Anniversary card for Jackie & Martyn, he likes Leeds United football team & playing squash, she likes running and cooking. Okey doke! So how was I going to incorporate that little lot on a C5 card? Personally I wouldn't put hobbies etc on an anniversary card because I think that it confuses what the card actually is, and makes the card crowded if you've got to add more than what the card really is about. I think that there's a lot going on on this card, but the customer gets what the customer wants! She loved it thank goodness, and I've got a couple more to make for her next month.
As I said before this is a C5 card and I used Papermania wedding paper matted onto silver mirri on the front. I cut a fancy heart from silver cardstock and a blackout from silver mirri. I added a '25' cut in silver mirri with a 'flat' silver shadow. The numbers were adhered with foam pads to the fancy heart. 'Jackie & Martyn' was cut from silver mirri and adhered flat to the card front above the heart which was raised with foam tape. Below the heart is a border cut from more silver mirri, with a punched edge, and wrapped with silver ribbon. I added a bow and a bloom with pearly strands in it's centre. The little icons along the border were cut from silver mirri and adhered along the border with foam pads. The squash racquet was cut by hand (I referred to the Argos catalogue for a realistic look as I couldn't find my hubby's squash racquet!)
Carts used:
Fancy heart- Love Struck
'25' & 'Jackie & Martyn'- Winter Woodland
Football- Life's A Party
Sports shoe- Sports Mania
Kitchen utensils-Everyday Paper Dolls
Squash racquet was hand cut
Thanks for dropping by today!
Heather xxx

Happy Birthday Lauren.....

Wow! What a day it's been! It's absolutely scorchio here on the South Coast. Another muggy night ahead, although the hot spell is supposed to break tonight with thunderstorms- from the sublime to the ridiculous!
It was my niece Lauren's birthday on Saturday and this is the card that I made for her. It's a gatefold, although it's not clear from the picture. The papers are from Design Objectives Born2Shop 'Bubbles' A4 pad. I covered the inside back and each of the fronts with a different paper. Three 2" matted squares were decorated with a different icon (cut from glittercard) then adhered to the card with foam pads. The central square overlaps the two fronts. 'Lauren' and 'Happy Birthday' were also cut from glittercard and adhered flat to the right hand front. A ribbon bow and a bloom completes the card.
Carts used:
Lipstick, bag & shoes- Paisley
'Lauren'- Lyrical Letters
'Happy Birthday'-Calligraphy
Thanks for dropping by!
Heather xxx

Thank you 'sew' much......

I have a sewing machine, but it's gathering dust in the cupboard under the stairs. I used to make my own clothes many moons ago- I even made all of my maternity dresses when I was expecting No1 son. I've also made curtains, cushions etc, but now the poor old machine is lying neglected and lonely in the dark!
I love this little sewing machine although it isn't the one that goes with the sentiment (I used a different cart for the machine) The papers are freebies - Nitwits I think from Creative Cardmaking mag- and the machine was cut from silver cardstock and Papermania shimmer cardstock. The machine was adhered to an embossed scalloped circle which, in turn, was adhered over a cotton lace border trimmed with white satin ribbon and a satin rose. I cut three small scalloped circles and adhered a button- two polka dot and one plain- to each of the scalloped circles. I threaded some embroidery thread through the buttonholes before I stuck them onto the circles- buttons always look better with the holes filled in! The scalloped circles were adhered with foam pads along the edge of the central panel. The sentiment was cut from white shimmer cardstock shadowed with blue, then adhered with foam pads. Three teeny pearls on the sewing machine completes the card.
Carts used:
Sewing machine- Nifty Fifties
Sentiment- Everyday Pop-Up cards
Scalloped circles-Winter Woodland
Plain circles- George
Thanks for dropping by and have a great weekend!
Heather xxx

Showering Thanks.........

This card is very appropriate today...it's chucking it down! It's another card from my fave 'cart of the moment'. I used papers from First Edition's 'Daydream' 8x8 stack. The umbrella was cut from silver mirri and two different papers, and the sentiment was cut from Papermania shimmer cardstock in green and lavender with a dark purple shadow. The umbrella was adhered over a punched, ribbon trimmed border with foam pads. A WOC rose was adhered to the bow. The sentiment was layered up then adhered above the umbrella with foam pads. A smattering of gems completes the card.
Cart used:
Umbrella & sentiment- Everyday Pop-Up Cards
Thanks for dropping  by today!
Heather xxx

Hearty Congrats......

When I was making this card I wasn't at all sure about the black, but when the card was finished I was really pleased with it, and it looks much prettier IRL!
Again I used my fave cart and papers from First Edition called 'Birdsong'. I punched one long edge of a piece of black cardstock and trimmed it so that the pattern was equal ( I can't abide uneven punched borders) then matted some plain cardstock and patterned paper onto it. I added some sheer black ribbon and a bow. The completed panel was adhered to the front of the card with foam tape. The sentiment was cut from Papermania pearlescent textured paper, embossed with a teeny heart embossing folder, layered up, then adhered to the panel with foam pads. A pearl was added to the dove  and some heart shaped adhesive gems to the top two corners. A multilayered bloom and a trio of gems on the ribbon completes the card.
Cart used:
Sentiment- Everyday Pop-Up cards
Thanks for dropping by!
Heather xxx

Vintage Anniversary........

It was my brother and SIL's wedding anniversary last Sunday (not yesterday) , the day after my SIL's birthday, and this is the card that I made for them. I used papers from DCWV Garden Party 8x8 stack. I had a vintage picture in my library that I'd downloaded months ago and decided to use it for this card as the colours on the photo are a good match for the papers. I printed the picture onto textured cardstock and it came out pretty much perfect. I adhered it with foam pads over a punched border wrapped with cream grosgrain ribbon. I added a large Prima silky bloom and a few WOC roses. I snuck a few pearl strands in there too! The mat that the blooms are on was cut from a Marianne Creatables doiley die. 'Happy Anniversary' was cut from gold cardstock, shadowed with vanilla cardstock, and adhered with foam pads. I added my bro and SIL's initials and a pearl heart to the top right hand corner of the picture to complete the card.
Carts used:
'Happy Anniversary'-Sweethearts
A & K- Winter Woodland
Thanks for dropping by today!
Heather xxx

Happy Birthday, Karen.....

It was my SIL Karen's birthday last Saturday and this is the card that I made for her. There's a bit of a tale of woe behind this card. I'd made the card base, cut out the bird and name, but still needed to cut out the birdcage. I knew that there were four beautiful cages on the Serenade cartridge but could I find it? Looked everywhere for it to no avail. Unfortunately it's walked at either a Workshop or a Swarm so I've had to buy another one! None at Craftsulove for £19.99 so I had to pay full price at SmartCrafts! Oh well! No other choice as I need it for my Swarm tomorrow!
Anyway, back to the card. The papers are new First Edition papers called Summer Breeze. I finally cut the cage from Car Decals (it wasn't the one I wanted but what's a gal to do?!) using Papermania shimmer cardstock. The bird was cut from green shimmer cardstock and I cut another bird from patterned paper and adhered it with foam pads to the flourished bird (the solid bird should actually go behind). I punched some teeny flowers from patterned paper, added a pearl to the centres, then adhered them to the flourish. The completed bird was then adhered to the cage. The front of the card is made up of two panels, the top one edged with a border punch. Ribbon was wrapped around the border and secured behind. The panel was then matted and adhered to the card. I added a tag with Safmat sentiment and a Prima vintage flower. 'Karen' was cut from shimmer cardstock and adhered with foam pads above the ribbon/bow. A pearl eye on the bird completes the card.
Carts used:
Cage-Car Decals
Bird on flourish-Wall Decor & More
'Karen'-Winter Woodland
Tag-George
As requested by some of my ladies who attend the Swarm here are some carts that you'll find useful for the project that we'll be doing:
Wild Card
StoryBook
Lyrical Letters
Martha Stewart cakes
Love Struck
I look forward to seeing you at the Swarm tomorrow!
Thanks for dropping by!
Heather xxx

 I've got a couple of baby cards for you today. Now we all know that every baby is a miracle, but some are more of a miracle than others. This card would be good for parents who's baby was a long time in coming or whose arrival was against all the odds. The layout is very simple with a patterned panel at the top and a plain white panel with a punched edge, below it. The join is covered with beautiful glittery ric-rac that I picked up from the local Pound shop. The cute little baby feet, cut from glittercard, are mounted onto a doiley cut from a  Marianne Creatables doiley die.

I added a bow made from thin baby ribbon above the feet, and a flower painted with irridescent medium to the ric rac ribbon. A large pearl (from Dunelm Mill) was adhered to the centre of the flower. 'Miracle' was cut from more glittercard  and adhered flat to the plain white section below the border.
Carts used:
Baby feet- New Arrival
'Miracle'- Inspired Heart
Thanks for dropping by!
Heather xxx

Butterfly sorry.......

Did I tell you how much I LOVE the Everyday Pop-Up Cards cart? Yep!- I think I did! Here'e another card from the best cart yet. I used freebie papers again from Creative Cardmaking, glittercard and Papermania peralised textured card. The panel on the front of the card was created with two different papers and a Dovecraft punch. I wrapped a piece of spotted sheer ribbon around the pnel before matting it onto white and lilac cardstock. I painted a bloom with some Windsor & Newton  irridescent medium (love this stuff!)  added another with a pearl centre ( from The Works but Papermania make them too) then adhered it to the  bow. The beautiful, delicate butterfly was cut from lilac pearlised cardstock (Papermania) with a glittercard solid behind it, and the sentiment was cut from two shades of purple glittercard shadowed with pearlised cardstock. Both elements were adhered to the card with foam pads. The butterfly 'trail' was created with different sized gems. I added some Papermania glitter dots to the butterflies body and some gems to the ribbon to complete the card.
Cart used:
Butterfly & sentiment- Everday Pop-Up Cards
Thanks for dropping by today!
Heather

Friendships bloom........

I have to tell you that Everyday Pop-Up Cards is my fave cart at the moment! I've made loads of cards with it and they are so easy to make as the word art is gorgeous and you don't have to add too much more to make a stunning card. I've started using pearlescent textured cardstock from Papermania for the word art cuts. There are 3 collections to choose from and it goes a long way as you don't use an awful lot.

Both of these cards use the same word art, but the card bases are different. The card above is a standard C5 and the papers (for both cards ) are freebies from Creative Cardmaking. The word art was cut from pearlescent cardstock, layered up, and adhered to a scalloped oval. This was adhered with foam pads to a square panel on the front of the card. The rectangular panel underneath it was decorated with a punched border mat and a spotted voile bow. A WOC floral arrangement above the sentiment and a smattering of pearls completes the card.

 The square card was made from two scalloped squares adhered together down one side, then covered with another paper scalloped square. A large panel was created from two different papers, the corners rounded and then matted onto vanilla cardstock. The word art was created in the same way as the first card and adhered to an embossed square. This was then adhered to another square panel, and fixed to the front of the card with foam tape. A spotted voile bow, and a floral arrangement on one corner completes the card.
Carts used:
Square card base- Accent Essentials
Scalloped oval-A Child's Year
Plain oval-George
'Friendships bloom' word art-Everyday Pop-Up Cards
Thanks for dropping by!
Heather xxx