Phoenix Inspirations

Yikes - it's been a whole month since I last blogged. It's this silly business of having to work that gets in the way you know?! Still if I didn't work there wouldn't be any money to buy craft supplies so I suppose it does have it's advantages! Meanwhile I have been spending my hard earned cash on a few crafting magazines - ones with freebies - take a look Todays card is a very simple one using just one of the dies. I took a piece of card stock and die cut the detailed butterfly in the top center part. I then took a card blank, added some background paper and then attached the piece of card stock. I made sure the die cut butterfly had all the tiny pieces removed and re-attached the butterfly to the centre of the card stock but just in the middle. I then added a sentiment. The wings of the butterfly stand proud on the card revealing the background below. I will be entering this card in the challenge over at  Happy Little Stampers Th

I have been trying to stretch myself recently - creatively. In a recent card swap I was sent a certain amount of materials which I had to use. They included die cuts, mesh, gems and cotton. I was stumped for a while but not one to give up I set out to find a style of card first. I thought about an easel card and then decided to go a bit further and do a twisted easel card. Great I thought - perfect. But then I thought what if ........... and then I made this Instead of a flat panel I made a box frame. Around my frame I added the mesh and inside it I stamped my panel with images from Stampin' Up's Papaya Collage. The die cuts were added along with the gems and the cotton twine. Now for the base. More mesh, more die cuts and gems and to prop up the easel a square panel stamped with Papaya Collage. I don't usually make cards with this much on it - I'm a clean and simple kind of crafter however, every once in a while I surprise myself!

Isn't that what they say in the song? Well I'm ready to get off now please. In the last twelve months I became separated from my husband, lost my dad, got a job for the first time in twenty five years, became a divorcee and then my ex died. More downs than ups but I'm hoping that they are just around the corner. Meanwhile I have been doing a little crafting and one of my recent projects has been a Bendi Card. It doesn't look very bendy there but there are various flaps which open up showing different layers of the card. Looking at it from above will give a better view of the bends. I really enjoyed making this card. I used my wood grain stamp for the house and various punches for the clouds and flowers. It took quite a long time as I added liquid pearls to the centre of every flower! That's it for now, thanks for stopping by!

It's Christmas card time again and this week it's time for some colours - take a look And here is my card My Three Wise Men have been embossed with clear embossing powder so that when I sponged my scene in blue they stood out better. I used a variety of blue inks from a very dark navy that was almost black to a pale sky blue used for the sky. You may notice that there is no silver - there was a silver gem on the star but it must have dropped off while I was setting it up to photograph it. I found it a while later stuck to the cat!! Don't forget to drop by at  52 {Christmas} Card Throwdown  and take a look at all the other gorgeous DT cards. Meanwhile I'm off on my holidays for a week - see you soon xx

Good morning, firstly I'd like to apologise for my lack of blogging lately. Things have been a bit tough over the last few weeks but - there are good times on the horizon so I've just got to hold out for a few more days. On the plus side - I've got a new job. I'm working in one of the shops in the High Street in Bridgnorth. Working on the till at the moment which is fun but a little complicated too! OK - let's get down to business. Today is Saturday which means it's time for 52 {Christmas} Card Throwdown This week we have a sketch - take a look I'm the Hostess this month so this is my sketch - I made it quite clean and simple as you can see - just three elements! Here is my card I stamped a piece of card stock with a music stamp a then die cut it with one of my Window Framelits. I sponged the edges before attaching it to my card blank. My tree was also stamped on to card stock and fussy cut before it too was sponged around the

It's Christmas card time again at 52 {Christmas} Card Throwdown I have picked  some colours for me and the rest of the DT to use - take a look I had a specific design in mind when I thought of these colours and I think it turned out OK - what do you think? All was going well until I tried to stamp the word 'Joy' - I smudged it big time!!!! So I re stamped it on to a label, added a silver bow and redeemed the situation! Here's a close up Thanks for stopping by today to take a look - see you soon xx

This is a very quick scheduled post. I am writing it on Thursday morning for you to see today - Saturday morning!! I am away with my daughter Briony for a pre-birthday treat! Today's card is for the new sketch challenge over on 52 {Christmas} Card Throwdown For which I am the June hostess. Take a look Here is my card I was making this card at 6.00am this morning (Thursday) and I was a bit blurry eyed I can tell you! Don't forget to pop over to the blog to take a look at all the other DT inspiration and I will see you soon xx

This is a sticky post - please scroll down for all other posts - thank you. I have a new challenge blog just for sketches. Find us by clicking the link below - thanks xx Sassy Sketcharinos

I have another card for you today using my Sketch from the current challenge over on Sassy Sketcharinos And here it is I have created this card using stamp sets Flower Patch and Painted Petals. I had a very old die from Stampin' Up - an embosslits die of various sized butterflies and I die cut them using silver glitter paper. There are teeny tiny gems in the middle of the small flowers and a large one on the main flower. Colours used are: Pretty in Pink, Rose Red, Old Olive and Certainly Celery. I am also entering this card into the following challenges: Crafty Boots Challenges  - Bees and/or Butterflies Craft Your Passion Challenges  - Always Anything Goes Crafting From The Heart  - Challenge 113 Anything Goes Thanks for looking today - see you soon xx

The challenge over on Sassy Sketcharinos has been extended for another couple of weeks so I decided to make another couple of cards using the current sketch I also used the colour/photo inspiration from the current challenge over on MHKDesigns I love these anemone type flowers and they look gorgeous in white - the perfect starting point for my card - take a look I used Stampin' Up's Blended Bloom and Fabulous Florets to make my flowers shading it with a Sahara Sand Marker. The large main flower also has some Dazzling Diamonds glitter added to it. My stripes are Sahara Sand, Always Artichoke and Pear Pizzazz with a couple of gems added as a finishing touch. I've had great fun in my craft room today and I made another card using the above sketch but that's for another day. Hope you all had a good weekend, I'm up with the lark in the morning for my first shift of the week at the Cancer Research UK shop. Hopefully when I get ho

It's time for another Christmas card and this week on 52 {Christmas} Card Throwdown  Fabiola wants to see.... Here is my card (my critters might just be a bit big though!!!) And a close up of my main critter I love to make this style of card and with this one I kept the colour palette quite limited: green, red and brown. My stamps are a mish mash of what I have in my stash with a bit of Stampin' Up White Christmas thrown in for good measure - love how the banner fits perfectly on the reindeer's antlers. Do pop over and take a look at the other critters on show on the challenge blog and I will see you soon xx

Fabiola has given us some colours to work with this week at  52 {Christmas} Card Throwdown Take a look And here is my card My fir branches were stamped in gray and my baubles in blue - I added a few highlights of glitter and sponged around my Kraft mat with Crumb Cake ink. Thanks for looking today - see you soon xx

Found a rare few moments to pay lately so decided to make an easel card. I also got some gorgeous free stamps on a magazines and threw those into the mix too - take a look I used my Windows Framelits to cut the shape of the card and also embossed them with the Mosaic embossing folder. This card was used to day as a birthday card for a very special Aunt - hope she liked it! See you soon xx

Today's sketch over on Sassy Sketcharinos looks a bit like this And my DT card looks a lot like this My humming bird was heat embossed with clear embossing powder and then ink was sponged over it to make it stand out. My colours are Pistachio Pudding, Pretty in Pink, Old Olive, Primrose Petals. I added a bit of glitz with some silver glitter paper. It would be great to see you joining in over there - please do pop over a take a look at the other DT creations - we have a surprise Guest Designer too! Bye for now xx

It's that time of the week again - Christmas card time at 52 {Christmas} Card Throwdown Fabiola is our Hostess for this month and here is her sketch And here is my card I rotated the sketch to make it portrait and used my Christmas Blessings stamp set. Colours are: Whisper White, Crumb Cake, Real Red and Gold embossing powder. Please do hop over to the blog to check out all the other gorgeous DT cards. See you soon xx

We had a rest last week at  Sassy Sketcharinos  but we are back with a great new sketch for you - take a look Here is my card - it's very blingy! Blended Bloom and Bitty Butterfly - it looks really sparkly in real life! Thanks for looking - please do pop over to the challenge blog HERE  to take a look at the other DT cards too. See you soon xx

This isn't Saturday for me yet - I'm writing this on Friday evening. When you read this I shall probably be on my way to work. I say work - I volunteer at my local Cancer Research shop and it's not hard work - it's great fun. I got to dress all the mannequins this week - one of my favourite parts of the job. But - you came here to see my card for this week's challenge over on  52 {Christmas} Card Throwdown This week as it's the fifth week of the month it's a 'Pick a Previous' I have chosen the theme of Bells from January 2015 - take a look A very quick and simple card: a bit of stamping, a couple of frosty bells and a twisty bow. Hope you like it - see you soon xx