Phoenix Inspirations

I have a Christmas card to show you today using dies, punches and embossing folders. I've also gone for some very traditional colours - red and green - take a look I used some nesting dies to make my mats and Cherry Cobbler card stock. On to that I layered my Whisper White card stock after I had first run it through my Cuttlebug in my Snowflakes EF - I sponged the edges of the card stock with Chocolate Chip ink. My flowers have been punched with the Boho Blossoms punch along with my leaves which were also punched but using the 2 Step Bird punch. A few golden gems add the finishing touch. I am entering this card into the challenge over at  Christmas Crafting!  where the theme is 'Traditional Christmas Colours'. Thanks for looking - have a great weekend - Jacqueline xx

We have a brand new challenge for you over on  Addicted to Stamps  and this time it's CARDS FOR BOYS I've seen a few cards like this floating around blogland and I thought that the style was perfect for this challenge - take a look I'm not much of a sports person but this was a lovely card to make as it uses one of my favourite techniques - masking and brayering. I cut some clouds from post-it-notes and used my brayer and some Bashful Blue ink to create the sky. My grass is torn green paper and I stole a wooden skewer from the kitchen to make my flag stick. My golf ball is a white card stock circle run through my Cuttlebug in the Swiss Dots folder - I stuck it on the opposite way round so it looked more realistic. My sentiment and the birds are from the Up, Up and Away set. Don't forget to hop over to the blog and take a look at the stunning work by my fellow team mates and if you are quick there's still a few days left to take part in our monthly scrapbo...

It's been so miserable here today that I have taken refuge in my craft room and just played! No cards today but a scrapbook page inspired by the sketch on the  Sketchbook 365  blog The sketch is based on a layout by  Melenia Agapides Here is my page This is a photo of me and my brother from waaaaaay too many years ago - probably more than 30 yikes! I can't believe we are actually smiling as we used to fight - a lot, dad must have caught us on a good day! I used some Bazzill card stock along with some Stampin' Up DSP (Everyday Enchantment). I also used the DSP for my bunting and flowers. The butterflies were die cut on the 'Bug and I found some weird looking paper clips shaped like hearts so I added them as well. Platinum Liquid Pearls were used for the flower centres along with some flat backed gems. I am going to be posting more pictures over on my  Scrapbook Blog  for the ladies in my club if you would like to see more - see...

It's Mid-week Motivation time over on  Make My Monday  and for it I made another Butterfly Easel Card - I've made it with some nesting butterfly dies on my Cuttlebug I used some Bazzill Basics card stock along with some yellow from my stash drawer and ran one of the yellow butterflies through a Swiss Dots embossing folder. A sentiment and some purple flat backed gems add a finishing touch. Hoe are you getting on with these colours this week? - the challenge can be found HERE  if you are interested and it would be great to see you over there having a go - see you soon - Jacqueline xx

Whilst visiting some blogs today I came across a new challenge blog CASology This Tuesday saw the start and their very first challenge asking for cards with a very unfamiliar theme - take a look When was the last time we saw the sun and I don't mean fleetingly through scudding black clouds but shining down from a sky of blue?! Hmmmm. Anyway my card can be viewed from two different angles -  So this could be a card to the sun 'cos I'm sure we all do miss it, but really it's a card for a friend which is why it's also for  Mynnette's  Spread the Love campaign My sun is die cut on my Cuttlebug and the sentiment is from Up, Up and Away - coloured with markers. Thanks for stopping by today - hope you've had a good one - Jacqueline xx

We had Primary colours last week so it's only natural that we move on to the Secondary Colours this week. Take a look at this week's challenge at  Make My Monday Again I have used one of the lovely digi images very generously provided by this month's sponsor My Heart Pieces Here is my card My image is coloured in using Promarkers and my card stock is bits and pieces found in my stash drawer - I gave them a new lease of life by running them through some decorative embossing folders in my cuttlebug. Please do go and see the fabulous work that my lovely design team have done for you today and I will see you soon. I'm still not here but will be returning later this evening and I have a workshop in the morning so I will have a lovely tutorial with downloadables (if I work out how to do it!!!) for you very soon. Bye for now - Jacqueline xx

Today is a new round of challenges at  52 {Christmas} Card Throwdown  and the month's challenges have been chosen by Mynnette. This is also the first week that our new dt members get to strut their stuff so please do pop over and make them feel welcome. Here's this week's sketch and here is my card I made this card using a tutorial I found  HERE  on fellow dt member Patty's blog. I inked a snowflake embossing folder with Versamark ink before adding my card stock and running it through my Cuttlebug. I then added some Holographic EP and heated (?) it with my heat gun. My sentiment is from the set Wondrous Gift and I added a couple of foil snowflakes to finish it off. Well that's it - I'm not here really as I'm away visiting family but I will see you soon - Jacqueline xx

It's our third challenge at  Addicted to Stamps challenge blog  and the theme for you this week is 'Christmas in July' My card for the dt is an easel card cut on my Cuttlebug using a set of nesting bunting dies - they make a splendid Christmas tree shape - take a look I cut out the 4 largest and ran them through the 'Bug again - this time in a snowflake embossing folder. I then layered them up using 3D foam pads. Here's what it looks like stood up The littlest die was used to make the 2 props - they were all decorated with emerald coloured flat backed gems and a S'U sentiment was added from Pines and Poinsettias. Do please hop across and take a look at what the rest of the dt have made for this challenge and I will see you soon - Jacqueline xx

That's right and that can only mean one thing - Wimbledon!! And if you hop over to the  Make My Monday  challenge blog you will see that the challenge there is all about Strawberries and Cream as we have a colour challenge this week - RED, GREEN & CREAM/WHITE. Take a look at my card There's hardly any stamping on this easel card - just card stock in the required colours.. My cream card stock has been run though a Swiss Dots EF and my butterflies have been die cut and layered. I used the 2 Step Bird punch for my leaves and the Boho Blossoms punch for the flowers. My sentiment is from the Butterfly Prints set - here's a couple of close ups Have a great week and enjoy the tennis - don't forget to take a look at the blog to see what my team mates have made this week and I'll see you soon - Jacqueline xx

Mynnette's challenge this month over on  Technique Tuesday  is Faux Pressed Flowers - she has a great tutorial there too. Take a look at my card and then I will tell you how I made it I punched my flowers using the Boho Blossoms punch and purple papers, they were layered and glued in place on to white card stock. This was then run through my Cuttlebug in the Swiss Dots EF - flat backed gems were added to the centres and it was attached to a pre-scored card. My main panel has been stamped using my Clarity Bicycle and coloured in using Wisteria Wonder marker pen. A sentiment was added from Simply Said and a trio of punched flowers were attached to the basket. Getting really fed up with the weather now - it feels so cold and damp I think I may even light a fire!! - See you soon - Jacqueline xx

My  Make My Monday  Mid-week motivation card this week follows our Dreams and Fairies theme for the Midsummer Night's Dream challenge - it's a shadow box card. My aperture was die cut on the Cuttlebug using the largest of my nesting butterfly dies. Inside I sponged over a post it note moon and then stamped a silhouette fairy. A little sparkly glitter was added and then on the outside I added my sentiment, a few butterflies and some flat backed gems. My sentiment is from Just Believe and I stamped it on to a die cut label. I am a little obcessed with my Swiss Dots embossing folder at the moment - as you can see I have embossed the front of my card with it! - I feel a trip to the craft shop coming on! There are more details for this card over on the blog please do pop over and take a look. Short and sweet this time - see you later - Jacqueline xx

Isn't great when you find a challenge blog that catches your eye and inspires you to create - yesterday I found  Just Add Ink . Their challenge this week is to take a look at  Delys Cram's  blog, find something that inspires you and then case it. I found this lovely sun-shiney card And here is what I created I used Daffodil Delight and Whisper White card stock along with my Boho Blossoms punch. My sentiment is from Vintage Vogue. Instead of polka dot patterned paper I ran my card stock through my 'Bug in the Swiss Dots folder. Hope everyone is having a great weekend despite the awful weather - I got wet three times today!! - see you soon - Jacqueline xx

It was my birthday yesterday and amongst my many pressies I received some nesting butterfly dies. I was over the moon as a while ago I had seen  THIS  card on  VICKY'S  blog and was dying to recreate it. My card looks like this My card stock was folded in half and the die placed on the card stock just a little above the fold so that it made a shaped card. I used my cuttlebug. The butterfly was then die cut again - whole and used to make an easel card. There are four dies in the set and I cut a number of them to layer up on the card - I then added a sentiment and a few gems to finish it off. Here's what it looks like folded down ready to be posted Pop back tomorrow and I will share with you some of the amazing hand made cards i received from some of my crafty friends - see you soon - Jacqueline xx

The ladies at  Less is More  have this week set a colour challenge - Red, White and Blue. Here is my card I was really pleased with this card - that is until I tried to photograph it. I just can't seem to get the light right to show off my embossed lines - how about this one .......any better? The idea was to emboss the lines of the Union Flag (which I copied from Google), I then layered this onto some red card stock which was then layered onto some white card stock which I had embossed using my Swiss Dots embossing folder and Cuttlebug. I then just added 3 blue flowers with blue gems in the centres. Thanks for looking - hope everyone enjoys all the Jubilee festivities - Jacqueline xx

I am a bit late getting this post out as I had a bit of a late night last night. My friend Louise popped round for a craft - we had great fun making pull up cards but I forgot to schedule my post for this morning and of course it being Saturday I had a bit of a lie in. But anyway here it is and this week at  52 {Christmas} Card Throwdown  Mynnette has chosen 'Nativity Scenes' for the Theme Challenge. This was a huge challenge for me as I don't own any stamps or images of this nature. After scratching my head for ages and much wringing of my hands I hunted down some Clip Art images and printed them off and created  my cards. Here is the first I reverted back to our fist sketch challenge for the layout of this card and used a traditional Mary and Joseph scene. I glittered the halo's to match my gold mirri board which I ran through my 'Bug in the Swiss Dots EF. I haven't used gold mirri for years but have to admit that it does give a very luxu...

Another colour challenge at the  Dynamic Duos  blog Not much stamping on this card - decided to go with punches and die cuts, take a look I die cut 9 fancy So Saffron squares on my 'Bug and laid them on to a Pool Party mat. My label and frame are also die cut and my stamped sentiment is from Field Flowers. The flowers are punched using the Stampin' Up Boho Blossoms punch. Each flower has been embellished with pearls. Bye for now - Jacqueline xx

Morning all - it's a new round of challenges at  52CCT  and it's Mynnette's month and she starts us off with this lovely sketch - take a look Here is my first card The background paper is some that was given to me by a friend and taken from a huge pad of Christmas scrapbook papers. I teamed it up with some Basic Black and Cherry Cobbler and although I haven't used any for years - a piece of gold mirri. I ran the mirri card through the Cuttlebug in my Swiss Dots embossing folder. My stamped sentiment is from Papermania and placed on some die cut card - I added some black organza ribbon as a finishing touch. Here is my second card This is some more paper that my friend gave me - from the same pad and this time I teamed it up with Poppy Parade. I used some vellum which was again run through the 'Bug this time in a snowflake embossing folder. Don't know where I got my glittered snowflake from - it's just always been there! Here is a clos...

It's my husband's birthday tomorrow, poor thing - this is the second year he will be 'Very Old'! - can you tell I tease him a lot about this? The joke's on me though as he doesn't really care how old he is!! I've bought him a book about walks in Herefordshire so I though that I would make him a nature themed card to go with it. I also followed this lovely sketch from  Freshly Made Sketches Here is my card My card stock is Stampin' Up and I have used Whisper White, Crumb Cake, Soft Suede, Old Olive and Basic Black. My image - from Lovely as a Tree is stamped in black and coloured with markers. I used my Cuttlebug and various embossing folders to add a bit of texture and and some nesting dies for the mat to stamp my tree on. I would also like to enter this card in to the  Fab 'n' Funky Challenges  as this week they are 'Celebrating Male-ness' bye for now - Jacqueline xx

It's  52 {Christmas} Card Throwdown  time once more and this week Mynnette has chosen the challenge. She wants us to add Decorative Papers as an Embellishment. For my first card I have made some little Christmas trees. They were die-cut on my Cuttlebug using a nesting Bunting Die (Papermania). I attached them together so that although they stand out from the card they can also fold flat for posting - take a look I have used more of my Christmas Wishes DSP as it seems to be going on forever!!! and I have added a sentiment with a Hero Arts stamp. My second card is somewhat different - I had an idea in my head but it didn't come out as I expected. It's very clean and simple in appearance - what do you think? Again using my DSP I made some rosette flowers but only half  and I made them to decrease in size - hopefully to look like a Christmas tree shape. Actually although it looks very CAS it took AGES to make !! - that'll teach me to have crazy ideas!! ...

Today at  Make My Monday  the challenge is to make a 'Spring Fold Card' but still following the monthly Spring theme. Confused? Take a look at my card There is a tutorial to follow here  and it's really easy to follow - I promise! So my card - is made using Whisper White, Almost Amethyst and Garden green card stock. The pansies were made using the Stampin' Up Butterfly Punch and the leaves, square label and border were die cut on my Cuttlebug. Here's a close up of my flowers Please pop over to the blog to see what my fellow team mates have come up with and I will see you soon - Jacqueline xx