All that glitters...

I do hope the glitter shows up on this card as it has been made for the challenge at ABC where we have reached the letter G in the alphabet and the design team have decided to go for 'glitter'. I have used glitter card embossed with the Cuttlebug Swiss Dots folder to create my background.

The main silhouette image was printed on to acetate and then attached to the glitter card using brads.

I love the effect of glitter card layed under acetate - it's magical which is ideal for this particular image. My card is also for the 'my favourite things' challenge at Charisma Cards . Silhouettes either in rubber stamp form or images to print out are definitely one of my favourite things and I love glitter card too!!

I've added black corner peel offs to draw the eyes in to the central image and ribbon embellishment just because...

Hope you like my card.

My ca

Boy and girl silhouette version 2...

I must admit I had intended to use a different image on this card, but when I actually got the intended stamp out it was too big! Not to worry this image deserves to be used more than once.

On this card I used the mask directly on to my base card (brave eh?) and stippled the background again with Adirondack inks before using my black Versefine to stamp the main image.

This time to frame the scene I used a gold peel off frame. I was sure that somewhere in my box I had a sheet of frames that was bought ages ago and never used. I couldn't believe my luck when the frame was just the right size for the image - not often that happens!!

The light is terrible here at the moment - my card is much more effective in real life - honest.

After the bravery of stippling and stamping directly on to my card I was really please to find that my card fits the challenge at the One Stop Craft Challenge. Wow how wonderful to be one of the first for a change.

Boy and girl silhouette...

I really love this silhouette image of a girl and a boy on a bike - it's a tiny stamp from Jessica Lynn Originals, but one I am really fond of. I need some tiny cards to send out 'just because' and this is my first one.

To create the background I stippled Adirondack ink through a circular cut out in various shades and then removed the mask and stamped the image using black Versefine ink (my all time favourite).

The challenge at Wednesday Stamper this week is silhouettes so my card is perfect for that challenge and I'm also going to enter it for Cynthia's challenge at the Rainbow Lady Challenge Blog where the theme is 'People'.

My people may be small ones, but I'm sure Cynthia won't mind once she gets over the shock of me getting my card done so early!!

Haute Couture...

At http://tandastamps.blogspot.com/ this week the theme is high fashion. Alongside the lady in the snow image that I used yesterday I also already had this image of a very glamourous lady looking out of the window printed on acetate and if her outfit wasn't high fashion in its day I don't know what was.

The card is a very unusual fold up design that I got the instructions for on another blog and now I feel incredibly guilty because I can't thank her or provide a link as I can't find the blog again. Anyway as she had very kindly provided all the measurements and instructions on her blog I'm sure she would be pleased that they had been used. One day I will find the blog again and be able to thank her properly.

As the card is a birthday card it is also perfect for the challenge at

http://thankgoditsfriday.wordpress.com/.

Materials used:

• plain white card as base
  
• patterned turqouise retro paper
  
• black embossed paper
  
• black organza ribbon
  
• turqouise embossed card
  
• image printed on acetate and mounted on to glitter card in blue haze
  
• computer generated words

I've had quite few messages asking how I did this card and as I said above I can't take the credit for the design but I can pass on the instructions that were on the other clever crafter's blog.

You need two pieces of card 15cm x 30 cm.

Score the first piece of card at 15cm and fold - this piece forms the tallest part of the card - the bit I have put the birthday verse on.

Next score the other piece of card at 3cm, 12 cm, 21cm and 25.5cm.

The 3cm section is the part that attaches to large card - if you put this in place it becomes fairly clear how to fold the other sections. At this point it is a good idea to cover the sections with the papers you choose - far easier I think than trying to do this after fastening the cards together.

When covered you can then add bows and flowers etc to the small front section, an image to the middle and perhaps a verse on the back. So many possibilities.

When folded the card should fit in a normal square envelope - however I used very thick card for mine and found that due to the many folds and additions it was a tight fit - luckily I trimmed a touch off the main section before fastening it all together. It is worth checking before going too far with the making up of your card.

Hope these instructions help and if anyone spots the original blog with these instructions on (her card had a party girl on and a big number 30 at back) please will you let me know as I really would like to thank her. Thanks in advance.

Black is back...

As soon as I saw the challenge at http://thisthursday.wordpress.com/ I knew with a title like 'black is back' this was a challenge that I just had to enter.

I love working with black (mental note to self - must get better at putting colours together) and especially using silhouette images. This is a fabulous image (from Dover clip art - I think) which I printed onto acetate before attaching it with brads to white glitter card. I think the glitter emphasises the coldness and whiteness of the snow in the scene.

As the image is on acetate it is also suitable for the challenge at http://wednesdaystamper.wordpress.com/ which is transparent art this week.

Materials used:

• silhouette image on acetate
• white glitter card
• white sparkly brads
• silver corrugated card
• black card embossed using Fiskars embossing board swirls
• silver mirri paper covering basic white card blank
• silver Christmas peel off sentiment

Words of Wisdom...

Our challenge at http://ooh-la-la-creationschallenges.blogspot.com/ this week is to use a quote in your work.

I used an image from the CD 'Silhouette Magic' and a quote from the Quote Garden to complete my card.

My quote reads...

'There is a garden in every childhood, an enchanted place where colours are brighter, the air softer and the morning more fragrant than ever again by Elizabeth Lawrence'.

Do visit our challenge blog and take part if you have time. It would be great to have lots of entries.

I'm back...

and have had the best time ever - Sunderland is brilliant - and especially so when staying with a good friend.

I haven't made this card today - it's one I made before I went away as I knew our challenge at http://ooh-la-la-creationschallenges.blogspot.com/ was going to be Christmas this week. I hope that everyone who wants to get a head start on their Christmas cards will join in and leave a message on our challenge blog so that we can look at everyone's stunning work.

I made this card using one of the images from Ooh-la-la-Creation's new CD which is crammed full of really stunning silhouette images. Silhouettes are one of my favourite type of image. I love Joanna Sheen's Dancing With Shadows CD - I love silhouette stamps and I love this CD. There are just so many possibilities when using silhouettes.

90th Birthday - card 2

As the card maker in the family I also needed to make a card for Mum to give my Auntie today. I decided to use the last of the silhouette images I printed last week. This one is a lovely image of some children playing with a flower garland and like the other silhouette images I have been using it is from the CD 'Silhouette Magic' CD by Ooh-la-la-Creations.

Sorry for the poor quality of the picture - it is really hard to take photos of acetate cards. I think it's actually possible to see the reflection of the camera on this one!!

Our challenge at http://ooh-la-la-creationschallenges.blogspot.com/ this week is to create a card using acetate. Quite a few people have said they would like to try this so alongside our card examples there is a write up of how my card was made. So do pop along there and give a acetate a try out.

90th birthday...

Not a challenge this time but a card for my Auntie who will be 90 tomorrow!! Why do I always leave things till the last minute? Anyway as I needed a card quickly I decided to do a card similar (almost the same really) to a christmas card I did a while ago.

I printed an image from the CD 'Silhouette Magic' by Ooh-la-la-creations on to ink jet acetate and then matted this on to gold card using black brads. This was then matted on to black to make the image stand out more.

The base card has a vellum wrap around it to soften the look. Gold peel offs and tag help to pull the design together.

Friends...

This silhouette image of two children sat on a wall with a bowl of bubbles is one of my favourites from the new CD of silhouettes from Ooh-la-la-creations. I printed the image on to acetate and used blue jewelled brads to attach it to some amazing blue and white shaded glitter card from Kanban. I love this card as when you place it behind a silhouette it looks like a cloudy sky and the glitter (although hard to see in the photo) makes it extra special.

I matted the glitter card on to black and then silver - the silver is actually fastened to the other side of the acetate - that way there is no evidence of nasty DST tape

.

I think this card is perfect for the challenge at http://lotstodocallenges.blogspot.com/ which has the theme of friends.

Hearts...

The challenge at http://themethursday.wordpress.com/ is to use 'hearts' in your artwork. I chose this heart shaped silhouette image of a small boy and girl cutting out paper hearts together. The image and backing paper are from the new CD 'Silhouette Magic' at Ooh-la-la-Creations.

The verse is one of the many free ones to be found at http://www.imag-e-nation.com/ . Something about it made me feel it was perfect to go with this image. The verse (although you can't tell from the photo) is matted onto vellum to allow the backing paper to show through.

I'm back...

I have been so poorly over the last week or so that I haven't done any card making or craft of any kind - not a happy situation! However, I am beginning to feel tons better and have at last got some of my craft stuff out and got into action.

This card is a triple whammy (well I have missed a lot of challenges and need to catch up fast). The challenge at http://cutecardthursday.blogspot.com/ is to use three types of embellishment on your card. I loved that idea and on my card I have diamond gems (10 ooooooh good job I bought some bargain ones recently - thank you Chris at Bargain Garden), eyelets and last but not least ribbon.

The challenge at http://stampchallenges.blogspot.com/ is 'monochromatic' - my favourite. I love black and white. I just can't resist black and white paper designs and even though I have millions I still buy more.

The third challenge is at http://ooh-la-la-creationschallenges.blogspot.com/ and is the one dear to my heart as it is the one I organise with my dear friend Wendi and this week we asked people to think 'Romance'

The images used on the card are silhouettes from a CD by Ooh-la-la-Creations and the sentiment is from a set of clear stamps by Heidi Grace.

I'm especially pleased with this card as I think it will make a great anniversary card for my Auntie and Uncle who are celebrating their Diamond Wedding anniversary next week - well it has got 10 of my new diamond gem stones on!

Engagement cards...

Well my internet, phone and TV service was down most of the day yesterday - thank you so much Virgin Media!! Felt pretty much the same way myself too as I am still full of a dreadful chest infection that is stopping me from sleeping and making me feel so low. Off to doctors today - hoping for a miracle cure!!!

However, card making alway helps and I had a little flurry yesterday making engagement cards for a commission from one of Laura's Uni friends.

I printed a whole sheet of romantic images from Joanna Sheen's fabulous Dancing with Shadows CD on to inkjet acetate. I love the effect you get when you lay a silhouette printed on acetate on to a sheet of glitter card. Winter scenes look stunning on white and others look good on some blue and white shaded glitter card I have that looks almost like a cloudy sky.

For this romantic couple in the sunset I used some glitter card that has almost a rainbow of warm shades running through it. I was hoping to pick up the sunset that was already printed on the image to some extent.

Quite difficult to take photos of acetate cards -tried one on white paper which looked really silly and finally decided that this one was the best. The tag will have the couples name on to finish the card.

Black and white plus one!!!

This is a new challenge for me and comes from http://caardvarks.blogspot.com/. The challenge is to use black and white plus one other colour. There are some fabulous samples from the designers at cardvarks - really beautiful.

For my card I printed a very delicate silhouette image of a young romantic couple framed by branches on to acetate. Then I attached the acetate over the top of white glitter card using silver brads. The white glitter card has a blue cloud effect running through it - and is my one other colour.

I have an awful feeling that the silver peel offs might be cheating slightly but oh well I tried!!!