Birthday Card Commision

I have had to abstain from joining my teamies at FCCB this week, I swear someone stole a whole day out of my week !! 

Please do go and visit, as ever they have some stunning projects, all with a camping theme!!

I couldn't not share something so here is the 70th Birthday card commission I made a couple of weeks ago.

I love cards like this they makes all the muddled worky thoughts and worries disappear and create peace in my head lol 

Hoping to be back with my challenge for Anything Goes next week till them take care

Anything Goes Challenge #96 Stripes, Checks and Flowers

Stripes, Checks AND Flowers are the name of the game over at the

ANYTHING GOES CHALLENGE BLOG

for the next fortnight, please come and visit us and join in the fun

I have made my card with a new die from DoCrafts a bargain in the end of range sale at my local garden centre.

Princess Puss is cut in velvet paper so she's quite touchy feely lol 

As ever my flowers are my favourite spellbinder's 

Love Love Love !!

Lynne's on line shop is still under going maintenance but should be up and running again soon. 

For those lucky enough to live in Sheffield, the shops address and classes are advertised on my side bar !!

I would like to share my card over at
Dream Valley Challenges - Make your own flowers or embellishments (12th July)

Anything Goes Challenge 89 Mail it !!

Good morning from snowy Lincoln

I'm coming out of hybernation to share my card for 

Anything Goes Challenge Blog

Challenge 89

Mail it...

...This fortnight we challenge you to make a card with an envelope, stamp, post card etc on it

Please pop over and visit us at Anything Goes and add your project and join in the fun !!

I used a lovely stamp of a cat holding an envelope as the center of my card and coloured her with Pro-markers. I took the whiteness off the Neenah stamp card with Rusty Hinge Distress ink, having gone way too far I sprinkled water on it to add some highlights !!

I stamped the post card and tiny envelopes onto some freebie papers with no name 

I used a 8x8 card blank which turned out to measure 71/2" square, cheeky !! and used 6x6 papers to cover it - sticking squares from the centre of each piece into the missing corners and hiding the joins - just cause I wanted something bright and cheerful to remind us spring IS coming lol

I used my Cricut and Elegant Edges cartridge to make the postage stamp shadow and frame

I made the hat pins up and then the flowers and butterflies from various dies and punches, I love making flowers when it's way too cold for the real ones to bloom !! 

Pop over and visit Lynn at the Craft Den, she sells many of the products used in my cards

Anything Goes Challenge 86 Vintage /Shabby x

Happy Tuesday !!

Today starts a new challenge over at the

ANYTHING GOES CHALLENGE BLOG

We are going vintage/shabby for this fortnights challenge so please pop over and see all the amazing DT projects and then share yours with us !!

I have opted for browns, gold and copper for my card this time around.

The base is 8"x8" and covered with textured chocolate paper,

I had flowers in mind to go with the beautiful stamp which I adore but have no idea who it was made by ...silly me !! Any offers??

 I started by embossing the image with a copper Versa mark ink pad and clear embossing powder. 

I used Distress Inks in Vintage Photo and Pumice Stone embossing round the edges and distressing the edges with my Tim Holtz tool after I had done this, I ripped one edge and curled another to add to the vintage feel.

The beautiful die cuts are the new Spellbinders Enchanted Labels 28 along with the amazing 5x7 card creator basics A ....both coming to the UK very soon!! The sentiment is cut with the smallest decorative elements labels 8.

My side panel is made with a strip of gold paper over laid with "holey" cream mulberry paper. I made the bow from more mulberry and a piece of white tulle blotted with the copper ink. 

My key was very brassy so I inked and embossed it making it tone in much better and secured it with twine.

Flowers are my very favorite favorites lol so I spent ages die cutting and rolling the Spellbinder dies and added some of my new Cheery Lynn butterflies to finish my card. 

Please pay a visit to Lynn's on line shop The Craft Den where you can purchase many of the crafty treasures used in my cards.

Bye for now

Adoption Commission Card

This is the first adoption card that I've ever been asked to make...such a special arrival!!

Cricut Sampler Cartridge and Nit Wit papers with you guessed it Spellbinder flowers 

Nothing if not consistent I guess !! 

No ink on this one I wanted it clean and tidy, my new trick is blobs of glossy accents making the flowers look fresh and dewy
What a beautiful name for a baby girl with a very special mummy and daddy to be !! x x

Wedding Anniversary Commission

Today I have a commissioned Wedding Anniversary Card to share.

The card was made from 2 sheets of ice white shimmer card and 1 sheet of matching paper for the inserts. Everything has been tinted with Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Antique Linen. 

I have cut the card into tag shapes at 20cm's (Shadow) with Cricut George and Basic Shapes and pleated ribbon around 2 edges. (Inserts cut at 20cm in paper).

I cut the frame from Cricut Essentials at 10cms. The swirls and letters at 3cms (I think) from Cricut Alphabet. The frame top and letters are embossed in white with a little silver sprinkled over, the swirls and "&" are embossed in silver. 

 Paper flowers will always be my first love !!

I spent ages dreaming the afternoon away making them from Spellbinder Bitty Blossoms, Roses and Large flower 3.

A few brads, pins and pearls, lots more ribbon and the jobs a good 'un lol!!

I am entering my card into the Cardztv challenge "Tag your it!!"

Design Diva's "Anything Goes"

Little Scrap Pieces "Anything Goes"

For Lisa x

This is a card commissioned by the lads in our local pub's dart team so plenty of space for all those signatures needed here!! Bless them they have hearts of  gold for all their testosterone fuelled, beer drinking, blarney !! (Joking boys !! xox)

I've used another of the fabulous Papermania Foldies 6"x6" square cards as the are great for "collection" cards. 

I've used a combination of Papermania Lincoln Linen papers and the pretty bits from its collection and printed sheets of thin printer card and glossy paper with coordinating yellow papers from the Capsule Collection DVD.

From the back

From the front

 I like to make these cards in stages as it would be quite easy to get lost in the 10 sides and make a mess lol!!

So I first spent time time using the Cricut Elegant Edges Cartridge to cut the background papers.

I printed some of the Urban Stamps from the DVD and die cut some with Spellbinder label dies and hand cut some of the little shapes. I kept them black to add some definition and distress inked every single edge.

Spellbinder and Marianne D roses as ever .....

This flower is made from a used, inked, tumble dryer sheet

....and some embossing.

I completed all of the card before embellishing with lots of gems, flowers, tiny bows and a little bit of ribbon.

From this .....

...To this.

Thank you all so very very much !! x

Today's card is a Thank you card made specifically to enter some Blog Challenge's and to say 

 THANK YOU

 to all you lovely ladies for following my "baby" blog !!
Many thanks also to Crafteezee aka Tracy for sending me the Copic Air Brush System Candy I won last week. (Yippee!! New toy to play with!!)

xhugsx

Nikki x

The ladies over at Crafty Ribbons have an "easel card" for this weeks challenge so that's where my cards journey began. 

I used double sided blue card for the base at 7x7", having taken my colour inspiration from the beautiful blue  and pink picture featured in  The Shabby Tea Room challenge. I  used the lay out over at The Sweet Stop using white and pink patterned  paper with more of the blue to create all their lovely layers. I used Distress Inks in Faded Jeans and Victorian velvet to soften the edges and

I'm hoping my card also meets the remit for Truly Scrumptious "Pretty in Pink" and Paper Shelter's "Vintage/Shabby"

(I found it really difficult to do the card justice in my photographs as there is just sooo much going on lol)

I am head over heels in love with "Fran-age" and have covered parts of the base and layers and most of the die cuts in the various vintage enamels, I sneaked a little lilac tinsel and the taupe fragments in too .

Hot Shot Craft features 

"Die Cuts" in their current challenge and Marianne's Design Diva's are looking for "Wings and Things" so I've added lots along with some "Swirls and Flourishes" inspired by Fussy and Fancy.

Whimsy Stamps are playing "Bingo" and I opted for "Pearls, Ribbon and White" to complete their challenge.

I cut my teapot on my Cricut (cause I just could'nt leave him out lol!!) and coloured the Lili of the Valley girls enjoying a gossip with my Promarker's. - (First time I've been brave enough to take a close up -urm!!) I  have some fabulous gold mesh,  ribbon, some netting and a fran-taged doily surrounding it along with tiny punched butterflies, dragonflies and leaves.

I have really enjoyed making this card and letting my imagination run riot !! Hope you all like it too!!

Happy Days x x x 

Happy Birthday Em x x x

Well, 1 happy 17 year old is now the proud owner of the smallest Pandora bracelet I have ever seen lol she will fill it in no time at all !!

Here are a few of her handmade tags ...

Sizzix "Bow" Bigz die - one of my favorite dies it means I can always have a matching bow whatever the occasion.

Sizzix "Happy Birthday" die.

Cricut "George and Basic Shapes" cartridge has been used for the tags in different sizes, the flowers, hearts and letters. A Martha Stewart lace punch has been used to create a sleeve round the tissue paper.

Another Sizzix "Happy Birthday" and Spellbinder Bitty Blossoms (My present to me Bitty Blossoms = Beautiful )

Lace punch again , curling ribbon and a few gems for added sparkle.