Wednesday, 12 October 2016

Party Kittens

I've fallen in love with these little kitties and their cheeky expressions!  I've also fallen completely in love with this new text die called Happy Wishes from Wplus9. The font is lovely and I like creating the mix of stamped and die-cut sentiment.

Because the image was quite large (this is my usual 6"x6" sized card-base) I kept the layout very clean and simple with some papers to bring out the hot pink accent in the image.



Card Recipe:
I've been inspired by:
Happy crafting
Annette
xx




Sunday, 9 October 2016

Blue James

In contrast to yesterday's pink James duo, today's set of James the bear cards are aqua blue! Again they're JFF because I love using this bear. :0)




Card Recipe:
I've been inspired by:
Happy crafting
Annette
xx




Saturday, 8 October 2016

Pink James

Another "just for fun" post from me today, with a couple of cards featuring James the bear from Lili of the Valley.  I was definitely in a pink mood when I pulled these ones together!  I hope you like them.  Don't forget there is still a bit of time to enter the LOTV Facebook challenge which is Christmas this time, so these cuties would fit right in! :0)




Card Recipe:
I've been inspired by:
Happy crafting
Annette
xx




Friday, 7 October 2016

A Wee Christmas Card

I've got a simple 'Just for Fun' card to share today.  I must have spent at least 2 hours each on the 'no-lines' coloured images I've been posting recently but I do love how they turn out.  I wasn't overly pleased with the uber CAS layout that I gave this one; I think my mojo was on holiday when I pulled the card together and it feels a bit unfinished to me.



Card Recipe:
I've been inspired by:
Happy crafting
Annette
xx




Thursday, 6 October 2016

Flower Power

Today's challenge at As You Like It Challenge is to share whether you like bought or handmade flowers, and although I do like die cut flowers, these mulberry flowers from Wild Orchid Craft have to be my all-time favourites.  I have them pretty much in every colour combo and love using the various sizes in little floral arrays around my images.  I've framed my Wee bug with two sets of pretty pink flowers to match my pink colour theme.



Card Recipe:

I've been inspired by:
Happy crafting
Annette
xx




Tuesday, 4 October 2016

Bunny Sock

I'm back to the gorgeous bunnies from LOTV on today's card, and yes, it's another Christmas themed creation!  I've kept the layout very simple, with the colours of the papers deciding what colours I'd use in my image, and I've pulled out a Memory Box die that I have had for a few years, but don't think I've used much this year (although I am somewhat behind with my Christmas makes than I've been in previous years).


Here's a close up of the sweet bunny image:


Don't forget there's also a Christmas challenge on the LOTV Facebook page this month too. :0)


Card Recipe:
I've been inspired by:
Happy crafting
Annette
xx



Monday, 3 October 2016

Teepee Card

I've not made a teepee fold card for a while and for some reason this image seemed to be 'calling out' for one, so I've had a go. I've used a Lili of the Valley image and Nitwits papers on a strong gold mirror cardbase.

Here's the card from the front .....



And a couple of pictures from both sides showing the circle sentiments I added ....




The image was a really sweet one called Carol Singing...




Here's how I made my simple Teepee cardbase:

First I cut a rectangle 12" x 6" of gold mirri card and scored it in half and each half on the diagonal as shown below:



Then I cut another 6" x 6" square of gold mirri card, scored it on the diagonal and adhered it to the rectangle base as shown below (again this is the back of the cardbase):


Before sticking the pieces together (above) I covered each of the triangle shapes with patterned papers so that when I turned it over, it looked like this:


I then used a small circle of stick-on velcro to create the ability to hold the fancy fold in place but also allowing it to open and fold flat for posting. :0)


Card Recipe:
I've been inspired by:
Happy crafting
Annette
xx



Sunday, 2 October 2016

Bunny Post

It's another Lili of the Valley card from Papercraft Essentials today, this time featuring Christmas Bunnies Post.  I must admit that I really love Lili's bunny images and this one is no exception.

Don't forget there's also a Christmas themed challenge on the LOTV Facebook page running until 15th October so if you get your skates on you can join in.







Card Recipe:
I've been inspired by:
Happy crafting
Annette
xx



Saturday, 1 October 2016

Tilda's got the Blues

I can't believe it's the first of September October already (eeeeek), but to celebrate that date, there's a new challenge at Squirrel's (not so) Random Challenge and the theme this time is one colour (plus hair / fur / skin). I've chosen blue on a Christmas card featuring Winter Tilda in a cute little hat.



Card Recipe:

I've been inspired by:
Happy crafting
Annette
xx




Friday, 30 September 2016

Easel Angels

I've got another couple of cards from my Papercraft Essentials magazine feature using two sweet angel images from Lili of the Valley. They each use easel shaped bases but I've varied them slightly. I kept the colours light, with a bit of red accent on each, because the images were pale and I didn't want them to be overpowered by strong coloured backing papers.







Card Recipe:
I've been inspired by:
Happy crafting
Annette
xx



Thursday, 29 September 2016

Dropping the Shopping

I'm sharing another card from my featured set of Lili of the Valley for Papercraft Essentials.  This one is a gorgeously sweet image called Dropping the Shopping and I am pleased with how it turned out. I added some pink mesh ribbon as an accent as well as some stitched snowflake dies and a little sentiment tag.



Here's a close up of the image:




Card Recipe:
I've been inspired by:
Happy crafting
Annette
xx



Wednesday, 28 September 2016

Stuffie Gang

I've been playing with my Stamping Bella images again today and have used Stuffie Gang on today's CAS card. I've tried to use (sort of) autumnal colours with the browns and golden browns (although I did sneak in a touch of pinky purple in the accents).  I think this is probably my favourite Stamping Bella image, closely followed by Honey Bears.



Card Recipe:
I've been inspired by:
Happy crafting
Annette
xx




Monday, 26 September 2016

Sending Birthday Wishes

Today's card is one I made for my FIL's birthday, and although it was slightly peachy in colour, hubby concluded that it was sufficiently masculine enough despite the cute image!  The bear is James from Lili of the Valley and he's one of the new digi images they've recently released.



Card Recipe:
I've been inspired by:
Happy crafting
Annette
xx




Sunday, 25 September 2016

Splashing Around Baggie

There's another new release at Crafty Sentiment Designs, and my project today features one of them, called 'Splashing Around'.  I've made a little baggie Simoand decorated it with a tag using the image. The handles are lace and there's a little closure which I've made using a mini magnet.





Project Recipe:
I've been inspired by:
  • Simon's Wednesday Challenge - Gift
Happy crafting
Annette
xx



Saturday, 24 September 2016

Skating Along

I must admit that I was rather pleased with this card, and it's featured in the Papercraft Essentials issue 138 which was published earlier this week.  It features Skating Along from Lili of the Valley and I've used a die to cut the shape which is one of my favourites.

I hope you like it and I'll have a couple more of the cards from the magazine feature to share with you in the next few days too.



Here's a close up of the image, painted with DI reinkers.





Card Recipe:
I've been inspired by:
Happy crafting
Annette
xx



Friday, 23 September 2016

Mariposa

I am not sure what possessed me to think that the no-lines colouring would be a good idea, because it took me 4 times longer to paint this image than it does normally, but I was quite pleased with the outcome.

The papers are actually from a winter set, but I use them a fair bit for non-Christmas cards because they're so pretty and you can hardly see the snowflakes!  Plus the florals on the paper matched the blossom in the image so I thought it would be perfect.



Card Recipe:
I've been inspired by:
Happy crafting
Annette
xx




Thursday, 22 September 2016

Hello Friend

I'm sharing a card using my favourite colour combo today, pink and blue, on an image that I've had for a while but I don't think I've used her before.  I'm supporting the 'favourite colour combo' challenge at As You Like It Challenge and I've kept the design CAS (that seems to be the returning theme for me at the moment and I'm kinda liking it!).  The card was for a lovely friend who, when she's not keeping me sane, she at least keeps me company on the naughty step.



Card Recipe:
I've been inspired by:
Happy crafting
Annette
xx




Wednesday, 21 September 2016

Jasmine Music

I'm back on the girlies after yesterday's boyish frenzy, but it's still a CAS design. I managed to find a musical note charm to match my musical image and papers!



Card Recipe:
I've been inspired by:
Happy crafting
Annette
xx



Tuesday, 20 September 2016

Oliver - Footie Fan and Born to Skate

There's not one, but two CAS quickies from me today and they're both cards for a guy (which is a topic I find difficult!).  I added some interest to the designs with some chalked clouds and some die cut stars and clouds.






There's also a new set of Halloween images coming out from Lili of the Valley, in digi format tomorrow and in rubber next week.  Take a sneaky peek at the images below and check the online shop out to grab yourself the new images. :0)


Card Recipe:
I've been inspired by:
  • Simon's Wednesday Challenge - CAS
Happy crafting
Annette
xx



Monday, 19 September 2016

Splashing Around

This is the same image that I used on my clock a couple of days ago, but this time she's on a CAS card.   In contrast to yesterday's CAS layout, I've used a stitched speech die and 'hello' script die for the panel at the top.



Card Recipe:
I've been inspired by:
  • Simon's Wednesday Challenge - CAS
  • Copic Marker Europe - Skin
Happy crafting
Annette
xx



Sunday, 18 September 2016

Jasmine Laptop

A simple card from me today as I've forgotten to do the write up for this one and it's now a bit later than I'd hoped to get around to posting it!  I'm quite fond of this simple layout, and instead of using ribbon, I've used twine for the accent on the strip at the top.  I must admit I get a bit obsessive about the tails on the bow though, because they have to curl inwards, not up or out, which can be very tricky as the twine seems to have a mind of its own when it comes to curling! :0)



Card Recipe:
I've been inspired by:
Happy crafting
Annette
xx



Saturday, 17 September 2016

Believe in You

This is a card that I made for one of my colleagues who had just had a promotion to take charge of our company's IT function.  It was previously something that had officially fallen under my remit (along with my normal day-job), but despite dabbling in programming when I was in my early 20s and having an active interest in technology since then, I have no formal training in IT.  My IT role was really a liaison between the technical IT team, which he managed, and the company's managing board.  I was therefore more than happy to relinquish that responsibility to someone who could actually push the right buttons (so to speak!) when needed. Since IT underpins almost everything that we do, I appreciated it was a daunting responsibility for him to take on, so the sentiment I used made us both smile!



Card Recipe:
I've been inspired by:
  • Simon's Wednesday Challenge - CAS
Happy crafting
Annette
xx



Friday, 16 September 2016

Splashing Clock

It's been a while since I shared one of my clocks and today's creation features a cute digi from Crafty Sentiment Designs.  I used my trusty clock template (see my freebies page if you want to grab it) and mountboard for the base.  I think this is the last of my clock mechanisms too so it may be my last clock for a while :0(




Card Recipe:
I've been inspired by:
Happy crafting
Annette
xx



Thursday, 15 September 2016

Ombre

Today is the start of a new challenge at In The Pink and it's a photo inspiration with lots of lovely ribbon, pearls, flowers and lace.  I've included all of these on my card as well as a pretty pink fairy. I've attempted some ombre colouring on the fairy's skirt and wings, but I'm not sure I've quite got the hang of it yet!


Here's the photo to give you some inspiration:


Card Recipe:

Created for:



Sponsored by:


I've been inspired by:
Happy crafting
Annette
xx




Wednesday, 14 September 2016

Robins on Branch

I've been playing with another one of the new WRS images, this time it's robins.  I'm pleased with how this one turned out so decided to make the image the center of attention with a stitched border and a pop of designer paper which complemented the colours used on the image.  I hope you like these little guys.



Card Recipe:
I've been inspired by:
Happy crafting
Annette
xx




Tuesday, 13 September 2016

At the Movies

I've used Oliver Film Night again for my Movie inspired card today.  The image has been coloured with DI reinkers and I've used a stitched wave border die on the DP at the top.  The twine has been bunched with a tiny bronze brad to keep it as masculine as I can muster!



Card Recipe:
I've been inspired by:
Happy crafting
Annette
xx



Monday, 12 September 2016

Willow the Witch

As a certain observant pal reminded me yesterday, for someone who doesn't 'do' Halloween, I'm spending a fair amount of effort on it!

Today's card is a 'challenging' image (for me) of Willow the Witch. She was challenging because I usually manage to freak out at this amount of fuss on an image (both the hat and the dress made me twitch) but I persevered and this is the result!  I even added a bit of sparkle to the frilly bits.

I used a Simon Says Stamp Die (Stars Parade) as a stencil and used various shades of purple chalk to create the starry backdrop.  I then stitched around the image before mounting it onto a simple black base card.




Here is the die cut with my chalky outlines!  I kept the outside of the die intact as much as possible to stop excess chalk getting on my base card, but it was easy to remove any little smudges with a tiny pencil eraser.



Card Recipe:
I've been inspired by:
Happy crafting
Annette
xx




Sunday, 11 September 2016

Winter Wishes

I've been in Christmas mode recently and have another cute winter themed card to share with you today.  It features some cute squirrels playing in a pine tree and I've kept the design really clean and simple so they take center stage.



Card Recipe:
I've been inspired by:
Happy crafting
Annette
xx




Thursday, 8 September 2016

Jasmine Phone

There's a new challenge over at As You Like It Challenge today and the theme is to create something that represents your favourite song or film.

I've had a teeny tiny (ok pretty major) crush on Keanu Reeves for as long as I can remember (apart from being pretty easy on the eye he also seems a really down to earth and genuinely 'nice guy' untainted by celebrity status and a few hundred million dollars in the bank).  One of his most well known films is The Matrix trilogy and if you've not watched the films, the concept they suggest is that our minds are all hard wired into a machine 'Matrix' which simulates the world as we know it.

Sometimes when I see people unable to take their eyes off their mobile phones as they're walking along the street or sitting in cafes it makes me wonder how far off we actually are from a closer connection with technology that we already have (and I'm not sure it's made life any less stressful as it is with email and the internet making everything (including expectations) instantaneous).

The films also use phone lines to drag people back from the simulated world of The Matrix into reality and therefore it seemed logical for me to use Jasmine Phone for my image, which pretty much sums up every other person you now see on the street, addicted to their mobiles and hooked up to the Web!



Card Recipe:
I've been inspired by:
Happy crafting
Annette
xx



Sunday, 4 September 2016

Bunny snuggles

I think my favourite critters from the Lili of the Valley family are the bunnies and today I've made a card for the September "Animals" challenge featuring a couple of my favourite bunnies snuggled under a Christmas tree.

The card design is really simple, with some snowflake papers on the card base, and some stitching around the image panel.



Card Recipe:
I've been inspired by:
Happy crafting
Annette
xx




Saturday, 3 September 2016

"Hello"

This card looked completely different in my head, and it's certainly different from my usual 'cuties'. I followed a sketch and used a script die as the focal point.  I created the circles by die cutting a circle in a post-it sticky note and using that as a mask to ink circles onto my base card.  After letting the ink dry I embossed the complete panel before adding my 'hello' die cut.



Card Recipe:
I've been inspired by:
  • Seven Hills Craft - Sketch (Hello die and circle die from store)
  • Simon's Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes
Happy crafting
Annette
xx