Heartsy Mae/Heartsy Julie.

Its my sister-in-law's birthday next month... So of course I've made her a card! 

I'm really enjoying working with Some Odd Girl stamps at the moment and have spent a few pounds/dollars picking up one or two of the newer digital images over the last few weeks.

One of the things I enjoy most about making cards is that you can personalise them. I often try to make the image look a little bit like the person I'm sending it to and when I saw Heartsy Mae I knew she would make a great Julie!

Here she is with my beautiful niece enjoying some summer sunshine.  What a likeness! LOL. I wonder if Julie will realise I've included her trademark pink lipstick?

The pretty papers are from Echo Park's 6x6 paper pad Head Over Heels; which seems appropriate seeing as I've just realised the paper on the lower portion of the card is upside down! Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. 

I'm linking-up with the Simon Says Wednesday Challenge crew as they have an Anything Goes week showcasing Hero Arts products. The 'happy birthday' sentiment is from Hero Arts so this seemed like too good an opportunity to miss.

Happy crafting everyone!

WOYWW

I haven't had chance to play along with WOYWW for ages and ages. The lovely Julia has made it to #325 Wednesdays of sharing and inspiring: what an achievement!

I usually share a view of my desk from the front but just for a change I thought today I'd go with a view from the left looking across the chaos. I literally stepped away from my desk and took the picture. Mmmmmm, time to clean up I think!

And here's a picture of my crafting companion taking a well earned nap across the room from my desk.

The lovely Custard is looking a little 'plush' these days due to the fact that he's on Steroids following a diagnosis of asthma. He's currently on tablets but we're hoping to switch to an inhaler in the next few weeks.

Have a happy Wednesday everyone!

Experimenting...

With water colouring a heat embossed image using Distress Inks.

I bought this beautiful image, called Botanical Bunch is from Wplus9, as I felt I needed some slightly more 'grown-up' stamps in my collection. I've been playing with it alot recently so please forgive me if it pops-up again in the not too distant future.

Have a happy day!

July Card Chain Challenge Reveal

It's reveal time again over at Deborah's Society Of Stampaholics. 

I sent this card to the lovely Dee in Kenya...

                                 

And received this little piece of fabulousness from the very talented Cat in Maryland. Isn't it a beauty? Cat admits she got a little muddled and used the August sketch and colour scheme for her card but I have to say I'm glad she did as I love everything about it.

No surprises that I've used another Stamping Bella image but I just can't resist them right now. Those two girls sitting side-by-side seemed perfect for sending a message of friendship to my recipient, Dee. One of the great things about this challenge is that you get to 'chat' to your senders and recipients in addition to receiving a beautiful handmade card. I've enjoyed a nice virtual natter with both Dee and Cat this month and only wish they both lived a little closer (or even on the same continent).

If you're tempted to sign-up for Deborah's next Card Chain Challenge you can find out all the details here. The August Challenge is still open AND there's also a $25 Paper Smooches Gift Certificate up for grabs just to tempt you a little more!

Fun in the Sun!

The Troublemakers are back with a super fun challenge for August over at Naughty Or Nice and just look at Danielle's brilliant graphic.... Hilarious! Someone should make a stamp of this image.

Here's my offering: don't you just love the expression on the Seagull's face? I had a totally different card planned until I spotted this fun image over at The Paper Shelter. Having nearly lost a bag of chips to a Seagull a few years ago, this image really hit the spot for me. I also rather like the little girl's Amy Winehouse hairdo!

The die-cut and the layering card were coloured using Picked Raspberry Distress Ink to match the pretty patterned paper from Echo Park's Here and Now Collection.

The Troublemakers have out-done themselves this month and you can follow this link to see what they've been up to and to join in all the fun.

House Of Cards August Challenge - Metalics

Hi everyone, guess who has been operating waaaaaaaaaaay out of her crafting comfort zone???!!!
Yes, that would be me. I know that I joined-up with the HOC girls to push and challenge myself creatively but METALICS? Seriously?

Actually, after a little panicking I decided to use metallic embossing powders and a homemade stencil to create my card. I opted to make another shaker card and have even created a mini photo tutorial which will be appearing on the HOC Blog later this month.

Its a pity the light is catching the card in this way. In real life it looks much better and much less gaudy. My super-talented teamies at HOC have created some total fabulousness for their metallic-inspired creations and you can take a look by following this link to see for yourself.

Have a great day!