Handbags & Gladrags

 Hi lovelies!

There's a bit of golf fever spreading around over here!  The Irish Open is currently taking place in Newcastle, Co. Down (only a few miles up the road from me) and there has been so much buzz and excitement about it!  I'm not really into golf myself, but I'm enjoying the craic about it.  My cousin's wee boy was very excited to get Rory McIlroy's autograph the other day and there are photo's popping up all over Facebook of local people with the rich and famous!  Unfortunately the weather isn't playing ball (or golf!) as there have been a few showers, but it brightens up in between the showers, so hopefully people get a chance to dry off then.  It may be affecting the local hero though as Rory hasn't been playing so well, hopefully he will pick up a bit today as it would be good to see him compete.

I'm still trying to get the hang of being back at crafting and blogging again!  I've been trying to make changes to my craft room but there is so much stuff and it's only a small room, so it's a challenge!  I am going to get a bookcase to put on top of an existing bookcase to try to make more storage space.  I need a bigger house!!  Mostly so I can fit all my craft stuff in!
I bought a load of gorgeous fabric to make some aprons a while back but haven't gotten around to them yet as I don't have the space to lay out the fabric!  I'll figure something out though.

We have a new challenge today at the Alphabet Challenge Blog.  We're up to H again and the challenge for the next fortnight is...

H for Hats and/or Handbags

Here's what I did

This is actually a twisted easel card, here it is opened up

I knew the exact stamp I wanted to use for this one - it's one of the first stamps I ever bought and it was perfect for this challenge!  She is Dressing Up Maggie by Sugar Nellie and I coloured her with the following copics: Skin; E21,13,00,0000,R20,RV23. Dress; R39,29,RV29,25. Hat; RV29,25,23. Boa & Hat; B39,37,34. Beads & Gloves; 100,C9,6.  I also used a black prisma pencil and a graphik "snow" line painter to help with shading and highlights.

I used papers from the Rosarian pad by Prima along with cream and black card.  I love easel cards and twisted easel cards but I really love the shape of this one.  To shape it I used an XL circle die by Go Kreate, the largest one in the set, and hooked it over one corner of the card and passed it through my Grand Callibur.  It can be a little messy looking so the ribbon helps to hide the sins!

I used Spellbinder ovals and scalloped ovals as well as a border punch by Martha Stewart.  The sentiment was cut using the Alice & the Centurion alpha dies by X-Cut.  For the stopper I pulled the stalk out of an old earring and glued the base into place.  A wee tip - when I cut the edges of the ric-rac (which I did after the layers were stuck down, so couldn't tuck the ends in under) I applied some clear nail varnish to help avoid fraying.

A few diamantés here and there always finishes everything off nicely - that's my motto for life! lol!

 And that's my card, I do hope you can join us this fortnight at the Alphabet Challenge Blog, I'll keep an eye out for you there!


Thanks for looking!
 

Tag A Mate!

Hello...Does this thing still work?!
Wow!  8 months since my last post, I didn't mean for that to happen!  I was dealing with a lot of pain so thought I would take a wee break for a while but I'm back and raring to go!  Sort of!  I still have the pain so I will be keeping things quite and calm from now on.  I have stepped down from all but 2 of my design teams, that was a tough and sad decision to make but it had to be done.  I have thoroughly enjoyed being a part of all of those teams and have made lovely friends through them but hopefully blogland will bring us together again!

One of the teams I have stayed on is the Alphabet Challenge Blog.  I'm so happy to still be on this team as it's the first DT I ever got on!  We had a new challenge go live on Friday and I'm here to show you my card.  The theme is...

F for Friends/Friendship

And here is my card

I actually made 2 cards which are basically the same but with different colour schemes.  We are having a card swap on the Kraft Krazy forum with a challenge of using a die that you don't use very much and I have 2 friends to send to so I thought I'd make mine to suit it and the Alphabet Challenge.
Here's both cards together

The image I have used is Best Friend Selfie by Saturated Canary and I coloured it with the following copics: Skin; E21,13,00,0000,R20. Hair; E29,27,25,23.E44,43,42,40,blender. Eyes; B06,04.YG17,13. Lips; RV29,25,23. Clothes etc on card A; RV09,06,04. BG49,45,11. Y26,23,21. C7,5,3. RV13,11,10. Clothes etc on card B; BV08,04,00. YR07,04,02. Y08,04,00. B26,24,21. RV19,09,06. Background; C1,BV0000,B000,R00,Y00,blender.

I then mounted the image onto a tag shaped piece of kraft card that I cut myself.
The papers on card A are from Prima set Anna Marie and on card B from Prima set Introspection.
Dies used are Memory Box precious heart (which I haven't used before) and Crafty Sentiments Designs Fancy Hearts border die (which I haven't used in a long time).

The sentiment is from the Film Strip Sentiments set by Whimsy Stamps, stamped with onyx black Versafine ink and then I went over it with a Sakura clear glitter pen.  I added a hashtag with a black fine-liner pen and then with the glitter pen.  I also added a few diamantes.  And of course, it is an easel card.

I added a die-cut circle to the inside for the message because "Just Because" is never an answer!  I heard that enough times when I was wee!

So that is my card and my return!  These are the first cards I've made this year that I am happyish with.  The only other one I made was a card for my wee sister in February, for her 18th birthday.  My card was terrible, I didn't even bother to take a photo of it, but I was out of time to make another!
I didn't totally stay away from crafting though.  I did some crocheting, knitting and sewing while I was "off" card making.  I will continue to do more of that and I have very recently had a chance to try jewellery making using wire, love it!  I will be doing more of that also!
Over the next while I will also hopefully update my blog with a few cards that I missed from before, including my few Christmas cards that I made and any other things that were noteworthy and I said at some point or other that I would blog about!

I'd like to enter my card in the following challenges:

Craft Your Passion Challenges; Anything goes
Creative Fingers Challenge Blog; Anything goes
Cute Card Thursday; Use a sentiment
Eureka Stamps; Feminine cards
Papertake Weekly; Anything goes
Ruby's Rainbow Challenges; Anything goes
Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: Anything goes
ABC Challenges; I is for Inspire us
Top Tip Tuesday; Duo challenge - 2 in the image and 2 cards!
Whimsy Stamps Challenges; Colour an image

Thanks for looking!