Happiness

It's just as well birthdays last longer than only a day,

especially when you're not able to give a gift until a little later.

This was the case when I saw my BFF earlier this week

 and we were able to exchange gifts to one another

 - my gift to her was late and her gift to me was early!

I made a boxed set of cards using the beautifully vibrant collection of papers and ephemera from Cocoa Vanilla Studio - Happiness

So easy to put together

I added a strip of washi tape to this one

Such pretty little butterflies

A pop of colour on a monotone background

You always need a birthday card ....

Sweet memories ..... awwe!

Happy Birthday, my dear friend!!!

I'm off to make a cuppa, as always .....

Happy Crafting!
 

Be your beautiful self

Autumn finally seems to have arrived in Sydney, with cooler nights and balmy days.

Let's hope the humidity has also gone, at least for the next few months.

One of my dear friends had a birthday recently (who would have thought, eh?)

which of course, called for a one-off card.

This stamp is one of my favourites, and I find her gracing quite a few of the cards I make.

I started by dragging white card through puddles of Distress Oxide inks, 

then once it was dry, added blue paint through a brick wall stencil.

"Chicken" was stamped onto white card and coloured with prismacolor pencils.

I again stamped her, this time onto a small piece of floral paper which was a bright splash of colour for her top.  I left her leggings black & white.

I found the 'fun' ticket in a pack of ephemera, tucking it in behind her.  

Some spotty washi tape was added and "Chicken" finally had an interesting wall to stand against.

 

A couple of Tim Holtz' quotes fitted the card perfectly.

All that was needed to finish the card was a black mat on white card. 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, my friend!

Stamps

Stampotique - "Chicken"

   Come back and visit again soon ..... until then,

Happy Crafting!

  

Always Flowers

Gosh, is it Friday already?

Am I ready for the weekend?  Well, sort of .....

I recently made this card to accompany an ATCoin swap arrive at its destination safely.

A simple stamped design on white card,

coloured with Inktense watercolour blocks and finished with dots of a co-ordinating Gelly Roll pen.

I like to make two ATCoins for a swap, although only one will be sent;

that way if the first goes astray, I have another ready in the wings to replace it.

Sometimes it's hard to choose which one to send and which to keep.  

As these were both coloured with water colours, the shading on the flowers isn't quite the same.

I added dots of gold Liquid Pearls to the centres of each flower for a little bit of extra dimension.

Stamps

 Carabelle Studio - "There are always flowers"

Craft Stamper magazine - freebie

Thank you for coming back today, and for your encouraging comments.

They always put a smile on my face.

Happy Crafting!

  

Happiness

Have you seen the new collection of papers from Coco Vanilla called 'Happiness'?

Sooooo pretty!

 I bought the 6" x 8" paper pad which is brimming with pretty papers, 

along with a pack of Die Cut Ephemera and Die Cut Titles.

 

The background for both these cards was from one sheet of paper 

which was matted on black card before adhering to folded white card.

The die cuts were popped up on dimensionals with a stamped greeting slotted behind.

These cards were super easy to put together 
and I can see me using up every last piece of this beautiful and vibrant collection.

Stamps

Darkroom Door - 'Happy Birthday' 

Happy Crafting!

Happy Ever After!

I found a new (to me anyway) stamp company recently.

It is UK based, their stamps were reasonably priced - how could I resist?

 They are cute stamps with a few fun sentiments thrown in,

however, I also realised that one of the stamps would be perfect for an Engagement card.

I cut a square from white card, stamped the hearts with Versamark ink and embossed with fine gold embossing powder.  I did the same with the sentiment.

I found the background paper in my stash and cut it to size, 

and adhered it to a folded kraft card.

The inside sentiment was embossed with gold as well.

Stamps

Tracey Hey in association with Alpaca Pals - "turn the page" 

 

Although I have met the newly engaged couple, I don't know them very well,

but I'm assured they had a wonderful engagement celebration - CONGRATULATIONS!

Happy Crafting!

  

Dragonflys!

I find swaps really helpful especially when my brain has turned into mulch,

because as there is usually a theme, it means one major factor has already been decided for me.

I think the theme for this ATCoin swap was Things with Wings.  I wonder if you could call him a 'dragonfly'?   Hehehehe!!!!

ATC's or ATCoins are also helpful when I haven't many ideas, as they are are only small and all I need is a background and a focal point.  This background was from a leftover piece of patterned paper, so even easier.

 

 Both these little dragons were stamped onto white card and coloured with Inktense watercolour blocks.  They were fussy cut and glued directly onto the background paper.  A smidge of Wink of Stella was added on their wings.

As ATCoins are not very big, I don't like to just pop them in an envelope by themselves, so I made a co-ordinating card to protect them.

There is a little pocket on the left hand side to pop the ATCoin into, the right side is left to write a note to the recipient.

I enjoyed making these ATCoins and cards and hope the recipients enjoyed receiving them.

Stamps - unmarked

ATC = Artist Trading Card (3 1/2" x 2 1/2")

ATCoin = Artist Trading Coin (2 1/2")

Whatever you are doing this weekend, I hope you find time for a little crafting fun.

Until next time, 

Happy Crafting!

 

Musical Notes

Are blogs a thing of the past?

Has facebook, instagram or twitter taken over?

When I started my blog a few years ago, I used it as a visual diary for myself, and if comments were left, it was a 'feel good' bonus.  

Nowadays, the only time comments are left, is when I've entered an online challenge, and as such the DT members are supposed to leave a comment.

I guess I find it discouraging to the point that I wonder if what I'm making is actually worthy of comment any more, or perhaps I'm just being a little critical of myself.

What do you think?  Any thoughts?  Or am I just being silly?

Anyhoo ...... enough said, I'll get off my soapbox and stop feeling sorry for myself.

A couple of months ago, I made a shaped card (Pinterest inspired) for a friend's 60th Birthday.

 The keyboard was fairly easy, especially as I had a punch for the notes.

Then came the hard part, the shaped piano lid.  

I used scrap paper to freehand a shape, then once I was happy with it, I used it as a template to cut the lid from black card.

After searching through Pinterest, I found some Happy Birthday sheet music and printed it off - much too big.  Then I printed it in the smallest format I could, so that it would fit the piano.

I added another page to give the impression of a book, inked around the edges and glued the two pages together.  They were attachd to the piano.

I cut a smalled lid shape for an insert, and stamped a birthday sentiment.

All in all, I was pretty happy with the outcome, although looking back, I'm not convinced about the 'candle' numbers.  Perhaps I should have nipped off the flame?

The birthday boy celebrated this occasion with family and friends

and a very enjoyable afternoon was had by all.

Thanks for stopping by today, hope you liked what you saw.

Happy Crafting!