Bee Happy

 This hexagon die was in my latest happy mail.  It's from Clearly Besotted and I was wondering how I could use it when I found the following challenge at The Card Concept.

So I started thinking bee hive and then I came across the following challenge at another of my favourite inspiration spots - Caseology

Then I found this great sketch at Sunday Stamps.  Unfortunately my initial plan was thwarted as I thought I had bought the Happy die from Clearly Besotted but that had been out of stock and will have to wait for another day.  Never mind I still had this Happy die from Sizzix - but it was so big I couldn't follow the sketch as I had initially wanted to.  The other "bee in my bonnet" was that I couldn't find my Fanciful Flight die which can be used to make a bee.   I think I loaned it to my friend Lena but it could just be lurking in some dark corner in my craft room, so I had to be resourceful and downloaded an image from clip art.

I am also entering this card in the following challenges

Addicted to CAS where the challenge is Texture. I've used a flocked border, glitter card and a textured doily

Simon Says Stamp's Wednesday Challenge - anything goes

That's 5 challenges, which for me has to a record - the planets must be aligned or something !!!

Thanks for stopping by, enjoy your weekend

Kate

P.S. I've included one of Simon's toys cause he looks like the little penguin dude from Happy Feet !!!

Sharing a friend's work

Just had to share the amazing things my friend Sonya has been creating.  She calls these room boxes.  Most of the furniture she has made herself but what really blows me away is the attention to detail she has.  Have a look at the breakfast tray. Most of these were made from FIMO.  The bedspread, rug and stool were printed on printable cotton and sewn.  The wallpaper was printed.  I created the window for her using a memory box die (grand madison), but she made the pellet herself and I love how one of the net curtains has been caught my a breeze.  She also made the wee cross and bible (this was for a Christening present), and look at that sampler on the wall which she printed and then made a frame for.  She builds the box herself and then frames the front with a picture frame.  They can be hung on the wall or placed inside a book case.

Sonya started this hobby after her daughter Niamh got a doll's house and she started decorating it.  This was her first one but she has made a few more.

The Music Room

 and the Blue Room (a communion present)

 I think you'll agree I am indeed blessed to have such talented friends.

Kate

Tabbed Typewriter

I had some happy mail yesterday (quite a lot actually and from 2 stamp companies) and I've been itching to try some of the new things out - but where to start ???    This typewriter is from Clearly Besotted.  I've cut it out with the matching die.  There are a couple of sentiments included in the set.  I've gone with Happy Birthday on the front and "You're Just My Type" on the inside.

I quite liked this sketch from Freshly Made Sketches, and thought it would highlight the typewriter.  The ATC card was cut with a Sizzix Movers and Shapers die and embossed using a M -Bossabilities folder.  

Thanks for stopping by, can't wait to make something else with all my new stuff !!!

More Sweet Thanks

I needed a thank you card and thought I'd retry a card I made a while ago which used the WMS Candy Wagon set, this time with the aid of my Cameo machine.  As you probably know Claire Brennan of Waltzing Mouse Stamps provides cut files for most of her wonderful stamp designs.  I slightly modified one of the cut files so that it just cut out the window of the candy wagon.  

Firstly I lined up where I wanted my candy wagon to be placed on my card front and then using the eraser removed the outline of the wagon leaving only the window.  I then stamped the image of the wagon onto my card front over the cut out window and stamped the "contents" of the wagon on the inside of the card.

This was so much easier than using the scalpel knife and the finish is so much better.

 I added a strip of spotty washi tape to finish off the card and added a strip to the envelope as well, which was such a quick and easy way to dress it up !!!

Thanks for stopping by,

Kate

Fabulous Birthday Wishes

I am entering this in the current Try Stampin' on Tuesday challenge where they had the following fun sketch.  I didn't use the twist of Mother's Day as it's already passed.

I'm also entering the current challenge at Seize the Birthday with the topping of Flowers.  I'm  thinking those might be dandelion seeds blowing in the wind.

Parrot Paradise

This week's challenge for Waltzing Mouse Fanatics is a colour challenge 

I thought it was a great excuse to break open the Offbeat Backgrounds set and make a plaid background.   Naturally the My Island set also came to mind.  So I've made this thank you card using both sets.  A bit of twine and a bright yellow button finished off the whole baggy board shorts look.  The background isn't quite square but it  sure was fun to make, especially in these bright sunny colours.  The lime green, orange and purple were from a ColorBox Q and the Cat's Eye shape made it really easy to ink up the double plaid stamp in two colours. 

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your weekend,

Kate

One Last Communion Card

One last card this time a commission for a friend.  My friend Sonya was commissioned to make the present which is a Room Box - a framed 3-d room such as you might find in a doll's house.  Sonya chose several shades of light blue for the soft furnishings to go with the white furniture she made to kit out the room, so I tried my best to use similar colours for the card.

I was a bit rushed this morning getting the card finished and photographed before picking up Simon for lunch and physio. As I mused over it while Simon was in physio, I realised the "KOMMIOUN" (Luxembourgish for communion) was difficult enough to pick out without having the distraction of the name underneath, so I removed the "JESSY" and used it on the envelope.  

The PSX Florentine letters were stamped in Color Box Sky Blue on white card and punched out using a 1" square punch (so easy to line up perfectly as long as you leave them on a strip of card).  I distressed the edges with the same ink.  If I had to do the card again I would try white embossing on blue base card.  The chalice in the middle was stamped using an image from the WMS Celtic Heritage set.  The butterflies were punched from the same cornflower blue card stock I used for the base and distressed with  Salty Ocean and Worn Lipstick DIs.  I added to these later using white Enamel Accents.

I decorated the inside with the same patterned paper as the front and added this image cut using the Spellbinders Floral Border D-Lite die (loved it so much I added one to the envelope as well).

I gave Simon's class mates their communion cards at lunch time today - they were thrilled with them. "mega schein" (mega beautiful) was one comment I overheard when one little girl was showing her friend.  Making other people happy with your creations -  that's what I love most about card making.  It's comments like those that make the hard work worthwhile don't you think. 

Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend,

Kate

More Communion Cards

You may already know how much I appreciate the kids in Simon's class at school who are always ready to help him do things he has any difficulty with - especially the girls.  Five of the children in his class make their First Holy Communion this Sunday.  I made cards for this boys earlier in the week and these are for the girls.  SO much easier making cards for girls - you can really go to town on pretty papers and embellishments.

I used the insert from the Spellbinders D-Lite filigree cross to create a pretty aperture in the window of the base card.  Papers from various paper packs, the Spellbinders Persian Accents and a butterfly punch were used to frame and embellish the aperture.  The butterflies were sponged with Worn Lipstick DI, and the girls' names were cut with my Silhouette using the Abbeyline font (free download).

Here is a look at the inside of one of the cards.  I saved the cross which I cut from the frame mat on the front and used it on the inside.  The aperture is clearly visible here too.  I love the versatility of this Spellbinders Filigree Cross.   The chalice and sentiment are from the WMS Celtic Heritage set.

I was inspired by the following challenges

Inkspirational Challenge #55

to use 

Green and Pink

and 

Seize the Sketch #19

Thanks for stopping by,

Kate

Some Communion Cards

Two boys in Simon's class make their First Holy Communion next Sunday and I wanted to mark the event by making them a card.  I was a little pushed for inspiration when I saw the card being showcased on Case Study 189.

Using Spellbinders D-Lite Filigree Cross (which is a 2-part die), I cut the window in my card front and created this tone on tone blue cross to sit in the aperture when the card is closed.  

The sentiment is from Waltzing Mouse Stamps Celtic Heritage.  As both boys names were short, I decided to die cut their names using this WPlus9 Folk Art Alphabet.  Might have to rethink this design for the girls though one of them is Jennifer.

WMS Release Tomorrow Yippee !!!

I wish I had created this beauty and I certainly will attempt a CASE of it some time in the future, but this card is being shared by Laurie as part of the Waltzing Mouse Stamps May Release.   I love how she created a balloon using the Good Egg die set !!!

Here's another card this time from Teresa - showing off another of the new tag dies that will be released as part of the May WMS Release and showcasing the gorgeous My Heart stamp set.  I thought these two cards were great examples of how tags can be used to fabulous effect on a card.

Then there's this lovely tag from Jen.  It pairs a small "stitched detail" tag over the Folding Tag, which opens to reveal a hidden message. Love, love, love that wooden heart from My Heart (sigh) !!!

I can see this being great not just for gift tags but also for scrapbooking where journalling could be "hidden" from initial viewing making the layout more intimate and interactive.

And what about this little emergency sewing kit which Karin created using the Folding Tag die.  

Be sure to check out all the blogs from the Design Team - starting with this gorgeous layered folding tag from Claire the head Mouse.  Did I mention there are prizes up for grabs !!!  

Cogs are definitely moving in this little head of mine.  

Roll on tomorrow !!!