Thursday 27 June 2013

Happy news...!!!

Hello peeps!

I hope everyone is well :)  I am here today with some exciting news!  Some good friends of mine from University, Jemma and Tom, have FINALLY got engaged!!!!  Whoop whoop!  I am so pleased for them!  They have been together since our last year at Uni, which was a whopping 7 years ago now!  Yup, feeling a bit old!

I admit, I did get this news a little while ago and it has taken me an AGE to get this card made - partly due to a lack of opportunity, but partly because I wanted to make something that was just right.  It has been such a long time since I saw either of them :( I hope to catch up with them at some point soon :)

Anyway, that's enough nostalgia...here's the card...



Jemma has always been a turquoise gal so I tried to incorporate this into the card.  The colours are loosely based on a Play Date Cafe colour board from a while ago.  I didn't get to participate, but I LOVE the colour combination and wanted to use it anyway :)  



It doesn't really show well in the photograph, but the sentiment is embossed in silver and IRL it looks all shiny and special  :)  I really hope that Jemma (and Tom) like this card.  When she let me know about the engagement she said, and I quote... "I expect a place on handmade by Sian!!!"  Ha ha!  Here you go Jems!  :)  I had no idea that she followed my blog so I was doubly pleased and I am honoured to have her on here!!  :)

Miss you Jemma!  :)

Some more happy news is that I was one of the winners over at Catered Crop last week so I get the honour of being part of the Quickfire on Sunday line up - woohoo!  The challenge this week is 'So Shapely' and is all about using die cuts and punches.  This is a wonderfully ambiguous starting point and it will surely bring out something different in everyone - I can't wait to browse the entries!  So, this card is my contribution to this challenge with the border and the flowers all being die cuts :)

Thank you for stopping by today, and always ;)









Supplies
Card:      Paper Mill Direct - White, Black, Grey, Pale Turquoise, Teal, Raspberry Pink
Stamps: Waltzingmouse Stamps - Big Day Additions
Ink:        Ranger - Perfect Medium
Other:    Spellbinders - Classic Edges Two, Classic Decorative Inserts Three, Anemone Flower Topper;
             WOW! - Silver super fine e/p; pearls

Sunday 16 June 2013

Variation on a theme...

Hi guys!

How are you all?  It's been ages again hasn't it...I hope you're all well :)

I am here today with a few cards, all based on the same layout.  The first one is the birthday card I made for my other half's son's birthday this Thursday just gone...


His favourite colour is yellow, so as you can see I ran with that.  Also, this ties in nicely with CASology's cue card for this week, which is 'Yellow'.  It's been such a long time since I was able to join in at CASology, I'm really pleased I had a chance this week!


As it is Father's Day today (Happy Father;s Day to all you Dads out there!) I have two cards, one for my Dad and one for the Father-In-Law (maybe he'll be my actual father-in-law one day, but I consider him to be my second Dad already :))

My Dad's favourite colour combination has always been blue and orange.  Whenever he made scale model aeroplanes he always made them in blue and orange...


Once again, my stamp collection is seriously lacking and I don't have a Father's Day stamp of any description, so the pen and ink came out to finish this bad boy off!  Thank you for all your comments last time about using a Versamark pen so that I could emboss my hand written sentiments...I did give it a go.  Unfortunately, with calligraphy you require a flat tip nib (width to suit) and the Versamark is obviously round tipped so no matter how hard I tried, the effect didn't turn out quite right :(  So I am still on a mission to find a liquid embossing ink that I can dip my nibs into like I do with the coloured ink...I may have to email Versamark!!  :)  I am entering this card into the Recipe Swap over at Catered Crop this week - the theme being 'For The Boys'



The Father-In-Law's card I made in black and white...


I'll admit, I made a mistake here.  My Father-In-Law is an avid supporter of Tottenham Hotspurs having grown up in Tottenham and played for the youth team back in the day.  I'm not a big football fan and have only seen the Spurs kit at a glance if it's been on the TV.  I thought the colours were black and white - they're not!  Their colours are NAVY and white, so I think I can be excused for getting it wrong!  When I found out it was too late to make another card in the right colours so I had to leave it - maybe next time Richard - sorry!!  It doesn't matter too much though as he didn't know that's what I was aiming for in the first place :)

That's all for today...I am hoping to get some cards made by the time the weekend is out although it hasn't gone well so far!  I miss posting and being in blogland with you all!  You'll be glad to know that the training of my other half to cook dinner is going well...he did try to cut his finger off when we were at work at the beginning of the week though so he hasn't been able to cook, or do much else, all week or I would've had a chance to sit down and craft!  Oh well, he's on the mend now and hopefully his finger won't take too long to heal so that I can get out of the kitchen and back to my desk :)

Thanks so much for stopping by  ;)









Supplies

Yellow Card:
Card:      Paper Mill Direct - White, Black, Grey, Daffodil, Primrose
Stamps: Stamping All Day - Art Deco Birthday
Ink:        Ranger - Perfect Medium
Other:    Thread; rhinestones

Blue and Orange Card:
Card:      Paper Mill Direct - White, Black, Grey, Sky Blue, Citrus Orange
Stamps: NONE!
Ink:        Windsor & Newton - Light Blue
Other:    Thread; rhinestones

Black and White Card:
Card:      Paper Mill Direct - White, Black, Grey
Stamps: NONE!
Ink:        Windsor & Newton - Black
Other:    Thread

Tuesday 11 June 2013

How time flies...

Hello!

I cannot believe it has been a whole YEAR since the birth of my darling other half's granddaughter.  Although she is not strictly my granddaughter, I am known as 'Nanny Sian' apparently which makes me so happy :)  (She is my granddaughter as far as I'm concerned - she's too adorable!)   Unfortunately DOH's eldest son and little family live in Australia so we have yet to meet little baby Madison, or not so little now as it would seem!

As we can't be there, this time, I have made her a card...of course!  Obviously, she is only one, a card is going to mean very little to her.  This in mind, I wanted to make something that would interest her, if only for a minute of two!  I have seen some people making shaker cards lately, and while I never thought I would make one myself...here we are!


Shaky, shaky!!  I am hoping that Madison will enjoy the fact that this card is slightly interactive and should keep her entertained for a moment or two :)  As we all know, I am NOT a  pink person, but even I quite like the pinks and purples on this card - it's all girly!  I wanted the seed beads to reveal the number 'one' showing her age.

I got the original idea to make a shaker card from Laura Bassen and this card, and more obviously was inspired by this card by Amy Wanford - the queen of the interactive card!!  Thank you ladies!  :)

So, here's wishing a happy first birthday to MY granddaughter!  We'll meet you soon darling!

Thanks for stopping by ;)









Supplies
Card:      Paper Mill Direct - White, Pink Sorbet
Stamps:  Verve - Hope Blooms
Ink:         VersaColor - Magenta, Old Rose; Ranger - Perfect Medium
Other:     WOW! - Ebony e/p; acetate; seed beads; rhinestones

Tuesday 4 June 2013

Happy 30th birthday...erm, I mean 21st!!...

Hi guys!

I am here today with a birthday card for my partner's son's girlfriend!  (my would be step daughter-in-law I guess?!)  It is her 30th birthday today, but we have decided that it should actually just be another 21st because 30 sounds too old!!  :)

I made this card using the sketch from CAS(E) this sketch - I've been so busy lately...you know, in the real world (ugh...don't you just hate that it eats right into the time you could be spending doing something you actually WANT to do?!) and I was so pleased that I managed to find some time to join in with this challenge as it is fast becoming one of my favourites, which is hardly surprising as the sketches and inspiration from the DT are always so amazing...right!?  I am really pleased to hear about the alterations they are making over there as of the next challenge...the deadline is being extended from Tuesday to Thursday (which is super helpful for me, I'll have fewer excuses now!) and they are going to invite past winners to be guest designers - how exciting!  As if we all needed another incentive to play along :)

I have just noticed that it's the 30th challenge which I think is nicely coincidental with Sara's 30th birthday...it's the simple things in life...ha ha! ;)

Here's the sketch...

...and here's my card...



Hopefully you can tell that I did use the sketch, albeit as more of a jumping off point than actually following it strictly it transpires!  You should know me by now...I struggle with rules ;)  I just added a little decorative border at the bottom instead of the banners and put my banner at the top...my Mother would agree that I always have to do everything arse upwards ;)  (her terminology, not mine!)

Personally, I am not really an animal print kinda gal, I'm much more plain than that as I'm sure you've all noticed.  Sara, however, loves leopard print and so I got this paper just for her!  Yep, this is another crazy British wallpaper - I know Ardyth was astounded at the Disco Black glittery wallpaper that I used on her birthday card!  So Ardyth, here's another one for you! 

I know it's a bit difficult to see as my lighting situation has yet to improve...and my photography skills for that matter...but I have used that lovely Clear Matt Dull embossing powder from WOW! again on the background to add some subtle flourishes.

I am also entering this card into the Catered Crop Recipe Swap, which this time round is 'Mellow Yellow'.  I know there's nothing remotely mellow about this card, but it certainly has the yellow element!  
Thanks for stopping by ;)









Supplies
Card:      Paper Mill Direct - White, Black, Daffodil; A.S Creation - Leopard Print Wallpaper
Stamps: Stamping All Day - Art Deco Birthday; Waltzingmouse - Fancy Flourishes and Scallops and Dots
Ink:        Ranger - Perfect Medium
Other:    WOW! - Clear Matt Dull and Ebony e/p; Spellbinders - Classic Edges Two and Decorative Inserts
             Three; flowers; rhinestones

Sunday 2 June 2013

You're how old??!!...

Hey!

Last weekend I took some time out in order to sit at my desk...I didn't realise quite how much I'd missed it and just how therapeutic it is!  I managed to join in with some challenges that have been neglected by myself of late...woohoo!

Today is the turn of the Fusion challenge!  The sketch and the inspiration were so cool that I went with both, and here they are...


I decided to use the colours from the inspiration image and the white-on-blue background and went with a literal take on the sketch...this is how it turned out...


Some of you may remember that I was making a bundle of birthday cards to send to my Mum for her to have on standby to give to her friends.  Well, I made and sent them to her, and bless her, she loved them :)   (that's the best thing about Mother's, they're seldom disappointed :))  When I spoke to her on the phone the other day she mentioned that a male friend of hers birthday was coming up soon.  I couldn't remember whether any of the cards I sent her would be suitable for him, so I told her I'd make one specially.  He has a good sense of humour (which is lucky!) and is going to be turning 64, so Mother and I decided that this sentiment would be ideal!!  He he!  Mean, I know :)  

I never really got into the bunting/banner trend when it was, well, trendy...but here I found myself making a little bunting for this card...talk about being a little behind!  :)  I'm actually quite pleased with how it turned out and hopefully Keith will enjoy his card too :)

I am hoping to join in with all the other challenges I love this week too...I think I'll have to train my other half to cook dinner and wash up so that I have more time to craft!  Wish me luck!!  ;)

Thanks for stopping by guys ;)









Supplies
Card:      Paper Mill Direct - White, Sky Blue, Bright Red
Stamps: Papermania - Celebration
Ink:        Ranger - Perfect Medium
Other:    WOW! - Opaque White super fine and Ebony e/p; rhinestones; thread

Saturday 1 June 2013

A biker wedding...

Hello there!

On Friday night a good friend of mine asked me to make a card for his friend's wedding which was this afternoon.  When I asked him what the wedding colours were, he had no idea!  Hmm, helpful!!  The couple who were getting married both have Harley Davidson's, however and the grooms bike is black and turquoise so he decided that he'd like a card in those colours, so that's what I did :)

I don't know about you, but I find it difficult enough to make wedding cards (which I can only put down to the pressure of wanting to make something extra special for an extra special day!?) let alone making one for people I've never met!  Anyway, I gave it a go and this is what I came up with...


I have used this combination of die cuts for a wedding card before (for my best friend's wedding last year) and I think it looks pretty intricate without being too difficult to make - which is always a bonus!  

When I showed the card to my friend to make sure he liked it (although it was a bit late for him to say no as it's not like he gave me a great deal of notice!) he then told me that the brides bike is pink!  If I had known I'm sure I could've incorporated a bit of pink in there somewhere!  Hopefully she has had such a wonderful day that she won't notice too much :)

I am going to pop this card into the CAS-ual Fridays challenge which is 'Congratulations' this week.  This card is to congratulate the bride and groom on their wedding day so I think that counts!  ;)



Thanks for stopping by ;)









Supplies
Card:     Paper Mill Direct - Black, White, Teal, Pale Turquoise
Stamps: Waltzingmouse - Big Day Additions
Ink:        Ranger - Perfect Medium
Other:    WOW! - Silver super fine e/p; Spellbinders - Parisian Motifs, Fleur De Lis Motifs; Crafty Ribbons
              - Silver seam binding; pearls