gillyflower's expressions

even more painting

2012-01-24T02:34:00.000-08:00

here are my latest painted items a small candle painted with the rose bud design

then the wine bottle box which is lovely as a gift box but then be kept as a dried flowers vase or pot pourri box by punching some holes in it and filling with pot pourri. i think the daisy design is my favourite so far

hope you like them

gill x

new paint fusion items

2012-01-19T11:44:00.000-08:00

here is my latest paint fusion effort

this time it's sunflowers on a large box lid hope you like it
then rose buds and hips on a small heart from and a small rectangle frame
i think my next project will be a wine box so pop over soon to see if i've finished it yet
gill x

paint fusion 2012

2012-01-14T03:38:00.000-08:00

happy new year all
here are some more paint fusion items for you
it seems the only thing i can focus on at the moment so enjoy doing it hope you like my efforts
the frame is a thankyou gift for the dr that looked after mom for many years before her passing before xmas. He was a wonderful dr and helped her cope with many years of illness i made the card to match too. the poem in the frame was written by mom, as years ago she used to write poetry so i thought it would be a fitting thank you.

gill x

more paint fusion

2011-12-11T03:46:00.001-08:00

MORE PAINT FUSION ITEMS

here are the latest paint fusion items i have painted.

finding crafting difficult at the moment as just lost my mom so in a very sad place at the moment

my mojo has just disapeared but am finding this painting technique a real help

in focussing my mind a little.just allowing myself to get lost in it for half an hour here and there. hope you like what i have done so far.

don't know what i would do without my crafting it so helps when you mind is

feeling so muddled and sad

if i don't post again now before xmas

let me wish you all a merry xmas and a happy new year

gill xxx

paint fusion

2011-11-17T09:34:00.000-08:00

hi all
just started doing some paint fusion techniques from sheena douglass just love it thought i would show you what i have done so far hope you like them never painted before in my life but love this technique so quick

another birthday card

2011-10-08T10:43:00.000-07:00

another family birthday card a lighter theme this time butterflies and flowers again hope you like

steampunk

2011-10-07T06:11:00.000-07:00

just thought i would upload a couple of cards i have made for orders both a bit steampunky hope you like them and you are all well out in blog land

gill x

xmas cards

2011-09-10T02:19:00.000-07:00

hi all just thought i would add a few xmas cards i have been working on hope you like them they are large 8x8 i love square cards and now i have the big shot pro i can get the 8x8 card in the machine to cut out appatures so really pleased about that

so here they are let me know what you think

one layer card challenge 50 at crafty cardmakers

2011-07-13T00:56:00.000-07:00

CHALLENGE 50 - ONE LAYER CARD

Lisa has chosen the theme for this fortnights challenge and she would like to see One Layer Cards - Now the definition of one layer cards is "One piece of card folded in half with no additional layers and minimal embellishments, where the image is stamped or printed directly onto the cardstock." (Definition from Less is More Blog)
We are sponsored today by ONE STOP CARD CRAFTS who are offering a £10 voucher for their store as a prize.

At One Stop Card Crafts we have a big range of ever changing discount making and card making craft supplies.
We are always adding to our range of craft supplies which are ideal for making handmade greeting cards, do-it-yourself invitations scrapbook pages, altered items and much more.
Our card making craft supplies include free UK postage, our popular discount scheme and quick service means our customers keep coming back for more.
Our prices are very competitive and this & makes us an ideal place to buy your card making supplies online. Some of our new products include Petaloo flower layers, Ranger Glitter Glue and Martha Stewart Punches. We also host a regular challenge at http://onestopcraftchallenge.blogspot.com

i think this is first time i have made a one layer card as i am a bit of busy card maker.

i chose to make my card in landscape for a change and felt it suited the layout better. the poppy stamp is a foam stamp from la pashe coloured with prmarkers. the wording is from a set i have had for years can't remember who they were made by. butterflies are from one of my flower fairy sets. hope you like it. i have drawn an embossed line all the way around the card edge but it doesn't show very well on photo.

hope you like my effort
come and join us as crafty cardmakers and have a go at our challenges
gill x

http://craftycardmakers.blogspot.com/

spotlight 49 masking

2011-07-07T00:52:00.000-07:00

this week it's a spotlight challenge at crafty cardmakers (sorry again i can't add the link but it's on the lhs of my blog)
Just to say a huge Thank you all for your sentimental entries, we will do winners catch up this week (weds or thurs) so please check back then for all previous challenge winners.

Jack has set our new challenge so I shall hand over to her just now. We have a fab stamp by Crafts & Me designed by Lemon Shortbread up for grabs for this challenge called Flapper 2 Melody.

SPOTLIGHT ON MASKING-
message from jack
Its my turn to set the challenge this fortnight and I'd like to see you using masking - This can be using a bought mask (or stencil), making your own, stamping your main image and masking over it before you do your background, using torn paper as a mask, but NOT a picture of a mask. I'd also like a short explanation of how you used your mask.

here is my contribution

to make this card i used a dreamweaver stencil with paste and a few die cuts the masking part of the design was made with distressed ink worn lipstick and a crafters workshop 6x6 plastic template used a dabber to ink it up added a piece of ribbon and thats that.

come and join us at crafty cardmakers and have a play with masking it's a great technique so give it a go

the link for the blog is on the lhs of my blog as i still can't seem to do links on this blog

gill x

49 spots and stripes

2011-06-29T05:52:00.000-07:00

We have a new challenge for you this fortnight at crafty cardmakers (sorry still can't get links to work on this blog but there is a link at the left hand side of the page) and its an easy peesy one set by Donna who's like to see SPOTS & STRIPES somewhere on your design. Remember to read the house rules before entering as we have a cap on 10 challenges sorry!

Up for grabs is a prize from our regular sponsor ONE STOP CARD CRAFTS
At One Stop Card Crafts we have a big range of ever changing discount making and card making craft supplies.
We are always adding to our range of craft supplies which are ideal for making handmade greeting cards, do-it-yourself invitations scrapbook pages, altered items and much more.
Our card making craft supplies include free UK postage, our popular discount scheme and quick service means our customers keep coming back for more.

Our prices are very competitive and this & makes us an ideal place to buy your card making supplies online. Some of our new products include Petaloo flower layers, Ranger Glitter Glue and Martha Stewart Punches.

right here is my entry hope you join us and have a go

spots and strips used an old sizzix die that i have had for years but never seems to go out of date. cut the dress out in several colours then pieced together.backing card was from qvc. punched centre border with martha stewart punch then just added a circular sentiment quick and simple card hope you like
gill x

spotlight 48 sentimental

2011-06-21T06:19:00.000-07:00

Our new challenge for you today at the
crafty cardmaker spotlight blog ( http://ccmspotlight.blogspot.com/ ) has been set by Jenni and she would like to see SENTIMENTS AS YOUR FOCUS. This means that the sentiment is the dominant part of the card and not a secondary element.

We dont have sponsors today so its just for fun (with a top 5) If you're interested in sponsoring the challenges in future then get in touch!

for this card i used embossed dp from craftwork cards also the frame under the sentiment is from craftwork cards too inked it with gold brilliance ink to make the embossing show up. added a gold bow and die cut the words bride and groom to turn it into a wedding card another quick and simple card.
gill x

more keepsakes

2011-05-27T01:12:00.000-07:00

hi all
this is another order for a keepsake. this lady wanted a funky one for a funky nanna so thought of this paper as love it. so more money for the charity so glad people are showing an interest in these items.

the second one i have made for the same lady is for father's day from the children daddy likes things to do with space so used some boys papers i have had in my stash for ages and never had the oppotunity to use them until this came along they fitted the theme just right

keepsakes

2011-05-25T06:12:00.000-07:00

here are a couple of keepsake wall hangings i have made for an order really enjoyed making these makes a change from cards. hope you like them selling these will raise money for the jigsaw asperger support group in rugeley so some good will come out of it too
gill x

selling for charity

2011-05-23T14:57:00.000-07:00

here are some items i have been making which i am planning on selling to help raise funds for the jigsaw group which is a support group for children and young people with asperger syndrome.

hopefully folks will support us by buying some of these items 80% of anything i sell will go to the fund the other 20% will go back into the kitty to buy more stock

hope you like what i have made so far

challenging spotlight challenge

2011-05-23T09:24:00.000-07:00

hi all
this week at crafty cardmakers it's a spotlight challenge. this one is all about challenging yourself to do something new or something you find difficult etc you choose what you want to do
as blogger seems to be still playing up i still can't do any links at the moment but there is a link to the spotlight blog on the left hand side of my blog if you want to pop over and see what all the girls have been up to

so go on Challenge yourself on all or part of your design, do something new, something you've wanted to try etc.

i have wanted to have a go at decorating candles for quite a while but never got around to it. but when this challenge came along thought it was the ideal time to pull my finger out and have a go so bought some plain pillar candles at a good price off ebay and set to.

the first one i had a go at was the poppy one

i stamped the image in gold onto some tissue paper then embossed it with some gold embossing powder. cut around the image then laid it on the candle covered it with some grease proof paper and pulled it tight around the back then heated gently until wax melted slightly and the tissue paper sank into it. removed the wax paper let it cool off then added some glitter glue, then let dry and added ribbon top and bottom

the second one was the wedding candle similar method except i stamped image and coloured it in with promarkers applied in same manner the scroll was stamped and embossed before applying. when cooled etc added some glitter glue and a few pearls. made a mat out of embossed grunge board sprayed with silver glitter spray.added ribbon and bow then wrapped in florist celophane and tied with florist ribbon and curled it

hope you like my first candle decorating efforts, hope to do more and sell them to raise money for the Asperger support group who run a youth club that ian goes to in our area.
so come on have a go at something new and join us at crafty cardmakers
gill x

crafty cardmaker challenge 46 embossing

2011-05-19T01:37:00.000-07:00

hi all don't know about you but i'm having big probs with my blog really struggling to edit and upload etc so that's why this is late and brief and may not have all the links it should

anyway it's Tracy's choice of challenge this week and she has chosen EMBOSSING for the CRAFTY CARDMAKERS challange and my contribution is below.
please pop over to the blog to get all the details as i can't put any links here for you but there is a link on the left side of my blog to both challenge blog and spotlight blog so no excuse not to have a go

our sponsor this week is JOANNA SHEEN but again can't leave a link so frustrating

i have used my embossing folders with the vagabond machine for this card. various folders used the backing paper is just smooth white card embossed with as sweet as can be on the top and basket weave pattern on the bottom chalked over the birds,words and flowers to help them stand out more. the embellishments are cut and embossed from whitewash coredinations cardstock.then just some ribbon added to finish off

hope you have fun with this challenge and hopefully next week i'll be able to edit my blog etc and at least leave you a post with all the info and links you need
gill x

spotlight 45 CRAFTY CARDMAKERS

2011-05-09T06:27:00.000-07:00

hi it's spotlight time again at crafty cardmakers
this week its cazro's turn to choose the theme and her theme is:
INCHIES
all cazro wants you to do is use at least 3 inchies on your project, then the rest is up to you

This is first time i have made a card with inchies

card is 8x8 backing paper is from stash the embossed piece is time pieces by tim holtz on coredinations whitewash cardstock the main image is from set from qvc i stamped the under one in lilac then stamped it again in blue and cut it up into inchies then decoupaged it with some of the pieces missing falling from main image then added 3 inchies stamped squares in the right hand side at bottom as accent

hope you like my first crack at using inchies
come and have a go yourselves and join us at crafty cardmakers
have fun
gill x

blog candy in aid of cancer research

2011-05-08T13:21:00.000-07:00

just a little shout for sarpreet
she has blog candy up for grabs raising money for cancer research so if you are interested pop over and have a nosey
there are lots of different ways of getting more entries into the draw so go read the instructions and please take part if you can especially with the raising of the cash bit

http://worldofsarpreet.blogspot.com/2011/05/my-blog-candy-in-aid-of-cancer-research.html

Blog Candy Includes:

Papermania Embossing Folders - Stars (worth £2.99)

Wild Rose Studio Printable Papers On CD Spring (worth £14.99)

Wild Rose Studio Printable Papers On CD Christmas (worth £14.99)

Basic Grey Paper Pad - Oliver (worth £4.99)

Basic Grey Paper Pad - Olivia (worth £4.99)

Basic Grey Paper Pad - Lime Rickey (worth £4.99)

Penny Black Stamp - Owl Be Yours (worth £6.65)

Fizzy Moon Stamp - Bunch (worth £3.99)

Wild Rose Studio - Molly In The Snow (worth £4.99)

Memento Ink Pad - London Fogg (worth £4.75)

steam punk or machines challenge 45

2011-05-02T06:12:00.000-07:00

CHALLENGE 45 - STEAMPUNK or MACHINES

Well it's challenge time at crafty cardmakers again
Ei has chosen the theme for this fortnights challenge and she would like to see Steampunk or Machines! Before you all run away screaming have a think about this one and perhaps step outside the box ;) There are lots of free resources available to print out and have a go and just to help you along if you're unsure what Steampunk is simply think Steam = Old/Victorian and Punk = New/Modern or you can opt for the Machines instead.
We are sponsored today by ONE STOP CARD CRAFTS who are offering a £10 voucher for their store as a prize.

At One Stop Card Crafts we have a big range of ever changing discount making and card making craft supplies.

We are always adding to our range of craft supplies which are ideal for making handmade greeting cards, do-it-yourself invitations scrapbook pages, altered items and much more.
Our card making craft supplies include free UK postage, our popular discount scheme and quick service means our customers keep coming back for more.

Here is my attempt at steam punk used a mix of papers some tim holtz and the main image is from graphic 45 used tim holtz crackle paint on background and glittery embossing pwd under the main image. the die cuts cogs and heart with wings and crown all tim hotlz die cuts by sizzix i put some cogs and clock pieces in her hair with some paper flowers. can't say i am over enthralled with my creation but for a newbie at steam punk i guess it's ok.

pop over to the crafty cardmakers challenge blog and see what the girls have come up with and join us in the challenge have a go and have fun

gill x

my niece has just got engaged

2011-04-28T12:13:00.000-07:00

my eldest niece has just become engaged so decided to make her a card

love this little image by LOTV

using silver and lilac as the theme backing paper was some from qvc and it's lightly flocked

die cut the congrats and stamped the sentiment with justrite stamps

hope you like it

gilll

bottle tops spotlight challenge at crafty cardmakers

2011-04-25T07:20:00.000-07:00

well it's monday again so must be time for a challenge or spotlight from crafty cardmakers

this weeks spotlight challenge is from paula
she wants us all to use bottle tops any kind plastic or metal and as many as you like
so come on start collecting and have a go
if you are new just pop over to the blog and check the rules before you get going and have fun
oh there is a little prize for the winner of some wording stamps just pop over to the blog there is a picture of them there so you can have a nosey

here is my design for using bottle tops

decided to go with flowers not very original i'm afraid. the smallest flower was made with the sizzix die from tim holtz the rosette. the other flowers i made myself buy just scoring every 1cm a 12 inch long piece of paper not sure how wide they were as didn't measure just made one a bit wider than the other then folding as concertina. i dropped a couple of drops of alcohol ink in each top and then over sprayed them with gold glitter spray look lovey in real life. the dp is from dcwv glitter selection the butterflies and edging of the dp are both MS punches, the stalks of the flowers are marrianne dies
hope you like my effort
come and join us and have a play
gill xx

red white and blue and or wedding challenge 44

2011-04-18T05:40:00.000-07:00

CHALLENGE 44 - A ROYAL WEDDING

well it's monday again so challenge time at crafty cardmakers

We're giving you some options this time, with the Royal Wedding less than 2 weeks away we'd like to see you use RED, WHITE & BLUE (These must be the most prominent colours) AND/OR A WEDDING CARD OR CREATION.
So you have a choice to use the colour scheme, or you can make a wedding creation in any colours you like or a wedding creation in red, white and blue

We're sponsored again by the lovely Joanna Sheen who is offering a £10 voucher for her onlne shop which is crammed full of goddies with new stock arriving all the time! Thanks once again Joanna!

so here is my contribution i chose to do red white and blue wedding

my card is made with 8x8 shaped base card covered with tim holtz paper

image is large version of the ready printed images from LOTV. i have run round the edge of image with red pen then matted it up on white embossed (sizzix embossed folder) card tinged with blue distressed ink.decorated with flowers made with left over blue TH paper cut with TH tattered flowers tipped with red ink. and centered with prima jewel. added blue and white ribbon centered with red jewel in blue flower center. sentiment is LOTV stamped in red on blue disc.

hope you like it

come and join us over at CCM and have a look at what the girls have made and challenge yourself

gill x

another special card

2011-04-12T00:58:00.000-07:00

here is another special card i have been asked to make for my MIL for her friend who is 40
i used the large A4 cards again from qvc this one is patterned with scrolls in silver
used 3 large ready coloured LOTV images and decoupaged them. used tim holtz papers for the mats used sizzix dies and spellbinder dies for mats and decoration and a few paper flowers and gems. hope you like it
gill x

tweenage boy spotlight 43 by fiona

2011-04-11T07:21:00.000-07:00

hi again

another week another challenge at crafty cardmakers

this week it's a spotlight and we are looking for a tweenage boys cards

the challenge has been set by fiona
Please remember to check our rules and ensure your card is aimed at teenage boys (baby boys and cards for grandads won't suffice sorry!) and we do have a limit of 9 other challenges (10 including this one) although you can have a go as many times as you like.

If you do not receive a comment from one of the team it is probably because you haven't followed the challenge and/or rules so please do check and don't let it put you off playing again. If in doubt or unsure please ask, the DT cards are usually a good guide too :)
Our prize for this is a set of 4 American Crafts Mini Marks rub ons which are...
Jack Jr (blue)

Jack Jr Sidekicks (blue)

Frank (white)

Frank Sidekicks (white)
These include handy rub on letters, numbers, phrases and accents useful for cardmaking, scrapbooking and journalling.

must admit these are not my favourite type of card male cards and try to avoid them at all cost but here goes

8x8 purple card craftwork cardstock the image is a digi stamp (i think charmed cards and crafts) precoloured for quickness.matted some DCWV card onto red mirri after die cutting the words love and wi.sh into it using sizzix movers and shapers with the tray. cut our 3 circles with spellbinders and punched in middle to make some cds. added ready made happy birthday matted on red sanded card then finished off with some deco strips from voila they are 12inch long made from sticky back felt material i cut them up using the words yippee and wow.
hope you like it
and have fun making yours and joining in the fun
gill x

50th wedding anniversary

2011-04-11T00:44:00.000-07:00

morning
i have been asked to make a 50th wedding anniversary card so came up with this
the card is A3 folded to A4 so nice size for a special card
the base card i bought from qvc to keep for special cards the gold scrolling is already on there. so to the i added the gold plaque with happy 50 anniversary the 2 die cut flowers and hearts with their initials on and some butterflies punched with MS punch. the inside came with the set of cards i just added a verse. hope they like it. i will box it in gold box with cream tissue to make it a bit more special
right see you later for the crafty cardmaker challenge will upload that after 12.00 this afternoon by for now
gill x

43 yellow ribbon rhinestone and stitching

2011-04-04T06:04:00.000-07:00

well here we are again challenge time at crafty cardmakers

Our next challenge for you is a Recipe by Dee. Dee would like you to...

Use Yellow as your MAIN COLOUR

Add Ribbon

Use Stitching Faux or real

Use Rhinestones/Gems

We are kindly sponsored for this challenge by The Stampman (and Lady of course!) who are offering the winner a £10 voucher for their store, you can spend this online, in the shop or if you're lucky enough to see them at a show! They have a ton of items in store and one of their newest are their FRAMIE STAMPS which are designed to fit exactly into Nestabilites with many more coming in you need to check these out!

here is my design for this challenge

all papers for this are just out of my stash don't know what make they are think they were qvc kit

the large butterfly sizzix die cut 3 times in patterned vellum pearls for body. small butterflies are martha stewart punches again in vellum with rhinestones down centre orange ribbon doodlebug. yellow ribbon from stash. also used some faux stitching all around edge of butterfly mat. sentiment from dawn bibby kit

if you want to see more designs pop over to the challenge blog to see what the girls have been up to there are some gorgeous cards over there go see

gill x

thelma's brother's card

2011-04-02T09:05:00.000-07:00

hiya

have been asked to make a card for my friends brother who loves cats so thought i would use this stamps it hasn't had an airing for such a long time . used silver base card then topped with punched and embossed with spots white card 8x8 from craftwork cards. stamped cat then cut out mat and frame with spellbinders. the smaller mats are also from craftwork i inked them with memento london fog. the little charm cat made with shrink plastic

hope he will like it

gillx

mother's day

2011-03-29T01:41:00.000-07:00

here is a selection of mother's day card i have made for

MIL neils mom

frame for neils mom

my mom

a frame for my mom with a matching lavender fairy

close up of fairy pic

a card my friends mom

spotlight by mandy decoupage

2011-03-28T06:32:00.000-07:00

well here we are in the last week of march can't believe how quick this year is going by

our spotlight this week at crafty cardmakers is chosen by mandy and she has chosen decoupage (who has written a great how to on decoupage if you are not sure how to start)

as our rules have changed recently please check them out if you haven't been around for a while or of course if you are a newbie then welcome

We are sponsored for this challenge by The Technique Junkie Newsletter

"The Technique Junkie Newsletter was started in 2002 as a resource for Rubber Stamping Techniques. The Newsletter is published every-other month, featuring 15 or more stamping techniques in step-by-step format.

Each technique has a corresponding pictorial online, and a full page of inspirational artwork by the talented Technique Junkie Newsletter Designers. To date, over 600 Techniques have been published, by far the largest and most extensive library of rubber stamping tutorials available.
Our newest CD has over 79 cutting and embossing machine tutorials with over 850 techniques. The prize would be an Emboss or Die CD (Value $17.95). "

well here is my contribution this week

just a simple decoupage this week using LOTV large printed images used 3 layers on this card. flowers are also decoupaged they were from a kit in my stash i think from qvc added a little glitter to centres. green Bp layered with pink spot paper cut with patp martha stewart then mat again edged with another martha punch this time hearts patp. sentiment is lotv stamp small piece of ribbon across mat saying baby girl. i had made this for the spotlight with my cousins baby in mind as she knew she was having a little girl well she arrived a couple of days ago they have called her rose such a pretty name for a pretty little baby so congrats cheryl and adam on your new arrival
hope you like
gill xx

asheys frame

2011-03-25T13:12:00.000-07:00

hiya made this over the last couple of days it's just a small pressy for ashley it was a bare basics frame when it started out. He is a lucky lad as his mom and sister are taking to new york for his 21st birthday so thought this would be nice for him to show one of his favourite photos

i decided to distress it using some tim holtz inks and crackle paint then used a couple of my favourite corner scroll stamps made by le blanche

made rosette flowers with tim holtz die cuts the centre are from my stash

all the stamped images are tims again topped with some crackle glaze the little plastic plaques are from my stash had them years so can't remember where they were from

made these buttons with my button maker and some of tims papers the images were just the right size for the buttons

the lettering is from a set of alphabets from anna griffin

i think he will like it he loves taking photos so know he will use the frame

just thought it was more of a personal pressy don't normally by ian's mates pressies ian buys them as they are his mates but thought i would just do this to tie in with his card.and his trip to NY

hope you like it
gill x

ashleys 21st

2011-03-23T02:24:00.000-07:00

my son ian's mate ash is 21 this month so have made him 2 cards one from ian and one from me and hubby

ours is set around him going to new york as that is his gift from his family a trip to the big apple
i used tim holtz papers again the world map with new york highlighted with some tags with messages on

for ian's card i made a saucey one playboy no under 21s allowed hope you like them
gill

challenge 42 special birthday

2011-03-21T07:46:00.000-07:00

hi ladies well it's that time again new challenge on crafty cardmakers

this week it's melly that has thought it up and she has chosen

special birthday

We're sponsored once again by the fabulous Joanna Sheen who is offering a £10 prize for her superb online store! Thank You once again Joanna!

well here is my contribution. As this one is for a bloke i thought tim holtz designs might be a good idea i hate doing mens cards normally but really enjoyed making this one as i 'm quite new to tims stuff and am really enjoying playing around with it

i used some of tims backing papers then die cut the clock and cogs on my new vagabond they are sizzix dies the numbers and letters are die cut too this are made by cuttlebug they are the cut and emboss ones i inked them with some distress ink

the tag again die cut cuttlebug cut and emboss

i distressed everything in site with some sandpaper then added a bit of binding ribbon and little buckle from my stash

hope you like it

pop over to the crafty cardmakers blog and have a look at the great cards the girls have produced and come on have a go and join in yourself it's great fun stretching yourself and you never know you may win a prize too

if you are a regular please note there are some changes to the rules so could you just have a look at them we think they are for the best and will encourage people to really have a go at new crafty techiniques etc and most of all have fun

catch you soon

gill x

a gift for a poorly friend using flower fairies

2011-03-15T13:59:00.000-07:00

this is a card i have made for a friend who is going through rather a rough time at the moment

she has just been diagnosed with breast cancer and has just started her treatment

as i can't physically do anything for her i thought i would make her something just to let her know how much we are thinking of her

i know she will appreciate a hand made item so thought i would go to town and make her something quite special that she can keep and when she looks at it she will know we are thinking of her and wishing her well again and back to her old self

hope you ladies like it

i made the card with 2 8x8 card joined with both fronts scalloped so when closed looks like a wrap
i have decorated the front but spritzing it with ink and mica then stamped with a mixture of silhouette stamps then when it opens up i have made a couple of fairy scenes the lavender fairy on the right and the almond blossom on the left in the centre i have used a piece of vellum with foxgloves on and made a couple of mats with sayings on
when closed the ribbon wraps around the front and ties in a bow
really enjoyed making this hope you like it
gill xx

make own back ground papers spotlight at ccm

2011-03-14T06:55:00.000-07:00

Sorry long post today due to new directions needed to our new spotlight blog which is now
HERE
We felt that we needed to expand a little so that the Spotlight Challenges can grow, we can run tutorials and step by steps so we've also added to the team and we'll all be covering both Crafty Cardmakers for their regular challenges and here the Crafty Cardmakers Spotlight Challenges.
What is a spotlight challenge?

We will challenge you (and ourselves!) to look at various ways of using a technique, product or style so it could be looking at making your own flowers and embellishments or using paint on your designs. They are designed to be a little more of a challenge than the norm around blogger as we feel that is the best way to learn and develop your skills is to actually step out of your comfort zones and try new things
Our challenge for you today has been set by Josephine and she would like to see you MAKE YOUR OWN DESIGNER PAPERS be that the inky way or the digital way, so long as you start with a blank sheet in front of you and make papers of your very own then its a pass! Its so rewarding making your own unique backgrounds and trying something you may have been putting off for a while so come and take the plunge and see what you come up with!

As always the challenge will be open for 2 weeks so plenty of time!

We're sponsored today for this challenge by The Stamping Boutique, some of the team have used images kindly provided by The Stamping Boutique :) They are offering the winner 5 digital stamps from their store and there is something for everyone!

Store: http://thestampingboutique.com/
Challenge Blog: http://thestampingboutiquechallengeblog.blogspot.com/
Monthly Challenge: http://thestampingboutiquechallengeblog.blogspot.com/p/monthly-contest.html

for my card this week
i have used metal leaf to make my DP

gold silver copper and mixed

made my 6x6 bp using piece of card covered in double sided adhesive sheet
then drew wavy line with scalpel just deep enough to go through the adhesive sheet did this 3 time then removed a piece at a time covered sticky area with chosen metal leaf, rubbed off excess with craft sponge then repeated it on next area until whole card was covered in metal leaf silver gold copper and mixed

card then decorated with die cuts in complimentary colours

this second card is made using a digi image from our sponsor it's called she who paints the forest.this time the BP is made with alcohol inks on 4 pieces of white gloss card i then stamped some tim holtz stamps in black onto the background

i coloured the fairy with my inktense pencils added a bit of glitter and cut her out and put her on 3d foam added a few glass beads like drops of paint

hope you like my efforts
go visit our new spotlight blog and see what the girls in the DT have been up to
gill xx

lily's book

2011-03-10T04:05:00.000-08:00

hiya all
my cousin's daughter is leaving her junior school this year to go to comp so i have made her a book for all her mates to sign and leave little messages in as a keep sake of her primary school years i made her sister on a couple of years ago so now it's lily's turn
i'm sort of into playing with some of my tim holtz stuff at the moment so made her a distressed album hope you like it.
gill x

fabric challenge #41 crafty cardmakers

2011-03-07T04:27:00.000-08:00

hiya

over at the crafty cardmakers challenge blog we have a new challenge to day this one is from lyn

she wants us to use lots of fabric on our card
Ribbons, fabric flowers, fabric for BPs or fabric cut and paper pieced etc

We are sponsored once again by One Stop Card Crafts who are offering a £10 voucher for their store!

"At One Stop Card Crafts we have a big range of ever changing discount making and card making craft supplies.
We are always adding to our range of craft supplies which are ideal for making handmade greeting cards, do-it-yourself invitations scrapbook pages, altered items and much more.
Our card making craft supplies include free UK postage, our popular discount scheme and quick service means our customers keep coming back for more.
Our prices are very competitive and this makes us an ideal place to buy your card making supplies online. Some of our new products include Petaloo flower layers, Ranger Glitter Glue and Martha Stewart Punches."

You'll also find their challenge blog here!

for lots of ideas go and have a look at what the rest of the DT have come up with

some brilliant ideas

as for my card above

i made the main mat by covering a 6x6 piece of card with double sided adhesive film layed over that some raffia that i have had for years
edged top and botton edge with ribbon then the main image is a fabric flower topped with paper flower with small flowers dotted about. the sentiment is also matted on a piece of card covered in raffia
ribbon bow added to the side

have fun

gill x

bare basics

2011-03-06T07:15:00.000-08:00

hiya

made this for a simple mother's day gift what do you think

the frame is one of the bare basic range

i distressed it and stamped it with some scrollwork

then added some flowers to soften it up

the image is one of the flower faries one of my favourites

not bad for a £1 frame from the xmas sales

i bought quite a few of the them might decorate some more of them but leave them empty for other people to put their own pics in and sell them for charity not sure if the would sell but could give it a go

gill x

cousin's birthday

2011-03-04T13:00:00.000-08:00

just thought i would post this card it's for my cousin yvonnes birthday from her hubby she loves lilac so think this will go down well

LOTV image dead cute

with dies from marrianne

backing paper is tim holtz really scrummy

hope you like it

be back monday with the crafty cardmaker spotlight

spotlight at crafty cardmakers silhouettes

2011-02-28T07:39:00.000-08:00

this week the spotlight at crafty cardmakers is

silhouettes chosen by joy

this is the last time the spotlights with be on the main ccm blog as we have started a new blog for the spotlights to make it less crowded you will find the new spotlight blog
here
so please follow us there for the next spotlight challenge on 14 march

our sponsors this week are:
Stitchy Bear Stamps
who have provided the team with fabulous silhouette images from her range,
she has got a LOT to choose from!

so here we go
here is my contribution

my first card is made using a digi stamp from our sponsor

i printed her onto rainbow paper cut her out into a heart shape then edged her with black

matted up in a circle and then added some black die cut shapes

my second card is using a different method using peel offs

i chose some great card i have had for a while from qvc lends itself to this type of card

chose some lovely black peeloffs and matted them up and added a few odd black peel offs on the back ground to pull it together

the edging on the spine is a rub on

anyway hope you like my designs

there are lots of ways of doing silhouette cards here are just 2 ideas there will be many others from the

DT on crafty cardmakers go have a look and enter your creation

gill

new grandparents

2011-02-26T14:54:00.000-08:00

made this card today for hubby's friend at work is about to be a grandparent for the first time. the baby is over due so could arrive at any time so decided to make a unisex card so neil can keep it with him in his bag ready for the happy event
used an 8x8 card covered with one of the craftworks cards spotty vellums they are lovely. i punched it on 2 sides wrapped a ribbon around it and the matted up one of the LOTV large ready printed images. made a couple of buttons with daisies on and then used some ready made sentiments to finish it off hope you like it
gill

sugar nellie sketch

2011-02-26T14:40:00.000-08:00

here is my sugar nellie challenge following the sketch given on the challenge blog hope you like it

simple card mainly embossing using my new vagabond . butterflies cut and embossed on vagabond too and then my image coloured with promarkers

new vagabond

2011-02-25T09:38:00.000-08:00

i know what i forgot to tell you all
i received my new vagabond on wednesday it was a replacement for my bigshot express that died end of last year and because they have stopped making them and it was the second one that had failed on me, the company who i bought it from very kindly offered to replace it with the new vagabond as soon as it came in and that is what they did this wednesday great little machine much quieter than the BS express. and it seems more powerful too.
anyway that was my little snippit of news
catch you all soon when i have some more cards to show you
gill xx

a few lovely awards from my blogging friends

2011-02-25T01:53:00.000-08:00

right fingers crossed that i have done this right
3 of my lovely bloggin' friends have given me awards and as you know with the awards come rules to follow so fingers crossed
firstly i would like to say thanks to jules and to donna for my first award which is :

There are a couple of conditions for this award...
Create a post where you post the 'LOVE BLOG' image. You should also blog the persons link that gave you the award and inform her/him that you accept the award. You can then choose 3 - 5 favourite blogs which you also link in your post, then each blogger will inform you that they have been tagged....

The aim of this is that we bring good blogs to light, so I would ask you not to blog fellow bloggers that already have 3,000 followers.

here are my choices for this award :
1 nessy
2 carolina
3 jack
4 sheila
5 jo

my third award is from lyn
this award is

The conditions of this Award are . . .

1. Make a post linking back to the person who gave you the award!

2. Share 7 random things about yourself

3. Award 7 recently discovered bloggers with this award

4. Contact these bloggers and tell them they've won the award.

Here are 7 random things about myself:

1. i can pick small item like pencils and marbles up with my toes
2. i can play piano
3. i am a huge U2 fan
4. i loved the twighlight books even though it's been quite a while since i was a teenager
6. have a hot tub in the garden (just for my silly back of course lol)
7. feel i am a better person for having an autistic son who i love dearly

i would like to give this award to :

1 vix
2 karen
3 sarpreet
4 judie
5 debs
6 eiglas
7 mel

hope you enjoy your awards there are some great blogs out there go and have a look
gill xx

circles LOTV challenge

2011-02-24T12:52:00.000-08:00

here is my card for the LOTV challenge CIRCLES

my DP is made with one sheet of white gloss card and 3 alcohol inks really simple to use but quite effective looks so smooth it looks like acetate. used a piece of the BP that i had left to cut out the circle frame

the die at top and bottom of card is threaded with ribbon with just a few little roses and leaves in the bottom right hand corner

lovely little LOTV image used love this one so sweet

then there is a circular sentiment too

hope you like it

gill

challenge 40 crafty cardmakers fairies and at least punches

2011-02-21T03:04:00.000-08:00

Crafty cardmakers challenge 40
(fairies and at least 2 punches)

here is my card for my challenge at crafty cardmakers

for which i chose the theme of fairies and want you to use at least 2 punches in the design.

mine's rather a large card 10x8 as the stamp is large. i have used flower fairy zinnia by crafters companion coloured her with promarkers and glazed flowers and leaves and glittered fairy wings and skirt. the punched frame is martha stewart PATP other punches used were flower punches by woodware to make the zinnia and fern punches for the woodland floor from L-EM.COM.

we are being sponsored this week by joanna sheen she has a great online shop full of such yummy stuff including the flower fairies stamps which i used for my card this week

hope you have fun with our challenge look forward to seeing all your creations

gill x

mom update

2011-02-16T01:34:00.000-08:00

hi all
well mom has broken the back of that nasty infection
think it was the quick action of the doc bringing in the rapid response team and giving the antibiotic by IV with the fluids
doc came yesterday and was so pleased to see her awake and a lot more compus metus although she still does wander off now and then and get a bit confused. he still has her on antibiotics but oral now as she can swallow now
he said it will take time to get back to her old self but the main thing now is to eat and drink as much as possible just to build up her strength
we don't need to do the night sits now but have still kept her extra care in the day just to encourage conversation and eating and drinking etc.
so glad that it's all over rather a worrying time
so hopefully i might be able to get a bit of crafting done now and then between resting my back. having a day to myself today will go to moms tomorrow.
hope i will have a new card for you soon
gill x

plastic spotlight acetate crafty cardmakers

2011-02-14T07:23:00.000-08:00

crafty cardmakers challenge

Welcome back to our Spotlight Challenge where we focus on a technique, style or product and before we get onto it we'd like to say a big thank you for your spotlight water entires and thank you to Handy Hippo for sponsoring! Our regular challenge is still running until next week and that is Hearts and today on our spotlight we're gong to look at Judie's choice of PLASTIC so you must use plastic somewhere on your creation be that Acetate, friendly plastic, shrink plastic, sweet wrappers etc. It doesn't have to be a card, we're not fussy here so whatever you fancy creating so long as it fits the theme :)

Vixs has a little giveaway for the winner which is 8 x A4 sheets of shrink plastic for you to have fun with (2 each of black, white, translucent and clear) have a look on CCM

Onwards to the challenge

i have used acetate and peeloffs backed with gold leaf made the 2 cards just to show that with a magic sheet you can use up the waste from your project to make a lovely new project. i took the acetate and a applied peeloffs to front and then placed double sided sheet on the back and dipped in mixed goldleaf to form the background colour then just added some ribbon and bird die cuts hope you like them come and join us at CCM
gill x

will be away for a while

2011-02-12T09:10:00.000-08:00

mom who is already a very poorly lady has fallen really ill in the last few day she has severe chest infection and just can't fight it off
doc has sent in the rapid response team and they have her on drips etc but we have to have her care covered for 24 hours a day so i'm affraid everything else is on hold at the moment. i am doing most of the nights as for me it's easier as i can't handle her due to my back. at least on the night sit i can lie on the floor and just bee there for when she needs me the careers do all the other stuff in the day like her bed bath and stoma care etc
neil did a night for me last night so i am just doing 3 hours this evening and start back on night duty on sunday night.

so i hope i see you all soon as that will mean she is on the mend
gill x

amie's 18th

2011-02-09T13:21:00.000-08:00

i am in the throws of making an album for my friends granddaughters 18th she also wants me to make her card too
well i have managed the cards one from us and one from thelma and now need to start on the album as i can only do a bit at a time it will take me quite a few weeks to get it done if i run out of time we will give her what i have done and i will finish it after her birthday as she knows the position i am in and will understand, but i really would like to get it finished up to her 18th then finish it off after her party etc with pictures from that so fingers crossed
we chose the new k and co album and papers called poppyseed it's really young and fresh and has a good selection of papers which will suit from birth to young adult so should look good when finished i have used some of the papers to make the cards too so they tie in. the one from us is just and 8x8 using one of the LOTV fairies cut out some flowers from one of the papers and made some buttons with the papers too love that little button maker nice to have buttons with the same pattern on them
the card for thelma to give i have made entirely with papers no stamped image made a twisted easle card just so it's something a bit different the card will open as normal so i can put a verse in and thel can write in it.
hope you like them
gill x

hearts crafty cardmakers

2011-02-02T07:51:00.000-08:00

hiya well it's challenge time again on the crafty cardmakers challenge blog

its lisa's turn this week to come up with ideas and she has chosen HEARTS anything with hearts on it more the merrier

our sponsor this week is

the stampman

who are offering a £10 voucher to use in their online store, shop or show! They have a huge variety of products to suit all tastes including Hero Arts, Aspects of Design, Tim Holtz and Ranger and have also recently added some scrummy Prima papers to their range!

well here is my contribution hope you like it

this card is made with k and co papers smitten the hearts all die cut on big shot express flowers jewels and velvet scrollwork from stash.

come and join us at the crafty cardmakers and show us your hearty cards

gill x

spotlight at crafty cardmakers water

2011-01-31T06:06:00.000-08:00

hiya our Spotlight today at crafty cardmakers has been chosen by one of our newbies Donna and that is WATER. To qualify you must use "Water or Something you add water to or water has been added" so for example spritzers, glimmer mists, H2o's, watercolours that kinda thing. You can use any images or stamps etc you like but you ust use a water product or technique.

We're very kindly sponsored by The Handy Hippo who are offering a £10 voucher for their online store!
Handy Hippo is a friendly online craft supplies shop with a great range of rubber stamps and other card making goodies. They specialise in card making, but also stock plenty of great quality supplies for scrapbooking, jewellery making and children's crafts. Their website has lots of information on crafting techniques, plus a great selection of free card project ideas to suit crafters of all abilities.
Thank You Handy Hippo!

here is my offering just the week before the spotlight was decided i had some new inktense pencils so just had to have a play. so i water coloured my stamp and spritz my background using a diecut as a mask to give the white corner decor the pink velvet flowers up the side are out of my stash think they were from qvc but don't know the make hope you like it go and have a go at the spotlight challenge it's lots of fun and a way of learning new techniques
gill x

new challenge for sugar nellie

2011-01-28T11:10:00.000-08:00

the sugar nellie challenge is a sketch and option of love theme so i got my little ducky out and did a thinking of you card like a get well card for someone who is under the weather simple card really just followed the sketch coloured the little duck and added the letters love. kept it simple then it will suit male or female hope you like him
gill x

challenge for the LOTV

2011-01-28T10:57:00.000-08:00

right this card is for the lotv challenge we had to use a lotv image and not use squares so cut my card down with one of the grand nesties then cheated and used a cute cut ready coloured image as was struggling to sit for very long thats when i usually use these they come in very handy cut her out and matted her up. made some little dandilion looking flowers with one of my marianne D dies and also the larger flower and greenery were made with her dies too the sentiment is an lotv. hope you like her oh ribbon was just from my stash

new stamp fun

2011-01-28T10:46:00.000-08:00

had a play with my new stamp a few days ago forgot to take pics of it so here it is it's a great stamp by imagenation it's a negative daisy stamp

i decided to stamp it with versamark once on white card and once on black then brushed over with a mix of perfect pearls just to see how different it would look just by changing the colour of the backing card love how it turned out i mounted it on a bit of gold mirri then onto their base cards i haven't finished off the base cards as not sure who they are going to yet so will finsh them when i'm ready just thought you might like to see what the stamp turned out like i think it's lovey hope you like it too
gill x

promarker challenge

2011-01-26T09:54:00.000-08:00

hi just finished my card for the challenge 50 on i love promarkders blog the theme is lavender and lace
i tied it in with a challenge at crafty mess too which was a sketch challenge to include some distressing hope you like it gill x

PROMARKER KISS CHALLENGE

2011-01-25T06:26:00.000-08:00

hi all
just finished my promarker KISS challenge which means keep it sweet and simple so that's what i have done
i used a bella stamp coloured with promarkers of course embossed the card that she is stamped on. Then embossed the sentiment a bit of matting and layering and that it sweet and simple
hope you like it gill x

floral challenge 38 on the crafty cardmakers blog

2011-01-24T13:51:00.000-08:00

hi all
this week our challenge on the crafty cardmakers blog is floral challenge 38 we are being sponsored by joanna sheene so thank you joanna.
here is my DT card for the challenge again used 8x8 base card covered with blue floral acetate stamped one of my favourite images with brilliance ink and clear embossed it the embossed pannel was made on my bigshot express. flowers from wild orchid crafts with a sentiment embossed from a sizzix set
hope you like it
please pop by the blog and see what the other girls have produced there are some beautiful cards
and get making yours to enter the challenge
good luck

gill x

LOTV challenge

2011-01-24T09:38:00.000-08:00

hi here is another LOTV challenge it is being entered for 2 challenges one on the LOTV site following their sketch and also on the LOTV group run by shannon on craftymess as it fits her recipe of based on pink use some lace and 3 different papers and a LOTV image
i was a bit lazy as back is screaming again today so cut out the colouring time by using one of the cute cuts. the base card is pink 8x8 by craftwork cards, the chocolate backing paper is form doodlebug punched with martha stewart punch around the page punches the new deep ones think it's called wild flowers. then the other papers are all k and co from one of their mat stacks just can't remember which one as lost the front page of it. the lace is from wild orchid so are the flowers. the sentiment i think was from craftwork cards
hope you like it i quite like this one even though i had to rush it due to my back hasn't turned out too bad
gill x

magnolia challenge at craftymess

2011-01-22T08:37:00.000-08:00

hi all
made a card today my very first magnolia card (not my favourite stamps to be honest don't like their faces)for judie's cute club at crafty mess hope she likes it
used 8x8 as usual love this size card
coloured her with copics all punch work are martha stewart punches don't know name of papers just a cheap pad from cuttingedge great papers though flowers from wild orchid buttons from stash.

well hope you like her
i'm quite pleased with her now she is made up she is quite cute
gill x

wild orchid crafts challenge sentimental

2011-01-18T06:23:00.000-08:00

here is a quick and simple card for wild orchid crafts their challenge is just use a sentiment
so thought i would use a large sentiment as an either thinking of you or bereavement card so kept it very subtle and used the lilies and cream lace from wild orchids shop
can't remember who the papers were made by they were from cuttingedgecrafts and very good value i think they were only £2 a pack 6x6 inch so quite a useful size
the sentiment is one of dawn bibby's from qvc
anyway hope you like it

gill x

sugar nellie card finished

2011-01-18T06:17:00.000-08:00

well i have finshed the sugar nellie card still not pleased with it though just can't get it right but it's all i got this week i'm affraid
so hope its ok
i used a manga stamp DCWV papers and some odds and sods from my stash that i can't remember what the flowers are from wild orchid crafts though they have some lovely stuff
so here it is told you it's nothing special

time for another challenge

2011-01-17T10:51:00.000-08:00

oh have i had a day today
i wanted to make 2 cards not a lot to ask is it.
one for the promaker challenge and one for the sugar nellie well i finished the promarker challenge which needed use of promarkers and also punches and tied it in with another LOTV challenge at crafty mess which needed a lotv image which i have loads and also punches so they tied in really nicely

but as for the sugar nellie card well it's been just a nightmare don't know why it just won't come together even had a sketch to follow, nearly put it in the bin but couldn't as my back is so bad today that there is no way i could have started from the beginning again
oh god i feel so grumpy today think its just the pain it frustrates me when i want to sit and work and the pain gets so bad that i just have to lie down and then the painkillers cloud my thinking which then affects my mojo just not on is it
right had a good moan going to upload the first card as the SN is still sitting half done on my desk hopefully i will get some done tomorrow depends on the back situation i guess
i want to go out on wed as my son is training in silver service at the college and is serving in the main restaurant so have booked a table with my mate so we can see him at his work. i really want to go but will have to rest tomorrow to settle my back spasm as if i need to drive on wed i will have to lower my painkillers so i am compos mentis but what with driving and then sitting for the meal i am going to be in agony i know but it will be worth it, shame my friend can't drive but she can't so i have to.
oh i am a moaner today aren't i so sorry I'm sure you don't want to hear this lot just getting it off my chest i guess
right back to the cardmaking
i have uploaded the PROMARKER / LOTV challenge at the crafty mess site now and hopefully you might see the SN one tomorrow if i manage it in the morning if not i will just give it a miss this time and start planning my CCM one for next week as that is more important as i am on the DT
bye for now gill x

challenge for LOTV

2011-01-14T03:45:00.000-08:00

hiya
thought i would do the LOTV challenge again this week it is things with wings

as i am waiting for my new fairy stamps thought i would use one of the cute cuts as my image love this image gorgeous
the papers are from yet again k and co a pad of hand made specialist papers that i haven't been able to cut into unitl now sad aren't we lol
the edges are punched with around the page martha stewart
the sentiment is LOTV
and the little butterflies and dragonflies are old xcut punches used with velvet paper oh love this paper
the main large butterfly is a tim holtz die decided to put him on his side as rather large die looks better like this on a busy card i think

right think thats it hope you like it

recycle promarker challenge

2011-01-11T06:06:00.000-08:00

hello again
just managed to do the recycle challenge for promarker blog
i used some wrappings from a box of choccies that we had for xmas i punched the paper with mather stewart punches then coloured one of my xmas LOTV stamps with my beloved promarkers. then just added the tag from the choc box and a happy xmas sentiment
hope you like it

gill x

first card made for crafty cardmakers DT (use red and die cut)

2011-01-10T04:22:00.000-08:00

hiya
so excited as have been allowed to join the DT on crafty cardmakers challenge blog ,we are sponsored by one stop card crafts.
As i have only just started to do challenges, this is all rather over my head at the moment but i'll get there just hope i'm putting things were i should etc i'm sure someone will tell me if i'm not seem a friendly bunch it's the ideal place to learn all about challenges and DTs and how they work etc

right my card is made on 8x8 black card covered with black rose embossed paper no particular make just from a qvc kit the mat paper is k and co, mckenna and charlotte which are quite old papers but love them. the sentiment is a dawn bibby set the cat die cut is one i bought from ebay they were home made ones not made by sizzix etc but just loved the cats and have used them such a lot for all different types of cards. The corner swirls are sizzix dies

well hope you like my first effort just made it before midday lol hope i have put it in the right place if not again just give me a poke and i'll move it

thanks for letting me join you

why not come and join us and have a go at the fun challenges on offer at crafty cardmakers challenge blog
gill

sugar nellie challenge

2011-01-07T09:25:00.000-08:00

well here we go again another challenge
this one is for the sugar nellie challenge it was another sketch to follow and to include some embossing
hope you like

thought i would take part in sketch 79 by lena on LOTV

2011-01-06T09:32:00.000-08:00

really enjoying having a go at some of the challenges never had a go before but finding it quite inspirational just what i need at the moment with my back being so awful and being so full of painkillers i need something to kickstart my brain. really struggling with these back spasms but finding these are making me focus on something just for a while before i have to lie down again and nod off lol
anyway enough moaning
so here is the card i made using sketch 79 by lena at lili of the valley challenge blog hope you like it

challenge for the crafty cardmakers blog

2011-01-05T14:45:00.000-08:00

for this challenge on the crafty cardmakers blog i need to find out and old card that i made when i first started out card making and a newer one that i really love that one is easy it's one i made a few weeks ago so here is that one

i love this one it's one of the flower fairies almond blossom i embossed the white backing card and added paper flowers over where the stamped flowers were just to give it a bit more texture and interest

now for the old card had to have a good search for this one as have made so many but found this one made this about 3 years ago

not very interesting but i was pleased with it at the time how things change

hope you like them

gill

wild orchid challenge

2011-01-05T08:12:00.000-08:00

hiya
decided to enter the wild orchid challenge so followed the sketch and also used some wild orchids flowers on the card too
hope you guys like it

gill

entry for 2 blog challenges lili of the valley and crafters companion

2011-01-04T07:11:00.000-08:00

I made a baby girl card today to enter 2 challenges

the first challenge was for crafters companion blog which was a sketch which i followed

the second was for Lili Of The Valley their challenge was for new beginnings so i chose new baby girl

hope you like the card i am quite pleased with it

thanks for looking gill x

happy new year to all

2011-01-01T14:03:00.000-08:00

hiya
just thought i would wish you all a happy new year and show you some pics of us all in the hot tub new years eve great fun had by all

hope you all had a good time too

gill x

here is a card for the crafterscompanions blog

2010-12-27T11:22:00.000-08:00

hi this is the first time i have ever entered a comp on a blog so here goes

decided to enter the crafters companion blog comp could either follow the sketch or just enter a xmas theme so thought i wouls enter my xmas flower fairy as love this card
wish me luck
gill

ooops this is really the last

2010-12-24T12:39:00.000-08:00

right this is the very last xmas card
forgot i hadn't made moms special card to her best friend don't know how i forgot i usually make this one with the first batch
anyway i've done it now and am pleased with it she loves the traditional ones so sure she will like this hope you do
right signing off now for xmas
hope you all have a great one catch you all in the new year
love and best wishes

gill and family

yeeeaaahhhh a card that isn't a christmas card

2010-12-16T08:00:00.000-08:00

made this card a bit early but just fancied having a play with my flower fairy stamps
it's for my cousins daughter who will be 11 so thought it was nice and girly but not too young i think she will like it
as my back in now as rigid as a board as i have been sitting, i think i should lie down for an hour or 2 to help it release a bit before tea time comes around and up the painkillers a bit too as it's killing me again stupid thing.

well are you all done and dusted ready for the big day i am (did it all online again) except for the last shop for fresh food next week what we haven't got then we can do without
i hate xmas does my head in i think it just amplifies the difference of the haves and have nots we have folks spending humongous amounts of money on their kids who don't appreciate it. and the other end we have folks living on the streets with not even a roof over their heads what a world we live in
i so wish i was fit and well as would love to do voluntary work of some kind. the nearest thing i could do is from this new year any money people give me for making cards for them i am going to give it to charity it's only a small way of helping those worse off than ourselves but it's better than nothing
my son Ian who has asperger syndrome wants to do voluntary work next year when his college course finishes as he's not up to doing a full time job really it would be too stressful for him so he will look for a part time job and in the meanwhile is going to do some voluntary work as he said it will help him as it's practice in his social skills and it will help the people he is working for. so proud of him not once has he used his AS as an excuse not to go to college or do some work of some kind then you have these idle so and so's never done a days work in their lives
god i am having a rant today aren't i. I'll shut up now
and wish you all a merry Christmas just in case i don't come on again until after the big day
you all take care and have a good time where ever you are
take care

gill x

last xmas card

2010-12-11T11:45:00.000-08:00

right here is my last xmas card hopefully she will have received it now so won't matter if she comes on here
it's for marg she loves her cats so thought it was fitting
hope you like it

as for facebook don't really know if i like it or not i don't like to be too public but if you keep everything private then you can't meet new crafty folks i'll stay on for a few weeks or so and see what i think
but am still going to come on my blog as love to hear from you ladies who pop by now and again so please don't stop coming by as love to hear from you
so here is the card let me know what you think
gill x

facebook

2010-12-04T13:52:00.001-08:00

right i have just decided to join facebook and put my cards on there
i haven't a clue what i am doing so god knows how long it will take me to get going
if you want to be friend let me know and i'll add you if i have your email addy
chat soon
gill x

couple more cards

2010-12-03T13:50:00.000-08:00

hi again
a couple new cards sorry one is a bit blured just couldn't be bothered to get off the sofa and take the pic again as my back is killing me
hope you like them used those new deep punches from martha stewart they are lovely.

well it's snowing again here it started again while we were in the hot tub but we have one of those huge brollies that swing over the tub so it wasn't a problem

right going to have a mooch around blog land catch you all soon
thanks for looking

oh if you look at the post below there are quite a few more special order cards too if you fancy a look
gill x

more xmas cards

2010-11-30T13:31:00.000-08:00

hi
took some pics of the new batch of cards made to order that i have made over the last few weeks
mostly using my die cuts
i bought some velvet paper from ebay and it's gorgeous so have gone a bit mad with that too especially with moms card the poinsettia card that's my favourite
hope you like what i have come up with this time
i guess the rest of you have snow too it was lovely last night sitting in the hot tub in the garden with the snow all around so glad we had it it does help with the muscle spasms a bit especially before bed time
talking about back pain have just had some facett joint injections done last week can't say i'm much better as yet but they can take up to 2 weeks to settle down so keeping my chin up and fingers crossed that i have a bit of peace over xmas you never know
gill

2010-11-20T07:05:00.000-08:00

hiya
here is a selection of some of my bog standard xmas cards not made to order just for the selection box for anyone to buy
hope you like them
gill

another xmas card

2010-11-20T06:56:00.000-08:00

here is another 8x8 card for my cousins order
used sizzix die cuts and some foil card from qvc the backing card is kanban
hope you like it
gill x

xmas cards

2010-11-19T10:30:00.000-08:00

hi there
just thought i would show you some of the special xmas cards i have been making
it's taking me a day to do each card at the moment due to my back being so silly again it's do a bit lie down do a bit lie down etc etc
hope you like them they are an order from my cousin she always has her special cards from me
oh the 2 girls cards are shaker cards just so they are a bit different
gill

just a couple of new cards

2010-11-13T02:28:00.001-08:00

hi just thought i would show you a couple of new cards i have made hope you like them one is a birthday card and the other a thinking of you for someone who is poorly

will upload some xmas cards soon

gill

wedding keepsake and cards

2010-08-28T01:43:00.001-07:00

hi all
just uploaded a set of cards made for my cousins wedding in sept i have also made a keepsake for her parents to give the couple
hope you like them all

september birthday

2010-08-13T12:31:00.000-07:00

a dear friend of mine and moms has a birthday in sept
she has been such a wonderful friend don't know how we would have managed without her she helps out with my disabled mom and helps me with my cleaning etc and is really like one of the family as she comes to all family parties and when mom could go on holiday she always came with us
in between helping us so much she has other hobbies of shoe and handbag shopping and gardening so thought i would make her cards with these themes hope you like them

been for an epidural on tuesday to try and help the back pains. no change as yet but it can take up to 10 days to do it's job so just taking it steady trying to give it as much chance that i can to work. do so wish they work for me as would just love to be able to sit in peace and enjoy my crafting instead of having to lie down at regular intervals just to keep the pain down so frustrating but never mind could be worse i guess
anyway hope you like the cards
catch up with you all soon as have some more wedding cards to make
gill

long time no see

2010-07-31T13:03:00.000-07:00

hi guys
sorry haven't been around much
have been making the odd card now and then but forgot to take pics of a few of them so they have gone away never to be seen again
but made a couple of wedding cards yesterday and yes i remembered to take some pics so thought i would up load the$m in case anyone still comes and visits
used my bigshot express which i love wish i had had one long before i did so easy to use the stamps are from pink gems aren't they cute just love them coloured with promarkers of course love them too oh i am so full of love tonight probably because i am full of painkillers haha
anyway here they are hope you like them
will try and be a better blogger in future and get back in touch with folks
bye for now
gill x

another baby keepsake

2010-05-08T02:38:00.000-07:00

i was asked to make this keepsake for ian's girlfriend as her sister has just given birth to a little girl
love making these hope you like it
gill

congratulations

2010-03-25T14:06:00.000-07:00

just want to say congratulations to our son ian for finishing his first half marathon last sunday he did it in 2hr 27min which for his first attempt not a bad time
he got himself sponsored and has raised around £200 for a disabled youth club in the town where we live
so well done ian really proud of you

easle card

2010-03-07T12:46:00.000-08:00

well i have eventually got around to making an easle card meant to do it for ages made this this morning
it was made using my promarkers and MS punches again the papers are k and co the base card size is 6x6
the butterfly on the base card is 3d to act as a stop the flowers do the same job too
hope you like it
gill

stencil and paste

2010-03-05T06:34:00.000-08:00

hi there
just made this card today so now having a lie down to stretch my back out again!!!!
it's still driving me bonkers waiting to go back to the pain clinic to see if they are going to do any more trigger point injections.

to make the card i used 8x8 cardstock just love this size
then cut mats and punched them with my favourite punches martha stewart
the cats are a dreamweaver stencil just used black paste and added some jewels for their collars
then finished it off with 4 black and white ribbons tied into a bow and at the bottom right hand corner made a little paper flower again using martha stewart punches and popped pearl in middle
the sentiments were just some die cut ones from qvc
quite pleased with the overall effect
hope you like it too
gill

wedding keepsake

2010-02-20T13:53:00.000-08:00

just thought i would upload the wedding keepsake i have just finished
just in case anyone pops by for a look
gill

latest cards

2009-09-30T13:18:00.000-07:00

hiya here are a few of my latest cards hope you like them
there are a few wedding cards and the rest are birthdays
catch you again soon
gill

thelma's birthday

2009-09-02T02:50:00.001-07:00

hi here are two cards for thelma's birthday
she is a very good friend of both me and mom she has been moms gardian angel don't know how we would cope without all the help and support she gives us.

wedding

2009-08-26T13:36:00.001-07:00

hi here is the wedding card i promised finished it today
they asked for the colour burgandy to be included in it so here is what i came up with hope you like it
gill

here are a few xmas and birthday cards

2009-08-21T12:56:00.000-07:00

hiya i have made these birthday and xmas cards for an order most of them are quick and simple ones using the patchwork pals kit from qvc i don't normaly go for cutie images but quite like these and they come in when you need to make cards quickly as i do at the moment as my back still isn't letting me sit for very long
anyway hope you like them and will be back soon with a wedding card i am working on at the moment
bye for now
gill x

sorry i have been away for so long

2009-07-19T12:59:00.000-07:00

hi girlies
i'm so sorry i haven't been around for so long not been feeling too good with one thing and another
just not had much interest in anything much
still struggling along but thought i would blog these cards
i have made them for my MIL 70th so thought i would show you them
i am making an album for her too it's took months due to not feeling on top of the world but it's nearly finished it is made with the same daisy k and co design as the card
will try and get around your blogs whilst i'm here to see what you are all up too
catch you all again soon
gillxx

hi girls

2009-04-08T13:28:00.000-07:00

hi there
just a short note to explain my absence
i haven't forgotten you all
just struggling with this stupid depression so not up to much at all at the moment
just started some new meds and feel wretched at the moment so tired and fed up no interest in anything my crafting has come to a halt too tried to have a play today but my mojo has disapeared too at the moment
i will get sorted i know just takes time so will be back as soon as i have something to tell you or show you
happy crafting
gill

more mother's day and birthday

2009-03-14T03:17:00.000-07:00

hi here are the other mother's day card for my mom and moms birthday cards too
i have used k and co for both the papers i have used for moms birthday card are the same papers as i will use to make her an album of our last holiday together which will be happening very soon just hope she is well enough to enjoy it she is determined to go no matter what
we have a career/nurse going with us so she will be well looked after
thought i would be nice to have a collection of photos of the holiday so have bought a lovely k and co album yellow daisy design so will fill that and give it her for her birthday
lappy is still playing up we just can't work out what up with it it works for a while then just dies stupid thing
been to see doc about the way i am feeling and it's definitely depression so am starting treatment soon so hopefully will feel a bit more human soon. just feel so weepy tired have no go in me at all and feeling quite anxious which they think is causing the bouts of sweating
any that's enought about me i'll get sorted have been here before and beat it so can do it again it's just so disconcerting how depression can creep up on you
hope all are well will drop in on your bloggs soon
gill

mother's day

2009-03-08T12:37:00.000-07:00

hiya
just a quicky as having real problems with my internet connection so never know how long it's going to last
so getting straight to it here is my MIL card for mother's day it's an 8x8 and made with k and co papers
hope you like it
will try and pop in your blogs if my pc will let me lol
catch you all again soon
gill

couple of new cards

2009-02-28T08:12:00.000-08:00

hiya
only a couple of cards this week i'm affraid as still paying for my day out last weekend my back is still playing up but it is going the right way it will settle if i don't aggravate it by sitting too long
anyway here are the cards
one is for my friends son in law he used to live in australia and loves surfing
and the other is for my best friend lyn
hope you like them
i am going to try and get around your blogs as been having loads of trouble with my lappy keep loosing connection all the time it's driving me mad it's ok now but can't say how long it will last it just keeps dying on me then won't let me back in until it has had a rest for a few hours stupid thing i have given it a stern talking too but doesn't seem to have helped
catch you all again soon
gill