Cute Baby Boy

Another request for a baby card - this time just for a singleton! In an attempt to use up some of my old stash, I've used an image from a sheet of cute baby images by Ruth Watkins for Craft Creations. I've seen her designs in a number of publications over the years and bought these some time ago but as we all do, put them in a file and forgot about them! The paper is very old Papermania.


The layout is based on a sketch challenge over at Sketch and Stash Challenge Blog.



I don't usually try sketch challenges so this is a bit out of my comfort zone but I found it quite easy to follow.

The same customer also wanted another baby boy card for her mum so as they were going to the same baby I tried to make it as different as possible:



The image is an old fave from The Digistamp Boutique and the paper came from a baby boy scrapbook kit.

I've also entered this into the following challenges:

One Stitch at a Time - Use a Digi

Triple Trouble!

It's not very often you get asked to make a card for triplets! This gave me a great excuse to use a cute digi image I recently bought from the Digistamp Boutique. I kept the card simple - printed the image 3 times and the ribbon part 3 times aswell to add a touch of decoupage. The greeting printed in Candy Round BTN font and then I added some peel-off stars.



This card fits perfectly this week's challenge at One Stop Craft Challenge. The challenge this week is on the theme of 'Three' to celebrate their third anniversary.

A Touch of Magic

Not having kids of my own, I'm not really up on what kids are into at various ages but I thought that this was definitely cute enough for a nine year old. I didn't have any fairy digi stamps so I used a sticker from a children's sticker pack and the spotty paper from a bargain basket in my local craft shop. I'm so busy making Christmas cards at the moment that I used my fave layout for easiness.


I've entered this into the following challenges:

Polka Doodles - Week 43 Challenge - Mystical and Magical

Wheels of Steel

It's such a long time since I posted anything - life and holidays and work have just taken over a bit recently. I've still been making loads of cards though and I made one this morning that fits with the challenge over at Here Come The Boys perfectly. The Wheely Nice theme is ideal for this card I made for a colleague at work who wanted a blue motorbike card for her son-in-law.





The image was found thanks to Google - how did people make cards before the internet??

Less Is More - Christening Cards

This week's Less Is More challenge is 'anything goes' so I've entered these Christening Cards I've recently made. They fit the clean and simple criteria perfectly and they really are so easy to make. Also,I think it's nice to personalise cards like this with the baby's name and the date - makes the card stand out from anything shop bought.

Fabulous 21st!

Remember when you were 21 and had a figure that would fit into a dress like this!


The cute image is from Pink Petticoat and I've paper pieced it with polka dot patterned paper in a shade that is made for red-heads. I've finished it off with various sequins and diamantes and decoupaged the cake, hair ribbon and handbag. I think I'll make a stock pile of these in an assortment of colours as they are perfect for girly birthdays.

Con 'grad' ulations

I'm trying to catch up with posting some of the cards I have made in the last couple of weeks and looking through some of today's challenges decided on this one...


The sentiment says it all! I made the mortar board embellishment myself from black paper and used the red tassel from a Christmas card in my recycle box. The 'certificate' is made by rolling up a small piece of parchment and tying with a red ribbon.Some random stars and the computer printed greeting finish it off. I love the clean and simple look to cards like this and find them much easier than all that stamping and patterned paper and flowers style that is trendy at the moment.

I've entered this card into the following challenges..

Anything Goes Challenge - Happy Birthday/Celebration
My Time To Craft - G is for..... (Graduation)
Try It On Tuesday - Anything Goes
Tuesday Throwdown - Use a non-stamped sentiment

Mummies To Be..

A couple of work colleagues have left work in the past week to have their babies and as we already knew what they are having (1 boy 1 girl) it made it very easy to make these cards.


The image is Alexa - Just Chill I'm Having A Baby from the Digistamp Boutique. I coloured each Alexa with appropriate promarkers for the baby the mummy is having and added the greeting using X-Cut die-cut lettering. Each Alexa is on a lightly chalked background which didn't photograph very well but makes the image stand out in real life. I wasn't sure the images would work well this size but it made them a lot easier to colour and cut out. These cards proved so popular I'm going to make a batch for my box to sell!

Simple Anniversary Card

I was totally inspired by a new challeng blog I found this weekend - Lucy's Lovely Lines Challenge over at the Lily Pad Cards blog. It's not often I copy from a sketch but this one was perfect for the anniversary card I needed to make.


As soon as I saw this I knew it would work using hearts instead of stars.



I die cut 5 Cuttlebug hearts and stuck them in a line but the 4th heart is raised using a sticky pad to give some dimension. I resisted over embellishing and just used a single diamante to highlight the raised heart. The greeting was printed directly onto the base card. This is probably card making at it's simplest but I'm really pleased with the classy look of this card.

The Gruffalo

A special request today from a friend whose little boy is almost one and loves the gruffalo character .


Both the Gruffalo and the balloon were found using Google images. I chalked the background to prevent it looking too plain and added a computer greeting. Not the most technical card I have ever made but I am sure Oscar will be impressed.

I've put this card forward for a couple of challenges:

Saturday Challenge - Use a number
Corrosive Challenge - Cards for Kids

Glam Mam

I had a last minute request for a card this week for a card for a glamourous Mam who's about to turn 50!


This gorgeous digi stamp was drawn by a very talented crafter called Sylvie. Check out her blog - she has some wonderful freebies.

I paper pieced the digi using some very old Papermania spotty patterned paper. The hanger is coloured with a silver ball pen and I've finished off with some ribbon and purple diamantes. The 'thing' in the middle of the belt is a peel-off squiggle.

Very glamourous - I would love to fit into a dress like this!

I've entered this card into the following challenge:

Do It With Digis - Use Spots or stripes or Both

Less Is More - Blue Anniversary Hearts

I was inspired by this week's Less Is More challenge to make this card. The theme is 'shades of blue' and this gave me the ideal excuse to move away from the pink colours I would normally use for this type of card. I've cut the hearts using a cuttlebug die and added diamantes for a bit of bling. The basket weave background done in white and bluey white paper adds some texture.
As a lover of lots of white space on cards I'm really enjoying these Less Is More challenges - very inspiring!

Finding Nemo...

Here's a strange little card I was asked to make... a birthday card for someone who loves the Finding Nemo film. Thanks to the internet, I've never had any trouble finding images of famous characters and this one came from a children's colouring pages website.


I've coloured the image with promarkers and added the greeting 'just keep swimming' which I'm told is a song from the film. The embossed background is a cuttlebug folder. I have issues about these folders - the pattern isn't continuous at the edge so that you can emboss larger sheets of paper and I had great difficulty embossing the turquoise paper which is 13cm x 13cm in size. You can see the 'join' which is very annoying!!

I've entered this card in the following challenge:
The Corrosive Challenge Blog - Slippery when wet (something relating to water)

More For Father's Day

Yay! At last I've made my first easel card and now I can't stop. I've liked the look of them for a while and thought I understood the principal of making one but needed to practise first! No need - the first one I made looked fine and everyone I showed thought it was ever so clever so there's no stopping me now.

I'd seen something similar to this but using circles on a recent challenge blog but I can't remember who made it. I was so impressed I had a go. The cute footballer image is Justin from Digi Boutique, coloured with promarkers. The greeting was made in Microsoft publisher using a basic shape (banners) and inserting a text box. The football used as the stopper is just a peel-off on card. Now that I have these sussed I need to start experimenting with different shapes and sizes.

My second attempt is using Drinking Jim again. The stopper this time is a clipart picture of a beer glass. The paper is very old - from the stash I must use up before I am allowed to buy any more.

I'm entering the second card in the following challenges:

Terrifcally Thrilling Thursday Challenge Card for a boy/man
Pear Tree Designs Father's Day
Sparkles Forum Challenges Father's Day

Some Father's Day cards...

A couple of last minute Father's Day cards here - both made with a great character called Jim from the Digi Boutique and some lovely Argyle paper from an old issue of Making Cards magazine. Although the same materials have been used on each card I think I prefer the card with the buttons on - I'm not 100% sure about the 3 stars on the first one...


Both Jims are coloured with Promarkers



I've entered the second card into the following challenges...

C.R.A.F.T Challenge Father's Day
Saturday Challenge A Male card

New Babies...

I've had a few requests for new baby cards recently. I sometimes struggle with these cards - I want to make them really cute with ribbons etc but I'm never satisfied with the results. I suppose as long as the people I make them for like them there's no problem but they often leave me very unsatisfied! I know the effect I am striving for but can't seem to get there!

I got the sticker for this first card a few years ago in a pack labelled 'Crystal Stickers' but no brand name! In my recent efforts to use up old stash I 'found' them and thought this cute giraffe image was ideal for a baby boy. The blue spotty paper came with and old edition of Creative cardmaking and the embossing folder is my favourite Swiss Dots. Cute but no wow factor.


The second one is for a baby due this weekend. I felt a bit uncomfortable doing a card for a baby not yet born but maybe that's just me. The image is a freebie by one of my favourite card designers, Katina Killey and the backing paper is Pink Petticoat. Maybe the layout is a bit basic but I wanted to show off the delicate colour of the paper.