Caardarks Challenge...

I've made another tag for the current Caardvarks challenge - make a tag on the theme of one of the months of the year. I spotted a lovely Christmas kit in the Sweet Shoppe Designs store so this tag is all about December.

(credits here)

Whilst I was playing with tags again I got caught up in the drama of 'The Snail That Ate The New Plants' that was happening in our garden and I created this tag.

(credits here)

Aye, Aye Captain ...

Have you got kids? Then you guys need to run, run really fast and buy, buy, buy!!

Look what my fabulously talented friend Kay Miller has cooked up

Available at Sweet Shoppe Designs

I used the kit to make these two adorable Pirate shaped cards and they meet the requirements of this weeks Daring Card Makers Challenge too so I am even happier!

More challenges...

I love joining in with crafty blog challenges. The Daring Cardmakers challenge this past week has been to include beads on a card. My lovely friend Dawn actually sent me some beads just last week and their colours matched perfectly a digital kit I have been playing with from Natalie Braxton at the LilyPad.

Decorating...

I think I've finally made a blog banner that I love. I know I've changed the design of my blog recently more often than normal people change their underwear but you know when you just aren't happy - like the time when you painted your bathroom walls 5 times because you liked it when you first painted it but then hated it the following morning.

Anyway, I've had my new banner sitting on my hard drive for 2 weeks and after looking at it every day I think it's a stayer :) My friend Jacque Larsen is such a talented designer and her paper pieces are just delightful and I'm so excited that I made my banner with her goodies - available from The LilyPad! The two cards I have to share today were made using some of her newer goodies too - Sail Away

Well I guess I should make an attempt to go to bed, hopefully I shall have a better nights sleep than last night after still being awake at 4.30!

Tags ...

This weeks challenge over at the Tag Your It! blog is 'houses' and I've joined in and made a hybrid tag

(Paper - Solid and Shabby, Laura Bratcher (Funky Playground Designs)House, tree and clouds elements - Home Sweet Home, Kate Hadfield (The LilyPad)Letter elements - Handstamped Alpha, Michelle ColemanPaperfrill - Doodlebug)

I've also joined in with the Cardvaarks challenge blog to create a tag that is inspired by a month of the year. I chose August and created a hot summer day at the seaside tag

(Boat element - Sail Away, Jacque Larsen (The LilyPad)Paper, sun and wave elements - Caribean Sunrise, Kate Hadfield, Gina Miller and Rachel YoungRibbon - American Crafts)

How To ...

I love making shaped cards and a couple of weeks ago I posted a mini tutorial to make a shaped card over at the It's A Creative World blog. I thought I would share the tutorial on my own blog too.

Step 1 - Cut out a flower shape from patterned paper, I used my Cricut but it would be very simple to freehand draw a flower shape. Remember to create a flower suitable for the size of the envelopes you have. My square envelopes are about 15 cms so my flower is 14 cms. I used a paint dabber to squidge some whit paint around the edges.

Step 2 - Use a dry glue to adhere your flower onto a folded card blank. Line up the fold of the card blank with a straight edge of the flower leaving a narrow border.

Step 3 - Use a craft knife or sharp scissors to cut around the wjole flower leaving a border the same width as the one on the fold of the card blank. Now you have a flower shaped folded card.

Step 4 - Stitch around the edge using a sewing machine **Make sure you open up your card and only stitch on the front**

Step 5 - I created my own flower embellishment for the centre of my card, but there are oodles of ready manufactured flowers in the stores. Mine is made with a felt flower cut with a sizzix die, I added a Making Memories metal grommet and a large enamelled brad.

Step 6 - Create a tag with a bookplate, handwritten greeting and brads. I made my bookplate with a sizix die and painted it white but you could easily use a metal or acrylic bookplate. If you don't like your own handwriting use a small rubber stamp for the greeting. I attached the bookplate with foam pads on the back because I wanted the brads to be for decoration only and didn't want their fastenings to show through on the inside of my card.

I hope you enjoy making shaped cards, I've found them extremely addictive!!

Toot Toot!

Oh wow, apart from being really ill this past week or two and feeling yucky and horrible I had a fabaroonie email from Sweet Shoppe Designs that made me jump up and do a bit of a boogie :)

Do you see me? Do ya Do ya????? Oh my goodness I made the call for the Sweet Shoppe Hybrid Babes and I am so excited. Even better was that my lovely friend Cindy made it too.

With feeling poorly I haven't done much crafting but I couldn't be invited to the sweetest party in town and NOT have a little play could I?

And ... And ... And ... My lovely friend Kay Miller has been designing again and joined up with some of the Sweet Shoppe Designers to make this really sweet Raggedy Annie kit. It was the froggie that hopped off the computer and onto my card - he's lovely!

Not to be outdone the lovely Mary Fran from NitWit Collections has also been busy and has the sweetest Noah's Ark kit in the store. I've been waiting for this kit to be released for months since she mentioned that she'd been designing and I'm not disappointed.

Sharing...

No words because I'm feeling really yucky but lots of pictures because they're easy lol