Better make it quick

I'm actually posting on the right day for Daring Cardmakers today as there is a blog hop going on.
But I have lots of work related stuff to do (like photographing some knitted sheep and writing a press release) so I have to be limited in what I say (hard for me!)

this is the fourth and final week of our seventh birthday celebrations and as it is close to the end of October we have gone for a Spooky Birthdays theme
this was helped by some fabby chipboard from Tando Creative who have also offered a prize in our special draw, along with Imagine That (look on the DCM blog for more details). PLUS there are more prizes from Funky Hand, Charmed Cards and Craft and  Crimson Cloud available if you join in with our blog hop - you need to comment on the blogs of all the cardmakers featured this week including our amazing guest designers Lou Daubney and Julie Kirk

So here is my card...

 

Boy did I make a meal out of this one! First choosing the papers was tough. I opted for an old faithful October Afternoon Midway 8x8 paper pad in the end. There is a nice mix of colours and black/grey in there. I added some black lines to the diamond panel to give more definition and everything had a swipe of Black Soot distress ink around the edges. The chipboard web and bat were covered in Balck Soot as well (the web is less grey in real life!)

"Have" was stamped with a lovely set from Imagine That and the "a" is from Banana Frog (sadly no longer trading). "Spooktacular" is a die cut alphabet (Parker I think) and "birthday" is made from Making Memories stickers that are almost 7 years old themselves. Originally there was a die cut word saying birthday but there was an accident using black enamel accents. It is not the first accident I have had where they have splodged and ruined something so I am going to have to consider drastic action over that. Here I had to add an extra strip of grey star paper over the top and more washi tape. My other stickles decided to misbehave a bit as well (can't be my fault though!!!) but it all kind of worked out in the end. 

I have no idea who to send this card too so if you know someone who would love it, let me know and I will send it to you! (NB leave a few weeks before you need it as I might need reminding...)

Now must go and do something with those sheep......

Oh my cabbages

as Carys would say.
Its Wednesday and I still haven't blogged. Mind you for a while today I thought it was Thursday so it isn't as bad as all that. Let's just say work/life balance isn't and move on shall we?

Last Friday's Daring Cardmaker challenge was to go Digital i.e. use digital papers and images as part of your card.
The Design Team were offered some digital items from Pink Petticoat
and I learned that if you receive a download into your inbox you actually have to download it onto your computer otherwise the link might expire and then you are in big trouble. So my cards are not exactly what I planned to do - but aren't too shabby either

This one is all Pink Petticoat. I love that mistletoe background, especially in that fresh green. I cut out a die cut polaroid frame using a Dienamics die. The red paper is from my stash. The snowflakes were punched and everything outlined with a Sharpie pen. I added some dimensional glitter too.
Here is a close up of the Distress ink coloured penguin

not perfect - but then that makes it more hand made!

The next card combines Pink Petticoat and Funky Hand. In my panic over not having the downloads I had to hit myself over the head and say "Self you used to be on the Funky Hand design team and have more digital gubbins on your computer than you could ever need". I then had a moment's pause - to remember the team and the awesome Anice with fondness and to rub my head as I did hit it quite hard. I then decided to challenge myself to use a Penguin on a non Christmas card.

 I used Funky Seasons papers which had an ATC paper sized option which was the perfect scale for this type of thing. I cut out squares with a Spellbinders die (yes a square punch would have been quicker but I gave my square punches to my former church card making group and factoring in 4.5 hours journey plus dragging someone from bed in order to let me into the church and punch some squares makes that option less of a viable one)
I then stuck the squares to white cardstock and die cut the middle with a circle die. I made a thin orange circle border (much more tricky than I expected) and also cut the image into a smaller circle. The patchwork piece is raised on thin foam pads for dimension. I added loads of Glamour Dust, a Clearly Besotted sentiment and various distress inks too

Finally another quick card from recent times. I have been experimenting with watercolours and proper watercolour paper and I made this

The Clearly Besotted flowers have outlines you can colour in, but the stem is a solid stamp. I brought the two together with a bit of doodled outline on both and really like the effect.

Right must go in a minute and make my card for this Friday. Who knows when I will blog it though (sorry everyone!)

Party on dudes

Yes, the Daring Cardmaker birthday party month is still going on :)
And once more I am late to the party. Actually not in terms of my card this week - just the blog post.
So what have I been doing since 10am Friday when I should have launched it?

A prayer meeting; chatting to people at a coffee morning; meeting about a new Lease; Messy Church (someone has given the MC some beautiful Lakeland glitter that it was very tempting just to take home! I managed to resist and was rewarded by the creation of most beautiful glittery spiders webs (the theme was that we need not be afraid when God is with us so we made lots of spooky things) using acetate, a picture of a simple spiders web to trace, PVA glue and glitter. It was a real success); sharing in a Festival of the Harvest opening worship service; spending a day at Synod   (a regional meeting - ours is in Bridgwater about an hour away) and leading worship. I just did a few admin things on Sunday and then had a long nap in the afternoon.

It is quite fun to reflect on all the varied things my job involves - many of which you have to learn as you go along!

Its no excuse really though. You'd think after 7 years I would be able to make blogging more routine!
Anyway back to the Daring Cardmaker challenge for this week

Birthday Banners and Bunting

and it is well worth having a go this week as we have two prizes on offer, from Tea House Bridge and Crafty Templates. See our blog for more details.

My card features two of my favourite colours - teal and red. The acetate cake has been in my drawer for ages and I decided to use it so trawled through my paper to find matching (ish) colours and patterns. As it turns out all the papers used are My Minds Eye but from collections years apart. Tea House Bridge sent the Design Team some goodies so I picked out all the buttons and flowers that matched. I added pennants at the top using a Spellbinders die and trimmed them with stick on pearls. The sentiment at the bottom is a Clearly Besotted stamp - love that graphic style!

On an unrelated crafting note I don't think I have shared one of my Florence layouts with you. 

Warning - graphic content of a historical nature!

 Do not look if easily offended by naked statues.

Male ones.

 Don't say I didn't warn you

I had loads of fun with this - and not just because the subject matter made me giggle! I used lots of old stash for this - Basic Grey paper and chipboard that is 5 years old. Daisy D's rubons that are probably even older; alongside Papermania brads and some Pink Paislee inkable cardstock.

And as for the subject matter?

That's better! Well, better-ish

My woe is me over the card I made for the last Daring Cardmaker challenge turned into a "I can do better than that!"
So I dusted myself off, gave myself a talking to and had a bright idea.
Here it is...
you don't have to use patterned paper to make your rainbow. In fact - you don't have to use patterned paper at all.
What. A. Concept.

But it worked. Just.
Firstly I cut lots of strips of water colour paper using one of the Docrafts border punches. (BTW how do you say Docrafts? I know I should pronounce it like "I Do Crafts" but it is always "Dough Crafts" in my head). I then got out some watercolour paints and set to work. A wooden star covered in stickles and some silver stickles baubles and I was set.

Except.
I decided that the balance was wrong - there was too much space at the top. So I decided to cut it down.
Forgetting that it was a top folded card.
So it now looks like this

For my second try at a birthday card I decided to swipe the watercolour paints on a small piece of watercolour card stock. I had in the back of my mind the CASE This Sketch of the week so added sentiment and image. I them remembered that the Daring Cardmakers image had dots on it so added a dotty background using PTI stamps, white embossing powder, black pen and more watercolour.
Ta da!

 

Oh and the little punched border that I needed to add in (nearly forgot that bit too)

Except.
Then I looked at the sketch and realised that I had gone slightly wrong

so made this as well

Papers are Dear Lizzy Lucky Charm 6x6 pad. Dies by Dienamics and Clearly Besotted; stamp by WMS; enamel dots by MME. There is also some vellum behind the dot panel as someone keeps forgetting that this die cuts the panel out completely and it then needs to be stuck back together again.

All this was done on Saturday which was a mostly day off as I had to work my day off on Monday. I also made a card for my Uncle David and Auntie Clare as it was their ruby wedding celebrations on Sunday. We now live near enough to be able to celebrate with them on Sunday which was lovely. There were loads of photos of me as their bridesmaid about the place

 Here is the card I made for them

(lots of old stuff on here, plus a Cameo cut background and heart shapes and some wood veneer people)
and here is me way back then with my bro in his cool velvet suit

Seven!

Who would have thunk it? Daring Cardmakers has now been around for a massive SEVEN years!

  

Isn't that incredible?
And quite surprisingly I've been around for all that time as well. I haven't made a card for every single dare - but I've managed quite a few in that time. It has been my pleasure to work with some really lovely people and be awed by their creativity. I have even met a few of them in real life! Thanks for being such an important part of my life everyone :)

I thought it would be fun to pull out my first card and see what I thought.
Sadly, I think I prefer it to the one I have made this week!

Basic Grey Lily Kate papers. still have some of them to use up!

We are having a month of celebrations at Daring Cardmakers so why not join in the fun (and the giveaways)
This week there are punches to be won - if you play along with the Dare which is to take inspiration from the rainbow colours of this cake

and my card, well it kind of went wrong

 

It was going to be a layer cake but it just wouldn't go right so in the end I made a layered square and added a home made candle on the top. I love the rainbow birthday epoxy stickers which I have had for ever and the card also features one of the lovely Docraft punches you can win this week and some home made enamel dots. I added lots of sparkle to the candle with Rock Candy Distress Stickles

Have a look at the other GORGEOUS cards that the team have made this week. I am so proud of them and rather than be disheartened it will spur me on to do better.

I actually have an almost day off tomorrow (apart from the concert I will need to attend and give the vote of thanks at - one of the quirky fun things about my job. Sometimes it is hard to find the right words to say (the choral version of Bohemian Rhapsody and  a whole concert of tambourine playing I found particularly interesting) but that can be part of the challenge) and as it is World Cardmaking Day I really ought to join in. So I will give this dare another go!
Why don't you as well?

Just So

And once more it is Tuesday before I can blog. Tuesday.
Well I guess I could have before but always think it will take longer than it does and then suddenly - whoosh!
To be fair - I have got a lot on my plate and this weekend was super busy with funerals and a CAP (Christians Against Poverty) financial education course and various kinds of church all day Sunday and having to work most of my day off on Monday.
But still...

So this morning is time off - but when I have finished this blog post it will involve the fun of household chores. (Much neglected household chores)

Alrighty then, lets go backwards. Last Friday's Daring Cardmakers challenge was set by the uber talented Nat who asked us to showcase Rosettes Galore
So we did!

My card is a normal A6 sized card, just so you can see that this is a small rosette. I bought the small rosette die because it was cheaper than the larger one! But it is very, very delicate and fiddly and to be honest this is the first time it has worked just about completely successfully and that is because I gave it far more tender loving care than it deserved.

Because I didn't think of outlining the frill before I turned it into a rosette, I didn't outline anything but I kind of regret it now as I think a bit of black might add something. There we are. Instead I added some pink liquid pearls. All the papers are Cosmo Cricket DeLovely, which have been in my stash for yonks. I had some in a kit and then won the whole line as a prize so I do have rather a lot of it. But it still looks pretty fresh in my opinion - or maybe it is that teal and pink are back in already!

The week before, our challenge theme was Harvest Festival - and I just haven't got round to blogging that one yet (oh the shame). My card has a fairly broad interpretation of the theme!

 

The papers used here are Cosmo Cricket Wanted which were some of the first 12x12 papers I ever bought. I have found the Circle Journal that I made using them in a blog post from March 2007!

I found these lovely leaves on the Silhouette site. There were three different patterns which I cut from the three woodgrain papers but them decided I liked the look of using identical ones best! A few extra layers, some berries (as harvest festival is more about fruit than leaves I know), some random dots (these and the red ones are glue yourself bargains from Sarahs Cards) and a Clearly Besotted stamp and 'twas done.
Close up of the layering

And now it is October which is very exciting because this month Daring Cardmakers is 7 and we are going to party all month! Seven years is a long time to have kept a blog going! I think there are just two of us left full time who were there at the start although there are others who are taking a break and will hopefully be back soon. But I think it is an amazing achievement really. So why not celebrate with us?

 

and I might even see if I can blog nearer Fridays and everything....