MOJO103 mojomonday im having my first try at it!

I have watched with amazement at some of the cards that people can make when they are faced with the challenges like mojomonday etc. SO finally I plucked up the courage to have a little try myself.

I am not saying it is perfect but it is a card I am happy with for my first challenge attempt.

I used labels five from the spellbinders nestabilities range, the largest on the front and the largest and third largest inside.
I then used a sheet of Kanban 300gsm card with paws on it that I saw in a craft shop many moons ago, had no idea why I was buying it but was drawn to the little puppy paws all over it.
The strips are just scraps from my never ending box of little bits I dare not throw away.
Then as a top for the strips I used the Laurence Lowellyn Bowen vellums which are a bit 'out there' but sometimes can just add enough of a touch to make me happy.
The dog stamp came from a set I was given as a gift, daisy and dandylion, candyfloss and such like they are all cute dogs, elephants, and are fun for both adult and child to use. They are by DOcrafts and very affordable. I buy lots of little stamp kits like this to encourage my kids to craft with me and this time I felt compelled to stamp a happy little dandylion on the front with his birdy chum inside.
Finally the ribbon is one inch satin and just from the sewing shop in town nothing fancy and the just for you stamp is one I have picked up somewhere or other no idea where but it seemed to be sentiment enough to finish the card off.

Yes I know I cannot tell you much about the products I used, that tells you I have too many to keep track of, now I just need to make more use of them.

boy was it a cute card!

the baby card

One of our neighbours has just given birth to a beautiful baby boy. An excuse for a card I thought so off I went to find scraps and blue bits and pieces to see what I could come up with that was a little different to the pram stickers and such like that you see about. I brought out a box of dies that have been gathering dust for some time, which is a waste as I have one of the new sizzix express which is so cool. Anyway that is another post so back to the baby card. There was baby boo the cuttle bug die. I found some buff card in the scraps box and a little bit of blue checked gingham in there too. I printed out a congratulations verse on the pc and silvered the edges with an ink pad to make it look a bit more professional. I used sakura pens to colour in bears face and ears. The I cut a piece of the bear again with ecru card and cut it straight across the midriff to look like a nappy. The little piece of gingham became a blanket and a piece of ric rac became a background. Then I rummaged for a piece of ribbon to tie it all together and make my little square I printed on pc into a tag. I found a piece of downtown ribbons and it added a little colour that wasnt baby blue :o)

I think it is ok considering it is made from bits n pieces that were already lying in my craft room. I knew that I was keeping all these bits for something, and that something appeared today!

my kids mean everything to me

My kids are my world and I always need them around me or at least a picture of them with me wherever I go. The photo of C my big girl is the night she was off on her hols to Sharm El Sheikh in July and it makes me so proud to see how she turned out and so sad when your 'baby girl' calls you shortie.
My boys were in the garden when I snapped this. Adam got an inflatable jousting set for his birthday and at first I wasnt sure what he would make of it until of course he realised it was a big red 'neigh neigh'. He watched as it was blown up and then we slipped it over his head with the shoulder straps and off he went. JJ got the blue one on and the two of them ran around the garden for hours and I mean hours shouting neigh neigh and giddy up, what a fabulous toy!
I could not believe how much fun they were having with this single toy, it was a joy to behold. Definately a kodak moment or SIX!

to stickle or not to stickle that is the question

Just thought Id post a couple of thank you cards I made yesterday after I got over my fan flower fever. Lilted back towards the stickles which I find so therapeutic. I never realised a tiny bottle of glitter glue could relieve the stresses and strains of life so well. I own every colour of stickles and have tried the competitors but find the consistency just is not what I am used to. They take a bit of getting used to and you need to be really careful not to snip too much off the nib at first or you will end up with a 'blob' rather than a dot. Trust me I've been there done that and almost lost my way early on casting the stickles aside until I invested in another little bottle of crystal and tried snow on Christmas cards and finally got the hang of it.
Anyway the cards I have posted are a bit of a mix, I bought a pack of six laser cut cards at a craft fair, not quite knowing what I was going to do with them. When I came home I put them on the shelf with the blanks I had made up previously and thought I will think about what to do with them and use them when I am sure.
They lay there fore a few weeks and yesterday I thought, stencil a few flowers, pop on a bit of decoupage and then I can S T I C K L E !!! I always have a box of little pieces of decoupage, another one of my little therapies. I quite happily cut out the pieces when I am in bed watching tv. My hubby works abroad so I get peace to do my own thing and can retreat to the comfort of my bed with my craft lap tray and watch tv and cut simultaneously. My little box of decoupage tricks had just what I needed. A few of the neighbours had handed in pressies for my boy and I tried to use a little decoupage that suited what I thought they were like. One is very much a wine connoisseur and another an avid gardener so I tried to piece the laser card, the decoupage and the stencils to make an appropriate card for them. I have posted a few pics to show you.
I tried not to go overboard with the stickles and only really touched up the stencilling and leaving the decoupage alone unless of course I had snipped a little mistake which I covered up with the stickles.
I only got four made yesterday so I wouldnt say it was a business opportunity for me, I am a bit slow and in no way a production line but after all it was for neighbours and it was a lovely way to spend a quiet sunday afternoon when the heavens had opened and I was confined to my craft room :o)