Birthday post!

Our niece celebrates her 7th birthday today. I made her a tag and will attach it to her birthday present.
A couple of weeks ago Rhodé borrowed a few stamp sets, among them the Sunday Stroll set from Mama Elephant. She made this interactive card with the set and I left her a comment that I was going to copy that idea! So, here it is. The papers are from Crate Paper, the tag and text dies are from Avery Elle.

 

I am quite sure our niece will like this tag!
Thanks for coming by!

P.s. The Dutch Card Lovers challenged us to lift a card from a designer. I didn't create this tag on purpose for this challenge, but I think it will fit. I have known Rhodé for a year or so. She is a very talented card maker and has developed her own style in a very short time. And the best thing: she lives in my town! It is definitely inspiring when you have someone near by with whom you can share materials and ideas! After I created this card and wrote this blog post I visited her blog for the link to the card. There I saw that she lifted my card. Isn't that funny?! And that is why I thought: let's link this card to the DCL challenge. OK, that was quite a long p.s... I quit for now!

one sketch, two cards

I have recently played with some paper pads from crate paper. I didn't use a specific sketch, but I came up with this one just by trying some things. I first created the brown card ( a get well card) and copied that one in a more colourful scheme (birthday).

 

 

Thanks for hopping by!  

Watercolouring

I have tried some water colouring recently. I heat embossed stamps from the SU What I love set and coloured them with distress inks. This is the result. I used a birthday die from Avery Elle and a wishes stamp from Papertrey Ink. I splashed some ink as the final touch.

Enjoy the weekend! 

London Mice parade

These London Mice from MFT stamps are joining  the parade singing a birthday song for our niece!
For this card I was inspired by Laura's spinner card tutorial . Aren't they adorable?

 

Thanks for hopping by!

Who's afraid of gold?

To be honest, I am not very fond of gold, so when I wear jewellery I prefer silver to gold. However, a couple of weeks ago I bought some gold cardstock and I have to say, I like to work with it. For today's cards I used the gold cardstock with two word dies and the theme at Cas-ual Fridays which is 'Pretty Patterns'. For the first card I stamped a background of dots with a sponge dauber.  As you can see I did it quite randomly to give it a nonchalant look. I splashed a little with glimmer mist, stamped a sentiment, added the PTI die 'birthday' and finally added a small banner in the right upper corner.

For the second card I used again the same dauber and ink to colour a background. I love the soft tone you get. With the same colour of ink I stamped a polkadot pattern with a stamp. I die cut hello with the Lawn Fawn die, added a banner as well and for the finishing touch I tied a bow.

  That's it for today! Thanks for coming by!

Precious

The theme of this week's challenge at the Casology blog is 'precious'. Many cards I make will be sent to precious people. Persons who I love and appreciate. For this challenge I used some precious materials. Well, of course, they aren't, but they give a feeling of being precious. I used some silver thread and gems. The leaves and flower stamps are from Avery Elle's Faboulous Flowers, the sentiments are from Papertrey Ink.

Now I am off the to beach to spend some time with some of our nephews and niece.
Thanks for coming by!

Vintage

After having spent a wonderful time in France and Italy, we are back home! And it is good to be at home. The last days of our holiday my craft room was calling! So, after unpacking and washing I sprinted to my little studio and made this vintage card for a birthday of a person who loves vintage (at least I think she loves it). It was a bit hard to catch the colours on the photo. Anyway, you get the idea I suppose.

As a teacher I am spoiled with three more weeks of holiday. I ordered a new pack of cardstock and I've got a few stamp sets waiting, so I guess you will find some more posts in the coming weeks!

Enjoy this weekend!

Three cards

I've got three cards to show today! The first two are made with Crate Paper's Poolside 6x6 paperpad.

The next card is made with Newton's Nook stamps for a couple who celebrate their first anniversary. They have been the proud owners of a cat since a couple of weeks, so I thought that these stamps would fit perfectly. Don't you love that little mouse?

I'm lagging behind with reading your blogs. Hopefully I can catch up with it in the coming week. Summerbreak is winking, but the last weeks before it really starts off will be quite tough as always...
Enjoy your weekend!  

Masking

Last week I did some masking with post-its! Very easy to do and with a great effect. I used some Papertrey Ink stamps. The card was a bit boring, so I added a kraft border and a strip of gingham paper to it.

 

For a newborn boy I made this square card. The background is made with a aquamarker, an acrylic block which I uses as a kind of ruler and distress ink mixed with perfect pearls. Still in love with this deer :)

Thanks for coming by!

CFC #58 Presents

We've got a new challenge for you over at the Crazy for Cas blog! This week's theme is all about presents. Use one or many presents in whatever way you like, just keep it clean and simple. Hop over to the CFC blog for all the details. I have chosen for a small stamp from a Heidi Swapp which I have stamped in several SU inks around the circle frame. Really easy to do, just draw a circle with your pencil and stamp on the line. Remove the line with your rubber and that's it! The sentiment is heat embossed.

Thanks for coming by and looking forward to seeing your takes on the challenge!

65!

My aunt is going to be 65 tomorrow. This card is in the mail right now. I used the same numbers dies from Lawn Fawn and gingham background as in my previous post. I die cut a bigger circle out of cardstock and stamped with PTI stamps an argylye background. The banner is from Avery Elle, the sentiment from Artemio and the little flowers from PTI.

Thanks for stopping by!

for you!

I'm back after our holiday in Scotland! We had a marvellous time enjoying the beautiful nature, nice people, good food and splendid weather (!). Little by little I am getting used to daily life back in the Netherlands. I have a few weeks left before going back to work and I fill my days with reading a lot (I was far behind with my wishlist of books) and some crafttime.

Today a card made with Pebbles 'Garden Party'. It is a birthday card, but I put the sentiment on the tag and added a sentiment 'for you' at the front. By the way, the gingham background is from an unknown brand.

One of these days I will pick up the daily routine of reading blogs and bring you a visit!

Hooray!

Hip hip hooray for my friend in Singapore! She celebrated her birthday last Sunday, but the card I made her was delivered a bit too late and arrived just today. Yep, I confess I posted it a bit too late as well.... I always forget the extra days it need between posting and delivering. Sorry!

I made the card with a small background stamp from Amy Tangerine. I didn't use it before, but it actually is a perfect one for stamping in a row. The flowerstamps are from Ruby Rose by Papertrey Ink as well as the sentiment, banner from Avery Elle (did you mention I used it on almost every card I posted in the previous weeks - I'm in love with the set!)

Thanks for your visit!

Hello!

Little by little I can allow myself more time for creativity! My thesis has been handed in and I'm now waiting for the last round of feedback and a date when I can defend it. This week I have to finish one subject and with that it is all over! Well, for this schoolyear so to speak, as I have enrolled for another study after the summerbreak. However, that is far away, first we are going to enjoy the summer. And some craft time. I try to get back to the routine of reading blogs and looking at pinterest. Yesterday and also this morning I have visited many of you. Sorry, if I didn't leave you a comment, but I saw many beautiful creations! Thanks for sharing and giving me bits of inspiration.

I have to say it feels a bit weird sitting at my desk surrounded by all kinds of materials and having not the faintest idea what to do and to create. I was looking forward to playing with my 6x6 paper pads, but ideas are lagging behind... I have to get used to the materials again!

So, yesterday I started quite simple by choosing some stamps, inks and sentiments and I came up with these easy-peasy cards! Same idea, but a different effect.

At the moment I haven't got any card in stock, so I think I am going to stamp on!
Enjoy your weekend and hopefully see you soon somewhere in blogland! 

Mini Blooms

I don't do it very often, but mass production of cards is sometimes needed. I had to create a few birthday cards as well as some 'hello' cards. I sent only a few christmas cards, but I got more. I really wanted them to have a card back and for some others just for fun. So I made some "January" cards. Just to say hello! And don't you agree that receiving cards in January is even nicer in those gloomy days? So, I pulled out the  Mini Blooms set from Papertrey Ink and ink pads and got stamping! I added a strip of patterned paper from Simple Stories with some stitches and that was it! I made a bunch of cards and will make a few more. Easy for stash!

Thanks for stopping by and have a nice day!

Fly away

I am not really a person who is busy colouring, but I admire crafters who are real artists with their copics, derwents or spectrum noirs. So I thought let's give it a try. I've got one set of markers (the Spectrum Noirs 'brights', bought here). It is a perfect starters set  for unskilled crafters like me. Lovely colours and not too expensive.  I watched some videos on colouring and coloured a stamp from PTI's fly away. I'm sure it needs lots of exercise before having the best shadows and blending of colours, but for a first attempt I'm satisfied. For the background of the card I used Simple Stories - Urban Traveller and a die for the beams. Some distress ink for the edges, clouds, stitching, a sentiment and a masculine card was born!

The end of the school year is almost here. Last lessons were given yesterday and this week and next one are full of meetings and preparations for next year. But it will be more relaxed than the previous weeks. Looking forward to having a bit more time for craft!

See you soon!

Lifting

If you are in a hurry and in need of cards, why not lifting your own cards? That's what I did with the cards I show you today.

This first one is lifted from the card I made last Saturday. I still like that one very much. Judith called it a port hole and indeed it looks like that.
This one is made with the Paired Up set from Clearly Besotted Stamps.

The next two cards are lifts from this one.Now made with PTI's Mini Blooms. For these cards I added a piece of paper from MME's Nostalgia.

Enjoy today and thanks for coming by!

Enjoy your birthday!

Finally, sun is shining!I think the whole country was longing for this moment after many cloudy days in a row. Unfortunately, I caught a bad cold last week and I'm still sneezing and trying to find my voice... Despite this cold I made a few cards this weekend. Today one which is made with PTI's mini blooms dies and stamps, birthday die and some MME's papers from 'Follow your Heart'.
A softy, pastel card. 

Enjoy this day of spring!

Enjoy your birthday

One of the advantages of having holiday is that I get "permission" to go to my craft room and make a card! So this week a few more blogposts than you are used to. Let's say to compensate my absence in previous weeks.

This card is made with PTI's Mini Blooms. Love that set! And the 'birthday' die gives the card just that bit extra. The challenge on the Passion for Papetrey blog is about stamping backgrounds. Perfect background isn't it?

Thanks for stopping by! Hope to see you soon!

Garden Variety

Only a very quick post with a birthday card today For this card I used PTI's Garden Variety and papers from MME Nostalgia. I love the set! And by using other papers you can make a totally different card each time you use this set,even when it is the same sketch. The border with hearts is from MFT Homespun Hearts.

 

Thanks for coming by!