CSF Birthday Challenge

This years Birthday Challenge at craft swap forum was to design an envelope and card insert to celebrate our fab forums 2nd Birthday. My Team is called Six Pistols, and our Virtuous Leader is Linda. our theme is floral, and having just aquired the cricut expressions thought i should try to use it for my insert card. i had originally made my envelope using the cutter, but thought, "wee bit too fussy". so decided to go with simple instead. the paper pattern is made using my cupcakes cd. and the wording and the flowers are with the cricut. i decided to make my envelope simple as well, tying with cream silk/embroidered rose pattern ribbon. with a few wee flowers on the reverse, didnt photograph the other side. the paper again was made using my cupcakes CD. and i edged the flap of the envelope with cutting machine.
still havent decided wether to put a butterfly on insert or envelope, will have to decide soon as im posting it tomorrow.
anyway thats my attempt, well the eventual one i settled for. our book is for charity, so i wish our Team and the other teams at CSF well when the auction starts for the finished books.
GOOD LUCK EVERYONE.

CARDS AND ATC's

MOTHERS DAY CARDS

These are 2 cards my friend asked me to make her. one for her mother, and one for her mother-in-law. i used the Joanna Sheene sillhouette CD to create my images which i then Decoupaged and added some flower soft to the little baskets at the corners. and to the little flowers in the girls basket and around her.i used another Joanna Sheene CD to create a picture frame which i thencut out and applied to the scene with 3D foam strips. i then made little butterflies on the computer and printed them to vellum which i cut out and decoupaged and attached to the front of the card. I applied some rennie mackintosh peel offs to the top/bottom edges and corners of the bottom card. On the top card i used hand made paper which was a duck egg blue with silver metalic swirls. I matted, layered / enameled the little mothers day poems and attached them across the bottom of the decoupaged images, and applied little butterflies to the corners of the poems.

MY PAPERARTSY SWIRLY HEARTS

These are the little Heart Fat Pages i made using the paperartsy squiggly heart stamp Simon demonstrated on the craft swap blog. when i saw the work simon did, i thought i love those hearts so off i trotted to the paperartsy website, and hey presto i found the squiggly/swirly stamps. although i loved them all, i had a sensible moment and thought no, i dont need any more stamps.... Well i did say it was a sensible moment, and a moment it lasted. Then I ordered the stamp. so here goes. i used different scraps of paper and different embossing powders to see what sort of effects i would get. and i was not disapointed with the results. i attached little glass stones to the swirls. the backing paper on the Fat Page was a load of paper i bought from QVC a while ago, but, didnt really use any. i thought this time around they went with my little hearts. i used my crop-a-dile to punch holes around the page, and threaded thru some fibres Ann-R bought me a while ago. i am pleased with the result. I really didnt have a decent heart stamp...... I do now.

ATC for Craft Swap Forum Buddie

these where little buttons i had purchased. i liked them but whenever i went to use them i thought no. i like them too much. then i was sending an ATC to a Craft Swap Forum buddy so thought hey! time to part with these guys. as i had just started to play with alcohol inks, i had made some little cards using the inks. so set about putting the trimmed and filed buttons onto the card with 3D foam. so what theme i thought. Then hey presto. you know, one of those little crafting ureka moments. after remembering the time we went to Ayr beach the seagulls over head as we tried to have a picnic. that would be my theme. so my little open air picnic ATC was born.

CONTACT BOOK

I decided it was time to make a little contacts book. with details of all the crafting buddies i have made on CSF. i covered my book in yellow card, which i then distressed with chalks and gold rub/buff. i stamped my fav renniemackintosh stamp, embossed it in silver, then coloured using H2o paints. i used my crop-a-dile to punch holes and threaded through ribbon. i attched some metal charms, one for each of my dogs, and a wee bone for them to nibble on. i also attached a heart and key (now guys dont get nausius here) the heart represents my heart and the key is the key to my heart. these items where for my husband. thus i covered everyone in the house. what about the bells! did i hear you say, re the little bells? well they are for New YEAR remind me my resolution to diet . shh dont want to say that bit too loud incase i faulter.
HAPPY NEW YEAR FRIENDS

ALCOHOL INK

This is my first alcohol ink i have used. the bottles have been sitting for, well lets just say a wee while. i am limited in my colours so will have to invest in some more. i think i like this alcohol ink thingy, and want to experiment with more. any suggestions on tecnique greatly appreciated. i used tracy's video as my teacher. heres to a generous crafter.