Yoo Hoo - I'm Back!!

Well, lots has happened since I was last here in Blogland.

We have now settled back into city life in Inverness, we have a new house....... well it's not a new house in any sense of the word.  It is my family home that my parents have owned for about 30 years.  Mam felt the house was too big for her on her own now, and we needed to buy a house in this area so we bought it from her.  It a wonderful old detched cottage and we are all chuffed to bits with it.  I'll post some piccies of it as soon as I can.

I have a new job working as a support assistant in a very busy office and it's full time so that has been the main reason for the lull in my blogging - and worse still the lull in my crafting.  There are just not enough hours in the day.   I can count on one hand the number of cards I have made since starting work in October - shocking I know.  And I feel it......... crafting has such a soothing effect on me (I'm sure you all feel the same) and I know I should make more ME time but it's not easy.

However, I have still been treating myself here and there, although money is tighter now we have a mortgage to pay again, and therefore I gave the SECC a miss this year - only the second time in 10 years. 

I bought some fab software the other day from C&C - Craft Artist Professional and it is fab.  I have great intentions of finally getting round to making the scrapbook of all the old photos of my dad I have been promising myself, and the album that I mean to do for the Florida trip......... 

Anyway, here's my first attempt at using CAP.  I have looked at most of the tutorials available on-line and all the hours on C&C to learn as much as I could - and it really is so easy to use.  Never ever did I ever think I'd see the day when I thought digital crafting would make it into my crafting world but it is quite fun and no wastage lol..........

Hopefully I'll be back soon with some new crafty projects to show you. 

 

Much love peeps, Nicola xx

Momentous Occasions

I felt very honoured last week as I was asked to make a card for the Oldest Woman in Scotland - she was 110 yesterday!!!!

The card has to be floral and pinks and lilacs, and have a matching gift card for a bouquet of flowers.  Panic!!!!   At 110 years young she's had her fair share of birthday cards in her life, mine had to be just right....................

Having had a browse through my stamps I decided I needed something new........... any excuse lol.  I went off to my local craft shop, sought some advice and in the end I bought this Creative Expression Sweet Pea Set.

This is the card in it's box.

......... and out of it's box.

The sentiment was computer generated, the corner punch is a Fiskars 3-in-1.  The DP is Hot of the Press, from a very long time ago.  Everything else is from my stash.

I coloured the flowers with my Promarkers and used the blender pen quite a lot to get the graduated colour.  I stamped the image a second time and layered up some of the flowers.

This is the matching gift card for the flower bouquet.  I left this image flat.  Believe it or not this card took the longest as I was trying to use up scraps of white card - big mistake.  The white card was not suitable for the Promarkers and it kept bleeding out across the image........ I must have stamped it about 4 times before I got an image that was acceptable.

The next card was a commission also for a momentous birthday - an 80th.  It turned out it was for my old headmaster - more stress!!!!!

The brief was masculine and he likes hill walking, even at 80!!!  The DP is from K & Co (bought in US), ribbon from Craftyribbons.com and the sentiment was computer generated.  The metal corners have been in my stash for years - I've been waiting for the right project to come along...... no idea where they came from, like a lot of things in my stash!!

The decorative metal strip is another one of those pieces that have been in the drawer for years - so long in fact that it is supposed to be self adhesive but the adhesive disintigrated when I took it out of the package.  The strip was a very bright silver to begin with and I coloured it with Umber and Black Promarkers to try and match the metal corners (I coated the strip with pen ink and then wiped it off with a barely damp babywipe).  I was really pleased with how it turned out.

Maybe I should add that add I decorate all my cards inside.  Some more than others - some have a small stamped impression, flowers, decorative corners and others a sentiment and all the cards have an insert.

Well, until next time folkies, Nicola xxx

RSVP My Friend

This post is to show you two cards I had to make for two friends, but for two very different reasons.

This first card is an RSVP for a very dear friend's wedding.  She's not a girlie girl, doesn't like OTT fuss and the invites she sent out were handmade - so the pressure was on lol.  I've been looking for an excuse to ink up these Lavinia Stamps for ages, they are just devine.  I must get more of these lovely stamps.

I stamped the Fairy Bridge stamp with Momento Black and matted it twice onto a deep maroon card.  I then mounted it with foam pads.  The dandelion clock stamp has also been stamped in Momento Black.  The tips of the clock and the ripples on the water have been touched lightly with perfect pearls and then Glimmer Dusted to add a touch of sparkle.

I used a very similar card (minus the glitter) for a male 60th Birthday card.  And I'm thinking I could use a version of this as a sympathy card.

The second card was a card I made for my very dear friend on the Isle of Lewis when we left.  I gave the card to her with a lovely framed piccie of the kids and a pair of white gold and diamond stud earrings.

The image is Little Girls Storytime, LOTV and coloured with Promarkers.  I've used Walnut Stain Distress Ink on the image and then overstamped the corners with a flourish stamp using walnut Stain Ink.  The DP is from Crafty Bits and the poem is from an old HOTP Scrapbooking Pack I found at the bottom of a drawer, long forgotten about.

Until next time, thanks for looking, Nicola xxx

Moving On Identically......

This first moving on cards were a request from my husband.  I had to make two identical Thank You cards for the two typists in the police station he was leaving.  The two of them are fiercely competitive when it comes to baking and Ali took great delight in playing one off against the other to ensure a constant supply of tablet, lemon drizzle cake and millionaires shortbread!!!!  They were both excellent bakers so I wasn't complaining when he took some of the goodies home with him, yum, yum.

I used this LOTV image for the first time - Fairies, Bouquet and coloured it with - yup you guessed it, Promarkers.  I lightly dusted the background with pastel blue glimmer chalk which I think is a lovely way to ground the image without overpowering it.  The DP is a sheet I got in a mixed sale pack from Topaz Crafts.  I like getting papers in this way as it means I get papers I wouldn't dream of looking at or purchasing and also it's a cheap way of buying, I think this was 50 papers for £6.

Moving on version 2 - I was asked to make 7 identical sympathy cards, again by my husband.  An uncle of my his had passed away and he wanted to give the brothers, sisters, children and wife matching cards.  I made pink versions for the women and blue for the males.

 I really must get another stamp suitable for sympathy cards as I feel I have overused this particular one, although it is nice.

The final Moving on is the little New Home cards I made for our change of address.  I cut the card shape using my cricut (can't recall the cart at the moment but if anyone wants to know just ask and I'll have a look).  The sentiment is a LOTV one and coloured with Whispers Pens for a change.  The black ribbon is from my stash and acts as a closer to the card.

The inside of the card has a pink matt and the address details printed onto super smooth paper from C&C, a lovely thick paper.

So - all identically moving on in one way or another .........

Until next time, Nicola xxx

Teacher Thanks and Babies Galore

Finally I am getting some time to catch up with my blog.  The first two cards in this post are the cards I made for my children's teacher's in the school they were leaving behind, Lionel School on the Isle of Lewis.  With the house move and everything that's happened this summer school holidays have passed in a flash............... thankfully lol.

The first one was for my daughters teacher - image is LOTV - Back to School Girl, coloured with promarkers and chalk.

The second card was for my son's teacher, again the image is LOTV - Back to School Boy, coloured with promarkers and chalks.  All other bits are from my stash.  I coloured both images in the school colours and tried to match the hair colour to that of my son and daughter.

The above card was also for my daughters teacher as she is expecting her first baby in the Autumn.  It's the first time I've inked up this lovely Whiff of Joy stamp - Pregnant Willow, once again coloured with Promarkers and chalks.  The sentiment is from LOTV and the DP was a freebie from a magazine.

The final card for this post is another baby themed card - this time for a friend who had a lovely little boy - Samuel.  I love this little Sugar Nellie Stamp - Vintage Baby.  I think it lends itself more towards baby boys though. 

I've once again coloured the image in with my trusty Promarkers (what did I do before Promarkers!!!)  The white matt has been run through the Big Shot with the Cuttlebug Baby Embossing folder.  The Baby Boy tag is from a very old Hot of the Press paper stack and the blue dotty paper is from a Docrafts Goodie Bag.

Thats all for now, Nicola xx

I'm Back.............

Well, we've moved back to Inverness.  It all went well, no disasters that I can think of........... I'm busy looking for paid employment at the moment so we can buy a house, so with that and the kids being off on their summer holidays, crafting time is thin on the ground at the moment, but I'm getting some snatched time here and there.

I've got some commissioned cards I need to get finished, including 2 80th birthday cards, a 40th and a birthday card and gift card for the Oldest Lady in Scotland who's going to be 110!!!!!  I'll upload some piccies as soon as I can.................. gosh it's good to be back.

Until later, Nicola xxx

Mirror Mirror on the Wall, Who's the Oldest Niece of All? ..............

At last I can upload photos of the card I've been working on this past week.  It is my oldest niece's 21st birthday at the end of this month and I made this card for her.  I had to wait until she had received it in the post.  She phoned yesterday to say it had arrived safely, so here it is.............

I used Mirror Mirror from LOTV as I have a photo of Larissa very similar to that image taken when she was little.  Coloured with Promarkers and the background is chalked.

I diamond glazed the necklace and I used glamour dust on the mirror and the bows of her shoes.  You can't really see from the photos but I went round the edge of each matt and layer with the Pale Pink Promarker (one I had used to colour the image with) to make the layers pop.

The flowers are a mix from my stash and the added stamens were bought at a show about 5 years ago, I found them during my Big Craft Room Clear Out (which is still on going). The "leaves" are a flourish cut on my Cricut, as is the "21".  The "All Growed Up" sentiment is computer generated.

This is the card with the matching box I made with my Crafters Companion Boxer used with my Ulitmate Pro....... fab piece of kit.  The flourish border and corners are also cut with my Cricut (another really fab piece of kit)

Everything else is from my stash, the origins of which have been long forgotten.

I was really pleased with how it turned out and Larissa loved it too.  And she made my day by telling me she's kept all the cards I've made her and treasures them................... such a simple thing but meant the world to me :-)

Makes me feel really old to say this but HAPPY 21ST BIRTHDAY LARISSA XXXXX.

On another note, having just received another LOTV order this week, I decided to catalogue all my LOTV and Sugar Nellie stamps, it's getting harder to remember what I already have........ and I am ashamed (or pleased) to say I have 52 of these, never mind the boxes and boxes of other ones ............... can you imagine the insurance claim if our house ever floods or burns down :-(

Until next time folkies......... Nicola xx