Lili of the Valley - Coffee Break 2

Hi!

Here's another card using the LOTV "Coffee Break" stamp. I stamped up two copies on to the paper and didn't want to waste it, so made this card. I love this paper pack from Dovecraft; the teas and cakes are mouth watering! ;)

These stamps are so cute and girlie. Lili of the Valley stamps are just darling.

It's funny when taking photos you never seem to see the colours as they really are. The green on the stamp here looks yellowy-green and doesn't match the papers at all but believe me, they are green! :)

Card recipe:
Background papers: Dovecraft "Tea Party" 6x6 paper pack
Cardstock: Bazzill / LOTV smooth white cardstock
Stamp: LOTV Coffee Break
Colour medium: Copic markers, Caran d'Ache watercolour pencils with Sansador

Have a great week!

Hugs,
Becca

Lili of the Valley "Birthday fairy"

Keeping in line with the clean and simple card I made with the LOTV stamp (Coffee Break) last week, I made these two cards with the "Birthday Fairy" stamp from LOTV along the same lines.

I love this stamp; it's so cute!

Card recipe: 
Card 1
Background Papers: Dovecraft "Tea Party" 6x6 paper pack
Cardstock: Bazzill / LOTV smooth white cardstock
Punch: Martha Stewart "Doily Lace" edger punch
Colour medium: Copic markers, Caran d'Ache watercolour pencils with sansador
Stamps: LOTV "Birthday Fairy" and LOTV Set 6 Dream Days circular sentiments

Card 2
Background papers: Dovecraft "Tea Party" 6x paper pack
Cardstock: Bazzill / LOTV smooth white cardstock
Punch: Martha Stewart branch punch, EK Success 1 3/4"  circle punch
Colour medium: Copic markers, Caran d'Ache watercolour pencils with Sansador
Dies: Spellbinders "Rose Creations"
Ribbon: Knorr prandell
Brad: Basic Grey

Thanks for looking.

Hugs,
Becca

Lili of The Valley - Coffee Break

Hello there! It's been a while (again), I know. 

I just wanted to show you a card I made last week using Lili of the Valley's "Coffe Break" stamp. I wanted a clean and simple card without a lot of layers but still pretty and eye catching. I think this fit the bill.

Card recipe:
Background papers: Dovecraft "Tea Party" 6x6 paper pack
Paper: LOTV smooth white cardstock
Dies: Nestabilities classic scallop cirlces, classic circle
Stamps: LOTV Coffee Break, LOTV Set 6 Dreamy Days Circular sentiments
Colour medium: Copic markers, Caran d'Ache watercolour pencils

I hope you like it.

Hugs,
Becca

Lazy Days

It's been a while, hasn't it?
I don't know why but somehow I'd lost the bug and I had absolutely no desire to create anything. The last cards I made were Christmas cards (which I forgot to take photos of) and I think I only made those because I felt I had to send home made cards.
I tidied up my office this past week (it took me 6 hours!) and it was lovely coming in and seeing everything clean and in its place. I know this helps me to create as I can't can be open to ideas when there is chaos around me.
I bought this cute LOTV stamp at last years NEC craft fair and I thought it was time I inked it up. It makes me want to go and lie down and take a snooze :) I find boys card really hard to make as I want to put flowers and ribbons on them but here less if definitely better!
I'm sorry it's a bit fuzzy.......

Card recipe:
Stamp: LOTV Lazy Days
Ink: Memento / Distress Inks pumice stone and old paper
Papers: Green background - Bearly Mine / Blue circles paper - Basic Grey Marjolaine / Blue Newspaper - Prima Botanical / Craft Basic Grey
Colouring medium: Caran d'Ache watercolour pencils with Sansador
Die cuts: Nestabilities Classic circle and Classic scallop circle large
Buttons: Doodlebug Designs

I'm entering this in Basic Grey Challenge: Spring Colours

Hopefully I'll be on here more often.
Until then....

Big hugs,

Becca

40th Birthday

I was born on Tuesday 16th March 1971 at 04.20 in Essex, England and this past Wednesday I turned the ripe old age of 40!
I had a fantastic birthday! I had an open house, and friends and family celebrated with me from early afternoon until nearly midnight, and it was the best birthday ever. I started my new decade on a high and am feeling pretty good at being the big four-oh! I have the best friends ever and I am so grateful for them in my life.
One of my best friends daughter was looking through my cards at the party and told me that she would like one. I asked her what her favourite colours were, so I could make a card to suit her tastes, and she told me they were pink and blue. She is 7 years old.
So today I got to work on her card and then tried to fit it into this weeks challenges. This is what I came up with:

My haul from SimonSaysStamp finally arrived yesterday and I got to play with "Tilda with balloon" from the 2011 You Are So Special collection. From the moment I saw her I knew I wanted her; it just took me ages to order her! The Martha Stewart heart lace border punch and the Hero Arts 3 Dotted Flowers stamp were from the same order. I had hoped they would arrive on my birthday but this way I got to open them on Thursday and it was like my birthday all over again :) I don't have to grow up now just because I'm forty, do I?! ;) (Wow, that sounds weird - f-o-r-t-y-!!)

After my failed attempt at colouring in Tilda's dress in my last post, I really made an effort to get it right this time. I feel it went alot better. What do you think?
But then again I can't really take all the credit. My other order from Lili of the Valley arrived yesterday as well bringing with it the Super Smooth Stamping Card that I ordered and it is brilliant, so I think it's the stamping card that made the difference this time. It is so smooth and the pencils and markers just glide over the paper. I definitely have to get some more when I'm at the NEC next week.....

I made the inside to match the colours on the outside -  I just reversed them.

Card recipe:
Papers: pink and blue - a paper pack from Hobbycrafts / DP BasicGrey sugar rush
Stamps: Magnolia Tilda with balloon 2011 You are so special collection
Hero Arts: 3 Dotted Flowers (the smallest of the three)
Die cuts: Nestabilities oval scallop large and circle large / Sizzix Sizzlits (chipboard heart)
Colouring medium: Caran d'Ache watercolour pencils with Sansador / Copic marker for her skin
Distress inks: victorian velvet, walnut stain
Punch: Martha Stewart lace heart / Gütterman leaf punch
Ribbon: Knorr prandell
Extras: Glossy accents, chipboard, glitter glue, flat back pearls

I'm entering this into the following challenges:
Just Magnolia - Week 98 Favourite colour combo
SimonSaysStamp - Simon Says......Happy Birthday
Friday Sketchers - Sketch #146 (I couldn't do a sentiment as I don't know what Safira wants to use the card for)
Bunny Zoe's Crafts -  Challenge #10 Happy Birthday....with lots of pearls
Totally Tilda - Challenge #18 Tilda with chipboard
Magnolia Stamp Lovers - Die cuts

It's the weekend again......how did that happen? How come the time is flying by so quickly?
I hope you all enjoy your weekend and that you are well relaxed.
Thanks for taking the time to visit and for your sweet, encouraging comments. I love reading them.....

Hugs,
Becca

Romantic Tilda

Two cards posted in one day! I must be ill?! lol!

I had a hard time coloring Tilda's dress today and nearly threw the whole thing in the rubbish but thought "what the heck, nobody is perfect!" and decided to post her anyway. I WILL master shading one day! lol! Do you have days like this too?
I have decided that I am BasicGrey paper junkie - I can't go long without using one of the papers otherwise I go into withdrawl!! :) They just call out to me "use me, use me!" and I can't resist! :)
I used one of Bev Rochester's sketches; it makes life so much easier to follow a sketch - half the decision making is already done for you!

Card recipe:

Papers: DP BasicGrey Kioshi, CS Bazzill

Stamp: Magnolia Romantic Tilda, Lili of the Valley  circular sentiments

Colouring medium: Caran d'Ache pencil with Sansador, and Copic markers for the skin

Glitter glue: Knorr prandell

Ribbon: Interio

Punches: Gütermann (leaves, flowers)

Die cuts: Magnolia Doohickey Tilda Lace

Brads: Stash

I'm entering this into the following challenges:

Sentimental Sundays - Go Green

7 Kids College Fund - Mardi Gras

Magnolia-licious - Green

Thanks for looking and leave a comment if you want so I'll know you've popped by.

You make my day.

Hugs,

Becca

Rosie with presents

Hey all,

I hope you had a great weekend?
On Sunday evening after Skyping with my sister in England I got to work and really challenged myself with colours that aren't usually ones I use. The challenge over at Colour Create was to use greens/olive green, brown, cream and black, and believe me it was tough!
Once I'd decided on which papers to use the rest kind of flowed.......
I used the sketch over at Friday's Sketchers 

Card recipe:
Papers: BasicGrey Capella, Bazzill
Stamp: Lili of the Valley Rosie with present
Inks: Memento Tuxedo Black, Caran d'Ache watercolour pencils with Sansador, walnut stain DI
Die cuts: Nestabilities Oval and oval scallop large
Flower: Prima
Brad: BasicGrey Capella
Leaf punch: Gütermann
Black pearls: Hero Arts
Ribbon: Interio (25mm)

I'm entering this into the following challenges:

Colour Create - Greens/olive green, brown, cream and black
Friday Sketchers - Sketch #145
Lili of the Valley - Say it with flowers
ABC DT - Happy Birthday
The Shabby Tea Room - Party time

Hope you have a great start to the week. This week is going to be busy for me as it's my 40th birthday on Wednesday and I'm having an open house......I'm getting excited!

Take care and thanks for stopping by.

Hugs, Becca

Birthday card for my Mama

It's my mother's birthday next Saturday (Feb 26th) and I wanted to get her card done and sent off before this weekend was over. I'm always late and I didn't want to be this year. She will be 79! I am my Mama's baby - she was 39 when she had me (yes, you can all count - I'll be 40 next month!) - and I was quite a surprise for the family when I turned up eight years after the last and seventeen years after the first (we are five kids in total).
I've noticed that regardless how old you are, you will always be the baby of the family. I was pregnant with #3 before one of my brothers realised that I was an adult!! :) So this is why I chose this card for my mother, showing her that I am still her little girl........ pretending to be an adult! hehe!

I feel that this is my best card yet! I love the colours - pink and green are my favourite colour combinations and this stamp just screams girly pink. Don't you agree?

I used my last piece of this particualr design paper (BG Porcelain) and I don't know what I am going to do without it. I hope BG puts this collection on their digital kits soon so I can have it forever!

Here is my card recipe:
Cardstock: Bazzill (pink and green )
DP: BasicGrey Porcelain paper collection
Stamps: Lili of the Valley - Hello Cupcake (image) / Melissa Frances - Simply Said (sentiment)
Inks: Momento Tuxedo Black / Copic markers* / Ranger Distress Inks (walnut stain)
Die cuts: Nestabilities Labels #1 & Classic scalloped circles large
Punches: Gütermann (butterfly, leaves and flowers)
Ribbon: Knorr prandell
Gems: Basics by Kaiserkraft and Hero Arts
Doily from stash

*Copics:
Face and body: E000, E00, E21, R20
Dress and hat: RV10, R81, R83, R85
Hat, shoes, teacup and scallop circle: G21, G24

I am entering this into the following challenges:
Lili of the Valley: Challenge #84  - My favourite Colours
SimonSaysStamp Challenge: Make your own embellishment!
Bunny Zoe's Crafts: Challenge #9 - Spring....Flowers everywhere!

Thanks for stopping by and please leave a comment to let me know you were here! I appreciate you!

Hugs, Becca

p.s Barb - don't show Mum this post otherwise it'll spoil the surprise - ta! xx

Ode to joy

We are a musical household. My husband is a pianist, the kids all play instruments, and our daughter is ALWAYS singing (I honestly think she would shrivel up and die if she couldn't sing!). Ours is a noisy home - creative, yes, but noisy nonetheless. My card for today is a reflection of this.
I bought the Penny Black "Ode to joy" stamp quite a few years back and used it to make birthday cards for my husbands' music friends. The three musical mice are just sooo cute!

I used Basic Grey's Curio 6 x6 papers backed with black bazzill cardstock.The papers are so soft and romantic with a hint of vintage/shabby chic look about them. The stamp was stamped on Canson Extra white-light grain-180g drawing paper with Stazon Jet Black and coloured in with Ranger's Distress Inks (tea dye, walnut stain, antique linen, tattered rose, victorian velevet and black soot).
The flower is from Prima's Essentials Jack N Jill collection with a flat backed pearl from my stash. The ribbon is Knorr prandell and the sentiment is from Hero Arts CL342 Everyday Saying stamp set. I think the "just a note...." was perfect for this card, don't you agree?

I'm entering this into the following challenges:

SimonSaysStamps - Animal antics

BasicGreyChallenge - Flower Power (Floral design paper-Curio)

Friday Sketchers #139  (I've mirror swapped the embellishments)

Some cool news for me: I booked my flight to go to England in March to visit family and to go to the NEC Hobbycrafts fair (24-27th March). I'm so excited and am already making lists of stuff that I want to buy. Roll on March.......

Wishing you a lovely, relaxing weekend and a big THANKS for stopping by.

Hugs,

Becca

Pretty in pink

Hello everyone and Happy New Year!

My eldest turns 20 next week and I wanted to make her a girly card to let her know that she will always be "my baby girl" and that in my eyes she is "wonderful".  I can't believe that she will be 20 - where does the time go!? Am I really old enough to have a 20 year old? Apparently I am! lol!

A whole new decade awaits her and it's going to be an exciting one.............

Anyway on to her card - I used the Midsummer Tilda from the Fairytale collection and doesn't she look pretty in pink?

I love the pink and green combo at the moment and as I was flicking through my paper pads I came across these papers from Basic Grey's Eskimo Kisses collection and knew that I had found my papers for my pretty in pink Tilda. I coloured Tilda in with distress inks (spun sugar and victorian velvet for her dress, and antique linen and walnut stain for her hair) and copic markers for her face and body. The circular sentiment is from Lili of the Valley and the flowers from Rayher. I used Borderabilities Fleur de Lis border from Spellbinders and the Nestabilities Labels Eight.

I am entering this into the Just Magnolia -Anything goes 
and Simon Says Stamp - New Beginnings (new decade for my daughter)

I'm sorry the photo is a bit dark but you get the idea.

Thanks for popping by and I just want to let you know how much I appreciate you and your comments.

Have a great day!

Hugs,
Becca

My birthday boy

I can hardly believe that my second child is 18 today! Where on earth did the time go? That's two of our four children who are now "adults", which I guess offically makes me old.....lol!
I wanted to make a fun card for Aaron and decided to use the cute stripped paper from Basic Grey's sugar rush collection with the cupcakes stamp from Hero Arts. I felt they went well together and Aaron was really happy with his card, especially what was inside of it -  5 driving lessons vouchers. Now that he is 18 he can learn to drive and driving lessons here in Switzerland cost an arm and a leg - approx. SFR 90-100 which with current exchange rates make $100 or £65 per hour. You usually need around 20 lessons before you are ready to take your test, so you can work out how much it costs to learn to drive! Thank goodness he is only 18 once and thank goodness he is earning so he can pay for the rest of the lessons himself! ;)

Anyway, here is the card I made for him. I'm afraid the photos are a little blurred but you get the idea.

Materials:
Background papers: Basic Grey Sugar Rush
Stamps: HA CG151 Happy Birthday Cupcakes
Distress Inks: shabby shutters, peeled paint. barn door, wild honey, broken china, walnut stain
Copic markers: YG03, R29
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Nestabilities: Standard circles large S4-114, Classic scalloped circles large S4-124, Labels #8 S5-019
Punch: Fiskars scallop sentiment
Ranger Glossy Accents
Dimension dots

Tonight he is going to watch the new Harry Potter movie with his best friend.......the rest of us are jealous!

I wish you all a lovely weekend and want to say thanks for stopping by.

Hugs,
Becca

Sarah Kay Birthday

The kids went back to school on Monday and life is returning (once again) to some kind of normality. I found a few spare hours this morning and made this birthday card. I've been itching to make some cards for weeks and just never found the time but now....
For the card I used Basic Grey's Lily Kate for the background papers and Bazzill for the cardstock.The sentiment is from Hero Arts "Hearftfelt Messages" stamp set. The image was coloured in with distress inks and the frames cut using some Nestabilities on my Cuttlebug. The punch is a Fiskars Lace Border punch and the flowers were punched and then layered on top of one another.

  

 It's good to be crafting again! :)

Hugs all,

Becca

p.s I'm entering this in this weeks Simon Says Challege "PUNCH EM"

Home again!

My family and I are back home again after our 3 1/2 week trip to England and Wales. We had a great time visiting family and being tourists for a while. We packed a lot into our trip and felt a little like gypsies - on the road every three days - and are glad to be able to unpack our things again and put them in closets. While I was away I got to play with a few things that my sister and neice brought over from the US for me - 6x6 paper pads from Basic Grey and 8 packs of Nesties to go with my new Cuttlebug. I also bought 6 new Distress Inks. I wanted to make a card for my neice's 20th birthday and came up with this using my new Sugar Rush pad from Basic Grey:

To be honest with you I can't even name the butterfly punches or ribbon I used as they were my sisters. But I do know that the border punch is Fiskar's Lace punch as I have the same one :) The sentiment is from Melissa Frances Simply Said stamp set and has been stamped onto paper cut out with a Nestabilities Classic Ovals Large die and placed onto the grey paper that has been cut with a Classic Scallopped Oval Large die.

It's good to be home as I can now play with all my new goodies :)

Hugs,
Becca

Digital papers

I thought it was time to go through some of the digikits that were on my hard drive that I'd downloaded for free from twopeasinabucket.com and make a card with one of the kits. I decided to use the papers from boho chic by Brandy Buffington and went to "play". I especially like the softness of the background paper that I used, it almost looks washed out. Enjoy!

Click here to go to the free kit:

Supplies:    

Boho Chic by Brandy Buffington

Copic markers

Ranger Distress Inks 

Papermania Sentiments stamps

Sarah Kay "Gardens need many helpers"

Fiskars Sentiment Scallop punch

Flowers from Folia

Ribbon from local craft store

Dimensional foam

That's all my craftiness for this week. The weekend is busy with graduations so I hope you have a lovely weekend and I'll see you next week.

Thanks for visiting with me.

Hugs,
Rebecca

Whoooo loves you?

Melissa (my 19 year old) needed a birthday card for a male friend of hers to be from her and her boyfriend and told me this about an hour before she needed to leave the house! Now I have a lot of female birthday cards on hand but not many male ones, so what was I to do?
Well I remembered the new digital papers I got the other day and thought I'd quickly put together a fun card with those papers and an owl from the stacked birds kit. I've never met this young man, even though I know his parents and some of his brothers, so didn't know what his likes or dislikes were.
However, with only a short amount of time to make this card I just decided to "wing" it :)
It is mainly a one-layer card with just a little dimension on the second owl that I cut out and layered on top. The sentiment inside read: "WE DO!!   Happy Birthday"

Isn't he fun?

Thanks for looking!

Hugs,
Becca

Hybrid Tweet-tweet

At the moment I love making cards that have any type of bird on them and when I saw these digital stack of birds from Holly Brook Jones I knew that I had to have them. Luckily for me there was also a matching kit of papers - Waiting for Spring - so I got those too! The only thing I had to do was to adhere the papers and put some foam dots under the birds for dimension and add some embroidery thread. This is definitely a card that I will make in a batch in the future as its so simple.
BTW - I truly am waiting for Spring, (never mind Summer) as the weather we are getting here in Switzerland reminds me more of Autumn - it's wet, cold and foggy! Ugh!

Anyway, I hope you enjoy my card and wish you all (and me) a lovely, warm weekend :)

Hugs,
Becca

Copy cat

Hi there!

I've never copied a card before but today I did! On Jennifer McGuire's blog I saw this card and I knew that I needed that stamp. So when I finally got the stamp, I knew that the first card I was going to make with it was going to be Jennifer's card - it was as simple as that! :)

I embossed the stamped image with white embossing powder and then coloured in the card with broken china and wild honey distress inks. I then spritzed it with perfect pearl mist to make it shine. You can see the shine on the bottom photo better. I coloured the butterfly with shabby shutters and spritzed that as well. The sentiment is from Stampendous "Happy Messages" and the orange paper at the bottom was cut from the top of the distressed paper before I tore it.

Thanks for looking and hope you have a lovely weekend.

Hugs,

Becca

Sweetness without the calories!

Everyday I'm using something new from my haul from Simon Says Stamps and today I'm using the "Happy Birthday Cupcakes" stamp from Hero Arts. I didn't know whether I should buy the large cupcake stamp or the two smaller ones but decided to get the smaller ones as the pack also included a cute sentiment stamp .

The background paper is from the pack that I've been using the most this week - Déjà Views "Fresh Print Apple". Once I'd stamped and coloured in the cupcake with Copic markers, I decided I wanted to use a paper from the Basic Grey Blush collection (the one with the flowers) but realised quickly that I didn't have anything that coordinated with it. What to do? After about 5 minutes I decided to create something myself. I ran a piece of white cardstock through the Cuttlebug using the Swiss Dots embossing folder and then used Distress Inks victorian velvet and tea dye to get the colours and look I wanted.
The scalloped square was cut using the Cricut Storybook cartridge and the sentiment is from Papermania's "Sentiments" Clear Stamps set . Both have been distress inked with victorian velvet .
The top of the cupcake and the sentiment have both been given some dimension with pop dots.

I hope you enjoy and thanks for looking!

Hugs,
Becca

p.s tomorrow I'm going to try and do something with this

Colour combo alternatives

Today I made three cards using the colour combo from Kristina Werner's Color Inspiration and Jordan decided which of the three I should enter. I think he chose well. Here are the other two I created:

The papers are from Déjà Views Fresh Print Apple collection, the butterflies are from Hero Arts and are coloured in with copic markers. The bee stickers are from Penny Black, the ribbon from Offray and the pearls from Artoz.

The background paper is from DCWV "The Old World Stack" and the bottom papers are from Basic Grey Lily Kate collection and have been punched with a Fiskars scallop punch. The buttons are from Doodlebug Design and the ribbon is from Michaels. The stamp is from Hero Arts  "Little girl with heart" and has been coloured in with Copic markers and chalk ink and distressed with Distress Inks from Ranger. The butterfly is also from Hero Arts.

I still haven't figured out to colour hair properly - I think I'll have to go and look at a tutorial on youtube! :)

Thanks for looking and leave a comment if you like.

Hugs,
Becca

Spring time

The weather here has finally decided to play nice and it motivated me to make this sweet Sarah Kay card in lovely spring colours. I hope this means the nice weather is here to stay!

I coloured her in with watercolours and distressed all the edges with distress inks. I mounted her onto a frame from the Storybook cricut cartridge (still waiting for my Nesties to arrive) and put glitter glue around the edges and then placed her on pink background paper embossed with the Cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossing folder.The scalloped edge was cut using a Fiskars punch.The papers are from K&Co Classic K McKenna and  Basic Grey Lily Kate, and the flowers are from Rayher.

Thanks for looking.

Hugs,
Becca