Best Pals

Hi there and welcome to another blog post.

Unusually I'd like to say a little bit about myself personally. I've been living with ongoing serious illness for several years and achieve a certain level of functionality by maintaining a quiet and carefully paced life. Starting up my blog last September was a big undertaking for me but all the extra activity has been taking its toll healthwise. Unfortunately I have decided to resign from my Design Team post at Eclectic Ellapu and I thank Elaine and all the ladies there for being so understanding. I hope you will also bear with me as I won't be making so many visits to your blogs over the next while but I do hope to be able to keep making and posting my little card productions.

So without further ado, here's my card today made in a shabby style;




I've decorated the side panels with Dreamweaver texture paste through a Crafty Individuals 'Leafy Border' mask. The last time I applied texture paste over distress inks I found that the paste absorbed the ink but this time I wanted to keep the raised paste white so I waited till the paste was dry and then sponged over a blend of distress inks to colour the cardstock panel, wiping the raised paste with a baby wipe as I went along. The paste acted like a resist and remained white. Tore the cardstock whilst wet to give a ripped shabby look.

The centre panel is layered with some aqua tissue paper and then some scalloped doily strips. I've stamped the central image (Crafty Individuals CI-084) using Coffee Archival ink. I restamped a couple of times onto some patterned papers (Melissa Frances and Maja Design) and then paper pieced dresses onto the little girls. Also arranged some roses in the flower basket. I cut a frame from Silver Stardream CS using a Spellbinders die and then dry embossed this. Added frantage in shabby blue and blue fragments to add further interest. I then shabbily painted some corrugated cardboard with Paper Artsy's Snowflake paint and sprinkled more frantage. Decorated further with metal charms from Nunn Design and a broderie anglaise bow. Finally dabbed some metal words (by Making Memories) with Brilliance Ink (Pearlescent Chocolate) to highlight.

Wishing you all a lovely day and thank-you so much for your visit.

Nicola x

I wish to enter card to the following challenges;
Crafty Individuals - For My Friend
The Shabby Tea Room - A Silver Lining
Sugar Creek Hollow - Metal Mania
Simon Says Stamp and Show - Metal-ology
Vintage Stamping Challenge - Blues, Brown and Beige
Stampin' for the Weekend - Distressed
Happy Daze Challenge - Love Is All Around
365 Cards Word Wednesday - Sister
Addicted to Stamps and More - Vintage
Polkadoodles and Studio 12 - Shabby Chic

Happy Valentine's Day

A sunny hello to all who visit - each and every one is much appreciated. I'm afraid I have yet another pink card to share but I promise to change colour for the next post! I'll keep this post short as I'm pressed for time.



Papers: My Mind's Eye (Be Happy collection) and various size doilies. Papers have been distressed, sponged and stamped with Kaisercraft Clear Stamp (Distress CS877) and various Distress Inks
Image: Free courtesy of Magic Moonlight (I also made some sepia and tone adjustments in Photoshop)
Dies: Cheery Lynn (Heart Chain Border), Magnolia (Heart Swirl), Spellbinders (Fleur de Lis Squares)
Venise Lace Heart from The Funkie Junkie Boutique (and card thus entered to The Frilly and Funkie Sunday Share)
Charms, lace ribbon, pearls and roses from stash

May you receive at least an extra little spoonful of love in your day today.

Thanks so much for stopping by!
Nicola xx

I wish to enter card to the following challenges;
Frilly and Funkie: Lacy Heartsy Valentine
Cheery Lynn Designs - Frame It
Flourishes Timeless Tuesday - Put your heart on it!
Anything Goes Challenge - Vintage/Shabby Chic
Crafts and Me - Doily Heaven

Happily Ever After

Hello and Welcome! Thank-you for stopping by. I hope you're having a lovely weekend.

Today it's a new challenge over at Eclectic Ellapu and Sheena has chosen the theme of 'Girly'. Any project that suggests 'Girly' to you is more than welcome in the challenge here. A special Happy Birthday to Sheena's little sister today (occasion being the inspiration for challenge theme).

The base CS is Bazzill - I've shaped the top with a Tim Holtz On The Edge 'Ornate' die. The next pink layer has been embossed with a Cheery Lynn plate 'Petite Hearts' and its corners are shaped with a Fiskars punch. I then wrapped it in white tulle to resemble a cummerbund. The dress is a stamp by Stampington and Company (Apron S7342) stamped in Archival ink (Rose Madder) and embossed with Ranger Antiquities EP (Rose Quartz). I've edged that white card using Magnolia's Old Swedish lace die. I also used Cheery Lynn's Sophia's Heart die to cut a pink doily - I snipped out just the outer edge and used it to frame the dress layer. The Prince is from my printer (a free vintage printable) - he is layered on some cheesecloth. The 'Cinderella' label is from an Impression Obsession stamp (Cinderella Shoes D6543) also stamped and embossed as before. I coated all layers liberally with Frantage (Shabby Pink and Shabby White embossing enamel, pink colour fragments and glass glitter). For definition I ran a cotton bud inked with Archival Rose Madder around most edges. The finishing touches are several flourishes made using Cheery Lynn Mini Fanciful Flourish die, rosebuds and prima fairytale rose, May Arts silk ribbon and charms from stash. (The crown charm was toned down with some pewter stain and the shoe is propped on a punched heart). That shoe charm was a perfect fit for Cinderella - I hope your Prince is good to you this Valentine's Day and brings you lots of 'shoes'!

Don't forget to check out Eclectic Ellapu's 'Girly' Challenge - the Pink Team have lots of gorgeous inspiration for you here. We look forward to oodles of prettiness, or maybe not, just pop over with whatever 'Girly' means to you!

Nicola x

Thank-you to the Hosts, Sponsors and Design Teams at the following challenges that I wish to enter;
Simon Says Stamp & Show - Ever After
Cheery Lynn Designs Challenge - Add A Flourish
Crafty Ribbons - Anything Goes With Ribbon
No Matter Which Challenges - Ribbons and Bows
In The Pink – Pink Valentines
Simon Says Stamp - Have A Heart
Stampin for the Weekend - Something Metal
Inspiration Emporium - Spread some L.O.V.E.

Madame Butterfly

Greetings from Dublin. Welcome to my blog and very many thanks to those who have signed up as followers - it is really lovely to have your company.

I seem to be going through a butterfly phase with yet a third butterfly card but with all the challenges about love at the moment how could I possibly leave out Madame Butterfly?

My background is collage stamped with Distress Inks (Spun Sugar, Milled Lavender, Victorian Velvet) using Stampers Anonymous Papillon stamp set. (I recently bought these stamps from The Funkie Junkie Boutique from whom it is a joy to receive a package as Linda wraps everything so prettily and often adds an extra goodie or two. I thus am entering card to The Funkie Junkie: Sunday Share). I next dry embossed the background with Cheery Lynn's embossing plate Petite Hearts - these plates are the width of the Big Shot and so give better size embossing than most folders.

The beautiful Madame Butterfly is by Stampington & Company (P2201 Pucinni's Muse). I stamped her on silk tissue paper using Archival Rose Madder and embossed her with Sparkle n Sprinkle EP (rather fittingly shade is my fave 'Japanese Lacquer'). I cut two different Japanese Chiyogami Papers using Vintage Cabinet Card die. Rubbed each edge as I went along with gold gilding wax for definition. I matted Mme Butterfly onto the darker shaded paper and then framed her with the lighter pattern. Next 'Frantaged' a little using Shabby Pink embossing enamel. Also applied some diecuts that I made with Cheery Lynn dies (Heart Chain Border and Love You More Heart). The way the diecuts isolate her sadly is deliberate. Also placed some gem hearts as her tears. Added more pretty butterflies and hearts. Completed with various charms including a clock - particularly relevant given Madame Butterfly's desperate wait.

Thank-you for visiting - I hope you have a great weekend.

Nicola x

I wish to enter card to the following challenges;
Inspired by Stamping - Colour Challenge # 44
Cheery Lynn Challenge - Tickled Pink
Fashionable Stamping Challenge - Show Some Love
Vintage Stamping Challenge - Vintage
Craft-room Challenge - Monochrome
Anything Goes Challenge Blog - Monochrome
Flutter By Wednesday - Open Challenge
The Sisterhood of Crafters - Only from your heart can you touch the sky
Sugar Creek Hollow - Romantic Love
Crafts and Me - Favourite Embellishment (Butterflies)
Simon Says Stamp - Anything Goes
The Artistic Stamper - Hearts and Flowers