Flights of Fancy

Hello and Welcome.

Today I’m delighted to be guest designing with the wonderful Frilly & Funkie Challenge as I won one of their recent challenges for my card here. Their current challenge theme is ‘Flights of Fancy’, (to include wings and inspired by the onset of Spring), so my card shows lots of butterflies and a little bird waiting for her eggs to hatch.

I was most fortunate to win a very generous giveaway of Maja Design papers from the lovely Jenny so I'm happy to be properly taking them out to play. All the papers used are from the gorgeous Maja ‘Vintage Spring’ Collection.

Here is a side shot so that you can better see the box like nest. I’ve used the Sizzix scalloped envelope die and then threaded through some cord to pull the sides together. The nest is lined with frilled ribbon, moss and various punched branches and diecuts and some nice candied eggs.

Papers: Maja Design ‘Vintage Spring’ Collection

Dies: Sizzix Bigz ‘Scalloped Envelope’, ‘Pocket Watch’ and ‘Sized Circles’. Magnolia ‘Heart Flourish’. Cheery Lynn ‘ Mini Fanciful Flourish’

Punches: Martha Stewart ‘Branch’ and ‘Vintage Lace’ edger

Distress Inks: Weathered Wood, Bundled Sage,Tattered Rose

Flowers: Wild Orchid Crafts and Jeans

Thank-you so much to all at Frilly and Funkie for allowing me feature at their blog today. If you aren’t already familiar with the challenge then you really should check it out for superb inspiration, excellent tutorials and a great challenge with chance of prize.

As always, thank-you for stopping by – all your visits, comments and followings are truly appreciated.

I’ll have another special post for you tomorrow so I do hope to see you back again soon.

Nicola x

I wish to enter card to the following challenges:
Country View Challenges - New Beginnings
It's All about the Vintage - Shabby Chic
Simon Wednesday - Happy Easter / Sweet Treats
Crafty Hands Devon - Anything Goes
Moving along with the times - Easter / Spring
Craft for the Craic - Easter or Spring
Inspiration Journal - A Few of my Favourite Things

For Mother's Day

Greetings from Dublin and thank-you for visiting.

After my adventures in grunge in last project I'm back in my more comfortable zone making pretty, vintage cards.

I wanted to make a card for my Mum on Mother's Day next Sunday. As usual, several challenge themes gave shape to the end result.

Vintage Café Card Challenge are looking for images of women and Sugar Creek Hollow have photo inspiration of a little girl's floral bedroom. Also at Fussy & Fancy Friday they too have an inspiration photo of a pink bedroom. Thank-you to 'Magic Moonlight Free Images' showing this little girl and her Mother, sitting on a bed in their night attire. I think they are looking at a sparkling ring!

Craft Hoarders Anonymous seek sparkle and glitz together with an inspiration photo - hence I've applied lots of blingy gems, frantage and pearls.

At Frilly and Funkie the theme is neglected dies. I searched to see which set I hadn't used in a long time and came across Spellbinders Romantic Rectangles. The photo has been sized to fit one of the smaller rectangles and I decided to use this die set only for the card.

Card and Scrap are looking for lace / ribbon so I've attached a lacey ribbon!

The papers are by Graphic 45 ('Secret Garden' and 'A Ladies' Diary'). All edges have been inked with Distress Inks and Prima chalk edgers. Included lots of flowers and punched butterflies and a lovely chipboard 'garden border' that I painted with white and pink pearlescent paints before adding some pink Frantage.

It's lovely to have you stop by. As always I love to read your comments - they are very much appreciated.

Have a lovely week,
Nicola x

I wish to enter card to the following challenges:
Vintage Cafe Card Challenge - Images of Women
Sugar Creek Hollow - Photo Inspiration
Craft Hoarders Anonymous - Show Some Sparkle, Glitz or Glam
Fussy and Fancy Friday - Shabby Chic with photo inspiration
Frilly and Funkie - Neglected Dies
Card and Scrap - Use Lace and / or Ribbon
Creative Inspirations Challenge - Vintage / Shabby Chic
Dream Valley Challenges - Mothering Sunday
That Craft Place - Flowers and / or Mother's Day
My Time To Craft - Mother's Day / Special Lady

June Wedding and a vote pretty please?

Hello all you lovely readers. Welcome all - especially recent new followers.

Since my last post I was thrilled to be the lucky winner of Butterfly's 1st Blogaversary Candy over at 'Words and Pictures'. Well the treasure trove of a parcel arrived in record time from the lovely Alison in UK. I'm absolutely delighted to have received such a generous and fantabulous stash all so perfectly wrapped. If you have never checked out Alison's blog - what you havn't??? - then you really should!! Thank-you again Alison!

Well you know it's summer when wedding cards are in high demand!



The base white cardstock has been covered with a veil of white tulle (you can't see it very well unless you expand photo). The next layer up is blue cardstock diecut with Cheery Lynn Reflection Die 'Mini Pearl French Flair'. I then dry embossed the card with Cheery Lynn 'Petite Hearts' embossing plate. Diecut some silver Stardream cardstock with the Cheery Lynn 'Sophia's Heart' die. Then layered up two more levels using Cheery Lynn 'French Flair' die again. I interwove some rose venise lace and adhered the various layers with foam tape for dimension. Added roses from Prima, Jeans and Kort & Godt with some silvery berries by Magnolia. Included some diecuts made with Cheery Lynn 'Mini Fanciful Flourish' die. Added snowtex to the flowers and liked it so much I also dabbed to the embossed blue layer of cardstock for more texture. Using Boweasy tied a bow with some May Arts silk ribbon and draped it around card. I used some of the heart punchouts from the 'Sophia's Heart' diecut to decorate the ribbon. The lovely centre silver embellishment is by Nunn Design. To complete I placed a silver wedding charm into a little silver frame by K&Co and attached to bow. Hope the Happy Couple like!

A little favour please...you may have seen my recent post regarding a Butterfly Shaped box that I crafted with lots of diecuts...post is here. One of the challenges I entered the box to is Unruly PaperArts (Reader Art Quest June - Shabby Chic in 3D). To choose the Top entries the lovely columnists at Unruly PaperArts invite you to vote for your favourite entries. If you liked my butterfly box, I would of course be grateful and happy if you popped over to Unruly PaperArts to cast a vote here. The Unruly Blogozine is well worth a visit in any event as each month it's packed full of superb inspiration and tutorials.

Stay well...
Nicola x

I wish to enter card to the following challenges;
Cheery Lynn Design - Wonderful Weddings
Inspiration Journal - Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue
Country View Crafts Challenge - Diecuts
Creative Belli Blog - Wedding
Everybody-Art-Challenge - Wedding
Simon Says Stamp - Anything Goes
Our Creative Corner - Recipe (Ribbon, Metal, Snow-Tex! (ok?)

For A Lady

Greetings from Dublin. Firstly, heartfelt thanks to everyone who left such lovely comments on my last post - you ladies are warm rays of sunshine and your kindness means a great deal to me. Secondly, I've missed my magical mystery tours around your blogs and I'm hoping to venture back as much as possible.

Last Sunday I was lucky enough to attend a class hosted by the lovely Eve who taught us to alter a Tim Holtz configurations box using the delectable Graphic 45 'A Ladies' Diary' papers, together with a matching mini album. Thank-you Eve for hosting such a friendly, fun filled day - looking forward to more. It was great to finally meet the wonderful Shirley and other crafty ladies too.

Eve's box had a clear top lid so that the lovely lined drawers could be seen below with the album hidden beneath them. She showed us how to 'hinge' the top and bottom parts in order to double the box height. I've arranged my box a little differently though and made it with a paper covered lid. Here is my version;



Back at home I covered all sides of box and drawers (inner and outer) with the beautiful A Ladies' Diary papers. Also painted the drawers with Paper Artsy's fresco finish in Nougat. The lid is simply made from a square of Ladies' Diary paper on top of a square of cardstock. I sealed the papers with Claudine Hellmuth multi medium matte and found this product super as it forms an invisible seal with no visible brushstrokes. I then edged the lid with lace and decorated with lots of Ladies' Diary images, roses by Prima and Jeans (available here), silk ribbon (tied using Boweasy), pearls and charms. (A little inking is also in the mixture using Distress Inks). Also added Tim Holtz game spinners to clocks on two sides.



For the inside of the box I've used the space in the top lid to create a little stamped scene showing a seamstress busy creating all those fashions modelled on the outside. The stamped square is backed by a square of cardstock for reinforcement. I've used stamps from the gorgeous set 'Sew Much To Do' by Chapel Road Artstamps. You can see I've also used some 'A Ladies' Diary' cutouts to form the scene as well as lace, stitched buttons, sewn ribbon, wound spools, pearl string, roses, seam binding, ribbon measuring tape and I stamped the Magnolia die cut tag for the shop sign.



I recently bought the Tim Holtz dressform die and cut some spools from chipboard and used one as the box 'closure'. I decorated it with seam binding and a really fabulous scissors charm that I bought from The Funkie Junkie Boutique. Eve's kit also included the Tim Holtz Foundations 'feet' that really finish off the box wonderfully.

I'll be giving this box to my Darling Mum next Sunday for Mother's Day.

I wish you all a lovely week and thank everyone most sincerely for visiting. It's great to have you along!

Nicola x


I wish to enter box to the following challenges;
Sugar Creek Hollow - #51 Lovely Lace
Simon Says Stamp and Show - By The Numbers (clocks, dates,tape)
Country View Crafts - Pick and Mix
Stampin For The Weekend - Lace
Vintage Udfordring - #55 Decorate with Flowers
Joanna Sheen - Layer It Up
Moving Along With The Times - Lovely Ladies
Glitter n Sparkle Challenge Blog - Mother's Day
Sunday Stamper - Oh You Pretty Things
Allsorts Challenge - For A Lady
Inspiration Emporium - Add A Little P.O.P.