Getting Krafty

Normally I'm a straightforward white or cream card sort of Girl.  I rarely use coloured cardstock - although I have tonnes of it.  My style is pretty easy to spot.  I like to stitch a border.  If I stamp an image I almost always cut it out and give it dimension with silicone glue.  I never make a one layer card and even my clean and simple cards take some doing but I fancied a change.

Now I am a bit of a blog stalker and I do have favourite blogs that I swoon over regularly.  I get jealous of how other card makers can make a clean and simple card which appears so effortless and when I try it it just looks unfinished.  One of my all time favourite blog crushes has to be The Tiny Blue Butterfly .  Jen Nelson's cards are awesome and I'd love to be as talented as she is. I love the way she stamps onto Kraft cardstock and it always looks effective.  I really liked a card she created in September for her post Goodbye Old Friend .  It was so simple but I loved it and it inspired me to try something a little bit 'not me'.

OK, technically it's not a real one layer card because I added buttons and paper pieced the ribbon and tag but it is clean and simple.

And I know it's 'not me' because Patrick came in and saw it and asked me if I'd bought it!  Oh can you imagine the shame - me buying a card! OK, so I will admit to buying one for my nephew earlier this month but that was my mother's fault for not reminding me in time.  She knows I'm rubbish at remembering important things like that and a card for a 19 year old lad is not something I can shove together at the last minute.  If you know anyone that can let me know and, if they have a blog, I'll gladly stalk that one too.

Thanks for Reading

Love Dawn x

Growing up is optional

I am afraid I have been seriously neglecting this blog - I have to admit to preferring crafting to blogging.  However, I had a lovely comment from a reader recently and they have encouraged me to carry on.

My crafting goes in stages as I obsess with one style after another.  Sometimes it's decoupage, sometimes die cutting and sometimes stamping - both digital stamps and normal stamps.  At the moment my current obsession is digistamps and I have purchased several recently.  One of my favourite companies has got to be Dr Digi's House of Stamps .  They aren't really your usual cute and cuddly (of which I have many) and I've found them a refreshing change.  My current favourite is Mobility Malcolm .

I know that growing old is something that we all have to do, and I'm far too close to a big birthday to be kidding myself.  However, I don't intend to go down without a fight.  My intention is to grow old disgracefully and I'd like to think that Malcolm feels the same way.

Here is what I did with him, I hope you like it:

Incidentally, I found Dr Digi's whilst looking for a Basket Ball image for Patrick's birthday this year and, as promised, I did find out what colours Miami Heat played in.

Slam Dunk Duncan

Thanks for reading.

Love Dawn x

My Baby Boy is all Grown Up

Well, if anything is going to make me feel my age it'll be my teenage son - who enjoyed yet another birthday this week. And, as this was the case, I would have to come up with a suitable birthday card with which to impress him.  That shouldn't be a problem, he's a sporty type and a typical teenager.  However, I've pretty much covered all the cricket based card images over the years (Patrick's a wicket keeper for one junior and two local senior sides).  So, what other options did I have?

What you have to realise is that we aren't a typical British sporting family (apart from cricket, obviously).  We don't do football in our house...well not the British sort anyway.  We're American football fans.  Both my boys (husband and son) are Seattle Seahawk fans.  Myself, I'm a New Orleans Saints fan.  Sunday nights, during the season, can be very interesting in our house!  Especially the Sunday night a while back when their team knocked my team out of the playoffs.

Anyway, I figured this year I would have to try an American Football card and I knew just the image to do it with.  Bugaboo Digistamps have a fabulous American Football Kid so it had to be done.  This is the result done in Seattle Seahawk playing strip colours

I'm still getting used to colouring with Promarkers.  What do you think?

How am I doing?

Needless to say, my son was really pleased with it.  He was even more pleased with the Russell Wilson players jersey he got for his present (even though it's in the away strip colours).

Here's what he looked like at 5.30am on his birthday

Oh, he also likes Basketball so his other present was tickets to see the Harlem Globetrotters.  I wonder...maybe next years card?  What colours do Miami Heat play in?

Thanks for reading

Love Dawn x

The Brother-in-Law Card

I can't believe that it is over a month since I posted!  Where does the time go?  Anyway, as this is now the case I can, at last, show you the card I made for my Brother-in-Law, John.  John is a huge fan of motorcycle racing and it is his birthday tomorrow.  Now I do have various sheets of decoupage with motorcycle images on.  I'm sure, if I looked hard enough, I also have a couple of rubber stamps with motorcycles on.  However, and anyone who knows John I'm sure will agree, I think I found the perfect image at Kenny K downloads

She's called Roxie Racer.

Happy Birthday John

Thanks for reading

Love Dawn x

Aren't Men a Pain...

...to make cards for.  It's much easier, I find, to create something pretty for a female but, just lately, I've had to put on my thinking cap and do several.  I particularly liked the challenge of the 'non sporting' man.  How awkward are they! Here are a few that I have come up with.

 using an image from Mo's Digital Pencil

Using a decoupage sheet I'd bought ages ago

Using Kanban card toppers

Using a pyramage sheet I downloaded years ago

(Sorry the site has disappeared so I can't link it)

Using a sticker from a sheet that was given to me years

ago and that I never thought I'd use

I'm really pleased with the results.  They are also a little different from my usual fair as I've only used one digistamp.  I have got another one up my sleeve for my brother in law using an image from Kenny K . I'm not posting it yet as it's not his birthday but if you want to have a look at the image I'm using click on the link and scroll down to Racy Roxie.  Some images are just perfect for particular men and this one ticks all the boxes for John.

Thanks for reading.

Love Dawn x

Twisted Tuesday Again

I couldn't join in last week's Twisted Tuesday Challenge as I didn't have any Baker's Twine.  Can you actually get it in England?  I've seen it on loads of cards on the Internet but never seen it on sale here.  Anyway, this week I was itching to join in as I knew exactly what I wanted to create.  The challenge this week was to use something clear and the twist was to use something you love.  Here's what I came up with.

I cut my card blank about an inch from the top with decorative scissors and inserted acetate to make the front of my card.  I then cut three nesties of the same size, one for the front, one to match it on the back so you don't see the sticky tape on the inside and one underneath to write on.  Take a tip from me, if you're going to do this put the one for writing on in first.  If you don't it'll be hell to line up!

I then coloured my image with watercolour pencils and added it to the front of the card.  My twist was to use digistamps.  I think they are awesome and I particularly love Mo Manning's images.  This is one I bought last week.  It's called 'Spit Happens' and is available from Mo's Digital Pencil.

Here's what it looks like standing up.

Thanks for reading.

Love Dawn x

Having a go at a challenge

Whilst I was off at Easter I managed a lot of the Splitcoaststampers challenges and, in doing so, discovered that there are lots of Challenge Blogs out there.  I've put several in my favourites list but, up until now, haven't had an opportunity to do more than look each week.  This week I'm actually going to have a go at one.  I have been eyeing up the new Michael Powell stamps for a while and took the plunge last week and bought two.  Imagine my delight when this week's Twisted Tuesday Challenge gave me the perfect opportunity to use one of them.  They also gave us an extra week to enter so I really had no excuse for not joining in.  The challenge theme was 'Vacation' and the twist was to keep it clean and simple.  Here's what I came up with

I added the retirement sentiment as it seemed perfect for a friend who is to retire soon.

Thanks for reading.

Love Dawn x