Aged to Perfection.........

.........or all grown up!!!

 I had been asked to make  an 18th birthday card for a beautiful young lady who is all grown up. I don't think she would class herself as 'aged' lol but she has 'aged' or grown into a beautiful young lady. So that is my take on this week's challenge over at CD Sunday, 'Aged to Perfection'.

For the pink background paper I used the Crafters Companion CD 'Adorables'. The colour matched perfectly with the image background. I found the image in my stash but no idea who it's by. Maybe someone recognises it and will let me know. I hate putting something on the blog and not being able to give credit to the designer.

I placed  the main image at an angle and made a grapevine border using my CD Greeting Card Factory Deluxe. I use this all the time for inserts and it does have lots of useful images too.

 

 

From this CD I also made the tag. It was great not to have to 'fiddle' to make a border etc as it was all there. I used zig zag scissors to cut it out. I just had to add my own sentiment which reads.

 

 'Like fine wine you have aged to perfection. Have a perfect birthday'

 

Then the 'bling' was added to the top and bottom corners. I also used a green gel pen on the dress as it had printed off very pale and it needed 'lifting'. It also matched the rest of the green in the card and has a lovely shimmer to it.....which doesn't show in the piccie. I'm going to put '18' on the handbag when I can find a green number suitable. I've tried colouring peel offs but the green comes out too dull. So more experimenting needed methinks.

 

Challenge:CD Sunday ....Aged to Perfection

Joanne Sheen......For Girls

All Sorts......Happy Birthday

Red Carpet Studio.....Birthday Card

Going Green

'Going Green'........what a great challenge.....where do I start?

 My craft group were doing tea bag folding this week so I decided to incorporate the CD Sunday Challenge with the class session. I used scalloped circles to fold rather than the usual squares. I must say this was my colleague, Terri's, idea. It was a first time for me, as I've used squares and circles before but never scalloped circles.

Eight 'teabags' were punched from a 2inch scalloped punch, from paper. This is the recycling bit. The paper was 'recycled' from one of my crafters. She had green patterned paper which she'd printed off from a CD but didn't want anymore. Thank you Jayne. How lucky was that!! ( She couldn't remember what CD tho sorry) Both sides were different so this made a lovely contrast.

After folding, in a tricky fold I must say....but effective, they were placed edge to edge..no overlapping or linking together. So quite simple......mind you my ladies didn't think so as not many managed to only use 8 teabags. Many had a gap left over and had to fill up with extra teabags. We did laugh........how could this happen....knowing my ladies it can believe you me....only kidding girls!!

I added a card candy flower to the centre which I'd printed from my new CD Forest Friends by Sharon Duncan. This is the CD I won in a challenge on CD Sunday.....thank you ,thank you, thank you. The background.....pink and green flowers....was also from the same CD.

Then using two square teabags from the same 'recycled' paper I made a dragon fly. (Thank you Wendy for your help with the design fold) The body was made using tiny 'dice' beads that I'd bought eons ago and never used.....as you do.....threaded through wire and twisted at the top and bottom. I added seed beads to the ends twisting the wire around. So no glue used at all to keep it together. Two glue dots to the body kept it firmly attached to the card then the wings were added.

I've not added a  sentiment yet but think I'll add it to the top left hand corner to fill in the gap I can see there. After I've taken a photograph or scanned I nearly always see faults etc.

Challenge....CD Sunday.....Going Green

A clever box

Something different today.......a box. Over on Top Tip Tuesday the challenge this week to make a clever box. I do have several altered boxes I could have submitted but instead I've gone for this cute exploding box for a friends new baby boy. I love babies as those of you who know me are aware so making baby things feeds my broodyness........is that a word lol.

There are 4 layers to this box plus the lid so it is time taking but really cute when completed. I've added  a pair of tiny knitted boottees to the top. These were knitted by a friend, Angie........I'm not much of a knitter and Angie makes these in every colour you could want. http://www.owl-lady-crafting.blogspot.co.uk/
I put a little teddy gift inside too to add to the surprise element.

Challenge: Top Tip Tuesday.....a clever box

Flower Festival

We had a lovely day yesterday even tho the weather is being a wee bit naughty at the moment.

We visited the Annual Flower Festival at the church in Paphos. The church is Ayia Kyriaki or also know locally as St Paul's Pillar. As it is said that when St Paul visited Cyprus he was tied to a pillar and flogged. The 'pillar' can still be seen in the grounds of this very old Byzantine church. It is used for worship by both Anglicans and Catholics and many wedding ceremonies are performed here.

What a lot of work and thought went into the floral arrangements. Each display was based around 'The Book of Proverbs'. 'Proverbs' contains wise and weighty sentences, regulating the morals of all and directing everyone to wisdom and virtue. The displays were created by Members of the Anglican and Latin Catholic church and the Paphos Flower Club and their friends.They must have spent many hours discussing how they were to interpret each one.

 I did take one or two piccie but really they don't do them justice.

This was created by one of my Monday Crafters, Wilma. So I had to take a piccie. She's interpreted the  'Proverb' well I think. Using the colours of red wine, white and rose. Adding a display of food at floor level.

Chapter 9 v 1-6
 'Come eat my food and drink the wine I have mixed Leave your simple ways and you will live, walk in the way of understanding'

All proceeds from the Flower Festival will go to three local charities. St Michael's Hospice, the Paphos Heart Association and the Ex-patriates Kidney Patients Association. The Kidney Patients Charity is the charity that my partner is chairman of and I help organise fund raising events.

A Flower Arranger's Prayer

'May God grant that our hearts, our eyes and our hands may receive inspiration, enabling us to glorify His House with the beauty of the leaves and blossoms which He has created.'

Ornate Blossom

The challenge over at CD Sunday this week is 'Ornate Blossom' but all the time I was creating this card I had in mind 'Ornate Blooms'......don't know why. So I hope my card will be suitable as it's rose blooms. I used the CD 'Wish upon a Rose' by Jems Designs. A beautiful Cd and one I also used last week  but I couldn't resist the images they are exquisite.

I had intended to take piccies of all the blossom on the fruit trees here in our garden but would you believe it my camera went on holiday and also we've had a real downpour today so everything is a wee bit soggy. I'll try taking some later in the week with my mobile, as I'm also having probs transferring piccies from my tablet to PC. Hey ho the joys of technology. It's great when they work but what a pain when they don't!!!

OK back to the card. I chose 'Love Letters'  for the main image and mounted it onto a silver mirri  card frame which had been cut using a Sissix die. I decoupaged the butterfly and added a sentiment which was also from the CD plus another matching butterfly.

When it came to adding the background the paper on the CD didn't match too well I thought so I went for a pale coral card stock. I felt it looked too plain so I printed off some of the background paper and cut triangles and added it to the corners,. Then I rounded the corners with the Xcut corner punch. Also I added a silver floral flourish peel off to complete......oh yes nearly forgot there's also gold stickles on the butterflies just to bling it up a bit.

This card will be perfect for my Special Daughter when her birthday comes around......ooopps hope she's not looking.

Challenge: CD Sunday.....Ornate Blossom
                  Simon Says Stamp....Flower Power

Weddings

'Weddings'...... this weeks' CD Sunday Challenge. The weather here would be fabulous for a Wedding. Blue skies and sunshine all the way.

 It's Easter weekend here so 'Kala  Paxchio' everyone. It's a wonderful celebration with something different happening every day of the weekend. Friday begins it all with a bonfire to 'burn' a Judas Iscariot effigy....much like Guy Fawkes in the UK. Then Saturday night sees everyone at church with the service finishing at midnight and candles are lit from one main candle and taken home for good luck.......you're lucky if it does get home without been blown out of course!! Then Sunday is the day of feasting....usually lamb or goat as the main component. Monday in the villages there are usually races for the children and local dancers performing.......a real fun, family day out.

OK back to today's Wedding card. I've chosen a background from Jem's Designs 'Wish upon a Rose'. It's Vintage pink so I felt a vintage bride was needed to complement it. I found a bride and groom in my stash......image design by Carol Smith. I altered the colour so that it co-ordinated with the background. It is in a lovely frame with decoupage flowers added and corners so not much to do to it really. The couple look so much in love and I found a sentiment, again on the 'Wish upon a Rose' CD..... 'True Love' awwwwwww!!!

I added another sentiment from my stash 'Wedding Day Dreams will all come true' On the right hand edge I added a lacey edging with three layers of white card and 'fancy' scissors. I think maybe I should have used cream or beige but hey ho it's done now!!

The card is landscape....125 x 185cms but instead of having the opening at the bottom I've made it at the shorter edge. As you can see there's faux stitching on the left hand side  so it looked obvious to me that was where to put the folded edge.

Challenge:     Weddings.....CD Sunday
                       Inspired by a song......'True Love'  by Grace Kelly and Bing Crosby.....Crafty Catz
                      Crafty Sentiments.....add a sentiment

Purple Paradise

Feels like we're in 'Paradise' here in Cyprus as the weather is still fab!!! The Greek Cypriots are getting ready for their Easter this weekend. A happy family time which they celebrate far more than they do Christmas.

This week's challenge at CD Sunday is 'Purple Paradise. I've chosen an image from Debbie Moore's 'Glitter and Glitz' CD. I  love her Art Deco ladies and it's hard to choose a favourite. I've used shades or purple card to double mount it and a varigated striped card as a background. Adding a big purple bow and flower to the corner plus a deco peel off corner.

This card starts off as along oblong and then folded to overlap making a square card.

 I then cut the top and bottom piece diagonally. The topper then overlaps the opening.

 

Think the piccies explain it better than I do!!

 

Challenges: CD Sunday......Purple Paradise

Crafty Caz..........The Colour Purple