Dragonflies

Good Morning from Cyprus. It's time for another challenge over at Crafting with Dragonflies. This time Hilde challenged us to make anything but a card and to use, what else, a Dragonfly image.
I decided to alter a notebook as I'd not done this for a while. My stash of notebooks all seem to come in such bright colours. I much prefer softer colours so I'm always changing them and it's a great way to personalise them for a gift. At this time of the year we are always looking for gift ideas. So here's one for you.

I started with a very very bright coloured hard backed notebook.

First of all I removed the spine and then used a base of paper designed by Audrey from the Lilac Garden. It had some beautiful dragonflies and Iris' on it so perfect for the challenge.

 

The sheet included some decoupage dragonflies too.  The words are also on the image sheet and I used my Word programme and enlarged them and added two to the front on some banner tags.

After replacing the spine......bit tricky this so be aware....I tied some fancy threads  randomly down the side. This came in a ball from a local knitting wool shop. I think you could knit with it using some large needles but I find it is a perfect alternative to ribbon for card making.

This is the  inside before and after.

 

(Don't know why this is showing this way it's fine n my Pictures but when I've transferred it to my blog it's swivelled around!!)

This is the inside and as you can see I took the photo before I'd finished the back cover. I used the same designer paper on the back as the inside cover and left it free of embellishments

 

The DP here is from a pack I got free in a card magazine. It's LOTV 'Bonnets and Bowties'. It also has a lovely Happy Birthday stamp with it which will be very useful. I added two more dragonflies from the decoupage sheet and two more word banners with the names of the dragonflies. Here in Cyprus there is a conservation group run by the U3A which identifies and measures etc. dragonflies. They have been very lucky In identifying so many species. One year I was lucky enough to receive a calendar from one of my friends In this group which had been made using photographs of each dragonfly they had found. Some of them were stunning and the variety of colours were amazing. This year I'll be giving her this notebook as a gift. I hope she'll find it useful and appropriate to log her discoveries.

 

I hope you've been inspired to pop over to Crafting with Dragonflies and see what my other teamies have created. Remember it's anything but a card and you must add a dragonfly somewhere on your design. If you don't have one there's a freebie on the blog.

Have fun!!

 

Challenges: tuesdaytaggers.......Homemade/Handmade

"Witching Hour" #168 Ooh La La Creations

Good Morning everyone. It's Witching Hour time at Ooh La La. Hope you're ready for it!!
The last challenge was Inspired by Nature and we have had some fab entries. I think Pauline will find it difficult to choose her winner. Allison has chosen this fortnights challenge so Witching here we go!!!

I chose a great image from the CD 'Say it with words'. Here she is!!

 

How cute is she? I placed her on a square easel card made from brown card stock. This is a pad of Lidls card and comes in a variety of colours. The background paper is also from the CD. I found the greeting and the hat in my stash.....no idea where from but if you know tell me and I'll give credit to the designer. It made the perfect stopper for the easel.

I must say I don't normally do Halloween cards but she is too cute to resist don't you think?

I hope you'll be inspired to pop over to Ooh La La Creations and check out the other spooky designs from my teamies.

It's 'Time' for the midway post with the Belles

We're half way through Unstampabelles challenge for October......where does the time go. In fact where has the year gone!!!

This month Susan challenged us to think about TIME  for our creations with a twist of Shabby Chic. I was lucky enough to be sent from my crafty friend on another craft site some heavy weight die cuts of a cup and cupcake. I had great fun embellishing them Shabby Chic style and I added a lovely tag I have had in my stock for eons which says 'Time for Tea'. So I thought it would fit perfectly for this challenge.

Our sponsor is the lovely Flourish with a Bling.

 

'Flourish with a Bling' still have there sale....so pop over and pick up a bargain.....some fab flower packs on offer.

 

This is my idea for 'Time'.....'Time for Tea'.......that wonderful British past time.....a nice cuppa tea, with a cupcake of course!!

The background paper was free in a magazine and the flowers I had in my stash for eons....not sure where they are from. I added a die cut border to top and bottom of cup. The pink butterfly is satin and cut from a ribbon strip.

The top of the cupcake is white foam and the bottom is pink corrugated card from my stash. The green butterflies are die cuts. The 'red cherry' is a button.....you've got to have a cherry on top of a cupcake now don't you. I've attached the cup and cupcake together with thread and multi-coloured beads. Pink ribbon bows finished it off. Not sure if it's true shabby Chic but I had fun anyway.

I hope you find TIME to pop over to Unstampabelles as my teamies have made some wonderful creations.  Don't forget to have FUN with your crafty TIME this week!!

'Silhouettes' with Carol.

Good Morning everyone and welcome. Well you certainly enjoyed last time's challenge at CD Sunday, 'Christmas is Coming'. I think Jenny is going to have a have time choosing her winner and top three.

This week Carol has challenged us at CD Sunday to use Silhouettes in our creation. I immediately thought of Joanne Sheens CD 'Dancing with Shadows', which I have used many times before.  With so many appropriate images to choose from on this CD it was hard to decide which one. I finally went for a lovely woodland scene which I felt could be used for any occasion.

I made an easel card from yellow card stock and a mat from black. I added background paper from the same CD and a strip of black card stock with the added  greeting.....Birthday Wishes.....and two gold gems from my stash, for the stopper. I also added a straight gold bead for the body of the butterfly.

I hope you'll find time to pop over to CD Sunday to see what Carol and the rest of the team have created.....you won't be disappointed. Have a fun week creating!!

'Pink' for Breast Cancer

We are all aware of I'm sure of how many of our dear friends or family have been affected by Cancer. With this in mind Hilde challenged us to make a Pink card for Breast Cancer. Our sponsor is the lovely and generous Sammi Stamps.
                                                        

 The team were given some lovely images to play with. I chose a flower with the ribbon of Hope tied around it.

 

The main A5 card was used from cerise pink card stock.....may have been a Lidls pack. The background paper was a pack I bought when our last craft shop was closing it's doors to papercrafters :( 

 The top half is in a paler pink with a darker pink border.

I paper pieced the flower head in the same two papers as the background. Then added perfect pearls in gold to the centre for stamens. 

I hung some green ribbon loosely for the stalk. I did originally paper piece it too but it looked too heavy so I went with narrow ribbon instead. I added the pink bow in ribbon too. Again I did try paper piecing it but it just looked wrong.

I finished off with the sentiment 'HOPE' , in pink, created in 'Word'.

 

I hope my creation inspires you and you will pop over to Crafting with Dragonflies to see what the rest of the DT girls have created. Don't forget to visit our generous sponsors. And last but not least......Have Fun!!!

 

Challenges:

dragonfly-dreams-challenge.......Mainly Pink

eclecticellapu.......Flowers

thesisterhoodofcrafters..........think-pink-october-breast-cancer.html

craftyourpassionchallenges.......Where There's Hope

giveacrafteracookie.........#3 (inspirational piccie)

 

# 167 'Inspired by Nature'

Good Morning fellow crafters from a very sunny Cyprus. The weather has been fantastic so far this month. Whoo Hoo!

Now for my very, very exciting news for you all today.

Drum Roll.........Today is my first posting for Ooh La La!!!

I am delighted and honoured to be designing for this wonderful challenge blog......well bouncing actually. I have long been a huge fan of Ooh La La so you can imagine I was very excited when I was offered a place on the design team working with some fab CDs and alongside such a talented team of crafters.

                                                                        

Today I am going to show you a card I made using the Ooh La La CD 'Fleur D'Imagination'. Pauline chose the theme for the challenge, 'Inspired by Nature', and I suppose I went for the obvious flowers. This CD is packed with some fab images and it was very difficult to choose just one.

 

Both the design papers and the two images are on the CD. The added flower embellishments were a gift from one of my crafters here in Cyprus. I added a matching gem from my stash to the centre of the top flowers. Not made a card using this fold before but you can see how easy and effective it is.

 

 I hope you'll be 'inspired' to join in the challenge over at Ooh La La. You won't be disappointed by the rest of my teamies inspiring creations too. So grab a cuppa and off you pop to

ooh-la-la-creations challenges and don't forget...... Have Fun!!

 

Challenges:

eclecticellapu.........Flowers

Time and a Twist.....Shabby Chic

This month at Unstampabelles, Susan has challenged us to create something using 'Time' as the theme with the twist being Shabby Chic.

This is my take on the theme. An altered clock.

                                      
                                                                        Before

                                                                         After

I had an broken clock which was in the spare room looking very sad so I decided to give it a facelift.  I added lace trim which was in a strip. I put DS red tape around the base and pleated the lace adding a thin white ribbon to finish and neaten the top edge.....fiddly but satisfying when finished. The middle section is a different lace strip pleated in the same way. So that was the main body covered now for the fun bit.....prettying it up Shabby Chic style!!

I used clusters of cream roses at the base with rose buds a lacey leaf in the centre. Then I found some pretty pink flowers that I had in my stash for 'stroking' purposes only......only a dedicated crafter will understand what I mean. Anyway the 'time' has come to use them. I only had four so I had to use an even number breaking my rule of always using an odd number. These were placed up one side with a die cut flourish added to top. Now over to the other side. This time I used a cluster of white porcelain roses and a die cut flourish at the bottom of the face. Then another cluster of the cream roses higher up and finally a lace flower. This I hand made from a strip of petal shaped lace which I gathered and stitched together and shaped into a flower adding a cream flower to the centre.

Ooooppppss nearly forgot the three flat backed pearls at the bottom. These were from my UK haul.....see earlier post 'Christmas is Coming'.

Well folks I really had a lot of fun with this challenge and now my unloved bedroom clock is standing proudly in my guest bedroom ready to be loved again.

So if you've 'Time' off you pop to Unstampabelles and join in the challenge and and don't for get to visit our sponsors flourish with a bling.com

 

For the Month of October they have a huge $2 Flower Sale. Click on the link above and get your stock of flowers which will be ideal for any Shabby Chic project......so no excuses....get spending lol!!!

 

Don't forget to check out my teamies creations.....you won't be disappointed. Have fun!!

 

Challenges: alteredeclectics.......Anything Goes but not cards

Christmas is Coming

Good Morning everyone. Oooopppppssss!!! I forgot to schedule my post for CD Sunday.....smacked hands lol.

This fortnight Jenny has challenged us to start seriously thinking about Christmas. I know, I know don't go shouting at me you know it won't go away. You don't want to be last minute and having to rush out and buy them now do you? So get that Christmas stash out and start creating.

So you're being challenged to think of Christmas and use something from a CD. It needn't be a card it could be anything like a wall hanging, tree ornament, ATC, scrapbook page etc. Just so long as you've used a CD somewhere on your project and you tell us what you've used.

Here is my inspiration for you.

This card was inspired by one of my craft buddies here in Cyprus. Thank you x

She brought a pattern along to the craft group for a bow tie. Now I know you can get bows on CDs to print off but this was a template from a magazine....not sure which one but someone out there might know. I decided to use it as the basis for a Christmas card for my OH as our Christmas here usually means a Gala Dinner on Christmas Eve at an hotel and he always wears his DJ with a bow tie, naturally.  Over the years he has accumulated many bow ties and some of them are Christmas themed ones. So I thought this would be apt. 

I have used three different papers. The top and bottom are from my stash .....had these for eons and for the middle one I used a piece of DP from the CD 'Festive Funnies' by Ooh La La. The greeting  is from another Ooh La La CD the Shawn Jenkins Collection.

Another way of using this same idea could be to use ribbon bows and make it girly or print off bows from a CD.

The main card is a red card stock square from a pack of card from Lidls and the black card is from my stash. I added teeny tiny peel off stars to give it a more festive feel and some flat backed red pearls to the bows. I bought these when I was in the UK 2 years ago. My trip to the UK coincided with a Craft Show in my local area. The first and only show I've ever been too. I was like a child in a sweet shop, whilst my very patient OH sat reading a newspaper in the car whilst I popped inside!!! Little did he know I would get lost and not appear for a couple of hours......doesn't time fly when you're having funny. But I diverse...... so back to the challenge.

Yes 'Christmas is Coming' so I hoped maybe I've inspired you. My teamies have made some super creations so you must pop over for a visit to CD Sunday and be even more inspired. Don't forget you must use something from a CD no matter how small......as you can see I used very little but it still counts to be in with a chance of winning a wee gift from Jenny.

Have fun!!!

Challenges:
 toptiptuesday......Non Traditional Christmas
craftyhazelnutschristmaschallenge.......Anything Goes as long as its Christmas

Anything Goes with the Dragonflies

Thank you to everyone who was brave enough to take up the last challenge Hilde set you......a Gift Card Holder. What happened ....it was a great challenge and just the right time of year to be thinking about gift cards. I guess you'll like this challenge better. 'Anything Goes' . So it's cards, boxes, ATCs, Scrapbook page etc Now you can't resist can you!! Anything Goes!!!!

Our fabulous sponsor is Dollar Graphics. For those who have never visited before this is a great site and the digis are very reasonably priced.....you'll love it.

The prize is $20 gift certificate. How generous is that?

Design Team got to choose and play with some fab images from them. I chose the LouLa Puppy Christmas Pack'

This pack had three different shaped boxes, tags and mini cards. It was very easy to put together. Isn't that puppy adorable with it's reindeer ears all ready for Christmas. Loved it!!

So what are you waiting for. Off you pop to Crafting with Dragonflies....link in the sidebar... and see what the other teamies have created to inspire you. Remember it's 'Anything Goes' and don't forget to visit Dollar Graphics.....you won't be disappointed.

Challenges:
christmasatsweetstampin.................Christmas Critters (Christmas Puppies)
hobbybookdesignerchallenge.......Include an Animal
tuesdaytaggers.......Animals
hjcchallenge........Anything Goes Christmas
stampingwithdragon........Anything but a card
ema-ginationstation..........#1 Anything Goes.....New challenge blog