Happy Birthday!

Morning friends! So, who thinks it's going to snow this week?? I hope it does, seeing as we haven't had any yet this year!

I found my birdcage die again, so out came the papers and roses, and butterflies instead of birds (the recipient doesn't like birds!!). 

Have a great day, hopefully see you all again tomorrow! I do appreciate you all popping by to have a look, I hope you enjoy what you find!

Love and light

Claire xx

Flocked roses

Morning friends! Monday, new week, new beginning, let's go...

My birthday card today uses the Laura Ashley flocked papers, Spellbinders Labels One and Spellbinders Fancy Tags, and some beautiful two-tone roses from Wild Orchid Crafts.

Have a great day, keep warm if you're in a cold place, if you're in a warm place I have very green eyes!!!

Love and light

Claire xx

ATC for January Snow Challenge

Hello friends! Hope you're all having a good weekend!

I have been asked to join a monthly ATC challenge, so this is my ATC (artistic trading card for those who don't know!). The theme for January was 'Snow', so I used my Spellbinders Snowflake die and some glitter card. 

This is the first ATC I have made, so I am looking forward to getting my return ATC in the post to see what others are doing and what I should be doing!!

Have a good evening, and see you all tomorrow!

Love and light

Claire xx

13!!

Morning friends! Midweek!! Good week so far, hope it's going well for everyone else too!

It's Graham's godson's 13th birthday tomorrow, so this is his card. I know it's rather old fashioned looking and vintagy for a 13 year old, but I think (and hope) that he will like it!

Until tomorrow!

Love and light

Claire xx

Deconstructed snowflake

Morning blogland! Hope everyone is enjoying the week so far!

The creative bug bit making this card, because I decided that I needed more on my card, so I made more! I cut a Spellbinders Create a Flake Three in half and mounted a tag on it, and created something new! The papers are from Laura Ashley, and I have embossed it with little roses and then distress inked over the top. 

Hopefully see everybody back again tomorrow!

Love and light

Claire xx

And more love...

Morning friends! Well hopefully the sky will be blue today, and the sun will shine, and it will be a lovely start to the week!

Another Valentine's Day card today, using the same ingredients as yesterday, but just showing that you can use the same bits over and over again just in a different way!

Hope everyone has a good day, see you again tomorrow!

Love and light

Claire xx

With love

Hello friends! Well, a wee bit late today, but we've had birthday celebrations all weekend and hardly spent any time at home!

I have decided to join the ranks and start on Valentine's Day cards, so this is my first attempt! I have used heart stamps from Hobbycraft, which I stamped down the side of a piece of card with Flaming Brick distress ink. I embossed the rest of the card with Budding Vine from Craft Concepts. I stamped hearts over another piece of card, embossed with the Budding Vine, and used the Xcut nesting dies Heart to cut it out. I cut out a smaller heart with the sentiment inside.

Well that's the weekend over, a good start to the week! Hopefully see you tomorrow!

Love and light

Claire xx

Thinking of you

Hello friends! A bit late posting this morning, but it's weekend!! 

On a more sober note, a friend sadly lost her Mum yesterday, so I have made a very simple card to let her know that we are thinking of them. 

It is white-on-white, so really hasn't photographed very well, but it looks lovely in real life. I kept it simple because I think it is more about the words you write inside the card that are more important. My heart goes out to her and her family, and I hope they remain strong and remember the good times.

Until tomorrow

Love and light

Claire xx

Roses and Swirls

Hello everyone! Friday, almost weekend, so what's everyone got planned? We have birthday celebrations all weekend, and I get to see my great-niece who has apparently started walking, so the camera will be going too!

Another birthday card today (we have so many at work at the moment!)! I have used the beautiful papers from Laura Ashley - Velvet Paper Pack. I have teamed it up with Spellbinders Floral Flourishes and Labels One, and Frayed Burlap distress ink, and my trusty flourish stamp. The roses are once again from Wild Orchid Crafts.

Have a great last day to the week, hope to see you all again tomorrow!

Love and light
Claire xx

Rosey birthday

Hello everyone! Thursday already, I really can't believe how quickly this week has flown. Date night tonight with my other half - yay!!

My card for today is still featuring the free Kay Miller Designs papers, used with Xcut nesting scalloped squares and some distress ink. The roses are from Wild Orchid Crafts. 

We have lots of birthdays at work at the moment, so I won't have any trouble to find someone to give my card to - just hope they like it!

Hopefully see you back again tomorrow, thank you for taking the time to look!

Love and light

Claire xx

Good luck!

Hello friends! Today I have a good friend going for a job interview, so I made her a card to wish her good luck for the afternoon!

I have used some free papers I got with Scrapbook Magazine, from Kay Miller Designs. I used my Docraft xcut nesting dies - bloom, and some distress ink.

Fingers crossed for today!

Love and light

Claire xx

Parisian birthday

Hello blog friends! I hope everyone is keeping warm, I can't believe how cold it has gotten all of a sudden!! 

Well, something to keep you warm - dreaming of Paris in Spring! I have used Parisian motifs on my card today, and had lots of fun interlocking two pieces of the biggest die together. I layered up smaller dies, and the roses came from Wild Orchid Crafts. The papers are from the Hot Diggitty Dog paperpack.

Today is going to be a good day! Busy at work, then I'm giving a Reiki session tonight, and hopefully squeeze in a card or two aswell!

Hope everyone has a good day too!

Love and light

Claire xx

Make a wish...

Hello friends! Monday morning, the beginning of a new week! We had a quite weekend, always the best, although next weekend is going to be busy (birthday celebrations) which we are looking forward to!

I have used some of the papers from Andrea Jayne's Hot Diggitty Dog range again, but not with any of the toppers! I have raided my stamp box and found a flourish stamp, script stamp, and a dandelion stamp, but unfortunately I have not kept the packaging from any of them, so don't know where they came from! I love my Spellbinders Labels Four (you might have guessed!), and also my distress inks. 

Have a lovely day, and see everyone tomorrow!

Love and light

Claire xx

Hot diggitty mouse!

Hello friends!! So excited!! We popped into town yesterday and in my local craft shop found the new Hot Diggitty Dog collection by Andrea Jayne, so I indulged!!

The collection is so pretty, so no doubt you will be seeing more of it as the days go by! I have teamed the birthday mouse with Spellbinders Labels Four, some cream roses from Wild Orchid Crafts, inking, ribbon and irridescent glitter glue.

I'm also excited on another note! I have been asked to join an ATC challenge group! I have never made an ATC, but I'm up for the challenge!! Drop by again tomorrow and hopefully I will have one to show you!

Have a great day, hope you all have something to smile about!

Love and light

Claire xx

Birdcage

Hello friends! Weekend at last! Looking forward to a quiet house again and staying warm!! I think winter may have finally arrived!

I think I may be overdosing on ribbons, banners and roses!! I have used Spellbinders Labels One, Marianne Design  Birdcage, and papers from Born to Shop Nostalgia range. I inked the edges with Antique Linen distress ink, and made a ribbon banner again. The flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts!

Very excited!! My order from Lili of the Valley arrived today, so can't wait to use my stamps! I have a birthday for a very special little girl coming up, so lots of ideas going round in my head!

Have a super Saturday everyone, and hopefully be back again tomorrow with something a bit different!

Love and light

Claire

Nearly weekend!

Morning friends! Friday at last, which means weekend at 4pm, which means lots of card making!!! Also Friday the 13th - I wonder who's superstitious??

Today's card is for a friend at work. She is also from South Africa, so a bit in common! I have used some free papers from Fancy Pants Designs which came with Simply Cards and Papercraft quite a while ago, but as you know I hoard pretty papers, so they have been in my stash for a while! I used Spellbinders Labels Four to layer up and give it some dimension, some paper roses and white ribbon.

I stamped Happy Birthday onto a piece of paper and cut it out in the shape of a ribbon, and curled it first one way and then another to give it some movement, and  stuck it in place with Pinflair.

I hope everyone has a fantastic Friday, and see you all again tomorrow!

Love and light

Claire xx

Bicycles

Morning blog friends! Thursday today, nearly weekend - yay!!

Today's card is for my brother-in-law who is turning 50 tomorrow - Happy Birthday Michael!! I've used Vintage Dreams by Hunkydory - very vintage and very inspiring!! Spellbinders Labels Two and Fancy Tags Two, inked vellum and brads - very easy!

I am really struggling with photographing my cards, so any ideas from aspiring photographers would be greatly appreciated!

Have a tremendous Thursday! See you again tomorrow, and thank you for taking the time to stop by!

Love and light

Claire xx

A little bird...

Morning blogland! Half way through the week already - time really does fly when you're having fun!

Today's card is really quick and simple! I ran out of time last night as I did a Reiki session so put something together really quickly. Tilda's Kitchen Garden features again, and I layered up scalloped edge die cuts and stamped a sentiment, a bit of inking and ribbon, and bingo!

The photo is horribly skew - I took it in a hurry, but you get the picture!!

Have a wonderful Wednesday, and see you again tomorrow!

Love and light

Claire xx

Rosettes

Hello friends! Today is going to be a good day...just because!! It's Tuesday, what could be better?

My card today is ...green! I have used Tim Holtz rosettes, Spellbinders Fancy Flourishes, Spellbinders Fancy Tags, ribbon, distress inks, and Tilda Kitchen Garden paperpad.

Congratulations to the 26 finalists through to the Spellbinders Design Team 2012! Good luck in the next round, can't wait to see who gets through!

Have a good day all!

Love and light

Claire xx

Birthday cake

Morning friends! Monday today, back to work, although only five weeks til half term, so let the countdown begin!! 

My card today is another Tulip design, this time one of the stamps which I've coloured in using Promarkers. I cut the cake out using a circle die, and layered it up with a scalloped edge die. I matted some of the Tulip linen papers and added some ribbon and a lacey edged die, and finished off with a sentiment topper. 

Back to normal this week - my daughter's dance classes all start again, I start practicing my Reiki again, and I have to cram in my crafting when I can! I've been web surfing, and discovered the Lili of the Valley blogs. I think I might have to have a go at the challenges, just have to get myself some of their beautiful stamps. I have created links at the side of my blog in case you want to have a look!

See you again tomorrow, thank you for visiting!

Love and light

Claire xx

Butterflies

Hello Blog friends! Having such a good weekend doing not much except craft, how about you?

Today's card is another very simple one! I found these papers in my stash, but unfortunately have lost the cover sheet, so I don't know where they are from. I added some ribbon, punched butterflies, and stamped a sentiment and die cut and embossed a circle, a bit of distressing with ink and some bling!

Have a good Sunday!

Love and light

Claire xx

Pretty in pink

Morning blog friends! Weekend at last! Looking forward to spending the day doing nothing (i.e. make cards!!)! The house is quiet, so what more excuse do I need?

My pink card is really simple - pearlescent card, white gel pen, torn vellum, flower and butterfly punch and a bit of bling! Sometimes simple is better, especially when you want the words you write inside to make an impact.

Hope you all have a productive but relaxing Saturday, and hopefully see you all tomorrow!

Love and light

Claire xx

Have a lovely day!

Hello Friends! Friday at last!! Lots to do this weekend, all of it crafty, so can't wait for work to be over and let the fun begin!

I was going through my paper stash and found the 'Tulip' papers by Andrea Payne, so decided to use them for today's card. They are bright and fresh, and remind me of Spring, so what better on a gloomy day? I used my Spellbinders Labels One to cut an aperture, and also the Spellbinders Fancy Tags Two for the label in the middle of the card. Nellie's multiframes MFD 028 Borders was used for the lacey bit across the top of the card. I threaded some ribbon through the Fancy Tag, added some bling, and there you go!

So what's everyone got planned for the weekend? Hope it's something to look forward to! Be back tomorrow...

Love and light

Claire xx

Missing my friend...

Hello friends! I hope everyone is surviving the winds – it is blowing gales around our house and whistling round the corners! Glad I’m inside!

Today’s card is for a friend who I haven’t seen for almost three years, although we do communicate online and on texts, but somehow it never seems enough! I thought I would send her a card to let her know that she is in my thoughts all the time.

I used papers from ‘The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady’, and found some vellum to match the beautiful orangey/peachy colours. I cut an aperture from the vellum with Spellbinders Labels One, and used Spellbinders Floral Flourishes with some punched flowers and butterflies and the obligatory bling and ribbon!

I hope you all have a fabulous Thursday – nearly the weekend!

Love and light

Claire xx

Belated thank you

Hello blog friends! We have had such a hectic long weekend, that unfortunately my blog has suffered, but never fear, I will hopefully be back on track now!

We had such a fantastic time welcoming in the New Year, and only got back late on Sunday night! Monday we took our son back to uni in Norwich, and yesterday I was back at work, so a really busy time!

My card today is a thank you card for the friends we spent the weekend with. I used my Spellbinders Labels Four, and also Spellbinders Daisy Flower Topper. The papers are from Fancy Pants Designs - It's the little things! A little bit of inking with Antique Linen distress ink and that's it!

Hope you all have a good day - first day back to school for the children, so looking forward to that!

Love and light

Claire xx 

Happy New Year!!

Morning friends, Happy New Year to you all! I hope that all of your dreams, wishes, hopes and aspirations come true this year.

I have made cards to wish all of my friends and family Happy New Year. Lots of Spellbinders layered up, and the background is actually mirror card, even though it hasn't come up on the photo very well!

I think one of my aims for the New Year should be to learn to photograph my cards properly!

Hope you all have a wonderful start to 2012.

Love and light

Claire xx