SHABBY CHIC ROSE

   
        Goodness I am really late this month getting my entry done for the challenge  at Claritystamp. Not too sure where this last month has gone to, the days have just flown by. It is the first day of Spring on Sunday but there are still some very cold days. We have got a few crocus out in the garden which is lovely so maybe warmer times are around the corner. Anyway the challenge for this month is  FLORAL  so I had a quick look through all my stencils and decided to use this lovely Roseart one. So pretty and Shabby chic style came to mind. So hopefully I have achieved that.   
       
          As I am so late with this entry I will just have to show you some pictures of my card.

    I stenciled the design onto a piece of the music paper available on the Clarity stamp website.  Using a paint brush dampen the edges to rough them up a bit.  I used the newsprint stamp from the journal set to make the strips in the background.
             

        A little bit of lace pleated along the bottom edge and mounted onto contrasting  paper.

          A few flowers in the bottom corner and a little strip of pearls help to set off this beautiful stencil.

Roseart stencil

Completed card

        Hope you like this design, a bit different for me as usually all my edges would have to be straight.  I might soon be splashing the paints around  if I carry on like this. Right I must dash now and get this entered into the challenge at Clarity.  NOTE TO SELF ----- Be more organised next time.  Please take the time to pop over to the website  http://www.claritystamp.co.uk/   and have a look at all the other wonderful entries.  

BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS

         We have a special Birthday celebration this month, they are all special really but the ones with a zero on the end always call for a little extra attention. This time our daughter Julie is in the limelight, she has reached the big 40.  She is sure to read this and say thanks mum for telling everyone but she does not look her age. Anyway we love a celebration so are making sure she enjoys herself.  Birthday cake of course, any excuse to break the diet for a short time and a special card. She had a sewing machine a couple of years ago and loves to spend any spare time using it. She is making some lovely items and is teaching herself along the way.  So of course I had to make a card on the sewing theme, Crafter's Companion MAKEY BAKEY MICE CD was perfect for this. So many lovely designs but I found just the right elements for her card. 
             

                        

                                                                                                                                                                         I found these lovely card bases in my stash, added some sparkle to the edges and arranged all the elements onto the base. I also had some great sewing charms which were perfect for the theme. Some extra gems and small crochet flowers finished off the design.



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Completed Card

      

                                                    

                                              

Cute mice

Crochet flowers

         She did like her card I am pleased to say. I have had to wait until after her Birthday to show you this card as I knew she would be looking on my blog to see if she could get any clues. I am also entering this into the challenge at Crafter's Companion this month which is Add Some Sparkle.

  

         I will just show you a picture of the cake I made for her as well, again keeping the sewing theme.

      Not very much left of this after our rather large family had visited.  Thankyou for looking at my creations, hope you liked them. 

LOVE IS IN THE AIR

         February can be one of the most dismal months of the year I think. Once Christmas is over my thoughts turn to Spring but we usually have some rotten weather to contend with first. Anyway Valentines day is always a cheerful event and this year I was the recipient of some red roses, from my husband I hasten to add. This was a surprise as he is well known for not buying many flowers, they are still blooming beautifully now. Also we have a wedding to go to on the 21st, the son of some good friends is getting married. We have known him since he was a baby so I am sure to have a big lump in my throat. Of course I needed a special card for the Happy Couple which I am also entering into the challenge at Fussy and Fancy and the theme is All About Love.   

                I started by embossing the leafy swirl stencil from Claritystamps onto good quality white paper. I also die cut some squares and layered them, placing them in one of the corners.

   Using a butterfly die I cut several and layered them leaving the last butterfly raised.
   This was then placed in the opposite corner to the squares.

                          I also cut some fancy swirls and added them by the squares.

                                Next I stamped a heart using a stamp from Claritystamps,                                                                    I used silver ink and embossed it as well.

                Across the middle of one heart I stitched a row of pearls following the lines. I like stitching on paper it can look very effective.

                               The hearts were layered and placed on top of the squares.

             
                      Of course it needed some flowers, the silver ones I made myself by layering petal shapes and then curling them. 

                          A few pearls in the last corner and a sentiment finished the card which was layered onto silver mirri card and a white card blank.

All that is needed now is a box to fit and Congratulations to the young couple.

Thankyou for spending time visiting my blog . 

RETIREMENT

       Retirement approaches, not mine I retired almost two years ago but my neighbour and good friend is finally packing it all in. We used to work together in the local school, where she was in the office and I was a teaching assistant. This is the job she is leaving after many years and I know she will be missed. Anyway of course I needed to make her a special card and as her garden is amazing I have based it on that. Goodness we will all have to keep our gardens up to scratch now that she will have more time to spend on hers. 
      
       I chose an image from one of Debbi Moore's CD's , Shabby chic Garden. I am going to enter this card into the challenge at http://sweetlilacflowers.blogspot.co.uk/2014_07_01_archive.html  as well . The theme for this month is New Beginnings so this seemed perfect as it is the start of a whole new lifestyle. 

                            Image that I chose, a little bit of decoupage involved.

  
                Picture mounted onto backing papers, I added a length of ribbon across the card and then glued a paper strip on top. Sunhats might be needed this summer,  hopefully. 

       I cut a small swirl from the backing paper and glued onto the top right corner, along with some gems.

     A selection of the beautiful flowers from sweet Lilac were added to the bottom corner.

                                                   I put a couple on the sunhat as well.

                                                A sentiment in the other corner.

Finished card.

    All it needed then was an insert. I like to put inserts in larger cards  because I think they give the finishing touch.

                   All I need to do now is make an envelope to fit, think I might need a small box  because of the depth of the flowers.  Thankyou for visiting and I hope you like this card.