Purple Flowers

Hi everyone
Hope you all having a good weekend, I've had a good weekend but boy they go quick!

January in our family is a very busy one for birthdays, with approx 12 to sort out, and with my new year's resolution being to make all the cards I send, it's quite a busy month.  So I thought I would try and match them to challenges as I find that easier for inspiration.

This card up is either going to be for my mum in law or sister in law, not decided yet.  I used the challenges over at Less is More and Freshly Made Sketches.  Mandi and Chrissie at Less is More have gone for a purple theme and I love purple.

And here is my card...

It hasn't quite turned out as I wanted, but I'm not sure why.  The papers are from Craftwork Cards.  I made the flowers cutting three scalloped circles and cutting into them, sticking them together and shaping them.  The centres are made with Card Candi...

I used three, and snipped into the top two and stuck them onto a base one, giving them more a flower centre look rather than just a piece of Candi.  Anyway, hope you like it.  I'm going to try something different later when the kids have gone to bed.
See you soon.
Jo x

My Top Five Cards of 2011

Hi everyone - again (2nd post of the day, not bad for me!)

I've been meaning to do this for a few days now but never got the chance, and that is to join debby4000 and put on my five favourite cards of 2011.  I've only been blogging since May 2011, so haven't got oodles to go through, but as I looked back I had easily forgotten some of them I'd done at it was a lovely reminder and great to look through people's comments.  Since doing this blog, I've made some new friends and I hope to continue to do so into 2012.  Anyway, here are my five (in no particular order as Tess says on Strictly)...

My first Lili of the Valley stamp.

Craftwork Cards Warren, love the bright colours.

My Less is More Showcased card.

I just love those Pink Petticoat elephants.

A wedding card for friends Tim & Em courtesy of DigiStamp Boutique.

(my apologies for rubbish camera work on a couple - I was still learning!!)

Sorry, can I make it six and add this one on the end, I think he's sooo cute

There you have it my five/six favourites of 2011. I could have gone on and on and on, but there all there if anyone fancies a look, it was great to look back.  What a fab idea Debby.

Love

Jo x

A Long Post...

Hi everyone, hope the new year has been good to you so far.  Just getting kids ready to go back to school tomorrow, can wait for normality again (I know that sounds boring)!.

Just a few things I wanted to show you.  First is my pressie from Santa (or rather my hubbie).  He doesn't usually buy me crafty goodies but I really wanted them

Not both sets, that would be pushing it too far but the set B colours on top (I got set A last year).  I love them and now my daughter loves them too.  She made a card for her friend Elena who was 8 on New Years Day...

The backing paper was candy I won from Michelle at the Card Grotto, and the girl image is from SJ's Little Musings, I think it was a Freebie some time ago but Evie loves colouring them in.  She cut them out as well with my Spellbinders die, we are both really pleased with how it turned out.

Just a couple more cards to show you.  Sometimes I get asked by friends to make special cards for special occasions.  The first one is a wedding card for a friend at my son's nursery, her daughter Jenni got married yesterday and this is what I made for her...

There colours were teal and silver.  I printed their names onto pearl card and then put a vellum wrap over the top and attached the arrangement with the sentiment at the bottom.  This card needs a box so I made a matching one.

And finally, it was my husband's grandma's 90th birthday today and we all went over to Oldham for a party, we don't often see the Lancashire side of the family but when we do we have a good time, this is the card I made for her...

It's loosely based along the lines of the last one, only this time I printed Pink Petticoat Grannies Wallpaper backing paper on to pearl paper, then ran it through my printer again adding the sentiment at the bottom, think she will like it.

Well that's all for now.  If you got to the bottom and survived, well done.  I'm off to put the kids in bed now and will be back later to put on my 5 fave cards of 2011.

Lots of love

Jo x

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Just wanted to wish everyone a very

What ever you are doing this evening, have a great time.  See you in 2012!!

Jo xx

Fabulous

Hi everyone, hope you all had a good Christmas and are gearing up for the New Year.  I'm still on school holiday and don't go back to work until next Wednesday, so I'm enjoying spending time with the family.  I have however, managed to get a card made for the Less is More challenge which this week is Just One Word.

I wasn't sure at first which word I was going to use - 'thanks', 'friend', 'love' etc. etc. the list is endless, but stumbled upon this word and knew I had just the thing to go with it...

I love printing my words straight onto my cards, it means they go on nice and straight and I'm not fiddling cutting out (I do struggle with straight).  The images are Mini Diva Doodles from Pink Petticoat which I've left white, just coloured the flowers and added some glitter.  I then finished with embossing a little frame round each handbag, think it's turned out quite well.

I'm also entering this card into the colourQ challenge - black, white and one other colour.

The last thing for me to say is I hope everyone has a great New Year and look forward to 2012.

Love

Jo x

Happy Christmas Everyone

Hi everyone

Hope you all ready for the big man to arrive in two sleeps time - I think I nearly am.  Just finished a mountain of ironing and four hours later it's all ready to be put away.

I've been a very bad blogger recently, time just ran away with me, but hopefully in the new year I will try and be better.  Anyway I wanted to show you a couple of things before I sign off for Christmas.  The first is a wedding card I was asked to make by a lady who runs the local toddler group my son goes to.  Her daughter is getting married on New Years Day...

I've made similar cards before in different colours but think that they work really well.  I printed their names on to pearly card and added a vellum overlay with the wedding day greeting on the front.  The flowers and gems are a bit fiddly but they look nice when they're done.  I made a matching box to send it in too.

The second is of my three year old son, Oliver, who is in the Foundation class at school. They did a little Christmas show, it wasn't a nativity so they didn't dress up but they sang songs about what they liked about Christmas.  It was very cute and he remembered all his songs - as you can see, he was a twinkly star on a Christmas tree.

Anyway that's it for now, got a bit more wrapping to do them I'm going to sit down with a glass of red and watch Singing in the Rain - I love that film.

Hope everyone has a very happy Christmas and a wonderful new year - enjoy, I know I will!!!

Jo x

Less is More - Green

Hi everyone, hope you are all having a good weekend.  It's very wet and windy in West Yorkshire today, so I've managed to get some cards made this afternoon.  One of which is the Less is More challenge which has a Green theme.  Green is one of my favourite colours and here is my card...

Sorry about the picture, it's dark now and the autoflash on my phone makes pearlescent card very shiny.  Anyway, I typed the words Wishing You Peace on the computer and printed onto the card.  I then stamped the Craftwork Cards snowflakes in three different green memento ink pads, a bit of stickles and a nice green ribbon to finish.  Hope you like it, I've already had a look at some others and as usual they are fab.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend.
Jo x