Need A Kick Up The Bum!

I really am going to have to start getting my act together with this crafting lark!

I keep neglecting the blog, as well as the craft, thinking 'oh, I'll do that tomorrow....' but as we all know, tomorrow never comes! I need to start getting seriously organised!

To do this, I have decided to take a pro-active approach, and have started challenging myself with card sketches. I get them through on email from Di Hickman, and wow! Are they inspiring?!! Every time one has come through spo far, I've thought about it...and that's as far as I've got! When Di emails all the results back out, the cards that have been produced are fantastic and I start to think 'I wish I could do that'! Anyway, I have finally taken the plunge and decided to submit my effort to Di for her to publish on her blog on 13/06/2007. I'm not allowed to show my effort until then, so as soon as I'm allowed, it will be here!

I'm also making a start on some mini books as a gentle way in to scrapping! One mini book is about Sarah, my best friend since school as its her birthday...tomorrow, actually! Whoops! See what I mean about not being organised?

The 2nd book is for Fathers Day. My hubby Simon is stepdad to Bethany, and she adores him. We have decided to put a book together about the 2 of them, using photos of them both together and B ethany is going to write little notes and words about why she loves him and what he means to her. I'm hoping it will turn out ok!

I've also got a couple of long standing 'ideas' which have yet to come to fruition, one of which is the journal for my friend Rebecca, who is due to land her bump at the end of August. I think this is enough to be going on with so far, but my lovely friend Lori (cathaircrafter) has a birthday soon too....but my lips are sealed as to what her prezzies are! So Lori - if you're reading this hoping for clues....SORRY!!! She came to my rescue recently, providing me with a 'wonderful' card sketch for a wedding card I was struggling with. I don't think any of the card sketch sites need to lose any sleep just yet...

Wonderful!

Alas, I didn't get to use it for that particular card, although I am keeping it for future reference in case of crafters block in the future!

Another Month Has Passed....

Since I graced this page!

So much has been happening, and NONE of it is card related! Surgery and recovery have had me laid up, and now I'm itching to get back to crafting. Unfortunately, my gorgeous little dog Lucy passed away on Tuesday, so this will now be my first step into the world of scrapbooking, as I want to put together a little album for her.

Before I was hospitalized (preferring to think of it as an 'enforced holiday'!) I managed to complete a few cards I had been asked to make.

The first 2 are cards for twins celebrating their 21st birthdays. I was asked to make them in black and white to fit the theme of the party. All was going well, until *shock*! I realised I didn't have enough of 1 style of font to make both names, hence the mix!!! Durr! So, lesson learnt this time - check, check again and then double check you have enough letters to make the names you need!!



Next up, a Prom Card. Well, this had me stumped for quite a while, but eventually...with the help of Pink Petticoat... I arrived at this!


So, all in all, not a bad effort!

DCM Mono Challenge

Here is my attempt at last weeks DCM challenge! The challenge was to design a card but only using 1 colour for all aspects. Although it is difficult to tell from the picture, the colour I chose was YELLOW. I started with a yellow square card blank and used scraps of paper to do the paper folding down the opening edge. I then used buttons, gems, beads, sizzix flowers, fimo flowers and Doodlebug frills, all in shades of yellow to add interest and embellishment.

Challenge Completed!

DCM Challenge

So, the DCM challenge this week was to be inspired by a work of art or an artist. As I said in the post below, I haven't a clue when it comes to art! Anyway, whilst flicking through some stuff, I came across a picture by Henri Matisse called 'Blue Nude'. This is one most people recognise from being sold in Ikea! After browsing further, I began to recognise some of the works as things I've seen before. I'd not realised they were all by the same artist, so perhaps I know more than I first thought! Matisse is a fan of bold colours, something I don't use as much as I should as I tend to favour pastels

After a bit more digging, I came across a picture called L'Escargot, which is the one I have adapted to fit the brief of the challenge.

Challenge completed!

Getting Back Into It!

I have just been back onto the DARING CARD MAKERS site, and have been zapped with some much needed positivity and challenge-itis!

The latest challenge is to be inspired by a work of Art. Any artist or genre can be used, and you are to create a card with them/it in mind.

Now, I don't really know a lot about art, I have heard of artisits, sure...but apart from the obvious ones, I wouldn't know a piece of artwork if it smacked me in the face! So, what to do? Well, I will be doing a little 'research', and I'll be back....!

'Proper' Crafting!

Today, I have handed over a piece of 'Proper Crafting'!!! I've made a couple of these before now, both wedding ones, but this is the first baby picture I've done.

I've been feeling yucky today, hence the lack of craft related waffle! Tomorrow is another day, as they say, so hopefully I'll feel more in the mood, less tired and more inclined to craft! There are a few cards and projects I'd like to try, so all being well, I will be able to report back and let you know that I have actually done something positive!

How Long????!!!!

I can't believe it's so long since I was last here! Where did March go??!!!

Well, actually, March passed in a whirl of birthdays, hospital visits, hospital appointments, more birthdays, hospital admissions...and another birthday! So, it didn't leave much of March left for me to get on here!

But! I haven't been idle, dear reader, no way. Cards and crafts continue to be made...sort of! My 'mojo' decided to leave the country and deserted me in times of need! It was a bit of a struggle trying to create when there was more chance of finding a swimming pool in the Sahara than there was me finding an idea!

Anyway, the problem seems to have been solved, so I'm able to show you an example of one of the projects I've managed to come up with....



This was made by request, and seems to have sparked off a mini 'shaker' card revolution! I have been asked for a few of these lately, which is good...since this is only the 2nd one I've done! Its good to get practising.

I have also been able to tick some things of the 'To Do' list too! Hurrah! It was getting longer, and I was adding more, rather than ticking off what was already there.

The 3 exploding boxes were completed...finally! It became a labour of love in the end, and although they were being made for 3 fantastic people, I think I'll be giving myself a break from them for a while! Unfortunately, I didn't even get chance to take a picture of them, although I think I was actually fed up of looking at them by the end of the mission!

I have also managed to complete 20 out of the requisite 30 Inchies for the UK Swappers swap. The swap leader very kindly agreed to make the final 10, so once again, although they are done now, its something I will not be revisiting for a while!