Penny Black Celebration

The Penny Black challenge is celebrating it's first birthday and aptly the theme this week is "Celebration - Any Celebrations". There is also blog candy on offer so check out their blog to see what you have to do to be in with a chance of winning. The layout of this card is following Jeanette's lovely sketch for Friday Sketchers so is also my entry for that challenge.

I have chosen a card suitable for a new arrival using Penny Black 30- 304 from Stampalot stamped with versafine black and embossed with detail clear and coloured teddy with a mixture of Marvy and Sakura pens, adding glitter to the flowers and butterflies. The tree is from the same set ........ and before anyone asks why the apples aren't red, it's because they are Russet's which are golden coloured so match the colour theme ! The greeting stamped with versafine majestic blue is from Stampsmith and DP's are from October Afternoon which I found on a trip to Capture the Magic.

Cute Card Thursday 59 and Three Clovers Designs 12

Two into one again - Cute Card Thursday where challenge Challenge 59 is "Happy Mail, a card to cheer someone up or make their day!" and Three Clovers challenge 12 is "Cards for Mother, or sister, (or women) AND use Ribbon or Lace". Since this is the first year I haven't had a Mum to make a card for I have done one for one of my sons girlfriends who birthday is coming up.

The main image is a new Sarah Kay which arrived this morning in a little package from Janice at Stampalot, next day delivery as usual, what a service. It is stamped in versafine black and embossed with detail clear, coloured in with brilliance ink and then embossed with detail clear.

The DP'a are new Chatterbox ones from CTM, they are double sided so I cut them into sections and used both sides alternately. I thought the Hero CL300 greeting was just right for the CCT challenge stamped in black and cut with nesties. The little leaves were cut on Cricut storybook and sprayed with GM's, key lime, olive and gold and lightly shaded at the edges with brilliance rocket red gold. The tiny flowers are also inked with brilliance crimson copper and embossed with detail clear and are a really good match to the flowers on the DP. Finally, ribbon and lace across the card, a tiny bow on the little girls hat and gems.

Thank you pockets

7/5/09 - update: These little pockets have really captured peoples interest and I have received lots of requests for more detailed instructions. I should really have posted them up at the time, but have now done so and if you scroll down to the end of this post it's all there.

Good morning everyone, weather's a bit dodgy today, not as warm and had to close my craft room doors as the winds a bit blustery. Buffy's not a happy camper as she likes the best of both worlds and had to make a choice, in or out.

Yesterday I visited a new store to me Capture the Magic. Have to confess I'd heard about it but was told, quite incorrectly as it turns out, that it was just a scrapbooking store - how wrong that info was and I'm kicking myself I never went before as it's not that far away. I went for some lilac DP but naturally it turned out to be an expensive piece as there were so many temptations including some gorgeous ribbons that as yet haven't got beyond the admiring stage. Why change the habits of a lifetime ?

Anyway, Lisa was there demoing and she inspire me to buy some chipboard shapes and come home and try out one of her creations. My daughter who is a secondary teacher asked me the other day to make something suitable to give to her students who are leaving school in a few weeks after exams, so following Lisa's idea this is what I came up with.

I think Lisa's scalloped sheets were pre cut, but I did mine on the cricut (home decor), slightly more scallops but do the same job. I cut the DP's slightly smaller. Each pocket card is a half circle, so you get two from each cut. Sides are scored and turned in to the middle and decorated with ribbons etc. The flowers and circles are the new chipboard shapes, inked highlighted around the edges, then inked again and embossed with deep impression powder.

She wanted somewhere to write a personal note to each student so I have cut a large tag on the cricut (plantin schoolbook) to tuck into the pockets. I stamped each with "just for you" using Art Impression F3143 which was one of the stamps we used for the samples in Sir Stampalots Summer Watercolour C & C show.

Instructions for making these pockets: I cut the scalloped circles on Home Decor at 11.6" and the so-ordinating inserts slightly smaller. Each cuts in half so you get two from each cut. Lay each half circle out flat, measure equi distance from each side and score down the line. This provides the two flaps which sould just slightly overlap at the front. Use a strong d/s tape right across the very the bottom and fold both flaps to the middle to seal the pocket. Decorate with card, DP, ribbon or whatever you like as shown in my picture, this covers the front join. The tags were curt on Plantin Schoolbook and I made mine about 3.5" x 4" and stamped a greeting.

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