Mojo Monday #282: Baby Arrival Card

Seems like forever since I headed over to MojoMonday for a bit of a crafty challenge. I've been soo busy with the kids and I've been helping a dear friend of mine with her wedding invitations, and when I do need to make a card my brain has been a little scattered lately, so what better way to top up my crafty mojo than a Mojomonday challenge? Mojo Monday 282 to be precised. It's the last Monday in the Month so it's circle or square time :) This week's sketch was designed by Julee, and it is both simple yet striking.

 

 

 Isn't it a nice to have someone else worry about the layout while you just need to experiment with colours, patterns and textures? Often I get the colours and a vague idea about composition and have to spend the majority of my time experimenting with layout. I needed a card for a family friend I grew up with in Hong Kong who has just had a baby, and had this fab paper just waiting for the next little bundle of joy to appear.

 

 

I used the fab alphabet scrapbook paper (can't remember who it's by, might be MME) as my main feature and the added kraft card and the reverse of the gears card I used in my last post. I stamped the little feet image using Ranger Archival ink in coffee and aged the edges with Distress Inks: Broken China and Vintage Photo.

 

Please excuse the quick photoshop job on the latter half of the name, I always like to include the baby's full name as a keepsake and so I've obscured it for the family's privacy.

 



Colourful gears Card: Happy Birthday Granddad-in-law

I found this fab MME paper in my local craft shop Sparkle Dreams a few weeks ago and I've been dying to it but other projects are taking up a lot of my time at the moment.

 

 

Mr S' Granddad's Birthday is on Saturday and as this was the first masculine paper I came across in my paper stash I thought it was a good excuse as any to use it :)

 

I was inspired by the gear-like background to use my Donna Salazar dies, and added two labels. I used both 'Grandad' and 'Great Grandpa' to represent both the kids and our relationship to him, and tied them on with my trademark twine.

 

Inside the main gear I stamped a 'happy birthday' message and accented with little red gems. I think I may try another version of this card aimed more at boys, given the gears I almost want to try a robot, or maybe something simpler.



Apologies for the mess, craft room under construction

After 2 years of my expanding craft supplies, tools and paraphernalia being housed in the study/junk/guest room we've finally had a sort out!

 

Now the "junk" is less (or at least better organised) the guest sofa bed is visible and everything had been moved around to allow for my new "husband-built" desk. Here is a photo of the desk going in and my daughter with hands over her ears in case the drilling states again.

 

On a side note this is also a demo post to test the new blogger app, for updates on the go.

 

What's in your filofax Friday? #3

Just a quick update on my compulsive cataloguing of craft resources in my filofax. My distress ink colour chart from ranger is filling up rather nicely, in fact I've had to manually extend it to allow for the seasonal inks. I've also added one for Ranger's Archival inks and already linked to my memento chart in #2. I also made my own table for Canford Card colour samples, using templates from philofaxy :)

 



Happy Birthday Nan: Felt corsage broach and card

It's my Husband's Nan's Birthday next week, I wanted to make her a unique card which was a little less grungy that my more recent creations and a little more chintzy but I also wanted to send her a gift. I needed something that was easy to post, and so I reached for the felt and beads and came up with this corsage broach;

 

I have to admit I've really missed sewing, I made one sock monster and got halfway through a Shelf Elf at Christmas before we all got poorly and then Christmas cards and tags took over.

 

Somehow along the way I started designing a card around the broach, using a slightly glittery floral paper, prima flowers and paper lace, and punching two holes in the card to allow for the Broach back to be fastened inside the card.

 

Before adding the prima flowers I was starting to doubt myself but I think it works in the end, not sure my sewing is good enough to unleash this sort of design in the shop just yet, but if you can't make a special effort for family and friends who are you going to make it for?

 

 

Some old and something blue tag

Been rather busy with the kids lately (today we've been out in the snow all day today) and I'm helping design wedding stationary for a friend's wedding, as well as trying to add to the card and tag designs in my etsy shop.

 

 

I did however find time today to created a new tag based on a lovely new stamp of mine with the Bridal mantra "Something old, something new, something borrowed & something blue". It was cut with my Big shot, aged with distress inks, stamped with archival ink and embellished with diamante. It is available now in my etsy shop but wanted to share it here too. I even got to use my own personal 'something blue' for the photo shoot; my lovely (blue soled and lined) Irregular Choice 'Mrs Lower' heels :)

Back into some sort of routine and adding to my Etsy designs

A whole week back at school, and finally I feel like I'm getting back into a routine in my day to day life - just need to sort my blog life now, lol. I might be a little quiet at the moment as I'm helping a friend with her wedding stationary and trying to build my designs in my etsy shop now that the Christmas tags have been cleared up. I've had a few commisions over Christmas including items that have winged their way as far-a-field as Spain and Australia :) I'll be adding more as soon as I can. I'm trying to stay true to my deign roots with lots of Kraft and Twine, here are some of my favourites: