RAK...

One of the groups that I am in on Facebook was running a RAK (random act of kindness) swap and I was thinking that I had missed the boat as usual and would miss out, but thanks to two lovely people Pauline and Isobel I got to take part... So I decided that I had to make them a card - we are paper crafters after all! and I wanted something that would co-ordinate with this... I decided that I would cover a notebook and decorate it to match the card that I had made them.
First of all I chose the stamp set that I was going to use - Vintage Vogue I love this set and decided that I would chose very bright colours for my receivers - I chose rich razzleberry and melon mambo, I covered the notebook in the bright DSP with dots on and used the friend stamp to decorate the front and a strip of card stock to add some detail... I also had some buttons that were white and I used these to decorate the left hand side of the book. For the card I used the vine from the set and then stamped two of the flowers I have used - one on the card panel and the second on to a scrap piece of card stock to cut out and add to the card - sticking them on with dimensionals... I love the effect that gives for using something that we normally throw away - who else keeps nearly ever scrap of card that they have?? I know that my scrap holder needs a very good sort out where I have to be very harsh with myself! lol
I added the card panel to the card stock and then on to a white square card blank. I added some white satin ribbon to the side of the card and stapled this on...
I hope my ladies liked their gifts and I loved taking part in this swap - it is always lovely to receive something that is handmade through the post!
Thank you for taking the time to read my post - Debbi xxx

Exciting News!...

OK... I can FINALLY tell you my exciting news that I have kept to myself for the last couple of weeks (I am very proud of myself for managing it!) I have been accepted as one of the Design Team for The Crafty Pad. I am so excited as there are some great images - here is a link to the challenge blog where you can see my bio along with the new design team members... I hope you will play along with us - there are some great challenges coming up!
I said at the end of last year that I was going to make a better year for both me and my family and I meant this in terms of everything, but where my paper crafting was concerned I decided that I would dedicate more time to crafting and make sure that this was constructive!
So here is to an exciting and crafty year!
Debbi

shabby chic...

I have had the stuff to make this card on my desk all week and I have only just got around to it this morning... I decided on the colour scheme before anything else and then I picked the stamp set, I didn't really know what I was going to create so just sat down and began with a card blank and as a crafter this is something that I very rarely do - I always have an idea of where I want my creation to go... However I was very pleased with the result.

I made two panels one in craft and one in baja breeze distressed the edges and then inked them. I then made a whisper white panel and added the image from Just Believe stamped in versamark on which I sprinkled heat and stick powder and then added dazzling diamonds I love a bit of sparkle!- I then sealed this with the heat gun again - once I had sprinkled lots of glitter over my desk, myself and the floor.

I added binding ribbon in craft t the left hand side of the card with a knot detail and then added the sentiment from close as a memory and this also had distressed and inked edges... I also added a button to the sentiment

I am not sure if this is really classed as shabby chic - but I loved making it...

Thank you for taking the time to look at my card - Debbi x

with sadness...

There seems to be such sad news about at the moment - I found out this week one of the girls that I grew up with has passed away also younger than me and another victim of cancer... So sad it makes you think of those closest around you and makes you cherish loved ones... It has also made me think about the people that try to cause trouble around you and that if you give them any reaction this is what they are looking for... So I have been thinking a lot this week and I am sure that it is not good for me! ;-)
I had a email this morning that did make me smile - I have been made the blog of the week by Crafty Bloggers Network ( I have linked to their blog so you can take a look!) So if you are new to my blog - welcome and I hope you like my craftiness!
The card that I have made this morning is a sympathy card for my friend's family and something I found quite difficult... I have used the main stamped image from Just Believe - you will have guessed that this is one of  my favourite stamp sets! However I feel that the silhouette suited what I wanted to create. I stamped the image in basic black and inked the edges of the layer. I stamped the sentiment from a retired stamp set from Close as a Memory. Again inking the edges. For the background I used a piece of whisper white card and stamped the background. I added two brads for detail and 3 card candy on dimensional to the bottom left of the card.
Thank you for taking the time to look at my blog and I hope you like my card! Debbi xxx

trying something new...

A few days ago one of my new facebook friends and also a fellow crafter asked if anyone would like to try out a digital design that she and her daughter had been working on. I emailed her and she sent me a picture - I am very new to using digital designs but I have to say I love this. The size of the flower is perfect for colouring and creating depth and there is also a butterfly that adds great detail too... Here is the link to Rachael's blog I think that you will agree she is very talented.
So to create this card I was thinking bright... I decided that I would use my polychromos to colour the image although the effect that this gave was not up to its usual standard as the card that I printed this on was not as glossy as the card that I usually use...
I tied to match the colours that I have used to my Stampin' Up! card stock - and they are not far off! I chose the colours melon mambo and wild wasabi... Inking the edges of the card stock on every layer I stapled a piece of white ribbon to the right hand side of the image and to the right I added three pearls. In the bottom right hand sde of the card I stamped friend to friend as the sentiment.
I attached the layered image to a white card blank and off set the to the left hand side. I then added three pearls to the card blank and also inked the edges of this too.
I hope you like my card and thank you again to Rachael and her daughter for letting create something with their image - loved it!
Thanks for taking the time to look at my card - Debbi xxx

and I have just realised that I have stuck the image on upside apologies I could say that it was intentional but I would be lying! So please pretend that the butterfly is flying off into the sky as she should be! *blushes* xxx

POSTCARD CHALLENGE 2012! the postcard...

This week we find ourselves in Wales and I know I have said this nearly every week but again I did struggle - as mainly a card making and a stamper it is sometimes difficult to come up with a suitable image that represents the country in which we should be... So I did find a magnolia stamp where the girl was holding some flowers and for the purpose of this post - the flowers that the girl is holding are DAFFODILS!
I decided that I would use a simple image and create a background on the card that kind of went with it. I coloured my image using my polychromos and sansador I am loving this technique I love the depth of colour that you are able to create relatively quickly.
Once I had finished the colouring of the image I then inked the edges of the image using daffodil yellow from stampin up and mounted the image on wasabi green and then again onto daffodil yellow card.
I mounted this onto a plain white background and then used the large stamp from Just believe to create the background and luckily some of the flowers on this stamp look like daffodils! I then stamped off the stamp in wasabi green fill in some of the gaps where needed. I am pleased with how my card turned out but didn't really get inspired by something to create it... I think more research is needed this week...
However onto the story... Annie is replying to Teddy it says 'I am in Wales. The flowers the girl holds are daffodils still my favourite... They say time is a great healer but the hurt you caused doesn't, the lies don't go away - Annie

pink and blue...

I love these colours together - so here is a card that I have made with the combination where I have again used my pro markers... This was an image that I coloured last week at craft group and having not picked up pro markers for over a year I was kind of pleased with the results - one thing I know I was using incorrectly was the blender pen, so I picked up tips on how to use it more effectively and also the shadow line in grey around the whole image I had seen this before but never done it I was surprised aat how different it made the image! I have mounted the image on rose red card and marina blue card. I have added a strip of white satin ribbon to the left hand side of the card and also used a stampin up sentiment.
I hope you like my card and thanks for looking x
Debbi x

Monochromatic...

I have been having a great time over the last few days colouring! One of my favourite things to do when making cards and the more 'types' of colouring and techniques that I can use the better. I decided that I would try a challenge that Debbi had set herself for using her pro markers - Please take a look at her blog so you can see the result that she had! Using just one colour and a blender pen - something that I have never tried before so I gave it a go... I don't think that my attempt is as striking as Debbi's but I think you will agree it looks pretty good and I love the fact that you can create so many shades by just using the one colour... I have used the colour cool grey 2 and the blender pen and an image that I got from craft group last Saturday (sorry I don't have the name)
I decided to take the image and create a card that I could enter in a monochromatic challenge and I am really pleased with the result - I have kept the card very simple and not chosen to add another colour just enhance the grey using Stampin Up's shimmer paint inking the edge of the card blank and stamping the sentiment which I, have taken from Just Believe. I have used basic black card and basic grey. The panel that I have put down the left hand side of the card I have made using scraps off DSP left over from when I covered the mirror (a few posts ago!)

I hope you like my card and thanks for looking I will be entering the card in the challenge on Crafty Cardmakers

Quick Crafting...

So today I have spent far too many hours looking at crafty stuff whether it be on the internet or in my room! and not done any of the crafty projects that I have been thinking of! So I thought that I would take a quick 1/2 hour and make a very simple photo frame and card to match... I have been looking at all the gifts that are out there to buy and very few have cards that match the same design, being a crafter I am sure that you will agree this always makes a gift better when everything co-ordinates and matches! and for those of us with OCD tendancies when it comes to crafting it makes you feel a lot better :-)
So I have have a taken a photo frame and randomly stamped two of the flowers from green house garden using the colours pumpkin pie and daffodil delight, two colours that look great together and two colours that I very rarely use! I stamped the middle of the flower in basic black. I used the same colours for the card that I have created and I have mounted the layers in the same colour card stock, inking the edges of the card also. I hope you like my project and thanks for looking Debbi x

all you need is LOVE...

I can now post hubby's card as he did eventually get it yesterday - although it wasn't in the morning as I wanted because he couldn't wake me up! one of the downsides to all the medication I am taking I sleep like the dead when I finally drop off! 

For the card I decided to use some stamps I had used at craft group on Saturday that one of the ladies who runs the group had brought with her - a great idea that many of them bring stamps that we can all share. As we will all have different ideas and tastes. So thank you Gwen!

These are the flowers that hubby bought me and the are beautiful I cannot believe how big the flower heads are they are huge! 

I coloured the images using my promarkers that I haven't used for months and have sold some in recent weeks as I didn't think I would go back to them hhhmmm maybe changing my mind here!

I then cut the images out and decoupaged the middle one by just highlighting the heart I used a square card blank and decided to make this into a gate fold card and I mounted red and black card onto this. I am entering this card in the challenge on crafty bloggers network - the theme is all you need is love! A very simple card but I think that it is very effective and hubby seemed to like it! Thank you for taking the time to look - Debbi x 

POSTCARD CHALLENGE 2012!

The card this week was from Belgium and I will be hinest I struggled again! but the idea I came up with I am really pleased with the end result! I couldn't find an image for inspiration that I was happy with so took to google and decide that I would search artists first of all and then look for one that I like - this is where I came across the artist Pol Ledent. As you will see his work is beautiful and the images that I have found are all beautiful - some of his work reminds me of Monet and the image that I have used for inspiration i think will show you why.
This image stood out to me straight away and I love the depth of colour that is used and look at the sky in the background - love it.
This is the first attempt of my card and you will see that it is much too dark for what I wanted to create - although I do like the brayered sky being that dark. Once I have done that I inked the edges and then babywiped the card as well.
This is my finished card and I am sure you will agree the sky is much better for what I was looking to create. I  have brayered the backdround in night of navy and then again from the bottom in bashful blue. I then dabbed a babywipe in ink and all over the surface of the card.
I chose to use the stamps from pocket silhouettes and I love the effect that these created and I finished the card with the tall tree from lovely as a tree. I also stamped some of the images off to create a softer effect.
I am really pleased with how this turned out.
Now to the story - this weeks card is to Annie and Teddy is apologising for a mistake that he made and wanting forgiveness!

BLOG CANDY... THE WINNER!

First of all may I say thank you to all my new followers, today I have brought my blog candy to an end and I have used a random number generator to pick a winner - as I would never be able to pick one! I would like to thank you all for my lovely comments and I welcome all the new followers to my blog - I hope you will stay and continue to support my little old blog! Your comments are much appreciated and I look forward to visiting your blogs in return to see what you have been up to! There are some very talented people out there! x
For the random number generator I have just counted the number of comments and then counted down the number it listed.... So the winner is Linda! I have linked to her blog...
Linda if you could contact me to give me your address I will get your package posted x
Thanks for taking part - Debbi x

BLOG CANDY...

To celebrate the fantastic number of hits that I have had to my lovely blog since I began I am going to put up a blog candy for one of my lovely followers to win - there are two parts to this... Firstly you will all know that my first love for any crafting at the moment is Stampin Up there are 3 unmounted stamp sets, a reel of ribbon, a tub of buttons and a tub of brads and my second is any stamping there are some Penny Black stamps there is a set of 4 stamps they are used but all stamp perfectly! a magnolia and a gorguss girl! x
If you would like to be in with a chance of winning this blog candy then please add a comment to the end of this post and if you are not already a follower - please add yourself! so good luck and a massive thank you for all your support in the last couple of years - I hope you continue to support me and the what I mange to create when I get inky!
Thank you once again - Debbi x

THIS OFFER HAS NOW FINISHED - THE LUCKY WINNER WAS LINDA SIMPSON xxx

notebook

Here is a notebook that I recently covered for my friends birthday I have just covered the front cover of the pad to make it a little more interesting than the cover that was originally on there. I have used Stampin Up card, DSP and accessories as usual! I used textured card that just adds a little more depth to your work than the smooth card - especially when there is more of it to see. I then added a panel of DSP to the cover to the right hand side leaving this slightly offset to the left. I then added several ribbons tied to the wire binding of the notebook.
The sentiment that I have added is lovely and one that I have had for years - it is a penny black and I think that the words are beautiful - it reads 'Friends are angels who lift to our feet when our spirit has trouble remembering who to fly' so lovely and so very true! I have then mounted the words on daffodil yellow card to match the birthday card that I made her.
I have added a row of pearls to the panel of DSP on the cover to add a little 'bling'...
I hope you like the notebook and thanks for looking - Debbi x

something different..

Sorry I have been quiet - I have had a busy weekend and am struggling with my back and the amount of pain I am in, getting comfy is proving difficult at the minute even with the pain killers I am taking! I have been doing some crafting so may do a couple of posts today!
Here is a mirror that I altered at the end of last week - I decided that I would use a sheet of stampin up designer paper in black and white and tear it up into various sized pieces I then painted PVA glue all over the surface of the mirror and the began to add the pieces using all the straight edge pieces at the edges of the frames first - I then just layered them up around the mirror frame and covered the whole mirror in PVA once I had finished it I am really pleased with the overall effect... I am not able the take credit for the little heart though my 6yr old son punched that out and and wanted it gluing to the actual mirror! craftiness must be running in the family now...
I hope you like the mirror and thanks for looking - Debbi xxx

As an after thought I have added a close up of the mirror - so you can see how I have layered up the paper x

Birthday Bee...

Well this week my friend FINALLY got her birthday card which means I can now post a picture of it... It should have been posted on Saturday and then the estate where I live got snowed in just as the post office was shutting. I live on a very steep hill and if the snow comes down quickly we just cannot manoeuvre safely until the gritter has been and Saturday saw something I have not seen for a very long time - A SNOW PLOUGH I was very excited! and yes that is very sad!
So the card I made her is using one of my favourite stamps and the rabbits are dressed as bees... A pretty image in itself but as we are both called Deborah it has a double meaning - Deborah is the hebrew meaning of bee. I have coloured the image using my NEW polychromos and have mounted the image on daffodil yellow and basic black card. The sentiment is from a Stampin Up hostess sets and mounted on the same colour card. I added three pearls for detail in the bottom left of the card and inked the edges of my card blank. I kept the layout of the card very simple as I wanted to concentrate on the meaning and colour of the image and the words to the sentiment.

I hope that you like my card and thank you for looking - Debbi x

creations by Gill

 Whilst looking at the many brilliant blogs I have found recently I came across Gill M through Linda's blog... The challenge this month is a colour challenge using the combination turquoise and brown - two colours that I love together. For this card I decided to use on of my Penny Black images and I stamped this on to whisper white card. I stamped two images and decoupaged the second onto the first layer. I painted the images using my ink pads and an aqua brush. Once I had completed this I inked the edges of the image in crumb cake ink. To a whisper white card blank I inked the edges of the card in turquoise and then added a panel of crumb shiny card from my stash. I also inked the edges of this, To this layer I added a ribbon detail to the left hand side of the card. I stamped happy birthday on whisper white card and inked the edges of this in crumb.
I hope you like the card and thanks for looking (make sure you enter my blog candy!) Debbi x

Inspiration...

When I was having a look through the blogs on CBN one night this week I came across Elaine's blog and she had posted a great canvas (I have linked to her blog to show you!) It gave me a great idea for a little card. As we know Valentine's Day is fast approaching and this card is perfect!
I took a small square card in whisper white and punched a large heart through the front. I inked the edges of the card in real red and then I punched out a number of little hearts - I used the sentiment from hope and strength and double mounted this on red and black. I then put the little hearts around the edge of the punched out heart. I love the effect that this creates! I also added two little hearts to the inside of the card.
I hope you like it and thank you to Elaine for the inspiration! Debbi x

POSTCARD CHALLENGE 2012!

I will start todays post with the back of China's postcard that I forgot to post last week - as the contuing stort wont make sense without it! and apologies that I did not post this last week! lol I have remembered the photograph this week!
Today we find ourselves in France and as soon as I read this I know that I would be using one of my favourite stamp sets from SU Artistic Ethchings - I love it and have made many cards with it!
I decided that I would again use my new best friend - my brayer and try something slightly different this time I wanted to have a seemless background but with three colours that you could see rather than a graduation - I hope I making sense here!
So I firstly used orange on the postcard blank, followed by red and then basic grey I am really pleased with the effect that this gives and love that you can see all three colours - I have tried to take a close up of this I hope you see it too! I then randomly stamped the word stamp from the set all over the card in basic grey. Once I completed this a made a small panel and stamped the Eiffel Tower on it and I then mounted this on pumpkin pie and then again in real red and basic black. Around the edge of the card I added a basic black border and I feel that this just frames the Eiffel Tower stamp nicely.



This weeks card reads
Thanks for taking the time to look at my card it is much appreciated and so are all yous comments and support!
Debbi x

so blue...

The challenge over on Emma's blog is this week is shade's of blue... The card that I have created today uses three different shades. I have used a blue card blank, and inked the edges of this using my blue ink pad, I then added a panel of blue DSP and inked the edges of this in blue ink. On top of this I added a piece of very vanilla card and again inked the edges. stamping on this the main image from notably ornate and then the sentiment for you. To the left hand side of the card I added a piece of blue ribbon and on top of this I attached three buttons - also in blue! Blue is one of my favourite colours and I love how different shades compliment eachother and make the card stand out.
I hope you like my card and thanks for looking - Debbi x

Flutterbies...

The first challenge I have completed as a design team member of cards galore is Butterflies and although there are many stampsets to chose from I did find this quite difficult - I love butterflies but often find it difficult to create something I am pleased with - I am sure that many of us feel the same! with many of the things that we are creating! The card that I have created today is using a whisper white card blank with the colours basic black and rich razzleberry. I added a black panel to the card blank and then on top of this added a rich razzleberry one. On this I then added a very vanilla panel to add a little contrast and this was also textured card.

At the top of this panel I stamped the crest stamp from hope and strength and and also chose the words from this set - they are beautiful... At either side of this I stamped a butterfly and then I inked the edges of the panel. I also created a bookmark in the same colours using the same butterfly and I have just added a piece of linen to add a little detail to the bottom.
I am very excited for the journey I am undertaking with the challenges from cards galore and cannot wait to see where my crafting takes me this year! I hope you like my card and this inspires you to take part in our monthly challenge! Have a look at the design team members creations they are great. Thanks for looking - Debbi x