Crafty Wanderings

SPLASH!!!

2012-01-28T20:42:00.005Z

My friend, Karen, from The Duck Pond supplies monthly kits ... Cardmakers' Kits or Blooms Kits. Lovely! Check out her site for more information!

Not long ago she sent me one of her kits to sample ... I was so excited! There were papers and buttons and lace and pearls and hat pins and bottle tops and card blanks and envelopes and ... well, here's a picture!!!

Here's a card I made using one of the papers and some pearls ...

And another using much more from the kit ..
I'm sure there'll be more soon!
Watch this space!
Thank you, Karen ... and thanks for stopping by to take a look!!!
Ruth xx

some cards

2012-01-28T20:38:00.004Z

calendar

2012-01-28T20:37:00.002Z

Last Christmas cards for this year!

2011-12-22T22:40:00.006Z

These are my last Christmas cards for this Christmas season! Went for traditional colours because I know that the people I made them for like them!

Dug out an old collection of stamps that someone was getting rid of for the image on this second card! Love that old Santa! LOL!

One Card - Two Colours!

2011-12-17T09:39:00.003Z

Here are two cards using the same design. How different they look in the two different colours!! I am not sure which colourway I prefer ... let me know what you think ...

Wish I could remember where I got that image - but I thought that it would be perfect for mam's friends who go to "chapel" with her.

The Away in a Manger music was part of a download from Printable Heaven.
The sentiment stamp is from Art Impressions and says:

This Christmas
may you see and know anew
how great His endless
love for you!

... and I am loving my swirls again!

I got an order!!!

2011-12-10T17:01:00.006Z

I have a colleague called Ruth ... she has never worked with anyone with the same name before. I on the other hand went to school with people called Ruth, there was a Ruth at guides and a Ruth at the place I used to work before, so I wasn't surprised to be working with someone else called Ruth again.

Anyway, Ruth asked me to make some special Christmas cards for family and friends. I don't often get asked by anyone outside the family to make cards for them to send, so I was hoping that these would be okay ... they were!!

The first one is for her parents. Ruth asked for a family of snowmen and I used a stamp that I love to use...

The next one is for her brother and she asked for a happy tree ... a lot of my crafty friends find it difficult to make cards for men. So do I!! But this was quite fun!

Now for her friends' kids ... I LOVE SANTA!!!! And I love this image from Dustin Pike!

Ruth's nephew likes a joke, so I thought that Santa getting stuck in the chimney would be just right for Jake!

Thanks for visiting! There's more to come so stop by again soon! xx

Seasonal ATCs

2011-12-10T16:57:00.003Z

The ATCs I made to swap over at the Charmed forum! Christmassy, with a bit of sparkle!

A few quick Christmas cards

2011-11-27T20:03:00.007Z

Very quick and easy!
Using papers and trees from a magazine... with a stamped sentiment (Cuddly Buddly) mounted on a scalloped circle (Nestabilities... cut using my Big Shot).
Snowflakes!
Another quickie ... die cut snowflakes and some embossing, again using my Big Shot! I love my Big Shot!!! LOL!
Stamping!
A snowman stamped onto card in black, but highlighted with a white gel pen to look like snow ... more die cuts and embossing!
Tea Bag Folding!
Made some Christmas Trees using tea bag folding techniques and mounted onto cards that have been embossed - one with snowflakes and the others with my trusty Swiss Dots folder!

I hope that there will be more photos to follow because I have some more ideas in my head! So thanks for visiting, and please come back soon!

Ruth x

Happy birthday, Uncle Mike! xx

2011-11-06T08:50:00.006Z

Happy birthday, Uncle Mike! Hope you have a great day ... wish we saw each other more often!

Image:
Just Inklined coloured with my Prismacolor pencils, with glossy accents added to the glass and bottle.
Sentiment:
One of many from Bluebirdflats blog

All mixed in with a bit of fun with punches and my Big Shot!!

Karen's birthday!

2011-10-30T19:44:00.005Z

Karen is my oldest niece! One card is from me ... the other is from my parents!

Both stamps were freebies from my favourite magazine - Craft Stamper!!! The second one is stamped on silver ... the same silver as the embossed square!
Love them!

Where Oh Where did all the time go?

2011-10-30T19:40:00.005Z

My goodness, how long is it since I last blogged???
Too long!!!

My sister ordered a few cards to send to some people who have special birthdays!! Two for ladies ...

... and one for an elderly gentleman called George!

The Leek Show!

2011-09-10T20:29:00.000+01:00

So, it was the town's leek show today... but they called it the Town Show because they had extra categories ... including handicrafts!!!

First here's my handmade card ... took me ages!! LOL!

And here's my (corner) bookmark ... first time I've made one of these!

OK, so I didn't win, but it was fun to try and dad wants the bookmark!
Thanks for stopping by ... see you again soon! xx

Me and my brayer

2011-09-03T13:35:00.001+01:00

You know when you add to your crafty stash thinking that what you get will be very useful and that you will get round to using it soon ... well, I got a brayer that has sat unused for ever and ever and ever ... until today.

I was watching Create and Craft TV because a friend had told me that Barbara Gray does a class once a month and that if I wanted to learn how to brayer I should watch her. Now I didn't have everything that she used in her class, but I did the best I could with what I had to hand ... and here is my very first attempt at brayering:

Of course there's loads of room for improvement, but I don't think it's too bad for my first time! What do you think??

50 happy years

2011-09-02T22:18:00.003+01:00

So my parents are at that age where a lot of their friends are reaching 50 happy years together.

What do you do when you need a card in a hurry and you don't have a lot of stash that you think you'd need for a golden wedding anniversary card ... well you search and search until you find a small sheet of gold card...

... then you use your new and already trusted Spellbinders dies along with some flower dies and a Cuttlebug embossing folder ... and a lovely bit of lace ... put them all together ...

... and this is what you get!

Mam was pleased with it and I was happy that I came up with something she liked with so little time and so little "golden" stash!

Thanks for coming over to look at my latest card ... I hope you'll come back again soon!
Ruth x

A Wedding Anniversary Card

2011-09-02T22:13:00.002+01:00

Here's an anniversary card I made for friends of my parents ...

I used some papers that came free with a magazine a while ago.
I am loving lace and my new Spellbinders dies.
The small rosebud I got in a box of crafty goodies from a house clearance!
All finished with a digi sentiment.
Simples! LOL!

Thanks for dropping by!
See you soon!
Ruth x

Another 100th birthday card!!

2011-08-14T21:00:00.005+01:00

A lady at church asked me to make a 100th birthday card for her sister in law! That's two 100th birthday cards I've made recently!!

That lovely image is a freebie! You can get it from Bird's Cards here...
...and the sentiment is another freebie from Netty's Cards

Of course it's coloured with my prismacolor pencils ... and I'm loving lace just now too!

Thanks for stopping by
Ruth x

My hat!

2011-08-07T09:08:00.005+01:00

I forgot to blog about my hat!!!

We had a ladies tea party at our church - to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support. There were lots of fun things to do ... one was to decorate or dress a hat. Here's a before and after picture of mine!

I just recently discovered how to make those ribbon flowers/rosettes ... they are quite easy when you know how!

Some other photos of our day...

Thanks for visiting me today ... I hope you will come back soon!

Wedding!!!!

2011-07-25T18:32:00.004+01:00

Congratulations to Stacey and Paul!
Their wedding was a beautiful event and I am so proud of them both ... I've never heard Paul say so much all at once as he did when he was making his speech ... and Stacey is just so special anyway (having known her almost all her life).

So ... I wanted to make a special card for such a special couple ... here it is:

I used a Crafts Too embossing folder (hearts), and a new Spellbinder die which is just FAB! A bit of lace, a ribbon flower (which I recently learned to make) and, of course, a charm to finish ...

I adore this image and wanted to use it as soon as I knew I would need a card for Stacey and Paul ... I was tempted to use it before now, but saved it 'specially.

You know me and how I hardly ever like the cards I make ... well, I was very very pleased with this one and hope that you like it too...

Thanks for stopping by!
Ruth x

Gary's birthday ...

2011-07-11T18:47:00.004+01:00

My youngest nephew plays various instruments, writes and performs his own songs both as a solo artist and as part of a group. His main instrument is guitar, so when I made his cards (one from good ol' Auntie Ruth and the other from Grandma and Grandad) I wanted to include a guitar and/or music...

I had a little help from a crafty buddy with this first image - Thanks Emily! x

Both cards use the Crafts Too embossing folder called Music Notes ... love the folder, but the problem I found was that it cut into the material I was embossing ... on the first card I embossed white card, on the second I embossed a used drinks can. If you held it up to the window you could see daylight through the places it had been cut into.

This second card has the cutest little guitar made using a Quickutz die (discontinued, I'm afraid).

Hope you like them! My next update will probably be dad's birthday card!
Thanks for stopping by ...
Ruth xx

Some new cards ...

2011-06-23T21:11:00.003+01:00

A lady at church asked me to make a card ... her sister will be 100! WOW!

Here is the card I made...

I lightly coloured the image with my prismacolour pencils and made the sentiment on my computer.

- - o O o - -

Another lady who attends our church will be 90 in a couple of days. I made a card for the church to give to her...I took the photo before I added her age.

I love making these flowers, so easy and so much fun!

Loved making these cards. It's not often you get to make a card for a one hundred year old!

Thanks for looking
Ruth xx

my little ditty!

2011-06-23T21:06:00.003+01:00

I had one of my "moments" at the bus stop after seeing some people rowing on the river as I left work!!! LOL!

Glue, glue, glue my craft
Let's try to make it gleam
Merrily, cheerfully, wearily, tearfully
It's nothing like my dream!

father's day

2011-06-19T20:22:00.002+01:00

"Friends" project

2011-06-11T08:45:00.005+01:00

I have a group of friends who "stick" together through thick and thin and we set ourselves a challenge ... to "create anything you like using the theme 'friends'..." which we will then swap with one another.

Here's my project:

As you can see it's not a card!
It started out as a scrap of MDF from my dad's garage! I cut up the MDF so that I have some left over for other projects. The pieces are all 5 inches by 4 inches.

I used my big shot to die cut some heart shapes, but I wanted them thicker than anything I had to hand, so glued a few together until I had the thickness I wanted.

Once the hearts were stuck to the board, and to create a bit of texture and soften the edges of the hearts, I covered everything with a few layers of tissue using a solution of PVA glue and water (half and half). I really liked the texture it created as I swirled it about a bit with my fingers!!!! I was happy so far...

The paint I used is pearlised so it has a bit of sparkle which adds a nice touch. A few more die cuts, a charm and some ribbon and I was almost finished ... a hand written sentiment (copied from a fridge magnet I got from another friend) and it was complete.

I actually think I like it and I hope whoever I swap with enjoys receiving it too!

Thanks for stopping by
Ruth xx

ATCs - water theme

2011-06-10T20:52:00.005+01:00

Tee set the ATC swap challenge on the Charmed forum - as you can see the theme was "water". Here are my ATCs

A wedding card

2011-06-10T20:52:00.002+01:00

Happy Birthday, Mike

2011-04-05T08:38:00.003+01:00

Mike is 70 today! He loves horses!

I made the rosette myself.
I used a graphics programme to make the striped paper ribbon because of everything I had in my craft stash nothing was "quite right".

Thanks for visiting
Ruth x

Mother's Day

2011-04-03T20:22:00.004+01:00

Just a quick piccy of the card I made for my mam for Mother's Day! She announced this week that she likes vintagy/distressed cards, but I am not sure about this one ... !

The papers are K and Co
Made the flowers myself
Sentiment is a wordart I downloaded some time ago

Hope you all have a great week ... I'll be back soon!
Thanks for popping in!
Ruth xx

Ruby Wedding Anniversary

2011-02-19T23:33:00.005Z

Here's the second attempt at a card for some friends of my parents ... LOL ...much happier this time! The first one was done with white card, this is done in cream and red which is much nicer to look at!

The flowers are made using a stamps from Craft Stamper magazine, which I love and have used LOADS ... The embossing folder is a Crafts Too folder. The frame is made using Nestabilities labels 1 and the little hearts are a Sizzix die.

Grab the sentiment if you want it!

Thanks for looking
Ruth xx

Cricket...

2011-02-08T19:50:00.003Z

Birthday cards for my brother in law!

I must take a break from that punch!

2011-01-30T17:33:00.003Z

How many times have I used this tag punch lately? Too often ... time for a break from it, I think!!!

A card for my Auntie Margaret ... when dad saw it he said "that's a real Mararget card!" ... so I guess I got it right then! LOL!

Thanks for stopping by!
Hugs Ruth x

Date Books

2011-01-01T15:18:00.009Z

I got this idea from Craft Stamper magazine ... and made one for each of my sisters. I wish I had a Bind-It-All machine or something ... would have been a much better finish, but this was the best I could do with what I had!

I did two different colourways to match their favourite colours. I have taken photos of the covers and some of the inside pages to share with you...

I think I might make one for myself too ... but first I have to make some extra pages for May ... we have waaaayyyyy to many events in May in our family! LOL!

This is the first time I have made anything like this, so please let me know how you think I have done! Thanks!

Happy New Year!
Ruth xx

KAREN ASKED : "Is it like a diary of events that have already happened? Or events to come?"

Well, it's like a perpetual calendar, so that you don't have to copy your birthdays and anniversaries, etc into a new diary or calendar every year... hope that makes things clearer!

Birthday cards

2011-01-01T15:17:00.003Z

A few Christmas cards

2011-01-01T15:08:00.009Z

I must remember to take photos of my cards. Here are a few I made - not the best ones!!

My sister bought some cards from me to give to people at work (hahaha - they sell cards in the shop she works at ... a newsagents). They didn't beleive I had made them ... said they were too good to have been handmade! YAY! I must be getting better!!! Actually this first one is one of the ones she took - she wanted something silly - but not too silly or rude ...

A mixture of stamps and digi images from Pink Gem, Digistamp Boutique, Dustin Pike, Charmed, etc!

Wish I'd taken a picture of the one using the Penny Black hedgehog ... that was my favourite of all the ones I made this year! Grrr!! LOL!!

More fridge magnets

2010-10-23T13:00:00.000+01:00

Well we did make fridge magnets with the kids on Wednesday - here are some of them ... there were many many more!

Some used patterned paper, some drew small pictures and other used tiny stickers we had in our cupboard! Great, aren't they?

Well done, everyone!

Karen's Birthday Card

2010-10-22T16:27:00.001+01:00

It's my niece's birthday today! Happy birthday, Karen!!! Luvya xx

I must have moved this card on my desk, because it ended up with the opening at the bottom instead of the side ... but that's okay!

I like the layout I used - it was a take on a sketch challenge we had on the Charmed forum recently - love it and will deffo use the sketch again soon!

Thanks for stopping by - hope to see you again soon!
Ruth xx

Quick and Easy

2010-10-22T16:25:00.004+01:00

I really like the Cuttlebug Embossing folder I used on this card - Daisies, I think!

Fridge Magnets

2010-10-13T17:52:00.005+01:00

Some time ago one of my friends visited New York and brought me back this fridge magnet! Well, I've looked at it and looked at it and thought I can do that! So.....
... I got some bits and pieces together: a magnetic sheet, a small circle punch, some clear glass gems (which must be going out of fashion cos you used to be able to get them anywhere, but when I was looking it took me ages to find them) ... and some bits and pieces from my crafty stash ...
Then it was simple!
Cut and decorate a small circle of paper and stick this to a magnet circle cut from your sheet
Glue this to your gem using PVA glue which dries nice and clear
Wait for the glue to dry!!! LOL!

Lessons learned:

Don't make your image too big - I had a tiny heart shape left over from something I cut out but it looks too big on the magnet because the glass magnifies whatever you use.
Small punched shapes are fine.
Small flowers etc cut from scraps of patterned paper work too.
Drawing tiny pictures using glittered gel pens are so pretty!

Here are some of my trial run magnets!

I think this might be one to make with the kids at our junior youth group next Wednesday evening! Must ask Sharon what she thinks!

Thanks for visiting!
Ruth x

Golden Wedding

2010-10-10T16:07:00.004+01:00

Every so often you meet people who will impact your life in an amazing way, people who are an example to follow, people who will be happy when you get things right, but who will guide you back to the right path when you get things wrong, people who welcome you into their lives in such a way that you feel as if you are part of their family - Norma and John are such people ... and they celebrated their Golden Wedding Anniversary this week. Congratulations!!!

Here are the cards I made ... one for my parents to send to them and one for me to send. I think I prefer the first one ...

Silver Wedding Anniversary

2010-10-05T16:40:00.004+01:00

Happy Silver Wedding Anniversary to my little sis and BIL!!

Photos are rubbish - thanks to poor autumn lighting!!!

You know sometimes you have a picture in your head and the card doesn't quite match up to it? Well, this is one of them! LOL!

Crafts Too embossing folder.
Inked and heat embossed with silver round the edges of the layers.
Numbers cut using my Big Shot and ribbon from my stash.

And then we come to this one - which looks more like a wedding card, although I do like it! I was very brave and stamped directly on to the base card before heat embossing the sentiment. That border punch was among the goodies I picked up at a second hand sale (where I got the stamps I showed you on a previous post). Actually I made it three times before I was happy with it ... then the photo turned out badly! Ho hum!

Male 21st

2010-10-05T16:39:00.003+01:00

For someone who takes video and is also a keen stills photographer...

Birthday cards (grab the sentiments too)

2010-09-24T06:00:00.001+01:00

It's my sisters' birthday today (yes, the apostrophe is in the right place - twins!).

I almost always try something new for their cards ... so this year I have made my first easel cards for them. Oh, and I made the sentiments for both cards myself too. You can grab them lower down on this post...

First is Judith's card ... every time I phone her she is either running a bath, in the bath, or has just got out of the bath!!!!! So I had to use this image for her card, didn't I? I have used some glossy accents on some of the bubbles to make them shine a bit.

Here's a closer look at the sentiment:

Next is Carol's card ... well, she loves hedgehogs ... so when I saw this freebie on Dustin Pike's blog, I just had to grab it for her card!! I love Dustin's images ... they always make me smile! Glossy accents again on the bag of marshmallows - and prismacolor pencils too!

Again, a closer look at the sentiment:

Now, I know that lots of other people provide sentiments and images on their blogs ... and they are probably a lot better than those I have created, but feel free to grab them if you think you can use them ... just let me know if you do use them! Thanks!

Have a great day!
Ruth xx

A little girl's christening

2010-09-23T10:30:00.003+01:00

A beautiful little girl is being Christened this weekend. Her Grandma is a friend and attends the same church as I do. Of course she wanted a special card to send ... she asked for purples because baby's mummy likes purple ... she also liked this wedding card, so asked me for something similar (perhaps with a charm too!) ... I delivered it yesterday and she loved it! Thanks Sharon!

The image is from Beccy's blog (which has freebies and some good tutorials too). Thanks for a great image! Oh, guess what ... I coloured it with my prismacolor pencils! LOL!

The verse reads:

You’ve been a special blessing
since the day that you arrived,
bringing so much happiness
and filling hearts with pride...
And now that it’s your Christening Day,
this brings a special prayer
that God will always keep you
in the shelter of his care.

Thanks for visiting!
Ruth x

A couple of cards ...

2010-09-22T16:26:00.005+01:00

A couple of cards for the ladies! I think I prefer the one on the right ... what do you think?

The images I downloaded ages ago ... so long I can't remember where from. The papers are K & Company and the flowers I made using a freebie stamp from a recent edition of Craft Stamper magazine.

I really want to get back into doing some serious stamping again. I have used digi stamps for a while, but you can't beat real stamps and real ink!!! LOL!

I also need to stock up on more papers when I have a bit of free cash!

Hope you like them!
Thanks for stopping by ... off to finish another card which I will blog tomorrow!
Ruth xx

Card in blue....

2010-09-19T20:31:00.004+01:00

I LOVE this stamp and I am certainly getting my money's worth from it! Mam likes it too and asked for it 'specially for this card for a friend

It's a Stampin' Up stamp

Thanks for dropping by! I really appreciate your visits!
Ruth x

Stamps!!!

2010-09-19T20:28:00.004+01:00

Look what I got yesterday...............

............along with much much more!
Amelia and I had a great day!

Happy birthday, hot shot!

2010-08-09T18:26:00.003+01:00

I was asked by one of my friends to make a card for her to send to someone who goes hunting. Well, that was a new one for me! Thank goodness for this image called "Jim - on the hunt" from Digistamp Boutique!

I was pleased to find the freebie digi image of the duck - so pleased I forgot to make a note of where I found it! So if you know - post a comment to let me know so that I can credit it properly ... thanks!

I think he's kinda cute and looks as if he is trying to tiptoe away before being caught!

The greeting was chosen by my friend ...

Anyway - she's coming to collect it on Wednesday, so I hope she likes it ... let me know what you think ...

Thanks for stopping by - I really appreciate your visit (and especially the comments you leave for me).
Ruth xx

Quick wedding card...

2010-07-23T15:40:00.003+01:00

Love this digital image from Digistamp Boutique ... I have lots of images which just show the bride, but the family knows the groom at this wedding, so I wanted a bride and groom ...

I also love the charm I used on this card ... just a cheapie from one of those "everything here is £1" shops.

AND I love deckle edges so the image has a deckle edge, as well as the edge of the card (which unfortunately doesn't show up very well in the photo)!

Thanks for stopping by! I have some ideas in my head so I hope I won't be away for too long before I blog again!

Dad's birthday!

2010-07-17T14:53:00.005+01:00

Last year dad was 70 so we planned a big surprise for him - a day out on a driving experience at Croft Circuit ... it was so special and was wonderful to see him grinning from ear to ear as the day came to an end. His favourite car by far was the Aston Martin V8 Vantage. Here's a photo of him just about to set off!!

I used this photo (cropped a bit LOL) ... to make a card for mam to send him this year ... not quite the same, but he loved it anyway!

This is the card I made for me to send him ...

A couple of "boy" cards

2010-07-16T17:15:00.005+01:00

I just got bored with your usual square or rectangle shaped cards so rounded off the front of the card .... and used a favourite colour combo ......

This one was following a sketch challenge on the Charmed Craft Talk forum ... but I never got round to adding all the other components I was supposed to use!

Country/Primitive ATCs

2010-07-16T17:13:00.001+01:00

Do you like the dried up grass from the hedgerows? LOL!

Black and White Card

2010-05-24T18:55:00.004+01:00

What do you think of this card? I used a free stamp from a Craft Stamper magazine and because the image is so stunning kept the rest of the card quite simple with no other colour to distract from the image ... this is also part of Carmen's challenge on the Charmed Craft Talk forum ...

Oh, the greeting is a stamp from "Stampin' Up" and the circles were cut on my Big Shot using Nestabilities.

Thanks for stopping by - I hope you will visit me again soon!
Ruth xx

An altered bag ...

2010-05-24T18:51:00.002+01:00

Carmen set us a challenge over on the Charmed Craft Talk forum - we had to alter a shopping bag to make it more personal. Mine started like this ...
And ended up like this! My mam thinks I should have made the tag with her name on it, so I might have to alter another bag sometime!

Wedding Card

2010-05-12T16:34:00.005+01:00

A couple of weeks ago Amelia and I went to a Cuttlebug workshop. One of the cards we made was similar to this ...

Mam asked me to make a wedding card for some friends, so this is my version of the card we made.

Recipe:
Cuttlebug roses embossing folder for background
Nestabilities scalloped circle
Shapeabilties fancy tags for greeting
Image is Hobby Art Stamps village church
Border is eyelet lace Martha Stewart punch

Hope you like it!
Thanks for stopping by! Ruth xx

Male Cards - golf

2010-05-12T16:33:00.002+01:00

Male Cards - car

2010-05-12T16:32:00.003+01:00

An Altered Canvas

2010-04-26T17:54:00.003+01:00

Today I have a picture of a canvas I have made for my crafting area ...

Do you like the flowers? Kathy had a tutorial on her blog recently and I wanted to try it out ... thanks Kathy!

I used some gesso and a sponge to texture the background a little, coloured with pearlised paints and added a couple of glittery stars that have been lying around in my stash box for AGES!

Let me know what you think ... thanks!
Ruth xx

Spring ATCs ...

2010-04-22T19:14:00.003+01:00

... for the swap on the Charmed forum ...

"The theme is "Spring" and you can interpret it however you like. Spring images, spring colours? Flowers? Fluffy bunnies?"

I used 2 Martha Stewart stamp and punch sets! Enjoyed making these!

A LO - Amelia and me

2010-04-17T15:39:00.005+01:00

Here's a scrapbook layout I have made today!
The picture is of Amelia and I at the leaving do we had after being made redundant ... it's one of the only photos I have of us together, so it was important to use it for this.

It was for a challenge over on the Charmed Craft Talk forum:

"Select a photo you'd like to use and pick one colour in that photo for all your papers and embellishments. So if you pick say blue, the papers and everything on the layout will be blue. Please include some stamping on a portion of the layout. Include an embossed element somewhere."

I chose the yellow colour from the light in the background! All the papers were from a pack that I had in my stash, and I used a Sizzix swirls die for embellishments.

My stamping is the journalling block at the bottom right (using two separate stamps) and my embossed element forms a border at the right and bottom of the page.

YAY! My mojo is coming back!

2010-04-17T15:33:00.004+01:00

A birthday card for one of my mam's friends.

Mam asked specifically for this image after seeing another card I made using it. It's a stamp from a Stampin' Up set that I fell in love with a while ago!

I used a Cuttlebug folder for the greeting block (Core'dinations card buffed with an emery board to distress and reveal the words). Oh and I used my new Nestabilites to create the frame for the image!

Hope you like it!
Thanks for stopping by - please come back again soon! xx

My new crafty space!

2010-04-12T18:56:00.002+01:00

Thought I would show you my new crafty space! It's in the corner of my bedroom ... the desk folds down against the wall ... perhaps, if it's ever tidy enough to be folded away!

Now perhaps I won't have crafty stuff in every room in my house - amazing what you can achieve when you have a bit of extra time on your hands ...

... and thanks to my little sis who just happened to have had the desk/table lying around in her garage!

21st Birthday card!

2010-04-10T20:43:00.004+01:00

I haven't made or posted anything for ages!

I found out that I was going to be made redundant from work and the news chased away my mojo! I had worked in the same place for slightly over 20 years, so you can imagine that the change in circumstances is taking some getting used to! Hopefully normal service will be resumed soon!

Here's the only card I've made recently - a quick and easy 21st card for mam to send to someone. She asked me for it about an hour before she wanted to send it and thankfully I had all the stuff I needed in my stash! (I think that the papers are from Mad About Cards).

Oh - do you like the scalloped edges? I got a whole set of blades for my paper trimmer from my team at work when I left! YAY!

Thanks for stopping by - I am working on some more projects and getting a new crafty area sorted out at the same time, so I will try to post again soon!

Hugs - Ruth xx

Embossing Folder Storage ...

2010-01-28T21:25:00.005Z

I was thinking about the way I store my embossing folders ... and came up with this idea! It's got to be better than having a pile of folders in a box which you have to look through to find the right one each time you want to use it!

The Sizzix folders are slightly larger than the Cuttlebug folders, so I made a "one size fits all" template and used this to make these little storage folders.

After making a few "trial" folders, I eventually came up with a final solution. The one I was felt happy with was to create a folder and put an example of the embossing on the front. I inked the edges and the embossing to make it stand out. There are little tabs at the top of the folders with the name of the embossing folder on it. Here are some other pictures:

Next step - alter the box I have to store them all in! LOL!
Hope you like this idea!
Thanks for visiting!
Ruth xx

My holiday project ...

2009-12-31T18:32:00.003Z

This is what I have been working on while I have been off work!

I bought a couple of stretched canvasses a while ago, but had only used one. Here is the second...

I coloured the background with distress ink ... it took ages to get it the way I wanted! LOL! I also used some silver cosmic shimmer over (mostly) the bottom of the canvas. A bit of lace and some flowers, some patterned paper and a photo. I love this scrap of lace that mam found in her sewing box!

The photo is my Grandma and Granda on their wedding day! Isn't it lovely?!?

I hope you like the finished project as much as I do!
Thanks for stopping by and for all your support and encouragement throughout this year!

Happy New Year! xx

Proud Auntie Photo!

2009-12-31T18:15:00.003Z

He gets all bashful when I say I'm proud of him ... but this is Gary (aka I'm Not Superman) playing at the O2 Academy in Newcastle - some of the songs he had written himself too. Most of the family were there as we are all so proud of him!

Well done Gary - keep playing and writing ... luvya xx

Card and Candle Set!

2009-12-16T22:52:00.003Z

Now, you know I'm not one to blow my own trumpet ... but I really like these!!! LOL! I made three card and candle sets for family members ... and a candle for myself! YAY!

I saw this stamp in the shops last year ... but couldn't afford to buy it then! Nothing was going to stop me this year because I loved it even more this time!

Stamped image with only a bit of red to bring some colour to it. A bit of bling in the centre of the flower (on both the card and the candle). Swiss dots embossing folder on the card and ribbon to finish off the candle!

Yes, this is one cute snowman!

Thanks for stopping by and supporting me throughout the year. It's been great to have so many visitors and such lovely comments on my cards and other creations.

I wish you and yours a very happy Christmas and peace and joy in 2010.
Ruth xx

Cuttlebug Christmas Tree

2009-12-16T22:47:00.003Z

Since I got my Big Shot I've used it almost everyday! I love it!

These cards were made with my BS, using a Cuttlebug Embossing Folder, some coloured papers and a bit of bling!

I prefer this one embossed onto matte silver card - it really stands out nicely on here and looks very Christmassy in traditional Christmas red!

Penny Black Nativity

2009-12-16T22:45:00.003Z

A couple of cards made using a Penny Black Stamp coloured with my faithful Prismacolor Pencils. Sentiment is Stampin' Up.

One stamp - two cards ...

2009-12-06T20:42:00.004Z

Stamp from Stampin' Up, coloured with watercolours. Love this stamp!

Anniversary card ...

2009-12-06T20:41:00.002Z

Stamp by Stampin' Up

Using my Big Shot!!

2009-12-06T20:40:00.004Z

A stitched card ...

2009-12-06T20:39:00.002Z

A Christmas Gift Box

2009-11-09T21:38:00.002Z

ATCs ... Theme: Home

2009-11-08T21:37:00.003Z

"The theme for this month is "HOME". Anything goes; interpret "home" any way you like and use any techniques/materials you fancy. So go for it!"

I made one black and white, one sepia and one coloured. A bit of bling ... red heart shaped gems ... home is where the heart is ...

A day away ...

2009-10-24T23:30:00.006+01:00

Today the ladies from church had a day away ... not far, but to a lovely retreat centre called Shepherd's Dene, which is situated in the beautiful Tyne Valley in Northumberland!

This week I made 20 cards and matching ATC-sized bookmarks ... same design, different papers and embellies. They were to put into the goody bags which the ladies were given to take home with them. Here they are all together ...

And one by itself ... the theme of the day was taken from Esther 4 v 14 in the Bible ... "for such a time as this" ... I used this phrase on the cards and bookmarks as a memento of the day...

One of the ladies enjoying the garden:

The view from our meeting room - isn't it beautiful? We even saw a red squirrel scampering in the garden as we were having lunch!

I love the colours of Autumn ... I think this is my favourite season of all!

check this out ... ...

2009-10-20T16:13:00.006+01:00

This is my nephew ... ... I am a very proud auntie!!!

It's not often ...

2009-10-10T11:20:00.005+01:00

... I like the cards I make ... now here's two in a row!

I love my tree at sunset and don't think it will ever get sent to anyone!

I also like this Christmas card I made as part of Tee's challenge on the Charmed Craft Talk forum...which was to include: lace, glitter, and some type of embellishment...brads, chipboard, bloom...etc...and some words...

My card has a bit of a distressed feel to it! I used my Sepia inkpad on parchment type paper. Coloured lightly with Prismas. Stamp is See D's which I don't often like, but I was given this set and love the Santa stamp!!

My niece saw this after I'd made it and asked me to send it to her!!! So someone else likes it too!!!

Tree at sunset...

2009-10-04T22:48:00.006+01:00

Karen at the Charmed Craft Talk forum challenged us to make a card this weekend to celebrate World Cardmaking Day! She said: "It can be any theme at all but I want you to try and do something a little daring, something that takes you out of your comfort zone and stretches you a little."

Well, I'm the person who always thinks that other people can do things better than I can, so I love to have lots of pretty patterned papers in my stash ... and I love digi-images and stamps!

Today I made my own background ... using watercolours to try to get a decent sunset effect. I don't know about the sunset, but I love the colours and they turned out much better than I expected.

AND I drew my own tree! Now trees are what I doodle most when I am in meetings, so I was fairly confident about this part of my card ... not one of my better trees, but good enough! Never thought to use it on a card before now though!

Very pleased with how it turned out, even if there are no extra embellishments on the card!

Thanks for stopping by! Hope to see you again soon!
Ruth xx

a birthday card ...

2009-10-03T11:40:00.004+01:00

... for a young friend who loves dancing!

Image from Sketching Stamper Digi-Stamps - isn't it lovely!? I coloured it with my Prismacolor Pencils...
A fellow DoCrafter (Angie) made the patterned paper!

Side step cards ...

2009-10-03T11:39:00.003+01:00

She passed!!

2009-10-03T11:33:00.004+01:00

My sister passed her driving test ... first a suitably girly card from me ...

and then a more refined card from mam and dad!

Happy Birthday, Amelia!

2009-09-21T17:20:00.002+01:00

Today is Amelia's birthday!
Hope you're having fun, sweetie!

Here's the card I made her - can you spot the squiffy bits? I mean apart from the fact that I put it together all wrong and the patterned paper was supposed to be on the bottom. and I only discovered it AFTER I'd stuck things down ...

Which? and What?

2009-09-19T20:30:00.002+01:00

Isn't this picture so cute? I fell in love with it as soon as I saw it! It is from Dustin Pike, who's pictures I have fallen in love with recently!

So here's the WHICH ... one I've coloured with my amazing Prismacolor Pencils, the other I have coloured with my much neglected watercolour pencils. Which one do you prefer?

As for the WHAT ... I'm not sure what to do with them now that I've coloured them! LOL!

Sorry I have been missing for so long - I'm blaming my lost mojo! It seems a lot of my friends and I have lost our mojos lately. I am going to make an effort to get back to blogging at least once a week, though ... really I am! I have some photos that I have taken in the last week, so I'll be back with them tomorrow!

My friend Amelia and I have been very busy at lunchtimes and have coloured lots and lots of pictures ... now I just have to make them into cards ... Christmas ones!! LOL!

AND I have some new stamps to play with!!! YAY!

Diamond wedding Anniversary ...

2009-08-16T19:19:00.001+01:00

A diamond wedding anniversary ... can you imagine that? 60 Years!
Congratulations Edwin and Nancy!

YAY!! George is back!!!

2009-08-13T19:33:00.002+01:00

I made this card for a friend to send to her brother! Guess how old he is!?!? LOL!

Apparently he likes fishing - so what better picture to use than good ol' George! I haven't used either George, or my Prismacolour Pencils for AGES, so I enjoyed making this. I particularly like the way I coloured the fish George caught (even if I do say so myself!!)!!!

A couple of cards ...

2009-08-13T19:29:00.005+01:00

A couple more I haven't posted yet...

A friend at work asked me to make this for her son's birthday - she loved it!

I made this one for a friend! Quite simple, but quite effective ...

Finally - a card I made!

2009-08-13T19:26:00.002+01:00

Here's a card I made for someone who no longer works at the same place as me - our department wanted to thank him for all he'd done to help us ... like the idea and might use it again sometime ... with a few adjustments!

The photo isn't as good as I would have liked - the mornings and evenings are already getting darker!

My first canvas!

2009-08-02T08:36:00.004+01:00

Tee set a challenge on the Charmed Craft Talk Forum a little while ago:

Get Creative with canvas....Please feel free to use any size canvas you wish to use but I would like see..
Paint (any type)
add some fibres
and I'd like to see some glitter also...
and of course anything else you would like to use.

I realised I had pictures and things on the wall from lots of places I have visited ... but not from India - SO ...

I painted the background of the canvas to match my new bedroom walls.
I painted the Taj Mahal using acrylics (thanks for the support, Amelia LOL)
I painted the Hindi wording using acrylics too - that's namaste (a greeting we often heard on our travels)
Then I used some money as embellishments (only about 20p worth)
The flowers to represent the garlands we had hung over us
The string (fibres) is because one day when we were out we quite by chance saw people making rope and I thought the string would be a good reminder.
There's also some glittery bits as Tee requested.
All in all - once I'd stopped worrying - I enjoyed this challenge and I am pleased with the finished result!

I think I might even be inspired enough to try my hand at more canvasses! Thanks, Tee!

Crafty Muse - photo inspiration ...

2009-07-17T09:30:00.000+01:00

There's another new challenge on the Crafty Muse blog ... this time we have a photo for inspiration. Wondering where to start? Take your inspiration from the colours, the shapes -- whatever you like... Here's the photo...

I used the colours! And an image of Milly Rose.

I've seen this style of card quite a lot lately and wanted to try it out! LOL!
I found the instructions on another blog - Creating Cards with Andrea. She calls it a side step card...

Here are three different views of the same card, so that you can see how the steps work - I have left the front "step" blank so that I can add a sentiment later.

Have a great week!
Thanks for stopping by - don't forget to leave a comment (I love to read them!).
Ruth x

Crafty Muse - recipe sketch ...

2009-07-03T18:25:00.004+01:00

It's time for another challenge at Crafty Muse! Sarah designed this sketch and also gave us a recipe of using ribbon and brads...

I used the Bride and Groom from the Marriage downloads - hope you like what I've done!

21st birthday!

2009-06-29T18:25:00.004+01:00

Mam asked me to make a card for her neighbour's son who was 21 a couple of weeks ago ... I used Mikey and his car for this one ... I coloured the car red to match the boy's car and used a download for the "21" panel ... the happy birthday is a stamp.

He loved it! YAY!

Father's Day

2009-06-29T18:23:00.001+01:00

This is the card I made for my Dad for Father's Day! When I was there yesterday it was still up!!

A 6th birthday

2009-06-29T18:07:00.003+01:00

How long is it since I blogged?????

I was asked to make this card by a friend - the instructions were a little girl on a swing and butterflies because they are the little girl's favourite things! I found the cute image on this blog ... the paper was something I downloaded and had on my PC ... the folded butterflies are something I haven't made for AGES (even longer ago than my last post LOL!)

See you again soon - thanks for stopping by!
Ruth x

Something I just wanted to do!

2009-06-13T18:53:00.004+01:00

Sometimes I make so many things for other people that I don't take time to make something just for me. All week I've been wanting to try something different ... ... ... so I altered an old key to make a new keyring!

First time I've tried anything like this! It was fun ... but I'll do better next time! My alcohol inks came out to play ... and a cute little teddy bear charm, which I'm sure I must have bought to use on baby cards, but couldn't resist! LOL!

Today I went charity shop shopping and got 12 random forks and a few strange looks for £1 ... all because I have another idea in my head! Hee Hee!

Hope you like it - I'd be interested in what any of you altered art fans out there think!
Thanks for looking!
Ruth xx

Graduation Card ...

2009-06-13T18:46:00.002+01:00

I recently discovered Dustin Pike's cute illustrations, and he gave away this freebie image just when I was asked to make a cute graduation card for a friend's daughter! Thanks Dunstin!

40th birthday card

2009-06-13T18:42:00.003+01:00

My friend Helen asked me to make a card for her to send to one of her friends ...

I used the Girls About Town collection from Charmed Cards and Crafts, some girly Dovecraft papers and a handbag charm.

Hurrah! So Proud...!

2009-06-10T17:15:00.004+01:00

Today I am so proud of my youngest niece - she's passed her driving test! YAY!

Here are a couple of cards I made for her. The first one is from her Grandma and Granda. I used some backing paper which was made by a fellow Do-Crafter and an image from Pink Petticoat!

This one is from me and took a little longer to make. Do you like her car? She saved up and bought it herself as well as paying for the insurance for the car and most of her lessons. All her long hours at work paid off!

I had to use PhotoShop a bit here! First of all I had to get rid of the "L-plate" and while I was busy I decided to change the number plate to match her name! The backing paper of this one is a map of the local area. She loves it!

Well done, Kirsty! I am so so proud of you!

ATCs using metal...

2009-06-09T19:26:00.004+01:00

The ATC swap for May over at Charmed Craft Talk was to make ATCs using metal..."It could be as straightforward as a brad or an eyelet, but the sky is the limit."

My first one uses a bit of circuit board, some craft wire and brads. I didn't like it at first, but looking at it now I think I do!

Next I cut up an empty can of pop. I had just treated myself to some alcohol inks (because I like to experiment from time to time) ... so I inked the can and then put it through my Cuttlebug ... yes, you can emboss the tin of a drinks can because it is quite thin! The embossing folder had flowers, so I also added some flowers to finish off the ATC. This one is my least favourite of the three ATCs I made... but I do love the colours of the inks!
Using the drinks can again and experimenting some more with my new inks ... this whole ATC is metal (apart from the sticker on the back with my name, etc on it) ... I wanted to keep this one LOL!

A card for a man...

2009-06-09T19:22:00.003+01:00

The challenge was to make a card for a male - grown up, not a child ... and to use no stamped or downloaded images...
My card uses some backing paper of DIY tools, some silver paper strips and a little spanner that I found when I was tidying my desk drawer at work! I inked the edges with silver ink and fastened the spanner on with a brad and some glue dots.

A few cards ...

2009-06-06T19:17:00.004+01:00

Just a few cards I've made in the last couple of weeks ...

Dottie's World : "Buttons or Beads"

2009-05-30T17:37:00.010+01:00

Great challenge (again) on Dottie's World this week! AND have you seen the beautiful new design AND joined in the party games?

Well, Adele said,

Buttons or Beads!

I have tons of them but rarely use them ! Dig deep into your crafty stash and embellish away. It doesn't matter how you use them, as long as they are visible on your creation. If you haven't got any (!!!!) improvise! Only other "rule" is that a Charmed Download must be used.

I didn't really want to make a card this week and it just so happened that we have a challenge going on the "Charmed Craft Talk" forum to make a mini book, which is what I have done!
I haven't done anything with the pages yet ...
I used a matchbox as my base and a pre-coloured image (because of the size) of one of my favourite Madison images. I also used a single button and lots of ink. I have very inky fingers and hope I can get it all off before church in the morning! LOL!

Have a great week everyone, it's good to be back!
Ruth x