Sending Thanks - RS #83 and PP#165

As soon as I saw the challenge at Retro Sketches, I wanted to die cut half of the largest shape in Framelits Apothecary Accents(127003) and use the paper piercing tool and Essentials Paper Piercing stencil(126187) to create a faux envelope flap to suit that sketch.The paper piercing adds a nice finishing touch to that pretty shape.

Next, I teamed it with the Tic-Tac-Toe challenge #165 from Paper Players, its such fun deciding which combination to use. I have gone with the top line: Thanks, Button, Ribbon. I DID have a bit of a struggle threading the ribbon through the holes in the button! The Very Vintage Buttons are so pretty, don't you think?

The card is Soft Blue and Very Vanilla and after I had used Summer Silhouette to stamp the base in Smoky Slate, Soft Blue and Marina Mist, I put it through the Big Shot to dry emboss with the Modern Mosaic Embossing Folder.

The prettiest 'thanks' I could locate in my messy room today was this retired one, I'm sure if I tidied up I could find more things. Maybe tomorrow.......

Don't forget to click on the links to see some more inspiration,

Rachel

Update:Exciting news for me, I got a SHOUT-OUT from Retro Sketches for this card!!!

Pretty in Pink FMS #105 and DD #72

Spring seems to have arrived in the southern hemisphere, the sun is out and I feel happy!

I have had a lovely weekend despite feeling a little unwell with a sore throat, but an early night and 11 hours sleep seems to have helped. We had afternoon tea yesterday to celebrate my son's birthday with his family and today we enjoyed our garden in the morning and visited friends in the afternoon. It's so nice to get together with friends and family, and there seems to be more time to do that as the days grow longer.

I'm loving this sketch at Freshly Made Sketches, it is so versatile that I made another card this evening using the colors in the Dynamic Duos challenge.
The greeting is from Feel Goods, the oval chevron and flower are from Oh Hello and the colors are Blushing Bride and Primrose Petals.

Glad you popped by to take a look at my card,
Rachel

Epic Birthday PP164

It's funny the way things work out sometimes, isn't it?

I began to play with this Paper Players sketch challenge rather too close to the deadline, using 'pretty' colours. I just couldn't think of what I would use for the centre element, till I remembered this joyful pup from Storybook Friends. Somehow, his exuberance didn't seem to match the quiet colours I had already put together, so I have shelved that card for another time, while I pulled out This and That Epic Day DSP  and placed it on a base of Baked Brown Sugar. I used the Big Shot and Framelits Oval collection to cut the image and a slightly larger one to frame it and because I stamped with Black Stazon Ink, it was safe to water colour the puppy with Baked Brown Sugar. The Lucky Limeade strip at the bottom was also cut on the Big Shot with an Edgelit - Finishing Touches. There is this zig zag one and also a pretty lacy one in the pack.
I have also used a curved birthday greeting from a retired stamp set, Crazy For Cupcakes, because the curve works so well with the image and the oval framelit.

Twine threads easily through the holes in the button.

It's almost the weekend, hope you have a good one, 

Rachel

Freshly Made Sketches #105

I have been visiting  Ireland, United Kingdom and Paris over the last seven weeks. A fantastic experience, but a long time to be away from getting crafty, so I am having a bit of trouble getting the creativity happening. My second son turns 34 this Saturday, and my 4th son will be 26 on Sunday week, so I have to get a couple of masculine birthday cards organised.

I headed over to check out the challenges for inspiration, and thought this sketch  by Allisa Chilton at Freshly Made Sketches was a great starting point. I chose shades of grey with Smoky Slate card  cut to make a 5 inch square card stamped with a splatter stamp from Gorgeous Grunge in Smoky Slate as well. I used a retired DSP, Howlstooth and Scaringbone from last year's Holiday Catalogue, but you can check out the current Holiday Catalogue for some other great 'manly' papers. 

I inked the rubber of the  birthday greeting stamp from Delightful Dozen with Basic Black and Cherry Cobbler Stampin' Writers, and added a fancy speech bubble paperclip from Hung Up Cute Clips. You'll find those clips on page 170 of the Annual Catalogue, there are three cute images ( 8 each of a
coathanger, arrow and the speech bubble).

I hope Jake likes the card, and I hope he has cake! He has two little boys who we missed so much while we were overseas, we visited as soon as we arrived home, taking cake with us. I didn't realise how cake-crazy those boys are, especially the younger one!



This is an easy card to make, and if you pop over to Freshly Made Sketches, you'll find a lot more ways to use this great sketch. Any questions about the products or technique, please email.
 Thanks for dropping by

Rachel

Happy Anniversary

I had a friend come over for a stamping session recently. She was so excited that her dear niece had become engaged and wanted to make her a special card. So off we went to Pinterest and found this gorgeous card by Heather Klump and my friend proceeded to make her version of the card complete with the paper piercing, while I made an anniversary card.



I think maybe this is a little TOO pink to give to my sweetheart, but today is our wedding anniversary, so Happy Anniversary darling. Home in our own bed tonight - lovely!

Rain or Shine with three cute umbrellas was a Mini catalogue line that wasn't carried over :(  - we said goodbye to it at the end of June. We both used the heart stamp from Love and Laughter and my friend used the greetings in that set too, while I grabbed A Word For You (retired), I love the script on those stamps. Mainly I used Strawberry Slush and Bermuda Bay, with some other pinks mixed into the hearts. Aren't these NEW colours lovely?


Cheers
Rachel

Paris!

We're in Paris!

My husband and I have been travelling around Ireland and England for a few weeks now, catching up with some of my relatives, and doing a LOT of sight-seeing.

Our trip is coming to an end, our wedding anniversary is in a couple of days, and although it isn't a big one ending in zero, we have been married for more than thirty years, so it's big enough to celebrate in Paris.

We've come from London on Eurostar, with no real plans except dinner up the Eiffel Tower and I was playing around with a few of my stamps and came up with this little piece to be the heading for my scrapbook page, I think.

Most of the stamps are retired now, but they will remain in my stash for some time yet.
Artistic Etchings has Amour and the Eiffel Tower, Elements of Style is the lovely roses, French Foliage has the Paris postmark and the scrap of script (a french poem) and the NEW stamp set Really Good Greetings is what inspired the whole idea! It actually says "finally a day that Really is all about YOU" but that was easy enough to leave off and change to "us".

Au revoir,
Rachel

Thanks Much Six-sided Sampler

This is a simple CASE of a card in the Stampin' Up! Catalogue, page 125. It uses the stamp set Six-sided Sampler and a clever (but easy) little punched out centre.
The colours are Coastal cabana, Smoky Slate and Pistachio Pudding ; lovely and restful, aren't they?
I used my Stamp-a-ma-jig for placement, it didn't end up exactly the same, but very nearly. The dimensions of the cards may be different.
Another difference is the 'button' on the greeting. I don't have any Smoky Slate buttons, so  I punched a 3/4 inch circle and placed a large pearl on top. I think it looks really cute.
We have had a lovely time in Ireland with relatives who live there, I must get this card in the post to them.

Have a lovely day,
Rachel

Hi, Hello There!

Have you used Canvas Creations on page 156 of the catalogue yet? I have made some card fronts for an October class and was trying to find something small for the left over pieces, when it occurred to me to make mini letter banners for a card.

I have stamped 'HI' with Morning Post Alphabet onto the canvas using Bermuda Bay and Crushed Curry. Just love the way the script on the letters shows through. I took my color-cue from the Epic Day DSP and cut some of the shapes using the Hearts a Flutter Framelits, and hand cutting others. After adding some brads to a couple of the banners, I adhered them over Baker's Twine (which isn't visible after all that!) and finished off with hello there from the Happy Day stamp set.

I'm spending a few days near St Ives, Cornwall at the moment with my dear husband
Feel free to leave a hello for me here, and thank you for visiting.
Rachel