Baby girl

Here's a CAS card for a friend of the family who is having a baby girl this week.
For it I used the Sizzix elephant die cut; Nestabilities oval and scalloped oval; Docrafts polka dot embossing folder; pink papers from OLL; stamp from Honey and Hugs, Papermania; pink gingham ribbon from my own stash.

My card enters the following challenges:
Crafty Calendar - New beginnings
Do you stack up? - Patterned paper
My time to craft - Emboss
Inky Impressions - Emboss it!
PaperPlay - Layer it up
Delicious Doodles - Spots or stripes
Crafts4eternity - Polka dots
The Sisterhood of crafters - Anything goes

Love is in the air

This is a funny wedding card for my sister-in-law who lives in Queensland, Australia. She recently got married, a wedding the whole family attended...on-line! Yes, thanks to Skypes the whole family managed to participate. I have been to many weddings in my life and I think this was by far the best I have ever attended - from the comfort of our house, in our pyjamas, cos it was 1am for us and morning for them - no need for a new outifit, sore feet or makeup :-)

It is a fairly large card (17x15cm); pale green base cardstock; the 2 gorgeous patterned papers I used in blue/green/turquoise tones are from the Capsule Collection by Papermania; digital image by Bugaboo (which I won in one of their challenges), coloured with Letraset Promarkers; X-cut border punch; navy blue cardstock, turquoise ribbon and card candy from my own stash. Because of the large size, I also made the envelope out of the same green card.

My card enters the following challenges:
Craft your Passion - 2 patterned papers
Bunny Zoe's Crafts - Love is in the air
Pile it on - Love is in the air
Aud Sentiments - Love
Crafts your days away - Love
Digi Doodles - Swirls
Fab'nFunky - Delight in your digi
Penny's Paper crafty - Anything goes

Thanks for your comments, have a nice weekend!

OLL Challenge #72: 3 of Something

The new challenge starting today over on Ooh La la is:

3 of Something

My card features 3 different Tea bag tiles from the Teentastique CD, matted with coloured paper and linked with organza ribbons, finished with 3 different coloured gems.
Make sure you visit the other DT blogs for more inspirational projects!

Papertake weekely - Ribbons/pearls
Glitterbabe - Anything goes with sparkle and gem
Digi Doodles - Anything goes

Have a fantastic week!

1 year blogging!

Yes!! Hard to believe that it's been a year!

I am not an "every-day" blogger, I must admit, but I do try to post weekly at least and participate in events in the Blogworld as much as I can :-)

During these last 12 months I have "met" lovely creative people, had nearly 10,000 visitors, 34 followers and thousands of positive and caring comments. I have also had the pleasure and honour to be part of the Ooh La La design team.

So - many thanks to my followers and blogging friends, and all those bypassers who leave messages.

Neus xx

Mess2Magic celebrates her Blogaversary

...so have a look here for details, but quick, it finishes today!

Birthday mouse

Isn't this little vintage mouse cute? I got it from TLC Creations and coloured it with Letraset Promarkers; the rounded birthday ticket is a digi from Sentiments 4 you. The backing paper is Bohemia, Barefoot "love"; orange and mustard cardstock, gems, flower and ribbon from my own stash.
(Apologies for the bad quality of the photo; it was taken early in the morning and therefore the light was far from right)

Some challenges:

CES challenges -All creatures great and small

Crazy challenge - Animals

Sisterhood of crafters - Birthday

Kaboodle Doodle - Digi

Stamp Something - Digi

Aifactory, Fuzzy Wuzzy, Top Tip Tuesday - Anything goes

Thanks for your comments!

Happy Day

This girly birthday card is for my friend's daughter, who is 4 this week. The cute stamp, called Happy Day, is by Wags'n Whiskers and it was the prize I won for their Friendship challenge with this card. The sentiment is by a shop I discovered recently, Blokum, which has stamps in Spanish AND Catalan, something I have been searching for a while, so... happy days indeed! ;-)

I coloured the image with Letraset Promarkers; all papers and cardstock are leftovers from my stash, like the button and ribbon.

Some challenges:
My Time to craft - Up in the air
Charisma Cardz - Birthday
Colour Create - Pink, red and white
One Stop Craft - Card for a child
Southern Girls - Anything goes
Crafty Sentiments - Anything goes

Ooh La La Challenge #71 - Bling it on!

The challenge for this fortnight over on Ooh La La is: Bling it on!

For my card I used the Mirror Mirror Pyramage set from the Ooh La la Passion from Fashion CD as a main image, as well as one of the papers from the same folder as backing, this was distressed; the matting cardstocks are a glitter sheet and a cream pearlescent card; cream organza ribbon and pearl from my own stash.

Can you believe that this was my first pyramage card ever!? I was not sure how it would turn out, but the ready-made set in the CD makes it so easy! Plus the image of the glamourous lady with the mirror is really fabulous, I love it, so that helped too :-)

Please go and visit the other creations by the OLL Design Team; you will find some beautiful glittery stuff!

I would like my card to enter the following challenges:
By the cute and girly - Bling it on
Cupcake crafts - Something new (it has to be the pyramage technique for me)
Paper Crafting Journey - Let's get digital
Delicious Doodles - New (technique)
My partner in crafting time - Something new (technique)
Paperplay - Clean and simple
Papertake weekly - Anything goes
Fab'n'Funky - Anything goes
Craft your days away - Anything goes
Sundays wih Crissy - Ribbon

Thanks for your comments!

Wishing everyone a happy and healthy 2011

I would like to enter my New Year's card onto the following challenges:
Digital Tuesday - Let's celebrate
CRAFT - New Year
Totally Paper Crafts - Time to party
Catch the bug - Ring in the New Year
Papertake weekly, One stitch at a time, Simon Says, Digi Doodle, Aud Sentiment, Sew Many challenges, Moving along with the times - Anything goes

Ooh La La challenge #70 - A toast to 2011

The Ooh La la Challenge #70 is now open and the theme is A Toast to 2011.

For my square card I used Star Gazer papers from the Fleur D'Imagination CD. I just love these pink and olive papers, it is such a beautiful colour combination!
I decided to use my Matilda stamp, which had been hidden in the drawer for a while, and coloured her with Letraset Promarkers. The olive green buttons are my own, made with Fymo; the pink ribbon and the distreesed olive cardstock are from my stash; circle and scalloped circle Nestabilities; handwritten sentiment.

I am typing this post with just one hand - have you ever tried to hold a crying newborn while typing??! Not an easy task! :-) So as much as I would like my card to enter some challenges, it will have to wait until the little one is asleep and I get some time to blog, hopefully later on today.

But just in case I don't get to blog before New Year's Eve:
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL MY FOLLOWERS AND READERS!

And to my son - Happy Birthday, pet! I can't believe you are 6 today!

Happy Holidays!

Hope you all have a wonderful time!
Neus x

My newest and most beautiful creation of all....

Introducing my new baby girl, born on Saturday 4th December at 3am.

We are all doing fine, very tired naturally and adjusting to the changes but super excited to have the little one with us... especially 6-year-old-Big-Brother!
I will be getting some much needed rest and therefore MIA in the blog scene for a few days, but will be back soon!
Neus x

Ooh La la Challenge #69 - A Nativity Scene

[This post has been scheduled so hopefully you will be able to see it on 13th December, in time for the new OLL challenge. Apologies for the lack of blogging in the last couple of weeks, hopefully I will get back on my feet soon]

Time for another challenge at Ooh La la! This fortnight the theme is A Nativity Scene.

For my traditional card I used the card topper Bless The Children and the A5 paper insert Christmas Time, both from the Joyeux Noel CD; you can find lots of Christmas related image and papers on this fabulous CD! I mainly played with golden rich tones to give the card a very festive look. The borders, from frosted gold cardstock, are cut with an XCut punch; the golden ribbon is from the Connemara collection from Laura Ashley; gems from my own stash.

"Snow Crafting" part II

...And here's what we did this morning while the snow kept falling outside, from a can of porridge oats:

Before

 

After

He has plans to keep all the little toys from the Xmas crackers in the can. What can I say, he has inherited the hoarding habit from me ;-)

For the afternoon we did Word Search puzzles, which he loves at the moment, as well as a Birthday card for my mum.

We might go to the cinema tomorrow, if the roads have improved and we can get out of the driveway; otherwise- baking as many of you suggested, although baking means eating, and I would prefer avoiding that :-)

"Snow crafting"

Schools were closed today due to snowy conditions and treacherous roads, so I had my son to entertain all day - and by the looks of it, this will continue for the rest of the week! As much as I love spending time with him, sometimes it is hard to find exciting things to do indoors! So we decided to do a bit of "snow crafting".

We cut snowflakes with white paper to make a banner and decorate the house and the Xmas tree (although I refuse to put up the tree until at least 5th or 6th December!)

and

we made 5 small and simple Christmas cards for his friends, inspired by Stephanie's wonderful cards.

What are we going to do tomorrow? Well, tomorrow will be another day, I will think of something ;-)

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!

Here's my design for the Ooh La la challenge # 68: A Christmas Song.

It is an A5 card; the beautiful papers are all from Ooh La la: Sky Blue Cedar from the Dreams of Tranquility CD; Snowflakes 3 and Snowflakes 5 from the Femme Fatale CD. I distressed all the edges of the different blue cardstocks and used Metallic Rub ons to accent the papers. I can't remember where I got the big snowflake die cut to be honest; the button is a wooden one; the sentiment stamp is Studio G; blue gems and twine from my stash.
Check out the other OLL DT creations here. You have a fortnight to enter the challenge - remember it is not about Christmas but about a Christmas song!

I would like my card to enter the following challenges:
ABC Christmas - X is for Xmas
Crafts and Me - Dreaming of a White Christmas
Crafty Creations - Christmas is coming
Simon Says - Let it Snow
ABC - I is for Ice and Snow
The Pixie Cottage - Let it Snow
Easy Craft Projects - Snow
The Crafty pad - Snowflakes
Our Daily Bread Designs - Snowflakes
Crafty Calendar - Winter snowflakes
Freshed Brewed - Winter/Xmas
Stampin for the Weekend - Winter
Sweet Stamping - Buttons and Bows
Crafty Catz - Christmas
Crafty Sentiments -Christmas
Scrappy Frogs - Merry Xmas
Stampin Bs - Holidays
All sorts - Monochrome
ISB - Monochrome
Bah humbug - Feeling the blues
Fussy and Fancy - Christmas without red or green
Creative Cottage - Untraditional Xmas colours
Totally Papercraft - Untraditional Xmas colours
Craft your Days away - Texture
Die Cut Dreams - Use a die cut
Inktegrity - Anything goes
Fab'n'Funky - Going with the flow
Christmas Stampin - Anything goes
Paper Cutz - Anything goes
A Spoon full of Sugar - Anything goes
Creative Cowgirls - ANything goes

Have a nice week! Thanks for your comments!

Exploding Box

A handmande gift for a very good friend of mine who turned 40 recently.
I decided to make an Exploding Box because this dear friend lives very far away from her family, and knowing how much she misses them, I thought she would like to keep photos of her relatives and most beloved ones in the box. She is a fan of red and this is why I used this colour throughout primarily.
This exploding box has 3 layers, giving her plenty of room to add photos and even journalling. A variety of papers have been used (Damask, spotty, flowers), mostly digi ones; the red and cream cardstock are Core-Dinations and the different embellishments (flowers, gems, buttons, ribbon, swirls, etc.) are all from my own stash. The butterfly die cut is Cuttlebug; the sentiments have been printed in Word; I have also used several stamps from Gstudio and Rhona Ferrer.
Here are several views of the exploding box:

I would like my box to enter:

Paper Cupcakes - Red and cream

Die Cut Dreams - Anything but a card

Stamptacular Sunday - A time for giving

Mami Doodles - Gift item

Saturday Challenge - Handmade gift

Creative Card crew - Not another card

AiFactory - Friendship

Moving along with the times - More than one fold

A Spoon full of Sugar -Anything goes

Have a nice weekend!

Birthday in pink

Good Thursday to you!
My card today (commissioned) is for the elderly mother of a friend. His request was for "something very special" for his mum so, inspired by Lisa Jane's beautiful card, I decided to start with a different size, shape and layout of card, and continue with soft pastel colours and very feminine embellishments. And here's the result, I hope you like it.

The base cardstock is grey, a colour I would not use normally, but I thought it worked very well with the rich backing paper with soft pink tones - from The Luxury Stack, DCWV, distressed and matted in white card; the card is 21x14cm so much bigger than your average card; for the main die cut label in the centre, Nestabilities, I used a pearlized grey card, which I embossed and matted in white card too; the flower, handmade, has several layers of different papers with a mother-of-pearl button in the centre; the circle die cut is matted with grey card; the sentiment was created in Word; the corners are Fiskars punches; pink card candy and pink organza ribbon from my own stash.


My card enters the following challenges:
Lollipop Crafts - Very Girlie
Crafty Emma's Store Challenge - Think Pink 
Stampin' Royalty - Patterned paper
Little Paper Shop- Die cuts
Critter Sketch - Texture
A Spoon Full of Sugar - Distressing
Take Time for you -Pink
Sarah Hurley - Embossing
Simon Says - Sparkle

Ooh La la challenge #67 - Rudolph

Another Monday and another challenge over at OLL.
This fortnight challenge is about Rudolph The Red Nose Reindeer, and my entry is a Christmas chocolate gift box decorated with OLL paper 52 from their Joyeux Noel CD. Isn't the paper super cute?
The box was originally a Lyons Decaff tea box which I decided to alter and fill with Nestle chocolates.
I made an aperture with the Oval Nestabilities and acetate. The reindeer digital image is a free clipart I downloaded from the net, coloured with Letraset Promarkers, mounted on 3D pads and highlighted with embossing fluid; red ribbon, green, blue and red cardstock from my own stash.
This is the final box, altered and ready to be given as a gift.

 A couple of close ups

I would like my project to enter the following challenges:
Bah! Humbug! - Rudolph the Reindeer
Wags'n'Whiskers - Acetate, tissue or vellum
Bunny's Zoe - Christmas but not a card
2 Sisters - Christmas
Bee Crafty - Christmas 2
The Creative Cottage - Someone special at Xmas
ABC - H is for Holidays
The Stamp Man - Christmas
Fab'n'Funky - Going around in circles
The Stampsmith - ovalicious

Another winner!

Good Sunday to you all!

Can  you tell I am in a very good mood? Luck is defenitely on my side this week ;-)

My little Birthday card won 1st prize in the Catch The Bug Challenge from last week and I can now choose 7 of their great Bugaboo images - cool or what??!!  I am thrilled! Now comes the difficult part - which images to pick? They are all so great! Oh, decisions, decisions, decisions....