My Baby Fairy

I just love Mo Manning's images ....just in case you hadn't gathered that by now LOL! I just wish I could keep up pace buying them as fast as she produces them! If I win the lottery I shall buy the lot! This lickle darling is one of Mo's Fairy Babies and her name is Flora. Just how gorgeous is she...?



I actually bought and coloured her a couple of weeks ago but wanted to save her for a special challenge and what could be more fitting than Mo's own challenge?!

I've had a job taking the photo today as it's been so overcast. Of course, now I've managed to get it posted, the sun has just come out! Typical!

Mo's DP2 25 is asking for a Mo image in pastels, so here it is and I think it's one of my favourites so far. There! I've finally said it! I won't usually admit to a favourite of Mo's but lickle Flora has to be up there....she reminds me so much of my Ada!

Materials

1 x 21cm squ gatefold card.
1 x A5 pastel mint green cardstock, textured with my Sizzix Texture plate
1 x A5 pastel lilac Stardream (pearlescent) cardstock
1 x sheet of Laura Ashley Fresh Linen and Jasmine drawer-liner (Spotty aqua)
1 x 10cm squ piece of aqua glitter card
1 x Stamped and coloured image (mine is Flora Baby Fairy by Mo Manning)
2 x strips of a contrasting patterned paper approx 3.0cm x 19.0 cm
3D foam squares and adhesives of choice
Punches (mine are Martha Stewart)
Scalloped scissors
Flowers of choice - mine are Le Blanche
Inkpads of choice for distressing.



Method

1)Scallop edges of lilac card and cut in half lengthwise. Ink up scalloped edges with lilac pad of choice.

2)Take the green card and use a corner punch on all four corners. I used a Martha stewart punch then cut off the filigree bits, remaking them in the Laura Ashley paper and adhering in.

3)Take the Laura Ashley paper and use a border punch down the edges then cut to size 3.0cm x 19cm. You need two of these. Now ink up the fancy edge.

4)With the remaining Laura Ashley paperand a border & corner punch, create a 13.5cm square mat with lacy edging and adhere to white card for strength.

Construction

a) Take your base card and trim the two open edges with scalloped scissors.

b) Take the two strips of the 2nd patterned paper and adhere approx 0.5cm in from scalloped open edges

c)Adhere the two Laura Ashley strips approx 0.5cm in from each folded edge.

d)Using 3D foam squares on the outside facing edge and ds tape on the other,
adhere the lilac card pieces on on each leaf with the scallop facing towards the outside edge.

e) Now adhere the green textured cards to the lilac cards with ds taps or sticky dots, ensuring the fancy corners are facing outwards.
That's your basic card done.

f) Now take your coloured image and adhere to the glittercard mat (I used glue gel so the glitter doesn't shed)

g) Adhere this whole to the fancy edges Laura Ashley and white card mat using 3D foam squares.

h) Take your DS tape and apply to the back of this mat on the left (facing you) side only alomg the outer edge. Apply another piece to the edge of the left hand leaf. Carefully offer the mat to the left leaf, ensuring you're placing it right in the middle of the whole card. It should stick only to the left hand (facing you) leaf.

i) Finish off with your embellishments/flowers. I used La Blanche flowers.

If liked decorate the inside of the card in similar mode. I made a mat with the Laura Ashley paper and my Martha Stewart Round the Page punches.

I deliberately didn't over-gussy this card as I didn't want to overpower the important feature - Flora.

Hope you like it!
Hugs,
Ei
x






..

C.R.A.F.T 44 - Purple & Turquoise

For my C.R.A.F.T 44 demo this week, I ended up making two cards as I did one (not telling which!) and wasn't happy with it, so I did another! Then I went back to the first and altered it and now I'm happy with it!

I wasn't in my comfort zone this week with Purple & Turquoise as a colour combination (....I don't know why as I love both...!) and found it hard to get to the 'that's it!' point, but see what you think!

In no particular order here are the two cards.

Best Friends Forever - Sarah Kay

Materials

1 x 21cm square gate-fold card in white
1 x 15cm squ sheet of turquoise patterned paper 'Boxflower' from the 'Lauren' collection by Making Memories
1 x 15cm squ sheet of purple floral from DCWV 'Floral Prints' stack.
0.5mtr x 2cm turquoise patterned ribbon
0.5 mtr x 0.5 cm turquoise satin ribbon
Couple of Prima or Petaloo flowers
About 30 -32 small Prima flowers
Scrap each of purple, turquoise and lilac card to make message mount.
3D foam squares
Glue-gel
Adhesive of choice
Coloured image, mine is a Sarah Kay stamp coloured with Copics (...what else...?LOL!) and decoupaged.

Method
Nothing clever, just as you see in the photo!

Number two!

Miki's Puppies - Mo Manning

Materials

21cm square white card .
1 x 15cm squ sheet of turquoise patterned paper 'Boxflower' from the 'Lauren' collection by Making Memories
Stamped and coloured image - mine is 'Miki's Puppies' by Mo Manning coloured with my Copics.
3 x small scraps of 0.5 turquoise satin ribbon
7 x 5 cm scrap each of purple and white card for message mount.
10 x La Blanche flowers.
Turquoise pen for doodling!
3D foam squares for mounting picture & message mount.
Adhesive of choice.


Method
Once again, not much method - just what you see in the photo!

Hope you like them!




Eiglas Challenge Winner!

I also have two winners to announce!

I said, last week, that I would give a personal prize to a selected entrant from the C.R.A.F.T Easter challenge.

I asked for someone to blow me away with a project that, just for once, didn't have a 'cutesy' image on it! Nothing against 'cutesy' images but there is nothing else out there any more! No arty images, no beautiful landscapes or still-life images - I trawled very many challenges listed on the 'Daily Dare' and not one of them had anything but big-eyes dogs or cartoon rabbits or similar!

As you all know, I love Mo Manning's images so I'm not against whimsical images - I like Tildas, Penny Black & House-Mouse and some of the Elisabeth Bell images and I have a few Sarah Kays.

A couple of weeks ago, I was showing my very good friend Brenda around the blogs, trying to explain to this non-blogger, why we do it (....don't even go there...!) and it was then, whilst I was trying, in vain, to find a graphics-based project to show her (...being a friend of very long standing, I know her taste...) that I discovered the dearth of such items!

That's why, especially at Easter, I though a little encouragement was warranted!

Now there weren't that many non-cutesy entries even with my very small temptation, but the quality was amazing! With a bit of luck, perhaps some peeps may have discovered their old non-cutesy rubber stamps again!

I had real difficulty choosing a winner becasue they were so wonderful and I've ended up with two that I cannot bear to choose between.

The first one was an absolute shock to me in the most wonderful way.



Carolyn entered this beautiful card and I immediately went and bought the same beautiful image.

I don't have a problem with Easter eggs and bunnies but we have nearly lost the origin and meaning of Easter and this card took my breath away with its beauty and its remider of the Passion.

Carolyn - you make beautiful cards and this one is special.



My second card is only second because I saw it after Carolyn's, not because of any lack in it.

Rosette (who, co-incidentally is our Guest DT member on C.R.A.F.T this month) provided this beautiful and breathtaking creation.



Isn't it gorgeous?

So, I have two winners and will be issuing prizes in the next couple of days (...now I have a couple of days off from the ankle-biter....!).

My lovely winners will have a choice of digistamps from the talented HopeJacare
at Stitchy-Bear!

Hope you all enjoy looking at these lovely cards and pop over to both Carolyn's and Rosette's blogs for a look-see! The rest of their cards are equally amazing and Rosette's work can also be seen here and also at 'Mo's Dream Team' although you'll have to scroll through to find her work as all the DT have their stuff on there.


I've loved Rosette's work for some time and was delighted when she agreed to come to C.R.A.F.T as a Guest Designer (I originally selected her from a C.R.A.F.T challenge entry - we do this in turn) for the month of April.

Well, this is quite a long post for me, and I have prizes to pack....!
Hope you've enjoyed your visit!

Hugs,
Ei
x

I have short but important addendum to this post.

Apparently I have offended one of our very talented entrants on our C.R.A.F.T Easter challenge with a badly judged attempt at jocularity.

I would never intentionally offend or hurt anyone's feelings and have apologised most sincerely to the artist in question for my jokey comment coming over as anything but a 'wink'!

The irony is that I thought her card was super and said it was 'gorgeous' and 'beautifully coloured' but questioned, jokingly (... as these entries are all on Mr Linky and we have no interference at all in that..) the entry's connection, in my opinion, with Easter.

I don't revise my opinion but I do regret, and apologise for, giving offence where none was meant.
Ei
x

C.R.A.F.T 42 - Easter

I love Eastertime. It's the new beginniing, the opportunity to start life afresh after the winter.

In my garden, we have about eight or nine nesting-boxes and I'm thrilled that four of them already have incumbent birdie families! You can hear the little ones cheeping away - it's a wonderful sound and I'm so blessed to be able to go into my garden and listen to them.

It was with this influence in mind I made my other demo card for Colour Create but for C.R.A.F.T 42 I have another new image from Mo Manning to introduce.

Her name is Savannah and she's tending her lickle chicks. I love all of Mo's images as you know, so I won't say it's my favourite, but it IS cute as anything, isn't it! LOL!



Materials

1 x 21cm gatefold white card.
1 x 21cm pastel patterned sheet from Paper Pizzaz '4 Seasons'
1 x 14 x 10.5 cm rectangular mat in buttercream
1 x approx 18.5 x 14 cm rectangular sheet of heavy white paper or light card
4 multi-layer flowers (I made mine with a Martha Stewart 'Cosmos' punch)
30 cm piece of patterned ribbon
3 x small gems
Adhesive of choice
Image of choice. I've used Mo Manning's 'Savannah' and coloured with Copics .


Method

It's a very simple card so no clever techniques involved.

1) cut your patterned paper to fit both front leaves of the card. I used scalloped-edged scissors for mine. Adhere to leaves (I used my Xyron).

2) colour image and mat it onto the buttercream mat. Tie your ribbon around it to one side. I popped a little daffodil through the knot.

3) using a punch (I used a Marthat Stewart punch) edge the white mat.

4) adhere the buttercream mat onto the wite lacy one with 3D foam pads.

5) adhere your flowers to the corners of the mat. I used the brads they were made with on mine.

6) adhere this completed mat onto the left hand leaf (as it faces you) with ds tape or, if you're worried about positioning, silicon glue gel.

7) if using one, insert your inner.

And that's it done! I hope you like it!

Now as you can see I've used yet another 'cute' image on this card.
Just as a matter of interest, I've been looking at peeps blogs as I've been doing my follow-ups for C.R.A.F.T and Colour Create and there are ver fre projects on any of the blogs I've seen that are not adorned with 'cute' imagery.

There are Tildas by the multitude, Gorjuss Girls, Whimsy, Whiff of Joy, lovely Penny Blacks and, of course, even my favourite Mo Mannings and they're all, with very few exceptions, 'cute'. Even Mo's elderly incumbents, Jack & Ginger are cute, in a wrinkly kind of way!

So I'm throwing down a personal challenge! There will be loads of 'cutesy' images uploaded to the C.R.A.F.T challenge this week and that's wonderful and as it should be but I personally want to see some offerings WITHOUT the cute images. And I'm going to make it a real challenge and tell you it had to be a stamped and coloured image, no decoupage or Kit cards will be considered. I want to see YOUR work, not Kanban or Miss Bibby's or some cd imagery!

What am I offering for all this trouble I'm making you go to...?

It's a mystery! But it will be worth it!
Just upload your project to C.R.A.F.T in the normal way and if you have made a piece of art in the way I've described, you will be in with a chance of a nice mystery prize! It is a good'n, I promise you.....and you'll also still be in with your normal chance of the ProMarkers too!

So, get thinking and let's se what you can do!
Hugs,
Ei
x

Mo's Dream Team Entry - Bella & Bronte

Most of you will, by now, be familiar with Mo Manning's images on this blog as every other card I make is a Mo's Digital Pencil image.
Mo's drawings are well-observed and insightful images drawn with a rare talent.


Mo's Dream Team (her DT) are looking for a new GDT and, crazy lady that I am, I thought I'd try for it! Well, they can only say no...! LOL!


This is it!
I can't say it's my favourite Mo image as I don't HAVE a favourite because I love them all!

However, I do have a soft spot for Bella & Bronte because they remind me of my relationship with the dog I had as a child and growing up. She was my pal for over seventeen years and I still miss her and dream of her even though she passed on over thirty-five years ago!

The papers I've used are from Nancy Hill at DCWV, from her Summer collection and the flowers, ribbons and buttons are just from my stash. I coloured Bella and Bronte with my beloved Copics.

I enjoyed using this sketch and will probably use it again.

Hope you like it!
Hugs,
Ei
x

C.R.A.F.T 34 - The Colour 'RED'

Over at C.R.A.F.T this week, the theme is 'RED' and anything created in that colour is acceptable so here's my effort.
We have lovely prizes from Donna's Den this week so do come over to play!


It's my lovely number one son Matthew's equally lovely girlfriend Jenny's Birthday this week and I made it with her in mind.
The little Geisha image is from the wonderful Mo Manning and I've coloured it with my Copics.
The main cardstock is from Crafty-Bits (design CTC009) and the paper ribbons are left over from a C&C kit.

Hope you like it!
Hugs,
Ei
x