Wedding Anniversary. It started with a kiss...Never thought it would come to this.

It started with a kiss in the back row of a classroom.

How could I resist the aroma of your perfume.

You and I were inseparable it was love at first sight.

You made me promise to marry you I made you promise to be my wife

But then you were only eight years old

and I had just about turned nine.

I thought that life was always good

I thought you always would be mine.

It started with a kiss

Never thought it would come to this.

(Hot Chocolate 1982)

This is the song that popped into my head when I first saw this stamp - A Kiss For Chloe by Sarah Kay. The song it's self is quite sad, it's about a lost love, ahhhh (click here if you want to hear the song). But if you just took the "It started with a kiss, never thought it would come to this" you could get away with using the sentiment on a wedding, valentine or just because I love you card.

I wanted the image to look like an old photo, don't think I quite pulled it off, I think it might have been better coloured with inks to achieve a better effect, but I don't have inks and I wouldn't know what to do with them if I did. So here you go....

Ingredients...

1. Stardream silver pearlescent card
2. DP is from Joanna Sheen's CD-Rom - Cottage Garden printed on to linen paper.
3. Sarah Kay stamp is coloured with Derwents and Sansodor, cut out using the largest oval nestabilities and mounted on to silver silk Mirri card cut out with the largest petite scallop nestie.
4. The "corset band" as I like to call it is cut from white Stardream pearlescent card and stamped using the New Year flourish by Magnolia rubber stamps and heat embossed with Moon Glow two tone EP Silver Moon Sapphire. I then went round the edges with my Veramark pen and heat embossed with the same EP.
5. The ribbon is from Raspberry Ribbons November kit. Threaded through silver 1/8" silver eyelets.
6. The flowers I made myself using white Bazzil card and three sized (11/2 ", 1" and 3/4")Woodware daisy punches. The large and medium daisies where scored using a fine embossing tool and my Scor-Pal and curled under. The smallest where "coloured" with my Versamark pen and heat embossed with Heat It Up Holographic EP (can't see it on the photo), and a Arora borialis (think I spelt that right) rhinestone. All mounted with foam pop ups.

Took a bit of getting used to this card, because of the lack of colour. But it's grown on me, and I find it a challenge using monochromatic colours. I did cheat a bit by using some browns in the colouring but like I said I wanted to get the feeling of an aging photo. Thank you for taking a peek, and I'll probably see you again in another weeks time, got to recharge my creative batteries, plus I want to finish a book I started two week ago! So until the next time...

Take care & keep smiling

The mystery picture is... The Autumn Fairy

Hello and good morning,

It's 00:30 and at last I've finished this card. If you remember in my last blog I said I was going to make a card with an image that could be found on my blog, and the image is the one I used to make my very first proper card with. Unfortunately I didn't take a photo of the original card, but it's was nothing like the card I'm about to show you. The image can be found on the right hand side of this page at the bottom. It's that purple picture where you can just about make out a woman's face, but it isn't just a woman, it's a fairy. The image I have on my computer is one that was sent to me by an eBay seller a couple of years back whom I had bought some craft goodies from. So here it is, The Autumn Fairy...

Sorry the pictures aren't very good but my camera battery died on me and my spare wasn't charged either, DOH. So the bottom picture is scanned. I'll take another picture tomorrow and replace the scanned one as it looks blurry to me.

Here goes then, the magic ingredients...

1. Both papers are from DCWV "Once Upon A Time" 8x8 pad that have had the edges aged with Kaleidacolor "Autumn Leaves" rainbow ink pad.

2. The frame for the picture is copper Stardream pearlescent card stamped with an unnamed rubber stamp. All I can tell you about it is that it is magnetic and has two more frames (different designs) nested in it that can be removed. I used Stampendous Stamp-n Stuff Copper EP.

3. The leaves where made from a Cuttlebug die using green Bazzil card and sponged with the same ink pad I used for ageing the DP with. The veins where done using my Scor-pal on the reverse of the leaf then turned over and using a very fine embossing tool I free handed the veins again.

4. The flowers are from Prima, they were green to begin with, but again I sponged them over with the same ink pad as before. The brads where sponged with Stazon Timber Brown, Blazing Red and Forest green ink pads.

5. Last but not least, the fabulous ribbon is from Raspberry ribbons December kit.

Tomorrow I'll be catching up on my replies to all you lovely visitors who have been kind enough to leave me comments, plus I'll show you the lovely award Els has given me and it's about time I gave some out myself. So until tomorrow...

Take care and keep smiling

Dream a little dream of me - Tilda

Stars shining bright above you

Night breezes seem to whisper "I love you"

Birds singing in the sycamore tree

Dream a little dream of me.

That song popped into my head the first time I saw this Tilda stamp. Have you ever done that? Saw something and then started to sing, or is it just me being weird? LOL. Well most of my stamps have reminded me of a song, so maybe I'll do a series of cards that have the songs lyrics as the sentiment. Anyway I'm waffling on again so here it is "Dream a little dream of me" Tilda card...

When I'd done Tilda and the flower frame I decided that I wasn't going to use any shop bought embellishments (apart from the ribbon) but to just use stamps. And I must admit I LIKE IT and do you know what ... my Dad (Mr I Don't Do Cute) said "I really like that, it's lovely. Don't get giving it away, keep it". Well praise indeed I think.

I'm not going to go into great detail as to how I did the card, but I'll just say that all the images are Magnolia rubber stamps and the papers are Basic Grey euphoria/helio and Little Yellow Bicycle-Sharon Ann Christmas Magic Collection. The sketch I used is by Raspberry Ribbons - Sketch 8.

Well I've got two cards I'm thinking of making now, one is another song reminding stamp and the other is an image someone sent me two years ago. It was also the image I used to make my very first "proper" card, that means I bought stuff to make the card with. The image is already on my blog ... but I'm not going to tell you where...he he he.

Take care, keep smiling and sing

House Mouse Challenge 19 - I'll Miss You

YEAHhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, I finished it, and what a lot of embellishments I've used, I've gone from hardly using any to going well over the top. So here it is, the retirement card for my friend Di and also my entry for the House Mouse Challenge ...

Starting from the base...

1. Cream card from stash

2. K&Co 6x6 vine DP by Tim Coffey (Daisy Pad) mounted onto HOTP Paper Pizazz cardstock

3. K&Co 6x6 Daisy DP by Tim Coffey (Daisy Pad) mounted onto the same Pizazz cardstock

4. Bazzill Basics card that has Versafine Olympic Green sponged round the edges

5. The stamp used is "Gentle Rain" with little Muzzy (ahhh), coloured with my trusty Derwent Coloursoft pencils and Sansodor. The raindrops were gone over with Ranger Glossy Accents. The frame for the image was made with Cuttlebug Embossing Folder - Borders - Frills, cut out 4 times and made into a frame. All mounted onto a different colour green Bazzill Basic Card, again sponged with Versafine Olympic Green.

6. Embellishments used...

a. Yellow ribbons from Raspberry Ribbons- Pyramid of ribbon

b. Silver heart charm attached to a chain and sewn onto ribbon so it dangles (both from eBay)

c. Sentiment computer generated and mounted onto a Wizard bookplate die using silver Silk Mirri Card.

d. Large and small mulberry daisies from eBay

e. Green rhinestones again from eBay.

My Dad says it's really lovely, and that's praise indeed from someone who doesn't do "cute".

I got the layout from this card by Emma on the Paper Craft Planet House Mouse Group. The card is gorgeous and I really liked the layout so I "borrowed" it :). Well now I'm off to post it on the HM challenge and then off to have my dinner...I'm starving.

Take care & keep smiling