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

The last Christmas card - for my Son

Hope you're all ready for Christmas and for those of you on the European continent that celebrate today- Happy Christmas to you. Well here's my last Christmas card, it's for my Son Alex and for him I chose a Fable 2 character for the main image. For those of you who are not familiar, Fable 2 is a video game and is one of my Son's favorite Xbox 360 games...





























From the base up...
1. Chocolate brown Stardream pearlescent card
2. Backing paper was a freebie I got from a magazine, it was green originally but as usual I scanned it and changed the colour to brown through my graphics program. I then stamped round the edges with an Inkadinkado Snowflake flourish stamp, first with Brilliance Galaxy Gold ink pad then stamped over again with Brilliance Coffee Bean ink pad. The corner frames where made with three different width gold peel offs layered on top of each other.
3. The main image was first layered onto gold hessian paper, then onto gold silk Mirri card.
4. The snowflakes are from Heidi Swapp (Ghost Shapes) which were covered with Sparkle N Sprinkle Champagne glitter and some gold rhinestones.
Well I'm off now to finish wrapping my Son's Christmas presents, then I'm going to kick back, relax and wait for Santa :) Hope you all have a WONDERFUL Christmas.
Take care, keep smiling and don't eat too much :P

Happy Christmas to my Dad :)

Hello and I apologise for not replying to all the lovely comments left for my HM card, but as you know it's that time of year and I've been a little bit busy. I made all those cards for my Dad to send out and I hadn't made any for myself !!! What a dope, so as you can imagine I've been frantically making cards for friends, and no I'm not going to show you them as they are what I am going to make for my Dad to send out next Christmas, so you'll see them then. Any way here's the card I made to give to my Dad...




































From the base up...
1. Stardream copper pearlescent card
2. K&Co Amelia Blocks Flat paper, with basic grey flourish stamp stamped in Versafine Vintage Sepia ink.
3. Raspberry Ribbons Gold organza ribbon from their new December kit.
4. Silent night rubber stamp from Magnolia, stamped onto K& Co Antiquity Tan Parchment flat paper and the edges were distressed with my very own finger nail :)
5. The main image is from Joanna Sheen's Victorian Christmas CD Rom that was mounted onto gold silk mirri card. The label is one I bought, which was just cream to begin with but I printed the merry Christmas back ground onto it from Joanna Sheen's CD Rom again and sponged the edges with Versafine vintage sepia ink. The Cherub/Angel is from Dress It Up.
6. The swirl/flourish is a Tim Holtz grunge board element that I heat embossed with gold EP. I don't think Grunge board is really made for heat embossing (it feels like it has rubber in it), but I though I'd give it a go. All I can say is you're OK doing it as long as you keep the heat gun at quite a distance away. It takes longer for the EP to melt, but if you hold the heat gun to close the Grunge board starts to curl (I think it might melt if left on to long) but I liked the end result so it was worth the extra time.
7. Dress It Up snowflakes.
Inside the card I printed onto K&Co Antiquity Tan Parchment flat paper, the following poem
Sitting under the mistletoe
(Pale-green, fairy mistletoe),
One last candle burning low,
All the sleepy dancers gone,
Just one candle burning on,
Shadows lurking everywhere:
Some one came, and kissed me there.
Tired I was; my head would go
Nodding under the mistletoe
(Pale-green, fairy mistletoe),
No footsteps came, no voice,but only,
Just as I sat there, sleepy, lonely,
Stooped in the still and shadowy air
Lips unseen - and kissed me there.
~ Walter de la Mere ~
I like the poem, and my Dad likes ghost stories, so I thought it apt. I like the way this card turned out, and as you can see I'm getting a bit more adventurous with the embellishments.
Got to go now, got to make a card for my Son.
Take care & keep smiling

House Mouse Challenge 17 - Choir Practice

Finally. I've finished all my Dad's cards and he's posted them all off, so now I'm free to do what ever I choose - WOO HOO. So I decided to enter in to the House Mouse Challenge which is called "Let it snow". To be honest I'm a bit fed up with snowflakes having die cut so many for my Dad's cards, so I decided to use Woodwares "Fluffy Stuff" for the snow on this card ...















From the base up -
1. Stardream Mars red pearlescent card
2. Base DP is from the new K & Co "Christmas Cheer" 12x12 pad
3. Top DP is also from the K & Co pad but mounted on to gold silk Mirri card
4. The stamp is called "Choir Practice" and is coloured in with Derwents Coloursoft pencils and sansodor. The berries where gone over with Sakura Gelly Roll Glaze real red pen. Then mounted on to Gold silk Mirri card. And of course Fluffy Stuff for the snow.
5. Old gold eyelets from Making Memories and gold organza ribbon threaded through and bowed.
Not overly happy with the colouring on this one as I'm a bit out of practice, but I'll get better once I get back into the swing of stamping again.
Thanks for looking
T C & K S

PS. Used the sketch from the HM challenge on Paper Craft Planet from a couple of weeks ago.

O come let us adore Him

Well I've done no end of Santa's so it was about time I did a card depicting the reason why we celebrate Christmas...

1. Copper Stardream pearlescent card

2. DP is a small square picture I found on the web. Tiled it together in my graphics program to make a bigger picture then printed onto plain white card.

3. I didn't have any fancy copper corner peel offs so I made my own up by layering two different widths of border peel offs, mitred the ends and the corners and then cut some Cuttlebug decorative corners using copper Mirri card but only used the waste parts (scroll and teardrop) to add a bit more interest.

4. The main picture I've had for a while was mounted first on to silk copper Mirri card then onto ordinary copper Mirri card, which was then double edged with thin copper border peel offs.

5. The sentiment is computer generated, mounted onto the same Mirri card and again edged with peel offs.

I wanted to get a Victorian Gothic look, but without it being to over ornate.

Thanks for looking

TK & KS

Gathering Holly

1. White pearlescent white card

2. DP from Artylicious Seasons Greetings CD (colour changed to suit)

3. Main image mounted on to white pearlescent card that was double edged with thin silver border peel offs.

4. Corners made with Cuttlebug die from white glitter paper and rhinestones added.

5. Blue organza ribbon with a Dress It Up crystal snowflake.

6.The sentiment is a rubber stamp from Kodomo Inc, stamped using Brilliance Mediterranean Blue ink pad.

Kept it simple as the picture is so delicate I didn't want to overwhelm it. Thanks for looking and enjoy your weekend.

TK & KS

PS. I've got another card scheduled for later (17:00 GMT)

Green Santa ???

While I'm waiting for the glue to dry on my next card I thought I'd show you a card I made on Tuesday. Yes I know, it's that Santa again and it's that Raspberry Ribbons sketch again, but I really am struggling to come up with anything new and I'm dying to get my HM and Magnolia stamps out again, but until I finish my Dads cards I can't, so you'll just have to bear with my repeats...

Santa looks blue in the picture but he's actually green. Oh well, from the base up, here goes...

1. Stardream Pearlescent green card

2. DP is from DaisyD, it's called Antique Blue Wild Flowers, but trust me it's not blue, it's green. I was most miffed when it came and it was green, but it's a nice paper, so I'll forgive them for being colour blind!

3. Main image is mounted onto dark green linen paper and then silver silk Mirri card.

4. Dark green silk ribbon threaded down each side and some silver snowflake border peel offs and some thin silver border peel offs.

5. Prima flowers, the larger has a pearl brad and the smaller flowers silver brads. The leaves are from syntego.

6. The seal stamp is from Magnolia, stamped onto white pearlescent card with Brilliance pearlescent ivy ink pad.

The card I'm working on at the moment is an image I've not used before and it's lovely. Other than that I'm saying nothing else, other than you'll have to wait :)

Take care & keep smiling