Trick or Treat...?

Hello Everyone, 

I can't wait to share today's project with you, I am so excited, so I'll jump right to it, no small talk, LOL! 

The Trick or Trick box is a project for the Divas by Design Challenge blog, of which - as you know -  I am a Design Team Member. This week we're sponsored by the fab Hobbycutz, and the theme is... SPOOKY CREATIONS.

When I saw this lovely cutting file on sale over at My Scrap Chick, I just knew I had to give it a go! Now, not exactly sure that mine is as cute as the one on their website, but nevertheless I am happy with my Mr. Hungry Pumpkin ;o) There's a bit of shading added by me here and there, I used my ProMarkers for this purpose. And the googly eyes - well, I just couldn't resist! 

I don't go Trick or Treating myself, but I will happily have some sweets presented in Mr Pumpkin on the table during the Halloween period. That is... when I have sweets to present, cause the ones in the photos are... ahem... gone! Spooky or what?! ;o)

I just love the teeth on the front of the box - they add so much dimension!

He does look spooky when it gets darker, eh?!

Just look at the shadow created by those big teeth!

I am entering the little guy into the following challenges:

Inky Impressions - Anything but a card

Inky Chicks - Die Cuts Only

QKR Stampede - Pumpkins

Hope you enjoy my little Halloween box!

M.

Cup of tea, anyone?

Hi Everyone,

Today I'm back with a DT project for Divas by Design - this week it's all about tags! You can either create a tag, or incorporate it into your project/card. Simples, right? Well... maybe not so much for a person like me, who doesn't really have a lot to do with tags... But, if I found a solution to this "problem", I am sure all of you can! :o)

A work colleague recently asked me to make a card for her friend who collects antiques and teacups (mostly the ones with the blue motifs... it has a name... I forgot what it is :( ). She wanted the card to be rather simple, without too many mad and loud colours. 

I initially thought of making the card in the shape of a teacup, but then came up with another idea... The card ended up with a teacup with the teabag still in it (this is my "tag" bit). The fun element of it - you can actually remove the teabag from the cup, and this will reveal a secret Happy Birthday message! Honestly, the card is very very simple, but the recipient loved it - and that's the whole point, right? :o)

The card when handed to the recipient...

 Surprise! There's a message on the teabag! :o)

I am entering the card into the following challenges:

Inky Chicks - Stitching

Moving Along with the Times - A stitch in time

I hope you like my idea!

Have a great day, and don't forget to play with us over at Divas!

Hugs,
M.

Leaving card

Hi Everyone,

Today I would like to share with you a leaving card I have recently made for a colleague from work. I felt really flattered when one of the colleague's friends approached me and asked if I could make a card for the girl who was leaving. "I have seen your work and I thought it would be great to have something so personalised and unique..." I feel almost famous ;o)

The lady in question loves music and is leaving to Canada, so I was asked to make something in relation to these topics... Below you can see what I came up with. The leaf shape was cut using my Silhouette Cameo, and because quite a few people in the office were going to sign it - I added a few layers of inserts, to ensure there was enough space. I also added a bit of bling with some pearls, to make it a bit more girly - and voila! I will not be in the office to see the recipient's reaction when she gets the card, but so far it has been circulating around the floor to be signed, and I have received quite a few compliments, so I'm a happy camper! :o)

By the way, I am obviously doing something wrong, and surely not using the machine often enough to have a lot of experience with it, but with this particular card I was really close to just throwing my Silhouette out of the window!!! LOL! Does anyone else find the blade settings in the Silhouette Studio software insufficient? For now, whatever the software suggests, unless I add at least 1 or 2 points more, and cut double - I can forget to have a clean cut... Is it just me?!

Anyhow, enjoy the card! And make sure you pop over to Divas by Design for this week's challenge - Pretty Pearls. As usual, we have some fab prizes - this week from our sponsor Iva Nova Chest. A challenge not to be missed!

 I also made an envelope for the card - 

none of the ones I had in my stash were the right size...

Sending you greetings from my trip to the Czech Republic, 

(well, almost... I scheduled the post before I left LOL)

M.

Happy 1st birthday with Mama Elephant

Hello Everyone,

If you follow me on Facebook, you have surely already read about my haul of Mama Elephant and Simon Says Stamp goodies from the States...There's also a haul video in the making, but I am afraid that you'll need to wait a bit to see it - I am off for a short trip to the Czech Republic in the coming days, and will only have the time to edit the video when I'm back...

Anyhow, since I just couldn't wait any longer to get crafting with the cute Mama Elephant stamps & dies I had purchased, this morning - instead of packing - I decided to make a birthday card for my friend's Baby Girl. And it's a very special birthday, too - the first one! 

If you're a bit familiar with Mama Elephant's products, you'll quickly realise that the card has a ME products overload, LOL! I actually wanted to add a few little critters from the Cosmic Stars set, too, but the little cutie-pies from the Just Hatched set made me completely forget about my initial plan! I did remember to use one of the lovely sentiments from the Up and Away set, and - of course - I couldn't resist using the lovely scalloped & stitched die duo from Femme Frames... I have wanted to get these dies for SO long, and I am happy to announce that I was not disappointed - the dies are of an equally excellent quality as the stamps are... The only problem with them is - I still don't have all of them, haha! I will definitely get more at some point, however - they're just so FAB! I finished off the card with some little (aka dainty) bows that I added some little pearly buttons to, and... surprise surprise... some clear Wink of Stella.

I got so focused on Mama Elephant, that I completely forgot to mention my background! I coloured it with watercolours (Tesco's best!), and the resisted pattern was made using white embossing powder & a cling stamp by Hero Arts: Lattice. The little cutie pies were coloured with my ProMarkers. Oh, and the big number 1 was cut using  my Silhouette Cameo. 

And a few close-ups, so that you can see the lovely Wink of Stella magic:

I am entering the card into the following challenges:

A Gem of a challenge - Stitching (made used the Femme Frames die)

QKR stampede - Add a button (little pearly buttons on the bows)

Inky Impressions - Animal Friends

I Love ProMarkers - Anything Goes

Passion for ProMarkers - Milestone Birthdays

Love to Create - Inspired by a Song/Book "Happy Birthday" song

Mama Elephant - Watercoloring + Birthdays

Inky Impressions - DT call (please note I won't have access to the Internet until August 25th in case you're trying to reach me)

Phew, that was a long post...

I guess it just proves my excitement about my Mama Elephant goodies... 

Have a great weekend!

M.

Sea themed shaker card

Hi Everyone,

It's time for a new DT project for Divas by Design... Wow, I make them bi-weekly, but it feels like the 2 weeks always just fly! This week we have a fun, sea-themed challenge "Under the sea"... Now, you'll see that my card is more "on" than "under", but I was told that anything sea related would be fine, so this is what I came up with :-)

I had this idea of a sailboat turned into a shaker card... And boy did I give myself some hassle! I ended up with creating my own sailboat shape for my Silhouette Cameo since I couldn't find anything I was 100% happy with... Quite pleased with it, I must say! 

I cut the shape in a sheet of white cardstock, then mounted it on a navy base... I added a few punched "wave" lookalikes, a funky sentiment to go with the theme, and some gold stars (for some reason I thought the stars were a must!). And - of course - the sequins! Aren't they fun? The colours are just so gorgeous - I wish you could see them in person! I tried taking some snaps whilst the sun was shining, so that you could see the lovely colours better :-)

All in all - I am rather pleased with the end result. What do you think? 

 Aren't the sequins just lovely?

I got them for €1 in some German stationery shop a few months ago,

and I wish now I had bought more!

I am entering the card into the following challenged:

Inky Chicks - Photo Inspiration

Love to Create - Anything Goes

The inside is not embellished at the moment - haven't decided yet who the recipient will be :-)

Hope you have fun creating your sea projects!

M.

Engagement shaker card

Hello Everyone,

How is the new year treating you? Hopefully all is fine! I have already managed to forget all about the Christmas break from work, but hey, here's to looking forward to new holiday times! ;-)

Today I would like to share with you another shaker card I have recently made. I guess I will have to invest in a few extra colours of the sequins in my stash, cause these card are really cute! 

The heart shape is a freebie that came with my Silhouette - starting to get used to using it more often, yay! :D

The card is my contribution to the Divas by Designs challenge blog - our new challenge (starting tomorrow) is Let's celebrate. Join us here!

It did look cute on my shelf, but now it's in the recipients' house! ;-)

I am entering this card into the following challenges:

Inky Chicks: Anything goes

Love to Create: Blue w/bling

Creative Creations: Anything goes

A gem of a challenge: Something new (new technique and first pearl swirl I ever used)

As you like it challenge - Favourite colour and why - for card making, I <3 using turquoise/teal. I have fallen in love with this colour whilst browsing for ideas for my own wedding invitations, and I have used it in a lot of my projects since!

Inky Impressions - Anything goes

Enjoy the rest of your evening,

M.