Blue

Well I had a great time on Saturday at the Craft Fair although it always amazes me how there are always one or two stalls that manage to creep into an expo like that which no matter how I look at it I fail to see how they are connected to craft (silicone lids to keep your left overs fresh in the fridge?!).

I managed to get 4 of the things on my wish list and discovered a new on-line craft store so generally I came away a happy girl.

For a bit of fun I have decided to join in over at Papertrey Ink and take part in their 

The first challenge I will be entering is

Here is my card. I have added twine as required by the challenge

I will also be entering this is the challenge at Addicted to CAS were the challenge is

My inspiration

Source: Papertrey Ink blog

The Second card is for this challenge

Were we where asked to use some machine stitching. I did some zigzags to hold the top to the base of the card

I love this owl.

Supplies:

Card 1: Pattern: A free one from stitching cards. I received it when I filled out a survey. Unfortunately it's not available of their site

             Card stock: 160gsm in white and aqua

             Thread: Navy: brand and code unknown

                          Light Blue DMC 0131

                          Lime: DMC 0254

Card 2: Pattern Bergkaarten. Owl

           Card Stock: 160gsm in white

            Thread: Brands and colour codes unknown

             Gingham paper: Activity Village

Red, white and blue

A photo inspiration from Time out challenges

 and my take on it

I will also be entering this over at Clean and Simple on Sunday were the challenge is "Splash"

Supplies:

Pattern; Stitching cards Sailing boat
Thread: White DMC Blanche

Card Stock: 160gsm in white

                    160gsm in navy

Paper: red 80gsm

Girl on a swing

I'm off to a craft show today. Am very excited about that. We don't get too many here in my home town and I have actually flown to Johannesburg, an hour away, to go to this one before so you can imagine how pleased I am to have it on home soil for a change. I am expecting great things!!!

Freshly made Sketches

My take on the sketch

 and with a green bow

The ribbon on both cards is recycled from gifts. I distressed the edge of the stitching topper and around the script paper.

Supplies:

pattern: Stitching Cards Bookmark Girl on a Swing
Card Stock: white in 160gsm

                   Cream in 280gsm

Thread: Colour codes and brands unknown

Script Paper: Free give away in the local copy of the "Ideas" magazine

Ink: Colorbox in chestnut

Ribbon: scraps of green and navy

Crooked flowers

Here is the latest sketch challenge at CAS(e) this Sketch

and here is my take on it

I actually made this second one first and it is still my favourite

My inspiration

Source: Unknown

Supplies:
Pattern: 101 Ideas for Embroidery on Paper by Erica Fortgens
Thread: Red DMC 029
             Light Blue DMC 506
             All other colours: brands and codes unknown
Paper: Red: Free downloads from Activity Village
                   Blue: Paper Pizzazz soft tints
Liquid Pearls in gold

Another christmas card

We had our annual sports day today. Another big event ticked off the terms to-do list. Now we can get back to concentrating on actual classroom work. Any big production like sports day takes you out of the classroom a lot and I always start to feel a bit panicky that we won't get our required classroom work completed before the end of the term. Saying that however, we start our next big production next week and that is the school concert, so nothing much will actually change work wise I suppose!

This card fits the sketch at Sweet Sunday Sketch which is 

My inspiration

Source: Unknown

Supplies:

Pattern:Stitching Cards Three Trees
Thread: DMC black

Card Stock: White 160gsm

Paper: 80gsm in green and red

Double sided Foam squares
Flat backed gems in champagne

Tea time

I made this card for a friend of my Mom's for her 89th birthday. Quiet a mile stone

I am entering it in the sketch challenge at Simply less is moore

Supplies:

Pattern: Free pattern from Crafty ferret although I couldn't find the exact pattern. It is a very old pattern so it might no longer be available.
Thread: Brand and colour codes unknown

Card Stock: white in 160gsm

Map: from an old atlas

Pentel fine liner

School

You would think that I had enough of 'School' in a normal week what with me being a teacher and all but this is school with a difference.

It's the new cue card at Addicted to CAS

and TGIF challenges has a similar cue

I made this card for my youngest nephew the year that he started school and it's perfect for both challenges.

(Apologies for the quality of the photo.)

Supplies:

Pattern: Form-A-Lines Cat and clockwork mouse 
            Writing my own

Thread: All brands and colour codes unknown

Card stock: 160gsm in white

                  Kraft: inside of an old exercise book
Paper: yellow 80gsm

Plastic alphabet sticker for the 'C'

Odd Numbers?

Those of you who have been following this blog for a while will know that at this time of the school year I am in charge of the hockey programme for the 6 and 7 year olds. We play at a nearby sports club on their astroturf. I have been doing this for 5 or 6 years now and never before have I made so many silly mistakes. The sessions start at 7:30 and myself and a college get there at least an hour before to set up, in the beginning this happens in the dark! We take the big field and divide it into 12 mini fields which are then used by teams of about 10 little boys, supervised by a parent volunteer coach. Well yesterday we arrived in the dark only for me to realize that I had left the whistles and pencils in my classroom. I had no opinion but to dash to school to fetch them. Fortunately so early in the morning there wasn't much traffic and a trip that should take 15mins only took 10. My poor colleague certainly did the lions share of the work that morning.
Then the week before I got home after the session to realize that I had gaily left half of the equipment on the side of the field!!! Fortunately our older boys where playing there so I was able to phone another colleague and he rescued it for me. I hope that the rest of the season improves.

On to my cards. At the end of last year I made some Birthday invitations with an oval cut out. I have been using up these white ovals on my cards wherever possible since. Here and here.

 I am entering this card in two challenges today.

It's a birthday card so qualifies at CASology 

and it has an odd number of flowers so that makes the second challenge at Split Coast Stampers Free 4 All where the challenge is an odd time of the year.

My inspiration

Source: Gem 35

Supplies:
Pattern: Stitching Cards Flower Border thinking of you
             Sentiment:Stitching Cards Words Birthday wishes Capitals
Thread: Cerise: DMC 326
             Apricot DMC 352
             Green DMC 689
              Yellow Unknown
Card stock: White, green and yellow 160gsm
Sentiment stamp : Kaisercraft Mini clear stamps
Cuttlebug
Sizzix 8 oval dies                

Congratulations on 200 sketches

Freshly made Sketches has made it to 200 sketches and to celebrate they have given us this layout

and my take

I am enjoying the colour combination of red, purple, teal and silver at the moment.

Supplies:

Pattern: Prick 'n Stitch. Flower heart
Card Stock: 160gsm in silver and white

Border Punch

Button from my stash

Thread: Silver DMC E168

             Purple DMC 3837

             Teal and red brand and colour code unknown

Vellum

This card was made for some friends whose anniverasry is today

The next time I make this layout I will check that the lines of the checks are lined up with the point of the heart, it bothers me that they aren't quiet straight in this card.

My inspiration

I will be entering it into the challenge at Clean and Simple on Sunday with is vellum

Supplies:

Card Stock: Kraft 200gsm

Vellum

2- Die- 4 heart dies

brass brads

Checked paper: Paper Pizzazz in soft tint checks and stripes

button from my stash

Crochet cotton in white and yellow

Congratulations

There is a new challenge at Simply less is moore and it's congratulations.

I decided to make mine congratulations on your new baby.

I reduced the dummy/pacifier and nappy pin to 70% and scored the right top corner using my Complete Crafter's Companion.

Supplies:

Patterns: Sentiment: Stitching Cards Flower border congratulations 
               Nappy Pin: Unknown

              Dummy:Bergkaarten. borduurpatroon
Threads: Silver DMC 415

              All other colours and brands unknown

Complete Crafter's companion

Three Cheers

Three Cheers is the new challenge at Split Coast Stampers. Free 4 All

We have been challenged to use three die or punches on our cards.

This is mine

I machine stitched 3 rows of black and then added the die cut hearts over the top. The paper for the hearts is actually the inner from a birthday card that I received. It was too pretty to throw away.

Flat backed gems and a heart button finished it off.

My inspiration

Source: Biggan

Supplies:

2-Die-4 Heart die cuts

Flat backed gems in pink

Pink heart button from my stash

Twine  

Card Stock: 160gsm in white

Tall slim Christmas Tree

Another one of the cards made during my recent holidays (Actually not so recent anymore, I have been back at school for a month now!!!)

My inspiration

Source: Sunstamper

I was drawn to the skinny format of the tree

I will be entering it into the March challenge at Split Coasts Stampers Christmas Cards Challenge 2015 which is "Trees"

Supplies:

Pattern:Stitching Cards Three Trees
Thread: Green: brand and colour code unknown

             Gold: DMC E436

Card Stock: Red 160gsm

                    White 160gsm

Paper: Gold

           Green dots: Source Unknown

Flat backed gems in red

Thinking of you

Over the years I've made a number of variations of this pattern. I really like the layout and love the flowers.

This one was made for a friend to let her know that she wasn't alone during a particularly tough time.

I will be entering it in this challenge

I machine stitched along the edges and made the envelope using my Complete Crafter's Companion. The sentiment is computer generated.

Supplies:

Pattern: Easy Embroidery on Paper by Joke de Vette

Threads: Brands and colour codes unknown

Card Stock: Green in 200gsm

                    White in 160gsm

Flat backed gems in champagne
Complete Crafter's Companion
Double sided tape

Aquatic

The challenge at CASology this week is

 and here is my card, some Koi Fish

This was quite a complicated pattern to stitch as the scales took some working out. Can't promise it's perfect but as my Mom always says "No-one else knows what it's supposed to look like so just keep your mouth shut and smile". I often make use of this bit of wise advice.

Supplies:

Pattern:Stitching Cards Japanese Koi
Thread: Gold: DMC E436

             Silver: DMC 415

             Green: Brand and colour code unknown

Card Stock: White 160gsm

Paper: Free download from Activity Village
Rolfes metallic pen in Gold 

For Someone Special

There is another challenge at CAS(e) this sketch

and here is my entry

Supplies:
Pattern: My own
Ribbon: Grey nylon
Card Stock: Cream 160gsm
Thread: Grey. Brand and colour code unknown
Peel off sentiment

Ripped from a Book

that's the new challenge at Split Coast Stampers Free 4 All this week and here is my card

The page is from an old dictionary. The trick is to check that no inappropriate words appear on the section you are planning on using.

I machine stitched around the edges and added some liquid pearls swirls to complete.

Supplies:

Pattern:Stitching Cards Free butterfly pattern
Liquid Pearls in gold

Thread: DMC White Satin

Beads: gold

card stock: Aqua 160gsm

Page from an old dictionary

Sunflowers

I love this pattern, it's just so 'sunny"

 I will be entering it in the challenge at Sweet Sunday Sketch which is

I have also made some small cards using the same pattern

Supplies:

Pattern: Stitching Cards Sunflowers
Thread: All brands and colour codes unknown

Card Stock: white in160gsm

Paper: White and emerald green 80gsm

           Yellow zigzag: Paper Pizzazz in soft tints
           Green check: source unknown

Cuttlebug

Cuttlebug swiss dots embossing folder
Rolfes metallic marker in green

A flower pot

The latest challenge at CAS(e) this sketch is

My card/s

Initially I placed the washi tape, then I scored the lines using my Crafter's Companion. Next I pricked the holes for the stitching. Once that stitching was complete I cut out a little flower pot from a scarp of kraft paper and positioned it. To complete I added a flat backed gem in champagne.

Supplies:

Pattern: Stitching Cards Flower pots
Wahi tape: red with flowers

Thread: Brand and colour code unknown

card Stock: White in 160gsm

                    Kraft scarps

Complete Crafter's Companion

Flat backed gem in champagne

Banners

Well our lovely long weekend is over and we had a great time away. Fortunately the weather played ball and it only started getting cold yesterday afternoon when we where on our way home. A lot of time was spend fishing, the men folk that is, but nothing caught was big enough to make it to our pan so fortunately we, the women folk, over catered as usual. Despite eating heartily I feel like we brought home more than we set out with!!!

The new cue word at Addicted to CAS is

I don't really use banners on my cards very much, in fact I can only think of one occasion when I did. Fortunately I had a photo of it in my 'still to be displayed' stash so here it is.

The banners are hand cut and I drew the string holding them together with a fine liner. I adapted the bike as the one on the pattern is decidedly girly.

My inspiration

Source: Tartan Magnolia

Supplies:

Pattern:Form A Lines Window with bicycle
Thread: DMC grey (colour code unknown)

Gold sentiment peel off

Paper: Scrap of green

          Green stripe: Download from Microsoft publisher

          Blue: 80gsm

Card Stock: White 160gsm

Pentel Fine Liner in black