Flowers

Hello my Friends.  Hope you have all had a nice week-end. I'm feeling back to normal now as my back seems fine.   While I was resting I made loads of flowers and at least its something I can do whilst sitting in the evening.  I love making my own flowers and some of them are my own idea.   I think these should last a while, but the addiction is still there.   Hope you like the colourful post.  I'm still doing my May birthday/anniversary cards ,but cannot post at the moment.

I've also just ordered wool for hand knitted socks after seeing the ones that my blogging friend Kate made. So watch this space.      Hope you All have a lovely day.  Hugs Rita xxxx

Floral Card

Hello again Folks.  I hope your day has been full of sunshine, here on the West Coast of Scotland it has been a glorious day.  The garden is looking better now too after the cold weather etc. Lots of lovely spring flowers and even the shrubs are showing their colours.
This little card was specially made for my SIL who loved the one I did for her husband, so I thought I'd better make one for her too. She is Italian and helped me so much with cooking etc just after I was married. She is very special to my family as well, so this will help cheer her up.  Yes, its another Double Diamond fold card, because I love them and they are so easy to make.  The images are from My Craft Studio 'Flawless Florals' and the colours were a favourite of my sil.   My back is so much better to-day and I got a really good night's sleep last night.   Hope those of you who are poorly at the moment are feeling better and to the healthy among us I hope you have a lovely Week-End.   Hugs Rita xx

Tissue Box

Hello Folks.  Here I am again, late as usual, I have been busy with birthday cards etc, but cannot show as yet because the birthdays are in early May.  However, I did enjoy making this easy tissue box, courtesy of the lovely Hazel who designs for Nigel at Cardcreationsplus. I hope you will also visit Hazel's blog and you can find it Here.  The images are from the Flowers in Bloom CD rom and its even more beautiful that I expected. The paintings are done by the British artist Jan Harbon.
I used a dark brown card for my base and lid and decorated it with images from the cd.  Adding a narrow orange velvet ribbon along the lid.  This was so easy to make that I'm making some for the family. They would also make lovely Christmas gifts too.  I've pulled a muscle in my back and boy is it giving me Jip.  It kept me awake for most of the night, and so it will be an early night for me I think.
 Hope you are all well and enjoying some craft time. And to those who are suffering I send my Best Wishes.  Hugs Rita xx

William Morris card

Hello folks,  Hope you are all enjoying another Monday.  After clearing up I thought I would make a start on some Thank-You cards as my box was empty of this type of card.  My younger daughter had used William Morris wallpaper in 2 of her rooms recently and I asked if I could have the left-overs.  My favourite small card have got to be the double diamond card by Kay Rutter of Hougie board fame, they are so quick to make and I do love them.  So here is one of my cards ,using the said wallpaper as a backing paper on to my cream card. The image is one from a WM print and I laid it on to my Gold Labels 4 die cuts that I edged with a gold calligraphy pen. Simple to make card and cost next to nothing.  Still struggling to find my mojo as whats in my head is not what happens on paper. I'm working hard so that it does not do a disappearing trick.   Hugs Rita xxx

Peppa Pig Birthday card

Well, I hope you all had a lovely day as the weather here was beautiful and a lot warmer than of late.  To-day I was mainly catching up on the chores that I did not get done at the beginning of the week, but hey ho I don't have any fairies I'm afraid, so Onwards and Upwards as the saying goes.
However, this is another commision card for a 2 year old that adores Peppa Pig and Butterflies.  So I thought a Theatre card would do the trick. My bases were white and I cut an aperture out of one of them, added acetate and decorated the front of the card with a pink frame and corners, on the back piece I added my decoupaged Peppa image and joined the two pieces of card together at the sides. The butterflies were punched out and stuck to-gether. I finished it of with the little girls name to personalize it.  I'm struggling a bit with my Mojo at the minute, so I,ve been making flowers in readiness for the unmade cards.
Hope you all have a lovely week-end.  Hugs Rita xx

 

Thank-You card

Good Morning All.  Well, we had a terrible day yesterday with wind and torrential rain, and then my brother phoned from Australia to say they have not had rain since last September.   Anyway, I was asked to make an 8 X 8 Thank-you card and thinking of warmer climes I opted for the beautiful image that is one of the first decoupage that I ever made and it just took off, I must have made lots over the last 6 years and it became a firm favourite.  I think it was from the lovely Audrey at the Lilac Garden.  Hope you like what I've done. I still have a bag to make for it, and then it will be on to a Peppa Pig birthday card for a 2 year old.
 Variety is the Spice of Life as they say.  I'm finding it hard keeping up at the moment but should be back to normal soon.   Hope everyone is well, and those who are struggling a bit, I hope things look brighter soon.  Hugs Rita xx

Martini Girl card

Hello Everyone, another Monday and after a lovely week-end I felt the need to finishing a card I started a few days ago.  I had such fun creating this card and it all started when I watched Ali Reeves on Create & Craft showing how to make a background from Plain loo roll.  Everywhere I looked had patterns on it and Ali had said that plain was best, however, I got a pack in a pound shop. I'm not an expert on tutorials but I'll do my best to talk you through what I did.  Using a mask you top it up with decent sized pieces of the roll ( not full sheets) I did about 5 sheets then sprayed it with water and put it through the GCalibur, obviously some of the water will come out , so have a cloth at the ready. I let mine dry in the sunshine and once its dry it feels like card, at this point I coloured it using distress inks and added some cosmic shimmer wax here and there. 
Anyway, on to my finished card. I layered it on to a ready cut card added a lovely black feather and of course the Martini Girl card . The corner part was from my snippet box.  I finished it off with a black bow and some swirls.  I do love the texture on my homemade background.  Hope you manage to give it a try as I'm sure you will enjoy it. Have a lovely day and carry on crafting.  Hugs Rita xx

Pink Wedding card

Hello Everyone,  I have had a very relaxing day to-day, other than get the weekly shopping organized I have not done much at all.  However, my card to-day is from my cut out box that I've had for ages, I used to cut out all my decoupage in the evening ready for the next days work. This one I made purely because I loved the verse and thought that it was a lovely card for a second marraige or maybe and older couple.  Again it was one I bought from Crafts-U-Print a good few years ago.  I'm going to be busy the next few days,  but hoping to be back in the swing of things again by Monday.  I hope those of you going to Ally Pally have a wonderful time, Annie & I were going but it was on the same week-end as my friends big day, and as she was first to ask I could not refuse.  Have a great weekend what ever you do.
Hugs Rita xxx

Ladies Bowling

Hello again Everyone.  We have another gorgeous sunny day here on the west coast, this is our third week of sunshine, but it has been very cold.  Hope the weather where you are is behaving itself too, it makes such a difference to everyday life.
My card and box to-day is what I have made for my dear friend Jan as on Saturday she is being installed as President of the local bowling club.  She asked if I would be her guest that day, so I am looking forward to that, not that I bowl, but I have done some curling in the past.  Anyway, on to my creation, it had to be different and this is what I put to-gether.
I used the 'Wrinklies' CD from La Pashe to get the backing papers and the image, and I think you'll agree the clarity of the picture is fabulous. It has been decoupaged ,although its hard to see.   I used the die cut picket fence to edge the bottom edge of the card put my verse on the back.  This was a real fun card to create.  I had to make the box 3" deep as the rounded panels are fairly high when laid flat.  Still got the label to do though.  To-morrow I'm going to finish painting the kitchen and enjoy a glass of wine when I finish.   Thank-you for all your kind comments and sharing your beautiful cards with me. I think the crafting community is 'Simply the Best'.  Hugs Rita  xxxx

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Embellished Box

Hello Everyone,  I hope you are all enjoying this glorious sunshine, long may it continue.  I managed to get some 'Me' time to-day and managed to decorate one of my boxes. I needed a box to hold a gift for a friend, and as I always have boxes at the ready, just to decorate they came in handy. The box itself is just over 4" square and 2" deep and I used some gold millinery net to make a bow and added two of my gold roses that I gilded with wax. ( love using the wax ) a few pearls and swirls and my box was complete. My little doggie companion,who belongs to my younger daughter and is a Miniature Schnauzer called Buachaille. He went back home on Friday and we both are missing him already.  Kitchen is nearly finished now apart from the decorating, but we both needed a day off ,so I found myself up in my craft room and Andrew is enjoying his beloved football.
Sorry for neglecting you all during the last week, but normal service will be resumed before long I promise.
Keep enjoying your Crafting.  Hugs Rita xxx