Retirement Card

Good Morning Folks.   Hope you are all enjoying some creative time,  Time is the word we all know so well as most of us are always looking for more.     However, today's card was a commission for a retirement card,  so I chose an 8X8 card and made a wallet to hold it.    I used the background papers from the correspondence pad by Craftwork Cards,  I just love all their pads and kits.   The dies I used were Spellbinders Elegant Labels 4.    Everything was edged with vintage photo DI.    The sentiment is a great favourite of mine and it's from Inkylicious.   I'm not sure where i got the beautiful lady image as it was on a sheet.   Need to find out who it was I bought it from.   The rest of the embellishments were from my stash.     Thank You all so much for the lovely comments left on my blog as it really inspires me to keep going.    Have a good Day.     Hugs Rita xxx

Bon Voyage Card

Good Afternoon my Friends and Fellow bloggers.    It certainly has been very changeable weather here in Ayrshire today.    At least we have our crafts to keep us busy on days like this.
This card was made for my Grand-daughters boyfriend to give to his sister who emigrated to Australia on Friday.  In fact they are going out in December for 3 weeks and who knows , they may be next.     I find Bob Voyage cards difficult sometimes ,  but they gave me plenty of clues just what was required.    I managed to fill a 8X8 card , using part of a map and other bits and pieces.   She has now landed in Sydney and loved her card.     Quite a few cards to make in the next 2 months, so that is what I have been preparing today.    Hope you are all well and those who are poorly , please take care and get well soon.     Hugs Rita xxxx

Upcycled Letter holder.

CCC Challenge 11. Christmas Card.

Hello again folks.  Another fortnightly challenge over at CCC and this one was chosen by Zoe, who asked for Ribbon, 3 Brads, 1 Button and 1 other accessory.   I have made a very girly card and used a Mo Manning digi stamp and coloured it in with Spectrum Noir pencils.  Need a lot more practice with my colouring though.   I shaded the background with DI weathered wood.  I matted it with layers of silver card, snowflake card and pink card.  Believe it or not there is lots of glitter on it too, although it's hard to detect.    Hope you are enjoying a lovely weekend.   Hugs Rita xxxx

I'm entering in the following challenge

CraftyHazelnuts Christmas Challenge Extra for May

Birthday Card

Hello again.   Today I can show you the card I made for Annie's birthday.   It is an 8 x 8 card and I used Craftwork cards Paper pad called Paradise and do you know it certainly does live up to its name. The pad is 8x 8 as well and it really is beautiful.  I used a sheet of paper to front the card and then a piece of corrugated card that I painted with gesso and also gave it some gilding wax treatment too, it was matted on to a piece of beautiful teal pearlescent card that was a leftover from another project.   I then did some decoupage to the flowers ( sorry you cannot see it very well ).   The birds I cut our from another page and crackled them .  My first time using rub-ons and found it hard to keep them straight.   I used some chit chat stickers to finish it off, along with some embellishments from my stash. 
  I've been doing a bit of sewing every day to get my fabric memory album finished.   By gum it takes a lot of lace and material.  However, this is one challenge that i am enjoying as its well in my comfort zone.  Hope you are all enjoying this lovely spell of weather.   Long may it continue.   
Hugs Rita xxxx

 

Wedding Card and Box

Hello Everyone.   Another Monday and weather is awful.   A real mixture of Sunshine and Showers for us on the West Coast of Scotland.    I'd like to share with you a card that I made using the New Sue Wilson dies.   A few weeks ago I saw the wonderful tutorial from Flowers, Ribbons and Pearls by Christina Griffiths.  So I duly ordered the Seville die from the Spanish collection and couldn't wait to get started.    Please visit Christina at her blog and see the fabulous cards she creates.    So today I will show you my take on her card and as always I made my own flowers to embellish it.
   This is my eldest daughter's birthday(  Annie )  today,  and as she has seen the Shabby Chic memory album as it stands ( not nearly finished ), I'm sure she won't mind you seeing the outer covers,  I still have some more embellishments to add,  but I want to take my time with this one as it will be really special to both of us.    All the lace that I've used so far has been vintage , but I will be using some newer lace and embroideries too, although I will age them to fit in with period.    

Hope to catch up with your blogs to-night as I have been very busy today.   Hugs Rita xxxx

 

 

The Album Front

 The Album Back

Birthday Card

Hello my dear friends and fellow bloggers.   Sorry, I'm not getting to spend as much time as I'd like in my craft room.   I've actually taken up residence at the dining room table. Mainly because I have my trusty sewing machine on it and I'm surrounded by zillions of lace and vintage fabric.  To tell you the truth it's because I have no idea what I'm doing with my Shabby Chic fabric book.  
Anyway,  I had to make a few Birthday cards this week-end and this one is decoupaged and always a safe bet when time is short.   It's one I have had for years and I think it came from the Lilac Garden or Craftsuprint.  
Hope everyone is well and busily crafting.   Weather still mixed in our little part of the world.   Enjoy your weekend and I'll be back with you soon again.   Hugs Rita xx

Estonian Shawl Number 6.

Hello my Friends.   It has been like winter today, rain and wind.  Very ' Dreich' as we say in Scotland, meaning dismal.   However, I finished and blocked my 6th shawl,  well the shawl was finished 2 weeks ago and I never got round to blocking it till yesterday.   This one is a lovely coral colour, again it is knitted with Debbi Bliss Rialto merino wool and it really is so soft and luxurious.   So now I am half way to finishing another one for a very dear friend. 

 I'm also trying my hand at a memory book stitched in Shabby Chic style for Annies birthday next week.   She actually set me up with the challenge and now I'm like a dog with a bone and I can't let go.  So with a bit of luck I will be able to show you my fabric memory book next week.  Still got lots of projects to finish though and cards to make as well.  So if I'm not around you know where I am, sitting at my sewing machine more than likely.
Thank you all for being such an inspiration to me and I will try to comment on your blogs. 
Hugs Rita xxxx

Christmas Card Club. Challenge 10. Poinsettias

Good Morning All.   I have been busy giving my craft room a reshuffle to see if it work better for me.  It was a job that was intended for earlier in the year,  but life got in the road as it does sometimes I'm afraid.   However, I thought I would pop on this morning and see what everyone has been up to, and lo and behold I saw it was Challenge 10 over at the Christmas Card Club.   Where did the last 2 weeks go.  The theme for this one was chosen by the lovely Karen B and she chose Poinsettias, one of my favourite flowers.   Sorry I'm a wee bit late Karen.  My card was made this morning and I used mainly snippits from my stash for this one.  Thank Goodness for dies, they saved my day again.   After a visit to my lovely sisters at the CCC,  I need to finish what I started.   Going out with some friends later,  so it will be a quick tidy up till tomorrow.  Hope you all enjoy the Bank Holiday Week-end.  
 Hugs Rita xxx

Sue Wilson Card

Hello Folks, I' d really like to say a huge Thank-You for all the lovely comments left for my ATB.  Its so uplifting when you receive these comments and I'm sure you'll all agree it helps with the motivation too.  
 Just a short post from me today as I have such a lot of catching up to do.  My foot is getting better as long as I don't stand too long.  Here we are into May and this is a very busy month for me.   I have 3 commissions waiting to get started as well as other things I am pursuing at the moment.   I really am a dabbler in Crafts as I love to try different things.  . I'll not bore you with my stories.  I received my Sue Wilson dies last week and thought I might have a little play with them.  Really they don't need a lot as the dies themselves are stunning on their own.  This is a 6 X 6 card, so that will give you an idea of the size of the dies.  I'll let the dies do the talking,  because all I added was the sentiment and few little daisies I quickly made with a punch.  Base is Cream with a coffee coloured card matted on top, before the dark brown dies were added.  Less than an hour from start to finish.  Enjoy your Day.  Hugs Rita xxx

Artist Trading Block with Flowers

Hello my Friends.   Hopefully you have had a lovely weekend.   The weather here in South West Scotland has been really nice.   Well, as most of you know Annie and I paid a visit to see our dear friend Astrid last Tuesday.   Among the things we did was a ATB  ( Artist Trading Block )  I lined it all with Tim Holtz industrial Papers, but brought it home to finish it.  My choice was flowers,  so I could enter it in to A Vintage Journey Challenge.   I wanted it to look bright and I think I managed that Ok.   I used the Mini Floral dies and sprayed them all with Dylusions Pure Sunshine and blended them with DI dried Marigold after the paint dried.  For the centre of the daisies,  I used a flock powder in dark brown .  The butterflies  were stamped and embossed with black and coloured with DI.  They really do flutter as I put them on a thin strip of acetate.  The lovely little tiles were bought from Tracy Evans  ( Thanks Tracy ) and I really wanted to use them on this piece.   These boxes are really addictive and the die for them is from  Eileen Hull.  I have to say I enjoyed creating this piece.  Speak to You All Soon.   Take Care.  Rita xxxxx

I am entering in to :
A Vintage Journey Challenge Blog: Where the theme is Spring Flowers.

Christmas Card Challenge 9.. Black & White + One other colour.

Good Morning Folks.  I hope you have all had a Good Week.  Aren't they flying by too.  This my card for the CCC and Challenge 9 was chosen by Karen P.  It has to be Black & White and one other colour,  in my case I have chosen Gold.   My card is white, to that I matted a piece of Black linen card,  then put a piece of white card through a couple of embossing folders.  the bottom edge I used a MS punch.  I cut the gold card with SB Enchanted Labels 4 and used the centre die. The sentiment was embossed with gold as was the edges before adding it on to the finished card.  Notice, there is no bows.    Enjoy your Day whatever you do and I'll be back soon.   Hugs Rita xxxx