Happy Halloween

Hi you all! Bet you think I have fallen of the Earth or something. Well, it does feel like it and nothing going my way when it comes to card making this week. Making the cards goes ok, what doesn't work at all is laying them where I normal do and wait for them to dry, before the Crafting Cat Tage walks all over them with muddy paws! The only thing helping agains this would be to look the door to my crafting room and I don't have a key for it. LoL And no just closing the door won't help as he is one of those door opening cats, and not only the easy way, both ways. I sometimes wonder if he has some ghost or spirit helping him as it is very strange sometimes.

I am normally not the one making halloween cards as we don't celebrate it but many of my boys friends does as they are having their birthdays around this time of the year. So with a short notice and an invite to a tiny birthday party for my youngest one later on today, they will only be four party animals there. Perfect one! I had to make a card for Olle. He is now 5. This card did I manage to keep away from the cat at least up to now. I have used an image from an old kit from Bildmålarna. The sweetest bat ever! I don't know the name of the stamp and I can't find it over at Bildmålarna either.

My designer papers are print outs of Echo Parks wonderful designer papers. I love it that many of the big brand comes in the digital form nowdays too. It makes it easier to store all the papers and you can use your favourite ones over and over again. My little bat is coloured with my Letraset family in warm grey, cyan, yellow and orange colours. I have used the new sketch from Paper take weekly as well. I always go back to those when I need a clean look for my cards, and more worked ones I run over to CLP challenges to get my inspiration. (Two photos looking almost the same, they suddenly look blurry both of them, oh well, take a pick, I really need to get a daylight lamp of some sort. This isn't working anymore, sorry about the photo).

Ops! Back to my card (never learn to shut up do I? :) ) I used some form alphas to spell out the name of the friend, a sticker for the "5" and the dynamo writer my grand dad bought in the early 80's. Still working like a charm and I know that he loves that I uses it. Need to get some more black "ribbon" for that before I forget it... Some web ribbon from Bunny Zoe's that I coloured in with a black marker, a spider charm and some twine is my only decorations on the outside. Have a fun die cut bat on the inside from my stash but as always (nearly) I keep the inside to myself.

Time to get the boys in the shower as they have been out playing soccer and now looks like drowned cats and smelling like dirt. Well, maybe it fits the theme of the day, but I get flashbacks from when I lived with my parents and my youngers brothers always smelling like dirt. Don't like that smell at all. LoL

Have a lovely Halloween everyone!

Love n hugs
Marie

Challenges for this card
Papertake weekly - Sketchie free for everyone (also having a dt-call for the coming three months)
Make it Monday - Anything goes
Creative Moments - Anything goes / Halloween
I love Promarkers - Anything goes
Simon says - Anything goes

Monochrome Purple

Happy new week everyone! It's a week of from school for the kids so a much needed break for them this week but I feel drained already and it has only been a few hours. LoL Philip has gotten a cold again and it's so typical when they have some time off and you can do things with them. Oh well, it will pass.

So on to this card post of mine. It's time for a new challenge over at Crafty Card Makers and this period we have the theme of Monochrome purple which is not my colour at all. But it might be yours! So this was a challenge for me and I had planed to sit it out but the suddenly remembered an old paper pad from Panduro with turquoise and purple designer papers. Lots of purple left and to be honest quite a lot of the turquoise as well. Why is that? Just buying and hording all the lovely (and not so lovely) designer papers? I did a BIG clean out during the spring and took to Willy's school but it doesn't show now that's for sure. I need to do something about my crafting room and that soon.

Ok, I think I got a little lost in my post here, back to the card. Well, actually I ended up making three Christmas cards in purple and white. Cheating a little with some silver as well. I used lots of things that has just been laying around like the gemstones from a Magnolia Ink Magazine, the silver ribbon that there is only a tiny piece left of, the designer papers that I am not too fond of and still hang on too.

A little bunch of cards to send to people that I know won't save their cards. Don't have to put that much of time to their cards, do I? But I do actually like how the cards turned out, it's just that they are purple! LoL I love the wonderful snowflakes printed on the dps they are stunning and one of the reasons I bought the pad and they did came in turquoise as well. Since I have quite a few left of these too, you just might get to see another version of these fast makes of cards. ;)

And the Ornament dies I bought last year and never got around to use even if they are really lovely. The dies saying Merry Christmas is from ROX stamps here in Sweden and they are stunning and such great quality, and just what I needed. There is so little made in Swedish with dies that every time someone makes a new one it's like, well Christmas. :)

Sponsoring this challenge is

DI'S DIGISTAMPS 

with a $10 GIFT VOUCHER

and 

HOBBY ART

with a bunch of lovely stamps. Check out the CCM blog to see how they look. 

I really recommend you to take a look at the CCM blog and see what my teamies has been up to. Some really smashing work has been done and you will find tons of inspiration for your own creations. So come on and join our fun this two weeks period of purple crafting!

Love n hugs

Marie

Challenges for this card

Make it Monday - Always anything goes

Easel card

Morning to you all once again! We are really in the season of fall by now as it's getting really dark. It's only a few days before we move the clock back and the dark season starts for real.

This card is a dt-card for the Paper shelter as always on Wednesdays. This weeks theme is Easel cards of all kinds but it must show that shape. :) I love making this kind of cards but I really, really hate taking photos of them. It's so hard, I really need a good class of using lights in the right way and getting myself some good old lamps for this. Oh well, I can only dream of it for now, but one day! :)

Ok then, bad pictures but I love how the card turned out IRL. I have coloured with my Letraset family. And the designer papers comes from Dovecraft Back to Basic Christmas. To decorate the card have I used some flowers from WOC and I am Roses. Some hemp string to tie a few bows, some red bells and a bunch of die cuts from Magnolia and Memory box. Some pearls and pearl stars is also used. The trees is covered with some snow tex and then I added some glitter to it as well. The sentiment says Merry Christmas in Swedish and is made with alpha stickers from my stash, they could be from Panduro but I am not sure. Stickles is also used on the the flowers for a festive look. :)

The image is called A Marshmallow for the Christmas Elf. Isn't he the cutes ever seen? If you want to see a wonderful use of this image take a look at my teamie's card here. It's to die for. I normally don't link like this but I totally adore the card Lena made with this image. It's so different from mine and looks totally amazing!

Here is a little view of the "down" part of the card. Sentiment in Swedish and a simple decoration. After all I want to be able to send the card to someone without paying a fortune for the postage.

As always we have our $30 gift voucher up for grabs if you play with a TPS product and you really should go and take a look of what's added to the store lately. There is some totally adorable smashing new images. Like a new fabby looking angel, some sweet wonderful Santas etc. Go on over and take a look for yourself and if you still doesn't want to play with a TPS image, you can still enter our challenges with another brand having the chance of winning three digis of your choice.

Love n hugs
Marie

Challenges for this card
Make it Monday - Always anything goes

Give me a "P" for Passion for Promarkers

Morning everyone! Time for a new challenge over at the Passion for Promakers blog. This weeks theme is "Give me a "P" ". So things starting with  a "P" is what needs to be on your creation this week. I had no clue on what to do for this challenge at first as I suddenly didn't know one word starting with a P in English. LoL

Then I found this adorable image from Sugar Nellie and in it I found three "P:s" .Penguin, presents, pals. Then I went on with pink, purple and pearls. I had poinsettias on my list as well, but those I forgot to add. They become pink cheery blossoms instead. And of course the image is coloured with Promarkers. LoL

The designer papers are an old stack from DCWV that I have not used in years. About time to do it now I guess. I also made the card into an easel card. I have left the white space so that I can adapt it after who I will send it to. The snow flakes stamped around the pals is from Maja Design. The lacey border is made with a die from Memory Box. A gemstone swirl from Prima is also added to the mix in this card together with a doily, some pearl stars and a black lace from ROX stamps.

Sponsoring this challenge is Dies to Die from and you find them here. Lots of great dies and other things to be found here. Check them out! The prize is a voucher worth £10. So come and join us in our look out for clever "P's".

Love n hugs
Marie

Challenges for this card
Challenges 4 everybody - Anything goes
Colour me Creative challenges - Anything goes
Jingle belles - Pink Christmas

An Edwin card

Hi you all! Hope you're having a great weekend and are enjoying your time (hopefully) off from work and duties. I'm not having a very good day today for different reasons. But there is a good thing about it still. All the things that needed to be taken indoors for the winter is done and that feels great as the rain is coming tonight. I don't think it would have dried until spring if it had been kept outdoors one more day. LoL Better late than never. But they say that it will be 15 degrees on Wednesday again. We might had needed the furniture. LoL

This card is made for my youngest nephew and was given to him on his "name ceremony". Well it was not from me and my family. My auntie ordered it, and of course there was very little time as usual. At that time I was quite short of inspiration as well. The only thing working was the colouring and that has really been put to the test since then. LoL Now it's going better with the markers again and that's a relief. Some my dear old Letraset family has been at work again.

The card is all made with Magolia papers and image. It's a very sweet looking Edwin that I really love. He looks adorable. I also love the "weather paper" with both sun and stars and the clouds. Looks lovely too me. It might look strange with a green bow in the middle of all the blue and nothing else in that colour but I read some where that green is for luck and that everyone need. Besides I really wanted to make a blue card for him and that one of the bows clashes a bit, I don't care. LoL It's there because it symbolize something good. LoL

I have also decorated the inside with a castle image and sign image also from Magnolia. A bigz die from T.H. is used as a fence. The white square was filled with a greeting and I just removed it quickly as it was personal. Oh well, probably not my best work but better than nothing. Now it's time to lay down on my styrofoam roll to give my back some training and to make it more straight and hopefully less painful. The very hot bath didn't do the trick for me today. Maybe beacuse I feel a bit down today and a bit anxious too .

Love n hugs
Marie

Shabby Chic

Monday and a new week has started. My kids are at their grand parents today as the school is closed. Philip, the youngest has not started school yet but he thought it was unfair that only Willy was off. So a sleep over with grand dad and grandma made life a little more fun for both of them. Guess if we have been nagging the kids about a sleep over? Willy turns seven in a few weeks and has refused up to now to go and sleep there on his own. His friends is starting to ask if they should have a sleep over and he doesn't want to as he thinks it's to scary, so who better start with than granma and graddad? LoL

It's time for a new challenge over at Crafty Card Makers again and this time we are doing the theme "Shabby Chic". I always find it really hard to create after that theme as there is more than one definition on that. I decided to do a bit of googling before I went on with this card. Lots to be found about the subject. But returning explainations was : white, worn, lace, pearls, flowers, pastels (green, pink and blue). So I did a little bit of all on this card.

As the kids have been sick for about a week I didn't take the time to colour any image and used a vintage photo instead. Works with the theme. LoL I used some wonderful papers from Maja Design called Sofiero that is a wonderful garden and castle here in Sweden. All the papers are inspired by the gardens there. Now, you don't see that much of them on my card as I have white washed them with some gesso and water. After that I used some Frantage silver and white to make it even more shabby and to look more worn.

Some die cuts made with Spellbinders, chees cloth also covered in gesso, pearl strings from ROX here in Sweden. Lace and flowers from WOC . A key charm covered in gesso as well is from Bildmålarna. And with all that I hope that it looks at least a tiny bit shabby chic.

Our sponsors this challenge is MILK COFFEE DIGITAL STAMPS

And also by

SIR STAMPALOT

Well I think this is it for today. I hope to be able to finish of some more cards for my dt-commitments in the coming days as I seem to be way behind all the time now days. I always spend a lot of time trying to get my rehab going and hopefully that will lead to something good. Only that it takes alot of time and energy from my crafting. It's time to do something about my work outs and eating habbits I think to try gaining some new energy in my life.

Love n hugs
Marie

Challenges for this card
CLP - Sketch (Entry number 2)
Make it Monday - Always anything goes
Wild Orchid Craft Challenges - Pretty Pastels

Charm us

Morning everyone! It's my busy week with two dt-creations in a row. LoL How did it get that way? Oh well, it's fun so no complaining. Just tired and a bit sore in my back.

This weeks theme over at the Paper Shelter is "Charm us!" which is very easy, just use a charm on your creation and you can play with us. As always we have the gift voucher worth $30 up for grabs if you play with a TPS product of any kind. Playing with another brand gives you the chance to win 3 digis of your choice.

For this card of mine have I, once again used DP's from Bildmålarna here in Sweden. The image is (of course) from the Paper Shelter. The image is called Christmas Candy fairy. Sweet as sugar isn't she? My Letraset family has been set to work once again. Still looking for a new paper to use but every one are so glossy. I want the surface of the paper to be a little rough. The colours get brighter then and to my eye that looks better. Still it needs to be able and take on all the "ink". My partner brought home some new paper yesterday for me to try. The surface is once again very glossy but the little I have tried it looks ok but a little pale in the colours. We'll see what will happen when I use it "for real". If anyone knows of a paper with a little rougher surface please let me know.

The designer papers are from last years collection of Christmas papers from Bildmålarna by the way. Lovely deep colours. The charm I have used on my card is also from them. And the flowers are from WOC. I have also used a little bow tied with some hemp string and some berry thingies in silver from WOC. My pearls are as usual from Bunny Zoe. The snow effect is once again made with Frantáge in white. My craft room floor is also covered in it and some has gotten stuck. Lucky that this room has not been renovated yet. LoL The oval die cut is from Spellbinders and the lace border is made with a die from Magnolia. My fave ever from them I think, together with the one with stars as I always tend to use that one for boy's cards. 

Love n hugs

Marie

Challenges for this card

Divas by design - at least three layers

Creative Craft Challenges - Anything goes

Paper Take Weekly - Two by two (two colours of roses, two flower clusters and two dps)

Top Tip Tuesday - Flowers

Oh la la challenge blog - F is for --- (Fairy and fabby flowers)

God Jul

As I said a million times already I love the fall and today is no different even if it feels more like summer here. Had 18 degrees here yesterday. Anyway, one of the things I love about the fall is that it's getting darker and darker and then suddenly when December comes all Christmas lights goes up and lights up everywhere. I love the expectant that it creates for what's to come. All the preps for the big C. It just makes life wonderful. :)

And until my fave time of the year is here I have to settle with preparing the Christmas cards. LoL This time I have gone all in with papers and motives from Bildmålarna. The new Christmas stamps are so cute and they are a little bigger than before, at least that's how it felt when I coloured this little lady called Snow is falling.

I am back with my markers again, it takes a lot long to colour now than it used to. I am guessing that the changing of papers has something to do with that. I have always used the heavy stuff from Letraset but they don't seem to make that anymore. Grrr, best thing ever made and it goes out from the product line. I am trying to adjust to the Neenah card but we don't get along as it's so much thinner than the other stuff and I am heavy on hand when colouring. So the hunt is on for something that suits me better.

For decorating my card have I used quite a few dies, the snowflake one from Joy!, the ivy from Joanna Sheen, the basic ones from Spellbinders, the border from Magnolia. A red ribbon and bow with ribbon from WOC (who is also dropping all ribbons except lace and seambinding). The roses are also from WOC. The pearls sprays used is from Rox stamps and the gemstones from Magnolia. Charm from Bildmålarna and ordinary pearls from Bunny Zoe. Some glitter glue for some extra sparkle and a glitter pen on the image and sentiment. I think that cover it it all....

The new theme over at Passion For Promarkers this week is hosted by Eileen and it's called "Snow is falling". Our sponsor this week is Lili of the Valley with a gift voucher worth £10 for one lucky winner. Please take the time to check out what my teamies have been up to. Some fabby looking creations is made for this challenge.

Love n hugs
Marie

Challenges for this card
CLP Challenges -  Sketch (as lovely as always)
Bildmålarna Challenges - Roses
Make it Monday - Always anything goes
Craft-Dee BowZ- Anythng with a handmade bow
Eureka Stamps Challenges - Anything goes

Another little creation

Morning everyone! It's Friday and the weekend is finally here. How good is that? I've been feeling so tired the last week and never seems to sleep enough or is it to much? Oh well, I think the old knee is playing games with me and make the sleep a non quality one. Strange as I am not in that much pain during the day, only stiff and it bends the wrong way from time to time but it has been like that before. Oh well, only tired not so much in pain for once. I do love the fall and how I feel then. :)

This is a wedding card I made during the summer. Found out about it early in the summer and thought "great plenty of time and piece of cake". What happens? I wait till the last week and realize I have to make two cards and they are going to the same couple, and of course the same theme. What happens? Everything goes into spinn and the well known scrapper's block decides to move in. LoL Guess if I was pleased when I had finished both cards? I am only showing one here today, the second one I made. As the couple isn't one that likes many details and swirly stuff. I still went with swirls but kept the card simple. 

Thanks to my friend Annelie who sent me a stunning birthday card during the summer I got the idea of how to make the folds and get a pocket for money at the same time. Thanks for that. I really was stuck on ideas for this one. I used designer papers from Authentique to make both cards. The collection is called Irresistible Collection. Such high quality of papers. I loved working with them. And try to find a new reason to use them again. The swirly heart is from Stempelglede and is called Swirly Hearts. I heat embossed the heart on faux leader paper that my sons 1-year photos was mounted in before I got it framed. Good old recykling!

This is a look of the inside. The great cut out fitted perfect on the inside and There is a frame to write your personal greeting on. On the inside of the tab have I put some personal info and greeting, but as it's personal you never got to see it. ;) A really simple box to make the card complete was also made. The couple only wished for money for their big day as they want to travel the world, so with the this box it at least looked a little more than just a card with money in it. :)

Long post today. Sorry about that. Anyway, it has been fairly quiet on my blog this week as I have spent quite a lot of time going back and forward with my youngest to the hospital. Two check-ups in the same week for his club feet. But it looks really good so it was worth it. No more surgery as it looks now and no more special shoes more than one more year. We have to keep on working with the stretching of especially his left foot as that is quite stiff. But otherwise, it looks promissing! How great isn't that?

Love n hugs
Maire

Challenges for this card
Make it Monday - Anything goes
4Krafty girlz Challenges - Anything goes
Moving along with the time - Anything goes
Crafting by Design - Anything goes
Creative Craft Challenges - Anything goes