Craft for the Craic Challenge #2

Hello, thank Crunchie it's Friday :D :D :D Today the new challenge over at Craft for the Craic begins. This month, in honour of St. Patrick, our Irish patron saint, the theme is:

Our challenges are open to ANYTHING crafty or arty - cardmaking, scrapbooking, altered art, crochet, knitting, sewing, baking, painting, drawing, candle making, jewellery making, whatever makes you craft or be creative we would like to see it!

I made a folder as a gift for a friend. (they have yet to receive it as I'm making cards to fit inside!)

This started out as a rather large sheet of SRA3 card (450mm x 320mm) which I then folded and cut down to the final size of 260mm x 150mm.

Here are some side profile pictures.

I round cornered the edges, and corner punched some green card for the front. I die cut a doily from a Sizzix Bigz die.

I then proceeded to embellish - 

I embossed a tag, and used a wooden word 'live' to it. I undid the twine on the tag and threaded through a flower and button.

I used a strip of the left over base card for the punched border in the background.  I punched and die cut some flowers of different shapes and designs, layered them and used either flat backed pearls, buttons or swirls as the centre piece.

Thank you so much for stopping by. Why not visit the rest of the design teams projects -

Michelle - Emily - Katya - Geraldine - Pixie/Margaret - Sylvie

or give the challenge a go?

Have a wonderful Friday and a fantastic weekend :)

Happy crafting,

Eithne :)

Inspire

Over at Eclectic Ellapu this week, the challenge theme is "Anything for Teacher".

I made a notebook, wire bound. The size is an A6 (approx 105 x 148mm)

 When it is opened, this is how it looks:

Please note: This is a photo heavy tutorial of how I made the notebook :)

I cut some grey board approx 220mm x 110 mm and creased it at 158mm and 175mm (these sizes will depend on the size notebook you choose to make)

 I cut some paper, cut to 148.5 x 105 mm.

I chose some printed paper to decorate the cover. As I wanted a layered cover edge, I marked on the back roughly where I needed the base layer to at least cover.

 Then I cut off the triangles of paper, ensuring that at least 3mm was left between the grey board and the triangle cut.

 I folded and stuck the edges down.

 Then I folded in the edges, to create a clean corner.

 I positioned the second layer of paper and stuck it down.

 Then I positioned the final layer, to make sure I got as much on the cover as I wanted.

 I did the same cutting of corners with the green paper, and then folded and stuck down.

 I folded the cover on the crease lines to make sure the cover wrapping wasn't too tight.

 When turned over, this is how the cover is looking. Now to decorate!

 I cut some blue paper approx 100 x 210mm.

 I stuck it down, ensuring that I had two sided tape each side of the creases.

 Next I punched all the pages and a grey board back cover, the same size as the paper. I bound them with a white wire -

Onto the back of the grey board, I stuck two strips of strong two sided tape. When I was happy with the postioning, I stuck the front cover to the back.

 When opened this is how it looks -

 This is how it looks from the back -

 The final photos showing how I decorated the cover.

Although this is for the "Anything for Teacher" challenge, I don't need a teachers gift for a few years! So for once I am gifting myself with this notebook, a notebook to write any notes, sketches or project ideas while I am away from my desk. I am thrilled with it, and find the size perfect for carrying around with me!
Why not give the challenge at Eclectic Ellapu a try?
Challenges I am entering:
Anything Foral - http://ladybugcrafts.blogspot.ie/2013/08/august-challenge-something-floral.html
Hope you are having a great day where you are!
Thanks for stopping by,
Eithne

TTPHC - Anything with Flowers

Hello.  This week over at Through the Purple Haze Challenges the new challenge is "Anything with Flowers". This week there is an anonymous sponsor with a surprise prize!

Here is my card for the challenge:

Using two die cuts, I inked the edges with two different ink colours. I have been waiting to use these cute little lilac tags, so I decorated it with a flower and embellishment and some lovely silver tassel.

The pink flower backing paper originally started out as a plain sheet of paper. I used some bright pink ink to stamp the flowers. The pink paper I tore to size.

For the 'banners' I cut some washi tape, that was a very kind present from my sister ;-)

Thank you for stopping by! Hope you are having a great day.
Eithne

Purple Butterflies

Hello :)

Hope you are having a lovely summer. Here in Ireland we are officially in a drought! It is so hard to believe considering we haven't really had a summer for 4-5 years!

This week over at Eclectic Ellapu the challenge is Shades of Purple with main focus on butterflies.

This is the card I made for this week.

I used some beautiful printed vellum for the piece on the left, and tore some spotty paper for the bottom. Using washi tape I cut it to look like a banner, and then used a paper flower and button for the embellishment. I stuck a butterfly mirror embellishment on the flower also.

With a white cut out circle I stamped some beautiful butterflies, from the Indigo Blu Live Love laugh stamp range, and stuck it onto a pre cut scalloped circle, I previously cut with my cricut.

I used another paper flower and flower embellishment for the side detail.

Another close up -

Why not give this challenge a go? Hope you are having a great day, thanks for stopping by.
Eithne

Sisterly love!

Hello everyone from a beautiful and sunny east Ireland :) hope the sun is shining wherever you are.

In the past two months I have been lucky enough to catch up with my two older sisters. Both live far away, but we still managed to get more than a few snippets of conversations in while they were "home"! It is truly wonderful to reconnect and catch up with sisters after some time of being away.

My sister Emily's birthday was the end of April but I didn't get to see her until the weekend. This is the card I made for her.

I used vellum paper, beautiful glittery cupcake paper, pink embossed board, buttons, washi tape, Tim Holtz Bigz label die, flowers, outline stickers.

I only had a white oval shape, but needed it to fit in with the cream or colours. I used a blue ink pad to ink it up, to match in with the rest of the card. I LOVE the effect and colour!

I LOVE all the summer, fresh colours :D  I have looked at these papers (the printed vellum and the glittery cupcake paper) for months, and never got around to using them! I was so glad to combine all the different papers and boards to complement each other.

I hope you are having a great day! Thanks for stopping by, please leave a comment! :)

I am going to enter these challenges-
Lots of Layers Cutie Pie Challenge
Colour challenge Stamp and Create blog
For a special lady Whoopsie Daisy Challenge
Anything Goes, 2 patterned papers Clear it Out challenge
Summer is Coming LEJ designs challenge
Mothers Day or Pink Shopping our Stash

Eithne

3rd Birthday!

Last week my eldest daughter celebrated her 3rd (eek) birthday! Can't believe how time is flying by! I made this card for her big day -

I am very happy with how the card turned out, especially considering I started the card three times! I had awful trouble trying to think of a card to make. All printed paper I had was too old for her, so eventually I found some polka dotted paper I could work with.

I cut out an oval scalloped edge from a silver pinstripe board. I then used my Big shot to cut out the digit 3 from foam. I also used the Big Shot to cut out all the letters for Sarah. I put the jewels on the letters, and stuck the flower embellishment onto the centre of the flower.

For variety, I used an unusual fold for the card. It is kind of hard to work out from the first photo, so the photo above might give a better angle.

For the middle panel, I embossed some pink card and stuck it down. My embossing folder was not long enough to emboss the full height of the card (210mm) So I embossed both ends of the pink card and matched them up, or as close as I could get. I then stuck my silver scalloped oval on top.

We had a great birthday party, and really enjoyed making the card when I eventually decided what I was doing!!

I am entering this card in the following challenges -

LEJ designs - Happy Birthday

Sassy Cheryls Challenge 136 - Happy Birthday

Best Wishes

A few weeks ago I made a card for my sister, who was expecting a baby. I couldn't blog about the card until now, as she lives in Germany and I didn't want to ruin the surprise! Well, thankfully I can report that she gave birth to a healthy baby boy :D We are all delighted for baby John's parents and can't wait to give him a BIG squeeze!!

This is the card when it is "closed". 

I embossed a scalloped circle, and stuck a circle with the stamped sentiment on to it.

 I used some washi tape on both the card and tag. I punched a hole through the flower and used a brad and some silver elastic to keep the card closed.

This is when you open the card -

I used my cricut to cut out the lady, and I used the shadow option also for the brown background layer. I cut out the dress onto some matching pink paper. I cut out some letters for 'Liv' and stuck everything down.

A close up of the little embellishment on her bag.

The card then opens as per a normal card, where I wrote a message.

I hope to enter this card into the challenges below:

Link up for Pink - 2nd annual link up for pink

Ladybugs Crafts Ink Challenge - flowers and embossing

Through the craft room door challenge - ANYTHING GOES CHALLENGE #39
Crafty Sentiments challenge - Anything goes

365 Cards - Double the fun

Hope you have a great day, thanks for stopping by.
Eithne