When you came in my life you changed my world

Hello, and happy Friday! Today over at Craft for the Craic we have some beautiful mid month inspiration. This month the theme is "Inspired by Music". As this is the middle of Birthday Season for my family, I'm showing the birthday card I made for my daughter Sarah. 

 We are big "Thin Lizzy" fans in our house. Our dog's name is Lizzy because when we found her she was really skinny and scrawny (get it, thin Lizzy?!!) Anyway, unintentionally a few years later our first child was born and we called her Sarah because we loved the name and it suited her. Coincidentally Phil Lynott's (from Thin Lizzy) daughter is Sarah also! The title is the first line of the song, which is so true when kiddies came along in my life! :)

So although, I was making this card for a birthday (it could be inspired by The Beatles Birthday either ;) ) it ties in with a lot of musical influence :) :)

 I used a series of dies (Bigz doily die, Bigz Styled Labels, Technique Tuesday happy die etc), papers, washi tape, embellishments to complete the card. 

I couldn't help a bit of doodling either in my silver pen!

Anyway, I have to go and finish eating some of this - it *IS* quality control before any guests arrive ;) ;)

If you are crafting, and it ties in with the theme, why not enter over at Craft for the Craic?!

Have a wonderful Friday, wherever you are :)

Eithne :) xxx

Good day sunshine!

Hello and happy Wednesay to you :) We are being treated to a glorious day of sunshine here in  Ireland after the weeks of rain and gale force winds!

Today I would like to show you a layout I created and framed for a present. It includes a photo of my two cheeky girls ;)

Recipe:

7 Dots Studio - Night's Fever paper for right background

Tim Holtz Sizzix Honeycomb die

KaiserCraft Clear Stamps "You!"

Project Life Journal card (numbered 1-9 on Left side)

From my stash:

Red card to layer the photo, buttons and gems.

Thank you so much for stopping by, hope you have a wonderful day :)

Eithne

Birthday for a Lady :)

Good morning! Wow the beginning of September. I can't believe it!! September always reminds me of school, and would have been the most depressing month, only for my birthday at the end of it!! Since having children, between both sides of our families we have 8 birthdays within 6 weeks. Needless to say it is the busiest 'season' in our house!

I chose the theme over at Eclectic Ellapu this week for the purple team. I am not an organised person, but I do try, so thought if I chose the theme I would be one card up!!

I made this card for a lady - I will have a choice of three birthdays to use it for. Only 7 more cards to go!! I used a combo of dies on silver card and on vellum. The black and white colour combo is complemented with the splash of red.

I heat embossed with some kaleidoscope embossing powder, I love the stuff! It is so unpredictable to use. I also used my old reliable washi tape. If you haven't guessed by now from my previous creations, I have a slight weakness for washi tape. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the stuff!! ;) Enough of my ramblings, have to get my eldest ready for her first Monday in primary school! 

Hope you have a great Monday and pop over and check out the new monthly challenge.
Have a great day,
Happy Crafting,
Eithne :)

Design Team head to head for Anything Goes

Hello and happy Monday! Hope you all survived the weekend. I had a brilliant weekend, on Saturday I got to spend the day with a wonderful, crafty friend. We did more chatting than crafting, but I had such a wonderful day. Can't wait to meet up again for the chat and craft ;-) Can't believe how short the days are turning, getting dark very early! Eeek! :)

This week over at Through the Purple Haze Challenges, the theme is Anything Goes with a twist of Halloween. We are having a head to head Team A vs Team B, so please pop over and vote for your favourite DT project :) The sponsor this week is Digital Delights, offering a $5 coupon and Eye Owl Candy, offering a workshop! Wow :)

This week I went with the Anything Goes. I have no Halloween crafting stuff, and considering we don't celebrate Halloween in a paper/crafting way decided to make an Anything Goes project!! Here it is:

My husband's birthday is a fortnight after mine (yes we have about 8 family birthdays in the space of 6 weeks!!! Crazy time! ;) ) and this is the card I made for him. He's into music and plays the guitar, can you see that hint in the card?!

With the blue embossed board I die cut a circle out, and then die cut the largest Sizzix Framelits label out of Joanna Sheen marbled paper. I cut a smaller circle from the label, and on the inside sheet stamped '100% Happy" in brown ink. Before sticking down the label, I layered some brown paper with some music notation paper and washi tape each side of the circle aperture.

I stamped some guitars in gold ink above and below the brown board, and stamped the remainder of the sentiment 'birthday' onto some brown card. With some bakers twine, I looped it around the front of the card (I made a little eyelet hole on the fold of the card) and threaded the sentiment through.

I quilled a few blue strips to make a flower design, and used a lovely brown flower embellishment for the middle. I stuck a few buttons and gems on to finish it off.

Hope you enjoyed looking at my card. Why not give the challenge a go?

Hope you have a wonderful Monday :)

I hope to enter this card into a few challenges.

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

A Great Adventure

Hello :D Hope you are enjoying your weekend. Here in Ireland the weather is absolutely fabulous! It has been dry and sunny for the past week, probably the first time in three years. Yes, you heard me right, 3 years!!!

Over at Eclectic Ellapu this week the challenge is "B is for…" Your project has to contain three items that begin with B. This week, this is my DT entry:

My three B's are - Button, beads and Bird Charm.

I used three different printed paper from the Prima "Doodle Deux Collection". I love the tones in the papers. 

With my Sizzix Circle, Scalloped Lace die, I cut out the design onto some cream/yellow art paper. I stamped a kraft tag with a Papermania Urban Stamp, and then layered it up with more paper from the "Doodle Deux Collection". The 'sentiment' was also from the paper collection.  

 I threaded some beads through the twine in the tag. Used some gems and a button that tied in with the colour theme.

I love this collection of paper, and how versatile it is with a lot of my supplies already! Hope you like this card. Why not give the challenge a go?

I am entering this card in the following challenges also:

Charisma Cardz Challenges - Tons of Layers (12/6)

Left of Center Creative Challenges - Two Designer papers

Crafty Catz - Lace and Buttons

Crafty Friends Challenge - Bingo card

Thanks for stopping by. Have a great Sunday :D

Eithne

Elephant fun

Hello everyone, hope you had a great Wednesday. Today I am showing you a card I made recently for a little boys 1st birthday.

When I saw the elephant paper, I thought it was perfect for the card. I cut out the digit one from some adhesive blue felt. Then used some gems to highlight the number, and used a silver pen to outline the whole number.

I used circle dies with blue card to create the layered effect, and again using the silver pen outlined the bigger circle in faux stitches and drew "today"

I embossed half the red card, this particular embossing folder allows for embossing any direction which is fantastic. I stuck some outline stickers with the sentiment "happy birthday" to a blue strip.

Thanks for stopping by, hope you have a great day :)
Eithne

All You Need is Love

My good friend got married in August, and I made this card for the happy couple.

For something different, I decided to do a four panel card. The first panel I die cut out a scalloped square, and embossed a section of the front.

The second panel, I covered the background, and added a little sentiment. I got a stamp awhile back with "All You Need is Love!" As I am a HUGE Beatles fan, (and while in school I made everyone else listen to them as well, so all my friends had no option but to like them also!)

This is the embellishment I made with a few die cuts, flowers and a button. I also stamped another sentiment on, "love love love". On to some vellum I stamped silver flowers and put them onto a grey scalloped strip for behind the embellishment.

This second element I made again, from die cuts, printed vellum paper, and leaves. Again, I stamped the words "love love love". (carrying on from the song!) I covered this panel with a similar coloured paper to the first panel. Rather than a scalloped square, I cut out a plain square.

 This is at the back of the card, but when the card is closed you see it. I added some gems to break the plain look!

This is the view looking down on the card when it is standing up.

The "love love love" here is printed in silver ink onto plain vellum. When the card is closed it can be seen through the different size cut outs. I used two brads to hold the vellum in place, and knotted ribbon through also.

 

This is the last side of the card. I used printed vellum, iridescent card, flowers, gems, beads etc.

I am hoping to enter this card in the following challenges
Stamp n Doodle - anything goes
Simon Says Stamp Challenge - Emboss it
365 Cards - Patterned paper and a stamp on the inside


Thanks for looking, hope you have a great day.
Eithne