Cute Panda Birthday card

for my granddaughter next month. She is at that in between age  - will be 12 so doesn't want or need a babyish card but not quite grownup yet so I found this gorgeous Panda.  The grown up bit is the black sparkly letters for her name instead of silver or pink.
I have a great bamboo die so I googled some bamboo backing paper and used that.  Quite effective I think.
Here is the card.

Hope she likes it.  As she will probably get money I am sure she will like the inside.
Hugs
Carol
xx

Kayaking card for SIL

It is my SIL's birthday next month and he and my daughter are serious Kayakers (is that a word?) so I have found a pattern on Stitching Cards. My daughter has told me the right colours to use. Her brother joined in the discussion and asked me where his life jacket was.  Ask Stitching Cards was my reply.  I began to wish I hadn't bothered to ask.

I Googled for the backing paper by just asking for images of water and chose the one I liked best.
This is the second stitching of this image.  I thought I would be clever and stitched directly to the background paper (or one similar) rather than have white space.  I hated it when I had finished - it looked all wrong - so I binned it and started again.
Hope he likes it. I am not doing it again.
Carol
xx

Two more for the Christmas box and a birthday card

This first one is another design by Judith Maslen called 'Christmas Crinolines'- pattern no: jm068-6.
I enjoyed this one even though my unfavourite moon tool was needed for the edging.  With all this practice Judith at least I think I am getting better and perhaps it will become a favourite.

A lovely design Judith - thank you.

The second card was made using a Woodware clear stamp.  I stamped the image on card and then traced it onto parchment using a white pencil.  After I  marked the stitch marks with black pen I then embossed the flower petals and berries and then added colour to the berries and Wink of Stella to the petals. The spaces were cut out with a two needle tool and all was backed with dark blue card.  The bow is by Sue Wilson.
The border is from  Pergamano Multi Grid No 21.

I think I am on track with the Christmas cards I want to make this year.  A few more to go but it is only October... just.

Before I go here is a birthday card made for my friend Pamela. It is her birthday today so I hope she has received it.   Happy Birthday wishes Pamela and here is your card to share.  I found this sweet little magic wand die and so wanted to use it. It seemed a perfect match with this image from Ooh La La.

Hugs
Carol
xx

Midnight Visitor

This is one of Judith Maslen's latest freebie patterns available on her website here.

A very pretty pattern and a joy to make.  I used white embossing instead of the gold ink that Judith used and I changed the border slightly.  This was because I made a mistake.  The pattern called for alternate embossing in the moon tool shapes and I did two together so that if I had continued they would have been odd.  So I managed to change the sequence so that it still made sense.
As I said I loved doing this one and here it is.

Midnight Visitor

A lovely mixture of disciplines and one I think that novice 'parchers' wouldn't find too difficult.
Hugs
Carol
xx

ATC Swop UK

Our theme for October is 'Occupations..  Have made 7 and will send the maximum 5.  I always seem to make more than needed as I can't decide which ones to send.  But then I have a few more for 'stock'.
I was a bit 'outside the box' on a couple - Scarecrow and Gift Organiser.  They are Occupations though - aren't they?

Here they are

They are all decoupaged and embellished.  It is amazing what you can Google. My own favourite is the Scarecrow.  I added a silver bird charm to rest on his arm.
Carol xx

Lots and lots of Holly

Now this one nearly stayed on the cutting room floor.  At least 6 attempts to get the border right. My stubborn Taurus traits kicked in again and I finally finished.
The pattern comes from the Parchment Magazine November 2012 and is by Carla Prediger.  I only used the border - which I loved - and played about with it a little.  The holly leaf embellishment I have had for years and just seemed perfect.
 I am pleased - I hope you like it.

Carol
xx

Christmas Angel

I used a beautiful Angel Die  from 'Creative Expressions' for this card.  I changed the border on the parchment again slightly - but using the same elements. There are 7 little dies - heart, rose, present etc., with this Angel so it doesn't just have to be for Christmas.

Carol
xx

Christmas parchment - different style

Now this is a freebie pattern by Anne Quinn.  I had made it a few years ago but decided I wanted to do it again. I enjoyed it just as much second time around.

This was all traced with a fine black pen and then detailed areas were embossed from the front and back.  The petals of the Christmas roses were embossed from the front except for the petal tips which were done from the back.  All to give a natural shape.  I then coloured with Faber Castell Polychromos pencils from the back and used Zest it - a spreading medium.  The pattern calls for felt tip pens but I hate them so use pencils.  The colours used were:
Permanent green - 266
Deep Scarlet Red - 219
Burnt Ochre - 187
Medium Flesh - 131
Cadmium Yellow - 107
Juniper Green - 165

The parchment has been wrapped around a sheet of 280gsm  rainbow card.  I scanned a piece of rainbow paper and then printed to card.  Tiny tiny pieces of double sided tape were put behind the bow and pine cones (where they don't show) to affix the image to the front of the card.

Hope you like it.
Hugs
Carol
xx

CD Sunday - Baby Love - chosen by Sue

Good Morning - and it is a fine one whilst I am typing this post.
Sue has chosen 'Baby Love' as her theme and I love what our Guest Designers and my fellow teamies have done for this challenge. Please look here.
Coming from a small family and being of a certain age there are limits to the number of new babies in our circle but I do have a gorgeous new Great Nephew - Ellis - so I have made this for his 1st Christmas. He will be 10 months old.  I know he will be too young to appreciate Great Aunt Carol's stitching but it will go in his box of treasures I am sure.  I still have them for my 3 children.

The stitch  pattern comes from Pinbroidery and I have used a backing paper from Messy Rabbit Christmas CD printed direct to card for the base. I love making stitch cards.  When you first look at all those black dots on a piece of paper it is difficult to imagine what it is going to look like. It is always a lovely surprise (that is if you haven't made a mistake). The challenge is then to find a way to present your finished stitch work.
Please join in our challenge and if you feel like commenting here I would be delighted to receive them.
See you on your blogs.
Carol
xx

Christmas Robin parchment - 2

This is the same La Pashe image as in the last post. Again printed on parchment and embossed.
I was perusing Pinterest - as you do - and I saw this simple border which I loved.  I worked out how to do it and also to change the rectangle shown to a square.  Not very complicated but you need to know what size you are going to do before you print the image. I love this simple look.
The sentiment is a peel off as all the die cut ones in my box were too large.
I will certainly be using this border again and again - easy to do, fairly quick and it doesn't take anything away from the image.
Carol
xx

Christmas in parchment ++++

I said I had printed out some more images from the La Pashe CD - so here is another card.

The border to the image was a very simple one made using a new purchase - a Square Deckle Groovi Plate by Clarity which was gently embossed and enhanced with a white pencil.  The image has been embossed in various places and touched up with a Wink of Stella clear brush.  The white poinsettia is one of my own  ready made ones with the addition of a matching blue card petal backing.

Christmas in parchment +++

More La Pashe printed on parchment - embossed and pricked. The die cuts were a purchase from E bay and the backing paper again from Robert Addams. The frame was made using MCS with its facility for changing colours. The glitter pen was used but hard to see in the photo.
I have just printed out some more images and found some new border designs - so I will see you later.
Carol
xx

Christmas in Parchment ++

I am still using La Pashe CD images and MCS and this time with some background card from Robert Addams.
I am enjoying this type of card making and at the same time trying to make each a little different.  As well as the embossing on here I have added some very pretty stick on gems that I bought from The Art Of Craft.  The corner triangles on the frame have been stippled.
Hugs
Carol
xx

More Christmas in Parchment

For this one I used a La Pashe CD image again. This time I took it into MCS and added the oval frame and the Happy Christmas sentiment.   I then embossed the snow and tree and lights etc to give the 3D effect. It was then mounted on white and red card and then a lilac/blue background.
It need something else so I found a die cut deer in among my Christmas bits and as it had been cut out in dark blue it seems to blend well.
Hope you like it.
Carol
xx

Christmas in parchment

I have just finished another couple of cards using a printed CD image on parchment which I have embossed and framed.
They are both from La Pashe.
Here they are.
1.

Firstly I printed out the image to fit inside the border which I then embossed.  The border pattern is from a Pergamano Multi Grid.  This is the hardest part as you only get half of the border on the grid so you have to be careful to marry up everything when you turn round the grid to do the other half.  I then embossed the picture to show up the snow.  Added a little pencil colouring to give emphasis to the hedges and buildings etc. Before fixing it all to a coloured card I needed to back the image with white paper so that the image was clear and bright. Matching blue brads were used to fix to the blue card.

2.

This was done in the same way.  Just a different simpler border pattern used. I used Kraft card as the base to suggest the Kalahari desert.
There won't be too many of these this Christmas as they do take some time to make. Trouble is I prefer to make parchment or stitched cards.  Perhaps next year I will start in January.
Hugs
Carol
xx

CD Sunday - Bloomin' Marvellous

Good Morning. Our challenge for this fortnight has been chosen by fellow 'teamie' Jocelyn.  As there are plenty of flowers out there we are hoping for many glorious creations. Please visit my fellow 'teamies' blogs to see what they have created.

Here is my own small effort

For this one I used Ooh La La's Carnival of Colour CD with added die cut Hollyhocks I purchased from E-bay. I couldn't believe it when I found the die cuts that were perfect for this card.  I did buy lots of others (different dies)  - of course - but they will do for future projects. The top square of the image has been raised just to add some depth but only using 1mm pads.

I have made my Top 3 choice for 'Gorgeous Gowns' and you will find it here.

Thank you for reading this far and any comments you care to make will be avidly read and appreciated.
Carol
xx