Bloom

Hello friends,

“Bloom” is the prompt this week at Our Beautiful World – OBW164

and I also entered Floral Fridays Fotos – FFF251

I love to take photos of flowers and especially if they are from our garden. We live in a frost free area of Pretoria, South Africa and we do have flowers blooming all year round. So here is a few I want to share.

Click on the photos for a larger view.

Agapathus

Pelargonium

Azalea

Roses

Petrea (Purple wreath)

Thanks for visiting today!

Regards,

Amelia

Red and Gold

Hi there,

The Christmas hustle bustle is in full swing in my part of the world but I’ve got a new card to share with you today . I created this card for a special friend who loves the vintage look with a color combo of red and gold. For the background I used a beautiful CGull embossing folder that needs nothing more than a few embellishments for a lovely Christmas card. I added red flowers, gold twine and gold berries and a few sequins. The sentiment die is from Leane Creatief and cut from gold mirror board.

I entered my card in the following challenges:

• Crafty Gals Corner Challenge #50  (ends 12/23) – Anything Goes
• Word Art Wednesday Challenge #214 (ends 12/30) – Anything Goes
• The Crazy Challenge #211 (ends 12/21) – Christmas
• Use Your Stuff Challenge #202 (ends 12/ 21) – It’s Christmas Time
• Where The HeArt Is Challenge #4 (ends 12/31) – Christmas Colors

A close-up of the flowers, sentiment and embossed background

Project details:

• White card-stock
• Gold mirror board
• CGull “Floral Leaf Swirl” embossing folder (12-0018)
• LeCrea’3-D-die “Pigeons” (No.45.1222)
• Flowers
• Gold berries
• Twine
• Red sequins

Thanks for visiting today and wishing you a happy weekend coming!  I’m sure it will be a busy one for us all.

Regards,

Amelia

Count The Sunny Hours

Hello everyone,

We had lots of rain in our country the past two weeks with very little sunshine. To see everything turn into all shades of green is such a blessing in our part of the world. However my card today is about Spring, sunshine and flowers. I have the privilege to be guest designer for My Sheri  Crafts new challenge “Celebrate Spring”.  I am sure most of us love springtime and the lovely flowers typical of this season, so come and join the challenge at My Sheri Crafts. You may use any supplies as long as it fits the theme.

I created a garden scene with some Graphic45 designer papers and a garden bench die cut from Marianne Design Creatables. The paper daisies are a new addition to my already huge collection of flowers. The lace stamp is from Stampendous and a favorite to add a vintage touch to my cards. Hope you like my take on the challenge. A big thank you to Sheri for the invitation to join the talented My Sheri Crafts design team as guest designer.

Challenges:

• Alphabet Challenge (ends 03/28) – C for Country Flowers
• Really Reasonable Ribbon’s Rambelings Challenge #91 (ends 03/28) – Welcome Spring and Ribbon theme
• Sister Act Card Challenges #48 (ends 03/21) – Anything Goes
• Allsorts Challenge Week 250 (ends 03/21) – Pretty in Pink
• Love to Create Challenge #106 (ends 03/17) – Anything Goes
• Make My Monday Challenge (ends 03/17) – Spring
• Fan-Tastic Tuesday Challenge #26 (ends 03/18) – Anything Goes
• Papertake Weekly Challenge  (ends 03/18) – Bingo (Die cuts, Free, Glitter)
• Crafting For All Seasons Challenge #72 (ends 03/19) – Spring Into Spring!

The garden bench cut from Tim Holtz distress paper and distressed with sanding paper.

A close-up of the chipboard sentiment and daisy.

The vintage scrap, pearls, daisies and rose buds.

The inside embellished with a leafy flourish.

Project details:

• White and brown cardstock
• Graphic45 designer paper “Secret Garden Collection April Showers” (#4500659)
• Graphic45 image from “Secret Garden Collection Springtime” (#4500650)
• Graphis45 sentiment “Secret Garden Collection Chipboard 2”
• Marianne Design Creatables dies “Garden bench”(LR0258) and “Leafy Flourishes” (LR0271)
• Stampendous clear stamp “Elegant borders” (SSC1122)
• Pearls
• Hug snug seam binding “Iced lime”
• Brown wax cord
• Paper daisies and rose buds
• Tim Holtz distress ink “Tea Dye” and “Peeled Paint”
• Skwiglues “Crystal”

Thank you for taking the time to visit and looking at my card. I really enjoy reading your comments and appreciate each one so much. Have a wonderful day and happy crafting

Regards,

Amelia

Feeding The Birds

Hello blog friends,

Time for another fun challenge at Sugar Creek Hollow this Saturday. The theme is A Child’s Life and we would love to see what you create this fortnight in the vintage or shabby chic paper crafting style. Our sponsor for this challenge is A Day for Daisies – I just love Tammy’s lovely designs. For my card I chose the adorable image “Feeding the Birds” so kindly sponsored by Tammy. As a child , and still as an adult, the birds always captivate me with their behaviour at our bird feeders in the backyard. So relaxing to watch their hustle and bustle around the garden. I used Prima “Romantique” paper for my background and lovely Prima and Petaloo flowers to embellish my card. The image is coloured with Lyra-Rembrandt aquarelle pencils, my favourite coloring medium for cards. The Design Team at Sugar Creek Hollow created beautiful cards with their ADFD images, please pop over and join in the fun. Your card could be the winner for this challenge.

Challenges I would love to enter  are:

• Bearly Mine Challenges #98 (ends 08/13) – Tic Tac Toe (Digital Image, Sentiment, Flowers)
• Cuttlebug Mania Challenge (ends 08/13)  – Anything Girly (I have used Spellbinders Nestabilities “Fleur De Lis Squares” with my Cuttlebug)
• The Crafty Bloggers Network Challenge #14 (ends 08/31) – Favourite Things (Flowers and Feeding wild birds)
• Crafty Boots Challenges (ends 08/18) – Die Cuts
• One Stop Craft Challenge #238 (ends 08/17) – Pastel Colours
• Crafty Calender August Challenge (ends 09/06) – Anything Goes
• Paper Crafting Journey Challenge  (08/22) – Distressed/Vintage
• The Crazy Challenge CCH#151 (ends 08/19) – Anything Goes
• Cute Card Thursday Challenge #281 (ends 08/15) – Die-ing to Punch
• Creative Fingers Challenge (ends 08/31) – Anything Goes
• Brown Sugar Challenge #54 (ends 08/16) – Anything Goes
• Sister Act Card Challenge #19 (ends 08/16) – Anything Goes)
• Wordplay Saturday August Challenge (ends 08/31) – Childhood
• Really Reasonable Ribbon Ramblings Challenge #77 (ends 08/12) – Things With Wings with Ribbon
• As You Like It Challenge #8 (ends 08/ ) – Favorite Ribbon or Twine and Why (I used seam binding on most of my card as I like the vintage feel and shabby look it creates on my cards)

The lovely “Feeding the Birds” image from A Day  for Daisies

The sentiment, a little pink gem heart and blue Petaloo For-get-me nots

The Prima and Petaloo flowers

A peep at the inside

Project details:

• White cardstock
• Prima designer paper “Romantique”
• A Day for Daisies digital image “Feeding the Birds”
• Spellbinders Nestabilities die “Fleur de Lis Squares”
• Prima flowers “Bel Canto C”
• Petaloo “Forget me nots”
• Paper cord
• Chipboard sentiment (Unknown)
• Hug Snug seam binding “Cameo beige”
• Skwiglues glitter glue “Crystal”
• Lyra-Rembrandt Aquarelle water-color pencils
• McGill leaf punch ” Designer Leaf Spray”
• Tim Holtz distress ink ” Bundled sage” and “Old Paper”
• Gem heart

Thank you for visiting today and looking at my card. Have a wonderful day and happy crafting.

Regards from South Africa,

Amelia

Live, Laugh, Love

Hello friends,

The challenge at Sugar Creek Hollow this fortnight is to create a mixed media project or card  in the vintage or shabby chic style. Your card or project must reflect lots of different techniques and media like textures (such as lace, paper, texture paste) and embellishments (resin, chipboard, metal etc.). All the designers have created beautiful projects to inspire you and we would love to see your creations at Sugar Creek Hollow this fortnight

I decided to make two canvases in a shabby chic style. As this type of project was a first for me I must admit that it was a learning curve. For the background I used techniques such as masks with glimmer mist and acrylic texture paste, aquarelle pencils and layering with designer paper, doilies and  antique lace. For embellishments I chose  from a wide range  of media. The focus point is a charming resin cherub holding a little bird. This I purchased from our local Crazy Store for a quarter of the price in comparison to resin embellishments in craft stores!. Originally it was a wall hook but my dear husband altered it without any damage to this charming embellishment. I did some wet embossing with PSX embossing powder on the weathered clock, swirl corners and banners. The resin and metal embellishments, paper flowers and chipboard birds are all coated with a layer of gesso, glimmer mist and distress inks for the shabby look. The two canvases are going to be mounted together on glass and then framed in a large white  wooden frame to fill up the space where I want to display it in my craft room.

Challenges:

• Country View Craft Challenges #4 (ends 06/30) – Die Cuts
• Unruly PaperArts June 2013 Reader Art Quest 2  (ends 06/25) – Shabby Chic in 3D
• WordArt Wednesday Challenge #84 (ends 06/19) – Anything Goes
• In The Pink Challenge #22 (ends 06/ ) – Pink with Flowers
• ABC Challenge (ends 07/01) – P For Pretty In Pink

You can click on the  first  picture for a better view of all the details and embellishments on the canvases.  All supplies I used are listed below.

The canvas with the cherub and weathered clock. The background was first colored with Lyra-Rembrandt Aquarelle pencils and then layered with designer paper, antique lace and doilies

A close up of the wet embossing on the clock

The chipboard bird and layered doilies

The canvas with the sentiment. The letters were cut with a Sizzix Sizzlits die  “Cute as a Button Alphabet”. The dots and swirl at the top and bottom were done with acrylic texture paste and a stencil. The background on the left hand corner was done with a mask and Cosmic Shimmer vintage mist “Antique Rose”. I added white painted resin corners to the edges of the banners.

A close up of another chipboard bird, flowers,  the fence and part of the Spellbinders corner swirl ‘”Garden weave”

The bird-cage decorated with pearls and tiny rose buds, more distressed flowers and a metal embellishment painted with gesso

Project details:

• 2 Artist  canvases, size 5″ x 7″, 100% cotton, 380 g/m2
• Designer paper of  color choice
• Paper doilies
• Lace
• Cherub embellishment
• Chipboard birds
• Metal embellishments
• Resin corners
• Prima (“Coventry Rose Romantique”, “Belle Artes Novelty” and “Charme Rose Meadow Lark”), cherry blossoms and I am Roses paper roses.
• Stamens
• Tim Holtz Alterations die ” Weathered clock”
• Sizzix Sizzlets alphabet die “Cute as  a Button”
• Spellbinders Shapeabilities die D-Lites “Garden Weave”
• Memory Box die “Rounded Fence”
• Dala  acrylic gesso
• Dale acrylic texture paste
• Heritage modge podge
• Background stencil (Unknown)
• Lyra-Rembrandt Aquarelle water-color pencils
• Tim Holtz distress inks “Victorian velvet” and “Stormy sky”
• PSX embossing powder “Verdigris” and “Rose”
• Cosmic Shimmer Vintage Mist “Antique Rose”
• Skwiglues glitter “Crystal”

Thanks so much for visiting, I hope you like what you see. For everyone who so kindly leave a comment – this is so much appreciated. Have a wonderful day and happy crafting.

Regards from South Africa,

Amelia

Little Birdie Jane

Hello friends,

Sharing with you today is my guest designer card for In The Pink Challenge blog. What a wonderful opportunity Christine and Sylvia gave me – thanks so much. The theme of the challenge is distressing and the only limitation is that your card  must have LOTS OF PINK! I love pink  and that makes In The Pink challenges a lovely place for me to be. For my card I used a Stamping Bella image “Little Birdie Jane”. I liked this stamp so much and was over the moon when it arrived in my postal box. I struggled for months to get the stamp as it was sold out at most of the online shops I regularly order from. But patience paid off and here is my card.

Challenges:

• ABC Challenge #13 (ends 01/28) – Birthday Cards
• Inky Chicks Challenge #2 (ends 02/05) – Bingo (Sentiment, Image, Bow)
• The Cheerful Stamp Pad Challenge #52 (ends 02/03) – Tickled Pink
• Created with Love Challenges #CWLC25 (ends 01/28) – Anything Goes
• Creative Card Crew Challenge #28 (ends 02/05) – Girly
• Wednesday’s Creative Inspirations Challenge #198 (ends 01/30) – Anything Goes + An Option of Flowers

A close-up of Little Birdie Jane dressed in pink

A peep at the inside to see the rest of the sentiment

Project details:

• White cardstock
• My Mind’s Eye Lost and Found Two designer paper “Blush “Sweet” Bouquet”
• Stamping Bella rubber stamp “Little Birdie Jane” JD100
• Penny Black clear stamp set “A little bird…” for outside sentiment
• Whimsy stamp “Birthday letter seals” for inside sentiment
• Chipboard corner flourish
• Paper roses
• Hug Snug seam binding “Pink tulip”
• Buttons
• Paper doily
• Lyra-Rembrandt Aquarelle pencils for colouring
• Tim Holtz distress ink “Vintage photo”
• Cosmic Shimmer Vintage Mist “Antique Rose”

Thanks for visiting today, it is always good to see you drop by. Enjoy your day and happy crafting. Hope to see your pink creation at the In The Pink Challenge.

Happy crafting and regards from South Africa,

Amelia

A Special Gift

Hello dear friends,

Not a card from me today but a gift box. It was great fun making something different for a change. My project was designed for the Sugar Creek Hollow Challenge and the theme is to create something for a gift in the vintage, shabby or primitive style. With Christmas around the corner this is perfect timing to do the last-minute gift boxes, money enclosures, tags or gift bags.  Renee also prepared a tutorial for an adorable gift box to make. Hope you will join us this week with your creation as this will be our last challenge for 2012 and  will run for two weeks. We will be back with a new challenge on January 5th, 2013.

I also want to enter my project in the following challenges:

• Live & Love Crafts Inspiration and Challenge #6 (ends 12/31 – Anything But A Card
• Simon Says Stamp Challenge (ends 12/19) – What’s Your Favorite? (Spellbinders Shapeabilities, JustRite sentiment stamp and Tim Holtz Distress ink)
• Creative Moments Bloggers Network #6 (ends 12/26) – Anything Goes/Anything but a Card
• Shopping Our Stash Challenge #81 (ends 12/18) – Sentimentally Yours
• Tuesday Alchemy Challenge #44 (ends 12/18) – Anything Goes
• Crafts 4 Eternity Challenge R#102 (ends 12/22) – Bling – tastic
• Delicious Doodles Challenge #15 (ends 12/20) – Anything But A Card
• Through the Craftroom Door Challenge #48 (ends 12/17) – Anything Goes
• Really Reasonable Ribbon’s Ramblings #62 (ends 12/29) – Anything Goes with Ribbon
• My Sheri Crafts Challenge #100 – (ends 12/22) – It’s A Wrap!

The sentiment tag, roses, fancy pins and ribbon on the lid

 A close up of the sentiment tag

The sides decorated with pearl strings and Spellbinders Shapeabilities die “Antique Accents”

Project details:

• Folded box
• JustRite sentiment stamp “Heart To Heart Set”
• Spellbinders Nestabilities “Floral Ovals”
• Spellbinders Shapeabilities “Antique Frame and Accents”
• Marianne Design Creatables “LR0111”
• White paper roses
• Gold netting
• Gold string
• Green grosgrain ribbon
• Tim Holtz distress ink “Antique Linen”
• Memento dye ink ” Toffee Crunch”
• Fancy stick pins
• Pearl string
• Stickles “Golden Rod”

Have a wonderful day and thanks for visiting – I appreciate it so much. Happy crafting and we would love you to join us at the Sugar Creek Hollow Challenge this fortnight.

Regards from South Africa,

Amelia