Second entry for Less is More

Hello lovely bloggers,

Here is another card I made with left overs of a previous creation... the leaves were just gathering dust on my table so I decided to use them.

I have used pearlised baby pink card stock which looks pretty different in the picture...

Rather simple card which does not need much explanation... 

I am going to submit this for Less is More - use your scraps

Am a big fan of Less is More - just after my heart and hands!!! Lol.

Hugs,

Monica

Award from dear Sandra

            

Hello sweet bloggers,

I am a bit late in posting this award from my dear friend, Sandra.

I am more than honoured to receive it and
thank you, Sandra! 

The LIEBSTER BLOG AWARD is used to show appreciation of smaller blogs (under 200 followers) and to help spread readership and joy.

As part of the tradition the award is to be passed along to five other blogs that have motivated and inspired me.

It comes from the German meaning Dearest or Beloved, but can also mean Favourite.

To accept the Award you must: 

1.  Link back to the persons blog who gave it to you, and thank them.

2.  Post it on your blog.

3.  Give to five other Bloggers who you appreciate and value.

4.  Leave a comment on the five blogs you choose and let them know.

I would like to nominate the following blogs for this award:

Sasha - http://sashas-inspirations.blogspot.com/

Bea - http://beadeesblog.blogspot.com/

Jane -  http://janes-creations.blogspot.com/

Ursula - http://ursulauphof.blogspot.com/

Susan - http://susiestacey.blogspot.com/

Have a nice Monday.

Hugs,

Monica

CAS card with scraps lying around

Hello my sweet bloggers,

I made this super simple and quick card last night using scraps lying around on my table...

Supplies:

Base card stock - textured white

Bird border punch - MS

Red border punch - EK Success

Check ribbon - Amercan craft

I quite liked it - simple and sweet and not much stress on my hands or neck...

I am going to submit this card for Less is More - use up your scraps!




Thanks to a suggestion given by one of you kind souls out there I am trying to punch and stamp with my feet and it seems to be working out fairly well. Thanks so much... You opened my mind. And lifted my spirits!!! Lol.

Have a good weekend.

Hugs,

Monica

Commissioned card

Hello lovely bloggers,

Hope you all are well and happy...

Here is a card I have made for someone's mum...

This picture was taken on my phone and for some reason it has a mind of it's own and I could not rotate it horizontally much as I tried. In the end I gave up - so you have to imagine the card is horizontal and not vertical.

Supplies:

Base card stock - pale metallic pink

Border punch - MS sponged with distressed ink

Flower - hand made including the crocheted one

Leaves - leaf punch

Sentiment - hand written

Ribbon and crystal - from stash

I am entering this into the following challenge:

http://audsentimentschallengeblog.blogspot.com/ - use happy
http://paperplaychallenges.blogspot.com/ - for a mother
http://www.sarahhurleychallenges.blogspot.com/ - die cuts
http://paperprettiesblog.blogspot.com/ - punches and die cuts


Thanks for all your kind and healing words. Will visit shortly...

Hugs,

Monica

A card with a friend...

Hello sweet bloggers,

I had a friend over for some crafting fun... and this is what we made. 

We used wall paper on a metallic cream card stock and the butterflies were punched out of the same wall paper. The sentiment is hand written - you did not need to guess that. Lol.

I am trying to keep my cards very basic in order to rest my hands.

Below is my friend with the card... wonder what is sweeter? Her smile or the card???

I am going to enter this card in
Make it Monday - anything goes.

Thanks for visiting and I will come by soon.

Hugs,

Monica

Half way DT card for Unstampabelles

Hello lovely people,

Hope you are well and happily crafting away...

This is a half way DT card for Unstampabelles 

the theme of which is 

RECYCLE.

I have made this card using bits of an old birthday invitation card... 

Thomas and the two borders have been cut out of the invite.

Supplies:

Base card - white

Image - cut out from the invitation

Borders - also cut out from the invitation

Clouds - stickers (kind courtesy - dear Terry)

Balloons - stash

Thomas and the balloons have been popped up using foam dots. I have to take Aleeza to a birthday party and may give this to the birthday boy. Thomas and boys - can't go wrong there!

I am also going to enter this card in Make it Monday - anything goes.

Catch you later.

Hugs,

Monica

Wedding card

Hello lovely bloggers,

Hope you all are doing well...

I made this card last night for a wedding reception that we are going to attend tonight... The groom is Dutch while the bride is Indonesian...

Supplies:

Base card stock - pearly pink

Cake stamp - Docrafts

Heat embossing  - with white embossing powder

Dry embossing - CB on pearly silver grey paper

Flowers - Carla craft punch (used pop up white glitter glue for centres which does not show in picture)

Butterfly - Carla craft punch

Hearts - Carla craft punch (According to Zeenya there should have been more hearts...)

Lace - from stash

Got to take Zeenya out shopping now... she is 12 and I must learn to treat her like a teenager!!! These kids are so different from what we were as twelve-year-olds.

Will catch up with my visits later.

Hugs,

Monica

My spirits are bright and soon I will be in sight...

Hello you lovely, thoughtful people out there,

I thought I must do a special post to thank you for all those healing and loving comments you have been leaving me. It means so much to me... specially because my spirits seemed to take a beating for the last week or so.

The first doctor I saw kind of made me feel like a crumpled tissue paper because he did not comfort me in any way, rather, he just plainly said that I should not use my heavy punches and that I should delegate it to someone... (Zeenya is more than unwilling to do any craft work and she has enough homework to do, so I cannot pressurise her into  child labour - Lol!)

I took a second opinion from another doctor who said that it was not a ganglion but a small bone that was jutting out... he even tried to push it in but that did not work. 

 After doing some research on the Internet, I learned that a Chiropractic may be of help to me so off I marched to one and lo and behold! He has asked me to rest my hands for a week and keep away from heavy usage. The Chiro also felt that it was a ganglion but I am not really bothered now because my hands are in the right hands now.. (Pun not intended!)

To cut a long story short, I had my first ultrasound treatment today... and hopefully I will be on the mend soon. But my spirits are already mended and that is what matters most, right?

Sorry for that long medical bulletin but I was so touched with all the tender, loving care (TLC) you good hearted souls have given me that I thought I must do a post to thank you all. And the waffling happened along with it. Lol.

Thanks again for putting up with this long story.

Hugs and I will soon be visiting you all as well,

Monica

DT card for Unstampabelles

Hello dear bloggers,

Thank you very, very much for all those kind and loving wishes... 

Soon I should be on the mend.

Here is my DT card for the 

February challenge of UnstampaBelles 

 Theme - 

Recycle, Eco Craft, Frugal bonus technique Paper Bead.

Any form of paper creation will be accepted as long as NO STAMPS (Digital or Rubber) have been used (this includes sentiments).

IDEAS: quilling, parchment, stickers, boxes, books, cards, scrap pages, etc.
You can find our rules here for further information.

Our sponsor this month is the lovely Anne from 

For the DP, I have recycled a newspaper print of a special kind of Batik (which is a type of hand printing on fabric with wax and natural colours.) This Batik was on display at the Jakarta Textile Museum last year and I have been saving the newspaper cutting for over six months... not too long considering I can hoard for as long as 10 years if not more!!! Lol.
The edges of the paper have been hand torn and the round nesties have been punched out of scraps of paper lying around on my table. The smaller nestie was the same size as the bigger one but I have used my deckle edged scissors to trimit to it's new size. 


The flowers are handmade as you can well guess and the leaves have been cut manually from scrap crepe paper. The ribbon is from my stash while the crystals are from Prima.

Incidentally this card was made before I developed problems with my hand - just to confirm that I am obeying the doctor's orders. Lol.

Will come and visit you soon - am trying to get some physio-therapy appointments so that my hands can be sorted. Am getting serious withdrawal symptoms without being able to blog.

Thanks for bearing with me...

Hugs,

Monica

Featured blogger

Hello lovely bloggers,

It is time for my regular monthly feature and this time the beautiful blogger is Beadee of  http://beadeesblog.blogspot.com

She makes great cards - clean, simple, uncluttered and elegant. Her posts often have  a dose of humour in them and that makes them all the more interesting to read.

And she always leaves me such lovely comments. 

So happy to have you as a blog buddie! Keep making those wonderful nestie cards while I rest my hands... 

Hugs,

Monica

Going to be out of action temporarily...

Hello lovely bloggers,

Just a short post to tell you that I have a ganglion (a swelling which comes about after the fluid oozes out of  a joint) on my left wrist.

 This is the hand I use a great deal to punch (me being ambidextrous) so it seems that it is under great stress.

The doctor has asked me not to use pressure with my left hand... how can he say that when crafting is my first love... He meant I should not use my beloved punches. If only he knew how much I am in love with my craft punches. I have been using them for well over 11 years and it is just natural wear and tear. Maybe I should try and make cards which do not make me exert any kind of pressure. 

On second  thoughts however, I will try and rest my left hand so that it improves... It is not an uncommon occurence though and often times there is no pain. Sadly in my case there is a fair amount of pain. So rest I must, I guess.

I will try and visit you all however after the pain subsides.

Until then I am this wounded soldier trying to be brave about not being able to make my beloved cards!!! 

Only you crafters would empathise with me... never mind.

Ciao and hugs,

Monica

PS: Not a nice way to start the beginning of the month, right?