First card for March

Hello bloggers,

I have not been able to post a card since last Thursday...  just been caught up with mundane activities and the like...

I have been seeing your lovely cards and it is always so enrichning for me to learn new techniques and styles when I visit your blogs.

Here is a clean and simple card with my famous handmade flowers...

Materials used:

White cardstock

Polka dotted paper from dear Terry's blog candy

 Plastic ribbon with lemons that I bought from a close friend's closing down store sale - I loved it the first instant I saw it

My famous handmade flower diecut with Sizzix using ordinary yellow tissue paper - curled with my quilling tool

Beads - recycled from Zeenya's braids when we went on holiday to Krabi, Thailand some nine years ago (talk of hoarding!!!)

Hope you like my quick and easy card.

I am going to enter this for the following:


http://papertakeweekly.blogspot.com/ - anthing goes

http://cinspirations.blogspot.com/ - in the garden (hope I qualify)

http://fabnfunkychallenges.blogspot.com/ - spring has sprung

http://crazychallenge.blogspot.com/ - spring themed projects

http://robynsfetishchallengeblog.blogspot.com - be creative with your punches and dies

Hugs,

Monica

Time flies and so do butterflies :P

Hello bloggers,


So it is going to be the 1st of March tomorrow... there flies another month!


Hope you are healthy and in good spirits... I went swimming after a long break and am happy with myself.


I made this card a few days ago but did not post it. I have been saving this lace for the last ten years!!! I got this from the haberdashery department in John Lewis and could never get down to using it because I loved it far too much. 


 I have stuck the lace on metallic silver card stock - somehow both the lace and card stock look much nicer in real life.  :( 


The butterflies were randomly stuck on the top as I could not think of anything else to fill up the empty space with.

As you can see, I am not letting go of my Fiskar's border weaving punch! Lol! Every second card I make seems to have ribbon weaving through it. Hope that is not too boring for you.


I don't have the time to look for challenges as I want to call it an early night. I am expecting a friend to visit me from Malaysia so I must call it a day so that I am all charged up for tomorrow.


However, I am going to enter this for Michelle's Monday Linky party - a real nice place because it has no conditions.


Happy crafting with lots of hugs where ever you are,


Monica 

I am lucky to be receiving this award from Aud of http://craftycards-aud.blogspot.com/  




It is always a great feeling to receive these awards... Thank you, Aud, for making my day! 


Sorry for taking long to post this card - just been caught up with my life.


I have found such a nice bunch of crafters through blogging and believe me, it has enriched my life for the better... to say the least.

Here is what one is supposed to do:

Step 1 - Make a post linking back to the person who gave you the award!

Step 2 - Share 7 random things about yourself 


( I will pass this one as there is enough waffle you hear from me every time I post a card - Lol!)

Step 3 – Award 15 recently discovered bloggers with this award

                                                    

Step 4 – Contact these bloggers and tell them they’ve won the award

Well, to be honest I am going to skip step 2 as I have been rambling on quite a bit in my posts... and I am sure you all are a bit tired of that by now...

And I am going to pass this award to the following blogs which are rather new to me:




http://sugarflorals.blogspot.com/ - Neryl  does not make cards but makes the most delightful sugar flowers

http://relovedrubbish.blogspot.com/ -  Amanda, too, does not make cards (at least not yet) but recycles and recreates beautiful stuff for home

http://happycraftytimes5.blogspot.com/ - Sylvia 

http://joy-sandyscreations.blogspot.com/  - Sandy

http://shogan03-timetoplay.blogspot.com/ - Susan

http://sahajshakti.blogspot.com/ - she makes varied crafts (apologies as I could not find her name on her blog)

http://stampupyourcraft.blogspot.com/ - Aileen

http://catherineshandmadecards.blogspot.com - Catherine

http://sendajoyfulcard.blogspot.com/ - Laura


http://maricelv.blogspot.com/ - Marciel

Do visit these ladies and check out their blogs - they make lovely stuff, believe me...




Hugs,


Monica

Thank you cards for Aleeza's birthday

Hello bloggers,

Thanks for your lovely comments on my last post...

Here are two simple thank you cards I made for Aleeza's play mates in nursery with paper lying around on my table.

I did not have the motivation to look for more paper lest I increase the mess on my slightly clean table... I got some inspiration from my dear friend, Sandra to clean my table so I went for it...

Now I know how Sandra makes breathtakingly beautiful cards with such detail and patience - because her uncluttered table helps her think clearly alongwith her brilliant creative instincts of course.

If you want to prove me right, just make a short trip to her wonderful blog and seeing is believing, right?


The first of the two cards is for a girl and the second is for a boy... they should have had a childlike appeal but it seems that I am trying to impress the mothers more than their kids.

I am going to enter them for the following challenges:

http://partytimetuesdays.blogspot.com/ - anything goes

http://paper-craftingjourney.blogspot.com/ - anything goes

http://littleclairesdesigns.blogspot.com/ - anything goes

http://guylousinimitability.blogspot.com/ - anything goes


Happy crafting with lots of love,

Monica

Handmade crochet flowers and partly recycled

Hi bloggers,


So this is the third week of February already and soon daffodils will be smiling... :)


I have been wanting to make my handmade flowers for a long, long while but somehow could not get down to it... This time I thought I would try something different - so I made some crochet flowers with woolen yarn.


I remember trying my hand at crochet as a 10 year old girl and then years later I gave a go at crochet flowers which were not really brilliant...


I have to thank Helen of  http://helenmade.blogspot.com/ for inspiring me to these flowers again... You honestly have to check out her brilliant site - she creates the most amazing crafts.


They are not the best because I think wool is a bit much for summer cards.


 I could not find a thinner crochet needle so here I am with my woolen flowers which I do think are a bit bulky.


The three square blue backing papers behind the flowers are actually wall paper - a free sample from a home store in the UK. So I recycled yet again!!! Just a teeny-tiny bit, but still...


The metallic steel grey cardstock is from my stash and so are all those ribbons. 


I weaved the ribbon through after punching with my new Fiskar's border punch which is my fave companion these days. 


And yes, the turquoise satin roses are not made by yours truly - they were bought from a store in Mumbai.




I am going submitting this card for the following challenges:


http://peartreedesigns.blogspot.com/ - one colour (all shades of a colour are allowed - so hopefully my card fits the bill)


http://stampingwithdragon.blogspot.com/ - birthday card - I hope this can pass off as a birthday card.


http://stampinbsdesignteam.blogspot.com/ - monochromatic




http://michelle-pinkpaperparadise.blogspot.com/ - Monday Linky Party




Hugs,


Monica

Brown and blue at last...

Hi bloggers,

Hope you are happily crafting away... I have been lucky to be able to post  so many pictures this month... 

For this card I have used the following:

Brown card stock

Flower stamp - a freebie from Cardmaking and Papercraft

Flowers stamped with Archival Brilliance pearlescent blue stamp pad

 Stamped flowers cut manually and stuck with double sided foam tape

Leaves cut freehand with scissors

Blue bow and lacy ribbon from my stash

'You're wonderful' stamp from Whisper words - Do crafts stamped 

and 

heat embossed with black glitter embossing powder on hand torn pearlised paper 

Fiskar's scalloped edge border punch for the border


I am going to post this blue and brown card for the weekend linky party at Monique's blog - www.naturallymecreations.blogspot.com/

This card was Aleeza's handiwork this evening. 

I was presented with this cute book mark by Aleeza and her classmates when I went to read them a book for Valentine's Day. It means a lot to me - so thoughtful of the teacher to do that... 

I conducted a card making activity for the three-year-olds with lots of help from the teacher.
This card above was made by Aleeza.

Simple card for a baby boy

Morning bloggers,


It is 10.30 am here in Jakarta as I post this card. The weather is a bit cloudy and it may soon be pouring... 


Hope you all are doing well - keeping warm and staying healthy. I do hope that March brings better weather - hopefully the daffodils will be out by then.


I made this card on creamy, vanilla cardstock. 


The scallop edged oval has been die cut using my Sizzix dyes. 


The embossed flowers are from Cuttlebug.


The embossed pram is from Sizzix - had it lying with me for 7 years and used it for the first time!


For the distressed effect I used Jim Holtz ranger inks - broken china.


I coloured in the pram with Do craft pastel chalks and rubbed glitter glue on top.


The shiny ground below the pram was made with left over glitter glue in the tube which was a waste really but I somehow managed to retrieve it. I cut the glitter glue tube in the centre and dragged out the remaining dried up glitter glue with a satay stick and stuck it on this card...


The sentiment is handwritten and the faux stitching is done with Sakura nail pens (which belong to Zeenya). They have a special 3 D effect on paper which looks really cool. 


Ever since I discovered how nice these Sakura nail pens are, I have conveniently in my art and craft drawer! Keepers are owners!!!


I know this is a rather common place card but I did enjoy making it.


Have a nice day, afternoon, evening (or goodnight) depending on where you are!


Hugs,


Monica