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You are welcome to copy any of my designs, as long as you do not take credit for them yourself. I am very happy for you to sell them. If I have used anyone else's design, I always try to give credit where it is due. If I have missed anything, please let me know and I will put things right.


This is intended to be mainly about my crafting stories, as a personal record of what I do. However, I interpret crafting quite widely, not just paper crafting but other things too. I have a butterfly mind and like to change from one thing to another depending on what I feel like on a given day - knitting, crochet, cross-stitch, cards, baking and several others, including my favourite right now, parchment, both traditional skills and Groovi, very relaxing and calming to do.

I have decided to put some structure into my blog so that each day will have something of a theme.
Monday- for Mindfulness; Tuesday - Tidy Up Day; Wednesday - What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday; Thursday - Technique and Tips; Friday - Finish Off Day; Saturday - Start Something New; Sunday - Anything Goes
These themes are not hard and fast and will be changed if I feel the need.

Friday 27 January 2012

Lots of Challenges Today

This first card is for the Die Cut Dreams Sympathy challenge this week. All the parts, apart from the sentiment, come from a pack I bought from QVC ages ago.  I bought it mainly because I thought the cards themselves were very pretty, soft colours and delicate edges.

The flower stickers came with the pack.  They add a little dimension, but they fold flat for posting.  they are stuck only in the centre and you can bend and roll the various elements to make them stand up.  They have an element of memory in them so they do stand up a little when they are released from the card.

As usual, the sentiments I had were the wrong colour, so I used a silver peel off, and the brown and yellow Dufex pens to colour them to a more coppery colour to tone with the flowers.


This card is for the Stampalot monochromatic challenge.  As in the card above, the peel offs were coloured to tone in with the card.

The photos are family ones of my one set of grandparents.  If you look hard, you can see that they were taken in the same place.  They were obviously showing off new bicycles.  The originals were black and white, but I changed them to sepia shades which made them clearer.

I printed them on watercolour card, and then aged it with Old Paper Distress ink, before mounting it on dark brown card.  The whole thing was then matted onto a plain cream card from my oddments box, which I also aged a little with the same ink, then added the coloured peel offs.

I have a lot of old family photos which I do like to use in my crafting.  These are just two of them.



 Card number three is for the 52 (Christmas) Card Throwdown, which was for a card with Christmas flowers in some form.  I am also entering it into Sandra' new challenge for Rudolph Day .

The artwork and the shaped card comes from a My Craft Studio design, I think from Nancy Watt, but I may be wrong there.  It is another card with dimension, but can lie fairly flat for posting, and even comes with its own matching envelope.  It is one piece of card for the base, printed from the computer, then decorated with the decoupage elements.

As is usual for me, I did not use all the elements, but I did add a few red gems to give a bit of Christmas bling.



This is a real bits and pieces card, so following along those lines, I am entering it into Di's Snippits Playground for this week, and into Sandra's Rudolph Day.  However, as it uses a die cut from my Silhouette, it also fits into the Less is More Challenge for Cut it Out
for this week.

The central cut out design is part of a much larger set to make a cut out card by LCM Griffiths.  Having cut it out, I decided that it was far too complicated for me to put together in its entirety, so I have been using each element as a separate item.  I matted it onto a small scrap of dark blue card, before putting it on to the base card.  That in itself is a real Use it Up item, going back to my first start in card making.  I bought far too many card blanks to do my son's wedding stationery, and still have a box full of the cards and the envelopes to match, and nearly a ream of matching cream paper for the inserts.




My final card for today (phew, I hear you say) is a slightly tongue in cheek entry for  the Allsorts Needles and Pins.  You will not see any needles and pins themselves in this card.  However, without this building and others like it, you would have no needles and pins.  The central photo is of the Forge Mill in Redditch, which is now the National Needle Museum.  It is one of the surviving needle making mills, powered by water from the pound you can see in the picture.  Having fallen into dereliction, my husband's uncle formed a group of enthusiasts to bring it back to life.  Sadly, he died before the Queen came to open it officially as a museum.

The small photo inset in the corner is of our daughter's wedding, which was held at the Mill, continuing the family connection with needles.  As you can see, it was a wedding with a difference.  My husband's family have been involved in the needle making trade for several generations in the area.  It does seem dreadful that all the needles are now made abroad and just a few are packed in Redditch and Studley, all that talent lost to our country.  Thirty years ago, Redditch needles were sent all over the world, but not now.

I have now to assure you that none of the materials used in these cards were bought for the job.  So I am keeping up with my pledge to Use It Up in 2012.
I am now off to link up to all these various challenges.  I have had fun this week, even though I did not finish all I wanted to do.  See you all later, I hope.  Have a good week.

20 comments:

Mandi said...

What beautiful intricate cutting
super
Thank you so much
mandi
"Less is More"

Elizabeth said...

gosh, Maggie, you have been productive, I feel such a slacker looking at these fab cards. I particularly like the ones with the photographs and I think, if you don't mind, I'll be pinching the printing old family photos onto watercolour card idea - excellent technique and a great way to use those great old snaps. Elizabeth x

Jo Channon said...

What a fantastic story behind this card, thank you for entering it into the Allsorts Challenge Pins and Needles and hope that you join us again soon. Jo x

Chrissie said...

I love the card for your LIM submission.... superb cut out!
Thanks so much Maggie!
Chrissie
"Less is More"

lin_ka1 said...

You had a lot of work when cutting. I like it

Stephanie Lanzalotto said...

Oh my, your LIM card is amazing. How intricate yet simple at the same time.

Faith A at Daffodil Cards said...

Love all your work, the LIM card is beautiful

Jacqueline said...

Thanks for joining us this week at 52CCT - all your cards are lovely especially the Christmas flowers - Jacqueline xx

Bernie said...

Wow you've been busy! Love all your cards, each one an inspirations. Love the needles story. Sad so many businesses both there and in the US have gone overseas.
Blessings Bernie

Mynn xx said...

What a fabulous spread of crafting! :) All of your cards are fabulous! LOVE you Christmas flowers! Thanks for joining us at 52CCT! :)

Karen said...

Gorgeous cards Maggie and well done on using up old stash! I especially love the flower card at the top, such pretty colours :)

Shaz in Oz.CalligraphyCards said...

Wow! Maggie, what a great collection of cards! do love them all and the stories that go with them- you have given me an idea with Christmas cut out one and if I do it (mm that is a big if!) I will link over to you..
Great pickies of the forbears and the younger generation! thanks for sharing, God bless dear friend, Shaz in oz.x

Linda Simpson said...

WOW Maggie you have been a busy bee!!! Beautiufl cards all of them, so very different but so beautiful. Good luck with the challenges.

Hugs
Linda xxx

Karen said...

Oh, I love this card Maggie, thanks for joining us at DCD.
xx

Victoria said...

There are some really stunning cards here, Maggie. I love the sympathy card - they can be so difficult to do - and the die cut Christmas card is fabulous! Lovely to hear about the Needle Museum too and really interesting, though it's sad that your husband's uncle didn't see it opened by the Queen. Thanks for stopping by my blog :) Much appreciated!

Ruth said...

Such lovely cards. Thanks for joining us at Sir Stampalot, Ruth :)

brenda said...

What a great collection of cards Maggie, all so very different but equally lovely.

Thank you so much for sharing with us at Stampalot challenge this month and Allsorts Needles ans Pins theme and good luck.

B x

Unknown said...

Stunning sympathy card, Thanks for joining us at DCD
Chris x

Hettie said...

Wow Maggie! You have been a busy bunny! Lovely cards you have there.
I never knew you were connected to the Needle Mill in Redditch. One place we keep meaning to visit - one day!

Debs Willis said...

Wow maggie, you;ve been busy! How do you find the time????

Lovely images, and I particularly like the references to the needle museum - fab

Hugs

Debs x