Live in the moment…

Sometimes I think we spend too much time looking to the future, and not enough time living in the present.  Lately I’ve been thinking about being content, and enjoying everything in my life, right now.  I’ve got some more cards to show you today that reflect these sentiments…

I’ve used more goodies from Kaisercraft for these cards; the papers are Pina Colada, and the rub-ons are from Kaisercraft too.    I’ve also used matching ribbons, lace, flowers buttons, etc.

So, that’s enough from me today, thanks for taking a moment with me!

Anthea

Everything beautiful…

I love words-for as long as I can remember I’ve loved to read, and english was one of my favourite subjects at school.  I believe in the power of words, both written and spoken, and I am mindful of this when making cards, and deciding what words to put on the front (if any at all…).  Sometimes less is more, and sometimes you do have something to say.  I’ve got some cards to show you that I made using some great rub-ons from Kaisercraft-they come in a pack that’s full of lovely sayings-wise words to live by. 

I’ve used the Pina Colada range of papers from Kaisercraft for these cards-love the bright colours and cool patterns.  I’ve also used some lace, ribbon, etc from my stash to match.  Thanks so much for stopping by & have a great week!

Anthea

Basic Grey Challenges Week 13

Hi everyone!  I hope you’re having a great weekend so far.   Mine has been pretty good- last night was the first Sugar ‘n’ Spice for 2010 (the youth group I run at church), and it was great to catch up with everyone again.  We started our craft too, which means I have to come up with new ideas for things for the girls to make.  Last night we made felt brooches, inspired by the ones in my Meet Me At Mike’s book (I love this book!)  I’ve already got ideas for more projects, and it’s always great to see what the girls come up with-the idea isn’t to produce perfect craft, just have fun. 

Here’s my little felt brooch-cute isn’t he?  He’s only 4×3cm, and he has a brooch back so he can be worn.

This morning I went to a local car boot sale, which I love to do.  This time I got some great stuff-buttons, lace, fabric, etc. at ridiculously cheap prices!  I’ve already started planning what to do with it…

Moving right along, today being Saturday means it’s a new Basic Grey Challenge!  This one is a sketch challenge by Martine.  Here’s the sketch, and my cards:

I made two very similar cards for this challenge, the first one is for my Mum’s birthday which is coming up really soon.  I’ve used Basic Grey papers from the Origins and Nook & Pantry lines, as well as Heidi Swapp butterflies, Kaisercraft flowers & rub-ons, and chipboard flourishes from 7 Gypsies.  I love the green and fuschia pink colours here, and I also sewed lace behind the greetings.

Thanks for sticking with me, sorry about my rambling (!) Enjoy the rest of the weekend,

Anthea

Kaisercraft cards @ CHA

Hi everyone!  How’s your week?  Mine is going by so fast, I can’t believe it’s Wednesay already (I probably say that every week…!)

I just had to pop in and show you something that was pretty cool for me today.  Have you read the Moxie Fab World blog yet?  It’s connected to Papercrafts magazine, one of the best card magazines from the US.  I’ve been reading these blogs for ages-there’s lots of cool challenges and inspiration.  This week Cath is showing photos of heaps of new products from CHA, and today there were photos from the Kaisercraft booth.  I was so excited to see photos of a couple of my cards! Check it out:

Being unable to attend CHA myself, this was definitely the next best thing!  How cool are these papers, and they look better in real life…

Thanks for letting me share,

Anthea

Buttons & butterflies…

I haven’t got any pressing deadlines for my cards at the moment, so I’m able to just play and see what I come up with-this is always fun!  I guess we all have our favourites when papercrafting, the things we reach for time and again.  For me, I love buttons, and butterflies are a favourite motif.  So today I’ve incorporated both of these to create this card:

I love the lemon, pink and aqua colour combo here-the papers are from Basic Grey, October Afternoon and Bella.  I’ve used plenty of buttons and the butterflies are from Heidi Swapp.  And a little bling is always the perfect accent… Thanks for stopping by, enjoy the rest of the weekend!

Anthea

Card Patterns Sketch 48

Hello hello! So, how was your Australia Day?  I hope you made the most of your public holiday!  I went shopping with my Mum (it’s not as exciting as it sounds, believe me), and we did have a barbecue last night, so I did do something Aussie after all.

Things are starting up again-church stuff and craft stuff.  This means things are busy, but it’s all good .  I was very excited to discover a couple of op shops I’ve never been to before in my area (shock!!), and one of them had great stuff-vintage children’s books, scarves, and craft stuff .  I felt like using some of my latest finds, so I’ve made a couple of cards for the latest sketch at Card Patterns:

How cool are these vintage pictures?  I’ve used Crate paper and My Mind’s Eye glitter cardstock, with Making Memories tickets and Prima flowers.  I love the aqua, pink, and red with the black gingham ribbon!  These make me think of Valentine’s Day, now if I only had a Valentine…

Thanks for stopping by,

Anthea

Beautiful inspiration…

Good Monday morning everyone! Did you enjoy your weekend?  Mine was nothing out of the ordinary,which suits me just fine!  Melissa Phillips has a cool inspiration challenge on her blog at the moment, which combines two of my favourite things-cardmaking and shabby chic.  You’re to use this lovely ’shabby chic’ inspired photo for your creation:

I love all these lacy, embellished textures, and I wanted to show that in my card, so I had the idea to create a mini version of a memory board (I think that’s what they’re called?), you know-a board that is padded with ribbons wrapped around in which you tuck all manner of little things.  I wrapped my little board in felt and lace, then the ribbons, and made a distressed chipboard frame for it to sit in:

I’ve used Kaisercraft and kraft paper, a Bella chipboard bird, and other special bits and pieces.  I’ve also experimented with layers of paint and Glimmermist, which I plan to do a lot more often!   I’m happy with how this turned out-this idea could be used in lots of different ways…

Thanks for looking at my card, have a great week!

Anthea

Basic Grey Challenges Week 12

Hi everyone, I’m sorry I’ve been MIA this week-I can’t believe it’s a week since I’ve posted!  I’ve been busy completing another magzine article, and sending some other cards off to be published too.  I love working on the cardmaking articles, but they require a lot more work than just sending a card I’ve already made.  For the articles I get given the basic theme, then I design & make 5 or 6 cards that fit this theme, remembering to make them of different skill levels and ensuring they all coordinate.  The designing is the most challenging part, but I do love a challenge!  It’s great when I’ve got everything finished and ready to send off, I feel I’ve accomplished something

Anyway, as I’ve met all deadlines and done the necessary paperwork, now I get to play!  Whilst I’m meeting a specific deadline I’m not allowed to do anything else, so now I can use some of the ideas that have been popping into my head throughout the week…

So, in the spirit of creating and having fun with it, it’s time for the latest Basic Grey Blog Challenge!  This one is really fun:

For this weeks challenge we would like you to be inspired by Animals for your creations, So feel free to go Wild ;P, and of course not forgetting to use at least one item from BasicGrey somewhere on your creations

So, that’s the challenge, and the cards I’ve made for it.  You know I love using my vintage pictures, and they were perfect for this animal inspired challenge, so I’ve used some cute kitty pictures with papers from the Lime Rickey and Offbeat ranges.  I’ve also used Basic Grey alpha stickers, and the rub-ons are from Kaisercraft.  I must also recommend you stop by the Basic Grey challenge blog and have a look at what the other design team members have come up with-there’s some truly lovely stuff there!

That’s all for now, but I will definitely be back soon!

Anthea

Sunny shabby Saturday…

How’s your weekend going?  I’ve been fairly quiet-done some boring housework before the weather gets too hot, and now I can play with my craft stuff, which is bound to make me smile:)  So, for today the ’sunny’ is because that’s what it is today, as well as being ‘Saturday’.

The ’shabby’ is for these rather ’shabby chic’ style cards I finished this afternoon:

I love these old-fashioned floral pictures, and I’ve combined them with papers from October Afternoon, Making Memories, Melissa Frances, and Jenni Bowlin. I’ve also used lots of ribbon and lace, 7Gypsies chipboard, and pearls, as well as lots of distressing.

This week I’ve been spending time checking out the sneak peeks online of lots of the new ranges that will be coming out at CHA this month-there’s some gorgeous stuff!  From looking at the pictures, I can already tell that I’ll be buying from Webster’s Pages, Cosmo Cricket, Prima and Jenni Bowlin, and Maya Road-and that’s only from what I’ve seen so far!

Lots to do before then, though, including writing a magazine article and sending off cards that have been accepted for publication!  It’s always exciting when my work is accepted. And, of course, I’ve also managed to fit in a few op-shopping trips to pick up all sorts of things, such as buttons and lace.  So I’ll have more to share with you soon,

Anthea

Wednesday’s card…

I love to just sit and sort through all my pretty supplies and see what ideas come from it-especially the ‘one-offs’ like unusual buttons and vintage pictures.  That’s what I was doing when I came up with the idea for this card:

I’ve used the pink and grey of this October Afternoon paper as the background for this picture of a bird in a tree-I adhered the bird with foam tape and decorated the bird and tree with glitter.  I’ve also used some lace, twill for the bow, and various cool buttons.  Love these colours together-pretty things inspire me to create more, so that’s what I’m off to do now…

Talk soon,

Anthea