Birthday flowers

Here's my first creation from my US trip - staying up way too late in my friend's crafty space! Designed2Delight image in Spellbinder's oval, coloured with Prismacolours and blinged up with Kaisercraft gems, pale pink glitter glue and glossy accents on the vase. Papers are Basic Grey (green), K&Compancy (circles) and pink dots (unknown). I think the sentiment stamp might be Studio G. Recollection green gems; ribbon/ric rac and buttons from my friend's stash. All materials are from my friend's wonderful craft room. Submitted to the following challenges:

Sketch Saturday #160 Sketch
Basic Grey Challenges #46 Colour Combo - Hot Pink, Lime Green, Brown/Kraft
Charisma Cardz Pink and green
Shabby Tea Room #67 Classic Patterns - photo inspiration colours (pink and green), dots
Simon Says Stamp Bingo - Shape, Ribbon, Sentiment
Marks Finest Papers Use at least one button
Stamp Something Something with pretty papers
Crafty Emma Lots of Sparkly Flowers
Crafts & Me #39 Bling It On
Going Grey Scrap Creations - Anything Goes

Car #17 for the birthday boy

Here's the card I made for a friend's son's 17th birthday. He hasn't got his driver's licence yet and she thought he could benefit from some gentle encouragement - that's why we have the "P" for his provisional licence. The car is dry embossed on Coredinations card using an old embossing template I got as a free gift with an English cardmaking magazine years ago. I sanded the car and customised it with stickers and blue brads. I've had the metal sentiment for many years (might be Making Memories). Kaisercraft paper; textured paper and white gel pen to create the road; brads from my stash.

Submitted to the following challenges:
Some Odd Girl Make a scene
One Crazy Stamper Boys & men
Woodware USA #29 Use a forgotten embellishment (metal Happy Birthday)
CES Challenges #38 Embossing (dry)
Truly Scrumptious #57 Anything goes
Joyful Stamper: Inspire me Fridays 8 Anything goes
2 Sisters Challenge #41 Anything goes

Here be dragons

I had fun making this card for my better half's birthday. He enjoys reading fantasy books, especially ones with dragons, so this Elusive Images dragon stamp is perfect for him. The sentiment and flourish are from the same set and I made them into a scroll. I've tried to give the card a distressed look as I imagine most papers would get pretty worn around fire-breathing dragons! Image is heat embossed in bronze; Kaisercraft papers; netting ribbon and big brads from my stash.

Submitted to the following challenges:

Oldie But A Goodie #11 Magical beings (dragons)

Stamping Vacation No tags

Do You Stack Up? #4 Patterned paper

Tellen's Place Male - Make it for the guys!

Crazy 4 Challenges #72 Vintage or shabby chic

Crafts 4 Eternity #4 Polka dots

Stamptacular Sunday Challenge #96 Whateva! (with stamping)

Crafty Purple Frog Distressing

A birthday cake wish

Making this card was quite a challenge to myself on several counts. Firstly, everything is from Stampin' Up's Confetti scrapping kit, except for the Kaisercraft gem and the Kindy Glitz glitter glue, and using all the coordinated elements from one kit is totally different from how I usually create. I also usually stamp my images rather than using something that's ready-made. Lastly, no ribbon! Can you believe it?!

Submitted to the following challenges:

Cupcake Craft Challenges #126 Food for thought

Tellen's Place Polka dots

7 Kids College Fund #13 Challenge yourself (using a kit & no ribbon)

Take the Belli Challenge #109 The letter P (polka dot patterned paper)

Paper Cutz Challenge #75 Anything goes

Wee Memories #40 Free your creativity (anything goes)

Penny's Paper-Crafty Challenge #45 Anything goes

A stylish duo

Made for a special birthday of one of my close friends. This stylish duo is from a Graphic 45 page of lovely ladies. Eleven more images to use! I layered them on dark brown Bazill punched with Martha Stewart's bubble bath corner and border punch set. SU red background edged with brown chalk ink; Bo Bunny brad; ribbon and sentiment sticker from my stash.

Submitted to the following challenges:

Creative Stamp Friends #12 Vintage

Papertake Weekly Autumn skies

Stamp, Scrap and Doodle Saturdays No flowers

Pals Paper Arts #69 Ribbon or fabric

Digi Doodle Shop's Best #34 Anything goes

Elephant for the birthday boy: a challenge card

One more card from my Kansas visit. I had so much fun sharing Linda's craft room. So many goodies! I had a friend's son in mind when I made this. Digital elephant image is designed by Bugaboo and coloured with Prismas; Nestabilities scalloped ovals dotted with Stickles; EK Success Swiss Cheese border punch; ribbon, paper and star from Linda's stash.

Submitted for the following challenges:

Sew Many Challenges #24 Happy Birthday

Papertake Weekly Challenge Just the One (1 patterned paper, 1 punch, 1 ribbon, 1 star)

Bee Crafty Anything Goes (using a digi image)

365 Cards Day 180 Keep it Simple (1 stamped image, 1 piece of patterned paper, 1 piece of ribbon)

Cupcake Craft Challenges #106 Let's get Digital (digi image)

Daisy Doodles Creative Challenges #16 Anything Goes (using a digi image)

Cat in a hat (with a matching scarf of course!)

I've been making birthday cards for a friend's two nieces for several years and I always have fun coming up with ideas for them. My friend loves hats and is an amateur millliner so I thought this would be a perfect image for a card from her. Isn't the Pink Cat Studio stamp just the cutest?! Kitty cat is coloured using Versacubes and a SU blender pen; sentiment uses two Studio G sets; Basic Grey Euphoria paper over blue mulberry paper; Kindyglitz; ribbons from my stash.

Butterfly-watching cats

A birthday card for a cat loving friend. I made this not long after I went to a faux silk technique class. I thought this gorgeous Coronado Island stamp would work well with it. Renoir sentiment sticker; ribbon from my stash. You can't really tell from the pic but the white cardstock has a fine rib texture that adds a bit of interest to an otherwise plain white background.

iPod for the birthday boy

A friend asked me to make birthday cards for her two kids. This one's for her son's 15th birthday. Main and background images from the web and I've digitally added the sentiment and added diamond glaze to the screen; Stampendous musical note stamped with Versamark; treble clef charm on a wooden star, brads on corrugated card and cord all from my stash.

Shoes for the birthday girl

One of my friends asked me to make birthday cards for her two kids. This one's for her daughter's 12th birthday. Stamping Bella coloured with Tombows; my favourite Inkadinkadoo birthday stamp; DCWV patterned paper; ribbon and clip from my stash.

Celebrating with a gift

This is one of those exasperating cards where my first idea just didn't work out and I wasn't sure how to fix it. I started off with the pink papers and sentiment which came as a freebie from a UK magazine. Everything I did with it originally was just too pink. A few days later I sat down with it again and added lots of colour - that sure made a difference! I love the green paper with the rainbow dots and think it gave this card the oomph that it needed. The gift box is cut from a border strip and topped with a flower brad. I've used two ribbons - the pink stripe is folded inside a silver edged white organza. I'm so glad it's finally finished!

Masculine card for a friend's birthday

With a male friend's birthday coming up, would you believe I didn't have a single masculine card in my stash! (not that there's much of anything in there at the moment) This is what I came up with. Kaisercraft jumbo brad; Sullivans Paper Xtra sentiment stamp; blue card done in Cuttlebug Forest Branches embossing folder and inked with Versamark; Basic Grey Boxer paper; various colours of Bazzill and other cardstock; brown twill from my stash.