Things with Wheels - CD Sunday

Do you ever have an idea for making a card and then when you sit down to make it the card turns out nothing like you'd planned? When I first saw the theme for this week's CD Sunday challenge, Things with Wheels', I knew straight away I was going to make a card that featured a new die I had free with Simply Cards and Papercraft magazine. It's a Build-A-Bike die and I thought it would look really cute placed to the side of the main image. I can't download a photo but you will find the die here.
And this is how the card ended up!

Nothing like I'd originally planned and not a bike insight LOL!

The main image is from an old CD that I'm sure many long time crafters have - Enchanted Christmas by Joanna Sheen. There was already a blue frame around it so I used the colours in the image to make the rest of the card. The backing paper is from Embossibilities Christmas CD by Sharon Duncan. This paper is called Christmas icons and the images are all things Christmas related - snowmen, snowflakes, Christmas trees, baubles, stars, holly, presents, mittens and candy canes. It can be printed off in 15 different colours. I have nearly all of Sharon's Embossibilities CDs and love the embossed look the papers have. She's just brought out some new CDs and I have my eye on a few when I can afford them. The blue strip across the card matched the blue frame on the image but I only had a small piece so it's been chopped in half and doesn't go all the way under the image (our secret - ssshhhh!). I embossed the blue card with a snowflake embossing border from Tattered Lace and had just enough left to cut a Merry Christmas using a die free with a magazine (I use that phrase a lot!). I decided it needed something else and found some cream snowflakes in my stash and dotted Tonic Nuvo drops in the middle of them. So my 'bicycle' card turned into Father Christmas in an old fashioned ornate car - hope you like it!

The challenge runs until 1st October (where has the year gone?) and as it's Carol's chosen theme she will have a prize for the winner. To be eligible for the prize you must include something you've printed from a craft CD Rom and you must name the CD in your blog post. If you don't the design team may leave comments on your blog but you won't be allowed to win the prize. 

Shades of Autumn - CD Sunday

People who know me well will know that I love craft magazines and buy lots of them. When I saw the Crafter's Inspiration Issue 11 Autumn from Crafter's Companion I just had to buy it.The magazine comes with a free CD, a DVD,leaf dies, leaf stamps and a vine embossing folder. I love autumnal colours  and I knew the magazine would provide me with inspiration for the next theme at CD Sunday. It's Pauline's first time to chose a theme and she's chosen Shades of Autumn.
I looked though the magazine and found an article on how to make luminaire's - basically they're just boxes with lights in. I didn't have the same dies that they'd used so looked through my stash for something suitable. I wanted to make a 4 sided luminaire whereas the one in the magazine is 3 sided so I made the measurements up as I went along. I took five photos to show the luminaire from different angles and with and without the lights inside switched on.

This first photo is of the box without the lights switched on:

 This is taken slightly from above to show the flowers on the lid:

A close up of the lid showing the flowers and leaves made from backing papers:

And finally 2 more photos with the lights in the box turned on:

The challenge runs until Saturday 17th September at 13:00. To be in with a chance of winning a prize you must use something printed from a craft CD Rom and you must name that cd in your blog post.


CD Papers used - The Seasons Collection by Kanban (printed onto vellum and glued behind the cutout panels).
Perfect Floral Companions by Creative Crafting World (for the yellow and pink flowers)
Dreams Come True by Funky Hand (for the green flowers)
The green leaves and flourish were cut from paper printed from a CD but I didn't make a note of the which cd it was.
Leaf stamps used - free with Crafter's Inspiration magazine
Dies used - Art Nouveau Collectable Die set from Tonic (to cut the panels in the box)
Fanciful Flourish (Left) by Cheery Lynn Designs (to cut the green flourish)
Autumn Morning Tumbling Leaves dies from Sara Davies Signature Collection (to cut the brown stamped leaves)
The flowers were all cut using a die free in a magazine and then curled up using a quilling tool. They were finished off by adding colour coordinated Tonic Nuvo Drops to the centres.
The green leaves were cut using a leaf die free with a Tattered Lace magazine.

I'm adding a link to the magazine - click here.  The luminaire is the fourth photo under the main one.

Hot! Hot! Hot!

I'm sure you've guessed the title for this post is nothing to do with the weather LOL! What a terrible summer we've had - here in Wales it's been more like November.
Hot! Hot!Hot! is the theme Jocelyn has chosen for the next CD Sunday Challenge. The design team have used the theme in a number of ways, pop over to the blog to see what I mean. I have friends living in Australia and decided to use the theme for their Christmas card.

The red backing paper was from a pack I bought in Poundland and I think the holographic card was free in a craft magazine. It was only A5 in size but I managed to squeeze out a sentiment and small images as well as the layer for the topper. I used a topper from an Ooh La La CD rom called Festive Funnies. You can't blame Santa for taking a dip in the sea during his busy schedule!
All the diecuts including the sentiment are made using Tonic dies.
Jocelyn will have a prize for the person who's card she chooses as her favourite and you have until Saturday 3rd September at 13:00 to enter.
Please remember you MUST use something, no matter how small, from a CD Rom and you must name that CD in your blog post to qualify for the prize.
Good Luck!

EDITED TO ADD: Once again Mr Blogger failed to publish my scheduled post. In future I'm going to do it manually before I go to bed on the Saturday.

CD Sunday - Let's Shape It Up

Margaret is one of the new Design team members at CD Sunday and it's her turn to pick a theme to run for the next 2 weeks. She's chosen 'Let's Shape It Up' and wants to see shaped cards.

I decided to make a handbag shaped card and had seen a demo on the TV from Jodie Johnson (who used to be at Tonic) where she'd created a quilted effect on her card. It's quite simple to do - first cut your chosen die out, I used plain white card. Leave the die cut in the die but carefully remove all the cut out bits. Then put your good card stock over the blade side of the die. You should have the die, white card then good card. Run this through your machine with the embossing mat against your good card. Because you already have a die cut in the die it won't cut your good card stock but emboss it to look quilted. The die I used was particularly suited to quilting - Classic Quatrefoil Patterned Panels by Tonic. I then hand cut the quilted card into a handbag shape.

The design I printed onto card was from the Embossibilities Curls and Swirls DVD rom by Sharon Duncan. It's a coffee colour with gold effect spots. If I was to make this again I'd use the plain coffee coloured version without the spots. I then used narrow peel off borders along the embossed lines. I die cut a 'clasp' for the top of the bag, in gold Mirri card, using a die from Marianne Designs Creatables Dies called Anjas Vintage 2 Ornaments (LR0270). I finished decorating the bag with a flower die that was free from a magazine.

Mirri card is difficult to photograph so I took a second photo with the bag angled slightly.

The challenge runs until Saturday 20th August at 13:00. Which ever shaped card Margaret choses as the winner will receive a prize from her. Good luck and have fun everyone!

EDITED TO ADD:  Once again Mr Blogger hasn't published my post! I think I'll give up on scheduling and manually post from now on.

CD Sunday - Fab 'n' Feminine

This time at CD Sunday it's the turn of Wynn to chose a theme and she's gone with Fab 'N' Feminine. Members of the design team are given the themes weeks before they are published on the blog. Well thank goodness we do get them early! I spent 2 weeks trying to make a design in my head into a card but eventually gave up and thought of something else to do. All went well until I decided to add Tonic Nuvo drops to the card as a finishing touch. I left the card to dry for a while then pulled it towards me to check if the Nuvo Drops had dried. What I didn't realise was there was a pair of scissors with the blades hanging over the card and as I pulled it towards me the scissors smeared the drops all the way up the card - aaaarrrggghhh! As the backing paper was printed onto photo paper there was no way I could rescue it. I tried to carefully take the layers off but they tore and all I was left with was the diecut lady. So I had to start again - thankfully all went well this time and I submitted it a few days before the deadline.

The backing paper and one of the layers are from a Sharon Duncan cd - Embossibilities Curls and Swirls printed onto photo paper. The other layer is cut from mirri card. The dies are a Tonic set called Art Nouveau Layering Die Set. The flowers are cut using a set of X Cut dies that were free in a craft magazine (Crafts Beautiful I think), I used scraps of card left over from making the 2 layers. The lady is cut from a Tattered Lace die free with their magazine, number 26. From the waist up she's paper pieced from various card. The skirt is a piece of material wrapped around the die. I finished the card with a sentiment and those pesky Nuvo Drops!

The challenge runs until 13:00 on Saturday 6th August and Wynn will send a prize to the person whose card she chooses as her favourite.

Sadly one of the design team, Sue B, has decided to leave us as she has a busy time ahead and will have to pack her craft stash away for sometime. Hopefully she will want to return when she has time. Meanwhile I wish her all the best and hope she doesn't get to many withdrawal symptoms from not being able to craft. 

EDITED TO ADD: Ggggrrrr! Mr Blogger hasn't published this scheduled blog so I've had to do it myself.