42nd Anniversary

On Tuesday, my darling John and I celebrated our 42nd wedding anniversary.

Our lovely neighbours offered to look after our pets so we could have a few

days away. We went to a beachside town about 2 hours drive away, and 

stayed 3 nights at a motel right on the shore. This was our 4th stay there, 

and it is wonderful to go to sleep, then wake in the morning, to the sound

of the waves crashing on the beach just metres away from our room.

This is the card I made for my beautiful man. It is A5 size.

I fell in love with this adorable image when I first saw it several years ago, as it

is so relevant to our careers. John and I have performed professionally as a 

piano and vocal duo for most of our marriage. While I have never actually 

found myself lying on top of the piano, I have often 'draped myself' over 

part of it, while singing 'torch songs', or jazz standards. Mind you,

 unlike these cuties, John has always worn trousers, and I have

worn a little more than a bow and gem in my hair!!

The inside of my card required very little embellishment due to the

design on the DP. I wrote my 'love message' to John in the

white area in the bottom RH corner.

In place of my usual contact details sticker on the back of the card

(after all John knows how to contact me, te he), I used this 

fabulous grand piano die that I bought last month.

Challenges

4 Crafty Chicks #202 - 'Inspired By A Song' (Makin' Whooppee from The Fabulous Baker Boys)

Craft Room - 'Wedding or Anniversary'

Die Cuttin' Divas #173 - 'Wedding or Anniversary'

Penny's Paper Crafty #185 - 'Anything Goes'

Image - Stampavie (Penny Johnson) Love Song 

Colouring - Promarkers

Sentiment - Stampin' Up

Paper - Cre8ive Move To The Beat

Dies - Spellbinder Classic Rectangle, Cuttlebug Music Note #1 and #2, Die-Versions Piano

Stickles and gems are from my junk stash

I'm off to prepare dinner, so thank you for visiting, and until next time, "happy crafting".

Hugs, 

Jennifer. x

Summer Fun

I know I have been a bad blogger lately...it is a month since I have had a card to show

you. There have been lots of happenings in my personal life, including a short stay in

hospital. I thought I may have yet another fractured vertabrae (4 previous ones due

to osteoporosis), but I just tore a rib off my spine. I shouldn't say "just", as the pain

was excruciating, even when only trying to take a deep breath. 

Enough of my miseries, and onto happier things!!!

It is the first Thursday of the month, and that means we have a new challenge for you

at Crafty Little Fairies. Here in Australia, it is bitterly cold, mid-winter, but where

many of you live it is mid-summer, so our theme is

'SUMMER FUN'

We once again have five lovely generous sponsors, so a big "thank you"

to each of them, who are -

Please remember that to be eligible for one of these wonderful prizes you 

MUST use a stamped or digi image, not a pre-coloured topper 

or a printed image from a CD.

I really enjoyed making this card, as it brought back childhood memories of days

spent at the beach, collecting seashells and sending messages in bottles. Yes, 

if I knew in advance a trip to the coast was planned, I would write a little

note, seal it in a bottle, and when we arrived, I would 'launch' it into the 

waves, and dream of someone in a faraway land receiving it.

The white embossed layer was created using my old Fiskars Waves Texture Plate. 

If I spritz the cardstock before using the Texture Plates in my Cuttlebug, 

the result is a very deep, crisp embossing effect.

The sweet image is a digi stamp which I won in a challange in May. 

This lovely button has been in my button jar for more than 3 years, waiting for

the 'right' card. I bought it at a craft show at Farnborough, during my 

last trip to London. Unfortunately, I only bought one.

Inside my card is fairly simple, with a large die-cut area on which

a personal message can be written.

CHALLENGES

4 Crafty Chicks #201 - 'Nautical'

CCC Digi Creations #4 - 'Digi/Embossing Wet or Dry'

CCEE1427 - 'Red, White and Blue'

City Crafter #218 - 'Let's Go To The Beach'

Corrosive #202 - 'Favourite Colouring Medium' (Promarkers)

Crazy 4 Challenges - 'Summer/Winter'

Di's Digi Designs - 'Lots of Layers'

Fussy and Fancy #117 - 'Summertime'

Open Minded #13 - 'Patriotic Colours'

Party Time Tuesdays #179 - 'Red, White and Blue'

Penny's Paper Crafty #184 - 'Buttons, Butterflies or Bows'

Polka Doodles #26 - 'Red, White or Blue'

Pumpkin Spice #77 - 'Red, White and Blue'

Sentimental Sundays #213 - 'Summer'

Sparkles Monthly #57 - 'At The Beach/Summer Fun'

Sweet Stampin' - 'Summer Fun'

Time Out #9 - 'Fun In The Sun'

Image - Sparkle 'N' Sprinkle Time In A Bottle

Colouring - Promarkers

Sentiments - Lili of the Valley

Dies - Spellbinders Scalloped Square

Embossing - Fiskars Texture Plate Waves

Button - Meiflower

Twine - Papermania

Shell from my junk stash

For a chance to win a lovely prize, and see some wonderful projects by my fellow teamies, why not visit us at Crafty Little Fairies, then enter our 'Summer Fun' challenge. We would love to see your creations.

Hopefully I will have another card to show you soon, so until then, "thank you" for visiting.

Hugs, 

Jennifer. x

Popcorn and Friend

My goodness, how quickly do the months go by!! It is the first Thursday of June,

and therefore it is time for a new challenge at Crafty Little Fairies. Our theme 

this month is usually always a popular one.......

'SPOTS AND STRIPES'

To qualify for a prize, you must use spots and stripes on your project, and as

always, you must use a stamped or digi image, not a pre-coloured 'topper'.

Speaking of prizes, this month we have five wonderful sponsors...

Thank you so much to each of  them.

You may remember that recently I 'catalogued' all my dies, so (it's a bit like

renovating a house - once you start, you can't stop) I am doing the same

with my embarrassingly vast collection of stamps. What is even more 

embarrassing, is that I am finding so many that have never seen ink!!

This is one of them. I don't know why, as it is so cute.

It is a very large image, so I had to cut around it by hand. I then used Stickles

to hide my 'wonky' cutting. (I think I should have done the same with the 

matting layer, cut with deckle-edged scissors).

A closer look at Popcorn, and his little friend, coloured with Promarkers.

Inside my card. Those pretty leaves are part of a prize I won recently in a 

challenge. I think I will be using them a lot more.

Challenges

A Little Bit Crafty - 'Child's Play'

Crafty Cardmakers and More #116 - 'Use 1 or More Flourishes'

Cute Card Thursday #324 - 'Perfectly Pink'

Little Claire's #45 - 'Spots and Stripes' WINNER

Paper Crafting Journey - 'Perfect in Pink' 

Penny's Paper Crafty #180 - 'Bears or Mice' WINNER

Image - Crafter's Companion Popcorn the Bear Birthday Hugs

Colouring - Promarkers

Paper - First Edition Spring Drop

Dies - Spellbinders Standard and Scalloped Circles, Decorative Labels Eight, Floral Flourishes, Pendants Eyelets; Sweet Stamps Elegant Leaves; Cheery Lynn Mini Dimentional Butterflies

Punch - EK Success Retro Flower (Lge); Carl Vinca (Mini)

Scissors - Fiskars Deckle Edge

Stickles - Star Dust

Ink for Sponging - Versacube Petal Pink

Ribbon and pink flower bead are from my junk stash

For a chance to win one of our lovely sponsors' prizes, why not visit us at Crafty Little Fairies, have a look at the beautiful creations by my fairy teamies, and enter our 'Spots and Stripes' challenge.

Until next time, thank you for looking,

Hugs, 

Jennifer. x

Butterflies For Pamela

Can you believe that today is the last day of May, and here in Australia it is also

the last day of autumn. I have lost track of the days of late, partly because I had a

short spell in hospital early this week. I have osteoporosis and arthritis, and once

again have a tiny fracture in my spine. I have to use a walking frame for a while, 

and am on quite strong painkillers which make me feel 'woozy'. This is not

 the first time I have been in this situation, and unfortunately it probably 

won't be the last. I do hate being like this!

On Monday one of my friends, Pamela, celebrates her birthday. I am pretty sure

she will be in Sydney with her family this weekend, so it is safe to show you

the card I made for her.

I absolutely adore this pretty paper, so I designed the card so that the

paper was the dominant element. Pamela is an avid gardener, so I

think she will love the flowers and butterflies.

Inside my card matches the front. Pamela loves purple.

The DP is heavily glittered, but I also smothered the die-cut butterflies,

and part of the greeting on the front with Stickles.

Paper - First Edition Spring Drop

Sentiment - Free with magazine

Dies - Spellbinders Scalloped Circles; Cheery Lynn Exotic Butterfly Small, Mini Dimensional Butterflies, Anastasia Border

Punch - EK Success Scalloped Corner

Embossing - Trellis (brand unknown)

Stickles - Star Dust

I really must be off to bed, so will say "good night, and thank you for visiting"

Hugs, 

Jennifer. x

Best Friends

Hello my crafting friends. Can you believe the first week of May has already

finished. Until last week, we have been still experiencing temperatures

in the 30 oCs, with one night 10 days ago at 26 oC at 11pm!!! 

HOWEVER, winter arrived with a vengence on Saturday, 

with snow falling nearby. It was the coldest day since 

last June. After all our hot weather it came as  

a BIG shock!

I explained in my last post that last Sunday, two dear friends 

celebrated their birthdays. 

This is the card I made for my English friend, Pauline, who makes the  

most gorgeous cards. She loves pinks and purples, so choosing my

colour palette was easy. Pauline and I have never met, but 

correspond via email. It would be lovely to actually 

meet her, and have a long chat 'face-to-face'.

A closer look at the two little friends sitting on the brick wall. 

Inside my card is decorated to match the front. Isn't that K. & Co. paper

exquisite. Unfortunately, the store only had 2 sheets left, otherwise I would

have been 'forced' to buy all that they had...well, a girl just doesn't have a

choice in these matters, does she...those little paperholic voices say

"yes, you need it...yes, you need it..."

I smothered the roses and butterflies to within an inch of their lives

with Stickles Star Dust.

Challenges

A Little Bit Crafty - 'Flower Power'

Craft Room - 'Roses and Romance'

Crafty Sentiments Design - 'Anything Goes'

Fussy and Fancy #113- 'Spring Colours'

Love To Create - 'Say It With Flowers'

Sparkle and Sprinkle - 'Anything Goes (always with glitter,embossing or flocking)' TOP 3

The Crafter's Cafe #62 - 'Mom or Special Lady'

Tuesday Throwdown #194 - 'Special Lady'

Image - LOTV Best Friends

Colouring - Promarkers

Paper - K. & Co. Watercolour Bouquet

Dies - Spellbinders Classic and Scalloped Circles (LG); Cheery Lynn Celebrate, Mini Dimensional Butterflies, Wreath Strip, Olive Branches; Memory Box Wrought Iron Gate

Roses and Rosebuds from my junk stash

Must rush off...I have to prepare dinner, iron my uniform for duty at the Fort tomorrow, then do some last minute preparation with our tax forms for an appointment early tomorrow morning with our accountant..... .......help!!!!!!

Thank you for visiting,

Hugs, 

Jennifer. x

Friends Forever

Yesterday was a special day for two of my dear friends. It was their birthdays.

One is Pauline, my wonderfully talented blogging friend in England. (We 'met' 2 

years ago), and the other is Diane, my friend of more than 51 years. We met 

during our first week in High School, and bonded instantly, mainly because of

our love of horses and partly because of music. Now both in our 60s, we still

share that passion for horses...I still have one, and she still owns several.

Since leaving school, we have been separated by long distances geographically,

but have remained in regular contact. Sometimes it is several years between 

actually getting together, but when we do, it is as if we had seen each other  

the previous day. We chatter and laugh for ages, and our poor husbands 

just shake their heads and 'leave us to it'!

This is the card I made for Diane, with a touch of wishful thinking...I wish

we could see each other more often, and reminisce over a pot of tea.

A closer look at the sweet little friends, coloured with Promarkers.

Inside my card, co-ordinated with the front. That pretty locket die-cut is 

from an early Spellbinders set which I have had for years, and NEVER

used! Shame on me!! Last week I finished categorising and cataloguing 

all my dies. It has been a huge task, but well worth it...I found dies 

that I had forgotten, so now I think I will use them more often.

Challenges

A Little Bit Crafty - 'Flower Power'

Cheery Lynn #131 - 'Lots of Layers'

Creative Knockouts #35 - 'Flowers Galore'

Di's Digi Designs - 'Birthdays'

I Love Promarkers - 'Not Quite Straight'

Paper Crafting Journey - 'Spots and/or Stripes'

Seize The Birthday - 'Anything Goes' (must be birthday)

Sweet Pea Stampers - 'Birthday'

Image - LOTV Coffee Break

Colouring - Promarkers

Paper - Teresa Collins You Are My Happy

Sentiment Tags - LOTV Sentiment Tags Set 24

Dies - Spellbinders Timeless Heritage, Classic Rectangle (LG) and Classic Scalloped Rectangle (LG); Cheery Lynn Mini Dimensional Butterflies, Lace Corner Deco E

Punch - Carl Fern

Adhesive mesh - a gift from a friend at a stamp camp

Flowers are from my junk stash

I will be back in a couple of days to show you the card I made for Pauline. I want to know if she has received it first, as I know she reads my blog regularly. Until then, thank you for visiting.

Hugs, 

Jennifer. x

In The Garden

Hello there to all my talented crafty friends.

Where, oh where can the months be going...

I am finding it almost too difficult to believe that it is now the 1st of May!

As well as it being May Day for many of you, it is also a special occasion for

 Crafty Little Fairies. As from today, we are a monthly challenge. The

Pink fairies and Blue fairies have combined, and together will have

a new challenge for you on the first Thursday of each month.

Our first monthly challenge theme is a lovely one you're sure to enjoy...

'IN THE GARDEN'

Yippee, this month we have five...yes, you read that correctly...FIVE 

wonderful sponsors, so there are plenty of chances for you to win. 

However, don't forget that to be eligible for a prize, you must use

a stamped or digi image, and follow the challenge theme.

Our lovely sponsors this month are -

My card features one of my favourite bear stamps, a very old one by PSX.

A closer look at the cute bear and his friend.

Inside my card. The little gardening tools are die-cut from heavy foil lids

from gourmet cat food, and the handles coloured with Promarkers. 

Challenges

Created With Love #80 - 'In The Garden'

Crafting For All Seasons #76 - 'Lots Of Layers'

Lexi's Creations #115 - 'For The Man/Boy In Your Life'

Image - PSX

Colouring - Promarkers

Paper - Graphic 45 Nursery Rhymes

Dies - Spellbinders Hexagons; Marianne LR 0205 (fence); Memory Box Puffy Clouds; Fancy That Garden Tools; Die-namics Grassy Edges

For a chance to win a lovely prize, why not visit all the other fairies and

their beautiful creations at Crafty Little Fairies, and enter our 'In The

 Garden' challenge. Remember, you now have a whole month 

to enter, and you still need to use a stamped or digi image.

Thank you for visiting, and until next time I wish you "happy crafting".

Hugs, 

Jennifer. x