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Recently I had my very first order of cards, and more keep coming in. I am so flattered at this, especially as customers tend to give me a lot of freedom to be creative. This must mean they like what I do, surely. It also means I can use the opportunity to fit in with a few challenges. This is one of those cards.

I was inspired by the idea of making your own paper flowers, and had seen a few different techniques which I wanted to put to the test.

Crafty Calender Challenge of 'Flowers in Bloom' seems a perfect challenge to enter for this.

There's also Craft Your Days Away with their Bingo Card. I always find those difficult, I must say, but this time it worked out well on the diagonal from left top to right bottom: flowers, ribbon/lace, and gems. In this card they just formed a natural part of the build-up.

And on a completely different, and very summery note, the Allsorts Challenge is focussed around 'ice cream colours' which appear abundantly on this card as well.

So I would like to enter these three challenges, and keep my fingers crossed the teams like my work. Do you? Please leave me your comments, I love to read what you think.

 
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Phew! Ever since I heard the theme was floral I wanted to take part in the Crafty Blogger's Network Challenge. I had already missed a  challenge for which I had made a card when our internet connection went off for nearly three weeks, and now that is fixed, the lead to my mini-laptop is broken. This means I am very limited in coming online again, as I normally do this lying down in bed, and now I have to come downstairs and sit at my husband's computer, which is very difficult for me.

Anyway, this serves as a birthday card for my stepmother-in-law, who is called Malle. It is unusual for me to go this floral, another little step out of my comfort zone. I must say that zone is gradually growing, bit by bit.

So, just before the deadline, I would very much like to enter this card in the challenge.

When I do decide to make the effort to come downstairs, I have to make it worth my while. So I found another  challenge I think this card would suit.

Scrap Creations have one on the theme of flowers, so I am entering that one as well.

Of course there's always anything goes as well. Use your stuff is one of those at the moment. This card fits their spirit as well. I was sent these flowers in one of the many crafty packets my facebook friends send me. I wanted to do them justice, but as I said before, it's been outside of that comfort zone for me. I was always worried I would end up making something very old fashioned and naff. The same goes for the blue floral paper, which was part of my hunky dory packet. By weaving it with the pink paper, and colour coordinating the flowers, I actually very much like the result.

Make it Monday are experts on the anything goes theme, so this one os for them as well.

Happy crafting!

 
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Yesterday I had another look around the challenges I now know of, and found a fair few had new themes. So I got all my crafty stuff set out and went through it thinking of all these different subject and selecting goodies to use. I got a bit overwhelmed eventually.

One immediately spoke to my imagination, which was the glitter geeks  with Myths and Legends. I have some foam fairies I have been wondering what to use for, and I thought they would do just the job. Then, going through my stash, I found angels, pyramid and decoupage fairies, cupids, and so on. So what did I end up making? An Easter bunny card... Well, it is a myth, it should fit, and it was great fun to make.

I also had in mind Jackie's potential to sell it. You know by now I am sending her cards to raise funds to improve the lives of Charmaine and Maddy who live with cystic fibrosis. I am aiming for ten cards and will then send them as a packet. So I thought an Easter card would be well in time. I also happened to have the right sentiment to go with it, saying 'Some Bunny Loves You', so that closed the deal.

Then this morning I was looking at more challenges, and lo and behold, the card I made yesterday happens to be just right for three more:

- Creative Card Crew  with Fantasy which is highly similar;

- Colour Create Challenge (http://colourcreatechallenge.blogspot.com/) with pink and green, exactly the colours I happened to use, as if it was meant to happen.

- and Do You Stack Up  with Ribbons, and again I used two pieces of ribbon, carefully chosen with the white dots to match one of the background papers.

So I would like to enter all those this time. I did want to add another picture, because the reflection of the light on the shiny paper was different on it, so you got to see a bit more of the card, but the blog has voted against it for some reason.

Now I will  get on with designing the others I was inspired to make last night. Hopefully I will have more to show you by the end of today.

 
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When I first saw the Sarah Hurley Challenge  , I really thought that was out of my league. But when I started on my batch that I want to make for Jackie Newport from Craftyspecials to sell to raise money to improve the life of a little girl who has cystic fibrosis I came across a bit of paper in my stash that reminded me of the Lists and Me challenge. In fact I think it is one of the papers Jackie herself sent me, but I am unsure about that.

It has five princesses on, called the little angels. I was always one of those little girls who wanted to be a princess and I have always hung on to that angelic innocent bit inside me, even though it has been joined by a whole load of other stuff as I grow older. The first one is a ballerina. I did ballet for a little while when I was little. I dreamt of elegance, but was much more taken with the outfit in the end, than with the discipline and the strict teacher who tried to implement it. Add a few ankle sprains and I'd had enough.

Next is cupcake princess. Baking is one of the things I miss very much. I love it, but being bedridden for the last few years has meant I have had little chance to. Whenever I do see a chance, I grab it, preferably as an activity with our little boy. He is only five and already tells of his memories of us baking together. It definitely applies!

Angel is in the middle - need I say more?

Then there is pink princess. She's a bit far out for this card, if I am honest. So I will let her be symbol for my whimsical girly side.

And Cutie is at the end of the row. Well, everybody always says how much our boy is like me, and everybody that meets him immediately remarks what a cutie he is! It makes me smile, as I do recognise myself in this little princess to, and am happy to admit it!

With the embellishments I was careful to follow the theme as well. There's a bow, as I love wrapping presents, always have done. Mum used to keep them for me to do. Love hearts, as love is another word people have used to describe me which I find an enormous compliment. Stars - you have to admit I'm a star, come on! Last but by no means least flowers. Our Friends have been working so hard to change our jungle back into a garden, so that when I can manage to get outside a bit there will be nice flowers and plants to look at: food for my soul.

I think I did well, I hope Sarah and her team do too.