2x Di's Digi Downloads Prizes

WHAT A SURPRISE!!!
Do You remember I told you last week that my House Mouse cards had won $10 worth of digi-stamps from Di'sDigi Downloads! well I won again on Dutch Dare Card Challenge with my Forever Friends Blingy card YAY!! if you 'mouse-over' the stamp titles below, you will see three of my chosen stamps!
I have spent over an hour going through Di's website, choosing from the many wonderful images. It was serious hard work lol as there were so many fabulous designs to choose from.

I chose four lovely bear images that will help me design some male cards think (I needed help after the panic at the weekend!!!) I especially like the one called "Mechanic Ted" he reminds me of my Kev tinkering with the cars. But two of the digi-stamps were absolutely top of my list..."Christening Bears" is a lovely image of a bear couple at the Christening font with their little baby, they are just adorable, I could see a card design for that image as soon as I saw it. Then the other which I feel is absolutely fabulous is the "Love Wedding Bears" I have chosen the outline rather than coloured image because I enjoy colouring my stamped images so much.
So now I am just waiting to recieve my images and get creative with them....thanks again Di \o/ I feel so blessed!

New Forever Friends Anniversary Cards

I've been working on some new designs for personalised wedding & anniversary cards. I try to sell my cards on Etsy and Folksy but not getting noticed really, just one sale! so any tips would be gratefully received! I need to at least fund my hobby! so I am is there a better place to sell handmade cards etc anywhere?

This week over at the Forever Friends Challenge they ask for "dry or heat embossing." Well there is plenty of embossing around the die cut circles and the heart edges too on this card. I hope you can see the dry embossing on the photo! its not as easy to see on the silver wedding design as the gold one

I am also entering this card into the Card Makin Mama's Challenge where they ask for "hearts" I've got that box ticked then LOL I have never entered this challenge before but hoping to make it a regular one  too!

I find it quite difficult to take photo's of cards that have shiny mirror or cracked ice card in the design, the glare seems to take over LOL but I do love the high shine on the silver of this card it is lovely in real life!

I have also made this design in Gold for a Golden Wedding Anniversary. 

The gold card I used is not as high gloss as that used on the silver one but it works well on the cream base, (although it looks quite white on my monitor!)

I think its nice getting a personalised special card for a special occasion. 

it says that someone has taken the trouble and effort to make you feel precious and loved!

I wonder what Kev will do for my 50th birthday next March? !!!

Talking of special occasions...I was asked to do a card for a friend for an 80 year old male! (scream!!!!!)

male cards are just not my specialty!!! it was a stretch but the word vintage came to mind and I remembered a stamp I have had for years of an old car, then hey presto... I created this...

after my cricut blade decided it was too blunt to cut I had to abandon the idea of his name at the bottom but I am please with how it turned out! now should I just specailise in what I do best ? oir be a general all rounder....hmmm thinking about that and leaning towards what I do best at the moment.....

Finally on Folksy!!!

Finally I have made a sale of Folksy...YAY...
I was beginning to wonder if anyone actually sold anything there? but I now have my first order for one of my personalized baby girl cards. Here's a sample of my pram design which can be made in blue, pink, lilac, lemon, with either dotty or gingham background and with ric rac instead of lace on the pram if desired...

I have been holding off putting lots of items on Folksy as I wasn't sure if it was gonna work for me but maybe now I should go for it? I also list items on Etsy but again I have no sales yet.
I have looked at many designs of personalized cards and they all seem so minimal like just a little square or two in the middle with very little work in them, so I think my designs are good and I'm thinking through some new ones too. Here's my baby bear design which is available in the same colours as the pram card...

I would love to hear from anyone who has had success with these sites and find out what the secret of success is? however, I am not trying to make a big business, I just want to fund my hobby really, so that I can buy a new stamp or dies here and there and pay for the card I use.
So what should I do? just make one off cards and sell them at a cheaper price? or specialize in personalized cards made to order? all constructive advice would be really appreciated. 
Now off to make that card! but having a peep at some challenges first......

The Greatest Step

I heard yesterday about Neil Armstrong's death at the age of 82. He was the first man to walk on the moon. His famous words have resonated ever since...."One small step for man ....one giant leap for mankind!" he achieved a lot in his lifetime, you can read his biography points HERE.  I am a lady who makes cards and walks the Christian life day by day with my God. Most of what he has achieved I will never understand, just like the moon it's way beyond my comprehension! But I have had one thought running through my mind for the last couple of days.....

did he also take the greatest personal step? did he give his heart to Jesus? He went somewhere very very few of us will ever go...far away beyond the sky that we can see! But will he be walking in heaven with God? I don't know anything about his personal life or beliefs.... but this I do know, no matter how we have lived our lives what great achievements we have made we all need to make that step of faith to receive Jesus as our Lord and Saviour

want to know more? contact me, 
no debates, no politics or anything like that, just the simple truth of the greatest, best step we can ever take to change our lives here on earth and beyond

God bless you.

WOW WOW WOW

WOW

A very small word really but today I said it out loud three times as I read my mail! My first...WOW...I found out that I am one of the winners over at House Mouse and friends challenge this week. My second ...WOW...I have won $10 worth of digi-stamps from Di's Digi-downloads! I have never used digi stamps before so I am looking forward to collecting my prize and having fun playing with it!

My third ...WOW...was news that I have been invited to be a guest designer over at the House Mouse and friends challenge This is such a big WOW for me as I have always admired the superb work of the HM&F Design Team and found so much inspiration from the beautiful creations they produce. I feel so blessed and really honored to be invited and I hope that I can create something extra special for my time as guest design team member. 

Now time to gather my House Mouse and Gruffies stamps together.......

Blingy Forever Friends Tunnel Card

I found a Kanban Tunnel card blank at my local arty shop which was half price. there were two blanks in the pack. So I have used one of them to make a 50th birthday card for a lovely lady at church who is so young at heart.

The tunnel card blanks are so easy to use but just dont stick the two sides together till you know you have finished decorating it!
Over at the Forever Friends & Co Challenge blog there challenge #43 is "ANYTHING GOES" I am really pleased to be entering a Forever Friends challenge again as I was on the DT about 3 Years ago. I think my card fits the challenge LOL, I still love my Forever Friends bear stamps a very lot!
"ANYTHING GOES" on the Ready Teddy Go Challenge blog too so i am entering my cute birthday bear to that challenge too! I hope that's not against any rules?!

Over at Cute Card Thursday Challenge blog, their challenge #231 is "BLING IT UP" well I think my card is well blinged up LOL and coincidentally the Dutch Dare Card Challenge blog have also asked for bling in their challenge #179  "BLING IT ON" so I am sure theirs enough bling for both of these blingy challenges

The biggest challenge for me was taking a photograph I was pleased with! it was real hard to illiminate the shadows but still show it was a shoadow box type of card! think I got there in the end though!

So here's what I used for my card...
Kanban Tunnel Card Blank (but I would call this a shadow box card)
Forever Friends Stamp FFS9061012 H it may be called "For You" which I chopped from my image.
Nestabilities Scalloped Rectangles (stripey background is Renae's House scrapbook paper)
Cheery Lynn Die "Fanciful Flourish" which I cut and re-arranged to fit
prima flowers
basic grey bling on flowers, numbers and corners of the image.
number "50" cut with cuttlebug die (cant remember the name of the set sorry)
X-Cut labels die cut behind the number 
and a small amount of lilac ribbon

IN GODS HANDS

I am trying to find a stockist in the United Kingdom of the best Christian Rubber stamps I have ever seen. 
The company that makes them is Our Daily Bread Designs. The images and text on their stamp sets are superb and by far are the best on the market. below is the set that I am desperate for. I fill up with emotion every time I see this image of Jesus' Hand, not because I am sentimental as such but because I know the price He paid for my sin! and how much he loves me... 

The set is entitled "Gods Hands" and can be found HERE at ODBD. I already have so many cards in my minds eye that I could create with this set along with a scripture set or two. I just can't afford to buy the set and pay the import duty on top ;o( Well The Lord knows the desire of my heart and how He can bless others through the cards that I make so I will just have to be patient and hope someone stocks it here soon. One thing is for sure....

There really is no safer place to be 
than in Gods hands!