About Blackbutterfly Cards



I started making cards for pleasure in 2007, and quickly found my home was becoming swamped by cards everywhere. I decided to put some of them up for sale on a webpage in an effort to recoup some of the costs of my hobby. I called the webpage Blackbutterfly Handcrafted Cards, and it can be found at http://www.blackbutterfly2007.co.uk/

I try to take my cards to a couple of table sales or craft fairs a year, but make my cards mainly for friends and family. I would love the website sales to take off, as I nowhere near cover the costs involved in this all absorbing hobby, but for me the main thing is the pleasure I have in making my cards.
Recently I have decided to expand my blog to cover my other interests too. It's a sort of substitute for going to work and chatting to people, as due to ill health I was unable to work, and since the beginning of 2014 I am officially a pensioner.
Although I'll still show my cards, I'll also be covering my other interests and how I attempt to make ends meet day by day.

In fact anything that crosses my mind will be on here, so be prepared for waffle and a wasted five minutes as you read.
Make coffee and settle in, why don't you?




Thursday, September 30, 2010

Polar Bears

Still not getting a buzz from this crafting lark at the moment, but I have spent this afternoon colouring these three images, hoping inspiration to use them will suddenly strike me.............but nothing yet, and I have to go start preparing a meal now. Perhaps tomorrow will be better!!

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Lost my mojo!

This is just a short post mainly to confirm that  I AM still about,......... I've just lost my mojo!! (Not really sure what a mojo is - but I'm sure when it reappears I'll recognise it!!)

The only thing I've made lately is a bottle top tag that I was going to enter for the Whiff Of Joy DT  application. However, once it was made I didn't like it, and so never entered it. Perhaps in a couple of months I'll try again.


This was it........I used paper piecing for her coat and hat, promarkers for the rest of her outfit, and white glitter for the coat and hat trim. I've never made a bottle tag before, it was interesting - and useful for Xmas/birthday presents!

I have made a card for a Forum swap, but unfortunately I've posted it off without taking a picture of it. ARRGH!............ I HATE it when I do that!! 
If by some chance we post pictures of the cards we received on the forum, I'll try to "pinch" the image back and post it here. It won't be til after October 2nd though, 'cos that's the date we all have to open them.
It was decided to swap one card with a partner for National Cardmakers Day, and the rules were that it had to be made using Autumn colours, and no one could open their card until 2nd October. We also had to include 5 stamped images as a swop, and some candy.
Can't wait to open mine!

I've ordered some of La Pashe flippin' men and flippin' women clear stamps which were on sale at imagenation. Only £1 each and there's still some available as I write this.

 My daughter has been offerred some temporary work at a local company, just for a couple of weeks while they clear a massive backlog of orders. So its quiet here today, (much as I love her, it's wonderful to have time to myself) and I can just chill out all on my own. She is obviously over the moon to be offered  ANY work at all. It's the first time I've seen her that excited in a long time!! 

Everyone.........please order LOTS of craft stuff from the company that runs the aforementioned forum, so that way she'll be offered a longer work placement!!....LOL

Ok.............going to search for that missing mojo!............I know I left it around here somewhere......

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Oh What a Night!..........and day!

I was supposed to upload some cards yesterday evening, but had a major disaster and everything else was put on hold!.

I walked into the kitchen last night to behold a river of blood across the floor. My first thought?............what's the dog done???  PANIC!!!!
( From this you can gather that my dog is as clumsy as anything, injures himself without even trying, and was appropriately named BUMBLE.)

Anyway,  a moments reflection made me realise that, despite my pounding heart rate, it wasn't blood. 

Closer investigation revealed........Raspberry Juice..........leaking out of the bottom of the freezer,............ which had the plug switched OFF.

Obviously, this was unintentional, (ya think?) and had apparently happened when we had to move the freezer from under the kitchen window on Tuesday night for the window repair man to come on Wednesday morning.

Screams for help to my daughter ensued to come and get the dog, who by this time had discovered that raspberry juice was "nice"..........and "didn't it make pretty patterns all over the kitchen floor when you walked in it?"
So,  mop in hand, I set about clearing up the river..........and then had to brave the worst bit.............seeing how much of the freezer full of food was salvageable.

It was heartbreaking actually. A freezer full of food has vanished, and in it's place are about 10 day's worth of meals. Most of the stuff had defrosted completely, fish was thrown, other bits had been sitting in a lake of raspberry juice and were ruined. Packs of peas, sweetcorn, broccolli, runner beans.............all no longer useable. I also had some Ready Meals in there too - all ruined. plus a load of bread and rolls.

 I  did manage to salvage a plastic tub with portions of Beef mince, another with Lamb mince, a pack of Rhubarb, some sausages, and a pack of chicken breasts. All of which had not  QUITE defrosted. They went into the fridge overnight, and today I had to go into cooking mode.

I spent most of the day making all the defrosted stuff into 2 chicken casseroles, 2 sausage casseroles, 2 Beef Passanda, 2 Spaghetti bolognaise sauce, and 4 Shepherds pies, which all have gone back into the freezer now, and the aforementioned  freezer has had  it's socket switch taped into the  ON postion!!!

Roll on payday. .........that's all I can say!



Soooooooooooo! on to the cards that should have been uploaded last night.

 The first is the monthly card kit from Little Claire. I changed it slightly  by decoupaging the flower, and raising the circles up on pads. It looked a little flat to me.......now I like it better!!


            The image was coloured with Promarkers, and I used Berry Red for the main colour on the flowers and Burgundy for the shading, then for the decoupaged petals I used Poppy for the main colour and Berry Red for the shading. It worked out quite well, considering I'm a bit short of red shades!

After that I set about making a couple of cards for an Appeal for Ovarian Cancer that  Sue Upson has on her blog.

They are just small cards, and not very fancy cos they have to go through the post, I didn't want things to get spoilt. The stipulation was that they should be in Teal colours, that being the Charity's colour. This  IS Teal.........even if it doesn't look it!! 

 I did two using the same image. One I watercoloured, and used a holographic backgound paper.Very simply done, but with all that holographic effect I didn't want to overload it.

 The other one,  I've paper pieced using the same holographic paper. I cut our her top, skirt and shoes in the teal, and then used a silver holographic paper to print and paper piece the bouquet wrapping.
I added some flowers from Wild Orchid, a little silver heart from my stash, and some diamantes in the centre of the flowers. Lace is also from Wild Orchid Crafts.

I just have to get them sent off now, so need to email to ask for the address. I'll come clean and admit that the papers are Xmas wrapping sheets on a roll from the pound shop last year. I'm going to find some more this year that I can use. I LIKE them!



My daughter is dying to get onto the internet now, so I must close. Hope your weekend is going  better than mine has so far!!
I probably won't post tomorrow as I'm spending the day at my fathers........

Tuesday, September 07, 2010

Busy, busy coupla days.

Lots to do this week. Got my daughter's birthday on the 9th, and I haven't made her card yet.........EEK! The worst bit is, I have no idea what to do. Inspiration has vacated my brain at the worst possible point in time.
I have my Godmother visiting me tomorrow, along with my father. She is visiting him for a fortnight. Then in the afternoon, I am waiting for a man to come and fit new window latches. Since the winter I've had 3 break off. I assume it's metal fatigue, cos they were only cheap ones. Unfortunately that means I have to move my chest freezer from under the kitchen window, so he can get to it.
Thursday, as I said,  is Jo's birthday. I also have HER godmother visiting for the day, plus I have to go out with the estate surveyor to do an inspection.  This is part of my duties as an ESB (estate, Street, and block) representative. It all happens at once!
I have made one very simple card this week, (idea courtesy of Ikki's Cuttlebug Cupboard). Only made it cos I wanted to use my new die cut. Here it is

Might try to get back later today, if I get the freezer moved safely! I wish moving one thing didn't mean a whole room has to be reorganised!