Here's one I made earlier!

Scrapbook Frenzy!

2012-01-29T16:44:00.000Z

For the past three weeks I have lived, breathed and hardly slept whilst working on a Scrapbook for a friends daughter who was 18 on Friday. In the past I have made Scrapbooks for her other two daughters when they reached 18 so I couldn't miss Fleur out! I have made 18 pages for her album but only going to show a few of my favourites.

I really enjoyed doing it apart from not giving myself enough time to complete it! And has inspired me to do some more scrapbooking in the near future for my nieces.

What have I been up to......?

2011-12-30T19:16:00.000Z

actually not very much, craft wise anyway! At this time of year when it starts to get very busy at work my crafting takes a back seat to tiredness! Anyway I thought I should share some sewing projects I made for presents over the past few months. They are all Tilda characters from books by Tone Finnanger.

The first one was made for a friend who had a baby boy in November. His name is Elliot and happens to share the same birthday as another friend's little boy, Daniel, who was 5 on that day.

I made this giraffe for Dan for his birthday as we went to the Cotswold Wildlife Park in the summer and thought he would like his own giraffe! I have used velboa fur in giraffe print for his dungarees, so sweet!

The last one was made for my friend Sally whose birthday was in October. She has recently redecorated her bedroom in black white and red, hence the outfit!

That's it for now, hopefully will get back to some serious crafting in the new year. Happy New Year!

Snowflakes are like winters kisses

2011-12-04T20:42:00.000Z

This is a Christmas card for my Christmas stash! This cute, mischievous girl is a download from Pollycraft and has been coloured with Promarkers and Flexmarkers. I have used red stickles on the band of her hat and silver crushed glass glitter by Stampendous on her wings. The snow is liquid pearls, white opal, sprinkled with some silver glitter. The papers are by HOTP and were a freebie from a magazine. I have embossed some white sparkly card with a snowflake folder from Cuttlebug. The large snowflakes are a die from Marianne Creatables and the small snowflakes are a Cuttlebug die.

I have used the sketch from this weeks Sketch Saturday challenge.

I am entering this into the following challenges:

Sketch Saturday - sketch #184

2 Sisters - punches or dies

Delightful Inspiration - let it snow

Colour Create - red/white/green and snowflakes

Totally Papercrafts - let it snow

Paper Sundaes - sundae bar (red, stripes and die cuts)

Dream Valley - sparkle

Pile It On - bling it up

Sundays with Crissy - anything goes

Simon Says Stamp - anything goes

Happy Birthday Christine

2011-11-29T19:20:00.000Z

My work colleague Christine, celebrates her 50th birthday next Monday, and this is the card I have made for her.

The Iris stamp I have had for a very long time, it was probably one of the first wood mounted ones I bought! I have coloured the flowers with Promarkers and Flexmarkers, which I am persevering with after buying them from a very persuasive craft channel!! LOL! The roses are from Wild Orchid and the leaves have been cut with a die from Joycrafts. The lace was originally cream but I coloured it with a Flexmarker to make it lilac. The papers are the Heather paper pack from Papermania. I have used the sketch from this weeks Sketch Saturday Challenge.

I am entering this into the following challenges:

A Gem of a Challenge - monochromatic and sentiment

Birthday Sundaes - birthday card

CES - milestone birthdays

Creative Card Crew - monochromatic

Paper Crafting Journey - anything goes

Sketch Saturday - sketch #183

It's a Pink Christmas

2011-11-24T19:24:00.008Z

The colours for this card are for the challenge over at Colour Create this week, and I love it! The image is a digi download from Papercraft Inspirations web site called Fairy Tree. The DP is from my stash along with the white glitter card. I have used my new snowflake dies from Marianne Creatables in the glitter card and gold card, along with the snowflake border from Memory Box. The swirl die is a Tim Holtz one.

I am entering this into the following challenges:

Pollycraft - xmas fun

CES - snowflakes

Colour Create - pink/white/gold

Sundays with Crissy - non traditional colours

Sketch n' Stash - sketch #75 new (digi image, new snowflake dies)

Daisy Doodles - xmas

Sparkles Christmas - angels

Truly Scrumptious - #70 xmas with pearls

Santa Emma

2011-11-14T21:23:00.000Z

This card is for a special little someone! I have used a digi image from All That Scraps, her name is Santa Emma. The chair stamp she is sat upon is from Molly Blooms. All images have been coloured with Promarkers. The Christmas tree die is by Memory Box which I die cut from green cardstock then covered it with glitter glue. I have used red sparkly glitter for her hat and shoes and also sprinkled it on the poinsetta.

I am entering this into the following challenges:

Crimbo Crackers - make it sparkle

Christmas Challenges - sketch #13

Daisy Doodles - anything goes with a digi

Wags n' Whiskers - #67 xmas themed

2 Sisters - anything goes

Totally Gorgeous - christmas traditions

Autumn leaves

2011-11-08T21:03:00.000Z

This one is another for my stash and a slightly different approach. I have used a stamp which I think is from Sugar Nellie. I have paper pieced her umbrella and wellies and coloured her clothing with Promarkers. I have given her silver sparkly gloves using a Sakura Gelly pen. I stamped the image without the splashes of water and gave her leaves to walk through instead!

I have used the leaves embossing folder with some patterned paper then rubbed VersaMagic across the top to highlight the embossing. The bottom edge has been punched with a border punch.

I am entering this into the following challenges:

Pixie Dust Studio - paper piecing

Birthday Sundaes - #34 birthday card

Craft Your Passion - anything goes and brown (leaves and border)

Catch The Bug - anything goes

Allsorts - anything but square

Humphrey's Christmas

2011-10-30T09:48:00.000Z

I love this Humphrey's Corner image which was a freebie with a recent card making magazine. He has been coloured with Promarkers and I have used Diamond Stickles for the snowflakes. The papers are from Dovecraft, Back to Basics Christmas. I have used a snowflake embossing folder from Cuttlebug and the snowflake dies are from Marianne Creatables.

I am entering this into the following challenges:

The Ribbon Girl - jingle all the way

Passion for Promarkers - for a child

Sweet Stamps - easel card

Bah! Humbug! - die-cuts

Jingle Belles - creatures

Allsorts - xmas easel

Second challenge card this week!

2011-10-27T06:30:00.001+01:00

This will be a birthday card for one of the many friends and work colleagues who have a birthday before Xmas! :-) The stamps I have used are by Kaisercraft, the Magic Happens collection. The fairy image and butterflies have been coloured with Promarkers then I have stickled over the top on the butterflies. The DP is from Papermania Capsule Collection, Heather. I have used the sketch from The Pink Elephant.

I am entering this into the following challenges:

The Pink Elephant - sketch #122

Cutie Pie - lilac/silver tones, fairy image, ribbon, glitter, 3 flowers

Party Time Tuesday - anything goes

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-25T19:14:00.000+01:00

I have never made a Halloween card before so this is a first! My two nieces love Halloween so I will be sending this to them. The image is a freebie download from Bugaboo and she is called Witchpeeker, she is very cute peeking out from her cauldron! I have coloured her with promarkers and used a black gelly roll pen from Sakura to give the web a bit of sparkle. The star and buckle on her hat have Diamond Stickles on to give a glitter effect. The pumpkin trim is from the shop where I work. I have downloaded the Happy Halloween sentiment from Polka Doodles challenge blog, which was part of a Halloween set of freebie images.

The sketch I have used this time is from Sketch n' Stash. And the new stash I have used is the Halloween downloads and the pumpkin trim.

I am entering this into the following challenges:

Sketch n' Stash - sketch #73

Pollycraft - spooky goings on!

Polka Doodles - halloween

Paperplay - use black

Paper Sundaes - use black and sparkle

Dream Valley - halloween

Allsorts - halloween

Sweet Stampin' - halloween

Crafty Cardmakers - cute with a dark twist

Birthday of contrasts

2011-10-21T08:30:00.003+01:00

Today is the birthday of my work colleague and fellow blogger, Janet, whose blog can be found here. Our styles of crafting are very different, she is into lots of techniques and experimenting and I am into safe and cutesy! Anyway I do sometimes attempt to try different techniques which I have done for her birthday card.

On the background cardstock I have stamped the image using Versamark and heat embossed with clear embossing powder. Then using a blending tool I have covered the card with tea dye Distress Ink, the embossed images act as a resist to the ink. I then distressed the edges of the card using rich cocoa Memento Ink. The three squares have been covered with spiced marmalade Distress Ink, using the blending tool. I then stamped the flower image with rich cocoa Memento. The paper flower has been coloured with pearlescent chocolate Brilliance Ink and has been stamped on top using a script stamp. The flourish die is from Tim Holtz and also covered with spiced marmalade ink.

So why birthday contrasts?!

Here is the present I made for Janet, a cutesy Tilda angel (without wings!)

Lavender and lace

2011-10-17T22:14:00.001+01:00

Another card for my stash, which is not growing as quickly as I would like! The image is from Sugar Nellie and coloured with Promarkers and the heart is covered with purple stickles. The flowers are from Mulberry Crafts.

I have used the sketch over at Sketch Saturday's challenge this week.

I am entering this into the following challenges:

Allsorts - lavender and lace

Sketch Saturday - sketch #177

Crafty Creations - 3 papers, 2 embellishments, 1 image

Creatalicious - distress edges

Bunny Zoe - lace

Fairy Fun - sugar and spice

Simply Christmas

2011-10-13T20:07:00.000+01:00

I don't generally have too many Christmas cards to make each year, but I have surprised myself by starting them so early, for me anyway! My batch making I am trying to keep simple, and my special cards can then be made nearer the time. The Gingerbread people stamps came with a recent Simply Homemade magazine and the postage stamps were with the Docrafts Creativity mag. The papers on the front two are by Nitwits and from the same mag. The others are by Dovecraft. The snowflake die was a recent purchase from Dies to Die For and comes from Memory Box, and cut out of glitter card.

These next two cards were made during a workshop Hazel and I attended at The Glitterpot a few weeks ago. The theme was Tim Holtz Christmas. I really enjoyed making these as there were a lot of techniques used which I don't tend to do on my cards.

That's all for now!

Birthday present for Sheila.

2011-10-07T19:34:00.000+01:00

As promised here is a pic of the present I made for my work colleague. She loves reading so I have made her a bookmark and the box has chocolates in it! The template for the box can be found here.

Birthday celebration

2011-10-04T22:18:00.002+01:00

Next Monday is one of my work colleagues, Sheila's, 50th birthday, and this is the card I have made for her. I am also making her a little prezzie which I will show later this week. I have used another image from my LOTV freebies, loving these! The DP's are from Dovecraft, Sugar and Spice, and the flowers are from Mulberry Crafts. I have pleated the ribbon and sewn it on with the sewing machine. The sentiment was a freebie download, not sure from where. I have used an x-cut flower border punch down the centre of the card.

I am entering this into the following challenges:

Crafty Cardmakers - anything goes

Pollycraft - #113 sketch

Allsorts - 5 flowers

Craft Your Passions - anything goes and ribbon

Paper Sundaes - layers

Cutie Pie - flowers, border punch, ribbon

Papertake Weekly - anything goes and punches

Cute Card Thursday - animal crackers, use an animal as main image

Blue is the colour!

2011-09-30T22:42:00.001+01:00

I suddenly realised earlier this week that my stash of birthday cards was getting very low, and as there are a lot of birthdays over the next 3 months I better get on and make some! I have made an easel card this time using shades of blue which is an unusual colour choice for me. I have used the sketch from the challenge at Papertake Weekly and modified it slightly to fit the shape of an easel card. The image is from LOTV which was another freebie from a set from a recent craft magazine. The papers are by Papermania and the ribbon is from my stash. I have used a die from Marianne Creatables to make the flower.

I am entering this into the following challenges:

Papertake Weekly - sketch

Pile it On - fancy folds (easel card)

Creative Card Crew - easel card

Ladybug Crafts Ink - fall and/or fancy folds

Paper and Such - recipe, designer paper, 1 flower, ribbon

How many challenges did I miss this week?!

2011-09-24T21:40:00.000+01:00

I was planning on entering this card into 6 challenges this week, but unfortunately time ran away with me and when I came to blog it, only 2 were still running! Oh well! I have used a combination of two stamps, both by C C Designs, Violet With Key as the main stamp and I have used the pumpkins from the Fall Hansel stamp for her to sit on. I have used an embossing folder from Crafts-Too, leaves, and have cut them out individually and coloured with VersaMagic. The image and pearls have been coloured with Promarkers.

I am entering this into the following challenges:

Pile It On - colours of fall

Digi Doodle - autumn colours

Christmas is a-coming!!

2011-09-21T13:57:00.001+01:00

This is not my first Christmas card this year, as I made two at the weekend at a workshop at The Glitter Pot. Will be showing these later in the week. The sketch I have used for this card is from a new challenge blog called Cutie Pie which started this Monday, showing some great DT work. Check it out here. Anyway here is my card.

The card blank I have used is 8"x8" which has enabled me to get on all the elements I wanted to use! The stamp is from LOTV and coloured with Promarkers. The Christmas background stamp is from Hero Arts and I have heat embossed it using white embossing powder. The Christmas papers are by Dovecraft 'Back to Basics' and the plain cardstock is Papermania. The two swirls are a Tim Holtz Alterations die Elegant Flourishes, one cut out of plain card and decorated with Xmas Red Stickles and the larger one has been cut out of white glitter card. The die I have used for matting and layering is a new set from Sizzix, Fancy Labels. As you can see I had a bit of a spend at the weekend!! As the card is quite large and has a huge expanse of white space inside, I decided to decorate that as well, which you can just see below.

I am entering this into the following challenges:

Cutie Pie - #1 sketch

LOTV - use red, green and white

Creatalicious - anything goes

Paper play - use punches or dies

Pollycraft - swirls and pearls

CES Challenges - #54 embellish me more (I used swirls, pearls, flowers, ribbon)

Wishing my Mum a speedy recovery

2011-09-11T20:08:00.000+01:00

This card I have made for my Mum who is in hospital again, she has had a really rough 3 years after an operation which left her with a lot of problems. Anyway as she is always pleased to receive one of my cards and a bag of her favourite fudge, this is what I made!

I have used an image from Lili of the Valley which came free with a craft magazine a few months ago. She has been coloured with the new Flexmarkers from Letraset and Promarkers. The sketch is from The Sweet Stop.

I am entering this into the following challenges:

Allsorts - flowers and swirls

The Sweet Stop - sketch

Papertake Weekly - anything goes

My Mums Craft Shop - layers

Craft Your Passion - anything goes, with flowers

Pile It On - layers

CraftyCatz - ribbons

Ladybugscrafts - anything goes

Good Luck Sofia!

2011-09-02T09:05:00.000+01:00

Next week my eldest niece, Sofia, starts at 'big' school! So to celebrate I have made her a card to wish her good luck.

The image I have used is a digi one from Digistamp Boutique called Ava, coloured with Promarkers. I have used two punches to punch out the flower shapes, which I have had for years, and glitter glue which is brilliantly sparkly and has just come in to stock where I work, for the centres.

I am entering this into the following challenges:

Allsorts - back to school

Sketch n' stash - #69 sketch

A Boy Card!

2011-08-28T09:34:00.000+01:00

It's not very often that I make male type cards, but as my brother and his family are down on holiday this week I thought I should make him a card for a change, as it is his birthday on Tuesday. The image I have used is a digi from Kenny K downloads. I love their images and stamps and this is the first one I have used. This one is just entitled Hockey. My brother has loved the sport of Ice Hockey for a long time, hence the subject of this card!

I am entering this into the following challenges:

2 Sisters - boys and their toys

Do You Stack Up - boy or man

Crazy 4 Challenges - male themed

Totally Gorgeous - #95 as you like it

Single layer card

2011-08-27T07:22:00.000+01:00

Today one of my work colleagues, Natalie, who has worked on Saturdays for us for the past 5 years, leaves to go out into the big wide world to become a primary school teacher. This is the card I have made for her.

The image is a digi image from Pollycraft and coloured with Promarkers. The squiggly stamps are by Paperartsy.

I am entering this into the following challenges:

Polka Doodles - single layer cards

Sundays with Crissy - K.I.S.S. Keep It Simple Stamper

Something Arty Farty!

2011-08-14T21:06:00.000+01:00

On Wednesday this week one of my work colleagues, Lucy, is 30, so I have made her a little something.

The background to the picture has been painted with acrylic paints. The lettering was cut out of cardboard using Sizzlits alphabet Block Party. I then glued fabric on each letter and cut around each one. The flower is made of fabric using Tim Holtz Tattered Florals die. I then used Dusty Concord Distress Ink to stamp the text stamp onto adhesive backed cotton fabric, with the dragonfly over the top. The dragonfly and corner stamps are both Paperartsy.

I am entering this into the following challenge:

Catch The Bug - distressed/shabby chic

Live like there is no tomorrow

2011-08-09T13:59:00.000+01:00

Over at 2 Sisters challenge blog this week the challenge is to use the following colours:

And this is what I did. This is a birthday card for Sara who I meet with my friend Hazel every couple of weeks for a sewing evening! The stamp is from a freebie set provided by Ladybug Crafts for Simply Cards and Papercraft. I have coloured her with Promarkers and added some Perfect Pearls for her pearl necklace. The ticket stamp and die are from Whimsy Stamps and the pink felt flower and brad are from my stash.

I am entering this into the following challenges:

2 Sisters - colour challenge

Delightful Inspirations - bling

Catch The Bug - anything goes

I {heart}2stamp - sketch

My favourite colour combo!

2011-07-31T16:15:00.000+01:00

At Colour Create this week the challenge is to use pink, green and white with the optional extra of cooking. This has to be one of my favourites as when I look back at cards I have made, these colours crop up quite a bit! The image I have used is from LOTV and is from a stack of images given away in this months Simply Cards and Papercraft.

Over at Daring Cardmakers this week the challenge is to use buttons as part of the design and not just as an embellishment, so I decided to embellish her hat with a bow and a button! Here is another shot just to show the raised parts of the card.

I am entering this into the following challenges:

Colour Create - #76 pink, green and white, optional extra cooking

Craft us crazy - anything goes

Cute Card Thursday - #175 sketch

Daring Cardmakers - cute as a button

Wags n' Whiskers - #59 buttons and bows

One for the stash

2011-07-26T16:01:00.001+01:00

As I was looking through all the fab downloads Pollycraft have on their website, I came across this little cutie, and just had to have her! She is entitled So Tall!. I am entering this into this weeks Sketch n' Stash challenge which involves following a sketch and mentioning in your post what new/old stash you have used. New stash, which there seems to be lots, digi image, circular nestie, papers, flowers and the ticket stamp. Old stash includes the eyelet nestie, ribbon and Distress Ink in Spiced Marmalade. And of course she was coloured with Promarkers.

I also decided to make an envelope box to put the card in as I will probably be posting this one later in the summer. I used a tutorial by Maddy Hill which can be found here on the Inspirational Tips, Techniques and Tutorials blog. The sunflower design I downloaded from Images by Heather M, manipulated it in word and printed it out onto white card. I stamped some butterflies which I coloured with Promarkers and attached them to the front of the box.

I am entering this into the following challenges:

Sketch n' Stash - sketch #66

Paper Sundaes - summer

Stamp Something - favourite embellishment (has to be flowers!)

Paper Cutz - #101 anything goes

2 Sisters - anything goes

New Challenge - Grungy Monday

2011-07-23T21:49:00.000+01:00

I love making cards with cutesy images but just occasionally I feel the need to get messy and inky! So with that, my next challenge is for Grungy Mondays which is a challenge site for all things Tim Holtz, tips, techniques and products. This challenge was suggested to me by my work colleague, Janet (her blog is here). Anyway here is my contribution.

I decided to keep it simple and make some bookmarks which I could give as presents. The challenge is to use either grungeboard or grungepaper for your project. I used grungepaper to make the bookmarks and different elements attached to them. All three were painted with white acrylic paint first then covered with a mixture of different Alcohol Inks, wild plum, stream, pink sherbert and raspberry. I used a Cuttlebug embossing folder, script, to emboss the two pinky coloured ones. Then stamped butterflies and pocket watch images onto more prepared grungepaper to attach to them. The heart stamp was stamped with silver ink and heat embossed with silver embossing powder. The flower which is from Marianne Creatables, was also embossed with silver.

I am entering these into the following challenges:

Grungy Monday - use grungeboard or grungepaper

The Stampman - anything by Tim Holtz

My mojo is back, hurrah!

2011-07-19T21:52:00.000+01:00

Time for a challenge card, I think! This card is for my sister-in-law, Clare, whose birthday is this Friday.

I have used an 8"x8" card blank onto which I have matted a piece of cream card. I then used a beautiful swirly stamp from Kaisercraft ( a recent purchase!) to stamp as the background. The inks I used are Marvy Blending Blox, borrowed from my crafting friend Hazel! The ballerina stamp is from LOTV and coloured with Promarkers. The laser cut wooden butterfly was in a set of different shapes which Hazel bought me back from France as a present. I have covered it with VersaColor and stamped over the top with VersaMagic then heat embossed it using clear embossing powder. The shape behind the image is a new set of dies from Nellies. All the papers have been distressed and inked around the edges.

I am entering this into the following challenges:

Cupcake Inspirations - #119 inspirational photo

Papertake Weekly - get cute

Colour Create - cream, aqua and pale pink

Craft Your Passion - #67 text it

Stampin' for the weekend - #12 wings and things

Sketch Saturday - sketch #164

Sugar Creek Hollow - wing things (shabby chic)

Allsorts - free and easy

This is what I have been up to!

2011-06-24T19:00:00.001+01:00

As my card making has been quite scarce recently I thought I would blog the sewing projects I have been doing.

Craft/sewing bag for myself

Outfit for Elyza Belle.

The frilly top is so cute!

Maxi dress for Sofia.

Very suitable for afternoon tea with Grandad and Grandma next week.

Pink and cream challenge

2011-06-21T21:08:00.000+01:00

I recently won a challenge at Papercrafting Journey with my Father's Day card. The prize came from an online store called Craftie-Charlie, they stock some fantastic products, I will certainly be going shopping there next time I am internet shopping! This is what I won:

An amazing array of goodies!
Anyway onto this weeks card. I have used a new size of card for me for this challenge, 8"x8". I sometimes feel the 6"x6" size is a bit small to show off beautiful papers so thought I would try it out. The DP is from the pad I won from Craftie-Charlie, the company is GCD Studios and the papers are called Cloisonne. The stamp is called Woodland Fairy and I think I bought it from Funky Kits, and has been coloured with Promarkers with Diamond Stickles on the wings. I have used Liquid Pearls in Rouge for the dots on the toadstool, which was also in my goodies stash along with the ribbon. The lace I bought from work. The large roses are from Wild Orchid Crafts and the small ones and leaves are from Mulberry Crafts. The butterfly charm is from my stash.

I have used the sketch from Creatalicious.

I am entering this into the following challenges:

Ribbon Girl - pink and cream

Creatalicious - #23 sketch

Creative Inspirations - stitching

Simon Says Stamp - Bingo! I have used flowers, lace and a shaped die

Stamp Something - use pretty papers

A Gem of a Challenge - flowers and charm

A Birthday Celebration

2011-06-06T20:14:00.000+01:00

This card is for a friend of mine who celebrates her 50th birthday next week. Over at Allsorts Challenge Blog this week the theme is It's all white, but you can have colour in your image, so here is my effort!

I have used a Cuttlebug embossing folder called Perfectly Paisley, the border die, the scalloped oval die and the corner die are all from Nellies, the flourish die is from Marianne Creatables and the number 50 is a Sizzlits die. I have covered the corner diecut and flourishes with liquid pearls in white opal. I have stamped and embossed with white embossing powder over the number 50. The stamp I have used is very old, probably one of the first clear stamps I bought, it has been coloured with Promarkers and the wings with a sakura pen for a bit of pink sparkle! The flowers and ribbon are from my stash. Phew that was a long list!!

This is the sketch I used from A Gem of a Challenge.

I am entering this into the following challenges:

Allsorts - It's all white

A Gem of a Challenge - sketch #22

Catch the Bug - anything goes

Crafty Calendar - things with wings

Creatalicious - flourishes

One Stop Craft - texture

Challenge number 2 this week!

2011-06-02T06:30:00.001+01:00

I have managed to complete two cards this week, only because I was round my crafting friend Hazels Monday afternoon without any distractions! This card was made for a friend of mine who has recently moved.

The stamp was a freebie from a card making magazine, coloured with Promarkers. The banner was a stamp borrowed from Hazel, also a freebie from a magazine along with the sentiment.

I am entering this into the following challenges:

Secret Crafter - clean and simple

Dream Valley - stamp something

Paper Crafting Journey - anything goes

Happy Fathers Day

2011-05-31T20:04:00.000+01:00

A bit early I know, but it had to be done, so here it is! I have had a go at colouring in the image sepia style, not too bad but I wished I hadn't outlined it! Hey, ho! The papers are by Papermania called Simply Elegant which must be one of the first pads of paper I bought! The stamp is Lily of the Valley borrowed from my crafting friend, Hazel, and stamped with Memento ink in dark brown. The image has been coloured with Promarkers as have the self adhesive pearls to match the design.

I have used the sketch from The Sweet Stop.

I am entering this into the following challenges:

The Sweet Stop - sketch SSS110

2 sisters - #41 anything goes

Craft your Passion - what a guy

Dream Valley - #8 stamp something

Paper Crafting Journey - anything goes

Paper Sundaes - vintage or shabby chic

A note to say thankyou

2011-05-25T19:45:00.006+01:00

I still have a lot of sewing projects on the go at the moment but trying to fit in at least one challenge card each week, so here is this weeks.

The stamp is 'me and my cat' from Lily of the Valley and has been coloured with Promarkers. I have used various DPs including a very old piece of scrapbook paper from Cratepaper called Pollen. I have distressed the edges of all the papers with VersaMagic and Colorbox inks. The pink centre panel and the duck egg panel behind the image, which has the edges punched using a xcut border punch, have both been embossed using Spellbinders Impressabilitie Flowers. I have rubbed a Colorbox ink pad over the top of the pink embossed paper to highlight the flowers. The roses are from Wild Orchid Crafts and I have highlighted the petals of the large pink rose using Stickles. The eyelet circle is a Nestie which has also been distressed around the edges.

I am entering this into the following challenges:

Pollycraft - #94 Bingo (tag, sparkle, flowers)

Sketch n' Stash - #62 sketch, new stash - LOTV stamp, old stash - scrapbook paper

Wild Orchid - embossing and layers ( I have used 5 layers of paper)

Tatty Teddy is off to a picnic!

2011-05-18T07:06:00.000+01:00

This was a quick make today as I realised that I hadn't entered any challenges for a while, so quickly trawled the challenge sites and this is what I came up with. I have used a freebie stamp from this months docrafts Creativity magazine, Tatty Teddy. I have stamped him with their new dye inks in the range then added some shading with Promarkers. I have used various DP's including a striped one, which you can just about see, which has been die cut with a border die from Nellies, across the middle of the card. The yellow flower is a combination of three flowers coloured with Promarkers and cut and stuck together to form one 3d flower. The other two are from Prima which I have also coloured with Promarkers. The double bow has been made with the bow easy.

I have used the sketch from Sketch Saturday.

I am entering this into the following challenges:

Allsorts - Teddy Bears picnic ( he is on his way to a picnic!!)
Catch the Bug - polka dots and stripes
Crafty Card Makers - embossing (polka dot embossing folder)
Delightful Challenges - flowers
Stamp Something - anything goes
Crafty Calendar - teddy bears
Anything goes - bingo! I chose die cuts, border die and nestie, flowers and ribbon
Sketch Saturday - sketch #155

Happy 2nd Birthday Elyza Belle

2011-05-04T06:30:00.001+01:00

It is my favourite red heads' birthday this Friday, my youngest niece Elyza. She loves frogs (and Peppa Pig, of course!!) so I had to make a card for her with a frog on! I have used a digi image which is from Softpencil on Etsy and coloured it with Promarkers. The DP's are Dovecraft Funky Vintage and Sassafras Count Me In which I have distressed around the edges using a distressing tool. The ribbon is from my stash as is the number 2 which I have covered with matching paper.

I have used this weeks sketch from Sketch Saturday.

I am entering this into the following challenges:

Sketch Saturday - sketch #153

Birthday Sundaes - #7 anything goes

Craft your Passion - #56 anything goes

Try it on Tuesday - something old ( ribbon and number 2) something new (digi image)

Ladybird, ladybird fly away home....

2011-05-03T09:04:00.000+01:00

The image on this card is a digital download called Ladybugs, unfortunately I am not sure where it came from. I have coloured it with Promarkers and distressed around the edge of the image using colorbox chalk in warm red. The DP's are by Serif called Picnic in the Park and were free with this months Simply Cards and Papercraft.

The corner die and border die are both by Nellies. The ribbon is from my stash and the ticket stamp and die are from Whimsy Stamps. I have used the sketch from Papertake Weekly, although I am very late for this challenge! I have hand stitched around the papers using embroidery silks.

I am entering this into the following challenges:

Papertake Weekly - sketch #55

House of Gilli - layers and stitching

My Mum's Craft Shop - #3 flowers

Paper Cutz - #89 anything goes

Just good friends!

2011-04-25T14:07:00.000+01:00

I am still around, in case you were wondering!! As my spare time is somewhat limited, if I am doing sewing projects then the card making takes a back burner. I have just spent a fabulous week in Shropshire with my two nieces, Sofia and Elyza and before I went I was madly finishing their Easter presents, and here they are.

The Bunnie is for Elyza and I used the pattern and instructions from Crafting Tilda's Friends and the Angel is from Tilda's Summer Ideas. The fabrics are all patchwork fabrics which I bought from work.
And here are my two gorgeous nieces.

Sofia

Elyza

I also made a Bunnie for my Mum for Mothers Day which came from another Tilda book, Crafting Springtime Gifts.

An aperture card

2011-04-02T20:01:00.000+01:00

In this months Simply Cards and Papercraft they have an article by Clare Rowlands featuring some gorgeous aperture cards using Molly Bloom stamps. They are very inspiring so for this weeks challenge card I decided to give it a go. The stamp I have used on this card was a present from my crafting friend Hazel and she also let me use some of her coloured card stock when we met up recently and one of her nesties! What a great friend!

The stamp is from Lily of the Valley, 'little ballerina'. I have coloured her with promarkers and put stickles on her heart shaped deely boppers. The DP's are from Craftwork cards, 'vintage rose' and Docrafts, 'pampered pets'. The sentiment is a whimsy ticket stamp cut out using the ticket die.

I have used the sketch from Papertake Weekly. I am entering this into the following challenges:

Colour Create - #67 pastels optional extra Easter (which I didn't do!)

Creatalicious - two tone

Papertake Weekly - sketch #54

Pollycraft - #86 friends

House of Gilli - ribbons and pearls

Flower Challenge Card

2011-03-25T19:35:00.000Z

This card is another one for my Birthday Card stash. I have used papers from docrafts V&A Hanoverian pack and the card stock is from my stash. The rose stamp I have had for quite a while and can't remember where I bought it from! Really should label up my stuff better!! I have used the Rectangle set of Nesties for the matting and layering. The butterfly is by Craft For Occasions and is made from balsawood and covered with fabric. I have coloured the rose with Promarkers and added some stickles on the petals for highlighting.

I am entering this into the following challenges:

The Pink Elephant - sketch #96

Cupcake Craft - monochromatic

Flutterby Wednesday - open challenge

Totally Ladybug - monochromatic

Crafts and Me - #27 anything goes

For Fun - flower and sentiment

Springtime Bunny

2011-03-18T19:04:00.000Z

I have started doing a bit more sewing as well as card making and have a few projects to do before Easter. This cute rabbit is from a Tilda book called Crafting Springtime Gifts which you can see here. I don't usually make toys but the patterns which are in the back of the book are really simply designed.

This one has been made for a friend of mine who is due to have a baby any day now.

An early Mother's Day Card.

2011-03-15T22:29:00.000Z

I have used the Sonny Honeycloud digi image from Pollycraft again for this card. I have made a twisted easel card which was a lot easier to do than I first thought!

The DPs are all Papermania Boysenberry and the white cardstock is also from Papermania and has been embossed using an embossing folder from Crafts-Too. I have used various dies on this card, Nesties Curved Rectangles which I have used to cut out some patchwork paper which I pieced together using the Papermania papers, I cut them into 2cm squares, Nellies Oval Frames and a new border die from Marianne Creatables. The flowers are from Prima and my stash, to which I have glued beads in the centre using Glossy Accents. I found the Mother's Day poem on the internet. I have also made a corner bookmark as a present for my Mum as she is a great reader, as am I!

The tutorial for the bookmark can be found here on SCS.

I am entering this into the following challenges:

Catch the Bug - scallops

Creative Inspirations - easel card

Friday Sketchers - sketch #145

Secret Crafter - flowers for Mum

Simon Says - anything goes

Cupcake Inspirations - inspirational photo ( I have taken colours pink, white and green from the photo)

Easter Wishes

2011-03-09T21:49:00.000Z

This is another gorgeous digi image from Pollycraft. She is known as cherry kisses big easter wishes. I have coloured her in using Promarkers. The large yellow flower has been die cut with a Marianne Creatable die and the centre of the flower is two different size punched flowers. The two flower buttons I have had in my stash for a very, very long time! The DPs are from Sassafras Count Me In, Anna Stemplewska and Papermania.

I have used the sketch from Friday Sketchers and have turned it 90'.

I am entering this into the following challenges:

Friday Sketchers - sketch #144

Crafty Calendar - #18 spring

Catch the Bug - anything goes

Crafty Pad - ribbon

Alphabet challenge - R for ribbon

Stampin' for the weekend - #5 springtime

Spring is here!

2011-03-08T21:43:00.002Z

I just love this image which I downloaded from Pollycraft over the weekend, her name is Sonny Honeycloud - poetry. I think her eyes and glasses are fab and she was a joy to colour.

The background has been made up of patchwork pieces from various DPs and the green CS is from Core'dinations. I have coloured her with Promarkers in blue and green for the Crafty Creations challenge this week. The blue strips have been embossed with the flowers Impressabilities and as I have used core'dinations card again I have distressed it to bring some of the colour from underneath. The flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts and the ticket sentiment stamp is from Bunny Zoe's shop along with the die to cut out the shape. I have used a Nellies die for the matting behind the image and a Marianne Creatable for the swirls. The sketch I have used is from Truly Scrumptious.

I am entering this into the following challenges:

Truly Scrumptious - #52 sketch
Bearly Mine - #5 birthday card
Stamp Something - digi day
Crafty Creations - feminine birthday, use blue and green
Secret Crafter - patchwork background
Paper Sundaes - stripes
Sundays with Crissy - stitching (faux stitching around the background papers)
Craft your Passion - anything goes

A little bit early.......But Happy Easter!

2011-02-27T21:32:00.002Z

It has been a while since I made any cards as I have some sewing projects on the go, but started to look at a few challenges one evening and the rest is history! The stamp I have used is Lola with bunny from Sugar Nellie and has been coloured with Promarkers. The DP's are Papermania Rose Garden and Forever Friends Pink Parfait, the CS is also from Papermania.

The die is a Nellies oval frame and the strip down the middle has been punched using a xcut border punch. The flowers are from Wild Orchid and I have made crystal stems using silver wire and green beads. I have used the sketch from this weeks Friday Sketchers challenge.

I am entering this into the following challenges:

Friday Sketchers - #143 sketch
I Love Promarkers - #54 stitching
Crafty Sentiments - spring
Bunny Zoe - flowers
Stamp Something - flowers
Bearly Mine - ribbons and pearls

New Home card

2011-02-15T19:49:00.000Z

There have been some fantastic freebies about in the card making magazines recently, of which I have collected a few!! The following card has been made using some of these freebies.

The papers are by Nitwits and came free with Simply Cards and Papercraft and the tree stamp was from a free set supplied by Polkadoodles, from Papercraft Essentials. The house stamp is one I already had, from Paperartsy,

I have paper pieced and decoupaged the houses and coloured the tree with Promarkers. I hand cut the bunting from the Nitwit papers and stamped the words 'new home' onto them. I have used the Curved Rectangles Nestie for the matting and layering. This card is for my friend Hazel and her family who have just moved home.

I am entering this into the following challenge:

Delightful Challenges - punches or die cuts

Whimsy Stamps Blog Hop

2011-02-11T19:41:00.002Z

Over at Whimsy Stamps they have a Blog Hop running from 9th February to 16th February with lots of candy to win on the way, so go take a look!

Sending Hugs - another challenge card

2011-02-06T19:57:00.000Z

I have used another stamp of a Japanese girl from the Hero Arts set I bought recently. I embossed the image this time with clear embossing powder and VersaColor ink as I am finding it hard to get a good solid colour for the hair, then coloured with Promarkers. I wanted a blue rose to use on this card but didn't have one so coloured one from Wild Orchid Crafts with Sky Blue Promarker.

I have used the sketch at Sunday Sketch and Stamp and the colour challenge at Cute and Girly, red and any other colour. The ribbon and papers are from my stash and the ticket stamp and die are from Whimsy Stamps.

I am entering this into the following challenges:

Sunday Sketch and Stamp - Sketch #46
Creative Craft Challenges - Hearts (heart brad in her hair!) and flowers
Papertake Weekly - Anything goes and flowers
By The Cute and Girly - Red and any other colour

Challenge card

2011-02-01T13:56:00.000Z

In between doing other crafty projects I am making birthday cards for my stash and entering into as many challenges as feasibly possible. I am not a particularly 'original' crafter so looking at all the challenge blogs online gives me the inspiration and ideas to create something without having to think about it too much! Anyway here is my next challenge card. The colour inspiration is from Colour Create, lemon, green and white and to use a charm which is optional. I have used a smiley sun charm on my card, which has written on the back 'made with a smile'.

The image is from Sugar Nellie, which I have had for quite a while, and coloured with Promarkers. The buttons started out as plain white and I have coloured them with Promarkers to match the design. I have used the sketch from Cute Card Thursday.

I am entering this into the following challenges:

Colour Create - lemon, green and white with an optional charm

Cute Card Thursday - Sketch #149

Crafts 4 Eternity - Polka Dots

Corrosive Challenge - Button It Up

Paperplay - Layer It Up

New Year, New Look! And Hazel's birthday present.

2011-01-30T13:01:00.000Z

Just a quick post to show off my new look on my blog! This is a freebie design from Leelou Blogs where she has many templates and backgrounds to download.
I am also showing the knitting bag I made for Hazel for her birthday. I bought a book on quilting last year and found this great design for a bag which could be used for anything really. It is quite large, about 18" high so it is a good size. I used some furnishing remnants for the main fabric and patchwork fabric for the contrast which I bought from work. The buttons I found in my button jar.

Another card for the stash!!

2011-01-25T20:49:00.000Z

I bought some beautiful papers recently, quite vintage looking, which had been inspired by the V&A museum. I wasn't sure what image I would use with them until I came across this months Simply Cards and Papercraft magazine with a free set of stamps attached to the front, and there it was, the ideal stamp!

I thought the distressed look would be good for this card so I distressed all of the papers and stitched the backing paper onto the card using the sewing machine. The image was coloured with Promarkers and I cut the shape out using the Big Shot and a Curved Rectangle Nestie. I made some shabby flowers out of the same papers, distressed the edges and crumpled them and added a brad to the middle of them. The ribbons I bought from work to match the papers.

I am entering this into the following challenges:

Friday Sketchers - #138 sketch

Stamptacular Sunday - 3 papers, 3 ribbons and 3 flowers

Paper Sundaes - Distressing

Creative Inspirations - #51 Celebrate

One stitch at a time - #46 As You Like It

Paper Cutz - Anything Goes

Happy Birthday to Hazel

2011-01-24T07:00:00.005Z

It is my best friend Hazels birthday today and this is the card I made for her.

I have used a sketch from Sketch n' Stash which I have made into an easel card. The stamp is from Lily of the Valley and it is called 'Best Friends' which I have coloured with Promarkers. I have used a new Nestie, Curved Rectangles, and I recently bought a Bow-Easy to make the bows with as I always have problems tying them and this is so easy to use!! The flowers are from Wild Orchid and the papers are by Sassafras, 'count me in'.

I am entering this into the following challenges:

Beary Sweet - #18 Friendship/Love
Wild Orchid - #15 Lets get sentimental
Sketch n' Stash - Sketch #53 and new stash (bow easy, curved rectangles nestie, lily of the valley stamp)
Cutecard Thursday - 123 recipe (one image, two ribbons, three flowers)
Delightful Challenges - Celebration
Papertake Weekly - Ribbons and Pearls
Prairie Fairy Fridays - #44 Happy Birthday

New Beginnings

2011-01-16T18:21:00.000Z

This card is towards my (craft) New Years resolution of trying to get ahead in my card making! Ha, ha! Anyway I have a friend who is pregnant and due in a couple of months so this card is for her and her family. I have used various 'new buys' on this card, some of which were bought at a fantastic sale in a local craft shop! The stamped image is a Fairy Doodle character from Buzzcraft, and coloured with Promarkers.The patterned paper is by Sassafras 'Count Me In' (orange dot) and the pink sparkly paper is by Papermania, 'Perfect Summer Days'. The plain orange cardstock is Core'dinations which I have embossed using Impressabilities Butterfly template.

I have made the frame using the Nesties Classic Scalloped Square with paper again from the Papermania pad as before, which I have also used for the strip down the middle which has been punched using a X-Cut border punch. I have used a Marianne Design die for the flowers.

For the ticket sentiment I used the Whimsy Stamps ticket die and Friendship ticket stamps also by Whimsy which came from Bunny Zoe Crafts. The sentiment on the ticket is a rub-on which I have had for yonks, by 7gypsies.

This is the sketch I have used this week from Simon Says:

I am entering this into the following challenges:

Crafty Calendar - New Beginnings

Crafty Creations - New Beginnings

Pollycraft - #75 New Things (papers, border punch, ticket stamps and ticket die)

Stamp Something - Anything Goes

Stampin' B's - #93 use a die

The Creative Cottage - #30 Something New

The Pink Elephant - #91 Pink Orange Aqua

Simon Says - sketch

Cupcake - #124 Something New

A bunch of flowers....

2011-01-13T07:00:00.003Z

.....well almost! I have been playing with grunge paper, alcohol inks and flower dies.

The two larger roses were made using the Tim Holtz Tattered Floral die out of grunge paper, coloured with alcohol inks and sprayed with Cosmic Shimmer Mist and Glimmer Mist. The smaller flower was made using a Marianne Design Creatables die and made into a brooch.

A note of thanks.

2011-01-12T07:00:00.001Z

This card was a very quick make for Hazels' Mum to say thank you for a collection of rubber stamps she didn't want anymore and passed on to me. I have made it into an easel card and have cut the shape of the card using Classic Scalloped Square Nestabilitie. The paper is Funky Vintage from Dovecraft. Not sure where the dog stamp came from but he has been coloured with Promarkers, and the small flower stamp is from Paperartsy. The sentiment was printed on the computer.

First challenge of 2011!

2011-01-11T07:00:00.001Z

This is my first card challenge of the New Year and I am entering it into 5 challenges. The card is my take on a trifold card which I found here on SCS. The base card has been embossed using the tiny flowers Sizzix texture plate. The papers were a freebie from a craft magazine and the stamps are by Hero Arts which I bought yesterday for the amazing price of £3.00 reduced from £14.99! The sentiment inside is from Docrafts.

I am entering this into the following challenges:

Allsorts - week 85 Fancy Fold (trifold card)
Catch the bug - embossing (quite hard to see but it is there!)
Crazy4challenges - colour inspiration (pinky/brown)
Secret Crafter - #116 tons of texture
Sweet Stampin - try something different (new shape of card)

Some sewing projects

2011-01-10T07:00:00.005Z

Before Christmas I was frantically trying to finish a couple of quilts to take to my two nieces when I went to visit them for New Year. These were part of their Christmas presents so needed to be finished, hence why no blogging was done before now! I started them in October, put them to one side and finished them on the Wednesday before I was due to travel. Talk about cutting it fine!! Anyway here they are:

Happy New Year and Happy Birthday, Mum.

2011-01-09T13:57:00.000Z

Well both of these sentiments are a bit late! It was Mum's birthday on Friday and of course New Year was the week before. I do have an excuse though as I have been in Shropshire all week visiting my brother's family. I took all my craft stuff (well not all of it otherwise I wouldn't have got my suitcase in the car!!) :-) with me so I could make Mum's card which I then forgot to photograph before posting it off! Luckily my lovely Dad came to the rescue and took a pic for me. My 3 year old niece also made Grandma a card using some of my stuff, under supervision as to what she could use of course! :-) Which I also didn't photograph. Anyway here is mine:

The patterned papers are by Papermania, from the Rose Garden pack and the die-cut butterflies and sentiment are also from this pack. The flower has been die-cut using Tim Holtz Tattered Flowers out of Grunge Paper and coloured and stamped with Brilliance Ink. The image is from LOTV and she is Rosie with cake. I have coloured her with Promarkers.

Third GDT Challenge for Colour Create

2010-12-16T07:00:00.003Z

Here is my final GDT 'creation' for Colour Create. I have loved being part of these challenges and feel privileged to have been asked. The challenge this week is to use the colours plum and white with the optional addition of using a frame on your creation.

The stamp is from Magnolia, not sure what she is called as I borrowed her from my friend Hazel! I have paper pieced her trousers and jumper and the rest has been coloured with Promarkers and Sakura pen for the wings. The frame has been cut using Nellie's multi frames. The small flower stamp is from Paperartsy which I have stamped around the edge using Versamark and embossed with white embossing powder. The flowers are from Papermania and they are a completely white pack so I can colour them myself. These have been coloured using VersaMagic and brushed with Perfect Pearls for a bit of glimmer.

Two more Christmas bag in a box

2010-12-14T20:02:00.000Z

Just thought I would show two more of my bag in a box creations. Very simply made this time as Christmas is getting close and time is running out! I have filled these with chocolates for little Christmas prezzies!

Not sure what happened with the lighting when I took this!

A turquoise and pink Christmas card!

2010-12-07T18:00:00.004Z

The papers on this card were from a Xmas pad of freebies from Quick Cards Made Easy, and I love them! They are in the colours I love, pink and turquoise. I have made a few cards using the papers, but I am just showing the one.

The image is coloured with Promarkers and the snowflakes have been die cut and covered in stickles. I have used the challenge sketch from Truly Scrumptious.

I am entering this card into the following challenges:

Truly Scrumptious - #46 sketch and Think Pink

Secret Crafter - #112 Christmas

Sundays with Crissy - #12 Christmas is coming

Paper Playtime - #28 Snowflakes

Another Birthday!

2010-12-06T20:08:00.000Z

I think I mentioned some time ago that I have a lot of Birthdays to make for before Christmas and this card is one of those! I have made an easel card using papers by Dovecraft called Funky Vintage, which are scrummy! The image and sentiment are both freebies from Simply Shaz Blog.

I have used the sketch from Papertake Weekly and turned it 90 degrees.

I am entering this into the following challenge:

Papertake Weekly - sketch #51

Second GDT challenge for Colour Create

2010-12-02T07:00:00.001Z

It is time again for my second 'creation' for my spot as GDT over at Colour Create. The challenge this week is to use grey, green and white on your creation with the optional extra of using acetate or silver. I decided to do something different this time, and here it is....

These are known as a bag in a box and I found the tutorial for them on Splitcoast Stampers. They were great fun to make and if I have time before Christmas (he, he!) I will make a few more. I have made these for my two nieces hence the names on the front. The images I chose for each of them are the girls to a tee!

I downloaded this image, called Ice Skating Poppy, from DigiStamp Boutique. Sofia is nearly 4 and has long blonde hair and is a real girlie girl, who loves dressing up, wants to learn to roller skate (this is the closest I could get!) and wants a Belle Disney dress for Christmas!

Elyza is Sofia's sister and is 18 months old. This image was downloaded from Pollycraft and she is called Sharing Sherbert - Snowball. Elyza has red hair, her nickname is Ginge! and she is very mischievous, so this image suits her down to the ground. She wants a pram and a pirate ship for Christmas!!

I have used Christmas papers from Basic Grey to make the bags and have coloured the images with Promarkers. The snowflakes and lettering have been die cut. I have added Liquid Pearls in White Pearl for decoration and a snowflake brad to the tabs on the top of the bag.

I am entering this into the following challenge:

Crafty Cardmakers - containers and fancy envelopes

Xmas card challenge

2010-11-30T14:03:00.001Z

It is snowing a little bit here today, luckily not enough to settle. We are quite lucky in the south as we rarely get heavy snow (famous last words!!) I am entering this card into a number of challenges which are listed below.

I did struggle with photographing this card because of the lack of natural light and all the sparkle and embossing on it! The cardstock is from Basic Grey, from their Christmas range, think it is called Carrot Cake! The baubles are Papermania which I have stamped using Stazon and coloured in with Promarkers. I have then heat embossed them with Holographic embossing powder. The stamp in the middle is also from Papermania which has been stamped with gold Brilliance ink and embossed with gold embossing powder. The large chipboard snowflake has been coloured with gold Brilliance and also been given the holographic embossing powder treatment! I wanted some red lace but didn't have any so I coloured some cotton lace I had by painting Cosmic Shimmer Mist in Lava Red onto it, did the job!

I am entering this into the following challenges:

The Secret Crafter - #111 using 3 snowflakes, 2 circles and lace
Sketchsaturday - sketch #131
Crafty Sentiments - #45 Christmas

Another Christmas card!

2010-11-29T18:00:00.001Z

Thought I would show this one as it is a different departure in colour for me. I had coloured Lola some time ago and just got around making a card with her. I liked using this colour combination as it meant I could use more of the roses from Wild Orchid Crafts! I have put some Stickles around the petals of the larger rose and on her pockets and the trim on the bottom of her coat.

Two more Christmas cards

2010-11-28T18:37:00.000Z

Not sure how many I have now made as I have been doing other things in between! Not enough yet though! These two were made using the sketch from Creatalicious which I used on my last post. The stamps are from Sugar Nellie, Miss Claus and Lola with Gift. The papers with Miss Claus are freebies from a magazine and those with Lola are from Papermania.

Both girls are coloured with Promarkers and Copics. I have used stickles for a bit of glitz on both. This week I treated myself to the Big Shot die cutting machine, what a fabulous bit of equipment, I love it! So my Christmas cards are getting embossed card stock using a cuttlebug embossing folder, Snowflakes, for the background. I also bought a Cuttlebug die, Snowflake #2 which is also getting well used! The gorgeous ribbons are a bit sparkly IRL, and I bought them from the shop I work in.

Happy Birthday Alison

2010-11-26T06:30:00.001Z

It is my work colleague Alison's birthday today. I have been talking to her about the card challenges I have been entering, and she has been hinting every time I have seen her that it is her birthday soon, so I think she is angling for a handmade card!! So here it is.

I love this sketch over at the Creatalicious Challenge Blog. I can see I will be using this sketch a lot for my Christmas cards! All the papers are from Papermania and the roses are from Wild Orchid Crafts. The cupcake image was a freebie download from Pollycraft and the sentiment is also a freebie download from Simply Shaz Blog. The cupcake has been coloured with Promarkers.

I am entering this into the following challenge:

Creatalicious - sketch #16

Wee Memories Blog Candy

2010-11-24T20:00:00.000Z

Thanks to Janet I have found this lovely challenge blog called Wee Memories. They are celebrating reaching 700 followers with this fantastic blog candy. Go take a look here!

Happy Birthday Daniel

2010-11-23T08:00:00.002Z

Daniel is my friend Hazel's little boy who will be 4 years old tomorrow. Where has that time gone! Anyway this is the card I have made for him. I have used the sketch at Flutterby Wednesday and Fall Hansel stamp from C.C. Designs. I have coloured him with Promarkers and Copics. The chair stamp is from Magnolia, which I borrowed from Hazel! The stars and number were hand cut, coloured with Promarkers and embossed with clear ultra embossing powder. I have added a few butterflies to comply with the challenge at Flutterby Wednesday.

I am entering this into the following challenge:

Flutterby Wednesday - sketch #131

Colour Create Challenge

2010-11-18T07:00:00.001Z

Here is my first challenge card as a guest DT for Colour Create Challenge. The challenge this week is to use the colours robin egg blue, sea foam green and cream with the optional extra of winter. This is a slightly different departure for me as I usually make quite bright coloured cards and this is very soft and muted, but I quite like it!

The image is from Pollycraft and it is a digital download called Clover Snowflake Kisses. She has been coloured using Versamagic and sakura pen for her wings and trim on her clothing. The chipboard snowflakes have been painted with acrylic paint then heat embossed with clear ultra embossing powder. The papers are Papermania, the Christmas charm is from BunnyZoe Crafts.

I am entering this into the following challenges:
The Stamp Man - #9 Christmas
Crazy4Challenges - Christmas
Crafty Calendar - Winter with optional snowflakes

Happy Birthday Challenge

2010-11-15T07:00:00.001Z

This is another card for a work colleague whose birthday is in December, so I am well in time! The stamp is from Sugar Nellie and I have made one of my favourite easel cards. I have coloured her with Promarkers and Sharpies.

I have used this weeks challenge sketch from Truly Scrumptious and have turned it 90 degrees for my card.

I am entering this into the following challenges:

Truly Scrumptious - sketch #35 and optional birthday card
Anything goes - emboss it

Get Well Soon, Clare

2010-11-14T08:39:00.002Z

My sister-in-law Clare is not very well at the moment so this card is for her.

Bless him, doesn't he look sorry for himself! The background cardstock which I have torn around the edges, looks blue in this picture but is in fact purple! The image which is digital, is from Whimsy Stamps, he is called Sick Little Bear and he is from Meljen's Designs. They have 50% off their digi images until today! I have coloured him with Promarkers, the papers are a mix from my stash and Papermania. The roses are of course from Wild Orchid Crafts! I used the sketch on Papertake Weekly for this card.

I am entering this into the following challenges:

Papertake Weekly - sketch #50
Stamp Something - Digi Day!

I am a winner......!

2010-11-12T22:22:00.000Z

on the Create Colour Challenge Blog. I was stunned when I saw my name mentioned on their blog, and they have asked me to do a couple of guest DT challenges. Wowee!! The card I entered is on my post 'sparkly and bright, purple, aqua and white'.
Here is todays card. I made this for a work colleague who left last weekend, to be a 'lady of leisure'!

The stamp is from a freebie set from a card making magazine, which I have coloured with Promarkers and Copics, I think the sentiment is from Hero Arts and the swirl stamp is from PaperArtsy. The roses are from Wild Orchid Crafts.

Happy Birthday Jennette!

2010-11-07T10:15:00.002Z

What a busy week it has been at work, it has been non-stop, I think the Christmas rush has started already!! So unfortunately not much crafting has been done this week as I have been too tired! I did manage to make a card for my work colleague Jennette whose birthday is on the 16th but she is on holiday for two weeks so I gave it to her yesterday

The fairy stamp and sentiment stamp I think are Papermania. I have coloured her in with Promarkers and my favourite Diamond Stickles on her wings. The roses are from Wild Orchid Crafts and everything else is from my stash. I have also used the sewing machine to stitch around the edges of the paper, don't look too closely as I think I need lots of practice!! :-) I have used a sketch from Bev Rochester's All My Sketches blog.

I am entering this into the following challenges:

Craftycardmakers - stitching
Delightful challenges - stitching
Flutterby Wednesday - butterfly, fairy or angel

For my lovely Dad

2010-11-02T20:16:00.000Z

It is my Dads Birthday next Tuesday and I always make a card for him and this year I have made a cute one, which I don't normally do, so I hope he likes it! The stamp is by C.C. Designs and he is called Fall Hansel, I think he is gorgeous! I bought him from BunnyZoesCrafts and I have coloured him with Promarkers, Copics and Sharpies. Everything else I used was from my stash, which I have had for a looong time!!

As you can see it is another gate-fold card and I have used the sketch from Truly Scrumptious as in yesterdays post.

I am entering this card into the following challenges:

Papertake Weekly - penny for the guy
The Stamp Man Challenge - #8 cards for men
Polkadoodles - #43 autumn

Sparkly and bright, purple, aqua and white!

2010-10-31T15:18:00.000Z

For my next challenge card I thought I would try a different style of card, and decided on the gate-fold card, I think the easel card is still my favourite but this comes a close second! The stamp is from Sugar Nellie and is Lola with gift. I have coloured her with a mixture of Promarkers, Copics and Sharpies. I received 25 Promarkers through the post on Monday which was a subscription gift from a craft magazine, I then promptly ordered 10 more from Joanna Sheen! So I have now joined everyone else who is addicted to markers!! I have also used Stickles for her present and the trim on her coat.

The papers are by Papermania, aqua paper pack and the adhesive stones in heather are also from Papermania. The small roses are from Wild Orchid Crafts and the large rose, which I have edged with stickles, is from Prima Marketing. I have also added some hand cut swirls around the flowers. I have used a challenge sketch for this card which is from Truly Scrumptious.

I am entering this card into the following challenges:

Truly Scrumptious - sketch as above, optional extra petals, pearls and pins.
Papertake Weekly - sparkly and bright
Colour Create - purple, aqua and white, optional swirls

Could it be nearly Christmas?!

2010-10-22T21:58:00.000+01:00

I thought I had better make a start on some simple Christmas cards using my favourite stamp, Miss Clause, from Sugar Nellie.Unfortunately I have taken this photo at night in artificial light which is why one side is a bit dark! The background papers are from Papermania, their Christmas Luxury Laser Card, and the plain card stock is also from Papermania, Christmas textured cardstock. I have used Stickles in Diamond for the fur trim on the card on the right and Liquid pearls in White Opal for the one on the left. I have used a sketch from ic sketches #87 and have turned the sketch 90 degrees for the card on the left.

Autumn is here!

2010-10-17T22:30:00.000+01:00

Well it certainly has got a lot colder down here in the south. Woolly jumpers and thick socks here I come! So my next challenge card is for all things Autumn. The image came from my crafting friend Hazel, it was a freebie from a magazine subscription and she gave it to me. What a lovely friend! I think it originally came from Sugar Nellie. I coloured her with Copics and Distress Inks and I paper pieced her umbrella as I thought it would be nice for her to have a patterned brolly! The ribbon, which was the perfect colour, came from my stash, and the paper roses came from Wild Orchid Crafts. I have seen these on many blogs and just had to have some, so I now have rather a lot!!

I used a sketch for this card which came from challenge blog Truly Scrumptious. I turned the sketch 90 degrees for my card.

I am entering this card into the following challenges:

Bunnyzoescrafts - Autumn Love
Papertake Weekly - 3 of a kind
Truly Scrumptious - sketch and optional easel card
Crafty Calendar - Autumn Birthday

Fabulous candy over on Bunny-Zoe's Blog!

2010-10-08T20:47:00.000+01:00

Over on Bunny-Zoe's Blog they are celebrating Wags 'n Whiskers 1st Birthday, and they are giving one very lucky blogger the chance to win 8 Wag's 'n Whiskers stamps of their choice. So why not go over and take a look!

Creatalicious Challenge

2010-10-05T17:01:00.001+01:00

Well here I am again with another challenge card. From now until Christmas is a busy card making time for me with most people I know having birthdays at this time of year and of course Christmas! So having challenges and using sketches is giving me great inspiration. So to my next card. This is for another work colleague, Sheila, whose birthday is on Sunday. I am entering this card into the challenge at the Creatalicious Challenge Blog which is to use the colours Pink, Green and Brown on your card. I have used the free download image from last month over at Digital Delights by Louby Lou. She is called Think Pink Lara to celebrate Breast Cancer Awareness month of October.

I have coloured her using Brilliance Inks, Copics and Sakura pen.The brown flowers I coloured with Brilliance Ink. I think she is very cute with her big eyes!

Fabulous at Fifty!

2010-10-03T12:06:00.000+01:00

My best friend Sally, (who I have known for far too many years to remember!), was 50 years old yesterday. She celebrated with a party at home but unfortunately I hadn't been too well so I just popped her present round to her in the evening and left the revellers to it! Looked like they were having a great time! This is the card I made for her.

The stamp I used was a Sugar Nellie one called Woodland Fairy which was coloured with Copics, Brilliance Inks and a Sakura pen on the wings for a bit of glitz! The Fairy House stamp is from Lavinia Stamps and can be found here.

Happy 50th Birthday!

2010-09-25T20:34:00.017+01:00

This card is for one of my work colleagues who celebrates her 50th birthday this Friday. Again I have used my new Lily stamp and coloured her with Brilliance Inks and Versamagic. I am entering this card into the weekly challenge held on the Polka Doodles blog challenge which can be found here. It is challenge 37 - easel cards. As these are my favourite type of cards at the moment I thought I should enter!

Edit to this post: I am also entering this into the challenge at Crafty Calendar Challenge which is Challenge number 12 - Blue and Flowers.

A Time for Firsts.

2010-09-24T21:36:00.011+01:00

This is my first challenge card, first Christmas card made this year, first time I have used this stamp and first time I have used a sketch!! The challenge can be found here on Bunny-Zoe's Blog. The stamp I have used is from Funky Kits and is Miss Clause from Sugar Nellie. She has been coloured with copics, brilliance ink pads and Icicle Stickles. The papers are from Papermania Signature range, A Christmas Carol. I coloured the lace using brilliance ink Platinum Planet which was a good match to the paper I used.

This is the sketch I used, I loved using one so will definitely use one again.

New stamp!

2010-09-16T20:54:00.005+01:00

This is Lily of 'Lily & Milo' fame from Stampavie. She reminds me of many women I know who have a huge assortment of handbags! I bought her from a craft store in Stavanger in Norway. At the moment I am colouring images with a mix of copics and brilliance ink pads with a paintbrush. I am hoping in time to learn how to use copics for colouring and shading as there are some brilliant tips and techniques out there, but of course firstly I do need to purchase some more!! The flower is by Prima which I also bought in Norway. This card was made for a great friend of mine, Sharon, whose birthday was at the end of August.

And of course it is another favourite easel card!!

Views of Norway

2010-09-14T18:15:00.002+01:00

I thought I would share a few pictures of the Norwegian Fjords I took when I went on a cruise in July. I have never been that pleased with the camera I have but I was pleased with some of the photos I took whilst away, so thought I would share them.

Happy Birthday Clare!

2010-09-13T19:03:00.005+01:00

Clare is my sister-in-law and lives in Shropshire with my brother and their two gorgeous girls. I made this card for her birthday which was in July.

And here are my two beautiful nieces! Sofia and Elyza Belle.

More tomorrow!

Golden Wedding Card

2010-09-12T13:02:00.004+01:00

Back in June my parents celebrated 50 years of marriage. They took the family away to Center Parcs at Longleat for the week to celebrate. The weather was fabulous and my two nieces had a great time! This is the card I made to celebrate their anniversary. This card was inspired by a similar idea I had seen on a craft blog. Unfortunately as it was made a while ago I can't be sure which blog it was on.

Here I go again!!

2010-09-12T12:23:00.004+01:00

Thought I would give this blogging game one more try! For the first few months of this year I had lost my mojo, but thankfully in the past few months it seems to have returned and I have started to get into card making again, which I am very thankful for as I have so much 'stuff' to create with!! I have made a few cards over the past few months which I will show on here over the next few days. So here goes!

The card on the left was made for my youngest niece Elyza Belle who was one in May and the card on the right was made for a work colleague Jill who left in May after nearly 10 years! I am addicted to easel cards at the moment and most of my new makes are of this type.

Apart from getting back into card making I have also got the sewing machine out this summer and made 2 dresses and 2 skirts, which unusually I was quite pleased with! I shall be making various fabric related christmas gifts during the autumn which eventually will be shown on here.

Happy 40th Birthday to Hazel!

2010-01-24T20:05:00.004Z

It is my best friend Hazels 40th birthday today, and these are the presents I made for her. The image on the card is from Hero Arts and all the papers came from Making Cards magazine. Another wire bracelet which Hazel has been asking me to show her how to make for ages but I have managed to avoid showing her as I was making one for her birthday!

The tin which I put the bracelet in is a recycled chocolate tin which Hazel bought me back from France last year, and of course the chocolates are long gone! I have coloured it with Alcohol Inks, the flower has been made using a new stamp set from Papermania which you assemble to supposedly make a rose, not sure if it looks like a rose really. The card I stamped it onto was coloured with Distress Inks first. The tag was stamped with this months free stamp from Craft Stamper.

Back to blogging in 2010!

2010-01-07T19:50:00.004Z

Today is my Mum's 70th birthday (not that she will be happy about me telling you that!!) I should have been having a birthday lunch with her and my Dad, but unfortunately the snowy weather we are having put a stop to it. Luckily I posted her card earlier in the week, but of course she will have to wait for her present. The colour in the photo of the jewellery and boxes is rubbish, I took various photos and couldn't get it right. The boxes are origami, as seen in Craft Stamper, they are my favourite thing of the moment and are sooo easy to make! I used cream card which I coloured with Distress Inks, then stamped and embossed in gold and copper. The background colour of the boxes should be similar to the background of the card. The bracelet is made of twisted wire with various beads added. The colours should be gold wire with gold, bronze and green beads. The earrings are the same colours. I hope she likes them when she finally receives them!

Best Wishes!

2009-10-06T14:16:00.003+01:00

This first card is for a work colleague, Christine, who last week had a bit of an accident whilst visiting her Mum, and may be off work for a little while. The stamps used for both cards are Fairy Doodles from Buzzcraft. The backing papers for the top one are from Papermania. Both images were watercoloured using Brilliance Ink pads and Versamagic Ink pads. The bottom card is for another work colleague, Jane, whose birthday was last Thursday.

Catch up time!

2009-09-28T19:49:00.002+01:00

Well, have I been slacking on the blogging front recently! So just to prove that I have been a bit creative since my last entry I am showing four different makes. The first is a covered notebook for one of my work colleagues whose 21st birthday it was last week. This was inspired by a project in Julys Craft Stamper by Marlene Ashby.

The above card was for another work colleague whose birthday was also last week. This is a busy few months for birthdays at work, must be something to do with the products we sell!! This card was also inspired by a project in Craft Stamper. The issue was Octobers and the project was by Helen Chilton. I used a piece of stampbord for the centre of the card.

Another card for a work colleague whose birthday was at the beginning of September. I used the free stamp from Octobers Craft Stamper for this one. As I didn't have any flowers the right colour I coloured some white ones with Brilliance Ink.

This last card was for a very good friend of mine, Sharon, whose birthday was at the end of August. I used a stamp by Elusive Images which I borrowed from another very good friend, Hazel. The black background card was stamped on using a peacock feather stamp from Rubber Stampede.

Further additions

2009-08-18T08:34:00.001+01:00

These are two Scrapbook pages for my brothers Scrapbook album, which is an ongoing project of mine. The photos are of his two daughters, Sofia and Elyza who was born in May this year.

Happy Birthday Clare

2009-07-22T21:15:00.002+01:00

Today is my Sister-in-Laws birthday and as she likes jewellery I thought she may appreciate one of my creations!! :-) I used a domino as the base which I covered with Alcohol Inks, then stamped a flower with Brilliance Ink. I then covered the whole thing with glossy accents. Unfortunately the glossy accents dulled the brilliance slightly so I decided to overstamp with the flower stamp using VersaMagic. I then applied stickles in the centre of the flowers. I plaited ribbons together to form the chain.

This is the card I made for Clare for her birthday. I used Distrss Inks for the background applied with a wet wipe. The toadstool stamp is from Lavinia Stamps. I stamped this with VersaMark then used Cosmic Shimmer Powders for the colour. The sun was Distress Ink, and I added a bit of bling with Liquid Pearls and glitter.

Supplies used:
Colour: Alcohol Inks-Wild Plum, Pink Sherbert. Brilliance Ink-Pearlescent Orchid. VersaMagic-Perfect Plumeria. Distress Ink-Spiced Marmalade, Shabby Shutters.
Stamps: Flower-Inkadinkado, Toadstools-Lavinia Stamps.

Thought it was time.....

2009-07-20T22:11:00.003+01:00

..... I did some blogging, as it has been a while! The first picture is a page made for a wedding booklet my work colleagues and myself made for our Store Manager, Julie, when she got married recently. I used Distress Inks for the background spritzed with water. The stamping around the edge was also done with a mix of Distress Inks again spritzed with water to give a watercolour effect. Julie also turned 50 on Saturday so the card is to celebrate this. Again the background is Distress Inks. The flower prints are from Making Cards magazine and covered with UTEE. The number 50 has been covered with paper from the magazine.

Supplies used:
Colour: Distress Inks - Tea Dye, Worn Lipstick, Shabby Shutters
Stamp: Paperartsy

Happy Fathers Day!

2009-06-28T07:04:00.005+01:00

I am late posting this as Fathers Day was last weekend. I had decided to make a book with photos of my Dads Granddaughters, but unfortunately had not finished it by Fathers Day. Luckily my parents were on holiday so it gave me an extra week to do it! I used a mixture of mediums for the backgrounds to the pages and the book, including Alcohol Inks and Cosmic Shimmer Mists, which are fab, must get some more of those! I used Brilliance, Stazon and VersaMagic for stamping, and H2Os and Stickles for colouring. On the front of the book the lettering was stamped onto shrink plastic using foam stamps and shrunk, and then covered with Glossy Accents. I used a Tim Holtz mask for part of the design and the sentiment is from Hero Arts, it is not very clear in this photo, but it says ' some moments are worth holding in your heart forever'.

Take That rock!!

2009-06-17T22:17:00.002+01:00

What a fantastic evening I had last Wednesday with my best friend, Sharon. She had treated me to a Take That ticket for their concert in Coventry as a Xmas present. It threw it down with rain during the evening but it didn't dampen anyones spirits. So this was a good reason to make her a little gift. The first photo is a notebook, which was bought for me by Hazel some years ago, covered in paper which has been sprayed with Cosmic Shimmer Mists. I have then stamped onto this with VersaMagic. The sentiment is from a set of stamps by Hero Arts which I bought in Hobbycraft for next to nothing. The dragonfly has been stamped onto glossy card which had been stamped with alcohol inks first. The flower has also been sprayed with Cosmic Shimmer Mist. The card has been sprayed with the mists and the stamped image is from Habico and has been stamped with Versafine.

Supplies used:
Stamps: Habico, Paperartsy, Daisy and Dandelion
Colour: Cosmic Shimmer Mist - Aqua Lagoon, Peacock Green, Lava Tea. VersaMagic - Sea Breeze, Ocean Depth. Alcohol Inks - Stream, Lettuce.
Sentiment: Hero Arts
Flower: Prima

New Home Tag

2009-06-08T19:08:00.007+01:00

I made this tag for my friend Linda who has just recently moved to Guildford with work. I thought it would be different to making the usual card. After I completed the tag I mounted it onto mount board. I embossed the background using a cuttlebug embossing folder and a rolling pin as I don't have a cuttlebug! You can just make out the impression in the photo below.

I used Distress Inks and water for the background, then stamped at the base of the card with a stamp from Paperartsy using VersaColor and clear embossing powder. I then highlighted the stamping with an Inkssentials opaque pen.

The house stamp is also from Paperartsy. I stamped this on a separate piece of card which I had covered with the same Distress Inks then spritzed with water. To finish off I stamped the house and a flower stamp onto shrink plastic, then coloured using Sharpies, made some paper beads then attached to the bottom of the tag with silver wire.

Supplies used:

Stamps: Paperartsy, flower - freebie from Craft Stamper

Colour: Tim Holtz Distress Inks - Dusty Concord, Worn Lipstick, VersaColor - raspberry, Sharpies

Box for Linda

2009-05-31T20:52:00.005+01:00

This is part of Linda's present which was previously featured on here. I was given the box by another work colleague and friend, Alison. It is made of wood and I painted it inside and out with Acrylic paints. I then stamped the rose image onto tissue paper using Stazon. The rose was then stamped again onto card and painted with H2Os. The dragonfly stamp was also painted with H2Os. I finished the box with a scalloped edge pattern on the printed paper, and stuck diamantes onto this. It was sealed with spray varnish.

Supplies used:
Stamps: Little Claire designs, Marshmallow set, Paperartsy (barely visible as a green swirl!)
Colour: Stazon, H2Os, Versamagic Keylime
Patterned paper: Bellapress

Good Luck, Linda.

2009-05-28T20:21:00.003+01:00

My friend and work colleague, Linda, is moving on to bigger and better things with the company we work for! As she is also a crafter I thought she would appreciate a handmade gift as a Good Luck present. The necklace was made using a domino and I made some paper beads to go on the suede thonging. The domino was coloured using Sharpies, then stamped with a script stamp from Paperartsy with Stazon, as the background. I then used a flower stamp to stamp on top which blurred a little bit after I applied the UTEE. I used two layers of UTEE which I think the heat gun also caused the Sharpies to lighten in colour. I then glued a metal flower on the domino to finish off. The paper beads were made in the usual way, but I stamped the same flower image on pink paper first before making them.

The card was inspired by a card published in Craft Stamper September 2008. The background paper was stamped with a bird stamp (which can barely be seen in this photo!) in Brilliance Ink, the stamp is a freebie from Craft Stamper. The shrink plastic bird is also the same stamp and coloured with Sharpies before shrinking. The two flower stamps, from Inkadinkadoo, were stamped with VersaColor and embossed. The Good Luck stamp is from Papermania.

Supplies used:
Stamps: Habico - flower on domino, Paperartsy - script, Inkadinkadoo - flowers on card, bird stamp free from Craft Stamper, Papermania - Good Luck stamp
Colour: Sharpies, black Stazon, VersaColor - Orchid