Julye B's

Happy Anniversary

2012-01-21T11:13:00.001Z

Hi peeps well I am still here but not getting much time to make cards and visit blogland, but that time will come again hopefully soon. In the meantime I still have plenty of decorating and gardening and house rennovation to keep me going along with all the other traumas that life throws our way, but as the saying goes 'what doesn't kill you only serves to make you stronger' well lets hope so.

My card today is an anniversary card for my mum and dad and not sure whether its cos I've not been crafting for a while or not but I found it challenging to get back in the groove, and I'm not sure that I'm happy with it or not.

The layout I made up as I went along and as I couldn't decide on a colour scheme opted for white on white . The image is a LOTV and is one of my favourites and I thought it would be great for an anniversary card. I coloured with different shades of grey and some pastels promarkers with a bit of glitter added from stickles.

The papers are all from my white and black scraps folder, slowly getting down them but still like most crafters have plenty to go. The sentiment is from a QVC kit not sure which one as I've had it so long , sorry peeps and the charm is from one of the vendors within our local garden centre, not sure if its part of the garden centre or a shop in its own right but again I've had them at least 2 years, so thought I ought to use them. The corner punch is from QVC by Martha Stewart.

The gems are from my stash. Hope mum and dad like it.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges (I decided I might as well do it right if I made the time to make a card,):-

Joanna Sheeen challenges-celebration
Just Tracys crafts challenges-love is in the air
Forever friends-WOW
Hearts song inspirations-WOW and or glitter
paper creations ink-love is in the air
Truely madly crafty challenges-anything goes
Dream Valley crafts-anything goes
Lets ink it up-anything goes
OSAAt-anything goes
The squirrel and the fox-critters
Clearly iStamp-pastels
Poodles parlour-valentine/love
Simply create too-love is in the air
Chocolate coffee and cards-glitter latte
wags n whiskers-love/valentine
craft us crazy-valentine/love/animals
southern girls -white on white

Green Santa

2011-12-13T06:37:00.000Z

Well as promised the second Santa card and this one is green. Again I used Promarkewrs to colour him is and added stickles for sparkle. The papers I think are Papermania but not 100% sure as the front cover is missing. The snowflake was made as before but this time covered in snowflake embossing powder. The sentiment was a left over from a QVC kit from ages ago I know not much help but still got a woolley head. The wee snowman came from a craft section of a garden centre I visited and I have no idea of the name or even where it was as we did a day visiting several and I get easily confused sorry all.

This post is short I know but my brain hurts as I have a headache hope you like the card though and hope my son does too.

I would like to enter this card for the following challenges:-
Pollycraft-Christmas
Sweet stamps-Christmas bling
Passion for promarkers-celebration
Creative Belli-winter/Christmas
Fresh brewed coffee-Christmas
Penny's -Christmas
Creative card crew-tis the season
Kreative stamp friends-christmas
cupcake crafts-don't look at the light

Another decoration card

2011-12-12T06:38:00.000Z

Told you I'd make another and think I like this one even better. Again coloured in promarkers, the papers are copy paper that I embossed and the ribbon, holly and gems are all from my stash and don't you just adore these loving snow people ,of course they come from the fab range at Funky kits where else?

Quick post as really ought to go check the meat for lunch as my parents will be here any minute so appologies if I don't publish straight away.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:-
The Sugar Bowl-layout and something unusual
Totally Gorjuss-let it snow
Passion for Promarkers -celebration
Crafting for all seasons -WOW
Crafts and me-snow and snowflakes
Lady bug-snowflakes
Colour create-red,white and green
My Sheri crafts-let it snow
Cute card thursday-anything goes
melgens-use green
One stop craft-traditional colours
craft your days away-snowmen
The squirrel and the fox-Christmas
Paper sundaes -anything Christmas

Outside the box

2011-12-11T12:39:00.001Z

The challenge over at the sugar bowl is to do something unusual for you, so after looking at the Christmas decorations I bought last year in the sale as I thought then they would look good on a card, but haven't yet plucked up the courage to use them as wasn't really sure how they would work decided now was the time.

I used a fab image of these ever so cute penguins and using the decorations as the base of my colour scheme coloured them with promarkers and added stickles for more sparkle. The papers are both from my scraps file and the ribbon from my stash. The sentiment is a craftworks I think as I won them a couple of Christmases ago and hadn't used them all. The snowflake I made by using some packaging card from a shirt and covering with pva glue and white glitter.

I am really pleased I took the plunge and might have a go at another card using a different colour decoration, thanks for the inspiration and push.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:-
Auds sentiments - any winter holiday
Cooking it up with Katie-anything goes
The Sugar Bowl-layout and do something unusual
Crafty creations- card and sentiment
Passion for Promarkers-celebration
Paper creations ink-bling it up
Pile it on-bling it up
Drunken stampers-glittery holiday
secret crafter Saturday challenge-all creatures great and small
card making mamas-'christmas
crafty catz-anything goes
stampin for the weekend-Christmas
Bearly mine-un traditional christmas colours

Monochromatic Santa

2011-12-09T05:59:00.000Z

Morning all and hope all you lovely folks in Scotland are managing to fair all the atrocious weather you are having, my thoughts are with you all.
Well managed to make one of a couple of cards my son has requested and the other is nearly done, have to say I am finding it harder than usual to make something I like I'm blaming this darn cold virus my son shared with me , he has had it for 3 weeks now and I'm a week behind but as usual when I get a cold I've lost my voice so all I do is squeak and whisper which can be quite frustrating especially when on the phone but we just carry on.

I was given the brief of 'a brown christmas card please' the other one I am making is 'a green christmas card' so this is the first I came up with.My son thinks this Santa stamp from Sugar Nellie at Funky Kits is fun so I decided to go with that. I presumed the cards with the colours were for boys so thats how they started out but later found out they are for 2 girls, should have known really knowing my son but as this turned out and the other one two they could do for either really, well I think so but with alll the sparkle maybe not.

I coloured the image with Promarkers and added stickles for christmas sparkle, The papers I have no idea who's they are (sorry) but love this one with snowflakes on. The snowflake I made by using the left over frame of a chipboard snowflake I'd already used and cut it out along with several others from some packaging from a shirt. This one I covered in bronze embossing powder and versamark ink. The sentiment is Penny Black. The pearls came from hobbycraft, just love the colour and think they finish it off perfectly. The layout is a sort of case from the Sugar Nellie Funky Kits gallery, just what I needed to help me with my woolley brain at the moment, fab place to check out if you are stuck as their DT ladies are really a very clever bunch so thanks guys.

Best show you the finished card now.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:-
Whoopsi daisy-snowflakes
The Pink Elephant-snowflakes and sparkle
Stamps R us-emboss it
Addicted to stamps-christmas
Come and get it challenge-Christmas
Incy Wincy-non traditional christmas colours
Stamps +fun=creativity-pearls
Top Tip Tuesday-let it snow
Ruby's rainbow-monochromatic
Cards and more-snowflakes

How much is that doggy?

2011-11-30T08:55:00.001Z

I always use to feel sad for that poor doggy in the window as I listened to that song as a child they don't do nice songs with a story very often now but I like songs with a story, another favourite is the little boy that santa claus forgot, though I never quite understood it until I lost a little of the Christmas magic of who Santa really is. Enough rambling and reminising and onto a card.

Another fab and oh so cute Sugar Nellie stamp from Funky Kits and get your order in by 2 and Mark pops it in the post the same day fab service.

Anyway I was looking on their gallery for ideas of what to make for my 10 year old nephew, awkward age not grown up but not a wee boy either I do think 10 to 14 is hard as it should be called tweenager not teenager. Well saw a fab card and decided to use it as a base idea for mine so Sugar Nellie DT to the rescue and a great big thank you from me.

I coloured the image with Promarkers and cut it out added a bit of sparkle well it is for Christmas. I then used a Go Kreate die which I also got form Funky Kits and cut out a shape to mount him on and embossed it with a brick design. I then added some Martha Stewart punched leaves and mounted that on snowflake embossed paper. A few gems to finish and a tag and done, hope he likes it.

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:-

Creative craft challenges-anything goes

Tuesday throwdown-masculine holiday card

Forever friends -white and sparkles

Crazy challenge blog-stars and or snowflakes

Addicted to stamps-Christmas card

Dream Valley -sparkle

Here come the boys-for a man in your life

stamptacular sunday-anything Christmas

2 sisters-holiday

sweet stampin'-punches and dies

Happy cheerful Santa

2011-11-30T07:55:00.000Z

I realised the other day that there are now only a few weeks left till Christmas and thought I ought to start marking some Christmas cards especially since my mum has asked for some too. I spent my pennies at Funky kits and got this fab happy Santa which I thought would be great for my 7 year old nephew, I think he is just so cute though I could do with Santa sending me some fine Promarker nibs before Christmas so I can colour the details a bit easier, but we can't have everything we wish for can we.

I coloured him with Promarkers and decided on a white on white card. The base card I left plain but mounted Santa , after a little fancy cutting on some copy paper I embossed with snowflakes and then added a small piece of snowflake ribbon I found in my Christmas box(wish I knew where it was from and I'd get some more). I then added white satin ribbon and a bow. I mounted this on silver mirri-card and added a tag I won a couple of years ago, think they might be craftworks but not sure.A bit of sparkly glitter pen to highlight and done.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:-

The Sugar Bowl-layout theme ice and snow

cards and more - snowflakes

city crafter challenge-Santa is coming to town

everybody art-Santa

Ladybug crafts-WOW

Craft your passion-tis the season

Lexi's creations-one for the lads

Pollycraft-chritmas fun

Stampsrus-emboss it

Whoopsi daisy-WOW

A card for the sugar bowl and other challenges

2011-11-15T06:46:00.002Z

Morning all hopefully I will get time later to pop back and do this card full justice with details, but for now here is my card that I based on the sugar bowl sketch and patchwork theme. I made it just for fun and to try out my new martha stewart all over punch.

I used a sassy image which you can get from funky kits

The ribbon flower I made and used a peel off greeting as foliage, and a brad for the centre.

Edit time -the image is coloured with promarkers and the papers are from a scrapbook kit I have had for ever from QVC I think it might be K and Co but sorry if it's not. The stitching is done with a sakura white pen all on a white base card.

I would like to enter this into the following challenges:-

The sugar bowl- layout and patchwork

Hooked on crafts-dies and/or punches

crafting when we can-female birthday

dream valley challenges-stitching

Stamptacular sunday-use a punch

Milestone card

2011-11-08T06:47:00.001Z

Morning peeps a quick post whilst son is still in bed before school and I have a day of decorating ahead, well starting to decorate the kitchen anyway.
This card is for one of hubbies colleagues as it's his 40th birthday at the end of this week. I usually find it easy makeing masculine cards but it's harder when you have little info about the person so I just used a mix of masculine papers, I think they are k and co and papermania but not 100% as I've lost the front of the pad along the way. I used the card backing from some forever friends peeloffs for the base card which I drew and cut out the letters and then simply covered them in paper and added a lotv image and a place to write the message and a peeloff to the front. I used gold elatic parcel cord and garden twine to fasten it together through three holes made with a hole punch.

Oops sorry 6:15 have to stir son and take him a drink.

Back now , right here are the pics of each letter and the card in full, hope it's not too boring.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:-
OCC-masculine
Crafty catz-anything goes
craft your passion -masculine and include brown
Simon says stamp and show-up cycle/recycle
stamps r us-masculine
ollcb-stitching
my partner in crafting crime-use freebie of something recycled
poodles parlour-one for the boys
incy wincy -stitching
heart song inspirations-anything goes

Another 18th birthday card

2011-11-04T15:04:00.000Z

Hi all here is another card this time one I will be sending to my niece next week, I decided to use this fab sassy girl and do a wow card as I love how elegant they can look.

The sassy girl is coloured with promarkers and glitter added with sakura pen as is the shine on her shoes. I fancy cut her and did some embossing to fancy up my white background papers.Sorry for some reason blogger won't let me load the picture I want and this one doesn't show the embossing very well, the rectangle with the border has swirls on it and the circle with the image on has flowers embossed on it. I used a punch down the rectangle and added some white glitter card under it and then punched some daisy style flowers from white paper and white glitter paper. I later added an 18 and a happy birthday sentiment but popped it in the post without taking a further picture sorry, but I'm sure you can all imaging how it looked and I think as it is I quite liked it.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:-
The squirrel and the fox-hats or flowers
dream valley-anything goes
stamptacular sunday-border or frame
sunday sketch and stamp-layout
sweet stampin'-anything goes
saturated canary-recipe
crafting for all seasons -texture
papertake weekly-anything goes optional glitter and bling
top tip tuesday-make your own backgrounds
pollycraft-anything goes

Lady in Red and a quest for advice please

2011-11-04T08:40:00.005Z

My sister in law, well sort of as she is my step brothers fiancée, is 40 next month so I made her a card, although again I haven’t decided whether to put a big 40 on it as I like the clean lines. If I do I’m not sure whether I should put it top or bottom corner or even near the oval of the image either top or bottom so I’m walking away at the mo until I decide, again open to suggestions, all you clever seasoned crafters.

The image is a whiff of joy coloured again with Promarkers and some sparkle added with sakura glaze pens. The red mirri card is from my stash as is the silver and red ribbon, the bow I attached with diamond glaze. Another very clean and simple card but I actually feel most comfortable with them, and as I haven’t had much time for crafting of late it just feels right.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:-

Come and get it-anything goes

Stamp,scrap, doodle-monochromatic

Shelly's images-monochromatic plus ribbon
Southern girls-inspired by a song (lady in red)
Freshly Brewed-anything goes
I love promarkers-glitter and glitz
scrapbook sisters-anything goes
Whimsy inspiration-monochromatic
ribbon carousel challenge -use a spooled item
Bows and berries-clean and simple

Now my quest for advice, I have a bigshot and have very few dies and have decided to take the plunge and buy some spellbinders dies but I'm so over whelmed by all the different shapes, please can anyone give me some adcive as to which would be a good place to start and what shapes you think I might get most use out of as some look quite small and I'm not sure how I'd use them, thanks in advance to all you lovely peeps.

Thanks for the help guys.

Birthday fairy

2011-10-29T07:47:00.002+01:00

Morning peeps, well not sure when this will get posted as our internet has died yet again, hubby laughed when I told him the faults phone number is in the phone and the guy on the other end said they really should get this reoccurring fault sorted as I shouldn’t know all the tests that have to be done before they escalate a fault. It took them several days to get to this point before as the first time we had this problem way back in July they told me it normally took 2 days to do the tests I’ve done in the last 20 minutes and that’s because you have to wait 10 minutes between them! Well tests done and still no internet, husband and son who both think their arms have been cut off when they can’t get on the net and can’t go out as we are waiting for a parcel delivery so who knows what kind of mood they will be in by lunch time?- update internet back on by 7pm and within 5 minutes hubby on computer and son on internet on his phone!

Well my card today is for my niece for her 18th birthday, I know fairies might seem little girlie but I think this fab fairy glen stamp that I was lucky enough to win at the release blog hop from sugar Nellie has enough attitude to make her a grown up girl fairy. I went outside my comfort zone and used pink, boy I find it so hard; it’s got to be all in my head as it is just another colour after all.

I coloured Pippi Longsocks fab name with promarkers and added stickles to her wings and dots on her skirt, she just looks such fun and ain’t anybody going to mess with her, even if she is wearing girly pink. The rest of the card I used scraps from my pink scrap file; I used a punch to fancy up the corners and followed the layout from fetch a sketch. The big pink 18 is peel offs. The sentiment is a lotv stamp. I’m undecided as yet as to whether to add anything in the top right corner, I think it looks a bit bare but adding something might make it look cluttered and detract from the clean lines, let me know what you think please.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges (when I can get on the internet to find some):-
crafts 4 eternity-magical mystical
crafty ann's -clean and simple
our craft lounge-going pink for breast cancer awareness
polkadoodles-mystical and magical
totally papercrafts-glitter it
charisma cardz-anything goes
crafty purple frog-sparkle
fetch a sketch-layout
scrapbook sisters -anything goes
simon says stamp-anything goes

Biroche burgers

2011-10-24T08:09:00.000+01:00

A quickie, a couple of nights ago my son decided after watching Australian master chef that he fancied trying Heston Blumenthal perfect burger. Well haven't got a mincer so he had to make do with my homemade burgers but I did have a go at making a brioche burger bun. Have to say it's not Heston's recipe as the copy of that we found on the internet wanted you to ferment the dough for 24 hours so I improvised and just found a brioche recipe in one of my cook books.

It was the first time I've made brioche and hubby said it was probably the best bread I'd made to date. I normally have problems knowing when to take the bread out you know the hollow sound and I invariably take it out too soon and its a little doughy, but maybe I'm on a streak of better baking with bread dough, first my croissants now this brioche.
Here's a picture of the finished burgers, and yes they were that big, 12 cm diameter and for one of the first times I can remember neither hubby or son could finish their meal, a job well done in my book. It eve stopped my son returning to his computer games as he said he felt that full he needed to relax and let his dinner go down.

Clean and simple

2011-10-24T07:48:00.000+01:00

Hi all hope you all had a fab weekend and a pleasant week to come too. It's half term where I live so I have my son at home and hubby has taken the week off too and we plan on spending some quality time doing things as a family once we have done the few things we have to do, especially my son doing his homework, which will be a task in itself stopping him getting distracted talking on facebook and playing computer games!

My card I finished yesterday and it's for my sister in law who has a birthday later this month, mum saw the no more soggy paws and asked if she could have it and as it means more pennies in the coffers to buy rubber why would I say no?

For this one I used a sweet sassy girl and decided to challenge myself and use pink, I still find it a hard colour as it's not a colour I favour even in life very often usually flowers but rarely other times.I know I've not used much pink but I did try, I of course used my promarkers to colour with, The layout is for the sugar bowl challenge so clean and simple just my style and with such fab images from sugar nellie I don't think you need much else. The mirri card is from my stash and the striped papers is forever friends. The leaves are from a martha stewart punch and the flower recylced from a bought card mum gave me as she thought I could use it, see I've even managed to train mum to look for bits I can use.

Right now off to see it there are any other challenges to enter this cutie for and then I have another couple of posts to finish things off for, but first a challenge hunt.

These are the challenges I found to enter:-
the sugar bowl-layout and clean and simple option
the squirrel and the fox-one for the girls
pile it on-be happy
crafty Anne's -clean and simple
crafty catz-happy birthday
4 crafty chicks-marker it up
pixie dust studios-happy birthday
shelly's images-anything goes
southern girls -spots and stripes

No soggy paws

2011-10-16T08:26:00.002+01:00

Morning all and hope you are all enjoying your weekend and have something during the coming week to look forward to other than work (school) and chores.

My card this morning is for the sugar bowl challenge, have to say I'm quite likeing this new way of me doing challenges, making the card for one challenge and then finding others by the feline playful site to join in, if there aren't any k sera sorry for the spelling but you know what I mean.

I used this wonderful image of such a cute girlie looking after her pooch. It so reminds me of my last dog who had the re been such a thing readily available would definitely have worn wellies. She was a real character and even raincoat clad if it was raining at walk time she wouldn't venture out unless the umberella was over her. Come to think of it if it was raining and she needed to spend a quick penny if it was raining she would just stop dead at the door until the umberella was there to keep her dry.

I followed the fab sketch and inspiration picture from Gayle and made it into a birthday card for my sister in law later this month. The green and white gingham reminds me of my summer school uniforms and despite having to wear green for all those years I still think its a fab colour.

The papers are papermania and of course I used promarkers to colour my image (fly the flag use British) the card , white is from my stash the green is a recylced folder divider from my son. The braid is from hobbycraft and the buttons again from my stash. The sentiment stamped in green ink is from LOTV.The white card is dry embossed by hand using a fiskars board.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges;-
The sugar bowl-sketch and inspiration picture
Annabelle stamps-corner embellishments
saturday crafter- white and one other colour
Prairie fairy friday- sugar and spice and all things nice
If the shoe fits -girls rock
little miss muffet- girly girl
I brake for stamps- girl power
the sisterhood of crafters-birthday
the stampboutique-someone special

Lunch box naughty treats

2011-10-09T12:17:00.000+01:00

I know lunch boxes are suppose to be healthy but if I pack fruit for my hubby and 17 year old son it only returns battered and bruise along with complaints that they didn't have enough to eat. I have learnt to stop wasting my breath and money where fruit is concerned and give them a naughty treat along with healthy sandwiches, at least that way I know what they are eating and can hide vegetables and fruit in their evening meals so they get their 5 a day. I know I'm naughty for hiding and controlling their diet and also for giving them a treat but although I don't have a sweet tooth I do enjoy baking when I can fit it in.

Yesterday was great fun all 3 of us in the kitchen together, hubby and son were making a cheesecake they had seen on Australian masterchef, which took over the oven for a good 3 hours plus in total so my baking became a bit of a marathon in between washing their dishes.It is now taking up space in my fridge and when it is allowed to emerge from it's tin I'll take a piccy and add to this post.

My bake turned into a marathon and from starting at 10 am I packed in at 6pm to start dinner and did all the finishing off this morning , which has been a mini marathon of 5 hours all told.

I had time that I couldn't do anything yesterday so decided I would have a go at making croissants for this mornings breakfast as I knew the dough should be rested in the fridge for at least 12 hours(great British bake off taught me that).

I finished them off this morning and made plain and chocolate chi[p croissants along with some experimental danish pastries. I have to say I didn't have any for breakfast as I am so trying to shed some extra pounds but both hubby and son said they were good. I did plan on freezing some as I reckoned they would only have one or two each but they really must have been good as what's left isn't worth freezing and I suspect will be eaten for breakfast tomorrow. I even thought they looked like the shop bought one, let me know what you think.

Here are the experimental danishes I made with the rest of the dough, I really can't believe how easy it was even though it was time consuming.

I do like to mess and play and decided I would try another couple of recipes from the great British bake off, battenburg, Viennese melts and salted peanut cookies.

The battenburg isn't perfect but that's more down to the baking parchment not being strong enough the stay straight , mine isn't foil lined, guess I should have added some foil to , never thought of that when I was doing it, hey ho. Never the less I don't thinks it looks too bad and son says the cake tastes great, which is all that matters.

The cookies even I think look fab and I really don't like dark chocolate. I'd never made praline or caramel which is the filling and actually threw one lot away only to realise I just hadn't left it long enough to change colour, so I'm really pleased . Hubby and son have tasted the plain biscuits and approve so that's good too.

These are what I call Viennese melts, though I know that's not what they were called by Mary the contestant who made them. In hers she added food colouring to give a swirl of colour, I didn't have any so mine are plain. Hubby and son have tasted the plain biscuit before construction and said they really do melt. They are very crumbly if you over handle as I found when putting them together but I think they look fab if not a bit sickly.

Anyway these are my boys lunchbox treats, if they last that long of course, if not I'll just have to find more baking time.

Haver a fab day all now I'm off to find the sugar nellie blog hop day 2.Thanks for popping by.

Birthday bumps?

2011-10-08T09:33:00.000+01:00

No chance not when you are ten. Hope my nephew likes this card when he receives it for his big one ooh birthday. Even though I have a son myself and I do enjoy making boy cards I still find it hard making cards for my nephews, well I never know what any of them are into these days and sad to say as they live quite a way away I rarely see them, well the 2 younger ones the older one when I do see him he might as well not be there as he is away with the fairies attached to technology of one kind or another.

Anyway this card is a fab LOTV stamp and I decided to try and make it a fun card just in case my nephew thinks it's a bit young. Inside I wrote a message about him now being too big for birthday bumps, hope he sees the funny side.

I coloured with promarkers and used scraps of paper from my stash.The base card is a craft card from hobby craft which they had on offer, well as hobby craft is next to the diy store I was visiting for wallpaper I had to pop in didn't I?
I know there will be some crafters' out there screaming as I used peel-offs for the numbers and sentiments but hey I don't like my writing so shoot me.

Now I had a wee look on feline playful for a sketch to follow and found one that fit the bill along with a few other challenges I think I'll enter.
Hope you all have a fab weekend and that life is good, thanks for popping by.

Everybody art-sketch
Sweet stamps-anything goes
Papertake weekly-anything goes
Deep ocean-happy birthday
Crazy amigo challenge-animals
Ruby's rainbow-for a boy
Penny's paper craft challenges-anything goes
My mum's craft shop-all creatures great and small
Southern girls-boys and men
Paperplay-autumnal colours
Little miss muffet challenge-monsters or animals
Forever friends -use a sentiment
Do you stack up-brown
Auds sentiments-happy birthday
Allsorts-use a bear

Sassy witch for Krista's new challenge

2011-10-03T13:46:00.000+01:00

Hi all well sneaking another quick break, in between finishing my chores, my excuse is I've been to the dentist and had to have a childhood filling relpaced as it had cracked and it was in my back tooth. I really don't like the dentist but see it as a necessary evil and so as my face still feels numb and I can't yet have a drink unless I want to dribble every where I thought I'd visit blog land.

I made this card at the weekend after seeing Krista's new challenge blog last Thursday and decided it was high time I inked up this wee lady that I have to say I have had some time. I do love her new digi's but alas hubby doesn't like me to use paypal so I will just admire from afar, but have to say there are so many beauties I would have a hard time choosing just a few.

My cutie bestest witch is coloured with promarkers and I decided to make her a bit funky with blue hair well I loved the inspiration picies Krista gave us. The bats are some stickers I have had for like ever and the ribbon and green paper and purple mirri card are from my stash, all mounted on a black base card. Forgot to say I added spakly bits to her tights and clothes with sakura glitter pen, well every girl needs some sparkle.

Well now I'm off to see if she is suitable for any other challenges and then it's back to cleaning the bedrooms and bed making.

I would like to enter my sassy witch into the followingt challenges:-
Saturated canary challenge blog-sketch and optional halloween theme
Come and get it-halloween
I did it creations-halloween
lollipop crafts-halloween
bling it on-no patterned papers
creatalicious-anything goes
really reasonable ribbon-halloween
secret crafter-halloween
crafts4 eternity-anything goes
crafty ribbons-halloween

Still here and sneaking a quick break

2011-09-26T13:36:00.003+01:00

Hi all have to say I can't believe I have still had visitors even though it has been a long while since I posted anything, but as I have actually had some cards to make for a few family occassions I thought I'd take a wee break from the decorating and cleaning etc and put at least one of them on here , I might even see if I can find more than one challenge(the sugar bowl, as I followed their sketch) to enter too.

My card is one of the fab couple stamps from one of the summer releases and I thought it would be perfect for an anniversarry card for my brother and S-i-L. They had an autumnal colour theme when they married with rich deep reds and golds so I decided to use autumny colours for my card too.The papers are all K and co with the exception of the flower which was a magazine freebie. The image I coloured with promarkers and used some liquid pearls for her beads. The sentiment is a lotv.

Not sure what else I use to put as I'm so out of practice ... think I best show you all my finshed card.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:-

The sugar bowl-sketch and optional autumn
The corrosive challenge-punches/or dies
Lollipop crafts-anything goes
Paper sundaes-anything goes
the squirrel and the fox-anything goes
just some lines-autumn colours
sweet stampin'-anything goes with optional sketch
crafty catz-autumn
4 crafty chicks-autumn
pixie dust studio-circles

Steampunk Sister

2011-08-07T12:00:00.001+01:00

Happy Sisters day to all those fab sisters out there this sunday morning. Wow can you believe a whole week has gone in August already where does the time go?

Time for another challenge over at One Stitch at a Time and this time we have a new sponsor too Crimson cloud

"Crimson Cloud is a mother/daughter venture - a way to indulge our joint passion of cardmaking and crafting. We only sell products that we have tried, tested and love using. We have developed our own exclusive range of dies cuts, digital stamps, svg files and "Make Your Own Card" kits which reflect our styles of card making - and hopefully yours too!""Crimson Cloud is a mother/daughter venture - a way to indulge our joint passion of cardmaking and crafting. We only sell products that we have tried, tested and love using. We have developed our own exclusive range of dies cuts, digital stamps, svg files and "Make Your Own Card" kits which reflect our styles of card making - and hopefully yours too!"

Pop over and check them out http://www.crimsoncloud.co.uk/

I was lucky enough to be given some of their Christmas diecuts to play with and had a fun time making my first Christmas card for this year, did feel odd though as the sun was shining at the time.I made my background by painting a wash with inks and then simply added the diecuts to form a scene.I was quite impressed with myself as I've never done anything like it before .

I had to fiddle around to get the positioning of the folds in the right place so it would stand up and still give the 3D look and be able to see all the characters but I think I got it.

I finished off by powder embossing a simple sentiment form the Darkroom in gold, think I might have to make an envelope for it though as it's just a bit too big for a standard envelop, but never mind there is still plenty of time for that nearer Christmas.

We also have another sponsor

check them out too.

http://www.onestopcardcrafts.co.uk/

Hey I just realised all British sponsors this time round.

I was lucky enough this time to play with my choice of images from Teri and had a fun time with not 1 but 3 of her stamps that I used together . I used Tattoos and feathers,which you can find here, along with cogs corner piece and chain and cog frame think they work so well together. I coloured the tattoo girl using a mix of promarkers and sakura pens and used sakura glaze pens on the cogs and chains too. The Sister word is made using my bigshot and one of the alphabet dies I have with a brad for the dot on the I.

On the inside of the card I reprinted the image but this time just left it balck and white and used the cog image as corners.

Best tell you the challenge theme which is a real easy one again for you all 'Use a Digi' and don't forget if you use a Stitchy Bear stamp image you can enter our Pretty in Print competition too.

My last challenge as DT for CCC

2011-08-04T11:41:00.000+01:00

Hi all and so many apologies for the lateness of this post but guess it shows my need to say a very sad farewell to all the fab guys at Creative craft challenges. Life has become rather hectic for me of late and for the near foreseeable future so after a long and very hard lot of thinking I decided it was unfair of me to continue as a design team member and sadly said goodbye to the team as I couldn't offer the commitment I felt they deserved.
I wish to thank Sandra and the girls for giving me all the opportunities they have and hope when life calms down a bit I might have some time to craft and maybe even enter some of their challenges too.

I can at least say that I leave on a high with a challenge that once again has some fab prizes from more wonderful sponsors, you really should go to the challenge blog and check them out.

We were given the chance to play with some fab images from 2 of our fabby sponsors, Rainbow craft studios and some odd girl too. Both my cards I coloured with promarkers and the papers on Popsicle Tobie from someodd girl are magazine freebies.

The image from rainbow craft studios called 'a gift for you' I felt said it all and needed nothing extra as its such a fab image.

Once again thank you to all your wonderful comments and to the CCC team and I hope you as challenge entrants will continue to offer the blog and team your support and to the CCC team thank you for all your support and hope the challenge goes from strength to strength.

Keep a look out for the DT challenge too as I know Sandra will be putting one out in the future and I can recommend you give it a go as it is a fab team to work on. On a personal note I hope when I do make a blog post in future one of two of you will pop by to say hi too.

Pearls and swirls

2011-07-24T12:00:00.003+01:00

Morning peeps and hope it is a good one for you all. Well this card today is for another fab challenge at One Stitch at a time and you can get all artistic this time as the theme is pearls and swirls.

I got to choose from the fab designs by Stef this time round and chose this fab silhoette of a flower. For my swirls I decided to do some dry embossing and a little ribbon swirling, just fro fun. Pearls , think I went a bit mad as I added a drop of liquid pearl to the end of each swirl, I really didn't think there were that many when I started and I think now less would have defintely been more but once I'd started I had to coninue.

The sentiment is from LOTV which I powder embossed, and I think fits perfectly as it's a card for my sister in law for sister's day on the 7th August.

We have fab sponsors again Digis with attitude!

http://www.digiswithattitude.com/

and Flourishes with a Bling.

http://www.flourishwithabling.com.au/store/

Look forward to seeing all your pearls and swirls anddo't forget the Pretty in Print competition we have on at the moment too, your chance to be part of a magazine who could resist?

Oh best show you my finished card nearly forgot, not sure what my brain is up to these days.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:-

Auds sentiments-anything to make someone smile/enjoy their day

craft us crazy-anything goes

Shelly's images-show us what you got

crafts and me-add a flower

for fun challenges-2 different ribbons

paper pretties-embossing

Deep ocean challenge-ribbons

Happileigh scrappin-make your own embelli

House of Gilli-anything goes

Sugar girls shopping book

2011-07-22T07:52:00.000+01:00

Two girls and looks one book, this is my shopping list book , well note book I keep as I never have paper when I need to make a note and I like pretty things in my bag. I couldn't decide which sweet sugar nellie stamp to use so I randomly picked 2 images I had stamped and started from there. I used the sugar bowl layout of course but decided on 2 different looks. Hope you like them.

They are both coloured with a mix of sakura glaze pens and promarkers for skin tone and all the bits are scraps and from my stash.The book cost 63p but I think now looks way more expensive.

I would like to enter this project into the following challenges:-
The sugar bowl-layout optional lace
Papercutz-anything goes
Try it on tuesday-steampunk
for fun challenges-2 different ribbons
Playdate cafe-just a splash of colour(well one cover is)

Just to say too that over the next few weeks I won't be around much so apologies for my absence life is a bit hectic at the mo so many of the posts over the next few weeks will be scheduled and the rest will probably be scarce. I do have some cards still to make for family but these will only get posted if I can find the time, in case I'm not around to pop by here's wishing you all a wonderful summer and I promise I will try and visit your blogs though can't promise I will have time to comment. See you all in a few weeks/months.

He's a very friendly lion called Parsley

2011-07-21T17:12:00.001+01:00

Wonder how many of you actually know what I'm talking about, shows my age but I used to love watching the Herb garden. Alas my friendly lion isn't green but I think he has similar curly hair on his mane.

I haven't done quilling for ages and had forgotten how frustrating it can be when the quills unroll until you get back into the routine and then it becomes quite therapeutic. I love how paper strips made into circles squashed into other shapes can turn into a 3D picture if you are clever or have a pattern to follow like me and some of the creations that proper quillers do are fantastic.

Anyway not much to say about my card other than it's suppose to be a lion see what you think , is he one big cuddly kitty or what?

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:-

Allways something creative-yellow and one other colour

Alphabet challenge-K is for Kitty

Alota rubber-circles

Papertake-cute

Creative card crew-animals

Creative inspirations-around the world(Africa)

String tidy

2011-07-20T06:43:00.001+01:00

Good morning all and hope the day is going to be a good one for all of you. Thanks for popping by again and what a fab amount of inspirational birthday cards you had to share with us all over at Penny's last time, really were some doozies.

This time we have a challenge that I always find hard, could really have done with all you talented crafters doing it first to give me some inspiration lol but then that's not the idea really is it.The challenge is ALTER IT!
We have a fab sponsor again Dewdrop crafts so well worth joining in.

I decided after much deliberation and some gardening my source of inspiration that I would make a string tidy. I have a bad habit when tying up my plans of putting down my garden twine and then minutes later not being able to find it wasting minutes looking for it. I then usually decide to try and keep hold of it whilst tying up the next plant so I don't loose it only to drop it and have it unravel everywhere. No more as I think my string tidy will stop both problems as if I can't see this pot I need strong glasses and the string shouldn't get tangled even if I drop the pot.

I started with a food pot that was big enough to hold my string, in my case a herring pot.

I simply covered in some magazine freebie paper that I thought was perfect for the job as it had my favourite daisies on. I also found a really cute freebie image over at beyond the fringe which I just had to add as it just reminded me of my garden., which is in dire need of maintenance as the weeds are winning the battle at the mo and everything looks gangly.

I coloured the image in a mix of sakura glaze pens and promarkers and stuck this to the pot. I finished by adding a strip of ribbon around the top and cut a slit in the top for the string to poke through.

I would like to enter this project into the following challenges:-

Allsorts-free and easy
secret crafter saturday challenge-holidays
Prairie fairy-what u doin' on your holidays-gardening
Crafty purple frog-summer colours
scrappy frog-summer flowers
digi design house -summer
KB cute monday-use a digi
stamps r us-through the garden gate

Build it up

2011-07-19T08:35:00.000+01:00

Wow is all I can say to the amount of entries we had for the last challenge over at our new residence for Creative Craft Challenges. We were a little worried that with all the problems we had been having and the move that we would lose some of you wonderful crafters but boy what a boost to know you all care and followed us and nearly 300 entries too.

Thank you

Well this challenge is open to a bit of imaginative interpretation as Sandra has chosen a 3D it theme. The DT have some superb projects to share so please pop along and give them some love.

We also have some more wonderful sponsors too, a new sponsor to us Love to Stamp who will be giving the winner their choice of one of their 'Little Darlings' stamps fab prize as these are all so cute.

We also have Stitchy Bear stamps and boss lady Sandra is offering up some peel-off and ribbons. Not bad prizes in all.

Now the lovely ladies at Love to stamp let us have a play with a couple of the wee cuties from the Little Darlings range, we had a choice of 'Go girl go' and the one I choose 'Nice to meet you'. I can also tell you there is a new release soon too so even more cute rubber stamps to choose from.

For my project I decided to make a photo frame for a friend, her son absolutely adores visiting the butterfly house not far from them and thought this so cute boy was perfect to add to a piccy of him with the butterflies.

The frame is painted in some gold paint that I have had that long I'm not sure where it came from and was surprised that it was still usable. The frame was one of a set of 3 plain wood frames from ikea bought many moons ago for a £1,so you can tell how long. I used brilliance ink to stamp a butterfly silhouette stamp onto the frame and then stamped the wee little darling several times and 3d him with foam pads cutting out various bits to sort of decoupage him. He was coloured with Promarkers. Have to say my friend loved it and it is now on her kitchen wall.

I would like to enter this project into the following challenges;-

Pollycraft monday-summer fun
Totally gorjuss-all about the boys
TSG-colour challenge
Little Claires-things with wings
Sugar creek hollow-things with wings
Papercutz-the skies the limit
Stampin for the weekend-wings and things
CRAFT-butterflies
Paperplay-things with wings
Crafty creations-boys to men
Craft room challenge-butterflies

Stitchy Bear stamps were also generous and let us have some images to play with. For my second project I mase another sister day card, not sure which sister in law this is for but it will be winging its way to either one of hubby's sisters or my bro's wife in time for August 7th.

I decided to again 3D it with foam pads printing several of the image and cutting out various bits. The base card I used a Fiskars embossing pad and stylus to hand emboss the pattern leaving a central oval for the sentiment which I powder embossed. The flowers were coloured with promarkers(its a glitterbabe image which can be found at stitchy's store).

I was really pleased with the colours I'd used as I found I had an envelope that was the perfect colour and think it sets it off so well. I love the clean and simple look of the card even if it's got a few layers in the flowers and hope whichever sis gets it they will love it too.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:-

St. Luke's charity-Black white and 1 other(purple)
Crafty Ann's-dry embossing
Sarah Hurley-colouring
Pixie dust challenge-girly
Emerald faeire garden-girly( all things nice)
Totally papercrafts-girly
Allsorts-free and easy
Daisy doodles-anything goes
Incy wincy-black white and 1 other(purple)

Such a sweetie

2011-07-17T12:00:00.003+01:00

Morning all sorry I guess that should actually be afternoon really but welcome to another Sunday challenge at OSAAT.

Wow what a super terrific turnout we had again you all really seem to be loving our challenges at the mo, and what an abundance of inspiration we all get when visiting all your truly fab blogs.

Have to say sorry to those who I don't actually manage to get to comment on as blogger is still being a fickle little bu**er and sometimes he will let me comment and others I get stuck in the sign in loop, some he offers me an name /URL way to sign in others I get zilch opportunity and what gets me most is it can be varied on the same blog so it might be that I can comment on one post and not on another on the same blog! It even happens when I try to comment on my teamies blogs too have to say it is slowly driving me nuts( well a bit more nutty really as I guess I went nuts quite a while ago really).

Right onto the challenge this time round and we have another super theme and bet we should get another barrow full of beautiful entries too as we want to see FLOWERS please lots and lots. I love flowers but get hay fever quite bad so am really looking forward to seeing so many beautiful blooms without the need for antihistamine to stop me sneezing lol.

The DT have pulled out all the stops as per and their blogs really are worth paying a visit too to find out how they put their projects together so please go leave them some love.

Our sponsor is the fab

and she is offering a £10 gift voucher and as she offers free P+P in the UK at least not sure about her overseas P+P policy you get to spend it all on goodies and I can tell you from personal experience she has some fab goodies and excellent delivery turnaround and any problems are sorted very quickly wonderful customer service so well worth winning.

My card I was lucky enough to play with a fab image by Sylvie of Sylvie's stamps 'boy with flowers which you can find here. I thought this would be a wonderful image for a sister's day card for my hubby to send to one of his sister's, for those who like the idea sister's day is the first Sunday in August so this year it falls on the 7th. Just for interest and as I only just found out too after much searching brother's day is celebrated on the Friday following the first new moon after 1st August so this year it falls on September 2nd.

My card I coloured with Promarkers which I seem to have had for ages and kept the colours fairly simple. The papers are some very old magazine freebies . I wrapped ribbon (again I have had for ages) and added some daisy buttons(old again) to finish off. The sentiment is simply a peel-off I know all you die hards will be tut tuting but still which I edges with white sakura pen.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:-

Paper playtime-summer
Kreative stempel freundes-summer
Hooked on crafts-with love
Dream valley-summer
Crafts and me-summertime
Simon says-anything goes
YNS-buttons
Fussy n fancy-summertime
Pollycraft-the great outdoors
The Pixie cottage-sketch /wrap ribbon round
Craft your passion-just for you
SOS-show us your old or new stash-my image is new forgot to say
stamp insanity-summertime through colour
ABC challenge-Y is for yesterday( Aug 2009 B for buttons and Nov 2008 R is for ribbon)
Polkadoodles-long hot summer
MAWTT-favourite things-promarkers, ribbon,turquoise and daisies
Allsorts -free and easy

Quick reminder don't forget you can get yourself in print too see all the details below and more on the One Stitch site.

Jumbo Jellybean and another for Crissy's DT challenge

2011-07-13T08:58:00.001+01:00

Morning all , where do the days go I can't believe it was Sunday the last time I did a post , hopefully when my son finishes school this week life will slow down a little but he wants to go to some university open days so who knows, and then there is the garden that is definitely winning the battle with the amount of weeds and twitch grass that's engulfing the flowers but I will not yet conceed the war but it might mean a little less craft and blogland time so apologies for any future absence.

My card today isn't really for anything in particular , really just as I love the image , always makes me smile as do many of Crissy Armstrongs images. This one I won as a digi prize and though I love my rubber I guess I wouldn't have been able to make a Jellybean this big with just a rubber stamp. The card is A5 size.

I coloured the image with cool grey promarkers and cut it out to make it a shaped card. I had to leave the white at the top as otherwise it would have fallen to bits(I got a bit carried away with the cutting).

The sentiment is from LOTV and the reason I added it was as I did wonder about sending it to my niece for her birthday, but this I need your opinion on as she is 20 and at university so not sure if she would like it or think it too childish. I myself at 40 something would love to receive such a card but then that's just me so let me know please if you think it would go down well or not?

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:-

Paper pretties-animals
Creative inspirations-no flowers
Kaboodle doodle-use those scissors
Forever friends-not a square
Happileigh scrappin'-use a critter
Heart song inspired-summertime and or no patterned papers
The rubber cafe-shaped cards
CAS-ual friday-shaped card

Crissy Armstrong's DT challenge-http://sundayswithcrissy.blogspot.com/2011/07/design-team-call.html

Charlie the boxer

2011-07-10T12:00:00.002+01:00

Well not sure if that is his name but thats who this fab digi reminds me of. The image is actually called 'Boxer pup'bySue from Beary dust and you can find it here at Stitchy stamps. Now the reason I call him Charlie is as my bro and sis in law had a boxer and he had this fab brindle colour so when I got to play with this super image I just knew I would be making a birthday card to go in storage for October for my bro in laws birthday.

I think by now that you have gathered its sunday and time for another fab challenge from the wonderful team at One Stitch at a Time.

We had some super entries for our use a digi challenge and boy was there alot of them and all so different, glad I don't have to choose a winner, it would be a real hard job.Why not pop over to the challenge blog to see who the lucky winner was and check out the DT inspiration cards for our next challenge, you'll not be sorry.

Now for my card as I said I used this fab Boxer image and coloured him with my promarkers, the rest of the card is a die cut deep red and simply scraps from my scrap stash.The sentiment is a 'shameful'(lol) peel-off but I think it just finishes off this card and suits the design, never understood the shame in them myself..

Anyway here's my card.

Oh suppose I should tell you our challenge theme, another one you are all going to play I'm sure as our theme-anything goes. Our sponsor this time the stamping boutique some yummy digi's as the prize.

Can't wait to visit all your wonderful creations.

Now I would like to enter my card into the following challenges:-

I love promarkers-clean and simple

Wags n whiskers-birthdays

Catch the bug-clean and simple

Allsorts-free and easy

My Sherri crafts-faithful companions

Marks finest papers-use a die cut as a mat

Art impression stamps-use something from your stash

Forever friends -birthdays

Ruby's rainbow challenge-happy birthday

Anything goes challenge blog-the letter D

Papertake weekly challenge-anything goes

craft your passion-anything goes

Ellephantastic-celebrations

sweet stampin-cute and cuddly

Polkadoodles-use stickers or rub ons-hope peel-offs count

Kaboodle doodle-celebrations

First of my sisters day cards

2011-07-09T14:46:00.003+01:00

This fab image by Crissy Armstrong called 'Little Miss Innocent' I thought would make a perfect sisters day card for my little sis.

We use to have a poodle when we were little but she was white though before that mum bought a poodle that was apricot in colour for some friends with their parents permission and we looked after her until Christmas. It was such fun as the first few weeks of puppies are so wonderful. We didn't know what the boys would call her so when training her to 'come' when called we would call her 'mon a mon'. It was funny when she went to her new home as when we visited we found that she didn't come to the 'come' command but only to mon a mon and the family would call 'mon a mon Sunshine' and she would bound towards them. Not sure she ever chewed any shoes though.

My sis is definitely no little miss innocent even though she professes to be so this is the perfect image for her, and though like most sisters she is a pain at times I wouldn't swap her for the world. Celebrating Sisters day is a way I can tell her so.

The image I have had ages and never got around to using , I coloured with Promarkers and simply cut it out. I mounted on a freebie paper from Bearly mine and then on mirri card. The daisies are punched and liquid pearls added to the centres. The gems are again oldies and from my stash. The sentiment is from a set by LOTV and stamped in blue dye ink.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:-

Charisma-all about flowers
Simon says-stitching
I love promarkers-clean and simple
Creative belli-make your own embelli's
Just some lines-layout
Oldie but goodie-anything goes
Digi's with attitude! challenge-anything goes
Try it on tuesday-flower power
pollycraft-celebrations
A spoonful of sugar-sewing
Bearly mine-anything goes
Crissy on sundays digi challenge-DT call

Jog of a memory

2011-07-08T15:18:00.000+01:00

Hi all have just been doing a bit of blog hopping and popped across to Michele's at enchanted stamper. She was talking about favourite summer memories and it set me thinking about some of mine. I have quite a few favourites as my birthday is in august and we were usually on holiday in Devon or Cornwall so most of my birthday as were totally chilled and fun even without parties.

My wedding was also in august and in the morning the weather was much like the rain we are having today but in between showers it was dull. The sun started to appear and shine as I walked downstairs in my dress and the rest of the afternoon and evening was glorious.

I think my favourite summer memory would be of my son at about 2 or 3 years old. We were going out for the afternoon with friends and whilst we loaded his pram into the car and as were going for lunch at friends his high chair so he could sit at the table we left him playing the keyboard on the floor by the door where we could see and hear him, as the car was only in the driveway. In the short time it went quiet we flew back in the house to find the cushion he had sat on he had moved off and had collapsed asleep onto it. He stayed like this for the next hour sound asleep and looked quite puzzled waking at our friends house on their sofa.He looked so cute I had to take a picture and it makes me smile whenever I look at it. Now he towers above me at 17 time flies and they grow so fast , why can't children stay cute and cuddly for longer?

Hang on in there....

2011-07-08T10:27:00.001+01:00

Hope today finds you all well and fighting fit, wonder what the weather will have in store for us all today.

My card as this is a quick post before I have to be on my way, is another card for my card drive to keep Peter's spirits up. I thought I would try and send him at least one card every few weeks, sad to say as yet haven't received any cards from blog land to help and only a couple of promises, but guess everyone is too busy with their own lives and worlds so hey ho.

This is another fab image by Crissy Armstrong and I just thought it is so appropriate as Peter really has got to hang in there with all the what must be horrible treatments and knowing that at best he will only prolong his life by another 3 years. Must be awful as he has 2 teenage daughters who he knows he is never likely to see blossom into womanhood and marry and have families of their own, just thinking about that would be enough to make anyone feel low.

I thought this image would make him smile to know he has support from his friends as he gets little from his family, and this wee guy is just so bloomin' cute too.

I coloured him with promarkers and the papers are a mix of scraps and bits from a card and scrapbooking kit which I think might be K and Co, but it was from QVC. The fancy edge is simply punched as are the rounded corners and the sentiment hand written in white sakura pen.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:-

Craft your passion-anything goes
Papertake weekly-anything goes
SOS-use something you got in a rak or won(I was lucky enough to win the fab image)
Scrapalicious usa-use turquoise (I used different shades of turquoise)
Dude time-layout
Deep ocean-cards
Crafty Ann's-get well/ thinking of you/just because- hope this counts as its along those lines
Fuzzy wuzzy-get punchy
Stampavie and more-more than 3 layers
Bizzy Becs store blog-borders and frames
cardmad fairy's digi challenge-include an anilal
Crissy Armstrong DT call-see link below

and here's my complete card.

Let's party

2011-07-06T10:35:00.001+01:00

Happy wednesday all and time for the new challenge at Penny's.

This time we have some exciting news as we have a new sponsor and she has some super duper cutie images too. Her name is Annie and her company is Digi my world , check her out here. We also have our other sponsor who also has fab images (spoilt for choice we are) Some odd girl. Now we are all lucky girls as we got to play with a fab image from both companies and I decided that I would let them party together on one card.

My card is for a friends daughter and that is all I can say as I know they frequent blogland so don't want to risk them knowing it's for them. I decided on a gate fold card with my two cuties with balloons welcoming you to party. The images I coloured with Promarkers and the balloons with sakura glaze pens love how they shine. I of course had to add some glitter(stickles), well what girl doesn't like to wear a bit of glitter and sparkle to a party.

The card base I stamped with some stamps from a see-dee stamp set one of the first sets I got and I used brilliance inks for both the stars and swirls. The sentiment is die cut alphabets letters from one of the few dies I have for my bigshot, really should get some more.

Inside the card I used another stamp not sure of the make as its that old the writing or sticker has disappeared and I kept to a similar colour scheme with the exception of the cake which I made chocolate. So come on lets see how you decide to celebrate your birthday.

Ooops should I say our theme is 'Happy Birthday', join our party can't wait to see your creations.

I would like to enter my card into the following challenges:-
Bling it on-anything goes
Lollipop-anything goes
stamp something -digi
southern girls-childhood memories
Emerald faerie-girly
stamps r us-girly
craft room challenge-
the rubber cafe-birthdays
Timbroscrapmania-birthdays
Bitrthday sundaes-anything goes
Sentimental sundays-anything goes
Dasiy doodles-summer doodles
House of Gilli- lots of sparkle
Cupcake craft challenge-single layer
2 sisters-birthdays

Leo for a leo

2011-07-06T06:30:00.002+01:00

well Courageous Carl but still. This is one of Crissy Armstrongs fab images and I just think he is so cute, but still just about manly enough for a male card. My step brother has a birthday that depending on which horoscope you read he is what they call on the cusp and some make him a leo and others a cancer, and I remember when he was little he always got cross if anyone dared to tell him he was a crab and not a lion, so hopefully he will appreciate courageous Carl for that reason. It's quite funny really as he is actually called Carl too.

I decided to have a play and try my hand at a step card, the challenge at crazy for challenges and I'm quite pleased with how it turned out. It made it a bit easier being a 'male'card as I could keep it fairly plain. The papers are a mix of ooh la la cd printed ones stitchy printed ones and from my stash not sure about the make but I think the dotty one is papermania. The plain brown that I distressed with blue ink and scissors use to be a pocket in an A4 cabinet but I love the buff effect and am now only using scraps that are left. The ribbon is the hanging ribbon from a summer top I recently bought. The image is coloured with Promarkers (of course) and the sentiment is a LOTV.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:-

Crazy for challenges-centre step card
Crafty cardmakers-spots and stripes
Digi's with Attitude! challenge-anything goes
2 sisters-birthdays
sketchy colours-layout and colour challenge
Catch the bug-anything goes
Here come the boys-spots and stripes
Allsorts -free and easy
Sundays with Crissy - distress(also have a DT call)
Ladybug -summer birthdays

Summer retirement

2011-07-05T09:51:00.018+01:00

Morning peeps hope today is a good one for you. My card this morning is my DT card for our challenge over at creative craft challenges, have to apologise to all you lovelies that entered as Mr Linky wouldn't show me who had entered so I didn't do any commenting though I think a couple of the team could comment as they could see your fab cards and I did manage to comment on the comment entries, but I am told they were all fab .Hopefully I'll have access this time around as we have a brand new blog in the hopes of curing all the problems we have been encountering of late.Please check it out and re-follow us, thanks in anticipation for your continued support.

Another fab challenge lined up for you all and perfect for this time of years well in the northern hemisphere at least 'Pretty blossoms'. Fab sponsors again in the form of LOTV and meljen,and a goody bag provided by our fabby boss lady Sandra.

Now my card well as you may have gathered from my title it's a retirement card for the lady who has been one of my sons NTA's during his time at secondary school.He is sad to see her leave as she has a greater appreciation of what he goes through since having had hip surgery and she will be missed by her greatly. Have to say as she was head NTA he is apprehensive about how things will pan out next year to say the least as he doesn't have a great deal of confidence in how the other staff and possible replacement will understand his needs and abilities more to the point as most of them just don't like to listen to anything he has to say and think they know best (in my opinion from what I have seen and encountered).

My card anyway is coloured with promarkers , background and images with the exception of the wee ladies shoes. Now that has hopefully got you intrigued as I am showing you the image I used , which happens to be a fab freebie meljen let us use, along with the image I used for my border.

The background is a rainbow crafts stamp called twirly daisy and was the same image as one of our prizes from the last challenge, wonder who the lucky winner was , will have to pop over here and check that out.

I kept the card fairly simple though my son says it's not my usual style and is a bit fussy , I just think it's bright and cheerful but hey ho we all have different opinions and my son at least is honest in what he says.The sentiment is a peel-off for ease of use more than anything.

Now I decide to decorate the inside too as this LOTV image just seemed to fit perfectly with the rest of my card and had to colour it in so she was wearing a red had , for the new member of the 'red hat brigade'. hope Mrs H sees the funny side of it, I think she will. again the image is coloured with the same Promarkers and same colours with a few additions, well thought just sticking to orange , yellow and red might look a bit odd.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:-

Digi doodles shops best-anything goes
Lollipop challenges-anything goes
Crafty Catz-colours of summer
Alphabet challenge-I for insects
Lexi's challenges-It's a bugs life
By the cute and girly- wings
Stamp something-digi
Paper pretties-colour challenge
Craft us crazy-summer
LOTV-celebrate
MAWTT-here comes summer
CRAFT-gardening
Truely scrumptious-wings
I love promarkers-flowers

Don't drink and drive

2011-07-03T12:00:00.006+01:00

Happy Sunday morning all, or should by now it be afternoon I'm never sure what noon is morning still or afternoon , suppose really its afternoon, anyway enough rambling. Sunday means another OSAAT challenge and I guess it will be a nice easy one for many of you as the challenge this time is to 'use a digi'.

Before I get onto my card for your hopefully inspiration we have some exciting news , and when I say there is a very special prize I mean SPECIAL makes me wish I could enter. All the details are below and Stitchy will have them in store too and entries start with this weeks challenge, so come on lets get creating.

Told you it was special.

Also if you think you fancy joining our fun team now is your chance as Marjo is on the hunt for more DT members so check out the deets on the blog you have till the 15th to apply, can tell you it's a fab team with loads of wonderful helpful crafters on board and well worth a try out even if you have no experience at all.

Right back to my card.

Sometimes the ones that you think are easy turn out harder too much choice and all that. I think that each time I am given a choice of images to use with no theme to follow and this time was no different. I could choose a stitchy image and boy was that hard , have you seen all the fab images there are. The one I finally decided on is called 'don't drink and drive' and you can get it here.

Many of my son's friends at school are taking driviving lessons at the moment si I figured at some point I will be asked for a congrats on passing your driving test card so here it is ready and waiting. I'm not sure on reflection though if a teenager will get it but I think it'ds apt and my son thought it funny so maybe I'll be wrong. It does upset my son a wee bit when he thinks about it that he too can't learn to drive, please don't misunderstand me I would love him to but on his last trip to the optitions he was told his vision isn't quite good enough , though we will ask at each visit as it could change as he is still growing, though his spacial awareness problem might be something else. I console him with how much car insurance is for his age group and suspect there are alot of parents who are insuring cars for their children as named drivers knowing the cost from talking to friends, not that I blame them.

Anyway back to my card, I coloured the image with Promarkers and a little sakura glaze on the bottle. The image is so fab I decided to keep the card fairly clean and simple. The sentiment I am quite proud of how it turned out on my road, an the stamp is from the stampman. The textured base card just adds a bit more dimension to the card but basically thats it.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:-

Digi's with attitude! challenge-anything goes
Digi doodles shops best-anything goes
Lollipop-anything goes
Stamp something-digi challenge
Crafters companion-One for the boys
Playdate cafe-colour challenge
Charisma-ice cream colours, strawberry, coffee swirl, vanilla and pistachio
paperminutes-red and lime
anything goes -beginning with 'D', drink and drive
Allways something creative-for a man

Recipe for retirement

2011-06-28T07:08:00.000+01:00

More cards requested by my son and I still have another to do. This one is for one of the staff members who is retiring this year, actually the hubby of the main non teaching assistant who is also retiring in the summer, that card still to do.

For this card I used a LOTV image and thought I'd come up with a recipe for retirement as my son wanted something funny, he particularly likes the drink plenty of fluids point, funny how males think as I was thinking water but then I only drink very occasionally and am affected very quickly with a very small amount of alcohol.

I decided to go for the clean and fresh look a bit picnicy too and as it's for a man keep it clean and simple in design hope he doesn't mind the bow.

The image is coloured with Promarkers and sakura glaze pens too and the papers are all old magazine freebies. Can you see poor bears sunburn, bet that will smart in the shower...lol.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:-

Kaboodle doodles-going in circles
Sentimental Sundays-use colours of native flag
Paperplaytime-red white and blue
Craft your passion-use red on your project
Deconstructed sketch-layout

Just 4 U

2011-06-27T09:34:00.001+01:00

Hi all, why is it that teenagers are never happy? My son and his friends just make me laugh as they talk on face book, our computer is in the kitchen and son puts on as he walks in before school and the lot of them don't seem to be happy unless complaining about something. This morning too hot , too muggy never satisfied a couple of days ago it was too cold or too wet maybe they should just start living and not complaining so much!

Rant over.

Today I have a card I made a while ago and never got around to posting, it was a just because I fancied making it and not for anything in particular, so I've had a route around blogland and found a few challenges I can enter. The card is mostly forever friends stuff, the card base and the stamp too. The stamp I printed a couple of times and decoupaged it after colouring with promarkers. The sentiment is hand written in sakura glaze. The ribbon ,flowers and gems are all from my stash.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:-
OLLCB- summer flowers
Dream Valley-ribbon
The Crafty Pad-bold and bright or soft pastels
Hooked on crafts -show us your flowers
Kreative stempel friends-dots
Pear tree designs-stamp something
Forever friends-birthday
Colour lab-sand, burgundy and pink
Creative belli-embellishments begining with G-(gems)
The ribbon girl-pink and cream-my ribbon
getting crikey- penned

Edit Blogger strikes again! ( Ding dong ding dong)

2011-06-26T12:00:00.010+01:00

no it's not the door bell suppose to make you think weddings!

This post was scheduled as we had guests for lunch and so sorry I never checked or realised it didn't do what it was suppose to and now for some reason it has put it 2 posts back where it should have been, can't think what Blogger is up to.

Well another Sunday and another one stitch at a time challenge, boy these weeks just whizz by don't they. Summer seems to bring the herald of the wedding season and the church bells in our village just seem to be working overtime at at weekend those bell ringers arms must be aching.

Have you guessed the theme this week at OSAAT yet? We are showing off the collab set and the theme is weddings and sympathy. Now now don't be thinking they are the same thing , I know many a man and a few women who would say that after years of marriage they feel the need for sympathy as they wouldn't get as many years for murder but we are treating them as two different event, one a cause for celebration of new lives together and the other as a way of celebrating all the good things of someone who has sadly departed this world.

We were all given a fab image to play with and I received a fab wedding image from which you can get here. I decided to try and go a bit vintagy(not sure that's a real word well actually definitely sure).
I used a shaped die cut that I won as a prize from die cut dreams in deep cream and over-layed with cream vellum stamped with a lace image from the stampman embossed with moonglow moonbeams
powder. I used more vellum to create a heart by dry embossing over a meljen image . I then coloured the hands with promarkers and sakura glaze pens and finished with a gem. I then stuck the hands onto the heart.
I added cream ribbon to one corner and a gold peel-off 'congratulations' to the opposite corner. I then used a plate stand to make a card stand to hold the card so it will stand upright.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:-
Easy craft projects-use the colour gold
Speedy the cats friends-make it sparkle
Totally gorjuss-ribbons and lace
Digi's with attitude! challenges-anything goes
Sweet stampin'-something old , something new (new digi of the hands and one of my first stampman stamps the lace)
Secret crafter saturday challenge-embossing
CES -anything but a square
CYDA-vintage
Prairie fairy fridays-wedding
Rainbow lady-use a digi
Addicted to stamps-wedding

Summer driving.

2011-06-26T08:51:00.000+01:00

My sis has a soft top car and uses any opportunity to pose along with her partner, my sis does it with Audrey Hepburn style the scarf wrapped glamorously around her hair to stay perfect and her partner just poses. It is my sisters car but if the tops down and they are both in the car he has to drive.

This is another card for Peter to try and keep his spirits up, he is starting to feel rough and says he is sleeping 13 hours plus a day and having trouble concentrating on much at all, and this is only the start of the treatment!Hubby is going to see him on Thursday and take the cards his colleagues have signed along with some audio book CD's he has downloaded and a selection of the latest DVD's we have bought, so he has some thing to distract him.

I should explain Peter bought himself a new mini a couple of years ago as he commutes about 40 miles daily to work so a small car was more economical though I don't think it's a soft top and not sure of the colour as hubby couldn't remember so I thought I'd make mine a nice bright and cheerful red. The image is from LOTV and I coloured with promarkers and sakura glaze pens for the silver bits. I added diamond glaze to the body work to get that new freshly waxed shine, have to sat I love the fun fluffy dice and though I'm sure it's geared towards being a male orientated image I think it would be fab for a girl with pink dice and popping a ribbon in teddy's hair.

The papers are all magazine freebies but I love the bright fresh colours so reminds me of driving to the coast on a sunny summers day and hopefully it will invoke some happy sunny memories for Peter too . The button are from a scrapbook set at stitchy stamps which I simply printed and triple embossed with clear powder.the sentiment is from a whimsy set by raindrop echos.

If anyone would like to send him a cheerful card I would be very greatful and I'm sure he would really appreciate it too as he has little family support so will be relying heavily on his friends.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:-

Alota rubber-summer
Craft for all seasons-Summer
Pollycraft-travel/holiday
Fab n funky-summer lovin'
simon says -layout
Papertake weekly-here comes summer
scrap creations -go wild (animals)
paper variety-summer
Ambers craft and stuff-the dog days of summer
wags and whiskers-summertime
catch the bug-red white and blue and ribbon
Our creative corner-your style
Polkadoodles-red white and blue
Stamp something-red white and blue
delicious doodles-cute and cuddly
Craft us crazy-red white and blue/summer
colour Q #90-blues and red
cupcake inspirations-photo inspiration

Another Pete's card drive card

2011-06-25T14:02:00.001+01:00

Morning all, well hubby said it is suppose to be a mini heatwave today though don't think anyone has told mother nature in our bit of Blighty.

My first card today (another in the pipeline) is another card I made for Peter who I am having a card drive for. This one is for my son to send. He has started his chemo and radiotherapy and has a gruelling 6 months initial treatment to look forward to so I think I will be making cards every month to send to him to try and keep his spirits up, no get well as this isn't an option. If you want more info or to help click on the card drive link and it will take you to a post with more info.

Peter is a Leeds Rhinos fan hence the colours which I had to look up on the Internet, sorry to any rugby fans if that's not the right spelling for try.

I coloured the fab LOTV image in the rhinos colours and cut a circle around the shape, I've done this a couple of times and am getting quite fond of how it looks.The image is coloured with promarkers and simply stuck to card base.(Not sure what happened to the card stick colour it looks green on this pic and as you can see from the others it really isn't)

The card is fab , I did a little improvisation as it is a fab card base from Whichcraft in Doncaster, they do loads of different ones which you can find on their website here and its really heavy card. They come all pre-scored and cut and as I didn't fancy sticking paper on it I cheated and used it as a template. Next time I'm in Doncaster which from me isn't far away think I'll pop in and buy more as Paula said a wee while ago she would be getting more styles in store and on line, hubby can't check what I'm spending his hard earned pennies on if I go pay cash and I don't have to wait for the postie either if I visit, though when I have ordered on line from Paula it's always arrived really quickly.

Anyway back to the card, I used the LOTV layout though at first it may not be obvious, my 3 strips that are on the layout are represented by the goal posts for want of a better description as I have no idea what they are called and the word 'try'. It did start out as a clean and simple card which to look at I suppose it might be classed as but for some strange reason I decided I would make a 'crowd' watching the game. I coloured strips of paper in various skin shades promarkers and hole punched so I had loads of wee circles which I then stuck randomly onto strips of double sided tape, I think its quite effective. Hope it cheers Peter up!

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:-
LOTV-layout
crafts 4 eternity-sports theme
4 crafty chicks-C+S
MAWTT-C+S
Dutch Dare-C+S
Pixie cottage- outdoor fun+/sketch
crafty Emmas store challenge-anything but a square
one stop craft-get well card( I know it doesn't say get well but the guy it's to cheerup has a terminal condition but it has the sam purpose to cheer him up hope thats ok)
Phindy's place-circles

Bon voyage to a favourite teacher

2011-06-24T19:25:00.000+01:00

My son has asked for a card for one of his business teachers , who is a favourite of his, as she is leaving at the end of term to go live in Canada where her husband originates from. He asked for a large card and intends taking it for all the class to sign, sound alot but I think theres only 6 or 8 of them in total, A level classes are much better sizes than O'level or whatever they call them these days.

He chose the image and asked for it to be done in Canadian flag colours, not sure if he knew what they were but he soon will. The image he chose was 'fly away' a Sassy stamp from Sugar Nellie, I think she may well be one of my favourites. I coloured her with Promarkers and added hihlights such as her eyes , sparkle on her skirt and buttons with sakura glaze pens.

The papers are stamped with a fab stamp from Rainbow craft studios and its called twirly daisy background. You can see it used more by the DT at Creative craft challenges along with another of their background stamps too. If you like whimsy twee and twirly pop along to their site , you'll love it.

Th ribbon is from my stash and I'm really proud of my cute hand tied bows which I attached with diamond glaze. The flowers are daisy punched from copy paper and the smaller coloured with the same promarker as the girls dress and the flat back pearls are from hobby craft.

The sentiment I had to hand write as my son wanted something I don't have in rubber and he asked me to leave the computer before I could print out a sentiment, I'm on a different computer without a printer, I really will have to get this one linked up (I really mean will have to ask hubby to). I took 3 different pics of the card as I'm not sure about adding a bow to the sentiment and if so what position so please let me know what you think as I do value all your opinions.

I would like to enter my card into the following challenges:-
The sugar bowl-layout optional summer
Just some lines-spotty dotty
Deep ocean-flowers
The cheerful stamp pad-thinks with wings
Cupcake inspirations-photo
for fun challenges-2 ribbons,2 colours,1 sentiment and 1 image
scrapbook sisters-anything goes
crafty sentiments-monochromatic
crafty purple frog-swirls and pearls(hope my swirly flower stems will count)
Charisma-white plus 1
Crafts and me-stitching (around my sentiment)
RRR-hand written sentiment
stampin for the weekend-my fav things-love sugar nellie sassy girls, and daisies are my all time fav flower.)

A commisioned card

2011-06-23T06:00:00.015+01:00

Now most of my commisioned cards are actually for my mum so as I know most of the people she sends card to I actually find it fairly easy to make them as I can relate to the person the card is for. I never realised how hard I would find it making for someone else. Hubby came home and said one of his coloeagues wanted a card for a 21st for a male friend of one of their daughters. I asked if there was anything in particular that had been asked for and was told well he's into rock.

How hard did I find this. I started with an image I recently chose from a prize from the stamping boutique and as I had a DCWV rockstar paper pack figured that would be a good starting point. I chose which paper to use and took inspiration for the card shape from one of the other papers. I tried to keep to similar colours for my image which I coloured using Promarkers and sakura glaze pens , well a rock guitar has to be shiny. I also added dots of glitter glaze to the background and coloured the spotlight in glitter glaze too.

Now this is where I became unsure of myself the sentiment. I decided to keep with the star theme and cut one from silver card , mirri didn't look right it sort of stuck out like a sherriffs badge so went for matt. I stamped in blue ink and as I couldn't fit 'today' on cut that out separately. I embossed over the top of both with moonglow magic pearls powder and stuck onto the card with sticky pads. I think its ok and looks better from a distance. Just hope she likes it fingers crossed. Will let you know the verdict when hubby takes it in to work.

Edit;- hubby said the lady who ordered it thought it was great and said the boy on the card was just like the guy it was for, so I was really pleased, think hubby may have pocketed the pennies though, but never mind I'll just spend them on the internet.

I would like to enter this card into the folloing challenges:-
cards for men-stars
Kreative stempel friends-birthday
Crafty creations-letit shine
Little darlings-fav colour combo (I love blue and brown together)
I love Promarkers-anything goes
scrapbook sisters-anything goes
sisterhood of crafters-male themed anniversary/birthday

Fly the flag

2011-06-22T10:00:00.001+01:00

Another wednesday brings another challenge from Penny's and as many of the team including our illustrious leader is based in the USA they are geering up for July 4th and so our theme this time is Red White and Blue.

Now it doesn't have to be a 4th July celebration card but just that colour scheme.

Another fab sponsor with Robin's Fetish and we were given some fab images to play with so please do check out the other DTY members cards you'll be stunned by what they came up with.

For my card I used the cute teddy and coloured with my promarkers. I decided to have a change and used some red textured card for my base and simply added some matching ribbon and buttons. I think it will make a fab card for one of my nephews.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:-
EAC-anything goes
Passion for promarkers-'park life' I think this ted will have fun sailing his boat in the park
Die cut dreams-red white and blue
Speedy cats friends-buttons
Meljen -red white and blue
Rainbow lady-I am sailing
scrappy frog-red
creative inspiration paint-bright colours
daisy doodles-stars and stripe
Happileigh scrappin-bright colours

Creative craft challenges and a new sponsor

2011-06-21T09:58:00.002+01:00

Morning peeps and time for a supernew challenge at Creative Craft challenges and lets hope Mr Blogger lets us keep this one and doesn't celete it like many of our others.

On to the challenge well we have a super doozy for you all to get your teeth into this time,

MAKE YOUR OWN BACKING PAPERS.

Wow ... a bit like an open challenge but you have to be inventive too. Now loads of options here, you can stamp your opwn background, you could dry emboss it, you could paint it, you could do a tissue paper and glue sandwich, you could do encaustic so many to choose from the list is endless. Can't wait to see what you all choose to do.

Now onto our sponsors,

firstly we have some odd girl who are giving the lucky winner the chance to use some of their fab digi's for a taste of what you might win pop along here and have a nosey around the store. Some odd girl were also kind enough to let us have our choice of digi to play with.

An extra bonus this time too as Mr Blogger sort of messed up our last challenge, Sandra decided that she would carry over the crafty individuals prize from last time as an extra prize for this time too.

Our next sponsor is our newest sponsor and we are so pleased they have chosen to sponsor our challenge. They are

Rainbow craft Studios are a relatively new British company who make fab acrylic 'twee and twirly' design stamps. They are adding to their collection all the time and have quite a wide choice already. The company is run by two lovely ladies Angela and Rachel, brought together by the blossoming romance of their 6 year old offspring and the rest as they say is history. If you haven't found them before please pop along and have a nosey well worth it. You can find them here. They also have free P+P on all UK orders so the price you see is what you pay no hidden extras.

Now rainbow craft studios let us have a play with a couple of their images in fact the same stamps that are the prize they have given us for the lucky winner, not one but 2 fab stamps.

The top 1 of the top 3 chosen by Sandra will get a wee goody bag from her.

Now I best tell and show you the things I made only fair .

My first card I made using the some odd girl image I was give Robo love well I think that's what it's called. I decided to have a play with the image and make my background paper from part of the image that I messed about with in photoshop. I thought the little heart was just so cute and would make the perfect backdrop for the cute robot. I coloured all in Promarkers and then added a computer printed sentiment. I think it would make a fab anniversary card or even thinking well in advance valentines card or even just because I love you card, fun anyway.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:-

Cupcake craft challenge-layout

I love promarkers-black white and 1 other

Ladybug challenge-use red

scrappy frog-use red

hooked on craft-anything goes

My second card I made with the fab stamps from Rainbow craft studios. Unfortunately I needed a sympathy card so I decided to use them for that but when you see the rest of the DT projects it will only show you the versatility of these fab background stamps. You'll never want to buy flowery paper again.

My card I stamped with versamark and powder embossed with obsidian violet moonglow powder. I simply mounted one on top of the other and added black ribbon and a bow. The card is edged with black promarker. The sentiment is from a set by the darkroom.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:-

There she goes-use 3 different stamps

Heart song inspiration-use a flower image/or handmade flowers
A spoonful of sugar-ribbon and bows
my time to craft-xtra images
whoopsi daisy-flowers
the crrosive challenge-ribbon and bows
House of gilli-ribbon and bows

The monster mash

2011-06-20T13:01:00.001+01:00

Another 'not get well' but cheer you up card (see previous post for full explanation). This one I used a collection of monsters from a collection of designers and some that I'm not actually sure where they came from, but once I coloured them all in with a mix of promarkers and sakura glaze pens, and cut them out I'm sure they will resemble at least one of the teams of workers that will want to send their cheerful wishes. Can't really say get well wishes and not sure what else to call them.

The 'thinking of you I stamped using I think a papermania stamp set of individual letters using brilliance ink and infilled with sakura metallic pens.

Hope it does the trick and raises his spirits if only a little, I'm sure he will enjoy putting names to faces so to speak.

Here is a closer look at my monsters:-

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:-

Alphabet challenge-G for get well (hope this counts as the person its for can't get well but still needs cheering up)
2 sisters-for a guy
Just add ink-add some colouring
For fun challenges-summer fun or bright colours
Paper playtime -z fold card
Here come the boys-myth and magic
MAWTT-song inspired (the monster mash no idea who its by)
Crafty catz-fancy folds
Lollipop -inspired by a song

Anniversary magic

2011-06-19T12:00:00.003+01:00

Hi all wow how time just flies by and that must mean another sunday challenge from the One Stitch at a Time team.

This time I suspect as many of us are making summery cards that we will have loads of entries as our challenge is THINGS WITH WINGS. I don't mean that your projects have to have bugs on but they could be birds, planes, fairies, bats (do you think batman would count) well you get the idea.

For my card I got to play with a fab Floppy Latte image which if you want to play with it too you can find here along with lots of other beauties too. The image is so strong it took me a while to decide what I would do with it, I hummed and arred about adding colour to the background like a sunset or dusk but wasn't sure I would do the image justice so in the end I simply went over it with clear sakura glaze pen and added some sparkle to the wings.

I used it to make an anniversary card for some friends and decided to keep to the monochrome with a touch of silver. The flowers are made from punched daisies with liquid pearl centres and the butterfly is 3 peel-offs stuck together for dimension. The sentiment is also a peel-off. I am really pleased at how it turned out, have to say I do love the simple look style.

I would like to enter my card into the following challenges:-
Simply Create-wings
St Lukes charity challenge-anything that flies
Sarah Hurley-handmade flowers
Paper pretties-single layer card
Stampavie and more-butterflies
One stop craft challenge-stickers
CES-sparkly flowers
Sweet stampin-things with wings
Totally gorjuss-pearls and swirls
Delicious doodles-things a flutter
Phindys place-black and white
The stampman-butterflies and dragonflies

Tender loving care

2011-06-18T15:26:00.001+01:00

You will probably tell as you read this that I have sort of muddled up the order that I have put my posts in but just adds to the fun of confusion.

This is the second of several I have been asked to make for a friend my hubby works with and whom my son spent alot of time with when on work experience a couple of years ago.He has been under the weather so to speak with lots of niggling symptoms that no-one added together until recently and last week was told he has an uncommon form of non hodgkins lymphoma which even when treated with chemo etc has a nasty habit of returning quickly and with greater aggressive resistence and severity. This means that he has effectively been given a time limit on his life and it is likely to be less than a couple of years, which as he is in his early 50's with 2 teenage children makes you think!

PLEASE SEE PREVIOUS POST IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO CHEER HIM ALONG.

My hubby has told all the departments that this very gentle man works with that I will make them a card for him, hubby thought it would be nicer to have several smaller cards than 1 large( so there will be more in the pipeline probably over the next few days) as they will brighten his hospital room which by all accounts he will be in a great deal of the time over the next 6 months. My dilema was and is what kind of card do you give to a man to cheer them up when they have this kind of prognosis, I could hardly put 'Get well soon' as this isn't going to happen so for all of them I have and will be using 'thinking of you' as I know his work colleagues and friends will be.

For the first card I have used this super cute dog called Macbeth from funky kits, although have to say I think if I gave him a pom-pom cotton wool tail he would make the cutest rabbit too. I think he looks so cute and caring giving his plant the tender loving protection of a hug as if he has grown something so beautiful from seed for the hazy days of summer.

I decided to go with a clean and simple style , lots of straight lines and sharpe angles and vivid colours for highlights. The image is coloured with promarkers and the plaid papers I printed from the boys to men cd from ooh lalal. The neon green paper is from my stash and the string is unravelled cotton garden twine which I thought appropriate.The sentiment is from a 'the darkroom' set and is stamped in bottle green dye ink and simply mounted on matt gold card.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:-
For fun challenges-summer
addicted to stamps-summertime
ECP-colour challenge
Deconstucted sketch-layout
Shellys-boys/men
4 crafty chicks-get well(I know its not get wellas such but hope you understand given the circumstances that its for the same reason)
Allways something creative-early summer
Crazy 4 challenges-use string ,twine or floss
By the cute and girly-in the garden
Timbroscrapmania-in the garden

Just a thought could you help CARD DRIVE?

2011-06-18T15:09:00.000+01:00

Just decided to rewrite this post as I had a thought, I know there are always requests for cards to be sent to children with debilitating conditions and I whole heartedly try to send a card to each one though sometimes when there is a time limit I fail, and I also have sent cards to card cupids and pen pals and for the local children's hospice as I think they are all fab and after nursing children know what an affect a card can have even if from a total stranger.

Here's my plee please please please would anyone like to make a card and send it to this lovely man who is going to have an arduous time over the coming months in the fight to extend his life by a few months a couple of years at most.

If anyone could see there way to spending a few minutes well maybe a little more to making a card to help keep this lovely mans spirits up as apparently depression is very common with this type of cancer , not surprising really as it is a definite death sentence you can email me and I will send you his first name and my address and we can get the cards passed on to him. I'm sure he would be totally overwhelmed to know that there are many who care enough to send him a card as his personal family life has had more downs than up over the last few years and this must really seem like the last straw to him.

For any who don't regularly read my blog welcome and you can read my original post here or I'll give you a bit more info here. This friend and work colleague of my hubby's in his early 50's and has had many small health issues over the last couple of years all of which have been explained away as individual problems or due to stress (from his family situation). Recently after a full check up he was found to have mantel cell lymphoma stage 4 , you can find loads about it on the web if you want to know more. This man is so quiet and gentle in personality that you can imagine it is a real blow to know the prognosis he has and so this is why I thought the wonderful blogland crafters will help keep his spirits high. I will put a reminder on my sidebar and as I have updates on his condition I will let you know but there is no time limit to sending cards for him or restrictions on how many you can send either just anything to keep his spirits above depression.

I do understand that male cards many find hard and to make a card for someone you don't know is hard too along with you can't put get well on it as that is just not going to happen just adds to the difficulty too, but I'm sure you will all rise to the challenge so to speak. I don't have anything to offer in return just my gratitude and the knowledge that you may be helping a very sick man stay positive and get through the treatments he will be enduring .

If you would like to send a card please just drop me an email and put 'cheerup card' in the subject box.

This is the last of the 3 hubby wanted for his colleague and this is the kind of nurse I really hope won't be on the ward he is on as she is enough to terrify everyone , I can only hope they are all the nice nurses returned from vacation.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:-

Stampinsanity-clean and simple
Southern girls challenge-anything goes
Top tip tuesday-open challenge
Whoopsi daisy-free and easy
creative inspiration-blue,green and 1 other (red)
if the shoe fits-for a man
Alphabet challenge-get well card
catch the bug-it's a mans world

Fab bag for a wee gift

2011-06-14T15:15:00.000+01:00

My son didn't know what to get his Dad for father's day as he is the kind of man who if he wants something he goes and buys it.
My son decided under duress to have a walk around Hobby craft with me and he found a book on how to draw weapons and vehicles well must be a boy thing as he decided his dad would love it as he has bought himself a graphics tablet so my son says he will have some thing to practice drawing.

My prize for taking him to hobby craft mum I need a nice gift bag for it can you make one please.
Well I just so happen to have this Simply Sassy tutorial printed out for a cute wee gift bag and although I have already entered the tutorial challenge I think I might enter this bag too.

The tutorial is really easy to follow and I did change the colour scheme to make more masculine and used a sassy boy too The image is coloured with promarkers and the boy can be yours if you visit funky kits. The papers are all from my stash.

I would like to enter my bag into the following challenges:-
Simply Sassy tutorial challenge
Pear tree designs-fathers day
Papertake weekly-Dads and lads
Samual Taylors-male theme fab prize of

Fore!

2011-06-13T09:13:00.001+01:00

Morning peeps, have to say I am expecting this morning to be a bit stressful as my son who loves the work at school but hates being bullied and being in his wheelchair all day , has to return after his Exam leave for another 4 weeks before breaking up for summer a week earlier than the rest of the school. He has already been saying for the past 3 days he is dreading it and we agreed he should practice getting up early, mum did son didn't, and yesterday was a struggle for 8:30 when he leaves for school at 8 am. Hopefully I am stressing about nothing and this morning will run like clockwork and have no stress.

Enough of my moaning sorry all not what you want to read especially so early in a morning, well early for me at 5:40am.
Quick update- worry about nothing once my son was up and the rain stopped and the sun tried to shine no stress thank goodness.

My card I share this morning with you I finished last night , another commission for a son who is into golf though apparently doesn't get to play that often, he has quite a lot of freckles so hopefully my colouring will do him justice, not tried freckles before.

I kept the card simple and used this fab Kenny K image which I coloured with my promarkers as usual. The golf ball is just a circle of copy paper which I used my fiskars shapeboss to add dimples to and the flag again is just copy paper coloured with Promarker and peel-offs added.The backing paper is from the boys to men CD I was lucky enough to win from Ooh La La a few weeks ago.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:-

Secret crafter-male card

Crazy 4 challenges-male card

CES- inspired by a movie (for some reason I think of 'the whole 9 yds'

DYSU-birthday

Craft us crazy-fathers day/or masculine colours or theme

Sew many challenges-male/fathers day

Paper play-fathers day/male card

Creative inspiration-fathers day/masculine

kenny K girls-favourite colours (I love teal, not sure if I can use male kenny K images if not let me know and I'll delete my entry)

The papervariety-male

Stampinsanity-male

Little Claires-cards for men

The sweet stop-layout

Sentimental sundays-fathers day/card for a man

creative sketches- colour challenge

Incy wincy-male card/ fathers day

Cupcake challenge#146-boy,oh boy, oh boy

Tag you're it!

2011-06-12T12:00:00.002+01:00

Wow Sunday again and another fab challenge from OSAAT. Not quite as many entries but there is sure gonna be alot of celebration and fun this summer by the looks of the fab entries we had.
Pop over to the challenge site here and see if you were a lucky winner.

Now this week we are playing Tag! well not quite but I couldn't resit, the challebnge is called tag it and we want to see tags or projects with tags on or made from tags well you get the idea I'm sure.

Fab sponsor yet again the stamping boutique

and the lucky winner gets to choose 5 digi's of there choice and boy will you have a hard time choosing just 5.

Now back to the challenge, this time round I got to choose from Dezinaworld and decided I'd go vintage with one of these adorables which you can find here.
I decided to keep it simple and made a background from a daisy stamp, keyfan and some text, not that you can see much of them but it just softened the cream card. I added liquid pearls and bronze peel-offs to each corner and finished with beige satin ribbon. The image I distressed the edges and really wanted to focus on as it is so lovely and adorable .

I would like to enter this tag into the following challenges:-
Wee memories-anything goes
heart song inspired-anything goes/+ or use free digi
Shelly's images-show us what you got
EAC-distressing

scrunchy birthday

2011-06-12T08:26:00.001+01:00

Morning all well it is as I start to write this post anyway, whether it will be when I publish is another matter.

I saw this fab tutorial on Sassy 's blog for scrunched flowers and decided to have a go, and I'm not sure it was meant to be but I did it anyway. Let me explain what I mean. The tutorial suggested you needed 3 different sized punch flowers, I had 2 different but went out and bought a third. I started to punch and all was well until I used one of my original punched the middle size and it broke , I tried all sorts but there is no way I could get it to punch so my flowers re made with large and very small flower punches, but I think they still look ok.

The flowers I randomly coloured with the same colour promarker I used for my sassy image boho chick which is available from funky kits, I know there is bits of white showing but I quite like it as I think it makes it look a bit tatty. They are held together with brads.

The rest of the card is fairly plain though I did use velvet ribbon and a small daisy ribbon for accents and an embossed happy birthday greeting as the card is for my niece from my mum, hope they both like it.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:-

Stamp something-use punches
Totally gorjuss-flower power
4 crafty chicks-handmade flowers
creative craft world-use 3 or more brads
Birthday sundaes-embossing wet or dry
sketch saturday-layout
simply sassy tutorial challenge-use one of the tutorials
passion for promarkers-pink and brown/blue and brown(does deep pink still count?)

Summer? what happened has it been and gone?

2011-06-10T08:13:00.000+01:00

I know it's only the beginning of June and we need rain around here but where has summer gone and hail? Good job we can craft and have summer and there are so many summer challenges around too. This card is for one of my nieces and there will be more birthday cards to come as towards the end of June starts our birthday madness season in our family well one of them there's another towards the end of the year.

For this one I used one of my sassy girls that I've not yet inked up and she so reminds me of childhood summer days when we use to go bug hunting as a gang of children all with jam jars in hand, holes punched in the top so the bugs could breathe and fishing nets in hand, a competition to see who could catch most and never touch the wings or they'll die. Then at the end of the fun day all setting them free at once and if we were really lucky having at least a dozen or so butterflies to let go at once such a wonderful sight. Do kids still do things like that?

I decided to go with different colours ( like the huneysuckle I can see from my window) for me for a change just for fun and perhaps as the weather was dull too. The papers are from a kit I got from QVC not sure of the brand , the ribbon is from my stash as is the peel-off. The flowers were white but I coloured to match and thought gazinias would look perfect, well for the yellow/orange flowers the blue just because. The button centres are papermania and the butterfly I made from fantasy film. The image is coloured with promarkers of course.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:-
Auds sentiments-summer
Design dollies-colour challenge
crafts and me-stamp something
Little darlings-summer
The sugar bowl-layout
Creative card crew-wings
pile it on -summer heaven
crafty ho's-summer let the fun begin
cupcake inspirations-photo inspiration
the corrosive challenge-summer colours
creative cowgirls -summer fun
pear tree designs-summer delight
stamp and create-summer
paper pretties-summer

Hope its a good day for you all and thanks for popping by.

Boys will be boys ...

2011-06-08T08:55:00.001+01:00

...whatever their age.

Good morning one and all and as I write the sky is clear blue and the sun is shining though we are forcast more heavy showers(that we really need) and my poor beautiful peonies are getting totally battered.

Another fortnight passed, where does time go, but that means time for another challenge at Penny's paper-crafty challenges. We had loads of entries for here comes summer, you are all so obviously looking forward to the sunshine we hope to get and Courtney is going to have one hard choice. Appologies to all those I didn't manage to comment on but blogger is still playing silly and on some I just go around in a sign in circle when trying to comment, funny on some there is an added option to sign in with name and URL but not all, no consistency but appologies anyway and just to say comment or not we do visit you all.

Our challenge this time is another goodie that you can all get your teeth into , so to speak we are celebrating 'best friend day'. Have to say I'm not sure if it's an official day world wide or just in the USA . If I look on the W.W.W. I find lots of answers today is best friend day but apparently the UN declared July 30th international day of friendship, in many parts of india and other countries friendship day falls on the first sunday of august and in some spanish and portuguese speaking countries it is celebrated in april.Talk about confusing, but I guess if you have a special friend its good to celebrate that friendship several times a year so who cares what the official date is.

For my card I used a LOTV image well they are just so cute, my son saw me colouring it and asked if he could have it as a fathers day card for his granddad. I told him it was for best friends day and he said that was fine as the his granddad was his best friend (well one of them, the other is a girl called Becky) and he said the image reminded him of them sharing cookies and sweets, I suppose thinking about it they sometimes do look like these boys especially when they sit there whispering you just know they are up to something.

I coloured my image with promarkers and used a punch on the k and co papers for extra interest and added some candt to the corners, my son approved as he said they looked like extra cookies, though I never thought that myself. The sentiment is also LOTV which I stamped in blue ink. Quite a quick card to make and truth be known not my original DT card either. My internet being down all last week I made all my card and I put it somewhere really safe, so safe that when the internet came back I couldn't find it and had to make another one really quickly, and I still haven't found it yet, no doubt it will eventually turn up but still my son likes this one so at least it will get used.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:-

Ladybug-male theme
creative inspiartions paint-dad/special man
Totally gorjuss-layout
come and get it-dad's day
ECP-for dad
The stampman-boys and men
Simply create-fathers day
Fussy n fancy-for a male
frosted designs fabulous friday-friendship
The crafty pad-stripes
LOTV-punch it up

Celebration card

2011-06-08T08:28:00.002+01:00

Time has a way of passing by and you not realising until something special to celebrate arrives and then you wonder where the years have disappeared to, children celebrating milestone birthdays, leaving home and siblings celebrating special wedding anniversaries or birthdays too.
This card is for my step brother and his wife who at the end of this month will be celbrating 25 years of marriage, and I decided I wanted to experiment with some punched flowers, I think it worked and hopefully they will like their card.

I used a forever friends image which I coloured with promarkers and cut out. The rest of my card I decided to keep white as I think it has a kind of elegance .

The card base I embossed using my fiskars shapeboss which hasn't seen the light of day for who knows how long, I 'found' it when I moved my craft room round a few weeks ago. The flowers and leaves are punched form copy paper and arranged corner to corner and the flower centres are liquid pearls. The truth is I actually made a big boo boo and embossed the wrong sides edges of my card as I did intend having the embossed daisy in the corners without flowers butgot it wrong so my punched flowers actually cover the embossed daisies but I quite like the little heart in the corner and bet you wouldn't have realised my error if I hadn't said, so I'll call it a happy accident. The sentiment is a mix of a peel-off and a sticker and that fills the other corner, small and not too intrusive.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:-
sweet stamps-anniversary/wedding( try again did too many combos for the last try,naughty me)
One stop craft-texture
Allsorts-all white
pollycraft-love and marriage
forever friends-punch it out
dream valley-stamp something

Creative craft challenges

2011-06-07T09:27:00.002+01:00

Morning all and I never realised how much I missed the internet! Sad life but I did get a load of housework and gardening done as a distraction, so now when I'm surfing I won't feel as guilty about my chores not getting done.

Today brings another challenge over at Creative craft challenges, and we have a fab one this time for you to get your teeth into- 'moveable parts'.

We also have some fab sponsors yet again with loads of goodies the first is B-Craft-E who is offering one lucky person 3 templates,side slide, sleeve pop-up and fantasia from their fab kinetic cards. Take a look at what they have on offer here.

Crafty individuals are offering a stamp

and some digi's from Stitchy stamps too.

Stitchy very kindly gave us some images to play with so please pop across to the challenge blog to see the inspirational variety of moveable bits the Design Team came up with there are some very clever projects well worth a visit.

For my card I used this super cute image
to make a silver anniversary card for my step brother and his wife as a commission from my mum. I'm not sure what the name of this style of card is but I think it is such a fun style. The image I coloured with Promarkers and stuck to greys to follow the silver theme. the papers I think are papermania and the bling on the card front comes from mirri card and peel-offs , well after 25 years there has to be hearts and love. Inside the front I powder and heat embossed a sentiment simple and staright forward congrats.

Sorry I went a bit mad with the pictures.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:-

Just some lines-monochromatic
Guyou's inimitability-monochromatic
The rubber cafe-wedding/anniversary
Craft us crazy-remeberence/love
Crafty sentiments-neutral colours
CRAFT-wedding/love
4 crafty chicks-anniversary
Allways something new-folding cards
I love promarkers-sparkly bling
Paper sundaes-get sentimental
Card cupids-lots of layers
Claudia and co-fancy folds
stampavie and more-more than 1 fold

Hooray we have internet back at last! and my OSAAT DT card.

2011-06-07T07:54:00.000+01:00

I cannot believe it has taken almost a week for our internet connection to be repaired, and a 1000 appologies to my 3 the design teams and to all the challenge entries I have been unable to visit and comment on who enetred OSAAT, Creative craft challenges and Penny.
My internet link dropped last tueday morning at 8:24 the exact time I was told by Plusnet not that I knew I would have said around 25 past. I did all the usual things to no avail and then contacted plusnet. What a performance and they lack certain qualities especially in communication and customer care, I only seemed to find out what was going on if I rang them despite being told they would ring me and keep me up to date but eventually and miraculously when I rang yesturday late afternoon they were just doing a final check and I was back on line, then came the fight for the computer and as I had dinner to prepare I lost out, but now I'm back.

Now appologies made for this being so late but at leastI had my card all set to go for sunday so better late than never, OSAAT has a theme of graduation/schools out. Now I know here in the UK we have a way to go before this happens and I guess by the time our schools are out for summer and graduations start the US kids will be on there way back to school, wonder which kids get the best summer? I suppose the schools downunder will be thinking more about summer break when we are thinking Christmas too.Anyway another fab prize too 5 Promarkers are on offer from

and don't forget to check out the Papercraft essentials mag on sale June 9th for Stitchy's fab add too.

We have some stunning inspiration for you all over on the challenge blog here so please do go check it out and play along and don't forget to put a #3 after your name if you use a stitchy image as you will be eligible for the top 3.

Right onto my card I got to play with Floppy Latte's fab grad cap and diploma which you can find here. Have to say I wasn't sure what colours to use, I know different degrees have different coloured gowns but as I don't know what they are I decided to use my sons schools colours, not that our schools have a graduation but hey ho.

I printed the image so it was full card width and made a DL size card,and for added interest I cut around the mitre, really easy and I hope you agree effective too.

Thanks for popping by and again apologies but there wasn't much I could do despite my son thinking otherwise.

My card :-

I would like to enter into the following challenges:-

Craft your passion- anything goes

Amber's craft and stuff-teen related

fab n funky- whateva'

for fun challenges-end of school

sassy studio designs-no patterned papers

MAWTT-no designer papers

stamp something-use a digi

Another Dad's card

2011-05-31T17:44:00.000+01:00

What fab weather we have had today, much brighter in my neck of the woods, but we did need yesturdays rain.

Last week I was away and I found a craft magazine, (well I needed a fix ) that have to say I hadn't come across before. I was drawn to it as it had a fancy fold card pattern in it and I do like messing with card styles that are a little different. The magazine was Making Cards, they also had some fab papers inside too. I decided that I'd have a play and combine the papers and the card template and have to say I'm actually quite impressed. I did alter it slightly to accommodate the 'DAD' and may have to make an envelope now but hey ho, I think my Dad will be suitably impressed.

Here it is;-

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:-

Sugar Creek Hollow-shaped cards

just us girls-3D fathers day project

Prairie fairy friday-more than 1 fold

Lexi's creations-fathers day/man card

Craft your passion-what a guy

Number one Dad

2011-05-30T11:11:00.001+01:00

Good morning one and all and back to normal for the bank holiday weather where I live though I'm not complaining as the garden was in desparate need of some rain, though I do feel sorry for the families of starlings, bluetits and house sparrows that are feeding on my bird table. It's so funny how every so often they shake their heads to desaturate. I have found that they absoloutely adore the 1/2 lb smart price packs of lard I buy from the Asda (hubby thinks I'm barmy but then whats new there?). The baby's make me laugh as they help themselves but if mum and dad are around tyey squark open mouthed as if helpless and starving to death. They all seem to prefer it to the seed and nuts though the bluetits do eat more of the nuts in the hanger feeder but this may be as the starling family are a little intimidating in number.

My card today is the first of my fathers day cards I will be making. I recently was lucky enough to win a boys to men CD from OLL and love the papers one of which I used as a base for this card. The image is one I was lucky enough to be given by LOTV who sponsored one of Penny's challenges, though the rubber version is on my wish list. I coloured the image with promarkers and the cup in sakura glaze. The bunting or banner is simply cream card cut into triangles and circular alphabet peel-offs added to spell Dad. I added stitching around the edge to finish off.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:-

Create ink-Colour lab-soft suede, cookie crumb, baja blue and cream
Little red wagon-use a number
the house that stamps built-stitching
Papercutz-use a banner
Charisma-card for a man
CYDA-fathers day
Totally gorgeous- string or twine
Easy craft projects-for dad
wags n whiskers-stitches
Just add ink-fussy cutting
Crafty Ho's-twine
Fab n funky-cute and cuddly
Secret crafter-clean and simple
Here come the boys-father's day, hubby or partner

Picnicing in the park....

2011-05-29T12:00:00.004+01:00

....summertime city. Not sure if they are the right words but that's what jumped to mind when I saw our challenge this time at OSAAT. This time round we are showcasing the latest collab from all our fab designers and if you spend $10 in store you get it free, what a bargain, definitely not to be missed.

The collab theme is picnics and July 4th, I'm presuming and please forgive my ignorance that it is a common practice in the US as part of the July 4th celebrations, either way I'm really looking forward to seeing the work of the other DT members and what they did with the no doubt fabulous digi's in the collab collection.

I had the delicious doodles image to play with and had to admit took me a while to come up with something that I no only thought did it justice but was happy with. My hubby said it reminded him of the fun camps he went on with scouts as a boy but when I used English countryside trees as a background it just didn't look or feel right so I eventually went with pines. The sentiment I thought summed up what outdoor food and camping made my hubby remember. I coloured the image in Promarkers and masked whilst I stamped the tress which I also used Promarkers for. The chain I used sakura glaze pen on. The sky is moonglow pigment powder Madonna blue gold as it gives it a warm feel. I mounted on pale blue card and made it into an ATC.

My son likes to give out ATC cards that say thank-you for your kindness and help on the back to people who help him or are considerate of his disability and mobility problems when they go out of their way and are nice during everyday life. This could be something that touches him by someone just talking to him as a person and if I am with him not to me for his responses but makes him feel he is an equal and not as he puts it an idiot in a chair who hasn't got a brain. It may be someone who holds a door for him to get through in his wheelchair or moves tables in a restaurant so he can access a table with ease to simply a member of the medical profession that cares for him in hospital. The ATC's are his way of thanking people individually for their care and consideration so I will add this to his collection.

Now you may think that I would be forever making them as the supply would be constantly needing replenishment I am sorry to say that as others who have disabled family members will tell you this is not the case and 'nice people' where the mobility challenged/disabled are concerned are definitely not in abundance.

Sorry digressing again, my ATC as I said is for our challenge this week at OSAAT which we would love you to join in and we have another fab sponsor too LOTV who have generously donated a £10 give certificate

Now if you haven't yet found LOTV you really should not only do they have absolute cute and brilliant value stamps for all occasions but die cuts and oh so much more,I guarantee you will find something you love.

We also have the fab Stitchy isponsoring our challenge too with the chance to win the collab set.

I would like to enter my project into the following challenges:-

MAWTT-holidays
Phindy's-summer living
2 sisters challenge-anything goes
Bloggers challenge-make it shimmer, my sky does but the photo doesn't show it well
Frosted designs-fab friday picnics/bbq etc
Joyful stamper -inspire me friday
creative card crew-anything goes
truely scrumptious - anything goes
cratfing for all seasons- anything goes
Digi doodles shops best- anything goes

Look forward to visiting all your wonderful picnic and July 4th projects and I might even learn something along the way about American culture too. Have a fab week and most of all have FUN.

To all who have entered challenges at OSAAT , Penny's and Creative craft challenges

2011-05-29T09:36:00.000+01:00

Hi all just to say I am visiting your challenge entries but like many am having severe problems leaving comments on many of the blogs, it seems to be ok if the comments come up in a separate box, the one with jump to comment on but when the comments are at the end of the post I get stuck in a sign in loop like many others seem to be experiencing too. Hopefully this will soon be fixed I'm even experiencing the same problem on my DT blogs very frustrating.

For all those entering the Creative craft challenges please read the challenge carefully as many are mis understanding what I wrote. The challenge isBLUE, BROWN and CREAM and not restful colours. Yes I did write that I find this colour palatte restful but clearly stated that Sandra out boss lady chose the challenge colours of BLUE, BROWN and CREAM and sadly we have had quite a few entries that have not read correctly what the challenge is. I know we all skim read so understand how easy it is to make mistakes but I really don't want you all to miss out as we have had some fab entries.

Thanks Julye

Happy summertime memories

2011-05-25T12:00:00.002+01:00

I wonder how many more f you share similar childhood memories of summer holidays scrambling about in the rock pools and catching a bucket full of shrimp, muscles, crabs, starfish and fish if you were lucky and generally a bucket full of sand and sea weed but feeling so proud of yourselves despite that.

This image I think is a sugar nellie and was one sent to me in a RAK but I thought it perfect for our challenge theme this time at Penny's which is Here comes summer. I'm hoping that the few weeks of fine and unseasonably warm weather we had a while ago wasn't our summer in England as we have had very dull and cool weather of late, though as this will be a scheduled post that I am writing last week who knows summer may have returned, if that makes sense.

If I explain that I am away a few days and no where near my computer then it probably makes a bit more sense and if the sun is shining life will be wonderful as everything seems better in the sunshine doesn't it?

We have some wonderful inspiration from the rest of the design team and another fab sponsor in Robins Fetish so pop on over to Penny's and find out all the deets and be a bit inspired(hopefully) and look forward to sharing your fab creations when I get back.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:-
MAWTT-holidays
Crafting for all seasons-anything goes
Truely scrumptious-anything goes
creative card crew-anything goes

Have fun, and thanks for dropping by Julye

Are we all ready for another challenge?

2011-05-24T10:00:00.008+01:00

Happy Tuesday one and all and here we go for another challenge from Creative Craft Challenges.Now a little while ago I was given a new role on the team to find non digi sponsors for our challenges so we have some fab prizes on offer this time round , well we always seem to these days , in fact some times I wonder if I could make a card and enter it under another name so I could have a chance at winning the prizes they are that good, but I think I would get found out lol. Only joking but we do have some fab prizes on offer once again, hope I can keep finding these wonderful and very generous sponsors.

This time round we have a fab stamp on offer from Crafts and me. This is one of their own stamp range by artist Sara Burrier and is called Refresh.

We are also sponsored by Whiff of Joy who are offering a stamp,

and Stamping Dragon Designs who are giving a gift certificate for 4 images from their store.

The Craft Studio of Clitheroe , Lancashire are also giving the top 1 of the top 3 pick a set of peel offs.

Not a bad stack of goodies really now you see why I'd quite like a chance to win myself.

The stamping dragon let us have some images to play with and what a cute set they are so come on join our challenge and I suppose you might like to know what it is. Shall I be really mean and let you have a guess by looking at what I made for my son's room door as he seems to be forever connected to his music either by iPod or his phone and I'm beginging to think that he has evolved into having a set of ear phone growing from his ears so he can plug into whatever tech equipment is on hand. He didn't see the funny side of the words and asked why I'd put the caption I had, teenagers !

I simply wove some card strips to form a base and put my dragon teen which I coloured with Promarkers onto a circular base sprayed with Moonglow shadow mist tawny turquiose though it does look more lilac in the picture. The letters are die cut and the ribbon is from my stash.

I would like to enter my door hanger into the following challenges:-
cards for men-no designer paper
craft your passion-let it all hang out
creative stamp friends-favourite colours

stamps R us - going digital

Now I've tantilised you with the prizes and got all your imaginations thinking you know what the challenge is I'll let you hop on over to the challenge blog to see if you are correct. I can tell you it really is worth a trip to the rest of the DT too as they have some great ideas and inspiration too. Have Fun!

Thanks for dropping by Julye

Oh one other little thing just thought about it our teamie Nikkie has in the last week moved from Australia back to the UK with her family, can't imagine that move can you I thought it might be nice if we sent her and her family some fun cards to welcome her back to Blighty so to speak and cheer her along whist they are getting settled. If anyone would like to send her a card just drop me an email with Nikkie new home in the subject line and I'll send you the address to send the cards to. It might take me a wee while to get back to you as I'm away for a few days so please be patient. Thanks Julye

Bling cleaning anyone?

2011-05-22T12:00:00.001+01:00

Another Sunday and another what seems really short week too and what fab entries into our anything goes challenge and some really inspirational entries too.
This week at One Stitch at a time we have another brilliant challenge and sponsors too. The sponsors of this challenge are One stop Card Crafts

and Digi's with Attitude

and the challenge is Bing it on!

I had some fab digi's to choose from this time by the Reece's scrap pieces wonderful designer April and for some reason I was totally drawn to this spring cleaning stamp set which you can find here. It may be something to do with the house we have bought as an investment for our son to live in once he starts work and can pay his own bills but as you may have read in my previous posts is in need of alot of TLC and work and above all cleaning to make it all shiny and clean. I think this type of bling is what kept dragging me back to this set. I coloured with sakura glaze pens to add more bling and shine and was very pleased with the way the buckets both turned out not that the piccies do them justice though. The rest was coloured with Promarkers as always.

I love the papers in this set too they remind me of an old fashioned quilt but I couldn't work out how I could make a quilt look bling!.I made a tall card to fit a DL envelop for a change as well as the smaller card which could be attached to a house warming gift .

Can't wait to see all your interpretations and remember to have some fun too.

Arabian turbans

2011-05-16T15:02:00.000+01:00

I always remember as a child thinking these lilies which my mum still has in her garden were like the turbans they wore in the cartoon that was on , on a Saturday morning The Arabian Knights. I insisted that they were turban flowers as lilies just didn't seem an appropriate name for them, funny how the mind of a child works.
I still love the vivid orange colour it just seems somehow magical and when I was lucky enough to win some images from Stitchy bear stamps was so pleased this was in the Easter collab set.

I decided that I would make a simple one layer card and colour the image with sakura glaze pens the shine they give I think give this lily they magical effect I remember as a child. I decided it still looked a little flat and used this mesh design embossing pad from fiskars , reminds me of chicken wire and was so pleased with the effect. The sentiment is from a gardening set from the stampman and I think it fits the card perfectly.

See what you think?

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:-
Card Cupids -no patterned papers
Cupcake craft challenge- in the garden
Dream Valley-use old and new( first time I used this digi and the sakura pens and fiskars board I have had for at least a couple of years)
Less is more-single layer and embossing
Pixie Dust Studio-make it shiny

Where does time go?

2011-05-15T11:59:00.001+01:00

I can't believe another week has disappeared and the next couple of weeks will go even faster as I will have both hubby and son at home so can't see me getting much crafting done. It is Saturday as I write this just in case things go to pot tomorrow and as hubby is helping my son with a couple of things he isn't sure about on a school project , an animated project way beyond me I'm sneaking in some craft and computer time and will pop to keep them fed and watered . It sounds quite exciting and have to say I'm intrigued to see the finished product as I sit in the room above where they are and keep hearing what sounds like Darth Vader.

Slap hands, not what I'm here to tell you about. Sunday brings the next challenge from OSAAT and we are expecting to get loads of entries this time round as the theme is anything goes so definitely no excuses.

I had the pleasure of choosing an image from Debs collection and chose the Camellia in watering can which you too can play with after purchasing it from here at stitchy bear stamps.

I wanted to do something a little different and as I haven't done any glass painting for a while thought this image would look fab as stained glass. My back french doors and upstairs windows are quite large and when the baby starlings and blackbirds first take to flight they frequently try to come through them open or not. I have found that if I put something on the window they don't have quite as many collisions and we don't hear as many thuds, and it really must hurt them sometimes.

After printing the image I used it as a template pattern for the out liner and then simply infilled with glass paint. The disk I then circumvented with double sided tape on both sides and attached some blue satin ribbon. The longest part was waiting for the paint to dry.

I would like to enter my pretty flowers into the following challenges:-

2 sisters-how does your garden grow?
Digi doodles shops best-pink and blue
Creative craft world-anything but a square
Creative card crew-flowers
EAC-flowers
Top tip Tuesday-focus on flowers
Stamp scrap and doodle-old supplies(acrylic circle and glass paints)

We have a wonderful sponsor this time the fab Joanna Sheen who I can personally say has both an efficient and prompt delivery and even better customer service.Even if you aren't lucky enough to win pop across and check out her store and not sure about overseas but last time I bought something p+p was free.

Come on now lets see those entries flood in!

Little cuddle bundle

2011-05-14T10:31:00.001+01:00

I have been sorting through the many digi images I seem to have amassed, though have to say when I think about what image to use they aren't always the first thing I think of and I came across the cute wee bear from Di's digi's. I had decided that I would make a card purely for challenges, normally I have a recipient in mind when making a card as I find this makes it easier and find myself making fewer just for the sake of it.

I found the challenge at Simon says is for Heidi and her hubby Jason and their new bundle of joy Abigail so in a way this card is for someone after all though it will now have to wait till after the weekend to be popped into the post.

I coloured the image with my promarkers I really think I'm addicted to them and the papers are copy paper that I dry embossed with fiskars boards. The flower is punched from wrapping paper I saved from my sons birthday last month it's funny paper as when wrapped with blue gift ribbon the hues were more blue but next to the pink image the pink hues are most prominent. The punch is by Martha Stewart and it was what I chose with my $25 gift certificate when I won WOJ 100th challenge, half the prize went on postage but it's probably something I wouldn't normally buy so it's a real treat for me.The gem is from my stash and the ribbon is some my mum in law sent me from Tenerife.

I would like to enter my wee cuddly into the following challenges:-

Simon says-look what the stork brought
I love promarkers- pink and brown
I love 2stamp-layout
Crafty calendar-teddy bears
Fuzzy wuzzy-babies
Rainbow lady-add texture
craft us crazy-use a fav embellishment or / something new (ribbon is my reach for embelli and I have never used this digi before)
One stop craft challenge-ice cream or ice cream colours( I used neopolitan pink white and brown or strawberry vanilla and chocolate)
Delightful inspirations-handmade flowers

Absolutely fabulous school uniform!

2011-05-14T05:44:00.001+01:00

Either ultimate or penultimate but one step closer to the end. Another of my new stamps and love this one too, well I guess I love them all or I wouldn't buy them would I. I thought this would be perfect to do in school uniform colours , now I would like to say that the young ladies of my son's 6th form all stick to the rules when it comes to uniform but on the odd occasions that I go up to school there are alot of shall we say deviations from what you would expect. This card is for a young lady who my son says is often found checking her makeup so I though I'd go one step further , hope she saw the fun side of the card and didn't take offence.

The image I used my usual Promarkers and sakura glitter and glaze pens. I like the elegance of black and white but tried to make it a bit more fun with the school blue bow, had I thought about it I could have added the stripes but 6th formers wear plain blue ties so I guess I got it right.
The papers are again scraps and so not sure of the makes so sorry.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:-

Tuesday morning sketches-layout
Passion for promarkers-fit for a princess
Prairie fairy friday-here come the girls
Ladybug cratfs-black white and 1 other colour
Creative inspirations-glitzy and bling
The Crafty pad-spots and dots
I did it creations-monochromatic (well almost)

Fairy good wishes

2011-05-12T08:07:00.000+01:00

Hope this finds you all happy and healthy and ready to tackle all the world and life throws at you. I decided to ink one of my sweet pea stamps that I won a wee while ago at crafts and me. I was a little apprehensive as when you see these images on other crafters cards they always look so stunning, partly as they are such fab images and partly as they are such fab crafters so I am a bit concerned that I haven't done the image justice.

I decided I'd go that bit further and try to do a soft girlie card, must have got part way there as my son said it was too girlie for the cards I normally make and he wasn't sure he liked it, so not sure if that's good or bad, talk about deflation.

Anyway I coloured the image in promarkers and used sakura glitter , pearl and glaze pens for glitz and shine. I mounted on glitter paper and added a couple of gems in the punched corners at the top.

The band across the lemon pearlised card that I partly dry embossed using a fiskars plate and elbow grease , is made up of copy paper , punched vellum , torn onion paper then 2 ribbons. I love the broad ribbon with its sparkle, beads , sequins and glitter pretty but not in your face. Not sure as yet who or what I would use this card for possibly a birthday or a thank you card who knows where it will flutter along to?

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:-
Bling it on-photo inspiration
In a sweetpea dream-Bling
Stampavie and more-ribbons
Paper take weekly-punches
Die cut dreams-birthday princess
Kaboodle doodle-lots of layers
Auds sentiments-no sentiments
sugar creek hollow-layout
Sketchy colours-pink, green and blue
Crafts and me -punches

Anything goes at Penny's

2011-05-11T11:15:00.000+01:00

Wow do we have an easy peasy challenge this time for you all at Penny's and I loved all the variations on our welcome home theme too last time round.

For my card this time I've used one of my newer stamps , I fell in love with this cutie from sugar nellie the first time I saw him and he is so lovely to colour too. I used my promarkers as always and gave him a healthy wet nose with the help of sakura glaze pens. The papers are all from my scraps bin and this was another good luck card my son requested, aparently the young man it is intended for has a dog, I'm sure my son said it was a beagle so not sure how I think this spanial will go down , but if the guy is a dog lover I'm sure he will love it.

I know it's not very manly adding flowers for a man but this flower just seemed to fit with the basic grey tag so tough really and it didn't get a negative comment from my son so it must be ok.

I'd like to enter my card into the following challenges:-

Passion for promarkers-for a tenenager
Pollycraft-boyz to men
Cooking it up with Katie-recipe (only 1 brad hope thats ok)
Crafty creations-anything goes

Here come the boys candy celebration

2011-05-11T11:08:00.000+01:00

The Ribbon girl is helping LOTV celebrate the release of the fab new set of stamps from LOTV with 2 fab candy prizes. Tghe first a goody bag from The ribbon girl and a £10 gift voucher from LOTV and the second another £10 gift voucheer from LOTV.

You have to be in it to win it so why not pop along and join in the fun.

Lady in red

2011-05-10T08:15:00.001+01:00

Happy Tesday to one and all and hope today finds you all well and enjoying life in general. Tuesday and time for another Creative craft challenge. Wonderful entries for the last challenge and a choice of challenges this time , distressed, vintage or a mix of the 2 together.

Have to say neither of these do I find particularly easy, distressing I don't like for 2 reasons I'm a bit of a neat freak and like staright lines and secondly I don't like tearing paper even roughing it up with the exception of things like vellum which have a totally fab edge when torn.
Vintage I love the look of but I have problems getting it right as it can often be heavily embellished and dark colours and really neither are my comfort zone so please forgive my efforts, but at least it will give everyone some scope.

I got to play with a digi from Meljen this time round who are one of our sponsors . This heart image reminded me of a victorian lace embellishment so I decided to make a wedding card.

I used a k and co paper which I stuck directly yo my card. The LOTV image I stamped using brown ink on cream card and coloured with my Promarkers. The heart I used as a template and dry embossed on cream vellum then cut it out and stuck over the image onto the card. The sentiment again is LOTV and the roses are a mix or wild orchid and from my stash. Probably not ornate enough for Victorian but my version anyway.

I would like to enter this card intothe following challenges:-

Card cupids-flowers
creative cowgirls-anything goes
Bunny Zoe -lace
Catch the bug-anything goes

My second project I used one of my LOTV stamps who also happen to be one of our sponsors along with crafty individuals, meljen and doodle pantry. Wow 4 different prizes not many challenge blogs offer that many chances to win unless its a special challenge. Must mean we are a special challenge blog!
.
I made this card for my sister-in-law who is having a rough time at the moment with her health and though at the moment she won't even know the card exists as she is sedated and ventilated on HDU I'm hoping it will brighten things up when she gets to the staged that she is able to be with us again.

I used kay and co papers again and simply added some roses in the corners curling the wires for a more ornate look. The image I stamped on cream card and coloured with Promarkers and then used gel pens to create a line drwan frame and punched the corners.

The sentiment is from the darkroom and as we know her condition is not likely to be completely cured rather than get well I thought thinking of you would be more appropriate and supportive too.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:-

Prarie fairy-here come the girls
Crazy 4 challenges-flowers
Rainbow lady-lady in red
Paperplay-show us your style(my version of vintage)
Pear tree designs -spring
Incy wincy-mum or girlie

Fancy folds

2011-05-08T12:00:00.003+01:00

I love trying new styles of cards I think it just makes a card more interesting and many are far easier to make than they look. Hope you all feel the same as this is the challenge over at this weeks OSAAT.

I was lucky enough to have a play with not only one of the designs from Stitchy's wonderful designers but also with an image from our fab sponsor this time Stamping boutique.

I decided to try and make a free standing pop up card. I had great fun colouring this image and decided to make her a little bit wild and use my bright coloured promarkers. The base I stamped all over with a judikins retro stamp of circles and wpowder embossed with pearl blue powder. The sentiments some are stamped and some hand written, I did think about printing on the computer but I thought hand writing fit with the theme better. Hope those who were generous enough to let me play with the image are happy with what I did with it.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:-

Fab n funky-no backing papers

Crafty catz-quote/sentiment

Stamp something-digi

Sentimental sundays-anything goes

The stamping boutique -monthly challenge

My second card I tried anothe type of card , I wanted to keep the design very simple as the image by Tami from Gingerloft which can be found here, is pretty complete. I decided to powder emboss with clear powder on the image printed on glossy card and then apply dye based inks to add colour.

This I mounted on purple mirri card to add some bling and attatched to a pop up type card, sorry not sure what it's called as I took the idea from a card in a Kanban kit.

The paper is from a magazine freebie which just toned perfect with the inks.
I just realised I've used really similar colour schemes on both cards , totally unintensional, I must have been in a blue/pink and purple mood.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:-

Phindy's challenge-embossing
Scrap creations-bugs
By the cute and girly-anything goes

Blowing on the wind

2011-05-07T06:00:00.021+01:00

The kids next door love to blow dandelions into my garden, great fun when you're little but I so hate it when they grow in my lawn . There mum never says a word but then again she perhaps thinks it looks good as that appears to be all her lawn is made up of.

This next card is using one of my newest stamps a wee cutie from LOTV and is one of the last good luck cards I have to post , I'm not sure if there are 1 or 2 left to post but nearly at the end of them. I wanted to do something more for me so I chose 2 of my fav colours white and turquoise and set them off with some girlie pink well it is for one of my sons friends and they all seem to be girlie.

The image is again coloured with promarkers and glitzed up with lots of sakura glitter and pearl pen and possibly some clear too on her shoes for good measure too.

The papers are more papermania scraps on top of some fab turquoise vellum that I tore, one of the few things I don't mind distressing as I like how it looks a different colour.

The panel on the side is a forever friends paper scrap and I piereced the pattern with holes that followed the swirls and mounted on pink mirri card for more sparkle. The sentiment is again LOTV and after stamping I added dots of sakura glitter pen foe a bit extra sparkle, well a girl can never have too much fairy magic can she?

Edit 14th for some reason the date on this post is the 7th which is when I wrote it as draft although I did originally post it on the 12th just before my fairy good wishes but with all the problems Blogger has been having I have a couple of posts I am now having to republish.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:-

Magical mondays-layout

Delicious doodles-fantasy

Passion for promarkers-for a teenager

Scrappy frog-anything goes

Woof!

2011-05-07T06:00:00.008+01:00

Back again with another good luck card sorry if its getting boring. This one uses a sugar nellie sweetie called Dougal, looks like he's been playing hard and is ready for a long cool drink to me. What else could he be called with a long tongue like that wonder if he likes sugar lumps?

I chose to colour him in greys to keep tone with the papers I had decided to use, I have to say I do like black and white tones with a splash of colour for male cards and son approved so must be on the right lines.For those who haven't guessed I used my Promarkers and sakura glaze pens again.

The papers are again papermania and are more scraps, am slowly getting down them.The black strip is just a left over strip of glossy black card. The sentiment a wonderful LOTV and stamped on red card with black ink.

I would like to enter this card into the folowing challenges:-

Here come the boys-anything goes
Critter sketch challenge-layout
Stamps R us-masculine
Papertake weekly-anything goes
Pixie cottage-one for the boys