Rush rush rush ....

.... I started the card for DH's grandmother yesterday morning, thinking we were leaving for the party at about 3.30 and I had loads of time.  The kids were at the cinema with DH, nice quiet house, no hurry on me.  So I changed a few bits as I was going along, experimented with things, broke out the crackle paint and the rock candy stickles, until they came home at 1.30 and he said we needed to go at 2.45.  WHAT?!!!  So I put it all together in a massive hurry, photographed it, got changed, into the car, painted my nails one at a time every time we hit a red light, and now as I look at the photos, I realised I forgot to stick pearls on the image.

I've used Martine's lovely sketch on this fortnight's Basic Grey Challenges, and broke into my gorgeous new BG Capella papers, which are my absolute favourite of their recent releases, I love the colours.

I'm also entering this card on A Spoon Full of Sugar (celebrations), Crafty Creations (use your favourite stamp - I do love this set), Creative Inspirations (Distressing), Quixotic Challenges (Emboss it), Simon Says Stamps (pink/blue and green and brown - all here I think!) and ABC Challenge (Vintage).

I was faffing about with three of the set of these Hero Arts stamps, two with leaves, trying to get them to look like a bouquet, and it wasn't working - so I cut the leaves off two of them and just used them with the one single flower.  And I had meant to put tiny pearls on those little circley bits, but ran out of time.  Here's an image close-up:

Recipe:

Papers: BG Capella

Stamps: Hero Arts "Peeking Posies"

Colouring Medium: Prismacolour pencils and sansodor

Other: Nestabilities, Cuttlebug Embossing Folder, Crackle Paint, Distress inks, Maya Road Pins, lace from stash, needle + thread

Thanks for looking!

Back in action ....

.... I had no choice, I had a lot of cards to make this week.  Some of my son's classmates are having their first holy communions on Saturday - he was invited to two of their parties, but sadly for him, his great-grandmother's 90th birthday party is on the same day and he has to go to that.  He is not one bit happy and I don't blame him, what 8 year old boy would pass up on bouncy castles and mountains of sweets to go to a meal with a bunch of geriatrics and an accordion player?!!!!

Anyway, this is what I made for his friends, and it's also my PaperPlay DT entry for this week.  Set by the lovely Deirdre, it's called "Up in the Air"  - "We want to see things that fly. It can be butterflies, fairies, aerplanes or even balloons."

I don't have any religious-y stamps or embellishments, so I went with a Hero Arts dove that I've used before for communions.  I also stitched a little cross beside the name.  Here's my card:

Recipe:

Papers: Basic Grey "Archaic" and "Basics - Kraft"

Stamp: Hero Arts "Holiday Doves"

Colouring Medium: Prismacolour Pencils and Sansodor

Other: Nestabilities, Cuttlebug Embossing Folder, Tea Dye Distress Ink Needle + Thread

I've used the sketch from this week's Double Dutch Challenges, and am also entering it into A Spoon Full of Sugar (celebration), Creative Inspirations (distressed), and Quixotic Challenges (Emboss it).

Thanks for looking!

It's been a while ....

.... I was so so tired for the whole of last week - did very little of anything at all, no blog-hopping even, never mind crafting!

But as it was my brother's birthday on Friday, and he was coming round for dinner this evening, I had to shift into gear and make a card for him.  He's not someone I would make anything cute or sparkly for, so it's quite plain - the only personalising element is the font I've used - "Simpsons" - little bruv is a long-time Simpsons fan!

I'm entering it in the following challenges: Quixotic Challenges (use sentiment as focus), Creative Cottage (One for the Boys), Basic Grey Challenges (Punch it - I've used MS zig-zag punch and new Max + Whiskers papers - nice colours) and Practical Scrappers (use Patterned Paper).

Thanks for looking!

My first ....

.... Tilda card - what took me so long?!!!

This week's challenge on PaperPlay was set by Mandy and it's called "Pretty Pastels".  We are sponsored this week by Card Mad Fairy, who are offering a prize of some of their digi images, and also our old DT member, Kate, has put together a lovely prize package.

This was another challenging one for me, I'm not really a pastel-kinda girl!  But one of the images I coloured at Mina's workshop last week has a pretty pastel blue dress, so I decided to use it on my card.

I'm also entering this in the following challenges: A Spoon Full of Sugar (3D something - I've popped up the image), Creative Cottage (circles), Quixotic Challenges (distressing - I always do!), and, for the first time Just Magnolia (anything goes).

As far as I can remember, I don't think I liked Tildas very much when they first came out.  But I think I've got used to them, 'cos now I do like them, and have recently even bought a few!!!  I really enjoyed colouring them, it's very easy to decide where to put shading, as all the lines are already there in the stamped image!  Here's a close-up of the image - this is the one without the bruised face!!  I put stickles on her lacy underskirt, very cute in real life, invisible on the photo!!

Recipe:

Papers: Basic Grey "Dasher"

Stamp: Magnolia "Tilda Writing Diary"

Colouring Medium: Tim Holtz Distress Inks

Other: Nestabilities, MS Doily Lace punch, ribbon from stash, needle + thread

Thanks for looking!

Shiny Happy People ....

.... is the name of my challenge on PaperPlay Challenges this week, - use a "person" stamp/image, but it must have gloss, shimmer or sparkle on it. We're very excited to have Simon Says Stamp on board as a sponsor for this week's challenge (and the second Thursday of every month), they're offering a gift voucher as this week's prize, great news!

Here's my DT entry:

Recipe:

Stamp: "Blossom" by Leanne Ellis for Sugar Nellie

Papers: Cosmo Cricket "Early Bird"

Colouring Medium: Pro-markers

Other: Ribbon, Glossy Accents, Antique Linen Distress Inks, Nestabilities, needle & thread.

I've used the sketch from this week's Friday Sketchers, and this week's Stampin for the Weekend challenge is called "Ribbons and Bows".  Simon Says Stamp are looking for a card for a child, and Quixotic Challenges is "The Joys of Spring". Check!

I think I'm starting to get the hang of the pro-markers, although I still haven't bought the good non-bleed Letraset paper - all in good time!!  I tried to challenge myself not to distress the edges, in the end I had to use distress ink - can't bear white edges!!!

Thanks for looking!

Crafting in ....

.... chaos!!!  My craftroom is out of action at the moment, we are getting a new storage unit fitted there (not for me!!) in a few weeks and since the room has to be entirely cleared for the carpenter, we decided to do that early and paint the walls too.  I spent most of last weekend standing in the middle of the room in a confused manner, trying to decide what crafting things I would be able to do without for a few weeks and pack away, and what small amount would absolutely have to come downstairs into the corner of the playroom where I have taken up temporary residence.  It was not easy!!!  Needless to say, I got next to no crafting or blogging done and this will be the norm for the next few weeks while we get the work on the room done.

A lovely challenge this week on PaperPlay Challenges from Deirdre, who has sponsored this lovely Hero Arts goodie pack for the week's winner.

Deirdre's challenge is called "Just Because": - "I love getting mail and I particularly adore getting a card in the mail.  I bet I am not alone in this?!!  I would like you to make a card/project - "Just Because".  We have all been busy making Valentines, St. Patrick's Day and Mother's Day cards .... so this week I want you to make a "just because" card - thinking of you, miss you etc and send it!"

I had a sympathy card to make for an old school friend, so here it is as my DT sample:

I'm also going to enter it on Daring Cardmakers - their challenge this week is called "Here Comes the Sun" - I think the warm yellows and browns of the yummy Cosmo Cricket "Everafter" papers in my card, as well as the lovely flowers, are quite spring/summer-ish!!  And this week's challenge on Quixotic Challenges is called "Leave it Out" - you have to use leaves somewhere - I have!!!  And Simon Says Stamp's challenge is either Mother's Day or Girlie - I think this card is a definite girlie one!!

I particularly love this Hero Arts stamp set, I don't have the stamps (yet - but am ordering them today) - a forum friend, Sabrina, sent me the stamped images and I think they are so lovely, used either singly or together as I have on this card.  Here's a close-up:

Recipe:

Paper: Cosmo Cricket "Everafter"

Stamps: Hero Arts

Colouring Medium: Prismas

Other: Rock Candy Stickles, Doodlebug brads, ribbon from stash, needle and thread

Thanks for looking - and thanks to those who left me lovely comments - I'm sorry I'll not have time to reciprocate over the next few weeks!!

Oh Mother-in-Law ....

.... you don't know how lucky you are!!!!  I got my pack of BG Origins and you got the first card made with it!!!!

This week on PaperPlay Challenges, the challenge is "Birthday for Someone Special", and since it's MiL's birthday this week, she gets to be it!!!

Look at this yummy paper, who would have thought that yellow/green/brown could be combined and actually look good!!!

I'm also entering it on this week's BasicGreyChallenges, which is to use this sketch:

And Quixotic Challenges this week is called "Tag it" - they want to see tags on projects.  Well, I've got a little tag that pulls out from behind the image, here's a pic:

I'm also entering this on CraftyAngels, their challenge this week to to use your favourite colour.  Here's the weird thing, I think my favourite crafting colour is brown.  I never ever wear brown, I wouldn't decorate my house with brown, but nearly everything I make papercraftwise has brown in it somewhere.  Can't understand it at all!!!

Recipe:

Papers: BG Origins (drool!)

Stamp: Hero Arts stamped using Pro-markers

Colouring Medium: Pro-markers

Other: MS Doily Lace Punch, MS Branch Punch, Distress Ink, needle and thread, ribbon, gems and flowers from stash

Thanks for looking!

Snow Days ....

.... I love 'em. Off again today, and the forecast is really bad for Sunday and into next week. We could be stuck here for days!!!! Yippee!!!

Thankfully, we got to the dentist on Tuesday and DS's bad tooth was extracted. Our dentist is so wonderful, he ensured the whole procedure was as untraumatic as possible, and DS was very, very good (I had had my doubts about that!!!). I was very good too!!! (Well, I was dentist-phobic for years!).

I've made another card - the productivity is great with all this enforced house-dom!! Our friend is turning 50 shortly and is having a huge party, yet she doesn't want anybody to shout about her age - we think this is very funny!!! I thought she'd kill me if I made a card emblazoned with big 5s and 0s, but yet I feel I have to mention the age achievement, so I tried to think of a sneaky way to do it!!

And when I saw Dena's lovely card, I had my answer. Here's my card:


Notice the "Sshhhhh" printed on the left hand side - and when you pull the tag, it reveals this:

I'm entering this in three challenges:

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Quixotic Challenges and Simon Says Stamps Challenges both have "Hot Chocolate" as their challenge this week - I've used lovely pink and chocolately colours.

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And Crafty Angels are looking for something recycled. See the hairy string on the tag - I got that from the postman - he had tied a load of post together with it and was going to dump it - so I rescued it!!!!

Recipe:

Papers: Basic Grey Bittersweet

Colouring Medium: Promarkers and Prismas

Inks: Chestnut Roan and Dark Brown Colorbox Chalks

Font: Excellentia in excelsis

Other: Hairy String and Eyelet from stash

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Thanks for looking! And thanks for taking time to leave a comment - I love to read them!

Hooray - a card ....

.... at last. And it's actually the second of the year. The first can't be shown until Thursday, as it's my PaperPlay DT sample for next week's challenge.

I've just re-taken and posted the photo - the light was terrible last night. Not too much better today - but the colours are reasonably true!!

This one covers three challenges:- Firstly, Basic Grey Challenges - it's a colour combo of cream, pink and blue. I've used Eskimo Kisses and Bittersweet papers from BG.

Next, Quixotic Challenges - the challenge is to use lace. I've used my Martha Stewart "Valentine Lace" punch to make "lace" for this card.

And finally, Kraftin Kimmie Stamps Challenge - paper piercing. I've done a lot of that on this card, and also used one of Kimmie's Moonlight Whispers stamps, "Francesca".

Recipe

Papers: BG Eskimo Kisses and Bittersweet

Stamp: Kraftin Kimmie Moonlight Whispers "Francesca"

Colouring Media: Prismas and Pro-markers

Other: Hero Arts flowers, Ranger Glossy Accents, MS punch

Layout: A sketch of Sandie's that was a PaperPlay challenge in Nov. Great sketch, Sandie!

Here's a little close-up of the image and cupcake flowers:

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Thanks for looking!

Done and ....

.... dusted. Yup, got the teenage nephew's card finished!!!

It's for this week's PaperPlay challenge, set by Kate, and it's a recipe:

For this weeks challenge I'd like you to use this recipe for your project:
2 Patterned Papers
1 Ribbon
3 buttons
Add some creativity and mix it all together!

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I'm ashamed to admit that, yet again, I didn't read it properly, and I only have two buttons on mine. Can't think why this keeps happening - in real life, I'm a dotter of Is and a crosser of Ts!!!

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I'm also entering this card in this week's Daring Cardmakers - they're looking for cards using kraft cardstock (which I love!!).

And also Quixotic Challenges, this week they're looking for stitching. All my cards these days have stitching, I love the look it gives on cards. I really need to get into machine stitching, though, 'cos all that hand-stitching takes so bloomin' long!!!

Back soon with ..... cards for girls!!!! Woohoo!!!!

Thanks for looking!

November ....

.... Birthdays. We have a lot of family birthdays this month, one of the first is my husband's. Then we move on to the difficult teenage nephew card - heaven help me!! Here's the card I made for DH:


I used a lovely sketch from a few weeks back on Friday Sketchers, I didn't get the chance to use it at the time though.

I'm entering this into a new challenge blog, Quixotic Challenges, which, very conveniently this week, is looking for birthday cards!!

I'm also entering this in this week's Basic Grey Challenges, which is to use the following interior photo as inspiration:

Nice room!! I used Basic Grey Wassail papers, Doodlebug brads and Pink Paislee rub-on.

Thanks for looking!!