'Pop'-ular Fun

Morning everyone... hope you are enjoying the bank holiday. It's a wet one here, in more ways than one. We have a leaking overflow pipe, so it's a trip to the DIY store for us.
I am so excited to show you this project though..... drum roll please...
this is my very first House Mouse stamp. Isn't it gorgeous and it's a dream to colour.

This is for my daughter's birthday on Thursday. I have had this little metal peg tin for ages and decided to cover it and - shhhh, don't give it away, but I am going to fill it with some 'Lush' products for her.
I am entering my card for this fortnight's challenge at Sketch and Stamp, which is this wonderful sketch by Sem. I have just rotated the centre a little, so that my image would fit on.

Recipe

• Stamp - House Mouse 'Pop'-ular Fun, coloured with Copics
• DP - My Mind's Eye, Pretty Please
• Sentiment - Craftwork Cards
• Ribbon from my stash
  

Just a note about the House Mouse stamps - I bought mine from the online store Card Craft UK
It's the first time I have useed them and their communication was excellent and my delivery arrived within a couple of days.
Looking forward to inking up my other new stamps soon.
xxx

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Totally Papercrafts DT and Challenge

I am so excited to let you all know that I have been asked to join the DT over at
Totally Papercrafts
It's my first time as a DT member and I am thrilled and terrified at the same time... lol*
They are a fantastic bunch of ladies over there though, so I hope I can do the job justice.
If you haven't been to the blog yet, then please head over there and check it out,
and if you enter the challenges you could win some lovely prizes from their sponsors.

This week's challenge, set by Sue, is 'Monochrome' and Simon Says Stamp are offering the cute
Greeting Fram Stamp, Cheeky Rockabilly to the lucky winner.

I needed a card for a teenage boy, so I thought that different shades of black would be perfect.
This cute stamp is from the Woodware, Playtime set and is coloured with Copics.
I didn't have the black card candy that I wanted so I coloured some white candy with a black Copic. ( I did try colouring a brown candy first, but that came out a weird dark green colour!)

Recipe -

• Stamp - Woodware, PLaytime, coloured with Copics.
• Design Paper and Ribbon from the Papermania Capsule Collection, Mono.
• Sentiment and Card Candy from Craftwork Cards
• Button from my stash
  
  
  

Orange - It's not just for Halloween!!

I love this week's 'orange' challenge over at The Pink Elephant. It's a colour I don't often use but it can look really stunning... just check out the DT work over there, to see what I mean.
I took ages colouring this image, it's so gorjuss that I wanted it to be perfect, plus I knew that my new close up lens would show every error.
It's the first time I have tried to colour black hair too, so even though it's not perfect I am very happy with it.

I made this into a 'thinking of you card' because to me, the image has a slight melancholy feel to her. Does anyone else get that?

Recipe

• Stamp - Sugar Nellie, Gorjuss 'Sent with Love' coloured with Copics
• Text Stamp - Personal Impressions
• DP - My Mind's Eye, Pretty Please
• My Stash - Buttons, Orange Embroidery Thread, Eyelets
  

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Strawberry Cupcake

Here I am, lazing by the pool, drinking strawberry daquiris... yeah right??? I wish....
The closest I will get to a daiquiri today is the photo over at TotallyPapercrafts, which is what they would like you to use for your card inspiration this week.
I chose to use the strawberries and make a strawberry cupcake card.
The cute cupcake stamp is from Simon Says Stamp, and I added the Strawberries with a WOJ stamp from the summer 09 collection.
The strawberries were coloured with Copics and then I used Glossy Accents on them to give them some shine.

I also have a new toy to play with.... a new lens for my camera. So my pictures from now on will be brighter, sharper and my cards will be level... Ha! ha! I live in hope!

Recipe

• Stamp - Cupcake and text, Simon Says Stamp, Savor Sweet Cupcake, coloured with Copics and added stickles glitter.
• Stamp - Strawberry from WOJ Summer 09 Collection, coloured with copics and glossy accents.
• Design Paper - DCWV, Nana's Nursery, Baby Girl
• Blooms - X cut punch
  
• Ribbon and Card Candy ffrom my stash.
  

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Dieting is NOT a piece of cake!

It's that time of year again, with summer just around the corner, it's time to get out my legs and search for the fake tan!! For me, it's also time to shed some of those winter pounds!
So my diet started yesterday - it's the law that diets start on a Monday.
I have decorated this canvas, to put up in the kitchen and try and keep me on the straight and narrow. My hubby said that I would be better buying a padlock for the fridge!!

I am going to enter my project for this week's Create4fun Challenge, where I have followed the fabulous sketch. ( I sooo want to win that little House Mouse stamp) :-)
Pop on over there and check out the adorable work by the DT.
As I said I used a canvas board for this project, you can pick them up pretty cheaply and this one was roughly 12 x 12, so the perfect size for my Design Paper.

Recipe -

• Design Paper - My Mind's Eye, Life Stories.
  
• Main Text - Stamped with My Sentiments Exactly 'Adrienne's'
• Smaller Text made on my comp.
  
• Blooms - from Wild Orchid Crafts, dotted with glitter glue.
  
• Stamp - Magnolia - Tilda with Crowberry Muffin, coloured with Copics and glitter glue.
  
• Card Candy, and ribbon from my stash
  

A Piece Of Cake!

Afternoon everyone... hope you are enjoying the weekend.
Just how cute is this stamp? It's the first time I have used it and and I think it's going to go in the 'favourites' box.
I used a nice simple layout for my card, because I really wanted the image to stand out.
I paper-pieced the little hedgies, and then again their feet and stuck them down with foam pads, for that 3D look.
It wasn't easy to cut out their feet, but it was well worth it, for the effect.

I am entering my card for this week's Allsorts Challenge, where the theme is 'Birthdays'.
Allsorts is one year old - congrats ladies - so as well as the challenge they have a fabulous blog hop, with lots of goodies to be won.
So grab yourself a coffee, pull up a chair and head on over there.

Recipe

• Stamp - Penny Black, Party Pooped, coloured with Copics and some stickles glitter on the candles.
• DP - My Mind's Eye, Pretty Please.
• Card Candy, and sentiment from Craftwork Cards
• Nesties Ribbon Tag
• Brads and ribbon from my stash
  
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Vintage Girl

Afternoon everyone... is it cold where you are? Up here in Yorkshire it's freezing. I have had to put the heating back on and have spent the afternoon in my craft room, hugging the radiator.
I am usually rubbish at distressing, but I wanted this card to have a 'vintage' look, so I gave it another go... and I am really pleased I did. Maybe I have the hang of it now.
Of course using my Tim Holtz distresser tool, rather than a pair of old scissors, is probably helping too!!


I am entering my card for this week's Simon Says Stamp Challenge, which is a great sketch by Domi. (I rotated the sketch so that my image would fit better).

Recipe:
Stamp - GCS Artstamps, Little Girl - coloured with Copics and Stickles glitter.
Design Paper - My Mind's Eye, Life Stories.
Blooms and leaves are a mixture from my stash and Wild Orchid Crafts, sprayed with Tattered Rose Glimmer Mist and dotted with Stickles glitter.
Sentiment from Craftwork Cards
Ribbon and brads from my stash.

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Make A Wish...

Do you like my new blog layout? It's nice and simple.. just like the name. lol*
I admit to having a very scary moment when I switched templates. I think I was holding my breath until everything appeared again. So far so good.
Now I just neeed to find out how to make my pictures larger.

Today I followed the sketch over at Penny Black, where it is their 100th Challenge. Wow!
They also have a fun Blog Hop and if you enter a card, you are in with the chance of winning some fabulous prizes.


I tried a new thing on this card.. instead of inking the edges of my stamped image, I left the nestie in place and coloured the inside. This leaves the edges white. A nice thing to do for a change.
I also added plenty of stickles glitter along all my stitching, on my image and the edges of the butterfly. The buttefly itself was made by drawing round a Craftwork Cards text butterfly. I couldn't use that one because I only have it in black! I hope it's ok to use it like that.

Recipe:
Stamp - from the Penny Black Critter Party set. Coloured with Copics.
Design Paper - My Mind'ds Eye, Pretty Please.
Ribbon, adhesive pearls and dew drops from my stash.

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Blue Girl

Don't ask me why I chose blue for this card... it's really not one of my favourite colours and I avoid it if I can! I think the only thing I possess that is blue, are my jeans... and have you ever noticed the distinct lack of blue food!!
Well, the blue obviously knew I didn't like it and so conspired with my camera to make it imposible to get a good photograph. These are the best of a bad bunch.
This card is much prettier in person... honest!

I am playing with the big girls this week and entering my card for the challenge over at WOJ. They are changing to fortnightly challenges, so you actually have until May 19th to follow Jane's wonderful sketch and get your entry in. Pop over there and take a peek at the awesome work of the DT.

I have noticed that quite a few people have been adding glitter to their cards,
especially round the edges, to great effect. Well, I am a glitter girl so I had to give it a go and I like it - as if I neeeded another excuse to buy more glitter!

Recipe :
Stamp - WOJ from the Summer 09 collection, coloured with copics and stickles glitter.
Text Stamp - from the Papermania, Stamping for Him set.
Design Paper - Papermania, Blueberry Hill.
Sizzix Die cut swirl. Fiskars border punch.
Blooms from Wild Orchid Crafts
Lace and adhesive pearls from my stash.
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Animal Thank Yous

Sorry about the Bank Holiday weather guys. I think the rain is my fault - I bought a new BBQ last week!!!
Never mind.. we have had a film day and I have even managed to get some crafting done.
When my daughter saw the little Anya Thankyous ( previous post ) she wanted a set, but she asked for animals. She looked through my stamps and chose this cute little giraffe and sweet elephant.
I made the cards with my largest, scalloped, rectangle nestie and made a little envelope decorated with a strip of design paper.
The box for the cards is a little pizza box. You can see Bev's great tutorial for one here
I did have to alter the dimensions for mine, as I used rectangle cards, as opposed to Bev's squares. It's easy to change, but if it helps, my measurements were the same as for my Anya box.

I am going to enter this little set into 2 challenges..
1. Allsorts Challenge, where the theme is 'Animals' and
2. Sketch Saturday, where I have rotated Maya's sketch and used it on the lid of my Pizza Box.

Recipe :
Elephant Stamp - from the Simon Says Stamp, Elephant Love Set.
Giraffe Stamp - from Woodware, Clear Magic, Jungle Pals set.
coloured with Copics.
Design Paper DCWV, Nana'a Nursey, Baby Boy
Peel off 'Thank you'

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