Snow is falling

I have been on a spending spree...   the damage is £75 million  ;-)
It's the start of the footie season - you all knew that right? - and my Fantasy Team is raring to go.

So, here's a quick post with my latest Christmas card.

As you can see, I am still obsessed with snowflakes and negative die cuts!
My inspiration came from the 'Case it' card over at  Time Out.
I tried to include the triple layer sentiment, but it just didn't work against those snowflakes.
It all looked too busy. Instead, I opted for a plain strip of card to add my sentiment to.
 

Challenges.
Time Out - Case with your own twist.
Aud Sentiments - Favourite Season - Winter
Addicted to CAS - Geometric

Supplies.
Marianne Snowflake Dies.
DP - Prima, North Country
Sentiment - WPlus9, Heartfelt Holidays

Holiday Cheer

Afternoon everyone.

I hope something has made you happy today - 

for me it's been the little things - 

like smuggling in an almond croissant, when I'm supposed to be dieting (shhh..)

actually being in when a parcel arrived and not having to treck to the parcel depot,

but most of all, it's for my new Tescos having hand held scanners - 

no more unpacking and repacking a trolley full of groceries :-)

 

Here's another simple reindeer card for the pile.

 

I know a lot of you make this size card, (approx 106 x 148mm) 

and I bought some Papermania cardstock especially to make some.

The trouble is the card is just too flimsy - it's 216gsm.

Which cardstock do you use?

I ended up trimming down a larger card base that I had, 

and used my papermania card as a strip, down the side.

  

 

Challenges.

Crafty Girls - Anything Goes

Aud Sentiments - Any Sentiment

Charisma - Christmas

ABC Christmas -  W for Winter Wishes

Less Is  More - Use Designer Paper in a CAS Way

Hero Arts 'Holiday Cheer' Stamp and Die Set.

Red Papermania Cardstock.  DP Prima 'North Country.'

Twine, Button, Sequin

 

Relax ... it's the summer

Family get togethers. Hen parties. Long Walks in the Country.

      Picnics. Cooking. Window shopping. Kindle Fire.

                     Netflix.  Pub Lunches. Vet Visits.

Those are just a few of the things keeping me from my craft room this summer :-)

 

When I need to make a card poste-haste, I go in search of a sketch 

and I found this one on a great new challenge blog  - Seize the Sketch

This was my first chance to play with my new Memento Dew Drop inks. 

I think I am going to like them... a lot!  

With a bit more practice I'm sure I will be able to produce a crisp, clear image ;-)

Challenges

Seize the Sketch - #1

Papertake Weekly - Anything Goes

One Stop Craft - Keep it Simple

City Crafter - Polka Dots

Challenges 4 Everybody - Anything Goes

Stamps: Clearly Besotted 'time to relax' & 'shine bright' with matching dies. Memento dew drop inks in rosebud and grey flannel.  DP: Prima 'rosarian' and Digital ddesign essentials 'digitally smitten'. Gems.

 

I Believe In Pink

I have had a massive grin on my face all day - 
I finally got my hands on some Uptown Girls. 
They arrived today from Quixotic Paperie. Eek!

The first one I inked up was Audrey - isn't she fabulous?

The sketch is from Tuesday Morning Sketches.
I coloured Audrey with Copics and added some touches of sparkle to her shoes, dress, jewellery and eyeshadow :-)

Challenges.
Tuesday Morning Sketches - with option of using Washi tape.
Papertake Weekly - Anything Goes with option of using lemon/yellow
Love to Create - Let's Celebrate
By the Cute and Girly - Roses are Red (I used a rose DP)
The Pretty Little Ribbon - Anything Goes

• Stamping Bella, Audrey
• Copics, Stickles Glitter,  Pearls
• DP - Prima, Madeline and Sweet Fairy
• Fizzy Moon 'Happy Birthday' Ribbon
• Spellbinders Nested Circles and Scalloped Circles

Paper People

Blink!
And it's Monday again - what happened to the weekend?

After all the CAS Christmas cards I made, I am still struggling to use my DPs.
I know it sounds bonkers, but they just don't look right to me anymore??!!  
I had to fight the urge to take this one off.

The sketch is from Seize the Birthday. This is a great new challenge blog with a fun twist - the sketch is used one week for girly cards and one week for masculine. As you can see, this week it's girly ;-)
 

Challenges
Seize the Birthday - Sketch (Girly)
Love to Create - Anything Goes with a Sentiment
Dream Valley - Girls, Girls, Girls
Paper Crafting Journey - For a Girl


Supplies

• 6 x 6 'petal edge' card base
• DP - Prima, rosarian
• Stamp - Gorjuss girl, coloured with copics
• Do Crafts small nested heart die
• Spellbinders edgeability die, classic bracket
• Buttons and twine

Starry, starry night

You see - when I try and go all 'artsy' that's when I come unstuck.
What's in my head, never really comes out quite right on paper!!
So, I'm not sure about this card - it's not really me, is it?

IRL this card is nice and sparkly. 
There's a layer of glamour dust along the edges and some glitter gems added to the DP.
I stamped the sentiment straight on the ribbon - which is a first for me - and something I'm going to experiment with :-)

Challenges.

Crafty Sentiments - Christmas
Divas by Design - Anything Goes
My Mum's Craft Shop -  Winter Wonderland

Supplies
Memory Box Landscape Die.
DP - Prima, North Country.
Sentiment Stamp - Penny Black Christmas Critters
Ribbon and pearl brad from my stash.

When black cats prowl...

Is it getting chilly where you are?  I am sat here, in my boots, leggings, 2 cardis and a scarf!! 
The kitchen temperature thingy is reading 16C - time to blast the heating on me thinks.

I have just 2 Halloween cards to make this year, and here is the first one... for my dd Annabel and her b/f.

I know that my girls' have a big Halloween party planned, but I have no idea what Annabel is going as - she usually decides the night before and wants a costume making lickety split!

I do know that Maria is going as a peacock (weird!) - so I will be trying out my blues/greens on this image next.

Oh, and the 2 kittys I added are for Annabel's fur monsters - Benga and Nero.

Can you spot todays deliberate mistake?
I added some glitter to the bottom of her dress and sprinkled silver instead of my fav. Glamour Dust.
Definitely a *bleep* moment - it looked awful - so I went over it with an orange Copic to try and blend it in...   all I can say is - it's better than it was!

Challenges.
Tiddly Inks - Fall
Digi Galore - Goth (hope 'cute' goth is ok)
Cupcake Craft - Autumn
Papertake Weekly - All creatures great and small. 
Creative Inspirations - Anything Goes
Divas by Design -  Anything Goes
Without Words - Things that go Bump. (Thanks to Squirrel for the heads up on this this challenge, where the focus of your card should be the image and they like you to have fun with colour.)

Supplies.
Digi Image from Tiddly Inks, coloured with Copics.
DPs - Memory Box, Blackbird.   Fancy Pants, It's the little things.
Prima, Printery.
Cats - Little Claire's, Silhouette Cats.
Ribbon,  Gems,  Spellbinders Dies.

Leave the lights on.

I tend to come unstuck when I try and make an 'artsy' card. 
What I see in my head never really equates to the card I make.
But, that's the style my dd likes, so I thought I would give it a go for her 'new home' card.

I used my new Memory Box landscape die to create a little scene. 

I put some orange paper behind the windows,
so that it would look like lights were on ;-)
and added some gems to the DP at the bottom.

For the moon, a circle die cut was covered with glamour dust (IRL it's very sparkly) and then the sentiment was added to one of the clouds - all popped up on foam pads.

 Challenges.
Charisma Cardz - Anything Goes
Creative Inspirations - Anything Goes
Do You Stack Up - Blue Sky and Clouds 

Supplies

Memory Box dies - country landscape and clouds.

DP - Prima, Moulin Rouge

Gems, Glamour Dust  

Wishing you a pot of love

What a busy week it's been here. We have finally put our house on the market, so it has been scrubbed and cleaned from top to bottom. It's going to kill us to keep it this tidy :-)

Having my craft room all packed up seems to be working in my favour though. Recently my cards have been much simpler, and I think I have finally found my style (it's only taken 3 years!)

On to this week's Totally Papercrafts Challenge and our host is the super, talented Lisa, with one of her own sketches for you to follow.

I love sketches and seeing how people bring the different elements together, so I hope you will play along this week. 
I have used the gorgeous Wryn, from Tiddly Inks. Her dress is paper pieced and then she is coloured with Copics (and a little stickles glitter) cut out and attached with foam pads.

My favourite things at the moment are my super, cute cloud dies - I seem to be using them on every card!

This time I cut them in the DP too and kind of overlapped them.

What do you think?

Challenges.
Crafty Sentiments - Bingo I went for the top line Paper Piecing/Patterned Paper/ Glitter.
Tiddly Inks - Mother's Day or Gorgeously Feminine
Truly Scrumptious - Anything Goes
Moving Along With The Times - Keep It Real (No Fantasy Figures)
Cute Card Thursday - A Touch Of Sparkle

Supplies.

Tiddly Inks Digi Stamp, Wryn - coloured with Copics, stickles glitter and a paper pieced dress.

DP - Prima Botanical + Sweet Fairy

Memory Box Clouds Dies.     Sentiment Stamp, Wild Rose Studios.

Ribbon and Pearls from my stash.

We belong together

Hello there, hope those that celebrated Mother's Day this weekend had a lovely time. I managed to escape to my craft room for a while and here is one of the cards I made. It's for my Mum & Dad's Anniversary.

I am still waiting to make that 'perfect' card. I don't think it exists for me - I always make a few mistakes, but hey! I guess it all adds to the handmade look :-)

You can see here that I forgot to add the lace before stitching the card down - duh! - hence the ugly staples showing !!

I also tried a bit of embossing in the top right hand corner - it's something I rarely do and I think I over-heated it. I need more practice.
 

The House Mouse image is coloured with Copics and I decoupaged parts of the flower, adding it with foam pads - to give a little dimension.

Challenges.

Simon Says Stamp - A Bit 'O Green

Crafting for all Seasons - Green and Yellow

Do You Stack Up? - Favourite Colour (Green, of course :-) )

Sweet Stampin' - Lots of Green

Crafter's Companion - Spring

****************************************************

Supplies

House Mouse Love Sunflower Stamp, coloured with Copics and Stickles glitter.

DP - Prima, Sweet Fairy.     Wild Rose Studio, Text Stamp.

LOTV Corner Stamp

Lace, Ribbon, Button, Gems from my stash.

Mums Are Like Dads - Only Smarter!

Without a doubt, my Mother's Day card is the trickiest card I make all year!

My Mum doesn't like what she calls 'girly' or 'cutesy' images and you all know how florally challenged I am!!

So, this card was definitely out of my comfort zone.

I have had these gorgeous Prima flowers for ages and new that I wanted to base my card around them. So, then it was just a case of choosing a pretty DP and adding some ribbon and a sentiment.

Oh, doesn't it all sound so easy? It took me FOREVER!!

The 'easel' is propped up on large pearls and I made the sentiment on my comp - don't look too closely, I still have the worst printer in the world!

 I  made a simple box for the card to go in.

A little tag with some blooms and leaves and 'MUM' stickers, finished everything off.

Challenges.

One Stop Craft - Mother's Day with Ribbon

Top Tip Tuesday - Mother's Day. With an amazing tutorial from Deneen for a Teapot Card.

Papertake - For the Girls... Or Mum

Creative Inspirations - Something For Mum

My Mum's Craft Shop - Mum's The Word

Craft Your Passion - Easel Cards

Everybody Art - Easel Cards

Supplies.

6 x 6 On The Edge Card Blank.     DP, Webster's Pages.  

Prima Flowers.    Raffia and Satin Ribbon.

Large Pearls.     Spellbinders Fancy Tags 3.     
XCut Leaf Punch.    Rose Blooms.    Peel Offs.
Striped Grosgrain Ribbon.

********************************************************

Paper Chain People

EEK! Friday came around quickly didn't it?

This is a scheduled post from me, as I will be on my way to my first day in my new job!!

We have another great challenge for you at Totally Papercrafts.  The lovely Linda is our host and she is a ribbon hoarder :-)  so she has chosen the theme...

Ribbons and/or Bows

I love ribbon - and I always think that it makes a card a little bit special. A simple strip with a bow can be the perfect embellie, but if you feel like doing something more creative we'd love to see that too. Have fun!

I kept my layout pretty simple, as I wanted to concentrate on colouring this gorjuss girl. She is called ' I found my family in a book' - isn't that the cutest name?

Supplies.
DP - Prima, Madeline
Stamp - Gorjuss 'I found my family in a book', coloured with Copics.
Spellbinders Nesties -  lacey circles and  pennants.
Whimsy Sentiments Stamp.
Gems coloured with Copic to match her dress. Ribbon from my stash.

Somewhere Over The Rainbow...

... I am singing away in my best, squeaky voice. 

Even the dog has buried herself under the duvet - honestly - I can't carry a tune in a bucket!!

RAINBOWS is what our Joey wants to see at Totally Papercrafts this week. 

No singing necessary! :-)

I'd like to say that this was one of those quick and easy cards, but for some reason these CAS cards take me the longest time. 

The little bunting was fiddly to put together and I must have tried a dozen different images before I decided on this cute Teddy Bea.

Then I held my breath as I stamped the 'Happy Birthday' onto the card and - look Mum - no smudges!!    :-)
 

I hope you'll play along this week - I am looking forward to seeing some pretty, rainbow colour combos.

Check out the challenge blog for some inspiration from my fab teamies and for details of the prize from this week's talented sponsor - Delicious Doodles.

                              

Challenges.

Papertake Weekly - Anything Goes

Crafter's Companion - Anything Goes

Crafty Sentiments - Let's Get Girly
City Crafter - Colours Of The Rainbow

Supplies

Digi Image, Teddy Bea Love Letter, coloured with Copics, cut out and mounted on foam pads.

DP - Prima, Sweet Fairy.      Baker's Twine.        Spellbinders Small Nested Pennant Die