Feeling the Blues

It's time for a new challenge over at CES, and our lovely host Vicky, has chosen the theme...

Feeling The Blues.

We don't just want a little bit of blue, 

we want to see blue used as your main colour.

I went for a Christmas card - ice blue and a dab of sparkle always looks good to me!   I coloured my image with Copics, added a little stickles glitter and popped her up on foam pads.

I finally got round to buying some embossing powder, so I stamped my 'Merry Christmas' in blue and embossed it with clear powder.

I tried this piercing technique
around the paper edges,
it's the first time I've done it, so it's not very neat,
but I kind of like the way it looks.

I hope you'll join in the challenge this week - don't forget you have the chance to win a £10 voucher to spend at Crafty Emma's Store (not inc. P&P) and she has some lovely new papers available to pre-order right now.

Challenges -

Fussy & Fancy - Christmas In July

Crafty Creations - Christmas In July

Supplies from Crafty Emma's

6 x 6 Card Blank,  

Catslife Press Stamp    

Pearls

Pearl Ribbon Slider

plus... DP - Free in Simply Homemade Magazine.

Digi Stamp - Sassy Studios, Baby It's Cold Outside

Glossy Accents, Stickles Glitter, Ribbon,

'Wish' - Making Memories Velvet Sayings.

Spread A Little Sparkle.

Hello everyone,

this week at Totally Papercrafts we want you to put a little sparkle back into your crafting.

Our lovely teamie Anne has chosen then theme of

Bling It Up

So get out your glitters, pearls, beads and shimmer
and come and join us.

Ok - I admit my 'bling' is a little on the subtle side, but it is there :-)

I used a glue pen on parts of the background paper and scattered it with fine red glitter.

Flowers are really not my thing. I never know how to group them or how many to add, or where to put them, so, can you believe I made these little felt blooms MYSELF!     :-)

I used a small scalloped nestie to cut the felt and  cut a spiral into it.

Then I rolled it up, starting on the inside.

I did have trouble with glue, everything I used just soaked into the felt and didn't stick.

So, if anyone knows what would work please let me know.

I ended up putting a few little stitches in, to hold the bloom in place.

 Don't forget to visit my teamies on the challenge blog and check out their fabulous work.

This week we have two great sponsors - Simon Says Stamp and the StampFairy.

Challenges -
Cupcake Craft - Shabby Sparkle. Not sure this qualifies, as I haven't distressed the papers, but I thought the vintage style script and lace gave it that shabby feel. If not, just delete it cupcakes - no worries! :-)
Paper Shelter - Anything Goes
Top Tip - Make It Girlie

Party Time - Anything Goes

Supplies 

DP - Prima, Madeline.    Fine Red Glitter

'Enjoy your day' stamp - Wild Rose Studios, Girly Greetings.

Ribbon, Lace and felt from my stash.

Adhesive Pearls

XCut Botanical Leaf Punch.

Cute as a kitten

I was all set for a day of crafting today -  

until Annabel arrived with pics of her new playmates,

and insisting on a trip around the local pet stores!!

These kittys now have more toys, 

food and treats than your average 2 year old!!

Everybody say ahhhhhhhhh...

I feel the need, the need for speed!

My BIL loves his motorbike, 

so I am always on the look out for images for his cards.

This one from the Graphics Fairy caught my eye, I think he will love it.

I printed the image out, layered it up, and followed Uma's great sketch over at Sketch & Stamp.
I stamped the bunting, cut it out and paper-pieced it. Then I just added a few brads and the sentiment.
Nice and easy, and I think the slightly grungy style paper goes well with the vintage image.

Challenges - 

Sunday Sketch & Stamp - Uma's Sketch

Party Time Tuesdays - Anything Goes

Allsorts - Free 'n' Easy

Make It Monday - Linky Party

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Supplies - 

Digi Image from The Graphics Fairy

DP - Basic Grey, Oliver

Sentiment - Craftwork Cards

Sweet Sugar Mountains

The best thing about my foray into homemade ice-cream - other than eating it :-)  - is the the fact that I find myself with a bowl of egg whites -

and egg whites = MERINGUES !!

Meringues are the perfect summer dessert - imagine these little beauties crumbled into thick whipped cream and ripe strawberries, or sandwiched together with dark chocolate ganache!!

And don't be put off by people telling you they are difficult to make -give them a try - and let me know how you get on.

Live. Love. Laugh.

Are you up for a giggle?   This week at CES we want you to make us laugh.

The challenge theme is...

Humorous / Funny

Check out the brilliant work from my teamies over on the challenge blog

(make sure you put your coffee down first!)

Here's Mary,  my Bovine Beauty, from Karen's Doodles (hubby says she's more of a Gertrude, but I don't see it!) :-)  

Mary is paper-pieced, coloured with Copics, with glossy accents on her nose.

The DPs are Prima, Sweet Fairy. 

I LOVE Prima papers - check out the amazing new designs available to pre-order at Crafty Emma's  (at 20% off the RRP).
Emma also has a Summer Clearance Sale, so grab yourself a bargain, or 2 !

Make sure you enter the challenge, to be in with a chance of winning a fab £10 voucher to spend at Crafty Emma's (p&p not included).

Supplies

Digi Stamp - Bovine Beauty from Karen's Doodles.
DP - Prima, Sweet Fairy.
Text made on my comp and punched with a McGills Ticket Punch.
Martha Stewart Border Punch.
!00% Girl Die Cut from KaiserCraft La Di Da

Boys will be Boys

Well, it's clear to see you really love your 'girly' cards - 

the Totally Papercrafts entries last week were fabulous. 

So, you can guess what's coming this week, can't you?

Our lovely host is Mel and, yep, the theme is...

One For The Boys

I'm really happy with my Copic colouring on this little boy - once a flood it just seems to come together!

Once he was coloured I thought to myself,  'what would this little guy have in his pockets?'

and, amongst a plastic dinosaur, a block of lego and a half eaten jammie dodger, I decided he would have an old ticket, an odd button and a piece of string. So, those were the things I used as embellies!

Challenges - 

Sweet Stampin - One for the Boys

Die Cut Dreams - Animal Antics

Supplies.

Digi Stamp - Mo's Digital Pencil, Tolerance.

DP - Basic Grey, Oliver

Tim Holtz Ticket.    Craftwork Cards Sentiment.   

Brads, button and string from my stash.

Go Green...

Today I have spent the day crafting, when really I should have been getting on with some housework.

I will just have time, after posting this, to rush round with the hoover and spray some furniture polish about - make hubby think I have been busy!!

This is for my SIL's birthday next week - I hope she likes bright!!
The background is a single piece of Kaisercraft DP, that I didn't want to cover up too much. Luckily there was an area of white space where I could place my circle and image.

When I have a large area, like this Diva's dress, I usually resort to paper piecing ('cos I don't trust my colouring skills) but I got the Copics out for this one and I'm really pleased with the way it turned out.

Challenges - 

Ladybug Crafts Ink -  Summer Birthdays (you have until the end of July to enter)

The Paper Shelter - The Colour Green

Aud Sentiments - Use the sentiment 'enjoy your day' or any other sentiment to make someone smile.

Supplies - 

Stamp - Kanban Diva, Let's Go Shopping.

DP - Kaisercraft, La Di Da

Sentiment Stamp - Wild Rose Studio, Girly Greetings

Necklace - Liquid Pearls, White Opal

Ribbon from my stash

Always and Forever

 It's my Anniversary today - hubby and I have been married for 26 years.

"What's that?" he asked  "glass, tin, copper???"

"No, it's My Mind's Eye Paper" I said, but he didn't fall for it

;-)

I made this picture board to stand on the table tonight,

as we eat a celebration meal that, right now, I am slaving over!!

I started with the plastic stand below, which was in a perfume box set

that someone got for Christmas.

I have a nice collection of odd boxes and packages all ready to upcycle!

The first thing I did with this was to cover the plastic with some 'kraft'

style card.

Then I cut a piece of cream card,

slightly smaller,

and inked and distressed the edges.

This formed the base for my

collage.

I inked and distressed a couple of sheets of Prima Botanical DP, and added them, along with some cream lace, pearls, blooms,  and a heart.

Look at me?

Can you tell, that even back then I wasn't a girly girl?

No amount of persuading could get me into a meringue with a flowing train!

Shoes - now they are another matter altogether. I LOVED these white, satin heels.

I digress ;-)   The frame - this was made by cutting up an old soap powder box and wrapping it with gardener's twine. You need the cardboard to be quite stiff to withstand all that wrapping!

I love this twine, the cheaper the better, so you get the lovely whispy bits.

I'm seriously thinking about using it, in some way, to tie up my Christmas presents this year.

Finally, I added a cream bow with a silver, glitter heart.

I made the 'Love' ticket on my comp and punched it with a McGills Ticket Punch.

I did stamp 'Amour' just above my bow,

but it got covered up when I added the key charm on a piece of twine.

 I think there's just room for me to go back and stamp it again, a little higher.

Challenges

Make It Monday -  Linky Party

Allsorts - Free & Easy

Supplies

DP - Prima Botanical.       Pearls, blooms, stickles glitter, cream ruffled ribbon, cream lace.

Gardener's Twine.             Key Charm.        McGills Ticket Punch.

'Amour' stamp from the Penny Black J'aime Paris set.

Dovecraft 2" Scalloped heart punch.

Xcut  Botanicals leaf punch

Bling it on

Over at House Mouse & Friends they are celebrating their 100th Challenge. If you enter a card and follow the Blog Hop there are some incredible prizes up for grabs. The theme is  Buttons, Bows & Bling.
What a great excuse to get out all my glitters  :-)

I used this cute 'Tis the Season stamp (thanks Lols xxx), coloured with Copics and sprinkled liberally with glitter. If anyone has any tips for photographing glitter, please share... IRL this is much more sparkly. 

I've also chalked the background in blue, but that doesn't show up real well either.

Challenges.

House Mouse & Friends - Buttons, Bows & Bling + Blog Hop

Papertake - Getting Cute. (I think this has the awww factor!)

Cupcake - Wish upon a Star

Paper Sundaes - Christmas in July

Stamptacular - Animal Antics

2 Sisters - Christmas in July

Supplies - 

House Mouse 'Tis the Season Stamp

DP - Memory Box Mistletoe and Daisy & Dandelion A Winter's Tale.

Art Institute fine silver glitter.   Ultra fine crystal glitter.

Catslife Press Merry Christmas Stamp

Martha Stewart lace border punch

Ribbon and buttons from my stash.

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Going in circles

Here's my entry for this week's LIM challenge, where the theme is Circles.

Quite appropriate really, as I find myself going round and round in circles these days.

This was another tough challenge and you wouldn't believe the number of circles I ended up with :-) 
Just three made it onto my card though.

The DP is Kaiser Craft, La Di Da and some of the papers have that gorgeous embossing on them. The scalloped strip is a die cut from the same paper pad.

Sentiment is Wild Rose Studio - Girly Greetings.  You can get this, and other goodies at Crafty Emma's sale.
Cupcake is from the Simon Says, Savour Sweet Cupcakes stamp set.
Flower is an Xcut punch