Sketch N Stash Challenge No 72

Hi there!  Well I've had a lovely few days off work, and sadly, it's time go back. First though, it's time to share with you my card for the latest challenge at Sketch N Stash, with a great sketch by our fabbie Angie:

I've used this sweet nutcracker image from Kraftin Kimmie. I've coloured with my Promarkers and Flexmarkers and used some gorgeous new Xmas papers that I've just received from Crafty Emma's store. I think they're Echo Park Season's Greetings but do you know, I can't quite remember and I'm too lazy to go and check!! The sentiment is from Cat's Life Press, also from Emma's, and the rest of the bits and bobs are from stash. 

Our sponsor for this fortnight's challenge is Simon Says Stamps and they're giving away a $15 dollar voucher to one lucky entrant!!

 

Hope you play along with us and hope to see some fabbie entrants over the next couple of weeks!!

Thanks so much for popping in, very much appreciated!!

CES Challenges - Seeing Red and sorry I'm late!!

Hi everyone, sorry I'm so late posting my card for the latest challenge at CES challenges.  I've been away for a couple of days, first to my fabby matey's, Lesley for a day of crafting and general frivolity ( and treated to a meal out too!) and then today we drove down to Burgess Hill for a visit to The Glitter Pot and another fantastic day of crafting with another fabby friend, Alex!  Just got back and can't tell you how much I enjoyed it!!

I had meant to schedule  this before I left yesterday morning, but had an unexpected visit to the Dr's with my lovely Em, who it turns out has got shingles!!   A reactivation of the chicken pox virus caused by her stressing out about all her A level school work!  Quite common in youngsters of her age apparently, I always thought is was an older person's disease.  Luckily, she could carry on as usual, as it's a very mild case and not contagious. 

Anyway, back to the point, and this week at CES Challenges, the theme is

Seeing Red

as set by our wonderful Jenny.  Yep, anything you like as long as it's mainly red! 

I've gone with this gorgeous Santa Sassy from Funky Kits, and matched her with Basic Grey Nordic Holiday Papers from Emma's Online Store. The scalloped edge card blank is from a mixed set of edged cards that Emma stocks, and the little rhinestones at the centre of the snowflakes are also from Emma's.  The snow flakes are the left overs from a MS border punch! The felt snowflake braid at the bottom is from Marks and Spencer would you believe from their gift wrap selection!!

My lovely DT buddies at Crafty Emma's have made some wonderful cards to share, so do take a peek- hope you'll be inspired enough to play along with us and give yourself a chance of winning a yummy £10 voucher to spend in Crafty Emma's  Online Store ( excluding postage).

Right, just off to unpack, then will try and pop round to see what I've missed over the last few days!!

Colour Create - Lilac, Grey and White MMmmmm!!

Morning - Happy Thursday to me!!  I've got two days off work, having an MOT today on myself!  Haircut, pedicure and then rushing around doing a few bits of shopping!! 

First job of the day though is to share with you my card for our new challenge at Colour Create with a wonderful colour scheme chosen by our fabulous Mina:

Lilac, Grey and White

(with the optional extra of snowflakes)

Not a normal colour combo for me but I love it and think it's perfect for frosty winter scenes and crimbo cards.  I've used this beautiful fairy from Mos Digital Pencil, Teen Fairy Pia which you can find here. Coloured with my PMs and the new FlexMarkers - love them and cannot wait to get my hands on the whole set of colours!!! 

The border is punched with an MS round the page set (and the cut out means you get loads of little snowflakes to keep for later projects!).  You may also just make out that I've embossed the white mat with a snowflake design - it'a  Tando Mask and great for embossing too.  The snowflakes embellies are cut with a Marianne design set, in acetate and then dipped in Twinklets glass glitter.  Rest of the stuff is stash that has no name!!! 

Our fabulous and regular sponsor, Michelle's Scrapbooking, is with us this fortnight so you could win something yummy from her selection.

I shall look forward to seeing your gorgeous makes over the next couple of weeks - oh and don't forget to check out the beautiful cards here from my DT mateys- fab cards!!

Off to be Mum's Taxi service now, so have a good day and see you later!

PFP Challenge - Altered something and funny looks from work again!!

Time for a new challenge at PFP Challenges and this week the theme is Altered But Not Square as chosen by our wonderful Anja.  Well I'm not normally one for altering much, but as luck would have it, I had purloined this biscuit cannister (Tescos, I believe) from work when someone brought in some holiday treats!!  I got the usual odd looks but that didn't stop me - hey half the work was done already with the gorgeous swirly patterned paper already in situ!!

The image is from Funky Kits, one of the gorgeous Simply Sassy girls, and I've gone for a Steampunk(ish) feel with my embellies.  The arches are the Tim Holtz clock die, and the Dream  die is also from Sir T of H! The netting is cotton scrim and the flower which you may just see below is handmade from scraps.  Just added a little bunch of keys charm and that was it - thought I could have used more embellies but I like it as it is! 

The fabulous Joanna Sheen is sponsoring us this week, to the tune of a £10 voucher to spend in her store ( and she doesn't charge postage - gotta love her, and I've always found her service to be flawless!)

Look forward to seeing some wonderful objects transformed into works of art!! My lovely teamies at PFP have made some gorgeous creations if you'd like to pop on over for a peek here!

White Rabbits and Double DT day for Basic Grey and CES Challenges- two cards though!!

Hello peeps - Have you said White Rabbits this morning, now it's the 1st of the month?  October 1st - can you believe it - and it's been glorious here in London!!  Hardly the sort of weather for my first card which is for our new challenge at Basic Grey Challenges  where our theme is Nursery Rhymes or Fairy Tales.  I've gone with Hanzel and Gretel although it could also be the Gingerbread Man!  And of course Christmas themed!! 

 My card is made with  another fantastic image from Mo Manning. Witches Trick which you can find here.  Can't tell you how much I love her, so great to colour!! 

I cut out the Gingerbread man shaped card with the Tim Holtz die that I got last year - just missing the edge so that the arms joined up!  The flower is made with my Basic Grey item - again the Nordic Holidays 6x6 pad, another big fave of mine at the minute. ( Purchased from Crafty Emma's Online store!!)

I've then dabbed the edges with Snowcap TH  acrylic dabber for the snowy effect The only thing I'm not so happy with is his face - made out of Card Candy - any suggestions? 

There are so many wonderful images out there for this theme and the DT team over at Basic Grey Challenges have done themselves proud with the cards!!  Do take a look!

If you want to play along, as usual we are being sponsored by Simon Says stamps,  and you could win a $25 dollar voucher to spend in the on-line store!

I'm entering this card into the Simon Says Challenge whose theme is Anything Goes this time around.

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CES Challenge - Gorgeous Girls!!

This is my card for this week's theme at CES Challenges ( well, I don't think the warty witch above quite fit the bill  for this challenge, do you!!)

For my card, I've used this oh-so-gorgeous image from Crafts and Me!!  I've matched her up with these awesome My Mind's Eye Papers - A Beautiful Life, purchased from Crafty Emmas On line Store, along with the 6x6 card blanks, flowers and leaves, pins, pearls and dew drops, and the wooden buttons!!

The frame was cut with the Fiskars Rose Border and corner punch and the lace is a bit of vintage that I had in my stash! All the mats and image were distressed with TH inks - Vintage Photo, mostly.

Crafty Emma's store is of course our regular sponsor and you could win a fabby £10 voucher to spend with her  - and she has 20% off nearly everything at the moment - bargain!!

I'm entering this card into the Crafts and Me challenge where the  theme is Flowers!

Have fun with the challenges, make the most of the weather and I'll see you soon!! 

Whiff of Joy - Sparkle and Swirls - Challenge 114

This is my card for our new challenge at Whiff of Joy Challenges for the next fortnight and we have a theme for you this time - Sparkle and Swirls, easy peasy!! Ive used one of the beautiful new Fairy tale inspired images, Snow White. together with the Rose Trellis.  Think you can see my sparkle roses quite well in the above Pic!

My papers are Prima Pixie Glen, the flower is TH Tattered florals, and the swirl is a Sizzix die, also from the TH range I think.  I've threaded a leaf vine through my fence, both MS punches, and the sentiment is Stampin Up.  And can you see the rose trellis border on the matting - this is the 2 in 1 border punch from Fiskars - so in love with it, it's so easy to use!!

Do hope you can play along with us - it's the perfect theme for those Xmas cards if you need to get started.  Don't forget you just need to use a Whiff of Joy image or die to be eligible for our prize draw.  Check out the awesome makes from my teamies at WOJ - fabulous!!!

Passion For Promarkers - Planes, Trains and Automobiles

Hello again - only me!  A bit of a change of style for me today, and not sure what to think!  Anyhoo, we have a theme of Planes, Trains and Automobiles at PFP, as chosen by my fabbie teamie Tracy. I had thought to make a Magnolia image car, using the cute little Magnolia car which has somehow found it's way into my stash!  Then I remembered I needed to make a card for my BIL and I don't think Tilda would go down too well with him.  The car stamp is quite appropriate though as he has a vintage sports car that he's doing/done up so I've coloured the car here in the same colours!  Wanted it to look a bit grungy just not sure if I 've fully acheived it!  The papers are Basic Grey Wander which I like but it overall it doesn't really  thrill me! 

My gorgeous teamies at PFP have done far better than me and having some stunning cards to show you so try and hop over to the PFP Challenge blog and even play along with us if you can!  We're being sponsored by the fabulous Letraset this week, so what more incentive do you need!



Sketch N Stash Monday Challenge

 Bleugh - I do hate Monday morning!  Such a busy weekend too that I don't feel that rested!  Wonderful wedding on Saturday and yesterday was OH's birthday and we  went out to lunch with our three lovelies!   But busy, you know, which means no time for card making! 

Anyway, it's time for a new challenge at Sketch N Stash and this week's sketch has been designed by our fabbie Danielle.

I used the sketch for Nick's birthday card - he's quite a film fanatic, hence the theme!

The image is Susie Stocking from Saturated Canary and the image I won as my suggestion for her name was chosen!!  I think it looks like she's looking rather wistfully up at the old Movie Stars in the backing papers!!I'd bought these gorgeoue Graphic 45 Curtain Call papers from Sandown last week with this card in mind so hence her monochromatic -ish colouring her!!  I've tried before to colour black hair like this and this is the first time that I've come anywhere near to feeling happy with it!  Practise, practise, practise!! The large film strip was cut with a Tim Holtz die, and the acetate film strip and ticket sentiments are also TH. These last two are my items that have been in my stash for more than 6 months.

We're being sponsored at SNS this challenge by Meljen Designs and there are four digi images up for grabs!!

 

Hope you can join in the challenge this coming fortnight and hope your Monday is bearable!! 

CES Recycling!!!

Saturday greetings!!  I won't be about much over the weekend - have a wedding today, and the weather is looking good!!  Tomorrow, is hubby's birthday and I think we're going out for lunch with Harry coming home from Uni - he can't resist a free lunch!

It's time for a new challenge over at CES Challenges and our fabby Sheena has chosen the theme of recycling! ( We've just got new food leftover recycling bins today so very topical in our house!).

I'm not very creative when it comes to recycling and you may look at my card and wonder what on earth looks reused, so I've taken a pic to prove that there is something recycled - old file dividers from work that were going to be thrown away ( well, I think they recylce them there too) and so I asked if I could bring them home!! 

They do give me some strange looks when I talk about my hobby! Bloggy friends, DTs, Challenges - they think I've lost the plot!!

So hopefully you can see the file matting!! 

This is a LOTV from last Christmas- so cute- coloured with PMs and the patterned paper is Webster's page - Home for the Holidays. These are from Crafty Emma's, along with the Card Candy, Ribbon, Cat's Life Press Winter stamp, and Rhinestone Flatbacked Gems in the centre of the punched snowflakes.

 I've heat embossed the Marianne tree shapes with holographic power so they look a bit sparkly. 

Really quite a simple card to make, but I really like the little scene and will probably do a few more Christmas cards like this, IF I can find some time!!

My lovely buddies over on CES Challenges have been far more inventive than me in the recyled items that they've used so do go and have a nosy on the challenge blog!  I shall also look forward to see what you manage to recycle on your cards!!  There's a £10 voucher up for grabs for the lucky winner to spend in Crafty Emma's On line store so get recycling!!

I'm entering my card into the Lili Of The Valley Challenge which has a theme of Aqua, White and Glitter.

Colour Create Challenge No 80 - Lime, Aqua and White

So lovely to think it's Thursday already, nearly the weekend.  The other thing about Thursdays means it's time for our new challenge at Colour Create with this wonderful colour mix being chosen by my fabbie teamie, Sharon L.

When I chose this wonderful image, Winifred, by Mo Manning, I'd had in mind to add to my Christmas card count and make a card all frosty and crispy!!  However, I came across these gorgeous WRMK papers, Vintage Blue, when I was trying to decide what papers to use and thought they were a match made in heaven with the inspiration photo.   

So, I'm not really too sure if Winifred, as a wintery sort of image, goes with these more springlike papers, what do you think?  I still like the overall card though, which is the main thing, I suppose.  The corner ribbon slot die cut and ribbon are new purchases from Sandown at the weekend, I did enjoy it!! The butterfly is an MS punch, and is also the optional extra that Sharon has chosen for the challenge this fortnight.

My lovely teamies at Colour Create have made some yummy cards for the challenge, so pop on over and take a peek.  Oh, and we have a little DT call going out this week, so if you think you'd like to join our happy little band of colour fanatics, why not apply!!

See  you over the next fortnight!