Basic Grey Mixing it Up and CES Challenges Holiday

Hasn't Blogger been a bad boy for the last couple of days (definitely male!!), but seems to behaving himself now which is just as well as I have a double post for today with my cards for Basic Grey and CES Challenges.

First up is my  Basic Grey card  and the theme for this week is Mix and Match.  There are so many lovely collections by Basic Grey that don't just have to be used as a collection but actually mix rather nicely with each other too.

I've made an easel card, using Lime Ricky and Granola 12x12 papers, and Boxer and Wisteria 6x6 pads.  The image is a new Simply Sassy from Sugar Nellie (have just ordered a couple of the new releases too!) and I'v coloured her with my Promarkers and Copics.  The flowers I've cut from the 12x12 Granola page - I rather like them like this - and threaded them with Bakers Twine.

The corners can be found at Wild Orchid Crafts and the butterflies are punched with Martha Stewart and Woodware punches.  The sentiment frame is by Waltzing Mouse and cut with Nesties.

My lovely teamies at Basic Grey have got some gorgeous cards to show you - I'm sure you'll be inspired and want to mix up those Basic Grey papers or other Basic Grey goodies that you have in your stash.  Don't forget that our regular sponsor, Simon Says, is also offering a fab $25  voucher to spend with them and it could be you!!

On to our challenge at CES Challenges and this week it was my turn to set the theme!  It's my gorgeous daughter, Holly's 23rd birthday today so in celebration of that I've chosen the theme of Holidays!!  Happy Birthday Lovely!!

I've used a very neglected image that I'm not even sure if I've ever inked up - this lovely Anya image which I've coloured with my Promarkers.

I've used First Edition Up Up and Away papers, from Emma's store here.  The flowers, (apart from my homemade one), buttons, dew drops and Baker's Twine are also from Emma's store.  The little basket was a purchase from the NEC last year and I used a small piece of gingham fabric for the napkin.  The shells are from the beach

Hope you like the theme and hope you'll join in the challenge.  Need to wrap a few presents now and write my daughter's card - I'll show you this another day!

Sketch N Stash Monday - Challenge No 61.

 Morning, hope you're not feeling too blue this Monday morning!  Back to full weeks of work after lots of short weeks here in the UK because of Bank Holidays - still only a couple of weeks till the next one, oooh and I am off to Italy with my lovely friends- girls only!!

 It's time for another sketch at Sketch N Stash which has been designed by our fabby Danielle.

I've used a Simply Sassy image, Bella Bunting, for rmy card, coloured with Promarkers and then layered up with First Edition Spring Feast papers.  I stamped the edge of the image with a small flourish stamp to match the colours in the papers. This was my old bit of stash, along with the ribbon braid!  The leaves are a Crealie die which I have been longing for and finally managed to snag one at Joanna Sheen before they sold out again!

The flower is homemade using the Crinoline fabric  which I spritzed with Pink Bubblegum Glimmer Mist and the little tags are an EK Success punch.

Our sponsor this week is Simon Says Stamps, so hope you can join us and get the chance to win a fabby prize from them!

As always, the lovely ladies at Sketch N Stash have some wonderful cards to share with you so hope you get a chance to check them out!



What's your Fave Colour Combo-show us at CES!

Hi peeps!! This is my card for the latest challenge at CES Challenges which has been chosen by our lovely Amy, and it's to use your favourite colour combo!  Well, mine changes with the weather but  I do tend to love anything that has pink in it, so today it's Pink and Brown.

I've used this wonderful Fizzy Moon stamp which comes with all the teeny sentiments - love it!!  The papers are Pink Paisley Sweetness and Prima Jack and Jill.  The stamp, papers,  and some of the flowers are all available to purchase at Emma's store here.  Oh and the velvet ribbon which is in a Fancy Wraps set is from Emma's too.

The frame is cut with a nestie die and I've layered the image behind it for a change. The button, lace and pearls are from my stash 

Love to see what your favourite colour combos are, I'm sure I shall wish I'd used them!!  The lovely ladies on the CES DT have all chosen some scrummy combos so check those out too! Oh and don't forget to look to see who won last week's voucher to spend in Emmas's store - it could be you. lucky thing!!

Have a great weekend, whatever you're doing - wonder if we'll be lucky here in the UK and have another weekend of wonderful sunshine - 3 weekends in a row might be expecting a bit too much!!

Colour Create New challenge

 Another fortnight bites the dust and our next challenge at Colour Create rolls around!!

This fortnight's challenge has been set by one of our fabulous new teamies, Kerry and she has chosen this picture to get your creative juices flowing.

What a fab room!  So, your colour palette is Aqua, Green, Purple and White with the optional extra of glitter.

This adorable Tatty Button image - don't you just love that name - was part of my Mother's day present from my girlies.  I've coloured her with Promarkers and Copics and then die cut the tag shape using a Go Create set of dies.  My papers are Basic Grey Wisteria and the dragon fly die is by Paper Artsy.  I've glittered this but it's not really showing up in my pic.

I've made the flower myself, having purchased some Crinoline fabric from Linda aka The Funkie Junkie who sources this material in the US and very kindly ships it over (and provides great personal service to boot).  I've not seen it here in the UK but it makes these fabbie flowers just by  cutting (with the Tim Holtz Tattered Flowers die )layering and colouring.  I followed Linda's great tutorial on her site for colouring and assembling the layers but it really is very straightforward  - I don't do anything that's gonna take ages to make, I need instant gratification!!

I've also used a Martha Stewart punch for middle strip and a Stampin Up punch for the three little flowers.

Of course, the wonderful girlies have made some gorgous samples to share with you so don't forget to to take a peek on the Colour Create blog.  I do hope you will also be able to join in the challenge with us and be in with a chance of winning a $10

voucher to be spent  in the store with our regular sponsor, Michelle's Scrapbooking.

That's all for now, folks.

Basic Grey and CES challenges do Lili of The Valley!

Did you enjoy watching the Royal Wedding yesterday?  We did, thought everything about it was wonderful and an extra day off work too!! 

For my cards today, I'm continuing with the romance theme and have made two engagement cards that I needed to make, both using these luvverly LOTV images.

My first card is for the next challenge at CES challenges and our wonderful Vicky has chosen this gorgeous piccie to use as inspiration:

Isn't that a gorgeous room!

I've coloured the image with Promarkers and  Copics and just paper-pieced the parcel she is sitting on with a piece from the Webster's Pages set (Spring/Yacht/Country) that I have used for the rest of the card. Yet more Webster's that are to die for and can be bought at Emma's on line store here.

I said you'd be seeing some more of these ribbon roses!  Here I've made them with white seam binding that I've coloured with my promarkers to tone in with the papers - so easy!!  The leaves were made from a Marianne Poinsetta die that I cut into individual petals as they look just like leaves.

The sentiment is from LOTV, the bracket punch is from EK success and the dies are Nesties. 

As always, Emma is offering a £10 gift voucher to spend in her store so hope you can join us this week.  Also check out the awesome cards made by my teamies at CES Challenges- wow!!

 

The next card is for the new challenge over at Basic Grey challenges which has been set by the fabbie Sandie and she wants to see Charms on your card.



I've used another little LOTV image - these are just so sweet, coloured with Promarkers and Copics, and then layered up with a new Flourish Nestie and then onto this lush paper from the Curio 6x6 pad. 

I didn't want to do much more than that as it would hide this gorgeous paper so just used this little heart connector charm (from Crafty Emma's, as are the gems). More ribbon flowers and that was it!!

Our regular sponsor at Basic Grey is offering the great prize of a $25 voucher to spend with them, and that of course is Simon Says:



Don't forget that you have to use a Basic Grey product to join in with the challenge (and remember to point it out to us!).  Those awesome girls on BG Challenges have got  some fabulous cards to share with you so don't forget to check them out.

I'm entering both cards into the current Lili of the Valley Challenge which is Love is in the Air.

That's all from me for now, the sun is shining here, hope it is where you are and that you have a fab day!

A new card, a dead newt and three stitches!!!

This is the card I was making yesterday afternoon, when Holly came rushing up the stairs calling me to come out into the garden pronto!!  Got out there to see hubby standing there covered in pondweed with blood pouring down his face!!  Apparently he'd been playing tennis with Holly and her cousins when he overreached backwards to get the ball and fell in the pond!!!  So it meant a trip up to A&E where he was very proud to get his first ever stitches at the age of 50!!  He then came home and finished off some grouting in his mum's bathroom!!  What a trouper eh!!  Sadly, we think the shock caused one of our newts to die!!  Holly got all excited as she thought she had given it the kiss of life and revived it but then realised it was it's mate looking all folorn!!  We're never short of excitement in our house!!

Anyway back to my card, which I've now finished!

I sneaked a stamp of this gorgeous little Hanglar from matey Lesley when I went to play on Saturday!  LOVED colouring her!!  Followed the sketch over on Just Magnolia as drawn by my wonderful matey, Dena - great sketch Mrs C!!

Tried to take a few arty shots of my card in the garden but struggled with shadow etc - I am no photographer!! 

My papers are from a DCWV 12x12 pad, Vintage Blue.

A little bit of lilac from the garden laid artfully in front and voila!!



Sketch N Stash challenge no 60 - pick a Sketch time!

Hello - Mrs Lazy Bones here, on Bank Holiday timing so still in my dressing gown.  Nice to think  it's a three day week at work and then another four days off - thanks Will and Kate!!

Back to the task at hand and our latest challenge at Sketch N Stash - and it's pick any one of the sketches from the last 60!!  It was lovely for me, not having been on the team very long, to go back and pick from all the fab layouts.  I also noted a few others to use when I need  one.   By the way, I loved all your cards using my sketch last week - thanks so much for using it and playing along with us!

For my card for this week, I chose sketch number 21,  as below, but rotated it to better suit my image.

I used this darling little image from Whiff of Joy and then layered her up with Daisy Bucket and Stampin Up papers are my 'had for ages' stash.  The tag die that she is cut out from is a new die set, I think from Go Kreate, that I bought at Ally Pally a couple of weeks ago.  I've also made a ribbon flower - which was a first for me, sure you'll be seeing a lot more of these as it was so easy to do!! 

Finally a pic from the side - have to confess to not being entirely happy with this card - I think it's because the image is a bit overpowered by the big flower and ribbon.

 Do go and take a look at the makes that my fabby teamies at Sketch N Stash have made- they've done themselves proud, (as always!).  We also have a great prize - this yummy Joanna Sheen stamp, so pick a sketch from our great selection and come and play with us!! 

 

 Catch you later!

Happy Spring, Happy Easter.

Wow, wasn't it the most gorgeous day here in the UK yesterday!!  We managed to get our three to come out for a walk (with the promise of a pub lunch afterwards!), and we went to the Banstead Blubell woods - fabulous!!  Even saw a deer casually stroll across the path in front of us - just like mine in my card today!  Hope you're enjoying the Easter break whatever you're up to - just make the most of this glorious early sunshine!!

We're celebrating Spring this week at CES challenges, the theme as chosen by our wonderful Sue on the DT.  We want to see a springlike theme to your card or an image that reflects Springtime.  Emma is offering a £10 gift voucher as the prize this week ( ex P&P) and she also has a 10% off Easter sale this weekend - so pop on over to the store to grab your 10% and perhaps choose what you'd like if you win!!

I decided to go with watercolouring this week and used a mixture of my distress inks and Aquamarkers to colour my image!  Still need to practise watercolouring as it's a little messy but think that may be ok as the whole feel is a bit soft and blurry round the edges with these fabulous Prima Flora papers!  Most of the stuff I've used is from Emma's store - the WOJ image, Papers, Daisy Flowers, charm, card candy and Baker's Twine!!

I didn't have the right shade in my stash of seam binding for the ruffled strip that I've used so coloured up a piece of white with my Promarkers!  May only buy white from now on as this was so easy!!!

I'm joining in with the Whiff of Joy challenge which has a recipe of 3 buttons, 2 papers and one ribbon.  Hope my papers count as two - although they are both from the Prima Flora pad they are two separate designs.

I'm off to spend a day at matey, Lesley's for a day of card making so I'd better get my self dressed and decide what goodies I'm going to take to play with (although Lesley has just about everything I could wish for!!). 

Have a wonderful day yourselves.