CUTTLEBUG CHALLENGE #12

Hello Everyone, It's Wednesday again so that means it's time for Cuttlebug Challenge, and this week we are 'sanding' the embossing!
With the introduction of Core'dinations colour core cardstock, and other similar products, this is an easy and effective thing to do with your embossed pieces. It also works with any cardstock that has a white core too, and that's what i've used for my card today :)

All papers are from my Basic Grey 6 x 6 pad 'Urban Prairie' and as i am sure you are aware BG papers are very high quality, more like thin card......and have a white core, so are perfect for sanding once embossed!
The chipboard Butterfly is from the UP collection as well, and i've also used some of my American Crafts velvet ric-rac and some Kanban 'bling'.
My card base is A6, cut from a piece of 12 x 12 as i wanted the fold at the top!

This is the last CB challenge of 2008.......so why not join in with this easy one this week, and we'll see you all in 2009!! for more fab challenges :).......... 'HAPPY NEW YEAR' and may it be a safe and healthy one for you all ;-D

Hugs
Carol x

HOUSE MOUSE & FRIENDS Monday Challenge

It's been quite a while since i joined in with a challenge over at House Mouse & Friends......same old story..........not enough time, which i'm sure most of you can relate to!! However......with a little more time than usual this week, as i don't have to return to work until Friday(!) and most of the fab challenge sites have extended their timings as well, so it all helps :)
This gorgeous image is called 'Making a Wish' and with the amount of effort that little guy is putting in to blow out the candle i sure hope he gets what he wished for!!

The requirement for challenge #19 is embossing, so i decided to use my 'Happy Birthday' Cuttlebug folder which i've also sanded to show the white core. The papers are Basic Grey 'Urban Prairie' from the 6 x 6 pad. I also used my Nesties Labels 2, to cut the mats from DCWV cardstock and my corner rounder punch with the wings removed to make the scallops. The velvet ric-rac is American Crafts from my bumper box of 54 rolls(another fab Chrissie present, from my fab husband!)Chipboard button ribbon and twine from my stash :)
...................................................my other fetish.........ribbons.......lush!!!! ;-D

Thanks for popping in today......see you tomorrow for Cuttlebug challenge! :)

Hugs
Carol x

SKETCH SATURDAY Week #31 'Your Choice'

After having a little play around with my new 'Bittersweet' goodies, i decided to see if i could find a challenge to play along with and found that Sketch Saturday had a suprise for us!..........So.....as my stuff was still spread out on the table.........i came up with this one!

My design for this A6 card is based on Sketch #28 by Mariska Dec 6th.

I've used some more scrumptious papers from the'Bittersweet' 6 x 6 pad, along with an Olio rub-on and some glazed brads. The chipboard ovals are Maya Road, covered with some more of the papers.The Thank You rub-on is also BG from a Wholy Cow set, and the ribbon is from my stash.

Thanks to Jo for the suprise, and thanks to you for your visit today.......see you soon ;-D

Hugs
Carol x

BITTERSWEET GIFT!

Well that's Christmas done & dusted for another year! We had a wonderful time with the family,short but very sweet :) They are all so busy these days, but thankfully still want to come to Mum & Dad's for Christmas, which actually means a lot more to me than any other gift!

However........one of my most favourite things that i found in my stocking, was this little lot ;-D
Thanks Rhianna..........i LOVE it!!!!

The latest collection from my beloved Basic Grey.....'Bittersweet'.......it's like falling into a big pile of chocolate and candyfloss! Yummy!!!!

I was so eager to get started with this yummy collection, and as soon as my gorgeous lot had all gone home with happy hearts and full tummies.............out came the stash!
All papers and rub-on from the collection, along with some bits & bobs from my stash. The chipboard heart frame was a gift with an order from a few weeks back. The pom-pom trim and netting is Bazzill,and the heart pin is Fancy Pants. Card base is A6.

Off now to see if i can find a challenge or two! Thanks for popping in today......

Hugs
Carol x

FUNKY HAND IS HAVING A SALE!

Would you like to visit a Sale without being elbowed, trodden on, or barged by other angry shoppers with loads of bags?...........Of course you would.....and the best part is you can shop from the comfort of your armchair.........

What's more, you don't even have to queue at some ridiculous hour of the day!!..........Head on over now and grab yourself a bargain! Ends midnight GMT on 3rd Jan.

I WOULD LIKE TO WISH YOU ALL........

HAPPY CHRISTMASTo all my lovely visistors, a very HAPPY CHRISTMAS and i will hopefully see you all very soon!

Love & Hugs

Carol x

OUR RESCUED GIRLS!.....

I would like to introduce you to our new girls! Please join me in welcoming Button, Flopsy, Daisy and Speckle........the newest members of the Houghton family :)

My lovely husband Andy drove to Allesley in the West Midlands last Saturday to the Battery Hen Welfare Trust to collect these hens and bring them home to Bedford, hopefully for a long and happy retirement.

The aim of the BHWT which is a registered charity, is to see increased support for British free range farmers and see diminishing sales of eggs from caged hens! They purchase these hens from the farmer on slaughter day, so that people like us can re-home them as pets.

These gorgeous girls were kept in a wire cage the size of one sheet of A4 paper for the last year, unable to even stand upright or stretch their wings, no longer viable for the farmer as they are not producing one egg per hen per day!!

I would love it if you could visit the website and take a good look around it.......maybe you are not able to home some of these ex-bats.....but you may be able to help them in other ways! By making a few simple adjustments to your shopping, YOU can be directly responsible for helping to release a battery hen from her cage.I will continue to document their progress over the coming weeks. they have settled in rather well, but cannot be allowed to roam free in our garden, or mix with our other four bantams and two ducks for a few weeks. They have to be introduced to the world very gradually because of their previous environment!..........maybe, spare a thought next time you go to the store to buy eggs........please try free range! ;-D

Hugs
Carol x

TRADITIONAL GOLD & SILVER.....

...is the requirement this week over at DCM. The one thing i had forgotten is how difficult it is to get a good photo of traditional embossing with powder! Gosh! how many did i have to take to get these two that are still only half decent!!!!.........Anyway.....here is my design for the dare!

After all the picture taking......i've noticed that the image isn't quite level! Grrrr!!

The image is an old stamp by PSX, which i've embossed with metallic silver E.P. onto white card. This has then been mounted onto some matt metallic gold card, and i've used my Fiskars 'Threading Water' punch at the base and threaded fine silver organza through the holes!

The silver background paper is in fact wallpaper.....something that i used to do lots of when i first started cardmaking........a very inexpensive alternative to Designer Paper! (most DIY shops will still allow you to have pieces from their sample rolls!) The card base is A6.

Thanks for your time today......see you soon ;-D

Hugs
Carol x

'OH CHRISTMAS TREE, OH CHRISTMAS TREE'

'How lovely are your branches'........no cards from me today, but i thought i would show you a little picture of my main tree!
I am off to my Office Christmas Party this evening in rather a swanky hotel! so i need to go jump in the bath and try to make myself look beautiful!! I may not be in any fit state to craft tomorrow..............we'll have to wait & see :-D

Hope all my lovely visitors are enjoying the festivities so far...........see you soon!

Hugs
Carol x

SKETCHES! by Tamara

Another great sketch this week by Tamara, and of course Thursday means one day closer to the weekend! Yay!!! I do love my weekends :)

For my design today i decided to get a bit 'loved up' with this valentine card. A little break was needed from all the Christmas stuff! and also i was desperate to play with my new papers :)

The papers i've used today are Cosmo Cricket Hey Sugar 'Be Mine' and some KI Memories 'Heartbeat Hottie' glitter lace cardstock. A portion of Bazzill 'just the edge' was used for the scallop effect at the base of the card......... the lettering and rub-on are Basic Grey and the ribbon and gems are from my stash.

Short and sweet today..... busy, busy.........but i do hope you can find time to play along this week as it's the last before the Christmas break...... this time next week we will all be waking up to see what Santa has left us!!

Hugs
Carol x

CUTLEBUG CHALLENGE #11

Cuttlebug time again :) and the fab challenge this week is to make a criss cross card! I have made one of these before using Beate's great tutorial here.
However i found that it didn't fit our envelopes here in the u.k.. so for this one today i changed the size a bit to make sure it will fit in!I have used the Snowflake embossing folder throughout. The papers this time are Dream Street, the colours are gorgeous as are the designs, especially the one with the little snowmen! which as you can see i've cut them out and layered up on foam tape.
I'm afraid i don't have the punch to create the tab for the top, so i compromised :) The button and twine are from my stash.

Everyone is super busy at this time of year, but it would be great if you joined in with us, this card was fun to make and renmember to link up so we can all come and see your work! ;-D

Thanks for your time today.........see you tomorrow with some more DT stuff!

Hugs
Carol x

SECRET CRAFTER Saturday Challenge

Oooh this is a first time for me! but as you probably know by now i am a bit of a sketchaholic!! and the sketch this week over at SCSC is fab, so.................here is my card :)

I have chosen to use some gorgeous Cosmo Cricket papers today from the 'Be Good' collection, and my card base is Kraft cardstock, which i am really enjoying at the moment!

My image is of course Penny Black from the Holly Day Critters set and depicts this cute mousey playing in the snow, coloured in my usual manner with Distress inks. The sentiment is HOTP and a Colorbox cats eye in Chestnut Roan was used on the edges of the papers.

Hubby and I are off to Milton Keynes in a while to start & hopefully!......finish our Christmas shopping!!! I hope it's not too crowded! ;-D

Thanks for your visit today, leave me a note so i have something to look forward to after my shopping spree!!

Hugs
Carol x

PENNY BLACK SATURDAY CHALLENGE

Week 27 - A recipe 3...2...1

The challenge for us this week is 3 flowers, 2 papers, and 1 ribbon......and here is what emerged!

My Christmas card stash is looking quite healthy so i dedided on a Valentine card instead...... for us cardmakers that is the next event that comes around so i thought i would get a head start!

The image is called 'You're A Treasure' and could be used for lots of occasions! I coloured in my normal fashion using ink directly from Distress ink pads using a water brush. The papers are Basic Grey from the 6 x 6 pad 'Urban Prairie' and i've also used a small strip of Bazzill 'just the edge'. The ribbon is Cosmo Cricket, and my 3 flowers were cut from some Doodlebug 'boutique trim' The rub-ons are Cosmo Cricket and were used to hide a wretched smudge that happened as i was assembling my card, and were all i could think of to hide it!....hope it's worked..... ;0)

Family round today as usual for a Sunday......home made chicken pie today! a family favourite.....well apart from Andy who is vegetarian!!! he will be having Chick pea and herb patties........so better get a move on!

Thanks for popping in today, and i hope to see you real soon ;-D

Hugs
Carol x

DCM 10 Minute Christmas Card

Yep! that's the challenge over at DCM this week..... make a card that only takes a few minutes!

Well... this one was super quick and literally only took me ten minutes to make!

I used a white pre-folded card blank and ran as much of it as i could through the Cuttlebug using the snowflake folder, scored two lines across the top and tied a small piece of ribbon around between the lines. I added a tiny punched star with a gem centre.

I inked up some white card with cats eyes and then stamped the Hero Arts image(my favourite Christmas stamp!) over the top with black Archival ink, i then matted it onto some black Bazzill mounted with foam tape! Ta Da!!.........job done :)

TAG YOU'RE IT Week 37

The challenge this week on Tag You're It is to use the colours Brown & Aqua........wasn't certain that i had any papers in these colours, but i do have rather a lot of pretty papers..........and these are what i found........The papers are an older range from DCWV which i've had for ages..... to be honest i forget exactly what i do have because my craft stash is kept in lots of different places around the house........pain!! but unavoidable!!

I used my label Nesties to cut the mats from Bazzill cardstock and added some fibres and ribbon from stash. The flowers are Prima and i've given them some Kanban 'bling' centres. I did a little bit of paper pricking too! and the dragonfly is stamped with Adirondack 'espresso' and is by Laxmi Designs.

I'm hoping to get a few more challenges done this weekend, so hopefully.....i'll see you soon! ;-D

Hugs
Carol x

** TOOT** FOR THE LOVELY KATH!

My lovely friend and fellow Funky Hand DT mate Kath, has just won ............

CARD DESIGNER OF THE YEAR 2008

held by Simply Cards & Papercraft here in the U.K................I do hope you will join me in saying......... very well deserved my friend :) and i for one will be looking out for more designs in the upcoming issues!

SKETCHES! by Tamara

For my DT project this week i thought i would move away from Christmas Cards for a moment and use Tamara's fab sketch to design a Birthday card for my Son! He will be 25 on the 3rd of January.

Now, don't for a minute think i am mega organised.........i have not bought a single christmas gift yet!!!!!! Monday is the day when everything will be purchased as i am having a shopping fest in Milton Keynes.............my husband is coming to carry all the bags ;-D
For my design today i have used a corner style stamp by Design Objectives stamped with Archival black onto a circle of white card. I added a brad to the centre to hide a little smudge!

The papers are Basic Grey from the 'Ambrosia' 6 x 6 pad, and also the background pieces are from 'Scarlet's Letter'. I've also added a Letraset rub-down and some American Crafts thickers for the sentiment. The ribbon is from my stash.

I know everyone is very busy at the moment, but i do hope you get chance to play along with the sketch too! i would love to see your take on it :)

Thanks for your time today.....see you soon ;-D

Hugs
Carol x

DT project for Cuttlebug Challenges

I've been desperate to try out my new deep cut blade for my Cricut machine which i purchased a couple of weeks ago, and the Cuttlebug Challenge this week gave me the perfect opportunity!

Challenge #10 is to create a Christmas/Holiday themed project - something other than a card!
To create my little wall hanging i cut my snowflake using my brand new deep cut blade and Joys of the Season at 5.5 inches. Now....... not sure if it's because my chipboard isn't specific for crafting, or whether the blade is not as good as i expected......but i'm not impressed with the cut!!!! i had my setting on number 6, so it should have made a clean cut.... but sadly i still had to 'crack it out' from the remainder and use my craft knife to tidy it up!!! not very impressed really :(

Anyway.... i also used the snowflake cut & emboss duo, and the Swiss Dots folder, and some scraps of card and Doodlebug paper frill,the rub-ons are Stemma, and the bobble trim is Bazzill.

I edged my snowflake with 'snow cap' acrylic paint dabber and added some glamour dust as well, the letters are Basic Grey and the jute and gem are from my stash!

I would love to see what you create for this challenge so i do hope you play along, and leave a link so i can come and check you out!!!

Thanks for popping in today, and i'd love to know if you've had better success with your deep cut blades!..........see you soon ;-D

Hugs
Carol x

DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS.....

I will be showing how i made these projects today! at Fidgeonscrafts in Letchworth., 10 am........so if you are in the area, i would love you to pop in and say Hi :) They have a Sale on as well!!!

Hugs
Carol x

E.T.A.... as i failed to return the unused product supplied to me by the store to create these projects......they have decided that they cannot offer me any further demonstations in the future!! ..... if any of the lovely ladies that i met on the day, who were hoping to see me return are reading this, then i can only apologise for a misunderstanding of a passing comment......resulting in this outcome.

IT'S THURSDAY.............

.......and that means Sketches! by Tamara is where you need to be heading, to see the fab new sketch that is on offer this week!

My design today uses this cute little star tree stamp from Paper Inspirations, simply stamped with Adirondack 'Cranberry' ink directly onto some Basic Grey paper from the 'Fruitcake' collection.

All other papers are from the collection, along with a rub-on by Stemma. The little brass tree charm is from my stash, which i've attached using some brown jewellery line.

I do hope you can find some time to play along this week, and don't forget to link up so that i can come and see your take on the sketch!

Sorry for the brief post today, but i'm super busy at the moment.......i'll tell all later!!
Have a great day, and i'll see you very soon! ;-D

Hugs
Carol x

CUTTLEBUG CHALLENGE # 9

We are welcoming Betty, who is the guest designer joining us this week over at Cuttlebug Challenges. This talented lady has devised a way of making your own embossing folders, using just a few basic supplies!.......Yes, you did read that correctly.....make your own folders!!!!!!!

Here is my folder...
And this is the end result......


I am lucky to own a Cricut machine, so that proved a godsend for cutting my pieces to create my folder, but you can achieve equally good results using punches as well! make sure you pop over to see Betty's fab instructions........and please remember to link up if you have a go at this, so that we can all have a 'nosey' at how you got on!

I hope you enjoyed your stay today, i'll see you soon....

Happy Crafting,
Carol x

PENNY BLACK SATURDAY CHALLENGE Week 25

The challenge this week is.......No Patterned Paper!....... for someone like me who is well and truly a paper addict, this could really prove a challenge!!! But hey! that's the idea isn't it?

As well as all the cute Hedgehogs and other gorgeous critters, Penny Black have some fabulous stamps in their range that are very elegant and beautiful.... and i'm glad to say i have some of each!

The bauble stamp used here is simply titled 'Brush Ornament' and today i have chosen to use Marvy brush markers to colour my image. The Christmas text stamp is from Paper Inspirations, inked with Adirondack 'Coffee'.

Ribbon and brass Star are from my stash and background cardstock is Bazzill. I also ran my little photo corner through the Cuttlebug snowflake folder :)

Thanks for popping in today, and check back tomorrow if you can to see the latest Cuttlebug Challenge.......a really 'nifty' one this week! ;-D

Hugs
Carol x

TAG YOU'RE IT! Snow is falling......

....Gosh! I hope not!!!.... but at least the germs haven't multiplied.....a couple of days ago i thought i was getting the dreaded lurgy that seems to be doing the rounds......thankfully it has decided not to stay!! :) The challenge this week over at TYI is a snowy theme.......
For this design i used my new Nestabilitie Labels 2 die to cut the base for my Tag. I love these new dies, and tried to get Labels 1 as well, but it sold so quickly!!!
The little stamped image is DeNami from a set of three that i have. The letter and the swirls were cut with my Cricut machine from Base Camp & Joys of the Season, and i've added some Mainstays crystal glitter to sparkle them up!

I've seen this sentiment used many times on cards and it made me smile, so i printed it with the PC as i don't have the stamp for it! The ribbon was given to me by my friend Margaret, and the brad is from stash.

I hope my little tag makes you smile today!.........thanks for popping in.....see you soon ;-D
Hugs
Carol x

DARING CARDMAKERS..........

...........and this week...we are dreaming of a WHITE (and splash of pink Christmas!) I would love you to design a card which includes white mostly (ie: snow, snowmen etc ) and also a little splash of pink somewhere on the card. :)

I thoroughly enjoyed making this card for Jane's dare this week, sometimes it's good to try different ideas.............

For this design i decided to use my slightly neglected :( Cricut machine to cut the elements for my card.
The snowflakes and swirls are from Joys of the Season, and the large and small letters are Base Camp.For the frame of the letter S, i used my'Pink Sherbet' paint dabber, and the snowflakes and letter have had the glamour dust treatment. I have also added some Papermania adhesive stones for a little extra bling!

My camera really didn't like this card!!! it kept trying to do weird things as i was taking the pictures, but this was the best of the bunch! I've captured some of the sparkle, but it looks so much prettier off camera!!


Carol x

SKETCHES! DT CARD

Just a really quick post today as i have a really sore throat and my head feels like it's going to pop!!!!!

Another great sketch from Tamara this week, and here is my design......

The papers are Basic Grey from the Urban Prairie 12 x 12 collection, gorgeous summery colours and beautiful patterns! The acetate butterfly is from Craftwork Cards and has been given the Cuttlebug treatment with the 'script texture folder and backed with another of the BG papers. I used the gems to hide the glue! and the antennae is fine leather twine.
Sentiment is American Crafts 'Thickers' and Adornit Tiny Etched Natural stickers.

It would be great if you could play along this week...... you may get your card in the gallery and be sure to link up your work so we can all come and see! :)

Just to say..... if i am missing for a day or two it means the germs have got me!!! but hopefully i will be back real soon!

Thanks for popping in today.....Hugs ;-D

Carol x

FUNKY HAND FANS........

A brand new CD 'Funky Daze', has just been launched over at Funky Hand, so hurry on over and order your copy now! As well as all the fabulous backing papers and extras on the CD there is also a whole section on word books!......so now instead of just having what the shops decide to offer.... you can now make your own to say exactly what you want with papers suitable for male and female....young or old!....... Brilliant idea Anice :)

Here are some cards i made in preparation for the launch.....
If you would like to see some more ways to use this fabulous new CD, then hop on over to the site....... and check out the blogs of all my team mates.......we are here to inspire you :)

Hugs ;-D
Carol x

TAG YOU'RE IT! A Sketch....

I'm catching up again with my Tag making, and this week there is a great sketch over at Tag You're It, so how could i resist!"Wot no Basic Grey!"............... this time.... i decided to use some of the other lucious papers that i own!!

These are from the fab Cosmo Cricket 'Be Good' collection. I've used this gorgeous image again from Paper Inspirations, but this time i've 'distressed' it up a bit with a Colorbox cats eye in Creamy Brown. I covered a chipboard oval in some of the paper, and the sentiment is HOTP stamped with Adirondack 'Espresso' The ribbon is also CC but from the 'Cogsmo' collection, although it does blend in rather well with this line too! ;-)

Happy Sunday Everyone...........off to get the dinner prepared.......stew & dumplings today! Yum :)

Hugs ;-D
Carol x

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!......

Happy Birthday dear Enfys, Happy Birthday to you!

I have to apologise to the lovely Enfys, whose Birthday is TODAY! for not sending her card across the pond........ but it is here instead!!! Sometimes i am very unorganised, and leave things till the last minute.......consequently, the card never got posted!!!!

I hope you have a wonderful day.....sending BIG BIRTHDAY HUGS

Carol x

AN AWARD.....and a **TOOT**...........

Firstly i have to thank the lovely Kath for my latest award...........
This blog invests and believes the PROXIMITY - nearness in space, time and relationships!These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers! Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award.

Kath has given eight of us on the Funky Hand DT this little beauty........so it's going to be harder to choose my eight, but here goes............

Carol, Dawn, Debby, Linda, Lynsey, Tasha, Heather, Francien
Hope you all continue to 'be crafty' and also be kind enough to pass this on to eight more lovely bloggy friends!

Now that little job is done......i am chuffed to say that my Christmas Tag has been accepted into the Basic Grey gallery! *toot* If you would like to take a peep, it's here I'm sure by now you know how much i love their products, i love it when they accept something and it makes cutting up all those gorgeous papers worthwhile........... Hugs ;-D

Carol x

SKETCHES! by Tamara....#71

I am loving being a part of Tamara's Card Design Team over at Sketches! :) the sketches are so easy to work with and there are no 'unusual' requirements.......... we get the sketch, we make a card...simple and easy, and i like to think i'm flying the flag a bit for the U.K. as the only British member of the team!For my design today i used this cute stocking image from The Artful Stamper. I stamped them firstly onto the Basic Grey paper and then again on some plain white card. The ones from the white card have been watercoloured and then decoupaged onto the first image and are raised on dimensionals. The 'furry' tops have had some white liquid applique added and then some glamour dust for a little bit of sparkle :)

All papers are Basic Grey from the 'Fruitcake' collection and the sentiment is from an acrylic set by HOTP. Twine from stash!

Why not play along with us this week, and don't forget to link up your cards so we can all come and check out your work :)

Thanks for popping in today..........Hugs...... ;-D

Carol x

CUTTLEBUG CHALLENGE #8

Another guest challenger this week, and an unusual technique for Cuttlebug Challenge #8. The very talented Eva has set the challenge this week for a 'crayon resist' on your project or card.
You can find a tutorial for this technique here.

Mel's tutorial is easy to follow and she has some fab examples of it on her blog.
I had several 'try outs' ! :) before i settled on this one, the others were not quite right somehow, i think i tried some weird colour combinations! so they ended up looking a bit muddy :)

My design uses a dark green wax crayon(borrowed from my GD's colouring box!) on top of the embossed white cardstock, then with a paintbrush i have added some undiluted 'Lettuce' Alcohol ink over the entire piece. I used a Nestabilitie die to cut the aperture once everything was dry.

The pink card base is Bazzill, paper Hydrangeas are Prima and i've used my Inkssentials pen for the dotty doodling! Birthday candle and ribbon are from my stash.

If you try this technique, be sure to link up so that we can all come and see your work.........thanks for stopping by today.....see you soon ;-D

Hugs
Carol x

TAG YOU'RE IT!

Oooh it's been a while since i have joined in with the challenge over at Tag You're It!, but this week is Kath's turn.........so i could not miss this one! Kath is my teamie over at Funky Hand :) and has set the challenge of Red & Green.
Not only is it a nuisance having to take photo's in artificial lighting, but does anyone know the secret of how to make the Bling Ping!!!.........there is some lovely glamour dust on my heart, but sadly does not show too well........if you know the answer, let me know :)

My tag is made from scraps of Basic Grey papers from the 'Fruitcake' collection. The rub-ons and button are also BG. The chipboard heart was a gift with an order, which i've painted with 'Lettuce' paint dabber and sparkled up with some glamour dust, and the ribbon and twine are from my stash.

Thanks for popping in today, enjoy your Tuesday! ;-D

DCM Birds, Birds, Birds

The challenge over at Daring Card Makers this week is Birds, Birds, Birds.......Now, a friend of mine Lynne was kind enough to allow me to borrow this gorgeous stamp so that i would have some stamped out ready for future use. However, i wasn't aware that i would find it so difficult to watercolour!!
I have completely messed up on this one, and then tried to correct it by adding some highlights with my Inkssentials pen, and it's just gone from bad to worse!!.......onto the details........

The image is 'Four Little Birds' by Stamps Happen, papers are Basic Grey 'Fruitcake', organza ribbon, flower and little bird house button are from stash, and i've also used my Fiskars 'Elegance' border punch.

I also had a little visitor today who loves to join in with a bit of cardmaking, she is especially fond of glue!!! and loves to stick punched shapes onto cards!......and here is one she made earlier........

Designed by Danielle Rose Houghton
aged 3

(Grandma punched out the shapes and helped me write Mummy!)

Thanks so much for popping in today, i hope to see you soon :)

Hugs
Carol x

CUTE CARD THURSDAY Challenge 36

A colour challenge this week over at Cute Card Thursday.....Red & Green. Now this just shouts Christmas to me......whilst i love all the unusual colours for Christmas cards that i'm starting to see around, i am a traditional girl at heart and always tend to revert to the classic colour schemes for my designs.
Cute little image from Penny Black called 'Stocking Treat'...stamped onto watercolour paper and coloured with Distress inks, cut out using Nestabilities and the Cuttlebug. The sentiment is Hero Arts, such a useful stamp that can be used in many ways.

Papers are Basic Grey(now there's a suprise!!) from the Fruitcake 12 x 12 collection, along with some Bazzill cardstock. Ribbon, button and twine from stash.

I have been rather neglecting my SCS gallery of late :( I have 'met' some lovely ladies over there, and it's a fab place to go for inspiration in abundance, tutorials and much more.........so i am going to try and update more regularly from now on, and to join in with some of their challenges and sketches etc...........watch this space ;-D

Thanks for popping in today........back soon :)

Hugs
Carol x

SKETCHES! #70

Time again to show you another design for Sketches! by Tamara......these Thursday's roll around pretty quickly ;-D
I adore this image that i've used on my design today :) it's from Paper Inspirations and simply stamped with Adirondack 'Espresso onto white card. The paper is Basic Grey from the 'Figgy' 6 x 6 pad matted onto some Bazzill. I cut my aperture using a Woodware punch and then made it slightly larger by tearing away some more paper, until my image was showing through nicely. I inked up the torn areas with a Dk Brown Colorbox cats eye

I also used another punch for the tiny snowflakes and the centres are Swarovski crystals. The ribbon is from a roll i picked up at a show, (sorry don't know the brand!) and the sentiment has no manufacturer on it either :(

The other DT girls have done a fab selection, why not scoot over and take a peep!

Thanks for your time today :) .....see you soon!

Hugs
Carol x

PAPERTAKE WEEKLY Dawny's Sketch #2

Didn't manage to get around to last week's challenge over at Papertake!, but this week has another fab sketch by the equally fab Dawny P.......and there are some gorgeous Whiff of Joy stamps donated by the very talented Katharina ..............can you resist?.........i don't think so........

Picture is not great...i know, but i tried it under my daylight lamp and although it works o.k. i still prefer to take photo's of my cards with a 'real' background.......as i am at work from 9 till 5! it's not easy.....any light in the morning is not brilliant and it's pitch black when i get home!!

For this design i've used a versatile stamp from DeNami, stamped with Adirondack 'Cranberry' onto matt white card. I've added a few little gems and layered up onto some Basic Grey papers, 'Figgy Pudding' and 'Urban Prairie'. As the image is a sentiment, i went for an embellishment in the corner instead, made up of ribbon and leather twine from stash, Prima flower and BG button.

I hope you can nip in tomorrow and see my DT card for Sketches!....it's sweet and simple!

Hugs
Carol x

THE WINNER IS.......

Time to announce the winner of Carol's Sketch Fun #6........only 4 entries this time round.....and the random number generator picked ......number 1 !!! That was...................

SUE

Congratulations Sue! Please e-mail me your postal address so that i can get your prize sent out to you :)

I would like to say Thank You to the other ladies that joined in this time, and to look out for my next sketch in the New Year......... I'll keep you posted!! ;-D

Hugs
Carol x

CUTTLEBUG CHALLENGE #7

This week at Cuttlebug Challenge we would like to welcome Robin Willis as guest designer! The challenge Robin has set, is to create a card or project by embossing on a die cut.

For my design today i chose to use one of the stocking cuts(my favourite one!) from the Cricut Christmas Cheer cartridge. I cut my stocking from Basic Grey 'Wassail' papers at 4.5 inches, normal cut, and then popped the plain part through the D'Vine Swirl embossing folder. I added some Colorbox chalk ink to the embossing to make it pop a bit more.

Other papers used are also Basic Grey 'Figgy' and 'Fruitcake' collections, star brad, eyelets, and ribbon are from my stash. Sentiment is HOTP, and i used a small circle punch to cut the corners on the mat!

I hope lots of you will join in this week..................................Thank You to Robin for the challenge.....i think i will be embossing more die cuts from now on!! Pop over and check the rest of the DT for some inspiring stuff!

Thanks for visiting my little crafty nook........i'll see you soon :)

Cuttlehugs
Carol x

SKETCH SATURDAY #24

Somehow i am still finding a little time to join in with a few of the sketch challenges that all the fabulous blogs are offering........i love sketches!! and Sketch Saturday have another for us this week, and a gorgeous stamp for the winner! The DT cards are very inspiring, as are the entries so far........a true feast for the eyes :)

For my design today i wanted to try something other than watercolouring.....this is a resist technique acheived by stamping your image onto glossy card with Versamark, and then dry off with a heat gun. When it's dry i add Distress ink with a cotton wool ball (you have to be really quick, otherwise you get streaky bits!) and then 'polish' with a clean ball to get the image to pop.

The image i've used is Penny Black 'Youthful' from the brush flower collection. Papers are HOTP, that i've had for aaaaages, along with some black Bazzill, Making Memories ribbon and some Kanban 'Bling'. Sentiment stamped with Brilliance Moonlight White.

I run my workshop this evening, so won't have much time to blog hop and look at all your gorgeous cards, but there's always tomorrow! ;-D

Thanks for your visit, see you soon :)
Hugs
Carol x
p.s. i have a sketch challenge at the moment, till tomorrow at 8pm, with a BG paper pad for the winner!

A TAG.............and a Cheesecake!!

There wasn't much time to create after my family had left last night, however i did make this little tag with some scraps!

There's just no stopping me, i'm so hooked on playing about with paper & stamps etc, all the spare minutes here and there are spoken for!!
This tag was made with little scraps of Basic Grey, Wassail, Figgy and even some Fruitcake, i just cannot bear to throw away even the tiny bits, and they do come in handy for things like this :)
As you can see i even Cuttlebugged the little stocking, and added some ink to give it some depth.........not sure who's present it's going on yet though!

If you don't like Cheesecake, or....if you are feeling hungry.....don't look down!!!!!




This fabulous creation was made for dessert yesterday by..................my gorgeous husband Andy!!! The kids have even started calling him Jamie :) he has taken to cooking a lot more recently and makes the best soups i've ever tasted and some yummy dinners.........which leaves me more time for the important things.......... like playing around with paper!!!!!

Hope your mouth isn't watering too much ;-D

Hugs
Carol x