STAMP SOMETHING...Sketch Something...

I am really enjoying all the challenges over at Stamp Something, and this week is no exception! There is a fabulous sketch provided for us by Katharina, who is fast becoming the sketch queen! not only does she come up with some unusual sketches, but her work is to die for!!

My design for this sketch challenge uses another of my gorgeous new 'House Mouse' images :) I just adore these little guys!! This one is 'Maxwell's Note', and although i was seriously tempted to try and stamp on his little slip of paper that he is holding, i decided to resist the urge for fear of messing it up!!
Watercoloured again using ink from the Adirondack pads, which at the moment seems to be my favourite choice, it's so easy doing it this way :) The papers are of course Basic Grey from the 'Sultry' collection. As you may already know, Basic Grey are my all time favourite papers, and i cannot bear to think what i would do without them, and i do actually use them now instead of just looking at them :0)
The sentiment is from a HOTP acrylic set, and i've added a couple of copper hydrangeas and a frosted brad to finish.
Thanks for popping in and i'll see you soon :)

ISMAKI # 21

There are so many inspiring sketches and challenges available to us all in the blogging community, and the current sketch at Ismaki this week was provided by the very talented Claudia Rosa.I have used a Penny Black Hedgehog stamp for this design, in honour of our new 'Hoggy' family!
The image is called 'yours to take' which is stamped onto watercolour paper with Archival jet black, and coloured in using my favourite thing of the moment, which is taking the colour directly from the inkpads using a waterbrush.
The papers on this card are scraps of Basic Grey 'Scarlet's Letter' and a small piece of Bazzill which i have run through my Cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossing folder for some texture.The sentiment is a rub-on from Making memories, with some Brenda Pinnick chipboard and a couple of brads. A tiny piece of eyelash fibre completes my design :)
Although this was made to welcome our new Hedgehog family, i think it will also be my husband's Anniversary card, so i'm well ahead of myself as it's not till September!!

See you soon :)

OMG !!! I'm so excited !!....

As mentioned before(see post 10th May) we have regular Hedgehog visitors into our garden every year, this year is no exception, and we see at least one every night when they emerge to eat the food that we put out.
This morning, we discover that one has given birth in our Tortoise house!!!!

Our little tortoise house at the bottom of our garden, is now a 'Hoggy Nursery' !!!! There are at least six Hoglets, we think they were only born last night, as they only have white spines at the moment! and are very tiny.

At the moment we are not sure which 'Mummy' it is as she was curled in a ball, and we didn't want to have the door open too long in case they got cold!! We put some food in just in case Mum gets hungry, but now we just have to let nature take it's course and hope they all survive!
I'm so excited, and apprehensive all at the same time! I'm completely 'soppy' when it comes to animals, so i really hope our new 'family' grow and thrive, and i will be keeping everything crossed for the next few weeks hoping for the best outcome!

I have some projects i want to do today, so here's hoping that i can take my eyes off this 'residence' long enough to actually get anything done!! Have a great day whatever you are doing! :) and i'll see you soon :0)

FRIDAY SKETCHERS ~ Sketch 3....

It's back to work for me today after the long weekend, so i thought i would be an early bird and show you my design for the current sketch over at Friday Sketchers.

The sketch this week has been provided for us by Carole. The design team have done a great job with the sketch, but i have to say i found it quite a challenge!!
I have used another of my super cute 'House Mouse' stamps for this one today, called 'Monica's Gift', which i've stamped with Stazon 'Timber Brown' and coloured in using ink from my Adirondack pads and a water brush.
The scrummy papers are all from the 6 x 6 'Sultry' collection by Basic Grey, and i've used a rub-on which was in my recent blog candy win, and also a sentiment stamp from a HOTP acrylic set! And again, i've done a little bit of doodling with my Inkssentials white pen!! which i can't seem to leave alone at the moment :0)

Thanks for popping in today, and i'll see you very soon :)

STAMP SOMETHING ... Week 3 'Faux'

When i saw the challenge for this week, i thought that i would do faux stitching because that is quite easy! But then, it is supposed to be a 'challenge', so i wanted to try something else as well :)

So, for my design today i decided to dig out one of my JudiKins cube stamps and try a 'faux marble' background. I also have several quote stamps, which i never seem to use often enough, which is a pity as the words are so beautiful!
My backgound was created on glossy card, using Colorbox cats eye chalks in Dark Peony, and Wisteria. Once dry my 'marble' effect was stamped with Archival Jet Black. I added a small piece of black card embossed with Cuttlebug 'swiss dots' and some ribbon and fibres from stash.
The wonderful quote panel is from Penny Black, which i've 'faux' stitched before mounting on the card front.
It's raining here and blowing a gale, so nothing to be done outdoors!! perfect for spending the rest of the day playing with stamps and paper!!! Bliss :0)

FUNKY ANNIVERSARY !

I was asked by a colleague at the office to make an Anniversary card, for a young couple. She asked for it to be funky and contemporary! and not to be flowery or twee!!! Well.... this is what i came up with, and i hope she likes it!

I received three very funky new stamps this week made by Pink Paislee, and i decided to use the heart on this card. I stamped the hearts onto some pink card from Basic Grey 6 x 6 'Sultry' with Archival Jet Black, and then cut them out. The striped paper is also from the Sultry pad, and all other cardstock is Bazzill. The sentiment is a rub-on from HOTP, and i've added some doodling with my fabby Inkssentials white pen again! The ribbon i think is Blonde Moments, although it is quite hard to remember as i have so much ribbon , and it's all kept in my empty Yankee candle jars, one for each range of colours!! They all look so pretty lined up on the top of my traders chest, and when i open a jar to take some out, the smell of the candle still lingers....wonderful :)

Thanks for taking the time to pop in today, and i'll see you soon :)

CUTE CARD THURSDAY Challenge #11

I can almost feel you cringe when you see my design for today, and hear you saying 'already', but i do need to make a start on some samples for my 'Christmas in July' workshop that i host. I am into my fourth year now, and with it being an all day workshop, i need plenty of sample cards so that the ladies have a good selection to work from :-)

There is a fabulous sketch this week over at Cute Card Thursday, provided for us by the very talented Katharina. I do love to work from a sketch!
I have stamped my Penny Black 'Snow Cuddle' onto watercolour paper using Archival ink, and then coloured in using my Adirondack pads and a water brush. I am in love with the Tim Holtz 'Inkssentials' white opaque pen, and i've used this for all the dots! The sentiment is HOTP and i've added a silk flower and a snowflake brad along with some lovely ribbon that my friend Margaret gave me :)

I hope you'll forgive me for mentioning the C word, enjoy your weekend, see you soon :)

DCM 'ANIMALIA'... House Mouse...

I am really squeezing in at the last minute with my design today!! This is my entry for the challenge over at DCM, just in time before they give us a new one later this morning!
I have used one of my newly acquired 'House Mouse' stamps to create this card, i have been looking at them for ages, and finally gave in and bought a few :) I did however, find it quite a challenge to colour it in, and i don't think i've done it justice this time but with more practice maybe i will improve!!

All papers used here are from Funky Hand 'Shabby Saturday' download, i love the colour combo on these papers :) I also used a Fiskars punch, to create the lacy bit at the bottom ! the rub-on in the centre of the flower is HOTP, a spiral clip and dotty ribbon to finish!
Enjoy your Friday, and thanks for popping in today :)

I've Been Tagged!...

by the lovely Heather, with the Circle of Friends logo(side bar on right!) Heather is one of my Funky Hand team mates, and although we have not met in person yet :) i feel like i have known her for years!! She is a' top bird' :D

I would like to offer this to all the lovely ladies that visit my blog, and are kind enough to leave messages of encouragement along my crafting journey!! I so enjoy showing you all my creations, and i truly appreciate all your wonderful comments, Thank You :-D

FRIDAY SKETCHERS # 2

The very talented Beatrix is the host this week over at Friday Sketchers, where she has provided us with a fab sketch to get us going!!
For my design today, i decided to go for my fabulous cupcakes again! These cupcake stamps from Hero Arts are so versatile and can be used for lots of occasions. I stamped them onto watercolour paper and then coloured them in using Adirondack inkpads and my water brush. I added some Stickles to the icing, which isn't showing too well in the photo!
Papers are Basic Grey 'Lollipop Shoppe', Doodlebug paper frills and some Prima flowers with glitter brads for the centres. This card is very bright and not my usual style i suppose, but i love how it's turned out, and i hope you love it too!! Thanks for popping in :-)

STAMP SOMETHING....'Penny Black'

I have found some time to design a card for the current challenge over at Stamp Something, and this week the theme is saying Thank You.
I absolutely adore Penny Black stamps, and whilst i love all the cute Hedgehogs etc, i think the range of brushstroke flowers are still my favourite. This particular image is called 'Youthful' which is quite often how i act, but not always how i feel :0)
The current challenge over at Stamp Something is to say 'Thank You' which for me has a double whammy as i was lucky enough to win the goodies from their first challenge last week! I have coloured my image with Adirondack inks, and i also created the background with them as well.

The other stamps used on this card are from 'Laxmi Designs', fabulous for texture backgrounds, and also the little dragonfly is theirs as well. The sentiment is an acrylic stamp from a set by HOTP. A little bit of Bazzill and a crystal gem complete my design.

Off to wash my hair now, as i need to be at work in less than an hour!! Thanks for dropping in, enjoy your day :)

Yay!!!! Blog Candy :)

I have just found out that i've won the fab blog candy offered for their 'first' challenge over at Stamp Something

I am so pleased to have won, Thank you so much ladies!!

ISMAKI #19 - Beatrix & PAPERTAKE WEEKLY

I have designed this card using a sketch as my starting point, and a colour challenge as well :)
There is a wonderful sketch this week over at Ismaki, created for us by Beatrix, which was the starting point for my design. I have also combined it with the colour challenge over at Papertake, of 'Luscious Lime & Lilac'
It's been ages since i last used these particular stamps, and i really enjoyed making this card! I think sometimes when i look through my crafting goodies to decide what to use i tend to go for what's at the top of the drawers, rather than having a good look through and finding something that hasn't seen daylight for ages :)
Papers are of course my beloved Basic Grey, 'Oh baby girl' and the newer 'Sultry' collections. The stamps are Hero Arts and the diamond shape postage style is from a company called 'Just for Fun' I have four of this style of stamp, and combined with the matching templates you can create a 'faux' postage effect, which i love!

other supplies :- Adirondack inks, Bazzill cardstock, flat back pearls, and a tiny portion of a Doodlebug paper frill.

A BIG THANK YOU!!!!....

....to everyone that has visited here over the last few days :) i have had some very encouraging comments which i appreciate very much :0) and being able to use the sketches and challenges for inspiration really helps me when i am making a project, so thanks to the people that supply those!

And, on a last note, as papercrafters, we have such BEAUTIFUL papers, embellishments,stamps, inks etc etc at our fingertips, we really cant go wrong, can we?

See you soon x x
Carol

FUNKY FAIRY CHALLENGE! Week #20

Here is my entry for the sketch challenge over at Funky Fairy.
This is the card i designed using Jozza's sketch. This is my first time entry for one of their challenges, but as Jozza is a team mate of mine at Funky Hand, i thought i would have a go!!
I chose not to 'fiddle' with the sketch, and kept my design quite simple :)
Papers are Basic Grey 'Archaic' from the 6 x 6 pad, frog image is Penny Black, which i have coloured in with Adirondack & Distress inks and my water brush. The letters are from a Hero Arts set called 'Legacy Letters', stamped with Archival black ink.
I'm off to work now.... have a great day, and thanks for popping in! :)

SHABBY SATURDAY.......

is the name of the fab new download released today over at Funky Hand.
With such a comprehensive selection of colours and designs, you can make cards for almost any occasion, and with these two designs i wanted to try and show how the colours are suitable for Guys or Gals!! young or old :)This is my original cupcake design, from my own template, but i had to keep this one under my hat until these fabby papers were available to the masses, and at such a brilliant price, how can you resist?

additional supplies :- prima flowers, swarovski crystals, kuretake brads, glamour dust, zig pen, ribbons from stash.

BON VOYAGE....Scrummy Stash Cafe Challenge

This is a quick card made for a colleague at the office, for a friend of hers who is going travelling for 3 months. The current challenge over at the Scrummy Stash Cafe is travel, so it fits in with that rather nicely as well!!One of the places she will be visiting is India, so i decided to use my JudiKins cube for this one! I've kept it very simple and just stamped the images with Black Stazon onto white card, and then added some lettering from Dovecraft and a small piece of ribbon from stash :)

Enjoy your Sunday, and i'll be back soon with some more designs :)

THERE WERE 3 IN A BED...........

....and the little one said 'Roll Over, Roll Over' !
As mentioned in my previous post, the Hedgehogs are back in our garden again this year, which we are all thrilled about!! This is them asleep during the day in a specially designed box that Andy(hubbie) made for them, in the hope that they would indeed make good use of! And.. as you can see, they are doing just that :)
We put food out for them each night at dusk, and as the night progresses they come out and fill their bellies! Hedgehogs are not normally communal creatures, they do like their own space, so it was quite a shock to find three in the box on Friday morning! Yes, there is three in there, the one we have named Little Hoppy(poorly right front leg which makes it limp!) is hiding under the straw in the top right corner.
Today when we peeped in, there are only two asleep, and some days it's just Little Hoppy all on his own!!, he is the one we see the most after dark, but he is also the smallest, so maybe he is trying to build himself up a bit :)
They usually get used to our voices over the course of the summer, so hopefully this years 'residents' will stay a while.....I really hope so :)

FRIDAY SKETCHERS & CUTE CARD THURSDAY

A fab new sketch blog, and another favourite come together in this design!

I designed this card today following the sketch over at Friday Sketchers, and also combined it with the requirement of Gems or Jewels(plus cute of course!) over at Cute Card Thursday :)

Friday Sketchers was only launched yesterday, but i think i will become a 'stalker' quite quickly, as i am guessing will many others! The work from the design team is very inspirational, pop over and take a look! Cute Card Thursday are into their ninth week! where does the time go? i have not had chance to play since week 5 !!! but, as the hedgehogs are back in our garden every night, i just had to use this cute image :) combined with some beautiful Swarovski crystals to meet the challenge!

supplies :- Basic Grey papers 'Sugared' 6 x 6, stamps Penny Black 'In a Nutshell' and sentiment from Printworks, Adirondack & Distress inks, Cuttlebug, Nestabilities, 7 Gypsies fabric label, Bazzill and Papermania flowers, Swarovski crystals, button and twill ribbon from stash.

FIRST SOMETHINGS.......

Had to do a weekend shop last night and then have dinner, but i did find time to design this card for a brand new challenge blog! Have to fit some crafting in most days if i can ;0)

The challenge set out over at Stamp Something is 'First Somethings'
OK, now to the challenge! This whole endeavor is a first for all of us, so in keeping with the theme of "Firsts," our challenge this week will be "First Somethings." Challenge yourself to try something entirely new.

I have often seen stamping onto paper flowers on some of the fab blogs i visit, but i have never tried it myself, so... for my 'first' time of trying this out i decided to design a card for a 'first' Wedding Anniversary, and as i am sure you are aware that the traditional gift for this occasion is
paper!! so the flowers fit in quite well :) Hope to be back later with some more designs! Enjoy your day :)

supplies used:- Prima flowers, Basic Grey papers, Hero Arts stamps, Distress ink, hearts and circles sparkled with Glamour Dust, and my trusty corner rounder punch, (wings removed to create scallops)

ISMAKI #18

This is the card i designed for the current sketch over at Ismaki. Been meaning to have a go at one of their sketches for ages, and now i have :)
My little cupcake is from Hero Arts, which i've stamped with Archival Jet Black. The little candle is also from the same set! I have coloured my image with a water brush taking the colour straight from some Adirondack inkpads, this is really simple to do! I cut a little slit in the top of the cupcake and popped my candle in :) The papers are all Basic Grey from the 'Sultry' 6 x 6 pad,The sentiment is from HOTP and ribbon and gems are from my stash.

Thanks for popping in, have a great day :0)

NEW CHALLENGE BLOG!!

Thought i would let you all know there is a new challenge blog starting up on Friday called.... Stamp Something. I am especially looking forward to it as stamping is my favourite thing to do :)
They are giving away some goodies for their first challenge, so don't forget to pop over on Friday and maybe join in!!

SCRUMMY STASH CAFE Something Different...

Samm set the challenge this week to create a new and unusually shaped project!, something a little different. I am loving all the cupcake things at the moment, so i decided to try and draw a cupcake card!! This is what i came up with.....

I first drew the cupcake onto some card and then placed it on top of a ready made card blank, with the fold at the top(the fold is just below the 'sweetie' at the top!) Papers are Basic Grey 'Blush', Prima flower and ribbon and gem from stash :)
The photo is not so good as i only took it about 20 minutes ago and the light was fading rapidly, i had to rest it in a pot on the patio!!!
Back to work for me tomorrow(grr!) Enjoy your day whatever you are doing, and i hope to be back soon with some more designs. Thanks for popping in today :0)

TAG CHALLENGE Week 5 'Moo Tag'

No, nothing to do with cows!..... makes me wonder how things get given their names, but it's all quite simple really! It's all about size!!!!
My design today is for the current challenge over at Tag You're It, which has been set by Sam with a theme of Moo Tags.
A moo is a decorated piece of card measuring 2.8 x 7cm (1.1 x 2.8 inches)

My Moo Tag consists of glossy cardstock, which i have inked with 'Fired Brick' Distress and once that had dried i overstamped with Hero Arts ' Old French Writing' using Brilliance ink in Moonlight White. The Moo is a Stampendous image called 'Agapanthus Cluster, stamped with 'Broken China' Distress ink. A little bit of black Bazzill card and some ribbons and gems from stash :)