CARD ORDERS.....

......are sometimes a bit of a pain!!!! I'ts o.k. if the person says'Oh i'll leave it up to you, your cards are always lovely' but....if they give specific requirements, it can be more of a problem! These are two of the four that i've been asked for.
1) Football fanatic- no particular age.2) For lady who is into Fashion - 30th Birthday.

I have two more to do, one for a golfer and the other is for a male 60th who is into cars, particularly porsches!!!! I think i'll be fine doing the one for the golfer, but not so sure about the porsche! Watch this space!!!! :)

When i have orders to finish it means i can't join in with as many challenges, which as you know i love doing, but as soon as i get these ones out of the way, then i'll be up to speed again!
Thanks for popping in today, enjoy your crafting! :)

LAURA'S SKETCH 7 & PAPERTAKE WEEKLY

Some of my new Basic Grey order has arrived! 'Ambrosia' & 'Eva' :) It was originally supposed to be early August for the shipment, but things were delayed somehow, so i only received it today!! it was worth the wait, the patterns and colours are absolutely gorgeous!!
My design today uses some paper from the wonderful 'Ambrosia' collection. Vibrant reds and oranges, along with more muted neutrals.... Fabulous!
I've used Laura's current sketch, for the layout, and the requirement for some stitching over at Papertake Weekly. I decided to hand stitch a border in a rich orange to match the papers :)

The other materials used are a page from Making Memories 5th Avenue journaling pad, onto which i've added a butterfly cut with my Cricut machine and my newest cartridge 'Home Accents'. The rub-on is also Basic Grey, with a little piece of trim from my stash!

Thanks for your visit, enjoy your day! :)

HOUSE MOUSE MONDAY CHALLENGE....

I am so pleased that there is a challenge site dedicated to these adorable guys & all their friends! you cannot fail to fall in love with all these furry little critters, i know i certainly have :)
The challenge this week is to use lace on your project.
For my design today, i have used 'Amanda Shines' which is stamped in Stazon Timber Brown onto watercolour paper, and then coloured with Distress inks. I cut the panel with my nesties, added some bling and mounted this onto some Basic Grey, this is raised on adhesive foam pads.
The background paper is also Basic Grey from the Sultry 12 x 12 collection pack. The felt flower is from a pack that i bought ages ago at Coleman's craft warehouse in Rushden, Northants, had i known at the time that felt would be so popular i would have got all the colours, there were about thirty!! in the box for £2.99!!!!! I've used some AC Thickers for the 'party' and the other is computer generated using Sharnay font.
Thanks for popping in today, and don't forget i have a sketch challenge running at the moment, so if you get time you may like to play along!
See you soon :)

***TOOT **TOOT*** Sketches by Tamara!

I am very pleased to tell you all, that i have just been invited onto the brand new Design Team over at Sketches by Tamara!
WoooHoooo!!! i am chuffed to bits, and can't wait to get started :) i hope all my lovely friends that visit me here will join in with the sketches too!
I have not had chance yet to visit all my new Team Mates, but as soon as i get sorted i will put all the details on my sidebar!! i already have a link to Tamara's blog.
I would like to say a BIG thank you to Tamara for choosing me, i am truly honoured! :)

CAROL'S SKETCH FUN Number 2!!

Here i am as promised with my Sketch Fun #2!
I intend this to be a regular feature on my blog once a fortnight, so i do hope you can play along! I will draw a random winner from the entries on Tuesday 2nd September at 6pm. The prize for CSF #2 will be this gorgeous Sunflower stamp!
My design for the sketch today uses 'Agapanthus Cluster' by Stampendous, which i've stamped onto paper from Basic Grey's 'Euphoria' 6 x 6 pad. I used Ranger Sea Brights 'Bikini Pink to colour the image. All other papers are from the Euphoria 12 x 12 collection pack, and i punched the holes with my Fiskars Threading Water punch. The sentiment is a rub-on from Creative Imaginations. Card size is 5 x 7.
Thanks for your visit today, and don't forget to show me what you can do with CSF #2 :)

Here is an entry that i received via e-mail from Margaret Carr. Margaret attends my little card club that i run in a local church hall. Thanks for joining in Margaret :)

.....AND ONE MORE!

One more little card with the new download! Why not treat yourself to it today!
Whilst i still had my yummy new Funky Hand papers out on the table, i decided to make one more card :)
I cut several narrow strips of some of the papers, and then did some weaving together! I stuck the woven piece onto some card for stability and then drew some hearts with a black Zig pen. Once cut out, the edges of the hearts were inked with my charcoal cat's eye chalk, as was the sentiment. The base card is a shimmery very pale mint green, which has been Cuttlebugged with the Paisley embossing folder. Ribbon from stash.

FUNKY HAND 'Minty Madness'

Yes, Anice has been working her magic again and there is a fab new download called 'Minty Madness' over at Funky Hand. Gorgeous papers and a special discount this Bank Holiday weekend!!
A colleague and his partner have just had their first baby, so i thought i would make them a card with some of the new papers. I think it makes a nice change from the traditional 'baby blue' colours that you normally see!

I've used a square card blank and covered the front completely with one of the fab new papers, then inked the edges with a charcoal cat's eye chalk inkpad. The panel on the front is cut from a smaller card blank with my 'nesties' which i've covered with another of the papers. The stars and sentiment are also from the download and there is a whole sheet of alpha's as well as loads of other patterned papers!
Ribbon and sticker from my stash!

PAPERTAKE WEEKLY & CUTE CARD THURSDAY

I always love it when i can combine a couple of challenges in one design, so saving me a little time i have chosen the great sketch by Katharina over at Papertake Weekly and the requirement for bright colours at Cute Card Thursday!
Still using the new stamps that i acquired at Stamperama, and this 'Jump for Joy' is seeing ink for the first time today! Stamped onto watercolour paper and coloured with Distress & Adirondack inks, then cut out using my square scallop nesties(also purchased at the show!)

Papers are bright and yummy colours from Basic Grey 'Lollipop Shoppe' which i keep pulling from my stash, getting a bit low on them now but still have several bits to play with :) The ribbon is DCWV self adhesive and i've also used a Maya Road chipboard frame inked with Archival Black. The sentiment is Stamps Away stamped onto another piece of the BG paper and nestled into the frame!

That frog is so cute!!!

KAZAN'S SKETCH 7

At last!.... Wasn't sure if i would have the time for Kazan's sketch this week, but i have not missed a week yet so i didn't want to break the spell that i seem to be under!! and here it is :)

I have to confess that my design today is made from scraps! The idea came about when Andy was packing some parcels for E-Bay(he's an avid seller!) and i saw a piece of cardboard on the conservatory floor, which i've stripped down and used for the base of my card!
The yummy green paper is Creative Imaginations from the Narratives collection by Karen Russell. I've had this paper for ages and will be sad when it's all gone, but i do actually use gorgeous papers now instead of just looking at them!!!
My little house is made from scraps of DCWV card, and i've distressed the background with a stipple brush and some Adirondack 'Hazlenut' ink, a bit of doodling and a computer generated sentiment using Viner Hand ITC font!

I should actually be cleaning my home this morning.... never mind it's a Holiday weekend here in the U.K., so i have plenty of time! There's always Monday!! :)
Have a great weekend...see you soon :)

PENNY BLACK SATURDAY Challenge 10

Can someone please tell me just where this week has gone!!!!! Here is my design for the current challenge at Penny Black Saturday. Yes... i know it's Friday already and there will be another tomorrow! but better late than never!!The challenge is to use ribbons on your project and of course, at least one Penny Black image. Well... i do have a few ;0) ribbons, and several new stamps jumped into my basket at Stamperama a couple of weeks ago, so i've used this new one called 'Berry Berry Christmas'

Stamped with Archival Black onto watercolour paper and coloured using Distress & Adirondack inks. The sentiment is HOTP. Papers are Basic Grey 'figgy pudding', red & green cardstock and all other embellies are from my stash!

******YAY****** it's FRIDAY.......... see you soon :D

HOUSE MOUSE & FRIENDS Challenge #1

There is a brand new challenge blog to hit our screens called House Mouse & Friends. If you are a fan of House Mouse, Gruffies or Happy Hopper stamps, then you really must pay a visit if only to drool over the gorgeous cards submitted by the Design Team, or the entries by my fellow bloggers!
If you are a huge fan of these stamps as i am, then of course you will want to join in :) The theme for this week is 'New'

My design today uses the 'Donut Bliss' stamp featuring Muzzy mouse!
Stamped onto watercolour paper and coloured with Distress & Adirondack inks and a waterbrush. The gorgeous papers are from the Funky Hand CD 'It's Funky Too!', along with some Prima flowers and adhesive gems. The sentiment! is computer generated using Blimpo font.

Thanks so much for popping in today, i'm off to start my New Diet!!!! :D

CSF #1 PRIZE DRAW!

I would like to say THANKS to the lovely ladies who supported me on my first sketch challenge! This will be a regular feature, with sketch #2 appearing on Tuesday 26th, so i do hope you can play along with me again!

The winner of my little stash packet for CSF #1 is...........

DAWNY P! CONGRATULATIONS!!


Please can you e-mail with your address and i will get your parcel on it's way :)

This was the site i used to choose a random winner! www.mathgoodies.com

Thanks again to everyone for their support, and don't forget to check back on the 26th for my next sketch!

ALTERED CREATIONS BY RHIANNA

It seems that i have passed on my love of papercraft to my youngest daughter Rhianna! After spending a little time making some cards, she decided that she would like to try something a bit different! These are her latest creations....... so pretty!She passed her Driving Test almost a month ago, and has been asking me to make her a keyring! As i have not managed to come up with the goods yet, she made her own by covering a wooden shape and adding some ribbons. Now all her friends want one the same!! :)
I gave some suggestions as to how she may like to decorate this papier mache box, but i did not help at all, and i think she has done a brilliant job!!

Not sure yet, but she has really enjoyed making these items, and the cards as well...... she made the comment 'it's better than just watching TV !' shall i just reel her in now? i think she may be hooked :-D

CUTE CARD THURSDAY

The theme for this week is 'soft furnishings' you can use fabric, ribbon, stitching, buttons etc, anything to do with soft furnishings in the home!
Well, i knew that somewhere in my stash of fat quarters i had some with musical notes, which i thought would go very well with my 'Allegro' Cuttlebug folder, a gift from my fabbie FH team mate Enfys.
The image is from Penny Black and just happens to be another that leapt into my basket at Stamperama! :) this has been watercoloured in with Distress inks. The papers are of course Basic Grey 'Figgy Pudding'

Oh no! It's Monday again soon :( Enjoy your week, and thanks for popping in :)

PAPERTAKE WEEKLY & ARTY GIRLZ

I have managed to combine two challenges with this design today! :)

Arty Girlz have set the challenge for 'no patterned paper' so i had to dig out my large lacy floral background stamp for this one! I inked up in Adirondack Cranberry and stamped onto white cardstock which i've matted onto some black Bazzill before placing down onto my A6 card blank.

Over at Papertake Weekly the requirement is buttons! I have loads of buttons, so this was an easy one for me, although having so many makes it harder to choose!! However, i decided to use some Making Memories buttons and ribbon, along with a Maya Road office sheer and some little black crystals for the points of the star! The sentiment is Stamps Away and i've also added a bit of dot doodling :)
A really simple card, but quite a dramatic colour scheme :)

RHIANNA'S CARDS......

I normally spend my Saturday's crafting, but this week things were swapped around a bit! so i looked after my gorgeous Granddaughter Danielle, and therefore no crafting!!

My youngest daughter Rhianna was at a bit of a loose end this past week(she starts her new job tomorrow!) and said she would like to make a card! So out came all the 'stuff' and these are what she made! :)
I think she made a good job of watercolouring, as it was her first time! She followed a past sketch from Arty Girlz site for the layout of this card.
And, for this one she used last weeks sketch over at Penny Black Saturday.
She is now working on a papier mache box...... pictures to follow :) It was good to have a crafting partner for the week, and i think she may be back for more... we'll have to wait & see!!

You still have time to enter my first sketch challenge
i will be drawing a winner on Tuesday at 7pm, so a couple more days left to get your entries in for a chance at this little stash pile!!

See you soon :)

CSF #1 CHALLENGE PRIZE!

I have finally taken a picture of the prize i am offering for my first sketch challenge!

There are 24 sheets of 7 Gypsies 6 x 6 paper, 3 rolls of American Crafts ribbon, and a set of 30 Alpha stamps from Studio G!
If you would like to enter to be in with a chance of winning these goodies, then create a card using my sketch and leave me a comment on the original post which you can find HERE!

I will be drawing a winner on Tuesday 19th at 7pm. Good Luck :0) and thanks for your entries so far!

LAURA'S SKETCH 6

"Where do i begin".....with Laura's sketch of course!! But a very different look for my design today :) I don't use my Cuttlebug nearly as much as i should, and i always reach for patterned paper, embellishments, etc etc! So... today i thought i would try minimalist :)
Aside from the AC 'thickers' and the bling, the rest is pure Cuttlebug!! I've also used my 'Threading Water ' punch and a worn out 'cats eye' inkpad for the bluey tinge of colour.

I have been so inspired by the fab hand drawn sketches that Laura & Kazan provide for us each week, that i have created my own sketch challenge to be found here! Hope you can play along :)

Have a great day, see you soon :)

PENNY BLACK SATURDAY Challenge #9

Love to join in with PBSC and this week it's a sketch!
This is my design for the fab sketch over at Penny Black Saturday Challenge! I had rather a good spend at Stamperama on Sunday, and this little guy just jumped right into my basket!! :)
In time honoured fashion, i stamped him onto watercolour paper and used Distress & Adirondack inks to colour the image using one of my water brushes.
The papers are Basic Grey 'Figgy Pudding'(sorry if you're seeing a lot of these papers, but i love them soooo much!! ) The mittens are Dress it Up buttons, which i've had for ages, Making Memories page pebble and ric-rac are also from old stash!

If you enjoy working with a sketch, why not have a go at my first one,scroll down a little bit to find it!
Thanks for taking the time to visit today, see you soon :)

CAROL'S SKETCH FUN Number 1 !!

Like many of you, i enjoy working from a sketch! so i decided to have a try at one of my own, and here it is!
I will draw a winner to receive a little stash package on Tuesday 19th August at 7pm! Not sure what the prize will be yet!! but i do hope you will play along, i would love to see what you come up with! :)This is my design for the sketch, which uses my brand new Whipper Snapper stamp called 'Warm Snowman Wishes'.
I've watercoloured him in using Distress & Adirondack inks, and matted and layered onto some Basic Grey 'Figgy Pudding' papers. The sentiment is Stamps Away, and i've added some sparkle with some Stickles.

Why not play along with me, you know you want to!!!

Thanks for popping in today, and don't forget to show me what you can do with CSF #1 ;-D

BLOG CANDY!

My Funky Hand team mate Enfys is celebrating a humongous amount of hits on her blog by giving away some absolutely gorgeous goodies! I'm sure you will have visited her before as she makes fab stuff and her stories are really funny too!
All you need to do to be in with a chance is to leave a comment on ANY post in the next two weeks, and a winner will be drawn on the 26th!
If you have not popped in before, you are in for a treat and do make sure you check out all her cards made with her Cricut machine, soooo creative!!

NO BLOGGING!!!

Have not been here for a few days, and Saturday is when i usually do most of my crafting after having been at work all week, it helps me wind down! However, yesterday i decided that instead of card making, i really should be cleaning my home! :)

Now, i don't want you to think that this is a rarity!! but most of the time it's superficial, i just vacuum, dust, and generally wipe around the kitchen with my anti-bacterial spray! I started to do my usual wiping round of the kitchen as i would normally do on a Saturday morning, but then something seemed to take over and the result was that i spent the whole day bleaching all the tiled walls,(the whole kitchen is tiled in 2 inch square light cream tiles!!!) the ceiling, cleaning the oven and the hob, the windows, all the unit doors and last but by no means least the floor!! my kitchen is very old, and in serious need of refurbishment, but for now it's as shiny as a new pin :-)
I went to bed last night very achy and tired but with a sense of achievement, like i used to get when i had completed a large pile of ironing! now i just buy as many clothes as i can that have the pre-crinkled look, you know the ones, just twist them up and tie in a knot!! sounds good to me :)

Hope to get back to the card making very soon, cleaning is boring!!!!

KAZAN'S SKETCH 6

Here is my design for Kazan's sketch #6, over at 2 Sketches 4 You.

I've used a mixture of 'old and new' stash on my card today!
Blue cardstock is Bazzill which i always have plenty of, along with the gorgeous pink die-cut paper from Creative Imaginations by Samantha Walker. I love this 'holey' paper and bought it about a month ago, a sheet of every colour they had in stock!!!
I've also used some Making Memories goodies, in the form of the brads and the page from the 'Noteworthy' journaling book. The paper flower is Prima and the felt flower is one that i bought from Coleman's about two years ago!
The transparent die cut(which i've cut in half) is from the Rhonna Farrer 'French Twist' collection, a Maya Road office sheer and an Urban Lily rub-on complete my design!

Thanks for popping in today, have a great day and i'll see you soon :)

"Have yourself a Funky Little Christmas"

This little card was made with papers from one of the newest fab downloads over at Funky Hand, called Funky Little Christmas!
As a proud member of the Design Team, we create cards for Anice to show on her website, or on Ideal World/Create & Craft TV. We try to show many different ways of using the gorgeous papers that she designs to create lovely cards to send to your family & friends! You can check out other creations from my DT mates by visiting their blogs! All links are on the right hand side under TEAM MEMBERS.

You could be making cards with these gorgeous funky Christmas papers if you just pop over to Funky Hand and snag yourself the download. Once you have it, you can print the papers whenever you need them and create yourself some Funky Little Christmas cards!! :)
The only 'extra' thing i used on this card was some Stickles to edge the letters, and a Colorbox cats eye chalk pad to define the edges of the squares.
Why not pop on over and take a look! :)

FRIDAY SKETCHERS

I had an order for a card from a colleague at work for her Nephew who will be 30!! Yes! I know, not only is it a card for a MAN!! but she also said 'Oh i'll leave it up to you' when i asked what she would like on the card!!! So... this is what i came up with, i just hope she likes it!!
I've used the great sketch by Kimmie over at Friday Sketchers to create the layout for my design, i really like this sketch, and may well be using it again for another card. :)

This Penny Black image is called 'Too Many Candles'. i don't think you can ever have too many candles or cake on your Birthday!! :) I've stamped him in Timber Brown Stazon and coloured in using Distress & Adirondack inks and a water brush. The papers are all Basic Grey from the 6 x 6 'Archaic' pad with some Bazzill black as well. The sentiment is from a HOTP acrylic set and i added some liquid applique to the top of the cake to look like fluffy icing! The chipboard numbers are from a Donna Downey kit, with some screw top brads to finish. I ran a couple of the panels through my Cuttlebug swiss dots folder to add some texture.

Let's just hope this guy doesn't have a Frog phobia!!! See you soon :)

TAGGED!!!

I've been tagged by Ruth, my Funky Hand DT mate!

It’s a random tag, and here are the rules!

1. Link to the person who ‘tagged’ you!

2. Post the rules on your blog!

3. List 6 random facts about yourself!

4. Tag 6 people at the end of your post!

5. Let each person know they have been tagged by commenting on their blog!

6. Let the tagger know the entry is posted on your blog!

O.K. so here's the randomness!!

1. I worked in Marks & Spencer for five years before my children were born.

2. I hate the Sea! The smell, the taste of the water, and i think it's the scariest thing ever!!

3. I used to play Squash and was in the league at a local club.

4. I quite often prefer the company of Animals to people! and if i was rich and eccentric i would have my own sanctuary. :)

5. I have an absolutely foul temper.

6. I want a very untraditional funeral!

Now... to choose 6 people to pass it on to!

http://debby4000.blogspot.com/
http://jillispaiges.blogspot.com/
http://kathybsworlduk.blogspot.com/
http://scrapalbum.blogspot.com/
http://nikkiscardsandnews.blogspot.com/
http://sylviastamps.blogspot.com/
Hope you all want to play along, you are all in my favourites folder! :) Very talented ladies, do pop over and check them out!!

ARTY GIRLZ 'Blue' & PENNY BLACK SATURDAY 'No Pink!!'

Oooh! I love it when i can combine two challenges in one design! With only 24 hours in a day, that sometimes just isn't enough to fit them all in!!! :) Arty Girlz challenge is to feature 'Blue' in your design, and Penny Black Saturday challenge is 'No Pink'I have used a fabulous Penny Black 'brush flower' image called 'Sunshine' in my design today. Let's hope it encourages the sun to shine as we did not see much of it yesterday!!
I have added colour to the stamp using Adirondack inkpads, and given it a quick spritz with a water mist spray before placing down onto the watercolour paper. This gives a very pleasing effect and is so simple to do! :)

The paper is from a Colorbok book called 'Dena's Closet' which i have had for ages! The sentiment is HOTP and i've also popped on a Making Memories flower from their 5th Avenue collection, along with a Dovecraft gem brad and some ribbon from my stash.

I hope the sun shines on you today! See you soon :)

LAURA'S SKETCH 5

Have had a funny old day today! couldn't really get going this morning, no ideas springing to mind!!
Mind you the weather has been pretty awful here today, not very inspiring....I need the sun to shine to help me out!! :)
This is my design for Laura's Sketch 5 over at 2S4Y. I think it has kind of an Autumnal feel to it!

I have used Basic Grey papers from the 6 x 6 'Sugared' pad, with some elements from the sticker sheet in the 12 x 12 collection pack. All the edges have been inked with a Colorbox cats eye in 'Creamy Brown' and i've also added a little bit of doodling with my Zig pen. The sentiment is a rub-on, also Basic Grey.

Isn't it just the way, when you have all day free to just make cards your brain seems to go awol!!!
Thanks for popping in, see you soon :)