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 :)

*~* TOOT TOOT*~* WooooooHoooooo!!!!!

I am so excited to tell you that BASIC GREY!!! have accepted my Baby Girl card onto their gallery!

Anyone that knows me or visits me here could not fail to notice how much i love their stuff, particularly the papers, as nearly every card i design is made with them :)

My card is on page two of the main gallery, and page one of the 'Sugared' gallery!

I am so chuffed about this, i just had to 'blow my own trumpet' hope you'll forgive me ;0)

I am now a 'Registered Designer' :) so you may well see some more of my cards in their gallery!

Thanks for popping in today, see you soon :)

ETA:- It may not be on the same page now, things move really quickly so you may need to browse a bit! :)

FRIDAY SKETCHERS & PAPERTAKE WEEKLY!

I have lots of scraps leftover from my workshop on Saturday, so i thought i would use some up on this design today, and i've also managed to combine it for two challenges!!

I've used the sketch over at Friday Sketchers, and Papertake Weekly require a Christmas Card :)
All the papers are scraps from Basic Grey Blitzen & Fruitcake 12 x 12 collection packs. The large snowflake is Creative Imaginations, and the snowman is cut from a Queen & Co felt strip. The stamped snowflakes and greeting are HOTP and i've added some doodling with my Inkssentials pen.
This was a really quick card to make and a great way of using up some of my mountain of scraps!!!

Enjoy your day and i'll see you very soon :)