Followers

Friday 30 November 2012

V - Vintage at Alphabet Challenge

Isn't the year going fast? Or is that just me? Here we are at Alphabet Challenges - up to the letter V- Pat has chosen Vintage. Another excuse for me to make another Christmas card. It certainly is helpful getting my needed supply box filled. I have used a La Blanche stamp which I have had for many years but still enjoy using it. The background papers rather have a modern twist, they are from a LOTV Frosty Christmas Paper Pad. I coloured the main image using Promarkers, then added a lot of shimmery glitter glue. I am hoping this shows. Please do pop over to our main blog to see the lovely cards the design team have made to inspire you. 

Tuesday 27 November 2012

Sketch #4 @ ATS&More

At Addicted to Stamps and More this week it is time for us to challenge you with our #4 Sketch We are thrilled we are this week being sponsored, our thanks go to Tracy at 

For more information and inspiration please pop over to our home blog. Now for the sketch, remember as with any sketch you can twist it or turn it to any orientation your happy with. 
Here is my card.

As you can see I am still making Christmas cards, not sure yet how many I have, but not worried if I go over my final number, any surplus will be given to the Salvation Army charity shop, for I greatly admire the work they carry out over the Christmas period and more besides. It's a 5" x 7" card, I have used papers from a LOTV Frosty Christmas Pad. The front image has been created with an Inkadinkado Snowman and snowflakes, all stamped with a blue Brilliance ink pad. I'm not sure if the glitter shows but the front panel has lots of snowy glitter. I added 3 silver Card Candy to embellish. I look forward to seeing how you all create your project from the sketch. 

Monday 26 November 2012

Buttons and Ribbon at MMM

Already it is the last Monday in November, for Suzanne B's last challenge, at Make My Monday, she has chosen for you to use up some more stash with Buttons and Ribbons. We often say we are open to all forms of projects, not just cards, so for a change I have created a scrapbook page with two of my grandsons. I am always more thoughtful about using flowers for boys but whilst they are this young I think I can get away with it. I added buttons for the centres of the flowers, through which there is threaded a piece of ribbon. They were both so reflective and quiet watching the water, a rare moment to be captured. 
It has been so nice to have Suzanne along with us again, our fellow past team mate, who I still miss.  We have also been thrilled to have Avril - Mrs. B's Addiction along too as  a Guest designer, she has created some wonderful samples for us, I hope we see you back again as a GDT. So ladies it is now your turn to create something for our challenge. If you pop over to the main blog I am sure you will find some inspiration from the Guest designers and the design team. Once again I look forward to visiting you. Many thanks for the lovely comments you gave last week for my vellum card, which are greatly appreciated. 

Sunday 25 November 2012

Inspired by Nature.

This week at CD Sunday Challenges,  the topic was chosen by Jocelyn - Inspired by Nature. Again a wide range of possibilities are here. Should I go down the Christmas card line again?  No, I decided I wanted something without snow for this week. I choose this pretty image from Maria G Designs, from Victorian Nature a CD I purchased several years ago from E Bay, it has many copyright images depicting nature. I matted it onto a piece of black card. I coloured the main card with TH Old Paper DI then stamped text  - from Creative Expressions -over it, to make it look like an old document. Added some ribbon and pearls. Stamped the greeting. I do hope you like this very simple, but I think a card with a beautiful image. I look forward to once again visiting your blogs. Have fun.

Saturday 24 November 2012

Baby Card - In the Pink

For their challenge this week at In The Pink, we are required to use punches /dies. This card qualifies for both. This is my last of the baby cards, which were made for my class. I stamped the beautiful baby from LOTV onto card, then used a die to cut it out. It is matted onto silver paper cut from a  Marianne die. The Baby girl sentiment is from a stamp I bought forever ago, cheap as chips, then punched out with a circle punch. I used Promarkers to colour the image, dressed with white ribbon and some pretty flowers. 

Friday 23 November 2012

Baby Boy Card

2nd entry today Friday 23rd.
I have decided to enter a second card into the challenge at LOTV Thursday Challenges.- Anything Goes.  I also made this card for the craft session for today. this is the most adorable stamp. Again this one is suitable for a baby boy, either for a welcome card, a Christening or Naming Day Card, an announcement of birth, whatever you wish. The sentiment is also by LOTV.  Again coloured with a few Promarkers. Background paper from my stash with two strips of white card added to look as though the background is in squares.

Another Baby Card

At LOTV Thursday Challenges this week is Anything Goes. Here is another Baby card which I made for my class.  The stamp is so sweet and easy to colour, I used Promarkers. The sentiment comes with this stamp. The background paper is I think, adorable, sadly I could only find one sheet at the last craft event I attended.  The branch stem is from a Martha Stewart border punch. Hoping everyone in the UK is not too effected by the incessant rain we are once again experiencing.

Wednesday 21 November 2012

New Baby

At My Time To Craft this week the challenge is New Baby. I am currently making some New Baby cards for my class on Friday, so thought I would just pop one in for the challenge. I have used a lovely stamp set from Stamps By Chloe, of a Onesie, Bib and Bootees. I stamped them onto a piece of paper from my stash with very small rosebuds on. I improvised the washing posts, using a branch from a bird set of stamps, used a grass stamp at the front and a leaf stamp from a Tapestry Peg stamp set. The Baby Girl, is a stamp I picked up forever ago for pennies and this is the first time I've used it. The main image is matted onto pink glitter card. The two larger roses are also available from Chloe, the three small roses are from E Bay. 

Maxed Out on Photos - HELP!

I need some help and advice. I have had my blog for I think, two years, which as the time has passed has become more busier. I now find today, that I have reached my Max of 1 GB for photos, doesn't mean a thing to me, but it must be a lot in two years. I'm not complaining for a free service has been terrific, but I don't want to have to start paying per month for it, so Question is - What shall I do?
Choice 1 = Start another blog - sending my new blog address to all I know.
Choice 2 - Go backwards and delete as much as I can giving me more space.
Anyone had this experience I would appreciate your comments. Thanks in advance.
I do have some scheduled DT pics to go live soon so do need to make my mind up pretty quick.
UP-DATE - After deleting almost all of 2010, my darling OH has insisted I pay the money, he is insistent it is my hobby and after all what is £1.94 a month compared to what I spend on stamps, I suppose that was what won me over. So I can now get up to 25 GB, that should last me out, he he !! 

Another CAS Card #4

The theme this week at Addicted to Stamps & More is CAS #4 (Clean and Simple). We are greatly enjoying visiting your blogs and look forward to viewing your creations.  My card this week is from a set  of notelets, I made for a friend, she has them now so I can start showing them on my blog. This is a favourite of mine, I love the Lavinia stamps bridge and the toadstools along with the flying fairy (or imp).  I coloured the main image using Promarkers , added a small amount of colour to the fairy with a touch of  crystal Glamour Dust. 

Monday 19 November 2012

Make My Monday - Vellum

At Make My Monday during November we are asking you to continue the theme of AUTUMN - To use up your bits of stash and for this week, we would like to see some VELLUM.  Please pop over to our blog to see some wonderful examples from the Design Team and to check out our few but essential rules.  For my card I first created a coloured background with TH Distress inks . I then dried it,  sprayed with water to get the diffused effect. Enlarge the pic and you will see all of the technique close up. I then sprayed with 3 mica sprays, Cosmic Shimmer Golden Fish, Desert Moon Spray - Horny Toad Teal and Sprinky's - Antique. Dried it all again. I stamped with Black Memento the ferns and grasses along with the seeded plant (?) from Indigo Blu. I stamped Sheena Douglass butterflies onto Vellum, then stamped again with a very small scroll stamp from La Blanche to provide a pattern. The sentiment is from Lyndsay Mason's tattered Butterfly set. Who says you can't mix up your stamps, for me it's remembering where to return them  to after I have finished with them. Not many seem to be enjoying this month's theme, I suppose it's because we are all making Christmas cards, I do look forward to those who have have made the effort to join us once again.

Sunday 18 November 2012

Layer It Up - CD Challenges

Sundays do come around very fast these days, but I do enjoy the beginning of a new challenge at              CD Sunday Challenges for the week ahead. This week we are asking for Layer It Up. Now when I first saw the title, I thought, right do I layer up the background with several backing papers, and a topper or do I go for an --age, so many to choose, decoupage, pyramage, invertage, twisted pyramage, I suppose you can call me an old fashioned girl, I went with decoupage from Sheena Douglass  CD Paint Fusion. Now I know why, what I used to call intricate cutting is now fashionably called 'Fussy Cutting'. The greeting is a favourite stand by, the labels are from a new set recently purchased at a craft event. I look forward to seeing what you have chosen to layer up ladies (gents).

Saturday 17 November 2012

Addicted to CAS - # 1 SNOW

At long last, this week sees the start of a new two weekly challenge - ADDICTED TO CAS.  We are a sister challenge group to ADDICTED TO STAMPS AND MORE. One of the design team will choose a one word topic for each challenge and to get us started  the site's owner Kylie has chosen 

We are thrilled to be sponsored by 


who will give a prize of $20.00 (Australian) to the winner of the challenge.
Please pop over to our challenge blog to check out the rules and to see the fabulous creations involving snow from the design team. 

Here is my card
I was inspired by Barbara Grey to make this card. I cut the strip to size and adhered it when it was completed, I wasn't brave enough to go direct to the card. The sky, mountain line was created by inking onto the edge of torn paper, at the front I stamped the log cabin and trees and the tall trees to the right side of the card.  I used a Quickie glue pen to create the marks on the mountains, then added Crystal glamour Dust. The embossing lines were added after the strip was adhered.
Stamps used. Scenescape Log Cabin and trees. 
Greeting Peace on Earth - From stash source unknown
Embossed lines = Keepsake board.
I look forward to visiting you over the next two weeks, please check on our blog before entering your card, we don't have many rules but obviously we do need to be fair, so need a few. Have fun.

Friday 16 November 2012

Letter U - Under the Weather

Hello everyone, this week at Alphabet Challenges  we are up to the letter U - Vanessa has chosen for our title Under the Weather - (Get Well) - . Sadly we all know many who at times need a get well card, not always for adults either. My card would do well for any aged male poorly person. A Doctor comes to call. I remember it isn't that many blog entries ago, I was shouting "I don't do Cute". Well, times do change and sometimes getting out of your comfort zone can be interesting and challenging. Last week at a craft event I was introduced to Lisa and Suzette at the Crafty Sentiments stand, within minutes I was hooked. The doctor, Dr. Toby, was one of a few I bought and I am waiting for new stocks to arrive for a few more. Thanks Suzette for explaining how to cut out of a die, I never quite understood it until you explained. I used Promarkers to colour the image. The backing papers, again I have had for so long I have long since lost  the front sheet so have no idea of the source.  Again I look forward to visiting your blogs to see your wonderful Get well creations. Have fun.

Wednesday 14 November 2012

Addicted to Red & White

This week at Addicted to Stamps & More it is time for our colour addiction, which is Red and White.  Of course it can be anything you wish, as long as your predominant colours are those colours required. I do apologise for the poor photo of my card, it has been so dull here from dawn to dusk, you can hardly tell what time of the day it is. The card is pure white, I assure you. I'll try again, as soon as we get a better day. For the upper part of the card I used a piece of paper from a freebie booklet with a magazine, the stockings are stamps from Debbie Moore. I stamped them in red and in white, then cut off the tops to swap them around to red and white. I look forward to visiting your colour addiction. We had some fabulous Flowers in last week's challenge, it's going to be very difficult to choose the winners. have fun everyone. 

Monday 12 November 2012

Autumn -Stitching Faux or Real

Hi everyone, this week at Make My Monday sees us into the second week of Suzanne B's choice - AUTUMN - the twist being to add some stitching, now this can be real, or it can be faux. I chose to draw on the stitching, I can hardly manage to thread a needle these days, even with those clever little needle threaders. The background paper is a sheet from an Elusive Images CD which a friend gave me a long time ago,  proving,  if you keep something long enough, you will use it. I stamped a LOTV Thistledown fairy onto a bought label. Coloured it with Promarkers, added a little glitter to the wings. Every fairy has glittered wings. Added some ribbon and cord for texture and three roses. I look forward to visiting your blogs to see your creations for this week's interesting challenge.

Sunday 11 November 2012

Less Is More - Houses

(2nd. Post today)
It's been a while since I had the time to enter into the wonderful CAS blog Less Is More. Congratulations to Mandi and many good luck wishes on your new venture of entering into the retail world. Welcome to Chrissie's new helper, Jen, I am sure you will have great fun working alongside Chrissie during Mandi's sabbatical.  This week the theme is Houses - and it is One Layer Week, I actually prefer the one layer week, a case of stamp it and colour it. The houses and toadstools on each end are from Lavinia Stamps and the fairy is from Sheena Douglass Hidden Fairies set. The greeting is from a Hobby Art Greeting set.  All coloured with Promarkers with the obligatory glitter for fairyland.

Rainy Days

(1st post today)
Well we've had more than our (un) fair share of  Rainy Days during 2012, now it looks like we will be having a long winter too in the UK. My card was I believe designed for snow, but what is snow, other than  frozen rain, so I think I may get away with it. I have created many rainy drops with a drop here and there of Glossy Accents. The backing papers are all pieces of left overs from previous CD projects. I know I'm not the only one who holds on to pieces of card if it is above an inch square, thinking one day I'll use that. My aim during 2012 is to carry that ethos out to the letter. The pieces are from Painted Poppets CD, by Crafter's Companions. Sheena Douglass - Paint by Fusion and Debbie Moore - Shabby Chic - Haberdashery. I knew I'd use the left overs one day. LOL The stamp is from LOTV coloured with Promarkers. if you click on the picture to enlarge it, check out the flowers for they too have rain drops on them. I do look forward to visiting you for your cards always inspire me, I love to see what you have created.  Have fun using your CDs.

Saturday 10 November 2012

Poppies

After discovering the Crafty Sentiments stand at the Nissan - Ross Papercraft Show on last Sunday, I have become a follower of the blog, for I thought their stamps were very good. Their challenge this week appropriately is Poppies, one of my favourite flowers, both for it's appearance and it's meaning. My entry  is of an Elusive Images (Chocolate Baroque)  poppy, which I used to demonstrate to my class how to use Promarkers for shading and mixing of colours. 

Friday 9 November 2012

Countdown to Goodies Prize- Only 1 DAYS

Would you like to win this Prize?
Pop over to Addicted to CAS

New Clean and Simple Blog will start on Saturday 17th November 2012.

We have a countdown to when the new blog starts - you will find how you can win the above prize 
valued at $150. 00  (Australian) 

Wednesday 7 November 2012

A Red Christmas

Crafts and Me are challenging us this week to make a RED card, of course this can be for any genre of card but any challenges I am entering into at present I am finding a way of making another Christmas card to complete my list.  My background papers are a mix of freebies with craft magazines sent to me from a dear friend. The main image is LOTV  Three Christmas Angels,they so cute. I watched a video tutorial on how to colour hair, I must say I am much more pleased with the results, than before I watched , so thanks again to LOTV. I edged the main image with a gold mix of Frantage embossing powder, glitters and flakes. Added the red flowers and other embellishments.
Hello to my newest three followers, many thanks, I hope I will continue to provide cards you will enjoy.

Theme ~4 is Flowers

Here at Addicted to Stamps and More this week is our Theme challenge # 4 is Flowers. We all love flowers and they are so suitable really for every occasion,  so we are expecting a lot of entries this week. You can make any project you wish, with any flower, using any technique, your not restricted at all. We so look forward to seeing your creations. For me, at this time of the year, my choice of flower is so suitable universally -for this challenge will be current on 11th November, Remembrance Day - which is why I have chosen a Poppy, the stamp is from Crafty Individuals, I coloured it with Promarkers. The backing papers are from a Papermania pad.

Monday 5 November 2012

Kraft and Twine @ MMM

Another month, another theme, with four weeks of  challenges to look forward to, at
MAKE MY MONDAY.  These were all chosen by our lovely Suzanne B when she was still on the Design Team, but due to other commitments is no longer with us. We all still miss her. The Theme for the month is AUTUMN - FALL,  no great surprise you may think, but for the coming weeks a few surprises are ahead. For our first week the topic challenge is
 KRAFT CARD and TWINE. 
Here is my card. 
I stamped leaves on my Kraft card and rubbed around the edges with Pumice Stone and Black Soot Distress Inks. Tied with a piece of garden twine. To complete the rustic look, I coloured a piece of torn card from a box, which had been stripped of it's cover to show the corrugated area. I then stamped 3 leaves from the Autumn leaves stamp set from Sheena Douglass. I used several DI direct to the stamps. Cut them out and placed onto the corrugated card. The sentiment is from the same stamp set. I look forward to visiting you to see your creations for our Autumn (Fall) - KRAFT & TWINE. Have fun everyone. 

Sunday 4 November 2012

Christmas In Pink

Christmas in Pink, this was a true challenge for me, I normally don't wander much from the traditional colours for Christmas. Our sponsor this week at CD Sunday Challenges are Dreamees     - www.dreamees.org.uk
http://www.dreamees.blogspot.co.uk/  who provided the Design Team with a selection of papers from their Christmas Memories CD for a Pink Christmas. I made an easel card, covered in one of the beautiful backing papers. I used a Marianne Die for the topper, which I placed onto a piece of lace and ribbon to add more texture. Enjoy the challenge ladies (and any gentlemen) I look  forward as to how you see Christmas in Pink. 

Friday 2 November 2012

T is for Tags

Already we at Alphabet Challenges have reached the letter T, which for the next two weeks is for Tags. I am so much in the creative mode preparing for Christmas. I will as normal be making the tags for my family and friends this year. Tags can come in all shapes and sizes, whatever you want them to be. I used two Marianne Dies for the shape. I used Habico snowman and snowflake stamps, with an Archival brilliance Mediterranean Blue ink pad. Finishing it with a Christmas greeting and a selection of fibres. I again look forward to visiting you to see you creative tags. I greatly enjoyed the spooky creations the last few weeks, many thanks to everyone who had a go.