Friday Skeetchers # 71

Loved the sketch this week over at Friday Sketchers and was able to use a bit more of my new stuff this time one of the sizzix extended dies this one is the flowers with swirly vine. Papers are papermania signature range Blueberry Hill and coredinations cs. Image is the adorable Annie from Charmed Delectable Stamps coloured with copics and raised on sticky pads and the sentiment is from Daisy & Dandelion. I also used my new finger craft knife with the swivel blade to cut Annie out - well its not perfect but I'm actually quite pleased with the result and think it will get even better with practice so I think I'm gonna like them, very comfortable to use to. TFL

Spoon Full of Sugar challenge #70 - a sketch

When I first saw the sketch this week over at SpoonFull of Sugar I was a bit daunted and thought I'd struggle with all the layers but I was determined to give it a go and actually I am quite pleased with the result. The papers are all digi and are a freebie Halloween kit by Raspberry Road Designs from quite a while ago (probably about 2 years!)I embossed the black cs with a new embossing folder of a tree (I liked the effect of it on the black and then ended up covering most of it up!lol) The images are all from the new Daisy & Dandelion set of Pumpkin & Aubergine, this one is Aubergine with a skeleton costume on (I diamond glazed the costume but it doesnt really show in the pic), the smaller images are cut out with a little oval nestie and coloured with copics adn the buttons are from my stash. Thanks for a great challenge and TFL. x

MTTC - Autumn Fest

This weeks challenge over at MTTC gave me the ideal opportunity to use more of the beautiful My Minds Eye Bloom & Grow papers (like I really need and excuse!lol) The image is the beautiful Annie Sitting Pretty from Charmed Delectable Stamps, I paper pieced her dressed and then used the masking technique (for the first time!) to have her sitting on the tree stump (also from Charmed Delectable Stamps) coloured using copics, whispers and sakuras, ribbon, brad and flower from my stash. The funny thing is I bought loads of new bits but actually only used the rock-a-blocks and a copic! - what am I like! must try harder on the next card! lol TFL

The results of my shopping trip!

Well the Creative Stitches show was great. My friend and I had a wonderful time having a good look round we got there about 10.45 and left about 4.45 so yes it was a good but tiring day! lol Ok so what did I buy? well ... 3 new Sizzix decorative strip dies, a new set of sizzix cutting plates, 3 cuttlebug embossing folders, 4 Tonic Studios punches (the same as Xcut but orange), a leafy branch punch wihich I have been after for ages, glue pad, sponge daubers, Crafters Companion Rock-a-Blocks, poar white flower soft, pumpkin & aubergine stamps, card template, a kit for making little photo albums on the computure and printing them out, bookbinding glue, a selection of wooden buttons (not in the pic) and 11 copics! Oh boy I had fun now I just need to clear some space in the craft room so that I can play with them! lol

Dotties World Challenge - More Than Words

What a great challenge over at Dotties World this week - really made me think! Louise set the challenge and here is what she said ... "I want you to use a quote or a poem on the front of your card - not just a one or two word sentiment though! (that would be too easy). Of course it's a Dottie's World challenge so you need to use a Charmed download too!" Well after lots of surfing I couldnt find anything that really jumped out at me and I remembered I had a little book of vellum Quote Stacks by DCWA and there I found just the right one. As soon as I read it I knew what image to use! So without further ado here is my card using DIY Dottie (I just erased the MUM), coloured with copics (of course!) papers, flowers and brads are all papermania, the heart charm and fibres are from my stash. TFL and I'll be back later with pics of my buys. x

All shopped out!

Well what can I say! Had a fab day at Exeter at the Creative Stitches show, saw loads of fab things and bought quite a bit too! Am totally shattered now but will be back tomorrow with my card for Dotties World challenge that I completed last night but didnt get time to take pic and also to let you know what scrummy bits I got too - nothing outrageous but I did manage to squeeze 11 more copics in my bag before I left! lol Goodnight all, catch ya tomorrow. xx

Friday Sketchers #70

Great sketch over at Friday Sketchers this week, enjoyed this one lots. Have used my new papermania poppy stamp again with the K-ology Hannah paper, some green cs and the buttons, flower and ribbon are from my stash (I tied the bow using my new bow maker gadget still trying to get the hang of though!lol) TFL

Cute Card Thursday - Hidden Treasure

I made this card today without realising that it fitted the challenge over at CCT this week so I was really pleased that I was able to do the challenge! The papers are Papermania and I cute the aperture using a Nestie and then covered the opening with acetate and used a peeloff on the reverse side and coloured it with copics, the smaller fish stickers are from my stash and I added them to the backing paper before sticking it down and then I used the cut out bit inside to make a pocket to slip some money inside. This card is off to its recipient in the morning and then after school he is off to buy some fish and bits for his new aquarium - hence the fish themed card. TFL

Talking of fish! Did you catch the pic of the sea bass that DOH is holding? Well its a 3lb 14oz sea bass caught in the very early hours of this morning (01.30 to be precise!) and we had it for our tea! It was delicious, even more so because it was very fresh and very free! (the best sort of tea! lol) Right time for more sorting (probably crafting really!) xx

2 cards tonight

Well I'm back from my residents holiday and it went well and I have spent the weekend recouping and catching up with washing etc! but tonight I have managed to squeeze in 2 cards. The christmas one is for the polka dot challenge over at MTTC. The papers were sent to me by my great blogging pal Sammi (thank you very much a lovely selection of papers) the oh so cute images are from the new christmas collection over at Charmed Cards & Crafts and I've added some flowers and brads from my stash. The second card is for the Sketch & Stash challenge #19. The papers are a mixture of some very old HOTP and a new pad K-ology Hannah whihc I got about a month ago and also the Poppy stamps are new (about 1 week) they are the new papermania ones. I stamped and embossed the main image in green, coloured with copics (still practising with shading!) and the smaller image is just printed. The ribbon is some I have had in my stash for ages that I got in a charity shop! There isnt a sentiment as I just couldnt find the right one! lol Right I'd best go now as I'm on the early shift tomorrow but I hope to be getting back into the crafting mode from now on especially as I'm off to the creative stitches exhibition on Friday in Exeter! (I feel a spending session coming on! lol) TFL

I'm going to be AWOL

after tomorrow as I am going away with 2 of the residents from the home where I work. We are going to Devon, Monday - Friday but I wont have any internet access so I wont be able to keep up with all thats going on in blogland but I shall be thinking of you all and hopefully once I get back things will slow down a bit and I might even get some time to fit some crafting in!

I'm also looking forward to going to the Creative Stitches show in Exeter on 25 September too and am trying to save hard. I am going with a friend and we havent been for about 3 years so we are both a wee bit excited!lol oooooh lots of new goodies! Anyway take care everyone will catch up when i get back. xx

Wedding costumes

Ok, when you have finished laughing and managed to sit back on your seats ! lol this is us in all our 'Regency' finery for the wedding we attended at the weekend. Now I know why I hate having my picture taken! The costumes were admired I must add and I think my neighbour did a marvelous job on my dress seeing as I only gave her a weeks notice and no real pattern! Adrians outfit is hired from a fancy dress shop and I have to add that the buckles on the shoes arent his they are held on with elastic!! lol Well on that note I'm off for a lie down in a dark room to get over my embarressment and I may crawl out again tomorrow after I've taken the outfit back or it may not bet til wednesday as I've got a late shift tomorrow! Byeeee.

Sorry

for being such a bad blogger recently! I have been crafting and making my mums birthday card so I cant show it to you yet as her birthday isnt until Wednesday but I only just got it finished tonight. I chose to make something I hadnt done before and although the general make wasnt too bad it was all the embellishing that took the time! lol not sure I'll be making another one in a hurry but I have enjoyed making it, especially as its for my mum. On other issues we went to a wedding yesterday all dressed up in our 'regency period' costumes so hopefully I'll have time to put up a pic of that in the next couple of days. It was very nice and the reception was a picnic in a marquee with straw bales for tables and seats and lovely picnic food in wicker hampers all very nicely done. Anyway I'm away to bed now as I've got an early shift tomorrow but hopefully I'll get some crafting done this week as am away on a residents holiday the following week and no crafting or internet access! gulp! what will I do?!!! lol probably be too tired to do any anyway! lol And Ria is back to school on Tuesday so its all go in this house hold! Bye for now. xx

CCT Challenge #75 New Beginnings

Well for the CCT challenge this week I took a new beginning as starting life as a married couple. (I hope its cute enough) I have made this card for a wedding this weekend that we are attending which is a period Jane Austen style and I have a nightmare trying to find a dress to fit as I really am not the right size or shape for a Jane Austen type dress! lol In the end I spoke very nicely to my neighbour who used to be a seamstress and I got the material and she has made me a dress and in under a week too! Anyway I digress! The card is made using Papermania 'Regency' papers how flukey is that I bought these papers months ago and they are the perfect period! I cut out the aperture using nesties and the bride and groom are cut from coredinations gemstone cs and mounted onto acetate and repeated on the inside fo the acetate and the sentiment inside the card is one from the crafty muse wedding collection. It took me a bit of working but I'm pleased with the end result. TFL

Sketch & Stash Challenge #17

I really enjoy the sketches over at Sketch & Stash Challenge Blog and this one is no exception! My new stash is the papers which are My Minds Eye Bloom & Grow, I also got the flowers and decopage die cuts to match, added some coredinations cs and the image is Daisy (Sugar Nellie - not used her for a wee while) coloured using copics, whispers and sakura and the sentiment is a Daisy & Dandelion stamp. As always TFL and I really appreciate your comments.

Dotties World Challenge - A little bit different

This week June set her first challenge over at Dotties World and a great first challenge it was too. 'A little bit different' - this week I would love it if you could make a different shaped card, or an altered item, not the usual square or oblong , but with a twist, hope you enjoy the challenge, and dont forget to use a Charmed download. So after downloading the new collection this is what put together, I think I got a bit carried away with the glitter this week!lol. Image is the Angel from teh new collection and she has been printed on the inside of the card, coloured with copics and then glittered! and the outside of the card has the Charmed Tree printed on it and I went over the holly leaves and berries with sakura glitter pens and then added some black sparkly glitter to the pot, cut away the edge and then added more glitter to the edge. I actually made 2 of these with slight variations, the first had a smaller angel and clear glitter added to the pot but I thought the angel looked a bit lost in the corner so retried with a bigger angel and this is the one I prefer but thats not to say the other card wont be used! TFL

Friday Sketchers #66

Another digi lo, I'm enjoying these at the moment but missing papercrafting too! This one is based on the sketch from Friday Sketchers this week and I have used a wonderful digi freebie kit called Fall Memories and added some elements from another kit called Natural Beauty both are by Vicki of A Work In Progress you can also find Vicki's fabulous work (along with 3 other great designers) over at Scrap that Idea. The photo is of Ria having a great game of tug of war with our friends other dog the choc lab called Issy. Tomorrow we are off to the beach with the dogs so hopefully some more photo oportunities. Today we spent the day in London and went to Ripleys Believe it or not odditorium - fascinating stuff. TFL

MTTC (sketch) and ABC B is for Buttons

Another digi lo tonight. This is a photo of a friends black Lab called Bella (hence Beautiful Bella) we often 'borrow' her and their choc lab Issy when we come to stay at mum and dads, Ria adores them and them her! This pic was taken yesterday. The papers are from a digi kit by Vicki of A Work In Progress with an addon by Sara at Sweet Blossoms Design, this is one of their first freebie kits that I collected. The layout is based on the sketch over at MTTC this week and also it meets the B is for Buttons challenge over at ABC Challenge Blog. TFL having a great holiday so far and hope to do more digi tomorrow.

Friday Sketchers #65

Great sketch over at Friday Sketchers and I decided to put together a digi lo based on the sketch. I have used a freebie digi kit called Artistic Moments by the super talented Vicki of A Work In Progress. I used PhotoShop Elements 5 to put it all together. TFL x

Off on our Hols

Right then Ria and I are off to spend a week with my mum and dad from tomorrow so not much crafting envisaged but I am taking 'Samson' with me so might get some digi bits done instead and I'll try and get the chance to visit all your wonderful blogs while I'm away, got a couple of days out planned and some dog walking too so hopefully photo opportunities. Take care and I'll see you on my travels. x

Another 2 in 1 card

This time its for the challenges over at MTTC- Christmas and another of Dawny's fabulous sketches over at Papertake Weekly. I have used some pale pinkish parchment paper (just been given a huge A3 pad containing different colours by a friend who was having a sort out!) and Rudolf paper is papermania (last year), some black scraps of card and the delightful image and sentimen is Daisy dressed as Rudolf from the christmas Dasiy & Dandelion range coloured using copics and sakuras and a little bow added too for good measure. TFL