Dreaming of spring...

...although as I write this the sun is actually shining and giving me a headache as my new computer is on a desk facing a south window. Normally I wouldn't complain but much to my disgust I have had to close the blind to block it out a little.

This card I have actually tried to use to fulfill quite a few challenges, normally I make a card with one challenge in mind and then find I can enter it in a few others if I'm lucky, but as I've not done many challenges I am desparately trying to catch up on a few so hope no-one minds sharing too much. I actually found it quite hard to do, but I'm quite happy with how it turned out.

The colour scheme I used is from the challenge at basic grey. I have often tried to get around to playing this chalenge and have finally suceeded, to qualify I have used some basic grey paper lace , but even though it was pink I had to recolour it to match my other pink shades as it blended in alittle too well and looked lost agains the pink paper.

Quixotic challenge wants you to use lace on your projects and as I have used paper lace I hope I can enter this challenge too, I didn't have any proper lace and really haven't had time to pop out and buy some so hope this will do.

The layout I must admit I had problems with, its from the sunday sketch and stamp challenge but now its done I quite like it and it may even go in my favourites book.

Over at Whimsy they have a challenge to use chipboard on your project. If you use a whimsy stamp you get 2 entries but you can use any stamp so I will be entering that challengetoo as I used chipboard twice, one as a base for my sentiment and I covered a frame for Tilda to sit on.

Roses on paper have a challenge to use your favourite colouring medium andI love the promarkers I got a couple of months ago so I used them to colour my image and my paper lace.

Three clovers have a theme of celebration and everyone celebrates their birthday even if they aren't happy getting older, well most people I suppose there might be some who don't, so I will enter that challenge too.

Finally but by no means least Charisma cardz are celebrating their first birthday with a challenge of celebrations and a blog hop. They will have 15 yes 15 winners next week so I will definitely be entering that challenge, and happy birthday charisma!

My favourite card of 2009

Over at Quixotic papers and challenge  Elaine has asked us to make a post of our favourite card for 2009  for the chance of winning some fab candy. I found this really hard as since I started blogging and entering challenges with sketches etc my cards have totally changed , I think for the better and I am hard pushed to pick a favourite as there are so many of my cards that I am actually proud of and like. The one I have finally decided to go with is  from a challenge or should I say a combination of a few challenges way back in october about a month after I found the land of blog and challenges. Its special to me as it was predominantly yellow which is so not a colour I like to use and it was one of the first cards I really liked and loved the sketch too. Hope you like it too, at the moment I like looking at the piccy of it as it reminds me of spring daffodils with the colour and its cheerful instead of the damp dull cold weater we have at the moment.

Lets Party!

This card has caused me so many problems as I've tried 3 different designs for the stripes before finding the one I liked and I'm still not sure the whole thing is just right so it might be taken to bits again, I'll see what all of you think and then decide.

I started off with swirls done in red razzle embossing powder but decided that wasn't sparkly enough and they were too big. I tried some smaller flourish swirls in red glitter and stamped them on acetate so I didn't have to try cutting them out as the first set had been really fidly and took me ages to cut out. Once I stamped and glittered them I didn't like those either. Then I tried ribbon and that was ok but while I was putting my ribbon away I found this braid that I had originally bought to use on a bag card and just never got around to making. It just screamed party to me and as the colours were so simialr to my clown, well a couple of them are I had to give it a try. That led to other problems as the braid is so thich so I used double sided tape and glue to stick the gold backing to the card along with pva and 3mm pads to mount the clown and the party word.

My embellishments that are on the sketch layout which I forgot to mention is for the challenge at create for fun  I used stickers for a change as I thought not only did the colours match and blend but they went with the party theme. The sentiment was a silver peel off which I used my promarkers to recolour and then mount on some card again coloured with promarkers and then trimmed.
Stickles for bling just finish off the party look, if I don't get around to posting it as a new year card I suppose it would work as an invitation, although I'd have to make alot more or perhaps it would be a fun birthday card who knows?


Simon says challenge has a party theme so I think I will pop along and join in their fun challenge .

The colours I've just noticed would fit in with the Incy wincy picture challenge theme provided they don't mind a few extra colours too.

Our creative corner have a food and drink theme and as my wee clown seems to be getting mery on a bottle of fizzy stuff I may join them to say cheers too.

Happy 2010 and however you celebrate hope you have fun between now and next year!

swimming towards 2010

Hi all hope you are all fighting fit andsurviving the final days of 2009.

This card has been in the making all christmas , I have kept popping into my craft room and sneaking the odd 5 mins here and there as if I disappear for too long when hubby and son have been downstairs they wonder where I am and come looking, that and having had all the family here or have been to the in laws house I've really had no time. I'm still trying to figure out how I got to do all the shopping  and cooking for the in laws for boxing day when it was at their house, I know they didn't get back from Tenerife till tuesday before christmas but even so and as far as I know we stood the bill as well, I was absolutely pooped after 5 hours food prep on boxing day then transferring everything to thier house and then cooking both the lunch and preparing all the tea time food that was totally unnecessary. Then they all came here with the left overs yesturday. Hubby is back to work today so I can clean up again, tree and decorations came down yesturday, and we have some errands to run today along with dropping off my son's friends birthday card. I'm on a rant sorry best get back to something more intresting, my card.

This is my one and only Your next stamp set, and I've had the idea of how I wanted to use it for ages, but just never got around to doing it. I used an apature card and filled the window with acetate onto which I stamped the bubbles using a glue ink and then sprinkled them with irridescent glitter, hopefully they look like proper bubbles. I then stamped and coloured the little mermaid using promarkers and sakura glitter and glaze pens, adding a blob of liquid pearls to her top. I put her on some dark turqoise wrapping paper and stuck her behind the acetate.
The frame I used the 2 shell stamps on some pearlised paper and embossed them with moonglow pearl powder and coloured them with pastal promarkers and just stuck them on a circle frame around the window along with the octpus. The layout is from  your next stamp challenge although I changed the image base from rectangle to circle , I hope they don't mind. I used ric-rak and another piece of pearl paper I coloured with promarker to keep colour continuity. Inside I finshed the sentence and made it into a new year card but you could add anything, thankyou, happy birthday or congratulations.

There are quite a few challenges which new year card will fit so I will be entering those too unless I've missed the deadlines but here they are:-
Daring Cardmakers have a theme of new beginnings.
Stamp with fun have a theme of Happy new year.
Paperplay have a theme of new beginnings.
The corrosive challenge have a theme of new year resolutions, I don't make resolutions but have decided to try and make more complex cards that take time to do and all the little bits on this one certainly took time so hopefully that will count.
Lily of the valley also have a new year theme.
Crafty cardmakers have a theme of using your favourite product of 2009. Well I found promarkers and love them to bits as you can use them to colour all sorts of things from gems to flowers as well as images , they blend beautifully and don't leave lines like felt tips, so I will enter that too.
Cute card thursday also have a theme of happy new year.
Finally Lexi's creations have a theme of using pastal colours and although I have got dark turquoise too I have used lots of pastals so will enter that too.
I didn't realise I could enter so many , sorry guys hope you don't mind sharing too much, festive spirit and all that.
Well best go and muster my teenager he did say he was revising on his laptop in bed , but we will see and get those jobs done . I might even get some crafting done later. Have a great day and thanks for dropping by.

Planning ahead

This is  I made for a young teenage girl whose birthday is in a couple of weeks.

The sketch is from the challenge at a spoonful of sugar unless I missed the deadline as I made this card about a week before christmas and just never got enough time to post it. I used one of the manga girls from sugar nellie and purples and turquoises for my colour scheme. The circle on the sketch I turned into a large felt flower  and then as I am trying to get into decorating the inside of my cards I repeated the layout on the inside without using felt, but when it came to the writing side of the card I got stuck so will have to think about that one further but here's the card as it is now, I'm not sure it I have anymore irridescent paper so it may well stay as it is anyway.

I'm also entering this card into the crafty creations challenge who have a theme of anything goes. Hope you are all looking forward to the new year after having a wonderful christmas and here's wishing you all health, happiness and fun in 2010.

Final countdown and something non christmas

Morning all, hopes it is going to be a good one.( Please make yourself comfy with a cuppa as I've got carried away)Today we are braving the shops for the last of the food prep, I originally thought it would be quite straight forward as we have had the meat for our christmas lunch a couple of weeks safely tucked in the freezer, not turkey but venison. I seem to be the only one who really likes turkey so we tend to have non traditional lunches.
We normally have my mum and dad for lunch on christmas day and go to in-laws on boxing day and each take part of the meal so its not all put to mum in law to make, which is just as well this year as at present they are still stuck in Tenerife and have been trying to get back since sunday. Initially their flights were cancelled as planes were in the wrong places due to closures of airports here, then Tenerife was closed as they were having major thunder storms and lightening. Yesturday they thought they were on their way until the flight out there from Manchester was cancelled at the last minute, passengers here were ready to board. They have another flight confirmed for tonight so lets keep our fingers crossed as they were trying to combine the visit home to see family and wrap up selling their house here to move out there permanently to their appartment out there. Hence we are now doing all the shopping and prep for boxing day too. The meat we ordered a couple of weeks ago from the local farm shop which is where we will get the veg from too and cheese , they make their own stilton type cheese called stilchen and its fab. Hubby never use to like blue cheese but would sit and eat this all day , if you get the chance to try please do its wonderful and they are selling it all over now it was even on saturday market kitchen tv prog.
Then we have to do sainsbury's for the basics bread milk etc. All this to look forward to sheer bliss. On a different noter my son is deliriously happy as we have a new date for his surgery, but it is at the end of an exam week and I'm not sure if it will interfere and I can't find out till school reopens as we have not had his exam entry list yet, but he said last night that he has already got his best present and is counting down the days so I really hope his exams are on the days before and don't mess things up for him, he must be in so much pain to want surgery so much and yet he never complains.

Well finally a bit of craft. This card is the first of my non christmassy, I wanted a complete change and as a few of my son's friend turn 16 over the next few weeks and the young girl next door is 12 or 13 I can't remember which I thought I'd make some girly cards that could be for birthdays or whatever cards. Here is the first, I'm sure more will follow and they will all be bright or pretty and very different to christmas. I have decided and not in the form aof a resolution that I am going to try and make my cards not quite so simple and use more patterned papers instead of just taking them out and looking at them, that way I can buy more.

This card I will enter into a couple maybe more challenges, I'm not sure yet. The first though will be whiff of joys challenge which is a sketch challenge.

I think I will also enter it into Charisma cardz challenge of anything but christmas one challenge I was certainly ready for.

Tanda teaser #128 have a theme of cool to be square and square cards are certainly growing on me probably as I can get 3 from a shhet of A3 card and that alot of the sketches fit well on them.

Well all I can do now is wish you all happy christmas again and try to look forward to the shopping, may be all the hustle and bustle will ut me in a more festive mood for as yet I don't feel that christmassy, its probably as theres no anticipation in our house as my son is so grown up this year and not really excited so theres no anticipation magic to rub off, and I've already got my pressie in my new computer, but it will be good spending time with family. Bye for now and thanks for visiting.

Tag that bottle

This is the first bottle collar I have ever made, it was a toss up between dressing the bottle in a coat or making a big tag so as ISB have a challenge to make a bottle collar the decision was made for me.

They have a recipe also to use buttons, ribbon and a tag. The buttons are the pearl snowflakes on my flowers shanks removed of course, the ribbon is on the card and also attatched to the tag which you can see poking out of the panel with Tilda on. It quite simply says merry christmas on it , who its to and from.

I don't have many magnolia stamps so I had to use one of the 2 I recently required so decided to see if I could combine this challenge with another magnolia challenge and Just Magnolia have a sketch. I am getting more use to following sketches and am often pleased with the reults so thiught I would give it a go.
I must admit that as this collar is for a bottle of wine for my father in law I didn't want it too flowery so that did cause me some problems deciding how to interpret the sketch and not make it girly especially using Tilda. It's not quite my choice but I took it into the kitchen and put it around a bottle neck and my hubby sort of laughed and said very good and then asked if there was only the wine for his dad still to get so I presume that means its ok,well I hope so anyway.

Magnolia down under have a challenge to use a stamp for an occassion other than its original design use so as I have now found out this magnolia was originally for valentines day and as I'm using it for christmas it will count for that challenge.

Playdate cafe have a colour theme of blue, cream and gold and as these are the colours I've used plus a little white and pink white pearls and pink hearts I think I can enter that too. Creatalicious wanted something old- the cream pearl paper is from an old envelope I was sent a card in, something new, well the stamp I aquirred about 6 weeks ago so its fairly new, something torn, I tore the pearl paper and something blue , I have a blue base colour and tilda along with blue glitter on Tilda's boots and skeleton leaves, which I cut and punched to make the pointsettia and smaller flowers.

One stop craft challenge have a theme of recycled and I will enter that challenge as my cream pearl paper is from a recycled envelope.

Now for the ladies

Here are my 3 little ladies all the same just different colours and again all for the passion for promarkers mega challenge. The little dog is just like the jack russel my brother and sister in law own, such a character and so loving so I couldn't leave her out. I've got Bess the dog a soft squeeky ball, its made of really thin rubber and sshe can't get her teetth through it so it lasts. I know this as I got her a similar on a couple of years ago and she's still playing withit although she does leave it oputside so with the cold weather it might not be as durable so I figured she could do with a new one. I stamped and embossed white and pearl snowflakes and paw prints on white paper and then coloured a dog image to her colouring though its not a jack russel I don't think she'll care too much.

Boxing day gift boxes/ table favours

As promised more gift boxes but I've changed the shape for a change and have snowmen for the boys the girls will be along later. I love this whimsy stamp I won and my son decided what colour scarves and hats to do each male, poor Dave gets blue as he's a plumber whether its his favourite colour or not and I'm not sure how he decided on the other colours but I'm not even going to try and work out how a male mind works.

All these and my little ladies will be entering one and only one challenge, the poor DT at passion for promarkers will be totally fed up with me, but they have some fag prizes in there extraveganza challenge and you have to be init to win it so as I'm using my promarkers to create these non card christmas things why not, but sorry guys if you are bored with seeing my name on your comments list. Here are my little snowmen boxes all clumped together so you can count them as individual entries or 4 separate up to you. Happy christmas to everyone and promarker team thankyou for your patience.

The holly is some christmas gift tie I got from Asda a couple of years ago, its wire bases  and makes a nice man tie, I picked 3 lots up in the sale and they didn't cost much at all so its worth a look around christmas gift wrap sales you never know what you might find.

The bags will be filled with sweets but not till the day incase anyone decides to empty them!

A little birdie told me

My mum and dad are so hard to get gifts for as if they want something they just go and get it and they're not one for nick nacks so are really hard to get gifts for. Mum said in passing that she had to get some more bird food so for christmas I've bought her a sack of bird food so it should keep her feathered friends happy for a while and I know its something she will appreciate. I thought this little gorjuss girl would make the perfect image for the tag and then found that Totally gorjuss have a make a tag theme this time how fab is that!

Kismet as they say!

My advent prize from whimsy...

...is put to work. This is my first whimsy stamp, though I have quite a few on my wish list, I was lucky enough to win in in Whimsy's advent calendar, and its definitely no calories.
I decided to use it to enter their challenge this week #32 which is to make something black and white. I've not added a sentiment as I've not yet decided what kind of card it will be, it may end up being a christmas card for next year or  a winter birthday card particularly if the snow keeps up all winter or just a thankyou card, but the sentinent will go on the side next to the snowman.
The card is just black shiney card I used a fiskers embossing board to emboss the snowflakes and I thought I'd make the base card square but the easel board A5 size just to be different. The snowman and bird are coloured with grey and black promarkers and the beak and carrot with sakura  pens for strong definition and a little shine. I found  a silver snowflake brad for my stopper that I covered in the same stickles I used on my snowman. So here it is my first Whisy stamp for the Whimsy challenge.

I am also entering this card into these challenges providing I haven't missed the deadlines:

Kaboodle Doodle #20  glitter me silly- well less is more and they have a dt call too.

Kraftin Kimme #10 -sparkle baby

creative card crew-anything goes- these also have a dt call

There she goes clear stamps #33 -use at least 3 layers

Tellens place#5- use a black base

Our creative corner- let it snow

The Corrosive challenge- blingy and mine certainly is!

Stampavie and more- snowmen

I can't believe I found so many challenge4s this card fits in my little book, which I can't believe is just about full so I guess when the new year starts along with the new challenges I will be starting a new note book,have any of you started thinking about your new years resolutions or are you all too busy with christmas prep yet? Would love to know some of your resolutions, last year mine were not to plan things too far ahead only a couple of days where possible and then when something happens to change long term plans there is no dissappointment. It works quite well and fits in with hubby who over our married life has frequently given me a weeks notice or less when he walks in from work and tells me he's booked a holiday for the following week. We have only had one holiday that was a long term plan as it took some organising and that was 3 weeks touring 2 canadian states and we had to ensure we had hotels with wheelchair access, and I got 3 months notice for that one, it makes life fun!

The other I made my second resolution was not to make any more as they usually get broken, I think the only reason the other one doesn't so much is because it's just how my life runs and when I have tried to plan long term it all goes wrong so its just not worth it but I do occassionally lapse.What are your thoughts and resolutions?

Last in the set

This is the last of my boxes for christmas day and the colour scheme is for the challenge at colour throw down. I must admit I really didn't think they would go together but they did and the artichoke colour made quite a novel hair colour for my wee boy.

Sassie Designs has a touch of gold challenge so I think I could enter this into that challenge too.

I nearly forgot another entry for passion for promakers mega challenge too.

Well I'm a little boxed out for now so might try something different before I do my boxing day favours and I still have a little gift bag to make for my sister in laws dog , its a soft squeeky ball to annoy everyone which I just think is funny.

Hope you all have a great weekend and any snow doesn't cause you problems.

More goodies

Well they say nice things come in small packages did they mean chocolates? I know lots of people would say chocolates should come in big boxes as there is never enough chocolate, I'm odd as I'm just not bothered as chocolate gives me really bad headaches.

This little chocie box  has a little guy on that looks like he needs someones last rolo!

Hopefully he'll make someone happy though when the contents of his box are posh chocies. The colour scheme is for the Stampin for the weekend of blue and brown with the option of festive and as its for a christmas table gift I think thats festive enough. I know I've missed the deadline for the challenge but thought I'd tell you why blue and brown.

Secret crafter saturday challenge has a theme of last minute gifts and it is a table gift for on the day so to me thats last minute.

Die cut R us have a theme of naughty or nice- my interpretation my little boy looks as if he has been naughty  or it could be the chocies the box contains some see them as a naughty treat especially those who are trying to control their weight and others just see them as a really nice treat, so I'm entering that challenge too.

Stamp with fun  have a theme of little presents and thats just what mine is so I'm entering that challenge too.

This will make another entry for passion for promarkers mega challenge as well, do you think I get extra brownie points for entering so many times or do I just appear really desparate to win the promarkers?

I think that will do for this little guy, happy christmas all and I think I only have one more in this set then its onto boxing day goody bags if I get the time.

Another chocie box

Hi all back again with another chocie box and it can go in for a couple of challenges too.

This one is the colour scheme for Crafty Creations red green and a touch of gold, I even managed his boots to be sort of green as the promarker shade is clled grey green. The candy canes are peeloffs as is the sentiment.

I think I might also enter this into Simon says merry christmas theme as it does say that.

Over at Crazy 4 challenges they have a challenge of making a treat package with the option for chocie related and as mine is to be filled with chocies I think it will count.

I think I might also enter it into the Creative inspirations challege of a christmas gift as it is for a table gift at the christmas dinner table.

finally but definitely not least another entry for the passion for promarkers mega challenge.

Well I think that will do such alot of challenges for such a little box!

A Great Big Huge THANKYOU

THANKYOU

To all my followers, I find it so hard to believe that over 20 fellow craftesr are intrested in what I do, it is such a HUGE compliment and I feel very humble that you do.

May I wish all of you a very happy christmas and hope that next year is better for you than any you have ever had, and the same to anyone else who might happen to stumble across or visit my blog.

Purple bling and bows

Hi all hope your all staying cool and becoming organised, and I don't mean cool due to the temperatures either.
I've done my cleaning and made another 2 and a half dozen mince pies, the last lot got eaten rather too quickly for my liking , I can see I might be making more next week. Hubby has been working from home today with the exception of a couple of hours where he had to go out for a meeting so I made the most of my time as he gets stressed when he's trying to work and I'm cleaning. My son feels like he's been on holidays forever as he has had 2 weeks of mock exams and has been on study leave in between them and he has been good and studied, but says because he's been at home alot of the time he feels like he's been on holiday, I can surely agree with that! and now I have another 2 weeks and the first week hubby is at home too, so come christmas day I'll be pulling my hair out as the house will undoubtedly look a tip as neither are good at putting things away. Don't get me wrong I love them both being at home but I like the house to stay tidy and the two just don't happen together, and after 17 years together and me trying to get my hubby to put things away I figure I'm never going to suceed so why waste my breath as I'll end up doing the tidying regardless.

I made another box, so I'm entering it into the promarkers mega challenge as I again coloured it with my fab promarkers and would so love more, more ,more! please!

I am also entering this one into the challenge at lexi's creations which is purple, ribbon and bling and I have all 3 on my little gorjuss girl creation.

Off to make more boxes now whilst I might still get a chance to take my piccies in natural light so I guess I'll have to get a move on. Thanks for stopping by as I know you will all be getting busy .

This one for mum

This christmas table favour I've done with mum in mind, the last one was for my son , it reminds me of mum this Tilda as she always wears her pinny when cooking and has similar colour hair and is always there to give love, so who else could this image be for.

I'm entering this into the Roses on Paper challenge who have a colour theme of Cranberry,dark green and or gold, so they are the colours I've used. I will also be entering it into the Passion for Promarkers mega challenge as another entry.

An alternative to crackers

This year I thought I would do something different to christmas crackers for the dinner table. For the last few yearsI have splashed out and bought some of the expensive crackers because they actually had decent gifts in, silver plated jewellry cuff links, mini salt and pepper pot brilliant size for picnics, money clips , pens etc. but as all the nice gift crackers we now seem to have had and I don't want duplicates of the gifts kicking around and I haven't had time to find my own mini sized gifts to make my own crackers, added to no-one can keep or is willing to wear their hats for long I decided to try something different that I know everyone will like.

I decided to make some small favour boxes I reckon they will hold 6 to 12 chocolates, must admit I hope as I've not tried to see how many yet but thought I would make one for each person, so expect to see quite a few over the next few posts, unless I get borede with makeing the same shape and vary that bit.

For christmas day my mum and dad come to us for lunch, we use to go to mums but since her brain tumor they have come to us and even though now mum is much better I think its good that they still come to us as mum gets to relax more and she deserves it. On new years day its Tims family turn, we use to alternate it and swop them over but its been this way round for over 10 years now and just means everyone knows what they're doing, its really just like 2 christmas days as we even save the gifts till then too. This may be the last one for them in their house as they are moving to their apartment in Tenerife and their youngest daughter is buying their house so it must be tinged with sadness as even if they come home to visit and stay there it will nolonger be their home so we are going to make it extra special hopefully no family arguements etc.

Well my first favour I thought I would start with some colour challenges and use my Manga boy for the guys so there will be at least 3 for starters, the first is in green and gold for the challenge over at Cute Daisy May there theme is , yes you guessed green and gold. My wee boy has gold bracers and gold straks in his hair, I supoose I could have used green card but I didn't have a piece left that was a suitable size, and it will be a nice excuse to revisit the papermill shop to replenish, hubby is off work next week so we will be out and about weather permitting and he's just so generous. I got my christmas pressie early and now have my own computer so I can blog even if my son has school work or some 'important ' game to play. Anyway hope you dont get too fed up of seeing my little boxes and hope all of you are getting organised so you can all enjoy christmas with those you love.

I think I might enter into the Passion for Promarkers mega competition anything but a card, the more entries you have the more chances of winning a mega fab prize, and I would so love to win more promarkers as I am so addicted to them!

Judes birthday candy

over at crafts international Jude has candy to celebrate her birthday on 6th January, it really worth taking a look so why not pop over and see for yourself.

A gift for me

Each year my hubby gets me a diary so I can keep track of everybodies appointments etc and being hubby as long as its servicable it doesn't matter, this years or rather next years is black this years was red(not too bad), so I decided to dress it up so I can enter a couple of challenges and have a better looking diary too.

The image had to be my favourite little miss attitude grojuss girl from sugar nellie. I actually found a photo the other day of me as a young girl in a very similar stance along with one with me standing hands on hips looking just as indignant about 5 or 6 years old. I've not shown mum this stamp but I'm sure she'll say 'just like you as a little girl' stubborn I think you could say.

Well my new diary I have used a couple of challenge themes, the layout is from The pixie Cottage challenge .

The colour scheme I used was from Sweet Stampin you had to pick at least 3 of 4 colours, light blue,bright blue olive and mustard. The pictures not too good at the colours despite me trying to adjust the levels on photoshop these lights in my sons study room are as bad if not worse than my kitchen, never mind only 6 days to winter solstice and then spring and summer are on their way. I think I've managed to use  all 4 colours just by picking the papers and ribbon I did.

Sketchy colours also have a colour theme of green and blue being the main colours on your project so I guess I can enter that challenge too.

The papers I picked as part of the Stamping Vacation challenge, you had to use 3 designer papers from a list of patterns give to you to choose from. I picked stripes,flowers and circles. The bright blue striped paper, pale blue paper with small tulip like flowers on at the bottom of the layout and my gorjuss girl in overlaid onto pale green paper with olive and light and medium blue circles on.

Finally Totally gorjuss have a free and easy theme this week so my little miss will be popping along there to say hi to all the other gorjuss girls and wishing them a merry christmas along the way.

For my mum and Dad

This is an anniversary card for my mum and Dad(step-dad). They will have been married for 7 years in January and have certainly earnt their stripes as over the last couple of years mum has had a brain tumour and all the surgery that goes with that and then whilst recovering fell over and shattered her elbow and did it so well she had to have an artifical elbow put in. Dad had been great through it all and it must have been hard for him as he lost his first wife to bowel cancer.

The 7th anniversary traditional gifts aren't very inspiring craft wise as it is either wool or copper and modern is even worse its desk sets and they already have those. I did think about doing some copper embossed sheep on their card but I think the significance might have been lost on them so I opted for good old forever friends.

I decided to do them in creams and browns and then found the challenge at Crafty Catz so expanded the colour scheme to fulfill the criteria for their challenge, cream, brown, white and gold.

Allsorts has a challenge theme of pearls and swirls so I can enter that too as I have liquid pearl swirls and my embossing is done in pearl gold and my hearts are filled with liquid pearls too.

Create for fun have an easy theme just to make an easel card and this style of card is growing on me though I still often have problems deciding what to put on the base to hold the easel up.

Saturday spotlight with hidden potential have a theme of your favourite style of music or a musical masterpiece. I don't have one specific favourite it really depends what mood I'm in though there are one or two styles like heavy metal that I'm not partial to listening to but am forced to as my son likes it so everyone gets to listen, I think its partly as I use to share a room with my sister who come sunday night when we had gone to bed would lay with the stereo blasting heavy rock out via her head phones goodness knows how shes not deaf, doing her homework for the following day. The music was so loud I had trouble getting to sleep so I probably don't give it a fair chance as it just holds bad memories of all the arguements it caused. Sorry all I'm rambling nonsense again .

I do like romantic music and power ballards which is what this card reminds me of, big romantic gestures and they do say music is the food of love,personally I prefer strawberries and champagne but for non fattening music will do after all  I'm a cinderella and pretty woman kinda girl.

The layout of my card I've followed the sketch saturday sketch, I was pleased it worked quite well though I initially thought it might looked cluttered.

So happy anniversary mum and dad for the 22nd of January and heres to wishing you many more years of happiness together.



On a different note I have decided I am not going to do any more christmas or winter type challenges as I will have all my cards made for next year if I keep going, it didn't help that I had already made a load before I started doing blog challenges so if I want to enter christmas challenges next year I best not make any more now.

Happy New Year ... not quite here yet!

This card I've done specifically for a couple of challenges as I don't normally make that many new year cards and usually do it between christmas and new year so this ones been made really early for me.

Penny black saturday challenge have a theme of red and gold and as I don't posess many PB stamps I have to adapt those I have and can't enter all the challenges. I can this one tough and I think my little hedgehogs look quite in the mood to let in the new year or maybe they've been celebrating a little too much?

 I'm also entering into the challenge at C.R.A.F.T. challenge as their theme is happy new year so party party party!

Creative card crew have a theme of  gold or silver and as I have used gold embossing and matting I think I could perhaps enter their challenge too.

Tanda has a theme of tall and narrow- to create a DL size card and I think my design works really well on that size card so I shall be popping over to join in.Die cuts are us want a holiday themed card and I always clump christmas and new year together as part and parcel of the holiday period so hope I'm ok to join in there too.

Right I'm off now to get the lunch veggies prepared before breakfast as mum and dad are coming for lunch so probably won't get much crafting or blog hopping done later but you never know there might be a few hours extra in today . Have a lovely day.

Kareoke cruner

Firstly apologies for my spelling I really have no idea how to spell either kareoke or cruner, but hopefully you will understand what I mean.
This card is for a friends birthday, he is actually our son's godfather and we introduced him to his wife, risky thing to do as they met on a blind date and at the time he was my hubbies boss and we weren't even engaged so could have all gone really pear shaped but it didn't and they were married within 9 months of meeting and that was 16 years ago.
Anyway my card, Charlie loves to sing anything any time and if theres a kareoke he makes a beeline for it. He drives my son mad as he sings in my sons words old songs and thinks he's as good as elvis my son disagrees although I'm not altogether sure if my son knows what elvis was like in his hey day as he has only watched 'That's the way it is' and thought it was funny how everyone was dressed as it was made in 1970 over 20 years before he was born so thats ancient! It's quite an intresting film as its more a documentary, but anyway I digress yet again, by now you are all probably use to my wierd ramblings.

My card

It made a real change not stamping, the sheet is from a Kanban set I bought a while ago and was really quick to put together, so much so I almost felt like  I'd cheated but it will suit Charlie to a T so I guess thats all that matters.

I am going to enter it into the challenge over at Paper play as their challenge is to create something to remind you of a book title or movie and I have already mentioned the movie this reminds me of above so I hope my card will count. Have a fun day and hope christmas organisation is under control, just remember its family and friends that count not how wonderful one day can be and those you love will be more thankful for spending time with you than how wonderful the house food or tree is.

Magic in the air blog hop challenge

Magic in the air blog hop not only has a sentence to collect but also a challenge.
The challenge comes in the form of a recipe as follows;

Use 1 tag
add 2 textures
mix 3 patterned papers
fold in 4 pieces of ribbon
Sprinkle 5 brads or 5 buttons

There is also a digi stamp to use.
Along the blog each dt member has a real edible food goodie recipe and some sound really sweet and very fattening, just the thing everybody wants over the holidays.

Well my project following the recipe, I decided to make in the form of a large tag as I and my son have clubed together to buy hubbies pressie can't say what it is just in case as hubby does know my blog site and spends alot of time surfing the net. The only other way hubby might find out is via our son who despite putting cash towards the pressie is absolutely hopeless at keeping secrets and will start dropping hints to hubby who will then very easily trick son into spilling the beans so to speak. he is so hopeless with secrets if we get to christmas day we will have achieved a miracle, I keep thinking as he gets older, now 15 that this will be the year we keep a suprise so I'm keeping my fingers crossed, but he just loves giving presents and can't wait to share lovely really in some ways.

Sorry I digress so easily, back to my project .
Use 1 tag- I made it into a tag using acetate and stuck white card on the reverse already written on for ease as I don't think it would have been easy otherwise.
My 2 textures , I am so pleased this turned out just as I visualised when I started, not something that happens often , my 2 textures, 1 - pink glitter paper all rough to the touch and 2- my cup cake case as I folded the paper so it is 3 dimensional proper touchy feely hope this counts?
Mix 3 patterned papers- well i sort of did a mix of paper piecing and decoupage , the mouse is one, the cupcake case my second and the love heart my third.
Fold in 4 pieces of ribbon- well my tag tie is my first and I did think I would struggle for the other 3 but the band around the case is my second and I found a tutoiral on how to tie bows somewhere on the net the other day sorry can't remember where and that used 2 separate pieces of ribbon to create the bow so these are my three and four.
Sprinkle with 5 brads or 5 buttons- here I struggled as I only had flower brads and they just didn't look right so hope the artistic lisence allows for craftworks candy legless brads as they look like chocolate sprinkles and hubby is very partial to chocolate.

My patterned papers close up, well 2 of them.

My cupcake case close up so you can see the texture.

I have already put my sentence I found in another post but just for good measure.

' Paper cupcakes where the main ingredient is love' just sums it up really. Thanks for a fun challenge and blog hop.

I thought I might also enter another 2 challenges that have challenges to use paper piecing, they are Tellens and Lili-boo too hope they don't mind sharing after all it is nearly christmas.

Hope everyone has a great weekend and those who aren't organised for the holidays are blessed with some extra time to allow them to become organised.

Clean and simple but covers so many challenges

Hi all, hope the week is treating you all well and the weekend isn't too desparately wanted by you all. I still have some pressies to get, namely for my dear hubby but its always hard as if he ever wants anything he just goes out and gets it and buying anything he doesn't want is a waste of money as it never gets used, so I'm still working on that one.

My project today is for my nephew, another male who is hard to buy for, so I thought I'd take a leaf from his mums book and as she usually gets our son a gift token thought we would recipricate, it all seems a little silly really but its the giving that counts isn't it. I thought I'd dress it up a little and put it in a gift card holder so I used my manga boy from sugar nellie, I'm sure its going to be a very well used stamp and last I heard he was into manga stuff  well thats what the pics on the cards he had looked like, he never says much just plays on his computer, quite anti social at times or is he just a teenager and I'm lucky having one who constantly chats to anyone who listens.

I decided that I would enter a couple of challenges but on looking through my notes it actually can be entered into loads,so I think this time round I might just list them, it will make a change anyway. Hope he likes it but I suppose I'll be lucky if I get a thankyou I never normally do and finish up saying thankyou for him.

The challenges I am entering are:

Crazy for challenges - want a gift card holder

Kraftin Kimme -want a gift card holder

Spoonful of sugar- want a monochromatic project (hope you don't mind the little bit of silver )

Bee crafty - want Not a card but a christmas extra

Passion for promarkers mega challenge- christmassy, not a card

Artful Inkables-want a clean and simple project

Three clovers challenge- want a holiday project using blue, white and silver

The Pink Elephant-want a christmas project using your favourite colour combo , well mine would be blue and white every time

Papertake weekly - use no red or green

Creative Inspirations want a festive project in non traditional colours

Stamp Vacation - pick 3 I used -lots of white space

                                                - use only one layer

                                                - use only one embelishment mines the silver cord

Bye for now and have a good evening

There's magic in the air blog hop

There's magic in the air have a blog hop and challenge for some fab prizes and guest DT spot, so why not pop over and join in the hop and the chalenge too, you even get an image to use and a recipe so half the work is done for you. There a sentence to collect and some fab recipes along the way

'Paper cupcakes where the main ingredient is love'

Get your'handmade by' candy

Roll up roll up roll up get your hand made candy here only available to win till the 19th december. Off course you can buy it anytime but either way it will be hard to choose a design , pop over and see for yourself but heres a piccy to whett your appetite for some gorgeous calorie free candy
< here

purple iris ship one not three

This is a christmas card experiment,iris folding isn't something I do alot of so am not particularly profficient at it, but once in a while it's nice to do something completely different to stamping. I don't know why I did purples but I'm glad I did as now I can enter the challenge over at Allsorts who want a purple project.

One stop craft challenge want some fancy folding so I think I'll enter my little ship into their challenge too as they count iris folding as fancy.

Cupcake challenge have a theme of a christmas carol and though I'm not sure whether its classed as a carol I couldn't stop singing I saw 3 ships come sailing in whilst I was making this card good job no one heard me as I got worse and worse the longer I sang, or howled howver you want to call it, made funny noises etc, but I enjoyed myself. hope you like the card.

black and bright

This card made a nice change from doiung christmas cards and there was no set occassion on any of the themes either so a nice open card. The layout I took from Magical crafts fortnightly challenge. 

The colours are quite vivid but you can blame that on the theme over at Ildi Co'c creative challenge as they have a theme of black and bright and I love bright blold colours from this end of the spectrum. I used black card and stamped with versamark and embossed with white powder and then used some vivid papers not sure whose. The flowers I coloured with my promarkers. The butterfly I stamped 3 times twice into film and once on white card so this can also be entered into ( can't find the note I made will enter the challenge when I do)    as they want you to use the same image stamped 3 times on your card.

Finally the theme for my card I chose a butterfly as over at  By the cute and Girly they have a theme of at the movies, to make a card inspired by a movie title. I thought I could be obvious and use a magnolia stamp but after looking thriugh our DVD collection decided to go with The Butterfly Effect.

I've taken a close up of the butterfly to show the 3 layers but unfortunately the top layer is directly side on and just a thin sliver but there are 3 there honest.

high Hopes tall card

High hopes have a challenge to make a tall card , something I've not done for a while. I thought  i'd take the opportunity to make a card for my son for when he eventually has his surgery. The sore on his scarline seems to be taking forever healing and seems to have a stubborn scab which doesn't want to budge.

My son doesn't take after me for much but he does have my love of bright colours and turqoise is his favourite so hopefully post operatively this will brighten his spirits.

dreaming of summer

Bring back summer but never mind christmas I'm on the count down to the winter solstice, as them I can say summers on its way and the days will be getting longer, 21st of december usually.  Not that I'm a sun worshipper or anything LOL, but I love the sun and all the nice things spring and summer days bring, like spending time outside crafting of course. This card is for the challenge at Charisma cards where the theme is dreaming of summer, which I often do, not to wish my life away but in my ideal world there would be sunshine everyday and so as we didn't have droughts etc it could rain between 10pm and 6 am only. The only time we could have snow would be at christmas and boxing day so everyone could enjoy it and look forward to it, but we don't live in Julye world so I guess for now I'll put up with the rain and dream.

This sketch is for the the sugar bowl challenge and the image just makes me smile and think of my mum who even now tells me off for walking around with no shoes on, I was forever getting into trouble when younger for walking around outside barefoot. We went camping and I didn't like the wet grass wetting my feet inside my shoes so would take them off, and I never stood in anything untoward though I did get a few stones stuck inmy feet when I walked down the paths and roads. The challenge also wanted you to use your favourite colour and mine is turqoise  and I love it when its mixed with chocolatey brown and white, the combination just seems so clean and fresh and I love butterflies too. Hope my card brings back happy memories for you too.

A matching set

I made this gift box from  an empty camembert box the type made from really thin wood type stuff stapled together it was a git awkward to cover but I got there. I made it to put a pressie in for my sisters birthday can't say what just in case  you never know if she gets near her computer better safe than sorry. I used magnolia as I'd used magnolia on the birthday card I've made for her so I thought it would co-ordinate well and blue so its similar colours and as its one of my favourites turquoise. The flowers are from my newly bought bargin (see previous post) and I've added glitter around the petal edges and it just makes thm look a bit more special. I'm getting into flowery embellishments slowly, don't know why its taken me so long as I love flowers and have loads in the garden and house too.  Well I digress again, Tilda is wearing a very special party top covered in shimmery glitter well it is the christmas party season and even the turquoise paper I covered the box in has giltter in it, my sis loves her bling , only she likes the real thing, don't we all?

The tag I made to match , not sure how or where to attatch it maybe I'll get her some flowers and attatch it to them but as its a matching set I can enter the challenge at secret crafters saturday challenge.

Easy craft projects have a challege to make something turqoise so as thats my predoninant colour I can enter that challenge too.

Magnolia down under's theme is bedazzle and I have a fair amount of bling if you look closely so I will enter that challenge too.

On the Magnolia subject I could enter this  into the Just Magnolia monthly challenge as its a gift box for one and only special sister, and there theme is something for someone special.

Finally I will enter this set into the passion for promarkers challenge of something for christmas or new year thats not a card. Happy crafting and happy sunday everyone!