My new stamps for the sugar bowl.

My son has a friend who is 16 on the 29th of december and he complains how his birthday gets lost into Christmas and new year and that he doesn't get many cards. I got a new  sugar nellie stamp manga boy and it just reminded me of joe as whenever I see him or he comes to our house he always at some point has his hands in his pockets up to his elbows. He likes to think of himself as a rocker and wears lots of black and grey and what he calls a bandana with skulls on it, I wind him up and ask why he's wearing a head scarf, it's such fun when you can get a teenager to be lost for words.

Thought I would go play in the sugar bowl as I thought the layout might work well for a boy , all the geometric shapes with a little zig-zag stitching.

Don't look please Kathy.

I wonder if I'll make it 3 missed deadlines in a row, I must be close to it if not missed but thats life just getting in the way again.

This card I have made for my sister's birthday in January, I find it easier to have a specific  reason to make a card than just making them but I am fast running out of occassions and getting ahead of myself.

Anyway my card I am entering into well hopefully into the magnolicious challenge which is the sketch I followed, the deadline is today but I'm not sure of the time so who knows it might well be 3 deadlines missed in a row.

There's a new challenge blog Sketchy colours and not suprisingly from the name they have a colour challenge of purples and liliacs. I had already coloured in my Tilda in colours i like and was happy I could use it on a card to enter their first challenge.

Hope my sis likes the card anyway, her birthday is Jan.10th, hope I don't file the card away so safely I can't find it by then!

Cozy and

Magic in the air have this image this week, told you I was trying to be open minded about digi images and give them a go. This card is also for my mum to give to the other grandson, they are coming to visit for the weekend next week as they live in shropshire and mum doesn't see them that often. She is planning christmas lunch so the kids think its great as they get 2 christmas days and 2 christmas dinners.

So this card I will try to enter into the Magic in the air challenge, oops update missed that deadline too.

The fairy lights made me think of one of the houses around the corner from where I live and come tuesday the 'light show' will begin , his house is usually covered top to bottom in lights, his lecy bill must cost a fortune and I'm not scrooge, I love christmas but 1st december is just too early for christmas decorations and light, well I think so anyway. Tuesday Taggers has a theme of  festival of light so I will enter this card for that challenge too.


The layout for this card is Incy wincy challenges which I have missed the deadline for as I didn't get around to posting yesturday as son had computer in the morning abd we had sister and brother in law all afternoon and evening but never mind. The theme they have is anything goes so I guess christmas is ok for that.

Pixie cottage wanted some stitching and my cards good for that so into that challenge it will go.

The last challenge I was going to enter was at cupcake challenges but I have a feeling the digi image theme was last weeks so late again its becoming a theme all of its own.

Winter fun

This card uses one of the digi images from Magic in the air,lasts weeks I think and as I seem to be doing lately I missed the deadline but never mind. I've made this card for my mum to give to one of her grandson's  not sure which she'll decide to give it to, one's 8 and the other is 5 and I think it would be suitable for either, so with that in mind I am going to enter it into the challenge over at cute card thursday who have a snips and snails theme , card for a young boy.

Crafty creations wanted you to make some cracked glass, I think my penguin might take an early dip as the ice he's skating on is cracked or maybe it just looks like that from all the scratches his ice skates have made.

The layout is from cute card sunday, I don't think i've missed the deadline but you never know, but I like the layout anyway and thought it went well with my image and papers.

Bee-crafty I keep missing entering this challenge as i'm not everso into digi images, i can see all the benifits and one or two I really like but I'm still a die hard for my little rubber stamps, I'm not even into printing out papers on the computer yet photos I love messing with, funny really. Any way Bee crafty wanted you to use a digi image and add some sparkle, not sure if I've made the deadline but at least this time I got as far as making the card.

Crafty sentiments has a theme of  using 2 different patterned papers   so I can enter this card for their challenge as well as the challenge of Touchy feely at Kraftin Kimme challenge as my penguins hat had touchy feely brim and pompom and the ice is a different texture too.

magnolia with love

Another card ordered by my mum, she's my best and most frequent customer. This card is for mum to give to dad so it has to be cute and loving and a little bit romantic, almost the theme for Roses on paper so I'll enter it for that challenge.

Magnolia down under, I've never entered before in fact I've not entered many of the magnolia challenges as I've not had my first stamps long. Sorry I digress, Magnolia downunder wanted a christmas card so I can enter this challenge too.

The layout is from the Stampavie challenge and it took me ages to decide what papers and hearts to use and I ended up colouring the little hearts with my promarkers to get the right colour.

sorry about the photo I don't know why its so reflective.

Gorjuss Vintage

Well that's what it's suppose to be,and it's almost what I had in my minds eye. This was originally for 2 challenges Totally Gorjuss of course who have a girly theme and Passion for promarkers who have a vintage theme.

The layout is from a sketch at Lili of the valley, I don't think I've missed the deadline, fingers crossed, I was suprised how well it seemed to fit with these themes, vintage unless it's all victoriany and lacey strikes me as being masculine its either over the top girly or very don't know what the word is, I want to say harsh or abrupt but neither seem right. Hopefully I've got somwewhere in between as I'm not a lacey girly as you well know.

Papercutz has an open theme so I guess this will be suitable for their challenge too.

Now for my last challenge I might just be being a little naughty and twisting the rules, I suppose it's just all down to interpretation. Crafty sentiments has a challenge to use ribbon as your only embellishment, well strictly speaking thats true as my 3 little roses are made from satin ribbon, do you think thats bending the rules a little bit too far? I suppose I'll only find out if I enter the challenge.

Twinkle twinkle glitter bits! Long post get a cuppa!

Oh someone somewhere is looking after me as I don't seem to have alot of time to craft this week, (since the non surgery day on tuesday everything seems to have gone to pot and the week is just disappearing and when I think I'll have time to craft other things just seem to get in the way. Thats life I suppose.)I seem to be managing to cover alot of challenges with one card of late and it's just not intentional, I start off with a sketch and another challenge with a theme and somehow by the time I've made my card and I look to check that I've done what it says as I flick through my notes I find a few other challenges that I can enter as well.

This one started out for Penny Blacks challenge of winter wonderland. I only have a couple of penny black stamps , some hedgehogs bouncing along with balloons, the 12 days of christmas and this little mouse who is looking or blowing a dandilion clock. I had to think hard to make winter wonderland with what I had and some artistic lisence cutting let the little mouse look with wonder at the first flakes of falling snow, well that's what I imagined. I felt really guilty cutting off his little paw but I think it worked.

The sketch is from this weeks challenge at Moving along with the times who have an added theme of animals, so my sweet little mouse fits that bill and I quite like the challenge, but if I did it again I think I would make the center square and circle bigger, but I would have to make my buttons smaller so I suppose I got it right. The buttons I had fun with as I had white snowflake buttons which on white card you couldn't see, so I tried to match them up to the colour of the glitter paper, but using 2 different Sakura glaze pens and 2 different glitters I finished up with 3 all slightly different to each other and the glitter paper, but decided I liked the 3 different shades. I was going to tie it all together with a large snowflake but when I placed it on the ribbon it just looked as if there was still something missing, so I tried a bow with the snow flake and that was way too much so went with just the bow.

I realised when looking through my notes that Kaboodle Doodles wanted you to use buttons,bling and bows, I know I only have one bow but it's quite big so as I have buttons and lots of bling hopefully this will pass for entry into their challenge.


Try it out Tuesday challenge #45 also wanted you to use buttons so heres another one I can enter even though I've altered my buttons appearance.


Allsorts have a challenge of using a Christmas carol or song title as your theme and I think mine could be 'Let it snow' I think that's the title and not just the chorus, but I will check on the net, such a wonderful resource.

Winter wonderland have a challenge to use a non Christmas stamp and no Christmas papers to make a festive card, well I think I covered that without realising it so I'll be entering that challenge too.

Every body Art challenge, Charisma cardz challenge, and Pollycrafts challenge all have a theme of Christmas and as I intended this being a Christmas card for one off my young nephews I shall be entering these challenges too. 

 Simon says has a challenge of winter love, and many of the DT did couples cards and some wedding, mine I interpret of sending love in winter and what better time than at Christmas.Hope they don't mind my interpretation , but you can only work with the tools you have and funds don't permit me to buy every stamp I would love to own.

ABC's theme is I for indigo and I'm never quite sure just what shade indigo is ,so after seeing an almost complete rainbow whilst in Scotland at the half term break I will go for this vibrant dark blue as I really love this colour,  and it works well for a night sky too.Hope it's acceptable.

If it's still Thursday when I get my piccy added and I post this, Happy Thanksgiving day if not and it's Friday hope you all had a good day.

Glitter glitter everywhere!

Oh it is nice to have a little bit of sunshine to take pictures in even it it is blowing a gale and knocking over my big potted Yucca plant.
This card hopefully is a fight back from the last missed deadline and will hopefully be in time for lots of glittery sparkly challenges, if the glitter all over the house is anything to go by.

First up challenge and the one that stated me off is over at Sassy Susies #2 challenge of pink and sparkle. I had to think who I could make this card for and decided on my niece for christmas. Pink really isn't my colour so I must admit I found this hard and was so suprised to find I did have some pink papers they must have sneeked in in sets of paper they certainly aren't hand picked. It seems odd me saying I'm not a pink girl when thats the colour I use on my blog, I do like shocking pink in small doses and do have  the odd pink top but I'm just not a girly pink girl if you know what I mean, much rather have blue.

Creative Inspirations wanted sparkle and I think this deadline may well have disappeared but never mind there are still plenty of others!

Creatalicious #4 wanted Christmas to include glitter and sparkle and some snowflakes which I have and made myself and then later found a tutorial at  KL stampin n scrappin telling me how to make them. They have a challenge to include snowflakes too so thats another one, I've lost count already I am useless sometimes.

The sketch I followed was from the challenge at Sketch saturday but I did rotate it and I have misplaced my multicoloured marry christmas peeloffs so that will be added just above the niece peel off when I find what I've done with them.

One stop craft challenge also had a snowflake theme so I think that might be a snowflake challenge foe each snowfalke now.

Kraftin Kimme #7 theme is Merry Christmas or happy winter and as I said when I find the safe place I put my peel offs in it will be a christmas card if not it will be sent as one anyway, but hopefully they will turn up.

Cute card Thursday have a theme of Teenage terrors and I think I'll take the easy option and enter this card for that as my niece is a teenager but is growing out of the terror stage. I think its the easy option as I do find teenage boys much hardedr to make cards for and I have a teenage boy myself.

Finally I think I might enter the challenge at Caardvarks as they want a coloureds tamped image and I've done that.

I'm sure if I started looking I could find a few more challenges to enter but i think that's enough for one card to burden so I'll call it a day...as it appears the brief sunshine has done it is now really dark outside andtipping it down with rain, no doubt it will be like this for when i go to pick my son up too.

Missed deadline...

...once again, this time by 2 hours well for one of the challenges I was entering this card into. It was to be my entry at Quixotic challenge of red and kraft and if not kraft brown cardstock which is what mine was, but never mind it got my brother in laws birthday card made and getting my son's zimmer frame repaired was first priority. The lovely kind people at Clark and Partners repaired his frame by fitting a new screw for the vast some of £1 in the charity box, so kind of them as when the lady said they may charge me alot as it would be a service job I was already for having to fork out for a new walking frame, but I didn't need to.

The card I made followed the layout at Crazy 4 challenges # 12 unless I've missed that deadline too, until I go to their site I don't know but whats meant to be. I'm afraid yesturdays events have sort of confused my whole week as the taxi that normally takes my sonto school had booked other jobs for today expecting him to be in hospital so I had to take him this morning and am picking him up tonight, but they do tell me they are ok for the rest of the week.Any way my card and thankyou for listening to my ramblings.

All Change

Well yesturday didn't quite go to plan, my son was to have surgery and they had a bed so starved from 6:30 and at the hospital by 7:30 and son getting more and nore wound up. All going well seen by junior doctor who marked leg and I told son had a scab on one of foot scars as had scratched it at the weekend ( his scars have been cut into so many times they are quite fragile) and he said ok and never even looked at it. Nurse put local anasthetic on the back of his hands and we tried to keep him calm. The grand round of doctors arrived and all said hello we'll see you soon downstairs etc. I think the problem lies in the admission paper work being done 2 weeks ago in pre admission clinic where they ask if you have been  in touch with anyone infectious, got any cuts etc, 2 weeks is along time .
The anethatist came and we asked if son could have canula put in on ward as he is awful about needles and by time we get to anaestheitc room well last time it took 20 minutes to get him to co-operate to have the canula in and you can't hold him down as he is a big lad. Nice lady anaethatist agreed and fate or not the theatres had rung to say they were on their way to collect him so she asked to let them know he would be 5 minutes later. Juast as anaethetist was getting stuff to put canula in , consultant arrived and I told him about scab, he took a look and advised that as it was a re-do surgery it was inadvisable to proceed as the scab may hold some infection and if they entered and it did the risks were too high along with not healing and son could loose his leg or worse, all of which were valid and truthful reasons, it helps having a nursing background. Son was devastaed but when he scratched it I had said it might cause problems I just didn't say what as he was so hyped up . I've to let consultants secretary know when its healed and doctor took a swab so if it is infected I can get antibiotics from our GP and consultant will re-schedule.

Not the kind of day we expected at all but its better to be safe than sorry and all things happen for a reason. For now we are back to the waiting game, but will keep all you kind people posted and on a positive note I might get some crafting done after I've got my sons zimmer frame repaired as last night one of the screws that holds it together broke sheered in two so thats got to be sorted this morning life is never straight forward or dull.

Thank you for all your kind wishes

I would like to say thankyou to everyone who has sent kind wishes for my son's surgery, he is now quite anxious mixed with I can't wait to get it over with despite he knows what he is going to go through. He has been in alot of pain and complains so little, and we all really hope it will be his last surgery for along time, and that this time it is sucessful and he can make some progress with his mobility. He tried to count up how many operations he has had the other day and stopped when he go into the teens and thats not counting surgical proceedures he had when in special care as he can't remember those. Thankyou and we will keep you posted as to his progress if any one wants to know.

To be really cheeky,if anyone would like to send him a get well card please email me and I will send you my address, I would put it on the blog but don't think that would be too safe but I am sure Andrew would be so suprised and it would give him a real boost if anyone sent him a card, but please only if you have 5 minutes to spare and don't feel obliged it was only a thought. Thank you all again it is so nice to know that other people care. Crafters are such a caring bunch.

New challenge blog

There's a new challenge blog over at sketchy colours and their first challenge is on 29th nov but in the mean time they have 2 yes 2 candy give aways ! Why not pop along and join in the launch fun?

I can't believe this card covers so many challenges

I started off this card with only 3 challenges in mind, one for the sketch and 2 for santa images. It wasn't until I looked through my notes that I discovered this sweet card covers 8 challenges, I almost feel guilty putting it in for so many. Sorry for the wet glue only my son has a new Sims game and as his exams are over and at parents evening all teachers gave him glowing reports , and we are trying to keep him chilled out for his up coming surgery on Tuesday he is hogging the big computer so I was a little pushed for time and have hopped on the computer while he is in the shower.

Firstly the sketch layout is from Truely Scrumptious challenge, with a little artistic lisence, but I think you can still see the layout.

Die Cut Dreams #23 wanted a Santa on the project for their challenge as did Magical crafts fortnightly challenge who wanted a snowman or Santa with sparklies, a ribbon and some christmas flora. The sparklies are on Santa's beard, I did a close up a bit further down the post but still don't think it shows up well. Winter wonderland also wanted St.Nicholas which is just another name for Santa isn't it?

Ildi Co creative challenge wanted a project with the theme of a christmas song and I hadn't thought about that until I found my self singing in my head ( as my son was stilll asleep in the next room at 6:10 this morning) 'Deck the Halls with bows of holly' as I stamped the sentiment on this card so I can now enter that challenge too.

Colour create challenge has a colour theme of red, green and white so I did another challenge without trying, maybe I had all these challenges in my head and just did them all subconciously, life would be so easy if everything just fell into place. I know it looks like I've used another colour too but my Santa is embossed in moonglow ruby obsidian , I love these powders for showing up details and they have such a lovely shine too.

Cute daisy may challenge have a different theme of 'touchy' to add  texture to your project and I think my holly bows definitly constitute as touchy texture.

The Corrosive challenge wanted some form of embossing and my Santa is well and truely heat embossed so thats another.

I'm still having problems believing one card can fill so many challenges.

Card for my mum's birthday.

Hope she doesn't look at my blog and see it, not that she'd tell me if she did. I used my one and only so far whiff of joy stamp and of course their sketch from this weeks challenge. I did it in these colours as they are my favourites and mum likes autumnal colours but teal blue too. Hope she likes it.

I think I might be improving a little bit.

Will I make it in time?

This card started out as on to use the freebie image I got from Victoria Case so I could join in their challenges. I really love the image and thought it would make a really lovely Thankyou card.Whilst colouring it I noticed I'd scribbled deadline wed 12 noon so I don't know if I will make the deadline or not with the time zone thing but we will see. Victoria Case challenge here we come. The sketch layout is from Victoria case too.

I decided to mess around with some of the stamps I've been lucky enough to win and wanted to use those I got from Your next stamp so decided to create a background for my bug and I think it works really well, bet you can't guess which set its from but then again you are all very clever you crafters. I can now enter my card for the Your next stamp challenge but now I didn't need to do that as they have opened up the challenge to the use of any stam, but now I have some I'd just got to use them. The theme is Be thankful so my thankyou card fits in well.

La-la land weekly wednesday challenge also has a thankful theme and they have some fab candy up for grabs just for entering the challenge too.

All that scraps have a thanksgiving theme so hope thankyou counts for that one too.

Simon says challenge has a theme of animal antics... are bugs animals? I hope so then I'm ok for entering that challenge too.

The Creative card crew wanted string or fibre etc and thats what I used for my card more because I thought it was gardeny, if you know what I mean. See what you think.

Children and glitter just go together...

... for cards not for real unless you want abig mess.
I digress my card is for my mum to send to my nephew who is 3 and a rouge who has his mum wrapped around his little finger. He is the only little boy I know who can slap his younger sister and get a cuddle for it, I dread what he will turn out like but each of us has different methods for bringing up our children don't we and it wouldn't do for us all to be the same but my step sister in law does make me feel so cross inside but I don't want to get into arguements as there is far more to life. I'm sure when his sister gets bigger she'll turn round on him and get her own back, maybe I'll get her some karate lessons when she's older.

Oops there I go again. My card I am entering into a few challenges,well it fits the criteria so why not.

Firstly the sketch is from Midnight madness #28  who have the sketch and theme of Christmas,but as its for the little terror I didn't think it safe to add a button or charm for safety reasons so instead I used paper that has dangly baubles on with added glitter. Safety first.

The next challenge is over at Forever Friends who wanted 'glitter'. I think I qualify for that as there's glitter dots on my parcel and on my baubles. Hopefully and I can't see why Conor will like the teddy.

Allsorts also have a challenge#27 wanting a card for a child as do a spoonful of sugar who want a card for babies first christmas or a pre schooler so my card fits both those challenges too.

The Craft garden have a theme of sparkle so as I have plenty of that I think I can enter that too.

Well without more waffle here is my card. Thanks for taking the time to visit and happy crafting.

'Baby it's cold outside'

For some reason this card makes me think of that song, don't know why maybe its the thought of all that snow.

Over at Totally Gorjuss the theme is blue christmas, hence the colour scheme and of course the totally gorjuss little girl, I can't decide whether she is dreamy about the snow or just looks fed up that she can't go out and play. I suppose as I've put 'let it snow' on the card she ought to be dreamy about how pretty it makes everything look.

I decided to combine this card for a couple of other challenges. Firstly the sketch is from the challenge at crafty catz,I think its a fab sketch and could lend itself to all kinds of cards and occassions.

I'm also entering this card into the secret crafters challenge of four seasons , they said it could be one or all so I've stuck to winter and what we call abad one as snow seems to cause everything to stop.

Finally Crazy 4 challenges wants us to use something transparent as their theme is as clear as day so I've used acetate to make a window. Hope you all like my card, the photo doesn't show the colours very well but thats what you get in artifical light.

the first day of christmas... for a guy

This card is for sveral challenges the first being Penny Black's challenge and they wanted a 'christmas card for a guy', I don't have many Penny Black stamps but I love my 12 days of christmas set and think they are all good for guys well perhaps not the hedgehog dancer but you never know do you.

I won some basic grey papers as part of day 3 world card making day (still waiting  on one part of prize to arrive) so I thought I might use some of them to enter the Basic Grey challenge of Glitz and Bling too.

Somehow the 2 challenges don't tie up in my head very well but its a good job they do on paper. I used the pear printed paper as a base for my little partrige and added sparkly holly stickles glitter to some of the pears, really subtle glitz.

I then added  a whole lot more bling when I followed saturday sketches sketch #77 over at Sketch saturday and I figured that was a whole lot of circles so I could also enter Kraftin Kimmies #6 challenge 'Lots of circles.'

Glitter me Tilda!

Hi I so love these new images I've got and this Tilda with heart shaped cookies this time are fab for sending christmas love.

I had already coloured the image in red and white glitter before I'd even decided on a challenge and there are a couple that she can be entered for.

The layout I've used is by Friday sketches #78 and I found some freebie paper from a magazine probably last years that was just perfect, as it was diagonally striped. I also found some red and white dotty paper that tied one paper to the image,so halfway there.

I love sparklies and decided to add more glitter to the tops of the stockings to tie in to Tilda's dress, and all these sparklies mean I can enter in to the challenge at cute card thursday where the theme is 'Glitter me silly'.

C.R.A.F.T. challenge has a theme recipe of 1 ribbon,1 tag and 1 sentiment well my sentiment is 'Merry christmas' and it's on a tag held by a ribbon. Challenge done as Gordon Ramsey would say!

Finally at Charisma cardz they have a theme of 'merry and bright'. My card wishes you a 'merry' christmas and I think I would say its a 'bright' and colourful card, hopefully thats ok.
Sorry about the quality of the picture lights do nothing for sparklies but honestly Tilda's dress and the stocking tops are sparkly.

Thinking of you with my new stamp

I have had this stamp since I bought my promarkers and only remembered when Sem asked me which stamp I would like for my prize for the send some love to Jamie candy. I thought it would be good to use for the challenge over at creative inspirations #35, which is to use something new or neglected. I did that too as I have had these sun flowers ages and they are yellow but I played and coloured them with my promarkers to match the flowers on my image.

The layout for my card is also an experiment with the sketch from Stamp something. I decided I have a lot of apature cards and wanted to try and use one so built the sketch design around the apature. The only thing is it doesn't leave alot of room but the sketch design is still there just minus a flower or so.

Simon says wanted a thinking of you card and I thoyught this card would be perfect for that so here it is.

Snow anyone?

This card is for another few challenges which all have similar themes, snow basically.

The first is for Die Cut Dreams #22 and Vikkie set a sketch as well as a snowy theme. I turned it on its side but this meant I did have to move 3 of the embellishments, hope she doesn't mind.

Cupcake craft challenge #65 also have a theme thats 'snow much fun'. What's better than playing in the snow, except a warm bath and roaring fire to get you warm after?

Crafty creations also wanted snow creations, although mine's not a creation but it's snowy .

Lastly and I might be pushing the bounderies a little but I thought all this snow might just count as a weather card and allow me to enter it into the crafty calendar challenge#2. I didn't use the extras of pearls though and I really hope we don't get snow this month. I think snow is lovely, but only when you don't have to go out to work or school in it and you go out to have fun by choice, and I hate it when it goes all slushy. Crisp white snow like that on my card is lovely though and makes even a wilderness of a garden look beautiful.

Something a bit different...for me anyway

This card is for the whiff of Joy challenge initially as its one of my newly aquirred stamp images the only WOJ one I have so far so you'll probably all get sick of seeing the same image but still. I love the way she looks in different colours, and these colours brown, orange and ivory make her look so warm and comfortable. It's different for me, as I am trying very hard to make my cards more fussy, for me, as opposed to my usual plain and simple. I do find it hard to mix and match different papers and patterns and I'm so not a ribbon and flower girl, so when I do put them on a card I'm really stepping out of my comfort zone, but I think I'm happy with the result, its probably the colours that help as it doesn't look too girly.

I'm also entering this card into the Quixotic challenge which is faux or real stitching. I love sewing but as yet can't bring myself to setting up my sewing machine to make a card, so faux stitching it is ...for now.

The layout for this card is from Pixie cottage, I quite like this layout as it isn't too fussy.

I'm also going to enter it into the Paperplay #41 challenge which is a recipe of 2  patterned papers 3 buttons and 1 ribbon. I hope they don't mind that I added some extras too.

my first easel card easier than I thought

For the secret crafter saturday challenge you had to do an easel card so I thought I'd give it a go, and was pleasantly suprised how easy it was.
I decided to combine with some other challenges as I'm getting use to not having to think about layouts as sketches take 1/2 the thinking away, lazy really letting someone else do all the work. The layout I've used is sketch and stash #23.

Roses on paper wanted a christmas card so i guess this Tilda would fit their challenge too. Magical crafts also have their first challenge and I might just scrape in to the deadline for one of the 2 challenge parts as their deadline is 9pm and its 10 to 9 now so I best type quicker. Their challenge is red green and gold christmas card or ornament. Extra double time as my web just closed but luckily saved a draft, here's my card.

stamp with fun #32

This card I thought the sketch was fun and might be different to do, its from stamp with fun though I wasn't sure what image I would use. Whilst rumaging through my stamps I found this teddy and decided to use this, and make it as a christmas card for my 15 year old son, partly because I know he'll say 'Oh mom! How old do you think I am?' but deep down he's just a softie and will like it even if he doesn't admit it.

I wasn't sure what colours to do but after colouring the teddy in shades of grey and black with a green patch I found a challenge at paper cutz challenge that was to use blue , black green and white. I was half way there so the rest was easy.

Cute dasiy may has a theme of animals and I thought I would enter my bear for that too.

I can play in the sugar bowl now

Now I have a couple of gorjuss girls I can go play in the sugar bowl at sugar nellie where hopefully some of the expertese that create all those beautiful cards might get splashed on me. The theme this challenge is thankfulness and I am very thankful that Elaine was selling some of her old stamps as my hubby won't let me buy anything with paypal so I was unable to get any of these stamps from funkykits.

Well I hope my card is nearing the standard ,I was a little daunted by the sketch but once I'd sorted which papers went with the colours I'd useed to colour my gorjuss girl it just seemed easy. Let me know and if you have any pointers please feel free all advice greatfully recieved.

Thankyou gorjuss

You can tell I like my new toys can't you, I have used some other stamps too later on posts.

This little lady is for the passion for promarkers challenge, its free colours but there is a sketch so I decided to experiment. I'm not really a pink kinda girl but I could be slightly converted as I was quite happy and pleased with the colours on my little lady.

I decided to combine challenges and added some doodles so I could enter this cutie into the creative card crew challenge who wanted you guessed doodles.

I had made it into a thankyou card probably because there are one or two with that theme around and it seemed to stick in my head, so a challenge that has that theme is the pink elephant well there theme is thankful and to me that means thankyou.

Incy wincy challenge also has a thankyou theme so in for a penny lets make it two.

my first gorjuss girl

Well as you might know I have been after some of these little ladies for ages and finally got my hands on a couple courtesy of Elaine ( Quixotic) selling off some of her old stamps. 

This means I can now enter both the Gorjuss challenge and sugar nellie challenges. One at a time though.

First the Gorjuss challenge I hope I'm in time if not I'll just show off my card. The theme I did is 'Bling',and I think my little lady has that. I decided it would make a nice christmas card for my hubby, well I might as well start to do the personalised ones now I have a fair stock of others. I used sakura glaze pen for her shiny red ress with little gems for decoration and her hair band. I then used more bling for my holly, I didn't have any red gems in the right shape so used my promarkers to recolour some amber ones, I think it worked well. Green mirricard added more bling for the leaves.

The layout is from Follow your heart challenge #42 with a little artistic interpretation. 

one blog challenges loss is anothers gain

This card started off as one challenge and ended up as several others as I did what I'm always telling my son and husband off for and thats not reading the instructions well my scribbled notes which is even worse I suppose. Originally it was for a digi image blog challenge yes the clue is there but I got this idea in my head of what to use the colours with and went jolly along only to realise I'd used the wrong kind of image, rubber stamp not digi. Never mind one challenges loss is anothers gain. I had watercoloured my image using my sakura pens as they give a lovely sheen to them which I thought went well with the fairy and it just happens that over at whimsy stamp challenges the challenge is a watercolour.

Flutterby wednesday challenge wants a thankful card and as my fairy flits from flower to flower she can flit by the flutterby challenge too.

Sophisti-cats has a challenge of wings and my fairy has a nice set of shimmering pink wings so she can flutter by to that challenge too.

The layout is from just christmas and birthdays challenge #49 I wanted something different to just a plain background and remembered this padded effect card which just adds a little bit of dimension.

Sorry about the photo the sakura pens added more glare than I wanted and my kitchen lights don't help, bring back summer, in fact all my cards seem to be reflecting maybe its all the mirricard?

A partrigde in a pear tree

I've had this song on my mind all day after doing the whimsy blog hop this morning,so when I saw Penny Black's saturday challenge of a project with a song title or lyrics what else could I do.This stamp is from a 12 days of christmas set and they are all cute images that make fab toppers individually.

The layout is from weekend sketch challenge at beate.blogs.splitcoaststampers.com. I added the ribbon as I thought it finished the edges off better.
I thought it would make a nice christmas card for a male, I'm sure when my son sees it it will be on his pile for one of his friends or male teachers.

Suprise day

This morning I initially got excited as part of my prize from day 3 of world cardmaking day arrived, but I had to part with the best part of £24 to recieve it as it was subject to customs duty as the value was over £36, so that took the shine off recieving it a bit. There are quite alot of stamps from the Darkroom in Aus in it and I'm sure I'll enjoy using them but you know what I mean it just was a bit of a shock as I didn't expect to have to pay to recieve a prize. You live and learn I suppose.

I then set about my housework with the promise to myself that I could go on the YNS blog hop after it was done sad life I lead I know but I'm taking mum out tommorrow for a coffee and wander around Dobbies to look at all the new sparkly christmas decorations . They had some lovely ones last year really different and I hope I'm not going to be disappointed. Mum wants to buy some christmas bits for when my brother and family come up mid December so they can have a mini Christmas and Dobbies have some nice bits and pieces.

Well my second suprise was to find I got a top 3 award from Whimsy Stamp challenges for my card for Jamie, so that was a nice suprise.

I then decided while I have 5 minutes to tidy up my blog page a bit and check the candy list etc and to my delight I've won the candy from Tracy at Blueberry barn. Is it too late for the day to get better or should I accept thats my 3 and not hope for more. I'll settle for these more would be nice though but wouldn't want to be greedy.No cards to post as yet maybe later , thanks for sharing in my happiness.

High hopes

High hopes have a fab sketch that I really enjoyed doing, one for my book of favourites I think. I don't have a vast selection of high hopes stamps but I comined this challenge with the one at doodle palace a card for a boy or young man and my image worked just fine,well I think so.

I had a play with shrink plastic to make embellishments that went with the fishing theme and I think the look really cute if I say so myself.

moving along to rememberence day

What more can you say about rememberence day than Lest we forget. This is a card for MAWTT as the have a theme of rememberence this week and as I have no poppy stamps I struggled, until I remembered making tissue flowers at school and thought I'd have a go. It's not spectacular but I think it's pasable.

Cup cake Tilly -just too late

I found this freebie at Wendy's digital doodling and had every intention of entering the challenge but alas the deadline is passed so no entry to that challenge for me. I decided then to see if I could utilise my sweet creation for any other challenges and I did find some, so without further ado and thanks for the image of sweet cupcake Tilly to Wendy's digital doodling here are the challenges I am entering and of course my card.

I decided to make a semi free standing card and was quite pleased how it turned out.

The challenges I am entering are:
Cute card Thursday challenge - to use primary colours , there are so many shades of each red, blue and yellow its like having a full rainbow of colours.

One stop craft challenge - who want cards for kids- I think this would make a fab card for any kid with a sweet tooth no matter their age.

The last challenge I think I will enter this card for is Die cut dreams #21 as their theme is food and or drink- this is certainly naughty diet food.

Magnolia Tilda meets Bling

Another of my new to me stamps courtesy of Elaine. I think its Tilda but I'm not sure but it's cute anyway. This means I can now enter the Just magnolia challenges too. They have a theme of distressing and a tutorial link to help those novices like me, new to distressing. I discovered I had been doing bits of distressing but did try the roughing the paper edges which was new toi me, I'm not sure I like the effect though. Egding in ink is one thing  but making your papers and card look tatty is another. Each to their own though thats what makes the world intresting.

I decided to enterr the Lili Boo Too challenge of purple I never realised how many shades of purple I had. I then added some bling and one bling led to another so now its bling its way to enter All Sorts' bring out your bling'.

I used the layout from create for fun but hope they don't mind I changed their square image to a circle.

You can't really see on the piccy but tilda has glitter wings  and glitter ribbon and silver bobbles on the liliac backing paper. 

Whiff of Joy new stamp well new to me

Elaine at Quixotic cards was selling off some of her stamps, and as I have problems being allowed to use paypal I decided I would treat myself and re-home as many of her stamps as I could afford from ones she  happened tohave that are on my wish list.

Elaine had one of the Willow stamps from Elisabeth Bell, not sure on the titles of stamps just which images I like and this was one of them on my list. It means now I can enter WOJ challenges as long as this image fits the challenge of course until I get some more from my wish list , I am already saving my pennies.

WOJ have a sketch to follow, which is a little different but I think I managed and I used my new to me stamp.

I decided I would combine it with a couple of other challenges I'm presuming thats ok as I can't find any rules other than use a WOJ stamp .

My card is unusally for me Pink! and I happened upon a challenge at La la land challenge that has a challenge for a pink project so I'm going to pop along and enter that too.

I used 3 different papers, 2 stamps and one kind of embellishment, well I don't count faux stitching as an embellishment, as I think of embellishments as something you stick on like buttons or flowers or snowflakes, but if I'm wrong I appologise and Lily of the Valley will not have to enter me into their challenge . If they accept my description for an embellishment I'm ok. I always think of faux stitching as more a doodle, well you draw it don't you and I tend to find myself drawing daisy chain flowers with running stitch stems when I'm on the phone. Maybe some one some where is psyco-analyising me and thinking ahhha! that explains alot?

Kraftin Kimme, I have just found in my little book of challenges wanted some stiching, faux or real and as I have faux blanket stitch holding my papers together I think that counts.
Hope you like my card, I'm sure one of my neighbours daughters will be getting this sometime in the future for a birthday.

Simon Says...thankyou

Over at Simon says the theme is thanks and gratitude, my son will want a thankyou card for the nursing staff when he goes in for surgery so I'm pre empting his needs, or as  my son would say one step in front of him as usual.

My little boy is growing up and becoming aware of his mortality, as he has had loads of operations before but said to me the other day that he really ought to write a will in case he didn't make it through his surgery. It quite took me by suprise but I assured him he would be ok. He went onto say that I could be his executor ,so I asked what he'd want his will to say. He told me he would like his broken xbox to go to his friend who thinks he can fix it and the rest of his xbox stuff split between his friend and his taxi driver,his spending money he gets from his granddad each month he would like me to give back any he hasn't spent so he could spend it on betting on horse racing when theres a horse that reminds him of my son. I wasn't sure what to say as he had obviously thought about it alot. I have to asure myself he will be ok but as an ex nurse I do know the risks and this brings it all home, not that I would let on to my son how worried I get each time he has surgery, I just hope he's rubbish at premonitions and that someboby will watch over him and bring him through.

Anyway my card.
I am also entering this card into the Crafty Creations challenge #40 'use a pull out feature' and I think my little tag fits the bill.

My Graphico

I stumbled accross my graphico and found they do 2 challenges a week which you can do separately of as one combined project. I decided to do one as it was thursday I found it and the last 2 days have been non crafting days ,Friday due to a pre admission day at the hospital with my son and yesturday try as I might get to my craft room things just conspired against me. This morning when I woke at the usual time I decided I would get up and do my ironing and maybe later I'll see my craft room close up and not just passing by.

This post and hopefully the next I will get in before my iron warms up and my son gets up to do more geography and spanish.He is quite obsessed that he will fall behind when he has his surgery and is consequently trying to get ahead, so I'm not knocking him and supporting him all the way ,arguing with him to take breaks and keep his fluid intake up. Unfortunately that means I don't get to do any blog posts, hence the early hour.

Onto my card. The challenges are a sketch and a colour scheme, as I said, I combined the 2, see what you think. The cute little robin is a freebie for anyone who would like to join the DT but the crieria for this was changed yesturday I think to any digi stamps, why not pop over and see for yourself.

Plain and Simple for a man

This is the second of the cards I made whilst banished from hovering whilst my son did his geography. I used moonglow obsidian emerald embossing powder, I really love the classy finish they give. I have made this card with 2 challenges in mind the first is Polkadoodles as they wanted a card for a male and to use 3 brads, well I think thats what the challenge criteria was, I do frequently get it wrong but normally find out before I get to post so who knows.

The second challenge I think I'll enter it for is Mojo monday, they have a lovely simple layout I just thought fit this image so well. They have a star on their sketch and I've decided I am going to have to get me something to cut out stars as I tried 4 times before I gave up and went with an oval, which probably looks better anyway. I'm still not sure on the slightly distressed sentiment, I thought originally it suited the image era but now it's all stuck together I'm not sure.
I also versamark stamped some images on the dark green card as it looked as if it needed some balance, see what you think.

4 little dickie birds, no I mean robins

Hi all hope you all had a fab bonfire night although listening to all the bangs outside I think many people round here are just carrying on with the party.
My first card tonight, now my son has finally deamed to let me onto the computer... well after our lengthy visit to pre admission clinic for his up coming surgery (and I decided it wasn't worth the hassle of getting him back to school for his PE lesson , which he does physio in anyway and after being messed about with wouldn't have done much) he opted to do some geography course work and needed the computer. I don't want to put him off that, but he decided after 2 1/2 hours he needed to unwind by playing Sims. I tried hovering behind him and asking if I could go on the computer but only now 'has he finally got his family to a place to save.'
More important things my card, well my first card.
I bought this stamp last year and only used it on one card but I think its so sweet, but my  great granny would have gone mad had I given her a card with it on, she was so superstitious and wouldn't even have pictures of birds in the house as birds indoors brought bad luck.
My little cuties I decided to experiment with, I know robins normally have red chests but one of the challenges I'm entering it for is over at Cute Diasy May and they wanted a Blue Christmas.

Colour Create also have a theme of blue, white and silver with optional winter and glitter, so now you know why my cuties are blue breasted robins.

I thought I might also enter this card into the new challenge over at Susies Sassy Challenge as they have a theme of christmas and I did make this as a christmas card.

Lastly but by no means least the layout of the card the starting point, is from cupcake challenge #64, and I think its a fab layout and may well be going into my little book of favourite layouts.

The picture doesn't show up the colours or glitter very well, or the snowflakes on the paper I used for the strips and the medallion snowflake I made.there is silver glitter around the edges of the verticle strips and on the embossing of the snowfake, sorry but I know your all good at visualisation, you are crafters afterall.

I forgot how much I like these stamps

I really have a thing about the fashion of the art deco era and 1920's ,the ladies just oozed glamour or maybe its just that I crave their skinny figures not that I'd want to be that skinny but I certainly wish I was what I was when I got married. Anyway this card covers several challenges one at least I know I missed the deadline for as on my little bit of paper I'd scribbled in block capitals today 10pm and now its the following day ,but never mind, whats one challenge.

The challenge I missed was at Charisma cardz no backing paper so I used some of the smaller stamps in this set to create a base.

All that scraps wanted us to use an old stamp and as this set was one of the first I bought I think that counts, I only remembered it when I read another blog and they were talking about picking your 4 favourite stamps and I remembered I had this one tucked away.

The new challenge over at Quixotic Challenge wanted a birthday card so this fits that challenge too and as I used ribbons and gems I can enter it into Creative card crews ribbons and gems challenge, even though I suppose my bling is a bit subtle but I think it just finishes off the design.

My son's new venture

For those of you who don't know, when I started my blog I hi-jacked my son's blog which he wasn't everso happy about, but then decided he didn't mind, but now he does.

The reason being he has started his own blog up again, as he now has a purpose, so isn't impressed that his profile made him sound like a craft nut, me.

We have managed to resolve that and he is now raring to go with his new blog called critic on wheels.

If you haven't guessed he uses a wheelchair to get around in when we are out and about, although he does walk with a zimmer frame when he is at home, its just not always pracical when we are out as he tires fairly quickly.
He has been getting quite down lately and very frustrated about his mobility or lack of, possibly due to pain he is in , which will hopefully be resolved soon as he is due some more surgery in a few weeks to re- fuse his ankle joint with screws and staples and bone grafts from his hip to try and stablise it and relieve the pain. Fingers crossed that this time it will work, as last time the bone grafts didn't take and he had to have the screws removed when they strted working their own way out. That and his upcoming exams and mock GCSE's and then just being 15 is all taking its toll, and he hasn't been very positive of late.


Whilst away over the october break we visited a couple of restaurants, and whilst talking came up with the idea that he could become a restaurant critic on his blog with the angle of how accessible the places are for wheelchairs as well as his views on the food etc. He was quite taken with the idea as we do try to go out at least once a month to a nice restaurant instead of having a takeaway treat weekly, and we can say he definitely enjoys good food and is willing to try anything. Whilst on holiday in cornwall we went to Rick Steins deli /fish store and at 10am in the carpark, my son was eating oysters and lovin it. Now I'm not saying theres anything wrong in that ( I don't like oysters) but I'm not sure I could say any of his friends or many other 15 year olds will have even tried oysters let alone eaten them at that time in a morning.

So if when its got going any of you would like to offer him your support I'm sure it would give him a real boost and I would say thank you, personally I can't wait to see how he is going to rate some of the places we have been as he calls a spade a spade at the best of times and sometimes I could willingly gag him, but thats teenages isn't it ?