Welcome to InLinkz first cardmaking challenge!

 

This challenge has a "boy birthday" theme. Go wild!! 

 

The card must be based (loosely) on the following palette

You can also use Black and White for details/sentiments

For more information on entering the contest visit the InLinkz blog

Top 3 winners will get to choose their $50, $25 and $10 gift cards from the following two places:

  or   

Let's play!

170 votes 1. Monika Reeck  124 votes 2. Rony  96 votes 3. RubyM:)  66 votes 4. Jenn Diercks  60 votes 5. Jerusha Borden  55 votes 6. Jacilynn  52 votes 7. Marja  50 votes 8. Gardenia  40 votes 9. Emily Niehaus  35 votes 10. Laurel S  34 votes 11. Suzana  31 votes 12. Kate  30 votes 13. Olga  27 votes 14. Amy Beaver  26 votes 15. Barb Gmitro-Best  24 votes 16. Sarah M  23 votes 17. cre8tivelle  22 votes 18. Joanne Jay  21 votes 19. Andrea Munro  21 votes 20. Jen Carter  20 votes 21. Arlene  20 votes 22. Haylie  20 votes 23. Jessica W.  17 votes 24. Tara  17 votes 25. Katinka  15 votes 26. Kim Howard  15 votes 27. Nikki C  14 votes 28. Therese  14 votes 29. Fleur de Lo  13 votes 30. Trees aWard  13 votes 31. spyder  12 votes 32. Ginny  12 votes 33. Deb T  11 votes 34. Stephenie  11 votes 35. Nancy  11 votes 36. Melissa   11 votes 37. Peggy - Cricutloft  11 votes 38. Karina C  10 votes 39. Alba  10 votes 40. Liliana Siza  10 votes 41. Arlana  10 votes 42. Carlie M.  9 votes 43. Agnieszka/ Ona_i_ja  8 votes 44. Kristin Tierney  8 votes 45. Debbie Marcinkiewicz  8 votes 46. Renee ONeill  8 votes 47. Mirabelka  8 votes 48. Stempeltiger  7 votes 49. Dannette Ruger  7 votes 50. Nadezhdinka  7 votes 51. cinnamonsally  7 votes 52. lizzid  6 votes 53. Unni's kort  6 votes 54. Tatjana  6 votes 55. steph  6 votes 56. Tine  6 votes 57. Kerstin  5 votes 58. Patricia  5 votes 59. Andreja  5 votes 60. Thomine  5 votes 61. Lynn B  5 votes 62. Dana  5 votes 63. Kimberly S  4 votes 64. Elaine Lienhart  4 votes 65. Betty aka ZacksNana  4 votes 66. Rebecca G  4 votes 67. Anneke  4 votes 68. CeeCee  3 votes 69. Kate  3 votes 70. Liz Williams  3 votes 71. Rosana  3 votes 72. Anneke  3 votes 73. Mary Frances  3 votes 74. krassmir  3 votes 75. Pattie Gomez  3 votes 76. Courtney  3 votes 77. Jenn Borjeson  3 votes 78. Anni  3 votes 79. Barbara  2 votes 80. Tracy  2 votes 81. we1748  2 votes 82. julye  2 votes 83. Dana  2 votes 84. Margaret  2 votes 85. Lisa V.  2 votes 86. Beverly G  2 votes 87. {Shaz}  1 vote 88. addii  1 vote 89. Sandy  1 vote 90. JLJ Designs  1 vote 91. Heather   1 vote 92. Bonnie McLain   1 vote 93. Floria  1 vote 94. Bop  1 vote 95. Vicki B  1 vote 96. nurseretiree  no votes 97. Helen_e  no votes 98. irinaje  no votes 99. Kirsty Vittetoe  no votes 100. kaos  no votes 101. Ruth Morrison  no votes 102. Olive   no votes 103. BlueOrchys  no votes 104. Judy  no votes 105. MacKenzie Bruckler  no votes 106. Shelley D

(Cannot add links: Registration/trial expired)

Bring back summer!

Typical bank holiday weather but I never really think of summer starting until schools break up well at least after this next half term holiday as I'm not sure much work gets done in the last term of school from my own memory and experience of my son, though I'm sure most teachers would disagree.Not getting into that discussion though as I have a card, something of a rarety I feel at the mo, but not for many more weeks as half Andrews exams are done so normality will resume in about 4 weeks, well my chaotic reality anyway.

My card is bright and cheerful unlike the weather, the image was a freebie from 2 cute rubber stamps that I got as far as colouring for their first challenge but never quite got any further. It is such a fun image that so reminds me of summer though  can't say it's because we spend all sumer on the beach as we don't we live miles from any beach but it reminds me of the hours my son spent in his sand pit and paddling pool when little and as my birthday is in august and we were usually on family holidays then I just associate all summer with my birthday and summer holidays, silly really but I like having a 6 week period where I can treat myself for my birthday. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.LOL. Can't think of the excuses I use for the rest of the year off the top of my head though.

Anyway back to my card. I went back to my comfort zone with the sketch from Raise the bar clean and simple with a few peel offs to break up the vast orange background and extra buttons as one just looked lonely and lost.

Pixie Dust studio and Charisma both wanted rounds on your project and I have a round image and buttons so thats 2 more challenges, I do love it when things fall in place.

The Pink Elephant have a challenge to use bright colours so I hope my sunshine colours count for that.

Cupcake craft challenge have a summer delights challenge so my summer sunshine holiday covers that challenge too.

There's a new challenge at inlinkz too to make a project for a birthdayboy using turquoise, blue, limw green and spicy brown.See the post above for details if the link I'm trying to add doesn't work.

Finally but definitly not least is the challenge over at cowgirl challenge. They have a recipe of 1 digi image, 2 different patterned papers and 3 embellishments. Don't know if my card will count as I made one of my papers patterned by adding the peel offs. I entered this with this card as I don't often use digi images as I'm more a rubber girl so as my cute crab was a digi had to try for this one.

Hope the weather cheers up here but wishing everyone a very cheerful monday regardless of the weather. Thanks for popping by Julye.

Where does time go?

It seems ages since I got any real crafting time or time to visit blog land, my son decided to actually get up early all last week so my usual time for blog visiting and crating, 5:30 till about 7am just disappeared. I managed one in dribs and drabs and now have to try and squeeze in time to post it. Haven't managed much this morning either as computer wanted updates and files backing up which I've still not done as it started then froze after nearly half an hour so have been messing and achieved nothing other than wasting a dvd disk.

Just went to load piccy of my card and haven't uploaded it yet, talk about meet myself coming backwards. No craft time later either as mum and dad coming for lunch and then hopefully tomorrow I will get the bookcases from my mum in laws house that my sister in law is emptying as they have bought it. Not holding my breath though time will tell.

My card is for 2 challenges hopefully as haven't checked the deadlines the first is the layout from Lili of the valley and the second the colour scheme from Crafty Angels of teal and brown. Had probs with the teal as didn't have a pen that colour so mixed aqua and green, hope it looks ok. The card uses one of the fab LOTV stamps and is a fathers day card for my hubby hence the grey hair, as this is his colour. He started going grey when our son was born prem but then again his dad was grey by 30 so I can't really blame that. He and our son play alot of console games as its something they can do together so I thought this image quite apt.

Hope you all have a great weekend BH or memorial day  depending on where you are.

Lili of the valley followers candy

Fancy a chance to win a full set of the soon to be released lili of the valley stamps, such cuties how could you resist. Pop on over to here for your chance.

Design a new Anya competition

I have to say I am one of those sad people who only have a couple of greeting farm stamps as it's only a couple of months ago that I discovered them. Think I must have been hiding in a cave or something and now they compete for my pennies along with all the other things on my wish list.

Needless to say though I only have 2 images I still like entering the challenges on the greeting farm etc when the images I have can fulfil the criteria. The last competition I found there I didn't need a stamp for as the challenge is to design a new Anya.I have to say I am having real problems deciding which of the two images I have been doodling to enter as you can only enter one concept, but I think as my son says he thinks my pirate is cuter I will go with that one. I have piccies of both my line drawings and the images coloured in to show you here, please excuse the bad art work. Thankfully one of the entry rules isn't good artwork as the clever designer people are looking for the concept rather than the design so my bad drawing doesn't matter. I'm sure whatever  concept they choose it will be great and yet another to add to my wish list and if nothing else my design will give them a giggle as I'm sure all my doodles will you all too. Thanks for popping by and join in as I'm sure there are far more clever people amongst you with fantastic ideas.

For your entertainment my other drawing that will not be getting entered, oh and so you know what it is suppose to be I will tell you it's 50's with a poodle on her dirndle skirt ready for some rock and roll.

Sugar nellie flowers

This card I'm still not sure if I like, don't be mistaken I love the sugar nellie image its because it's pink and I'm not good at pink. I think I've only ever made one pink card I actually liked. The papers are forever frinds and some scraps I'm not sure of the designer and the base is pearlised. I used promarkers to colour my image and craftworks candy for embellishment along with ribbon from my stash. I added sakura glitter pen for added bling but keeping it subtle, so subtle I'm not sure it shows up on the photo. The layout is an adaptation of a past sugar nellie layout.

I am entering my card into the flowers challenge at sugar nellie on split coast stampers which runs till 8th June if you want to play too.

Clean and simple anniversary card

with a bit of bling. I am making cards in dribs and drabs of time so although I start out with a challenge in mind I don't always get the card finished by the deadline and the card then ends up being entered into a challenge that it fulfils but didn't start off for or no challenge at all.

This card I just made as I have a couple of anniversaries coming up in June so thought it was as good a time to make them as any. I decided to keep my card clean and simple for a change back to my comfort zone really.

I love this cute couple fromm cc designs sugar plum kit its so useful anniversaries and engagements are so easy with such a fab stamp.

The challenges I am entering this card into are;-

stamp and create- use ribbon or lace
paperplay- wedding celebration, I presume anniversary comes into this as thats what an anniversary is isn't it a celebration of a wedding day.
Totally gorjuss- bling it on
Anya Ink- easel card
corrosive challenge-clean and simple


Back later with another card I've just got to finish off and some doodles for Anya competition too.

Have a hoppy day

Corny but I love this fun sentiment.

My image is based on a picture I found on google images when I was looking for a frog picture that was fun for a card for Jamye, Lisa's sister see the link here.

I had a play with some alcohol inks and moonglow spritz to get my mottled green card for my frog on glossy card.The fun bit was making the hammock threading hemp through the textured paper and around part of a kebeb stick and getting them to stay in place whilst the glue dried. I think the flowers which were a freebie from a magazine and the charms which are out of a kit of ATC's just finish it off without taking anything form the focal froggy point.

I will be entering it into the following challenges:-
Simon says- tent card and some charms
Stamped art by Lisa special RAK challenge- frog card
Prairie fairy friday-tent card
Saturday challenge-no patterned paper
Sew many challenges-anything goes

Mans best friend

Oh  I think Andrew is all scienced out, school teacher this morning for 2 hours and done an  English essay practice question and then chemistry and then 2 and a half hours physics revision all on electricity with Ohms law and resistance and electical conductivity. When we got to wiring a plug I could see him glazing over so it's break time, even lunch didn't restore him, maybe we'll do some more later, nuclear fusion and fision next. I actually feel I could sit next to him and do these exams , it's amazing how things come back to you, things you can't remember doing at school all those years ago in my case,oops showing my age now.

This card I did with a few challenges in mind, I'm actually not that daunted any more by male cards but can honestly say having male orientated images does help such alot. Now pretty pink girly cards is another matter, they scare me and I find them so hard to get right so I am happy with them.

I used a high hopes image that so reminds me of my brother when he was little, different kind of dog but inseprable nevertheless. The layout is for lili of the valley , which I rotated . I think it might just be easier if I just list the challenges below, then I might get chance to finish the post before have to go and do dinner and more physics. Thanks for popping by and all the kind wishes for Andrew with his exams. I really do feel for all the teenagers doing exams but its just a necessary evil of life and something most of us have to do.

Lotv-sketch layout
Klsns-show animal friend some love
Creative craft challenge-brown and blue( hope they don't mind me adding cream too)
Papercutz-cat or dog
Our creative corner-masculine birthday card
High hopes-card for young child or baby
Quirky crafts-chocolate and cream( hope they don't mind me adding blue too)
Crafty Creations-celebration or encouragement card
The creative cottage-on for the boys


Oh I found a few extras there I didn't expect when looking through my list, always like it when that happens. Thanks for dropping by and enjoy your evening.

I really need to get some real sunshine!

I seem to have a thing for yellow at the moment as the last 3 cards I've made have all been predoninantly yellow and yellow isn't normally one of my colours it comes under the not me catergory with pink and red. I can only assume I'm subconciously craving sunshine as even though it has been glorious here today I have been helping my son revise his science still and though I suggested we did some revision outside he was having non of it so I conceeded and stayed indoors to help him keep on track. I keep telling him it's not for long and then he will have the whole summer so I guess that applies to me too.

This card I made with a teenage girl in mind, not sure who the recipient will be , a neighbours daughter or one of my step nieces as all have birthdays in June and July. There are a few challenges for easel cards around so I thought I'd combine them all along with a few other challenges too.

The stamp is obviously a magnolia and the papers are a mixture of scraps form my scraps folder, not many yellow bits left now but probably still enough for a couple more cards. The dotty ones were magazine freebies and the daisy one kay and co. The white textured card is recycled off a bought card mum recieved and gave me to see if I could use any bits of, waste not want not. I 3d'd tilda and added stickles to her wings and to some of the dotty paper. The gems I think were another magazine freebie form way back and the flower gem and ribbon from my stash.Think that's it.

The challenges I will be entering are listed below. Appologies if I'm not around much as Andrew's next exam is biology on friday and then he has an exam every day next week, because he is doing them at home we have to have the phones and doorbell unplugged , so that includes no tv and no internet so there are no possible outside noise distractions or electronic links that may allow him to cheat. A bit overkill I think as he has a scribe and an invigilator in the room with him but those are the rules so we must follow, hence I don't get to visit blog land at the time I would normally i.e. when his teacher is here.

The challenges:-
Lexi's creation-fab layout
Papertake weekly- say it with flowers( had to cut out a daisy as I didn't have a silk one and I have flowers on my backing paper and a gem flower hope this makes my card eligible for the challenge)
The Corrosive challenge-easel card
Paper sundaes- easel card
Rosie D's -easel card
Allsorts -birthday challenge and fab blog hop too
Just magnolia-one for the girls
Totally gorgeous-circles9hope my dots count)
Party time - birthday card
Sew many challenges- easel card
Raise the bar- yellow grey and white
Cute card Thursday- for someone special( my nieces are definitely special as is my neighbours daughter, she was attacked by a dog a couple of years ago at a new years eve party and had her face ripped off so is badly scared but has turned into a very beautiful young lady despite the scar and her beauty radiates from inside)
YNS- cut it out and pop it up
Magnolia stamp lovers-card with dimension
Bunny Zoe's gallery-3 flowers( I have one on my background paper, one as an embellishment and one gem flower hope thats ok), 2 designer papers, sorry I've used 1 extra, along with a bit of extra ribbon too) and 1 ribbon.

I can't believe my card fits so many challenges as I look through my note book hope I've not pushed the boundaries on a couple of the challenges too far, but I'm sure if I've broken the rules I'll find out. Have a great week and hope I get chance to pop back sooner rather than later, thanks for popping by to say hi too.

Totally different to how I intended

This card started out with a totally different plan, you know how you get an idea and decide mentally thats what you are going to do well I do usually, but this one just went right off the planned route and map and onto a totally different altas.

I decided I would try and make a trishutter card, but didn't have the same size card as the tutorial on splitcoast stampers suggested, guess I should have known then that things weren't going to plan.

I had for a change decided on a couple of challenges to follow and a colour scheme but once I'd inked, embossed and coloured my image it just didn't look right on the card no matter where I put it. I tried differeny papers but that didn't help either. I then got distracted with the flowers and found another tutorial for fan flowers and started to play. One thing led to another and I decided I best have a rethink on my card theme. It had gone from being a card for a child to something that was much more an adult card. I then had a brain wave and decided I'd do a retirement card for my just in case stash, and then it suddenly struck me that my bright and cheerful flowers might not be suitable for a man, could it still be a retirement card. Now don't get me wrong I am all for sex equality but when ever I think of retirement cards I think of mens cards, you rarely here of women retiring. It then struck me like a bolt of lightning as to why. I'm sure many off you will agree and see the answer  before I type it. If a women retires from her job of employment she hasn't really retired at all, all it means is she has stopped working at her part time job and then just continues her full time job which encompasses house keeper laundry master , head cook and bottle washer chaimber maid etc and looker afterer of any male that abides under the same roof. When a man retires he gets to potter about doing all the things he enjoys whilst his beloved wife just carries on. I'm sure you all know exceptions to the rule and I am only jesting but I shall say no more and here is my card.

The papers I used were magazine freebies and the butterflies are from the stampman and are stamped on green vellum and embossed with moonglow starbright gold green powder, gems and ribbon and peeloff from my stash.

I managed to find a fair few challenges that it will fit so I will be entering them into all of those listed below. Hope you all have a great day, well whats left of it, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed thatthe rain will stop so I can go try find the leak in my garden stream after cracking the whip and encouraging my son with some more science revision.


Pollycraft-summer blooms
Easy craft projects-spring
Sentimental sundays-new beginnings
Creative cottage-fancy fold card
Quixotic challenge-DIY flowers
crafty cardmarkers-inside out
Meljens-flowers and blooms
Ooh lala- bright and cheerful
Prairie fairy friday-use some flowers
Stamp something-celebrate something

Yellow for sunshiny summer days

Morning all, no exam today so I get to play on the internet whilst Andrew's teacher is here, so I thought I'd ttry and put a post up. i made this card yesturday while Andrew was doing his maths exam which he thinks he did quite well in but not good enough by his standards as he won't have top marks as he ran out of time and didn't answer 3 questions fully but as long as he did his best I'm not really bothered what the marks are, and I know he will have done his best.

My card is a bit different for me , for some reason maybe it's all this revision I am helping Andrew with testing him etc I think its rewired some bits of my head and I keep using colours I wouldn't normally use and colours I would definitely not use for boys and mens cards too. They do say variety is the spice of life so here goes, let me know if you think I need a brain transplant???

My card will be entered for the following challenges in no particular order:-

Tellons Place-use a tag(small but definitely a tag)
Penny's challenge- 1 ribbon(hope my woven strip counts, it was in my ribbon bag), 2 patterned papers and 3 embellishments
Thursday Treehouse-masculine( didn't make this card with this challenge in mind, have to be honest, but when a card fits the challenge should be entered  is what I say. Hope Treehouse agree)
Cupcake craft challenge-buttons
The Pink Elephant-buttons, yellow and Designer papers
High Hopes- absolutely fabby sketch layout
Cards for men-outdoors
Klsns-1 ribbon(again hope my woven strip counts),2 designer papers and 3 embellishments
Crafty Catz- card and a tag
Secret saturday crafter- 3 embellishments, 2 papers and 1 image
Going grey with scrap creations-use an animal, sorry mine with a wee boy too but when they are feeling that way inclined they can be wittle animals too can't they?

A sparkly celebration

A quickie post as got to go help Andrew with some biology revision, the human body and all the systems today then we can get on to chemistry and physics.

This penny black stamp I love, I don't have many but this one I think is quite versatile as you can use it all or just bits of it and to me it spells fun and celebration time which can cover all sorts of things. Penny black are celebrating and their challenge sketch reflects the 100th challenge. i decided that red gold and white would work really well, I did a new years card with the same stamp and colours and thought it worked really well so have used them again. I thought it made a mini story board perhaps as the celbration works on through the night little hedgy gets  more and more into party spirit, dancing on the balloon, floating on the balloon and finally the balloon gives in and he goes for a ballonn ride! sorry vivd and wierd imagination and I didn't really go to parties like this though there were definitely some along those lines in the doctors mess at both Doncaster and Rotherham hospital.

I thought I enter my card for the challenge at Penny black and then hopefully I'll get time to have a hop along their blog hop too. I have left the sentiment off my card , unlike the layout as I haven't decided if it should be birthday, congratulations, Party  or what? it could be used for so many things I thought I'd leave myself that option for now, hope you don't mind and I can still enter.

I am also entering the challenges at:-
Papertake weekly- Shiney,sparkly and special.
For fun challenges-use your favourite rubber stamp.
Prairie Fairy-recycle ( both my ribbons are recycled, the red is from a Clarins gift set I got at christmas it has gold girls and boys on the reverse and the gold ribbon is off a christmas cracker.

Birthday dragon

What a morning, thought I would come upstairs and craft while Andrew is sat downstairs sitting his 2nd GCSe exam or whatever they are AQA , such a peculiar syatem that has 2 tiers to it that the teachers choose what level the kids get entered at and if it's foundation the highest grade they can get is a C. You may well gather I think it is an unfair system as some kids don't do well in class and then thrive in exams , others are the reverse but the kids don't get any input. The reasoning that most are entered into the foundation (max C gade) is if child fails at upper level get a bad grade when I have questioned at school and they think its better someone gets a high mark guarenteeing a C than risking bad mark on higher paper and ending up with a D. Personally I feel it's more to do with school being able to say they had a high % pass rate as passes on foundation count down to lower grades. Enough of my rants, not that any of it will make any difference and please don't get me started on schools organisational skills for allowing Andrew to sit his exams at home. They were still amending and changing the arrangements last night even though he sat his first exam yesturday, very unsettling for Andrew. Not being able to organise a drunken party in a brewery etc to be polite.

Anyway my craft project.This card I thought I'd give myself a challenge and do a card for a male but use pink. I found a few challenges that I could enter if I succeeded and I am actually quite pleased with how my card turned out , not too girly at all.

The challenges I am entering are:-

The Craft Garden- use lime green and deep shocking pink

Doodle dragon studio-use green, pink and white

crafty creations-magical (think I might have missed this deadline)

Stamp something- birthday something

Stampin for the weekend-man card

Critter card challenge-critter birthday card(also have a DT call out)

Sketch and stash-fab layout+ new, never used or neglected stash. Mines a mixture, neglected stickers new and not used before freebie digi image from Dustin Pike)

Boys will be boys!

I sadly have to admit , when I was younger it wouldn't only have been the boys climbing and swinging on rope swings in the trees in the woodlands near where I grew up, that and messing with car engines.

My card I made not really with anyone in mind but as we have so many boys in our family I'm sure it will come in useful at some point and I just love this Lili of the valley image it just has so much life.

The colour scheme is for the challenge over at colour create, chocolate, cream, aqua and khaki with an added option of circles. I can't believe my khaki promarker is on it's last legs, I bought it as part of the second set and all the others seem to be ok and I haven't used it more than the others but it really is strugling so if anyone has any suggestions as to how to revive it please share with me won't you. The edges of my cream card ( sadly on the photo my cream looks yellow, even the promarker which is buttermilk) are just about coloured in it as are my boys shorts and the birthday badge and faux buttons. It didn't help the colour much when I added diamond glaze they seemed to fade to a beige colour rather than khaki but still, I think they look ok.

The layout is for magical crafts fornightly challenge on the sketch there are swirls in the corners that I have left blank. I did try embossed swirls, I also tried piercing swirls and stitching swirls and decided the card looked better without any of the options so sorry but my corners are plain.
The papers are forever friend from the boys collection and the gems from my stash. The faux buttons were a free digi, I think pollycraft but not 100% certain so apologies if I'm wrong.

I coloured my image with promarkers and the background is just chalks.

I am entering my card in to the following challenges;_

Magical crafts fortnightly challenge-layout
Colour create- cream,aqua,khaki and chocolate, there's also a DT call
Stampin for the weekend-man card,also a DT call
Crazy for challenges-card for boy or man
Cute card Thursday-boys to men
Quixotic-card for baby or child
Pollycraft-here comes summer

I think I might have made a pink card I like...

I never thought I would say that ever!

There are so many challenges around ,or at least it felt that way using pink I decided to have another try, this is my 3rd attempt at getting it right and I can't believe I actually like a pink card I've created.

I used a swet magnolia Tilda image that the very kind Jude from craft international sent me and as she has tight curly hair decided to put some darker skin tones to use, I also thought it would off set the pink, see method in my madness, don't mean that quite as it sounds though my son keeps telling me I'm loco which though I don't know much spanish even I can work out he thinks I'm a bit more loopy than usual.

I used a pearl pink base card and some pink foil card to mount Tilda on and then some daisy and dandilion paper, it has daisy type flowers on and I'm a sucker for daisies. In the corners I decided to try something different for me and instead of mounting pattern paper in this case forever friends paper on glitter card I did it the other way around, I think its quite subtle but effective. The large flowers are some I rescued off a card mum had recieved and Dad was about to despatch to the dustbin, he really does think I'm loco! The ribbon is Kanban from the music and dance kit as a re the mini gems.

Now the fun bit which challenges to enter?

MagnoliciousMay sketch- layout sketch which I rotated

Corrosive challenge-birthday, I think this would make a fab birthday card

Die cut dreams- Pink TildaTuesday taggers-recycle

For fun challenges-card for mom, My mum would love this card

Playdate cafe- colour challenge, black,white,pink and grey/silver

Simon says-birthday /celebration card  happy 1st birthday don't forget to join in their celebration hop

Clean and simple- birthday card not sure about this as took me a while but I guess if I were to reproduce it wouldn't take long at all so will give it a whirl

Paperplay-use a stamp/digi and bling

CRAFT-wedding or birthday

Raise the bar- card for mom, as I said my mum would like this card.

Thanks for popping by and enjoy your day, shopping with teenage son later as trying to kill 2 birds with one stone as we need passport photos as his passport expires this summer so he needs an adult on , joys and bliss and he so love supermarket shopping...NOT!. Please send happy vibes to help me along .

A good luck card to spur my son on

many of you know my son had surgery at the end of January to refuse his ankle, it seems like a lifetime since as he was non weight bearing for 7 weeks post op things have been moving quite slowly , not fast enough for my son by far but we keep being told he is making excellent progress and we are now at the stage where he literally has to build up his muscles in his legs to get him back to being independent enough to get himself from the floor should he fall. This has meant he has remained off school and had home education provided by hospital and home education services and myself, with a little bit of input from school when we have persuaded them to supply work. This has been hard particularly as Andrew starts sitting his Gcse's next week. He is as I'm sure many other teenagers are already starting to panic, particularly about his first exam which is oral spanish( maybe rightly as we have literally been working from a text book and dictionary and as I nor my hubby or his home tutor speak spanish he does feel very aprehensive about the spanish exams.

I thought I'd make him a card for next week to try and give him a boost and wish him luck, but if the amount of revision he is doing is worth anything he should be ok. I think it's important that he knows we are proud of how he has handled all the revision and the work he has put in and that he know that as long as he does his best we are very proud of him.

My card I hope will make him smile and give his serious worried attitude a break . The image is one I've had for ages from Lexi's doodles so thankyou as I think it was a freebie, it just makes me smile so hopefully it will Andrew too. I decided to make a slider card when I saw the sketch layout from sketch and stash, it just seemed to say that to me and I added a bubble sticker to the sending happy thought whimsy sentiment to keep in the bathtime theme. Instead of a flower which I didn't think he would appreciate I added a bow and made a 4 leaf clover charm for goodluck. I did wonder if it would look odd but I think it blends in quite well. Hope it all helps and does the trick and good luck to anyone elses offsprings or cared fors who will be undergoing the same torture over the coming weeks.

I will be entering my card for the following challenges;-

Sketch and stash-layout
Allsorts-animals
Incy wincy challenge-anything goes
Lexi's creations-animals
A spoonful of sugar-furry friends

Spring and summer spells the wedding season

Its funny how you associate different sounds or smells with different seasons of the year, cinnamon and allspice and pine with christmas and in my case church bells with summer and sometimes spring. our village is quite big really and I have to admit I only know the names of the families my son went to primary school with and those in the local post office and shop. Hubby knows more as he lived in the next village on when growing up, and many of his friends now live in our village.

in summer I love being in the garden , weather permitting of course and along side the traffic I can here from the A57 which disects our village, the tinkling of water in our garden stream and birds singing the church bells seem to ring out on an almost regular basis. I'm never sure if they are just practicing or if it's a wedding but being a true romantic I always asume the latter and so I associate summer with weddings.

Sorry I do waffle on, my brain seems to be addled I have managed to drop a dish and a mug this morning and smashed both. I blame all the revision I am doing to help my son, sorry help my son with his revision, he seems to learn better and take in more when I give him anicdotal triggers. Today we did biology, part of which was micro-organisms which decay things and the temperatures at which they are active. If he redraws the triggers I drew he will have the examiner in laughter or tears, I said to remember that they are aerobic imagine them in skimpy leotards dancing around getting breatheless. When its cold they are asleep or dorment , as it heats up they get frisky anfd reproduce , then get really hot and by 100 degrees they fry and die.

What kind of teacher would I make, but it made my son laugh and he seemed to retain the important bits. 

Stop waffling Julye I hear you shout, get on with the craft!

I used one of my fab lili of the valley stamps, I think it is just so cute. I have tried to combine as many challenges as possible so please forgive me, but school work comes first and as I keep telling Andrew it's only 7 or 8 weeks of hard work for what could be his best shot at getting his foot on the first rung of the ladder of life he wants to climb, and I will help him by giving him the encouragement and support he needs to study and be as prepared as he can. If he does that and does his best I can ask no more, so that cuts into craft time so please forgive me combining.

I coloured my image with promarkers and sakura glaze and glitter pens. The faux buttons are again sakura glaze , I think they are pollycraft but can't find them in my digifiles so can't be 100%  sure-if I'm wrong please accept my appology and correct me so I can edit and give the appropriate person credit.
Papers are form a scrapbook collection from costco. Roses and ribbon from my stash and sentiment is CC designs.

I am entering the following challenges:-

LOTV-here comes summer
Ai factory- buttons
Paperplay-pretty pastals
Totally gorjuss-stitching
Charisma-girly with flower
CRAFT-no square or rectangle cards
Lili-boo-too-shaped card
Meljens-shaped card
Penni's-shaped card
Klsns-inside and out( sorrynot a good inside piccy but you can see most of it)
Simon says-card for Domi
Crafty sentiments-use buttons
Creative Inspirations-congratulations
Cowgirl sunday stampen challenge- spring card
Daring cardmakers-non square easel card
Incy Wincy-anything goes
Everybody art-pastals
Pixie cottage-fab layout

All Green girl

Good morning all and haven't we got wonderful bank holiday weather as usual and how the temperature has plumeted too. I decided this morning I would have a go at a sugar nellie challenge only to find they have another sugar nellie challenge on splitcoast stampers too. Now I have a dilema, sugar nellie challenges has a rule of no combining, so in this case that mean it includes its own challenges and I have to do two cards or projects one for each challenge or no combining with other blog challenges?

I am still not sure which to decide is the correct interpretation of the rule, please let me know what you think.

My card I made using the sugar bowl sketch turned 90 degrees, hope I got all the layers right there seemed so many. The sugar bowl also have an extra of using punches. The colour scheme is for the sugar nellie splitcoast challenge of monochrome, hope they let me off with my skin tones , green hair was one thing but i couldn't get this sweetie to look right with a green tinge to her skin, she just looked so ill.

I keep trying to use up all my scraps of paper and thats why the pieces of layers are odd sizes, green in another sense trying to use all my resources. The inspiration for using green was my staring at my garden  this morning, there are just so many shades of green and it looks so fresh with all the plants bursting into life, how could I use any other colour?

I used a green pearlised card base, scraps from my scraps file for the layers, ribbon from my stash, the leaf is off a silk flower stem I bought I think its a delphinium and the sentiment is whimsy embossed in moonglow obsidian emerald powder.

Happy anniversary

For those of you who pop by regularly you will know I'm no girly girl with pinks and hearts etc so this is a card slightly out of my comfort zone. The papers I have had a while I think they are papermania, and were bought when Andrew wanted to make some valentines cards a couple of years ago and they have just been sat there since. The text I have had ages it came in some kit not sure which it's that long ago sorry and the image is sugar plums spring kit. I have added lots of irridescent glitter glue for extra sparkle, sakura glitter pen to my girls top over the promarkers i used to colour my couple in, and a brad for a hair slide. The bling is from a candy I won and have lost the pakaging so again sorry not sure of brand. This is a quick post as have got to try and help channel Andrew into doing an hours revision ,I think we are revising Voltmetres ametres and resistence, not sure I spelt them right. It's doing wonders for my brain all this revision , I'm even learning new stuff yesturday I learnt how to ask what are you doing tomorrow in spanish, but apparently my accent and pronunciation is atrocious and even worse as I can't roll my 'r's'.

I am entering my card in to some challenges deadlines permitting and not missed of course,so here goes:-

Lexi's creations-3 papers,2 embellishments and 1 image

Sunday sketch and stamp -pick your own sketch  I chose no. 23

Simon says Papercraft planet-bling(just got to work out how to enter now)

YNS-going dotty

Creative cottage-circles#

Paper sundaes-3 pattern papers,2 card stocks(red and white),1 flower(in her hair)

By the cute and Girly-celebrations