Red special card

Hi all hope its not too cold where you all are ,it could be worse I suppose we could be in chaos from inches of snow, sorry if you already are.
Well my card is for mum to send to my sister the sketch is from Totally gorjuss  and as I got some more gorjuss stamps just had to use one of them. I coloured it red as my sis being a natural blonde likes wearing red, she's definitely no blonde bimbo or bombshell though. Fab layout though another for the favourites book.

Over at the pink elephant challlenge they want you to use your favourite colouring medium and though I love those I have that sparkle since getting my promarkers I have bearly used anything else they are just so versatile. I used them to colour the flower so it matches perfectly. The flowers, well I have been trying to use more embellishments since entering challenges and improve my cards so went to buy some flowers , I couldn't believe how much they cost for the small packs they had in hobbycraft, and to get some in each colour, 4 multipackes with 6 of 4 colours in each was going to be £12. I came up with the idea of getting some silk flowers and pulling them to bits, but these weren't much cheaper, but in another shop just further down, the exact same spays were £1.49 each. I got 3 so now have loads of flowers in different sizes and can colour them whatever colour I like. They are all the same shape but it was only an experiment so now I know it works I can look for different flower styles. See what you think to my flower, I've used them on another project too on another post.

Right back to my card and the challenges. Stamp something have a theme of glitzy and as I have glitter on my dots and glitter paper and mirri card , I think it might be glitzy, don't you?

I love promarkers the first time I'm entering have a theme of spots and stripes and as I have dotty paper and stripes of glitter paper and ribbon I can enter so glad I found their blog. I love finding new challenges I can play.

 Saturday spotlight with hidden potential have a theme of christmas flowers so I can enter this card as I have my now red flower.
C.R.A.F.T. challenge want a card for a christmas birthday, my sisters birthday isn't strictly christmas as its at the begining of January, but when she was little she always complained it was too close to christmas and often got one gift for both christmas and birthday so I count it as a christmas birthday.

Finally over at Stamping vacation they have a pick 3 challenge and I picked glitter paper, colour an image and add glittler to patterned paper.

Well I suppose I should show you my card and then you can see my coloured flower. Thanks for taking the time to visit as I know things are getting busy for everyone as christmas gets closer and to those who don't get chance to call back have a wonderful christmas.

I don't know if it will count but I'm going to be cheeky and see if my passion marker coloured flower will count as christmas not a card over at pasion for promarkers mega challenge!

Card for my sons pal form him not me .

This card I am entering into a couple of challenges , the first being the first challenge over at cards for men who have a theme of christmas for man or boy and as I've done this for my son to send to his best friend not sure if thats the modern term but anyway its for a 15 year old boy so i guess that counts.

Rosie D's have a green and red theme with a bit of bling and as I'd added green holly stickles to the dark green dots it counts for their challenge, not sure son or friend will approve of bling but whats wrong with a bit of bling for boys at christmas.

Cupcake craft challenge also have a red and green theme so I can enter that too.

My first decorated candle

I have often wondered how clever crafters actually manage to stamp on candles, do they just have a nack for rolling the stamp around the candle and then really cleverly colour it. Well I found a really good tutorial on passion for promarkers and I can't believe it is so easy, I managed it and I was quite pleased with the results, despite the only candle I could find was a long thin one, the hardest part was finding a suitable image,but I think I managedsee what you think and if you fancy a go pop over to the tutorials on passion for promarkers, you could then enter in their challenge.

I am going to enter my candle into a few challenges well perhaps more than a few as they all have criteria that my special candle fills, I know it doesn't look special but it is as it's the first one I've done, did I tell you that already. Well Passion for promarkers have a special challenge that you can enter as many times as you like as long as it uses promarkers, has a christmas theme and isn't a card, see 3 out of 3.

Roses on paper have a challenge similar in that they want something altered for a christmas gift so I can enter this challenge too.

Winter wonderland I had forgotten wanted you to decorate a candle or candle holder and I thought I would be doing a candle holder but I've managed a candle.

Stamp with fun and stampavie both have a christmas theme and though I've not made a card my candle is a christmas project and I do have a recipient in mind as a token gift so I think I can enter their christmas themes.

A card from my son ...

.. so again don't look Kathy.
My sister had a thing about yellow when she was little but could never say it and always called it lellow. Its her birthday in January and being not long after christmas I always like to make a special effort so she gets a special card from both myself and hubby and one from my son, despite him now getting to the age where its not cool and he usually says just put me on your card, and then asks for cards for his friends, but I suppose thats teenagers. Anyway he likes the idea of winding up his auntie , another teenage thing and in some ways he is more like his auntie than me.

I decided to make this card in yellows and greens just for a change and yellow fit as it use to be Kaths favourite colour and now she tends to wear alot of green, intentional or not I don't know but she must think it's an ok colour. I love this heart paper and thought as it's a birthday card hearts are always appropriate as they send love without words, and no cool teenager is going to tell his auntie he loves her whthyer he does or not.

I mounted the yellow hearts on green mirri card just to add that bit of bling as my sis likes her bling, though on the picture it looks black, but it really is green, honest.

The layout is for just Magnolia challenge , cutting it close again as I think the deadline is tomorrow, well I hope it is, theirs is on a rectangle or square card, I can't remember which and my sketch isn't much help, but at magnolicious challenge they want any card shape except rectangle or square so I decided to cut my square card into a circle with a little bit of a flat bottom so it will stand up.

All the hearts I have on my card mean I can enter the challenge at Your Next Stamp, they have relaxed their rules so you can use any stamp at the moment.

Both Simon says and Quixotic challenges want charms on their cards, and I had the idea that I could make a matching magnolia charm that my sis could attatch to her mobile phone to remind her of her favourite tormenting nephew. I have tried to take a piccy of it but its not spectacular and it's the best of several, indoor lighting and avoiding shadows does make pictures difficult, but hope you get the idea.

All my favorite things

Rain drops on roses... as the song goes one my gran use to sing to me and she even had the sound of music LP , so the song reminds me of warm summer days when music floated out of grans open windows while we played in her garden running around the apple trees.

 Favourite things was the theme at creative card crew but I was late again in posting so what my favourite things are doesn't really matter, you'll just have to guess from my little book cover.

Totally Gorjuss have a challenge of anything but a card and what better place to have a gorjuss girl than on a note book so you have a gorjuss image to look at and it turns a cheap note book into something that looks designer.

Every body art wanted some stitching for their challenge and I quite enjoy adding a little stitching ,its a simple way to finish off a project, see I am learning from all these blogs I hop around, I'll get there eventually.

The layout I did follow a sketch but I am so dis organised of late that I can't find it or whose challenge it was so appologies for not giving you the recognition but as consolation I can't enter your challenge either .

caardvarks quick colour challenge

Over Caardvark there is a 24 hour colour challenge using bright and pale pink, bright and pale turquoise and lime and pale green, and the challenge lasts just 24 hours. I must admit  I found it harder fining the right colour of paper than deciding on a design and even ended up colouring a pice of card with my lime zest promarker to get one of the colours, I hope the shades I used are ok.

Look what I won

I do like days when you get nice things in the post, today I recieved my choice of stamps from Simon says as my prize from Chris friday freebie at catts scratching post for entering Simon says challenge.

I also recieved my prize from Joanne as I was one of the first winners at magical crafts fortnightly  for their first challenge.

I would like to say a big thank you to both ladies and that I have recieved my prizes. I say this as some challenges I have won a prize for I still haven't recieved the prises for even though I am assured they are in the pipeline so to speak, it isn't that I'm winging at not recieving them its just I think it unfair if some one gets publicity for sponsering a challenge or event and then doesn't deliver the goods so to speak, its unfair on the challenge setters, just my personal view but there it is. Sorry if it upsets anyone.

So A GREAT BIG THANK YOU LADIES!

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.