Friendship

SECOND POST FOR TODAY. PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR EARLIER POST.
Another birthday card, this one is for a male friend who is a keen gardener. It's the first time I have used this image which I bought a while ago. I do like these Popcorn bears but the stamps are very large so I scanned it and resized it otherwise it would have filled the card. The bear and the duck are very relaxed in the garden. I stamped some clouds and a butterfly from some Papermania stamp sets as the challenge over at Stamptacular Sunday is friendship plus stamp your own background or paper.

Penny Black Ginger

A friend's daughter asked if I would make a pink card with glitter, shoes, handbags, flowers and jewels. Naturally I said I would so a break from Christmas cards this afternoon. The image is PB Ginger, coloured with PMs. I added some glitter to her dress and earrings. I had a die cut handbag and added a flower brad but I didn't have a pink shoe so I cut one from pink glitter card. The flowers are Prima painted with Shimmerz ad the fern is from an MS punch. The lovely striped paper and sparkly ribbon are Papermania. Other papers from stash.
Challenges
Papertake sketch
La La Land pink
Allsorts bling
Craft Celebration
Crafty Catz Going Dottie
Penny Black Song title. Mine is Handbags and Glad Rags

Creative Craft Challenge

Christmas Fun is the challenge this week at Creative Craft. This fab Forever Friends stamp was free this month with the DoCrafts magazine. I decided to use it with the gorgeous Basic Grey Eskimo Kisses papers. A pink Hero Arts poinsettia, a sparkly snowflake and some gold snowflake confetti complete the card.

Have a great weekend everyone. Hope all those of you going to the NEC have a fantastic time.

Red, white and blue Anya and blog candy win

It's time for one of my favourite Winter stamps again and she's not pink or purple! The challenge at Anyone for Anya is to use the colours of your national flag so here's Anya in red, white and blue with glitter. The flowers is a Hero Arts poinsettia with a ribbon and pearl flower in the centre. I decided to keep this card clean and simple so I didn't overpower the image set on glitter card. The sketch is from Mojo Monday. The challenge at Roses on Paper and Sassy Designs is Christmas. It's Susie's first challenge and as we all seem to be bust making Christmas cards you should be all be able to enter this one. There's a stash of craft goodies up for grabs.

Talking of craft goodies I receive my blog candy win from Judith today. I couldn't believe my eyes when I opened the box as there was so much more than I expected. Judith had a craft room clearout and sent me an fantastic box of papers, stamps, brads etc. I was amazed she had so much unopened stash. I couldn't fit it all into the photo but this gives you some idea.

I'm sorry I haven't had time to do much bloghopping this week but I'll try to catch up you all as soon as I can.

Multi coloured snowman

I left the purple alone and went for multi colours on this card. The image is Sugar Nellie and I stamped the background with a Dovecraft snowflake stamp using a silver stamp pad. It's ages since I used this technique. This card has so much going on, swirls, gems, snowflakes, flowers, ribbon and a brad.
Challenges
Cupcake sketch
CRAFT include orange and black
Crafty Cardmakers Stamp something plus use a technique you haven't used for a while or is new to you
Creative Card Crew Ribbons and gems

And another purple card

I don't know why but I couldn't seem to resist making purple cards yesterday. Thanks to all those of you who compliment me on my colouring. I am still a novice with the shading and I find this image particularly difficult as so much of the image is her dress. I adore her though so will keep trying to improve. She is coloured with PMs and highlighted with Sakura Stardust pen on her hem and purple glitter on her bow. The background paper is from Debbi Moore, the other was a freebie. She fitted the nesties so well. It's the first time I have had an image and card large enough to use the biggest rectangle.

I love the detail on this card. The glitter card swirls, holly leaves and snowflakes are Sizzix. I added some fab sparkly Prima flowers, embossed the snowflakes and added spacers and brads.

The card was made using the lovely sketch at Moving along with the times where they are also looking for embossing on your card.

Another purple Christmas card

THIS IS MY THIRD POST TODAY. PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR OTHER POSTS.
This is one of my favourite sort of cards. I love making A5 cards as it gives you so much more space to fill and although I love simple cards, see last post, my favourite cards are the ones with a lot to look at. This lovely image was a Whiff of Joy one from my blog candy win, and although she isn't a Christmas stamp I thought she was perfect to use for a Christmas card. She is coloured with PMs with some lovely purple glitter on her apron and bow.

I used both my MS star border punch and my old X cut star corner punch which I haven't used for ages. The swirl and snowflakes are Sizzix. I added some glitter ribbon to the the strip of paper, a bow and some bling from stash. I bought a pack of purple glitter card from a Dunelm Mill shop a while ago and tried it in one of my punches but it is too thick, which was annoying. However it worked perfectly in my Big Shot, thank goodness.

Challenges
Crafty Catz sketch
A Spoon Full of Sugar Kitchen/cooking
La La Land Ribbon
Lily Boo Too Purple
Craft Garden Sparkle
Die Cut Dreams Food or drink

Penguin in Winter Wonderland

THIS IS MY SECOND POST TODAY. PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR FIRST POST.
I do love this little stamp. I know he is very simple to colour but I really like the simplicity of this card. The papers are from Debbi Moore and the card is for the challenge at One Stop Craft which is looking for a card with newspaper. stamp with script or text on the paper. I used my MS doily punch on both edges of the vellum, added some very glittery snowflakes and some purple gems from stash.

Blue Christmas

That's the challenge over at Cute Daisy May this week. I've taken the day of work today and aim to spend the whole day cardmaking so expect more posts from me as the day goes on. The image is from Pollycraft, isn't it a fun image. Papers were also free last year with a mag. MS doily punch used on the bottom and Sizzix swirl with lovely snowflakes from USA and a star gem from stash. I used my new art glitter faux snow again. If you thought glitter was messy you should try this. I love the effect but I'm going to have to sweep the floor later.

Blog Candy Winners

Hi everyone. Hope you are all having a great weekend. We've had blue skies and sunshine some of the past week but the weather this weekend is rubbish. It's wet and windy and generally yuck but we were both awake about 6.15 so making an early start on my blog this morning. We're planning to have a look round the shops today and hopefully will fit in some crafting later.

Thanks to so many of you for entering my candy and your lovely comments about my creations. I hope you like my new look blog. I'm still learning how to use Adobe Photoshop and played around with my banner. I impressed myself with the result, lol!

I hope all my new followers will come back and visit from time to time and leave comments. I've got several new followers who didn't enter my candy so I guess you must just like my cards, which is great. I'm sorry I haven't been round to visit all of you but I have got lots more Christmas cards to make. I've got friends asking for them so although I've made 51, only about 20 are for me to send. I'll have more time for bloghopping once these are all made.

Well that's enough ramblings from me. It's that moment you have been waiting for. The announcement of my blog candy winners. Some people had left 2 comments so I counted their first comment as their entry. I used True Random Generator for the first time. Hubby then got excited as he found you can use it to pick your lottery numbers so fingers crossed for a win on Wednesday, lol!

First prize goes to
That's Magda in the UK. Well done, you win the candy. Second prize, which is a surprise goes to Mary in the United States.

Could the 2 winners please e-mail me your address to the address on my profile by Wednesday 4 November. I'll then get your prizes off in the post, postal strikes allowing of course. If I don't hear from you by then I will have to draw again. Well done ladies.

My First Blog Candy

CANDY NOW CLOSED

UPDATED 26 OCTOBER

I'VE REACHED 100 FOLLOWERS SO I WILL ALSO BE OFFERING A SECOND PRIZE, WHICH WILL BE A SURPRISE.

THIS POST WILL STAY AT THE TOP UNTIL THE CLOSING DATE OF 12PM OCTOBER 31ST. WINNER WILL BE DRAWN ON NOVEMBER 1ST. PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR NEWER POSTS.

I'm so excited to be giving away my first blog candy. I only started my blog on 6 June this year and I can't believe how much I enjoy it. I never would have thought it was something I would get into doing on a regular basis. I enjoy the challenges and think my cardmaking is improving by using the sketches and visiting your wonderful creations. You have made me so welcome and I have been lucky enough to win 3 lots of blog candy and several challenges and been invited to be a guest DT for 3 blogs. I want to return some of that love.

Here is what you have to do to enter:

1) If you are not already one of my lovely followers, then you need to become one.

2) Publish a short post about my candy, with a link, on your blog.

3) Post my candy in your sidebar with a link.

4) Leave me a comment.

Entry is open to bloggers everywhere.

One lucky winner will receive the following goodies, some of which I've never seen in British shops.

Lili of the Valley Rubber Stamp Lili's Fairies - Iris
Lili of the Valley Rubber Stamp Wedding - Just Married
Martha Stewart Glitter Set - 3 blue glitter pots and glue
25 K & Co Layered and jewelled flowers
Pack of white/ivory fabric flowers
Pack of purple fabric flowers
6 yards of pink fancy edged ribbon
6 yards of purple fancy edged ribbon
25 purple mini brads
63 self adhesive pink and blue star gems
48 self adhesive red rhinestones
Pack of pink birthday balloon and star stickers
12 pink rosebuds
24 red rosebuds

Snow Anya in purple

This is Christmas card number 51 and my favourite so far. I just love these rich colours of pinks and purples. The image is Anya, coloured with PMs with glitter for fur and layered onto glitter card.

No idea where the background paper came from but the others are Basic Grey and DCWV. The strip has been punched with my MS star punch. Snowflakes are Sizzix and Cuttlebug and the large swirl is Sizzix. All of these were cut from glitter card so she certainly sparkles. Spacer, brad and bling from stash.

Hope you are all getting on well with your Christmas cards. I've got the day off on Monday so looking forward to a whole day of cardmaking. Have a good weekend.

Challenges
Anyone for Anya Sketch
Winter Wonderland Open theme
Creative Card Crew Snowflakes
Simon Says All that Sparkles

Rabbit angel

I was feeling rather down at work today and then came home and did some ironing (yawn). Just had time to make this card before getting the dinner ready and it really cheered me up. Who could be down when looking at this cute little rabbit dressed as an angel from Daisy and Dandelion. Coloured with PMs including my new Dusky Rose and some Shimmerz on the wings and Sakura Stardust on the halo and star. The gorgeous papers are Basic Grey Eskimo Kisses. Aren't those little reindeer sweet on the base paper. I added some gold brads, a Hero Arts poinsettia with a gold spacer and red shiny brad. Holly leaves cut from glitter card using a Sizzix die. A gold sentiment and star complete the card.I'm so pleased with the way this card turned out.

Challenges

Sketch and Stash Sketch (new items - Dusky Rose Promarker, poinsettia, spacer, Sizzix die, papers)

Allsorts Furry Friends

Crafty Catz Buttons or brads

Passion for Promarkers Animal

Let it Snow

My second post for today and a much more complicated Christmas card this time. It's the first time I have used this Pink Gem image, which I love. She is coloured with PMs. I added some glitter flocking to her ear muffs and Art Glitter faux snow around the log and her feet. Yes, I am sparkling too now as it is nice and messy.


The background paper was in a scrapbooking kit, the holly paper is Basic Grey Eskimo Kisses and the blue snowflake is FF cut with an MS doily punch. The sentiment and silver glitter snowflake are Sizzix and the blue snowflake is Me and My Big Ideas. It's only the second one I have used as they are so yummy I don't want to part with them. I added a snowflake brad and highlighted some areas with my Sakura Stardust pen.

At Sassy Designs by Susie Susie is looking for a DT for a new monthly challenge. Let's hope Susie likes my entry. All you have to do is create a Christmas card and enter by 27 October.

There' a great competition at Pink Gem which I am also entering. Make a card using a Pink Gem stamp for the chance to win 6 PG stamps. There's also the chance to be a guest DT.

I used the fab sketch from Willow Sketchie. I'm also entering it for Winter Wonderland where they have an open theme this week so you should all join in this week.

2 Christmas cards

A quick post with 2 simple cards today. I really need to get on and make some more. The first one is for Moving along with the times who had a lovely simple sketch plus using paper with text. I added some Sizzix swirls and snowflakes to this little snowman image. The second challenge was orange plus another colour at Secret Crafter.

The second was made using the sketch from Papertake. Both the image and paper are Forever Friends. Ribbon is Anita's from last year. I love the way the top bear looks as though he is writing the message on the ribbon.

Happy Thanskgiving

A very good friend and my best customer asked me to make a thanksgiving card for a young couple. The girl is American and over here until January. I had no idea what thanksgiving cards look like as we don't have them over here so I trawled through a few blogs and found they have trees pumpkins, leaves etc. I remembered I had this image from my first blog candy win which turned out to be perfect for this card. All of the papers I used were also from this win. The leaves are from an Autumn die cut pack I bought in Michaels in the US, mainly for my scrapbooking. I made the flowers from scraps of paper using my new EK Success retro punches and MS punch. I printed the sentiment from the PC. This card is for several challenges which are:

Sketch and Stash Sketch and use something new

Crafty Cardmakers Autumn

Crafty Calendar Autumn

Creatalicious Use scrap DP and handmade flowers

Craft Garden Flowers

My Time to Craft Halloween Colours

Kraftin Kimmie Shades of Autumn brown, rust and green

One Stop Craft Celebration

By the Cute and Girly Autumn Glory. This is a brand new monthly challenge.

I've only had time to make one card this weekend, despite having an extra hour today. Must get back to Christmas cards tomorrow.

It's Fall Y'all

That's the challenge this week at Stamptacular Sunday and my last week as guest designer. I have really enjoyed these challenges and this week I was much more in my comfort zone. The image is Kars, coloured with PMs. I rounded the corners with an X cut punch and added a scalloped circle and oval behind the image. The flowers are Hero Arts and Prima. The branch is Sizzix and I added 2 leaves again cut with an X cut punch. The sentiment is Craftwork Cards, sparkly flowers and brad from stash. Please pop over to Stamptacular Sunday and have a break from making all those Christmas cards.

Not a Christmas Card!!

I can't believe what a beautiful sunny day it has been today. I have been moaning about trying to get a good photo when it has been so dismal some days this week and today it was hard to get a photo cos it is so sunny. You just can't win.

Just for a change I have a Birthday card to post. A friend asked me to make this for her 3 year old niece. Having looked through some of my work she wanted this image with balloons, so here we are, oh and it had to be pink. The image is a Gorjuss girl from Sugar Nellie, coloured with PMs and layered onto pink glitter card. I cut up part of a Sizzix swirl for the string and the balloons are also Sizzix. Sentiment is from the PC, papers are Papermania Sweet Nothings. I added some sparkly stars and really, really sparkly flowers. All little girls love pink sparkle don't they. The card is for 3 challenges, sparkle at La La Land and babies and children's cards at Creative Card Crew and a new one I've just found Alphabet Challenge B is for, which in my case is balloons.

Hope the sun is shining where you are and you all have a good weekend. The clocks go back in the UK on Sunday morning so that's another hour we get to craft on Sunday.

Christmas Stocking

Hope you're not fed up with my Christmas cards yet, there's lots more still to be made. This came out as a very non traditional Christmas card, which I really like. The image is of course Forever Friends and isn't he cute. Coloured with PMs and glitter added to the fur. Paper is DCWV. I added some K & Co daisies with pink buttons just for a change. They somehow look right on this card. That's 2 cards without a snowflake in sight, what's going on?

Challenges

Sunday sketch and stamp Sketch

Winter Wonderland Christmas Stocking

Charisma Delightful Daisies

Crafty Catz Black, white plus one colour

Kraftin Kimmie Buttons

Forever Friends Christmas

Chocolates for Christmas

This little teddy with the box of chocs was a free stamp with a magazine a couple of months ago. I used my new peony nesties, should have inked the edges I think. Too late now, I'll make a mess. I bought a long Sizzix swirl with holly in America and used this for the holly leaves, to which I added veins wit a glitter pen and some red gems. You can win some of these in my candy. I added some glitter to his hat. Now here's a tip, don't add the glue and glitter and then put the image through the die cutting machine, duh. I ended up with glue and glitter on my cutting plate and he has an interesting glitter shadow on his hat, which is quite effective, but I won't be doing that again. Papers are Basic Grey Eskimo Kisses.

Challenges

Basic Grey Green, red and blue

Cute Card Thursday Candy Corns (sweets/candy)

Pink Sugar Bowl

I absolutely love the Sugar Bowl's sketch challenges. They are some of my fave stamps and their sketches are always so gorgeous and this one is no exception. She is coloured with PMs, I added glitter flock to all the fur on her outfit and gave her sparkly tights by colouring them first with a Blossom Pm and then my Sakura Stardust pen. The star paper was a freebie, the semi circle Basic Grey Eskimo Kisses and the others DCWV. The lovely flowers are Prima with a little Shimmerz added. I kept the star theme going with the sentiment and some tiny pink star gems on the tabs. I got to use 2 of my new punches from my hols on this one, both MS, the fern and the star border. Click on her to enlarge her and you can see how well she shimmers and sparkles.

Another Christmas Card

This little girl is a freebie from Pollycraft. I love these Cherry Kisses girls. She has been coloured with PMs based on the Pollycraft challenge of tangerine, turquoise and chocolate and I added white glitter to the trim on her coat and hat. I wasn't too sure about trying these colours on a Christmas card but I rather like the effect. It is a shame the glitter doesn't really show onthe photo as she looks lovely and sparkly. She has been cut with nesties labels 4 and the layered card has been put through the Cuttlebug snowflake embossing folder. The background paper is Basic Grey Eskimo Kisses, the brown paper has been cut with a MS doily lace punch. Some sparkly snowflakes and a sentiment complete the card which is also for Die Cut Dreams Winter Wonderland and Whimsy Stamps Emboss-abilities.

Snow Lady and Baby

A quick post as I have spent so long making Christmas cards I can't believe where the time has gone this afternoon. I bought this image a little while ago and have been longing to use it. Coloured with PMs and highlighted with Sakura stardust pen. I added glitter to her bobble on her hat and cut the image and layer with nesties. I wanted to keep the background soft so I use some snowflake paper and vellums from last year's stash. The snowlakes are cut with a Sizzix die and small blue star gems added. Some pale blue lace, a snowflake charm and a silver greeting complete the picture.

Challenges

Passion for Promarkers Sketch

Whiff of Joy Die Cuts

Stamp Something Bling It

Fun in Florida

Over at Moving along with the Times this week their challenge is anything but a card. There are some great creations from the DT and I've seen some marvellous makes from some of you. Now I've never tackled anything with paper other than cards or scrapbooking. So here's another scrapbook page. I really want to get this Florida scrapbook finished so I can start a new one of other trips to the States. One of my New Year's resolutions, along with the annual losing weight of course, lol, must be more scrapbooking and learning new skills. Maybe next year when the challenge is anything but a card I will amaze you with a beautiful creation.

This page is very orange which was inspired by the colour in the photos of 3 rides you won't find me on. I once went on Big Thunder Mountain, the bottom right hand photo, and screamed all the way round, and that's a small but hairy roller coaster. I don't know what I'd do if I went on one of the really big ones. They are great to watch though and all part of a day's excitement in Florida. I used some free papers, stickers bought in Florida, a rub on and Sizzix corners. A fairly simple layout but I'm still getting to grips with scrapbooking.

SPOOKY

This is my first ever Halloween card for my 3rd week at Stamptacular Sunday. This proved to be yet another challenge but I hope you like my effort. The haunted house was a free digi image from Digital Delights. I coloured it with PMs and added some stamped stars. The pumpkins were cut from another free digi image from Pollycraft. The paper was a free download and the swirl is a Sizzix die cut. I hope you will be entering this week's challenge.

Katharina's WOJ candy

Katharina is celebrating the release of the new winter stamp kit with a blog candy. See my sidebar for the link.

Anya in Autumn Colours

This little beauty was one of the images from my blog candy win which made paper piecing her hat a challenge. As I don't have the stamp I had to cut the hat from one image and draw around it on the spotted paper and then cut that out. I think it's the first time I've ever tried paper piecing and I really like the result. I added a gold padded bow from my stash, drew faux stitching around the image, coloured with PMs, papers are Papermania and Craftwork Cards, as is the sentiment.

Challenges are:

Sketch Saturday sketch

One Stop Craft Birthday

Anyone for Anya Paper Piecing

Cupcake Buttons and stitching

Roses on Paper Use another sketch and orange, green and brown

Creative Card Crew Scallops

Paperplay Favourite embellishment (Flowers)

CRAFT 1 ribbon, 2 buttons and 3 papers

Christmas Cards

Well I did manage to get a lot of the ironing done yesterday but there is still a pile to do. However I gave myself a bit of time off to make a couple of Christmas cards. Went back to work today, which wasn't nice but I have reduced my hours to 30 worked over 5 days so am glad to be home. The first card was made using a Lli of the Valley die cut, which I coloured with Ms and added Angel Wings Shimmerz to her wings, appropriately enough. I used one of my lovely new MS punches on the strip of paper, aren't those stars fab. I also used my new Sizzix snowflake die to cut 2 snowflakes and fix together with a snowflake brad. Added 3 sparkly snowflakes and a sentiment. Challenges are Lili of the Valley Christmas card for a child and Cute Daisy May Fairy-nuff and ABC F is for Flying.

The second card is also for 3 challenges. The challenge at Penny Black is buttons and bows, Our Creative Corner provided the sketch and La La Land have a theme of Winter/Christmas.

All of the papers I used were free with magazines last year.

Pink Dahlia

I made this card for my very good friend Lynsey's birthday but couldn't use it for any challenges until she had opened her card. Now it is for Crafty Cardmakers who are looking for ribbon, lace or fibers and for Whimsy Stamps challenge to use punches or die cuts and lastly My Time to Craft whose challenge is Quick and Cute. Well it wasn't quick to make, what card is, but it sure is cute.

Image - Greeting Farm Dahlia
Coloured with Letraset Promarkers
Paper - Papermania
Die cuts - Nestabilities, Sizzix branch
Embellishments - sparkly flowers, gorgeous sparkly ribbon and brad from stash
Flowers - Prima, highlighted with Shimmerz

Autumn colours

I made this card just before I went on holiday and am now using it for 2 of this week's challenges. It's so nice to be back entering challenges but dont get me wrong I'd rather be on holiday. Last day off today and back to work tomorrow, oh no. The first challenges if to use brown plus other colours at Stamp Something and the second challenge is Autumn Colours at Secret Crafter. The cute image is Pink Gem, papers are Papermania. Corners are Sizzix.