Snow much fun

Well I know some of you had lovely weather at the weekend but it was mainly dull and cool here. We even had to put the heating back on for a while. It was so windy yesterday that it was too dangerous for the powerboat racing so hubby came home at lunchtime. I did spend the day in the craft room and made several things. I didn't get my accounts done online but I do have plenty of time to do it so that's a job for another day.

A very cute Christmas card to share today.

Image - Penny Black

Medium - Copics

Papers - MME Merry

Ribbon - Crafty Ribbon

Dies - Xcut snowflake, MFT inside and out stitched rounded squares, MFT rolling hills

Challenges

Stick It Down great sketch 

Creative Inspirations anything goes 

Winter Wonderland pearls and ribbon 

Graph'It Tea Time colours 

The Craft Barn at least 2 papers 

Bunny Zoe lovely layers

My candy ends soon.

Afternoon tea

You may have seen me mention that we went to celebrate the first year of a local coffee and gift shop being open for a year. This is the card I made for them. 

Image - LOTV

Medium - Copics

Papers - Prima

Ribbon - Crafty Ribbons

Roses - Wild Orchid

Other - pins and metal corner from stash

Challenges

Deep Ocean shabby chic or vintage 

Bunny Zoe lovely layers 

Simon Says anything goes

 Hubby is out volunteering on the rescue boat at the powerboat club all day today so I shall be having a day in the craftroom. lots to make and I want to get my tax return completed online as my accounts are all ready.

Still time to enter my candy.

Tea anyone?

If you have the current Crafts Beautiful magazine you will have seen this card featured in there as my first commission for them.

Image - LOTV teatime trio

Medium - Copics

Papers - First Edition floral pavilion

Ribbon - Crafty Ribbons

Dies - Joy vintage teacup and saucer, Lawn Fawn stitched circles

Flowers - Wild Orchid

Challenges

Bizzy Becs anything goes 

Bunny Zoe lovely layers 

The Craft Barn at least 2 papers
Simon Says anything goes

Just a few days left to enter my candy.

Catching snowflakes

We have a fun challenge this fortnight at A Gem of a Challenge and it is weather. I thought it was the perfect opportunity to make another Christmas card but you may prefer to choose another season.

Image - Pink Gem Baby Polar Bear

Medium - Copics

Papers - MME Merry

Dies - Go Kreate frilly squares 7, Sizzix Tim Holtz words, Memory Box stitched snowflakes

Challenges

Simon Says Monday Make a wish 

The Craft Barn at least 2 papers 

The Ribbon Girl use any image 

Paper Creators Anything goes
The Paper Shelter make it digital
Creative Knockouts anything goes
Simon Says anything goes

Don't forget my candy, see my candy page.

Raining again

Anything goes for our monthly challenge over at Sugar Nellie, of course that is anything using a stamp sold at Funky Kits, home of Sugar Nellie. I used another new stamp. I seem to be very good lately at using my new stamps, just need to colour some of my older ones which have been stamped and never used.

Image - Santoro Gorjuss Puddles of Love

Medium - Copics

Papers - Magazine freebies

Dies - Spellbinders labels 14, Joy boots, MB umbrella

Sentiment - LOTV

Other - glossy accents

Challenges

TTCRD anything goes 

Bizzy Becs anything goes 

The Craft Barn at least 2 papers 

The Ribbon Girl use any image

Simon Says anything goes

Candy ending soon. Have you entered?

Nature

Our new challenge at Crafty Ribbons is flowers and I have a profusion of them on my easel card. MY fellow DT members have created some lovely flowery cards so hop over and check them out along with the lovely Crafty Ribbons prize on offer.

Image - LOTV art pad

Paper - magazine freebie

Ribbon - Crafty Ribbons Summer festival - meadow

Punch - MS cosmos

Card cndi - Craftwork Cards

Wooden ladybirds - Hobbycraft

Other - wooden butterfly coloured with dark pink Wink of Stella

Challenges

Simon Says anthing goes 

Creative Inspirations anything goes 

Creative Knockouts anything goes

Check out my candy page.

Bingo!

I was asked to make a 80th Birthday card for a Bingo lover and this is what I cam up with. I remembered I bought a pack of Tim Holtz ephemera in America and it contained a Bingo card, how lucky was that! The paper is Bo Bunny Timepiece. I diecut the sentiment using various dies, the lovely edge die is a new one which is free with the current Cardmaking and Papercraft magazine. I added the word house just for fun, from a Tim Holtz stickers pack, a brass key and some red pearls.

Challenges

Dies R Us Birthdays 

Allsorts Happy Birthday 

Fussy and Fancy Dies and/or punches 

TTCRD anything goes 

Deep Ocean shabby chic or vintage 

Simon Says Monday Make a wish (wishing to win)

Life is very busy at the moment. Monday night we were out celebrating the first year of trading at a local coffee and gift shop which sells some of my handmade gifts. Tuesday night out for a meal and the theatre to see The Bodyguard musical, which was absolutely brilliant. Today we are off to see my Mum to measure her new home for curtains etc and go to buy lots of the incidentals. She should be moving in a couple of weeks so it is all systems go to get everything delivered, carpets fitted and everything in place for her. On top of that I have a craft fair next Wednesday and the hospital shop next Friday plus orders and magazine work to do. 

Sorry I am a bit short of commenting time at the moment, fitting it in where I can but I do have some lovely candy on offer. Thanks for all your continued support xx

Sledging with Dad

For this week's Christmas card I found this image which had been stamped waiting to be coloured. I think it may well be the first outing for this LOTV stamp. I was lucky enough to win a voucher on last month's Penny Back challenge. I do wish the postage from the USA wasn't so expensive as I won a $20 dollar voucher but the postage was $12.99! As I have bought a few new things lately I decided to just get one die so I didn't have to pay any extra. They have so much to choose from at 123 Stitch but in the end I chose the MFT rolling hills die as I love creating layers of hills and I can't resist a fence die. I thought the sloping fence would be very useful. 

Image - LOTV

Medium - Copics

Papers - Dovecraft Krafty Christmas

Dies - MFT rolling hills, Spellbinders curved border, IO fir trees

Punch - Crafts Too snowflake

Sentiment - Hobbycraft

Challenges

Squirrel Wild Thing
Winter Wonderland non traditional colours 

Fussy and Fancy Dies and/or punches 

Graph'It Dies 

Christmas at Sweet Stampin' Winter fun 

Sparkles Animal magic 

Sparkles Christmas Christmas cuties

Becka B Make mine a double

Have you entered my candy yet, see candy page.

Happy Birthday

This is one of three cards I made for last month's edition of Making Cards. These banner ribbons from Crafty Ribbons team well with the pretty papers and Pink Gem image.

Image - Pink Gem pre coloured digi Little Millie's Birthday

Papers - LOTV Nitwits Always and Forevere

Ribbons - Crafty Ribbons

Die - MFT pierced rectangle

Challenges

Allsorts Happy Birthday 

Cute Card Thursday Food or drink 

Bunny Zoe Lovely layers 

Dies R Us Birthdays 

Sparkles Animal magic 

The Ribbon Girl any image

Have you entered my candy yet, see candy page.

Home is where the heart is

I have been playing with my Zig Woodcraft pens after admiring Carol's plaques when I went to see her lovely stall last week. I loved the effect she does on her plaques and tried it out on these magnets. I think the paint pens dry to quickly to achieve the crackle effect but I like the way the colours blend and I added some crackle accents to get the crackle. I left the bottom one solid. To get the effect on the top two I painted one coat, then when it was dry added streaks of PVA glue, let that almost dry and then painted the other colour on top. I found the Kaisercraft letters in my scrapbook stash and added a wooden house to one and enamel hearts to the other two.

Cute as a button

I am always looking at Ebay for Penny Black stamps and saw that somebody was selling off several recently. There were two I particularly wanted, this was one of them, unfortunately the other one sold for more than I wanted to pay but I did get another cute hedgie one.

Image - Penny Black

Medium - Copics

Papers and sentiment - First Edition It's a Boy

Dies - Doohickey lace border, Spellbinders floral oval

Punch - Fiskars banner

Other - ribbon and buttons

Challenges

Penny Black and more at Allsorts anything goes with stamping 

Penny Black masculine 

Sparkles animal magic 

Bunny Zoe lovely layers 

The Ribbon Girl use any image
Di's Digis for the boys

Have you entered my candy yet, see candy page.

Shopping

Another New England layout. Apologies for the slight glare on the pictures, scrapbook pages are not the easiest things to photograph. This looks like a shop you might see in a museum but is in fact typical of many shops you see there. They sell all sorts of things from food to clothes, some have coffee machines and some have free samples. We visited a large store like this and everyone was wandering around with various samples from cheese to chocolate, many with take out coffee cups too. I used a paper pad from Michaels and added some vintage stickers from my stash.

I shall be selling in the hospital shop today which looks very different to the above!

Don't forget to enter my candy, see my candy page.

Vintage

I have wanted this Penny Black stamp for a long time and was delighted to find somebody on Facebook selling it for just £4. As she lives locally I didn' have to pay postage either. I diecut it with  a MFT stitched square die and distressed the edges with DI Victorian Velvet. The paper is Studio Light 31, one of my new pads from The Ribbon Girl. I added lace from Crafty Ribbons, ribbon from stash, a Gorjuss bow, roses from Wild Orchid, wooden birdcage from America and some pearls.

Challenges

Allsorts Vinatge 

Dream Valley Ribbon, lace and pearls 

Penny Black and more at Allsorts anything goes with stamping

Deep Ocean shabby chic or vintage

Don't forget to enter my candy, see candy page.

Purple Butterflies

Experimenting with paint effects on my plaque. I added some purple burlap from Poundland. The lovely stamp is from Stampabilities. Butterflies are Joy and Memory Box and the bows are Gorjuss. The flowers are from I Am Roses and ribbon from stash. This plaque measures 200mm across and is from MDF Craft Supplies.

Challenges

Live and Love Crafts Blossoms and/or butterflies 

Crafty Calendar Things with wings 

Noor! Design UK Spring flowers 

Deep Ocean Shabby chic or vintage

Allsorts Vintage
LC Designs Butterflies
Stamping Sensations anything goes

Don't forget to enter my candy, see my candy page.

Believe

This week's Christmas card features one of my favourites, a snowman. I am really pleased with my efforts to get more Christmas cards made earlier this year. this morning.

Image - Hobby Art

Medium - Copics

Papers - MME Merry

Dies - Tim Holtz Sizzix words, Frantic Stamper tall pine trees

Other - Stickles, clear Wink of Stella pen.

Challenges

Graph'It Liquorice colours or use a die 

Winter Wonderland Snowmen 

The Ribbon Girl use any image 

Bunny Zoe Lovely layers 

Christmas at Sweet Stampin' Winter fun 

Sparkles Christmas Christmas cuties

Have you entered my candy yet? Check out my candy page.

Tea for Two

This is one of two cards I made for my first commission for Crafts Beautiful magazine. I will show the other one laser this month but I am sharing this one now as they obviously ran out of space in the magazine and didn't use this one.

Images - LOTV teatime trio

Medum - Copics

Papers - First Edition Floral Pavilion

Dies - Doohickey lace border, Memory Box bunting, MFT stitched circles

Ribbon - Crafty Ribbons

Wooden hearts - MFT Craft Supplies

Challenges

Creative Inpirations shape it up 

Little Miss Muffet anything goes 

Bunny Zoe Lovely layers 

Paper Creators anything goes

Have you entered my candy yet, see candy page.

Winter Park

I enjoyed my scrapbooking last week and am determined to fit more in so when my good friend Lynsey told me about another scrapbook challenge she found I thought it was a good opportunity to use the single page sketch at Stick It Down. They also have a card challenge so you may like to check it out if you are not a scrapbooker and play along with their card sketch.

My page is 3 photos from Winter Park in Orlando, proving once again that there is far more to Florida than theme parks. The scenic boat ride is lovely and the pretty shops in the main street are well worth a look. Hubby wondered why I was taking an empty dinner plate upstairs, which was to cut my large circle. The banners are from a Kaisercraft Christmas pack and the Winter is  a Tim Holtz salvage stickers. The journalling is We R Memory Keepers and I added some enamel dots which I love using at the moment.

Gardening dragon

We have a very easy challenge at A Gem of a Challenge and it is flowers. I hope to see lots of you joining in as we all love our flowers don't we.

Image - Pink Gem pre coloured digi Denny with watering can

Papers - Wild Rose free with magazine

Punches - MS cosmos and flower border

Sentiment - Stamposaurus

Other - ribbon, card candi, silver Wink of Stella pen

Challenges

Noor! Design UK Spring flowers
Deep Ocean flowers everywhere
As You Like It Patterned or embossed paper (I have an addiction for lovely patterned papers)
Di's Digis flowers everywhere
Crafty Calendar Things with wings
Simon Says flowers

 Have you entered my candy yet? Click on my candy page.

Hot Air Balloons

I think the free papers with this month's Making Cards magazine may be my favourite ones ever. I love the colours and the hot air balloons so I decided to make a few cards using mainly the papers ad toppers.

This one is my favourite. I used DI Victorian Velvet around the edges and added some raffia lace and bunting cut using a Memory Box die. 

I used an Embosslicious embossing folder and sanded Core'dinations along with a Craftwork Cards sentiment anfd Memory Box clouds die with DCWV gauze paper.

It's the Memory Box cloud die and DCWV gauze paper again along with a Satmposaurus stamped sentiment.

A different fold for this one along with a Memory Box hot air balloon die.

Lastly I used an old embossing border die and some star punches.

Challenges

Simon Says Monday Emboss it (the 2nd and 5th  cards) 

TTCRD anything goes 

Creative Card Crew anything goes

Creative Inspirations shape it up  (the 4th card)
Cute Card Thursdaymore than one fold (the 4th card)

Still time to enter my candy, see my candy page.

Harbour scene

It's a man's world at Crafty Ribbons this week and for my DT card I have used a lovely harbour scene which was free with Making Cards magazine last September. The paper is Papermania Ahoy There ad I added a die cut anchor. The ribbons are from crafty Ribbons of course, nautical ribbon - lighthouse and Father's Day which I framed in the waste from a Spellbinders postage stamp die. I hope you will join in the challenge as there are lovely ribbons to be won as always.

Challenges

TTCRD anything goes 

Penny's anything goes 

Creative Card Crew anything goes 

Bizzy Becs anything goes

Have you entered my candy yet? Click on my candy page.

More New England photos

Last Friday when Lynsey came over for the day I made two layouts for my New England scrapbook. Everywhere you go there is a picture there and it was hard to choose which ones to use. I really like the colours of these two pics. The top one is Woodstok, not sure where the second was taken. They were both places we stopped at on our way from one lot of accommodation to the next. I went for a distressed look, using up some old papers. The chipboard shapes I won in a challenge and I used a lawn Fawn stitched leaf die, a pumpkin diecut from Michaels and some old rub on letters from Poundland.

Have you entered my candy, see my candy page.

Christmas stars

You may have seen the plastic canvas hearts on my blog recently which I have been sewing to sell at fairs. I also bought some stars as I thought these would be good for Christmas. Not wanting to leave them all until later in the year to make I have been sewing a few of these as a change from hearts and here are three of them. I like making the patterns up as I go along and I added some tiny buttons to the bottom one. I would like to enter these into the anything but a card challenge at Winter Wonderland.

Have you entered my candy yet? See my candy page.

Loving the music

Well in contrast to the recent images I have been using which I have had stamped for ages I ordered two of the new Gorjuss stamps and paper last Monday, they arrived on Thursday and I used them both that afternoon! I think that must be a record for me. 

Image and notes - Santoro Little Song 

Medium - Copics and white gel pen

Paper - Santoro Gorjuss Vintage Rose

Dies - Joy flowers, Crafts Too butterflies

Challenges

Creative Card Crew anything goes 

Deep Ocean flowers everywhere 

Sweet Stampin' flowers 

Bizzy Becs anything goes

  Paper Creators anything goes 

Stamping Sensations anything goes

Sunset

Determined to get some more layouts made I actually made this last Sunday. As soon as I saw the new 1 May sketch at Stuck?! I was determined to use it. I cut down a photo of the sunset at Key West and mounted it into a wooden frame. The postcard is a LOTV stamp. I sed a Cheery Lynn lighthouse and Memory Box hot air balloon die, ribbon from Crafty Ribbons. Lots of vintage photo distress ink, some papers from Michaels, enamel dots, Dovecraft doily, Tim Holtz tisue tape and We R Memory Keepers journalling cards.  I would also like to enter the sun challenge at The Craft Barn.

I hope the weather is good today as hubby and I plan a day out at the coast for a lovely long walk.

Have you entered my candy yet? Click on my candy page.

Commissioned plaques

I had an order for 3 plaques using this Inkylicious stamp, which I love. I kept to a similar layout, using ribbon from Crafty Ribbons and roses from Wild Orchid. For this one I used Memoty Box cross sticth hearts and Joy birdhouse dies, wooden butterflies coloured with dark pink Wink of Stella pen which comes out red on the wood to match the roses. 

This one has the same heart die and a MFT Eiffel Tower die,

For the third one I used Doohickey feather and Memory Box birdcage dies. The bird is from Hobbycraft.

I would like to enter these into the home decor challenge at Simon Says Monday,  G is for Grand (anything but a card) at ABC Challenges. and Deep Ocean flowers everywhere.

Have you entered my candy yet? Click on my candy page.

Little Bookworm

Another image which has been waiting to be coloured. I love this one as I love hats and reading, not that I wear a hat when reading of course! I kept the layout simple on this one. I used a technique that I was addicted to a few years ago, light dots around the edges of the image using a stamp called field of sky by Stamp in the Hand.

Image - All Dressed Up

Medium - Copics

Papers - Decotime

Punch - Michaels

Dies - Go Kreate Frilly squares 9

Challenges

All Dressed Up anything ADU goes 

The Ribbon Girl anything goes

In the Pink for a child/baby

I have my friend Lynsey coming over for a scrapbooking day today, crafting and lots of chat and a trip out for lunch, what more could a girl want.

Have you entered my candy yet? Click on my candy page.

Cherries

I wanted some new paper pads and was disappointed that I only bought a couple at Ally Pally so last week I went to The Range to see what they had and was very pleased to buy a couple, I also bought 3 online at the weekend so will be playing with those soon.

Image - Pink Gem Poppy in onesie

Medium -Copics

Papers - Decotime

Buttons - Crafty Ribbons

Sentiment - Little Claire I think

Other - Seam binding, wooden cherry coloured with Copics, baker's twine

Challenges

Allsorts with a cherry on the top 

The Ribbon Girl anything goes
Fab n Funky 3 or more layers

Have you entered my candy yet? Click on my candy page.

I was delighted to receive an email yesterday offering me my first commission in another magazine. Of course I said yes so look out for news of that. Magazines work so far ahead that it won't be published for quite a while.

Oh Deer!

I like to play along with Winter Wonderland most weeks. It does help with building up those stocks. I thought I was doing quite well until I counted up the other day. I actually have the grand total of 6 in my box and about 12 to sell so I need to keep making each week.

I love white on white cards, the trick is getting lots of texture. I bought the embossing folder last November and its the first time I have used it. I used a Spellbinders curved border die and a Memory Box die with the house and trees. I cut off some of the trees and placed one behind the other trees and two at the bottom. I then used a white Wink of Stella pen on the trees and roof. The deer are Memory Box and I added a die cut sentiment and some Stickles.

Challenges

Winter Wonderland white on white 

Craftyhazelnut anything goes as long as its Christmas 

Dream Valley all creatures great and small 

Becka B Curvalicious

Have you entered my candy yet? Click on my candy page.

Lighting the way

So yesterday I said I had several digis I had ever used and this sweet girl which I won probably a couple of years ago has never been used so her she is today.

Image - Lee Holland girl with lantern

Medium - Copics, Sakura gold star pen

Paper - Trimcraft The night before Christmas

Dies - Marianne lamppost, Joanna Sheen pillar box

Sentiment - Crafter's Companion

Other - fun flock and Stickles

Challenges

Fab n Funky Bright Christmas 

Crafty Friends all things cute 

The Craft Barn red and white with a touch of black

Crafthazelnut Anything goes as long as its Christmas

Sparkles Christmas Christmas cuties

I am off out with hubby for the day. Facial for me, back massage for both of us, lunch and a visit to a garden centre for some plants. 

Congratulations

We have a new LOTV challenge on Facebook and this time we have a sketch for you to follow. I need some more Wedding card for my stock and I realised I have hardly used this image so I went for white on white. The embossing folder is a Crafter's Companion Embossalicious one. I added the lovely rose ribbon from Crafty Ribbons, used MFT stitched dies and coloured the image with Copics and added some pearl drops made with a pearl pen. There are great prizes to be won so come and join in the fun on Facebook.

Challenges 

Crafty Friends all things cute
Simon Says anything goes

The Ribbon Girl anything goes

Penny Black and more at Allsorts anything goes with stamping

Craft fair stall

This is my second post today. I just thought I would share yesterday's craft fair stall with you. I only had a 6' table with a 2' table behind on the right. Having this size stall meant my things were a bit more bunched up than I like really and I don't have any room for craft stash which I sell when I have more space selling at the hospital. I really enjoy making the gifts as well as cards and selling just cards nowadays at a craft fair wouldn't be worth it. So many people sell cards, some of them very simple and therefore much cheaper than mine. I enjoy finding new gifts to make. Some are a success such as the magnets which are going really well. I recently made some keyrings/bag charms and sold 2 yesterday. I also have pen holders back in stock. I did well yesterday. 

As I sell at the hospital shop once a month I am only doing 7 craft fairs this year. My magazine commissions have also increased. This month I am in Making Cards and I also have my first project for Crafts Beautiful published.

Cycling

I recently bought this image when it was on offer for just $1. Now often I buy or win  digis and they sit on my laptop for ages and some of them never get used so I was determined to print this one off and colour her up. 

Image - Elisabeth Bell

Medium - Copics

Papers - MME Nostalgia

Dies - MFT stitched rounded squares, Marianne flowers

Sentiment - Little Claire dinkie

Other - wooden bicycle, pearls

Challenges

Elisabeth Bell's World make your own flowers

  LC Designs Spring colours 

Simon Says anything goes 

Inky Chicks Birthday 

Double D April showers bring May flowers 

The Paper Shelter pearls 

Fussy and Fancy female Birthday

  Bunny Zoe travelling/transport

Hubby is out volunteering today and tomorrow. Regular readers may know that he drives a rescue boat for the powerboat club. They are hosting the National Championships for two days so I will mainly be crafting yippee!