Totally tropical

Firstly a huge thank you to everyone who left a comment for Grace on my blog post on Saturday. She was so pleased to read such lovely comments. She got far more comments than I do these days as I have noticed a lot of people who used to regularly leave comments no longer do so which is a shame. I know how much time it takes as I do some almost every day and I really appreciate each and every comment left.

My card is made with the free papers from the current Making Cards magazine. I love the vibrant colours and added some leaves and flowers to match. The banners were cut with MFT pierced fishtail dies. 

Challenges

Simon Says anything goes

Back to School!

Yes I know the school holidays are only part way through but this is a card I made for Crafts Beautiful and it is my final DT post for Crafty Ribbons. I have loved being part of the team but after 5 years I feel it is time for a change. That doesn't mean you won't still see lots of Crafty Ribbons on my blog of course!

Image - Pink Gem School Boy Philip

Medium - Copics

Papers - Craftwork Cards Bohemian Dreams

Ribbon - Crafty Ribbons

Dies - Joy pocket watch (with the top removed), MFT wonky stitched rectangle

Punches - Stars

Sentiment - computer generated

Other - crimper

Challenges

Simon Says anything goes

My blog has been taken over today, please leave a comment

So today my blog has been taken over by 9 year old Grace, my friend Lynsey's daughter and her she is hard at work creating her card. The reason for this is that at A Gem of a Challenge we have a very special challenge for children. The theme is Summer holidays and instead of the DT creating inspiration cards we have some inspiration from children for you.

This is the card Grace made using bee with watering can.

She didn't take the easy option of using a precoloured image but coloured the image herself. If you have a little one who loves to create then we would love to see their entries in our challenge. 

Challenge is open to Children up to age of 16yrs.  3 prizes 

up to 6yrs.... 6 + to 10yrs... 10+ to 16yrs...

Entrants can use ANY Stamped OR digi image.

CARDS Only to be entered. 

 Theme is SUMMER HOLIDAY/VACATION

Anything to do with Enjoying the summer holidays/break .

Now I get far more visitors than comments on my posts which is fine, I am grateful for both but today please leave a comment for Grace as she will be hopping over to see what people have to say about her card.

Key to my heart

I have several things sitting in a folder on my laptop which I have made but haven't yet blogged and today is one of those. This was part of a feature I made for Papercrafter using Docrafts papers. I made three cards and two gifts. The rest have been blogged so today is the last of this feature.

I made a heart magnet using a MDF heart from MDF Supplies. The sentiment was part of the papers and was diecut with a Lawn Fawn stitched circle die. I added small MDF hearts coloured with white Wink of Stella and a diecut key using a Marianne die.

Tomorrow I have a very special post for you and I hope you will all leave me a comment tomorrow.

We are out with friends tomorrow afternoon at the coast, going for a walk then trying out a new restaurant, well new to us, then of to a  charity quiz night to test our brains.

Challenges

Noor! Design UK Diecuts 

Dies R Us diecut sentiment as focus
Simon Says anything goes

Simply floral

I bought Papercraft Inspirations magazine on Sunday as there is a lovely set of flowers and leaves and unlike most of the magazine freebies which sit waiting to be used for months I had a play with them on Monday. Probably a record for me to use them that quickly.

My stamping platform was a great help in positioning the flowers and leaves which have been coloured with Copics. I added some clear Wink of Stella to the purple flowers for added sparkle. The sentiment was free with Making Cards.

I need to find time to experiment some more with this set and can see me mixing them up with Cardio stamps too.

Challenges

Stamping Sensations anything with flowers

All Dressed Up

I made this card for a friend who loves pink. The image is from an All Dressed Up set of 3 stamps called All Dressed Up! She has been coloured with Copics. I did struggle with the bright pinks I chose for her dress and wasn't really happy with it but laying down more colour didn't help. The papers are Pebbles Tealightful. When I saw the new MFT release this month I couldn't resist buying the fringed bunting set of dies which I used on here.

Challenges

All Dressed Up anything ADU goes

80's

So here is the last of my retro girl cards made for Making Cards using lOTV precoloured simply prints and this one is from the 80's. Look at those padded shoulders. I never liked them and took mine out usually especially if they were really big. I used a Go Kreate die for the card base and MFT free spirit papers. The sentiment is again from the LOTV teenage girls set and I also used a MFT banner die and added some enamel dots.

LOTV Launch day

Yes launch day is here for the first 15 LOTV Christmas stamps and this cutie is Happy Reindeer. I used Copics for colouring adding some sparkle with a Copic sparkle pen on the stars on his coat and the spots on her boots.  I also added fun flock to her hat. The Papers are Kaisercraft Silver Bells as is the sentiment. It seems ages since I dud such a fussy and fancy card and I had great fun embellishing this one. I used DI Tattered Rose around the image, adding cheesecloth, lace from Crafty Ribbons, flowers from The Hobby House and Hobbycraft.  I removed the plain stamens from the Hobbycraft flower and added the fancier ones.   My Mum looks at my blog every day and she will recognise the pearl sprays. They were part of an artificial flower arrangement she had which had faded but before she threw it away she asked if the pearl sprays were any use to me and of course they are.

Challenges

The Ribbon Girl any image

Winter Wonderland use a digi image

Mr and Mrs

This is a card I made a while ago for Papercraft Inspirations magazine. I had to make 2 A6 Wedding cards. I used Sue Wilson dies and added some pearl hearts. A simple but effective design. 

A day at home today, apart from food shopping, after our little break away. Looking forward to Poldark tonight.

Someone told Ella black is slimming

At A Gem of a Challenge his week we want to see your Christmas cards. The Dt have all used one of Janet's new images and I chose Winter Ella as I really wanted to try colouring an image using just grey Copics. It didn't photograph that well and I have to say the shading looks better in real life. I used the Authentique Wintery papers again with some ribbon from Crafty Ribbons and a Memory Box snowflake diecut from white glitter card. I hope you will join in the fun and get cracking with those Christmas cards.

I said yesterday that my 70's girl was an appropriate image. The reason was that we went to Potter's at Hopton yesterday, with a couple of friends, for a one night break. It was our first time of staying there and the reason we went was to see Bjorn Again, the Abba tribute band. We had a 5 course meal with wine, show, overnight stay, lots of activities and breakfast this morning. You can stay as long as you like for the 2 days. It is less than an hour from us and they have some great shows on there so I am sure we will be going again.

1970's

Yes we have reached the 70's with this funky flare LOTV simply print card made fro Making Cards. I used a Go Kreate die for the card shape, MFT free spirit papers, LOTV teenage girl sentiment, MFT chevron die and enamel dots. I do love her hat and would wear that today. I love hats and always have a spare hat, scarf and gloves in the car as I do feel the cold. They have come in useful many times, not with our current weather of course.

Challenges

 Creative Inspirations anything goes 

The Ribbon Girl any image 

Noor! Design UK diecuts

Today's post is a very appropriate image and I shall tell you why tomorrow!

Put your hat on

Yes I have another of the new LOTV stamps to share with you today. This is Christmas snowman, coloured with Copics of course. The papers are Craftwork Cards Christmas Post. I added some plasterer's scrim from B&Q and diecut Christmas trees. I used white Wink of Stella on the snow on the trees in the image and on the diecut trees and added Stickles to the snow on the ground.

Challenges

CCAYR anything Christmas goes 

The Ribbon Girl any image

1960's

So now we are up to the 60's with my second card made for Making Cards magazine. This is the simply print coloured image and I also bought the digi as I really want to colour here in black and white like the pop art dresses of the era. I have again used MFT free spirt papers, ribbons from Crafty Ribbons and a LOTV teenage girl sentiment, finishing with some doodling and enamel dots.

Challenges

 Creative Inspirations anything goes 

The Ribbon Girl any image 

My Mum is coming over today for coffee and to see the garden and then we will all be going out for lunch.

Chloe

I used my favourite Go Kreate frilly squares 10 die for my card which is one of the stretch your Easter stash cards made for Papercraft Essentials. This is actually Easter Chloe and she is carrying a basket of eggs. It shows how you can use seasonal images for other occasions by using just part of the image. She has been coloured with Copics, ribbon and buttons from Crafty Ribbons, sentiment is my much used one from the LOTV teenage girl set. The scalloped frame was made with an MFT die.

Challenges 

  Creative Inspirations anything goes 

The Ribbon Girl any image 

Noor! Design UK diecuts

Robin Redbreast

Here's another of the 15 new stamps coming out later this month from LOTV. I coloured the image with Copics, adding clear Wink of Stella to the bauble. I added some clouds using a MFT cloud stencil and chalk. The papers are Dovecraft Winter Blooms and the ribbon is from Crafty Ribbons. I used Marianne poinsettia dies and Woodware holly punch.

Challenges 

Simon Says plaid The Ribbon Girl any image 

Stamping Sensations anything goes with flowers

Gem

A customer at the hospital last month asked me to make her a pink easel card with a white Westie and this is what I made her. I added some soft cream shading on the dog as dogs aren't all pure white.

Image - Pink Gem - Gem in Love

Medium - Copics

Papers - Anna Marie Blissful Pink

Dies - MFT pierced rectangles, Doohickey lace edge

Sentiment - LOTV teenage girl

Punch - Fiskars flower

Velvet ribbon and pearls from stash

I tried a new technique which I saw on a site and it worked pretty well though it doesn't show all the colours very well on here. I used Dovecraft 3d pearl effects in various colours. I made lots of pearl drops on a piece of white card randomly using the different colours. I then put another piece of card and top and pressed them together, let it dry and then punched out the flowers. They are lovely and shimmery and I will be trying it again.

Challenges

Creative Inspirations anything goes 

In The Pink special occasion 

AYLI pearls or gems (pearls always for me. I love the soft sheen rather than the bling of gems.)

1950's

This is one of the recent decades simply print images from LOTV and is one of a set of cards I made for Making Cards magazine. This is Capri Pants and she is teamed with MFT Free Spirit papers. I love these papers and have used so much of them I had to buy another. The sentiment is LOTV teenage girls digis and I used my Fiskars tag punch, pearl pen and added some doodling.

We are mainly at home this weekend. We want to do some gardening, some crafting, popping out for a bit of retail therapy to Hobbycraft, food shopping and a 2 4 1 breakfast at Bella Italia. We also have a new hobby, doing jigsaws, something I never thought would interest us but having started one at a friend's house we are now hooked. We pUt some music on, usually vinyl, and really enjoy working on a jigsaw together.We started one the other day, only 500 pieces and we want to finish it. We have bought a couple of new ones and some from charity shops, 500 or 1000 pieces. Enjoy your weekend whatever you are doing. 

LOTV Sneak Peek

If you are a regular follower you will know how much I love making Christmas cards and how much I love LOTV. If you are the same you are going to love the 15 new images launching later this month. They are so cute and I have more to show you over the next few days. This one is my favourite as I do love penguins and her is just soooooooo cute.

The image is called cosy penguin and I used Copics for colouring, How lucky to find the perfect sentiment in the Authentique Wintery papers. I used an old MS snowflake border punch, MFT pierced rectangle and Winter tree dies. I bought these trees recently and love the dinkie size of them. They will be getting a lot of use. I added some fun flock to the hat and used silver acrylic paint for a touch of sparkle.

Challenges

CCAYR anything Christmas goes 

Creative Inspirations anything goes 

The Paper Shelter dies and/or punches 

The Ribbon Girl a card 

Noor! Design UK diecuts

I am at the hospital shop with my cards and gifts today so hoping for a good day there.

New DT

I was delighted to be asked by Debbie if I would like to join the monthly challenge DT at Paper Creator. I always love the cards that Pauline makes with their images and kits and am looking forward to sharing my makes with you.  Pauline is very good at decoupage and although I do a little decoupaging I tend to use the toppers just as one layer but adding layers of papers and embellishments so I hope I bring a different perspective to the team.

I love these little mouse on the moon images and used the toppers and sentiments from the ultimate kits which also contain papers, decoupage and lots more and are a bargain buy. I made two identical cards one for girls and one for boys.

The papers are MFT dots and stripes confection and I used a Lawn Fawn stitched circle die,  MFT basic borders die and a Memory Box baby die. I used clear Wink of Stella on the moons and added white Wink of Stella to the wooden stars. I also added some cheesecloth for extra softness.

Challenges

In The Pink special occasion 

Di's Digis layer it up 

The Ribbon Girl a card

Bird plaque

I have a plaque to share with you today. I covered the MDF heart from MDF Craft Supplies with some vintage paper from LOTV. The lovely ribbons are from Crafty Ribbons, bird and birdhouse from Creative Embellishments, burlap flowers from Poundland and the other flowers with buttons from Michaels in Florida.

On the farm

You may not have seen this image before but it is a new LOTV precoloured simply print by a new artist to LOTV. There is also a Noah's Ark one and I just had to buy them both. This is my second inspiration card for the LOTV Facebook challenge feature a creature. I thought they were such fun images and different to anything else I have. I teamed it with Lilybee Autumn Spice papers, Whimsy fence and Marianne and Robert Addams bird dies.  I hope you will come and join in the challenge for the chance to win LOTV prizes.

Challenges

Simon Says Summer sunshine 

Noor! Design UK diecuts
The Ribbon Girl a card

More foamarin flowers

I need more stock of plaques especially this size, which is 150mm so I have ben playing with the foamarin again. I bought a new set of gerbera flower dies from Printable Heaven and they cut beautifully and I really like the flowers they make. I used a Marianne poinsettia die for the leaves.

The purple one curled better than the pink one for some reason. I used pearl brads in the centre of the large flowers and glossy accents and seed beads in the small ones. 

The script stamp is Inkylicious. I coloured the wooden hearts with Copics and then white Wink of Stella for sparkle. The feathers were made with Doohickey dies, the cabuchons were in my stash and the other embellishment is from The Works.

Challenges

Noor! Design UK diecuts 

Dies R Us layers

By the sea

I saw this beach hut die advertised on Facebook from a company called Printable Heaven. I love beach huts and as I just bought this MFT sunray stencil I decided to buy the die, plus a few other things, and make a beach scene. The seagull dies come with the beach hut, which as you can see has an opening door so I added some nautical paper inside. I used DIs on the stencil and added some torn Cor'dinations. The  Joanna Sheen deckchair die was the perfect finishing touch.

Challenges

Noor! Design UK use diecuts
Simon Says Summer sunshine
The Ribbon Girl a card

Snow is falling

Our new challenge at A Gem of a Challenge is animals. I had this cute Pink Gem precoloured digi all ready printed out so it's another Christmas card today. The papers are Lawn Fawn, ribbon from Crafty Ribbons, Memory Box stitched snowflakes and I added pearl drops, Stickles and pearls.

Challenges

CCAYR anything Christmas goes 

The Ribbon Girl a card 

AYLI favourite way to use ribbon (Wrapped round the card. I love using sentiment ribbon too.) 

The Paper Shelter going digital

It's a real 60's week for us this week. After our musical time at Liverpool with all things Beatle we are off out tonight with friends for a meal and then to the theatre to see The Small Faces - The Mod Musical.  Our friends have just returned from holiday too so we have lots to catch up on.

New papers

I wanted some new Christmas papers for some magazine work and was pleased to find these new First Edition ones in Hobbycraft. Whilst I was using them I thought I might as well make another Christmas card for the pile.

Image - Penny Black

Medium - Copics

Papers - First Edition Merry Little Christmas

Dies - MFT scalloped frame, Frantic Stampers and mystery tree dies, Tim Holtz sentiment

Other - ribbon, Stickles, pearl drops

Challenges

Noor! Design UK diecuts 

CCAYR anything Christmas goes 

As you Like it favourite way to use ribbon (I use a lot of ribbon but laying it across the card secured underneath is my favourite way on cards) 

The Ribbon Girl a card

Candy winner

Thanks to everyone who entered my candy. The winner of the sweet fairy stamp is

If that is your number please contact me with your address. Congratulations.

In the meadow

Yes it's another stretch your Easter stash card made for Papercraft Essentials. I bought some dies at Ally Pally to make this card. The flowers and leaves are actually part of a Memroy Box springtime floral egg die. I cut away the egg to use just the flowers and leaves. The papers are Maja Coffee in the Arbour. I used Lawn Fawn puffy clouds and Memory Box cloud dies. I do like a sentiment stamped onto a cloud. I also bought the hare, rabbit and grass dies which are Craft Emotions.

Challenges

Creative Inspirations dots and/or stripes

Dies R Us Layers 

Noor! Design UK Use diecuts 

Di's Digis Layer it up

The Ribbon Girl a card

Candy time

I have another lovely stamp to give away kindly donated by Jayne at Stamposaurus. If you would like to win this stamp then you must:

Be a follower of my blog on Google friends connect

Like Stamposaurus Facebook page, if you are on Facebook

Add a picture with a link back to my blog in your sidebar, if you have a blog

Enter via Inlinkz below.

Candy closes 5 July.

Flower cart

Our LOTV Facebook challenge this month is feature a creature. This is my DT inspiration card and is another of the cards I made for Papercraft Essentials using your Easter stash. The image has daffodils in the cart so I diecut some flowers using a joy die and covered over the daffodils.

The LOTV image is a precoloured simply print which I diecut with a MFT pierced rectangle die. the cloud paper is from the Pebbles tealightful pack and I added a doily and a LOTV digi sentiment. The other dies used are MFT sun and Crafts Too butterflies.

Challenges

Dies R Us Layers 

Noor! Design UK Use diecuts 

Di's Digis Layer it up
The Ribbon Girl a card

We have been in Liverpool since Sunday, staying opposite the Albert Dock and visiting many of the famous Beatles landmarks. Travelling home today. We really have had a fabulous time, very impressed with the regenaration esepcially of the Albert Dock. Sorry if I haven't popped by your blog, a lot to pack in whilst we were there.

My candy ends today.

In the garden

I find when I get my Card-io stamps out I can make a few cards at a time. I made two all occasion cards and 2 Christmas cards.  The sets work so well together and I used a few different ones for this card. The sentiment is from Inkylicious and I added some Memory Box diecut flowerpots.

Challenges

Simon Says anything goes 

The Paper Shelter Summer Birthday
The Ribbon Girl a card

Have you entered my candy yet?

More colour drops

You may have seen my first two cards made with the new MFT colour drop dies last week. This one was made using the stamps and dies. For some reason the drops at the front look creased or have lines where they are overlapping but these don't show on the actual card which looks much better.

As I explained last week I had real problems getting these to stamp first time but after some advice on Facebook I used an eraser then Versarmark which I then wiped off on my palm then stamped with the coloured inks. Thank goodness for my Tim Holtz stamping platform as I had to stamp 3 or 4 times to get the depth of colour. When I used them the next time they were much better so they will get better with time.  I added some enamel dots and another of the free Papercrafter sentiment dies.

Challenges

Simon Says anything goes

Candy ends soon, have you entered?

Basket of flowers

This is the second of the cards I made for Stretch your Easter Stash for Papercraft Essentials magazine.  I didn't actually have much Easter stuff so I was very pleased to buy this Memory Box bountiful basket die reduced when I went to Ally Pally in April. It would look lovely filled with eggs for an Easter card of course. I used DI aged mahogany to bring out the embossing on the die and filled it with MS punched leaves and Wild Orchid cherry blossom and roses. I used silver acrylic paint on the cherry blossom, added a bow and sentiment. The circle was cut with a Tonic trellis circle die.

Challenges

Creative Inspirations dots and/or stripes

Simon Says anything goes
Noor! Design UK diecuts

Have you entered my new candy?

Believe in Magic

Whilst looking through my Christmas stamp files for a certain stamp for a magazine commission I came across this one which I bought last year in the MFT shop in Florida. I had completely forgotten about it and had only used it once before.

Image - MFT

Medium - Copics

Paper - Papermania Jolly Santa

Dies - MFT winter trees and in and out stitched corner rounded squares

Other - pastel blue pearl dots, clear Wink of Stella (on the heart)

Challenges

Simon Says anything goes

MFT sketch and colour challenges

CCAYR anything Christmas goes

Isn't the weather changeable this week. Thank goodness we chose Monday for our picnic boat trip. The weather was lovely and we all had a great day on the Broads.

Have you entered my candy above?