Thinking ahead

I don't know about you, but the fact that it's getting a little bit lighter in the evenings has got me looking forward to the summer time and the long, light evenings. We are also having some lovely clear sunny days at the moment, our little part of Scotland has escaped the wintry weather that is afflicting the north and west of the country and it looks as if it's warm as well (- it's really not!!) but when you look out of the window at the clear blue sky it does lift the spirits a bit :o)

My card today has very summery feel, I based it around the fun ribbon which I've had in my stash forever and coloured the lovely Sugar Nellie image - which I chose because the detail in her clothes and hair band matches my ribbon so well - with Promarkers. The backing papers are a mix of Basic Grey and Trimcraft First Editions and are both shades of my favourite turqouise/teal colour.

Entering it for these challenges:

Crafty Ann's - Bold & Bright 

Crafty Catz - Favourite Things (colour)

Guylou's Inimitability - Girlie, Girlie 

Totally Papercrafts – Ribbons and / or Bows 

Craft Us Crazy -  Favourite colour or embellishment 

Sarah Hurley Challenges  - Die cuts 

Pretty Little Ribbon Shop -  Anything goes with ribbon 

Sparkles Forum Challenges - Things with Wings 

Flutterby Wednesdays - Anything with wings

Don't be square

Anything but a square project or card is our theme this fortnight at Cardmadfairy's Digi Days so I have made a tag with a pocket for a gift card as my dt project. I used the digi stamp Fender, available here and added embellishments including lace, sticky gems, ribbon and a guitar pick from my stash. I also used my new mini ticket stamps and die from Whimsy Stamps.

Entering these challenges:

Cooking It Up With Katie - Something spooled, metal, sentiment

Crafts and Me - Distressed

Inky Impressions - Punches/dies

Simon Says Stamp - Tag

Whimsy Inspiration - Anything but square card

Anything Goes Challenge - Eyes down bingo board (top left to bottom right)

Digital Tuesday - Use your stash 

Kaboodle Doodles - Boys or masculine 

Make it Monday - Always anything goes 

Creatalicious Challenges - Lace 

Emerald Faerie Garden - Tag it

 

Happy Anniversary

Happy Anniversary is the theme at Charisma Cardz this week, so much love around at the moment - makes you feel all warm & fuzzy :o) 

My card was made with a digi image from Squiggle Stamps which I coloured with Promarkers then cut around and stuck on an embossed and die cut circle. The papers are First Edition from Trimcraft and the banner is one of my own digi stamps. 

I can't say I'm very happy with my card today - it definitely looked a whole lot better in my head!!

These are the challenges I'm entering:

Crafting for all Seasons - Love is in the air 

Digistamps 4 Joy - Love  

Divas by Design - Wings

Truly Scrumptious - All creatures great and small

Crafty Sentiments - Love 

Crafty Bloggers Network - Love is in the air

That Craft Place - Love is all around  

Crafty Calendar - Love and marriage 

Delicious Doodles - All loved up

A gift box

I made this gift box for my niece Rachael's birthday present, The steampunk style necklace I chose for her had a key dangling from it so I decided to use a key stamp from Stampin Up to carry the theme on - it seemed quite appropriate for her 21st birthday. 

The backing paper is from a really old set of papers I bought at Costco around 5 years ago and I used the reverse of it to die cut my matting layer. The edges were all distressed either with ink or my special distressing emery board :o) The flowers all came from Wild Orchid and the die cut flourishes are from Whimsy Stamps. I finished it off with some lace from my stash and a fabric covered bird which was also from Wild Orchid.

I did take a picture of the necklace and earrings in the gift box but it was too out of focus to show so these are the pics from Bitter Island the great Folksy shop I bought them from:

 

Entering these challenges:

Bunny Zoe's Crafts - Celebrations 

Make it Monday - Always anything goes

Simon Says Stamp and Show... - Anything goes 

Stamps & Fun = Creativity - Birthday

The Cutie Pie Challenge - Anything but a card

Oldie But Goodie Challenge - Lace (the backing paper is my old item)

Sweet Stamps - Roses 

Scrappy Frogs - Die Cuts 

Time Flies

Today's card is the Valentine’s card I made for my husband Neil, unbelievably this is the 26th year we've exchanged Valentine's cards and I can still remember the first one he gave me - seems like only weeks ago not more than a quarter of a century!

The stamps I have used are from the Time Flies set by Whimsy Stamps so I'm entering this for their Love themed challenge.

Also entering these challenges:
Cards For Men - Valentine’s day/ Love 
Crafty Bloggers Network - Love is in the Air
Crafty Boots - Valentines
Creative Stamp Friends - Valentine
Lexi's Creations - Love
Ooh La La Creations - Be My Valentine
Scrappers Delights - Love
Stamp and Create - Valentines/Love 
The Crazy Challenge - Valentines day
Victorine Originals - Love/Valentines
Addicted to Stamps- Valentines/Love
Dream Valley Challenges - Valentine
Gingerloft - Love is in the Air
The Squirrel & the Fox  - Valentine’s day   
Whimsy Stamps - Love themed     

Happy Birthday Rachael!

My lovely niece Rachael who has been in town since Friday celebrating her 21st with some of her Scottish chums is now on her way out of Edinburgh on the number 37 bus to see us here in Penicuik, the Leek & Potato soup is ready and the Cappuchino cupcakes await her imminent arrival!

I just have time to share the card I made for her birthday:

I have used a digi stamp from Crafts & Me called Hidden Treasures but I have only used a small part of the image - because her hair reminds me of Rachael's but my niece is not actually a mermaid so I cut off her tail lol!
Image was coloured with Promarkers, the dps are by Crate Paper.

Entering these challenges:

Allsorts - Free and easy February

Stamp, Scrap and Doodle - Red, white and pink 

Fun with Shapes & More- Birthday 

Poodles Parlour - Anything

Craft Us Crazy - Anything goes

Sassy Studio Designs - Birthday card

Scrapbook Sisters - Anything goes

Ribbon Carousel Challenge - Anything goes
Robyn’s Fetish - Square Cards
The Hybrid Chick Card Caravan - Use Ribbon

Panda Love

Oh we love our new giant pandas here in Edinburgh, with Yang Guang and Tian Tian settling nicely into to Edinburgh Zoo their popularity has really taken off so I wasn't completely surprised when Jack, a friend of my son Owen, asked me to make a Valentine’s card for his girlfriend featuring, you guessed it, a panda!
I found a free digi image here at Sliekje’s Stamps and I swapped out the bamboo leaves for hearts to make the image appropriate for my purpose. The sentiment was computer generated and for a change I also decorated the inside of the card

Entering the following:
4 Crafty Chicks - Valentines/Love 
C.R.A.F.T. - Valentines 
Forever Friends - Valentine 
Hanna & Friends - Be my Valentine
Little Miss Muffet Challenges - Valentines & love 
Rainbow Lady's - Have a heart
Crafting for all Seasons - Love is in the Air 
Creative Belli - Hearts/Valentine 
Digistamps 4 Joy  - Love 
Divas by Design - Love 
I Love Promarkers - Love 
My Mum's Craft shop - Love 

Sassy

I'm sitting here this morning waiting for a phone call, I've twice missed a call from someone I've been waiting to hear from but when I've tried to return the call the number has either been engaged or the person has been out of the office. Why is it that when you are available and waiting the phone never rings but when you're in the bathroom, flying out the door on the way to work, driving, or trying to eat your dinner it does! So frustrating :o)

The image I've used on today's card is one of a couple I have just won from Sassy Design Studios, I really enjoyed colouring her up using my Promarkers and giving her some lovely red hair! I have used papers from Basic Grey, both Hello Luscious but one from a 6 x 6 pad and one 12 x 12. I've embellished with a variety of flourishes, part of a doily, some chipboard flowers & sentiment, lace, a couple of pearls and a punched bird from Stampin Up. I also added some faux stitching to finish my edges off nicely.

Entering it for these challenges:

Crafts and Me - New image

Celebrate the Occasion - Anything goes birthday

Crafty Sentiments - Let's get girly

Flourishes - Fly away with me

Paper Take Weekly - Anything goes 

Make it Monday - Always anything goes

Paper Creations Ink - Recipe: 1 image, 2 patterned papers, 3 embellishments 

Sew Many Cards - Birthday 

Squigglefly - Birthday Card

I loved the free digi stamp this month from Silly Dilly Stamp Club and had to make a card with it immediately!! I printed the image out three times at 2 sizes and using the larger image I cut out the image then coloured the background with distress inks and spritzed it with a little gold glimmer mist before colouring the image with Promarkers. I also cut out some hearts from one of the smaller images and coloured them to match, finally giving them all a good covering of glossy accents. When the hearts had dried I put the card together with papers from basic Grey and DCWV. I added a length of glittery black ribbon and part of a sentiment from a Papermania set and doodled a length of string to match the image and to hang the spare hearts from. In case you're wondering, the other image I printed out is destined for an art journal page I'm working on :o)

Entering the challenges at:
Dilly Bean Stamps - Zombie Love
Crafty Boots - Valentines 
Creative Stamp Friends - Valentine
Daisy Doodles Creative Challenge - Valentine's day
Hooked on Crafts - Hearts 
House of Gilli - Love 
Lollipop Crafts - Valentine's day Card 
Make it Monday - always Anything Goes 
My Craft Spot - Valentines
Stamp and Create - Valentine’s/Love 
Stamp with Fun  - Love 
Stamps & Fun = Creativity  - Hearts
Stamps R Us - Valentine/Love 
Victorine Originals - Love/Valentines

A perfect pair

I was asked by a colleague to make a wedding card for a couple who were very outdoorsy and who bought each other walking boots for Christmas so I thought I'd have a little fun with the idea and created a card around the boots! 

I used Photoshop to create the image and printed it out in black and white adding some subtle colour with Promarkers before adding Glossy accents to “his” and Stickles to “hers”. The card was completed with some K&Co backing paper, flowers from Wild Orchid, a chipboard heart covered with more K&Co paper, computer generated text and a little die cut tag - the wording ‘a perfect pair’ suggested by my youngest son Evan :o)

 

 

Entering the following:

Catch The Bug - February Anything Goes

Crafty Calendar - February Love and Marriage

My Sheri Crafts - Love is in the Air 

Our Creative Corner - Love is in the Air

Crafty Ann's - Love is in the Air

Delicious Doodles - All Loved Up

Fairy Tale - Love, Love, Love 

By the Cute & Girly -  Love is in the Air 

Cupcake Craftroom - New Beginnings 

Freshly Brewed Monthly Challenge - Love 

Joanna Sheen Challenge -  Love is in the air 

Digi Doodle Shop's Best - Love is in the air

Hearts

Another very cold morning here in Scotland but no snow for us yet, it's still bright and sunny but is that about to change?

For the next two weeks the theme at Cardmadfairy's Digi Days the theme is Hearts - should be easy enough with Valentine's Day just around the corner! I have used one of my older digi stamps, Lulu, for my dt card. I decided to paper piece her clothes and heart and coloured the rest of the image with Promarkers. The papers I have used are 7 Gypsies Victoria. The embellishment in the bottom right hand corner is from an old belt which I dismantled to recycle on craft projects. Hope you like it!

Challlenges entered:
Creative Belli - Hearts/Valentine
Fab 'n' Funky - Use a digi
Flutterby Wednesdays - Open
Little Red Wagon - Valentine's Day/Love
Paper Pretties - Ribbon or twine
Paper Shelter Challenge - Love is in the air
Penny's Paper-Crafty - Love is in the air
Truly Scrumptious - Love and hearts
Craft Room Challenge - Valentines
Oldie But Goodie Challenge - Have a heart
Stamp-N-Doodle - Romance, Love, Valentine's
The Stamping Boutique - Valentines

Vintage

Good morning all and a very cold and frosty one it is too, but beautiful - the sun is shining and making the frost sparkle. I'm happy that I have the morning off and can enjoy the view from our window while I catch up with a few chores before heading off to work.

Today I have my dt offering for the Charisma Cardz challenge to share, our theme this week is Vintage and we have two great sponsors: Simon Says Stamp and Pink Cat Studio. I have used one of Leanne Ellis’s images from Sugar Nellie, which I coloured using a mix of distress ink and Promarkers, I was trying to acheive a kind of sepia look to tie in with the vintage theme. The ribbon and the backing paper have been in my stash forever so I've no idea who the manufacturers are. The little tea roses I picked up in Hobbycraft - they have such a great range of colours I always struggle to choose between them but these ones turned out to be perfect for this card! I used some gold Glimmer Mist on the doily to age it a bit and used my nesties to cut the scalloped circle and the image out of cardstock.

Entering these challenges:

Divas by Design - Anything goes

Whimsical Wednesdays - Something old

Crafty Sentiments - Punches &/or dies

Die Cuttin' Divas - Anything goes

Creative Stamp Friends - Old-fashioned or antique

Kaboodle Doodles - It’s all about girls

Make it Monday - Always anything goes 

The Crazy Challenge - Flowers

Craft Your Days Away - Distressing

Secret Crafter - Ribbons