LCI New Release, and a Blog Hop

Hello!!

A very long time no see from me!  But I couldn't resist the new release at LCI and the Blog Hop that is being held to celebrate!

Fingers crossed you have arrived here from the gorgeous Tams , if not and you want to go along with the hop (why not, there's prizes to be won... more on that in a minute!!) head on back to Julie's blog to get started, and don't worry if you get lost, head back to the LCI challenge blog to find your way :-D

Right, where do I start!

OK, just a few housekeeping bits and bobs

The blog hop prize is all six images from the new release and five runners up who will each get one image each, as usual this fortnights challenge will also have a Challenge Winner, Winner using an LCI image,and Top 3... phew, what a lot of winners!!

To enter the blog hop, you must visit each of the team and leave a comment on each of their blogs, AND pop a comment on the challenge blog letting us know which of the new images is your favourite!!  Popping the Blog Hop Badge below on a post, or on your sidebar is also much appriciated!!

 Right, I think that's all the housekeeping sorted, onto my card!!  

I'm going to be TOTALLY honest here and say, I've picked bits and bobs from the inspiration photo - I was having a paper nightmare, and please be gentle with me, on account of the fact that my mojo is still seriously flagging!!  Anyway, it is what it is, and I quite like it :-D

I used Mr & Mrs Delight and I can honestly say they are a delight to colour - perfect for Christmas cards when we have to do SO many (actually I'm thinking of these two cuties in sepia and or greyscale... I'll try and have a play soon and let you know how I get on!

I used some (non-christmas) MME papers from my stash (how has it got so disorganised while I've not been using it!!) and added pins, gems twine and a new Memory Box Die cut which has been distressed with a cream chalk eye thingy.

I said I'd not totally been true to the Photo Inspiration (fingers crossed I don't get the sack!)  But it's all kinda in there, if you take a sideway's look... Maybe not the colours, but the themes (that's my excuse and I will stick to it religiously!!)

Hmmm, so before I go just time for a close up of Mr and Mrs Delight

Thanks for stopping by - your next stop is Queen Ladybug herself, aka the Boss, Kerry

Hugs, Sue xx

Southern Girls Challenge - Oh Baby Baby

Hello!

A very long time with no see, I'm so sorry, life, the universe, and everything, got in the way.  I'm trying to make time for me, and therefore crafting but it ain't easy when I've got so much else going on!  Every time I think I've turned a corner it appears to be another dead end :-D  I'm sure I'll get myself out of the maze soon and normal service can resume!

Anyhooo, enough of my whinging, and onto today's card, which is a for this fortnights challenge over at Southern Girls, and the theme is Baby Baby

I decided to do a White on White card as I just love white cards for Birth Congrats, all fresh and clean, and I found this embossed babies feet cardstock in my stash... it must have been there a good couple of years, so I decided to use it.  Not that you can see it in the photo though!  Ahhh, I have such a nightmare taking pics of white cards!!  You'll just have to take me at my word :-D

I kept it simple-ish, colouring the Cuddle Cloud Baby image from Meljens Designs with copics then matting it onto more white c/s and tying a big organza bow, with a white button tied with oink and white bakers twine.  The sentiment is from the Baby Baby set by LCI (not sure if this is still available as a stamp set!)

I'll try to get a better picture and post it soon!

Thanks for looking, and hopefully I'll be back with more soon

Sue xx

Please may I enter these challenges

Crafty Creations - Baby

Whimsy Creations - White on White

Ladybug Crafts Ink Challenge - Birthday

Hello!

Just a quick post from me this morning with this fortnights LCI Challenge which this week is a nice easy one...

Birthdays

Which is just as well as my mojo has gone into hiding again :-(

Mind you, what on earth made me do a fairly guy-ish card I have no idea!

Anyway, I'm not going to rabbit on today ( I can hear you sigh with relief!!)

Here's my card

I used Magnum with the fish bowl from the add -ons and the Magnum Sentiments, they do make me chuckle and are great for all your feline creations (scrapbook pages too!)  Love the add on's as well - they are great with this portly puddy or on their own :-D

I used another of the sentiment stamps on the inside, along with some of the off cuts from the front - it's a MME pad, although my brain has gone blank and I can't remember which one!!

Hope you like it... there should be more creations being posted tomorrow, mojo depending!!

Until then, thanks for stopping by

Sue xx

Scrapbook Sisters Challenge - Wedding

Helloooooooo!

Gosh that was a little bit of an unplanned absence as I had every intention of blogging a bit more in the last week, but for one reason and another it didn't happen, nothing major, but I'll save it for another post :-D

Anyway - Wednesday again already (where is 2012 going!!) and it's time for this weeks Scrapbook Sisters Challenge, which this week is Weddings

I used one of the digis from LCI as I really like the fact that the bride and grrom look happy - so many B&G images look miserable... what's that all about!!

Anyway, as I've said before I love White on White for wedding cards (actually, not just for wedding cards!), but they are the devil to photograph!  I hope you can see all of the detail on here

I used the same basic layout as for this card, but fiddled around with it, and embossed the panels with a variety of embossing folders and stamped and heat embossed the spellbinders shape with a delicate butterflies background stamp by Kanban

I decided to cut my image out - resorting to a craft knife for the delicate bits and keeping everything crossed that I didn't slip.  Thankfully both the B& G survived with all their limbs still attached, and I'm glad I went as far as I did with the fussy cutting as I was able to give them some real definition -especially on her skirt -  by shaping them with a ball tool, I also really like the way the red pops against the white

Hope you like it!  The florishes were part of my Secret Santa pressie, so no idea what they are from!  And the lace was a pressie from Lee (thanks Lee!)

Please may I enter these challenges
Make It Monday - Anything Goes
Paper Pretties - Embossing
Paper Sundaes - Anything Goes
Stampin' with the Dragon - Weddings
Incy Wincy - Digi's
Nettie G's Digital Gems - A Touch of Lace
Bearly Mine Challenges -Embossing
Crafty Sentiments - Use a Digi

Thanks for stopping by - fingers crossed there'll be something else later in the week

Sue xx

Scrapbook Sisters - Anything Goes... and a bit of a ramble... for a change :-D

Hello!

Where is this week going to, Wednesday already... mind you gotta love these 4 day weeks, but I'm keeping it all crossed I don't end up having to do 5 days hours in 4 days again like last week :-D  I've started well, and left on time yesterday, can I do the same again today? :-D

Slowly but surely my mojo is coming back, and i am pushing myself out of my comfort zone - today's card is no exception as I am still tinkering with this altered stuff!

Actually I'm kicking myself as I type this because now I look at the pics I've just realised that some of the pins my lovely blogging buddy Lee sent me would have looked just amazing on this card, but I am struggling to use them or the flowers as they are just too gorgeous and I'm still in the look and stroke stage with them :-D  Seriously, if you haven't checked out Lee's work - go have a sneeky peek at her blog - I just love how she writes and her work is amazing!!

Right, back to the present!  Today's card is for this weeks Scrapbook Sisters Challenge which is a nice and easy one as it's an Anything Goes week

I decided to get busy with the distress inks and some assorted Crafty Individuals Stamps, and I think an Indigo Blu one too, and one which I have no idea where it came from - think it was a freebie from a craft show!!.  Please don't ask me what the colours are, but I think there is Milled Lavender, Victorian Velvet and Stormy Sky lurking in there!    Lots of masking going on here, whilst I am always thinking this style is not the best for me, I have to say I do like making these cards - you feel really crafty and creative!  The die cut is a Memory Box one, to which I have added some bling.  I tried to do a paper border to go round the round stamped image, but it didn't look right, so I went with some lace from my stash, which I think fits the overall theme.

I've stamped a few of these stamps up with the intention of decorating some of those mini spice jars you get from Ikea - if they look OK when I get round to doing them then I'll post them, if not, you'll never hear me mention them again!

Please can I enter my card into these challenges

The Stamping Boutique - Distress

Die Cutting Diva's - Pastels

Sweet Stamps - Vintage/Shabby Chic

Ooh La La Creations - Vintage

Let's Ink It Up - Distressing

Thanks for stopping by

Sue xx

Ladybug Crafts Ink Challenge - Shapes

Hello!

It's Sally's turn to set the challenge over at LCI this week and she has asked to see lots of

Shapes

in your design - think geometric and non-geometric and as many as you can get on your project and that'll be fine!

My card uses one of the new Teenager Digi's - Mobile Phone Josh - an absolute steal at £1.75, but you can buy any three of the teenagers for a bargain price of £4.50, or all 19 teen images for £19 - between them all you can have all your teen cards sorted!  If digi's aren't your thing,

Now I find cards for older kids/teenagers nearly as tricky as cards for men - they know what they like and as I get older I find it more and more peculiar... this is not a good thing as I have one son heading rapidly towards his teenage years... wish me luck!!

Anyway, enough of my waffle and onto my card

I've been using quite a few pages from my MME Miss Caroline - Dilly Dally and On the Bright Side - One 6x6 pads lately, so I have been gathering quite a few off cuts, and like many a crafter, can't abide to throw them away, so was really pleased to come across a sketch at Sketchy Colours that would enable me to use them up, and at the same time create a fab card.

The bonus was that it enabled me to count rectangles as another shape in my card, joining triangles (the bunting), circles and squares :-D  Actually I think this is one of my favourite sketches in a little while, and I can see it being used for CAS as well as this one which is quite busy... or WOW (just thought of that as I typed!)   I love this card, Josh is such a dude, and I think the combo of the image, papers and design might have stired my crafty mojo to wake up!!  LOL, time will tell :-D

Hmmm... sorry, waffling today!  As always I've printed Josh onto Neenah and coloured him with copics

 Like I said, such a dude!  What else could I put on the bunting :-D   All the edges of the papers have been distressed with a TH distressing tool, and with Black Soot Distress inks - yep, went with the grunge good and proper for this card!

I used another off cut for the inside

The sentiment is also from LCI - here - and is included in the half price stamp sale that is ongoing to 17th April - the discount is applied at checkout - and is a fab opportunity to get some LCI stamps from £3.25!!

Right, I think I have waffled more than enough today - before I go please may I enter these challenges

Sketchy Colours - Sketch 

One Stitch at a Time - Use a Digi

My Craft Spot - Inside and Out

Paper Pretties - Lots of Layers

Bunny Zoes - Ribbon/Twine

Make It Monday - Anything Goes

Thanks for stopping by

Sue xx

So naughty!

Oops... I meant to post this last night!  

This is the second of my cards for the Scrapbook Sisters challenge this week

This one was made for a friends birthday.  He quite likes the Kenny K girls :-D

No chat from me tonight cos I've got a pile of ironing to finish, so here's the card

Please can I enter these challenges?

Drunken Stampers - Use Kraft

Moving Along with the Times - Va Va Voom

Sir Stampalot - Happy Birthday

Thanks for stopping by

Sue xx

Two posts in one day, what ever next!

I dunno!  I barely post anything in weeks and then two posts in one day, well... nearly!

Have you spotted the LCI Easter Sale is on?

No I hear you cry, well hop on (did you see what I did there!) over to LCI and grab yourself a bargain as all cling stamps are half price... I know HALF price... and with free worldwide shiupping and a freebie over £25 why are you still here, reading my blog!!  LOL, don't get me wrong, I'm delighted you are still here!!

OK, so here is a card I made for my nieces 1st birthday... still very basic as the mojo was (and still is!) counting out the zzzz's.

I used Wellies Robyn and one of the fabby sentiments from Sentimental Numbers.  She looks so happy in her sparkly wellies and I need a brolly that has bling!!

If anyone finds my mojo catching a nap somewhere, please can you give it a prod and send it back to me... I miss it!!  Don't get me wrong I love this card, great papers, fabby image... it's just not the kitchen sink style that I am used to doing!!  And I like my KS cards!  I've been playing with distress inks today... not sure on that either!  What's going on!!!

Please can I enter these challenges
Little Red Wagon - Umbrella
Inky Impressions - April Showers
Crafting For All Seasons - April Showers

Have a great weekend

Sue xx

Scrapbook Sisters Challenge - Dad's Birthday/Male Card

Hello!

I'm a bit late with this post, naughty me!!   It's a four day week here in the UK I've had to do OT to cover the hours that I had off yesterday... hmmm... something not right there!  And I'm not paid for it, I might get time off in lieu (although who knows when!) if I'm really lucky.  Must check if I have the word idiot written on my forehead later :-D.  

Enough moaning, onto the card which is for this weeks Scrapbook Sisters Challenge which is 

Dad's Birthday/Men

I ended up doing two cards, but before you get all excited they are both quite simple (mojo still hibernating...), I'll post the second one later!

First up, one made using the Papermania Portobello Road stamp set, which is all a bit retro looking

and some MME papers, which are from the Miss Caroline Dilly Dally Set, which are a bit surfer-dudish, LOL!!  I cut a tag with a TH die and stamped "Dad" with individual letter stamps (those little wooden ones - love them, but they are a nightmare to line up!!), and die cut a pinked edge to some more CS, and wrapped some co-ordinating ribbon round the card

I've coloured the image with Copics, popped Glossy Accents on the windows, cut it out and mounted it on a couple of die cuts - the Kraft one has been stamped with an Indigo Blu map background stamp and sprinkled with guilding flakes

Don't ask me what colour the Cor'dinations CS is!  It has been run through  a cuttlebug embossing folder and sanded, and some Woodware Screw Head brads add a bit more of a blokey feel to the corners

And I decorated the inside too with some off cuts and an LCI sentiment stamp (check out the half price offer on these at the moment!)

As I said, simple, but as it's my Dad's birthday next month it's one more card that I can relax over!

More later

Sue xx

Please may I enter these challenges
 CCEE Stampers - Use an Embossing Folder
Fab'n' Funky - Embossing
Make My Monday - Men and Boys

Southern Girls Challenge 41 - Whatcha talkin' 'bout?

Hello!

How's you week going?  Mine is manic, and the internet situation is not helping me keep calm!  After so long waiting for the PC to get fixed not being able to log on is driving me nuts!  Honestly, what did we do when we only had dial up and it didn't work, crashed out, took ages... or even what did we do before the internet... not that long ago really!

Anyway, enough moaning, and onto today's card which is for this fortnights Southern Girls Challenge which is You Got Something You Wanna Say?

Todays card is a return to bright and bold for me as I've used some papers by one of this fortnights sponsors Eiglassing.  Now this may surprise you that I have NEVER used digi papers before, but these bright greens appealed to me :-D

Bugaboo are also one of the sponsors this fortnight and I just love this image - JJ Pregnancy Grow People - the both the image and the sentiment just makes me smile!

Gotta love the fact that she is in heels not the soppy flats everyone tells you that you should wear when you're pregnant!

I kept the design simple after trying out a few ideas... maybe it's the bright papers, or OMG maybe I'm heading towards a less is more stage again!!  Mind you if I am it'll save me a fortune on postage :-D

Please may I also enter these challenges

Wags and Whiskers - Luck of the Irish (use Green)
Cardmadfairy's Challenge - Use a Sentiment
Color Me Creative Challenge - Anything Goes
Partytime Tuesdays - Anything Goes
Make My Monday - New Life/Beginnings

Thanks for stopping by

Sue xx

Scrapbook Sisters Challenge - Easter

Hello

This weeks Scapbook Sisters Challenge is

Easter

Hmmm... now I intend to make a few of these to send out, so I wanted to keep it simple (seriously life is so mega busy at the moment I can't cope with anything stressful, and it is not being helped with sporadic internet connection, and now blogger playing silly games with me!!

Anyway, I ramble - here's my card

I stamped my favourite Penny Black Sheep onto Neenah c/s, coloured his cheeks and ears and then added fluffy stuff to his body, before tying some Bo Bunny Ribbon and stamping a sentiment on the opposite corner.

 I really like using stamps on a twist (I mean an intentional twist here, not the kind where I've gone wonky!!)  it lends a whole different perspecitve, and is something I need to do more of!  Having said that, now I look at it, does it look like he's fallen over? :-D

Anyway, hope you like him!!

Thanks for stopping by

Sue xx

P.S.  Please may I enter these challenges

Crafty Boots - Easter

My Grafico - Easter and Spring

Totally Stampalicious - Critters

2 Sisters - Spring Is In The Air

My Sheri Crafts - Easter

One Stop Craft - Clean and Simple

Penny Black Saturday Challenge - Easter

Fashionable Stamping - Spring is in the Air

Opus Gluei - Animals

Sentimental Sundays - Easter/Spring
Top Tip Tuesday - Easter and/or Animals (my Tip - don't stamp straight!)

Ladybug Crafts Ink goes Dotty (and Stripey!!)

Hello!!

It's time for another challenge at Ladybugs Crafts Ink this week, but before I get onto that, WOW!  What a load of fabulous entries we had to the last challenge.  It seemed like you loved the new images and well done to all the winners!

Right onto today's card!  It's Diane's turn to set the challenge this time, and she would like to see your Spots and Stripes

I decided not to go for my usual bright colours and went all pastel!  And I decided to sew my card together as I haven't done that in ages!  

I used the Clear Vase of Delight from the Floral Delight digi stamp range, and added glossy accents to the bowl for a bit of sheen, and a dot or two of stickles on the flowers for a bit of sparkle

I used some MME papers and couldn't resist a big old bow over some scrummy lace!

Please may I enter my card into these challenges

Craft Your Passion - Monochromatic
Stampin for the Weekend - Anything Goes
Make It Monday - Anything Goes
Mojo Monday - Sketch
One Stitch at a Time - Anything Goes

Thanks for stopping by

Sue xx
 

Ladybug Crafts Ink - New Digi Release and it's time for me to reveal my cards!

Hello!!

It's my turn over at LCI to reveal my cards for the new teenager release

I've been itching to share these with you, and finally my day is here :-D

First up, I used Mobile Phone Josh

I made this for James' birthday card, and even though he was just turning 10 he LOVED it, and thought it was really cool - high praise indeed!!Mind you he is now nagging me to get him his own phone - every cloud and all that :-D

I coloured the image with my copics, picking up the colours from the MME papers, which I also used to decorate the inside...

Along with an LCI sentiment

I really like how this card turned out, I love how the papers and the image work together so well :-D

For my second card I used Hair Straigheners Jess

This card is a bit more fussy, as it's for my friends daughter, but isn't girly girly.  In fact I used another MME pad and more of the denim effect papers that I used on the Josh card above, but no pink in sight as I chose to use orange as my main accent colour (unusual for me!!), just love how she coloured up.  Like Josh, there is just enough detail to help you figure out light and shade without it being overbearing (does that make sense?  It does to me!!)

This card has a hidden sentiment

 

The sentiments on the tag are from the LCI Phoebe stamp set

Hope you like both of my cards

Please may I enter these challenges

Josh
Annabelle Stamps Challenge - Twine
Create Me Pink - Tearing or Distressing
My Mum's Craft Shop - Digi's
Diva's by Design - Distressing
Pollycraft - Check it Out


Jess

Card Making Mamas - Buttons

Ribbon Carousel - Twine 

Sisterhood of Crafters - Birthdays

If you leave a comment on the challenge blog today you can win one of these two images - and if you leave a comment each of the reveal posts you can win a £15 to spend at LCI, plus all the usual goodies for entering the main challenge!  Phew that is a lot of prizes!!

Many thanks for stopping by

Sue xx

Scrapbook Sisters Challenge - Anything Goes

Hello

Quick post from me as I am having to log on through a dongle thingy (smirk. I know I'm far too old, but the word dongle makes me chortle like a 12 year old hearing a rud-ish word!!  seriousely, I SOOO need to get out more!!)  

Long and short of it is that our internet is down, and only limited connectivity through the dongle/mobile phone... ah the beauty of living in the middle of no-where.  I'm assured that all will be fixed tomorrow, but I heard that Friday, Monday and Tuesday as well, so I'm NOT holding my breath!!

Anyway, this weeks Scrapbook Sisters challenge is a nice easy one - as it's Anything Goes... now normally I make girly cards, full of fuss and bling and details, but I have a run of male birthdays at the moment, so that's what I'm sharing today - hope you don't mind :-D

As my BIL is responsible for getting HB back into the Mini thing (he got a classic mini, then needled HB until he wanted one... the rest is history, although history is evolving!! ) Anyway, it seemed appropriate to use one of Gayle's fabby car images which you can find here.  BIL's Mini is in Tahiti Blue, which kinda set the tone for the card

I used some MME papers from the On The Bright Side 6x6 pad, a Bazzill button, twine, and a LCI sentiment carefully stamped onto two die cut labels.  I unned and ahhed over adding a bit more detail, but id I'm honest time was against me and nothing I hovered over the design looked right against this busy paper, but I liked the combo of the funky zig-zag pattern and the peeling paint (actually quite apt as peeling paint is the bane of a classic car enthusiast...), so left it simple, was that a cop out?  Maybe, but I like it as it is (I KNOW!!! me gettting all restrained and not adding the kitchen sink to a card... what ever next!!)

I'm not totally convinced I should have done the number plate yellow - correct for his car, but maybe a black plate would have looked better?  Then again it adds an extra pop of colour, so I'm torn!!

Amazingly I have quite a few cards to share over the coming few days, internet permitting, why is March such a busy time for birthdays!!

Hope you are all well

Sue xx

P.S.  Please may I enter these challenges

Make It Monday - Anything Goes

Crafting When We Can - One for the Boys

Paperplaytime - For the Guys with a Sentiment

Card Cupids - Birthday Cards for Boys

Scrapbook Sisters Challenge - Sympathy

Hello!

This week's Scrapbook Sisters card challenge is one card that I think none of us like to do, but sadly have to sometimes, as we are challenging you to make a sympathy card.

Hmm, not one of my favourite types to make, but I think that at sad times a card that you have taken the time to make is very much appriciated.

Sadly, a friends father has passed away last week, so I had them very much in mind after procrasinating hugely I like how this one has turned out.

Anyway, without further ado, here's my card

I used some Timeless Bo Bunny papers, and some gorgeous ribbon by PTI, and the stamp is a Studio G one (I think!!)

Hope you like it, please may I enter these challenges
Gingersnap Creations - Border Punches
The House That Stamps Built - Sympathy
Make It Monday - Anything Goes

Sue xx

New release at Ladybug Crafts Ink!

Hello!!

Finally I can share some of what is going on at LCI... honestly it's been such a strain!!

OK, first up, there's a new release, but we are doing it differently this time and are showing you one of the DT's two cards at a time, and there is a daily prize of one of the two images, plus a grand prize at the end of the fortnight of a whopping £15 voucher to spend at LCI, on top of the £10 prize that is up for grabs if you enter this weeks challenge... phew,  I could explain all the rules, but I have seriously confused myself, so it's probably best if I don't even attempt to explain any further as it is all on the challenge blog, explained nice and clearly!!

I have been told I can post a sneek peek of my card though!

All of the new images are suitable for teenagers (although to be honest I used my image for my son's 10th birthday card last week, and he LOVED it, as it made him feel all grown up :-D

Hope you like them as they are revealed... I'm quite excited as I've only seen the two I have made cards with, and can't wait to see the rest :-D

That's it from me today, hope you are all OK

Sue xx

Edit - so sorry this post was supposed to go live at 9am... duh... it's March, not April... sorry!!

Scrapbook Sisters Challenge - Mothers Day

Hello!

As it's nearly Mothers Day here in the UK, this week's challenge at Scrapbook Sisters Card Challenge is Mothers Day!  Congratulations to the winners from last weeks Spring Flowers challenge - so sorry I didn't get round to visit many people last week, the good news is that the PC is back, but I am waiting on HB to get it all set up - until then it's just sitting there looking pretty :-D

Anyway, onto my card today I have been admiring the inchie cards that I have seen in a few magazines recently, and then there have been the lovely creations made in a recent Tim Holtz class - I SOOO need to do one of these classes!

Anyway, enough of my chit chat, onto my card

In fairness I think that I spaced out the squares a but too much, but what an excellent way to use up all the bits and bobs of MME papers and lace that I just couldn't throw away as they were a bit too big for the bin, but a bit too small to make a card with!!

I stamped this Crafty Individals stamp onto some Bo Bunny Double Dot with Timber Brown Stazon and then coloured it up with some Victorian Velvet Distress Ink, which has also been used to ink the edges of the squares.  The lovely ruffled organza is from LCI, and the sentiment is a Paula Pascaul set.

And have you seen the 1000 followers giveaway on the main blog, and there is a new giveaway too - much generosity at the moment!!  Oooh, and there are some brand new buttons for the challenge too - if you are a previous challenge winner feel free to grab one and display it on your blog with pride!!

Please may I enter these challenges

Dream Valley Challenges - Mother's Day/Feminine
Craft Your Day's Away- Mothers Day
Lexi's Creations - Mothers Day
Oldie But A Goodie Challenge - Mum's the Word (my Oldie is all the paper bits, the ribbon and the lace)
Make It Monday - Anything Goes

That's it from me today, thanks for stopping by

Sue xx