Just for a change... two posts in a week :-)

Hello!

This hasn't happened in quite a while... two posts in a week, and this one is a just for fun card :-)

I made this for a friends son... both he and his Dad appreciated the humour :-)

I think this is a Dustin Pike image... tee hee :-)

 

I just could not resist decorating the inside of the card too :-)

 Although I left it quite boyish... using a ticket style tag for the inside, I could not resist picking this set up along with the paper pad the other week :-)

Right, that's it from me, I need a little lie down now, two posts in a week has kinda taken it out of me...

Before I do, please can I enter these challenges

Get Creative Challenges - Anything Goes with optional stitching

Fairy Tale Stamping - something new (dies and papers)

The Sweetest Thing - Sketch

Cupcake Inspirations - Picture Inspiration

Hiding in my Craftroom - Fall colours

Thanks for stopping by...

Sue xxx

Anything Goes with Bugaboo at Top Tip Tuesday

Hello!

Apologies for such a long absence... to cut a very long story short we were burgled back in May, and everything I need to post on here was stolen (laptop, cameras etc)... then I realised that when they had thrown my printer on the floor they broke that, and realised last week my Grand Caliber also had been broken... gutted over it all doesn't quite cover it.

Anyway, I've chucked out everything that was broken, redecorated my bedroom and replaced the contents of my underwear drawers - just couldn't cope with the thought that horrible people had been in my personal space, and rumaging through my undies!  Yuck :-(  I hope that they get everything they deserve for making my children cry, and making us all not feel safe in our home.

Now I've done battle with the insurance company I can replace the stuff that was taken, and get creative again, it totally sapped all my energy.  And I'm delighted that both LCI and Top Tip teams that I design for have been wonderfully supportive and sympathetic, both giving me a leave of absence to sort out the insurance, house, police, children and me (being mum, I dealt with it all then it all hit me like a brick)!  Thank you all, you are fabulous xxx

Anyhooo... So without further ado... this weeks Top Tip Tuesday is an Anything Goes challenge, sponsored by Bugaboo Stamps... and there is a fabby tutorial on shaker cards... check it out... just love shaker cards especially in the run up to Christmas :-).  I used one of my go-to images - Har Repotter the chosen one.

I've not quite decided who will get this one yet, so I'll add a sentiment later!  And oh my, taking two months off has affected my ability to tie bows!  What's going on there, this took ages, and it still doesn't look right to me!!  Anyway, the papers are MME from a Halloween range from a couple of years ago - love these as they are all textured and lovely :-)

Thanks for stopping by - I might be a bit stop/start over the next couple of weeks until I get back into my stride, so please bear with me!

Hugs... 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

Life's hectic, football crazy, and news!!

Hello!!

Once again I find myself apologising for being a really bad blogger and not posting anything for a couple of days - I wouldn't mind but I actually do have things to share, I just have struggled to get my eldest off of the PC so I can post something!!

The only time I have been able to get him off was when we went to a birthday party Saturday evening, and when he was doing his homework yesterday - and I was busy creating at that point and it was going well, so didn't want to get distracted!

Anyway, the efforts of his endeavours are before me as I type, as he has been researching his Christmas list, which looks worryingly long and expensive, and consisting mostly of Lego sets, something else that I have no idea what it is, and some sort of a Wii extension pack or other!  The youngest has been hacking various store Christmas catalogues with a pair of kiddy friendly scissors!

Anyway, so Saturday was my friends son's birthday.  He'd had a birthday party with his school friends during the day, and we were all invited to the house a couple of hours later for an evening get together.  We normally get fireworks as it was the 5th of November, so fireworks a plenty here in the UK, but we didn't as they have a puppy this year and didn't know how he'd be.  As it turned out he wasn't in the least bit bothered, but I think everyone could think of better things to do with the money that we would have previously spent on setting light to, watching it go 50 feet into the air, and have a 10 second, "ooh, pretty!" moment - in my case craft stash!!  Either that or we were having a collective humbug moment :-D.  Not that it mattered because all of their neighbours appeared to be trying to outdo each other and so we stood and watched theirs, LOL!

Anyway, Max has got into football in a huge way, so a football card was the only way to go.  Now I had no idea what colour his team play in, or what professional team he might support, so I went with what matched my papers!  As it turned out I was spot on!

I can only apologise for the poor quality of the pictures - of course now I've given the card away it's too late to retake them and I've got no idea why they were blurry!  Possibly I was trying to hurry and mucked up :-(

I hope you can get the idea anyway!  I combined some MME papers from the Lime Tiwst - Out of the Blue pad with some old Papermania ones I had lurking.  The football die cut is a sizzix die leant by Julie and the sentiment is from the Oliva stamp set by LCI.

The Kenny K image has been coloured with Copics.  Look how I managed to make a teeny bit of red bleed into the white bit of his football shirt - uncanny, because that's exactly what his mum has managed to do with his real life kit too - how did I know! :-D.

Anyway, not too bad for a quick make while HB was at work, and I was trying to deal with both of the monsters at the time!

Please may I enter these challenges

Kenny K - Celebration Time

One Stitch at a Time - Use a Digi

My Sheri Crafts Challenge - All About Sports

Poodles Parlour - Lets Hear it for the Boys

Quixotic Inspirations - Sketch

 And the news... well would you believe Ladybug Crafts Ink Challenge is one year old this week!  As a celebration of the Blogaversary we have a new line of Digi's being released, lot's of prizes, a blog hop, and some candy to be won along the way too... phew!!  Check back tomorrow to see all the fun :-D

That's it from me today - looking forward to seeing you tomorrow :-D

Cheeky Dragon

Hello!

Sorry for the lack of posts in the last couple of days, my crafty mojo is coming in fits and starts, and I have been exhausted after going back to work this week, I think I need another holiday!!

Anyway, I managed to make a few cards which I'll be sharing over the next few days.  First up is a fairly simple one using a Dustin Pike image and some MME papers.

Just love this dragon, he's so cheeky!

I finished off the inside using remnants of paper, and stamped the second half of the sentiment

LOL!!  I think I'm going to save this one for a friends birthday, he'll appreciate the humour :-D

Please can I enter my card into these challenges

Dustin Pike - Button It

Stampin' for the Weekend - Spots and Dots

Moving Along With the Times - Fantasy

If the Shoe Fits - Green
High Hopes Stamps - Anything High Hopes

Before I go, just a quick reminder that my blog candy is still open for a couple of days, I have been stunned at the number of new followers - a big thank you and welcome!!  If you haven't entered click here and leave your details with the little blue froggy

Thanks for looking, more tomorrow

Sue xx

Inflatable...

Hello!!

I hope you are enjoying your weekend.  Fingers croosed this post goes live as I'm still away (at least I should be, assuming it's not rained too much and I've abandoned the idea of camping!!)  

We'll be back later today and then I'm back to work after two weeks off, I'm NOT looking forward to that at all!!

I've had this Mo Manning image for a while but not inked him up, no idea why as he's really sweet, and totally reminds me of my two!!  I kept it simple and used some MME papers and some red Bazzill with a Kraft card blank

Isn't he sweet!!

 

I ummed and ahhed over if to GA the inflatable crocodile/aligator but didn't, I think I made the right choice!!

Please can I enter my card into these challenges

Art Impressions Stamps - One for the Boys

Crafting for all Seasons - Beach/Ocean

Try It On Tuesday - From The Beach

Stampavie and More - Summer

Creative Card Challenges - Summertime

Diva's By Design - Summer

Enjoy your day, hopefully I have survived sleeping under canvas and all will be back to normal tomorrow :-D

Sue xx

Land Ahoy!

What a week!

Wednesday found me and HB in front of an appeal board trying to get small son into the same school as the big one, talk about intimidating surroundings - they were held in one of the really old builings round here, in the wood panelled former study, at a big old table, with the three members of the appeal panel sat one side and us on the other.  Thankfully I had prepared fully so I knew exactly what I was going to say, and had all my arguements thought out.  Actually they were nice, but so much rests on the decision, that if I hadn't prepared as much as I did then I think I would have forgotten to say something that I thought was important and kicked myself afterwards.  As it was we have done all that we can, just got to wait for the results :-/ 

The headache that I had rumbling around since Wednesday, finally snuck up and got me on Friday morning, and had turned into a full blown migraine, with all the usual side effects thrown in as an added bonus, lovely!!  Fortunately I don't get them that often these days, so I'm keeping everything crossed that this is a one off and not a return to the bad old days when I used to get a couple a month!  HB had to come home and take the kids, as I couldn't see straight so I stayed in the dark and slept it off, finally surfacing at just gone 5.  Surprisingly I slept well last night, and we are off to a friends son's party this afternoon... good job my head is OK, as I suspect it is going to be a noisy one :-D

The theme is pirates - no idea why, but there are a lot of pirate themed parties about at the moment... anyone would think there was a pirate film out soon :-D - so I decided to do him a pirate card

The image is by Mo Manning, and I have added glossy accents to the end of his telescope, and I dug out some coins from the bottom of my stash.  I distressed the Sandylion papers and stitched everything onto black cardstock

I made a little scroll, distressed it with scissors and ink, stamped his name onto it and I made a tassel with embroidery silk.  I was aiming for the tattered, slightly singed look!!

The inside...

...and as I am giving the birthday boy money, I made a little treasure pouch

I'd like to enter these challenges please!
2 Sisters - 3-2-1 Challenge (Scroll, Money, Ribbon/Twine; 2 papers; one image)
CES Challenge - Inspired by a Movie (Pirates of the Carribean... Johnny Depp... sigh...)
Crazy 4 Challenges - Masculine
Little Claire's Designs - Cards for Men (my card is for a little man, hope that is OK!)
Secret Crafter - A Male Card
Sweet Stop - Sketch
Fussy and Fancy - Card for a Man/Boy
The Poodles Parlour - Anything Goes

Before I go, Kerry has got a Blogaversary Candy going at the moment - this is a biggy as she is adding a something to it every day... for the next, errr, lots of days, until the 22nd July!!

That's it from me today - off to delight in goodness knows how many over excited children... wish me luck :-D

Sue xx

Go Slow...

Hi All, hope you have had a great weekend!!

Yesterday was the Scrapbook Sisters Crop, and from there we went to a friends house for a BBQ/Birthday Party for their daughter.  The crop was fabulous as usual, and I caught up with loads of my crafty friends, not least Julie, who I introduced to the wonders of both Kenny K images and Neenah cardstock (which I get from here)

Today has been a lazy day, except for the washing machine which has been working flat out!!

HB has been working hard in the garage getting the Mini ready for the London to Brighton run next weekend.  We are umming and ahhing if to take my car as a support vehicle/kid carrier or all to cram ourselves in the Mini... it's a tough call, and I'm not sure my spine can take sitting in a Mini all the way up to London and then down to Brighton, and then home again, plus the thought of leaving the house at 6am on a Sunday morning, as opposed to getting another couple of hours in bed, and joining them somewhere along the route, and having leg room and air conditioning too!  I've no worry the car will make it, it's just whether I will :-) 

Either way it will be a gentle pootle down to the coast, so today's card is apt :-)

I won this image the other week from Karen's Doodles after I entered one of the challenges (seem to be on a bit of a roll recently as found out today I had also won the recent Kraftin' Kimmie Challenge!!) and just had to colour him up, he's so cute!!  It really is lovely to win something or be recognised as having created something good by others in the crafting community!

I couldn't resist adding some sparkle onto his cake!

And I decorated the inside too

Supplies:

Stamps - Herbert Birthday Cupcake; Senitments - Whimsy Ticket Sentiments and Ladybug Crafts Ink - It's Only Words 1

CS/Paper - Kraft and Swimming Pool Bazzill; Bo Bunny - It's My Party

Dies - Whimsy Ticket Die; X cut Border Die; Deckled Rectangles Nestabilities

Ribbon - Ladybug Crafts Ink

I'd like to enter these challenges please

Moving Along With The Times - Have Some Cake

Stamp Something Challenge - Digi's

Thanks for stopping by, have a great week!!

Sue xx

Warning... Hazardous Dragons :-)

I had a small bonus this month from work, which I wasn't expecting, seeing as it most certainly wasn't enough to see us laying on a beach in the Caribbean (LOL!) it was enough for me to get some bits and bobs for the Mini, which remains an ongoing project/black hole depending on your point of view.  Anyway, HB is happy with the new suspension, whatever floats your boat!!

I decided to treat myself to some Kraftin' Kimmie stamps as I hadn't found any I liked when I went to Ally Pally earlier in the month (there was one stall selling them and they only had 3 designs!!), and was chuffed to find them discounted at Bunny Zoe's last weekend... well it would have been rude not to have taken advantage... somehow a set of Whimsy Stamps, die and this little cutie managed to find their way into my basket.

The parcel arrived today, and I was itching to get home and colour him up

Here's the first card, based on this weeks Mojo Monday Sketch

In this card I went with traditional colours for a dragon... not that I've ever seen one, but it's what I imagine :-)  The papers are Bo Bunny and MME, the sentiment came with the main stamp.  The brown (although it looks a bit olivey in the pics!) Bazzill has been edged with a MS border punch and a Lacey Circle Nestie.  Ribbon is from Scrapbook Sisters, Buttons from my stash and Jute from Ladybug Crafts Ink

I've never seen High Hopes Stamps before, but there are hundreds of them.  This one is designed by Dustin Pike

I liked it so much I repeated the card, but taking inspiration from Florrie's Dragon, a programme watched AVIDLY by my 3 year old and based on the books by An Vrombaut, and went a bit brighter :-)

The papers for this one are Bo Bunny and MME (again!!)  More ribbon from Scrapbook Sisters, Jute from Ladybug Crafts and Buttons from my stash!!  Apologies for using the same design but my brain is fried from trying to fit 5 days work into 3 and I liked it :-)

Don't tell Dragon number one but I think I prefer this one!!

Before I go, shall I tell you what the three little words are??

{Snigger}

My 9 year old thinks it's HILARIOUS!! 

The flame is another separate stamp, so I suppose with a bit of careful positioning you could have it coming out of the dragon, somewhere :-)

Don't forget you still have plenty of time to enter the Ladybug Crafts Ink Fashion Challenge and the Scrapbook Sister Distress Challenge!!

I'd also like to enter these cards into these challenges

ABC challenge - T is for Trouble

Bunny Zoe's Crafts - One for the Boys

Cards For Men - Circles

Incy Wincy Designs - Buttons and Bows

Simon Says Stamp and Show - Buttons

Right, that's me lot for today, thanks for stopping by!!

Sue xx

Looking at life upside down...

... do all kids do this?  Mine certainly do!!  Maybe it's a kid thing, but I can kind of see the point in checking how things look from a totally different perspective... oooh that's a bit profound for a Monday Morning!! 

This is one of the images I chose from Karen's Doodles, after winning one of their challenges... I just thought he was cute!!

I teamed him with some 3 Bugs In a Rug paper that I had lurking in my stash

He's called PeekaBoo Boy, just love the little toddler legs!!  The sentiments are from the Sentimental Numbers set by Ladybug Crafts Ink.  I used some of the lucious ribbon by East of India that I got at Ally Pally... honestly it has taken me a week to stop stroking it and start using it!!

I decorated the inside of the card too

I'd like to enter this card into these challenges

Fab 'n' Funky - All Spotty and Dotty

Simon Says Stamp - For A Child

Fussy and Fancy - Card for a Child
Craft Your Passion - You've been spotted

That's it from me for today, more tomorrow!  

Sue xx



Happy Birthday

Just a quick post to share with you my son's birthday card, I can't believe he is 9 today!!  How did my baby get to be 9!!

Anyway, he's growing up fast so I used Cool Kid by Kenny K which is now available from his store, but I downloaded as one of his monthly freebies a while ago

I also used the sketch from this weeks Kenny K's Krafty Girlz Challenge, but kept it fairly simple, I just added some ribbon, and buttons and stamped the bunting that came free with Simply Homemade onto one of the papers, thankfully there are five flags, so his name fitted perfectly :-)

I coloured Cool Kid with copics and tried to keep the colours similar to what he likes wearing, although he hasn't got into an ipod yet, but will walk around playing on his DS if I let him!!  Still close enough!!  The sentiment is from the Sentimental Numbers set by Ladybug Crafts Ink, and I used Chipped Sapphire distress ink for the stamping

I had to do something with the inside too, nothing fancy, but it finishes it off and saves scraps being thrown away :-)  The sentiment is by PTI.  The scalloped die is by X cut, it's deeper than this but I figured that I might get away with the scallops but I would not get away with fancy florishes, so covered them up!!

I'd also like to enter this card into these challenges

Digi's with Attitude - Anything Goes

Fairy Tale Challenge - Children

Stamp Something - Digi Somethings

Catered Crop Recipe Challenge - I've used Striped Papers; Copics; Printer; Ribbon; Die Cuts; Highlighting; Birthday and Shapes (triangles)

The Spotted Chick That's Krafty Thursday 48

That's it from me for today except to say

Happy Birthday James!!!

Have a great day, thanks for stopping by

Sue xx

Totally Ladybug Tuesday - Challenge 13 - Card for a Child

Good morning!!  This week it is the turn of the lovely Pinky to set the challenge at Ladybug Crafts Ink and she has chosen

A Card For A Child

Easy peasy huh?  Boy or girl, whatever age, the choice is yours!

Well you'd think it was easy, but for some reason I sat there paper shuffling and going from one stamp to another until I got myself into a total tiz :-(.  At this point my mojo left the building and I was having a bit of a panic, so decided to have a little blog surf to see if anything jumped out at me... and what do you know it did!!

I saw this card over at the Spotted Chick blog, aka Jeanie who is a regular Guest designer at LCI (if you haven't visited her blog before I strongly recommend you have a little peek!) and asked her if I could CASE the layout, and being the lovely person she is, Jeanie said I could :-)  I'd already got the papers sorted, image sorted so got cracking!!

So after much faffing, huffing and Jeanie donning her cape and coming to my rescue here's my card...

The papers are by Prima that I got a couple of years back and are left overs from a scrapbook kit (I'm trying to use up my bits and bobs!!) and I've matted them on tangerine cs then mounted the panel on Kraft cs.  The bow is a gorgeous green satin and the button and square brads are from my stash.

I've coloured Policeman Jack with copics to match the paper and added Glossy accents to his police badges and whistle and stickles to the swoosh and the air coming out of his whistle.

The sentiment on the front and on the inside are both from the Sentimental Numbers set

Sorry for the pictures - my son has been fiddling with my camera and I need to get a better cloth to get the sticky finger prints off the lens (grrr...).

I'd like to enter these challenges please

Creative Inspirations - Buttons and Bows

Alphabet Challenge - M is for Men

The Crafty Pad - One for the Boys

Looking forward to seeing your creations

Sue xx

Scrapbook Sisters Card Challenge 20

Hi!  Can you believe the Scrapbook Sisters Card Challenge is up to number 20 already!  How time flies :-)

This week the challenge is to

Now when I started thinking about this challenge I was stumped (but then my creative brain was being impeeded by my boss needing this and that by 10 minutes ago...) then I got one idea and then another and then a lightbulb moment, and all of a sudden I'd got three cards!  No don't ask me either, it doesn't happen often!!   I suppose what I am trying to say is that this challenge sounds a bit of a toughy at first, but it is open to so much interpretation, so why not have a go?

OK, here are my cards (you might want to get a cuppa!)

First off I started thinking about my son and the never ending trail of teddy bears, monkeys, dragons, disney characters etc that he always has with him.  Each one is special to him in it's own way and this Mo Manning image seemed appropriate...

Isn't he a cutie :-)

Supplies:

From Scrapbook Sisters: Fancy Pants Happy Together Papers; Maya Road Velvet ribbon; Brad; Teal CS; Papermania Sentiment (from set); Timber Brown Stazon

Other:  Button from stash;  Twine; Kraft CS

Then I remembered my Gorjuss Girl had a bird with her, and the bird was her little friend...

Supplies:
From Scrapbook Sisters; Gorjuss Girl; Black and Pink Bazzill; Bo Bunny Pedal Pushers Paper; Stickles
Other: Joy Flower Ribbon Die; Bo Bunny Double Dot CS in Kiwi and Flamingo; Gems; Sentiment (freebie with magazine)

And then I thought about using a small stamp and doing a really quick, simple card amd this Penny Black image seemed perfect - as the literal little friend :-)

I normally stamp my images onto white card, and rarely stamp and colour directly onto the card front but I quite like it. the only problem I had was that Copics do not come in white, so had to use a watercolour pencil to colour the envelope!

Supplies

From Scrapbook Sisters: Penny Black image; Woodware Sentiment (from set); Tuxedo Black Momento and Timber Brown Stazon; Other: Kraft CS; Ribbon

Are you still with me!  Sorry that was a long post, but I wanted to share all my little ideas on this challenge :-)

Have a great day, more tomorrow

Sue xx