Today I have mostly been playing :)

I've had the house to myself today so have been making the most of being able to craft without having to worry about my 2 year old grabbing the scissors!  I made a quick trip to Scrapbook Sisters this morning as my Skin White Copic Pen ran out last night :-(  Whilst I was there I got a couple of other colours and some Prima flowers too... lovely :-).

So I've been busy colouring in some images from Mo's Digital Pencil - including the free one that she made available to her fans on Facebook - I'm not sure if it's still available as I think she's doing them as special editions now and then.  I've also done one for my Dad as it's his birthday next week, I really like it but I'm not sure what I'm doing with the card yet - I don't think I'm alone in struggling with men's cards :)

I'd love to show you what I've been up to, but HB has taken the camera with him, and the little camera has a flat battery, so tonight I'm showing you a LO I did a while ago of my SIL and I at her wedding. This LO uses the Alissa range from Bo Bunny, the sentiment is by Kelly Panacci, with an Autumn Leaves Swirl behind it. I've cut out the pink flowers from a second sheet of paper and layered them on foam pads. 

Thanks for looking

Sue xx

Packing... and looking forward to a weekend of me time :)

I am surrounded by clothes right now as I'm packing everything my kids could need for the next few days as the are going to Dorset with my HB tomorrow morning... the small one will stay there with his nan & granddad, and the big one will come home on Sunday night... as for me, I'm home alone, so am hoping to be able to potter around doing not a lot!

If the weather is OK I'm thinking the garden needs a bit of attention, I've got a few cards to make, and I'm looking forward to a long uninterrupted soak in the bath - I'm going to ignore the pile of ironing and the hoover!

So onto tonight's layout, and it's one of my Dad, taken at my SIL's wedding last year.  I chose this pic for this LO as the colours compliment his shirt and tie, and its a really good photo of him - he had no idea that it was being taken, so it has captured him totally.  This one was another from the bi-weekly classes at Scrapbook Sisters

Hope you like it

Sue
xx

Busy Day

It's been a really busy day today as I was in a meeting/workshop all afternoon for the second day running and it's made me really quite tired (and behind on my normal work, but lets not go there :) ...).  So I had to rush to leave work to pick my son up from nursery tonight and stopped at the petrol station on my way home and filled the car up... got into the queue to pay, and realised that my purse was still sitting in my desk drawer!!!  I was mortified, but the girl at the kiosk couldn't have been sweeter, so I had to go back to work too get my purse, back to Asda to pay, then onto Scrapbook Sisters to get some more Herma, then on to pick my eldest son up from cubs.  I was intending on having a relaxing evening and doing a bit of crafting, but I'm far too knackered now!!

Anyway, as I've shown a few cards in the last few days I thought it about time to show off a scrapbook page - this one is of my SIL's wedding cupcakes which were made by my HB's cousin, and very delicious they were too :).  After a year of nagging I managed to get her secret recipe out of her, and it has made me start cooking cakes again - I don't always use her recipe as its quite complicated for everyday use, but fab for a special occasion.

Starting baking again has opened up a whole new world - including edible glitter - wow,  just LOVE it! I am worried that I'll get the glamour dust mixed up with it though :)

Carstock - Bazzill; Paper - think its another one by Bo Bunny???; Flower punch, Star Punch - Woodware; Black Felt Brads - Papermania, Chipboard Letters - Thickers

Yum, yum indeed!

Thanks for looking

Sue  xx

Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge 68 Part 2

You know what it's like when you try something and it just works out???  Well I really liked the card I did for this weeks challenge and had loads of paper left over (and I'd got those gems out and they were sitting there calling me to use them...) so I decided to scale the sketch up a bit and make a square card using Martini Nikki and olive green pearls. 

I think this is one of my favourite designs in a while (not least because it is SO economical on the paper :) ) and as I'm still umming and ahhing about if to do the school fete this year I need to have a few quick and easy designs up my sleeve... well seeing as I've given the school 100% of the takings for the last 3 years I think it's quite reasonable...

...anyway, here she is, hope you like her...

Sue

xx

Supplies:

Stamps - Martini Nikki from Ladybug Crafts Ink, stamped in Momento Black ink and coloured in Copics (E00, E51, E53, R20, B02, W-1, V95, RV95, C-1, C-3, C-5, E37, E47, E57, YG95, G99), edged in Antique Linen Distress Ink;
"One Martini, Two Martini, Three Martini, Floor!" sentiment from Ladybug Crafts Ink, stamped in Stazon

Cardstock - Bazzill Verde; White card from stash

Paper - Bo Bunny Boysenberry Dot edged with Warm Violet Colorbox Chalk Eye

Bazzill Flowers & Florishes Jewel Template

Olive Green Pearls Gems, Brad from stash

Flowers - Prima "Vintage"

Three of a kind...

I've had some of the Gorjuss Girls stamps for a while now, and they continue to be a favourite as they are all lovely

I made these cards a while back and coloured the images with my watercolours and put them in the box of cards I take to work occasionally to sell, and then for the last 3 years have taken a massive box load to the school fete to be sold to raise money for school fund.  However since I have been playing with the copics I could see the difference and I couldn't sell them to anyone and that seemed a shame because I LOVE the Doodlebug flock and sugar coated cardstock.

So it wasn't the design of the card, but the image on it that I no longer liked.  :(  So tonight I had a go peeling the original images off - and they came off with a bit of very gentle coaxing (thank goodness for Herma repositionable tape!) and I restamped each image and coloured it back in with similar shades of Copics to that of the original watercolours.  All I can say is wow, what a difference it makes!  I wish now I'd of taken a pic before I started pulling them apart to show you the difference, but I didn't, so you're gonna have to trust me :) 

They now look like this

Much better!

Thanks for looking

Sue

xx

Going Dotty...

.. yes I know I have been for years, but I'm actually referring to a layout made in my regular class at Scrapbook Sisters a while ago :)

It's of HB's cousin and the papers and flowers complimented her outfit so much that it was an easy choice to make

As per usual with these class kits I haven't got a clue who the papers are by but I do remember that the circles were cut on the Cricut!  The stamps is from theFlowers & Fauna set by Gayle Bond for Scrapbook Sisters.  Click here for details of the stamp set and some more fantastic examples of this very versatile set!

I've come over all inspired since Saturday's crop and yesterday's challenge, so I'm planning a lovely quiet evening being creative :)

Thanks for looking

Sue xx

Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge 68

Its been a good day today, I went to a christening of a friends son this afternoon followed by a quick trip to the supermarket, then home. I can't believe how much my friends little daughter looks just like her when she was 4! and it was really good to catch up with her again too :)

So its another card today and this based on another sketch by the very talented Karen Giron - a link to her blog, The Sweetest Thing is in the links to the right if you want to check out her work.

I struggled a bit more with this one than last weeks, but one I started it came together really quickly - well I think it was quick, but as the saying goes, time flys when you're having fun :)

So this was the sketch:



I flipped the design by 90 degrees and mine turned out like this:

You can't really tell in the picture but Nikki is raised up on foam pads. The sketch was quite simple this week, and I thought that as I'd used fairly plain paper that it needed something, so out came the gems again :)

Supplies:

Stamps - Wine Stool Nikki from Ladybug Crafts Ink, stamped in Momento Black ink and coloured in Copics (E00, E51, E53, R20, B02, W-1, V95, RV95, E37, E47, E57, YG95, G99), edged in Antique Linen Distress Ink; "Happy Birthday" sentiment from Ladybug Crafts Ink, stamped in Stazon

Cardstock - Bazzill Verde; White card from stash

Paper - Bo Bunny Boysenberry Dot edged with Warm Violet Colorbox Chalk Eye

Bazzill Flowers & Florishes Jewel Template

Olive Green Gems, Brad and Ribbon from stash

Flowers - Prima "Vintage"

Hope you like it, Sue xx

Christening Card

Tonight I'm going to share the card I made at today's crop for my friends little boys Christening tomorrow (Ali, if you're reading this before I give you this card, please don't read any further!).

I'm really pleased with how it turned out :) Although I should have got more work done than I did, I was glad I went and had a great time as ever, so a big thank you to all at Scrapbook Sisters for all the hard work that you put in to make the crops so good :).

So I decided to take some photos in the fading light and this happened...

I guess it what happens when you are a scrapbooker and your kids get used to being papped on a regular basis :)

So the card looks like this

Supplies: Paper - My Minds Eye Jack & Jill "Favorite Thing" Bright Argyle Paper; Digital Stamp - I Love It, Mo's Digital Pencil coloured with Copics; Border Punch - Martha Stewart; Ribbon & Buttons from Stash; Labels 4 Nestabilities, Antique Linen Distress Ink

I'm getting used to colouring with the copics, and am getting the hang of shading now - it doesn't always go to plan, but for me who can't draw to save her life it's all a bit of a revelation! :)

More tomorrow, thanks for looking

Sue xx

Gorjuss Girls Easel Card

I don't seem to have stopped today! After a late night watching the election results come in (well until my eyes properly drooped and I had to turn in, it was work as usual... I find the trouble with four day weeks is that I have as much work to do in a normal week, just one less day to do it all in!

Friday's I finish earlier than usual, but the boys have swimming, so its a rush to pick my youngest up from nursery, eldest from my mums, then pick up HB from his work then to the pool, where my sister-in-laws mother-in-law runs swimming classes with a collegue. We don't get home til gone 8.30 though so it makes it a very long day! Its a stunning pool in a private school, really clean and warm so its perfect for little ones to learn in and they are both doing so well. My youngest jumps into the deep end no problem (I can see I am going to have to watch that!) and let go of his teacher tonight - cue proud mum and dad :). I took the camera with me tonight as I want to make a card for her as he only has one more lesson with her before she emigrates to Australia (jealous, meeee???) and I want to make something with a hidden pocket for a photo of her and my son as they have really bonded and he'll miss her :( I'm pretty pleased with the ones I got, so will have a go at making something lovely for her at the Scrapbook Sisters crop tomorrow, also got to make a christening card, and goodness knows what else, so I'm going to be busy! I must not get distracted by lovely new goodies, cake, coffee and chat!!!

Anyway that card I was promising :) This is a decopage Grojuss Girl, made up into an easel card. I love the Gorjuss Girls range and have several of the stamps, but when I saw these decopage versions I had to have a set! The colours are quite gothic, not cutsey and I like theat - it makes them perfect for a little girl who doesn't like pink :) The papers I've used come in the pack, and I was trying to work out how best to use them to make sure I had enough for the 4 designs of decopage you get in the pack, and an easel card seemed perfect! I really like how these turned out

Supplies:

Gorjuss Girls Decopage set - Scrapbook Sisters

Black and White cardstock - from Stash

Happy Birthday Stamp - Ladybug Crafts Ink

Heart Border Punch - Fiskars

Gems and Cream Satin Ribbon - from Stash

Thanks for looking, I've got to pack my stuff for the crop so I must get going!

Sue xx

Butterfly Pages

Tonight I thought I'd share a couple of pages that I have done at the regular class at Scrapbook Sisters in Rainham.

I have to say I am completely hopeless in that I can't for the life of me remember some of the details of these pages, so I've put down what I can remember.... if anyone can fill in the blanks (or correct my mistakes :) ) then feel free.

The link between these two layouts is the butterfly's, which along with gems seem to be making a regular appearance on much of my work... I might have to hide my butterfly punch from myself for a bit, but don't think I can do without the sparkly stuff!!!

The first is of my hubby and youngest son taken at my SIL's wedding last year, I know using pink as a dominant colour on a layout was a bit of a risk, but hey when you've only got boys it has to be done :)

Supplies:

Paper: Making Memories Kit - Scrapbook Sisters; Gems and ribbon from stash; Butterfly punch - Tesco; letter stickers - Doodlebug

The second layout is of a photo taken years ago when I went to Italy on a school trip, this one is of Juliet's Balcony in Verona, and the title is self explanatory! I think the colours of the papers work so well with this photo, although my photo of the page is letting it down again. I seem to remember with this LO we had a choice of papers, which is always scary when you've only got 2 hours.

The classes at Scrapbook Sisters are great, there's always lots of great ideas and inspiration and each class is different, so it takes me outside of my comfort zone - not that I'm always happy being there, but I always learn something and laugh loads :)

Supplies:

Cardstock - Bazzill; Paper - Bo Bunny (I think???); Butterfly Punch - Tesco; Butterfly Stamp - Martha Stewart; Letter Stamps - Twilight Garden Alphabet, Inkadinkado

Anyway, that's about it from me tonight, thanks for stopping by

Sue

xx

Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge

OK, first post with pictures of my work!

This card was made for the Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge number 67. I've been watching Karen's blog for a few weeks now and finally took the plunge to take part in the challenge. I love using sketches as a guide for both cards and scrapbook pages as they take so much of the guesswork out of the design, which for non-arty people like me really helps!! The sketch is below, and for this one I remained fairly faithful and didn't fiddle about too much, but as I have a thing for square cards at the moment that's how it ended up :)

OK, so my interpretation...

Paper: Jazmyne Dew Drops by Bo Bunny (I'm so into Bo Bunny!)

Stamp: Martini Nikki and Happy Birthday sentiment from Lady Bug Crafts Ink. Coloured with Copics, and edged with Chipped Sapphire Distress Ink

Border Punch: Martha Stewart

I've used olive grosgrain and plum satin ribbon, a Prima Flower and Papermania glitter brad from my stash

The paper won't really photograph properly as its got glitter on the dots, I can see I'm going to need practice taking photos of my cards.

More tomorrow,

Sue

xx

OK, well here goes... I'm starting bloging after thinking about it for ages...

I will be posting my cards, scrapbook pages and anything else that is an important part of my life...

now the scary part, will anyone ever look at it? or will it just be me, rambling into thin air???

Tomorrow I will take some pictures of some recent pages and cards and post them up here, only time will tell :)