Scrapbook Sisters Challenge 61 - Winter Wonderland

Hello!!

This week at Scrapbook Sisters the challenge is Winter Wonderland, and I went for an unusual colour scheme for a Christmas card, but I like it as it's quite striking and different!

All the details of the materials I've used for this card are in the linky thing below

I just love this image - Shopping Girl - which is available as a digi from Scrapbook Sisters.  I've coloured her simply in greys and added glamour dust and black glitter here and there, with a bow on one of her bags.

Please may I enter these challenges
Christmas Card Challenges - Black and White
Digital Tuesday Challenge - Sparkle and Shine
Kaboodle Doodles Challenge - Baby It's Cold Outside
Paper Sundaes - Beautiful Bows
Crazy 4 Challenges - Black, White and wow - hope the grey tones count?
Just Some Lines - Tic Tac Toe (I've used glitter-digi-die cut)
Crafty Ann's - Monochromatic
Glitter Geeks - Christmas Shopping
Totally Papercrafts - Black and White
Creative Card Crew - Monochromatic

Thanks for looking

Ladybug Crafts Ink Challenge 47 - Winter Blues and a GDT call!

Hello!!

This week at LCI the challenge has been set by Laurie and she has asked us to share our Winter Blues... well seeing as I'm one of those people that would quite happily be snuggled under a duvet from now until April that could take some time... so I'd best just get on and share the card I made :-)  Actually, I think that is where Laurie is as I think she is poorly at the moment - get well soon hunny!

I used this months Stamp Of the Month, Nikki and Buttercup building a Snowman which you can get for the bargain price of £3.50 until the end of the month.  I think it is really cute, and isn't just for Christmas either, as it looks fabby for any wintery occasion!
 

As another early Christmas pressie to everyone that has played along with us over the past year we are looking for some Guest Designers this challenge - interested?  Then add GD after your name in your entry!!

I used some American Traditional Designs papers from a couple of years ago with some MME Portobello Road, I think it looks OK, and tones in quite well

One thing I love about this image is that it's really quick for those last minute Christmas makes, not too much colouring, loadsa glitter!!

The lace is also from LCI and you can get it here - or check out the new thingy below (fingers crossed it works!)





Please may I enter these challenges

Forever Friends - Christmas is Coming (inc an animal)
Make It Monday - Anything Goes 
Paper Creations Ink - Christmas 
Pollycraft - Christmas Fun
One Stitch at a Time - Anything Goes
Winter Wonderland - Awwwww what a cutie
Crafts 4 Eternity - Embellishment Bingo (Snowflake- Button-Ribbon)
Glitter Fairies - Non Traditional Christmas
Cupcake Craftroom - Sweet Christmas
Heidi's Hobbystuggu - Christmas with Bling and Sparkle

Thanks for looking

It's Going to be a Bright Christmas

Hello!

I hope you've had a good weekend!  I have had one of those days where I have been busy all day, but don't seem to have done much!  Still both kids are bathed, fed and watered, the fire is going nicely and I can settle down to a nice evening of colouring and creating :-D

Before I do, just time to share another of the cards I made for one of the Scrapbook Sisters Card Classes.  Apologies for the quality (or lack of it!) of the pictures - HB had nicked my camera and I was left with the point and shoot and I just can't get the hang of something simple anymore!!

Anyway, Julie gave me these papers which are from a Trimcraft stack, and I think they had been left to last as the colour was quite difficult!  I have to admit orange is not one of my favourite colours, but I was really pleased with how this one turned out.  I decided that the design needed to be kept quite simple, and the papers needed a young, fun image to go with them, and one of the Christmas Nikki range was perfect - this one is Nikki and Buttercup Snow Angels  from Ladybug Crafts Ink:-D.

This is one of those cards where the front is folded back on itself... nope no idea what it is called, but you'll excuse me 'cos it's a Sunday and my brain is fried right!!  Here's a picture of the inside and you'll hopefully get what I'm waffling on about!!

The sentiment is by Penny Black (I think!), and is one of my favourites and works really well with this happy image :-D

Please can I enter these challenges

2 Sisters - Let it Sparkle

Crafty Purple Frog - Orange

Moving Along With the Times - Let It Snow

Creatalicious Challenges - Christmas and Make Sure It Sparkles

Sunday's with Chrissy - Christmas using Non-Traditional Colours

Paper Pretties - Christmas with Non-Traditional Colours

Right, no more procrastinating... must get on!

Thanks for stopping by

CAS Snowflakes

Hello!

Tusk, I've been a bad blogger again, and not posted anything for a couple of days, it's not like I have any excuse because I have been creating, especially since I have been asked to do a Christmas fair at my friends son's school but eek!, it's next weekend!!  I'm going to take whatever is in my box already done and what I manage to make this week.  If I don't sell anything then it was worth a go, if I do then it's more towards the Christmas fund :-D

Today's card is one I designed for this weeks card class at Scrapbook Sisters, I think the ladies liked it :-D

As you may know, CAS really isn't my style... it freaks me out to be honest!  I was intending on using a large snowflake in the middle of the card, but it has been borrowed by the pixies and it is NOT where I left it.  At least that's my excuse, I can't possibly have misplaced it can I?!  Anyway, I used some snowflake stamps that I got from Lakeland Plastics a couple of years ago when they used to do craft stuff, embossed them with white glittery embossing powder, then rubbed distress inks over.  I quick spritz of Moonlight Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist to give a bit of a sheen.  I then cut the panel into three and matted it onto dark blue CS and attached it straight onto the card.  The sentiment is from another Lakeland set.  Quick and simple, but quite effective I think!

Please can I enter these challenges

Stamp. Scrap and Doodle - Embossing

Paper Crafting Journey - Embossing

One Stop Craft Challenge - Blue

Crafty Catz - Snowflakes

Paper Shelter Challenge - Snowflakes

Oldie but a Goodie - Let it Snow

Thanks for looking - I'll try and post something tomorrow!!

Southern Girls Challenge - Bingo!

Hello!

Not my teams week this week over at Southern Girls, but I couldn't resist doing a card :-D  This week is a Bingo Challenge, and you can pick to go up and down, left to right or diagonally - but check the challenge blog for the full details!  I really don't want to be responsible if I don't explain it properly!!

I love the Paper Shelter images who are one of this fortnights sponsors, they are fabulous to colour, but I decided to use Victorian Morticia to make a Christmas Card, going across the middle line of the bingo board - Die Cuts, Gems and Ribbon (and yes I know my papers have glitter on them, but it's on there already, I didn't add it, so I have not counted glitter as one of my items!!)

I used both my MME Lost and Found Christmas pad and the 12x12 papers from the same range to create my card, and I noticed an off cut had a perfect image so I die cut a tag and shaped the paper to fit - I've tucked it away though :-D.  Unusually for me there is very little matting of the paper, but I distressed the edges of the papers with some Antique Linen Distress Ink.

This is quite a busy card, but I think the strong image can take it!

 

There's a gem in the centre of her necklace and on the pin heads, and more in the corners of the card.  I guess you can't help but notice the big ribbon!

 Recipe:
Papers - MME
Colours - Black, Cream, Red
 Images - The Paper Shelter
Inks - Copics, Distress Ink
Tools - Marianne Die Cuts
Misc - Ribbons, Flowers, Pinks, Pearls, Gems

Please may I enter these challenges
Daisy Doodles - Anything Goes with a Digi
Bunny Zoe's - Anything Christmas with Pearls
Hooked on Crafts - Punches/Die Cuts
 Make It Monday - Anything Goes
The Catered Crop - Follow the Recipe (my recipe above!)
Paper Sundaes - Digi Images
Crafty Emma's Store - Roses and Ribbons
Digital Tuesday Challenge - Christmas Time 
By The Cute and Girly - Christmas Girls

Thanks for stopping by

Sue xx

Southern Girls Challenge - Bingo!

Please see here for reloaded post - blogger issues again!

Scrapbook Sisters Challenge 60 - Winter Wedding

Hello!!  I hope you are enjoying the week!  Just a quick post from me today, I'm sharing my DT card from this weeks Scrapbook Sisters card challenge - this week the theme is Winter Weddings

Now I got married in January, and my Mum organised the local farmers to be on standby in case it snowed to get me to the register office, honestly anyone would think she was trying to get rid of me!!  Anyway, I think that winter weddings suit a more muted or icy colour palete, so that's what I went for

I used my Bride Nikki from Ladybug Crafts Ink and mounted her simply on a lovely Marianne Die - I love this stamp, she is so classy, and how her dress flows, just gorgeous!! 

I'm desparately short of wedding sentiments though, so I didn't put one on the front!  I know I have one somewhere but I have no idea where!!  I stamped the inside with a congratulations stamp though! 

Please may I enter these challenges

Thanks for stopping by

Ladybug Crafts Ink Challenge 46 - Fairy Magic

Hello!

Before I get started on today's post, a quick thank you to everyone who left such lovely comments on my blog following the new release and our blog hop/blog candy - it was great that the new images went down so well, and I'm not surprised as they are so unique!  If you missed them last week, you can take a peek here

I'd also like to say a huge congratulations to Sue who won my celebration Blog Candy - well done hun!  If you pop an email to the email addy on the challenge blog with Sue's Candy Winner in the title I will get your goodies out to you quick smart :-D

It's the head ladybug, Kerry's turn to set the challenge over at Ladybug Crafts Ink this week, so no slacking allowed :-D

I used Letter to Santa Ruby, and teamed her with some MME Christmas Lost and Found Papers

Oddly, despite not having inked this stamp in a little while, she was picked by at least 2 other members of the DT this week!  She is so sweet, standing on her tippy toes to reach the postbox

She's glittered to within an inch, and I used Frosted Lace stickles to build up the layers of the snow.  I found an ancient snowflake border stamp and decided to give the edges a bit of glitz too. The Personal Impressions sentiment has been embossed with black sparkle embossing powder. 

I found a set of Crafty Individuals stamps the other day that included an air mail stamp and some postmarks etc, so there are little stamps all over this card, hiding amongst the text background :-D

Please may I enter these challenges
 Make It Monday - Anything Goes
Stamps R Us - Bling It On
Incy Wincy Designs - Tic Tac Toe (Red, Christmas Sentiment, Ribbons)
2 Sisters - Anything Goes
One Stop Craft - Ribbons and Lace

Thanks for stopping by - more tomorrow

Monday Monday

Hello!

I hope you had a good weekend, I was intending on blogging all weekend, but I was bitten by the creative urge and made 9 (count 'em 9!!) cards.

Today's card is one of them, although the photo does NOT do this one justice as I was using HB's little camera, not my one which he had borrowed to take pictures of buildings (I kid you not!!) - but it was for his work for a job they have coming up and my camera has a better zoom on it.  Anyway, as I said it looks better IRL than the picture!!

I'm really sorry but I have no idea who the paper is by, but I love the colours.  I teamed it with Teal CS to make a Just Because card, with some East of India Ribbon, Papermania sentiment stamps, Joy butterfly die and a butterfly stamp.  Quite simple, but I like it!

Please may I enter my card into these challenges
Ribbon Reel - Photo Inspirations + Butterflies
Flutterby Wednesday - Friendship

I am quite amazed that I managed to get so much done as I was quite busy really - what with taking big son to the opticians on Saturday, and then to the Rememberance Day parade yesterday, getting the boiler serviced (not by me I hasten to add!!) plus the housework, washing and ironing

I'll be sharing some more of the weekends endeavours over the next few days, thanks for stopping by

Just Elfing around

Hello!  

I had time to make a quick card using one of the images from this fortnights Southern Girls Challenge international sponsor Sassy Design Studio - this little cutie is Emily the Elf.  If you haven't entered the challenge yet, you have a week to go to enter the Inspired by a Song challenge - this one is inspired by Santa Baby

 Iused some MME Jolly Holly papers which I like, although it's more traditional than I would normally buy, maybe it's my age! :-D.

There's glitter all over her tunic, which was a *nightmare* to photograph (!) and she's dressed in traditional elf attire colours :-DAnd check me out, getting down with the blond hair!  I'm trying to be brave as my natural tendancy is to colour hair brunette!

When I was routing through my craft box the other day I found some shrink plastic which I haven't used in ages, so stamped the sentiment on it, and cut and got shrinking - so satisfying!!

Supplies:

Image - Sassy Design Studios; Sentiment - Penny Black; 

MME Jolly Holly 6x6 pad;  Kraft and Green Bazzill;

Olive Sheer Striped Ribbon; Charm, Button and Pearls all from stash

Copics; Glamour Dust; Marianne D die; Spellbinders Labels 4 die

Please may I enter these challenges

Top Tip Tuesday - Anything Goes Christmas
I Did It Creations - Christmas / Winter
Sweet n Sassy - Christmas/Holiday
Christmas Inspirations - Bows

Thanks for looking!

Scrapbook Sisters Challenge 59 - Baby Baby

Hello!

Wow, I just couldn't believe the number of entries there were for the last Scrapbook Sisters Card challenge - I think 304 is the record, even though this was a two week challenge, so a huge thank you to everyone who entered.  I tried to get to have a close look at as many as I could, but apologies if I didn't get to visit you!  Lovely to see such a wide variety of projects too :-D

However, it is a new week and there's a new challenge for you, and this week the theme is 

Baby Baby

I decided to use one of the first stamps I ever got, a little sweetie fresh and fragrant from the bath by Stampendous, with some papers from my stash by Paper Adventures

The tag is my new Marianne die, and I have lined the centre with some more of the main paper.  The ribbon is by Bo Bunny, sentiment by PTI, and the ribbon, charm and button are from my stash

I added a touch of glossy accents to the water drops on his head and foot, and to his duck, which was nearly my undoing as dizzy here stood her card up before the GA was dry and it dripped down the card, but I fixed it, what with that and the image-stuck-stuck-to-a-cat incident from earlier in the week I am a one-woman disaster zone!

Hope you can join in the fun this week!

Please can I enter my card into these challenges

Crafty Sentiments- New Baby

Stampacular Sunday Challenge - Sketch
Forever Friends - Something Old, Something New + include an animal (Old - Stamp, papers; New - Die; Animal - Duck!)
Oldie But a Goodie - Buttons and Bows
Marianne Design Diva's - Dying to Die Cut

Thanks for looking

Ladybug Crafts Ink Challenge 45 - Getting Hitched, an Anniversary and a huge celebration

Hello!!

Today is a VERY special day at Ladybug Crafts Ink as it is the first blogaversary since the challenge blog was started!!

To celebrate we have a whole host of fun for you to get involved with, with lots and lots of prizes along the way, so why not grab yourself a cuppa and get involved

First up we have a new release of Digi stamps - from the Love and Marriage Collection, and the DT have used the new images for their cards.  The images are a steal at £1.75 each or £9 for all six!

  We are having a blog hop to celebrate - if you are hopping already you should have arrived from the lovely Tams if not and you want to take part pop on back to the Challenge blog, and I'll see you again in a little while!! 

  If you are hopping, I'm sure you know all the rules by heart by now, but just in case

Display the blog hop badge somewhere on your blog, leaving a comment on each of the DT's blogs, and then heading on back to the challenge blog (your last stop after me!) to leave us a comment letting us know what your favourite image is

The prizes for the hop are all six images in the new release for the overall winner, and one image for 5 lucky runners up!!

But that's not your only chance to win, as some of the DT have raided their own stash and will be picking winners from the people who have commented on their personal blogs.  Just as a little bit of temptation for you here's mine

I've included a length of gold satin ribbon, a Chipped Sapphire Distress Ink pad, and the rather lovely Lost and Found Christmas pad, which I believe is getting pretty impossible to find!!

And... as always there will be one winner and a top three picked from those who enter the challenge, which, naturally, is

Love and Marriage / Anything Goes

I made two cards, so there are quite a lot of photos!

This one combines one of the new digis - The Bride and Groom with MME Lost and Found Portabello Road papers, the bottom panel has been overstamped and embossed with a Prima background stamp, MS border punch, Berrisford "Orchid" wide satin ribbon, lace, pins, WOC flowers, and some gems from my stash

I love this image, it's so sweet and I just love how I got his suit, my colouring almost looks professional!!  There's just a touch of sparkle on her flowers, tiara and necklace.  The sentiment is from the Baby Baby set which you can get here

I decorated the inside using some left over papers

Do you like it?  I have to admit I was having a bit of a panic attack over the colour scheme, but I think it works OK now!!

Now I'm going to tell you that I had a complete nightmare with my second card, you see I had one of those really brilliant ideas, that when you do it you wonder what on earth you were thinking about!  Seriously I emailed a pic of it to the boss lady and she thought it was hilarious - I'd had this brilliant idea to do something with some black feather things behind the image.  But OMG, it looked like i'd stuck this lovely image to someones wig!! Or Cat!!  Needless to say it all came apart pretty quickly (but not before Kerry had had a jolly good giggle at my expense!!  

But in so doing I ripped one of the legs of the cake stand, and as I really liked how I'd coloured this image had to get a bit choppy with the scissors  - so sorry!!  Anyway, this image is called The Cake

I actually wanted this to be a CAS card, and let the image do the talking, and I think I got there in the end... and no actual cats (or wigs) were harmed in the process!

Please can I enter these challenges

Bride and Groom card

Make It Monday - Anything Goes

Daisy Doodles - Anything Goes with a Digi

Kraftin Kimmie - Pin It Down

Secret Crafter - Flowers, Ribbon and Lace

Sketch Saturday - Sketch (I flipped the sketch 90 degrees - hope that is OK!)

Cake card

Bows and Berries - CAS

2 Sisters - Ribbon

Before I go, as much as today is a celebration, it is bittersweet as it is the last LCI challenge for two of the DT - I shall miss you Mary and Amanda, your friendship has been incredible and I have been so inspired by your creations, and it has been a real honour to have worked alongside you.

Right, better go now before I get all over-emotional and have to do the hand flappy thing!! Hope you like my cards and the new images, and have fun entering the challenge and on the blog hop!!

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

Southern Girls Challenge - Song Title

Hello!  This is my first week as a Southern Girl... whoo hoo!!  I am truely honoured to be have been asked to join such a talented design team!

This weeks challenge is sponsored by Sassy Studios, Meljens, and Joanna Sheen, and we would like to see your

 Projects with a Song Theme

I chose the cutie Over the Moon image from Meljens to make a New Baby card, using the classic song Blue Moon as inspiration and as always these images are a joy to colour!

Supplies - Blue and Kraft Bazzill; Nitwit Papers; Buttons and Charm; Ribbon; Sewing Machine and Thread; Embroidery floss

Please may I enter these challenges
Digital Tuesday Challenge - Cute and Cuddly
Anything Goes - Stitching Real or Faux
Ooh La La - Stitching (faux or real)

Really hoping you enjoy playing along this fortnight

Scrapbook Sisters mid-way reminder, and a card for a special friend

Hello!

There's no new challenge at Scrapbook Sisters this week as the Anything Goes challenge is running for two weeks while the girls take a well earned holiday!

Anyway, I thought I'd post a card anyway, I guess I've just got into the habit and it seems strange to me not to post anything on a Wednesday morning!

I made this card for a friend, who has had a tough week and used some Bo Bunny Timepiece papers, and stamped the butterflies on some Bo Bunny Chiffon Double Dot papers.  The ribbon is some bias binding I picked up at the weekend at a little stall in a nearby shopping centre, the picture doesn't do it justice but it is quite lovely and I think I need to get some more!  Another of the Jenni Bowlin pins makes an appearance, at this rate I think I'm going to need to buy some more!

The sentiment in the middle is one that means a lot to me as I find the words have brought great comfort at difficult times.  They were found in the prayer book kept at a local church after one of the elderly parishioners passed away.  Tucked in amongst the pages were bits of paper, all with lovely thoughts and this is one of them - as you can't read them very well in the picture, here's the words

For each valley there’s a hilltop,

For each raindrop there is sun,

For each twilight there’s a dawning,

When dark hours of night are done.

For each thistle there’s a flower,

For each tear there is a smile,

Your sorrow will give way to joy,

In just a little while

 Aren't they lovely?  Such a pretty way of saying things will get better in time

Please may I enter these challenges

Paper Pretties - Use a Sentiment

Scrappy Frogs - Something that flies (I'm hoping the butterflies count!)

Karen's Doodles - Quote Inspiration

That's it from me today!  Thanks for looking

Ladybug Crafts Ink Challenge 44 - My challenge!!

Hello!!  Hope you have had a good week, can you believe it's only 7 weeks to Christmas...eek!!!

So good timing for this weeks Ladybug Crafts Ink challenge which this week has been set by ME!!!I would like to see your Christmas cards, but I would like to see them in non-traditional colours and/or you can distress them.  Which should (hopefully!) give you plenty of scope!

I have to say the rest of the Ladybugs have really excelled themselves this week, so if you have time why not stop on by their blogs and have a closer look?

Whithout further ado, here's my card... 

Not Christmas papers at all I got a new 6x6 MME Lost and Found Portobello Road pad the other day, and fell in love with these designs.  The glorious lace is from LCI, just love this as it's in such a neutral shade that looks stunning with pretty much everything.  The charm, velvet ric rac, and buttons are from my stash, and the Jenni Bowlin pin is adorable - so blingy!

I just love this image, it's a dream to colour and takes a great bit of sparkle so well!!  And this is the stamp of the month for November, Nikki andButtercup Building a Snowman and that means that it is half price, so don't delay on getting yours really quick for 50% off - that's £3.50!!  What an absolute bargain!!

Please may I enter these challenges

Bunny Zoes - Lace It Up

Cutie Pie - Use a Charm

Heart Song Inspirations - embossing/three or more layers

Lexi's Creations - Charming

Make It Monday - Anything Goes

Pollycraft Monday - Anything Goes

Meljens Designs - Christmas

The Ribbon Girl - Jingle all the way to Christmas

One Stitch at a Time - Christmas

Jingle Belles - Creatures

Craft Your Passion - Bingo (Distress, Ribbon, Bling)

Crimbo Crackers - Anything Goes

Gingerloft - Bingo (buttons, DP, Glitter)

I really hope you are able to play along this week, thanks for stopping by