Splash of Green

Hello again,

well it's raining here, and I only have 11 days till moving day so I'm getting in all the crafting that I can before I have to pack up, hopefully I'll have room in the stop-gap to have my desk out while we're looking for our own place, otherwise I may go completely mad!

I decided to play along with another challenge, (another one! I hear you cry) I really do love challenges, and I have to get my fix while I can! This time it's the Play Date Cafe which is another colour challenge.

 The focus this week is black, white and a splash of green, I have been asked to make a few cards so this challenge gave me the inspiration for this card.

I have chosen the in-colour Pear Pizazz for my splash of green, I really love this shade, it's quite vibrant without being too OTT, I also coloured some rhinestones with a pro-marker to tint them.

I hope that I haven't used too much green for it to be considered a splash, it was quite hard to stop once I'd started adding colour.

Goodbye for today xx

So Many Birthdays!

Hello!

I hope that everyone is enjoying the bank holiday weekend!

I have so many birthdays this month it is unbelieveable! Two people at work are the big 50 next week (you know who you are!), two of my sister's birthdays are Thursday and Friday, I have several orders for birthday cards including the dreaded men's cards, as well as father's day. Thank god for challenges to inspire me!

This card is for one of the 50th birthdays next week, I don't always like to put ages on the cards, so I haven't with either of these. I have used the Sweet Sunday sketch for my layout inspiration,

and the colour pallette from CR84FN challenge blog, this is a new one for me but I liked the inspiration photograph, so I'm sure this will become one of my regulars.

I have chosen to use Baja breeze, So Saffron, and Crumb Cake (formally known as Kraft) I thought that it would be hard to make these colour's feminine but blue is Karen's favourite colour so I thought this pallette would be perfect for her.

I really like the Springtime Vintage DSP which just so happens to but in the same colours, so it all worked out great! The Saffrom backing paper is from the Nursery suite DSP, so it just goes to show that these papers are not just for baby cards they co-ordinate well with other paper packs too.

I will also be entering this card into the Simply Stampin' challenge which this week is Floral Frenzy, if you look closely you'll see that not only have I used a floral backing paper, but I have stamped a cute floral image from the Timy Tags set around the 'K', as well as making my own flower from the scallop circle punch.

Thanks for stopping by, xx

Pick a Square

Hello there!

What a week! What with a few trips to the vets, working, shopping and general life this last week has flown by! We had another last minute trip to the vets yesterday morning and another appointment booked for Thursday afternoon,  so I was relieved to finally sit down and check out the challenges for this weekend!

The Less is More ladies this week have come up with a brilliant one, I can see me entering at least one more maybe several! The challenge is 'pick a square' the image and sentiment all have to be contained into this square and the rest of the card should be white.

Now I thought to myself straight away that I would go for the centre square and then I thought to myself, where is the challenge in that? It is supposed to push you into challenging yourself after all so I then thought well the upper left and right squares would be the most tricky so decided to go with one of these.

I made a tent fold A6, and then set to work finding an image that could be suspended from the top of that flies so it wouldn't look like I'd just shoved anything in mid-air. The Silhouette Sentiments set has a lovely little bird on a branch in it.

So that's what I've gone with, what do you think?

I'm quite pleased with it, but it was very hard not to add a touch of ribbon or something to the bottom portion!

Now for those of you who are wondering about my poor little kitty, he will be fine. Last week we took him to the vets because he had started to limp and his poor was very very swollen, we were told he had cellulitis, and given antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, and painkillers. He paw started to go down and all seemed well, then Thursday/Friday it started to swell up again. His poor little toes were huge!! I booked him another appointment yesterday morning and about an hour before the appointment it burst - YUCK!!
It had turned into an abscess, so after another visit to the vets, a second treatment of antibiotics to work along side the first and some more painkillers, his paw is looking a little better. Unfortunately we have to give him the antibiotics and painkillers daily, as well as bathing his foot regularly in warm salt water, not that he was aware of that at this point.

Have you ever seen such a relaxed looking animal?? If only he knew!!

FINALLY CAN I TEMPT YOU WITH SOME FREE PRODUCTS?

Do you want to expand your Stampin' up! stash without breaking the bank? Well you can with my virtual club, I need 6 people to get the club started and all each person has to do is order £25 of products each month for 6 months. Once in this 6 month period you will get all the hostess benefits of a £150 party, and each mpnth I'll also send you goodies to make a card! Please send me an email through the contact me tab at the top of my blog for more details.

Gosh, I did go on a bit - sorry. xx

Happy Birthday Amanda!

Good Morning, all you crafty people!

I made this card for my fabulous up-line Amanda, happy birthday!! I made it earlier this week and have been dying to show it, but I didn't want to spoil the surprise just incase she wondered over to my blog before hand.

Those of you who know Amanda will know that she always says that envelopes have a be decorated so I couldn't very well leave it blank, so I carried on the theme to the envelope. I really liked the look, I may have to start decorating all my envelopes this way!

I have used the gorgeous Sweet and Sour speciality papers for this card and envelope. You may have guessed by now that I LOVE challenges (I'm officially addicted to them) So I took the opportunity to combine a few for this card.

The sketch is from Mojo Monday, I have missed out the bow (very unlike me) as I wanted the Daisies die to have more of a focal point and I have swapped the large tag for three small ones (aren't these Tiny Tags just the cutest).

Next I wanted to use a great colour combo, colour challenges are fast becoming my favourite, they really push me out of my safety zone. So I just had to head over to Color Throwdown for my colour inspiration. This week there is an added twisted with the addition of 'pick your own' guest colour. I chose to add Rose Red, which is the colour of the DSP.

Lastly I thought that I would also add in the theme featured on SU-only which was May Flowers, and as I'm loving my Daisies die, that was no problem what so ever!

I do hope that Amanda likes her card, I'm sure she will get tons of them! Enjoy your surprises, birthday girl!

See you soon - xx

New Home Mini Set

Good morning,

I was asked if I make new home cards a little while ago by my sister, as she was needing a few small cards. I haven't made a new home card in a while in fact it's probably more like a couple of years! So I went through my stash and remembered that last year's Sale-a-bration set was a dinky little town set. It's called Good Neighbours and is made up of three houses, three roofs, three trees and a cute little cloud. So continuing with the trying to use all my stash challenge I set myself I dusted off the stamps and got to work.

I've used cute mini card blanks (10cm x 10cm) and gone with a colour theme for each one, Real red, Melon mambo, Old olive, Concord crush, and Peach parfait. I really love how you can switch the roofs around for a different look. My stamp-a-ma-jig worked overtime on this little collection!

I hope that she likes them.

Butterflies are Back

Good morning!

Well the butterflies are well and truly back in my repertoire, I was hoping to enter this card as a second entry to the Less is More challenge however I think it is definitely more rather than less.
It does however fit into this weeks Simply Stampin' challenge. This week its a colour challenge, which is one of my favourites as I always seem to stick to the same colour palette, so these challenges help me to explore other colour ways. Here are the colours

A while a go I purchased the Greenhouse Gala DSP which feature a few of the colours in this week's challenge, Sarah-Jane one of the DT over on the blog had also used paper from this DSP on her card (it's gorgeous! click on her name to go to her blog) So here is my card

I also used the same DSP to decorate the inside of my card, I don't normally do this, but I'm using this card for a friend at work's 50th birthday at the beginning of June so I wanted to make it a bit more special.

I will also be entering this card into a new challenge blog called Crafting For All Seasons, it's the very first challenge for this new blog and the theme this week is 'anything goes'. So it's a great one to start with for any new challengers who want to have a go.

Hope you have a good weekend! I have a lot of cards to make so I may well see you again before today is over.

Tempting Turquoise Butterflies

Good Afternoon,

Well I vowed to give the butterfly embosslit die a rest and use all of my neglected stash. I have been forced (thank you lovely LIM ladies!!) to crack out the butterflies and give them a run through my Big Shot, I really needed my arm twisting! Hee hee.

So as you've guessed from my ramblings this week's challenge over at Less is More is butterfly/butterflies. I knew that I wanted to use one bright colour, so I looked in my scraps bag and found a gorgeous piece of Tempting Turquoise that was begging to be used. That's the great thing about the embosslits folders they are so dinky that they are just perfect for using up all those scraps that we just can't part with!

So here is my card

I have used the four smaller butterflies for fluttering over one side of my card and the largest to decorate the envelope. I  also used a piece of the card stock as a mat. Hopefully you can also see that I have gone around the inner edge of the white CS with glue and glitter to add some sparkle ( I just can't help myself!) I really would have liked to have stamped my sentiment in the same colour ink, but I'm still adding to my ink collection and this is one of the colours that I don't yet own. So I've used Night of Navy rather than black to that it doesn't look so stark.

I love this challenge so much I can see me entering again so be sure to check back for another card.

Easel For Ruth

Hiya,

Sorry for my lack of posting this week, I thought I'd scheduled this post but I must have just thought about doing it, and not actually done it, hopefully this doesn't mean I'm going completely mad!!

You may remember I received a card a little while a go from the very thoughtful Ruth over at Flower Sparkle, (her blog is amazing, so please do go and check it out) if you missed her gorgeous her you can find the post here.

Well I wanted to make her a card in return, and I wanted it to be a special card. So I had a go at my very first easel card, I have always thought that these cards looked really complicated but It was actually much simpler than I expected and very fun to do!
Ruth had posted about her fear of orange, this is a fear that I share coupled with yellow, these colours scare me so I wanted to try and make a card using this colour. I decided on the in-colours Peach Parfait and Pear Pizazz.

So what do you think? Not bad for my first attempt. I actually quite like this colour now, I think because it's not a really bright orange, and aren't these FREE (level 1 hostess) papers just gorgeous!

Well I hope you'll pop back tomorrow, for challenge Saturday. It's officially my favourite day of the week!

Less is More, really not sure!

Hello again,

Yes that's right two posts in one day. Saturday for me is challenge day, and Less is More is always a challenge. This week the challenge is a one layer card that features embossing, either heat or dry. As I went down the dry embossing route last week I thought I would go with heat embossing for a change this week.

I decided to frame my card blank using the Elegance wheel and wheel guide, its really great for mitred corners, and of course getting a straight line!
I then heat embossing my sentiment in the centre, which is Elegant Thank you, I know that a one layer card should use only minimal embellishments so rather than add ribbon and a giant bow, (which I was really tempted to do!) I added glitter to the border, not sure if this picture really shows it that well?, and four rhinestones, one to each inner corner.

I'm really not sure at all about this card, but I'm sure that the queen bee's of LIM and the trusty LIMette's will let me down gently.

See you tomorrow

Top 3, and a new sketch

Good Afternoon,

This week at Simply Stampin' is sketch week. I needed to make my step dad's birthday card for Monday so I thought I'd use this weeks sketch to make it. I have distressed some Newsprint DSP teamed up with the colour Bravo Burgundy, I thought is I wanted to use the retired set Studio Sketches for his card that the burgundy colour would go great with the wine stamp that I wanted to use.

I know we all think that you can't use ribbon on a masculine card, but I think as long as you don't go the whole hog and add a bow, and remember to use masculine colours its fine, so I've used (also retired) Basic grey taffeta ribbon.

I am also very excited that I've got top three for my last weeks card, I've been joining in with the challenge blog every week since it started, and I'm ecstatic that I've made top three for a challenge! Check out the banner in my side bar.

So here is my card

I hope that he and the girlie's over at the challenge like it. I'd love to know what you think, so please feel free to leave me a comment.

Enjoy the weekend
xx

Buttons and Bows

Hi,

Just a quick post this evening to show you the card I've made for the Simply stampin' challenge blog, as you can tell from the title this weeks challenge was buttons and bows.

I may have gone a little OTT with the buttons, what do you think?

I wanted to use my new scallop circle die to make my card and I had this idea of using the buttons to frame the sentiment, I choose a background paper that had lots of colours within it so that I could use all different coloured buttons. The DSP is Sweet Stitches paper, and a mixture of SU! designer buttons, and buttons from my stash, the ribbon is gorgeous White Organza which you may have overlooked in the catalogue, this can be dyed any colour with the re-inkers so it's very versatile.

Anyway keep your fingers crossed for me, that my very different card, catches the design teams eye over at Simply Stampin.

Tulips, my favourite!

Hello all,

Last thursday I arrived home for work to find a brown envelope on the doorstep, strange I thought I don't think I'm waiting for anything to arrive. So I opened it up to find a handstamped envelope inside. I instantly got all excited, and couldn't wait to see what was inside!

The amazing Ruth (you have to check out her blog she is super talented!) from Flower Sparkle had sent me a card, I have been a fan of Ruth's work since I started crafting. Her cards are always perfection. A little while a go I left a comment on her blog when she had made a card with a tulip stamp, they are my favourite flowers, so dainty and full of the joys of spring. So she had made me my very own card with the set.

See what I mean, just gorgeous! What more could a girl want? Tulips that will stay pretty, perky and most inportantly glittery forever. This card has taken pride of place in my craft room, and Ruth has also given me permission to use it as inspiration for my next party make and take.

Thank you so much Ruth, I love it!!

White on White

Good morning,

Well as many of you will know I love my challenges at the weekend, yesterday I headed on over to Less is More to see what the lovely ladies had in store for us this week, and my heart sank. The theme is 'white on white' instantly I thought to myself I can't do that, and came away feeling quite upset that I wouldn't have a challenge to join in with. However this morning I was doing the rounds of my favourite blogs when I saw that the super talented Ruth over at Flower Sparkle had joined in, making a stunning card. So I thought well I'll give it a go, if it doesn't work out then I haven't lost anything.

On Sundays I always hop over to check out this weeks sketch at  the Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge,

I always find inspiration there, and I thought I would combine the sketch with the 'white on white' brief so that I had a starting off point.

I must say that after all my worrying I'm quite pleased with how it turned out. Don't get me wrong I don't think I'll be making another all white card again in a hurry but I enjoyed the challenge of only being able to use white. I went rather heavy on the embellishments but I feel that because they are all one colour that it still feels like 'Less is more', I hope the girls agree!

The recipe
Stamps, Baroque motifs
Paper, Whisper white CS
Ink, Versamark
Accessories, Dazzling diamonds glitter, Heat & stick powder, Square lattice embossing folder, Vintage wallpaper embossing folder, Daisies die cut, Bitty buttons, rhinestones, dimensionsals.

I hope that I might inspire some else to give it a try as Ruth inspired me.
I'm also entering this card into the Crazy 4 challenges blog.

Blog Candy

Hi,

Just a very quick post to let you know that NG Cards has blog candy, why not pop over and see if you could be the lucky winner!

Mojo Throwdown

Good Evening,

My USB stick is playing up and I didn't think I was going to be able to post this card in time for the challenges. Thank you Dan for emailing them to me!

This card combines the Colour Throwdown Challenge colours and Mojo Monday's sketch, I'm still not sure of the colour combo, what do you think? I think I went a bit OTT on the pink.

I'm still trying to stick to my personal challenge of using all my stamps, I have used this set before but this stamp had not seen ink, I also dusted of my crimper and spritzing tool for this card.

Here is the colour palette we have been challenged to use

and the beautiful sketch

Think I may have to give the colour combo another go and balance the colours better.

Have a great evening
xx

Whats On Your Workdesk Wednesday

Good Morning!!

I saw something about this blog a while ago, but I'm usually at work on a Wednesday and by the time I get home the light is too bad to take a decent photo. So when I realised that it was Wednesday (the bank holidays have turned my brain to mush I have no idea what day it is anymore!!) I was so happy that I could share with you what's on my workspace, loads of people have already uploaded there photo to the site so if you're nosey like me check it out here.

So prepare to be horrified

Now to the untrained eye this just looks like a load of mess, and I suppose quite a bit of it is, but in the tiny space at the front is my preparation for a challenge combo card which I'm hoping to finish and upload later.

In the top left corner are ribbons, next to that glues, behind that some of my stamp sets, and down the right hand side is a whole stack of scraps that are patiently waiting to be filed back into their colour families.

As you can see my new years resolution of keeping my desk tidy has completely gone out of the window!

Well I'm off to have a nosey around other people's desk's, I can't be the only untidy one!!

Have a great day

Stampin' Celebration Spring

Well hello again,

This weekend seems to have gone on forever, last night I was lying on the sofa watching telly thinking that it was Monday and that I had work today when my boyfriend reminded me that it was Sunday and we still had another day off! Not that I'm complaining as it gave me enough time to finish off a card I started yesterday for a challenge I haven't entered before called Stampin' Celebration. The theme this week is spring so I thought that I'd use  my Growing Green set, and really had to resist the urge to put some butterflies on it, for those of you who don't know, last week I set myself the challenge of using all of my stamp sets as I seem to use the same favourites all the time.

Here is the inspiration collage for this weeks challenge

I wanted to try a different style of card that is new to me, which is why it has taken so long to finish it. These shutter cards will definitely have to only be for very special occasions.

Look to perfect little bows! I'm so proud of myself.
I hope the ladies over at Stampin' Celebration like my effort.

Another Triple Challenge Card

Good morning,

It's a little overcast and dull here this morning, not very inspiring at all. Good thing it's Sunday, as each week I pop over to the Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge blog to be inspired with a beautiful sketch



I have also combined my card with the Simply Stampin' colour combo



I didn't have any basic grey CS, or ink so I have substituted this for some grey/silver brads, hopefully this is OK. I would also like to enter this card for the Less is More challenge which this week is a thank you or congrats card.

So here it is

I'm continuing on my own personal challenge (see yesterdays post if you don't have a clue what I'm babbling about LOL) to use all of my stamps and not just stick to my favourites. I'm not sure if I've used this one, which makes me think that I haven't. It's a level 1 hostess set called Punch Potpourri, which co ordinates with four of the punches. The bird punch is another of the items that I bought which rarely gets any use. I can't think why, it's very pretty!!

I'd also like to say thank you to everyone who left me comments, I do love to read them, and try to leave one back for you.
xx