Monday, May 31, 2010

With Love ...

I think this is my favourite Huggabugg image and I love to colour her. I seem to have a 'love yellow' thing going on at the moment too, no idea where that has come from but these October Afternoon papers are certainly helping to fuel the yellow phase. I'm using the 8x8 October Afternoon pads that I bought from Jean (she has both the fly a kite and the thrift shop pads)


Sweet Summertime ...

Well last weekend the weather was gorgeous and hot, temperatures hit 29 degrees, summer was on it's way and life was good. What a difference a week can make, I've taken my gloves back out of the cupboard for walking Haggis this week as the temperature has dropped back down to 10 degrees and it's grey, cloudy, wet and windy.
So, I've tried to tempt the weather by making some pretty cards inspired by the colours of summer and all using a new kit by Crystal Wilkerson called {Sweet Summertime} Now Crystal just released the kit in traditional paper form under the Echo Park label but you can also get it in digital form plus a stack of extras and I think Crystal has 25% off her entire store for the day on Monday







A few details - those metal tab clips with the embossed words are Making Memories and were reduced to 99p this week at Hobbycraft and the scalloped edge with the tiny scallops behind it? Two new dies from My Favorite Things, I think they are my favourite way to create pretty edges at the moment and this week they are bringing out some more - can't wait for the new designs :)

Saturday, May 29, 2010

Dare You ...

Yesterday (yes I know I'm a day late) was a new dare at the Daring Cardmakers blog and this time it was Lythan who set the challenge which is to make an Anniversary card.  I used a couple of elements from a digi kit to create my 'perfect pear' anniversary card and added some more of those gorgeous Dewdrops that I love so much that Jean sells


Monday, May 24, 2010

Cute!

I followed a link and then another and then another (as you do when you are blog hopping and wasting a few hours) and found myself at the blog of the Baby Buds. Their stamps are just so sweet that I had to shop (digital stamps for immediate gratification) and play almost straight away. This is the card I made and it is so cute. I even used real paper from October Afternoon and my new dinamics scalloped dies from My Favorite Things


...and thanks to Mary Anne and Krista my card was featured on their blog today :)

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Digital Lollipops ...

Have you heard the news? Lori Boyd's Lollipop stamps are now available in digital versions... whoohooo! ... I loved them in rubber but I love them even more as digi stamps and have used them already to make a couple of cards including this pretty one. I thought she needed a set of fairy wings so added the wings and the star from this SSD digital kit, attached everything with foam dimensional sickers and added a generous amount of glitter too :)



Friday, May 21, 2010

A Different Challenge ...

I'm a regular reader of Lucy's blog and today she posted a challenge that was just perfect for me - to use digital elements on a card. It was made for me and even better was that I just downloaded this rocking digital kit from Sweet Shoppe designs. So I spent a little while this evening fiddling around with bits of paper and prettiness (sorting through my Basic Grey brads and matching them to my Papertrey ribbons) and cutting, sticking and generally enjoying myself and came up with this card - and I LOVE it!

I Dare You ...

Goodness, a whole week since my last blog post but I do have a good reason - a very nasty throat infection that came out of nowhere last weekend. I've been completely floored by it all week and just starting to feel better yesterday and today. I've done hardly any colouring or cardmaking and haven't been in work all week either so it's a bit of a miracle that I have a card for this weeks Daring Cardmakers Challenge let alone two!!

This weeks challenge is all about cards for boys and I've used stamping and my lovely Copics on both of these.  My first card uses a sweet little Hanglar boy riding a bike and papers from the Happy Go Lucky digital kit at Sweet Shoppe Designs and the second features a Lollipop stamp in digital form from Lori Boyd together with papers from the Away We Go digital kit from Nitwit Collections.  I have two cards for this weeks challenge because I couldn't decide which one to use :)



I'm hoping to continue to feel better during this weekend and get over this throat infection so I can get back to work, get back to cardmaking and get out of this house!

Friday, May 14, 2010

A Bunting We Will Go

I am continuing my guest spot as a Daring Cardmaker and this week the challenge is to create a card featuring bunting or banners.  I love this card and it is quite fitting really as although I make all these cards I share on my blog (and more that I don't share) I'm forever forgetting my friends birthdays so I probably need more 'sorry I forgot' cards than any other!



I used this lovely kit by Kristin Cronin Barrow at Sweet Shoppe Designs

Sunday, May 09, 2010

Mail Box project ...

I think it's safe to share a project that I had published in the last issue of Simply Sweet Magazine since it's been a while since it was released. The magazine was full of projects for the whole year and I chose to make a summer memories decorated tin. Robin sent me a huge box of these little tin mailboxes from Target when they had them in for Valentines day and I just decorated it with papers, ribbon, lace trim, crystal swirls and paper flowers that I made from my flower shaped punches



Saturday, May 08, 2010

Pretty Flower ...

This card ended up looking nothing like what I had thought it would. I like it though but I couldn't find a space for a sentiment! The papers and flower element are from a new kit by my friend Kay Miller and I got to use my favourite scalloped die and turquoise felt from Papertrey too

Friday, May 07, 2010

Daring Cardmakers Challenge ...

My challenge entry this week is a bit different because I am very excited to say that I have been invited to be the guest designer at DCM for the month of May.  The theme for this weeks dare is 'emerald' as it's the birthstone for May. I used the idea of the colour emerald to make a good luck card for a friend and used this kit from Sweet Shoppe Designs as well as Papertrey ribbon and some little pins that I got from the last caft show at Harrogate
Today must be my lucky day as I am also the featured designer at the Sweet Shoppe blog today, I have project post at the Scattered Scarlet blog and it is Friday - my favourite day of the week!

Mary, Mary Quite Contrary ...

Mary, Mary how contrary
How does your garden grow
With silver bells and cockle shells
and pretty maids all in a row

I loved this little Hanglar girl getting ready to plant some seeds and make her garden pretty for the summer and whist I was colouring her and making the card this nursery rhymes popped into my head.  I found a use for the vegetable papers from my Cosmo Cricket 6x6 paper pad too :)


Thursday, May 06, 2010

Shopping for cardstock ...

On Sunday I called into our Papermill shop. I love their boxes of card, during the last year they've really improved their range and seem to stock standard colours now (well they do in my shop) and I love their bright colours. Anyway, when I went in on Sunday they had some lovely bright card including turquoise which has a pattern that looks very similar to the Bazzill Doodlebug card. Even better though is that it coordinates perfectly with my gorgeous turquoise ribbons from Papertrey

I had to use my lovely new turquoise cardstock to make a card with the stamp that I coloured at my crop on Friday night (with my lovely Copics of course)

Wednesday, May 05, 2010

Pretty Pink ...

I fell in love with this lovely pink patterned paper from Nitwit Collections, it's really pretty and I just had to use it to make a card. I've left it without a sentiment because to be honest I didn't have a reason for making a pink card so thought if I left it blank I can just quickly add a sentiment when I need it.

Tuesday, May 04, 2010

Been Busy ...

Last week my postman was kept busy delivering parcels from all over the world including more lovely pretty ribbons from Papertrey to add to my ribbon shelves and a huge parcel of rubbery loveliness from Stamping Bella

So I have spent this 3 day weekend (hooray for Bank Holidays) playing with paper, ink, stamps and colouring in and have created this stack of cards to add to my cardbox, it was looking a bit empty and sad

Monday, May 03, 2010

Green Lollipop ...

The dare this week at Caardvarks is to create a monochromatic card.  Usually I'd have probably made an all pink card but I reached for the green Copics to colour this little chap in and so I went all green. The chipboard letters are Thickers by American Crafts in silver foil but I changed them by colouring over with a coordinating Copic. The little chap is another Lollipop, the papers are by October Afternoon and I used my favourite heart shaped nestabilities


A Challenge ...

The challenge this week over at Daring Cardmakers is to create an easel card. I've not made one of these before but it seemed easy enough, not sure why it took 5 times as long as an ordinary card however but it entertained me last night trying to get it to stand up.




I used the sweetest kit from my lovely friend Kay Miller who has added a few new kits to her store, I had a bit of a splurge in her store on Saturday morning whilst munching my breakfast.