A Card for Spring ...

We have ahad glorious weather this week, it would have been fabulous for Summer never mind Spring and to top it all I've broken up for the Easter holidays today so I am at home for the next two weeks - yippeeee!!

The challenge over at Just Magnolia and Hanglar Stanglar challenge blog is to create a card for Spring, I'm using Spring colours for my card

Two weeks ago I spent the weekend with 7 of my crafty friends in a cottage in the middle of nowhere playing with paper, eating, laughing and generally having a fabulous time. Jan taught me how to make this card, it folds flat for posting.  I used gorgeous Pion papers from my other friend Jean, ribbon, flowers, crystal swirls, lace, liquid pearls and pins (tinted with a Copic pen to coordinate) all from the Ribbon Girl and it was the perfect card to enter as my Guest Design Team card into the challenge that the Ribbon Girl is sponsoring. Check out the blog for more details

Just Magnolia & Hanglar Stanglar challenge ...

I always get excited when someone asks me to be a guest designer for their Design Team, even more so when it involves making really pretty things. Today I am one of the guest designers for Just Magnolia & Hanglar Stanglar challenge blog and the other guest designer is someone I know very well - my Mum! and we're sponsoring the challenge too with our regular prize sponsorship from the Ribbon Girl. The challenge this week is to create a card using doilies.

The tulle, ricrac, lace and pearl swirls are all from Ribbon Girl and I added little dots of liquid pearls on her ears and shoes to represent ear rings and buttons also from Ribbon Girl.

The gorgeous papers - and they are really gorgeous! - are from 3D Jean, I added a Papertrey Ink doilie die cut and the sentiment stamp is from Whimsy I think (I'm not sure about this though)

Thank you Just Magnolia & Hanglar Stanglar - I loved making my card for you and now I'm off to prepare for even more excitement because tomorrow morning I am teaching my first card class - so I am both excited and absolutley terrified at the same time!!

A Birthday Card ...

The final challenge of the year for Papertake Weekly is a sketch and this is my interpretation

I used my newest paper flower die from MFT to make the roses and the leaves are punched from my Mam's MS punch.  Lace, button twine and pompom trim are all from the Ribbon Girl and the sentiment and number stamps are Papertrey. I added a few Kaiser pearls to the centres of the roses and that sparkly/fibery paper stuff was something I picked up from the florists wholesalers last week (not sure what a florist would do with it but I liked it behind the paper roses)

Ribbon Girl Colour Challenge ...

The new colour challenge at the Ribbon Girl blog is red, black and cream as chosen by Vicky.

This is the card and box that I made, it's another tiny 4 inch card

I used:

Digital Papers - Joy To The World by Kristin Cronin Barrow at Sweet Shoppe Designs

German Glass Glitter - 3DJean

Laces, ribbons, pins, Zva crystal swirl and button twine - Ribbon Girl

Sentiment, kraft cardstock and tag die - Papertrey Ink

Distress Ink - Ranger

The challenge is sponsored by Lili Of The Valley and Ribbon Girl so well worth entering

A Decorated Gift Box ...

Cutting it fine I know, but I finally finished this decorated gift box for a wedding we are going to tomorrow! It started off life as a pink and blue patchwork effect heart shaped box with a leaf pattern all over it - it really was as dreadful as it sounds - so I changed it.

The papers are all from a digital kit by Zoe Pearn called Serenity

I used these gorgeous pearls from 3DJean, I love that in one pack you get all the different sizes which was just perfect for this project as I wanted to use lots of different sizes

All the ribbons, lace, braid and rose flower are from the Ribbon Girl.

Some Hanglar Cards ...

I've spent some time playing with my lovely Hanglar stamps recently, I love these stamps and they are so easy to colour with my Copics

(October Afternoon paper, the sentiment stamp is from 3DJean and the ribbon, bakers twine and polkadot button from The Ribbon Girl)

(digital papers from Sweet Shoppe Designs, sentiment stamp from Papertrey, ribbon, ricrac, twine

and polkadot button from the Ribbon Girl)

(Cosmo Cricket papers, October Afternoon letter stickers, Nestabilities dies

and twine and ribbon from the Ribbon Girl)

Some Cards ...

I have spent a happy few days this weeks nursing a bit of a cold, making cards, playing with some new purchases, visiting lovely friends for a craft day and generally enjoying still being on holiday - and trying not to think about going back to work!

(digital kit from Sweet Shoppe Designs)

(Sweet Pea stamps from 3DJean)

A Pretty Card ...

This card was intended for a sketch challenge at Twisted Sketches but, as is the way with these things, I took too long to take it's photograph and missed the end of the challenge. Oh well, it's a pretty card and it is currently winging it's way to a friend.

It's a really pretty girly girly card and I used on of Zoe Pearns new digital kits (also a new line from MME) and a Hanglar stamped image. I spritzed the flowers with Shimmerz spray from Jean's shop and the ribbon and pins are both Ribbon Girl

Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge ...

I have joined in with another challenge blog at the Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge Blog, they had a simple sketch this week (challenge number 10) so I felt the need to make a simple card - no patterned paper huh?

I used the Midnight Feast stamps from Waltzingmouse and the dots down there at the bottom (that you can't really see in the picture but look fine in real life) are Papertrey. The black jewels are from 3DJean and the buttons, twine and ribbon are from Ribbon Girl

Chicken Soup Challenge...

The new Chicken Soup recipe challenge has been issued and it was the perfect inspiration for me to get my sewing machine out again. Here is my card but you'll need to pop over to the Chicken Soup blog to see the original inspiration. Remember there are prizes on offer at the end of the month, check out the blog for details.

(Juicy digital kit by Kristin Cronin Barrow at Sweet Shoppe Designs, For You stamp from 3DJean)

Odds And Ends Of Allsorts ...

This is the last of my catching up posts and I've got a few cards made with odds and ends and with products from various designers and shops.

Cosmo Cricket DeLovely papers, sizzix loopy border die, Purple Onion Designs sentiment stamp available from 3DJean)

(Baby Bud digital stamp, Cuttlebug embossing folder, nestabilities dies, Papertrey ribbon and sentiment stamp)

(Sweet Summertime papers and Lori Boyd charity digital stamp)

(Sweet Summertime papers, Whale digital sticker by Miss Tiina designs and those little splashes are dewdrop teardrops avaiable from 3DJean)

(Heather Ellis digital stamp, October Afternoon paper, Papertrey ribbon and sentiment stamp)

A Card Tutorial ...

Today was my turn to post on the Scattered Scarlet blog and I have done a tutorial to make this card.

If you'd like to see how I made it check out the blog here

DCM Challenge ...

The challenge this week over at the DCM challenge blog is to create a card using pearls (June Birthstone) and it certainly was a challenge for me as I'm not really a pearl person - I'm more of a glitter and bling girl :)  Anyway, I was looking through my embellishment draw for anything vaguely pearl-like when I spotted these adhesive Kaisercraft pearls that I'd bought from Jean, then I found some paper doilies and decided to make a flower.  That was really easy - I just scrunched up the doilie a bit and punched a few layers of cream tissue paper with my small scalloped cirlce punch. I joined them together with a pearl brad and scrunched the layers up before covering in several layers of golden Shimmerz Spray

Those pearls - I stuck them all on individually which I found strangely theraputic and I had to add a teeny tiny bit of bling in the form of two strips of sequins down each side of the paper panel. The papers are from a digital kit at Sweet Shoppe Designs and the stamp is from Papertrey Ink

An Engagement Card ...

I needed to make an engagement card and I was thinking very classy and elegant but actually when I started I kept being drawn towards the Delovely papers by Cosmo Cricket. I bought the 6x6 paper pad from Jean last week (well I guess it's on loan as I haven't paid you yet Jean!) and there are some of the designs that are just simply gorgeous and I know I'll want to use them again and again. So yesterday I met some dear friends at The Scrapbook Shop for some chatting and shopping (yummy muffins too) and I bought a few of the larger 12x12 sheets in my favourite patterns.

Anyway, I did use the Delovely papers for the engagement card and I really love how it came out.

I used my favourite Nestabilities heart dies (so pleased that I bought those as I've used them so often) and the large scalloped die from Papertrey

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)

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

A New Lollipop Card ...

I was so glad that payday paid another visit during this week as last month I went slightly bonkers conkers with online shopping and several parcels arrived on Friday including my new stamps from Stamping Bella.  I inked up some of them last night including this new Lollipop stamp.  I'm really hoping that Lori designs some more of her Lollipop stamps as I really love them and they're easy to colour too.

I am entering my card into the DCM challenge this week which was to use diecuts on your card. I used a Nestabilities label die and my lovely new Papertrey rikrak die - as well as gorgeous new October Afternoon papers that I got from Jean and a spotted embossing plate from Papertrey