A Christmas Present ...

This year my brother has asked for an IKEA giftcard for Christmas as they just moved house and need to buy new furniture. So I had to make a giftcard holder for the card and doubled it up as his Christmas card and I'm entering it into the CPS challenge

 

I used more papers inside the card to make the little pocket for the giftcard

I used a new digital kit by Crystal Wilkerson called Merry and Bright as well as lovely satin ribbon from the Ribbon Girl and alphabet stickers from October Afternoon

Queen For A Day ...

I made this card for the current CPS challenge, she is a digital stamp by Cristy Croll that I've had sitting on my hard drive for ages but finally got around to making something with her. I'm feeling quite proud of my colouring on this one :) and I really love these bubbly bows made with the wide satin ribbon from the Ribbon Girl

I couldn't fit my 'Queen for A Day' sentiment on the front so I've popped it inside instead

A Non Traditional Baby Card...

... Well at least it started out as being non-traditional until I added the baby :lol: but at least there is no pink or blue ;)  During the last 3 weeks whilst I have been enjoying the long summer holiday from school I have made a lot of cards but I think this just might be my favourite. I love all the white and red is one of my all time favourite colours so really I was onto a winner before I added one of my lovely friend Lori's digi Lollipop stamps :)

(I used a digital Lollipop stamp by Lori Boyd and ribbons from The Ribbon Girl, nestabilities dies, copics, Papertrey cardstock and sentiment stamp and the teeniest tiniest of diamonds (not quite as real as that sounds!) on the bow of the spotty nappy (diaper)

...and I am entering this into the CPS sketch challenge (which I LOVED by the way) as well as The Pink Elephant challenge blog which was to use ribbon and sparkle

CPS 179 ...

This is my take on the sketch for this weeks challenge at the CPS blog

(Digital paper by Crystal Wilkerson, twine and polka dot button from Ribbon Girl, I enhanced the flower with felt cut with nestabilities)

CPS #178 ...

This is my take on this weeks CPS card sketch

I used my large Papertrey scallop die, a stampin up label holder and more of that gorgeous Divine Twine from The Ribbon Girl

CPS 176 ...

2nd post of the day, I know just like buses - weeks go by without any posts then they all come along together :lol:

Anyway, I had time this morning to play with the latest Zoe Pearn kit Monster Mash (because I love that little blue monster so much) and I teamed it up with this weeks CPS challenge

November already???

Can you believe that it's November already? EEeeeee I am so excited as it's *almost* that magic time of the year again! The big 'C' word is topical in our house at the moment and I have been busy making a few Christmas cards, starting a few lists and I have even bought my first Christmas present!

I love this Cosmo Cricket paper, it kind of fell into my basket when I was shopping at the weekend and as soon as I got it home I used it for my CPS card for this week. I also bought some distress inks to colour my stamped images as recomended by my lovely friend Jane - I think I need more practice with the inks :)

Another CPS sketch ...

I love being on holiday from work. So yesterday I just scraped in with last weeks CPS sketch and today I have already completed the new sketch and even photographed it! I am on a roll :)

For this card I used another of Lauren Grier's new digital stamps, this time one of the owl stamps from her Woo Says The Owl collection as well as these gorgeous papers from Sweet Shoppe Designs and my ProMarkers to colour the stamp (I had a delivery this week of all the new colours of Promarkers so now I have more colour choices but a storage nightmare!!)

CPS Challenge ...

I loved the current sketch at the CPS blog, it's just my 'thing' and as I wanted to play with my favourite Papertrey stamps I went with a love heart theme.

Papers from the Sweet Shoppe, stamps from Papertrey, ink from SU!, Martha Stewart border punch and some twine from the garden centre

CPS #111

Today I made a card for the CPS sketch challenge blog.

(Sweet As by Fee Jardine at Sweet Shoppe Designs, Buttons - Autumn Leaves, Ribbon - Beresfords)


Yesterday was a public holiday for us in the UK and we took Haggis for his first visit to the seaside - most of the county seemed to be there too so we didn't stop long (we went home for fish and chips :) )

More cards ...

Another card, another challenge! This time I needed a quick card for a friend of my Dad's who is having an operation. I love this little sheep, a Pink Petticoat image stamp, and I love my ProMarkers too :) This card is for the CPS sketch challenge.

Image stamp - Pink Petticoat

Cardstock - Stampin Up

Dies - Nestabilities

Ribbon - Doodlebug

More challenges...

Two challenges for today, luckily I managed to get outside and take the photographs before it started to rain. Today is the longest day of the year, Summer Solstice and it has rained since this morning and was only 10 degrees. Can you believe that I had to get my winter boots and fleece back out of storage!

The Daring cardmakers dare this week is to make a quick card. I loved these DooleyDoo birdies by Jo Kill and this spotty paper was just perfect to go with them that I found in a drawer already printed out. The darers want to know how long it took to make the card too. My card took less than 15 minutes to make.

(credits)

I've also joined in with the CPS sketch challenge and managed to use up another piece of paper that I had printed but not used.

(credits)

Wow!!

Wow!! was all I could say when I saw this post over at CPS. Kandis chose my card for the Reader Spotlight pick of the week. I am very happy!! This is my contribution for this weeks CPS sketch, I used the Goin' Bananas digital kit at NitWit Collection and some scalloped circles that my friend Dawn kindly cut for me with her nestabilities dies.

Then, whilst I was in a challenge/dare kind of mood I took a waltz over to Beates blog and joined in with her sketch challenge ...

... and then peeped in on Melissa and joined in with her challenge too (use red, green, cream and black, trim/braid and make your own flower, any occasion but Christmas) - the crystal swirl is actually red but it doesn't show up too well on my photograph.

This afternoon I was rather bored with life lying on the floor so I visited The LilyPad store and took a lucky dip in the elements section - closed my eyes, whizzed my mouse around the screen and clicked!! I stopped on Amy Martin's funky painted flowers and made this groovy flap card, I also had another go at Charlotte's handwritten journalling tips over at IACW.

An attempt to catch up with blogging...

We seem to be having a very busy week in our household this week - not going places type of busy just normal family stuff that has filled up our days. I had a letter from the hospital with the results of my MRI scan on my back. I definitely have a slipped disc and have been referred to another hospital which is the neurosurgery specialist place for our region. So now I am waiting for a different hospital to write with an appointment. Although I've obviously got a major problem (it is major to me as I can't do my job, sit down for very long or walk very far which means I can't get on with my normal day to day life) I was very relieved that it was 'just' a slipped disc which can be fixed with hopefully an operation and not a growth or tumour which I was worried about.

Anyway, I got an enourmous box from Prima delivered on Tuesday filled with gorgeous scrumptious Creative Team stash goodies - I'm not kidding when I say the contents covered the whole of the kitchen work bench!! I am very lucky ducky :)

I also had a parcel from Emma's Paperie. If you haven't shopped there then I can highly recommend it and just look how it all arrives - the sweeties were delicious xx

Yesterday I had some cards featured on the It's A Creative World blog which made me very happy as I haven't had time to join in with the blog for a couple of months.

And of course I have been making cards - when I eventually do go back to work I'll be lucky if I get 2 cards made in a week so I am making hay whilst the sun shines so to speak and filling up the hours in my day when I am lying on the floor with cardmaking. I may as well make the most of it :lol:

One of the cards I made this week is for the Caardvarks challenge - Flight of Fancy

This last card is my contribution to the CPS sketch challenge. I've had this Miss Shabby Jenn digital kit since last week and hadn't gotten a chance to use it, it seemed perfect for this challenge and it co-ordinated so well with those little embroidered flowers that I bought at a craft fair and then never found anything to use them on.

As I am attempting to catch up these are some of my cards that have been posted in my galleries around digi-land but hadn't actually made it onto my blog :)

A Quick Catch Up...

Just catching up quickly on a few things from this week. It's been great being on holiday but I've still been super busy and my shoulder is aching from sitting at my desk for too long.

First is the little extra challenge over at DCM, I was completely inspired to open up my new packet of cuttlebug mini embossing folders.

This one was for the CPS sketch and I finally managed to use some of the lovely black and white papers from Pink Petticoat that I got a while ago.

The final one was for the Sketch This (cards) blog and I think it's my favourite out of the three. I'd forgotten I had a whole pack of these papers in 6x6 size but I found them when I was hunting for something else.

This little gingerbread man was one of the posts over on It's A Creative World with step by step pictures if anyone wants to have a go, it's easy peasy and needs no sewing.

This very pink card was over there too last week, I like it because it's so simple and I emailed the photograph to my lovely Mommy to tell her that I love her.

Lots more to share but that can wait for another day xx

Back on the sketch trail...

Yay - only two more days until half term. I am so looking forward to a few extra hours under my duvet and lots and lots of crafting. I have a huge list of things that I want to do by the end of the holiday!

My new Magnolia stamps arrived on Friday and I finally got around the playing with them. The first card is for the CPS sketch blog which I haven't joined in with for quite a while and the second one is just because I wanted to and I've left space to add names and sentiments as it's for my 'last minute oh my goodness I forgot' card drawer!!

I'm waiting impatiently for the new Sugar Nellie stamps to be released, roll on November!! but I'm filling the waiting with online shopping, last night I bought some fab Christmas Doodlebug stamps - like I need more Christmas stamps!