Sparkly Princess ...

Well, you can't have a Princess card without sparkle can you?

Today I spent some time stamping and colouring and making a few cards. I had a quick waltz down my blog list and found a great sketch challenge at the Friday Sketchers blog and a challenge at the Cardvaarks blog to decorate the inside and the outside of a card so I've combined them and made this card

I used this gorgeous Princess digital Lollipop stamp from Lori Boyd Designs, coloured with Copics and covered in Stickles

The pink satin ribbon and aqua dewdrop embellishments are from the Ribbon Girl

Papers are October Afternoon - I used up the scraps from decorating the front to use inside for the Cardvaarks challenge

Merry & Bright ...

The current Caardvarks challenge is to create a clean and simple card  - and this is just about as clean and simple as it gets :o)

(Sentiment stamp - Papertrey, bakers twine and polka dot button - Ribbon Girl, dies - Nestabilities)

Caardvarks July Challenge ...

The July challenge over at the Caardvarks blog is to make a birthday card - my favourite type of card to make :)

I used a new set of papers from Crystal Wilkerson, Party Time and added black card to make the colours pop and of course some pretty stitched grosgrain which always makes my heart happy :)

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

Caardvarks Challenge ...

The latest challenge at Caardvarks is to create a card using black, white and hot pink - I love this colour combo.

Papertrey papers and stamp, creative cafe buttons, May Arts ribbon

More shaped cards (and some other stuff) ...

Yesterday we went to puppy class again with Haggis and we took the teachers some flowers and cards from Haggis to say thankyou for giving up their time etc. Of course two doggy teachers needed a special type of card so I made two little doggies! They each have a little tag hanging from their collars and I used my new Hero Arts I love my dog stamps to stamp a little doggy inside. I absolutley loved them and sat them on the windowsill in the kitchen all afternoon so that I could see their happy faces. They are my latest entry into the Caardvarks shaped card challenge.

So, what else? We've booked a holiday to Norfolk in the summer with Haggis which we are looking forward to, this afternoon I am going to the optician to have my eyes tested as I'm hoping they'll say I need glasses which will stop the headaches I have been struggling with for the past couple of months. I took my Mam into school with me and together we painted my classroom windows ready for a new 'under the sea' topic when the holidays are over next week and tomorrow we're taking Haggis out to the seaside and hoping to find some shells for school and hopefully ice cream and fish and chips whilst we're out!

I also have a few more cards that never made it onto my blog

This first card is using Kate's new kit, fresh in the store today

This final card is one of my favourites that I've ever made, it just looks so cute!

Stuff to share...

Oh it's been such a long time since my last blog post but we've been busy enjoying some sunny days, enjoying time spent playing with Haggis, enjoying seeing some friends, making cards and trying to fit all of that in amongst going to work and the usual housey things.

Haggis has been having as ball playing in our garden. We'd been keeping him on our large patio area and only taking him out in the garden on his lead because we live beside a very busy road and were scared he might squeeze under the fence. But Chris came and blocked up any gaps he could see and Dad did a great job of blocking off the back of the deck so he can't get stuck underneath so he can play freely now :)

His favourite 'game' is to climb up onto the top of the rockery and dig under the bushes so he comes out looking very muddy!

I have had some time to make cards and I really enjoyed making these cupcake cards for my cousin and my great aunt who both had birthdays this week and for the current Caardvarks challenge and then, because they looked so yummy I had to make some real cupcakes too :)

Caardvarks Challenge ...

Continuing with my blog hop around the card challenge sites, this card is my entry for the current Caardvarks challenge - to create a card with a fantasy theme.

Stamp - ElzyBells Art Stamps (coloured with ProMarkers)

Papers - The Shabby Princess

Paper flowers - Prima

Button - Autumn Leaves

Dies - Nestabilities

Ribbon - May Arts

Pink...

Over at the Caardvarks challenge blog it's all gone pink!! This weeks challenge is to use the colour pink on a card. How difficult is it to use pink huh?

(credits)

Challenges

The challenge over at Daring Cardmakers this week is to include a quote on a card. Whilst I waiting for my prescription at the chemists yesterday I was checking out the selection of greetings cards they had and I spotted this written on the front of a card. I guess that makes it a quote, right?

(credits)

This second card is for the challenge over at Caardvarks, this week they've set the challenge to create a drinks themed card

(credits)

Isn't it just so sweet - it's made using an element from my friend Kay's newest digital kit, I used the same kit for this card and added a whole load of glitter to the flower.

(credits)

The LilyPad latest collaboration kit is just so summery I can't help but use it again and again!

(credits)

(credits)

Caardarks Challenge...

I've made another tag for the current Caardvarks challenge - make a tag on the theme of one of the months of the year. I spotted a lovely Christmas kit in the Sweet Shoppe Designs store so this tag is all about December.

(credits here)

Whilst I was playing with tags again I got caught up in the drama of 'The Snail That Ate The New Plants' that was happening in our garden and I created this tag.

(credits here)

Tags ...

This weeks challenge over at the Tag Your It! blog is 'houses' and I've joined in and made a hybrid tag

(Paper - Solid and Shabby, Laura Bratcher (Funky Playground Designs)House, tree and clouds elements - Home Sweet Home, Kate Hadfield (The LilyPad)Letter elements - Handstamped Alpha, Michelle ColemanPaperfrill - Doodlebug)

I've also joined in with the Cardvaarks challenge blog to create a tag that is inspired by a month of the year. I chose August and created a hot summer day at the seaside tag

(Boat element - Sail Away, Jacque Larsen (The LilyPad)Paper, sun and wave elements - Caribean Sunrise, Kate Hadfield, Gina Miller and Rachel YoungRibbon - American Crafts)

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 :)