Sunday 31 October 2010

My little scary monsters...


 

After years of getting away with it, I've finally agreed to take the boys trick or treating - this is Morgan (8yrs) and Dex (2.5yrs) trying on their outfits ready for this evening.  Morgan would happily have his photo taken all day, but Dex is not so keen so this is the best I could do!  I've no idea what face Dex is trying to pull in the second pic - I've a funny feeling this is his idea of smiling for the camera lol.  And yes, I know I should probably get his hair cut...

Hopefully I'll be back later with a card, if I find the time between visiting family, DT stuff and trick or treating :o)

Saturday 30 October 2010

Elegant or boring?


Well I was going for elegant  but I'm not sure if I achieved it!  And I missed the challenge that was asking for elegance anyway lol...

A5 card blank made from ivory linen card.  I've used a cuttlebug embossing folder on pearlised paper for the tree - I've had this embossing folder for about a year I think, and this is it's first outing!  One of those things I just had to have... Red ribbed paper and gold cardstock from my stash, sentiment from Craftwork Cards, red pearls from stash.  I wonder if it needs something more - what does it need though?

I'm entering my card for the following challenges:
Apologies for the awful photo, I can never manage to take a decent pic of anything red.

Friday 29 October 2010

Simple & sparkly!


Another card for an order - very similar to a quick one I've made before as that's what my customer asked for. Very simply made, I've just added gems to the flowers on the dp (free paper pack with a mag I think), used some shimmery orange cardstock and added a computer generated sentiment... I'm not completely sure about the placement of the sentiments but I moved them around for ages and this was the best I could come up with!

I'm entering my card for the following challenges:
Thank you to everyone who left get well messages over the last week, I'm finally starting to feel better - hurrah!  I'm such a misery when I've got a cold lol, feel a bit more cheerful now :o)

Thursday 28 October 2010

My favourite hairy monster again!


I had an order for a boy's card, and I was so pleased when my customer chose this monster for me to use - he's such fun to colour :o)  He's from Pollycraft and he's definitely my favourite monster, love him :o)

I've coloured him with promarkers, then added some shading and glow using koh-i-noor pencils blended with sansador.  I then added lots of little pencil lines to make him look all hairy!  The papers are free downloaded ones from Bearly Mine Designs, printed onto linen card.  Cardstock is coredinations, sentiment is computer generated, Papermania spotty buttons, stripy ribbon from stash, MS zigzag punch used for the border.

I'm entering my card for the following challenges:

Tuesday 26 October 2010

Anniversary birdies


Well I made it back with a card... and as promised I absolutely will not moan... aaaatchoo lol :o)

I've made this one for an order, using this adorable love birds image from Digistamp Boutique.  I've coloured it with promarkers, and then used koh-i-noor pencils for the sky, and a few touches of glamour dust on the hearts.  The papers are from the lovely 'ella blue' pad by GCD Studio, with DCWV cardstock and Kraft (or crumb cake) card from Stampin Up (bought via the lovely Victoria - thank you hun!).  MS doily lace punch used for the borders and corners, Stampin Up word window punch (another new purchase from Victoria) used to punch out the computer generated sentiments.  Nestie and Go-Kreate circle dies used to cut out and mat the image.  Heart pearls from stash.

I'm entering my card for the following challenges:
Ooh, while I'm here I have a quick question - does anyone know where I can get a Sakura clear stardust pen from, ideally with free p+p?  I seem to have lost mine (oops) and they're out of stock at Joanna Sheen.

My mini candy winner is....


Well done hun, send me an email with your address and I'll get your goodies sent out :o)

Hopefully I'll be back later with a card, if I can be bothered... I'm sick of this cold now - every night I think I'm bound to feel a bit better in the morning, and then I wake up and feel worse.  I'm so busy, my eldest is off school for half term, and I was supposed to be helping my auntie out with her new baby (her hubby is in the army and is away during the week)... couldn't be a worse time to be ill really!

Oh dear, I'm moaning again!  If I do come back with a card, I promise there'll be no moaning lol.

Monday 25 October 2010

Crafty Cardmakers spotlight - digi plus


Time for this fortnight's spotlight challenge at Crafty Cardmakers and this time we're doing 'digi plus', so basically we want to see you do something different with digis, something other than just printing a single image and colouring it in... Hope that makes sense - if not, go to the challenge blog where I'm sure Vix will have done a much better job of explaining things!  You'll also find much better digi plus examples from the rest of the DT there too :o)

Now I'm not a very technical type, but I wanted to have a go at this!  My attempts at merging have generally been a disaster, with the occasional flukey success.  Sooo I decided to make my own paper - it's all done in Word, using the 'Cheers' image available from Digistamp Boutique here.  I've just added the image to the page multiple times, making them different sizes and rotating them until I was fairly happy with the result... then I added stars using the shape function on Word, and made them different sizes and colours.  Colouring images digitally is totally beyond me, so at this stage I printed the page onto linen card and coloured the 'cheers' images in with promarkers, adding some stickles for a bit of sparkle.

The main image I've used is also from Digistamp Boutique - this is Alf and Beer, and I've coloured him with promarkers, with some added shading and glow using koh-i-noor pencils blended with sansador.  Cardstock is coredinations and I added some raffia trim to finish.  After spending so long getting the paper right, I didn't want to cover too much of it up :o)

I'm also entering my card for the following challenges:
My 8yr old son thinks this card is hilarious because... in my full of cold and slightly feverish state, I managed to stick everything down the wrong way and my card now opens from the left... oops!

A little candy giveaway....


I've had this Gorjuss Girl stamp for AGES and never used her, which seems a shame... so I thought I'd add some Card Candy and offer her as a mini candy.

There's no need to become a follower (although it would be lovely if you did!) - all you need to do is add a link to your blog below, and add the pic and link to my candy on your side bar.

The draw will close in 3 weeks, on Monday 25th October.  I will post worldwide, so you can enter wherever you are.  Good luck!

Quick candy reminder

I'll be back later with my Crafty Cardmakers DT card, but I just noticed there's only 2hrs left on my mini candy. So if anyone meant to enter and hasn't done yet, this is your last chance to do it :o)

Saturday 23 October 2010

The cutest horse ever?


Bleurgh... I know colds aren't serious, but why do they have to make you feel SO rough?! I could quite happily have curled up and slept all day today, but I have too much to do.  Anyway... enough moaning, onto my card... Isn't this just the sweetest little horse ever?  This is Misty, and she (or he?) is one of Sally-Ann's new images at Digistamp Boutique - she's available here if you'd like to own her too :o)


I've coloured Misty in with promarkers, then added some shading with koh-i-noor pencils blended with sansador.  The papers are MME, cardstock, flowers and button are from my stash, the tag is from a set of fab little stamps... can't remember what make they are though!

I'm entering my card for the following challenges:
Off to snuffle and sneeze and wallow in misery lol, oh and visit some of your blogs of course :o)

Friday 22 October 2010

Oops I did it again....

Ok, in my defense I'm ill - I woke up with a rotten cold (courtesy of hubby)... I didn't really want to try and make cards for my orders today because I knew I'd probably make a mess of them, but I really wanted to play with one of these cute little birdie images from Digistamp Boutique.  And as the challenge at One Layer Wednesday was to use birds, bees, flowers or trees (at least 2 from the list), I thought I'd have another go at a one layer card.... I think it might be my last attempt, I really am awful at them!

Sally-Ann - please pretend you've not seen this card, I promise to make some better cards using these little cuties soon!



I printed the image directly onto the card base, then coloured it in with koh-i-noor pencils blended with sansador (as promarkers would have bled through to the inside of the card), then added stickles to the bird's skirt and pearls on the flowers.  I couldn't decide what to do next, so I tried a few things out and finally settled on some blue fibres at the top of the card, made a little 'tassle' and then added a butterfly charm - so this also fits the challenge at Keep It Simple.  Oh I rounded the bottom corners and did some little paper pricked dots too.

When I brought this card downstairs to take the photo, hubby did a double take and said 'what's THAT?' and my eldest son (who's 8) said 'aren't you going to put some more stuff on it?'... then hubby suggested I put it on my blog and pretend it was the first card I ever made... so I feel really great about this one lol!

Thursday 21 October 2010

Hee hee... so true!


When I had my little spend at Elzybells, I spotted this sentiment stamp and immediately thought of this washing line stamp from Little Claire.  I think it makes a fun Christmas card for men, and I've kept it fairly simple because I'm going to make a few of them.  I stamped the image and then stamped it again, coloured in with promarkers and cut out the boxer shorts, then shaped them with an embossing tool and covered them with glossy accents.  The pic below shows the effect a bit better.


The papers are Dovecraft, with Bazzill cardstock, the snowflakes were cut with a MS punch and I added some card candy to finish.

I'm entering my card for the following challenges:

Wednesday 20 October 2010

1st birthday card


I was asked for some 1st birthday cards and remembered seeing these images at Bugaboo, so this is my first Bugaboo card... I'm sure I'll be back for some more images though :o)  I've coloured him with promarkers, with a little bit of shading using koh-i-noor pencils blended with sansador, and then added some glossy accents to the 'icing'.  The papers are from an MME pad that was free with a magazine, cardstock is from Papermill.  Stars cut with nesties, sentiments from Craftwork Cards... finished with some buttons from my stash, but even though there are hundreds of buttons in my stash, I couldn't find anything that matched properly.  Hopefully they don't look too awful!

I'm entering my card for the following challenges:
Sorry to rush, my boys are hungry and naughty mummy hasn't done their tea yet!  Thanks for the replies about Kraft card - Victoria, I'll be in touch later if that's ok!

A quick question - can anyone help?

I'm sure one of you stash hunters out there will be able to help me!  I want to try using kraft card (I know, I'm sooo behind everyone else!)... I've got some kraft paper, but I want to be able to use it for card bases as well as for stamping.  So does anyone know a good UK supplier?  Thanks for any help :o)

Oh, and I'm totally gobsmacked to see that I'm heading close to 400 followers - how amazing is that?  My mini candy is running for a few more days, but I think when that one ends I'll have to do another one to celebrate!

Tuesday 19 October 2010

More baby cards

A couple more baby cards today, just simple ones....




I've used some more of the Digistamp Boutique images from the set I used yesterday, which is available here.  The papers are Pink Petticoat downloads again, and I've printed everything onto linen cardstock (from Papermill), grey cardstock is DCWV.  Used nestie circles and blossom dies to cut out and mount the images.  Sentiments are downloaded ones from Pink Petticoat, ribbons and lace from my stash.

I'm entering my cards for the following challenges:

Monday 18 October 2010

Well, they were going to be the same...


Today I'd planned to make two baby cards using the same sketch, one pink and one blue... I made the pink version but then when I started to put the blue one together, I had everything except the papers laid out on the white card blank... and for some reason I really liked it how it was and couldn't bring myself to add the papers! So what do you think?  I think bizarrely I prefer the plain version, and I don't usually do much white space!


The sweet images are from Digistamp Boutique, available here.  The papers are downloads from Pink Petticoat - everything, including the images, is printed on linen card, grey cardstock is DCWV.  For the teeny bit of colouring I used promarkers, and then paper pieced the rest.  Flowers cut with a x-cut punch, with pearl centres, sentiment is an Elzybells stamp.  I lightly inked the edges of the images and sentiments with Memento ink.

I'm entering my cards for the following challenges:

Sunday 17 October 2010

Popcorn in grey


Quick post tonight as I'm a bit late and I'm watching the X-Factor results that we sky-plussed earlier.... I'd intended to make a card with one of my new Elzybells stamps today, but there's so many of them I got a bit confused and couldn't decide what to make lol!  So I decided to make a card with one of the images I coloured at my demo yesterday - a little experiment in colouring Popcorn Bear in grey instead of my usual brown.  I'm quite pleased with the results - I think he looks cute in grey :o)

I've coloured Popcorn with promarkers, and then added some glow using koh-i-noor pencils blended with sansador, and some sparkle with glamour dust.  The papers are GCD Studio 'ella blue', with DCWV cardstock, the sentiment is a downloaded one from Pink Petticoat, pearls from stash.  I managed to snap one of my koh-i-noor pencils in half while I was adding my glow!!!!  I couldn't believe it - I'm sure I'm not that heavy handed!

I'm entering my card for the following challenges:

Saturday 16 October 2010

A new blogger...

I met a lovely lady today while I was doing my demo at Busy Bees - she'd been putting off starting a blog, but between me and her hubby we seem to have convinced her, because she's now created one :o)  Would you pop across to Donna's blog and welcome her to blogland please?... oh and while you're there you can have a little snoop around her fabby craft room!

No card today...

I'm too tired!  I've had a lovely day demoing at Busy Bees (link in my sidebar) - I've done nothing but colour all day... well apart from stopping occasionally for coffee and biscuits!  I had a little 'class' of ladies today, so everyone got a chance to do some colouring too.  Hello to Donna, who popped in this morning - hopefully you're busy setting up your blog so I can come and have a snoop around :o)

I had planned on coming home and getting some cards made, but I'm going to have an evening in front of the tv with hubby instead... off to visit some of you now, and will hopefully make something tomorrow!

Friday 15 October 2010

Ooh ooh... look what the postie brought!!!!

NEW STASH!!!!





Sorry, I was all excited so thought I'd share lol :o)  I do feel slightly guilty because I've been sooo naughty, but I couldn't help it.  My last ever Elzybells splurge, bought in their closing down sale (although Elizabeth is going to be designing for Penny Black now, how exciting is that?!).  Eek, now I have to mount it all on EZ mount, not my favourite job....

Oh, and pop over to the Digistamp Boutique blog if you fancy winning a freebie image - today only!

Thursday 14 October 2010

Another quick one...


I seem to be making a lot of fairly simple cards at the moment - I've had a request for a big batch of different cards, and there's also other orders, my box at hubby's work, my own cards for family and Christmas and DT work, and some preparation for my next demo which is on Saturday.... do you ever feel like you might have taken a bit too much on?!

Anyway.... I made this card yesterday, and it was quick and simple so I made a few in different colours - I won't bore you with them all though!  I've used an 'ABC Christmas' sketch from a few weeks ago.  The birthday spiral sentiment is from Elzybells, stamped on bright pink cardstock from Papermill.  The spotty paper is DCWV, with black coredinations cardstock and some black card candy.  Nestie circles and blossom dies used to cut out and mount the sentiment.

I'm entering my card for the following challenges:

Tuesday 12 October 2010

Sorry - that tree again!


I think I'm a bit obsessed, I just love this little tree die from Little Claire and can't seem to stop using it!  I've also been playing with the snowflake stamps from the All Set Up For Christmas set - I might possibly have gone a bit overboard with the snowflakes, it's hard to know when to stop sometimes!

It's quite a quick and simple card.  I've cut the tree from different coloured pearlised paper (from Craftwork Cards) and randomly stamped the snowflakes with memento ink.  The sentiment is from Elzybells.  The stamped panel is raised up on foam pads but you can't really tell from the pic.

I'm entering my card for the following challenges:

Monday 11 October 2010

Crafty Cardmakers spotlight - fancy folds

 

It's time for a new spotlight challenge at Crafty Cardmakers and this fortnight our spotlight is on 'fancy folds'... mine's not especially fancy, but I kept changing my mind what fold I should do, and eventually just had to get on and make one, so this is what I ended up with!  It's quite simple to make - just make two 5" square (or whatever size you want) cards and stick them together, so the middle section has 2 layers.  The full length pic isn't very good, so I've added a close up below too.

The super cute little penguin image is from Di's Digi Downloads, available here.  I've coloured him with promarkers and used koh-i-noor pencils blended with sansador for the sky.  I added loads of glamour dust and also used glossy accents on the baubles to make them shine, but that doesn't show up very well in the pic.  The papers are Dovecraft, with bazzill cardstock, ribbon from my stash.  The snowflakes were cut with a cuttlebug die and then smothered in glamour dust and finished off with some card candy centres.

I'm also entering my card for the following challenges:

Sunday 10 October 2010

Mmmm... chocolate!


Here's another fab new image from Digistamp Boutique, available here on her own and here in a set.  I've coloured her with promarkers, with some added glow using koh-i-noor pencils blended with sansador.  The paper is from the K&Co Brenda Walton girl pad, with cardstock from my stash.  Added some Papermania flowers and bow, some pearls and pearl hearts, raffia lace and a sentiment that I bought ages ago from Elzybells and then never used.

As usual I'm not completely happy with my card - I meant to stick the image higher up, but positioned it wrong and couldn't unstick it!

I'm entering my card for the following challenges:
  • Friday Sketchers - sketch (I sort of followed it, hope it's ok!)
  • For Fun - something you bought & didn't use (the sentiment stamp)
  • Pollycraft Monday - anything goes
  • Allsorts - inspiration from a song title (Sweet Like Chocolate)
  • Digital Tuesday - ribbon, buttons or bling (ribbon bow, and do pearls count as bling?)

Saturday 9 October 2010

Aww so cute...


Look at this adorable new release image from Digistamp Boutique - isn't it lovely?  You can get it here in a set of 2 with a boy version.  I've made it for my new super cute 'niece' Jessica, who we've been to see today... she's not officially my niece, she's actually my auntie's new baby, but as my auntie and I are quite close in age and grew up more like sisters, I am sooo being Auntie Lisa :o)

The card blank is a 7" square because I printed the image a teeny bit too big for a 6" one!  I've paper pieced the image and coloured the rest of it with promarkers.  The papers are from a Forever Friends pad, with coredinations cardstock.  The flowers are a mix of woodware and x-cut punches with pearl centres, MS butterfly punch with more pearls.  The sentiment was from a Sugar Nellie goody bag ages ago, mounted on a Nellie Snellen die.  Finished off with some raffia lace.

And here's the lovely little lady Jessica herself :o)  Isn't she dainty?!


I'm entering my card for the following challenges:

Friday 8 October 2010

Oh dear....


Umm.... yes... ok... I realise this is a RUBBISH card... no need to soften the blow for me, it was an experiment!  I've noticed a few people playing in a challenge called One-Layer Wednesday and I honestly don't think I've ever made a one layer card, unless I've blanked them from my memory lol.  Some people are fantastic at them... I'm not one of them obviously... but some people make them look fabulous.

Anyway, I wanted to try, so I had the idea of embossing with a nestie square onto the cardstock - that bit I actually quite like.  I had these little metal presents (I should mention this week's challenge is to use something metallic) that have been sitting in my stash for a loooong time, I added a slightly smudgily embossed sentiment and some flat back pearls... and done!  I'm wondering if I should even have blogged it, it's a bit embarrassing really.  Oh well, as I said - let's call it an experiment!

Thursday 7 October 2010

A new favourite...


I always thought you either 'did' Tilda or you didn't, and I didn't really... I liked her but didn't think she was really me.  However, when I did my demo on Saturday, I spent some time colouring Tildas and had such fun colouring that I had to buy one... and I've been back today and bought another one too lol!  She's just so lovely to colour.  I'm still not sure I've got that many people I can send them to, or that my customers will be keen on them, but we'll see!

I've made this one for my MIL, who luckily is very easy to please and is always very enthusiastic about my cards, so hopefully she'll like this.  I've coloured Tilda with promarkers and then added my usual shading with koh-i-noor pencils blended with sansador, and some stickles for a bit of sparkle.  The papers are from the Brenda Walton K&Co girl pad, with cardstock from my stash.  Circles cut with plain circle nesties and scalloped Go Kreate dies.  Flowers, gems and lace from my stash.

I'm entering my card for the following challenges:

Tuesday 5 October 2010

Little Claire snowman & tags


I've been doing some finishing off today - I had all the bits ready to make these at Saturday's demo, but then ended up colouring most of the day, so these didn't get finished.  I've used dies from Little Claire, MS snowflake punch and spotty ribbon are also from Little Claire, other items from my stash.


More Little Claire products - I love these tag dies, and the fab tree die... I've used Memento ink to stamp snowflakes from the 'all set for Christmas' stamp set, then inked around the edges, added the tree to one and MS snowflake punch for the other one.  Ribbon and card candy from my stash.

Apologies for the brief post and for not getting around all your blogs yet... I'm off to take some more painkillers for the stoooopid headache and then hopefully I'll manage to come and visit some of you!  Have a look here if you'd like to enter my mini candy draw :o)

Sunday 3 October 2010

Do you like my fabby new blog?!

The lovely Roberta from Prairie Fairy has designed this FABULOUS new blog for me - I'm so happy with it,  thank you Roberta :o)  Contact her for prices if you'd like to have one made especially for you - she's wonderful and will make it exactly how you want it.  I've included the pic of my card that I sent to her to use for inspiration - hasn't she done the most perfect job with it?!




Saturday 2 October 2010

Some cards from today

Well, I did my craft shop demo today and I think it went well... I ended up doing mainly colouring demos because a lot of the ladies who came had either just got into stamping, or had just started using promarkers.  The craft shop (Busy Bees - link in top right corner of my blog) stocks promarkers and has lots of lovely stamps, so I've had a lovely day stamping and colouring.  I've been asked to go back and play with the stamps again in a couple of weeks :o)

Most of the cards I made were fairly quick ones, as I've mainly been colouring, so I might add some more bits to them, but here is some of what I've been doing today....



The first 2 cards were made using Little Claire products and my own papers, the 2 Tilda cards were made using stamps and papers from the shop... I was naughty and bought one of the Tildas, although I wish I'd bought both lol.  Isn't it funny - I didn't think I was really a Tilda person, and then I sat and coloured them and could quite easily get hooked!

I'm tired and can't be bothered to find lots of challenges to enter.... possibly a first for me!  But I know Cupcake Craft have a 'pink & brown' theme so I'll enter my last card there.

Friday 1 October 2010

Little Claire October club stamp


Still struggling with the silly headache, so I'll try and be brief... Huge thanks for all the get well messages yesterday, you're all lovely!

Luckily this card is one I made before general poorlyness set in!  This is the new October club stamp from Little Claire, available here.  Cute isn't it?  I've coloured it with promarkers and added lots of glamour dust.  Coredinations cardstock, some sheer ribbon from my stash, little punched snowflakes and a big Cuttlebug snowflake, all covered in glamour dust.

I'm entering my card for the following challenges:

New images at Digistamp Boutique

Just a quick post to show you the new October offer images at Digistamp Boutique - there are 2 lovely sets.  I'm looking forward to the weekend, when hopefully I'll have some time (and be feeling well enough!) to play with them :o)  You can see all the new images here