Shine, Shine, Shine

Where did that weekend go?
Here's what I spent this evening making..... what a challenge this was, I ended up getting in a right mess with this card, kept trying different border punches and scissors for the edging on the image and sentiment, ended up with little bits and pieces all over! Think I quite like it, its a bit plain but I couldn't find any patterned papers that would go with the plaid effect paper.



I am going to enter this for 2 challenges, Mojo Monday, it looks like Mr Linky is still open on this one, so fingers crossed, if not I still enjoyed using the sketch and Passion for Promarkers which is to use Lemon & Meadow Green, really liked these colours together.
I used the last uninked Anya from Rain, Snow & Shine, made my own backing paper using the chisel end of my Promarkers, first time I've used that end, always use the fine end of the markers, quite like the end result, just don't look in my bin and see all the attempts that didn't end up on the card! I didn't want to get my Cricut out so resorted to border punches and scissors, settled on the sunflower border punch (Fiskars) but opted to put it on 2 sides only as it was far too busy on all 4 sides. I added some Glossy Accents on the glasses but don't look too closely as I put my finger in it before it was properly dry!

CS - Paper Mill & Range
BP - K & Co paper stack, Citrus pack from HOTP
Stamps - Shine Miss Anya, sentiment from Hero Arts set
Ink - Memento, Rich Cocoa
Promarkers - Lemon, Meadow Green, Dusky Pink, Terracotta, Raw Sienna & Warm Grey 1
Tools - Fiskers Sunflower border punch
Embellies - Brad - Papermania, Sticky Gems - Craft Barn.

Am off to bed now, otherwise I won't want to get up in the morning......

Motivet - June Blog Candy

How do you fancy winning these little babies, visit motivet to find out what you have to do to be in with a chance of winning....
Good luck.

Anything but a card.....

The challenge at Creative Inspirations this week is anything but a card.
Anyone reading my blog earlier this week would see that I am trying to set up some kind of system for all the challenges out and about, in a bid to enter more and to clear my desk of all the notebooks and scribbed notes.
Not managing to come up with anything new, have resorted to these little index cards I found lurking in a cupboard recently, I have written out a card for each challenge, added day the challenge is launched in pen and the deadline in pencil, so this can be changed each time, the rest of the card is free for the challenge details to be written, sketched in pencil, which can then be rubbed out and the card used again. Once I had written out the card I needed a little box to put them in, not finding any at The Range, not wanting to go to Staples in Fareham or being able to wait for the postman to deliver one I could order online I set about making one.



After a couple of prototypes, this is my final version which I am really pleased with, hope it will enable me to be a bit more organised! Wonder if I could organise the rest of my life so easily ROFL ????
Not sure if this side will be the front or back as I like both sides, perhaps I could alternate it! Dotty circles made using the Seeing Spots stamp set, stamped in Apricot Appeal, Green Galore and Tempting Turquoise ink, then mounted onto co-ordinating card and finished of with brads.



I used an A4 sheet of Tempting Turquoise card to make the box and scraps of Rainbow Sherbet to jazz it up a bit, a length of ribbon tied around it and a few punched shapes completes the look.



I used the the text is computer generated, couldn't get the font colour to match the papers, this is the nearest I could get. I ran an chalk ink pad over the white paper to make it merge into the TT card mount.



I used plain white card to make the divider cards, stamped some TT card with the Polka Dot backgound stamp using the Versamark in pad, added tags with days of the week written on them and one for completed challenges.

Really enjoyed making this, hope it works, time will tell, if you see more entries here you know I've solved my problem....

Was hoping to catch a bit of sun today, but its still hiding away, oh well, have a few jobs to do so could get those out of the way then hope it makes an appearance this afternoon!

All stash from Stampin' Up! if you would like to order any of these or other items, please contact me and I will be more than happy to help.
CS - Tempting Turquoise, Apricot Appeal, Green Galore
DSP - Rainbow Sherbet
Inks - as CS colours
Stamp sets - Polka Dot background, Seeing Spots, Polka Dot Punches
Tools - Tag, 5 Petal Flower, Circle and Scalloped Circle punches
Ribbon - Tempting Turquoise
Brads - as CS colours

Another 3 challenges in 1 card.....

In an attempt to complete more challenges, combining them is the only way to go!



The challenges covered with this card are
1. The sketch at Just Christmas & Birthday Cards
2. Creative Card Crew's challenge is 'Whatever the Weather' and finally
3. Roses on Paper challenge which is to combine 2 challenges and add flowers.

Had to use a Miss Anya stamp, this image was one I coloured just because I wanted to the other night and she lay there patiently on the worktop waiting to be put into a card. Well Miss Anya your wait is over.... Image coloured with PM's mounted onto an oval cut with George & Basic Shapes cartridge, top layer run through the CB with Swiss Dots embossing folder. Papers were some I found lurking in the back of the cupboard, I've had for ages. Flowers cut from scraps, I stamped the pink with one some Kelly Panacci stamps before punching the flowers.

Papers - Citrus Hot off the Press
Pearlescent cardstock & ribbon from The Range
Papermania brads and gems
Punches - 5 petal punch - SU, bloom - XCut
PMs - Dusky Pink, Ivory, Pastel Yellow, Blossom, Rose Pink, Lavender, Lilac, Amethyst & Warm Grey 1 and a bit of blue to add a tinge to the puddle at Anya's feet but can't remember what one I used!

Snow Anya

Thought we could all do with a bit of cooling down and what better way to do it than snow, Miss Anya style....



Managed to combine 2 challenges for this card, first of all the sketch from Sunday Sketch & Stamp and secondly the 'Blue Christmas' theme at Winter Wonderland.
I had to go and find my Christmas box of stash, (not got enough space in my craft room for it to be there all year!) and found some Christmas paper from last year, coloured my Anya image in with my promarkers and a sprinkling of glamour dust, layered patterned paper, image and sentiment onto silver pearlescent card, added 3 snowflake brads and there we have it, another one for my Christmas box, if only I could remember where I put the others I have made!!

Blue & White cardstock - Paper Mill
Stamps - Miss Anya Snow from Snow, Rain & Sun set, sentiment 'Best Yet' hostess L1 set from Stampin Up!
Paper & Snowflake brads - Dovecraft Winter Wonderland
Promarkers - Ivory, Cool Aqua, Sky Blue, Prussian, Henna, Cocoa & Blue Pearl

Have a great weekend, whatever you are up to. Looks like the weather is going to be good - yippee!!!!

3 challenges in 1 card.....

Day off today, I've spent the afternoon playing in my craft room, in between sitting in the garden for short stints, well its too hot to stay out there for very long! Not that I'm complaining...

Wasn't sure what I was going to make, have a list of challenges as long as my arm but once I got going it just seemed to fall into place and I managed to combine 3 challenges with this card!



I followed the sketch over at Sketch Saturday , Cute Card Thursday challenge is 'Wheely Good Fun'use wheels on your card and finally the challenge at Inspiring Inkin' is to make a man's card with an embellishment, I used brads, but you will need to look closely as they merge in with the paper :-( in the photo, more obvious IRL.

Inspiring Inkin' is the Stampin' Up! team I am in, run by Amanda Fowler, who is a constant source of inspiration. If you want to join our happy group of stampers, give me a call or email me for further info, it really is great fun, Amanda runs quarterly training in Fareham and I come away with my head buzzing with ideas. She has also just earnt an all expenses paid trip to Monaco next year, wish I could earn that with my 'day' job!

I coloured a piece of cardstock with my brayer, new toy, using Basic Black, Certainly Celery and Bashful Blue. I stamped the lorry from Loads of Love onto spare card and coloured using SU inks listed below and my Aqua Painter, then added some Glossy Accents to the windows. I cut round the lorry and using dimensionals stuck it onto the brayered background. This was then layered up using Washington Apple DSP as per Sketch Saturday sketch.

CS - Whisper White & Bashful Blue
DSP - Washington Apple
Stamp sets - Loads of Love & Loads of Love Accessories
Inks - Basic Black, Close to Cocoa, Creamy Caramel, Certainly Celery, Pretty in Pink, Bashful Blue & Pumpkin Pie
Accessories - Soft Subtle brads
Tools - Brayer, Stamp-a-ma-jig, Scalloped border, scalloped oval and large oval punches
All from Stampin' Up!

Really enjoyed today, didn't get my day off last week as I had a conference to attend but didn't mind as look who the guest speakers were



Vincent and Flavia from Strictly Come Dancing. They were inspirational, anyone who knows me, knows I was not a fan of Strictly but I have been converted, they were wonderul to watch, and very entertaining speakers. If only I didn't have the co-ordination of a dead duck I might be tempted to take up ballroom dancing, much to Barry's amusement when I suggested this!!

Had better go and cook the dinner now, hope to be back later...

Challenges......

I've had a very relaxing evening, lovely walk along Stokes Bay, rounded off with an evening of blog hopping, if I haven't managed to catch up with you yet, I will do soon.

I've spent the last couple of hours on the Sugar Nellie blog hop and discovered some fantastic blogs, and a whole heap of new challenges, I must update my blog tomorrow with the details.

How do you all organise your challenges? I have a notebook with details of the various challenges and dates to be submitted by, but this system is not working for me with the ever increasing amount of challenges out there..... I would be grateful for any hints and tips you use to meet the various challenges and deadlines.

Have suggested giving up work but Barry wasn't convinced !

Had better be off to bed now, work tomorrow.

Fathers Day cards

At SU team training in December we made a card using a brayer, not a technique I had tried before and I wasn't sure I was going to like it very much ...... guess what?? I did and HAD to buy one, my life just would not be the same without one.... Since then I have been meaning to make a card like the one we made at training in a different colourway, so what better excuse than Fathers Day!



I am pleased with how this turned out, after a bit of practice. I used plain white cardstock as my base and 3 different shades of blue ink to create the sky. I can see me using this technique a bit more often now I've taken the brayer out of its box, especially as the leaflet with it details other ideas.

If you would like to learn some of these tricks and tips, or any other techniques please contact me as I will be running a series of technique classes, timings not finalised yet, as it will depend on when people will be able to attend. I hope to hear from you soon..... come along for a fun evening.

Inks - Night of Navy, Ballet Blue & Bashful Blue - Stampin' Up!
Stamps - Lovely As A Tree - Stampin' Up!
Ribbon, shiny paper & base card from stash

Miss Anya for Anya

It's Anya's birthdaya today, so what other stamp could I use???? It had to be a Miss Anya one didn't it. This is another one that I received recently, that has been waiting patiently to be inked up.



I wanted something nice and summery to match the weather so got out my Rainbow Sherbet papers from SU, found Promarkers to match, a couple of Cuttlebug embossing folders, a few bits and pieces from my stash and here we are. I am really pleased with how this turned out, just wish I had inked the edges of all the layers, but had stuck the larger layers down before I thought I would ink the edges of the smaller layers - lesson to be learned there! I hope Anya likes it, sure she will, as she loves hand crafted cards being a bit of a card maker herself. I used the sketch from Spoon Full of Sugar's challenge this week, which was great to work with, can see me using this one again.

I've got the house to myself this afternoon, didn't get my day off this week so am looking forward to a bit of peace and quiet and catching up with a bit of blog hopping and a few challenges.

Have a fab weekend whatever you are up to.

DSP - Rainbow Sherbet (Stampin' Up!)
Stamps - Miss Anya (The Greeting Farm) Oval All (Stampin' Up!)
Ink - Rich Cocoa (Memento)
Pens - Promarkers Blush, Pumpkin, Apple, Sky Blue, Sandstone, Cinnamon, Warm Grey 1
Embellies - Brads, gems & ribbon from stash

Spiral netting necklace

Finally I have finished the spiral netting necklace a friend asked me to make, despite things being against me..... first of all I had nearly finished the main part of the necklace when one of the strands broke and I had to start from the beginning again, then I had a real problem trying to get large beads to match the metallic seed beads for the dangles.



I'm really pleased with how it turned out in the end and made a cute little box to put it in. This is so easy to make, just from one sheet of A4, randomly stamped. I saw the instructions on a blog somewhere, sorry can't remember where, but if its your idea, let me know and I will add your info to my blog.

Pop Up Miss Anya

Finally, I have inked up one of my Miss Anya stamps...... can't believe they have been on my desk for over a week, I just don't seem to get that much time to craft at the moment.

I am using this as my entry for the challenge at Passion for Promarkers this week which is to use Cinnamon & Pumpkin.
This is how the card looks when it is taken out of the envelope, well nearly, but I couldn't get it to stand flat IYKWIM but think this is a great picture showing Miss Anya peeping over the top of the card.



And this is what she looks like when she has escaped...



This style of card always goes down well with the recipients.

Card - Brown Bazzil Bling, scraps from stash
DSP - Sweet Always - Stampin' Up!
Inks - Memento Rich Cocoa
PMs - Blusk, Dusky Pink, Cinnamon, Pumpkin, Sandstone, Warm Grey 1
Stamps - Miss Anya - The Greeting Farm, Oval All - Stampin' Up!
Tools - Oval, Scalloped Oval and Tab punches - SU! Swiss Dots embossing folder - CB
Ribbon - The Range

Good Luck card no 2

Here's my second Good Luck card, made the same as the previous one below so won't bore you with the details.






Card - stash
Inks - Stampin' Up! Orchid Opulence, Pale Plum & Pretty in Pink
Stamps - Stampin' Up! Crazy for Cupcakes & Hero Arts Cupcakes
Ribbon - The Range

Whiff of Joy - Women's Delight launch

Katharina is launching a new set of stamps, check out the gorgeous designs available on the Whiff of Joy website but you may have to be quick as these stamps will be very popular!

Good Luck card

I need to make several cards for people leaving their jobs. There are lots of people who need to sign these cards so there needs to be a lot of space to write - my immediate thought was a star card. So here's the first one.....



I made 5 x 14.5cm square card blanks, 5 x 14.5cm high x 13.5cm wide card blanks and 5 x 14.5cm high x 12.5cm wide card blanks. The letters and shapes are cut with Cricut cartridges.



I had to add part of the wording on the back, so added this round the oval, which was stamped with Botanical Blooms stamp set and inks from SU!



I randomly stamped images from the Organic Grace stamp set on the inside of the 5 smaller card blanks and on the sides which were going to be the front and back of the card, using SU inks.

I am really pleased with how this has turned out, just need to make the box and this one is finished - need to make a couple more now!

Got a good day today - NOT, just off to take my youngest son for an MRI scan, as he damaged his knee at the weekend then I've got a dental appointment this afternoon, what a lovely way to spend my day off, especially when it's such a beautiful day! Hope to grab 5 minutes in the sun at some point....

Card - Paper Mill
Stamps - Organic Grace & Botanical Blooms - Stampin' Up!
Inks - Certainly Celery, Almost Apricot, So Saffron - Stampin' Up!
Ribbon & Gems from stash
Tools - George & Basic Shapes, Beyond Birthdays Cricut cartridges.

Passion for Promarkers/Sketch and Stash challenges

This little baby has been patiently waiting to be added to a card for a couple of days now. It took me ages to find backing papers to go with the colours on the image, which are Apple Green & Pastel Pink, the colours needed to qualify for the challenge at Passion for Promarkers this week. Sketch from Sketch & Stash challenge.

PMs used - Pastel Pink, Apple Green, Satin, Dusky Pink, Cocoa, Henna, Warm Grey 1, some old, some new
BP - Basic Grey, Two Scoops, never used, just had to have it, spent far too long stroking it, took a deep breath and broken into the pad!
Stamps - Gorjuss Girls set 2 - fairly new, Best Yet - SU!
Punches - SU! - not old or neglected!!
Ribbon - stash
CB embossing folder
Metallic rub ons to colour the embossed panel - new stash.

Had better be off now, school tomorrow....

Dutch Dare & new stash

First of all, I need to apologise to all my blogging buddies out there, I've been very bad lately at visiting your blogs, I've discovered this very addictive game on facebook, which has taken up a lot of my time! Hoping to catch up with you all and your latest makes in the next day or two.

I've been meaning to make this style of card for a while now, saw it on my blogging buddy Rica's blog. When I saw the challenge on Dutch Dare this week, which is to decorate the inside of your card, I knew the one that fitted the brief!



Yes, you've guessed it, the Gorjuss girls just had to be inked again.... well I needed 3 similar images! The first image is Little Goth Girl. Base card made from 12 x 12 sheet of Bazzill, image coloured with my PMs, frames cut with Cricut, flowers made with SU & X-Cut flower punches, Papermania brads, backing paper is K & Co, one I've had for yonks.



Little Miss Attitude on this page, other deets as before. On the inside of the front page I used a section from the first 2 images, punched out with SU circle punch, mounted on scalloped circle shape.



The Little Miss Attitude panel drops down to reveal the third panel, Bear hug, decorated as previous panels, using backing paper from stash. There is a pocket on the back of the second panel in which to add a gift card, cash or a small gift. I added a section of Bear Hug as before and left an area blank for greeting to be added.

I am really pleased with how this has turned out, have got plans for more of these....



Look at these lil babies, had email from Angel Crafts to say they were back in stock, so without hesitation hopped on over there and placed my order on Thursday evening. Was really pleased when they dropped through the letter box yesterday morning. They arrived beautifully wrapped in pink tissue and a long length of ribbon which will no doubt end up on a card soon! Didn't get chance to ink them up yesterday as I went to the Southampton Papercraft show, The Range & Hobbycraft with my blogging buddy Stacey, it was great to catch up again, I ended up going to Range in Gosport to get a pack of that Chocolate Box cardstock LOL!!

Had better go and get dressed now.

2 challenges in 1 card

Surprise, shock, horror, a card without a Gorjuss Girl stamp.....



A friend recently gave me some stamped images, I love these stamps but don't have any in my collection yet! Thought I would use one of these for the sketch challenge at Papertake Weekly challenge and the challenge at Creative Card Crew which is Child's Play - make a card for a child.

Papers - DCWV Spring stack
Stamps - Elzybells, image & sentiment
Coloured with watercolour pencils, & Glamour Dust on sheep
Carseed from stash
Embellies - nail gems from Ebay, ribbon from Range.

Gotta grab my slot in the shower now.... back later.

Passion for Promarkers - 2nd entry

Thought I would make another card for the Passion for Promarker first challenge - well you've got to try, seeing as there are such great prizes.....



Just had to use the new Citrus stack from DCWV, the colours are just so fresh and bright. My Gorjuss Girls got another inking, am really loving these stamps - if you can't tell! I really should make a card with some other stamps but keep being drawn to these.... Have just ordered the Summer Magnolia club, not sure when they will be sent out, if you know, can you let me know please? Image coloured with PMs, Blush, Henna,Cool Aqua, Pumpkin, Orange & Warm Grey 1. Had better go and link up, as new challenge is up today and I had better get ready for work...