Blogversary Winner

Thank you so much for entering my Anniversary Blog Candy event!

 It was lovely to get a few more followers and read the encouraging comments!

And I have a winner

That is Gwyneth George - so please message me Gwyneth and a surprise parcel

 will be on its way to you!! I do appreciate your comments always Gwyneth!!

I was very pleased to hear that Gwyneth received her parcel - sent all the way from India - and mainly purchased in the local 'Lucky Store'.
 Great fun - as I decided when I was buying 'One for Gwyneth, one for me....''
This is what I sent...

Happy Crafting!

New Challenge at Left of Center

Left of Center

A new challenge starts today over at Left of Center

The theme is Die Cuts and I have used an image 'Skull and Flowers' 

from The Stamping Chef on my Project.

Firstly, I wanted to make an atmospheric background!

 I used a red card blank, matted with a piece of glossy cardstock to which I had added several colours using SU stamp pads and a foam pad.

I then left this for some time to dry...

I then added a moon - triple stamped in three colours (using stamps from a Kitchen Sink set that I have had years and not used for ages!!) - and punched out.

The die I Used for the scary tree is Tim Holtz 'Branch Tree', cut from brown cardstock.

Finally I added my main image, coloured with Promarkers, trimmed, and matted onto more cardstock.

Hope you like it and will be inspired to join us at LOC!

 I will link this to Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers - unused

Happy Crafting!

Anti-Valentine ATC

Courtesy of Clear it Out Challenge

I was over the moon to win lots of images from Bugaboo Stamps!!

While I was choosing my digis I came across a framed Stella Valentine

 and this is what I am going to use first - in an ATC...

The theme is 'Anti-Valentine' so first I used a Cuttlebug heart embossing folder to emboss in black card. I matted this and the digi onto red card.

 I then added some colour to the image with Promarkers and fixed in place

 - the final touch was a few gems.

I am going to submit this ATC to Wicked Wednesday ATC Challenge 124

Many of my friends ask me what I do with my ATC's - well many are for 'swaps',

some go in my collection files, and some end up as the motif on a card...

I decided to use this one in the following sketch:

I changed the orientation of the card and the main rectangle and used more of my embossed hearts as the bottom edging. As the sentiment was already in my image, that element of my card became the gems...

 I will link this to Stella Says Sketch #204

Happy Crafting!!

Monday Morning Mojo Mention

Yesterday I found some metal foil in my stash and an embossing plate

 - it was a magazine freebie -

 This morning, I decided to emboss the stars and use a green colour scheme...all the 'greens' are from my scraps!

I was following this sketch from Sketch N Scrap:

I used Get Inky! stamps from Blue Moon Creation for the moon and the sentiments, printed with Versafine. I just matted and layered the various elements, using nesting dies for the circles

I am linking this card to

Sketch N Scrap Card Sketch #20

and

Less is More - metal

Happy Crafting!

Sunday Crafting

I love looking through my stash and scraps to see what I can use up - this sentiment was already stamped and the self-adhesive ribbon is a DCWV one I have had for years!

In particular today I was looking for 'metal'.

 I came across a metallic embossing kit which was a magazine freebie from a year or so ago and also lots of pink and purple metallic cardstock.

So - I embossed a Christmas tree on silver foil and punched it into a scallopped circle.

I matted this onto pink metallic card. I used the same behind the ribbon and the sentiment.

I used an embossing folder on the mauve textured paper and punched another scalloped circle.

I then just assembled the elements, using foam pads to give some dimension.

My starting point was this sketch

 I am hoping Sketch and Stash can recognise the elements!

I am going to link this to

52Christmas Card Throwdown - metallic papers

CHNC #165 - use a sentiment

12 Days of Christmas Link Up

CHNC February Extra

Sketch N Stash #133

Happy Crafting!

New Get Inky! Challenge - use buttons!

I am pretty sure that you, like me, have a huge collection of buttons!

Well, today I am telling you about a challenge where you can use them -

 over at Get Inky! Just use buttons on your project!

You may have seen the love bug I made last week using a Get Inky! idea...

(More details here...)

Of course it needed buttons!

But today I am showing you my DT card - I used my hand cut 'rocker' card base which I like to use as a 'picnic blanket'.

I cut and scored the card and then added some DP with a punched edging.

I then used images and a sentiment from Get Inky's 'Sew Sweet Cupcakes',

 stamping them on some glittery cardstock and cutting them out.

I then added buttons as the 'cherries' - I like to tie a little twine through bigger buttons.

I hope you will join us at Get Inky!

I am also linking this to

Card Makin Mamas - Stack it Up
Scribble and Scrap - Anything Goes
Cute Card Thursday - Buttons and Bows
Papertake Weekly - lovely layers
Penny's challenge 165 - layers
Divas by Design - rubbers stamps only
SweetStamps 157 - anything goes
Fantasy Stampers - Bingo - blue/twine/buttons
Polkadoodles - sugar and spice

Happy Crafting!

Midway Reminder - Left of Center

Left of Center Challenges

Just a quick reminder about the current challenge - Demon Lovers - I do hope you will join us!!

This is my new card:

This time I have used a Rick St Dennis image

coloured with Promarkers (all shades between tan and tequila sunrise!)

and adorned with microbeads.

The card base was originally matted with an orange hand-made paper and then layered with a gray heart embossed section. The image was also matted onto more of the orange paper before layering.

The final touch was a metal heart and three gems.

Happy Crafting!

Embossed background

In the Summer I bought this Hobby craft 'Paws' Background stamp with a  view to making it into an embossed background. Today I finally got around to having a go...

I inked up the stamp with Versamark and tried it with clear embossing powder plus distress ink afterwards and then with opaque embossing powder. In the end I used parts of both in the resulting card...

This card was based on the following sketch

I used Bugaboo's digi  'Dogtopper', 

and a sentiment stamp from Inkadinkadoo (inked in both chocolate and red).

I am linking this to

Sieze the Sketch #13

ABC Christmas - C is for chocolate creams - all those 'chocolate' papers, inks and Promarkers!

Merry Monday - add an animal

Catch the Bug February Bingo - heart/embossing/sentiment

CHNC - Christmas Love

CHNC February Extra

12 Days of Christmas

Happy Crafting!

Christmas Fun - new challenge!!

This time you need to make a card for 

Baby's First Christmas!

Here's mine:

I wanted a big bold image - and this one from Bugaboo is just great!

I printed it on white and on a DP (from Papermania's 12 days of Christmas)

I could then paperpiece the parts of the baby's clothes. I added a little more colour using Promarkers (red, china blue and gold) and then fine glitter.

I printed the sentiment on my computer

and all the other matting and layering papers came from my scraps.

A few gems completed the picture!

Please come and join us at 

Christmas Fun

I am also submitting this to

CHN Patterned Paper

CHNC February Challenge

52CThrowdown - Three colours plus the yellow is gold - whoops! too late!!

Holly Jolly Christmas Challenge

12 days of Christmas

Happy Crafting!

Just For Fun Midway Reminder!

Here I am again with another DT LOVE card to inspire you to enter 

The Just For Fun February Challenge Love is in the air!

This is a Bugaboo digi - 'rosespoem' - to which I added a little colour with my Promarkers.

I cut it to shape with a nested die and matted it on the same red card as i used for the card base. 

The DP was from my scraps and distressed with 'tea dye'.

I added some bling - heart shaped flourish of gems and some flowers from my 'embellie box'.

Please have some fun and join us at Just for Fun!!

I am also submitting this to

Papertake Weekly Challenge - With a heart

Clear It Out Challenge - Valentine/flowers

Tuesday Throwdown - Roses are Red...

CHN - patterned paper

Happy Crafting!

Masculine Birthday

I decided to make a quick masculine Birthday card this morning -

using this sketch from The Shabby Tearoom

I decided to go for 'browns' on a cream card base.

Initially I had an embossed page of 'Happy Birthdays' - I used a strip of this for the first layer. I punched a circle from it and added 'gathered twigs' Distress Ink. I matted this circle onto a punched circle from the brown card stock which made the second horizontal layer.

The image (from Little Claire) was printed with SU 'close to cocoa' and again 'gathered twigs' was used to emphasise the edges.

Simple - but effective I think...

I am linking this to

The Shabby Tea Room Week #205

Little Claire # 42 - Monotone

Simply Less is More Week 159 - Masculine

Treasured Times Challenge #12 - Layering

Feeling Crafty - Punches and Dies

Red, red and more red...

So...as I had all these red inks out...I carried on...

 On glossy paper I stamped red roses with StazOn.

I then added Distress inks in a variety of 'reds'.

I then trimmed the pieces and used 'fired brick' around the edges

 and attached them to red cardstock.

This is my first tag -

 I added another rose stamped with Versafine, a ribbon rose and red ribbon.

My second tag - I am linking this to Tag Along Challenges - roses are red

This is my first 'red' ATC (of 6) for the UK ATC SWAP on Facebook.

My others are:

Stamped in red on pink with liquid pearls, felt flowers and gems.

This is an Elisabeth Bell image that I originally used in a similar way on a card to enter the current challenge - I will also link this ATC - White on White with a touch of red

Thumb and fingerprint 'robin' with rose.

    

Originally I stamped around a heart shaped mask with one of the stamps from SU's Valentine Defined.

I then added extra hearts in the middle. This is definitely a Valentine ATC so I am linking it to
Filipino Scrapbookers ATC Challenge

This image is Bugaboo's Friday Freebie from yesterday.

...And they arrived at the swap in the UK...

Happy Crafting!