3 days in a row!!!

Okay, back again, well I am, no-one else is, there is somewhat of an echo around my blog, blog, blog.... (see I told you!)

Anyway, regardless of whether anyone even comes along, I will keep putting up the piccies.

I'm having a bit of an Elzybells fest this week - yet another card made with their lovely stamps, and again, it's the Just Desserts set that I've used - I love this set because it covers so many occasions for the ladies, well who doesn't love delicious cakes & not a calorie in sight with these.

I've also used Claire Curd Signature Range papers and my favourite oval nesties (well, my only nesties - but I am working on that!).

Hope you like, and I'll be back soon!

Elzybells Challenge 29

Well, as promised - I'm back again! woo hoo!!!

And I have something fab to show you (even if I do say so myself). The challenge was to create a 3D item - well as I spent an absolute fortune at the Exeter Westpoint show recently, which included some 3D Sizzix Bigz dies, I thought I would use one of those. I also had promised a friend of mine that I would make her a 3D ball to put some photos of her daughter onto, so it seemed a great idea to combine the two....

And now to blow the trumpet for customer care at Elzybells - I recently made a purchase of several stamps, including a Christmas set to help with the Christmas card rush. Well, when the stamps arrived I had been sent the fairytale ending set instead of the Christmas one I ordered. Well, I emailed Elzybells at 5.55 p.m. when I got home from work and found the mistake, within 10 minutes I had a reply saying that the correct set would be in the post and to keep the incorrect one by way of an apology. Well, I didn't expect to receive the correct set the next day as I had not contacted Elzybells during working hours & most post has been collected by 6 p.m. but when I arrived home the next day, sure enough the new stamps were there!!!! THANK YOU ELZYBELLS 20/10 FOR CUSTOMER SERVICE!

Anyway, I just had to make use of the free stamp set I had and thought I would combine it with the challenge and a gift for my friend - the blank spaces are so that she can add photos of her little princess. The 3D ball collapses and can be encased in a card which makes it an ideal gift - in fact so much so that she's asked me to make 5 more for her as Christmas presents for her family!

Hope you like and I'll be back again tomorrow - have so many cards to catch up on, I could be here quite regularly for a very long time.

MIA

Well it feels like it anyway - it's been so long since I posted, would apologize but as no one visits my blog (sob!) anyway there's no point!. Anyways.... Hope to start correcting that & as I've now realised that I have soo many cards that I've not posted on here, I thought I'd start with an old one to begin the catch up.

And I promise (hand on heart), that I will post more often.

Soo.... first up is a card I made ages ago for a friend of my daughter's birthday - she's a teenager so I didn't know where to start, but what girl does not like cupcakes. I made the backing paper myself with the clear stamp set 'Hey Cupcake' from Elzybells, and the main image is also from an Elzybells clear set called 'just desserts' - you can see a bit of a theme developing (hence my severe need to diet!). The ribbon was from a set of ribbons my mum gave me for Christmas last year - she understands what a craft addict I am! and most of you will recognise the Cuttlebug embossing folder.

I've taken two pictures so that you can see the background before the card was assembled - you will notice that the background is not perfect (but then I'm not perfect), hopefully I've managed to cover that up on the assembled card.

Well, hopefully, I will be back tomorrow with another card - see you then!

Crafters Companion Challenge No.3

Well, I've only just discovered this challenge blog & thought I'd have a go as the prize is a popcorn stamp set (& I love that little bear - have the Christmas Popcorn CD's on their way to me as we speak). I don't actually have that much Crafters Companion stuff anyway. I have a few cute companions stamps that I won when I had some cards published in a magazine, a free Christmas CD that came with a magazine and the triple flower fairies CD's - so that's what I've used for this.

This is the first time I've had a go at Stackerpage, and I love it - in spite of my silicone glue deciding that today was the day that the lid would break and so the glue set at the top of the tube (aaarrrrgggghhhh!!) - oh and the only foam pads I have are 2mm ones - not so good when there are 9 layers to this stacker. In the end I cut the end off my silicone glue and used a cocktail stick to put it on the layers and stick together. I haven't used these CD's too much so it was nice to have a real go with them, they are incredibly easy to use - even though I'm using a Macbook and so don't get the fancy graphical interface that my PC using friends get.

Well this has been a very relaxing way to end my week off work - back to getting up early tomorrow, so I suppose I should finish the housework and Ironing, oh and my daughter wants to have a barbecue tonight, in spite of the fact that it keeps clouding over and looking like it will rain at any moment! (teenagers! hopefully she'll grow out of it)

Card for a Phillatelist and football fan

Well, the brief was, this man likes stamp collecting (not the rubber variety) and football, but does not support any particular team. Boy was this a toughy, but I've shown it my friend & she's really happy with it. I had to hand draw the football pitch onto the green card using a white pen (found that Signo is much better than Inkssentials). The edge of the card was created by using a sizzix circle paddle punch to punch half circles giving a stamp like edge. I really wanted a trophy on the left hand side but couldn't find what I wanted so had to resort to peel offs. I created the backing paper on the inside of the card myself using a single football clipart pasted into word lots of times. Hope you like & sorry I've not posted for a while.

Sketch Saturday No. 58

Hi peeps! (I say that but nobody visits my blog - sob!).

I've just recently bought some lovely Elzybells stamps & they are sooo much fun to use and I find myself with loads of inspiration with their stamps - I've included a link and I would recommend that you have your credit card ready if you decide to follow it.

Anyway, as usual I trawl the challenge blogs looking for something to have a go at, and the Sketch Saturday one screamed at me today, so I thought I'd have a go.

The backing paper for the card was made using the stamps from Elzybells new Retail Therapy set, and I have to say I had my best friend Laura in mind when I made this! Instead of the three flowers in the original sketch, I thought it would be more appropriate to have shopping items and so used shoes, a handbag and a top. I even (a first for me!) decorated the inside of the card with the same main image and a row of little credit cards down the side. I have to say I'm really pleased with how this turned out.

Creative Inspirations Challenge No. 6

Well, as I won last week, I had to enter this again!

The DP's for this all came from the new Papermania Blueberry Hill collection, although I distressed the edges with a pale brown chalk ink pad. The image has been watercoloured, and I even made the paper flower myself (well, with the aid of a punch and embossing tool). I'm really pleased with this, it's probably the first time I've tried distressing in any big way & the colours are not my usual range.

Anyway, hope you like - I really enjoyed the sketch & will probably use this again.

Sketch Saturday No. 48

Well, here's my entry for this challenge, and I have to say I really enjoyed this sketch, but then I love using Tilda's. I didn't put a sentiment on but then I prefer to leave them without a sentiment & then I have them to use whenever & not just for birthdays or whatever I've put on at the time.

Not bad, two entries in two days (must have fallen out of bed on my head!) - well until next time!

Creative Inspirations Challenge No. 5

Okay, I know it may be nearly summer, but someone forgot to tell the weather. I've even had to put the heating on again this afternoon as I am soo cold - hence I've done a very autumnal card for this challenge.

The challenge was to use 4 flowers, 3 papers and 2 buttons. The papers were freebie downloads from Shabby Princess, the flowers are Papermania and the buttons used to be on some clothes! - the image is one of my favourite Tildas and I've coloured her with my Promarkers and Copics. I have now realised that I don't have enough earth colours (or any other ones for that matter - can you ever have too many Copics?).

Anyway, hope you like - I'm off to find another challenge to enter!

Well I've finally done it

I finally decided that I cannot just keep making cards and not doing anything with them, so I am now going to start trying to sell my cards via my new MISI store, not sure how it will go but I have to start making some money from this or else I have to slow down or stop making cards completely - THIS IS NOT SOMETHING I WANT TO DO!!!!

This is the first card I have listed with them & I really think everyone should go and have a look at misi - you are supporting some wonderful cottage industries & I think I will be getting some Birthday and Christmas presents from there.

Well, just a short post - take care all.

Sketch Saturday

Well, I decided to enter a challenge & not just take part quietly in the background, but actually get around to posting it on the challenge site.

This weeks Sketch Saturday was just too good to miss though and I really enjoyed putting this together - not sure it will win any prizes as there are so many other much more talented crafters out there than me, but hey, I enjoyed it and that's the main thing right?

Meet Daisy, one of the new acrylic stamps from Design Objectives, I love these stamps and have the Daisy & Dandelion set and also Bubbles & Squeak, will be getting Candyfloss & Marshmallow and Pickles & Onion as soon as I can - love them all.

I have just downloaded all of my recent cards from my camera to the computer, and didn't realise I'd made as many as I have, so I will have to get posting soon just to catch back up.

Anyway, hope you like this card - see you soon

Whiff of Joy Design Team Challenge

Okay, this probably won't win, but if I don't put myself out there and keep striving to improve, I never will!

Besides, I just passed an exam today that I really didn't expect to, so have decided that you should just take a deep breath and do these things.

Hope you all like this card

Feb Blog Day - Red

Well, I wasn't expecting this to be quite such a challenge, but I set myself the additional challenge of not doing a valentine or christmas card - hmmm..

Anyway, this is my submission for the February Blog Day. I wanted to use one of my new Whiff of Joy stamps, not sure I like the colours i've used, but it's growing on me. The papers are from Papermania, the button Basic Grey and the flower I punched and shaped myself - oh and the colouring was done with my lovely new Promarkers.

Here's a close up of the girl....

Hope you like.

Sticking the Boot in

I hate making mens cards - they don't think the same things as us and they most certainly do not like the kind of cute images and pastel colours us girlies like. Not that I am particularly girly, but I love flowers and ribbon and sparkly bits on my cards and I have a liking for magnolia and Whiff of Joy images (just got their new stamp kit - its gorgeous!). Anyway, men don't appreciate these things and so I have a real problem making them cards.

Well.... work, who know I make cards, suggested that I make cards for two upcoming birthdays, both men! I made the first (copied from a design in a magazine, but only after an entire weekend trying to work out what to do). The second is more difficult - he's a lovely bloke and I know he's into walking, this rather limits the choice on rubber stamps, there just don't seem to be any for walkers. Anyway, I went into my local craft shop yesterday and asked for some advice (Totally Crafty is the shop), and the lovely girl in there suggested making a walking boot - two sides with a box in between so that it stands on its own and you can put tags in the box for people to write on. I did try downloading a template, but they were all too small and designed either for english A6 size or standard 5 1/2 x 4 1/4 american size.

In the end I looked at my husbands walking boots and did a rough sketch of that onto an A4 piece of paper, then made two card templates and stuck these to brown bazzill card, cut out and then added the detail to the base with additional card in black and grey.

It's taken me all weekend to complete, but I'm really chuffed with the result, it'e even got a shoe box to go in, now I just have to hope he likes it.

Wow, 2 posts in 2 days

Well, I had to get a card made today for the Docrafts friendship swap, and have wanted to try out my new Promarkers and Copics, so this was the ideal chance. The image is a magnolia stamp, which I love - yes I know they are a little odd without noses and mouths, but I actually quite like that, slightly 'Mona Lisa' like and enigmatic.

Alcohol markers are fantastic because you can keep layering colour without deteriorating the surface of the paper, having coloured the image, I couldn't believe how perfect the colour looked (and couldn't believe that it was me who'd done it), I would highly recommend these pens to anyone. I know it may be heresy to say it as well with so many people recommending Copics, but I prefer the slightly cheaper Promarkers as the fine end of the pen suits me better, personal taste but I love the crisp lines you can get.

The background papers are Papermania, prima flower with a candy dot centre, papermania butterfly and papermania adhesive hearts too. The edge of the card has been inked with a colourbox chalk ink from the pastel range (sorry don't have the exact colour name.

Hope you like it - it's great to be back.

No card, just an apology

I have not blogged since 4th December, my god! So much water under the bridge, so many cards made, sent out and not photographed. I'm such a bad blogger, sorry!!!

I made a beautiful card for my mum for Christmas and forgot to take photo's of it - luckily she has kept it (she loves it soo much she won't throw it away) so I will get photos at some point, its based on this design I found on my crafty wanderings (just to give you a taster of what it's like), though mine was made with shades of blue and lilac.

Anyway, I promise to try harder, really I do & as I now possess some Copics and Promarkers, my colouring range has increased so I can come up with some more wonderful stuff! I have to say I love the Promarkers, having had a little play, the fine nib is brilliant for adding the shading and detail.

Well off to make something - must remember the camera though!