Be Back Soon!

Right, I'm signing off for a few days now (just after getting back into the swing of blogging)! Hopefully I'll be out of hospital tomorrow night, but otherwise it will be Friday, and I'll be back on here as soon as my shoulder allows!

See you soon!

Tilda with Flowers!

Here's Dad's card for Mum, but obviously he didn't make it!!

It's "Tilda with 3 Flowers", coloured with Promarkers, backed on "Pink Petticoat" Vintage Rose collection paper, with some lovely flowers and a ribbon. I've inked all round the edge of the card and the sentiment.

Challenges:
Just Magnolia #93 - Sketch
Bunny Zoe #9 - Spring Flowers
Totally Tilda #16 - How Does Your Garden Grow?
Craft Your Passion #45 - Pink
Creative Cottage #33 - Fabulous Florals
Inky Impressions  - Spots & Stripes

A Magical Birthday for Mum!

It's Mum's Birthday on Monday, but I have had to be super-prepared this year as I go in for my shoulder surgery tomorrow so think my right arm will be un-useable for at least a few days. The presents are wrapped, I've made my card to Mum, and I'm currently making Dad's for her!
The image is "Wings of Hope" from Whimsy Stamps (a Crissy Armstrong creation)- a beautiful Pegasus carousel horse! I've coloured it with Promarkers, and glittered the wings and hooves. My sentiment is also from Whimsy Stamps (Raindrop Echo).
I've used some flourishy pink and spotted blue paper from Papermania's Henbury Lane collection, some blue vellum which has been stitched with silver thread, a ribbon with heart-shaped brad (that's been hanging around the drawer forever), and some die cut flowers with gems.

Challenges:
Ooh La La Creations #73 - For Someone Special
Pollycraft #80 - Special Birthday
Sketch & Stash #55 - Sketch & neglected heart ribbon brad, so old I forget where it's from!
Oldie But A Goodie #12 - Add a Heart
Papertake Weekly - Putting on the Glitz
Top Tip Tuesday #22 - All Stitched Up - My top tip for stitching by hand like this is to plan your stitches first before making holes, otherwise you may end up with your loose ends in the wrong place, or uneven stitching!
Charisma Cardz #6 - Mythical/Fantasy (2nd entry)
Cute Card Thursday #151 - Hearts & Flowers
Paperplay #6 - Hearts & Flowers but not Valentine's
Sundays with Crissy February - It's all about Love

Twilight Calendar!

Here's something I made for my cousin's teenage daughter - she's a big Twilight fan (as am I) and I only just managed to give this to her as a present as I was actually quite pleased with how it turned out:

I've used a chipboard star shape as my base, and the black & white paper is from a Dovecraft paper pack.
For Edward I have used "Flirty Edward", and Bella is "Camille" from The Greeting Farm. Both are coloured with Promarkers, and Edward is sparkling as he always does! The Sparkles sentiment is from Create with TLC (it's always perfect for Twilight cards!) I've distressed the edges with black ink to give it a bit of a shadowy feel!

Challenges:
Simon Says - Anything but a card
A Spoon Full of Sugar #139 - Anything but a card
Charisma Cardz #6 - Mythical/Fantasy
Creative Inspirations #53 - Distress
Creative Craft Challenge - Card/project for a teen

Sylvia's WeeStamps!

Whilst wandering through blogland I came across this gorgeous little girl, Suzi, and followed a link over to Sylvia Zet's blog. She has just released her first digi stamps in her store "WeeStamps". To help promote the new shop, Sylvia has very kindly offered to send Suzi to followers who post about the new releases. But you need to be quick, this ends tomorrow at 12pm!

Mummy to Be!

This cute Forever Friends decoupage is from the booklet I've spent the last few days using (as are the papers and sentiment). I've distressed the edges for a bit of a different look (chalks, not ink).
Perfect timing as one of my friends from Zumba/ Ballroom dancing just announced that she is expecting!

Challenges:
Die Cut Dreams #83 - It's a Girl (Baby)
Crafty Emma's Store Challenge #23 - Cute & Cuddly
One Stitch at a Time #49 - Pretty
Paper Sundaes #57 - Pick your sundae toppings (I picked pink and distressed)

Birthday Bear with a Book!

Here's a "Bedtime Story" House Mouse - for my uncle (although I've never called him uncle as he and my aunty just got married last year after being together for YEARS!) I thought it was a cute image - and maybe relevant (falling asleep whilst reading...?)
Anyway, it's coloured with Promarkers, and the starry paper is from Dovecraft Masculine paper pack. I've added a peel-off and some punched stars & gems.

Challenges:
Card Patterns #101 - Sketch
I Love Promarkers #52 - Birthday & Blog Hop
Totally Papercrafts #53 - Clean & simple

Totally Tilda Easter!

I received this Tilda in a blog candy last year, and thought I'd stamp and colour her to go with the Totally Tilda Easter Special challenge. I've coloured her and the chicks using Promarkers.
The plant pot she is sitting on came from Susie at Die Cut Dreams and I thought it was perfect for a Spring card. The paper is from the Papermania Spring Time pack, and I've added some Capsule Collection flowers, a couple of magazine-freebie eggs and a sentiment. (And I've inked the edge of the page).

Challenges:
Totally Tilda - Easter
Moving Along With The Times #85 - Photo Inspiration
Just Magnolia #92 - Monthly Special Anything Goes
Stamp, Scrap & Doodle - Spots & Stripes
Sweet Stampin Challenge - Spring Flowers
Pile It On #6 - Bright & Breezy

Whimsy Stamps Release Party!

Whimsy Stamps have got some new stamps to release, and they are having a blog hop with prizes to celebrate!
The hop starts with Chris Olsen....go now!

Forever Friends Baby

Another FF decoupage-style card from the free booklet - the paper (including washing line) is from that booklet too. The sentiment is from another FF pack that I've had for ages. I've added some ribbon, and

some bling!

Challenges:

Forever Friends Monthly - Bling

Creative Card Crew - Pink & Purple

Pocket Card

I used these instructions by Beate Johns (found on Splitcoast Stampers - click to go direct to tutorial). I didn't quite stick to the embellishment, but will do another at some point like the one Beate has made.

This is a thank you to all of the lovely people at the veterinary practice I have just finished locum-ing at. They have been very patient and kind while I have made the transition from horses-only to small animal and horse work. I will miss them, but have made some great friends so I will hopefully keep in touch.

I've used a piece of double-sided "g.c.d cloisonne" paper (although it's more like card), and I've coloured my Wild Rose Studio "Girl With Dog" image using Promarkers. Then just a few gems to finish off.

Challenges:

Sir Stampalot February - All Creatures Great & Small (quite apt I thought - girl & her dog, made by a vet!)

Inky Impressions - Sketch

Calendar Girl!

I still have some of the little calendar tabs left, and thought I'd just rip off the months that have gone and carry on using them!! They work well with easel card.

I've coloured Anya using my Promarkers, to match the paper (Kate Knight). Then I've added a peel-off, 4 eyelets & some gems.

Challenges:
I Love Promarkers #51 - Anything Goes
Paperplay Challenge #5 - Stamp it out
Totally Papercrafts #52 - Friendship

Pink & Flowery!

Here's another of the Forever Friends decoupage cards I made yesterday - I love the girlyness of this one!
Again the flowery/spotted paper is from the kit, as is the sentiment. I've added a bit of fringing (trying to use up old bits of ribbon), and some little flowers embellished with gems.

Challenges:

Crafty Cardmakers #38 - Florals

Forever Friends - Dots & Spots

Papertake Weekly - Anything Goes +/- Flowers

Top Tip Tuesday #20 - Anything Girly

Totally Gorjuss #65 - As you like it (I love the pink & flowery)

Crafty Catz Weekly # 67 - Flowers

Happy Bear-thday!

I got a free Forever Friends decoupage booklet in with a magazine, and thought I'd have a play - it has some lovely papers in it!

I've distressed & chalked the edges of the paper for something a bit different (found Mum's chalks after reading the tutorial in Cardmaking & Papercraft magazine. I also added some eyelets as I'm trying to remember to use all the things that live in the cupboard!

Challenges:
Simon Says Stamp Challenge - Animal Antics

Long Time No See!!!

It's been so long since I've actually posted anything, I'll have to try to remember how!!
Quick update on the things in life that have kept me from the blogs....
1) Mum ruptured her cruciate on holiday back in September, so wasn't able to walk (or cook/clean/iron/drive/shop) and has just had her second operation to reconstruct the cruciate ligament, so hopefully is on the mend now. I've been taking her to physio/hydrotherapy twice a week since then, and it's been a bit manic.
2) My lovely Grandad has dementia and we finally moved him into a dementia care home in November as he really wasn't coping (even with 4-times daily care visits), so there was a lot of travelling up and down to Staffordshire with my Dad to move things into the home and try to clear some of the stuff out of his bungalow so we can redecorate.
3) Christmas - I did make Christmas cards but had no time to blog them!4
4) Grandad's bungalow had burst pipes on Boxing Day and was completely sodden throughout, so the last few weeks Dad & I have been boxing all the crockery/ornaments to bring home so that we can get someone in to take the furniture away and pull up the now-mouldy carpets!
5) I've got to have surgery on both my shoulders after the last 2yrs of pain. Right shoulder is being operated on 17th Feb and no idea about the left shoulder or recovery time.


SOOOO.... I really hope to spend more time catching up with everyone, and may even get around to blogging my jewellery making stuff too as I finished my locum job on the 21st Jan and probably won't be working again til after my surgery. I've missed blog-world!