Ahhh...relaaaxx!

Here's a little card I made for my friend's birthday. She gets quite stressed with her work, so I thought this might encourage her to relax for the day!

Supplies:-
Image: "Bunny Bath" - House-Mouse Designs, coloured with Promarkers
Paper: Born to Shop
Sentiment: Tulip
Tools: Making Memories paper distressing tool

Challenges: -
House-Mouse & Friends Monday Challenge #118 - Anything Goes
Forever Friends Fortnightly Challenge - Think Pink
Sir Stampalot April Challenge - Happy Birthday
Penny Black at Allsorts April Challenge - Oh So Cute
Charisma Cardz #15 -Shabby Chic
Paperplay Challenge #16 - Animal Antics

Back after a little break...

Hello all,

It seems like ages since I last posted anything - and I suppose it is really.

Some of you know that my Grandad had been struggling with dementia amongst other health problems for quite some time, and sadly we lost him on 3rd October. We saw him in hospital where he was very peaceful and he passed away about an hour after we left to go home (Sod's law eh?). All very sad times, but at least he isn't suffering anymore...

So, with that and a bit of locum work/job hunting I haven't really been doing much in the way of crafting, but Christmas is fast approaching and I need to get on with the cards!! Mum and I went to the Hobbycrafts exhibition at the NEC last Thursday, so that's got me back in the mood!

Supplies:
Image: HouseMouse Designs "Holiday Smooch", coloured with Promarkers
Paper: Papermania Henbury Lane Poinsettia paper
Tools: Crafts Too embossing folder for sentiment.
Embellishments: Glamour Dust!

Challenges:
Little Claire's Challenge #14 - Christmas
Top Tip Tuesday #59 - Anything Christmas Goes
Dream Valley #19 - Anything Goes

Happy House-Mouse Anniversary!

It was Aunty Marilyn & Brian's first wedding anniversary at the weekend, so I made them a little card. They found the HM image funny and were trying to decide who was which mouse!

Supplies:
Image: "Olive a Party" from House-Mouse Designs, coloured with Promarkers.
Paper: Pink Petticoat Vintage Rose Collection
Tools: XCut border punch system & glasses/heart punch
Embellishments: Ribbon (hand-tied bow) with curls stuck in place with glue. Sentiment from Forever Friends die-cut sheet. Glitter on tape underneath border punch for sparkly background!

Challenges:
Crafts & Me #37 - Punch It Out
Inky Impressions  #16 - Shine On
C.R.A.F.T #105 - Wedding/Love
Craft Us Crazy #9 - Love/Remembrance
Cupcake Craft #145 - Things with tails
Pollycraft Monday #96 - Love & Marriage
I Love Promarkers #68 - Sparkly Bling
Papertake Weekly - Anything Goes

House-Mouse & Friends Challenge GDT #96 - Football Frenzy

Time has flown, and it's time for my second and final guest DT card for  House-Mouse & Friends Monday Challenge.

The briefing was an American Football-themed card, but being from the UK I didn't know anything about their game/teams, so I've just gone for an English football theme instead!
The card is for my friend's little boy, who is being brought up to support Arsenal (hence the colour scheme)!
 Hop over to the challenge post to see the DT's fab creations!

Supplies:
Image: "Relax" from House-Mouse Designs, coloured with Promarkers.
Sentiment: "Time to Celebrate" Ticket from Mudmaven Designs
Paper: Football paper from Forever Friends "Just for Him" paper pack.
Tools: "Shapeology Banner Pennants Die Set" from Whimsy Stamps (which I bought using the gift certificate I won in their Help for Japan Blog Hop! Nestabilities Blossom dies for the image/layering.
Embellishments: A couple of red eyelets to thread my banner throught, and some red/white bakers twine to hang the pennants. The lettering on the pennants is using alphabet rub-ons.

Challenges:
One Crazy Stamper May Challenge - Boys & Men 
I Love Promarkers #66 - Animals 
Top Tip Tuesday #34 - One for the kids
C.R.A.F.T Challenge #103 - Happy Birthday & Blog Hop
Crafty Sentiments - Children's Cards
I Did It Creations #56 - Anything Goes
Craft Us Crazy #8 - Something New and/or favourite embellishment

House-Mouse & Friends GDT - May Flowers

So, how excited was I to receive an email inviting me to be a guest designer for House-Mouse & Friends Monday Challenge for the month of May?

I love the House-Mouse stamps, and loved the theme - "May Flowers" as I had this gorgeous "Spring Blossoms" image coloured up and ready to go when the sun came out!

I you haven't already, pop on over to the challenge blog post to see what the fabulous DT have created! And this fortnight's sponsor is Simon Says Stamp with $15 worth of goodies!

 

Supplies:

Image: "Spring Blossoms" from House-Mouse Designs, coloured with Promarkers.

Paper: Papermania Capsule Collection Sunshine paper, Orange Coordinations cardstock for floral border.

Tools: Martha Stewart floral border punch

Embellishments: Flowers from Papermania Capsule Collection Sunshine collection, Hero Arts stick-on pearls, die-cut greeting.

Challenges:

By The Cute & Girly May - Anything Goes

Crafter's Companion #12 - Girl's Birthday

Oldie but a Goodie #18 - Say it with Flowers

Dream Valley #6 - Flowers

Papertake Weekly - Anything Goes

Crafty Sentiments - Flowers

Top Tip Tuesday #32 - Open Challenge

Sundays with Crissy #17 - Flowers

The right shoes...

I'm off to Birmingham tonight til Sunday for a veterinary conference, and one of my best friends from school  has very kindly offered to have me to stay! I've made her this card to say thank you (and I've made some chocolate chip cookies to take too)!

Supplies:
Image: "Fancy Pants" by House Mouse Designs, coloured with Promarkers
Sentiment: "You can deal with anything if you have the right shoes" from MM Designs
Paper: Smirk "Naughty but Nice"
Tools: Nesties Classic Squares Large
Embellishments: Yellow bow from Papermania Capsule Collection, keyring charm made by me, yellow flowers.

Challenges:
House Mouse Monday #92 - Sketch
Moving Along with the Times #91 - Precious Metals
Sentimental Sundays #48 - Cute & Cuddly
Crafty Creations 112 - Bunnies

Springy card!

Continuing with my experimentation on card styles, I had a go at a Diamond-Fold card (using a tutorial from Crafty Devils Papercraft website).

Supplies:
Images: "Mudpie's Munch" by House Mouse Designs - coloured with Promarkers, the "Thank You" sentiment is from Sentiments 4 You.
Paper: The striped paper is from Papermania Basics pad, and the spotted paper is from Papermania Capsule Collection "Lemon Sorbet".
Embellishments: The buttons, brads & flower are all from Papermania Capsule Collection "Sunshine".

Challenges:
Pink Gem #15 - Buttons, brads, beads, bows (I went for buttons and brads)
Corrosive Challenge #105 - Distressing
Sentimental Sundays #44 - Anything Goes (plus a sentiment)
House Mouse & Friends #90 - Multifold
Incy Wincy  Designs #83 - Spring is in the air
Dream Valley Challenge #1 - Anything Goes
Simon Says Stamp challenge - 1 image, 2 designer papers, 3 types of embellishment
Charisma Cardz #9 - Four-legged Friends
Cute Card Thursday #154 - Signs of Spring
Dutch Dare Challenge #102 - Who's who in the zoo?
Cooking it up with Kate #51 - Springy Yellow Flowers
Stamping for the Weekend #5 - Springtime

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

House Mouse Challenge Sketch & Blog Hop

I've made this card for my cousin's son's birthday - he's 5yrs old next week and just started school, so I thought this "Bedtime Stories" image was perfect! It's coloured with Promarkers. The spotted & diamond paper is from the Dovecraft Masculine paper pack, and I've added some old buttons I found lurking in a drawer, some little metallic-looking embellishments & some twine. The green punched edge was made using my Martha Stewart scallop border punch. I've inked all the way around the card with bronze pigment ink.

Challenges I'm entering:

House Mouse Monday Challenge #78 - Sketch & Blog Hop!

A Spoon Full of Sugar #122 - Anything Goes
Papertake Weekly - Animal Magic
Just Cute Bears #35 - Punch It
Corrosive Challenge #82 - Clean up the dust
Totally Gorjuss #48 - Wild Thing
Creative Cottage Challenge #23 - Birthday Boy

Here's looking at you, kid!

Dad's birthday card!! I've used House Mouse Gruffies "Finding Friends" image, and coloured it with Promarkers. I've used two different sheets of Dovecraft Masculine paper pack - the diamond and checks, layered onto brown card, with one brown ribbon and a peel-off.

I took Mum and Dad to the airport this morning and they've just called to say they are about to board the plane to Mexico.

Challenges I'm entering:
The Pixie Cottage #34 - Sketch & Family
Stamp Something - Cute
Pile it On #35 - Layers
Papertake Weekly #58 - Just the one (piece of ribbon)

Olive A Party! NO PEEKING MUM AND DAD!!

This gorgeous House Mouse image was sent to me by Heather in the House Mouse Blog Hop candy I won on her blog, Rica's Haven. It's perfect for my parents Wedding Anniversary, as Mum loves olives!! I've coloured with Promarkers. and again, was going to add some gloss but time got away!

The card I've used is from a new pack I bought yesterday (Mum hasn't seen it yet) - it's called Cloisonne, from GCD Studios. They've just started stocking it at The Range and Dunelm near me, and it's double-sided, which I wanted for a project I'm going to start on soon and hopefully finish before M&D return from Mexico!

The pink paper is punched with an XCut border punch, the little heart embellishments are from Dovecrafts (I won them ages ago in a blog candy at Donna's Den. The little charm I bought yesterday.

Challenges I'm entering:

Sketch Saturday #118 - Sketch

ABC Challenge - C is for Charms

Beach Time Fun!!

Here's my first card made with my Simon Says Stamp blog candy win from Chris!! It's a House Mouse Gruffies stamp called "Beach Time Fun" and I've coloured it with my Promarkers!

I've used beach themed backing paper from Cardmaking & Papercraft magazine, and added 3 eyelets, 2 shells (hand-collected by Mum) and a ribbon.

Challenges I'm entering:
Bunny Zoe's Challenge #2 - Summer Days
Creatalicious Challenges #12 - Make it 3D
Sir Stampalot July Challenge - Lazy Hazy Days of Summer
House Mouse Monday #74 - The Letter "B" (Beach, ball, bear, bucket, brolly!!!)
Friday Sketchers #112 - Sketch
Craftalicious Challenges #4 - Birthdays
Crafty Catz Weekly #42 - Summertime
Pollycraft #53 - Happy Birthday

DADDY DON'T LOOK!!!

I'll do all the chatting at the top of this post, so that if Dad's having a snoop on my blog (he does that, you know), he'll realise NOT TO LOOK at this card - it's my card to him for Father's Day!

I've used a House Mouse image called "With all my heart" to fit in with their latest Sweets challenge, coloured with Promarkers. The sentiment was from Charmed Cards & Crafts - I thought it was perfect for a Father's Day card. Both the stripy & spotted blue & white paper are from Papermania's Henbury Lane collection, with the spotted paper backed onto a strip of card punch with the MS scallop punch. I added a ribbon, 3 brads & a peel off to embellish!

So, here's the picture - last chance to look away DAD!!!

And a close up of the image:

Challenges I'm entering:

Cardmaking & Papercraft Sketch

House Mouse & Friends #71 - Sweets

Cards For Men #12 - Father's Day

Creative Craft Challenge #15 - For the man in your life

Simon Says Challenge - 1 image, 2 patterned papers, 3 types of embellishment

C.R.A.F.T #54 - Father's Day

Charisma Cardz #23 - Spots & Stripes

One Stitch At A Time # 16 - Boys to Men

House Mouse Farewell

This week's challenge at House Mouse Challenge is Goodbye/Farewell. They are also having a blog hop!
This is my first entry to the challenge, using a stamped image I received in a blog candy. (Just found out from the website that it's called "Gentle Rain").

I thought this was the perfect sort of image for a fareweel as the poor little chap looks a bit miserable being dripped on! I've used my new Promarkers again (Love them!) It also gave me a chance to use a daffodil button I received in another blog candy. The yellow/orange paper is from Papermania Capsule Collection (as is the green bow). I used our Martha Stewart scallop punch on the top edge of the card, and XCut corner punch on the designer paper/image. Then just a little bit of yellow ribbon and a peel-off sentiment.

Challenges I'm entering:

House Mouse & Friends Monday Challenge #70 - Goodbye/Farewell

Passion For Promarkers #53 - Anything Goes

Sophisticats #32 - Splish Splash

Secret Crafter Saturday #85 - Buttons & Blooms

Little Mice!!

This image is one from my little package that Lisa sent me AGES ago, but I've only just got around to using it!! It is apparently "House Mouse Cozy Shoe" and I've coloured it using my trusty Whispers!
The swirly brown paper and the mint green paper is from my Inspire Creationz blog candy win in January!
I've made my own flowers using 2 different size punches, and have added some gems!

Challenges I'm entering:
Sketch Saturday #95 - sketch
Sophisticat #27 - Mint green, lilac & one other colour & flowers