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!

Distressing Christmas!

No no, I don't mean Christmas is distressing! I love Christmas - favourite time of year - friends & family, Christmas markets, music, decorations, presents and fun!

Everything here is from the Papermania Henbury Lane Poinsettia Ultimate A4 Collector's Pack (a brilliant set if you get a chance to get one). I've used an A5 card, and inked the edges with lovely pinky-red pigment ink, and distressed the edges of the backing paper.

Challenges I'm entering:

Quixotic Paperie October Challenge - Christmas is coming

Flourishes Timeless Tuesday #88 - Ink & Edge distressing

Corrosive Challenge #86 - No white paper

The Crafty Pad #93 - Distressed or torn edges

Tagalicious!

I decided to try making a tag for a change! I used a Nellie Snellen circle die for the base (with pink card). The butterfly is made of felt, from the Papermania Henbury Lane collection, and I've decorated it with lots and lots of bling!! Then a ribbon to attach it to a present!!

Challenges I'm entering:

Bee Crafty Challenge #1 - No DP

The Creative Cottage #24 - Bling it On

Dutch Dare #88 - Tagalicious

Moving Along With The Times #67 - Anything but a card

Crafty Emma's Store Challenge #7 - Create a tag



Tilda Bookmark & Fancy Fold card

Here's a diagonal double pocket card made from a Splitcoast Stampers tutorial.

I've used G.C.D Studios Cloisonne double sided paper to make the actual pocket card. The gardening image on the front is from Beccy's Place  - she has loads of lovely digis to play with! I've coloured with Promarkers, and added "60" in peel-off number to the tea-cup as the card is for my friend's mum's 60th!

In the top pocket of the card I have placed a bookmark, made using gold cardstock, and Tilda with Wedding Gifts, coloured with Promarkers (to match the paper). I printed the sentiment off from Word!! I've added a ribbon and totally forgot to put an eyeley around the hole!! (Too many other things going on at home)!

Challenges I'm entering:
Crafty Cardmakers Spotlight - Fancy Folds
Colour Create #55 - Pink, Cream & Green
Crafty Ann's Challenge #25 - At least one digi stamp & favourite colouring medium
Crafty Catz Weekly #53 - Magnolia/Tilda
Craftalicious Challenge #10 - Anything Goes
One Stitch At A Time #34 - Digistamps
Fab n Funky #43 - Use a digi image
Creative Inspirations #81 - Birthday

Papertake Weekly - New Beginnings

They are having a great Blog Hop over at Papertake Weekly to celebrate their 3rd Birthday! The challenge for this week is to choose a challenge from the last 3yrs....ANY challenge!

I've chosen "New Beginnings" from 5th Jan 2010 as I have a very good friend who has FINALLY moved into a new house with her fiance after a lot of waiting for the previous owner to get out!

The image is a digi stamp from Mo's Digital Pencil, called "Home Tweet Home", coloured with Promarkers. I've used brown spotted paper from a Daisy & Dandelion paper pack, and my Nellie Snellen multiframe circles.

Challenges I'm entering:

Papertake Weekly - New Beginnings

Pollycraft #64 - Anything Goes

Bee Crafty #39 - Furry/Fluffy friends (I hope feathery counts too)!

One Stop Craft #100 - Congratulations

CPS Challenge #187 - Sketch

A Gem of a Challenge - No 8

Here's a really girly card I've made using "Sprinkles" the fairy from Pink Gem. She's coloured using Whispers (in the days before my Promarkers).

The spotted paper is from My Mind's Eye Summer paper pack and the sentiment is from a Flower Fairies Dufex decoupage sheet. I've used my NEW Tim Holtz Tattered Florals die to cut the flower, embellished with a gem, and there's a couple of punched stars. I've covered everything in Glamour dust as usual, oh and inked around the edge of the paper!

Challenges I'm entering:

A Gem of a Challenge #8 - Sketch +/- Sparkle

Oldie But A Goodie #2 - Pink & Girly

Moving Along With The Times #66 - Fairies

Crafty Catz Challenge #52 - Birthday card for a child with sparkle

Sweet Stampin' #46 - Punch it out

Autumn Daisy!

Here's another card featuring Daisy. She's our only Sugar Nellie girl at the moment, so all my Sugar Bowl entries feature her! I've used Promarkers to colour her.

I've used pigment inks to colour the edge of my card (a bit of orange, yellow & green), and used some flower paper from a magazine freebie to go for an autumn colour theme. I'm not sure what the green net-string stuff is (if someone could enlighten me that would be great....), but I've added some of that as I found it lying in the bottom of the drawer and is seemed to fit. I've cut some Core Color card using nesties, and Daisy's sitting in the middle.

Challenges I'm entering:

The Sugar Bowl #44 - Sketch +/- Birthday

The Crafty Calendar - Birthday +/- autumn colours

Creative Card Crew - Bloomin' Marvellous

Simon Says Challenge - Autumn

Stamping for the Weekend #48 - Autumn colours

Craftalicious Challenge #9 - Autumn

Stamptacular Sunday #78 - Fall colours

C.R.A.F.T #70 - Fancy Floral

Sparkling Christmas!

Cor Blimey!! I've been trying to upload this one picture for almost an hour with the silly new uploader thingy which just kept stopping/locking my internet explorer up!! Almost gave up, but thought I'd try one more time with this image! (There's a close up of the decoupage but I might try to upload it later)
Anyway, here's another easel card I've made using the Papermania Henbury Lane Poinsettia ultimate decoupage pack. 3 different papers from that collection and the prop-up strip is also a die-cut from the pack. I've added a load of Glamour Dust just to finish it off!

Challenges I'm entering:
CPS #186 - Sketch
The Crafty Pad #90 - Christmas Sparkle
Secret Crafter Saturday #103 - Easel cards
PaperCutz Challenge #61 - 3 patterned papers

By The Cute & Girly GDT October - SPOOKY!!

I was picked to be a guest member of the Design Team for the By The Cute & Girly Challenge  in October, and Lisa has chosen a "Spooky" theme, in the lead up to Halloween!

Now, this might be a blanket statement, but Halloween isn't a big thing in England, unlike the USA, so I've never actually made a card for it before (and therefore didn't really have any supplies). It's a real shame, as there are so many brilliant stamps, papers and embellishments out there!

So, I made three creations with what I could find (mainly freebies!!), and hopefully it might help to inspire those who also haven't ventured into spooky crafting before!

Project One

Technique: Papermania tunnel card template using blue cardstock & acetate

Image: Halloween freebie from KLM Digi Stamps coloured with Promarkers

Stickers: Halloween fun stickers from Craft Planet

Challenges I'm entering:
Alice In Wonderland #32 - Window/Hole

Project Two

I thought I'd try something a bit different, in case we get any little trick or treat-ers visiting on Halloween! This is just a metal tin decorated with paper and ribbon!

Technique: Altered tin

Paper: Free download from Stamping All Day

Challenges I'm entering:

Crafty Ann's Challenge #24 - Anything but a card

Project Three

This one was a lot of fun to make - tricky, but definitely fun!

Technique: T-Slider card using template from Kim Score at Splitcoast Stampers

Image: James from Just Inklined Digital Stamps coloured with Promarkers

Stickers: Halloween fun stickers from Craft Planet

Challenges I'm entering:

Paper Sundaes #37 - Things with Wings (bats)

Well, I hope you've enjoyed seeing what everyone has created for the October Challenge, and that you'll all have a go too!