My Time to Craft - Winter Pals

For this challenge for My Time to Craft I decided to use these really cute bears, a FREE digi-image from Cuddly Buddly. I coloured it with my Copics and used Winter Warm backing paper, also a digi download from Cuddly Buddly. The sentiment is computer generated mounted on Nesties. Most of today has been spent doing wedding invitations and I've done really well... 45 completed, 25 to go! I did have to go out to buy some more card at the Paper Mill Shop, but bought 4 punches as well! Why can't I buy just what I go out for and nothing else? Craft shops are dangerous places!

Back to cardmaking!

Actually I think that my mojo could do with a bit of a boost... I've got to do all my Christmas cards, plus 2 lots of wedding invitations to complete and my DT cards for Cuddly Buddly and My Time to Craft... all before Christmas... and to begin my Christmas shopping!
Looks like I may not get many challenge cards done!
Anyway, this is a quickie for a few challenges in the hope that my mojo will return when the jet lag from my holiday disappears.
Cards & Things - Sketch
Crazy 4 Challenges - Punch Happy (the holly leaves & berries)
Alphabet Challenges G - Green & Gold

Did you miss me again?

We've just returned from a couple of weeks fabulous cruising in the Caribbean and Central America on the cruise ship Oceana. We had a wonderful time, one of the highlights being able to release baby turtles as part of a conservation project in Acapulco.
We wished the little guys well and set them down on the sand and watched them scuttle into the sea. Sadly only a small proportion will see their way to adulthood.
For the most part the weather was wonderful, but we didn't escape rain totally as there was a lot of rain as we were in transit through the Panama canal, but it was fascinating yet beautiful despite the weather.
Now to catch up on all the cardmaking!

My Time to Craft - Tags So Much

Another week and another challenge from My Time to Craft. This time the title is 'Tags So Much' and as the heading suggests there must be a tag in evidence somewhere.
I decided to use a Cuttlebug tag from one of the alphabet sets, (I think it's Babyface) tied onto the bow of the ribbon. I have devised a way of tying bows using my bowmaker AND attaching it to the straight ribbon. It means that you can get a neat bow every time.
The image is a digi image from Dustin Pike coloured with Copics. The papers are also digi downloads from Cuddly Buddly. The larger stars are from a set of Quickutz nesting dies and the smaller ones are from an X Cut punch.
As this card also has quite a few stars in evidence I thought that I would add it to the Stampavie and more challenge of Stars!
Being new to the world of Design Teams, I have enjoyed looking at all the wonderful contributions to the challenges over at My Time To Craft. What a wealth of talent there is in the crafting world! Let's hope that lots of you will join in with the challenge again this week.

Tilda in Red

I've been trying to catch up with a few cards for friends since I was away in Leamington Spa for the weekend.
It's a beautiful city and we had a really good concert together with a local Choral Society, but now I have a cold and am feeling rather sorry for myself! I've managed to get some of the necessary cards done for friends, but I have also gained another commission for Wedding Stationery, so there's plenty to do there.
This card is for several challenges. I used the sketch from Create 4 Fun, the colour scheme of red and black from Creative Inspirations and the ribbons and gems were requested from the Creative Card Crew. Crafty Catz have a theme of Going Dotty this week so as this card has polka dot paper and three dotty gems I thought it would do for that challenge too!
The image is Magnolia, coloured with Copics.The papers are downloads from Cuddly Buddly and the 2&U are die cuts from Cuttlebug's Typewriter alphabet.

Alphabet Challenges D - decoupage

This is a quick post before I go away for the weekend to Leamington Spa to sing the Verdi Requiem with my choir.
A Chrissie card with images by Dustin Pike, coloured with Copics. The sentiments were done on the computer and the embossing is Cuttlebug. The trees are from a Papermania punch... I think.
The challenge from Alphabet Challenge is D for decoupage, I had to cut the images out to get them sufficiently far apart to add the speech bubble!

A couple of wonderful awards

I received this award from my wonderful bloggy friend Victoria.
Thank you SO much Victoria.
I have to tell you five things about myself.
1. I'm fiercely proud of my family
2. I find that colouring is most relaxing
3. I now buy shoes for comfort rather than fashion
4. I love to spend time in my own home
5. I'm very partial to rose wine


I received this award from my lovely bloggy friend June in Virginia, which was my home for a few years in the late 70's.
This is how it works
1. You can only use ONE word.
2. Pass this along to five of your favorite bloggers.
3. Alert them that you have given them this award.
4. Have FUN!!!

Here are the questions with my responses:

1. Where is your cell phone? bag
2. Your hair? short
3. Your mother? Lily
4. Your father? Jasper
5. Your favorite food? Italian
6. Your dream last night? none
7. Your favorite drink? coffee
8. Your dream/goal? Happiness
9. What room are you in? living
10. Your hobby? papercrafting
11. Your fear? illness
12. Where do you want to be in six years? craftroom
13. Where were you last night? daughter's
14. Something that you're not? skinny
15. Muffins? chocolate
16. Wish list item? Copics
17. Where did you grow up? Staffordshire
18. Last thing you did? breakfast
19. What are you wearing? PJs
20. Your t.v.? on
21. Your pets?none
22. Friends? kind
23: Your life? blessed
24. Your mood? content
25. Missing someone? dh
26. Vehicle? Audi
27. Something you're not wearing? makeup
28. Your favorite store?craft
29. Your favorite color?blue
30. Last time you laughed? today
31. Last time you cried? ?
32. Your best friend? daughter
33. One place you go over and over again? daughter's
34. One who emails you regularly? girlfriends
35. Favorite place to eat? Regginas
36. Facebook?never

I would now like to pass on both awards to these friends, Clare, Annie, Penni, Ali and Saskia.
All of these ladies are my Fabulously Crafty Friends at Cuddly Buddly.

WOYWW

Well I think of taking a pic of my desk for all to see, a little like cleaning up before the cleaning lady comes. It may not look like it has been tidied, but I did throw lots of scraps and cuttings in the bin earlier today.... and clean a couple of stamps and return them to their rightful place.
I have just realised that I have a stack of cards with no envelopes made, so that is the job in hand at the mo. I don't know if this would have been better without the table lamp on. Maybe I'll try that next week.
I'm off to see my daughter and family in Bath after I've jumped in the shower.

An experiment

Over at Everything but the kitchen sink, the challenge is to use toilet paper. That not as easy as it may sound as it is designed to disintegrate, which is eaxctly what it did lots of times during my trials for this card.
I wish I understood how ideas pop into my head, but for some reason footprints came into my mind and with it this piece of writing. I decided to use it as the background for the card, but had to ensure that all of it was visible, so that the purpose of the card made sense.
The whole of the background was over-stamped with a crackle stamp from Crafty Individuals. The footprints themselves were die-cut from a Cuttlebug die and coloured with Distress ink. The sentiment is from Hero Arts.
I don't know if this works or not! If you click on the picture, you will probably be able to read the words in close up!

Just Us Girls

The Challenge from Just Us Girls is to include a photo in the project. I decided to use this one of my granddaughter Daisy as Santa's Little Helper last Christmas. I have to say that she looks a lot different this year! I thought that her mum might like this card in the run up to Christmas.
I'm afraid that the pictures from my little digital camera are a bit pale and washed out looking. I'm not sure what I can do about it as I'm no photographer. I may have a little play around to see what if there is some setting or other that I can change.
The picture is cut and mounted using Nesties, I'm not sure if the trees are Papermania or Dovecraft. I've thrown out the packaging and there is no marking on the punch itself. The holly leaves are from an X Cut punch. The sentiment is Studio G.
It'll be Christmas before we know it!

So Many Scallops!

Another week at My Time To Craft!
When I first began cardmaking and had no idea what a die-cutting machine was, I used to look at beautiful cards made by experienced crafters and wish I could make cards with scallops!
Now I wouldn't be without my trusty Cuttlebug and it sits at my right hand on my craft table.
The image is from Mo's Digital Pencil (link on my sidebar) coloured with Copics. It's mounted on Nesties and the border is cut with a Martha Stewart border punch. The paper and sentiment are from Cuddly Buddly.
Do join in with the Challenge at My Time to craft, I'd love to come and visit you!

Pink Elephant Colour Challenge

The challenge from The Pink Elephant this week is to use the colours brown, yellow, neutral and a colour of your choice.
I chose this image from Dustin Pike and decided to colour him in the first two colours from the challenge. His bandages are the neutral colour and the plasters (or band-aids as you call them on the other side of the pond) determined the additional colour - pink!
I used Copics to colour him and like them more each time I use them. The sentiment is from MSE. The flowers are from a set of Cuttlebug alphabet dies.

Cuttlebug Challenge - Favourite Things

This card has a few of my favourite things. My newest favourite thing is the Copics which I used to colour the image. It took me ages to get around to buying them, the main thing delaying the purchase was the cost. However, now that I have some... I want more!
The thing that is my real favourite and which I could never be without however, is something which is not visible... my Cuttlebug, used to cut the Nesties and the Cuttlebug flourish. It sits at my right hand on my worktable and is used CONSTANTLY! I use it for both cutting and embossing and just love it!
The image on this card is from Mo's Digital Pencil and the green backing is from Forever Friends.
Thanks Cuttlebug Challenge I enjoyed making this one!

Two Thank You cards

This card uses the sketch from Clean & Simple FTL66 and the colours from SPCC Challenge #21.
The background stamp is from Tim Holtz and the co-ordinating embossing folder is from Cuttlebug. The sentiment is Anita's, mounted on Nesties.
The background text stamp and the flower are from Hero Arts.


This week, Charisma Cardz are asking for a card with 'No Backing Paper'. This simple little 'Thank you' card hasn't got much of anything really, but sometimes less is more. As my old mum used to say, 'It's the thought that counts'. The sentiment is part of a longer one, but I just masked off the bits I didn't want before inking it.

Why is colouring so relaxing?

If I feel the need to just chill for a while, I find that a spot of colouring fits the bill. This was the case here with Tilda. I had watched a video on how to colour auburn/red hair with Copics, but sadly I didn't have a single one of the colours recommended, so I improvised. I don't think it looks too bad... and it was relaxing to do.
The chair is a Whimsie Doodle image printed onto a Cuddly Buddly paper. The other papers are from Pink Petticoat.
This is for several challenges so I'll list them.
1. Crafty Creations - Thanksgiving/Gratitude
2. Papertake - Spots & Stripes
3. One Stop Crafts - Newspaper/Text (Overprinted on the backing paper and also on the leaves)
4. Copic Creations - Red Hair
5. Fun with Shapes & More - Borders & Frames (each piece of backing paper has a border)
6. Pile It On - Thank You
7. Crafty Catz - Sketch
8. Saturday Spotlight with Hidden Potential - Words ~ The Sentiment is computer generated, the text on the backing paper is from an Image Tree stamp and the there is also text on the leaves.
9, ABC Challenge - Green ...I had to include this challenge as the card is SO green!

My first easel card

I have wanted to make one of these cards for some time and with the stimulus of the challenge from Mo's Digital Pencil to make a card with interesting folds, I thought this was my opportunity. The image is one of Mo's and I think it is simply adorable, it reminds me of my granddaughter Daisy last winter!
I have combined this with a few other challenges.
'Snowflakes' from the Creative Card Crew
Orange + one other colour from Digital Tuesday
Penny Black ' White on White' (apart from the image) The sentiment is my Penny Black element in this card.
Daring Cardmakers 'Get Punchy with it' - to use our latest punch acquisition. Nearly all these snowflake punches are new me this season.
At Simon Says Stamp Challenge Blog, the challenge is entitled 'All that Sparkles'. The twinkle on this card was created with Glamour Dust.
The Sketch is from Create4fun, (however I did cheat with the shape of the image frame, I printed the image too close to the edge of the cardstock and so couldn't manage to cut out an oval!)
My knee is still giving me gyp and the codeine tablets prescribed by the doctor say 'Avoid Alcohol' so sadly no G&T for me today!
Haven't quite got the measure of this little camera, but hopefully my pics will improve soon!