Simon Says...Anything Goes...

Hi,

A later post from me today (I did a lot of sleeping today..)

I wanted to enter the Simon Says..Wednesday Challenge this week - its Anything Goes and the design team used Lawn Fawn products.

I am a big fan of Lawn Fawn products and decided to pull out one of my fave sets - Yeti, Set, Go!

I bought it to make an Anniversary card for Hubby, so it hasn't had a great deal of use.

I cut a white cardstock circle and stamped a Hero Arts splotches stamp (new BF purchase) and heat embossed it in white for the snow (enlarge the photo for a better view).

Then I stamped the trees from the stamp set above my snow. I stamped the Yeti and coloured him, then I fussy cut him out and mounted him on foam pads.

The sentiment is also from the set.

The background paper is from a set I won earlier in the year by Hazel&Ruby.

Fun and easy make for the weekend - now I have to find a recipient, Hubby might start questioning me if all of his cards contain the Yeti...

Cx

Layered Christmas Card...

Hi,

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I most certainly did.

I am making the most of the break by entering a few challenges - as I have plenty of time to spend at my desk and very few commitments - let playtime commence!

I loved the Color Throwdown palette this week -

It feels really Christmassy and all the DT makes, made me really want to have a play.

As I have just finished making my personal Christmas cards, there are a few nesting die sets on my desk.. so I decided to use the Xcut square parenthesis dies as my focal point.

I settled on a square silver card base, as it fit the colour scheme and added a bit of shimmer to my card. I cut 2 different sizes and one keyhole version using the dies - in white, red and white spots and pale blue. I mounted the 2 smaller ones using foam tape. I stamped my sentiment onto a light grey EK Success label punch out that I found in my box of ''already punched'' things..

Leftover from my Christmas cards I had the pale blue stars and the kraft star (still on my desk), so I added these and put teeny tiny little red bling in the centre of the blue stars.

Love this card and I have a recipient in mind..

Once again, all the papers were scraps - I am making some serious headway now - organising them really helped.

Cx

Happy Thanksgiving..

Hey,

Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

My card today was made for the Nixon Clan, as they are all together for Thanksgiving for the first time in a while. It's a bit naughty, but suits them perfectly.

I will be giving thanks for quite a few things, but here are the main ones:
Giving thanks for..
..a Ma that fought Cancer this year and is here to chat nonsense via Skype with me.
..a Poppa who always finds time to send me silly emails that make me miss him,
..Lemon and JT who never forget about me and are really amazing friends.
..my blogland friends for being constantly supportive and just really nice people.
..Sally & Mike Nixon for just being AWESOME, loving and fun, fun, fun.

Finally I am giving thanks for my Hubby, he is the best ever.

Cx

WOYWW #286 - Almost time for Turkey...

Hey everyone,

Happy WOYWW to everyone, I missed last week, as I worked a bejillion hours on Mon/Tues, went home passed out and went back to work...

Anyway, enough of me banging on about that - it's fun to be playing along with Julia and the gang over at her blog Stamping Ground, for the weekly desk nose.

My desk is quite funny this week - everything I am working on seems to be to the left of my craft mat?! There is a random card on my mat along with my mouse and that is it! Funny thing is I really don't remember leaving my desk like this?!

As always here is a card for you -

This is one of x5 identical cards for the card swap group I am in, thanks SSG. I really like them and they are based loosely on my bee card from a couple of weeks ago. The yellow background behind the stamp was done using Gelatos and an Aquabrush.

For those of you in the US, heading out for the Thanksgiving holiday, have a safe journey and a happy holiday with your families. Hubby and I are heading to Atlantic City for some crazy fun!

Cx

Retro Rubber #2 - November Colour Challenge..still time to join in the fun

Hey,

So Team A are up this week for the second Retro Rubber challenge - I got a bit confused and posted my card last week - oops - partly because I worked 29hrs straight on Mon/Tues last week, so was unsure what day/week/month it was!

For challenge no.2 we have a Colour Challenge -

As I said last week I had all kinds of ideas for this card.

The stamp I settle on is one of my first bargain purchases when we moved to NYC - so it's 18mths old - not my oldest, but still one that needed an airing.

I used a green and cream spotty card blank and added a brown textured paper band. I stamped the flower onto cream paper and die cut it with a fave Spellbinders label die.

I heat embossed some of the 'petal's' on the flower, so it sparkles a bit. The sentiment was stamped using really really old Hero Arts stamps.

Love the colours of this challenge, really easy and fun to work with.

I hope you are going to join in the fun, but first visit the rest of the team and see their fab creations over at Retro Rubber.

Cx

Pinterest Idea - brought to life....

Hey,

So a few months ago I saw a pinterest idea that I wanted to try as a Christmas gift.

You make a calendar that fits a 4x6 photo frame. The idea is to decorate the calendar any way you want.

I decided to use digital stamps for all the months, add some text and hand colour them.

I am super pleased with the outcome.

WIN!! Its the first big Pinterest project I have tackled and it was really easy - but time consuming - because not only did I have to make and colour the calendar, but I added the acetate to the window and painted the frame from natural wood to white!!

Here is another photo -

I put all of the months in the back of the frame. Made it all neat and tidy for wrapping.

Cx

Christmas with the silhouette portrait...

Hey there!

It's been a VERY busy week - we did the biggest launch in my Company's history this week and whilst I am tired, I feel a great sense of achievement :)

I spent yesterday at my desk, getting Christmas cards ready to go into the post. I had x2 special cards I needed to make (can't say for who as they read my blog), so I decided to enlist the Silhouette.

Inspired by JT's card, I wanted to use some of the papers from a difficult stack we both have, that has velvet accents...looking closely it's the same piece of paper - how in tune are we!!

As you can see this card is my main photo today, I added the Silhouette die-cut reindeer (or should I say Snazzymoose?) and used a free stamp for the sentiment.

I love this card, it's so festive, but modern.

The second card uses a Silhouette die-cut card template - I don't often use these templates in their entirety, usually I just use parts of the card.

Cut with a Silhouette Portrait

I added a red liner, so you can see all the die-cuts.

Gorgeous right?! And simple - as it's essentially a bit of a cheat as the Silhouette did all the work! I used the same free sentiment stamp as before.

I love using the Silhouette, it's great and I have stopped beating myself up for not using it all the time. Now I bring him/it out when I'm inspired to - he gets an airing about 4 times a month, which works for me :)

Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Cx

Moving Along With The Times..Autumn Leaves...

Hey,

Time for another fab challenge with Moving Along With The Times and Team B.

This week we have a great challenge from Hazel - Autumn Leaves..

I had all kinds of great ideas and then one night whilst surfing Pinterest I came across a great wreath freebie digital stamp by Lee Hansen and it sparked an idea.

I decided to use a small 4x4 square card. I have this big block of paper 3x3 squares in all different colours from The Range (store in the UK that I miss). I embossed the square using a Sizzix Leaves folder.

The wreath I coloured with Promarkers and fussy cut it out. I added the sentiment on my computer before printing out the wreath. To finish it off, I added some glitter glue to the wreath.

I love this card - the oranges tone so well together!

Now it's your turn..but first go over to MAWTT and check out the wonderful Autumnal creations from Team B.

Cx

Retro Rubber #2 - November Colour Challenge..

Hey,

Congratulations to the first Retro Rubber Challenge Fab 5 and winner - Wendy Klein. 
Wendy gets to be our guest star on Challenge no.3 it will be fun to have her with us. You can see the great creations by the Fab 5 and Wendy here.

I hope you all had as much fun using your oldest stamp as I did and are back to join in with Challenge no.2.

For challenge no.2 we have a Colour Challenge -

I had all kinds of ideas, but then I saw the 'Hello' stamp set by Pebbles and an idea was born. This stamp was one of my first bargain purchases when we moved to NYC - so it's 18mths old - not my oldest, but still one that needed an airing.

I used a green and cream spotty card blank and added a brown textured paper band. I stamped the flower onto cream paper and die cut it with a fave Spellbinders label die.

I heat embossed some of the 'petal's' on the flower, so it sparkles a bit. The sentiment was stamped using really really old Hero Arts stamps.

Love the colours of this challenge, really easy and fun to work with.

I hope you are going to join in the fun, but first visit the rest of the team and see their fab creations over at Retro Rubber.

Cx

Something new...

Hey,

Hope you had a good weekend? I had a great one - ready for a week of late night working...

I saw this idea on Pinterest...

I really wanted to try it and as it is my Goddaughter Amy's birthday next week, I thought she could be my Guinea Pig!

I got my treat / gift bags from a local cheapo store for $1.49 for 10. The labels I got for free via Pinterest and I used a great free font I got 'Lavenderia' it's great. The instructions are simple and 5 mins later I had a gift bag.

Final steps to punch holes and add string to tie it up.

Super simple and fun, so many variations can be made. Thanks Club Chica Circle for the tutorial.

Cx

60th Birthday Pop-up card...

Hey,

I thought today I'd show you the card I made JT's Momma for her 60th birthday last month.

Since moving to the US, The Nixon Seniors have been amazing to Hubby and I.

Last year for my 40th birthday they surprised me with a wonderfully hideous cake, champagne and a gorgeous backgammon set. I really wanted to make Momma Nixon a special card.

I used a mixture of 2 card templates. The papers are by American Crafts and the sentiment is a peel-off.

Here's a side view, so you can see the papers on the sides.

I really love making these pop-up cards.

Cx

WOYWW #284....Back To Reality...

Hey,

I've missed a couple of WOYWW's recently - it's been so busy! But I am happy to be back and joining the fun.

Feel like I am rambling? Pop over to Stamping Ground and join our leader Julia and the gang for some desk nosying...

I went back to work this week, after 10 days of sheer bliss in Mexico with Hubby. I am still all relaxed and happy, so work feels pretty easy right now.

Here are a few photos -

Mexico 2014 - Our terrace, Hubby and I, My Iguana Friend and Me!

Now on to my desk...yes, your eyes do not deceive you..brand shiny new distress paints on my desk..I took a little trip to Michael's last night and the paints were on sale $1.99. The consumer junkie in me loves this time of year in America! I also bought the mini glitter alphabet stickers - love these mini stickers. My glasses - unusually the pair that belong on my desk. There is also a stack of cards to be posted - there were a couple of new babies born whilst we were away and I also wanted to send thank you cards to my MIL and SIL for all the booty they brought us.

Here is one of the thank you cards -

Thank You Card

I CASEd a great card I saw on Pinterest. I used Gelatos and an aquabrush, the stamp was in our Anniversary card from JT - isn't that sweet! The sentiment stamp is by Hero Arts.

Happy WOYWW everyone.

Cx

Join in the fun...

Hey,

There is still time for you to join in the fun over at Retro Rubber this week.

Team B are up - Katie, Katy, Debbie and Kelly - go and check out their creations and join in the fun.

Just in case you have forgotten Retro Rubber is a shiny new challenge - we ask you to use stamps older than a year old..

You can find the rules over on the blog, challenge ends on 14th November.

Cx

Treat Yo' Self....

Hey,

I'm back!!

Hubby and I had an excellent Anniversamoon in Mexico - it was just as beautiful as we remembered.

We did absolutely nothing, which was very refreshing. We did manage to charter a boat and go on a little trip on our last day and I snorkelled, which was fun.

Here is a photo of us, I will post a few more later in the week.

On to the main photo - my card. Recently I have been eyeing up shaker cards and different ways to make them. Liz of Pink Petticoat had a great idea / tutorial on her blog. So I decided to give it a go.

I bought tiny clear bags from a local paper store and filled one with sequins, glitter and beads, then folded a piece of card as per Liz's directions and used it to close the bag. Voila! Shaker bag.

I had it on my desk for a week or so before I left as I was unsure what I wanted to do with it.

I finally decided it would make a great addition to a card I wanted to make for a friend using my new Ellen Hutson 'Treat Yo' Self' die (I bought it for JT too).

I layered up American Craft papers, added the shaker bag, adhered the die cut to the bag and stamped the rest of the sentiment, so that the card would read 'Treat Yo' Self it's your birthday'

Ha ha.

I love it, I hope it arrived safely and that my friend loves it.

I'll be making more of these super easy shaker bags.

It's bittersweet being back home, back to the grind..but it was nice to be back at my craft desk yesterday.

Cx

Moving Along With The Times...Sparkle & Shine

Hi,

Its time for Team B over at Moving Along With The Times.

I am currently in Mexico with Hubby on our Anniversamoon!! But before I left I made my card for this week's challenge. Our hostess is Sue and her theme is 'Sparkle and Shine'

I decided to go with a jaunty birthday card. The sentiment stamp is by SSS, the balloons were punched using a Martha Stewart punch and they are the sparkle & shine part of my card :)

I love the soft lilac tones, its a bit different for me..

If you want to join in the fun and see the other fantastic makes by the rest of the team, pop on over to the MAWTT blog.

Cx

Retro Rubber - Challenge 1 - Use Your Oldest Stamp...

Hey!

Welcome to the first ever Retro Rubber Challenge. 

Retro Rubber is run by Jane and Katie. The idea is to dust off any stamps over a year old and have a play. I love it, I certainly have some stamps that have.. ahem.. fallen from favour..

To get you into the swing of things this weeks challenge is 'Use Your Oldest Stamp' -

Here are the guidelines - 

• Use older stamps. We suggest stamps older than 1 year. 
• Follow the challenge given for the week. 
• Post your creation to your blog or online gallery. 
• Link back to the blog using the InLinkz by the due date. 
• Enter as many times as you like. 

There is a new challenge every other Tuesday, hope you join in the fun,
Challenge Due Dates will be the 2nd Friday after the challenge is posted.  The winners will be posted on the Sunday after that. 

It's going to be lots of fun and I am super excited to be a part of the DT.

I knew immediately which of my oldest stamps I wanted to work with.

This stamp set was my very first set of clear stamps, I can't even remember where I bought them from!

It was such fun to use the stamps again. I kept the whole card very simple and just added some bling at the end to spice it up.

Fun! 

Now it's your turn to dig out those early stamps and have a play, but first go over to Retro Rubber, meet the fabulous design team and view their gorgeous creations.

Cx

p.s Yes I am posting from Mexico :)