Happy Halloween / Anniversary...

Hey,

Hope you are having a nice weekend.

So this post is a twofer...

Anniversary -

Hubby and I are heading to DC to celebrate our 6th wedding anniversary which is today..

The main photo is the card I made for him. The journaling card came in one of my Simon Says Stamp cardkits and just reminded me of all the things Hubby and I enjoy.

I wanted to make it more 'anniversary' so used texture and translucent pastes through a heart stencil. To make it 100% more male, I stapled it to a metallic card blank, using blue staples...

Halloween -

The card above is a quick Halloween card I made for our Nephew and Niece..

I like to send them random stuff, to remind them of our existence :)

The tapes are from Michael's and were on sale, so went into my basket, the mummy stamp / die is by MFT.

Happy Trick or Treating...

Cx

Where has the year gone?

Hey, 

Happy Friday and Happy Birthday to the lovely Mr Mike Nixon who is 60 today!!

As I was writing this post I realised that it is almost November and that the year is almost over..how did that happen?

Tomorrow is my wedding anniversary and it seems like only yesterday that Hubby and I were heading off on our Anniversamoon..

Anyway...I have really enjoyed this month's Simon Says Stamp cardkit, it is so versatile and I have done lots with it.

This time I decided to play with the journaling cards that came in the kit. You can make a card out of anything :)

I really wanted to show off all of the beautiful papers, so was careful to choose cards that made the beautiful background papers pop. 

I punched and embossed a flower, using an ancient flower punch / emboss set that is shared between myself and JT. The sentiment stamps are not from the kit, but are by Simon Says Stamp.

The card below is my fave I think..I love the pink typewriter and I know my sentiment doesn't fit, but I love it. You can't see it, but the background paper has shimmery bits all over it. 

The final card for today has so much going on, with the 2 clashing patterns, but I like it..busy can be good sometimes..I heat embossed the sentiment, but I should have gone with a darker colour..no matter, it still works in the flesh..just not so good in the photo.

Have a great weekend, Hubby and I are off to D.C to celebrate our 6th wedding anniversary.

Cx

Moving Along With The Times...Leaves and/or Trees..

Hey,

Time for another awesome challenge from the Moving Along With The Times team..

This time Sue B is our lovely hostess and her theme is Leaves and/or Trees..

I decided that it would be fun to play with a fave set of mine by Simon Says Stamp - The stamps are actually leaves, but I think they make excellent trees..so I guess my card fits both parts of the theme :)

I used a super wide paintbrush to paint 2 fat watercolour stripes, using distress inks and water. I then die cut the watercoloured panel using a Lawn Fawn stitched die.

The sentiment is part of the SSS set and makes me smile.

Simple and elegant card..I like making mini cards.

Now it's your turn to show us your projects..head over to MAWTT to link up and check out the great projects from the rest of the DT.

Challenge ends Nov.11th 6pm GMT

Cx

Go paperless..

Hey,

So I am really liking the Shopping Our Stash challenge right now, the themes are fun and are working with my stash :)

This week the theme is 'Go Paperless' so no patterned papers.

I took the opportunity to break out my new Kaleidacolor rainbow ink pad in Spectrum - it is awesome and brings new life to my stamps..so much so that I have ordered 5 more pads in different tones..

Once again another super simple make from me - 2 stamps and an inkpad!! I think that is a record even for me.

The flower is by Penny Black and the sentiment is by Clearly Besotted.

Cx

Retro Rubber #26...Lets get our sketch on...

Hey,

It is time for another awesome challenge over at Retro Rubber.

Ooh goody a sketch..Don't you just love a sketch.

I do, they have so many possibilities.

I decided to dig out an old set by Penny Black - I've had it about 2 years..I use the set a lot, but I never really use the car stamp.

I have this fun set of stamps that I have had for about 18mths by Bo Bunny, its called in stitches and has all these great long stitched stamps. I used one for my border.

I coloured the main stamp using Promarkers and added some buttons to finish off my card. I love these buttons, they are glittery and I got them from my fave market at home in London.

Your turn now to show us your takes on the sketch - link up over at Retro Rubber whilst checking out the great creations from the ladies.

Don't forget to use a stamp a year or older and tell us about it. Challenge ends on Nov. 6th

Cx

Playing with a cardlkit..

Hey, 

Hope you are all well and had a great weekend.

I had such a fun weekend, having Denise here was a hoot and I got to see my good friend from home Nkem, because she was here in NYC with her Mother.

Fun times with great people.

Denise also took to crafting like a duck to water and had a great time at class on Friday. We had a mini craft session in the house on Sunday and I will show you what I produced later in the week.

Today I wanted to show a couple of cards, I made a while ago using the Simon Says Stamp Oct. cardkit.

The main card I actually gave to Jenn to thank her for hosting the loftartretreats that make me so happy.

I love the 'you're pretty fantastic' stamp, it has got a lot of potential.

I kept the card very simple - all the stamps are from the kit and I added some pretty washi tapes.

The card below uses stamps from the kit - I was unsure what I was going to add to the left hand side of the card, but I knew I had to have something there.

Then I saw this little monster die cut lying on my desk..so I added a googly eye and added him to my card :)

I really like the Oct cardkit and I am currently playing with other items from the kit..so look out for a few more cards.

Cx

Unicorns are awesome...

Hey,

Hope you are all having a great weekend.

This is a scheduled post, as I assumed Denise and I would need a lie in...

I wanted to share the fabulous stamp you see on my card - it is by Unity Stamp Co.

It came in a grab bag of stamps I bought that were a super big bargain and I got some pretty cool stamps..but it would have been worth the money just for this beauty.

I also have it as my main dashboard in my planner, so it is the first thing I see when I open my planner. LOL.

The spotty background is by Penny Black and part of my birthday haul from Lemons..

Cx

Fall Swap Box...

Hey,

Hope you are having a good weekend so far.

My friend Denise is here from San Diego and I dragged her with me to Cheiron's class last night - it was a hoot, more about that next week.

I wanted to show you the box I recently put together for my Fall Swap partner..check out instagram for more info - it is run by the talented Gillian and is a great idea.

I had a whale of a time, planning, shopping and making for my partner Amber.

The main photo is of the card and envelope I made for Amber to go on top of everything that is in the box. I used the Pinterest CASE that JT and I used last weekend as my inspiration.

Below is a photo of one of the cards I made as a set for Amber. I cribbed the idea I used for my friend Michelle's birthday card, but used a new spotty Penny Black background stamp for a slightly different feel.

Here is a shot of everything in the box - all neatly wrapped in Amber tissue paper LOL!! I had lots of fun stamping that and its actually given me a few ideas for Christmas.

 Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Cx

Double challenge...

Hey,

Happy Friday.

I am currently off for a few days, I have some friends in town and I also wanted to spend some QT at my desk..

My card today is a double challenge entry - I am still easing myself back into challenges gently!

The Shopping Our Stash and Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenges worked really well together I felt.

Shopping our Stash this week is caffeine fix and SSS is wrap it up.

I dug out the great SSS Oct 2014 card kit and used paper, a stamp and a die from the kit. The twine is by Lawn Fawn and the bright pink button is from my stash.

Really simple card. Once again I am loving simple right now.

Tonight my friend Denise arrives from San Diego and we are off to class at The Inkpadnyc - where the lovely Cheiron is teaching.

Whoop whoop - starting the weekend right.

Cx

Bokeh flower fun....

Hey,

So over the weekend I thought I'd have a play with the new Lets Bokeh stamp set by Lawn Fawn that I bought when I was at the Loftartretreat.

Today I am showing 2 different cards, I also made a couple of Christmas cards - I'll show you those next week..

All the other stamps I used are by Simon Says Stamp.

I thought the circles would make really nice flowers. I used a stamp for the stems that is actually supposed to be a balloon string.

I used 3 different colour inks for each card and then I used my fave mini star burst stamp for 'centres' 

I kept the sentiment simple.

I used the outline stamp from the Bokeh set on the purple card and I don't really like it as much..

I think I'll be playing around with variations of these cards - I love the Bokeh stamp set..it's got legs.

Cx

Hello!

Hey,

I am loving playing along with the current 30daycolouring challenge...hosted by the amazing Kathy Rac.

I love to colour and it is really easy to forget that I only need 10 minutes a night and a big smile appears on my face :)

Today's card is my one for Day 17. The stamp is by Simon Says Stamp.

Very simple to make - just 5 different Promarkers and a stitched rectangle die..

Then there was an oops with the yellow Hello and so I stamped it again onto vellum and heat embossed it using yellow embossing powder.

I am really happy with it - so bright, cheery and simple.

Cx

Retro Rubber #25....Spook Us...still time to play

Hey,

There is still time for you to show your spooky makes to the Retro Rubber team.

Don't forget to use a stamp older than a year and tell us all about it. The challenge ends on Oct.23rd.

Visit Retro Rubber and see what the DT have made to inspire your spooky side..

Cx

Playdate Pinterest CASE...

Hey,

Hope you had a great weekend.

I had a nice relaxing one with Hubby before he leaves tonight for London.

JT and  I managed to have a fun playdate yesterday..

We chose 3 Pinterest cards we liked and CASEd them, it was fun and we got to gossip and catch-up.

Card 1 - Below is the Pinterest card that we CASEd - it was JT's suggestion and I chose it for the first make. We both liked the blending and over stamping of the blending.
My version of it, is the main photo today.

Card 2 - This card was my suggestion - it is a CASE of a card by my fave the lovely Jenn Shurkus. JT chose it for us to CASE. 

Card by Jenn Shurkus

My CASE

I decided to go with the work cake, even though I have to same stamp set Jenn used. I love how the black heat embossing stands out against the colourful words.

Card 3 - This card was my pick, I love the bold colour blocks. I am really pleased with my colour choices, it all really pops. The birthday die is by Winnie and Walter and the text stamps are by Technique Tuesday.

Pinterest Card by Patty Stamps

My CASE

Such a fun way to spend a Sunday morning..

Cx

Birthday Balloons...

Hey,

Recently I have been switching over my stamps to the Jennifer McGuire fridge binz solution.

Whilst doing this I have been looking at my stamps and coming up with ways to use them.

I was looking at this fabulous set by Simon Says Stamp -

Birthday Bits

I had this idea about how I could use the mini confetti stamp and give the balloons some movement.

The main photo today is my first version and I kept it very simple.

I die-cut a stitched rectangle (MFT) and stamped the solid balloon - doesn't matter if you get voids, it adds character. Then I stamped the black outline, slightly off, so it isn't perfect. Then I added the confetti stamp at the tip of the balloon. I finished it off with the bow stamp,

I added a Happy Birthday (Clearly Besotted) and a number to the balloons - a very subtle way of celebrating an age..

I loved it so much I made another one, for another friend - but this one is a different age :)

These cards are so simple and it's fun to go back and revisit your stash - even the parts that are not that old.

Cx

October Loft Art Retreat...

Hey,

Happy Friday.

So it has been a week since I left for the loftartretreat, hosted by the amazing Jenn Shurkus.

Cheiron gave me a ride and a bed for the night, she is a proper hoot! We had so much fun on the epic 7hr journey to Providence?! We then had way too many cocktails on Friday night.

It was such a fun day, I made some lovely new friends, caught up with some people I had met at the previous loftartretreat, made 13 cards and did a bit of shopping :)

All the products we used were Lawn Fawn and I got to sit next to the wonderful Amy who does all the kitting - amazing!

It was great to make so many fun Christmas cards, I don't really like making Christmas cards so it is fun to take a class where I get to boost my Christmas card stash.

The main photo is my fave card and here are the rest...

Aren't they gorgeous?!

I love the loftartretreats - Jenn is so much fun and a great teacher and it is fun to meet new people. I can't wait to take JT to one next Spring.

I can't wait for my next class at The InkpadNYC with Cheiron.

Have a great weekend.

Cx

Congratulations...

Hey,

So I made today's card ages ago, but I didn't get round to posting it.

I learnt this great technique in Day 1 of my Watercolouring Online Card Class - sadly Day 1 is as far as I have got!!

You add distress ink to an acrylic block, spritz it with water and 'stamp' onto your watercolour paper..nerve wracking!!

You do this a couple of times for each colour and you can use a paper towel to clean up any ink you don't want. Heat set each stripe before starting the next one.

Then I heat embossed the sentiment using black embossing powder, it really pops! The sentiment is by Simon Says Stamp.

It's a fun technique and I will be playing with it a bit more.

Cx

Number stamps...

Hey,

I recently bought these great number stamps by Julie Fan-Fei Balzer -

I thought they would be fun to play with and they were on sale at SSS.

Today's card is for a work colleague who turned 30 this week (she is responsible for my hangover yesterday..).

I had a small issue with the 'Three' but I managed to stamp it again, hence the smudgy look - which looks intentional!

I added a pair of funky glasses, as she is known for her crazy glasses..

I am really enjoying making simple cards like this one right now, its a great way to play with stamps that I haven't used that much.

Cx

Retro Rubber #25...Spook Us...

Hey,

Today it is time for a new challenge from the Retro Rubber team.

Topical because it is almost Halloween, so this time we are asking you to show us your spooky themed creations..

Halloween is an odd one for me - being English means that it is not really that big a deal and then there is also the fact that it is my Wedding Anniversary LOL..so I generally stay away from Halloween themes..

Although every now and again I do let the theme creep into my Anniversary cards for Hubby..

I tried about 25 million different versions of this card until I came up with one that I was happy with..

I heat embossed the October 31st stamp onto black paper using sparkly embossing powder - this is a fave stamp that I have had for about 3 years. I bought it from Michaels to make a card for Hubby and I have been pretty much using it ever since.

The trick or treat stamp is new and by Unity Stamp Co.

I wanted a splash of colour and as luck would have it, the orange spotty scrap fell on me when I was looking for something else!

So show us your spooky makes, but first visit Retro Rubber and see what the ladies have made to inspire your spooky side..

Remember to use a stamp older than a year and tell us about it. Challenge ends on Oct.23rd.

Cx

Dance like no one is watching...

Hi,

Hope you had a great weekend.

I had a fantastic one. It was great to hang with Cheiron...despite the 7hr journey and the loftartreatreat was great fun - ever better as I knew people, I also managed to come home with a few Lawn Fawn items..

Then to add the icing on my cake of a weekend, I made the top 3 over at Shopping Our Stash..with my Wooden it be nice Hippo - Yay!!

Today I am using x2 items of NBUS....I really have to stop buying things..

This card is for my friend Lindsay, it is her birthday later in the week and the fab stamp by Art Impressions for SSS Stamptember reminded me of her and her girl posse!

The sentiment is a freebie from a card magazine my Ma gave me and I thought it worked well here. It is also, in my opinion, a phrase to live by!

I coloured the image with a mix of Promarkers and Distress Inks with an aquabrush. The large stitched die for the image is my fave and by SSS.

Simples..which I seem to be doing a lot of..

Cx

T-Rex attacks..

Hey,

Happy Sunday to you!

I have had a great weekend and my boss arrives in NYC tonight, looking forward to seeing him, he is great fun.

I made today's card earlier in the week, as part of the #thedailymarkerchallenge3 -

The wonderful Kathy encouraging us to colour every day for a month - you should totally join in!

Every time I look at this card, I crack up laughing!

The T-Rex was a gift from JT in one of our $20 challenges and the die is new and from Clearly Besotted - so NBUS...

I used 3 stamps for the sentiments - Newton's Nook for the RAWR! Stampendous for the Big Wishes (which I masked off, so I could put birthday in between) and Mama Elephant for the Birthday.

Fun card and super easy too.

I love colouring and even though Mr T-Rex did not require much colouring, it is still nice to do every night.

Cx

Christmas CASE...

Hey,

Hope you are having a great weekend.

I am at Jenn Shurkus' loft art retreat..yay!

I wanted to CASE this card -

The minute I saw this card, I knew I had to finally relent and buy the SSS circle frame die..it is awesome.

Lemon gave me a SSS voucher for my birthday, so I used part of it to buy the die and the Poppy Stamps tree.

This card is so simple, but feels really detailed and fun. I like the other little touches on the original version (I don't know who it is by!!) I might try that when I make the next version..

Cx

Fun times..

Hey,

Happy Friday.

I am counting down the minutes until I leave for Jenn Shurkus' loft art retreat...

I am a super lucky lady as the amazing Cheiron is giving me a lift AND a bed for the night - blogland really is the best land..

Don't forget Cheiron is teaching at The InkpadNYC on Oct.23 if you haven't taken a class with her yet and Jenn has dates for the November mixed media retreat.

To celebrate all these fun things that are happening I am entering the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge - CAS Christmas..

My card came together really easily.

I recently found the green spiral (Silhouette die cut) in amongst a stack of paper and thought it would make a great backdrop for my new Poppy Stamps tree die.

I embossed the white background paper with a Sizzix swiss dots folder, stuck down the spiral, added the tree and the sentiment banner (sentiment by Lawn Fawn).

For the final touch I added some tiny bling to the spiral.

I love it so much, I am going to make a bunch of them, to add to my personal Christmas card pile.

Have a great weekend..

Cx

Hello..card kit...

Hey,

I have been playing with the October Card Kit from Simon Says Stamp..

It's such a pretty kit. I am head over heels in love with the Dew Drop Brilliance Galaxy Gold ink that came in the kit - it is SO gold..I do love Dew Drop inks.

I thought that my first card from the kit, really had to use the gold ink..

I stamped the heart using the gold ink on a brown scrap and then heat embossed it, in real life it is so shiny and gold!

I found a scrap that worked with the floral paper, so I could die cut the hello - loving the new mini scripty hello die..

I added a bit of pink bling to finish off the card. 

It's so girly and frilly, but not! 

Love it.

More cards to come from this pretty kit.

Cx