Craftgang I love you..

Happy New Year.

I hope you had a really nice Christmas and New Year break, Hubby and I really chilled out and it was lovely to just stop and hang for a while.

I thought a lot about how to start my 2018 blog journey. At the end of 2017 I deliberately took my foot off of the blog gas and I think it will be a lesson for 2018 to not put so much pressure on myself. Especially about something that is supposed to be fun for me.

So I decided that I would start 2018 with a post about The Craftgang...

They are in alphabetical order (because we be competitive ladies..) Ava, Cheiron, Jamey, Lisette and Tiffany.

Thanks to Jenn Shurkus for encouraging me to take a class at the Inkpad NYC, because if she hadn't I wouldn't have met these awesome women.

They are my NYC family, they look after me, support me, teach me, craft with me, eat with me (we like to eat), drink with me, roadtrip with me, shop with me and laugh with me (sometimes at me) and most of all they just get me.

2017 was hard as hell, but they were there, every single step of the way and I'm eternally grateful that I found them and that they love me too.

We are all a bit different, have different things (good and bad) going on, but we never lose sight of each other and how we can be there for each other. It's a rare large group friendship and it's awesome.

So ladies, big smooches to you, I wish you love, happiness and unlimited craft goodies for 2018.

Cx

Happy New Year!!

Happy New Year!!

Welcome to 2017...

This is the first New Year since we have lived in NYC that Lemon has not joined us.

Due to my operation in 3 weeks time, we opted for a more low key Christmas and New Year and we will be going on holiday with Lemon in April.

So I thought it would be nice to make her a special card.

I got these great stamps by Tim Holtz in a BF sale -

Awesome right?!

I figured that they would make an awesome NYE scene.. I chose the London one, as both Lemon and I are from London.

I blended the background first, using distress inks and created a darker grey panel for the bottom of the card to anchor the stamp a bit.

I used a bit of artistic license and went with a 'day' sky, not a 'night' sky which would have been more appropriate for fireworks, but it was what I wanted..

I stamped the London Cityscape..it worked out so well, I was super dooper pleased.

The fireworks were a bit of luck, I remembered that one of my Simon Says Stamp cardkits came with a firework stencil that I had never used, so cue approx 45 mins of hunting to find the teeny tiny little beast and voila! fireworks!! I used distress inks first through the stencil, then I used Spectrum Noir sparkle markers to add some shimmer.

I added the strip for the sentiment at the last minute, I was planning on stamping in the grey distress section, but I tried it and didn't like it, so needed a fix..happier now..

Of course there had to be bling..I mean what kind of New Year card would it be without bling?!

Happy with the final card (I kinda wanted to keep it lol)

Back to work in 2 days..that went quickly, but it's been nice, now let's hope it's not cray cray straightaway..

Cx

Sketch Saturday #444

Hey,

Happy New Year's Eve to you!

I hope you have fun plans for tonight..I do :)

This week's Sketch Saturday sponsor is Bugaboo, who are offering a whopping 9 digis as a prize..

Here is this week's sketch -

Bugaboo make some of my fave digis and it was fun to play with Balloon Bundle for this challenge.

I printed the digi onto watercolour paper and coloured the balloons using Distress Inks and an aquabrush.

All the papers are by Lawn Fawn and Jen Hadfield.

The hardest part of making this card was figuring out where to put my sentiment..I was totally nervous about die-cutting it at the bottom of the paper pieced background - but now I am really pleased with the end result - phew!

Your turn to join in the fun - go over to Sketch Saturday and be inspired by the rest of the DT makes.

Have a safe and happy start to 2017, the challenge ends 6th January 7pm GMT / 5pm EST.

Cx

Welcome to 2016...

Happy New Year!!!

Welcome to 2016 everyone!

Hope you had fun times last night.

I am sure that Lemon, Hubby and I did as we always do in AC..

My photo today is from NYE last year when The Wife aka Lemon came to visit.

It was freezing cold last year, so as lovely as we looked we were only out briefly.

See you soon for fun crafting times.

Big kisses and many thanks for all of my supporters, friends and family for making my 2015 a stellar one.

Cx

Happy New Year's Eve...

Hey!

Long time no see :)

Vegas was epic and we really enjoyed our first and most definitely not our last Christmas there.

Lemon is here and we are off to Atlantic City today to celebrate New Year there.

Whilst I have Lemon here, desk time is limited. But I have been making thank you cards for all of our lovely presents.

Today's card is for a great friend and colleague, she is a little bit weird, but so am I, so we make a perfect team.

I loved this stamp by Unity Stamp Co and even though I was done with all my Christmas makes, I had to have this stamp, especially because I feel the sentiment has legs.

I used my new (Thank You Cheiron) Spectrum Noir Aquamarkers to colour the image.

I hope you all have a very Happy New Year, whatever you are doing, be safe and have fun.

Cx

Happy New Year!!

Hey,

Happy New Year everyone and welcome to 2015.

Hope you all welcomed in the new year with fun things...this is a scheduled post, so I can't tell you how my new years eve went yet :)

As you know I love a Thank You set and I like to make sets for my personal thank you's.

For Christmas 2015 I decided to use some of my new stash - postage style square dies and leaf stamps - both of which were $20 challenge gifts from JT.

I used green card for my die-cut squares and then I stamped one of the lovely inkadinkadoo leaf stamps slightly off the edge in a contrasting green ink. I used a fave Thank You stamp for the sentiment in the same colour ink.

I then attached the die-cut squares to small 3x3 cards using my American Crafts mini stapler (like a mini attacher). For a final touch I added a contrasting green pearl

Simple and pretty too :)

They feel like little pieces of patchwork or quilting..

Cx