Fab Friday: Happy Easter!

Hey,

Happy Monday!

Hope you managed to stay sane, whilst on lockdown this weekend.

I was ridiculously prolific at my craft desk..

Including my card for the Fab Friday challenge.

I love a sketch and I was so happy at how my card came out, I made another one!

I stamped the Concord & 9th 'Confetti Turnabout' stamp, I am totally obsessed with their turnabout stamps (now that I understand how to use them!

I then die-cut it out using a square stitched die and I used a slightly bigger size to cut out the other square. I cut a coordinating panel using a stitched rectangle die and layered up my squares, adding a bit of gold glitter washi tape and a small sentiment banner, that I stamped onto.

The bunny sticker is hilarious and from a set from Hema that I believe JT gave me at least 2 years ago. It was so nice to use them and make these quirky cards.

Hubby thinks the bunnies look guilty about something! What do you think?

Cx

4 cards, 1 stamp set: Taylored Expressions..

Hey,

Well, I lied.. there are actually 5 cards!

And I am essentially entering ALL of them into the current Use Your Stuff challenge - which is 'Anything Goes'.

Basically, I have been hoarding the papers that you see, all from a 6x6 DCWV stack that I have had a few years.. naughty, naughty.

I bought the awesome Taylored Expressions 'B is for Birthday' set early on in 2019, but never used it. So I decided to break it out along with the DCWV papers and do another one of my 4 from 1 posts.

I love how the cards came out and I got lucky, because I didn't plan my colour choices when colouring, but fortunately found papers in the stack that coordinated really well.

My 'recipe' was pretty simple, I used Copic sketch markers to colour the stamped images and I added some details using a white gel pen. Then I die-cut them out using either a circle or small rectangle stitched die. Added a teeny bit of glittery washi tape to make the white panels pop a bit and voila! 5 finished cards.

Cx

Duh-nuh...

Hey,

Happy Monday!

I had a great weekend, hanging with Hubby, as I am semi-housebound due to the crutches and the boot!

I LOVE pun cards and I had this fun idea to make a pun card from every punny set I have for a friend.

I have been cracking myself up with some of these cards.

I am in love with today's card.

It's actually a CASE of Kelly-Marie from Lawn Fawn's card.

I thought it was so clever, the way she made the 'card' in a frame and it gave me an excuse to break out my We R Memory Keepers Frame Punch Board.

I started my version of the card, by creating the sea, using the MFT 'Make Waves' stencil - I am super pleased with my sea, it is perfection and I am so happy to have finally mastered this stencil (big shout out to Jen at Newtons Nook for her tutorial..).

I blended more blue ink to the top part of the sea panel and then heat embossed my clouds in. The clouds stamp is from the Clearly Besotted 'Trouble in a TuTu' set and I had never used the clouds until I made this card!

This version is no longer available

I stamped, coloured and die-cut the Shark, Fish and Fin from the Lawn Fawn 'Duh-nuh' set and using the great Ocean Wave Accents dies, I added them to my frame.

Final touches were to stamp the sentiments, mount onto a card blank and add washi tape and a sequin.

LOVE this card, I'll be making it again.

Cx

Simon Says Stamp: Monday Challenge Tag It!!

Hey,

Welcome to May!

It has been AGES since I played along with a Simon Says Stamp challenge.

But my good friend Cheiron is on the design team for the Monday challenge and I LOVED her tag and it reminded me how much I love making tags.

In case you haven't figured it out, this week's challenge is Tag it.

As you can see from the main photo I got totally carried away and made x3 tags!

But my entry for the challenge is the middle one -

Bizarrely the actual tag I used here was a gift from Cheiron! I created the background by blending over the entire tag using Spiced Marmalade distress oxide ink and then I used a couple of the Tim Holtz layering stencils over the top. Clockwork in Chipped Sapphire and Schoolhouse in Black Soot.

I then stamped, coloured and fussy cut the weird Flamingo head and legs by Dylusions (Waddle Waddle) - I really love these weird stamps by Dyan Reaveley. I die-cut the body using a stitched arch die and a scrap. The sentiment is a fave and is also by Dylusions. 

It felt a bit flat, so I added a bit of washi-tape that I coloured with Dina Wakely scribble sticks and I added some stars using texture paste and a Tim Holtz stencil (Shifter Stars). When the stars were dry I coloured over them with Spectrum Noir sparkle pens.

I am SO pleased with the final tag.

The other two tags turned out great too and I am going to make a few more, now I am on a tag roll!

Cx

Catch The Bug: Saturday Colour Challenge...

Hey,

Happy Saturday to you!

Hubby and I are heading upstate this weekend to go hiking..might be a tad chilly, so it might just end up being a cosy weekend in a hotel bar :)

This week over at the Catch The Bug Saturday challenge we have a colour challenge for you.

I am a big purple fan, so these colours made me very happy.

I decided to use the Circle Sentiments - Warm Wishes stamp, as I thought it would look lovely in the colours.

I coloured the image, using Promarkers and die-cut it using a scalloped circle die. I added some purple sequins to the image.

I found a matching spotty card blank and to anchor my circle I added a strip of gold glittery washi tape.

It turned out perfectly and is going to a friend who left NYC behind for the warmer climes of Florida (yes I am jealous).

Hope you will be playing along too. Can't wait to see which image you choose to use.

Upload your makes at the Catch The Bug blog and check out the rest of the DT makes.

Cx

Catch The Bug: Annual Birthday Bash.. Thursday Colour Challenge..

Hey,

I am back again today playing along with the Catch The Bug Annual Birthday Bash.

Today we have a colour challenge for you -

I love the Love Monsters stamp and it is one I pull out a lot for Anniversaries. This time I coloured it to match the colours in the challenge.

I love these weird Oval window dies, but I rarely use them, but as I wanted to add some washi tape behind the image, I thought they would be perfect.

The amazing sparkly tapes that accidentally match the theme were a gift to me from JT.

The sentiment is by MFT and felt like a great fit for this card.

It's going to make a perfect Valentine's for someone,

Pop over to Catch The Bug to see what the rest of the DT have made.

Want play along?
HOW TO PLAY: Enter up to 3 times with a project using the colours above. If you use a Bugaboo Image, you could WIN 10, 7 or 4 Bugaboo Images of your choice. We LOVE to see what you do with your Bugaboos! If you NEED a Bugaboo Stamp to use, head on over to the store and get the Friday Freebie! If you have a wonderful NON-Bugaboo Image you'd like to use, you’ll be eligible for 7 or 4 Bugaboo Stamps Images of your choice if you’re one of our winners! All entries must be new and follow the sketch.
You have until 6 am Sunday, January 20, 2019 to join the sketchy fun go over to Catch The Bug to link up your project.

Cx

CAS(E) this sketch: Sparkle!..

Hey,

Happy Sunday to you!

Hope you are having a nice weekend.

I am very happy as we got bonus football yesterday.

Having been away from my desk for over 10 days, I thought it would be nice to play along with a challenge or two to ease me back in.

I loved the sketch over at CAS(E) this sketch -

It immediately sparked an idea.

As you know JT and I do a Black Friday $20 challenge.. well many years later we are over the $20 tag and spend whatever we want (within reason) but we still add some 'rules' this year it was stars, stripes, fancy brand and florals.

JT bought me this awesome set by Sizzix and I thought it would be perfect for this sketch.

I started by die-cutting the white panel using a stitched rectangle die and then I added strips of glittery washi tape. I stamped the stars from the set using Dew Drop Galaxy Gold ink (my fave gold ink) and then I added a little stitched border - from an ancient Bo Bunny set.

Sadly, the top left stars haven't photographed that well...but that is always the downside of gold ink!

I stamped the main sentiment from the set onto black card using embossing ink and then dusted gold Pearl Ex over it (my new obsession) and then die-cut it out, using the die that comes with the set.

I LOVE IT!!! It was such a random thought it my head that actually came out perfectly. Yay!

Cx

Sketch Saturday.. #544...The Paper Shelter...

Hey,

Happy Saturday to you and welcome to the latest sketch for the Sketch Saturday challenge.

Our sponsor this week is The Paper Shelter and they are offering 3 digis from their store.

Here's the sketch the last one by me this year!!

I loved the Naughty or Nice image and for the first time ever I used the coloured digi - it is so beautiful coloured that I really didn't think I would do it justice if I coloured it!

I printed the digi and fussy cut it out. I created my background using a piece of red card and strips of glittery washi tape. I stamped the sentiment which I have had for years and I chose it because of the name of the stamp.

I used the same glittery washi tape to create the banner over the image, but I reinforced it by putting it onto a strip of white card.

I can't wait to see what you do with the sketch, but first check out what the rest of the DT have made over at Sketch Saturday.

This is the last Sketch Saturday for 2018 it's been a fun year, hope to see you in 2019, we'll be back on 5th January.

This challenge ends on Friday 21st 7pm GMT / 2pm EST

Cx

Catch The Bug: Saturday Photo Challenge...

Hey,

Happy Saturday to you!

Hubby and I are heading to Philly this weekend to celebrate a good friend's 40th birthday,

This week over at the Catch The Bug Saturday challenge we have a photo challenge for you.

I decided to pull out the colours and work with reds and greens.

I love the Cherry Bird stamp and thought it worked really well with the photo.

I coloured the image, using Promarkers and die-cut it using a stitched circle die. I decided that it would be fun to stamp leaves onto the red background, again matching the leaves in the image.

It accidentally turned out to be a fun Christmas Card!

Hope you will be playing along too. Can't wait to see which image you choose to use.

Upload your makes at the Catch The Bug blog and check out the rest of the DT makes.

Cx

Catch The Bug: Saturday Bingo Challenge!!

Hey,

Happy Saturday to you...

I'm feeling the burn today - 4 back to back gym sessions will do that!

This week over at Catch The Bug Saturday challenge, we have a bingo theme for you.

Here is the grid -

I decided to go with the middle vertical line 'Red, Washi Tape, Sparkle'. I thought this line would work well with the 'Big Books Girl' image that I wanted to use. 

I coloured the image, using Promarkers, adding some red accents to the books. I love this pack of new card blanks and I thought the b&w polka dots would work well with the red. I managed to combine all 3 elements of the line I chose - because my washi tape is sparkly AND red - result.

It looks super sparkly in real life. I opted to use a different sentiment (not the one that comes with the stamp), as I wanted to send this card to a friend.

Hope you will be playing along too. Can't wait to see which image you choose to use.

Upload your makes at the Catch The Bug blog and check out the rest of the DT makes.

Cx

Sketch Saturday #530.. Big Wet Kisses...

Hey,

Happy Saturday to you - Hubby and I will be having one last lunch with The Wife in Tampa and then heading home to NYC (boo), vacay has been a lot of fun.

 Welcome to the latest sketch for the Sketch Saturday challenge.

Our sponsor this week is Sparkle and Sprinkle and they are offering $15 gift certificate to their store.

Here's the sketch...

I loved the Big Wet Kisses stamp, perfect for me right now, as Sept and Oct is anniversary heavy!

I printed the stamp twice and cut one out to use as a mask. Then I masked off the top of the card to match the sketch and stamped over both masks using one of my fave Stampin' Up stamps - Brushstrokes (no longer available). I used a mix of distress inks and some water on the stamp to get the patchy watery feel.

Then I die-cut the entire panel and added some sparkly blue tape and stamped the sentiment (a freebie from JT).

It turned out pretty well and is a nice addition to my anniversary pile.

I can't wait to see what you do with the sketch, but first check out what the rest of the DT have made over at Sketch Saturday.

Challenge ends Sept 14th 7pm GMT / 2pm EST

Cx

ICAD2018 Continued....

Hey,

Happy Friday!!

I have had a bit of a rough week, busy at work and food poisoning earlier this week..

I am feeling more me now!

I loved this year's ICAD and because I bought an album to put all my cards in, it had quite a few extra pages. So I decided to play ICAD2018 Plus Plus - it is my continuation, so I can fill the album.

I have essentially created my own weekly prompts.

The first week was Sea themed.

I had a LOT of fun creating these cards.

Main photo shows you all of them, but here are some shots of my fave ones..

All a bit different.

The mermaid one, a friend commented that she loved it, so I made a card version of it for her!

Have a great weekend, I am going to be hanging with Lisette later on today and then at the gym and watching Pre-season NFL and playing at my desk for the rest of the weekend..this time next week I'll be in Tampa - whoop!

Cx

Random Desk Pile: Daisy Birthday...

Hey,

Today I am showing you card no 2 that I made from the random desk pile.

I got the Unity Stamp Co. 'Daisy Girl' before I left for London and I coloured her using TomBow dual brush markers..

I bought the July TomBow VIP box, which is awesome and came with an awesome storage box for my pens.. LOVE a storage box..

The background paper die-cut, the striped washi tape and the sentiment rub-ons - yes rub-ons, were all in the pile too!

Another quick assembly job and the addition of the clear droplets and voila! another finished card.

Cx

Double Challenge Fun...

Hey,

Happy Memorial Day!

So happy to have a 3 day weekend and it has been lots of fun so far.

I stayed up waaay too late last night playing at my desk.

One of the things I made was a dual challenge card..

Color Throwdown had great colours this week and I thought combined with the CAS Colours & Sketches sketch, I could make something fun.

I used the great 'Stars of Worn' background by Unity Stamp Co. to create the bigger panel from the sketch.

I played around with lots of ideas for the smaller panel, but decided it would be fun to partial stamp the sky scene from the new to me 'Super' set by Avery Elle. I used the sentiment from the set and stamped it in red.

For some more touches of red, I added a small strip of glittery tape and some red bling.

I'm pretty happy with this little make and I think there is totes enough white space for it to count as CAS.

Cx

Simple Notecards...

Hey,

Happy Monday!

OMG I had such a fun weekend, playing at my desk, lunching with the Craftgang and watching NFL with Hubby.

And only one more week of work before the Christmas break.

Today's photo is of the notecards I made last weekend. The idea came to me, because I was doodling in my notepad on Friday whilst eating lunch and I created a little pattern that reminded me of the new Lil' Inkers Unstoppable set -

I started by die-cutting all the white panels and then masking off the area I wanted to stamp. I decided I wanted to make 2 sets with 4 cards each and have 4 different designs in each set..complicated much?

I stamped all the patterns by hand, much easier, as I had 4 stamp blocks, so it was super quick to do. Next I added the glittery washi tape - from Target dollar bins. I then set-up the thank you stamp on my MISTI to make it all easy.

The card blanks are actually large panels from PaperSource that I crease and fold to size. PaperSource had a one day paper bar sale and I think every crafter in North America went frantic spendy spendy crazy.

I love the end result, simple and elegant and a perfect Christmas gift.

You might have noticed that I departed from my usual background when taking my photo. I recently bought a huge Dahle self-healing mat for my craft desk -

Isn't he pretty!!

It has made my desk much cleaner and easier to work on, I was always hanging off the edge of my previous one.

I also think he makes an awesome backdrop for my cards.

Best thing about him? He was on super bargain sale!

Cx

Freshly Made Sketches: Give Thanks..

Hey,

Happy Thanksgiving!

As I had oodles of playtime at my desk last night, I thought I would play along with Freshly Made Sketches this week.

I decided I would dig out a very rarely used star wreath die by Fiskars, I love it, but before I got my metal shim it was painful to cut. I chose my fave and ancient sparkly silver paper for the wreath.

I used washi tape and a scrap of glittery paper for my strips and the smaller circle I die-cut from a scrap.

The 'thanks' die is by Lawn Fawn and it is one of my fave sentiment dies.

I love the happy sparkly end result. 

As it's Thanksgiving I can't leave without saying how thankful I am for my Husband, Family and Friends (new and old) that have been by my side this year through all kinds of ups and downs. They have remained my constant loving, caring, amazing support system. I'm also super thankful that I opened my mind and decided to exercise...it's a thing now and I love it.

Have a great Thanksgiving wherever you are.

Cx

Birthday Monster Thank You...

Hey,

I always like the thank you cards I send for my birthday to be a themed set - this year I decided I would use as many of my Monster sets as I could.

I stamped the monsters (from Jane's Doodles, Paper Smooches, Sweet Stamp Shop) onto tags and coloured them as part of the 30 day colouring challenge.

I cut the cardblanks using A7 cardstock from Paper Source and used a strip embossing folder on the front panel, then added a strip of paper and washi tape.

The sentiment is by MFT and is a second-hand purchase from Cheiron.

Majority of this batch went out just before I left NYC and I was so lucky and got so many gifts that I think I will need to make some more when I get home!

Excited today, as we are seeing the wife, she is coming and getting us from my parents and driving us to our 2 week home in Notting Hill.

Fun times ahead for the next two weeks, alongside a crap load of work!!

Cx

Sketch Saturday #470 Beautiful Self...

Hey,

Welcome to another fun sketch for the Sketch Saturday challenge.

Our sponsor this week is AMB. Here is the sketch - 

I used the Seahorse from the Mermaid set...I am fascinated by Seahorses!

I love the sketch, it was so much fun to work with. I went with all blues for my background and supporting elements, really helped to make the Seahorse pop!

I die-cut the Seahorse panel using an MFT stitched oval die and the corrugated blue card was cut with a scalloped oval die by Sizzix.

I went for blue sparkly washi tape for my stripes and I am glad I did as it makes the card all twinkly. You can also see how shimmery the Seahorse is as I went over him with a Wink of Stella pen. The sentiment sticker is by Tim Holtz. 

Again a very simple but fun card.

Your turn to show us what you make with the sketch, but first check out what the rest of the DT have made over at Sketch Saturday.

Challenge ends 7 July 7pm GMT / 2pm EST

Cx

Retro Rubber Challenge #65..Get Sketchy...

Hey,

Time for another fun challenge with the Retro Rubber team.

This time we have a sketch for you -

I like playing with sketches.

I used two quite old stamp sets - Kinda Eclectic by Stampin' Up (starburst) 2015, Unforgettable Today by Dear Lizzy (bike) 2014. I heat embossed the starburst first and then also heat embossed the bike, I felt pretty brave.

I added some washi tape from my stash and the sentiment is a Concord & 9th stamp with a Pink Fresh Studio sticker.

I think it's going to work really well as a male birthday card.

Your turn to show us what you can do with the sketch and pop over to Retro Rubber and get inspired by the things my teammates have made..

Challenge ends June 30th. Don't forget to tell us the age of your stamp, that is part of the fun of our challenge and please only enter 10 challenges including Retro Rubber.

Cx

ICAD17.. Week Two

Hey,

Happy Monday!

Today I am showing you my week 2 makes from ICAD17. See week one here and go to Daisy Yellow's blog for more info.

It was hard to pick a favourite this week, I love everything except my weird Tetrahedron..so hard to visualise in my opinion.

Anyway I've decided to go for Day.10 Sunshine Yellow as my pick for fave..

I covered the index card in patterned tissue paper and then painted over it using Mustard Seed Distress paint. Then I added black paint splatters.

I had originally planned to cover it in a bunch of the yellow MFT flowers that you see, but it didn't feel right, so I added a strip of chevron washi tape and dug around in my random die-cuts pouch and found the Deer.

It all came together so well accidentally, this is why I am loving ICAD random lovely things are created.

Cx