Wahoo - it is Craft Show time!

I have a bit of a dilemma - I love going to the craft shows but I always spend toooo much :) Being London-based I go to the London shows and there are three Spring shows on the horizon:

Stitch and Creative Crafts 28th Feb - 1st March in Excel
Stitch and Craft 19th - 22nd March in Olympia
Big Stamp and Scrapbooking Show 18th - 19th April in Ally Pally

Now my Mum might be going to the Excel show, so that is a must. We went a couple of years ago and it was fun hanging out with me mum doing crafty stuff. Also they do more stitch than papercrafts so the temptation to spend will be very slightly lower :)

But the other two? Well I might just have to leave my credit cards at home and only take a tenner with me :( *SHOCK*

What is a craft obsessed girl gonna do? Any 'get extra cash' plans will be much appreciated.....

Papermania This Time

I've been over doing the old Basic Grey a bit recently (can you over do Basic Grey?) so I thought I would play with some Papermania paper for a change. A card for the Magnolia Vs Stampavie challenge blog which has a sketch for us all to have a go at.

Details - The image is coloured with distress inks and Derwent Inktense pencils and I'm loving the paper circle flowers at the moment, I've distressed the edges with my seam ripper. Borders were added with a fine marker.


Materials:
Stamp - Sarah Kay; Stampendous
Ink - VersaFine Onyx Black
Colouring - Tim Holtz Distress inks; Derwent Inktense pencils
Usual Suspects - Silicone glue; Paper trimmer; Scissors; Circle template; Double-sided tape
Other - Shaped Scissors; Buttons; Ribbon; Embroidery thread; Fine marker pen; Seam ripper

Candy News, Sales News, Bloggy News and a Question

So some bits and bobs for you today and perhaps a card later
if I get a wiggle on :)

First of all, just to let you know that Emma has a fantastic sale over at Sassy Crafts with everything - Yes, I said everything - reduced. The sale ends on the 12th Jan so you better get over there as soon as you have finished reading this (of course!).



Next a list of some blog candy on offer from some lovely people:

• Tasha is celebrating her birthday (Happy Birthday Tasha) and is giving a massive £50 Glitterpot token to a lucky blogger on her blog Millie's Magical Moments. (Finishes on the 10th Jan)
  

• Rach over at Papercrafts by Rach is giving away some lovely trims and bits and pieces including some fab Sugar Nellie stamps. (Finishes on the 10th Jan)

• Simon Says Stamp have a huge prize on their blog and all you have to do is look at all their lovely stamps and say which is your favourite :) (Finishes 10th Jan)
  

• Emma is celebrating 3000 hits in just a few months of blogging- way to go girl - with some lovely SU products on her blog Something Sweet. (Finishes on the 15th Jan)

Is it me or has Blog candy gotten more and more extravagant over the last few months? LOL. I will be posting my own celebratory candy soon - promise!


And now for the Bloggy News:
Have you seen that Clare Curd is starting her new range of crafty products on the 1st March? How exciting it must be to launch your own products :) She is setting up a blog for the range called Stampin' Chic so go check that out too!



Finally a Question:
How do you all read/visit the blogs you like? I held off doing the 'Follower' thing on my blog for a bit because I had signed-up to my blogs list on Google reader. But I now have both! So I have a 'Follower' list and my original reader list and see them both in Google reader.

However, this means that I have some of the blogs I read in one list, some in the other and some in both. I thought I was being so clever - everything was organised into folders, I'm going to need to redo them - hey ho.

From my 325 subscriptions (I actually thought I had more!) I have apparently read 3,356 blog posts in the last 30 Days - so that is what I do with my time? Mmm think I'm going to need to do a sort out very soon!

Scissors...

Wahoo - I've found my scissors! They were hiding in my ribbon box and I looked everywhere for those naughty Minkeys :)

A card that hits two challenges' buttons today. Firstly it uses the lovely sketch over at Basic Grey Challenge blog and then it incorporates embossing for the Penny Black Challenge blog. Sorted :)

Details - the embossing used my cuttlebug and embossing folders and Core-dination card which I then sanded to show the core colour. The teal-coloured gems on the image are actually plastic beads that I cut in half with a button shank remover. The Penny Black image is coloured with Marvy Le Plume watercolour pens and cut out and shaped. I used a fine marker to add the extra stamen-like bits to the flower. Basic Grey Granola papers were used too :)


Materials:
Papers - Basic Grey Granola
Stamp - Penny Black
Inks - Distress inks
Colouring - Marvy Le Plume water colour pens
Usual Suspects - Silicone glue; 3D-glue; Double-sided tape; Paper Trimmer
Other - Button; Hemp string; Core-dination Black Magic card; Button Shank Remover; Fine Marker; Fine marker pen; Cuttlebug and embossing folder

Say Thank You with Flowers

Ok so it is not Spring quite yet but I just love Tulips and here are some for you. Made from the fab Basic Grey OffBeat paper which just gave itself to the tulip petal and edged with distress inks.


The petals were slightly curved on a knitting needle :) to give a little more dimension. Oh Spring how we love you :)


Materials:
Papers - BasicGrey Offbeat
Inks - Ranger's distress inks
Usual suspects - Scissors (main pair still missing in action); Glue dots
Other - Buttons; Embroidery thread; Cuttlbug and QuickKutz Sophisticate Alpha; Knitting needle

Give Us More Basic Grey

First weekend of the year - so what you all up to? Catching up with all those challenges then (like me?). Wishing you could find your scissors? Mine have vanished from in front if my very eyes. I've searched high and low. Now you may think that the other six pairs of scissors would suffice but Oh No they all have very specific jobs and I've lost my most used pair of course! LOL

Ok so just have time to post this before doing more scissor hunting! This one is for the new challenge blog for Sugar Nellie Stamps - The Sugar Bowl - which has a sketch to start them off. Thanks Girls.


PS. The sentiment was stamped onto the button with the Studio G alphas and Staz-on ink.

Materials:
Stamp - Leanne Ellis Sugar Nellie; Studio G alpha
Colouring - Letraset Promarkers
Ink - VersaFine Onyx Black; Staz-on
Paper - BasicGrey Offbeat
Usual Suspect - Paper trimmer; Scissors (baa Humbug); double-sided tape; Silicone glue
Other - Button; Wire; 3D-glue; Sewing machine; Embroidery thread

Thank You in Orange

So how is 2009 being for you so far? Part of me is looking forward to the new start to the new year and part of me still wants it to be Christmas. LOL. How about you guys?

Well the thank you cards are in the making and this one is using the Basic Grey Ambrosia papers and as it is a thank you card I'm putting it up for the Daring Cardmakers challenge which is - yep you guessed it - Thank you cards.


Materials:
Stamp - Studio G alphabet
Papers - Basic grey Ambrosia
Inks - Distress inks; VersaFine Onyx black
Usual Suspects - Paper Trimmer; Silicone glue
Other - Seam ripper

So 2009 Begins.....

Happy New Year

to you all, may 2009 be a good one for everybody. A bright and cheery card for the first of January 2009 and this one uses Basic Grey papers from the Euphoria range. The buttons were the smallest buttons I could find in my stash coloured with Letroset Promarkers and then sealed with glitter glue.

Hope that you are recovering from any New Year induced fuzziness :)


PS. Have you seen this little paper-world animation yet? It is amazing and well worth checking out.

Materials:
Stamp - Imaginisce
Ink - Versafine Onyx black; VersaColor Opera pink
Papers - Basic Grey Euphoria
Usual Suspects - Paper Trimmer; Double-sided tape; 3D-foam
Other - Buttons; embroidery thread; glitter glue; Letroset Promarker; Cuttlebug; quickutz Sophisticate Alpha dies; 3D-glue; Pink line marker pen

New Years Eve

Right, back on track after having accidentally blogged three posts yesterday that weren't supposed to go 'Live' yet - oh bless me! I had them post-dated and forgot that yesterday was the date they were post-dated for! Mmm, might use draft from now on. Thanks to everyone who commented on them, lovely comments.

Anyway it is the eve of the New Year and traditionally one looks back at the old year and forward to the New Year.

Well, 2008 was a strange year full of ups and downs, as life demands, but on crafting terms it has been amazing. Starting the blog was my lovely boyfriend's suggestion and it has been wonderful, I've met so many fantastic crafty friends and had such a fun time blog hopping. I've loved all of the wonderful comments people have spent the time to post on my blog - Thank you all and it has been fantastic to visit your beautiful creations.

Looking forward to 2009, I hope that it is a good year for everyone, may it bring lots of crafty wishes to you all.

So I would like to share some wonderful blog awards that my lovely bloggy friends have shared with me. I've been meaning to put them up before, so I apologies for my lateness. I thought this would be a good post for them and I want you all to have them and don't forget to pop along to all of the blogs that they came from as well :)

From Tracey at Crafty Corner
and
Fiona at Strawberry Fields

From Joanne at Crafting Joanne

From Kati at Mampias-Stempelecke

From Chrissie at Chrissie's Card Creations,
Cazzy at It's Cazzy Time
and
Jane at Jane's Cards

From Sue at StampnDaly

From Helen at Helen's Craft Heaven

And thanks to Lisa and Christine for the Tagging :)

Have a good evening and looking forward to getting some Crafty Makes posted in the New Year.

I'll leave you with a 'Head's Up' - I will be posting some blog candy in the New Year so don't forget to drop by again soon :)

Papercraft Essentials Papercrafter of the Year 2008

Oh MY Oh MY what a fabulous Christmas Present - I've won the Papercraft Essentials Papercrafter of the Year 2008 - WOW, and Double WOW.

I still don't think I believe it. I sent my projects off and then just forgot about it, so imagine my suprise to get an email from Kate Timmins, the editor of Papercraft Essentials, saying that I had actually won!


Well, I've been keeping it a secret but now the issue of the magazine (Issue 37) has been published so I can tell you all. I am so excited about being on the Practical Publishing Design Team - I have my first commision and everything - hope I do a good job :)

It Is Christmas

Merry Christmas

Have a wonderful day. We will be celebrating Christmas with a big turkey roast :) having stayed up all night to watch Father Christmas on his journey around the world.

Hope that you have all been good boys and girls and that Father Christmas brings you lots of lovely craft goodies ;)


Materials:
Stamp - Inkadinkado; Papermania; Craft Stamper
Papers - BasicGrey
Inks - Versafine Sepia and Onyx black; Distress inks yellow, walnut stain, tea stain
Usual suspects - Paper trimmer; Silicone glue; double-sided tape; scissors
Other - Ribbon; brad; glitter glue

How Busy Is Your Card?

How busy is this card? I think I might have gone a bit mad with this one. I started to add glitter and just kept on going, by the time I had finished I was covered head to toe with the stuff.

This is for the Christmas week challenge over at Magnolia Vs Stampavie Challenge blog which is a lovely sketch. It is nice to be able to do some challenges for a change :)


Materials:
Stamp - Sarah Kay; Magnolia; Papermania
Inks - VersaFine Onyx Black
Colouring - Letroset Promarkers
Papers - DCWV Winter matchstack
Usual Suspects - Paper trimmer; Double-sided tape
Other - Ribbons; Glitter; Glitter Glue; Cuttlebug and snowflake dies; Brads

More is More...

I might have gone a bit overboard on this one :) No excuse I just got a bit carried away. This card is heavy!

I've used a few recycled finds such as some broken jewellery that someone gave me, not as a gift don't worry. People now know that I collect anything, particularly buttons and beads, so when they don't want their jewellery, or bits of fabric they give them to me. My boyfriend even goes out of his way to bring home bits of ribbons or old pieces of card for me - I'm a lucky girl :)

Anyway I digress - the card also uses the Basic Grey Boxer papers and I've coloured the Sarah Kay image with distress inks which is fast becoming my favourite colouring medium of the month.

The Christmas holiday challenge over at the Basic Grey Challenge blog is 'Going Green' so I thought I would enter this card with all it's re-used jewellery, buttons and mesh :)



Materials:
Papers - Basic Grey Boxer
Colouring - Tim Holtz Distress Inks
Usual Suspects - Silicone gel; Double-sided tape; Paper trimmer; Scissors
Other - Broken jewellery; Lace; mesh; Key charm; Button; Hemp string; pearl brads

Hanukkah Card

Happy Hanukkah

A Hanukkah card to celebrate the eight days of Hanukkah, the first day being today. I've modelled the Menorah very roughly on my Mum's, so roughly in fact that I don't think she would recognise it?

It is surprisingly hard to find Hanukkah stamps, particularly in the UK.

Hope you have a lovely Hanukkah.


Materials:
Cardstock - Blue; Brown bazzill
Ink - Versafine Sepia brown
Usual suspects - Paper Trimmer; Double-sided tape; scissors
Other - ribbon; Galaxy marker pens; Cuttlebug; embossing folder; QuickKutz sophisticate alpha

Lovely Pink Sugar

Back to pink for you today. Pink, black and warm greys just go so well together. For this one I've part coloured and part paper pieced the beautiful Leanne Ellis designed stamp from Sugar Nellie. Added a few glossy accents and framed her in a triple embossed frame. I don't know if you can see in the photo but her skirt is slightly curved to give dimension. I've got to find a better way to take pictures!

.

Materials:
Stamp - Sugar Nellie; Craft stamper
Ink - VersaFine Onyx Black; silver
Colouring - Letroset promarkers
Papers - Dovecraft
Usual suspects - double-sided tape; silicone glue; paper trimmer
Other - ribbons; embossing powder and heat gun; 3D-glue

Naughty Or Nice?

Nice I hope? Last year I made some Christmas stockings for myself and my OH from Christmas themed fats. I could try and say that they are post-modern ironic but they are, as you can see, full-on Traditional Christmas Chintz with extra sparkly glitz added on for good measure. Well we wouldn't want Father Christmas to miss them now would we?

Last Minute Christmas Card

A quick and easy Christmas card that has been totally inspired by the wonderful cards Emma has made, if you have a minute go take a look. This one uses those left over scraps of your Basic Grey Wassail papers with the smallest bit of distressing and a little bit of fun flock, but you could use your snow writers or glitter or even a bit of fibres or ribbons.

Wish me luck, I'm off to Ikea. I have searched high and low through the streets of London for some basic kitchen equipment and utensils and could I find any? It seems the simple basics have disappeared from the high streets of London and all you can get is your £30 for a single teaspoon, high-end stuff, probably made by the lesser-spotted, highly trained kitchen elf who only makes one teaspoon a year then takes a year off. Ok perhaps I exaggerate. Slightly :)


Just to add: The stockings were hand-cut using a sketched template.

Materials:
Papers - Basic Grey Wassail
Stamp - Papermania
Ink - Ranger's Distress inks; VersaFine Onyx Black
Usual Suspects - Paper Trimmer; Scissors; Silicone glue; Glue dots
Other - Fun flock

Christmas Is Here

Well Christmas has truly reached our flat, the decorations are up, the wine is mulled and the mince pies are a baking. But what you have to know is that my boyfriend doesn't drink and he hates mince pies - I've now eaten a packet of mince pies, a carton of cream ('coz you can not have mince pies without cream) and am drinking my way through a gallon on mulled wine. Boy, Christmas is hard work :)



I've cleverly put the mistletoe over the door to the kitchen....


If I hang about there long enough perhaps I will get lucky?

All Male At Kaboodle Doodle

We have gone Male at Kaboodle Doodle this week and are looking for projects you could give the boy or man in your life. I have done an ATC for this week using the fab All Star Kit and the skull from the Halloween Kit from Andrea's shop.


Materials:
Stamp - Sugar Nellies
Papers - Kaboodle Doodle
Inks - VersaFine Onyx Black
Colouring - Letraset Promarkers
Usual Suspects - Paper trimmer; Glue dots; 3D Foam
Other - 3D-glue

Weekend Is Here

Weekends are fab aren't they? I've got an embroidery group to go to so thought I would give you a card with stitching to match the mood.

So what you all up to? It seems very quiet in the blogosphere at the moment doesn't it?


Have a fab weekend.

Materials:
Stamp - Pink Cat Studio
Ink - Versafine Onyx black
Colouring - Sansodor with PrismaColor and Derwent pencils
Usual Suspects - Paper trimmer; double-sided tape
Other - Sewing machine; Thread