No Excuse Blogging

Been a bit busy recently having to clear away my craft stuff so that we can make room for a guest! So my craft desk, which is a fold-up garden table, is being dismantled and put away :( Therefore thinking about crafting more than doing crafting for the next week. Ho Hum. If you live in a tiny flat.....

But it will be nice to have guests :) And so that is what our living room looks like again :)

New Home Card

Hey all, How you all doing? I've made a New Home card with the fab sketch on the Friday Sketchers blog and for once I've done it at the beginning of the challenge rather than at the end :) As you can see I have used my Cuttlebug again - not that I'm totally obsessed with it or anything.



Materials:
Stamp - Stampendous
Ink Pad - Versafine black
Card - Turquoise textured; White
Equipment - Cuttlebug, spots and dots embossing folder
Others - Ribbon; nail file

Acetate Bookmark

I've been experimenting with my Cuttlebug seeing how different materials emboss - what fun :) So here is how it looks embossing acetate. I've made a bookmark for the challenge on This Thursday, It's All About.... which is looking at making things that have uses. I also took the opportunity to use a fab stamp I have from Inkadinkado of an angel image and Lots To Do has an Angel theme this week so of course I had to enter :)



The image was stamped with Stazon onto acetate that I had tinted with alcohol inks. I then coloured the image on the back with Cosmic Shimmer powders mixed with 3D-glue. The image was then placed on white paper and cut out to be stuck onto the embossed acetate.



Materials:
Stamp - Inkadinkado
Colouring - Alcohol inks stream and butterscotch; Cosmic Shimmer
Equipment - Cuttlebug and script embossing folder
Other - 3D-Glue; White paper

Thank you Tracey and those at This Thursday, It's All About...... for sampling me again, it is a real honour :)

Linked over at the Bookmark Collector (thanks guys) - have a look it is an interesting site of different bookmarks.

Beads On Cards

So here is a card for the wonderful sketch from Katharina on the Papertake Weekly Challenge blog this week. I decided to play around with beads on cards again partly inspired by the little beaded tassels on the card I made for the Whiff of Joy Guest Designer call and partly by my Mum who suggested I had a go at some bead embroidery on my cards.

I love the effect but oh boy do you need patience :) Even for this very simple beaded tasseled border on some organza ribbon. Even so I definitely think I will be doing more cards with beads in the future.



Materials:
Stamps - Hanglar and Stanglar; HOTP
Colouring - Promarkers
Ink pads - VersaFine Black and Sepia
Papers - Me & My Big Ideas
Other - Beads; Brown sparkle card stock; Organza ribbon; Invisible thread; Piercing wheel

Candy, Candy

Candy, Marlene has some Hanglar and Stanglar stamp images AND a stamp to give away on her blog a Lil bit of Me. Go take a look at her cards too - they are fantastic :)


Funky Hand have some fab candy too which includes a whole range of fabby embellishments - but that isn't all, there is also a choice of their wondeful papers :) How cool? Anice is celebrating Two years of the company and has she done a brilliant job?

Whiff Of Joy Guest Designer Call

Katharina is setting-up a new stamp company, Whiff Of Joy, and is looking for some guest designers to join her really talented design team. She has some fantastic stamps coming out designed by Elizabeth Beth and Alison Acton, you should go take a look at her blog: Katharina's Creative Place. There are some sneak peaks at some of the wonderful stamps they plan to launch. Well I thought I would submit a card for the design call :) It would be fun to be a guest designer wouldn't it?

The flower and the wire swirl paperclip are handmade......



Materials:
Stamps - Sarah Kay; HOTP
Stamp Colouring - Promarkers
Ink Pads - Tim Holtz Distress Ink walnut stain; Versa Color Opera Pink
Papers - Basic Grey Sultry; Papermania Exquisite
Equipment - Cuttlebug; Birds and Swirls embossing folder; Crop-a-dile
Others - Wire; white cardstock and paper; Beads; eyelet;

Maggie's Centre Call for Cards

Kath on All That Glitters is asking for help. She is looking for cards to give to Maggie's Centre to raise money for this charity. Maggie's centres help all who have been affected by cancer either directly or not. So pop over to Kath's blog to get the low down of how to get involved.

A Year's Supply of Funky Fairy's Products

Funky Fairy's have an amazing blog candy going on the Inspiration blog - to win a year's supply of their products. Their papers and stamps are fantastic you should go take a look. I've used some of the papers in my papercrafting take a look :)

Knight in Shining Armour

So here is one for you. It was made for the wonderful Blog Candy that Nikki has on her site Nikki's Card Creations. Make a card using one or more of the following: Flowers, Buttons, Ribbon and Patterned paper. She is celebrating here Blogorversary and nearly 30,000 hits. Well Done Nikki.

So here it is it has patterned papers and buttons.






Materials
Stamps: Sugar Nellie; HOTP
Paper: K&Co; hammered gold;
Ink Pads: Walnut Stain distress; Versa color Amethyst; Black Staz-on;
Other Inks: Adironack Alcohol ink Stream and Butterscotch
Card: White cardstock; aubergine bazzill stock; silver mirror
Other: Cuttlebug Script embossing folder; Buttons; nail file; sticky dots; 3-D foam; promarkers

How can such a simple looking card use so much stuff?

Lucky Me

I've been very lucky recently, I've been sent three blog candies over the past few weeks. First came from Nikki over at Nikki's Card Creations, she had some eyelets she had no use for, there were loads and all fabulous (the piccy only shows a small sample of them!). Next I was sent a box of Glamour Designer Chipboard from Nicola at Enjay's Craft Creations - aren't they lovely? But then I'm a lucky girl again and win the wonderful stamp images and fantastic envelope folder from Shaz at Funky Fairy's Papercrafts.

Thank you all so very much - I shall be putting them all to good use :)

Fast Recovery

So here we are again - able to blog properly since we have a new computer - a challenge submission for the Funky Fairy's Challenge Blog which has a Get Well Soon theme.

Having recently done the whole hospital and recovery thing I worked my way through a number of puzzle books to pass the time so thought that a little 'Recovery Pack' filled with puzzle books would be perfect :)

I've made a box from cardstock and decorated it with stamping and Funky Fairy's papers. The pack can fit two books and a pencil and is secured with ribbon wrapped around buttons sewn into the card. It was great fun to do :) It is good to be back.






Materials:
Stamps: Suger Nellie; Autumn Leaves
Papers: Funky Fairy's Colorful Daze
Card: lime green cardstock
Others: Buttons; Ribbon

Blog Candy Round-Up

Wahoo, I'm back online after the breaking down of our computer last week. I've missed being able to take part in challenges and getting blog posts up. I have a lot to catch up on :)

So here is a round-up of some amazing people giving amazing blog candy out to us folks:

White Ribbon Cards - Thanks Susie

Maya's Hobby Blog - Ooo look wonderful Hanglar and Stanglar images, Thanks Maya

Maria's Cards - yummy colours, Thanks Maria

Andrea's World - Fantastic Magnolia stamps, Thanks Andrea

Other Side of Me - What a fab stamp, Thanks Shary

Linanna Designs - Great black and pink set, Thanks Linda

Candy Alert

Fran has an amazing blog candy on her blog Franmade. Go take a look and whilst you are there have a look at her amazing cards.

There is also some amazing blog candy being given away by Karen on her fab blog Karen's creations. She is celebrating setting up her card making company in France. Good for you Karen, good luck with it.

Spiral Whispers also have some blog candy going for reaching 10,000 hits. They have some fab stamps coing out. so take a look at their site.

Bag Charm

Oh major calamity - our computer has given up the ghost, I can't blog! I'm having to borrow this computer for a few minutes to get this up on my blog. I'm gutted how can I feed my addiction?

This blog is a last minute entry into Shaz's blog candy challenge on her blog Funky Fairy's Ramblings. The challenge was blue, pink and green colours to make something. So I made a bag charm with Funky Fairy's papers and beads. Not the best piccy in the world due to circumstances - hey ho!



So this weekend it is off to buy a new computer and a new printer because that went a few weeks ago :( Ooo shopping - new toys :)

Blog Candy

High Hopes Galore - A new range of fab stamps have been released from High Hopes and a number of blogs are giving away some of the stamps as candy. So for a chance to win some fab new stamps have a look at the following blogs:

Katharina's blog - Katharina's Creative Place
Ying's blog - Creative and Stamping
Ila's Blog - Artfully Ila

Butterflies

Ok it's a fair cop - this is a card I've posted before but I really like it and it fitted so well with this week's challenge from the Lots To Do Challenge blog which is butterflies that I could not resist. To find out how I put it together look at this previous post.

Wow Look at this blog candy....

Claudia over at Pretty Pressings has the most amazing blog candy for getting lots of blog Hits - well done Claudia. But again there is more, Steph over at It's All About Me has some fabby blog candy in the form of a creative kit - cool :)

Slumber party

Circles are the inspiration from A Spoon Full Of Sugar this week so here is my interpretation using one of my favourite stamps from Sugar Nellie. The colours are subtle pinks and soft sand for a comfy go to bed feel :)



Materials:Stamps: Sugar Nellie's Bedtime Maggie; Studio G Alphabet Set
Papers: PaperMania Exquisite paper stack
Colouring: Watercolour pencils and Marvy Le plume pens
Inks: Tim Holtz Distress Ink Weathered Wood; Faber-Castell Sepia Artist pens; Sakura White

Stone Inchies Make An ATC

So to continue my Inchy quest I have used them in this ATC for the Think Monday - Think ATC which has a 'Stone' theme this week, as by luck should have it I have some 'stone'-related stamps.


Materials:
Stamp: Paper Artsy
Inks: Tim Holtz Distress inks; Stazon; Tattered Angels Gold Glimmer Mist
Other: Cardstock; Stone button; embroidery silk

The lovely folk over at Think Monday - Think ATC have sampled this ATC. Thanks Folks.

Inchies

I honestly thought I would never get into Inchies - pieces of art that are only an inch by an inch square - but then I did a card with some almost inchies on it and I was hooked. But guess what? There is an inchies challenge blog, well that is it really - I've just added inchies to my ever growing list of craft obsessions. So this week's challenge on Inch by Inch is 'Thank you' and here is my submission.



Materials:
Stamp: Anna Griffin Nature Background; Studio g Alphabet Set
Inks: Tim Holtz Ditress inks - Walnut stain; Peeled Paint; Tea dye
Other: dragonfly metal charm; recycled cardstock
Equipment: water spritzer; Brayer; craft mat; felt block (you can buy this but I made my own); heat tool (optional); Marvy Le Plume watercolour pens; Silicone glue

Instructions:

• Taking a piece of card from an old greeting card place on the craft mat and colour using the tea dye and peeled paint distress inks, water and brayer.
• Leave to dry or dry with the heat tool if you are as impatient as me.
• Stamp with the background stamp and decide which inch will be the best to use.
• Highlight the plants by colouring with watercolour pens.
• On a new piece of card stamp the sentiment with alphabet stamps and cut to size.
• The edges of the sentiment and Inchy were distressed using the walnut stain ink and smudging with the felt block.
• To finish the charm and sentiment were attached to the Inchy with Silicone glue.

Thank you Inch By Inch for sampling my inchy :)