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Thursday, 13 January 2011

Friends Make Christmas Very Merry

I made Christmas card using a stamped image that I had from a forum swap. I think it may be an Elzybels image but I'm not 100% sure. I found it in my Christmas stuff and had coloured it a long while ago using Twinkling H20's. It's quite bright and bold as I just cannot shade at all with those paints. I love the shimmer they give but I'm not subtle with them at all so I think I am much better with my Promarkers.

Reminds me of an art project at school. I did this gorgeous A4 pencil portrait of the pop star Morten Haarket from A-ha. I was sooooo in love with him at the time, I was convinced I was going to marry him (I'm sure all 13 year olds go through something similar LOL) Anyhoo, the pencil drawing was really good but then we had to blow it up to a much bigger size and then paint it. I did such an awful job of the painting I completely ruined it, I was so gutted. I'm not very good at drawing but I have got an eye for detail and can copy an image really well and shade with lead pencil but as soon as colour gets introduced I bugger it up big time. I'll never be an artist I'm afraid.......

Anyway, back to the card. I used the current Sketch at CPS for the layout,can you believe they are at sketch #200. Woohoo CPS, you and Di Hickman's sketches are what got me into them big time when I started making lots more cards when I got into blogging. My husband would say you have a lot to answer for LOL.

ll materials used are old except the ribbon which came from a prize I won from the Cards For Men blog hop just before Christmas. The papers are DCVW and I have used a Martha Stewart punch on the text strip with a bit of gold pen the edge it. The sentiment is a clear sticker from a Brenda Pinnick kit from QVC which I have had for about 4 years. To finish off I have added a few buttons, the small ones are Papermania, no idea where the larger one came from. I added a little big of stickles to the snow and as Gordon Ramsey says DONE!! Better than that, it puts my
Crimble card count upto 3 already. Yay :)

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges :-
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Ho, Ho, Ho

OMG, get me..... another Crimble card :) This is another image that I had coloured just before Christmas but ran out of time to make it into a card.

The digi image is a freebie from July 2009 by Dustin Pike. It is still available on his blog here if you want to grab it. I chose the current sketch from Totally Gorjuss for the layout

All the items on this card are old and I have used some of my hoarded Prima Pointsettias. I have had those for about 3 years so it's about time I used them really. Yes they look pretty, but they should be on cards not stashed in my room. After not making much last year it feels good to have my mojo back I can tell you :)

Anyhoo, materials used are DCVW papers, the green was a strip I had left which has been treated with a Martha Stewart punch. The text strip is another from a scrap strip of card, you know those L shaped pieces that are left after you have covered a card, well I have actually used some up instead of them getting scrunched up and scratty and you then end up throwing them away.

The image has been coloured with Promarkers with Stickles glitter glue added to the fur trim on the hat and cuffs. Last but not least I have added one of my hoarded HOTP brads that I have had for a very, very long time. Woohoo !! Maybe there is hope for me, my hubby will be so proud of me :)

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:-

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Wednesday, 12 January 2011

Teddy With Balloons

Leigh from Happileigh Scrappin' has given us a gorgeous freebie over at CDAC of this gorgeous teddy with balloons. I have used the current sketch for challenge #90 at the Sweet Stop for layout of the card.

The image has been coloured using Promarkers and I used the blender pen to add a bit of texture to the fur. I have added the I and the U to the balloons with a marker and the little heart is a bubble sticker from Paperchase.

Th backing paper is from a Bo Bunny magazine freebie. The gold and brown scroll paper is a textured flock wrapping paper from Paperchase. It will of course in this household never be used as wrapping paper, it's far too lush for that. I have matted the image and the flock paper on a muted gold cardstock. I have added grossgrain ribbon, a wooden heart coloured gold with a metallic marker and added a couple of Papermania heart buttons with a bit of pink twine knotted in them.

If you like the look of the teddy pop on over to CDAC and sign up to our group. Leigh also has a freebie still available on the Happilieigh Scrappin' Challenge blog and we would love to see you enter the current challenge.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges :-

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Help For Katie

I was touched to the core yesterday when I followed a link on Facebook from Stamping Caz to this appeal by Jak Heath.

Katie Emmerson Renz married to Kevin with 3 beautiful boys the twins Nate & Will aged 5 and Hunter aged 10 had some news just before Christmas that has rocked their world as they know it.

Katie has been diagnosed with stage 4 Stomach Cancer and is currently undergoing her only option which is Chemotherapy.

Katie is a fellow crafter and is loved within the crafting community.you can read Katie's story on her own blog here.

I would implore you to read it, it is a fantastic account of how your life can be completely changed in such a short amount of time and anyone with a heart cannot fail to be touched by it.

Jak has got together with a host of digi artists and is offering an amazing array of designs for only £15. All donations will go to Katie and the family to help with the medical bills. As she is based in the USA they are going to be massive costs, not cheap like over here on the NHS.

Following reading Katie's blog I clicked on her Facebook link and sent a message with my friend request. As some of you may know I am suffering with self esteem and depression issues at the moment and commented that she had help put my situation into perspective. I mean I'm not going to potentially die from what I am going through am I?

Imagine my surprise when I got a message back from the wonderful lady herself which was so positive and upbeat. I am truly touched that she could find that in herself to give me some words of support. I can tell you it really has kicked me up the arse. When I get depressed the biggest issue is that I lose my sense of perspective and this has really made me re-evaluate things and stop feeling sorry for myself. I have fought it before and I can do it again.

When Paul got home he noticed I was in a much better place and I told him about Katie and asked if he would mind if I made the donation. I really felt it was something I needed to do but as I am now out of work I thought he may think £15 was too much. He said it was worth it to see how much more positive I was.

I can't promise that it will make such a big difference to your life as it has to mine but Katie really needs us. The most wonderful thing about crafting and blogging is that we have made our own extended family, we share ideas, we laugh with each other, we cry with each other and you are all such wonderful people. I know together we can make a difference and help this family when they really need it the most.

To donate please visit Jak's blog at Jak Heath.com
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A Merry Little Christmas

In a complete departure for me I proudly present (fanfare please.....) my 1st Christmas card of 2011 Ta-Dah !!

One of my intentions for this year is to make Christmas cards throughout the year, thus preventing the last minute panic I normally experience. There are now lots of challenges that encourage you to make Crimble cards so I really have no excuse do I?

I had coloured this image in on the run up to Christmas but not had time to make them into cards. Having re-organised my craft room so that Christmas stuff is readily accessible this makes the job significantly easier. Hooray for not having to stand precariously on my chair to get to the top of my Ikea bookcases. That's one trip to A & E that has hopefully been avoided. Mind you I nearly fell backwards down the stairs last night but that's a different story !

The layout of the card was made using Card Patterns sketch #97 which I thought would be perfect for this lovely image by Nina May at Paper Cupcakes. which was a freebie on the There's Magic in the Air blog.

The image has been coloured with Promarkers with glitter added to the snowman and the star. I used a Sakura clear glitter pen to highlight the buttons and mitten cuffs, cut out the image and edge with a Promarker.

The backing paper is DCWV from an old Christmas pad, yay for me using up that old stash :) I have added squares of card which have been embossed with a Cuttlebug folder, rounded the corners off and inked round the edges. I have added liberal amounts of stickles for a bit of twinkle. The 'ribbon' border is by Brenda Pinnick and last but not least I have added a gorgeous Craftime snowflake.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges :-

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I'm a Ginger Gem !!


Oooh, OOh ooh I am so excited !! I have made it as a Ginger Gem with my Little Birdie card. There are so many wonderful projects that have been chosen to be featured I honestly cannot believe they chose mine and it was for the glitter challenge, so me :)

I am definitely wearing my badge with pride on this one. I always wanted to be ginger, unfortunately it's always had to be out of a bottle until now.
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Monday, 10 January 2011

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge # 37

It's a new challenge today at Crafty Cardmakers after our Christmas break. I hope Santa was kind to you and you had lots of crafty stash. I was very lucky that I was able to purchase the Promarkers I needed to complete my collection, got a voucher for Hobbycraft and some pennies to spend :) More than anything though it has been lovely to spend time with family and friends over the festive period. As I am getting older this is becoming much more important than ever before.

We are sponsored by One Stop Card Crafts who are offering the winner a £10 voucher to use in their online store!

At One Stop Card Crafts we have a big range of ever changing discounts on scrapbooking card making craft supplies.

We are always adding to our range of craft supplies which are ideal for making handmade greeting cards, do-it-yourself invitations scrapbook pages, altered items and much more.
Our card making craft supplies include free UK postage, our popular discount scheme and quick service means our customers keep coming back for more.

Our prices are very competitive and this & makes us an ideal place to buy your card making supplies online. Some of our new products include Petaloo flower layers, Ranger Glitter Glue and Martha Stewart Punches.

So the challenge is the colour red + die cuts = Valentines card to me

The layout of my card was inspired by Julie Hickey of Craftwork Cards fame. She has been showing her favourite cards of the last year and although I have never made a card in this style it has always struck me as being a great design and fabulous for using up scraps of papers.

One of my faves is the roses vellum which I bought on a day out to Stratford upon Avon a good few years ago. It is so thick it really doesn't look like vellum but it has a slight shimmer on it and of course is lovely and smooth. The heart paper is the very last of some HOTP that I had when I first started cardmaking in 2002. I had a splurge and bought some items from the USA and this was one of the items I bought. I think it was about 10p for an A4 sheet :) The glittered paper is a handmade one with little splodges of glitter in a swirl pattern. I have used ink pads to add definition to the heart paper and the edges of the hearts.

The large heart was cut with a Fiskars Shapecutter template from HOTP cardstock. The other hearts are scraps of card and paper and were cut with Sizzlits dies. I have used different depths of 3d foam pads on these elements. I added the black velvet ribbon to draw your eyes to the darker shaded in the roses and I think it makes it seem more masculine. The sentiment was a magazine freebie from ages ago matted onto black card.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges :-

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Happileigh Scrappin' #6

Hello everybody peeps. It's Monday and that means it is time for another challenge at Happileigh Scrappin'.

Thanks very much to everyone who joined in with the blog hop last week. It was a great way for you to meet us the new Design Team and it was lovely to receive such warm comments from you.

Leigh has changed the challenge slightly so it is easier for people to enter.

The challenge rules are changing.
You may now use any image from any artist to enter in the challenge. (Inappropriate images will be withdrawn)
You will receive 1 entry point for your entry.
If you use a Happileigh Scrappin' image you will receive an extra entry point.
The winners will now be chosen randomly.
There will still be 1st, 2nd and 3rd place drawings.

Leigh has posted a photo up on the challenge as an inspiration. I hope we will see more people entering the challenges. Leigh is very generous with her freebies and her designs are lovely to work with so hop on over and join in the fun :)

My card was made with the Kasey Elbows on Pillow image and I have used Promarkers to colour her. It was a very rare occasion for me in that I had coloured the image before I chose the paper. Very unusual for me I went straight to this paper and it was a perfect match. Don't you just love it when that happens? I used the latest sketch #48 over at Truly Scrumptious for the layout. She's not dreaming of summer but definitely thinking of someone :)

The base card is a scalloped edge K & Co which has glitter spots and lines on it. It is very feint in the photo but much more visible in the flesh. The backing paper is a magazine freebie by Bo Bunny and the 'Thinking of You' sentiment vellum is another hoarded item from Craftwork Cards. I had a great value pack of vellum from them years ago in the sale and have hardly used any. In the spirit of my New Years Resolution I am cracking open that stash.

The ribbon and bow are Papermania, the turquoise ribbon was just a scrap in my stash, the pearls are by Kanban from a QVC kit and the little butterfly was on a piece of kids jewellery from Claire's Accessories. I love having a mooch in their sales as you can sometimes get some smashing charms for pennies. They sell their broken jewellery off in bargain bins and they are great for cardmaking.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges :-

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Sunday, 9 January 2011

Top 3 at Aly's Sunday Challenge #32


I am well chuffed. I have found out this evening I was selected as one of the Top 3 for my cross stitched Fabric Box over at Aly's Sunday Challenge.

Considering there were 364 entries I am amazed by this and very proud to display by flashing blinkie :)
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Glitterbabe #26 Rose Bouquet

I made this card using a lovely digi from Glitterbabe which was a freebie from I Did It Creations blog last week. They give away free digi's which the DT have used in their sample cards. I had intended to get this card linked up to go in the last challenge but the light was awful and I couldn't take a decent photo. I suppose that's what we get for the nights drawing in so early at this time of year, not great for taking photos with glitter on !!

Anyhoo I coloured the image with my trusty Promarkers and added lots of stickles to the flowers and bow. The base of the card is covered with a spotty paper from the Papermania Summer Blooms pad and the green is from the Papermania Rose Garden pad. Both have been edged with ink to make the panels stand out more. I used the sketch layout from Glitterbabe's current challenge #26 so I don't feel quite so bad about missing the IDIC challenge.

The lace is a gorgeous find. It was in one of those bargain bins at a local haberdashery as there should have been a ribbon threaded in the centre so was really cheap. It is great for me though as I can easily thread a narrow ribbon through it from my stash mountain. This ribbon was spotty on one side and plain on the other. The spots didn't look classy so I opted for the plain and I am much happier with it.

The little tag, I am so proud I used it. It is from Craftwork Cards and I bought a load of bumper items in the sale YEARS ago and I ashamed to say the majority has never been used. One of my missions this year is to use up stash that I have hoarded for a very long time, hopefully to make more cards for general occasions so that I have them ready and to send Thankyou cards more than I ever have. I never have any in my box so end up not sending them and I should break that habit. I have attached it on with a bit of paper string and attached one of my gorgeous but hoarded Papermania pearl brads.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges :-
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Friday, 7 January 2011

My Blog Has Attitude Award

The lovely Jacki from


has given me a Blog With Attitude award.


Thank you sweetheart, I shall wear it with pride. I am very touched that you should give it to me.

Now the for the rules click the blog award and it will take to to the relevant section on the Digis With Attitude blog. I need to tell you 3 unique things about me and nominate 5 blogs. Here goes....

3 Things about me :)
  • I am a terrible hoarder and have kept every single crafty thing I have bought since I started card making in 2002. I want to purge but cannot bear to part with any of it (I am sure that will be familiar to a lot of my fellow crafters)
  • My Favourite film of all time is Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence starring David Bowie and Ryuichi Sakamoto. I have loved it since I was a teenager even though I'm not keen on David Bowie or his music. The soundtrack is fabulous and I developed a love of Ryuichi Sakamoto's music as a result.
  • Love at first sight really happens and I am proof of it. I sat next to my hubby, a complete stranger at a Pet Shop Boys concert in July 1989, got together a week later and we have been together ever since. I am very lucky to have met my life partner at only 17 and we love one another dearly.
The lovely peeps I would like to give this award to are:-

Lisa at Lisa's Little Blog Home - Love this special lady soooo much. She's a good friend and bloody amazing at colouring with Promarkers. Great to see her crafty mojo has made a comeback :)

Sarn at Chocolate is NOT just for Breakfast - A good friend who gave me lots and love and support at a time when I badly needed it. She is a fabulous crafter and has a huge stamp collection.

Vix at Vixykins - The head honcho at Crafty Cardmakers where I am on the DT. Vix was the first person to see my potential to inspire others and if it hadn't been for doing the DT cards for the blog during 2010 I think I would have probably given up crafting altogether. She is so very talented and is fabulous with Promarkers.

Lisa at Wishcraft - Fellow teamie at Crafty Cardmakers who has just gone from success to success. She have a lovely bright style to her cards just like me and quite often uses stash that i just HAVE to have. She's also got a bit of a fetish for paper like moi :)

Leigh at Happileigh Scrappin' - Designs some gorgeous digis which I have the pleasure to work with on the Design Team at Happileigh Scrappin' Challenge

To the people I have given this award to please pop over to the Digis with Attitude link to follow the instructons.


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Tuesday, 4 January 2011

Challenge Wins :)




Having been away for a few days I have been playing catch up with the challenge blogs and have had a great start to the New Year


On StampitCrazy I won a lovely digital image of a Snowman for my Little Birdie card. It's such a shame as they only had 5 entries so they awarded a prize to each one. Maybe not the best way to win a prize.

At Studio 313 the random generator thingie chose me and I have won $25 worth of digi images from MC5 range, just need to choose my lovelies :) . This was for one of my fave blingy Christmas Cards Let It Snow


And then to top it all off I was chosen as a Top 3 at The Crafty Pad for my cross stitched Fabric Covered Box. Our friend Sue absolutely loved it and winning a badge is just the icing on the cake.



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