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Monday, 31 January 2011

Chocolate Teddy Bear

I've been having a lot of trouble sleeping recently and been printing a load of digital images off and colouring them in with my Promarkers whilst watching loads of CSI programs I had taped on our Sky+ box. The Promarker storage system using a DVD stand is brilliant as it is portable and I can leave it downstairs at the moment as it isn't too big. I've just got to get my bottom in gear and actually make cards from all these lovely images.

This little teddy is a freebie image that I had but I've no idea where I downloaded it from. I am a lot more experienced now at filing them with the proper designers names etc and like to give the appropriate credit where it is due. I have added some texture to the fur on the bear with a blender pen by liberally splodging it on the brown. It amazes me how much it changes the flat colour!

I have used the current sketch from Sketches by Carly. I changed the heart shape for an oval with the teddy holding the heart shape, hope that is appropriate :)

The backing paper is some more of the lush flocked wrapping paper from Paperchase. It has a metallic gold thick handmade paper at the base and then all the chocolate swirls are flocked, it is just so gorgeous. Absolute bargain for £1.50 a sheet and it is the equivalent of 8 sheets of A4 paper :)

The wide brown ribbon is recycled from a Molton Brown purchase. I got some gorgeous shower gels and they give you a really posh bag and it is tied at the top with about 50cm of grossgrain ribbon. It is printed on one side but no one knows if it is stuck down on a card do they?

The yellow bow, buttons and heart brads are Papermania and the flowers are Primas. All in all a great valentines card for a man that isn't in slushy colours.

As it is the season for luurve there are tonnes of Valentine challenges at the moment so I would like to link to the following :-
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Happileigh Scrappin' Challenge #9



Over on the CDAC Leigh for Happileigh Scrappin' is hosting this round's colour challenge and has provided with a colour swatch and a gorgeous freebie of the little birdie sitting on his flowers.

She has designed this gorgeous bird house to go with it and it is shaped like a little cottage. Isn't it pretty? The colours are light brown, mauve/plum, pastel pink & sage.

On the Happileigh Scrappin' Challenge this week we have been given a photograph to use as inspiration


As soon as I saw the likkle bird house I knew I wanted to have a go at making a shaped card. I have decoupaged the roof by adding a layer with a full roof and then a second layer which is just the chimney. The main birdie has had a second layer or flowers added and there is another cheeky Mrs Birdie just peeping out of the hole :)

The image has been coloured with Promarkers and I have really had a lot of fun making it. I love to make unusual cards and this would be a perfect card for many occasions especially a New Home card. I didn't add a sentiment as I didn't want it to detract from the overall design, it's perfect as it is.

We would love it if you could join us in this challenge and if you are not already a member over at the Crafter's Digital Art Centre now is a fabulous time as there are lots of new challenges that have started and some great free digis from some fabulous designers.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges :-
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Sunday, 30 January 2011

Recent Challenge Successes

I have again been very lucky over the last week and have won recognition for 3 of my cards

At Mark's Finest Papers I have won a Speedy the Cat's Friend challenge and have a prize of some rubber stamps on it's way from the USA, how exciting. This was for the Card I did using a Happileigh Scrappin' Digi for my DT card for challenge #7.

I have placed in the top 3 at Delicious Doodles for my lovely orange card using Happileigh Scrappin's Stitched Bouquet and last but not least a top 3 at Creative Cowgirls for my Friends Make Christmas Very Merry card.

No prizes for the last 2 but lovely blinkies to wear on my blog with pride and a massive confidence boost. No doubt this will please me councillor when I go see her tomorrow to pour out my troubles.
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Tuesday, 25 January 2011

Stitched Bouquet HLSC



Well the weather in Birmingham is really miserable at the moment so I decided we needed to brighten things up a bit and inject some warmth.

I have used the latest sketch from 2 Sisters for the layout and the image is a gorgeous digital design from Happileigh Scrappin' Store

I used a sheet of A4 chocolate card for the base and added some floral 2 tone paper from the Papermania Sunshine Capsule collection. The strip of red card is from my scraps file and the gorgeous spotty orange card was recycle from the inside of a shop bought card I was given to recycle. The whole of the inside was this lovely spotty card and it was far nicer than than the outside was LOL.



The image has been coloured with Promarkers and I have printed a second layer to decoupage the ribbon bow and a few of the flowers. I used a Nestabilities die to cut out the image and edged it with a metallic gold pen. I have added some gold Stickles glitter in the centre of each flower and some Papermania glitter domes to embellish the 2 opposite corners.

I have added 3 Prima flowers with some gems in the centre and the sentiment has been recycled from an old card, double matted on the same card as the central strip and tiny glitter domes added on the corners.

Well I'm popping out to Hobbycraft, I've got some gift vouchers from Christmas that are burning a hole in my pocket and they've got a really good sale on according to my crafty mates so I'm hoping to bag a bargain :)

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges :-
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Monday, 24 January 2011

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge # 38


We have a new challenge for you today over at Crafty Cardmakers which has been set by my Teamie Jack. It's dead easy as it is to include something floral in your card. I honestly don't think there can be any cardmakers out there who do not have anything floral so you should all be able to enter this one :)

Our Sponsor for this challenge is the wonderful

and the prize is a £10 voucher for her store. Thanks Joanna for your generous support.

My card really started off with the gorgeous orchid silk flower. I found 2 sprays in Poundland last Sunday. They've each got 7 decent sized flowers on them and they are so much cheaper than the ones market for crafters. I love finding cheap embellishments for my cards that way, makes me feel all smug that I haven't spent a fortune on them LOL

Any hoo, imagine how delighted I was that in the weekly newsletter from Imag-e-nation the digital image they give away free was for orchids, the idea for my floral card was born.

I had printed the Full image and then 2 layers of the largest flower so I could decoupage them. The images were coloured with Promarkers and then when they were layered together I added some Crystal Effects to the centres of the flowers and stickles glitter glue around the egdes of the petals. I cut the image out using a Nestabilities label die and inked around the edges with a small Versamark pad.

I have used Sketch #82 from Moving Along with The Times for the layout and took them up on the floral theme. I have rotated the sketch to fit the image better.

The embossed spotty glittered paper for the background is by My Mind's Eye, the embossed floral paper on the bottom is from K & Co with a little ink to pick up the embossing better. The glitter ribbon and sentiment is from my stash and the 3d butterflies are made using 3 Martha Stewart punches to make each one with a bit of glitter added.

Looking forward to seeing lots of entries for this challenge and will be popping over to your blogs to take a peek.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:-
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Happileigh Scrapping Challenge HLSC008



It's time for another challenge over at

This week we have a lovely picture as inspiration which has a soft shabby look to it. I've gone very out of my comfort zone with this one, it is way too subtle for me LOL



I have used a new image which Leigh is releasing today called Door Basket which you can obtain from the Happileigh Scrappin' Store

I wanted to keep to the same soft colour palette so coloured the image with pastel shades using Promarkers. I used a sheet of pale pink card for the base. I dragged a pearlescent white ink pad around the edges and corners so it knocked the pink back a bit and then added the cream embossed card which is by K & Co. I used a Nestabilities label die for the image and pink mat and edged them with a silver metallic pen to tie into the door knob on the image. These have been mounted on 3d foam for dimension.

The pink embossed paper is from the same K & Co pad and has been edged with a Martha Stewart punch. The beaded braid trim was a find from a market. I just love mooching round the stalls trying to find unusual trims to use for my cards. We are very lucky in Birmingham with the Rag Market that we have so many stalls to choose from :)

Last but not least as embellishments we have a cherry blossom flower layered on top of a Prima, a Happy Birthday banner from my stash, Crystal effects on the door knob and Stickles on the centres of the image flowers and the stamens on the cherry blossom.

I used sketch #28 from Fussy & Fancy Friday for the layout but have rotated it to fit the shape of my card.

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

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Friday, 21 January 2011

Flashback Friday #7

Do not adjust your sets, absolutely appalling card alert, normal service will be resumed shortly LOL

I have subscribed to a blog called The Crooked Stamper for a long while now. Leslie is really funny, very self deprecating and critical of her piles of stash. I love it when she takes a photo of her piles and 'does the numbers' and also when she takes the pictures from the farmers market she sells her cards at. Anyhoo, she shared one of her early cards for a blog called Flashback Friday

Basically the idea behind the blog is that they set a particular theme and you have to post one of year earlier cards that fits in with it.

The theme this time is glitter. Back in 2002 when I made my very 1st cards I had gone to a cross stitch show at the NEC with my friend Julie and we saw a demonstration at the Art of Crafts stall on how to make cards. We both had a Eureka moment and came back with piles of stuff.

Now if you go back to cardmaking in the UK in November 2002 there was nothing like the amount of gorgeous things there are now. There were very few patterned papers, you certainly didn't have all the punches and die cuts that are available now with the full collection of this and that, you really had to 'think outside the box' and be a bit more creative. You re-purposed bits and bobs before it became fashionable like it is now purely because it gave you a free source of stash. You would ask everyone to save their Christmas cards and buttons, ribbons, gift wrap, basically anything you thought might have potential.



Now the rundown on the cards above. The top one was made for my next door neighbours depicting the 2 parents and 3 children as snowmen. (you can see I had a thing about snowmen from the get go!! LOL) The bodies were made from pom poms with beaded 'buttons' on their bellies. I added coils of wire for mouths, little googly eyes and this wicked little trim for scarves. I added some wooden embellishments to depict the smaller chaildren, the central snowman is from a pack I had purchased. The green trees were from Ebay and I used the applique paint that you puff up with a heat gun to depict snow.

The snow on the ground was a mixture of a white fluffy stuff and glitter. Last but not least we of course have the obligatory peel off snowflakes and a rubber stamp sentiment. I was really proud of it at the time and my neighbours loved it because it was so personal.


Card #2 was made for my nephew who is a Chrismas baby so we always have to make a point of separating the birthday part of his day from the Christmas part. In 2002 he was 6 and I made the big snowman from Funky Foam and completely covered it with glitter.The hat was cut from black foam and the square buttons. The scarf was a present trim I had found in BHS and the candy cane was 2 pipe cleaners twisted together. The tiny snowman stickers are holographic and they came from a stationery shop and of course I went to town on the glitter for snow. Notice we also have more peel offs in gold, silver and white.

To be honest I look back at them now and think they are rubbish compared to what I make now but they brought me so much happiness making them, they really kickstarted this creative journey I am thankfully still on and everyone though I was so clever making my own cards.



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Tuesday, 18 January 2011

Challenge Winner at Let's Craft and Create :)

The lovely Mandy at Let's Craft and Create has contacted me to give me the good news that I was the winner of challenge #10 with my Glitterbabe Rose Bouquet

The prize is a selection of gorgeous embellishments which I am really looking forward to having a lay with. There are some lovely butterflies, heart themed toppers, crocheted flowers and doilies so a really nice selection of goodies.

With this run of good luck recently I think I should put my lottery number on, you never know do you? It's amazing how I am winning these items at a time when I'm out of work so can't really go buying new stash (having said that I did get 3 lovely paper pads from the Crafty Cow that arrived today, shhhh don't tell Paul LOL. They were 25% off so a bit of a bargain and they are soooo pretty, they've got glitter on and everything)
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Blog Hop Winner at Sassy Studio Designs

My sciatica is playing up at the moment and I'm not getting much sleep so I'm making the most of it when I drop off. Had a little nap for a couple of hours this morning and imagine my surprise when I checked my email on my Iphone and I've won the prize in the Sassy Studio Designs blog hop that I took part in a couple of days ago.

I can't believe my luck lately. I've won more challenges and blog hops in the last couple of months than I have in the whole time I have been entering challenges :)
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Monday, 17 January 2011

Digi's With Attitude Challenge Winner


Woohoo, just found out I have won challenge #12 over at Digi's With Attitude for my 1st Christmas card of the year A Merry Little Christmas.

I have won a $10 gift certificate and a lovely little badge for my blog which I will wear with pride.

Very well done also to my mate Jacki for getting the Honourable Mention for her card. We are both winners Wayhay :)
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Happileigh Scrappin' #7


Hi it's Monday and that means there is a new challenge for us at Happileigh Scrappin' Challenges.

Leigh is giving us an adorable picture of 2 likkle meeces as the inspiration for this challenge. You can pick out the theme, the colours, the little mice or anything that takes your fancy. As long as we can clearly see what you have taken inspiration from the photo anything goes.

Here is my card :-


I have used Leigh's gorgeous Heart Bouquet image which you can obtain from the Happileigh Scrappin' Store.

I have coloured the image with Promarkers and also used a gold gel pen for the hearts on the vase and the border inside the Nestabilities mat. The pretty roses paper is from Papermania and I have added a bit of bling in the form of clear gems in the corners and pink ones on the sentiment. The mulberry papers roses complete the card. I used sketch #52 from Pixie Cottage for the layout.

We would love to see how the picture has inspired you and look forward to visiting your creations.

My Happi Sisters have all made some adorable creations so I hope you will visit the blog and give them some love.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges :-
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Saturday, 15 January 2011

Winner at Stamp n Doodle

I was delighted to discover that I had won the last challenge over at Stamp N Doodle with my Glitterbabe Rose Bouquet and my prize was a free image of my choice from the Stamp N Doodle shop. I have been truly amazed by my good fortune :)
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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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