Anyone for an Easter Egg ?

The last card I submitted for the Spring Forum Challenge was this Easter Egg shaped card. I made a template and the card measures A5.

I used Making Memories Cosmopolitan paper for the bottom half. The reverse of it was the pale pink that I used to make the Marths Stewart punched trim which has been lighly inked on the edges.

The top is DCWV textured card which has been run through a Cuttlebug folder. The ribbon is Papermania, the textured foil eggs are from The Early Learning Centre, the glittered chipboard one is from the DCWV drawers from QVC and the bunny was recycled from a Joanna Sheen catalogue.

This is the favourite of my 3 cards. The photograph doesn't reflect the colours very well as the lighting is a bit 'yellow'. Taking photos is the UK at the moment is a bit hit and miss due to the dull lighting most of the time.

2 Sketches 4 You - Julie Campbell Bonus Sketch

This is the 2nd card I submitted for the Spring competition. I used one of the sketches that I'd not been anble to submit a card for by Julie Campbell who is a DT member over at 2 Sketches 4 You.

The papers are a double sided wrapping paper from Paperchase, the gems are also from there. The glittered egg and sentiment are from a Lets Make Cards pack. 

CPS 103 & Forum Spring Challenge

This is one of the 3 cards that I submitted into the Easter/Spring forum challenge with bonus points awarded for bunnies.

I used the CPS sketch 103 as I hadn't been able to submit a card in time for the blog.

The glittery paper is from the DCWV Spring drawer set from QVC. The glitter bunny is from a Lets Make Cards pack and the paper daffodil is from my stash and was bought from Ebay yonks and yonks ago.

I inked the edges of the card as it looked a little stark. I don't usually make Easter cards so it is a breaw away from the norm for me.

Guest Designer at Sketches by Tamara # 83

Oh wow, my exciting news is that today, I am the Guest Designer over at Sketches by Tamara. Woohoo !!!

I was just so blooming excited when out of the blue I got an email asking f if I would like to be Guest Designer, well I had to think about that for all of a second :)

Anyhoo, I used the latest Sketch 83 for the layout of this card. I never have a sympathy card when I need one so thought it would be a good design to go with these Twelve by 12 Cala Lily papers that I had in  a bargain box from Artymiss. It is quite a large sheet of text with a flower at the bottom. I used 2 of these images and layered one decoupaged flower on top of the other. I have used a clear Sakura glitter pen to highlight the flower and to scribble on the background. 

The crackle paper is from K & Co as is the paper ribbon border. The sentiment is a magazine freebie by Margaret Sherry. he flower is a Prima with a Papermania gem and an Ikandee twist tie. I have a few sheets of these and have only ever used one !

This is a great sketch to work with and I think it will be very useful in the future when you have a large picture or stamped imaged to work with.

CSAD # 173 Friday Friends & Forever Friends Challenges

Over at Card Sketch a Day it is Friday Friends Challenge. At present there is only one card on there so I should be in luck this week :)

I have used sketch #173 for the layout and also incorporated the challenge at Forever Friends to make a general birthday card.

The backing paper is from Reminisce and was a 15p bargain from the last Capture the Magic sale. I have highlighted some of the flowers with a clear Sakura glitter pen.

The birthday pressie border is from a Forever Friends Papermania kit which had a couple of rubber stamps, stickers, paper etc, the sentiment panel is from a Dovecraft Birthdays pack paper.

The stamped image was a gift and was coloured by my wonderful friend. Her watercoloring is fabulous and I am hoping she will teach me how she does it so subtlywhen I stop over at her house at the end of March :)

12,000 hits and a bit of Crafting

Goodness I have been busy this week. We have been re-decorating the downstairs of our home and the Hall Stairs and landing. Everything has been upside down for about 5 weeks, we haven't watched ANY television during this time which has been quite amazing. I have been so much more productive. We are on the final stretch, carpets are starting to be fitted next weekend and it's looking really nice.

I've not had very much time for crafting this week so it was lovely to be able to unwind and make a few cards last night. One card I cannot show until tomorrow. I've got something REALLY exciting happening, but it's a secret and I can't say anything until tomorrow.

My blog has just hit 12,000 on it's counter. How on earth did that happen so quickly ? I know some of it will be me posting etc, but that has risen so quickly. I can only guess it is people visiting my blog because I have posted cards on sketch challenges.

This card was made using the Mojo 74 sketch and I wanted to use some embossed acetate to fit in with the challenge over on the Cuttlebug blog.

The pink square started it off, this was from a DCWV pad which is colorblocked and I loved the swirls in the paper. I used a square or acetate and embossed it with the Cuttlebug Divine Swirls folder. The other papers and 'ribbon' are Papermania Sweet Nothings, I do love that spotty paper. It looks fab when you ink the edges.

The butterflies are glittered chipboard shapes from DCWV and I added a small bow and some wire antenna from my stash.

Get Well Soon Forum Challenge

The challenge this week is to make a Get Well Card but it must feature circles. There are loads in this one so I think I've filled the brief and made a nice bright card that would cheer anyone up who was feeling poorly. 

The patterned papers are from DCWV. The flowers are Prima daisies with Papermania gem centres. I used my Nestabilities to cut the scalloped circle, all the rest are cut using a Fiskars template, a DST roll and a little tin! I have a sert of compasses somewhere, do you think I could find them??? Nah of course not.

The rubber stamped butterfly is coloured using Sakura Souffle and glaze pens for the flowers and Marvy Le Plume for the main wing.

The sentiment tag has been adorned with peel off stickers and a small piece of ribbon from a Brenda Pinnick QVC kit.

All the coloured cards used for the mats have been from my scraps. I recently sorted them into colour families and put them into a Papermania concertina organiser and have found I am able to utilize them much more easily as I can now find the colours I need. It's amazing how much more productive I have been as a result of doing this and whilst it was the most boring and tedious of jobs to sort a huge carrier bag full it is really paying dividends now.

Sketches By Tamara # 82

I didn't get chance to do last week's sketch on Tamara's blog, but I will be re-visiting it soon.

This card uses her latest sketch # 82 and is also the last of the Docrafts Marie Curie cards as I've run out of bags now !

The base paper is from K & Co and has been torn and distressed with ink pads. I have also added a little stickles around the edges and rubbed with my finger so it's not overly glittery.

The stickers are from Penny Black. I have 2 sheets of them so fortunately could put the 2 butterflies either side of the central pansy.

The gems are Papermania and have been highlighted with glue & Glamour Dust in the centre. The sentiment is from my stash.

All 5 cards are now bagged up and ready to me posted to one of my forum buddies who is collecting them on our behalf and sending in one batch. It's going to be great to see the pictures of all our cards together.

Di Hickman Feb #2 & Forever Friends Love Challenge

This the 4th card I have made for the Docrafts Marie Curie Cancer fund. I have used the latest sketch February #2 over on Di Hickman's blog and adapted it for use on an A6 card.

The backing paper is from the Papermania Scrumptious pack. The heart ribbon style trim was cut from a freebie paper from Crafts Beautiful this month. The Martha Stewart punch edged silver paper is from my stash.

The backing panel of brown card was run through the Cuttlebug Heart Blocks folder. The two little hearts are cut from the leftover ribbon border and I have used little peel offs for the kisses.

The main embellishment is a Forever Friends clear sticker that was adapted a little bit to make it fit the heart shape that was cut using a Fiskars template. The little bow is from my stash, probaby recycled from an old Christmas card.

This card also fits in with the Forever Friends Challenge this week which was love or valentine. As I had already made Paul's Valentine I thought a more generic love card would be a better make for me this time. I think when I showed it to Paul he thought it was his Valentine, I hope he won't be dissappointed with the one I have made him.......

CPS Sketch # 102

Goodness me, all the foiling on this beautiful cardstock really caused a problem with flashback on the scanner and the camera. It is a dull, chilly day in Birmingham so I apologise for the duff photo.

This is the 3rd of the cards I have made for the Docrafts Marie Curie Cancer Appeal and I have used Sketch #102 from CPS for the layout.

The cardstock is from the DCWV Blossoms & Butterflies 8x8" pad. The foiling is magnificent so I highlighted it with some Papermania bling in the flower centres, dotty swirls around the leaves and the tiniest of the stars.

I used my ever faithful Martha Stewart punch for the border in a sparlkly silver paper. I have seen so many projects using other Martha designs but they are hard to get in the UK and therefore the cost is prohibitive so I am pleaing, Martha - stop bringing out such lovely border punches or please make them more easily available in the UK !!!

The glittered butterfly is a chipboard shape from DCWV.

I like this card so much I almost don't want to give it away :)

2 Sketches 4 You - Laura # 19

As soon as I saw Laura's sketch # 19 over at 2 Sketches 4 You I was reminded of the stash of skeleton leaves that I bought when I first started card making (own up, how many others did too ?)

This is the second card I have made for the Docrafts & Marie Curie Cancer Appeal and all cards are to be keps to the same A6 size. All the papers and the sentiment tag are from the HOTP Earth Tones Creative Pack. I wouldn't like to admit how long I have had it and not really used it. I need to start getting through some of the obscene amount of paper I have so I am trying to use up some of my older stuff. I think we all have a tendency to migrate towards the newer items we have and neglect what we already have. I am TRYING not to do this any longer...... Also my little craft room is not going to get any bigger and storage of my stash is always an ongoing issue. ( I am sure something that many of us suffer with too LOL)

The leaf sticker in the background is from a Penny Black sticker sheet, the organza bow is from my stash and the pearlised brad is from Papermania.

2 cards down, 3 more to go.

Mojo Monday # 73

On the forum we are as a group making a load of cards to be sent to the Docrafts Marie Curie Cancer Appeal.

I have used the latest sketch # 73 over at Mojo Monday to make my first card (I will be making 5 in total)

The heart paper is from the Papermania Scrumptious pack. I have run some brown cardstock through the Cuttlebug Swiss Dots folder for the mat and distressed it with a bit of white Brilliance ink pad. The bright pink dotty card is from the DCWV Blossoms & Butterflies pad. The glitter brad is Papermania. The tag is a chipboard one from a QVC Brenda Pinnick kit. I have added chipboard corners from DCWV. The little owl has been cut from a Paperchase wrapping paper. I have decoupaged another layer for the eyes and added Glossy Accents to the eyes and nose. The peel off sentiment is from a Forever Friends cardmaking kit.

2S4U - My Eye Candy

Introducing you to my very own Eye Candy, my husband Paul.

Over on 2 Sketches 4 You they are running a little competition where each day they will announce a winner of some Sakura pens. All you have to do is show them your Eye Candy who makes your heart pitter patter and link back to the their blog.

Paul is the love of my life. I was extremely lucky when as a very shy 17 year old I sat next to a complete stranger at a Pet Shop Boys concert on my very 1st visit to the NEC, a huge exhibition centre outside Birmingham, UK

This July marks us being together for 20 years, there are very few 37 year olds who can say that. We have been married for just over 7 years.

I can hand on heart say I love this man with every breath of my body, always have and always will. I often remark that we both have faults as individuals but together we can do anything.

I am tremendously thankful for the day I met Paul and fully believe I am with my partner for life. I just wish that everyone could be as happy as we are.

Sketch Saturday # 37

This cupcake card was made using the latest Sketch # 37 over Sketch Saturday.

The spotty and pink checked papers are from the Papermania Sweet Nothings pack as is the chipboard shape. I had the pack as a free gift for subscribing to a magazine and it is the first time I have had a full matchimg set of papers and elements. Makes a nice change to have everything to match! I highlighted the cherry with Glossy Accents and the sprinkles with Sakura clear glitter pen.

The textured paper is a wallpaper that I got from a DIY store and I highlighted the embossing with a small white Brilliance inkpad. The bling on the corners are from a big pack of assorted sizes from Poundland. I love the colours in these papers :)

Friday Sketchers # 38

This card was made using the latest sketch # 38 over at Friday Sketchers.

I have used the Spring Burst papers from Papermania and the central flower is 3 layers cut from one of the flowers in the papers. I have also used one of my large Papermania glitter brads in the centre. I love the fab packs they have recently introduced which have loads of different finishes in the same pack. I bought one of eack colour, pink, purple, black and green. Trouble is they are tooooo nice to use but I must. I am TRYING not to covet my stash and to actually USE it....

The sentiment is a rub on from a Let's Make Cards pack.

Card Sketch A Day Designer Card # 162

This is the Valentines card I will be giving my hubby on the 14th February (ssshh, don't tell him okay ?) My card is a featured designer one over on Card Sketch a Day today.

The papers are from the Scrumptious range from Papermania. I adore anything luvvy duvvy and the papers are just gorgeous. The new Papermania ranges are such good quality too. I know some people don't like them and are a bit snobby, but I love them and they are cheaper than ranges like Basic Grey so I can 2 or 3 paper packs for the cost of 1. I do however wish they would stop bringing out such lovely 'must have' packs as I have got enough paper to lat me a lifetime !!!

The hearts are from Let's Make Cards packs and the felt ric rac ribbon and the scrolly heart are from a Papermania ribbon pack. The sentiment is recycled and double matted on red metallic card and some of the heart paper.

Love these card sketches, its actually getting me to make cards before I need to use them. I've never managed to stockpile them before ! LOL

Di Hickman February #1

I love the latest sketch over on Di Hickman's blog!! I didn't chop a flower up though I used all of it. It's one layer of a silk carnation, don't you just love the 2 tone colouring ?

The papers used are from the Papermania Sweet Nothings pack. The 'ribbon' is from one of the sheets and the sentiment is from another. It is a great sheet with lots of different panels on it. I have matted this onto a scrap of dark purple cardstock and used glitter glue to highlight the dots that were on the panel and the ribbon. The button is from an accessory pack that I picked up from Poundland.

All papers have been dusted with my tiny almost dry ink pad which is perfect for distressing :)

TECC 54

I've gone and done a daring thing for me - I've turned a sketch round !! OMG :o

This weeks sketch #54 over at Taylored Expressions wouldn't wok well with the shape of the pre-selected stamped image that I had in my folder so I turned it round.

The background paper is Papermania from the Sweet Nothings pack which I inked the edges with an almost dry ink pad. I realise that this is the secret to my inking edges success, it produces much better results :)

The fabric ribbon is Docrafts from a kits I got off QVC. The stamped image came from a swap, I think it may be a Hero Arts one but don't quote me on it. The sentiment panel was produced using the Official Seal Generator.

I used Sakura pens to colour the image and the clear glitter pen has been used to highlight some of the dots on the paper and the parcel on the circle.

Sketch Saturday # 36

Another 1st for me !! Every time I see a sketch on the Sketch Saturday blog I think they are very creative and different and then never get chance to do one !

I have had a go at this weeks sketch # 36. I had a look at the shapes of the image and sentiment boxes and pulled some pre-printed items that I had in my images folder.

The Forever Friends image and the sentiment are digital freebie printables that I have picked up on my travels over the last couple of years. I have no idea who produced them I am afraid.

The ribbons are a selection of HOTP and Brenda Pinnick ones from QVC kits. The backing paper is from the Papermania Forever Friends love pad and I used my Martha Stewart punch for the vellum edging which I lightly inked.

This is the fist time I have used ribbon on this way and it is quite effective. One of my forum buddies showed me a card she had made last weekend and I thought I would have a go with this sketch.

Card Sketch A Day # 159 Friday Friends

Sketch # 159 over at Card Sketch a Day is Friday Friends again. YAY !!!

Owing to the unfortunate demise of my camera I have had to take this with my mobile phone. Great camera, but is is dark and the light has cast a yellow hue over the card. This card was also made for a forum challenge to make a white card. I have also scanned it in, but you lose all the detail. I wish I was better at photography!!


The base card is white hammered to which I have matted some white card which has been embossed with the Cuttlebug Swiss Dots folder. The organza ribbon is from my stash. The flowers are Primas and the big brad is HOTP. The gems are from Poundland.

The vellum strip was cut using my Martha Stewart border punch and the sentiment has been cut from the Cuttlebug birthday folder.