Bunny Birthday...

Hello everyone!! :)

Happy Hallowe'en to all those who celebrate it... and to those who don't, I hope avoiding the Trick or Treaters hasn't driven you mad!! ;D 

I cannot quite believe that I missed posting in September and had to say goodbye to my 'One Post A Month' goal... I just didn't actually realise it was the end of the month- thought I still had at least a few days left!! :( That's this year in a nutshell though, isn't it?! It has just flown by soooo fast!!! :/ I'm still really disappointed, to be honest, to have got over halfway and then let it slip... but I still intend to make one a month for the rest of the year... hence this *very* last minute post again tonight...

This is the card I made for my lovely Grandad's birthday a few weeks ago... I did planes for Father's Day so I thought this time I would go with a bit of cute fun... and no-one does that better than Lili of the Valley!! :) 

It's been a while since I did much colouring and I feel kind of rusty lately every time I try but, so long as you don't look *too* closely, I think this feela came out looking just about okay!! lol

I've not had a huge amount of energy going spare for cardmaking lately so I kept him pretty simple... some dotty paper, an old-skool label-maker sentiment (another purchase made after a Skype session keeping Jen company while she crafted!!! lol), some glitter, sequins and of course, a glossy balloon... thankfully these images lend themselves perfectly to CAS cardmaking as well as more involved styles!! :)

{The List}

Cardstock - Papermill Direct - White Smooth

Stamps - LOTV - Balloon Bunny

Dies - Simon Says Stamp - Stitched Shapes

Colouring Medium - ProMarkers and FlexMarkers

Inks - Memento - Espresso Truffle

Papers - Simple Stories - Sn@p! Color Vibe (an amazing pad of spots, dots, stripes and chevrons... soooo useful!!!)

Tools - Cuttlebug, Label Maker, Guilloutine

Embellishments - Little Things from Lucy's Cards Sequins in Fairy Lights

Finishing Touches - Clear Wink of Stella, SU! Crystal Effects

Challenges I'm entering: SSS Wednesday - Anything Goes

Okay... now I'm off to bed before the Witching Hours strikes!!!! ;) Thanks for reading and I'll hopefully be back before the 30th of  November... I'm not sure why I always leave it so late since I have so many things I'd love to share!!! lol Have a great week, folks!! :)

Balloon Celebration!

Hello Everyone!! :)

Well, this has been a busy month and I very nearly missed my 'One Post A Month' for July merely because I hadn't registered that today was the last day of July!!! Seriously... who hit Fast Forward on the world lately?!?!!!! And whoever you are, I need you to hit Rewind asap, please!!!!! ;D ;D

Anyway, back to the point... I thought I'd share this little celebration card made for a friend's 50th last month with some lovely new goodies (okay, so I've had them a while but it was the first time I'd used them... we've all been there, right?! ;) ) ... I really enjoyed making this one... probably because of the colours... all my favourites!! :) :)

I stamped the string then stamped and masked the balloons and their dotty layers in turn, added the sentiment, die cut the panel, mounted it on a lovely SSS Audrey Blue card blank and added the sparkle!! Et voila!! Probably not quite as quick or simple as that sounds, knowing me, but, as brainfog is making it so I can't actually remember right now, I'm going to imagine that the process went like clockwork... for once!! ;D ;D

{The List}

Cardstock - Papermill Direct - White Smooth; Simon Says Stamp - Audrey Blue

Stamps - Stampin' Up! - Balloon Celebration; Lawn Fawn - Milo's ABCs ('50')

Dies - SSS - Stitched Rectangles

Inks - VersaMagic Dewdrops - Spring Pansy, Pretty Petunia, Purple Hydrangea, Aquatic Splash, Turquoise Gem; Memento - London Fog, Tuxedo Black

Tools - Mini Misti; Cuttlebug; Heat Tool

Other - Crafter's Companion - White Embossing Powder

Embellishments - Little Things By Lucy's Cards Sparkly Shaker Selection - Glacier, Amethyst, Phosphorescence plus Swimming Pool 8mm; Anita's 3mm and 2mm gems

Finishing Touches - Wink of Stella - Clear

Well, thanks for stopping by and reading today!! :) Sorry to be short and sweet but I'm going to hit publish and run so I can go and give my gorgeous dog, who's not quite feeling herself today, a cuddle!! Hope you're all well and see you in August... yikes, I think I probably need to start on my Christmas cards!! ;)

Watercolour Father's Day...

Hello Everyone!!

Just flying by with a very quick post as the end of the month has snuck up on me but I am determined to keep my 'One Post A Month for 2016' goal alive... this is the card I made for my Grandad for Father's Day this year...

My Grandad used to be in the RAF so planes are always a good idea for his cards... this one is a new SU! set from the Sale-abration sets... all it needs is a little ink or embossing powder and you're good to go!! :)

I created a quick and simple background with my new Molotow Masking Pen (purchased, like so many things, after seeing the uber-talented Debby Hughes using it a while ago!) by drawing in some sketchy clouds and then washing some gorgeous Gansai Tambi watercolour in blue over that... I've used the Molotow pens and fluid a few times now and I'm loving what they let me do!! :)

I cut the panel with and SSS Stitched die and then added a sentiment and a few perfectly-coordinated sequins to finish this simple but effective card off just nicely!! :)

{The List}

Cardstock - Simon Says Stamp - Fog

Stamps - Stampin' Up - Sky's the Limit Sale-abration Set; Winnie & Walter - The Big, the Bold and the Happy; Craftwork Cards - Typewriter Alphabet

Dies - Simon Says Stamps - Stitched Rectangles

Colouring Medium - Gansai Tambi Paints

Inks - Versamark

 Tools - Cuttlebug, Heat Tool

Embellishments - Little Things by Lucy's Cards Sequins - Forget-Me-Not Sparkly Shaker Selection

Challenges: SSS Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes; Addicted to CAS #91 - Fly

Right... it's 11:38pm so I'd better get this published and linked pronto!! ;) Thanks for stopping by... I'll hopefully be back with an 'In My Crafty Life' post for June before we get too far in to July as I really enjoyed doing that last month!! Have a great weekend, folks!! :)

Daffs and Bunnies... Easter again!! ;)

 Hi everyone!! :)

I popping in (just in the knick of time again!) with my post for April... I was honestly so sure I would manage two posts this month but... you know... life always has other ideas!! lol

Anyway, I have another Easter card to share this time... this one went to my Mum who claimed the image as soon as she saw it coloured on my desk!! :)

I managed to get hold of this cutie from Lili of the Valley when they re-released some old favourites earlier this year and I'm so glad I did... very cute... and very easy to colour!! ;D I just die-cut him with my new MFT Wonky Stitched Squares (love these and can't wait to get a hold of the rectangles!!) and added a few sequins and some Wink of Stella... with the dotty card base to add interest, it really didn't need anything more!! Perfect since, as usual, I was on the last minute getting this one finished!! lol

{The List}

Cardstock - Polka Dot card from Anna-Marie Designs (I think!)

Stamps - LOTV - Spring Bunny with Daffs; Woodware Clear Magic - All Through the Year

Dies - MFT - Wonky Stitched Rectangles, Fishtail Flag Stax

Colouring Medium - ProMarkers and FlexMarkers

Inks - Memento - Espresso Truffle

Tools - MISTI, Cuttlebug

Embellishments - Little Things by Lucy's Cards  - Sequins from a mixture of  Shaker Selections; DoCrafts - Anita's 2mm Gems

Finishing Touches - Wink of Stella Clear

Challenges: Addicted to Stamps and More - Anything Goes; Simon Says Stamp Wednesday - Anything Goes

Well, I'm off to link up and get ready for bed... I seem to be able to sleep for England at the mo' after a busy week last week!! :/ Hope you're all well and enjoying the week so far... let's hope the weekend brings back that lovely warm sunshine from last week!!

#ThrowbackThursday :: Up and Away :)

Hello :)

I'm back with the second in my as-and-when series of #ThrowbackThursday, or #tbt posts and I have another card using Clearly Besotted Stamps goodies, made at about the same time as my last #tbt card, so around 18 months ago...

Simple but effective, with a negative diecut aperture and some lovely clouds to set the scene for this fab hot air balloon... I made this one for my Grandad's birthday and he loved it (don't Grandparents make the best and most receptive of audiences!! lol)... I still rather like it myself!! ;)

The panel with the aperture has some inked clouds, which I made using a stencil I created with a negative of some of the same CBS cloud dies and some white pearlescent ink :)

This pic shows the lovely effect of using different heights of 3D foam to stick down all the different bits and pieces... much more interesting than everything being all one level ;)

{The List}

Cardstock - Papermill Direct - Sky Blue, White Linen; Craftwork Cards - Digital Cardstock (for the balloon)

Stamps - Clearly Besotted Stamps - Going Places; Woodware Clear Magic - Retro Words

Dies - Clearly Besotted Stamps - Going Places, Sky's the Limit, Tag Along; Spellbinders - Nestabilities Circles

Colouring Medium - ProMarkers (sorry, no colour list as it was so long ago!)

Inks - Memento - London Fog; Brilliance - Moonlight White

Tools - Cuttlebug, Ranger Blending Foam

Finishing Touches - Sakura Stardust Pen - Clear

Challenges I'd like to enter: Simon Says Stamp Wednesday - Let's Get Sentimental ; CASology - Shape

Thanks for stopping by today, I hope you've enjoyed another detour into the depths of my computer's Pictures folder!! :) Have a great week everyone!! :)

#ThrowbackThursday :: Cute & Cuddly :)

Hello :)

Long time, no blog again... health stuff... life stuff... etc., etc.... I won't bore you all with the details or excuses again!! ;) I'm glad to be back, anyway, and thought I'd get things going again with an idea I had a while ago whilst going through the mountains of photos on my computer... I realised I have a huge number of photos of cards, jewellery and other crafty things from quite a while back which I have never got around to posting and, since I am finding myself with less energy for crafting (cardmaking in particular) at the moment, I thought I would start a little as-and-when series of throwback posts... which I will post on a Thursday and tag with the well known #ThrowbackThursday or #tbt hashtag :) I will still be posting new cards when I can, of course, but I'm hoping this may help me to fill the gaps of time a little ;) 

So... up first in my #tbt series, a little CBS Baby card from about 18 months ago...

It was for my cousin to celebrate the birth of her little girl... I kept it simple as I was having trouble with the old mojo at the time but I ended up loving it :)

A stamped, diecut and watercoloured giraffe, along with an assortment of stamped hearts on the notebook page and two sentiments, all from CBS, and then a sprinkling of diecut hearts and gems was all there was to it... of course, we crafters know nothing is ever as 'simple' as that at the time but, looking back on it now, it seems like should have been!! ;)

I also stamped a few of the hearts on the inside lining papers to prettify it all a little... excuse the slightly grey area between the two hearts on the inside front in the photo above- I stamped the baby's name and birthdate in that gap but blanked it out for my post :)

{The List}

Cardstock - PaperMill Direct - Baby Pink, White Linen and assorted scraps for the hearts

Stamps - Clearly Besotted Stamps - Cute & Cuddly, Baby Love, Many Thanks, Many Messages and Just A Note

Dies - Clearly Besotted Stamps - Cute & Cuddly; Simon Says Stamp - Holiday Shapes and Large Holiday Shapes; MFT - Notebook Edge

Inks - Memento - Rose Bud, Lulu Lavender, Angel Pink and Lilac Posies

Colouring Medium - Watercolour with Brilliance Pearlescent Purple and Pearlescent Orchid

Embossing - Versamark Ink and Crafter's Companion White Embossing Powder

Tools - Heat Gun

Embellishments - Docrafts Anita's - 3mm and 2mm gems

Finishing Touches - Sakura Stardust Pen - Clear

Challenges I'd like to enter: Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Anything Goes ; Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes ; Addicted to Stamps and More - Make Your Mark :)

I thought I would also share a pic of the felt heart decoration I made to send with the card with the little one's initial on it... this was my first felt decoration and, while not perfect by any means, I was pretty pleased with how it came out :) I did go on a search for a more solid felt after this though, as this wool/acrylic blend really wasn't very strong for sewing and stuffing... it is lovely and soft though and will get used for less demanding purposes :)

Okay, that's all from me today... I'll hopefully be back before *too* long, though, and will maybe share a few pics from my amazing outing to see the Cherry Blossoms at out local park last week, something that has been a dream through years of living housebound!! :) :) :)

CBS and sewing for World Cardmaking Day...

Hello folks!! :)

Well... Happy World Cardmaking Day to you all!! :) Seeing all the posts about WCD this morning, I thought this was as good a day as any to make my long-overdue return to Blogland (again- I know!! Thank you to anyone who has stuck around this long!!) but, having actually made it to my desk to make some cards earlier- my mojo actually made one of its fleeting reappearances just in time for World Cardmaking day- how unusually cooperative of it!! ;) - I haven't got much energy left... so I will try and keep it short... it is sure to be sweet by virtue of the stunning stamp set I made my card with!! :) 

After depriving us for the month of August ;D , the lovely Steph came back with another fab CBS release last month... and I was waiting to pounce on the postie so I could make a card for a sewing friend of mine the very day it arrived... her birthday was two days later but I knew the Sew Special set was perfect!! :)

I used the stamp set and matching dies along with a lovely vintagey floral paper from First Edition, some stitching on my new little machine- which I am still in love with... but more on that another day!! ;) - and added a little watercolouring and some WOS to the images... as it was coming together, I was quite unsure but ended up very happy with the result and it was just perfect for my friend!! :)

{The List}

Cardstock - Papermill Direct - White Plain

Stamps - Clearly Besotted Stamps - Sew Special, Fabulous Fuchsias (Happy Birthday sentiment)

Dies - Clearly Besotted Stamps - Sew Special Die Collection; MFT - Fishtail Banner Stax

Inks - Versafine - Vintage Sepia; Memento - Espresso Truffle, Angel Pink, Summer Sky, New Sprout

Papers - First Editon - Floral Pavillion

Tools - Cuttlebug, my new (teal! ;D) Sewing Machine

Embellishments - Sequins, Gems and Pearls from stash

Finishing Touches - Wink of Stella Clear Brush Pen

Okay... thank you for stopping by tonight... I am truly grateful that people still want to read my blog when there are so many unscheduled and lengthy absences lately!! :) And now, I shall hit publish and head off to bed before I fall asleep right here... hope you are all having a lovely weekend!! :) And if any of you were lucky enough to make it to the craft shows on this weekend, I hope you had a fab time!! :)

Soft and Subtle with CBS... Sketch Saturday Week #312 and a Blog Hop :)

Hello everyone!! :)

Well, I can hardly believe it but I am here to share my fifth and final Sketch Saturday GDT card with you... and as it is Sketch Saturday's 6th Birthday, there's something a little special going on this week... a blog hop which I am pleased to be joining in with... more details after the card!! lol Also this week, as it is the fifth week in the month, you can choose which sketch you want to use from the SS archives... from as far back as #215 to the present so plenty of choice!! :) I went with a sketch of Jen's which I loved when I first saw it a couple of months ago but didn't have chance to use at the time... here's my card...

I pulled out a few more CBS items for this one- all from the SMS (Shop My Stash for any newcomers- have a look at the tab at the top to know more!) drawer, though some had been there longer than others!! :) I kept it nice and simple as I haven't had a lot of energy this week but the addition of some designer paper (as part of my ongoing SMS challenge, I am also trying to use more of the consumables in my stash- like the tons of cardstock and papers I have- as well as using all my never before used stamps and dies) kept it interesting :) I also added a couple of lines of stitching with my brand new and utterly fabulous (*TEAL*... this makes me ridiculously happy!!! lol) sewing machine!! :)

I love the soft and summery look this has with the colours and oh so pretty flowers :) Oh, yes- and my fave ever sentiment stamps made another appearance too!! lol

{The List}

Cardstock - Papermill - Rich Cream Linen

Stamps - Clearly Besotted Stamps - Bridal Bouquet and Fabulous Fuschias

Dies - Clearly Besotted Stamps - Bridal Bouquet Die Collection and Lovely Labels Die Collection

Inks - VersaMagic - Thatched Straw, Persimmon, Sea Breeze, Turquoise Gem & Aspen Mist (blended on stamp), Aloe Vera & Tea Leaves (blended on stamps), Pink Grapefruit

Papers - First Edition - Boho Chic

Tools - Cuttlebug, my new (teal! ;D) Sewing Machine

The sponsor over at SS this week is Little Miss Muffet Stamps...

...and here's the sketch I used...

... though don't forget, you can choose your own favourite :)

I hope you can join in and take part in the blog hop too!! :) Here's the list for you...

Sketch Saturday 6th Anniversary Blog Hop

1. Alex

2. Audrey

3. Barbara

4. Carla

5. Cathy

6. Debra

7. Donna

8. Faye

9. Jen

10. Jo

11. Julie

12. Kathy

13. Laura

14. Lesley

15. Lizy

16. Marzena

17. Niki

18. Rachel

19. Stephanie

20. Tabbatha

21. Vannessa

22. Wendy

The collection has closed. Let other people know about it through twitter.

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All that's left is to say thank you to Jen and the other SS ladies for having me as their guest designer this month... I have had a lot of fun!! :) It's also Jen's final week on the SS DT... I know I will miss her sketches!! :)

Thanks for stopping by folks (and for reading what turned out to be a rather mammoth post!! :S ) ... I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!! :)