Another Birthday Bunny...

Hello folks!!

Firstly... Happy New Year to you all, I hope 2017 has started well for you and that you had a lovely Christmas time!! :) Secondly, I finally have another card to share with you... made for my lovely Mum's birthday just before Christmas...

My mum has always loved rabbits since being given a toy one- named Mr Bun, and who still resides, wrapped up safely, in Mum's wardrobe to this day!- so I ordered her a lovely mug with a watercoloured bunny as one of her presents and decided to continue the theme with her card and use an equally gorgeous LOTV bunny stamp :) I have had this stamp for a very long time (bought to use for my Mum!) but think this is the first time I've actually used it... it definitely won't be the last as I love it even more now!! 😍 I'm sooo glad I have it as it's one of the many that has now been discontinued :(

The image is simply coloured on cream cardstock (Papermill Direct's Cream Smooth, which I've found to be fine for colouring with markers on so long as you're not worried about laying down too much ink for perfect blending... and I like the relaxed style of quicker colouring so it's all good here!! ;) ) with Pro/FlexMarkers and Warm Grey Copics for the bunny... with a little added glitter and shimmer here and there, of course!! :)

I also added a bit of blue paper to match the butterflies and a scattering of diecut hearts and sequins... so many of my favourite brands made it on to this card!!! lol

{The List}

Cardstock - Papermill Direct - Cream Smooth; SU! - Blushing Bride

Stamps - Lili of the Valley - Gift Wrapped (retired); Clearly Besotted Stamps - Many Mini Messages

Dies - Simon Says Stamp - Mum, Mini Hearts Set; CBS - Scalloped Edge (retired)

Colouring Medium - ProMarkers, FlexMarkers and Copics

Inks - Memento  - Tuxedo Black; VersaMagic - Pretty Petunia, Cloud White

Papers - My Mind's Eye - Lost and Found Portobello Road

Tools - Cuttlebug

Embellishments - Little Things by Lucy's Cards Sparkly Shaker Selection - Cherry Blossom, Forget Me Not

Finishing Touches - Wink of Stella Brush Pen - Clear; Sakura Stardust Pen - Clear

{Challenges}

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday - Anything Goes

And, last but not least, a fuller pic to show the lovely mug :) I only discovered the amazing artist, Hannah Dale of Wrendale Designs, late last year when a friend posted a picture of a book she had won... it was full of gorgeous dog images with a Black Lab on the cover and I fell in love there and then!! 😍 When I searched for the book on Amazon, though, I discovered she paints sooo many stunning animals and there are all manner of different items... if I had the room in amongst the craft stash I'd totally start collecting!!! lol

Right, I'm off to press post then to bed! Thank you for reading, have a good week!! :)

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!! :)

#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!! :) :) :)

It's the most wonderful time...

Hello!! :)

I'm popping in with a last minute entry for the Clearly Besotted Stamps Challenge which is Christmas... and we all need to get on with a few of those right about now, don't we?!!

I have been putting off and putting off a Simon Says Stamp order for most of this year... but I finally caved last month after I saw the Stamptember release... which included a couple of exclusive (and gorgeous!!) sets from CBS... so this is what I did with one of them the very day it arrived :)

I stamped the wreaths from the set three times in three different green chalk inks then added pinecones and berries, with a little sparkle and shine to finish them off!! :) I love how they came out- and I'm not usually one for traditional at Christmas!! lol - and all three barely took me 45 minutes... perfect for the Christmas rush!! ;)

I also got slightly carried away with the photos, as you can see... this one does at least show the glaze on the berries as well as the Stickles on the pinecones!! lol

{The List}

Cardstock - Papermill Direct - Rich Cream Linen

Stamps - Clearly Besotted Stamps (for SSS) - Autumn Blessings and Holly Berries ; Clearly Besotted Stamps - Most Wonderful 

Inks - VersaMagic - Sage, Tea Leaves, Hint of Pesto, Red Magic, Jumbo Java & Sahara Sand

Embellishments - Docrafts/Anita's - 3mm Gems

Finishing Touches - Wink of Stella Clear brush pen, Sakura Clear Glaze pen, Stickles in Frosted Lace

Right, I'm off to link this up at Steph's blog while I still can... have a fabulous weekend everyone!! :)

Sending You Sunshine :)

Hello again!! :)

I'm back for another flying visit (too much to do and waaaaaay too little time or energy this week!!) with a card for this week's Less is More, which is to use Three of something... 

I have a trio of threes on my card... I used three stamps, three ink pads and three groups of three gems in three shades!! :)

It was a very simple card, just inking the SSS circle and Uniko Triangle/Arrow/Ray stamps with yellow and then a little orange and stamping... I just needed to mask a little to extend the rays in the bottom right corner... but that just made it more fun!! :) I needed a 'make it just for the heck of it' fix badly when I made this and that was accomplished in just 15 minutes with minimal mess... and it also used a stamp from my SMS drawer... perfect!! :)

{The List}

Cardstock - Papermill Direct- White Plain

Stamps - Simon Says Stamp - Lots of Dots; Uniko Studio - Accent Essentials: Arrows; LOTV - sentiment (came with an image stamp)

Inks - VersaMagic - Thatched Straw and Pmpkin Spice; Memento - Esspresso Truffle

Embellishments - Gems - Anita's 3mm and 2mm wheels

Finishing Touches - Sakura Clear Stardust 

Challenges: Less is More - Three :)

Okay- I'm off to get something to eat now, then (hopefully!) I will feel well enough later to make my Gran's Mother's Day card... it really does need to go in the post!! :S Thanks for stopping by and for any comments!! :)

LIM... with lots of glitter!! :)

Hello :)

I'm back to share another Less is More card with you... I am so enjoying joining in with the challenges over there again!! :) This card is far from perfect but I had such a lot of fun making it that I decided I would share it anyway- here goes...

This week Jen and Chrissie wanted to see us use Stencils or Masks... I don't actually have any of the newer thin stencils (yet- I am (im)patiently waiting for delivery of a Simon Says Stamp order that should remedy that!!) but really wanted to try that type of thing... so I used the only one I had, which I created myself on my Cricut a couple of years ago (for this card) with an improvised paper circle mask and some acrylic paints. Only trouble was, as the stencil's Doeflex, it's actually a bit thick for using with the paints... so I have blobby hearts :( But I still kinda love it :)

I doused the paint in Glamour Dust before it dried and then, in an attempt to camouflage the blobbiness a bit, I went around the hears and filled in the rest of the circle with lashings of Clear Wink of Stella... didn't work fabulously but it's definitely sparkly!! lol

Such pretty sparkle... I don't think I've made a card without my Wink of Stella since I got it- and that's fine by me!! :)

{The List}

Cardstock - Papermill Direct - Black Smooth

Heart Stencil - homemade 

Colouring Medium - Docrafts - Artiste Acrylic Paint - Lagoon and Blackberry

Dies - Nestie Circle; Simon Says Stamp - Holiday Shapes (little heart); MFT Die-namics - Happy Hellos

Tools - Cuttlebug, sponge aplicators

Embellishments - Glamour Dust

Finishing Touches - Clear Wink of Stella

I'm entering this over at Less is More - Masking or Stencilling :)

Okay, so that's me done- I hope you'll excuse the blobby hearts and just enjoy the fun design along with me for this one!! :) Thanks so much for stopping by today!! :)

You Passed!!

Hello again folks!! :)

I'm back again (so soon- what's going on!?!lol) with another quick card for the Clearly Besotted challenge..

This one is, fairly obviously, a well done kind of card and I used a few different CBS sets and another great coloured card blank made from the card I got from Papermill Direct a little while ago... I just love how different a look a coloured blank can give!! :)

I had fun stamping this panel... I'd seen a lot of this type of design around and had been dying to have a go... the CBS stamps are perfect for it!! :) And also got to play with my MFT Notebook edge die which I'm loving and a few fab Star die-cuts a friend sent me... these have really been soooo useful!! :)

{The List}

A6 top-fold card blank  and white card - Midnight Blue Smooth and White Linen from Papermill Direct

Stamps - Clearly Besoted Stamps - Just a Note,  Many Thanks and Framed Sentiments

Inks - Memento - London Fog, Ladybug, Danube Blue, Summer Sky, Angel Pink

Dies - MFT Die-namics Notebook Edge border die

Star die-cuts from a friend - from Simon Says Stamp, I think, and I love them!! :)

Gems - 2mm and 3mm from DoCrafts/Anita's

I'd like to enter this in the following challenges: Clearly Besotted Challenge #1 - Anything Goes :) ; ATSM - Addicted to CAS :) ; MMCS - Dies, Dies, Dies :)

Right, that's me done again... d'you think I'm getting the hang of this shorter posts thing a little!?!lol Hmmm... not sure it'll last knowing me, though!!lol Hope you are all okay and have a lovely weekend despite the weather!! :)