Gifts Galore!! :) And ‘Happy New Year!!!’ to you all!!! :)

Hello everyone!! :)

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!?! Mine went a bit pear-shaped (though I did still have a nice time in an odd sort of way!! :) ) and I’m still not feeling great so I hope you’ll forgive this being an incredibly short, not very informative post only I remembered I wanted to enter this in the Crafter’s Companion Challenge and need to do it –like, right now!! ;D

So, here’s a card I made the week before Xmas for a friend following the sketch at Crafter’s Companion- I loved working with this sketch sooo much, so simple but a joy to make!! :)

The fab LOTV image is coloured with PMs and the card is basically using the same items as my previous Xmas cards so please have a look below and forgive me for not being upto managing the detail at the mo’!! (Will come back and do it properly later if I can) :S The only things I’ve not used before are the Crafter’s Companion Spray and Sparkle in Sliver, which I used to get the gorgeous sparkle on the snowflakes, and the fab Chocolate Box Card Candy!! :)

 

A few close-ups :) Was really pleased with the way the light caught the Dew Drops!! :)

So, I’d like to enter this in these challenges: Crafter’s Companion – Fab Sketch :) ; LOTV – New Beginnings (this is the first time I’d used this stamp) :)

All that’s left is for me to wish you all a very, very happy and healthy 2011 for yourselves and all your loved ones!!! :) :)

hugs,

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas...with a birthday card!! :D

Evening all and a very Happy Christmas Eve to you!! :)

Well, I had a feeling I wouldn't keep that pace of posting up all week but I'm back and, in typically contrary fashion, I actually have a birthday card to show you tonight on Christmas Eve!! :) My lovely mum’s birthday was on the 22nd- gets kinda hectic this time of year around here!! ;) – and this is the card I made for her... and, miracle of miracles, it was actually finished the night before her birthday for once!! :)

Now, before you start scratching your heads and thinking I’ve gone mad- I know it’s technically a Christmas stamp but my mum loves rabbits (she had one as a toy all through her childhood and infact it’s still in a cupboard somewhere!! :) ) and also, she’s always telling me that not all Christmas stamps are exclusively for Christmas and could be used for winter birthdays, too (I think she may be trying to get me to buy less stuff but that kind of thing goes in one ear and out the other, I’m afraid!! Hehe!!) so I took her at her word!! :)

I used:

• Gorgeous LOTV Christmas Bunnies Stamp
• Promarkers and Prismas to colour- PMs on the image with Prismas to finish and Prismas for the sky – I was trying to emulate (from memory) the scene featuring this image in the LOV Cute Squares collection, think mine came out a bit more purple but mum loves purple as much as me so that’s okay!! :)
• Papers from: Basic Grey’s ‘Kioshi’ pad (the purples) and a jumbo My Mind’s Eye pad called ‘So Delightful’ (the teals) which I got from QVC and love, love, love the colour and pattern on this one :)
• Milled Lavender and Broken China DIs and Tim Holtz Tool to lightly distress the paper, image panel and sentiment
• Tim Holtz Tattered Florals Die
• Crystal Stickles
• 8mm and 4mm pearls
• Grossgrain Ribbon - in just the right purples, thankfully!!
• One of my Digi Sentiment Rounds personalised to say ‘mum’

And some close-ups of the details including the goregeous paper and new flowers :)

I’d like to enter this in the following Challenges: Sketch & Stash 51 – Your Choice – I chose Sketch #48 and my new stash is the LOTV stamp, MME papers and TH Tattered Florals Die :) ; Totally Gorjuss – For Someone Special :) ; I Love Promarkers - Anything Goes :)

OOOPS!!! Edited to include the Sketch I used, which I forgot :/ Didn't really have a clue beyond the image I wanted to use before I saw this a few hours before making the card so it's kind of an important component!! :)

Right, I shall go and link those up then back to the frantic last minute Xmas stuff for me- I still have my mum’s card to make amongst a host of other things!! :/ Have been busy making some last minute cards and gifts today but just really needed to lie back with a cuppa and rest up a bit (my mind is in overdrive but my body is flagging just a tad!!lol) so this seemed a good way to make it happen and share something else with you all to tide the blog over Xmas!! :)

I hope you are all well and looking forward to tomorrow- I wish you all a very Happy Christmas Time, however and with whomever you are spending it!! :) :) And let’s hope Santa’s been frequenting a few craft shops (or making use of t’internet like me!! ;) ) and brings us all lots of lovely goodies to make our cards and bloghopping even more fun in the new year!! :)

Much love and thanks to you all for the wonderful welcome into blogland you’ve shown me this year and all your inspiration and encouragement along the way- it’s been so much fun already,

hugs,

Let It Snow!! :)

Hello again!! :)

Wow- it got as ‘warm’ as -8oC here today!! I couldn’t believe it when I turned my computer on at midday and it said it was -10oC!! :{ I hope you’re all coping okay with it, anyway!! :)

Another Christmas card to share tonight- this one is for my 4 year old cousin- and my Uncle, his fiancé and her daughter but I must confess I made it with him in mind!! ;)

So it has a suitably fun and lively LOTV James Bear image and plenty of blue!! He’s remarkably appreciative of my efforts for a 4yr old boy so I’m pretty sure he’ll like it!! :)

I used:

• Gorgeous LOTV stamp: James Bear- Sledging :)
• Promarkers (and I can actually remember the colours!!) to colour: Cool Greys 1, 2, 3 & 4; Pastel and Denim Blues for the presents; Sandstone and Caramel for the sledge with Cool Grey 1 over the top to tone the brown in with the rest
• Nestie Labels 2, I drew round the outside of the one I used to die-cut the image to get the mat
• Two of my digi papers again, altered from the tealy blue version to be a bit more grey-blue
• TH Distressing Tool and Stormy Sky DI on edges of all the papers, image and mat layer
• Perfect Pearls Shimmer Spray on the snowflake paper :)
• One of my digi tickets for the sentiment
• Snowflakes from the Cricut again :)
• Dew Drops and Gems from stash
• Stickles in Stardust on the image and to fix the Dew Drops/Gems and Frosted Lace on the snowflakes

And a few close-ups :) You can even see the shimmer spray on the last couple- it's sooo pretty and perfect for Xmas cards, I'm so glad I treated myself to it this side of Xmas :)

I really enjoyed making this card and am really happy with the way all the colours worked together :) I’m also loving having so many sparkly and shimmery bits to play with...to think I didn’t really like the idea of glitter and gems when I started crafting- what I can have been thinking I really don’t know ‘cos I can’t get enough on a card now!! ;D

I’d like to enter this in the following challenges: Crafts & Me – Moody Blues :) ; Passion for Promarkers – Anything Goes :) ; Fussy and Fancy – Snow :) ; CES – Anything Goes :)

Right, off to link up- must admit I’m enjoying posting more cards, more often...not sure how long it’ll last though!! ;) I’ve managed to get another Xmas card done tonight, was hoping I might find just a little more energy to make a start on another but think that’ll have to wait ‘til tomorrow now... ah, also need to make one for my mum’s birthday on Wednesday, too... hmmm... wonder if mum’s got any of those shop bought Xmas cards still lying around... :S ;)

hugs,

Sepia Raven

Hi!! :)

Yup, me again- don’t know what’s got into me!! :D I have another Xmas card to show you and thought it’d be perfect to enter in Cupcake’s Non-Traditional Christmas...but that finishes in a few hours so that means a second post for today!! Good job writing these posts is making me lie back in bed to rest up from the actually card/gift making which I’m happy to say I seem to be getting on reasonably well with atm... better late than never- at least I hope people will see it that way if they don’t get their cards ‘til new year!! ;D

This is another one of the cards a friend ordered and uses another of the gorgeous Sugar Nellie images I got with the one for my sis’ card- it’s not really a ‘Christmas’ image but it was sitting on my desk, after I’d been playing colouring it the night before, when my friend was choosing the images she wanted for each of her cards and asked me to make it up for her niece in the same sepia tones as the carollers cards. I wasn’t too sure how to make it suitable- her niece is my age and I know normally she likes pink!!) but this is how it turned out:

The layout is inspired from my memory of a Sugar Bowl sketch from the time I got the stamps and started playing. I also recoloured the papers to go with my sepia colouring and added an overlay for a distressed effect after I found a Tut here  at Summertime Designs to show me how :) I love the overlays and have added them to most of my papers now but this is the first one I’ve blogged :)

I used:

• Sugar Nellie Raven stamp from the Home Grown range, stamped in Versafine Vintage Sepia and coloured in DIs- Vintage Photo, Antique Linen and Tattered Rose with a waterbrush and Cut ‘n’ Dry Nibs
• My own Digi Snowflake Papers again
• Tim Holtz Paper Distressing Tool and Antique Linen DI on paper and image panel
• Corner Punch
• Greeting from a Woodware Clear Xmas set
• Versafine Toffee Ink Pad for the greeting and run around the very edge of the papers
• Brown Parcel Paper punched with MS Doily Lace punch (to try to get a more feminine touch in!! :) ) and edged with Vintage Photo DI
• Cream Gross Grain ribbon from stash
• Snowflake cut on Cricut from the fab ‘When It’s Cold Outside’ cartridge with Antique Linen DI and spritzed with my fab new Perfect Pearls shimmer spray :)
• Golden Dew Drop from Crafty Emma's fixed with Platinum Stickles, more tiny pearls and Clear Stardust pen on image to finish :)

And a couple of close-ups of the papers and embellies :)

I’d like to enter this in these challenges: Cupcake Craft Challenges – Non-Traditional Christmas :) ; CYDA – Punch it Out :) ; CES – Anything Goes :) ; Creative Belli – Christmas Embellishments (my snowflake and paper) :)

I’m off to link those up then- I have plenty more cards to share so will hopefully be back soon!! :) Hope you're all enjoying the weekend!! :)

hugs,

Traditional Minimalism...and me playing with my new Prismas :D

Hello again!! :)

Well, I’m back again- is anyone getting sick of me yet!?! ;D Three times in four days- this has got to be some sort of record for me, but I’m finally getting on with my Xmas cards and, as fairly simple is the order of the day at this late stage, they’re not in need of too much explanation on here so the posts are fairly simple, too!! :)

So, this one is going to be my Gran & Grandad’s card this year and is the first image coloured with my new Prismacolor pencils...which is quite fitting really as I’ve used the money they gave me for my birthday towards buying them!! :) So they’ll get to see what I can do with their present- I hope they’ll like it...

It’s basically a remake of the first sepia card I made with this fab LOTV Carollers stamp (here if you want to take a look) and was originally going to be all sepia tones, too... but I’ve made so many of them recently, for the couple of friends who saw them and requested another five between them plus a couple for my own pile while I was at it, that I was getting just a wee bit fed-up (note to self for next year- you have a rather limited tolerance for exact repetition!! ;) ) ...so I found that a little red crept in (partly ‘cos I’m still not very familiar with the pencils and thought I’d picked one that looked brown!! :S) and then, as I liked the red, a little green found its way in, too :)

I stamped in Versafine Vintage Sepia then coloured with the fab Prismas, blending with Zest-It and a paper stump :) I love the effect of the Zest-It- I’ve used the same type of pencils before when my art teacher lent me some for my GCSE coursework and knew they were lovely to work with but I’ve never done the blending thing so didn’t know quite what to expect...it’s fab!! :D Can you tell I’m a happy bunny with my b’day pressie!?!lol :D The ribbon was white and is coloured with Cinnamon PM, the greeting is from a Woodware Clear set and that and the panel edging are in Versafine :)

I’m entering this in the following challenges: Sweet Stampin’ – Celebrations :) ; Allsorts – Free and Easy- Anything Goes :)

I hope you’re all tucked up nice and warm- can’t believe it’s snowed again!! Just what we all need with all those last minute things to get done this week!! :S Ah, well- I guess at least at the mo’ it’s quite pretty :)

hugs,

Sixteenth for my Sister :)

Hello!! :)

Well, I’m finally getting around to showing you the card I made for my ‘baby’ sister’s 16th a fortnight or so ago!! :) I discovered the wonders of Sugar Nellie stamps a while ago after a friend told me she’d got a couple of Gorjuss Girls and was loving them... which of course meant I needed to go over to Funky Kits to have a nosey for myself!!! ;D I found the perfect stamp for my sis’ card in the Home Grown range called ‘Art from the Heart’ so got that as well as a GG and one other- I suspect it’ll be the first of many happy purchases somehow!! :) So, this is my first ever Sugar Nellie card:

I also treated myself to the gorgeous Gossamer paper by Memory Box while I was over at Crafty Emma’s stocking up flat-backed pearls and, as with my Gran’s card a couple of months ago, it was when I looked through the pad that this card started to come together in my head as one of the papers reminded me of a beautiful coloured sketch my sis did a while back :) The papers are so so pretty and the colours of the pack and design of the sheet I’ve used in the background with the tree coming on to the page from the right were just right :)

As soon as I saw it, I just knew I had to have this stamp for this card as my sis and I both love art and she’s always sketching (something I don’t do as much of as I should since getting into crafting in such a big way as I just never seem to have the spare energy/time between cards!!)- we’d been sitting with pencils and pens all over the place sketching together the last time she’d been over to visit!! :)

So, I used:

• Fabulous ‘Art From The Heart’ stamp from Sugar Nellie’s Home Grown range, stamped in Memento London Fog and coloured with Promarkers (can’t remember the colours I’m afraid as it was a while ago! Really should’ve written them down as getting her/our haircolour right was seriously tricky!! :S)
• Memory Box ‘Gossamer’ Paper Pad, all edges distressed with the Tim Holtz Paper Distressing Tool
• Oval Nesties
• Stickles in Frosted Lace to edge the ovals
• Brown Fineliner to handwrite sentiments
• Ivory Pearls from Crafty Emma’s (lots of them- love these things!! :) )

And a few close-ups- last one's just me messing about with my camera again!! ;D

It actually turned out to be a fairly simple card in terms the items used as I loved the beautiful papers so much I decided it didn’t really need that much to embellish it further...apart from me going a bit mad with the pearls that is!! ;) :)

So, I was pretty happy with it when it was done but still worried that my sis might find my efforts to emulate her manga style more amusing than good...but, she loved it too, I’m very happy to say!! :)

I’d like to enter this in the following challenges: CES – Anything But Christmas :) ; Craft Your Days Away – Punch It Out :) ; Passion For Promarkers – Anything Goes :) ; and Lexi's Creations - Glitter and Pearls :)

Woo-hoo- two posts in two days!!! :D What is the world coming to!?!lol And I’ve got plenty left still as the last of the orders for my friend are now done and photographed...just need to get some made for myself now!! :/ Hope you’re all well and warm and thank you for the lovely comments on my last few cards- sorry I’m not managing to leave many myself atm again but all of yours are very much appreciated!! :)

hugs,

Christmas for a twelve year old boy...eeek!! ;)

Hello!! :)

Another quickie post today- I’m feeling a little better (remarkably so given the inevitable over-doing things birthdays tend to bring!! :D) but still utterly worn out and trying to catch-up after getting so little done for so long...not a good combination for someone with M.E.!! :S This is absolutely the worst time of year for anyone, let alone a crafter, to lose more than a week of working time!! :/ Still, I’ve managed to make it to my desk for long enough to get a few of the images I coloured in bed last week made into cards and this is one of them:

It’s actually for an order from a friend- she asked for quite a few a while back but with one thing and another they’re still waiting to be finished so are having to take precedence over my own cards- at the moment I still have a panic-inducingly small pile of those! :S Anyway, this one is for her 12yr old nephew...so my lovely, adorable LOTV stamps were out then!! :(

I altered a couple of my own Digi Papers to make the brighter colour-scheme I wanted, then distressed them by scrunching and with the TH tool before inking with Stormy Sky DI- another new colour which I love, love, love!! :) The greeting is cut from white card on my (shamefully, much neglected but I’m trying to put that right! :S) Cricut with the George and Basic Shapes cartridge and then the letters coloured with Ruby PM and a little Stormy Sky on top to mute the colour a little :) A little Xmas Red Stickles on the letters and stripes and some white card candy coloured with the PM (how much mess did I make of my hands doing that!! Looked like I’d tried putting my fingers through a mincer!!lol) and I was done!! Simple!! :)

I’d like to enter this in the following challenges: Keep It Simple – Season’s Greetings :) ; Cards For Men – Christmas Theme (Card Category) :) I hope it's okay to enter the challenge and not do the bloghop anyway?! I simply don't heve the energy for bloghops, especially atm but generally tbh, so usually can't enter any challenge where they're complsory!! :[

Hope everyone’s alright at the mo and not getting snowed on again yet... it's actually chucking it down with rain here atm but I just really hope it holds off with the snow ‘til after Christmas at least, though I don’t think there’s much chance of staying warm at all!! :S Did get my wish of it being warmer for my birthday on Saturday, though, so s’pose I shouldn’t complain too much!! ;) I had a lovely day and got a fair few crafty pressies and gorgeous cards from crafty friends as well as the Prismacolors I treated myself to in anticipation of some money I knew I’d be getting arriving in the morning- a tad cheeky of me, I know, but I’ve had my eye on them for a long time and wanted to make sure I got them before Christmas!! :D Have been having a little play a bit over the last couple of days and am loving them so far- should have a card to show you soon!! :)

hugs,

A Gift...

Hi!! :)

I’ve got another quick little post today, as I’m still not feeling good, but just to keep things going... :) These earrings were the pressie I made for the same friend as the purple flower card in my last but one post...

I love making earrings- for myself, as they’re great fun, and as gifts, as you have no worries about getting them the right size, ect. as sometimes with bracelets/necklaces :)

For these I used some absolutely gorgeous butterfly charms- of which I have bought several sets, one each time I order from somewhere that stocks them, as I just love them!! :D- chain and some of my fav Czech Fire Polish Glass beads from a purple selection :) Beads- and particularly purple ones, for some reason! :S – are really quite hard to photograph with their true colours and they have more life and are far prettier in real life, especially as they have an Aurora Borealis coating which doesn’t show up well either!!

A close-up of the charms :)

And another... just ‘cause I was having fun playing with the Super-Macro mode on my camera again!!lol

I hope you like looking at my little jewellery projects and don’t mind the occasional deviation from papercraft too much!! :)

Hope you’re all well and warm and that the snow’s melting away to some degree wherever you are- ours is going slowly, just the horrid and dangerous thin layer that keeps refreezing every night left now :S I’m really hoping the weather forecasters are right about it getting warmer for the weekend in time for my birthday- it’ll be a lot nicer a day if I’m not aching from the cold the whole time!!lol Trying not to get my hopes up too much, though, considering they had the temperature here for last night at midnight as -3oC and it was actually -8oC!! :{ Still, crafty pressies (and money to spend on more crafty goodies!!) will make up for the weather quite well, anyway, I suspect!! :D I have quite a wishlist!! ;D

hugs,

New Baby...and another new stamp!! :D

Hello!! :)

Well, it did snow...an inch or so the night of my last post and then another several throughout the day Wednesday with more expected tomorrow!! Not nearly as much as a lot of places but enough to cause problems- not that that takes much in this country!! :/ My biggest problem has been trying to resist wanting to get outside and touch it as I’m really not well enough- just standing up a few minutes taking a few pics through my window on Wednesday has made me feel worse enough but I just love the way it looks like a whole different world out there when it snows so I couldn’t resist trying to do that much at least!! Paying for it big time now though, I’m afraid, not much chance of crafting since, bar a bit of colouring, and this post has taken me since then to sort out in tiny stages while in bed... But I did get some good shots of a blackbird on our shed roof trying to eat/take a bath in the snow...not sure which!!lol

I’ve also hit the panic stage on the Christmas prep front this week as I’ve really got hardly any cards made still and not that many of my gifts either, so I’m going to try a different style of post, too, as if I don’t make them quicker I’ll never get anything posted between now and Xmas!! :S

So, here are a couple of cards from a week or so ago which would’ve been going into a couple of challenges if I’d managed to post them at the time but never mind!! :) They were in readiness for the same baby as the last FF set I posted but this time for the Grandma- one of my mum’s best friends- and Grandad :)

So here goes me trying to be brief- wish me luck!! ;D

I used:

My new (sooo adorable and, I think timeless!) LOTV baby stamp with PMs to colour: Ivory, Satin, Blush and Dusky Rose for the skin; Ivory and Satin for the blanket and hat band; Pastel Blue and Denim or Rose Pink for the clothes

Nesties Labels One- I drew around the outside of the same size and cut by hand to get a mat layer just a bit bigger, Ivory PM and Blue/Pink Chalk ink pad to edge

Core’dinations Whitewash, C’bug ‘Spots and Dots’ folder, Paper Scuffer, TH Distressing Tool

White paper coloured with Ivory PM for matting

White Ribbon coloured with Ivory PM

Baby Feet Charm and jump from my jewellery stash - I found out I'd need the pink one before I'd got round to putting the charms on so just did that one!! :)

Woodware Clear Magic Wedding Words for greeting and border stamp (small section) from Lakeland years ago, chalk ink pads

Plus beige, blue and pink thread from my ever-helpful mum’s sewing box!! :D And also a little help from my mum to finish the sewing as my hands gave out half way through- knew there was a reason I'd resisted trying hand-stitching for so long!!- but she quite liked that that meant she'd had a hand in making her friend's card so it was all good in the end!! :)

Some closer shots :)

Well, I’m not sure I like that way of doing things- I like words and the flow of good sentences too much!!- but it was certainly quicker!! Sorry if it’s not so easy to read!! :S

I'm not really managing to keep up very well with what challenges are around at the mo' and don't have the energy to go looking but these have made it through the haze of my brain somehow so I’d like to enter this in Craft Your Days Away’s Challenge – Texture  for the embossed and sanded card, stitching, ribbon and charm :); and Lili of the Valley - A Few of My Favourite Things which are: one of my many new LOTV stamps which are all my favs at the mo', PMs, Ribbon coloured with a PM and my Cuttlebug for embossing and  cutting my Nesties, which I'd be totally lost without!! :)

Thanks for reading and for the lovely comments on my last post- I’ll be trying my hardest not to disappear for so long again!!lol It probably seems mad to some that I’m spending my energy on this while complaining that I’m feeling so ill but, aside from the fact that I can do this from my bed when I can’t do anything more ‘active’, blogging my cards and blogs in general have so quickly become such an integral part of crafting for me that I really do miss it all if I’m away too long- I’d never have believed how quickly and thoroughly I’d come to love it and I think that has a lot to do with what a lovely, friendly and welcoming bunch of people crafty bloggers are!! :)

Oh, and here are a couple of my snow pics!! :) They're not the best shots ever having been taken through the glass but, after all that effort, someone else should see them!!lol

The mad Blackbird :D

This one's the wider view from my window (with our extension showing at the bottom) while the snow was coming down fairly fast- my fav time to take pics :)

Hope you’re all keeping warm and well!! :)

hugs,