Hello, photo tent :)

Hey!

I hope the last few days have been as fun and fabulous for you as they have for us here! We've had a lovely Christmas and Boxing Day (yes, Diva - we have Boxing Day here too!) spent with our families along with some scrummy food, drink and giggles along the way :)

It's business as usual now on the blogeroo though, so without further ado, a card:

Can you tell that I've been a good girl this year? Santa My gorgeous guy presented me with a photo tent complete with daylight lamps on Christmas Day (along with some other beautiful gifts - I felt spoilt rotten!) This piccy was actually taken at night time, so no more having to grumble about running out of daylight hours - score! I've still got a bit of tweaking and practice to go with it, but I'm really happy with this first result :) Any tips you have about using these babies would be much appreciated!

This card for the Runway Inspired Challenge #2; it's inspired by this piccy:

I was totally smitten with those shoes and the gorgeous green bag (no surprises there!) so that dictated my colour scheme and polka dot stamping. The line across the bottom of my card is inspired by the runway, and the use of modern basics for my stamping is inspired by the cool pattern on the dress. Phew! That's a lot of inspiration from one pic!

Right then, I'd better dash as project-tidy-up needs to commence here in Sheffield...

Catch ya later!






Card Deets
{Hello}
Stamps: Modern Basics (Papertrey Ink)
Ink: Fern, Buttercup (a muse ink)/London Fog (Memento)
Cardstock: Simply Chartreuse, White (Papertrey Ink)

Christmas, Matisse Styleeee

Hey!

Happy Christmas Eve! Are you all ready for the big day? We're just about to load the car up and head off my guy's parents for the big dinner day and then we'll be heading to my folks for Boxing Day (which is also my mum's birthday!)

But before I dash I wanted to share just a couple more cards and wish you all a very merry Christmas! :)

These card designs use both the negative and positive of a die-cut snowflake and also fit the current Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge.

First up, the positive shape:

Next, the use of the negative shape:

This design was for cards to be hand-delivered. No way was I trusting Royal Mail with the amount of fragile dimension on this design!

Although Henri Matisse was famous for 'drawing with scissors' when implementing the idea of positive and negative space, I bet if he had a die cutting machine, he'd have used it! *wink*

Wishing you all a very happy holidays!

Catch ya later! (after the turkey - ha!)






Card Deets
{It's Christmas/Christmas Greetings}
Stamps: Teeny Trees, Frame-It (Waltzingmouse Stamps)
Ink: London Fog (Memento)
Cardstock: White, White Shimmer (Papertrey Ink)
Accessories: Cuttlebug and Snowflake Die (Provocraft)/Bling (Craft Stash!)

Modern basics does holly...

Hey!

Can you believe how close we are to Christmas?! How did it sneak up on us so fast?! I hope your preparations are going well; I'm amazed at how organised I've been this year: the cards are sent, the presents are wrapped and a couple have already been hand-delivered for the special day! All I've gotta do is sit and wait....I like that! :)

Anyways I'm zooming by with yet another Christmas card (what else?!)

Still stickin' to the traditional colour combo I love so much, and still giving it a modern-kinda twist with Modern Basics posing as holly :)

Again, as I've dabbled with this fabulous colour combo, I'm entering this card into the current JUGS challenge too:



I'll be back again before the big day with a few more Christmas cards to share but if you don't pop back before Christmas I'd like to wish you all a fabulous Christmas!

Catch ya later!







Card Deets
{Happy Happy Happy Holidays}
Stamps: Modern Basics, Stocking Prints (Papertrey Ink)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento)/Fern (a muse)
Cardstock: White, Ripe Avocado, Pure Poppy (Papertrey Ink)
Accessories: Twine (Papertrey Ink)/Apron Lace Border Punch (Fiskars)/Cuttlebug, Swiss Dot Embossing Folder (Provocraft)/Chompy! (Corner Chomper)/Gems (Stash!)

A modern take on a traditional colour combo...

Hey!

Hoooooooray for the first official day of the holidays! :) I've already been a busy bee as I've finished the rest of my Christmas wrapping (still gotta make some tags as I'm not sure the Post-It notes with names scrawled on will suffice!), took my final trip to the post-office (although it was a soggy walk, the complimentary mince pies on the counter were much appreciated!)

Anyways, onto the cards I have to share. Now I'm a total sucker for the tradition colours of Christmas (any excuse to indulge in my favourite colour *wink*) However, I'm also a sucker for modern design so here's a couple of cards to prove that a traditional colour combo doesn't have to lead to a traditional design:

Getting my dollar's worth with Modern Basics by now creating a wreath! This was easy-peasy to stamp: lightly trace a circle and follow by stamping leaves in two shades of green and add berries and a bow to finish!

Next up, a spot of masking:

Remember the tree from this card? Well using the same mask I created this one simply substituting chevrons for my yummy Classic Fabric Design Hero Arts stamp.

***Edited to add: someone in a previous post asked me what I used as my mask as they find it hard to get good, clean lines with this technique. I usually use a Post-It note, but for this larger shape used regular cheap copier paper (the thinner the better!) and don't' be afraid to add a lot of pressure to that stamp to make sure you get fabulous coverage. Hope that helps!***

These cards could totally qualify for our new challenge on A Passion for Papertrey - I'm dreaming of a GREEN Christmas (yes, this is a challenge I demanded! LOL!) So if you've put a spot of gorgeous green on your own Christmas cards and used at least one PTI product, then share the inspiration with us!

This gorgeous colour combo is also the focal point of the current Just Us Girls Challenge so I'm entering these cards over there too (not sure if that second one of mine will count with it's yellow star though!)


Right I'm now off to tidy up Santa's Grotto my crafting space! I've gotta clear some room to make some tags but I'll be back again this week to share a few more Christmas cards with ya (if you're not sick of 'em already!)

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Catch ya later!







Card Deets
{Happy Holidays Wreath}
Stamps: Modern Basics, Stocking Prints, Holiday Tree (Papertrey Ink)
Ink: Pure Poppy, Spring Moss (Papertrey Ink)/ Fern (AMuse Ink)/Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Cardstock: White, Pure Poppy (Papertrey Ink)
Accessories: Cuttlebug/Linen and Canvas Impression Plate (Papertrey Ink)/Ribbon (Craft Supply)

{Happy Holidays Tree}
Stamps: Classic Fabric Design (Hero Arts)/Stocking Prints, Around and About Basics (Papertrey Ink)
Ink: Fern, Buttercup (AMuse Ink)/Rich Cocoa (Memento)
Cardstock: Pure Poppy, Vintage Cream (Papertrey Ink)
Accessories: Cuttlebug/Linen and Canvas Impression Plate (Papertrey Ink)

Thank You (for the holidays!) :)

Hey!

WA-HOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! School's finished for Christmas!!!! I think I'm still a little high on a sugar-rush after joining in the festivities with my students in true style by eating waaaaaaaaaay too many sweeties so excuse my over-use of capitals and exclamation marks in this post!!! :)

Now before I settle in under my snuggly blanket with my G&T, I just had to play along with the fabulous new Runway Inspired Challenge. It's led by one seriously fabulous (and super sweet) gal, Jennifer Rzasa and boy, oh boy, has she got one jaw-droppingly talented DT! Some of my most admired stampers feature on it!

The deal of the challenge this week is to be inspired by this runway pic from the Versace Spring 2012 collection:

I was taken with that gorgeous shade of yellow, the detail on that dress (that I would love to own myself!), the illuminated runway and the circular element at in the background.

Here's what a quickly whipped up, totally inspired and itching to play along!

It's a super small 3x3 card...I'm thinking I need to do something differently with it but time is against me, (my daylight has gone for today *sniff* however, I'm sat with fingers crossed that Santa brings me a photo tent complete with daylight lamps for future photography sessions *wink*)

Thanks so much for stopping by this li'l hyperactive corner of Blogland today! I'm off now to get that much-deserved G&T :)

Have a super duper weekend (and if like me, you too have finished work for the year I hope you kick off your holidays in style!)

Catch ya later!








Card Deets
{Thank You}
Stamps: Dainty Doilies 2 Small,Teeny Trees (Waltzingmouse Stamps)
Cardstock: Stamper's Select White, Lemon Tart (Papertrey Ink)
Ink: Buttercup (a.muse)/London Fog (Memento)

A Modern Christmas Tree...

Hey!

Happy Monday! I'm on the official countdown now for the Christmas holidays: T-minus 10 working days and counting *wink*!

During the past weekend I had the chance to play with some new juicy A Muse inks and inked like mad to whip out some much needed cards for Christmas. Whilst I was at it, I couldn't resist playing along with the current CAS-ual Fridays challenge too:



This fun tic-tac-toe challenge led me pick a line of Green, Kraft and Chevrons (what else?!) and I got busy:

I opted for a super-modern Christmas tree using a simple masking technique with my trendy (and much neglected!) Background Basics: Chevrons set. I love that this card is postage friendly too, meaning no bulky envelopes or higher rates of postage to say "Happy Holidays" to family and friends :)

This is just one design of a few I have to share with ya...turns out that by simply playing with some fabulous new ink helps my mojo no end! However I must get back to whipping out and actually sending a few more Christmas cards before I start showing 'em on here!

Thank you so much for stopping by today!

Catch ya later!






Card Deets
{Happy Holidays}
Stamps: Background Basics: Chevrons, Stocking Prints - Sentiment (Papertrey Ink)
Cardstock: Kraft, Vintage Cream (Papertrey Ink)
Ink: Fern, Buttercup (A Muse)/Cocoa (Memento)
Accessories: Linen and Canvas Impression Plate (Papertrey Ink)/Cuttlebug (Provocraft)

I'm dreaming of a white (and red!) Christmas...

Hey!

Happy Weekend :)

I'm popping in today to share a card with some felt-a-licious lovin' on it:

I've been spending the last week rooting through my supplies for inspiration for my Christmas cards. I've gotta say it's been like a treasure hunt; I'd forgotten all about this sweet stocking die I had and couldn't resist make a sweet felt stocking for a card :)

This card is also for our new challenge on A Passion for Papertrey. We wanna see your holiday creations that feature a red and white colour scheme (personally, I'd love to have thrown some green in the mix, but I can always place this card in green envie, or write inside it using green ink, right?! *wink*)

So if you've got a spare moment, why not join in the inky fun with us?

I'm leavin' ya now to go make some more Christmas cards; turns out I've not really made that many so far and have soooooo many more to make than I originally thought...how the heck did December crept around so quickly?

Thank you so much for stopping by! Enjoy the rest of your weekend whatever you're doing!

Catch ya later!







Card Deets
{Deck the Halls}
Stamps: Stocking Prints (Papertrey Ink)
Ink: Pure Poppy (Papertrey Ink)
Cardstock: Stamper's Select White (Papertrey Ink)
Accessories: Stocking Die, Bakers Twine (Papertrey Ink)/Felt (Craft Supply)/Cuttlebug

Leafy Gratitude

Hey!

Hope you've all had a super weekend! Mine is nearing the end, but it's been a super crafty one - what else can one do when the weather is dull and foggy?! *wink*

I'm just popping by to share a card with you that you can find in the special issue of Paper Crafts, 365 Cards:

I love that in the magazine, this card is known as 'Leafy Gratitude'. Those leaves sparkle so much IRL as they've been dusted with shimmer chalks after stamping my leaves in Versamark.

The sweetest thing about getting my inky mitts on this issue is not only the amazing inspiration I've got from just flickin' through it, but that this particular card is sat right next to my bloggin' buddy, Lynn's card! How fun! Her card also features a good dose of leafy gratitude - it's fabby!

Well if you haven't got this issue already, you *need* it! It comes jam-packed with 366 cards; one for every day of next year so you'll never find your mojo stuck for inspiration!

Right, that's enough from me - I must go pack my school bag..It's like I've never grown up really! Ha!

Catch ya later!






Card Deets
{Leafy Gratitude}
Stamps: Turning a New Leaf, Signature Greetings (Papertrey Ink)
Ink: Versamark, Rich Cocoa (Memento)
Cardstock: Vintage Cream, Fine Linen, Terracotta Tile (Papertrey Ink)
Accessories: Circle Nesties (for masking)/Cuttlebug/Rustic Twine and Button (Papertrey Ink)/Shimmer Chalks (Dovecraft)

Taking the berry (in small doses!)...

Hey!

Happy weekend! I'm popping by today to share a card with ya before I have to do a mad dash around the house on a cleaning frenzy; then make myself look presentable, before having my guy's parents over in a couple of hours. I'd love to say that I'm a domestic goddess and that I've already prepared a culinary feast, but I'll 'fess up: we're planning to go and have Sunday lunch elsewhere (beats the washing up created by cooking at home, right?!)

Anyways, back to what I'm here for:

This card is for our current challenge on A Passion for Papertrey. It's a colour based challenge in which we wanna see you use peach, green, brown (and any neutrals) on your creations. Yup - I did freak a li'l when I had to face my all-time dreaded colour, Melon Berry *shudder* but I have to say I'm getting better at working with it (in small doses and combined with green!)

We'd love to see you join in the fun with us. You don't need to have the PTI coloured cardstock on hand to play along, any equivalent will do - just be sure to have one Papertrey Ink product on your creation for it to qualify.

Right then, must dash as times-a-tickin...

Thank you so much for stopping by today!

Catch ya later!





Card Deets
{I'm so Grateful for you}
Stamps: Signature Greetings/Background Basics: Chevron Stripes
Ink: Spring Moss (Papertrey Ink)/Rich Cocoa (Memento)
Cardstock: Vintage Cream, Melon Berry (Papertrey Ink)
Accessories: Dark Chocolate Buttons, Cream Button Twine, Linen and Canvas Impression Plate, Mat Stack 4 Die, Fillable Frames Die (Papertrey Ink)/Cuttlebug, Distressed Wood Embossing Folder (Provocraft)

My little pumpkin...

Hey!

Happy Monday!

Happy Halloween!

Happy Back-to-work-after-a-week-off! OK, maybe that last one doesn't apply to you but it does to me :)

Now I've already spooked ya for Halloween with my Retro Ghouls but what's Halloween without an expected spook on the actual day, right?

I've rustled up a super quick tag that I put on some yummy treats for my little pumpkin guy (who is a total kid at heart!) and tucked it away in his lunchbox this morning for a nice treat today:

Oooh and there was another treat for him in there too:

This li'l dude is magnetic! Sweet! After my guy's request to make him his own pac-man inspired ghostie, I figured that he'd get more use from one that could keep him company on his desk and make him smile all year around whilst he works :)

So that's Halloween wrapped up for us here! Chocolate and retro-ghosts - I can't complain but there's always time for a trick to be played yet....*wink*

Thanks so much for stopping by and if you're celebrating Halloween, have fun and stay safe!

Catch ya later!






Tag Deets
{My little Pumpkin}
Stamps: Tiny Treats Halloween (Papertrey Ink)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Cardstock: Stamper's Select White, Orange Zest, True Black (Papertrey Ink)
Accessories: Promarkers/Orange Zest Grosgrain Ribbon, True Black Button, Cream Button Twine, Mat Stack 4 Die, Limitless Layers Die (Papertrey Ink)

A retro-style spooking!

***WARNING: Picture heavy post!***

Hey!

Well I'm popping by today to give you pre-Halloween spooking.....


...retro styleeeeeeee!

Introducing:

Mr Orange

Mr Green



Ms Purple (who's such a poser that she insisted on two pics!)

Recognise these cuties at all?

I confess. I let my inner retro-gaming-geekness dictate this year's Halloween treats for my little monsters nieces and nephews *grin* These ghosts are totally inspired by that retro-classic, Pac-Man!

And what's inside? A trick or a treat...?

A treat of course! C'mon I'm not that mean *wink*

These treat holders were so easy to whip up once I'd drawn a template of a ghost and used hardly any of my supplies (bonus!) Googly eyes add so much character to these ghouls. I had to make 7 in total, but here's three of 'em lined up (I couldn't fit any more on one pic!)

Now take a closer peek. Can't you tell that Ms Purple is oh-so-mature and those boys, Mr Orange and Mr Green are up to no good as usual...

Tee-hee!

I did wonder if my eldest niece was too old to celebrate Halloween this way at age 13, but after the reaction I got from my guy when I showed him these I've now been commissioned to make him one LOL!!! I think the gaming nostalgia was evoked in him when he saw these - not quite sure my nieces and nephews will get it but I figure they're waaaaaay more interested in the contents than the packaging anyways!

So I'm signing off to make another one of these cuties...in green of course! ;D

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Catch ya later!






Treat Deets
{Boo!}
Cardstock: True Black, Simply Chartreuse, Plum Pudding, Orange Zest (Papertrey Ink)
Ink: Fresh Snow (Papertrey Ink)
Accessories: Halloween Die - 'BOO!', Cuttlebug (Provocraft)/Orange Dotty Ribbon, Simply Chartreuse Ribbon, Lavender Moon Ribbon (Papertrey Ink)

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Is it a silhouette?

Hey!

Hooray for the weekend! Hoooooooooooray for half-term! Whoop! :)

Did today's title of my post have you raising an eyebrow? Well it comes from a card I've made for a new challenge on A Passion for Papertrey:

Our new challenge - Sensational Silhouettes - is to incorporate a silhouette (or silhouettes) on your project. Silhouettes are all the trend right now and we're jumping on the bandwagon with 'em *wink*

Once I'd made this card I then questioned whether the bird counts as a silhouette seeing as it has fine detailed lines and isn't a solid image. So...um.....well....I decided that it's stayin' that way - ha! If, however, you'd like to show us what you can do with a real silhouette then we'd love for you to join in our challenge and share the inspiration!

Wishing you all a super duper weekend :)

Thank you so much for stopping by!

Catch ya later!







Card Deets
{A Bird...}
Stamps: Happy Trails (Papertrey Ink)
Ink: Pure Poppy (Papertrey Ink)/Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Cardstock: Stamper's Select White (Papertrey Ink)
Accessories: Pure Poppy Grosgrain Ribbon, Happy Trails Bird Die, Text Impression Plate (Papertrey Ink)/Cuttlebug/Gem (Stash!)

Par-tay!

Hey!

Well I may be sooooooooo busy right now but I've always got time for a party....!

Where's the party at? What's the occasion, you ask? Well the good news is that the party is right H.E.R.E and the occasion is to celebrate one incredibly talented and lovely peep's birthday :)

Yup! We've got a party goin' down here in Blogland to celebrate none other than Karen Baker's birthday!

So before I go on:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KAREN!
WISHING YOU THE MOST FANTASTIC BIRTHDAY, EVER!

And now for the partying :) As you hop along Blogland today you'll spot a few of us celebrating Karen's Birthday in style. The sweetest gal ever, Erin organised this whole shindig for Karen and invited me to be a part of this party blog hop. The only condition was that I had to 'bring' something....

...so I decided that I like to have a nice drink at a party (don't we all?!) and decided that we must all drink in style:

Now I'll bring whatever drink y'all fancy...you name it and it's in the glass :)

I'm hoping you can tell that I dedicated this li'l decoration to Karen with the use of a stamped dragonfly embellishment - kinda fitting seeing as her blog is titled, The Bald Dragonfly (sorry, Karen but the glimmer mists just wouldn't play nicely on this project - believe me, I tried!). It's super sparkly IRL and coloured using Sakura Stardust pens along with having clear, delicate, sparkly vellum wings:

Now not only are we drinking in style, we're celebrating the whole day in style; be sure to check out what the rest of the party-goers rustled up for us and par-tay!

Erin, http://www.homemadecardsbyerin.blogspot.com

Cristina, http://mypapersecret.blogspot.com

Kelly Marie, http://lawnfawn.blogspot.com

Christina, http://christinamaclaren.blogspot.com

Kelley Eubanks, http://myfrontporch-kelley.blogspot.com

Yvonne, http://yyam.blogspot.com/

Virginia, http://virginialusblog.blogspot.com/

Laurel, http://laurelbeard.wordpress.com/

Jen, http://jenshearsdesigns.blogspot.com/

Dana, http://kismetartlife.blogspot.com

Michele, http://studiomsg.blogspot.com/

Lynn, http://themangoboysandme.blogspot.com/

Lindsay, http://lindsayamrhein.blogspot.com/

Amy, http://tsurutadesigns.blogspot.com/

Aimes, http://craftingconfessions.blogspot.com/ (that's me!)

Jen R, http://ourchangeofart.blogspot.com/

Lisa, http://bellalistona.blogspot.com/

Lynn, http://www.millers-ink.net/

Ooh and before you get all partied-out, be sure to pop across and send your birthday wishes to the birthday gal herself :)

Thanks so much for stopping by and partying on!

Catch ya later!







Decoration Deets
{Hope it Tickles}
Stamps: 'Hope it Tickles' from Frame-It (Waltzingmouse)/Dragonfly from Happy Trails (Papertrey Ink)
Cardstock: Stamper's Select White, Vellum Cardstock (Papertrey Ink)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento)/Hawaiian Shores (Papertrey Ink)
Accessories: Dragon Fly Die (Papertrey Ink)/Stardust Gel Pens (Sakura)/Clear Spica Pen (Copic)/Drinking Straw (my Kitchen!)

Maple leaves (and turkey!)....

Hey!

Well it's a soggy Sunday afternoon here in Sheffield; it really feels like we're in the midst of autumn now (although it's my fave season I wish we could have it without the soggy days!)

The one thing I adore about autumn are the colours. Speaking of which, I have a li'l card which sums this up nicely:

This card is also dedicated to any Canadian peeps who'll be celebrating Thanksgiving tomorrow! Enjoy your holiday and the scrummy food that usually accompanies it *wink* It was totally worth sacrificing so many buttons for such an occasion methinks :)

Well looking outside my window it looks like I'll be spending the rest of this soggy Sunday at my desk...I guess the rainy days do have a positive element to 'em after-all!

Thanks so much for stopping by and if you're celebrating Thanksgiving, do it in style!

Catch ya later!







Card Deets
{Happy Thanksgiving}
Stamps: Frame It, Teeny Trees (Waltzingmouse Stamps)
Ink: Rich Cocoa (Memento)/Scarlet Jewel, Orange Zest (Papertrey Ink)
Cardstock: Dark Chocolate, Vintage Cream, Terracotta Tile (Papertrey Ink)
Accessories: Buttons, Linen and Canvas Impression Plate (Papertrey Ink)/Cuttlebug (Provocraft)/Apron Lace Border Punch (Fiskars)

Missing: Party Invite!

Hey!

Happy Tuesday! (It's pretty late over here but it's still Tuesday!) hope you all had a super duper weekend! Ours was pretty fabulous filled with some fun memories to treasure from a fantastic wedding we attended down in Devon (yup - that's one fun road-trip to endure from Sheffield! Good job I can read whilst travelling and can even read a map when needed after taking the wrong turn on the motorway *wink*)

After such fun, I'm now playing catch-up on all the things I normally do at the weekend including catching up in Blogland and also finding time for an inky session. But seeing as we're already on Tuesday (nearly Wednesday!) I figured I could cheat a li'l and share a project with you that you'll find in the August 2011 issue of CARDS:

***Click picture for a larger version where you can read the text***

This project was yet another naughty li'l one that decided to dictate its own destination once it was in the post - I wonder if some random, confused stranger ended up with the original party invite - ha!

The actual project photographed is another one I had to create during the chaos of moving house. I actually started to debate whether it was worth the effort of rooting through all those boxes again trying to find my supplies and working on the world's smallest workspace to create it again followed by sitting with everything crossed that it would not only reach it's correct destination, but would reach it on an extremely tight deadline when posting from the other side of the pond...

....but, now I see it in print it was definitely worth the effort :) Thanks so much to CARDS magazine for not only publishing my work but for being super understanding when yet another one of my projects was naughty in the post!

That's all from me for now - this gal's got a lot of catching up to do and not only on Google Reader but in her crafting corner studio too :)

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Catch ya later!







Invite Deets
{it's my party!}
Stamps: Damask Designs, Birthday Bash Sentiments (Papertrey Ink)/Sentiment from Frame-It (Waltzingmouse Stamps)
Ink: Dark Chocolate, Ocean Tides (Papertrey Ink)/Versamark/Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Cardstock: Dark Chocolate, Ocean Tides, Aqua Mist, Raspberry Fizz, Vellum (Papertrey Ink)
Accessories: Cuttlebug, Cuttlebug Embossing Folder (Provocraft)/Raspberry Fizz Grosgrain Ribbon, Tag Sale #1 Die, Limitless Layers 1 3/4" Collection Dies, Medium Scallop Border Die(Papertrey Ink)