It can't be Friday already...

Sheesh, where are the weeks going?  Time is just flying by and it's getting nearer and nearer to Christmas.  I know I've said this before, but thank goodness I've been a part of Bah! Humbug! over the last year, because we may not have a cake yet or a hundred and one other essentials, but at least the cards are well and truly underway. 

Plus I've got my Christmas hat too!  Have you checked out my new profile picture? 

I shall be wearing it to do all my commenting for Bah! Humbug! from now on.  Both my team mates, Max and Irene, are hoping to get one too.  Irene says I look like Maria out of 'The Sound of Music'.  I think she's jealous cause they haven't got them at her Poundland store.  LOL!

Our challenge this week is entitled 'Lovely in Lilac' and we would love to see creations in many different shades of lilac.  Now one of the Bah! Humbuggers! (see card above) got the wrong idea completely and just did a card with a touch of lilac.  Oh dear, I really must pay attention in future!

Anyway no worries as my card did give me chance to use my lovely new embossing folder, by Papermania, given to me by my dear friend Susan.  I love it.  Thank you so much Susan.  Think I will be using this one often.

My card is a very easy one to create and is a style of card I have used many times before.  It's larger than the normal cards of this shape as I have some envelopes that measure 9" x 4.75" which I was given by my local Hallmark shop.  They were throwing away all the old card stock and envelopes.  How wasteful is that?  Anyway they allowed me to salvage all the envelopes and some of them have been so useful.  This particular size is great, because it allows enough space for the whole width of embossing folder and enough to matte and layer too.

I've used lilac gems to embellish the embossing and a sizzix bauble tag die cut for the sentiment.

My card is also for the following challenges...

• ABC Christmas Challenge - X is for Xmas
• Simon Says - Sparkle (my gems and mirri card)
• Tuesday Taggers - Peace. Love and Joy
• Crazy for Challenges - A Christmas Card or item
• Secret Crafter - Sparkle and Shine

Have a great weekend everyone and do pop over to Bah! Humbug! to check out the samples by my team mates and our super talented Guest Designer Pat.

Ann xxx

Something new...

New papers by Papermania (a Christmas present from Laura), new paper pricking stencil (a Christmas gift from Irene) and a new Cuttlebug borders die led to this card for the challenge at http://stampchallenges.blogspot.com/.

It's also a card to send to a very special friend who has led me into all sorts of things over the past few years - a paper pricking craze being one of them.

The stamped quote, 'The only way to have a friend is to be one' by Ralph Waldo Emerson, is from a sheet of quotes by Heidi Grace.

Materials used:

• brown card
• Papermania paper from Vintage collection
• cuttlebug ornate border
• Ornare corner stencil
• Heidi Grace stamp
• pearls from stash
  

Just playing...

with my new Promarkers. I love the smooth colour you can achieve with them, but sometimes they seem to make the stamped ink bleed a little. I will have to practice more I think.

This card is for the challenge at http://cutecardthursday.blogspot.com/ where they have an 'open' theme until the 8th January.

Materials used:

• Cuddly Buddly rubber stamp
• Promarkers, Sakura stardust pens and water colour crayons
• Lilac papers by Papermania
• lilac plain card, jewels, button and organza ribbon from stash
  
  

Easy elegance...

Well 'easy elegance' is supposed to be the theme of this card done for the challenge at http://www.mytimetocraftchallenge.blogspot.com/, but to be truthful to me it's a 'could do better' card!!

If I were to start again there are quite a few things I would do differently, but not to worry - it's one of my New Year Resolutions to worry less!!!

I used one of my brilliant paper pricking corner stencils, that my good friend Irene bought me as part of my Christmas present, to create a square frame for the central stamped image. The stamped 'Thank you' is an image from a collection of clear stamps by K&Company. I used pearls from my stash to accentuate it. The patterned backing paper is by Papermania and was another Christmas gift - I must have been good last year as I got loads of stuff!!!

First Card 2009...

I really can't believe it is 2009. It doesn't seem long since we celebrated the turn of the century and thought everything (electrical) would fall apart because the computer chips weren't happy about the zeros or something along those lines.

Anyway no planes dropped out of the sky then or now and everything kept in working order - well more or less!!

My first card for the New Year is a 'Thank you' one for a dear friend and also for the challenge at http://tandastamps.blogspot.com/ which is 'Thank you , Thank you , Thank you'. I guess we all have lots of thank yous to both say and send this week.

I have used some fabulous papers I got for Christmas by Papermania and a Cuddly Buddly stamp for the main image. The image has been coloured using my new Promarkers (love them - thank you for encouraging me to get them Chrissie) and water colour crayons. The criss cross ribbon was created using a Cuttlebug border die.