So many ill, too little cards!!

There have been so many people I know that have come down with very bad colds recently that I ran out of get well soon cards!  So I've got to get a new stock of them in because we are only a third through our winter - boo!!!  The good news is that I get to play with my Unwell Nikki...

She looks exactly like me earlier last week!  And I love this KaiserCraft Hippy Girl paper collection - it reminded me of funky wallpaper so thought it would be ideal with this Nikki.  Let's just hope I won't need to use this card any time soon!

Paper/cardstock: Bazzill cardstock, KaiserCraft Hippy Girl collection
Stamps: Ladybug Crafts Ink Unwell Nikki, CC Designs sentiments
Mediums: Copics, ProMarkers

Accents: buttons and organza ribbon from stash
Tools: Nestabilities rectanble dies, label die (inside card)

 

Sweet wishes

Well, the time has come to show you my last card as Quixotic Inspirations' Guest Designer for November.  I've really enjoyed creating for Elaine and the team so thank you for having me on board!

My last card celebrates my favourite food group - chocolate, lol!!  As soon as I saw this stamp, I knew it had to be in rich chocolates and pink - oh yum, yum!

Isn't that Moody for Chocolate scrumptious?  I didn't have any suitable brown design paper so I inked that houndstooth background by Hero Arts - isn't it fab?  Perhaps I can save money by not buying any more DPs!  Yeah, right!  I also printed off the sentiment using the free download Ali Edwards font which you can get here.

Back tomorrow for another Totally Ladybug Tuesday challenge - and don't forget the 15% discount in the store ends tomorrow so get over there now!  I will also be posting the Some Odd Girl blog hop too - so lots of fun to be had!!


I am entering this card into the following challenges:

• Sweet Stampin - buttons and bows (well, one button for me!)
• Make it Monday - share your creativity!

Paper/cardstock: Bazzill kraft cardstock, My Minds Eye Quite Contrary paper pack

Stamps: Paper Makeup Moody for Chocolate (buy here)
Mediums: Copic and ProMarkers, chocolate brown chalk ink
Accents: American Crafts ribbon heart button from stash 
Tools: Martha Stewart border punch, Nestabilities label die (inside card)

The very first EVER Totally Ladybug Tuesday challenge!

Oh my, I'm a bit over excited today...yes, it has finally arrived - the FIRST EVER Ladybug Crafts Ink challenge is today!  And not only that - Kerry also has a NEW RELEASE of stamps!  We are celebrating this very special day with a bog hop to show off the 5 new stamps with the chance to win PRIZES!   There are 2 chances to win a prize.  You can either enter the hop OR the challenge - OR enter them both!  Here's how...


First, to join in with the hop, follow these rules:

a) Visit each DT member and leave a comment on each of their blog hop posts.

b) Leave a comment on the challenge post telling us which is your favourite image.

c) Display the blog hop banner (on my side bar) on your blog in a post or on your side bar.

The prize is all 5 images in the new release and the winner will be chosen randomly from all those who follow the rules above.  The hop will close 9am GMT on Monday 8th Nov and the winner will be announced at 9am GMT on Tuesday 9th Nov at the next challenge!

The first stop along the hop is here with me and you then need to hop off to Tams.  If you get lost here is the order...

Mary J (me!)

Tams

Pinky

Hayley

Michele

Sue

Lisa

Caz (this month's guest designer!)

Anita

Kerry

The second chance of winning a prize is by joining in with the challenge - which I am hosting!  It's a sketch with an OPTIONAL twist!  As many of you know, I always try to decorate the inside of my cards and I'd love to see you to do the same! Here is the sketch...


My sketch with optional twist to decorate the inside!

You can do whatever you want with it - as long as the general format can be seen, anything goes!  You can also use any image that you would like, but you will only be entered to win the main prize of one Ladybug Crafts Ink stamp if you have used a Ladybug Crafts Ink image on your card.  BUT, you will still be in with a chance of being in the Top 3 to receive a badge for your blog.

And here is my card - with the inside decorated of course!

Ain't they the sweetest couple?  It is a new Nikki with Ben (uh huh, her boyfriend!!) walking Buttercup and you can buy them here in the Ladybug Crafts Ink shop.  I loved making this card - reminds me of our long walks in the countryside.  Of course, our Yellow Labradors are a lot bigger than Buttercup and they don't trot neatly next to us like that, lol!!!  I am keeping it for my friend's anniversary coming up, it's perfect for them!

I cut around the top half of the image which also included a couple of cute leaves - I cut these out separately, put them on foam pads and stuck them around the sentiment.  I think this finished it off nicely.  I also put loads of foam pads under matting and also under the image.  The depth seems to add to the windy movement in the image.  Well, in real life it does anyway!

I am also entering this card into the following challenges:

• Make it Monday - share your creativity!
• Bunny Zoe's Crafts monthly challenge - autumn love (you can't get much more lovey dovey in the autumn than this!)
• Paper Sundaes - a card for a boy/man (not sure if it counts, but it is for a man as well as a woman!)
• Inktegrity Hump Day Inspiration - Anything Goes
• One Stop Craft Challenge - Anything Goes
• Creative Craft Challenges - anniversary card

Paper/cardstock: Bazzill kraft and brown cardstock
Stamp: Ladybug Crafts Ink Nikki and boyfriend stamp, Elzybells sentiment, Woodware sentiment inside card
Mediums: Copics and ProMarkers, Distress Antique Linen Ink
Accents: web ribbon in chocolate (from Bunny Zoe's Crafts here), Bazzill floss

Tools: Tim Holtz distressing tool, Nestabilities rectangle and label dies, EK Success border punch (inside card)

Cute alert, cute alert!

No, it's not a photo of my Lulu the cutest dog ever, but a card using those ultra cute Pollycraft Twiddly Wings fairies!  The Pollycraft Monday challenge this week was to use a mega hard sketch.  I dismissed it [cos it scared me] but it's been on my mind all week!  Hating to admit defeat, I decided to have a crack at it and I came up with this...

I didn't mean it to turn out this cute but I love it!  And it doesn't even have my fav colour orange in it!  You can just see how the top of the tree and the fairy's hand on the left both overlap the flaps.   I printed the image below twice, coloured the images I wanted and and cut them out separately and positioned them on the card so they overlapped exactly like the original image.  You can see where I shaded the tree trunk at the bottom in a really dark brown so you can't see the original hand and hair on it. 

You can't see it from the photos, but I added Glamour Dust on the fairy wings, the blue flower, stripes on the dress and lightly shaken on that web ribbon so it all lightly glimmers with those pretty little pearls.  I am going to give it to one my very best friends who has cancer of the throat - she's feeling very low at the moment so I hope it's going to cheer her up.

I am also entering this card into the following challenges:

• Passion for ProMarkers challenge "best friends"
• Papertake Weekly challenges - sparkly and bright
• The ABC Challenge - G is for Glitter (it's too subtle for the photos, lol!!)

Paper/cardstock: Bazzill white cardstock

Image: Pollycrafts Twiddly Wings digi stamp, Hero Arts wavy sentiments
Mediums: ProMarkers, Glamour Dust
Accents: pink flat backed pearls and web ribbon (both from Bunny Zoe's Crafts)
Tools: Fiskars border punch, Nestabilities label die (inside card), Scor-Pal (to make my gate fold card - so no measuring, easy peasy!)

Totally Ladybug Tuesday - DT challenge to make our own design paper!

It's Tuesday which means it's another Totally Ladybug Tuesday and this week our guest designer Ang challenged the design team to make our own design paper.  What a great challenge - I had so many ideas floating around my head I got dizzy!  I ended up making a design for Xmas as I really need to get my skates on with them, so here is my card...

I am loving those Nikki stamps more and more each time I use them!  She's sassy, funky and living life to the full - just like me in my other reality!!  I used white pigment ink on some snowflake stamps from CC Designs, first creating a border on the kraft cardstock and then randomly stamping it over the blue cardstock.  I also used Core'dinations whitewash cardstock on the bottom matting to "roughen" it up a bit - I'm trying to be less neat and tidy with my cards - I blame that Hayley and her shabby chic challenge last week...!

You can see from the close up that I used lots of mediums on this - ProMarkers, Glamour Dust and some Fluffy Stuff.  Did you see Kerry's tutorial here on using Fluffy Stuff?  The best part is that you don't have to wait for it to dry to puff it up - that's gonna save me a lot of time with my xmas card production line!  Off now to see what the gals made for this challenge, come and join me...!

Kerry - Head Ladybug

Lisa J - Deputy Head Ladybug

Pinky

Tams

Sue

Anita

Hayley

Gaelle

Michele

Ang - our lovely guest designer!

 

Don't forget that our new Totally Ladybug Tuesday challenge blog starts next week!  I will be hosting the very first one and I hope you can join in to support me.  And don't forget you can win some blog candy if you follow these 3 simple steps:

1. Display the Promo Banner on your blog (you can find it on the right hand side)
2. Become a follower of our new challenge blog
3. Leave your name with Mr Linky in the post here

The winner will be announced on 2nd November in the first challenge post. 

I am also submitting my card into the following challenges:

• Make it Monday - inspirational creations
• Scrapbook Sisters - pets galore
• Sparkle Creations Christmas Cards - to use flowers, but this is only optional (none on mine!)
• Sarah Hurley - Xmas card but with no red or green

Paper/cardstock: Bazzill kraft and blue cardstock, Core'dinations whitewash cardstock, DCWV glitter card (the punched snowflakes)
Stamps: Ladybug Crafts Ink Nikki & buttercup running in the snow (you can buy it here), CC Designs sentiments and snowflake stamps
Mediums: ProMarkers, white pigment ink, Glamour Dust, Fluffy Stuff
Accents: white ric rac from stash
Tools: EK Success deep edger punch, Nestabilities label die (inside card), Woodware snowflake punch



Totally Gorjuss sparkle!

It's Saturday which means it's another Totally Gorjuss challenge!  This week we challenge you to make your creation **SPARKLE**!  Well, I know you all love your glitter so this should be an easy one and it's sponsored by Crafters Companion (and I'm sure you NEED more stash, right?!). 

I got my trusty Glamour Dust out and went a little mad with this one.  I know Kerry is going to LUUURVE this card - she just can't get enough of shiny things!  

Unfortunately, the camera always lies - well, alright my photography skills suck so you can't see the sparkle that well, but I promise you it's sparkling away!  I even used my precious Bazzill Bling cream cardstock to add to the shimmer.  Not sure if I like this card much, perhaps because I love my bright strong colours, but it is growing on me.  Can't help thinking that it needs something else, but not sure what - any advice gratefully received pleased!

Before I go, just wanted to remind you that you can win some [much needed] Xmas stash if you sign up for the new Ladybug Crafts Ink challenge blog here - you know you need want it!

I am also entering this card into the following challenges:

• The Sweet Stop Sketch - sketch with sparkle (but I think I've missed the deadline!)
• Moving along with the times - use Promarkers with anything goes theme, which is being sponsored by Letraset

Paper/cardstock: Bazzill textured and bling cardstock, Cosmo Cricket Earth Love paper pack
Stamps: Magnolia Fairytale Danelion background
Mediums: Promarkers, Glossy Accents, Glamour Dust
Accents: none!
Tools: Nestabilities label die and EK Success border punch for inside card

Raggedy doll

Did you used to own a raggedy doll as a child? I did and her arm got burnt off from sitting too close to my grandma's fireplace! But I still loved her, maimed that she was, lol!!! This Kraftin Kimmie stamp reminded me of my old doll (I think she's in my parent's attic) so of course I had to get her and here is my card for this week's Kraftin Kimmie challenge sketch...

Well, hope your Monday wasn't too bad and see you soon with another card - ttfn!

Paper/cardstock: Bazzill cardstock, Cosmo Cricket Earth Love paper pack
Stamps: Kraftin Kimmie Charlotte
Mediums: Copic and Promarkers markers
Accents: ribbon from stash, American Crafts rub on Purkey alphas
Tools: EK Success border punch, Nestabilities rectangle die (both inside card), Quickutz big dot embossing folder

Glitter girl

Edited post to include a close up photo of the glittery wings and flower!

I don't do a lot of children's cards - they've all grown up in my family! There is a new generation of babies at the moment so I'll have to wait a couple of years to start making those toddler cards! Happily, I've found this gorgeous little Wags 'n Whiskers fairy over at Bunny Zoe's Crafts which I think I can use for both babies and kiddies...

I used this week's

Sweet Stop sketch and of course I'm entering it into the Wags 'n Whiskers challenge to use glitter - you can see it just about on her wings and the glitter card flower.

Enjoy the last vestiges of the weekend and see you tomorrow with my card for this week's Kraftin Kimmie challenge!


Paper/cardstock: Bazzill cardstock, My Minds Eye Quite Contrary paper pack, DCWV white glitter card (flower)
Stamps: Wags 'n Whiskers Fairy Hannah
Mediums: Copic and Promarkers markers, Glamour Dust (wings)

Accents: MFT gingham ribbon, My Minds Eye button, green ribbon from stash, American Crafts rub on sentiment
Tools: Martha Stewart border punch (inside card), EK Success flower punch