An autumnal bear

Morning Folks!

The new theme over at Sparkles Monthly Challenges has just been announced, it's

FOREVER AUTUMN

This is going to be my last post as a member of the Sparkles DT, I've had a lot of fun over the last few years with the Sparkles themes and I'd like to wish Caz and the rest of the DT all the very best for the future!

Here's my card using one of my oldest LOTV rubber stamps called Bear and Butterflies.  The papers are a mixture of MME and assorted scraps from my stash, finished off with some prima flowers, ribbon and a die cut butterfly (Memory Box):

I always think this bear must be very short sighted!

Please visit the main blog

to see the inspiration from the rest of the design team!

Thank you so much for visiting today and for any comments you're kind enough to leave xx

Back to School

Morning Folks!

The new theme over at Sparkles Monthly Challenges is 

BACK TO SCHOOL

I've been back a couple of weeks now - BOO!! - and am already looking forward to the next holiday!

Here's the card I made after a very long rummage through my stash:

The paper is from PaperNation, the owl is a Penny Black stamp called 'Nocturne' and the sentiment is LOTV.

Please visit the main blog

to see the inspiration from the rest of the design team!

Thank you so much for visiting today and for any comments you're kind enough to leave xx

Tropical Holiday

Morning Folks!

Our new theme over at Sparkles Monthly Challenges is 

TROPICAL VACATION

Now of course I'd love to be showing you a beautiful scrapbook page of a gorgeous white sandy beach that I have wandered along, but sadly that's still on my bucket list!!

Instead, here's my bright and cheery card using 'Pig Vacation' from Bugaboo and a very old piece of card from Kanban called Funky Daisy:

 Please visit the main blog

to see the inspiration from the rest of the design team!

Thank you so much for visiting today and for any comments you're kind enough to leave xx

Time for a Wedding

Afternoon Folks!

It's a gorgeous day here in Hampshire, bright sunny and pleasantly warm - the perfect day for a Wedding, which is appropriate as that is the new theme over at Sparkles Monthly Challenges!

Here's my card using a pre coloured topper from LOTV, some gorgeous shabby chic papers from The Works, and an assortment of finishing touches from my stash:

Please visit the main blog

to see the inspiration from the rest of the design team!

Thank you so much for visiting today and for any comments you're kind enough to leave xx

Something a bit different ...

Happy Weekend Folks!

Have you got anything nice planned for the weekend? I'm hoping to dry out after a really miserable wet week here in Hampshire! Felt like I needed a snorkel and flippers waiting for the bus this week! 

As we are mid way through the month, it's time for our new theme over at Sparkles Monthly Challenges. This month, Helen would like to see projects with 

NO PATTERNED PAPER.

I've gone off on a tangent this month, no paper at all - just some wool!! This is a crochet  labrador I made as a gift for a work collegue who retired recently - she's hoping to spend more time with her 2 chocolate labs! I only started learning to crochet at the end of last year and it has become an addiction!! So many things I want to try, I just need more hours in the day!

 Apologies for the dull pictures, I had to photograph it before leaving for work last Friday - I only managed to finish him in the nick of time!

I got the pattern from the Edward's Menagerie Dogs book by Kerry Lord. He is made with a 4mm hook and Hayfield bonus DK yarn.

Pleased to say my friend was thrilled x

Please visit the main blog

to see what the rest of the design team have been making!

Thank you so much for visiting today and for any comments you're kind enough to leave xx

A Purple Flapper

Morning Folks!

It's the middle of the month and time for a new theme over at Sparkles Monthly Challenges, this time we would like to see you 

USING PURPLE IN YOUR PROJECT

Simples! 

Although purple is my favourite colour I don't use it that often when paper crafting. Over Easter, I was sorting through some old magazines and came across this fab Debbie Moore image which was the bonus gift in one of them. Perfect for this challenge! The purple background paper is a piece of antique 'handmade' paper which was all the rage yonks ago!!  I felt the image was crying out for some bling, so out came the gems and mirri card:

Please visit the main blog

to see the inspiration from the rest of the design team!

Thank you so much for visiting today and for any comments you're kind enough to leave xx

Odd dog bouquet

Afternoon Folks!

It's a beautiful Spring day here - hope the sun is shining where you are! We have a new theme just starting over at Sparkles Monthly Challenges

FLOWERS OR RELIGIOUS (or both!)

Here's the card I made, I have very little in the way of religious themed stash, so I went with the flowers option and an Odd Dog digi from LOTV:

 Pleased to say that my camera is back up and running, it was a faulty memory card which I ended up 'extracting' with pliers!

The flower paper is by My Minds Eye and the die cut is by Cottage Cotz. 

Please visit the main blog

to see the inspiration from the rest of the design team!

Thank you so much for visiting today and for any comments you're kind enough to leave xx

I'd also like to enter the challenges at:

CHNPP - Anything goes

Pearly Sparkles - Flowers or Showers 

Crafty Catz - Anything goes / Make us smile

Allsorts - Blossoms, Butterflies and bugs

Stamping Sensations - April showers bring May Flowers

A Spring Garden

Morning Folks!

It's Friday at last, nearly time for the weekend! 

It's also time for our new theme over at Sparkles Monthly Challenges which is 

STAMP YOUR BACKGROUND

Once I had decided what to do, and I had actually found my Card io 'Dragonfly Garden' stamps, this card was really quick and fun to make. I just grabbed a selection of ink pads (memento dew drops, some stampin' up and a couple from versa colour), masked off the bottom of my card with post it notes and went potty with the tiny stamps!! Quite pleased with the end result, especially when I added a few touches of glamour dust! Hard to see in the photo but it has added some nice sparkle! Added a sentiment from Stampin' Up and trimmed and mounted! Ta - Da!!

Please visit the main blog

to see the inspiration from the rest of the design team!

Thank you so much for visiting today and for any comments you're kind enough to leave xx

It's another squeeze!

Morning Folks!

It's my turn to choose the new theme over at Sparkles Monthly Challenges. No big surprise, I went for 

INCLUDE AN ANIMAL 

Here's my card, using an old favourite Penny Black Stamp called Squeeze Til I squeak, coloured with promarkers and pencils. The papers are from my current fave pack - Dovecraft Baby Steps, can't seem to stop using them - you might have noticed!!

Please visit the main blog

to see the inspiration from the rest of the design team!

Thank you so much for visiting today and for any comments you're kind enough to leave xx

A New Cutie

Morning Folks!

It's another double bill from me today, first up is my card for the new Sparkles Monthly Challenge where the theme is:

NEW YEAR, NEW STASH 

I didn't get any new papercrafting goodies for Christmas but I did pick up a fabulous set of lacey circle dies in The Works, early in December - amazing value for £3 - and this is their first outing. I got the stamp in a Facebook destash sale last year, I love the cute image but I have no idea of the brand or name. It's a red rubber stamp with Ez mount and stamps beautifully - if you recognise it, I'd love to know what it is!

 Here's a close up view:

The papers are Dovecraft Baby Steps and some from my scraps collection.

Please visit the main blog

to see the inspiration from the rest of the design team!

Thank you so much for visiting today and for any comments you're kind enough to leave xx

I'd also like to enter the following challenges:

Word Art Wednesday - A/G

Creative Inspirations - A/G

As you like it - A/G

I love promarkers - A/G option something new

CHNPP - A/G with patterned paper

Cute Card Thursday - What's New

Crafty Friends - New Beginnings

Penny Black and More -New Beginnings

Fab N Funky - New Beginnings

CRAFT - New

A small Santa sack

Morning Folks!

It's a super quick post from me today to let you know that our new challenge is just starting over at Sparkles Monthly Challenges:

SANTA CLAUS IS COMING TO TOWN

I am soooo not ready for Christmas at the moment, need to give myself a good talking too and get organised!!

This is the super quick gift bag I made using another sheet of Create and Craft decoupage sheets. You can see my other makes here and here.

Please visit the main blog

to see the inspiration from the rest of the design team!

Thank you so much for visiting today and for any comments you're kind enough to leave xx

I'd also like to enter the challenges at:

Best Friends and Toadstools

Morning Folks!

Hope you're all well, I'm just getting over a nasty bug so I'll keep this brief so I don't spread my germs!!

The new challenge is just starting over at Sparkles Monthly Challenges. This month our theme is 

THINGS OF FALL / AUTUMN

I think autumn is lasting a long time this year, the trees around us still have some fantastic colours on show. 

Here's the card I made using a recent Penny Black purchase called Best Friends. The papers are very old My Minds Eye papers which were a magazine cover gift years ago! The flowers are by prima and the Die cut is from Memory Box.

 Love this cute pair sat on their toadstools:

Please visit the main blog

to see the inspiration from the rest of the design team!

Thank you so much for visiting today and for any comments you're kind enough to leave xx

I'd also like to enter the challenges at:

CHNPP - Anything goes with patterned paper

Pearly Sparkles - Autumn colours  - pearls in flower centres

Crafty Friends - 2 or more patterned papers

Word Art Wednesday - Anything goes

Fab N Funky - With an Animal

Crafty Creations - Anything goes

Crafting by Designs - Give Thanks / Autumn colours

Penny Black and More - make someone smile 

Scaredy Cat!

Morning Folks!

It's midway through the month and our new challenge is just starting over at Sparkles Monthly Challenges.

This time we have a colour challenge and would like to see projects with only two of these colours:

ORANGE, PURPLE, GREEN and BLACK.

I quite like Halloween, so I've gone for that as my theme but obviously these colours don't have to be used just for Halloween! The stamp is Jack O'Lantern Kitty from Penny Black, coloured with promarkers and pencils and then cut out with deckle edge nesties - minding the whiskers. I had a good hunt through my stash to find suitable papers and embellishments - some of this stuff must be a decade old!

I should think there is a smell of burning fur with the cat sat on top of the lit pumpkin, let's hope they are using battery operated tea lights!!

Please visit the main blog

to see the inspiration from the rest of the design team!

Thank you so much for visiting today and for any comments you're kind enough to leave xx

I'd also like to enter the challenges at:

Pearly Sparkles - Anything goes

Animal Friends - Autumn / Halloween

CHNPP - Anything goes with patterned paper

Unicorn Challenge - Autumn / Halloween

I love promarkers - Anything goes
That's Crafty - Spookalicious
Craft Rocket - Autumn / Halloween
Cute Card Thursday - Halloween
If you give a crafter a cookie - photo insp

Colour Crazy Challenge - Anything goes
A gem of a challenge - Anything goes
Di's Digi Design Challenge - Pumpkins
Creatalicious Challenges - Anything goes optional purple
Crafty Sentiments - Halloween
Sweet Stampers - Autumn or Halloween
Pammies Inky Pinkies - Anything goes

Cute Elephant Ears!

Morning Folks!

This is another weekend where my blog posts are like buses, two at once again - but that's just the way DT posts happen sometimes!!

This post is to say the new challenge is just starting over at Sparkles Monthly Challenges, this time we'd like to see you using

DIES & / or PUNCHES

This is my card which actually uses 6 different dies! The cuttlebug and the circular nesties got a bit of a workout! It's been ages since I've made a circular easel card, I'd forgotten how fun they are. 

The super cute elephant die cut is by Tattered Lace. I'm not usually a huge fan of their dies as they are a bit too fussy and twirly for my taste, but this little chap called out to me in a Hobbycraft sale earlier in the year. As soon as I  saw it I thought of baby cards, but I think it was the cute way the ear sticks out that sold it to me!!

Can you see that cute ear? I couldn't resist adding a googly eye either - don't want a blind elephant blundering around the place!!

Other Details

Paper - LOTV Up, Up and Away Pastel Dreams

Sentiment and matching die - Stampin' Up

Googly Eye and Liquid Pearls from stash

Please visit the main blog

to see the inspiration from the rest of the design team!

Thank you so much for visiting today and for any comments you're kind enough to leave xx

I'd also like to enter the challenges at: