NEW LOTV vintage boys and cute animals

Hello lovely people,

We have a wonderful treat for you at the end of this week because there are two fantastic sets of new images being released from LOTV on Friday 28th, and I hope you are ready for a whole lot of cuteness!

This time there are 3 cute animal scenes and 4 fab vintage boys and I absolutely adore all of them.

To me, the vintage boys are a real LOTV classic and they are just so good for making masculine cards, so that's what I used for my first project.

One thing I love about these images is the wonderful detail in them and yet they are really easy and fun to colour...just look at this adorable little chap...

I made the little typewriter text strips on my computer and added a sweet little hammer charm, but my favourite detail on this card is the corrugated card because I really like the texture and interest it adds.

This particular bit of card was recycled from some packaging and has a lovely soft colour and texture, so I am sad that I only have a very little of it.

If anyone knows where I can get some corrugated card that looks anything like this (I definitely don't want very rigid corrugation) then do let me know!

I hope everyone's week is going well so far :-)

Thanks for visiting and I really appreciate any comments that you leave,

Card recipe;

Image: The Workbench - LOTV (coming soon!)

DP: Vintage Autumn Basics - Maja Design (available from Live and Love Crafts)

Ivory button twine - The Ribbon Girl

Hammer charm - The Ribbon Girl

Sentiment: generated on computer

Copic colours;
Skin: E000/00/21/11/04
Hair: E41/42/44
Workbench / hammer handle: E43/44/47
Box of tools / wood shavings: E41/42/43

Dungarees: B91/93/95/97

Shirt: W00/0/2

Hat / ground: W00/0/1/2/3/4

Boots: W4/5/7

Tool handles: B93/95/97

Tools: W0/2/3

Feeling Christmassy

Hello lovely people,

I am starting to feel quite Christmassy as somehow it feels like it's just around the corner once we get into October, plus I have been buying some lovely new Christmas craft stash to play with :-)

Before I get into using that though, I knew just who would really make me feel even more super Christmassy...the one and only gorgeous James bear from LOTV!

The design is very simple but I liked the idea of the twine wrapped round the card looking kind of like a present.

I have used the rubber stamp version of this image (now discontinued) so I could colour it with my Inktense pencils but you can buy the digi stamp straight away from the shop if you can't resist lovely James!

There is also a challenge running at the moment on the Facebook page with the theme of Christmas so do pop over to the event page HERE and check out all the details as there are some fab prizes up for grabs :-)

Thanks for visiting and I really appreciate any comments that you leave,

Card recipe;

Image: James wrapped in tinsel - LOTV

DP: Vintage Frost Basics - Maja Design (available from Live and Love Crafts)

Twine: Ivory button twine - The Ribbon Girl

Inktense colours;
Hmmm, didn't write these ones down...sorry!

Beer for Dad

Hello lovely people,

The sun is shining this morning and I am in a 'get things done' mood so I thought I'd just pop by really quickly to share the cards I made for Fathers' Day.

It's spot the difference for the second one...they are almost identical!

You might be able to see that I popped the wording up on foam pads for the second design.  Oh, I nearly forgot to say...I made the wording for this on my computer in the style of some popular word stickers that I have seen and I was really pleased with them.  So you may see me using these again!

 The beer bottle stamps are from a wonderful set by Card-io and I bought several other manly designs at the same time so just need to find time to play with them all!

Card recipe;

Image: Last orders Majestix stamp set - Card-io

Twine: Ivory button twine - The Ribbon Girl
Twine: Natural button twine - The Ribbon Girl

Fancy edge: Double dot - Martha Stewart

Ok, I'm off to (hopefully) have a productive day and I hope you all have a good day too :-)

Thanks for visiting and I really appreciate any comments that you leave,

This time in pink!

Hello lovely people,

I had a lovely time catching up with people from work at the Pizza Hut lunch yesterday and my final pizza slice total was.....8 slices!  But I cheated a little by not eating the boring crusts ;-)

And now it's time for a new challenge at In The Pink

Our theme this time is...

PINK CHRISTMAS

So don't forget we want to see more pink than any other colour!

Our fabulous sponsor this time is Paper Nest Dolls with a $15 voucher

I had another play with this lovely stamp because it was just crying out to be done in pink and I fancied a bold modern design this time.

Since I threw rather a lot of bling at this card the tag seemed very appropriate!

Card recipe;

Image: Bubble tree - Woodware

DP: from stash

Twine: Cotton candy pink Bakers Divine Twine - The Ribbon Girl

Tag: Christmas sentiment tags - LOTV

Dies: Dotties - Presscut

Gems - from stash

If you haven't already done so then do pop over to In The Pink and check out the gorgeous creations from the rest of the Pink Ladies.

Thanks for visiting and I really appreciate any comments that you leave,

Challenges I am entering;

Hard to choose a favourite!

Hello lovely people,

It's time for a new challenge at In The Pink and our theme this time is...

YOUR FAVOURITE RUBBER STAMP / IMAGE

Or one of your favourites if you're like me and could never pick just one!
Don't forget we want to see more pink than any other colour!

Our fabulous sponsor this time is Bunny Zoe's Crafts with a £10 voucher

I have been playing with my new floral frame dies to create a shaped base for this card and I cut down the card blank to fit the back of the shape, leaving the back section longer so it matches the height of the frame on the front.

This image is a real favourite of mine because it's so glamorous and involves wine - lol!
I like the name too...Opal the Optimist is clearly a glass half full lady and I like that.
I don't think she is sharing that bottle with anyone though from the way she is hugging it!

Since I was going for proper girly on this card it had to be finished off with a touch of sparkle on the dress and a few flowers but I like that it's still relatively simple.

Card recipe;

Image: Uptown girl Opal the optimist - Stamping Bella

DP: Till Mor - Pion Design (available from Live and Love Crafts)

Flowers: Wild Orchid Crafts
Twine: Ivory button twine - The Ribbon Girl

Dies: Triple floral frames - Spellbinders

Sentiment: For you circular sentiments - LOTV

Copic colours;
Skin: E000/00/21/11/04 & R20
Hair: E41/43/47
Dress: RV11/R81/R83
Wine bottle: YG93/95/97 & YR30/31

If you haven't already done so then do pop over to In The Pink and check out the gorgeous creations from the rest of the Pink Ladies.

Thanks for visiting and I really appreciate any comments that you leave,

Presents!

Hello lovely people,

Here we are again on a Monday and it's been a frosty one where I am, but no snow...yet!

I'm just back from a lovely relaxing week away in a cottage near Exeter :-)
I planned for the poor weather by taking some colouring and a good book with me.
We managed a little walking and lots of cake; despite it being November I still had to have a cream tea!

So today I'm showcasing some LOTV products as part of the Design Collective and I'm still busy making Christmas cards.

Huge apologies that this image is actually one of the ones that have just been retired but there are loads of other cute Christmas images still available.

I was spoilt for choice as to where to add some sparkle but tried to be a bit selective!

Card recipe;

Image: Box of wishes - LOTV (DISCONTINUED - sorry!)

DP: from stash
Twine: Bakers Divine twine in cotton candy pink - The Ribbon Girl

Tag: Christmas sentiment tags - LOTV

Copic colours;
Skin: E000/00/21/11/04 & R20

Pink: R81/83/85
Rest: not sure because I did it on holiday and didn't write it down!

I wish you all a lovely week whatever you are up to...even if you are working!

Thanks for visiting and I really appreciate any comments that you leave,

Challenges I am entering;

to be added

Carol singing

Hello lovely people,

Here we are halfway through the week again so of course it's Creative Inspirations challenge time and this week we have the theme...

FESTIVE FUN!

We are sponsored by Crafts U Love with a £10 voucher

I took the speedy option this week with a pre-coloured art pad image but I really love these cute carol singing critters and it was an absolute no-brainer to team it with the music paper.
I'm doing really well with keeping my Christmas cards flatter this year!

I couldn't resist adding a little sparkle to the image...it's mandatory for Christmas cards don't you know?!

Card recipe;

Image: LOTV art pad (discontinued)

DP: Glad Tidings - Dovecraft

Twine: Natural button twine - The Ribbon Girl

Sentiment: Circular Christmas Sentiments - LOTV

Sparkle: Crystal glamour dust

The DT have made some wonderfully festive samples to inspire you so pop over to Creative Inspirations to take a look :-)

Thanks for visiting and I really appreciate any comments that you leave,

Challenges I am entering;
to be added

New LOTV stamps - rugby girl

Hello lovely people,

I have an apology to make as I have been so busy over the last week that I haven't had time to catch up with all your blogs but I plan to pop round tonight.

Today is another busy day but a nice one as I shall be mostly crafting and catching up on my DT cards.

Speaking of which...it's new stamp release day at LOTV and there are all sorts of Little Folk and Little Critters for you to choose from.

Here's a little sample I made as part of the Design Collective with one of the new stamps;

I enjoyed making this card suitable for a girl but not too 'pretty girly' and of course the image is just so adorable!

Card recipe;

Image: Sporty girls - LOTV

DP: Dress shoppe and Country gent (discontinued) - LOTV

Twine: Natural button twine - The Ribbon Girl

Tag: Sentiment tags - LOTV

Dies: Large frilly frames #10 - Go Kreate, Circle stax - MFT Die-namics, Cosmic star set & Precious stars - Memory Box

Copic colours;
Skin: E000/00/21/11/04 & R20
Hair: E53/35/39
Top / boots: B95/97/99
Shorts: T6/8/10
Rugby ball: R27/46/39 & W00/T0
Grass: YG61/63/67

I hope you all have a lovely day whatever you are up to :-)

Thanks for visiting and I really appreciate any comments that you leave,

Challenges I am entering;

to be added

A pre-coloured celebration!

Hello lovely people,

It's fast approaching the end of another weekend and once again it has been a good one :-)
Saturday was spent with my sister-in-law, her OH and our 2 nephews and we had a fun day including a fabulous maize maze, tasty ice cream and some crafting.
Today has been a day of crafting, making tomato sauce from our home grown plum tomatoes and watching The Imitation Game in our home cinema...which was an absolutely brilliant film.   Love love LOVE Benedict Cumberbatch :-)
Oh, and I made some chocolate and hazelnut biscotti for good measure...yes, I was inspired by The Great British Bake Off!

Food and baking seems to feature regularly on my blog but I do have a card to share with you as well...

I am forever putting off doing male cards as I always feel a lack of mojo for them but I have to say that this one was actually quite a quick make and I love how the design turned out.

The speed was partly due to the pre-coloured image I used...it is *not* cheating ;-)

I bought some word dies a while ago and I love to add dimension to them by cutting them 3 times and layering them up.

Card recipe;

Image: Jack, Patch & Puss Art Pad - LOTV

DP: Special delivery (baby boy) - Pebbles

Twine: Ivory button twine - The Ribbon Girl

Dies: Birthday words - Paper Smooches (from Dies to Die For)
Border punch: Martha Stewart scallop dot edge punch

I hope you all had a fabulous weekend, whatever you were up to :-)

Thanks for visiting and I really appreciate any comments that you leave,

Challenges I am entering;
Fussy and Fancy (birthdays)

Beach wedding

Hello lovely people,

It's time for a new challenge at As You Like It and our theme this time is...

YOUR FAVOURITE 2 EMBELLISHMENTS
...and don't forget to tell us why!

Our sponsor this time is Crafty Sentiment Designs

I love a pretty feel to my cards so I do enjoy adding embellishments and the one I always reach for first is flowers; I have lots so that I can try to match the colours of my image or paper!

I had to think a little for my second favourite embellishment choice as I do use a few things but realised it had to be pearls as I often scatter a few around just to add a little hint of detail and elegance.

The beach themed papers and details were chose because the couple are getting married on a beach, and I have to say I really love the kind of faded natural look to this design.

I know I've already picked my 2 fave embellies but I have to admit that a metal charm often finds it's way onto my designs...like this uber cute little shell charm :-)

The tags are made from the blank tag shape available in one of the LOTV sets and I stamped the names with little letter stamps...this only works with short names though - lol!

Card recipe;

Large focal sentiment: Congratulations statements - LOTV

DP: Shoreline treasures - Pion Design (available from Live and Love Crafts)

Flowers: Wild Orchid Crafts
Twine: Natural hemp twine - The Ribbon Girl

Tag: blank tag shape from Christmas sentiment tags - LOTV
Charm: Shell mix charms  -The Hobby House
Hessian ribbon & pearls: from stash

I hope you will pop over to As You Like It and check out the fabulously creative projects from the rest of the team :-)

Thanks for visiting and I really appreciate any comments that you leave,

Challenges I am entering;
Inky Chicks (use a metal embellishment)
Sweet Stampin' (anything but a birthday)

Decisions decisions...

Hello lovely people,

It's time for a new challenge at In The Pink and OMG what is this???
I've been left in charge at the Pink Palace while the boss (Christine AKA Rizzo) has no internet!

Well, I think I managed to pull it all together without any major issues but we shall see...

Anyway, our theme this time is...

FUSSY & FANCY
OR
CLEAN AND SIMPLE

Ok, that's really 2 themes I guess...so, you have a choice to make, which wasn't hard for me as I do love the fussy and fancy!
I know to some people this isn't all that fussy and fancy but it is most definitely not CAS!

This is a new addition to my LOTV stamp collection - you can never have too many cute girly images!

I got my hands on the new paper collection from Maja Design as soon as I could and knew it would be perfect for this girly card!  It's chock full of gorgeous pink papers!

Card recipe;

Image: Afternoon stroll - LOTV

DP: Vintage baby - Maja Design (available from Live and Love Crafts)

Flowers: Wild Orchid Crafts
Twine: Ivory button twine - The Ribbon Girl

Tag: Sentiment tags - LOTV
Dies: Old Swedish lace - Magnolia Doohickey
Letter squares - magazine freebie stamp set

Copic colours;
Skin: E000/00/21/11/04 & R20
Hair: E21/25/29
Dress / pram: RV11/R83/R56
Balloon: RV11/R83/R56/R59
Bows / bear's cap: RV11/R83
Bear: E41/2/3
Bunny: W0/1/3
Socks / dress bow: W00/1/3
Wheels / shoes: W3/5/7
Ground: W00/1/2/3/4/5

If you haven't already done so then do pop over to In The Pink and check out the gorgeous creations from the rest of the Pink Ladies.

Thanks for visiting and I really appreciate any comments that you leave,

Challenges I am entering;
1.  Simon Says Stamp (anything goes)
2.  Cute Card Thursday (use a sentiment)
3.  ABC Challenge (I is for inspire us!)

Just chillin'

Hello lovely people,

Well, it's been a weekend of 2 halves!
Yesterday was a day out in the Caterham 7, driving across Wales with lots of other Caterhams for fish and chips in Aberdyfi and driving back again!
It was sunny but quite breezy so we had to wrap up warm but it was a great day out :-)
I'll pop some pics at the end if you're interested.

So, today has been a chilling and crafting day...and a computer game playing and football watching day in the case of Dr. Hubby!

It's not often I venture into the realms of male cards but sometimes it has to be done and LOTV do have some fab images to work with...and fab papers too!

I had the urge to leave lots of white space around this image and keep to a few simple layers of DP; well, there's only so much you can add to a male design anyway!

I had pretty much finished the card when I realised I hadn't put the age on it and now I can't imagine that the card would look finished without that little fishtail banner - it fills that corner of the card so perfectly!

Card recipe;

Image: Lazy afternoon - LOTV

DP: Country gent - LOTV

Twine: The Ribbon Girl

Tag: Sentiment tags - LOTV and Family sentiment tags - LOTV

Copic colours;
Skin: E000/00/21/11/04 & R20
Hair: E51/53/55
Hat / trousers / shoes: E55/57/59
Jumper / shoes: W2/R27/46/89
Shirt / socks: W00/0/2
Newspaper: W00/0/2/4/6
Tree: E41/42/43/55/57
Leaves / grass: YG93/95/97

OK, I said I would show some pics, so here's a LOT of Caterhams all assembled at the start point; there's more than you can see in this photo too!
Our car is out of shot but that's me in the black jacket standing next to the chap with the red hat on :-)

Here's the only point where we got lost on the route...along with about a dozen other cars...we were all milling around trying to work out where we had gone wrong!

And here's our final destination; the fish and chips were yummy!

If anyone is really interested here's a video clip of us driving across the Brecons - shame you can't really hear the cars, just the wind noise!

I hope you have all had lovely weekends whatever you have been up to :-)

Thanks for visiting and I really appreciate any comments that you leave,

Challenges I am entering;
1.  Fab 'n' Funky (masculine)
2.  ABC Challenge (H is for Happy Birthday)