Will's 6th Birthday

Oh brrrrrr, its such a cold night and blowing a gale and now starting to rain.  I'm foundered already and I have to go out soon - think I'd rather get my PJs on and stay home!
(... if you're not from Northern Ireland 'foundered' means 'freezing' LOL!)
This card was a commissioned one ... I HATE making special order cards, but I like how it turned out!  It was one of those that I wasn't sure what way it was going until it was finished!
Coloured my High Hopes alien with promarkers and coloured some stars to match.  I didn't have any suitable markers for the microscope so ended up paper piecing it.  Silver peel off letters and a bit of bling to finish.

• High Hopes #123 - numbers
• Simon Says Stamp - anything goes
• Sketch from Inspirational Card Sketches #142
• Lexi's Creations #54 - one for the lads
• Alota Rubber Stamps November challenge Alota71 - dots
• Speedy the Cat's Friends Challenge #83 - make it masculine

Butterfly thanks

*Scroll down for my Dream Valley DT post*

ETA - This wee card was in the Top 3 at Monday Lunchtime Sketches!

I was rooting through my stamps earlier when I rediscovered my one and only Hanglar & Stanglar stamp, much neglected unfortunately!  Coloured her with copics - though I kinda wish I hadn't given her green tights ... not sure if I'd pass any fashion awards with those!!

• Catered Crop - your favourite Thank You card ... well my favourite is usually the most recent one LOL!  I like the CAS style of this one, my fabulous Paper Smooches sentiment and the gorgeous bright DP
• The Pink Elephant #126 - give thanks
• Use it Tuesday #20 - giving thanks
• Crafty Creations #145 - give thanks / gratitude
• My Mum's Craft Shop #33 - things with wings
• PaperPlay Challenges #47 - Being Thankful
• Make it Colourful #41 - colouring white (I used C0 and C1 to add some shading to my envelope)
• Sketch from Monday Lunchtime TSSC201 - though I stuck one of my horizontal panels down wonky, so I intentionally put the central panel at an angle to make it less noticable .. I think it works!

Dream Valley Challenge #21

It's challenge time again over at Dream Valley and this week it's

Sparkle!

So it's perfect if you haven't got all your Chrissy cards made, or if you just wanna bling up a wee birthday card like me!  I added some clear gloss and Glamour Dust glitter to my little mouse's balloon and the card candy, and then I blinged up my bling by adding red stickles to some clear gems.

And what could you win??  Well, my lovely team mate Mags has kindly donated TWO Lili of the Valley stamps (times like this I wish I could play in the challenge LOL!)  You've 2 weeks to play along, and don't forget that you can make anything you like, just as long as it sparkles (max. 3 entries).  And if you're stuck for inspiration, pop over to Dream Valley Challenges to see the fab creations from the DT!

Oh, and the Design Team call ends on 28 November, so you'd need to be quick!

Bunny in flight!

I haven't played with my big eared bunnies for a while, so thought I'd stamp him up for this week's sketch challenge at Sketch Saturday.  Coloured him with promarkers and popped up on dimensionals.  I doodled a border and then added wee 'scratch' marks on my image and clouds to match.

• Sketch Saturday #183
• Stamp TV Free for all Friday - cut it out
• I Love Promarkers #93 - anything goes
• Penny Black at Allsorts November challenge - all creatures great and small

Mad Bunny!

ETA: I won at Do You Stack Up ... a $10 spending spree at Stitchy Bear Digis!

Oh, brrrr, its another cold wintry day here ..I've had the kitchen light on almost all day!  I've been off work the past couple of days and managed to get most of my Christmas shopping done, just need to get my act together and get some Christmas cards made now!  

This wee card uses the fab mad bunny from Paper Smooches ... I always seem to end up paper piecing these little dudes.  I've had this gorgeous DP in my stash for YEARS and could never seem to get it used, so the inspiration pic from the Paper Smooches SPARKS challenge was just perfect for it!  And I had a total Homer Simpson moment when I was punching my grass with my Martha Stewart punch and I realised (after owning it for over a year) that the sides of the punch flipped down into a proper sized punch.  DOH!  I did wonder why it had such a small punch area and hardly ever used it because of that!!

• Paper Smooches SPARKS challenge - inspiration pic ... I used the colour combo and the pretty flowers for my inspiration
• Sketch from Cute Card Thursday #192
• Do You Stack Up #47 - grass
• Fab'n Funky #100 - Birthday

Paper Smooches new release ...

Just giving you the heads up that Paper Smooches have a new release of SUPER CUTE stamps.  There's a blog hop on at the minute with the chance to win them!  Race you there....!

Go Team!

Sorry, couldn't get a decent pic of this card, I'm very much an 'auto focus' girl and my poor wee camera didn't know what to look at first on this card!

Image from Sugar Nellie; Stampin Up sentiment; coloured with copics; clear gloss and glitter added to her pompoms and highlights on her outfit.

Don't forget you've another week to play along with our stitching challenge over at Dream Valley ... and if you fancy joining our Team, there's a mini DT call on at the minute.  Pop over to the blog for more deets (you've only got till the 28th!)

• Sketch from The Sugar Bowl #72
• Tuesday Throwdown #75 - lots of circles
• Sweet Stampin - Birthday
• One Stitch at a Time #89 - anything goes
• ABC Challenge - D is for Dazzle

Xmas card #15

Oh dear, I'm sooooo behind in my Christmas cards this year!  I think I might have to buy some ... gasp!

I saw a beautiful snowflake edge somewhere in blogland recently so thought I'd have a go at a DIY one!  I embossed a strip of red and then some snowflakes.  Coloured my little High Hopes monkey with promarkers and added clear gloss to his skis and flower soft for snow.  The black dots are actually little silver pearls but couldn't get them to photograph properly.  Paper Smooches sentiment.

Oh and by the way, I didn't win the Lottery ... well there's always next week!

• High Hopes #122 - snowflakes
• Sketch from Midnight Madness #130
• Oldie but a Goodie - Let it snow
• ABC Christmas W is for Winter Sports
• Sarah Hurley's challenge #54 - buttons
• Crafty Catz #109 - snowflakes
• Winter Wonderland - awww what a cutie
• JUGS #111 - red, green, white
• Stamp Scrap and Doodle Saturdays - embossing

A good day!

I've had a great day today!  First our car passed it's MOT this morning (hooray!!) Then I was full of energy, got loads of housework done, had time to knock out a couple of cards, and then I found my missing Paper Smooches 'happy birthday' sentiment that mysteriously vanished last week .... and where was it?  Stuck to a copic marker!!
I'm also waiting patiently on the Lottery being drawn ... 2 people have dreamt recently that I've won big money!!!  So if I win I'll post a pic of me in the Bahamas!!

Image from Lili of the Valley; sentiment Paper Smooches; coloured with copics; silver gems; clear gloss; stickles

• Simon Says ... thanksgiving / thanks
• Creative Card Crew - thankful
• Sketch from CASual Friday CFC29
• Speedy the Cat's Friends Challenge Week #82 - Black, white + 1 other

Bug eyed snowmen!

(Ohhhh, if you find my mojo please post it back to me!!)
I had the bright idea of giving my snowmen little enamel eyes, but a little bubble in the mix popped so they ended up with BIG eyes instead LOL!  I also blinged up the tall dude's moustache (its not every day you hear that expression!) with some black stickles.  Added a fancy metal corner and some gold peel offs to finish.

• Paper Smooches Christmas challenge
• Sketch from Monday Lunchtime #200   (I've no idea how Mary Jo can even imagine that many different layouts, I've bother even making one single card without a pre-designed sketch!!)  Play along and you could win a $25 Stampin Up spending spree!
• Cards for Men #23 - it's nearly Christmas
• My Time to Craft #166 - Take 2
• Fab'n Funky #99 - Baby its cold outside

• Sweet Stampin - Going Gorgeously Gingham

Aunt Cilla's Birthday card

Another quickie post from me tonight ... I'm pooped and I'm a Celeb is on telly anyway. Time for a cuppa and a wee choccie bar (low fat of course!!)

• Friends of Speedy TV #7 - Birthday
• Do You Stack Up #45 - Inspired by a song ... What about Hangin on the telephone by Blondie!
• Wee Memories #76 - Birthdays and Parties
• Sketch from Sketch'n Stash #74

Blue Bunny

* ETA: I was one of Card Patterns Super 6 with this card! *

Ohhh its a bit of a draughty day out there... got my pots and cutting back all done in the front garden, but didn't quite manage to get any of my winter planting done.  Ah well, there's always next weekend!  Ha, who am I kidding, 2 dry weekends in a row must be a new record for us!

Right, I'm away ... I've a stack of ironing that's threatening to topple, and I'm a Celebrity Get me out of here starts tonight, which I LOVE!

• Sir Stampalot November Challenge - blue and green
• Penny Black at Allsorts November challenge - all creatures great and small
• Sketch from Card Patterns #141
• Speedy the Cat's Friends Challenge Week 81~~Your Favorite Technique (mine is stamping, embossing and paper piecing)

Dream Valley Challenge #20

We had an amazing response to our last challenge over at Dream Valley and this fortnight it's another nice easy one ....

Stitching!

Make whatever you like, just as long as you've done some stitching.  (The prize this time is a voucher for One Stop Card Crafts)  If you're stuck for some inspiration, pop over to Dream Valley Challenges and see the gorgeous creations by my Teamies!

Unfortunately my sewing machine died a while ago ... I'm thinking of hinting to 'Santa' that I'd love a new one for Christmas (though it would probably be easier to buy it myself and then present him with the bill HaHa!)  I love the effect of sewing on cards but there just isn't enough hours in the day to be bothered hand-stitching round the entire card - I quite often use faux stitching instead and a wee bit of real sewing just for effect.

Supplies: Old DP from Papermania; image from Lili of the Valley; sentiment from Elzybells; corner rounder punch; Marianne Creatibles snowflake die; pink stickles; white flower soft; clear gloss (on party hat and his nose); copic markers; pink pearls

Other Challenges I'd like to enter this card into..

• Crazy for Challenges C4C113 - 3 DPs, 3 dies/punches, 3 embellishments
• Lili of the Valley #120 - creature comforts
• Stampavie and more #155 - anything goes
• Creative Inspirations #137 - all stitched up
• Sketch from Mojo Monday #214
• Stamp TV Mix it up Monday - Got Scraps
• House of Gilli #20 - monochrome

Bunny Birthday

Wow, I can't believe its Thursday already!  Nice short day in work tomorrow and then a supposed dry weekend, so I'm hoping to get my garden pots all cleared out and some winter pansies planted.  Well, that's the plan anyway!

This wee card uses a fab bunny from The Cats Pyjamas, popped him up on dimensionals and paper pieced his net.  I've only got a sheet or two of kraft paper left so I'm going to have to go shopping soon!
Sentiment is an oldie from Stampin Up.

• CRAFT #128 - cute
• Crafty Creations #143 - kraft, white + 1 other

• Sketch from Card Patterns #140
• Charisma Cardz #44 - cutsey
• Crafty Catz #107 - anything goes
• Penny Black and more at Allsorts (November) - all creatures great and small

Bloomin' Pixies!

I had the bright idea last night that I'd knock out a couple of birthday cards and just make them the same but 'slightly' different.  So out came my Paper Smooches sentiments set and I stamped Happy Birthday on one, lifted the other card over and went to stamp it .... and the pixies had nipped in and stolen my stamp!  I've spent HOURS looking for it... in my scrap bag, in my stamp box, on the floor, on the dog, and its nowhere to be found.  I'm gutted as it was my fave font on a Birthday stamp booo hooo! 

Anyway, this wee card uses another Paper Smooches set, Swanky Snowmen.  I've used the colour combo from their current challenge ...

I embossed the lower portion of the blue bg with a cuttlebug snowflake embossing folder and added some glitter and Arlenes True Snow stuff.

• Paper Smooches SPARKS challenge (Nov3-16)
• Top Tip Tuesday #59 - anything Christmas ... my top tip is to always put your clear stamps back in the packet before the pixies run off with them LOL!
• Cards for Men #23 - its nearly Christmas
• Sketch from Unscripted Sketches #131
• One Stop Craft #156 - 3 of anything (I've used 3 snowmen)
• Speedy the Cat's Friends Challenge Week 80~~Fall or Winter Theme
• Sarah Hurley Challenge #53 - use 2 or more images

Frog in Boxers

Just a quickie post tonight ... discovered that we do actually have MTV (shows how much we watch it!) so off to watch the big show from Belfast on the telly.

I can't take any credit for this wee card ... Karen (*1 wacky woman*) is this week's featured stamper at Splitcoaststampers, so I got to case one of her fabulous cards! ... HERE's her original.

Images from High Hopes; Martha Stewart grass punch; copic markers; dimensionals; bakers twine; orange gems

Oh, and before I go, we had a beautiful day at the wedding yesterday and the sunshine was glorious, as was the beautiful bride.  Isn't it nice to see everyone all dolled up too ... here's what happens to me and Greg with a bit of soap and water LOL!

Best friends!

When I'm making a card I usually start with a sketch, then find an image and finally my papers, but I'm determined to get some of my paper stash used up so I went the total opposite way to make this one. And it's definately a more difficult way to go about things!  Plus I couldn't find any markers to match my dotty dp, so I ended up almost totally paper piecing my little girl.

Image from High Hopes.  Coloured with copics/promakers.  Added some bling, pearls and a bit of sparkle, and some clear gloss to the doggy's nose.  Distressed round my image with some blue ink.

• Papertake Weekly - anything goes
• Crafty Cardmakers #55 - pink, brown, cream
• High Hopes #121 - anything High Hopes goes
• Charisma Cardz #44 - cutsey
• The Pink Elephant #123 - distressing

Harley Snoopy!

Well it's an exciting weekend ahead ... MTV are in town and I think the whole of Northern Ireland is in a bit of a tizz!  One of my workmates managed to get a ticket to the awards and she's soooo excited!  Lucky duck! It looks like being a sunny and bright weekend too ... so all our international visitors will have a great {false} impression of our weather HaHa!   Unfortunately we don't have MTV on our Sky package so we're not even going to see the fun!

Coloured my cool Snoopy with copics; sentiment from Practising Creativity; DP from Basic Grey 'Oliver'; star dies from Taylored Expressions; clear gems

• Sketch from CPS #242
• Cards for men #22 - Animals
• icopic weekly challenge #54 - masculine card
• Fab'n Funky #97 - planes, trains and automobiles
• Papertake Weekly - Anything Goes
• Basic Grey #56 - Anything goes

Dum dum de dum

I hate leaving cards to the last minute, and I've known about this wedding for a year, so I've no excuses for faffing about ... and of course tonight is my last chance to get this card made!  We're off to my best friend's daughters wedding on Saturday, so if I remember I'll get someone to take a pic of me and Greg in our finery!

This wee card took aaaaages to make.  First I couldn't decide on what sketch to use, then trying to find some papers was another challenge as I don't really have any nice 'weddingy' stuff... can you tell that lovey-dovey isn't my thing!  Even the flowers took ages to get sorted, I envy you lot who can do a full flower arrangement on your cards (...though then I would have had to make a presentation box and I would have been up all night!)

Coloured with a mixture of copics and promarkers; loads of wee mini bling added to her dress and stickles to the flowers.  Echo Park DP.  Lili of the Valley stamp.

• Sketch from Sketch Saturday #179
• Simon Says Stamp - anything goes
• Charisma Cardz #43 - anything goes
• Speedy the Cat's Friends Challenge #79 - use your scraps
• One Stop Craft #155 - no sentiments
• Creative Card Crew - Fallin' for you