Saturday 31 August 2013

KRAFTY CHRISTMAS

So here's my second post - Christmas again and it's to enter the CAS-ual Fridays Challenge where the theme is 'She's Krafty and just my type' so I've gone with the Krafty but not sure if the 'type' quite fits.

Mr Dazzle didn't think this was a very dazzling Christmas card and his words were 'it's hardly going to jump out from the string of Christmas cards!' but the neutral colours are growing on me - what do you think?



Card Recipe:

Image & Sentiment - Gem Trees from Pink Petticoat
Papers: The Papermill Shop
Button and pearls from my stash

CHRISTMAS IS COMING!!!

Well so it seems - I've noticed a few blogs showing how many Christmas cards have been made so far for this year and YIKES I've got some catching up to do ... I'm in single figures! So I've got two to post today to add to my almost empty box and the first one is my entry to the Freshly Made Sketches Challenge.

Short and sweet as I'm hoping to get some more crafting in today. Back to work for me on Monday :-( why have the holidays gone so quickly? Anyway hoping to keep crafting and blogging regularly.


Card Recipe:

Image & Sentiment: Gem Trees from Pink Petticoat
Papers: The Papermill Shop (the cream one is a linen card but not obvious from the photo)
The Pennants are from a freebie pack of Christmas papers from Quick Cards Made Easy
Button, gems and pearls from my stash


Tuesday 27 August 2013

A TINGE OF SADNESS

So my first posts on returning from holiday were full of happiness and lurve ... but amongst the happy news we had some sad too. A very good family friend passed away far too young and my crafty American Auntie's F-I-L also passed away so here's one of the cards I made. Not my favourite cards to make but still prefer a handmade one to a shop bought one.

I'm combining this one with the Dynamic Duos challenge for this week.



Card Recipe:

Image: Butterflies - free download from Clearly Besotted plus Martha Stewart Butterfly punch
Also tried out one of my new Memory Box dies called Piestra Tile from Dies to Die For
Papers: Pink Petticoat
Sentiment: Pink Petticoat
Pearls from The Hobby House, Ribbon from TK Maxx
Gems from my stash and little flowers from my Crafty American Auntie

Monday 26 August 2013

DAYS OF THE WEEK DOUBLE

QUICK ... you may need to grab your sunglasses for this one!

This card is a commission for my friend's daughter - just hope she likes BRIGHT colours! The reason: CAS-ual Fridays colour challenge this week which I've teamed with the Sketch Saturday Challenge. Oh and if the Pixies on the playground could have seen me searching to the depths for the teeniest snippets then painstakingly cutting and sticking all those little banners together I think they'd be able to justify a second entry from me this week?????

Thanks for all your photo tips it's much appreciated. I'm still playing about with different backgrounds but haven't decided if I'm wasting my time yet.

So the sun is shining and it's a long weekend so enjoy the rest of your day. See you soon.




Card Recipe:

Cutting Dies used MFT Die-namics Numbers & Sentiment strips (cut in half) plus Framelits circles
Papers: Clearly Digi-stamps & Pink Petticoat
Sentiment: Pink Petticoat
Gems, Twine and Button from my stash

cfc112   

Sunday 25 August 2013

POST NUMBER 100!!!

I cannot believe that I've managed 100 blog posts since I joined blogland at the end of April this year. Whoosh have I really made 100 blog-worthy cards??? It's a good job I love making them!

Anyway hope you are all enjoying this Sunny Sunday weather.  Mr Dazzle managed to get out and cut the lawn as it was 'shin deep' following our holidays. He's complaining that it was a long job as he had to go over it 3 times. At least it's done now.

So onto my card for today and if you read my blog yesterday you may have noticed that a family friend had a miracle baby just over a week ago and this is the congratulations card I'm going to send to the happy parents.

Oh I'm trying a few different things with the photography as I was getting bored of the 'white only' look but not sure if I'm entirely happy yet so you may get a bit dizzy while I trial and error a few different styles! Feedback welcome.



I'm going to enter this card into a few challenges first and foremost on a Sunday is Pixies Snippets Challenge, a must when you manage to raid the scrap box and make a little 'dent' in the contents. Secondly, over at A Gem of a Challenge the theme this week is anything with a 'B' so I've gone for 'Blue for a BOY'! Thirdly Freshly Made Sketches and the sketch I've followed is below if you want to have a stab at it and last but by no means least The Digistamp Boutique Monthly Challenge, this being one of my favourite Digistamp images as I love making baby cards.

Hope to catch up with you all soon and enjoy the rest of your Sunday

Sarah
x




Card Recipe:

Image: Digistamp Boutique
Papers: Pink Petticoat
Sentiment: Pink Petticoat
Brad and buttons from my stash
Plus a drizzle of glamour dust for that added bit of sparkle.

Saturday 24 August 2013

LOVE IS ALL AROUND US ...

Well it is where I'm standing!  Two of my cousins have got engaged whilst we were on holiday, YIPPEE and here's the card I've just made for one of them.



So straight back into crafting and if you read my earlier blog and saw my new goodies you may have noticed some Clearly Besotted products and to say I was itching to try them out would be an understatement!  I love how Stephanie at Clearly Besotted uses twine and buttons on her cards so hope she won't mind me trying it out on my first ever Clearly Besotted creation.  I don't think I quite got the hang of stamping and die cutting so had to do a bit of fussy cutting to correct it but I guess that's just practice.

I was armed with the latest ColourQ challenge in my head and couldn't believe that as the card started to take shape I even got it on track for The CAS(E) This Sketch Challenge and Less is More.  Oh I've missed these challenges in the last couple of weeks.  Chrissie and Jen at Less is More want us to use Washi Tape but I don't have any...but I've a sneaking suspicion that some people had a 'heads up' on this challenge! Namely Liz Armstrong from Pink Petticoat who gave a little blog tutorial HERE on making your own washi tape so that's what I did...thanks Liz.

As well as my photographed goodies my A-M-A-Z-I-N-G Crafty American Auntie sent me a package of goodies from the USA which was also waiting for me when I got back.  Amongst other things she sent me some beautiful border embossing folders and I've given one a try on this card.  She also sent some lovely gems for each birthstone of the year.  Now I don't know about you but having a birthday in August means mine is Peridot - what a hideous stone...dirty green and boring so I'm changing my birthday to December as that's my favourite colour and I've used one of the gems here as it fit with the colour challenge!!!

Well that's enough waffle as the crafty goodies await!  The other love in the air which I must mention is around my two teenage kids who have spent the last 2 weeks moping around on holiday missing their loved ones!  Young love! BUT they are back home now and happy again.  PLUS a family friend gave birth to a tiny little boy whilst we were away and he's a bit of a miracle baby.  Mum has suffered with severe diabetes all her life and didn't think she could ever have children so lots of love going on there too.

Right that's definitely it I'm off to hit the stamps again!

See you soon

Sarah
x


Card Recipe:

Image: Clearly Besotted (very apt) Love Hearts stamps & dies
Papers: The Papermill Shop and Pink Petticoat
Sentiment: Clearly Besotted - from the Love Hearts Stamps
Button, Twine, gems from my stash

   

HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY ...

Sorry Happy Crafters - no card to post YET so just got some goodies to show you ...

I've just got back from a fabulous 2 week holiday in the Austrian Tirol and quite sad that we had to come home but just look what Mr Postie had delivered whilst we were away ....




For those of you who follow my blog regularly you may remember I had a little birthday before my holidays and I have some very generous friends and family, including Mr Dazzle, who gave me money to spend. So whilst lazing away the evenings in Austria I have been busy researching, shopping and gaining some amazing inspiration from your fantastic blogs.

Oh, mustn't forget I was lucky enough to win a little blog hop challenge over at Uniko Studio - simply adore their products and my win is amongst this collection of goodies too.

NOW ... I just can't wait to get started. I've got to admit that stamping isn't one of my favourite or skilled areas of crafting and I didn't even have any coloured ink pads until just before my holidays - BUT I'm going to 'jump in with both feet' and hope I can come up with some beautiful creations ... watch this space!

Think I may have to get my techi son to add a 'sale page' to my blog - in with the new and out with the old eh. Going to need some extra space to accommodate all these amazing products but that can wait - for now I've missed my crafty cupboard so enough of the waffle and I'm going to crack on with some crafting!

Hope to catch you all later

Sarah
x


Sunday 18 August 2013

BOBBI BEAR IN THE SNOW NO.2

As promised here's the second card I made which the Dazzles preferred as my 2nd entry to the Digistamp Boutique Monthly Challenge and this time I've loosely based the layout on the Deconstructing Jen sketch #112 which I enjoyed using a few weeks ago.



Card Recipe:

Image: Digistamp Boutique - Bobbi snow day
Papers: Freebie from Quick Cards Made Easy
Sentiment: Pink Petticoat
Brad, gems and ribbon from my stash
Dies used: Marianne Creatables Christmas Tree and Snowflake, Nestabilities label dies with a hand cut border and Sizzix Framelits Circles plus my beloved x-cut corner punch

CHEEKY CHRISTMAS TEDDY BEAR

Into the second week of my holiday now and if Mr Schedule has done his job then I'll be sad to go home but excited to get my hands inked and glittered up and catch up on all the blogs and challenges I've missed.

This is my entry to The Digistamp Boutique Monthly Challenge and I couldn't resist this cute little teddy bear when he was on offer last month. I ended up making 2 cards at the same time and can't decide which I like best. So as I've been missing for a couple of weeks on blog and craftland I'm going to enter both to the Digistamp challenge. AND, because it includes a teddy and lots of dies, cuts and punches I'll pop him in at Ready Teddy Go as a 2nd entry. I've used lots of Christmas snippety bits too so I'm hopping over to the Snippets Playground with my entry for this week.

I ran both cards past Mr Dazzle and Mr Dazzle Jnr and they chose the second one I'm going to post.  I'm torn that's why both are going in!

The background layout is loosely based on a previous sketch from Sketch Saturday #269.



Card Recipe:

Image: Digistamp Boutique - Bobbi Snow Day
Papers: Freebie from Quick Cards Made Easy
Sentiment: Pink Petticoat
Christmas Tree die was another lovely freebie from Dies to Die for
Snowflake: Marianne Creatables Die, Nestabilities Labels Die with hand cut border, X-cut corner punch
and last but not least MFT Die-namics Party Banners Die
Button, Twine and Gem from my stash

Wednesday 14 August 2013

CHRISTMAS ON MY SUMMER HOLIDAYS!

I am addicted to card making ... in case you hadn't realised and love all things crafty BUT I have to fess up and hold my hands high in the air as I don't enjoy colouring. I know it's very popular but I don't think I'm very good at it.  I shy away where possible.

Luckily help is at hand as there are so many beautiful pre-coloured images out there.Yippee for me! LOTV's fantastic pre-coloured sketch pads are simply perfect. I waited with baited breath throughout the build-up to their recent release of Christmas goodies and I wasn't disappointed. I adore these little cuties, young, loved up and blissfully happy - just like me!

So couldn't wait to get cracking and here is my first dabble with the new sketchpad. I'm going to enter it to the LOTV Monthly challenge where the theme is 'Make it Festive'. So with all those pressies, mistletoe and snow what else could it be. I think the image stands out well enough on it's own with just a few embellishments.

I'm also going to pop this in at the Papertake Weekly Challenge where the theme is occasion-ally. So Christmas is my occasion as I just love all the magic of the festive season.



Card Recipe:

Image: Lili Of The Valley
Papers: Freebie from Quick Cards Made Easy
Sentiment: Pink Petticoat
Button, Nailheads, Gem and Twine from my stash
Plus - that old glamour dust for added dazzle and a drop of liquid pearls for the mistletoe

Sunday 11 August 2013

HOW OLD ... 97!

Happy Sunday

Another scheduled post I'm afraid but I will be trying to view your blogs from abroad, fingers crossed the WiFi connection will be playing ball - especially as I'm heading to Pixies playground with this creation along with a couple of other challenges.

You might be wondering who is 97 and whether you've read it wrong.  No you haven't!  My dear Nanna will be this ripe old age whilst I'm on holiday so had to whisk this into the post early.  She is such a fun lady despite old age and declining health; she's always got a giggle up her sleeve and a song on her lips. Fantastic spirit for an oldie so just hope her genes pass my way!




Card Recipe:

Image & Sentiment: OLD and I can't remember - should fit nicely with the Creative Inspirations Challenge!
Papers: TK Maxx & Glitter card from my stash
Buttons, bakers twine and pearls from my stash
Dies used Sizzix Framelit Banners & Ovals plus Martha Stewart Butterfly punch
and the background die was a lovely freebie from Dies to Die for and I couldn't resist leaving the centre piece in too and just removed the butterfly pieces.

Challenges:

Pixies Snippet Playground - Week 85
Papertake Weekly: Anything Goes (optional extra of Vintage)
Creative Inspirations: Something Old (Teddy bear and Glitter Papers)
Something New (Dies to Die for oval florish Die and TK Maxx papers)
Ready Teddy Go Monthly Challenge - Dies, Cuts & Punches (see above recipe list for what I've used)
Deconstructing Jen #112 - A new one for me and here's the sketch

Deconstructed Sketch 112

Friday 9 August 2013

WHAT ANOTHER DINOSAUR?

I should apologise but I can't ... I am love struck with these little dinosaurs (might not be saying that if it was a REAL-LIFE thing). So one little dino was posted yesterday for Sketch Saturday and this one is for the Sweet Stop Sketch Challenge.  The images just seemed to slot well with the sketches so here goes:

Oh before that I will just say I made 6 cards in total like this as I've quite a few cheeky little nephews and friends too who can quite happily slot into my cute dino character. Cute on the outside and terrifying if you cross them!

Bit nutty but I've called my dinos Fred and Ginger; this one GINGER as it's that kind of colour and yesterday's Fred! Think I need a holiday... LOL




Card Recipe:

Image, Papers and Sentiment: Clearly Digi Stamps
Gem from my stash
Plus glossy accents added again for extra dazzle!

Thursday 8 August 2013

DON'T YOU JUST LOVE A DINOSAUR?

This is Sketch Saturday on Thursday!!! Just had a very busy few days and a bit behind with posting. I discovered a new digistamp website a couple weeks ago called 'Clearly Digi Stamps' and if you love a bit of digistamping then check them out here.  There are lots of pre-coloured images too which co-ordinate with the papers so if like me colouring isn't your forte then they are IDEAL and TERR-i-fic!

If this has appeared on my blog then Mr Bloggy the Scheduler needs a pat on the back and hopefully I'll have remembered to link it to the challenge too!







Card Recipe:

Image, Papers and Sentiment: Clearly Digi Stamps
Brads from my stash
Just a touch of glossy accents added to his spikes for definition

Wednesday 7 August 2013

PUT THE FLAGS OUT

Morning All - opposite end of the clock for me today.

Sadly I've locked the crafty cupboard for my holidays and Mr Bloggy the Scheduler can hopefully rise to the challenge to post a couple of cards on my behalf while I'm away. As much as I'm looking forward to my holiday I'm also hesitant at leaving my crafty stash behind! I've packed a lovely US crafty mag, with loads of adorable ideas, into my suitcase and I'll try to keep up to date with your blogs ... Wifi allowing!

So this card is my entry to the Dynamic Duos Challenge #64 and what yummy colours - couldn't wait to get stuck in with this one.  Looking at the photo now it's uploaded I'm going to have to drop it in at Pixies Crafty Snippets Challenge as a second entry for this week - it would be rude not to!

Hope you are all well and enjoying a lucky bit of sunshine today.  I'm off for a spot of Afternoon Tea in the Lake District later today as a belated birthday treat with a couple of friends.  Just hope I can still squeeze into my holiday gear after all those cakes ... they WILL be mini ones though I guess!




Card Recipe:

Papers: TK Maxx and the pink one has been hiding in my stash since time began! Think it could be Papermania but wouldn't like to put money on it LOL!
Sentiment: The adorable and one of my many addictions Pink Petticoat
Gems and bakers twine from my stash
I've used the Sizzix Framelits Pennants Dies

Tuesday 6 August 2013

MAD ABOUT BUTTONS

Goodness ... it's that time again and I'm only just getting around to posting!!!

If you've been checking my blog over the last couple of days you'll notice I seem to have gone overboard on the buttons - quite by accident.  However it has made me realise I'm short of a few colours so need to buy some more!!! Did someone say crafty shopping?  Count me in!

So here's my card to enter this weeks Retro Sketches Challenge plus a newbie for me, CAS colour and sketches. Initially I thought the basic grey was a bit drab but having put it together it's growing on me.




Here's the sketch and colours if you want to join in.

    


Card Recipe:

Image: Pink Petticoat
Papers: Pink Petticoat and The Papermill Shop
Sentiment: Pink Petticoat
Ribbon and Buttons from my stash
X-cut corner punch and Cricut Elegant Edges used

Monday 5 August 2013

TOUGH COLOURS ... TOUGH CHALLENGE

Whoops I'm late tonight!

Lost track of time as I've been trying to get lots of last minute orders finished before my holidays.  I think Mr Schedule is going to have to take the reins soon! LOL.

Anyway this is my entry to the Less is More Challenge and what a hellish one for this week.  I took one look at it and thought 'Too BUSY ... I'll give that one a miss this week!' BUT I don't like to duck out of a challenge so I've been scratching my head so much I think it's bleeding!!!!!!!!!  No I've not got lice!  Firstly, the colours are not my ideal ones to work with and the image wasn't giving me much inspiration either. THEN would you believe it I've made not 1 but 3 cards for this challenge.  I'm not entirely happy with any of them but this was the third and final one.  Having run them all past Mr Dazzle he chose this one so here goes.

Catch up with you all soon.



thankful tones

Card Recipe:

Image: Pink Petticoat from the Dandelion Clocks printed onto mustard cardstock
Papers: Papermill Shop and Pink Petticoat
Sentiment: Pink Petticoat
Brads, buttons and twine from my stash

Sunday 4 August 2013

HIGH TIDE

Happy Sunday

Crumbs ... what an 'eck of a lot of rain we had overnight and today.  So much for watering the garden it's like a swamp! My daughter has gone off to a festival in Lytham with her friend today kitted out with wellies. You just wouldn't believe it with all the sunshine we've had.

The sunny weather of last week plus my up-coming holiday has influenced my card today.  I can safely say I'm a Pink Petticoat addict and love all the products.  The latest collection is Beach Cottage and I hope Liz doesn't mind me stealing her boat idea...then again she did put a tutorial on her blog which I've been dying to have a go at.

It's snippets galore so that's where I'm heading with this card ... over to Pixies Snippets Playground plus the Freshly Made Sketches Challenge.  Armed with my Beach Cottage papers and seeing the banners on the sketch it had to be nautical this week.



Sketch which I've flipped and switched a little:


Card Recipe:

Image, Papers & Sentiment: All Pink Petticoat (Beach Cottage Collection)
Gems plus cocktail stick from my stash
Dies used: MFT Die-namics Party Banners
Sizzix Triangles
Plus a dribble of glamour dust on the crest of the waves - you know me ... can't resist a bit of dazzle!

Saturday 3 August 2013

FLORAL BIRTHDAY WITH BUTTONS

Happy Saturday

Hope you are all enjoying your Saturday.  I've not really got down to a lot of crafting despite trying and only one card to post.

BUT I'll tell you the reason - I've had a bit of a sort out in the old craft cupboard...I'm intrigued (not nosey) when I stumble across craft room piccys on your blogs.  Some of you have the most divine rooms that I can only dream of. Anyway I've noticed a circular desk tidy carousel on quite a few crafty desks in blogland which I kind of thought 'WOW ... I wouldn't mind one of those!' I think the one I've seen is from Great Little Trading Company but they don't seem to have the exact one anymore :-( ... BUT all is not lost as I found a wooden desk tidy on Amazon this week and treated myself to it (early birthday pressie we'll call it) :-)))))) The desk tidy arrived TODAY so much of my afternoon has been spent having a clear out to install the new piece of kit.  Loving it already.  I will have to take some photos of my tiny little craft pod at some point and pop them on here but perhaps I'll wait until it's really tidy then another when it's really messy!!!!

So onto my card for today which I'm not entirely happy with but in the absence of anything else worth posting here it is ....



Card Recipe:

Image: Uniko Studios - Free digi download
Papers: TK Maxx Snippet & Grosvenor House Pearlised Card
Sentiment: Uniko Studios - Free digi download
Buttons and twine from my stash
A dusting of glamour dust round the edges too for added sparkle and lift

Challenges:

CAS-ual Fridays - "BUTTONS"
A Gem of a Challenge"ANYTHING PEARLESCENT "
ColourQ

     cfc111

Friday 2 August 2013

HELLO HELLO

Apologies ... had ONE day in the city of the Beatles and the lyrics come straight into my head!

So onto my second card for today and this one is to enter, in the nick of time, the Paper Players Challenge plus the Uniko Studio very first challenge called 'Say HELLO'.   I've only recently discovered this beautiful craft blog where there are some stunning stamps and dies plus some freebies, which is what I've used for my card.

I have to admit that I'm more into digi than rubber stamping and colouring with promarkers scares the life out of me although I have a go now and again.  Fortunately Uniko Studio have some amazing digi images too which are quite easy to re-colour with the help of my techi teenage son!

Just for the fun of it I'm going to have a second stab at the Simon Says Challenge and Creative Inspirations with this card as their theme is 'Anything Goes'



Card Recipe:

Hello Sentiment & Flower Paper - Both Uniko Studio
Pearls and other papers from my stash
Glamour Dust added to the flowers for that extra bit of dazzle

Here's the sketch but you'll have to be quick!

ALOHA HAWAII ...

Morning All

First of all did I say that I would have lots of crafting time during the school summer holidays?  That was the plan but certainly not happening much yet...

Secondly I haven't had to hide in a darkened room since Monday following THE shopping spree!  I survived JUST; it was quite painless - not so much on the purse though where my son was concerned but on the plus side my daughter was pretty disappointed at what was on offer.  On the down side I had to take her to Liverpool on Wednesday to conclude the holiday shopping which was much more successful in her opinion.

We had a family outing in Liverpool for my Dad's birthday; he loved the Grandad card too.  He went for a cultural day at the Art gallery but my mum chose the shops and I think it's the first time in about 50 years that she's hunted out bikinis - brings back memories I guess of times gone by with a perfect figure!!!!

So it's my birthday today and my treat is to spend a day crafting if I can find my mojo.  The shopping can wait, the iron has been locked up, I'm being taken out for a meal this evening so no cooking required!  I may put the washer on if I can prise myself away from all that glitters and sparkles in my cupboard.

Anyway on to my cards - and I have 2 to post today.  The first one is for one of my American cousins who is moving to Hawaii next month with his young family.  What a fabulous holiday destination for the family - hope he's plenty of room but I think my crafty auntie will miss her gorgeous little granddaughter.



Card Recipe:

Image: Aloha Digi images from Clearly Digi Stamps
Papers: The Papermill Shop & Clearly Digi Stampshttps://www.cdstamps.com/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&view=virtuemart&Itemid=54
Sentiment: Clearly Digi Stamps
MFT Party Banner Die and X-cut corner punch used
Glitter gems from my stash
Glossy Accents added for extra sazzle!


Challenges:

CAS(E) this Sketch
Simon Says Stamp - Anything Goes
Creative Inspirations - Anything Goes