Black and White and 40 All Over!

Hi there ... today I would like to show you the 40th birthday card I made last night for my boss at work. Making men's cards is never easy, but for once I had a very clear idea about what I wanted to make, partly on the basis of challenges I spotted and partly on the basis of the stash I had to hand. So instead of dithering about like I normally do, I just cracked on and made it - here's the result.

Stamps: LotV "Cheers Bear"; Whimsy ticket stamp; See-D birthday sentiment;

Media: Promarkers and Flexmarkers;

Papers: Black Market Paper Society "Ebony & Alabaster";

Supplies: Papermania gems and twine;

Tools: Cuttlebug "Hippie Chick" die cut numbers; Cuttlebug "Swiss Dots" embossing folder.

Challenges:

Lili's Little Fairies - Spots or Stripes

(I have both, both on the image and the papers !! :-)  )

PTW - Free For All Sketch

(I chose Sketch #68 - flipped)

My Time To Craft #186 - Milestone Birthdays

Divas By Design #50 - Let's Celebrate!
Creative Craft - Monochromatic Birthday

Paper Pretties Wednesday #221 - Black + White + 1
Hooked on Crafts #24 - Cards For Men

Incy Wincy - Frogs 'n' Snails 'n' Puppy Dogs' Tails

Top Tip Tuesday #84 - Birthday Gifts

Craft Your Passion #125 - Emboss It

Crafty Pad - Twine

A Gem Of A Challenge #53 - Animals or Teddies (2nd entry)

Crafty Calendar (August) - Teddy Bear Parade + lots of layers (2nd entry)

Simon Says - Anything Goes
Party Time Tuesdays  #83 - Anything Goes

I ♥ Promarkers #132 - Anything Goes
Everybody Art #202 - Anything Goes

Forever Friends Fortnightly #43 - Anything Goes

Ready-Teddy-Go #13 - Anything Goes 

(3rd entry .. yes I really do love teddies lol!!)

That's all for today ... hope to be back soon with some LotV Christmas cards - my new Chrimbo stash of stamps and papers has arrived - yay! :-)

I'm Dreaming of a White, Kraft and Blue Christmas!

Good morning - hope everyone is enjoying the Bank Holiday weekend here in the UK. 

Just a quick post from me this morning - feeling rather tired as my poor husband has somehow trapped a nerve in his neck / shoulder and has been in agony the past couple of days .... not getting much sleep as he is tossing and turning all night long with the pain of it all! 

I was wanting do some crafting last night over the Bank Holiday weekend but couldn't seem to set my mind to anything ... I'm waiting with baited breath for my new LotV Christmas goodies to arrive and somehow can't fancy digging in to any of my multitudinous existing Chrimbo stash in the meantime lol!! I tried making a card with another new Christmas Memory Box die I have recently bought ("Bubble Joy") but that just turned out all wrong - nothing seemed to be working!

In the end I made a little card which is a subtle variation (ie different colour scheme) on one I made a few weeks ago (here) with a second new Memory Box die that I definitely DO get on with :-)

Stamps: Hero Arts (Christmas background text)

Media: stamping & distressing with TH distress inks in "Tea Dye" and "Vintage Photo";

Supplies: pearls and gems from The Hobby House; ribbon from my stash;

Tools: Memory Box "Flowering Christmas Tree" die; Martha Stewart "eyelet lace" edge punch.

Challenges:

CUYL #76 - Christmas In Summer

CSAYL #25 - Non Traditional Colours

Sparkles Christmas #19 - Punch It!

Anything Goes #74 - Make Your Own Background

Creative Card Crew #17 - Maps/Newsprint/Sheet Music/Script
Jingle Belles - Holiday Bingo! (stamping / flowers / tree)

CCT #231 - Bling It Up!

Dutch Dare #179 - Bling It On!

Crafting For All Seasons #34 - Stitching (real or faux) 

(mine is faux on the ribbon!)

J&C (August) - Something A Little Bit Different

(using kraft is rather different for me, and this card is just a little bit different from the one I posted here)

Divas By Design #49 - Anything Goes

Simon Says Stamp & Show - No Rules!

Off to get dressed now, and see if I can summon the energy to do a bit of ironing! Thanks for visiting.

I can't even give it away!!

Well I have to be honest and say I didn't think it would be so difficult to give away a yummy Memory Box poppy die as per my July Penny Black Saturday blog candy draw . Three weeks now, and two randomly drawn winners who haven't come forward.

So ... In line with what I said last week, I have decided to give this die to one of the original entrants who I know is a regular visitor to my blog ...  And that's you

Jennifer

Jennifer is a fab bloggy friend who has recently given me some great moral support when I needed it with a personal worry I was having ... so the poppy is on its way to you - enjoy!!

Oh So Girlie!

Good morning! Having broken in to my first gorgeous Nitwits paper pad from LotV on Monday night I got me on a roll, and  I decided that I just had to make something featuring the other pad I had got - the "Bonnets and Bowties" collection. Looking around I saw that this week's Lili's Little Fairies challenge is Oh So Girlie and the Wild Orchid Challenge is Summer flowers: given that this paper pad is bursting with summery blooms I only needed to decide which girlie LotV image to ink up and I was away!!

I often come back to this darling little fairy ... I think it is because I really adore dandelion clocks!I coloured her dress a bit more brightly than I would normally to tie in with the papers, but I think I like it!!  I was also feeling pretty chuffed this evening as I had a broken Leone Em leaf punch in my craft tote ... I had been meaning to ask my husband for months whether he could fix it, and tonight I finally got round to it and it was fixed within two minutes - yay!

Stamps: LotV "Dandelion Clock"; sentiment by Dimension Fourth;

Media: Promarkers and Flexmarkers;

Papers: LotV "Ntiwits - Bonnets and Bowties";

Supplies: flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts; gems from The Hobby House & Papermania; wooden butterfly shapes and ribbon from my stash;

Tools: small, large and lacy circle nestabilities; Martha Stewart "eyelet lace" edge punch; Leone Em "Ash Branch" leaf punch.

Challenges:

Lili's Little Fairies - Oh So Girlie!

Wild Orchid Challenge #57 - Summer Flowers

Ribbon Girl Colour Challenge #22

thanks for visiting and hope you have a lovely day.

I really can't make my mind up ....

.... which is the most adorable, this uber cute teddy peeking out of a gift box (who has been hiding naughtily in my cupboard for the past few months doing his very own "resist ink" technique lol!!), or the totally delicious new papers from LotV - they really are stunning, amongst the loveliest I've seen!!  Anyhoo, here is the result of me putting them together.

Stamps: LotV "Patchwork Present"; Penny Black "happy birthday";

Media: Promarkers and Flexmarkers;

Papers: LotV "Nitwits - Promises";

Supplies: flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts and Hobbycraft; gems from The Hobby House; lace from WOC; ribbons from John Lewis;

Tools: Fleur de Lys Square nestabilities.

Challenges:

Crafty Calendar - Teddy Bear Parade + Lots of Layers

A Gem Of A Challenge #53 - Animals or Teddies

Pile It On #34 - Cuddly Critters

Simon Says - Animal Antics

Crafty Catz #146 - Animals

Crafts & Me #97 - Add Some Lace

Pretty Little Ribbon #13 - Add Some Bling or Sparkle

Whimsy #50 - Lots Of Layers

Really Reasonable Ribbon #54 - Purple Pzazz + Ribbon
Ready Teddy Go #13 - Anything Goes

Gotta rush to get ready for work, so bye for now!

New Winner of Memory Box Poppy Die

Hello everyone,

Unfortunately the original winner of my Penny Black blog hop candy, which is the Memory Box "Prim Poppy" die, has not claimed her prize! Therefore I have drawn a new winner and it is ...

... and that's you Tabitha Davis

Please contact me by email to claim your prize within 7 days (by 12:00 noon BST on Saturday 25th August).  If it is not claimed this time,  I will pick someone from the original list to send it to who I recognize as a regular visitor to my blog.

Hugs

Fifty Shades of ..... Pink!

Hi everyone, hope you're enjoying your weekend. I have spent quite a portion of this past week glued to the Olympics on TV and cheering on our athletes to ever-greater glory - wow what a Games it's been!! I'm rather sad that it's all coming to a close .. just the Closing Ceremony to go, so I'll be popping in front of the TV one last time to watch in a little while.

Meanwhile I spotted a new challenge about a week ago devoted to lovers of pink - woo hoo!! That's me for sure!!  In between watching Tom Daley diving and Mo Farah and Usain Bolt running last night, here's the birthday card I made for my mum.

Not a great picture as easel cards are always so difficult to photograph - here's a closer view of the front.

It all started from this adorable Wild Rose Studio elephant stamp which I was determined to use on my mum's card. Originally I intended making an 8" * 8" card, but this image was a bit too small for that, so I maximized my space by making an easel card instead.

Stamps: Wild Rose Studio "Bella With Butterfly"; LotV sentiment circle;

Media: Promarkers and Flexmarkers; die cut letters and butterflies dusted with glamour dust;

Papers: Papermania "Lucy Cromwell";

Supplies: flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts; pearls from The Hobby House; ribbon from my stash;

Tools: Martha Stewart "large monarch butterfly" punch; Leone Em "Ash Family" leaf punch; Cheery Lynn "Lace Flourish Corners" die; Cuttlebug "Hippie Chick" alphabet dies.

Challenges:

In the Pink #1 - Fifty Shades of Pink

Stampin' For The Weekend #15 - Monochromatic

Sweet Stampin' - Things With Wings

Divas By Design #47 - For A Female

Simon Says - Bingo! 

(ribbon / gems / punches OR punches / glitter / blooms)

Papertake Weekly - Anything Goes

That's all for me for today - thanks for looking.

Two for the price of one.

Good morning crafters - hope you're all enjoying your weekend. Wow what a fabulous day yesterday for British sport, with a rush for gold medals at the Olympics - go Team GB!! Amazingly proud of Jessica Ennis, Mo Farah, Greg Rutherford + our rowing and cycling stars - what an achievement! 

I managed to make a couple of cards yesterday in-between being glued to the TV, so I'm posting them now before settling down this afternoon to cheer on Andy Murray in the tennis finals - keeping everything crossed!!

My first card today is a birthday card using what I have decided is my all-time favourite LotV stamp. 

This bunny is just so fluffy looking and has such an innocent and wondrous facial expression as it reaches out to the gorgeous butterfly - it's perfect!! So can you imagine my agitation and distress when I went to my stamp box to retrieve it and it wasn't there !!??!! I must have turned the house upside down as I ruffled through various cupboards and drawers with increasing agitation, crying feebly "I've lost my bunny!!" to the bemusement of my husband! I was almost in tears of relief when I found it, hiding along with a few other uninked LotV teddies at the back of a cupboard.

Stamps: LotV "Patchwork Butterfly"; sentiment by Dimension Fourth;

Media: Promarkers and Flexmarkers;

Papers: Dovecraft "Spring Drop";

Supplies: flowers mostly from Wild Orchid Crafts (one small lilac/white bloom form Crafts4U2Do); pearls from The Hobby House;

Tools: large, small and lacy circle nestabilities; Magnolia Doohickey "lovely fence" and "swirly butterfly" dies (both available from Dies To Die For); Leone Em "Ash Family" leaf punch.

Challenges:

Die-ing For A Challenge #5 - Sketch

Wild Orchid Challenge #55 - Round in Circles

Penny Black & More at Allsorts (August) - Whiskers or Wings

My second card today is for the Less Is More challenge - Blue + Green. Interesting colour combo this as for me it very much around nature; but at the same time green stemmed flowers don't necessarily look right with blue flower heads  lol!. However I'm hoping that they do in some cases, cos this is what I made.

Stamps: Lavinia "Dandelions"; Penny Black "letter background" (1999L); Penny Black sentiment "flourish birthday" (4071F);

Media: fluid chalk inks;

Supplies: sparkly gems from The Hobby House; small wooden dragonfly form my stash.

Challenges:

Less Is More #79 - Blue & Green

Sweet Stampin' - Books and Text

Our Creative Corner - Nature & Bling

Cute Card Thursday #228 - Clean and Simple

Challenge Up Your Life #75 - Everything Goes

Off now to tackle some ironing before sitting down to an afternoon of tennis :-)

Penny Black Saturday August Challenge - Double The Trouble

Good morning crafters, and welcome to another  monthly Penny Black Saturday Challenge. Wow the past month has absolutely flown past - can't believe it's August already! Thanks so much to everyone who entered last month's challenge - don't forget to check the main challenge blog to see if you have won one of our awesome prizes.

Talking of prizes ... before I get on to this month's challenge theme, it's time for me to pick a winner of my July Blog Hop candy :-) I have used random.org, and the winner is

... and that's you Sue Mason!

Congratulations hun! Please email me your details within two weeks and I will post you your gorgeous Memory Box poppy die. If I don't hear from you after two weeks (I'm allowing for summer hols here !! :-) ) I will draw a new winner.

So onto this month's challenge, which is

Double The Trouble

(use two image stamps)

As usual we have a host of fabulous prizes - do check them out on the main challenge blog. Don't forget that to be eligible you need to submit a new project which follows the theme with two Penny Black images, large sentiments or stickeroos as the focus (two because it's double this month - geddit?? lol!!)

Anyhoo ... the other ladies have produced some inspiring examples as always - here is my effort.

Now I must confess I was struggling a bit with this challenge theme, as I couldn't seem to get two stamps which went together naturally. Then I remembered this cute little set of bears which I have had for a VERY long time, and i don't think I have ever inked them up before !! I think I originally bought them with a view to making a baby card, but for some reason I never quite got there with that particular project.

Only after I'd made the card though did I realise that I had interpreted TWO images as TWO OR MORE ... I actually used 4 so I think I got a bit carried away!

Stamps: Penny Black "Bear Blank 1", "2", "3", and "4"; birthday sentiment (masked) from "salutations" transparent set;

Media: Promarkers and Flexmarkers;

Paper: Forever Friends;

Supplies: flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts; pink heart gems from Hobbycraft; rub-on letters by Doodlebug; ribbon and doily from my stash.

Challenges:

Crafty Catz #144 - Pink!

Charisma #30 - Pink + 1 (Aqua)

PaperPlay #31 - Layer It Up

Divas By Design #46 - Flowers

Penny's Paper Crafty #87 - Butterflies & / or Bows

Hooked on Craft #23 - Let's Celebrate

Kaboodle #130 - Birthday or Special Day

Simon Says Stamp & Show - What Do You Say?

Ready-Teddy-Go #13 - Anything Goes

Papercrafting Journey - Anything Goes

Hope you will be able to join us this month ... as the Olympians say, you've got to be in it to win it!

Have a great weekend.

Hugs