Penguin Fun

I absolutely adore this cute Pickle stamp from Wild Rose Studio - he looks like he is having so much fun delivering his sleigh full of presents. This image is one of several I coloured in a few weeks ago and I have been gradually working my way though them since. A few days ago while having a bit of a crafty clear out I found several squares of embossed pearlised white card sitting ready to make up into cards ... so I quickly put the two together to make another Chrimbo card. I tried to add a bit of interest with these yummy poinsettas from my local craft shop Crafts4U2Do, who are now stocking their own fabulous brand of flowers called "Sweet Lilac", and finished off with my new Cheery Lynn die which is just sooo gorgeous and I'm really pleased with it :-)

Not the best light for photos again ... for some reason I have a real problem getting a true colour when photographing red, as  it always comes out far too bright. I have photo-edited it to calm it down although it is still too light, but that has made my green go a bit off-kilter lol!

Stamps: Wild Rose Studio "Pickle with Sleigh";

Media: Promarkers and Flexmarkers; glamour dust all around!

Supplies: poinsettas by Sweet Lilac dusted wtih Stickles; gems from The Hobby House; ribbon and peel off my stash;

Tools: Cheery Lynn die "holly flourish"; Cuttlebug Snowflake folders.

Challenges:
Joanna Sheen Challenge #1 - It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas

Pollycraft Monday #120 - Christmas Fun

Stamptacular #140 - Anything Christmas

Craft Your Passion #86 - 'Tis The Season

Ooh-La-La #94 - Lots of Sparkle

Dream Valley #21 - Sparkle
Colour Create #85 - Red, White and Green
Cooking it Up With Katie #86 - Anything Goes

Simon Says - Anything Goes

The Ribbon Reel #16 - Anything Goes (2nd entry)
Scrapbook Sisters #62 - Anything Goes
Crafty Creations #146 - Picture inspiration

(I was inspired by the red for the flowers, the green holly wreath, and the wood for the sleigh)

Thanks for looking - have a great day.

Ol' Blue Eyes

The theme this week over at Less Is More is the colour of your eyes .... and mine are blue (see profile pic!). So after I'd caught up with various DT work this afternoon I made time to make a quick monochrome card ... and here it is.

Recipe:

Main image: Inkadinkado "Tin Can Mail" stamped with fluid chalk ink, and distressed using TH "faded jeans" and "tumbled glass" distress inks;

Sentiment: Penny Black transparent set "Salutations".

Challenges:

Less Is More #35 - The Colour Of Your Eyes

Dream Valley #17 - Monochrome

Crafty Creations #137 - Clean & Simple
Truly Scrumptious #66 - Clean & Simple

Simon Says - Anything Goes

 (3rd entry .... trying to help SS get to 1000 entries this week!!)

That's all for now ... enjoy the rest of the weekend!

Kitty in Pink

I had a day's holiday yesterday following fomr the Bank Holiday :-), so I managed a crafty session in the afternoon and get a little bit ahead with my next week's DT work ... and when I was done I had a little time left over so decided to make a card for a few challenges.

Recipe:

Main image: LotV coloured wtih Promarkers;

Sentiment: Craftwork Cards;

Papers: Pink Petticoat "Summer Blooms";

Supplies: cherry blossoms from Wild Orchid Crafts; small pink blossoms from Sweet Lilac; pearls from The Hobby House; sparkly ribbon from my stash;

Tools: Leone Em "Ash Family" punch.

Challenges:

Lili of the Valley #109 - Thankyou

Simon Says - Dawny's Sketch

My Time To Craft #155 - In Full Bloom

Truly Scrumptious #64 - Rocked Up Pink

Passion for Promarkers #115 - Anything Goes

I ♥ ProMarkers #81 - Anything Goes
Creative Card Crew - Anything Goes

Got to keep it brief this morning, as I'm edging in writing this post and photographing my card around getting ready for work, so that I can catch the end of a couple of challenges.

Catch you later!

Penny Black Saturday #151 – Clean and Simple

Good morning everyone and welcome to this week’s Penny Black Saturday Challenge. Thanks very much to everyone who entered last week’s Distressing Challenge – hope you all managed to post your entries being as Mr Blogger was being so naughty yesterday!  As always, don’t forget to check back on the main challenge blog to see if you have won either of last week’s fabulous prizes.

Well I’m off to Port Sunlight craft fair today, so i hope that by the time you read this i will already be well in the swing and my credit card will be all a-quiver … hope I find a few good bargains ;-)

Don’t forget that you still have until midnight tonight (Saturday May 14th) to enter my blog candy here – hope you’ll give it a look!

Anyhow on to this week’s challenge, and we are plugging into a theme which is very much the latest trend and all the rage in blogland at the moment – yes, we would like to see your cards that are

Clean and Simple

As always you can interpret this to your heart’s desire, so long as you submit a new project that features a Penny Black image, large sentiment or stickeroo as its main focus.

This week we have another fab prize for you … a $20 online store voucher from our regular sponsor 1-2-3 Stitch :-)

My fellow teamies have produced some stunning cards to inspire you – here is my effort for this week.

Recipe:
Main image: Penny Black “Radiant” (2950K) coloured with Marvey brushstroke markers and spritzed with water;
Sentiment: Penny Black transparent set “Salutations”;
Paper: Docrafts “Pampered Pets” collection;
Supplies: Papermania shimmer dots; dragonfly brad from my stash;
Tools: Martha Stewart “woodland bough” edge punch.

Challenges:
Penny Black Inc. Challenge – Tall Cards
Crafts and Me #34 - Punches
Top Tip Tuesday #33 – Flower Frenzy
Creative Card Crew – May Flowers
MAWTT #98 – 2 B’s (brushstroke stamping, brad)
Crafty Creations #118 – Anything Goes
Stamp Something – Anything Goes
Simon Says Stamp and Show – Anything Goes

Hope you can join in this week.

Penny Black Saturday #144 - Recycling

Good morning everyone - yippee, it's Saturday so it's time for another Penny Black Saturday Challenge. Thanks to everyone who sprang into spring last week - there were some gorgeous entries which really cheered up the week. Don't forget to check the main challenge blog to see if you have won the adorable hedgie with daffodil stamp.

This week's theme is

Recycling

So it's time to dig out all the bits and bobs of ribboon, buttons, packaging or whatever that you kept rather than throwing away for "just in case" ... can't wait to see what you come up with. And to help get your creative juices flowing we have got TWO fab prizes this week for randomly drawn winners ...

4 rolls of ribbon of the winner's choice from Fantastic Ribbons.



A 15% lifetime discount voucher from PB Stamps


Please remember that to be eligible for the prize you must submit a new piece of work which has as its main focus a Penny Black image, large sentiment or stickeroo.

The other DT ladies have been very environmentally aware this week ... please do check out their recycled offerings. Here is my card for this week - the recycled element is the ribbon which was taken from my husband's birthday cake. Pink ribbon on a man's birthday cake??? I hear you cry ... well, it was actually a totally delish and adorable chocolate heart shaped cake, which had pastel icing rose petals scattered on the top and bright pink ribbon round it ... very romantic!! And no, I didn't make it .. I got it in Selfridges in the Traafford Centre lol!

Anyhoo, back to my card ...


Recipe:
Main image: Penny Black "Crossing Bridges!" (3206J) coloured with Copics and Promarkers;
Sentiment: Penny Black transparent set "Salutations";
Papers: My Mind's Eye "Quite Contrary";
Supplies: Prima hydrangeas; pearls and large metal spacers from the Hobby house; sparkly brads and recycled ribbon from my stash;
Tools: large and small circle nestabilities; Martha Stewart "doily lace" edge punch and small monarch butterfly punch.


Challenges:
Stamp Something - Spring Somethings
Flutterby Wednesday #147 - Open with Fairy, Butterfly or Angel
Crafty Creations #111 - In Stitches

Hope you can join us this week, and look forward to seeing your creations.

Penny Black Saturday #140 - Pearls and lace

Eek!! I'm running a little late this morning and am a little late with today's offering .... Saturday again already, which has to mean it's time for another Penny Black Saturday Challenge. Thanks so much to everyone who got to grips with making the dreaded male cards last week - stunning entries as always! Don't forget to check out the main challenge blog to see if you are lucky winner.

This week we have a rather more girly theme for you ... we would like to see

Pearls and lace

on your creation. You can interpret this any way you like so long as you submit a new piece of work and use a Penny Black image, large sentiment or stickeroo as the main focus of your project.

This week we have two more yummy prizes for two randomly selected winners -

Firstly. Dick at PB Stamps


is offering a 15% off lifetime discount voucher, and

Fantastic Ribbons


is offering one winner 4 reels of ribbon of the winner's choice.

Yummy!

Do go and check out the fabulous creations by the rest of the DT - here's my card for this week.


Recipe:
Main image: Penny Black "Cheesecake Wish" , coloured with Promarkers and Copics and decorated with Stickles;
Sentiments: "It's Your Birthday" from PB transparent set "Salutations"; "make a wish" from PB transparent set "Critter Party";
Papers: BasicGrey "Wisteria";
Supplies: large and small flat gardenias, pearls all from Wild Orchid Crafts; lace from my stash;
Tools: leafy swirls - Marianne D Creatables ribbon flower die set; Martha Stewart doily lace edge punch.



Challenges:
I used Papertake Weekly Sketch #53 (I flipped the sketch left to right);



Fuzzy Wuzzy #6 - Birthday Wishes (must feature an animal)
Little Red Wagon - Animals
Top Tip Tuesday #23 - Bling It On
Truly Scrumptious #51 - Swirls and Pearls
Scrapbook Sisters #24 - Lace and Pearls
Crafty Creations #107 - At The Bottom of My Garden Lives .... (a mouse!)
PaperPlay #8 - Let's Get Sentimental
Crazy4Challenges #76 - Use Flowers

Hope you can join in the fun over at PBSC this week - have a great weekend!

Hello baby!

I rarely have the need to make baby cards, but I made a couple last week for "New Beginnings" challenges - one for a girl and one for a boy. No sooner done than a colleague's wife had a baby girl, and next minute another colleague asked me if I could make a card for another baby girl ... I was actually quite thrilled as I don't very often get asked to make one.

So here's another card for a baby girl - my second within two weeks!


Recipe:
Main image: Penny Black "Basket of Joy (2075F), coloured with Promarkers;
Sentiment: LotV sentiment circles;
Papers: checked paper by Deja Views; glitter dots card from local craft shop;
Supplies: wild rose and cherry blossoms from Wild Orchid Crafts edged with Stickles; blossom stems from local craft shop; ribbon-threaded lace from my recent winning prize pack from An Oldie But a Goodie Challenge;
Tools: large, small and lacy circles nestabilities; Martha Stewart "eyelet lace" PATP.


Normally when I send cards that have raised elements such as flowers, I put them in a padded envelope (top tip - Wilkinsons padded white CD mailers - decent looking and 70p for four!!) ... but in this case I didn't feel it would be appropriate to provide a padded envelope to the girl who is giving this card as it would rather spoil the ambience. So I got a bit carried away and made a box for the card :-)

I made the base from normal white linen cardstock, and the lid from the same pearlescent pink bazzill that I had used for matting the image on the card. I told myself I wasn't going to spend too long decorating it, but came up with the quick but (I hope) effective idea of plonking a fancy tag on the top ready to write the baby's name and date of birth. This also had the added advantage of allowing me to use my brand new "Magnolia vintage" tag which I have been itching to do for the past couple of days :-)


I would like to enter this card for the following challenges:

Passion for Promarkers #82 - Baby Cards
Crafty Creations #101 - New Beginnings
Crafty Pad #104 - Something New
Penny Black At Allsorts (January) - All You Need is Love
Totally Gorjuss #63 - Cuddly
Corrosive #99 - Lace and Pearls
Incy Wincy #76 - Go Dotty
The Ribbon Girl #4 - Pink & Green
Top Tip Tuesday # 17 - Anything Goes
(I have also left 2 tips linked to this post)

Paper Sundaes #52 - Favourite Challenge of the Past Year
(I really like the Paper Sundaes Challenges, and have chosen #40 "For Someone Little" - I am a bit late entering with this as I was a bit confused what was required [doesn't take much!!] but now I've looked again at the challenge i would like to enter ;-) )

I have also used (and flipped) the sketch for January's Crafters' Companion Challenge #8 for a second time - not sure if two entries are allowed but I'm giving it a go :-)

Enjoy the rest of the weekend!

Here comes the bride

My dear crafty friend Samantha is getting married to her fiance Efisio today, so I was delighted to be able to make them a card and I hope they are having a wonderful day. I used this adorable LotV stamp "wedding couple", which I coloured with Promarkers and decorated liberally with glamour dust. Instead of using patterned paper I took some white pearlised card and scored a "quilted" pattern using my Martha Stewart scoring board, and then decorated with little pearls from my stash. I wanted the colours to be soft, romantic and "shimmery" so I also used irisdscent pink card for the matting and hearts, and holographic silver paper for the floral swirl at the side.

Recipe: Main image: LotV "Wedding Couple", coloured with Promarkers, decorated with glamour dust, and edges sponged with pale pink ink; Sentiment: Whiff of Joy "Wedding Sentiments"; Paper: none - used white pearlised card, pale pink iridescent card and silver holographic paper; Supplies: roses and rosebuds from Wild Orchid Crafts decorated wtih stickles; "love" ribbon from local market; pearls from my stash;

Tools: large classic circle and large classic scalloped circle nestabilities; Marianne D Creatables "leaf swirl" die; Martha Stewart heart punch; Martha Stewart scoring board.

I would like to enter this card for the following challenges: Creative Craft Challenges - Here Comes the Bride

Totally Gorjuss #40 - Congratulations!

Crafty Creations #77 - Happy or Sweet

Wild Orchid Challenge #1 - Say It With Flowers

Stamp Something - Something Flowery

Create4Fun #30 - Use flowers

Passion for Promarkers #61 - Distressing

(edges of image sponged with soft ink effect)

Papertake Weekly - Cutie Patootie

Creative Inspirations #39 - Anything Goes

The Stamp Man #1 - Anything Goes

So ... to Samantha and efisio ... here's Wishing you a lifetime OF JOY AND HAPPINESS.

BasicGrey meets a few other challenges

I've got a couple of days extra off work following the bank holiday, so that I can sort out a few household things whilst my husband decorates the living room .... but seeing as the weather has been so appalling otday i decided to get a bit of crafting in rather than going out shopping :-)

I decided to make a card following this fortnight's sketch for BasicGrey Challenge #21

... and once I had chosen my BG "Two Scoops" papers everything else just seemed to follow from that. I haven't used too many embellishments as the image and the papers are both fairly busy.

Recipe:
Main image: Lili of the Valley "Teddy with bouquet", coloureed with Promarkers;
Sentiment; Penny Black "Salutations" transparent set;
Papers: BasicGrey "Two Scoops";
Supplies: Raffia lace from Hobbycraft; pearls from The Hobby House.

I would also like to enter this card for a few other challenges:

Just Cute Bears #19 - Thankyou card
Crafty Creations #69 - Use your favourite stamp
Charisma #21 - Going round in circles
One Stop Craft Challenge #82 - swirls and pearls
Stamp Something - birthday recipe - dp, ribbon, bow and tag

(the last 3 are all in the image :-) )

Just a short post from me today, as I guess I should pop along and start doing some of the things I ought to do rather than the crafting I want to do lol!

Creative Card Crew #51 - Pink & Green

Thanks very much to everyone who rocked Emma's sketch last time on the Creative Card Crew - there were some fabulous entries! One lucky winner has landed a $20 spending spree with Simon Says Stamp ... so don't forget to pop over to the main challenge blog and see if it is you!
It's my turn to set the challenge this fortnight, and I have chosen one of my favourite colour combos -

pink & green

We have another fab prize this time to help get your creative juices flowing .... our regular sponsor

has donated these scrummy packs of flowers.

The rest of the DT have made some gorgeous samples for this challenge so I do hope you will visit them. Also Janna has made her card in response to a very special request for terminally ill lady and hopes other people might join in. Unfortunately I had made my card as a birthday card before I read about this but it's a very worthwhile cause - do check it out and hope you can participate.

Here's my card ... at the time I set the challenge I had absolutely LOADS of pink & green papers .. but I'm not sure now where they have all gone to lol!! And as I was off work sick most of last week I couldn't go out hunting and gathering. In a way though it turned out to be a good thing, as it made me look at what I've actually got with fresh eyes, and I pulled out some really old paper but was actually pretty pleased with the final result.

The one thing that did strike me was that it would be hard to find a more apt image for a pink and green theme than this cute froggie lol! And I love the way he looks so joyful - always makes me smile :-)

I used the sketch from this week's Friday Sketchers #103,

and would also like to enter this card for

Crafty Creations #68 - Encouragement / celebration
Stamp with Stampavie #95 - Flower Power
Charisma #20 - 3D (3rd and final entry)
Spoon Full of Sugar #105 - Celebrations!

Recipe:
Main image: Penny Black "Jump for Joy" (3702J), watercoloured and the daisy decoupaged;
Sentiment: Craftwork Cards;
Papers: pink/green check from Paper Pzazz, green diamond paper free with "Making Cards" magazine about 2 years ago!
Supplies: spacers, pearl brads and pearls all from The Hobby House; flowers from my stash;
Tools: "Labels Four" nestabilities; Martha Stewart "garden trellis" edge punch.

So looking forward tos eeing all your pink & green creations!