She Passed!

Hello Folks!

Another 4 weeks have been and gone in a flash!  The year will soon be away and I'm still struggling to remember to write 2015 instead of 2014!
My wee sister passed her driving test last Saturday.  She hadn't told us that she was doing it but I had an inkling :)  She was under pressure to pass it first time as we all passed on our first attempts (all being the siblings - there are 4 of us altogether, including Rachael).  She managed it so was quite excited and very happy!  She then drove her car up to Belfast on Sunday to Queens, where she goes to university.  She wasn't overly confident as it's a good bit away and involves motorway and lanes and round-abouts and lots of traffic - and she only passed her test the day before!  It also involves knowing the way, so mummy went with her, with daddy following to take mummy home again!  We'll see how she manages on the homeward journey.

We have another challenge for you this fortnight at the Alphabet Challenge Blog, and it was my turn to choose the theme, so I went for...

R for Ribbon!

I want to see lots of lovely ribbon on your makes, I'd really like to see some innovative ways of using ribbon, as well as beautiful bows and showing off pretty ones.

As I had a special occasion for a card this week, I had a specific theme, here's what I did:

I made this for Rachael and I started off by googling a map of our local area which I took a screen-shot of and turned it sepia in photoshop.  The other papers I used are American Crafts, Lucky Charm.

The image is Keys Please by Saturated Canary.  I coloured her with the following copics: Skin;E21,13,00,0000,R20. Hair;E4937,33,30. Top;Y26,23,21. Trousers;E29,27,25,23. Boots;RV34,32,21,10. Eyes;YG17,13. Certificate;E40.

The dies I used are: Die-Namics - Dainty Doily Duo (the small one), Magnolia swirl Doohickey, Memory Box - Simple Banner and Marianne Design die and matching stamp for the sentiment.
The flower is from The Works and the ribbons and charms are from my stash.

The inside is kept fairly simple and echoes the front.  I used another map of the local area which also got the sepia treatment.

So there you have it, I hope you can join us at the Alphabet Challenge Blog and show us what you can do with ribbon!

Thanks for looking!
 

Tag A Mate!

Hello...Does this thing still work?!
Wow!  8 months since my last post, I didn't mean for that to happen!  I was dealing with a lot of pain so thought I would take a wee break for a while but I'm back and raring to go!  Sort of!  I still have the pain so I will be keeping things quite and calm from now on.  I have stepped down from all but 2 of my design teams, that was a tough and sad decision to make but it had to be done.  I have thoroughly enjoyed being a part of all of those teams and have made lovely friends through them but hopefully blogland will bring us together again!

One of the teams I have stayed on is the Alphabet Challenge Blog.  I'm so happy to still be on this team as it's the first DT I ever got on!  We had a new challenge go live on Friday and I'm here to show you my card.  The theme is...

F for Friends/Friendship

And here is my card

I actually made 2 cards which are basically the same but with different colour schemes.  We are having a card swap on the Kraft Krazy forum with a challenge of using a die that you don't use very much and I have 2 friends to send to so I thought I'd make mine to suit it and the Alphabet Challenge.
Here's both cards together

The image I have used is Best Friend Selfie by Saturated Canary and I coloured it with the following copics: Skin; E21,13,00,0000,R20. Hair; E29,27,25,23.E44,43,42,40,blender. Eyes; B06,04.YG17,13. Lips; RV29,25,23. Clothes etc on card A; RV09,06,04. BG49,45,11. Y26,23,21. C7,5,3. RV13,11,10. Clothes etc on card B; BV08,04,00. YR07,04,02. Y08,04,00. B26,24,21. RV19,09,06. Background; C1,BV0000,B000,R00,Y00,blender.

I then mounted the image onto a tag shaped piece of kraft card that I cut myself.
The papers on card A are from Prima set Anna Marie and on card B from Prima set Introspection.
Dies used are Memory Box precious heart (which I haven't used before) and Crafty Sentiments Designs Fancy Hearts border die (which I haven't used in a long time).

The sentiment is from the Film Strip Sentiments set by Whimsy Stamps, stamped with onyx black Versafine ink and then I went over it with a Sakura clear glitter pen.  I added a hashtag with a black fine-liner pen and then with the glitter pen.  I also added a few diamantes.  And of course, it is an easel card.

I added a die-cut circle to the inside for the message because "Just Because" is never an answer!  I heard that enough times when I was wee!

So that is my card and my return!  These are the first cards I've made this year that I am happyish with.  The only other one I made was a card for my wee sister in February, for her 18th birthday.  My card was terrible, I didn't even bother to take a photo of it, but I was out of time to make another!
I didn't totally stay away from crafting though.  I did some crocheting, knitting and sewing while I was "off" card making.  I will continue to do more of that and I have very recently had a chance to try jewellery making using wire, love it!  I will be doing more of that also!
Over the next while I will also hopefully update my blog with a few cards that I missed from before, including my few Christmas cards that I made and any other things that were noteworthy and I said at some point or other that I would blog about!

I'd like to enter my card in the following challenges:

Craft Your Passion Challenges; Anything goes
Creative Fingers Challenge Blog; Anything goes
Cute Card Thursday; Use a sentiment
Eureka Stamps; Feminine cards
Papertake Weekly; Anything goes
Ruby's Rainbow Challenges; Anything goes
Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: Anything goes
ABC Challenges; I is for Inspire us
Top Tip Tuesday; Duo challenge - 2 in the image and 2 cards!
Whimsy Stamps Challenges; Colour an image

Thanks for looking!
 

Hoppy Easter!

Hi everyone!

I hope you're well?  I'm back with another card that should've been posted a week ago!  I'm hoping that my constant need to catch up will soon be at an end as the main reason for me not being able to keep up is finally getting seen to!  I had my big injection on Tuesday, and I didn't realise until after it just how anxious I was before hand.  The procedure is a fairly common one but having never had anything like that done to me in my thirty something years on earth, I did feel nervous about it.  The needle was being guided via ultra sound scanner right into the joint of my right shoulder.  And boy oh boy but it was painful!!  I watched the screen and could see the needle going into the joint and the swirling of the liquid being injected into where it had to go.  It was not a pleasant experience!  It has been very sore and stiff/tight ever since, they said it might take a couple of weeks to start to feel right, it felt a good bit better this morning when I woke up, but as the day has gone on it is getting sorer again.  But hopefully it's on the right road now!  Then I have to go through it all again in a few weeks on the other shoulder!  At least I'll know what to expect that time.

So, the card today was for the challenge that started last Friday at the Alphabet Challenge Blog - you can call this a midway reminder!  It was my turn to choose the challenge and as we are up to E I chose...

E for Easter!

How appropriate! Lol!

Here's my card

The image is by Saturated Canary and is called Easter Dress.  I coloured her with the following Copics:  Skin;E21,13,00,0000,R20. Hair & Bunny;E44,43.Y15,13,11. Dress;R22,21,20.B06,05,04,01,00,0000.YG07,05,03.RV29,25,23.

The papers I have used are Here & Now by Echo Park.  I used a set of Spellbinders Petite Ovals in large for the image and a Stampin' Up! punch for the sentiment.  I have a really old egg shaped punch that I found in my stash so I used it too.  The sentiment is computer generated using the font AR Christy.  The ribbon and gems are from my stash.

I used a Martha Stewart punch that I was going to use for the front of the card but I thought it was a bit much so I just used it on the inside along with the same papers, egg punch shapes, ribbon and gems as the front.

Please pop over to the Alphabet Challenge Blog to check out the rest of the DT's cards for this challenge and add your entries there - cos I know you're gonna enter!!  Lol!

I'd like to enter my card in the following challenges:

Craft For The Craic; Something for Easter or Spring
Craft Your Passion; Bunnies, chicks and eggs
Crafty Catz; B is for... Bunnies, blue, bow
Dream Valley Challenges; Easter
Eureka Stamps; Happy Easter
Just For Fun Challenge Blog; Easter
Oldie But A Goodie Challenge; Easter
Papertake Weekly; Happy Easter
The Pink Elephant; Easter
Twisted Tuesday; I need your paperwork

Thanks for looking!
 

Her Arrangement Is Better Than Mine

Hi everyone!

I hope you're all well?
I had my appointment about my shoulders last week and I have to go back to physio.  If that doesn't work I'll need injections, so I really hope the physio works as I hate needles!  It's good to know what it is that's wrong though and not to think that it's just in my head!

How about a new challenge?  A new one up today at Eclectic Ellapu and the Pink Team!  Our pinkie hosting this week is Laurian and it's her birthday in a few days - Happy Birthday Laurian!  So she has chosen the theme...

An Oldies Birthday!

I took this to mean that it's an older persons birthday, rather than a childs.
So here's my card...

Doing Rachael's card put me in the notion of colouring Saturated Canaries, I love colouring them!  This one is called Maxine The Florist and I coloured her with the following copics:  Skin;E21,13,00,0000,R20. Hair:E44,43,40. Clothes and flowers:BG49,45,B95,93,91.R24,22,21.RV34,32.Y17,15,13. Leaves;YG97,95,93. Stool;E39,37,35,29. Ground;E35,33,30. Background;B00,000,0000. plus black and brown prisma pencils.

The papers are MME "Sky's the limit" and the sentiment is by LOTV.  The flowers are all from Wild Orchid Crafts.  I think I need more practice at doing arrangements of flowers, I don't do them very often and I don't really like how this one turned out.

The inside is done to compliment the front with another LOTV sentiment.

So there you go.  Please take a peek at what the rest of the DT have done over at Eclectic Ellapu and spread some love for Laurian on her birthday by having a go yourself!

I'd like to enter my card in the following challenges:

Craft Your Passion Challenges; Summer Flowers
Crafty Sentiments Challenges; Colourful
Drunken Stampers; Party Planner - a celebration
A Gem of A Challenge; Anything with a B - Blooms, bright
Lacy Sunshine Challenge Blog; Girls, girls, girls
Papercrafting Journey; Anything goes
Papertake Weekly; Flower power
QKR Stampede; Anything goes
Top Tip Tuesday; Initials - S for Saturated Canary & F for Flowers
 
Thanks for looking - and if you haven't seen it yet, don't miss out on my blog candy!
 

I'm A Proud Big Sister!

Evening all!
 
I thought I'd share the card I made for my little sister - she got her GCSE results on Thursday and she has made us all very proud!
The wee smarty pants got 2 A*'s, 7 A's and a B!!  And in a couple of subjects she only missed the A* by 1 or 2 points!
So I got to it and made her a card and here it is...

I always seem to choose Saturated Canary images for cards for her, these little ladies just remind me of Rachael!  I thought this one looked like she was wearing clogs so I used it - she's called Sabrina.  I coloured her with the following copics:  Skin; E21,13,00,0000,R20. Hair; E47,44,43,40. Dress; E35,33,30.RV34,32,R39,37,29.YG97,95,93.
I was colouring away in my own wee world when I suddenly realised how late it was getting so I had to rush to finish it, but I suppose that is why we all love crafting, having our own wee world to go to!

The papers I used are Pretty In Pink by Glitz.  The dies are Spellbinders oval and scalloped oval, Whiff of Joy Stars Festoon and Marianne Design banner with sentiments to fit.  The "Clever Clogs!" was computer generated and printed on kraft card and chopped up into little squares before being attached with foam pads.  The pearls, gems, ribbon and twine are all from my stash.  Everything was inked with Walnut Stain distress ink.

The inside was done to match the front with another computer generated sentiment.  This comes from when she was wee, maybe 3 or 4, and we would all call her a genius while pointing our finger into the middle of our forehead - if I remember right it came from TFI Friday - and she would copy us.  That's what comes from having brothers and sisters so much older than you! lol!

So there you are, my card for my talented and clever little sister.  I wonder where she'll be in a few years time?  Somewhere good I bet!

I'd like to enter my card in the following challenges:

Crafty Ribbon Challenge Blog; Anything goes with ribbon
Cute Card Thursday; Back to school
Divas By Design; Use some twine
Fussy and Fancy Challenge Blog; Back to school
A Gem of a Challenge; Anything with a B - Banners
Lacy Sunshine Challenge Blog; Girls, girls, girls
One Stitch At A Time; Back to school
One Stop Craft Challenge; Spots and dots
Southern Girls Challenge Blog; The warm and fuzzies
Whoopsi Daisy Challenge; Back to school

Thanks for looking - and if you haven't already seen it, don't miss my blog candy!

Sweet Oklahoma

Hi everyone!

I'm back with another early morning post.  I was so tired yesterday I promised myself an early night last night, but it never works out that way does it?!  I always find some way to distract myself from going to bed at night but yet I can't seem to tear myself away from it in the morning.  I've always been the same, I think it's a family trait!

Time though, for another challenge with the Creative Card Crew.  This fortnight we are being sponsored by the fabulous Scrapping Center

They're offering a $15 store voucher to one lucky winner!

The challenge for the next fortnight, to be in with a chance to win, is...

No Designer Paper!

How's that for a toughy!  I love my papers and was a bit stumped as to what to do.
Some of the DT decided to use the fabby Saturated Canary "Sweet Oklahoma" image that Krista did especially for our Mari with the proceeds going to her lovely daughter after her home was destroyed in the Oklahoma tornado.  So I knew that I wanted to keep it simple.

Here's what I did;

 I printed the image out and kept the card big enough to make up the front of the card.  I coloured the sweet image with the following copics: Skin: E21,13,00,0000,R20. Hair: E44,43,42,41. Clothes: RV06,04,02,BV04,00,0000,G24,21,20,Y15,13,11,RV13,11,10,BG07,05,01. Grass: E49,31,YG67,17. Puddle: B01,00,000,0000.

The sentiment is computer generated and the font is called Ribbon Happy.  I used different coloured bakers twine and attached a charm from my stash with a jump ring.  A few swarovski's were added to the corner just to finish it off.  I mounted it on some corresponding card to hide the icky colour bleed on the back of the card.

The inside is even plainer than the front!  With a WRS sentiment and some more bakers twine.

So take a trip over to the Creative Card Crew blog to see the rest of the DT's work and see if you can join us with no design paper - I dare ye!

I'd like to enter my card in the following challenges:

Crafty Friends Challenge Blog; Use a charm
Crafty Sentiments Designs Challenge Blog; Girl power
Cupcake Craft Challenges; Not for flowers
My Heart Pieces; Use a digi
One Stop Craft Challenge; For a friend
Sentimental Sundays; For the girls
The Squirrel And The Fox; Use something metal

Thanks for looking!
 

Butterfly Kisses

Hi everyone,
I hope you're all keeping well?
It's been one of those weeks where I've been really busy but have nothing to show for it, I hate that!

We have another challenge for you this week from the Pink Team at Eclectic Ellapu.
Our lovely May has chosen a fab challenge for us this week!  It is...

Anything With Wings!

I always think it sounds like a difficult challenge and then you think of all the lovely things with wings you get loads of inspiration!

Here's what I did:

My image is Springtime by Saturated Canary and I coloured her with the following copics:  Skin; E21,13,00,0000,R20. Hair; E23,Y26,23,21. Clothes; RV29,25,21,B04,02,01,Y19,17,15,13,11,YG97,95,93,91. Grass: E44,31,G99,24,07,YG17,07. Sky; B00,000,0000,C1,00.  I used some pebeo paints to highlight the flowers.

The papers are Echo Park, Here and Now.  The swirl and the little butterfly are laser-cut shapes by Make it Crafty which I painted with the same pebeo paints that I used on the image.  The sentiment is from the Dreamdays set by LOTV and I cut it out with Spellbinders dies.  The butterfly is by Prima and I got it in some blog candy that I won recently! :)  The bling and the ribbon is from my stash.

The inside more or less matches the front and the sentiment is from the Stampin' Up! Happiest Birthday Wishes set.

So pop over to Eclectic Ellapu and take a look at what the rest of the DT have done, they're so talented!

I'd like to enter my card in the following challenges:

All Sorts Challenge Blog; Here come the girls
Bearly Mine Challenge Blog; Colour challenge
Crafts For Eternity; The same letter - B for Butterflies, Bling, Blue.
Crafty Friends Challenge Blog; Challenge 1, anything goes
Eureka Stamps Challenge; The great outdoors
Fab & Funky Challenges; For the girls
Fussy & Fancy Challenge Blog; Bling it on
QKR Stampede Challenge; Any winged creature
Southern Girls Challenge Blog; Tic tac toe - top row
The Ribbon Girl Card Challenge; Add a die cut

Thanks for looking!
 

It's Not Even Easter!

Hi everyone!

I hope you're all well.  Not a lot to report at the moment.  Was another busy week at work and I was totally knackered on Friday night.  I'm off tomorrow though and I'm gonna go and meet my best friend for some lunch - I haven't seen her in ages and I'm looking forward to seeing how far along her bump is getting! ;)
Also I'm so excited to receive the fantastic blog candy that I won over at Fab N Funky!!

But, on to another challenge for the Pink Team at Eclectic Ellapu, and we have a theme for you this week that everyone loves!  It is...

Anything Goes!

I made my card for a friends birthday a month-or-so ago, hence the Eastery image!

Here it is

The image is, of course, from Saturated Canary and she's called Murray.  I coloured her with the following Copics: Skin; E21,13,00,0000,R20. Hair; E44,43,42,41. Clothes; R24,22,21,RV32,29,25,YR7,04,02,Y15,13,11,YG07,05,03. Grass;G09,07,05,00,E44.

It reminds me of our Easter Sunday when we have a traditional egg throw.  We pick somewhere as our goal and the winner is the best of 3 at who can get the closest to the goal when throwing our individually boiled and decorated eggs.  This year, our "goal" was a lump of snow! Lol!  I won the "Egg Cup" last year but didn't do very well this year with my gammy shoulder.  I will have to get into training for next year!

Anyway, back to the card!  The papers are Hello Luscious by Basic Grey.  Dies I used are Spellbinders ovals and scalloped ovals, Crafty Sentiments Designs- Fancy Hearts border and Magnolia swirl doohickey.  The sentiment is by Waltzing Mouse and I added some swarovski's to it, although they're hard to make out.  I also added some flowers, ribbon and a charm (also with a swarovski stuck to it) from my stash.

The inside is done to match the front with a Wild Rose Studio sentiment.

So I hope you like my Anything Goes card - go take a look at what the rest of the DT did at Eclectic Ellapu!

I'd like to enter my card in the following challenges:

All Sorts Challenge Blog; Add Some Sparkle
Crafts & A Me Challenges; Floral Frenzy
Crafty Sentiments Designs Challenge Blog; The letter B - Bow, bling, border (CSD die)
Fab N Funky Challenges; Lot's of pink
One Stop Craft Challenge; Flower power
The Perfect Sentiment; Make it feminine
Stampin' For The Weekend; Dies and/or punches
ABC Challenges; M for make it sparkle
Saturated Canary Challenge; All things bright and beautiful
Basic Grey Challenges; Mix n match

Thanks for looking!
 

Circletastic

Hi everyone!

I hope you're all well.  I had a lovely weekend and didn't leave the house once!  After a few very busy weekends it was a welcome change!  Although my house was crying out for a good clean so had to do a wee bit of that! lol!

In between cleaning though, I found some time for crafting - it has to be done, right?!  I made my card for the new challenge at the Creative Card Crew.

This fortnight we are being sponsored once again by the fabulous Scrapping Center!

And they're offering another $15 to spend in their store to one lucky winner!

Our challenge for this fortnight is...

Bling!

I love this challenge!  And I'm sure I'll be totally wowed by all the bling blogland has to offer!

Here's what I did:

I went a bit mad with the circles!  I fell in love with this image "Summer" the moment I saw it at Saturated Canary.  I coloured her with the following copics: Skin: E21,13,00,0000,R20. Hair:E49,47,44,43,42. Clothes:Y06,02,00,B24,23,21,YG17,13,11,RV13,11,10,BG49,45,000. I have been a bit slack with colouring backgrounds so I thought this would be a good image to start practicing on and I used G28,24,21,E49,RV34,N1,B0000 to do it.

The papers I have used are Country Drive by Echo Park.  I used Spellbinders Decorative Elements Grand Nestibilities for the base of the card and Go Kreate large circles too.  Smaller Spellbinders dies were used for the image and back panel.  I used a white gel pen on the scallops and my bling is the pink and clear gems around the base scallops.  I also added a little clear gem to Summer's bow in her hair.  The sentiment is Stampin' Up! from the Happiest Birthday Wishes set, with a few more gems, just because.

A fairly simple inside, because it's quite a small space with another stamp from the Stampin' Up! set.

So go take a peek at the rest of the samples from the DT at the Creative Card Crew - they're all fab!

I'd like to enter my card in the following challenges:

Bunny Zoe's Crafts Challenge: Favourite colour combo
Crafty Sentiments Designs Challenge: The letter B = Blue, Butterflies, Bow
Deep Ocean Challenge Blog; Favourite colour combo
Love To Create Challenge Blog; Punches and/or dies
Papercrafting Journey; Use a sentiment
QKR Stampede; Favourite things (My copics for colouring and a SC image!)
Quirky Crafts Challenge Blog; Dark & bright and don't be square
Stamp & Create Challenge; Use at least 1 die cut
Stampin' For The Weekend; Dies and/or punches
Saturated Canary Challenge; All things bright and beautiful

Thanks for looking!
 

Heavy Metal!

Good morning!

I hope you're keeping warm - I had a wee bit of a surprise last night when I peeked out through the blinds and everything was white!  Again!  Even though we were expecting a little bit of snow, I didn't actually see it snowing and we had quite a covering!  Hopefully it won't hang around for long.

Time for another new challenge at the Creative Card Crew and we have a new sponsor!

Pizzazz Aplenty are offering one lucky person a surprise package and as someone who was previously lucky enough to have won from them I can vouch that their surprise packages are fab!

So in order to be in with a chance to win it, all you have to do is make something to the following theme...

Chocolate - colour or candy!

I chose to go the colour route and here's my card:

My image is Sprocket by Saturated Canary - it's ages since I coloured one of these beauties and I really enjoyed it!  I used the following copics: Skin: E21,13,00,0000,R20. And the rest: W9,7,5,E59,57,55,53,51,49,44,43,40,41,39,37,35,33,31,30,29,23,07,04 and a little bit of black prisma pancil.

It's my first attempt at anything steampunk so I just threw everything metal I had at it and it weighs a ton!  Lot's of Tim Holtz bits and some fabricky sparkly paper and I randomly frantaged areas of card.  The pearl is from Pizzazz Aplenty.  And a few other bits and pieces from my stash.

The inside matches the front as usual.

So pop over to the Creative Card Crew and check out what the rest of the DT did - it'll make you drool!  Then make something to join in and make us drool!

I would like to enter my card in the following challenges:

Sunday Sketch & Stamp; Sketch
Anything Goes Challenge Blog; Monochrome
Cute Card Thursday; A different corner
Forever Friends Challenge Blog; Use ribbon or lace
Fussy & Fancy Challenge Blog; Circles
Kaboodles Doodles; Hearts
Paper Crafting Journey; For a girl
Stamp With Fun; Brown
Stampin' For The Weekend; Something metal

Thanks for looking!