Snowman Tic Tac Holders

Having been a follower of quite a few american blogs I came across this idea from http://www.dawnsstampingthoughts.typepad.com blog where she made a Father Christmas and an Elf tic tac holder. I love snowmen so made my own design, these are for my children (well 13 year old and 17 year old) not really children as such but still love treats at christmas.
Well I hope the snow doesn't come too soon as still lots to do before christmas and still need to get to work to pay for it all!

I wish you all a

Merry Christmas

and a

Happy New Year.

Christmas Ideas

Well the panic is on!! 

I have been neglecting my blog for some time now which I apologies for, I have been so busy with work and my own children that I haven't had time to really make anything. The panic is now on to make my christmas cards before it's too late and I end up buying cards!!!!

These are two cards that I have made for special people but I now think I will end up buying my cards. I have been making gifts though ready for our staff party, I always like to give a little something to say thank you for all the hard work everyone does.

Well I hope everyone has a great christmas and lets hope the new year brings us all some joy xx

My News Year resolution will be to be more pro active with my blog and card making.

Shades of Blue

Well it's been a while since I last posted so please accept my apologies, I have no excuses just that I  hadn't got anything to show.

Yesterday I  bought my first christmas present for a special person to find today it had been reduced by £10,why does that always happen?

Well I was feeling Christmassy yesterday and a bit crafty so made a christmas card or two. I was inspired by the Card-io demonstration on Create and Craft the other day,I ahve some of their stamps but no christams ones but I did find that I had a lot of small snowflakes stamps. I cut out a template of different styles of baubles and tinted through these with the Versa colour inks then stamped the snowflakes in various shades of blue. I drew the scroll and strings freehand(you could probably tell!) added a couple of small bows and some liquid pearls to finish, oh an added a strip down the  other side of the card using the same technique, just another 50 to go!

                                                                                   

Enjoy!

Spooky Treats

Well I don't usually celebrate Halloween in a big way but this year I decided to do something little. I am going out for a meal with some very special friends on Saturday and thought it would be nice to take a little treat for them.

Image - Digistamp Boutique October freebie

Punches - Various circles and X Cut scalloped 2" circle

Inks - Tim Holtz Distress, peeled paint, Ranger Archival Ink Black

Sweets - Candy canes Asda 12 for a £1, chocolates local chocolate factory

Backing paper- downloaded and altered on computer

Hope you all have a spooky halloween!

x

Distressed Butterfly Card

Well here's another distress ink card. I have really had to take time to practise this technique and found lots of inspiration on certain sites, so thank you to all you clever crafty people out there.

Inks  - Tim Holtz Distress Inks, peeled paint & antique line

Ranger Archival Ink, sepia

Stamps - Kars Clear Stamps ,Wildflower

                                      Royal Langnickel Clear Choice, Friends Forever

Embellishment - Homemade flowers (see previous entry)

                                              Pearls - had so long can't remember where I got them!Card - Papermill

Designer papers - My Minds Eye, Bloom & Grow

               Enjoy! and Thank You for looking x

Distressed Tag Card

Distressed Thank You Card

Well I have worked hard with these distress inks and this is what I have produced. It has take a while I know but inbetween work,school collections and the dog having chemo I haven't had much time to myself.

 Inks  - Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Inks

                          Antique Linen,peeled paint & stormy sky

                      My very old Ranger Archival Sepia Ink

Stamps - Cart Us Clear Stamps, 2072,1084,2067

                               Royal Langnickel Clear Choice - Traveller Stamps

Sentiment - free stamp from magazine

Vintage Embellishments - Downloaded from internet

Card from stock- generally Papermill hammered card

Decorative paper - Docrafts Wellington 6"x6" paper pack

More to come soon!

Tim Holtz - Distress Inks

WOW! Why haven't I brought these before now? I treated myself to some distress inks at the weekend and have been having so much fun experimenting. I only have 4 colours:

Spun Sugar

Peeled Paint

Antique Linen

Fired Brick

 

 

I started off with a basic technique of shading the edges of my cards, then went on to creating some backgrounds using the the spritzing method.When watching create and craft I saw Jo Austin from Docrafts demonstrate the Artiste Acrylic Paint with the the Artiste inks, so I thought I would give it a try with the distress inks.

I mopped up the left over sprizted ink with a piece of kitchen towel and left it to one side, when I came back to it it had dried out to leave a beautiful coloured piece of tissue. This gave me an idea, using the woodware flower punch I punched out several flowers then peeled the layers apart. I stacked approx 8 pieces back together pierceda hole and put a brad in the centre, scrunched it up a little to create these delightful delicate flowers.

 

I now have a whole jar of flowers ready to use on my cards just from 3 sheets of kitchen towel,I better get making!



Is it Autumn yet?

Sorry it has been a while since my last post, as you may be aware my poor little dog has been undergoing chemotherapy. We had a real scare with him last week as his white blodd count had gone down dangerously low along with a high temperature. We had to rush him into the vets for a weekend stay in isolation, luckily he was sent home the next day due to a dog with a gastro problem being admitted which would have been more dangerous to Kenny than being at home. He had a break from the chemo for a week but has now just started again, I do hope it gets better for him.

My card today is one that I made last year for my Auntie's 70th birthday, she was having a party based on an Autumn theme. I thought the colours would blend with her love of the Autumn but still being a pretty card.

I have used various punches to create the flowers and butterflies and the computer to print the sentiment.

I do hope we have a dry September/October afetr the awful summer we've had this year.

Rock Chick

Well, Kenny dog seems to be doing quite well at present, the chemo has started and daily steriod tablets. He's looking a bit sorry for himself as he looks up at me with big brown puppy dog eyes! I just hope this course of chemo does the trick and he gets through it ok. 

I have had time to make a card for my nieces birthday, it gets harder the older they get but I think she will be pleased with this one.

I do love using digi stamps this one was from a company (Pollycraft) who unfortunatly no longer sell them, which is a real shame they had great designs.

I have made a 'Pop Up box card', this does lie flat to enable posting and thankfully I managed to get it through the small letter slot of my nifty postal charge template.

Image - Pollycraft (no longer for sale)

Card Stock - Digi image printed on nu:co white card  Asda

Main card - Linen effect Papermill

Colours- Promarkers (purple tones)

Punches-Woodware Plum Flower

            Carla craft small flower

     X cut Small flower

Designer Paper - Docrafts

Embellishments - Charm and ribbon, glitter (from my craft drawer)

Sorry no card today.

Sorry I have no card to post today due to health probelm with my poor little Kenny. We were lucky enough to get Kenny from the Dogs Trust 2 years ago but unfortunatly he developed a lump on his side just after we rescued him. This turned into a mast cell tumour which he has recently had removed but after the removal of one of this and his lymph nodes he now requires chemotherapy for eight weeks. Today was the first time and luckily he hasn't suffered too much today so heres hoping the others will go smoothly too. I hope and pray that he recovers fully from this cancer as he's only three years old and such a little cutie. I hope to post a new card in next couple of days. Happy crafting!

Twins!

Well after reading the Fifty Shades trilogy I'm sure there's going to plenty more babies on the scene in nine months time! A friend of mine has just had twin girls via IVF and I'm so happy for her and her husband they have waited a long time and so deserve the happiness of little ones. Congratulations!

Elephant Template - Craftwork Cards

Candi dots - Craftwork Cards

Clear Stamps - Alys Inky Fingers Ultimate Alphabet Stamp set

Backing Paper - created on word doc & clipart

Dies - Nestabilities Classic Scalloped & Circles Small

Various embellishments from vast collection!

Hot! Hot! Hot!

Well what a hot day it is today here in beautiful North Norfolk. I hope everyone else is getting some sun, it's a shame we didn't have this weather last week in Devon whilst camping. I did get to read the first two Fifty Shades of Grey books while keeping out of the rain and thunder though. I share today the card I made for my daughters 17th birthday, she goes everywhere with her MP3 player plugged in to her ears and this little monkey just reminded me of her.

Digi stamp - Pollycraft

Colours - Promakers

Punches - Woodware Craft Collection

Number Stamps - Alys Inky Fingers

Designer Papers - Various

Embellishments - Various

50 Shades of Grey!!

Well back from camping trip to North Devon where we had 2 days sun out of 8 a bit of a disappointment but thats camping. I the high lights for me were reading the first two 50 shades of grey books which I just couldn't put down and the other was coming across a lovely craft shop in Bude called 'Moments'. I was getting quite anxious as I had been struggling to find a craft shop all week and then happened to find this lovely little shop with so many wonderful things inside along with Wendy the owner. I will be putting on some more cards shortly but need to catch up with the washing first! lets hop ethe weather stays sunny and dry. Oh and I need to finish the last book in the Fifty shades triology boy are they good books so easy to read and become absorbed in this strange but exciting world.

Annual camping trip

Well this is typical, we are about to embark on our annual family camping trip and the weather has decided to take a turn for the worse! On checking the met office to see if we should make a change in our destination gave cause for great concern as the whole of the UK is about to have thundery storms. Our poor little tent has had a battering most years to the stage where we had to hang onto all night in Wales so it didn't blow away!This year it looks like we made need oars to help when we float away. I think we will just have to make the most of it and hope we escape we out too many issues.
Happy Camping x

Pink Petticoat Thank You cards

I had an order for four Thank You cards today and these are what I came up with. I used the lovely Pink Petticoat digi stamps. I love using digi stamps as you can alter them to the size that suits your card size. I also made my own raised dots using a hole punch and dry embossing. Text was created on word using various fonts.

Digi Stamps - Pink Petticoat

           Colouring - Pro-markers &Whispers Strokes

Papers - Mixed First Edition Paper - Trimcraft

             Embellishments- ribbons and homemade dots

                 

Ow-lympics 2012.

I've really enjoyed watching the Olympic gymnastics and womens cycling today, so talented and dedicated. I made this quick card in support of Team GB, lets hope we get some gold medals.Good Luck team GB!

Owl Die - Stampin up owl punch

Numbers - Sizzlits Rat-A-Tat

Card stock - Pure Kraft Card Anne Marie designs

Stamp - Homemade ring stamp

Card for owls - Off cuts

Summer Butterfly Tree

A lovely summer card for a summers day, I feel I'm really starting to get the hang of this blogging now. I think I need to make more time for card making as well, now I have finished my degree I need to relax and whats the best way of doing but making cards.

Image - Little Claire Butterfly Tree stamp set

Coloured - various promakers/water colour pencils

Paper punches - various

Designer papers - Hideaway by First Edition

Die cuts - spellbinders nestabilities

Card Stock - Scalloped card



You're sexy and you know it!

Hey sexy!

My goodness it's been so hot these last couple of days. Here is my Anniversary card for my husband of 23 years, hopefully he won't look like this for a few more years.

Digi Stamp - Pollycraft 'Hot stuff Maurice'
Die - Spellbinders Labels Eight

Embellishments - Craftwork Cards Candi

Designer Papers - Docrafts Wellington

Just a Taster.

Well, I've been cleaning out my craft room all day. I have just finished a Foundation degree and have accumalated so much paper work. It's all boxed up now ready to be stored, probably never to be looked at again but then again,you never know when you might need it! I now have space to get down to some serious card making but I have posted a photo as a taster today.

Marianne Design CR1205 Butterfly Die

First Addition Boho Chic designer paper

EK Success Retro Flower Paper Punch

Card Stock Ivory Hammered

 

Well here goes!

Well here goes, I've done it. Not too sure what I'm doing but felt that I need to keep up with the trend of having a blog. I hope to put photo's of my cards on this site at some stage but need to get my head around this technology thingy(not so relaxing as card making!). Watch this space!