Say Happy Birthday with flowers

This card is for Mercy's sketch challenge 55:

and also for ColourQ challenge 14:
Everything I've used, except the ribbon, raffia and sentiment, is from the Laura Ashley contemporary range - the papers, the stamp (which I inked with Brilliance pearlescent crimson and heat embossed with clear detail) and the fabric covered brad.

It's also good for:

Today (day 317) on 365: 'crazy eight' - use 8 colours: lilac, purple, yellow, green, pink, fuschia, brown, crimson, blue ... at least 8 here
2 red bananas: 'think round' - create something with curves - plenty on the flowers
Cute daisy may: 'ribbon and flowers'
Design dollies colour challenge: 'fuschia and pale yellow'
Fiskarettes: 'layering' - a few layers here
Pink elephant 49: 'birthday'
There she goes 37: 'embellish x 3 - ribbon, raffia and brad
Another one for Stampin' royalty 1: 'birthday theme'
Another one for Your next stamp 7: 'embossing' - the heat embossing on the central flower
Another for Hand full of stamps 11: 'say it with flowers'
Another for Frosted designs: 'ink challenge' - this time heat embossing a pigment ink
Another too for Crazy 4 challenges 19: 'birthday'
Sweet stampin' 8: 'colour combo' - certainly celery, rose red, pretty in pink, almost amethyst
Sunflowers and dragonflies 23: 'faux stitching' - on the green ribbon
Crafty catz 14: 'bright and sparkly' - the purple edging of the sentiment is glittered, as well as the pearlescent sheen of the embossed ink

Chance encounter

This colourful ticket sheet was the inspirational graphic given this week on Soartful and the theme is 'chance':

I downloaded a free image from here and simply enlarged, rotated a bit and superimposed on the original given image - my very simple effort this week:



This is what the poem says:

A chance encounter of the best kind
A meeting arranged by fate.
Two souls have come together
Two hearts can now relate.

Exploring has uncovered
A tender love sublime
Whose roots are strong and deep
To withstand the test of time.

This much I know within my heart,
That you are meant for me:
To share with me the joys of life
Throughout Eternity.

And here I found a final verse:

So now I ask with open heart
Baring my soul to thee;
Will you, dear (NAME), my soulmate
Take a chance and marry me?

Copyright © 1983 Ara John Movsesia

Top hat and tails

This is my effort for Sunday Postcard 'top hat and tails'.

The bride and groom are a download from the Charmed Love and Marriage Dottie and George and they have been superimposed over a photo of the view into a church at a wedding (Dottie and George cover the original bride and groom):

Stamping with Leonardo

This card is for the sketch on Ooh-la-la 44:


It's also for:

Sunday Stamper 85: 'faces'
PaperPlay 1: 'precious metals' - the pink clip
Humble Pie: 'flourishes'
KL stampin' n scrappin' 12: 'pink, black and a neutral (grey)
Ildi Co 7: 'scrap & metal' - use only scraps (they were - part of one of my new year resolutions) and some type of metal - the pink clip
Kraftin'Kimmie 12: 'heavy metal'
365 cards day 303: 'with a flourish' - 'To meet the requirements for today's challenge, you need to add at least 3 flourishes to your card. They can be stamps, rubons, patterned paper, etc.' I used one of my favourite flourish stamps by Dawn Bibby to randomly stamp the pink card.


The Leonardo (Stampington) stamp is one I had for Christmas - I just lightly coloured the face with a pink copic (doesn't really show on here), so, as the stamp is new - it's the first time I've used it - it's another one for Crafty Ann 5: 'new year' new inspiration', Fussy & fancy 1: 'new' and the Craft Garden January challenge: 'new'.

The pink card etc is more pink irl.

Love without hearts

This card is for sketch 73 on Cutie Sunday:

It's also for:

Dottie's world: 'B'ring out the old, B'ring in the new' -the old is the HOTP papers; the new is the prima flowers and centres (among the goodies I received from Quixotic for winning a challenge)
Cute Daisy May: 'love!'
Digital Tuesday 40: 'Valentines!' - I used a digi download from Charmed
My time to craft 73: 'blue & brown'
Quixotic 8: 'hot chocolate' (I concentrated on the colour)
Divine Diva inspiration 19: 'chocolate'
Hand full of stamps 11: 'say it with flowers' - the young man has given his sweetheart flowers - and there are prima flowers on the card
No time to stamp? 121: 'love is in the air'
Saturday spotlight 13: 'love without hearts'
Creative Inspirations 42: anniversary card
Another one for Penny's: 'chalks' - I chalked the flowers with chestnut brown chalked ink because they were too pale without
Also another for Frosted designs: 'ink challenge' (the chalk ink on the primas) - I like the way the chalking accentuates the embossing

I used HOTP papers that were in my scraps box, which ties in with my resolution to use up offcuts rather than cut into new 12 x 12, so this is good for:

Dollies elements: 'resolutions'
3 clovers 46: 'new year resolutions'

Pretty as a peacock

This card is for CLP 15:

It's also for:

Tanda teaser 129: 'pretty as a peacock'
Another one for Incy wincy 24: 'bling it up!'
Copic buzz: 'ribbon'
Dancing in pajamas TCP: 'glittereific' - the glittered silver borders on the blue mat
Copic colour 45: YG03 yellow green, BV02 prune, B93 light crockery blue (late for this one)
Stampin' royalty 1: 'Birthday theme'
Crazy4challenges 19: 'birthday'
Stamp, scrap & doodle 22: 'celebrations' (birthday)
Tellen's place: 'silver and blue'
Treehouse 31: 'bird, button and bling'
365 cards day 306: 'digging deep' (I've had these BG papers a long time now - haven't used much of the mellow pad at all before)
Basic Grey 11: 'photo inspiration':

Here is my card:

The background paper is BG wisteria and the cloudy blue piece is BG mellow. The glittery silver strips are PM. The peacock is a digi image that I won as part of a prize recently from Paper Popsicles and was coloured with copics and highlighted with glossy accents (shame this doesn't show up here - on the body of the peacock and the 'eyes')

A rose by any other name would smell as sweet ...

This card is for the sketch on Limelight 38, which also calls for the use of buttons (I turned the sketch on its side):


It's also good for:

Get funky January: 'spots and stripes' - using a freebie Funky Hand download, I changed the colours in Digital Image Pro
Crafty pad 52: 'buttons'
So artful: 'rose' - the picture of the dog and the rose was downloaded from Art Freebies
Color dare 50: 'ruby red, creamy caramel, Bermuda bay
If the shoe fits Fashionista Friday 17: 'chipboard' - the three 'buttons' are chipboard
365 cards day 290: 'Tuesday trio': 'chipboard, blossom (the rose in the picture), button'
Our creative corner: 'clean and simple'

Cream, blue and pink bling

This card is for the sketch on Allsorts 33, which also calls for 'old or new', so I'm using a new raised sticker with a rose in the middle and also some new heart gems (Poundland):

As I've used new stash, this will fit this week's Flutter by Wednesday 91: 'new' - and, of course, it has butterflies, which qualifies it, also Cute card Thursday 94: 'all new' .

It's also for this fortnight's week 10 challenge on Basic Grey to use the colour combo of cream, pink and blue - I always love the opportunity to use BG products - this time I've used urban prairie papers. The colours are also right for Cupcake Inspiration (Hope stamps eternal) 40

There are also similar colours at Manic muffin totes for Etsy inspired 69:

This is a 'thank you' card, which makes it good for Magical crafts 5, Lili of the valley 44 and Totally Gorjuss 11 (sorry, there's no cute image).

So here is my card (irl the hearts are much more pink):


With the pink heart gems, this is also another one for Incy wincy 24: 'bling it up!!' and Creative Belli 82: 'glitter or rhinestones', also for Spoon full of sugar 85: 'hearts'.

Penny's challenge this week is to use chalks - I used pink chalk ink to colour the scalloped circle (I didn't have one of the right colour, so I inked a white one) and 'Ink challenge' is currently on Frosted designs.

A couple of prizes

I was randomly picked for the prize for challenge 23 on Incy Wincy Designs - yay!! This was for the Happy Birthday Friend card. I've won some rub ons, some charms and a spool of ribbon.

I was also picked as winner of challenge 47 on Crafty Creations - for the Hidden Happy Christmas card. I've won $10.00 to spend at Digi Kitty.

'You are in our thoughts' card

I made this card last night, but didn't get round to showing it.

The challenge this week on Encourage joy is: 'if it ain't broke - don't fix it' - find a card you like and duplicate it in your own way. So I cased one of my own cards, originally seen here, which was inspired by a challenge from Sketch Saturday. In fact, the card was one of my choices for my top 12 of 2009 - why not have a look at this and I'd love you to leave me a comment to show me your top 12 for 2009.

Back to this new card, I used DCWV background paper and also an older piece of DCWV black and white spotted paper that I scalloped the edges.

I used a funstamp ' in our thoughts' stamp and stazon to stamp on white ribbon - 365 day 308: 'stampin' Saturday' - 'For this one, you need to stamp on some ribbon. Stamp a pattern or a sentiment - or both!'

I used a free image from the vintage moth, which I changed to black and white and then duplicated digitally to create the circular 'spotlight' in colour - you can see the 'spotlight' better in the second picture.



The card is also good for the following challenges:

Pile it on 29: 'anything digital' - and this challenge always encourages us to 'pile it on' by finding other challenges for the same piece of crafting
Copic buzz: 'use ribbon' (I used a copic to edge the image background and on the white flowers
Corrosive45: 'these are a few of my favourite things' - use two of your favourite embellishments (flowers and gemstones)
Lucy's cards 3: 'monochromatic' - one colour (pink) along with black and/or white
Creative belli 82: 'glitter or rhinestones'
Our creative corner: 'clean and simple'
Little paper shop 49: 'bright pink, black and white'
Crafty creations 49: 'black and white with a splash of colour
Humble pie: 'black tie event' - black and white, with the option of one other accent colour
Sunflowers and dragonflies 22: 'spotlight technique'
Rosie-dee 61: 'free choice'
Incy wincy 24 'bling it up!!'
My grafico: 'out with the old, in with the new' - the new item is the stamp and the re-purposed item is the sketch/card that I cased
Whimsical Wednesday 17: 'perfect makeup inspiration'
Crazy4challenges 18: 'polka dot fun'

Salt: faith, hope, love

It was Stacy's turn to choose the topic for today's Salt challenge - you can read what she wrote here and also see the beautiful crafting of other team members.

My response to Stacy's challenge is in the form of a digi LO, using part of a download I bought from Designs by Angel. I used some parts of the kit earlier to make a New Year card.

It would be lovely if you could visit Salt and see what the rest of the team have been up to - and perhaps you would like to make something for the challenge this time.

First card this year (at last)

I don't know what happened to time, mojo and good intentions, but this is the first card I've made this year, in fact, the first card for over a week. I did make my resolution job box last week, but perhaps the least said about that the better - I finally took out the first paper a couple of days ago, got all set to do the stated job ... and then a friend turned up for a coffee and a chat and I never did get the job done - hopefully, I might do it today. I really needed to get on with this card earlier because I wanted to send it before we get towards the end of January! But now that the snow is really set in again I won't be going out to the post yet anyway.

I stamped up a few images yesterday afternoon, using a couple of new stamps I had for Christmas, but I didn't get any further than that - was looking for a sketch to motivate me ... finally, I found the one that Tamara has given for her challenge 101, which is actually for a LO, but was just right for a card to accommodate the labels I'd already prepared. So this is the LO sketch:For my card I used my lovely new Penny Black Fantasy stamp (Santa really did take notice of my list), stamped with Elzybells sugar candy pigment (I would highly recommend this) and embossed with clear detail. The words were done on my dymo letratag. The striped paper is old from a DCWV pad. I ripped the edges and stamped over them with one of my HOTP stitch stamp.

There are a few other challenges around atm that this card fits:

Pile it on 30: 'crystal clear' - I hope the detail clear EP counts!
Ann's creative nook 72: ' it's a brand new year' - use any new item (the stamp)
Fiskarettes: 'new year resolutions'
Dollies elements challenge: 'resolutions'
Crazy Amigo: 'brand new start'
Charisma cardz: 'celebrations!' (New Year)
3 clovers 45: 'celebrations!'
Dancing Pajamas TCP challenge: 'something new' - not just a 'new year' card, but using a new stamp
Papertake 32: 'new beginnings' - new year and new stamp
Lili of the valley 43: 'new year card'
PaperPlay 46: ;new beginnings' - anything for 'new' - new year card and new stamp
Rainbow lady: 'new' (card and stamp)
Cards for men 2: 'new'
Crafty Ann 5: 'new year, new inspiration'
Daring cardmakers: 'new beginnings'
Frosted designs: 'new year card'
Fussy & fancy 1: 'new'
No time to stamp? 120: 'new things'
Stamp something: 'new somethings' (new stamp)
Stampin' for the weekend: 'new beginnings
Penny Black 82: 'Happy New Year'
Secret crafter Saturday 64: 'new beginnings'
By the cute and girly: 'something new'
The craft garden January challenge: 'new'
Lucy's cards 3: 'monochromatic'
Kelly Jo: colour chef 33: monochromatic
Artful inkables think ink Tuesday 11: 'monochromatic'
Tuesday taggers: 'black and white'
Humble pie: 'black tie event' - black and white
Everybody art 72: 'favourite colour combo' - I still absolutely love just black and white together
ABC: 'L for layering'
Fab n Funky: 'make anything you want for any occasion'
Gingersnap GC37: 'chestnut theme challenge: time'
Your next stamp 7: 'embossing' (heat embossing)
Creative card crew 42: 'distressing' (torn paper edges)
Mixed media Monday: 'leftovers' - the Paper Cellar snowflakes - and also the striped DCWV paper
One stop craft 61: 'something beginning with B' - black
Sophisticat 16: 'fancy borders'
Stamping vacation: 'it's all about the theme': 'monochromatic', so my three things to compliment are the background paper, the embossed image and the borders
Created by hand: 'it's a freebie' - anything

WOYWW today?

WOYWW today? The answer is: 'not a lot'! Not much crafting activity yet this year. As you can see from the scattered bits and pieces, I inked up and embossed a few images yesterday afternoon, using a couple of my new stamps from Christmas ... but as yet nothing more has developed. You can even see the card blank, still blank, waiting to be used ... hopefully I'll feel like doing something with these later. I think just the sight of the snow must be numbing my brain and my mojo!




If you haven't yet discovered WOYWW, then why not visit Julia's blog and then you can have a nosey at everyone else's workspace.

Annoying unwanted comments

Annoyingly I've been receiving a few comments lately that are clearly spam, most of them as anonymous. I've therefore taken the step of not allowing anonymous comments to see if this stops it. I'm really sorry if this is inconvenient for anyone genuine who wishes to comment who can't - it does still include open ID as well as google accounts, so I think most people would still be able to leave comments.

What a nuisance these spammers are.

And if any spammers are reading this, I do remove your comments, so it's not worth your efforts.

Top twelve of 2009

Wishing all my visitors a

Happy New Year

Before I start this post, if you think that I've prepared all this already this morning, then I haven't - I worked on this before Christmas and scheduled it to go live today.

While blog-hopping last year I found that quite a few crafters had shown their Top Ten makes for 2008 and so, at the beginning of January last year, I did the same.

I found it quite an experience to look through my crafting for 2008 and very difficult to choose my 'top ten' because some crafting is special because of the technique involved, whereas other makes are special because of the purpose for doing them.

I decided this year that I would extend my choice to twelve items, one for each month of the year - I still found it very difficult for some months to decide what to choose.

If you click on the links, you can go to the original posts and read more about each item.

My top twelve of 2009

January 2009: I've chosen this card because I find it so calming:



February 2009: I loved this card that I gave mum for Easter - it was actually one of my pieces for our Salt faith challenge blog.


March 2009: I made quite a few notebooks - it's difficult to choose just one, but I think it has to be this one:


April 2009: these inchies were done for a swap on Bubbly Funk, using shrink plastic - something I tend to forget about and think I should use more of during 2010.


May 2009: I bought a melting pot way back and hardly ever use it. However, I got it out of the cupboard and made this piece of jewellery - something else I should do more of in 2010 (because it's at the back of the cupboard again).


June 2009: This card was a commissioned one - I just love the papers and the colours that blend together:


July 2009: This year has been difficult with John being in hospital quite a lot, the worst time being the end of June and the month of July when he was very ill and so I did very little crafting or blogging during that time. I did, however, keep up my participation in the Salt Faith Challenge blog as a member of the team and I have chosen to show two LOs that I did - they are very precious to me because they were so apt for the situation we were in at that time. So, although July is the month when I did the least crafting, I've chosen to show two examples because I just couldn't choose between them:

Salt: prayer


Salt: according to His purpose


As is the case with all the other links, if you click on them you will be able to read what I wrote at the time for these LOs.

August 2009: These were my pages in a CJ as part of a swap on Bubbly Funk - I love the overlays of acetate:




September 2009: I like the result achieve with the technique of stamping with bubblewrap that I used for the background of this card - and also purple is one of my favourite colours which helped me to decide on this card:



October 2009: This card was for Irit Shalom's Royal Challenge 1 - the idea was to include as many challenges as possible. I enjoyed making this card, although it was certainly quite a feat to achieve all the challenges. I won the prize, which you can see here.








November 2009: I've hosen this one because I love the cute image, the colouring and the glitter:

December 2009: I was asked to make a 'sweet and sassy' card for a 16th birthday - I enjoyed making this easel card and love the bright colours:



I have found it quite helpful doing this review of 2009 - it has brought back many memories, but has also reminded me of some techniques etc that I haven't tried for a while, not just in the items that I've chosen to show here, but in many of these other items that have been blogged over the months.

It's over to you

Perhaps you would like to do your own 'top twelve of 2009' - if you do I'd love you to leave me a comment with a link so that I can come and look at your choices.

And then encourage others to do the same.

New year resolution (another one!)

I've already mentioned two craft related new year resolutions. However, this one doesn't relate to craft, but I enjoyed doing some crafting in preparation for it.

There are quite a few jobs that I've often had on a list and never seem to get round to doing - sorting out photos on the computer, memory sticks, etc, putting photos on to digital photo frames (I bought two large ones ages ago, thinking that it would give John a better chance of seeing some photos, but have never set them up). There are lots of other things like this that need doing, as well as drawers to be sorted, etc, so I've used an empty tissue box:


and am going to put lots of jobs on bits of paper and every now and then (this ought to be a regular occurrence, but I don't think I can be that good!) I'll put my hand in and take out one of the pieces of paper and get on with that job.

So I covered the box with K & Co Urban Rhapsody papers, a few blooms etc and a bit of inking and distressing:







There are quite a few challenges around atm to do with new year (what a surprise!) as well as some colour ones that are covered by this little project, so I'm linking for these:

Corrosive 44: 'new years resolutions'
Stampin' sisters in Christ 19: 'new year card or project'
Dancing in Pajamas TCP challenge: 'something new'
Paperplay 46: 'new beginnings'
Rainbow lady 84: 'new'
Daring cardmakers: 'new beginnings'
Paper cutz 22: 'new year'
One powerful hour: 'resolutions'
Created by hand: 'out with the old'
No time to stamp 120: 'new things'
The play date cafe 10: 'turquoise, brown, dusty pink'
ColourQ 13: 'melon mambo, pretty in pink, tempting turquoise, chocolate chip + white (my second entry for this)
Paperminutes 94: 'colour explosion'
365 cards day 149: 'sponging' (with chalk ink)
Little red wagon 9: flowers
Pals paper arts 23: 'anything but a card'
Allsorts 32: 'anything but a card'
My time to craft 72: 'anything goes'

I also came across the Crafting pot 'five things' challenge, asking for 'five layers' - my flowers fit this.

Apron strings challenge 16 prize

What a lovely surprise when a delivery man turned up this morning with a box from the States containing my prize for challenge 16 on Apron strings - you can read about it here.



What a lovely co-ordinating selection of papers and embellishments. Thank you, Apron strings.

BF December ATCs received

Postie's been - I received my ATCs for December from the group on BF - thanks, girls, and thank you again, Ali, for hosting: