Skating penguin

This card is actually for my CHNC challenge 76 which starts at 9:00 UK time tomorrow morning, but I'm not going to give anything more away about the challenge - I'll edit this in the morning. Update: challenge 76 is now live and is 'feature a creature'.

I've used a digital stamp supplied by Bugaboo Stamps 'little penguin winter - skate' coloured with copics (Bugaboo are sponsoring the CHNC challenge 76). The image and surround were cut with nesties.


Papers are a mixture from my Christmas offcuts box, so this is another card for Waste not Wednesdays (wishcraft) 22.

The card is based on the sketch for Merry Monday 23:

Colours are for Christmas Inspirations 46: green, black and white.

This is also for Sunday's with Santa on facebook for last Sunday: sports (skating etc).

This is also for:

Fab n funky 124: go green
Christmas stampin all year long 14: anything goes
ABC Christmas: K for keep it simple
Here come the boys 28: anything goes
Forever friends 37: one for the boys
Little darlings 24: boy card
Jellypark friends: boy crazy
S J crafts 5: all about the boy + extra: use up something old that's been in your stash for a while - the papers
Desmet designs June: for the men and boys
Amusing challenges (stamped blessings): anything goes
Papertake: anything goes
Bunny Zoe 24: anything goes
Make it Monday 92
52 card pick up 23
Inspire me Fridays 62

Suzie's 365 photos day 160: vintage

For Suzie's day 160: vintage I've found up some old coins - some older than others - the tiny coin on the right at the front is a Victorian 3d silver piece.

Christmas card for a child

Having been away for a couple of weeks I'm a bit adrift with the cards for the Sunday's with Santa group on facebook. The theme for the Sunday before last was 'card for a child', so here I am with mine at last.

I've used the June sketch for 52 Christmas card throwdown:

 The papers are from my Christmas offcuts box and the topper is one from a Kanban kit bought some time ago, mounted on to some gold mirror card and cut by hand - so this is another card for Waste not Wednesdays (wishcraft) 22.

This is also for:

Sentimental Sundays 105: show me your spots
Jingle belles: fa-la-la-la-la! - music, inspired by a song - 'Snowman - walking in the air'
Creative card crew 12: song inspired -  'Snowman - walking in the air'
ABC Christmas: K for keep it simple
Bizzy Becs June: bright and cheery cards
Amusing challenges (stamped blessings): anything goes
Papertake: anything goes

Suzie's 365 photos day 159: roadside

Oh, Suzie, this was a tricky one today - day 159: roadside. It's been raining most of the day and only let up a little while ago, which enabled me to go over to a shop across the road ... but I forgot to take my camera with me.

Then I remembered that I'd taken quite a few photos on Saturday in Eastbourne - taken from the balcony of our hotel room and looking up the road to where the Carnival procession would eventually come into view. You can see the cars and the people along the roadside:

Suzie's 365 photos day 158: reaching up

Yesterday Suzie asked us to show photos for 'reaching up'. I was going to get John to each up to a high shelf, but then I remembered that during a recent 'meet up' with a friend in London we walked through Trafalgar Square and I took a few photos of the bronze statue of a boy on a rocking horse (I really like this), so here he is for day 158:

Suzie's 365 photos day 157: sparkle

I'm a couple of days behind with Suzie's 365 photos, so here is my sparkle for day 157:

A right royal birthday

This card is for the sketch on Stampin' for the weekend 10:

 Once again I've used Papermania Portobello papers - I used up some of the pieces from the previous card, so I'm having fun in the playground at Pixie's crafty snippets 23 (my first visit for quite some time) and also for Waste not Wednesdays (wishcraft) 22.

The light blue piece of paper is Me to you especially for you stamped with some random crowns with an Anna Griffin stamp. The happy birthday stamp on the middle piece of paper is from the PM Portobello Road urban stamp set.

This is another one for Tracy's challenge TTC12 - 06 on CBC forum: fit for a queen.

This is also for:

Daring cardmakers June's colour combo: red, white and blue
Sunday stamper 208: Her majesty
Creative craft: a patriotic colour challenge - red, white, blue
Scrapbook sisters 87: red, white and blue
Craft your days away 46: red, white & blue
One stop craft 185: Queen's diamond jubilee
Crafts4eternity R74: royals
The artistic stamper creative team June: red, white and blue
Sentimental Sundays 105: show me your spots
Craft room: birthday
Pixie dust 130: patterned papers
Amusing challenges (stamped blessings): anything goes
Papertake: anything goes
Scrap-card challenge 29: anything goes
Secret crafter Saturday 188: anything goes
Catch the bug June: anything goes
Bunny Zoe 24: anything goes
Make it Monday 92
Inspire me Fridays 61

52 card pick up 22

Queen for a day

Having not done any crafting for a couple of weeks, I'm attempting to get back into the groove today ... but I think my mojo might still be on holiday.

Anyway, here is a simple card following the sketch given for Sketches by Carly 57:

It's not surprising that with all the festivities of the Queen's Jubilee at the weekend that there are a number of challenges featuring red, white and blue, crowns etc. I've used Papermania Portobellow Road papers that were free with Docrafts Creativity magazine and a Cool Britannia 'Queen for a day' stamp that came with the latest Quick Cards magazine (I treated myself on holiday ... and also bought some crafting goodies that I might show later) with the lettering coloured in, a few gems added here and there and a birthday banner.

This is also for Tracy's challenge TTC12 - 06 on CBC forum: fit for a queen.

This is also for:

Daring cardmakers June's colour combo: red, white and blue
Sunday stamper 208: Her majesty
Creative craft: a patriotic colour challenge - red, white, blue
Scrapbook sisters 87: red, white and blue
Sarah Hurley 68: red, white and blue
Polka doodles 22: regal colours diamond jubilee
Craft your days away 46: red, white & blue
One stop craft 185: Queen's diamond jubilee

Suzie's 365 photos day 156: colourful

I've seen quite a few colourful things around me today, but I decided to take a couple of pictures of some plants outside a florist shop in Eastbourne for day 156: colourful:

Suzie's 365 photos day 155: gates

On Wednesday we went on the bus to East Dean, just on the outskirts of Eastbourne, where it was market day. I took a few photos and, looking at them this morning, I discovered there was one that included gates, so I've cropped that part of the photo for Suzie's day 155.

And in this picture of John you can just see these gates on the right:

Focus on the sentiment

This is my Christmas card for Lorraine's challenge for the Christmas Card Club to make a card with the sentiment being the main feature. As I'll still be in Eastbourne, I made this card quickly before leaving. It's very simple, using a Kanban sentiment panel matted on a a foiled frame. The background paper is from my offcuts box.

This is also for:

Christmas card challenges 2012 week 27: sentiment only
ABC Christmas: K for keep it simple
Gingerloft 41: circles, circles and more circles
Mema's crafts June: just words
Sentimental Sundays 105: show me your spots
Art impressions 65: seeing spots
Scrap-card challenge 29: anything goes
Catch the bug June: anything goes
Secret crafter Saturday 188: anything goes
Inspire me Fridays 61

52 card pick up 22

Suzie's 365 photos day 154: in the distance

For the photo prompt today - day 154 - Suzie is asking us 'what can you see  in the distance?'

We walked along the prom this morning - I then looked back to where there is a flag flying near to the bandstand. I had to wait for some people to walk past and then managed go get this photo:

and here is part of the photo zoomed in to show the flag is really there!:

CHNC challenge 75: a right royal purple

It's time  for another CHNC challenge (this post is prepared and scheduled ahead because I am still in Eastbourne), so for challenge 75 I'm asking for you to use purple on your Christmas card.

For my card I've used some paper from the My Craft Studio beautiful baubles collection that I got some time ago with Making Cards together with a Kanban topper that I've had for ages - just a strip of glittered gold down the side and the card was done:

This is also for:

Christmas crafting June 12: purple Christmas

ABC Christmas: K for keep it simple
Sparkles forum Christmas June 17: monochromatic

Scrap-card challenge 29: anything goes

Catch the bug June: anything goes

Secret crafter Saturday 188: anything goes

Inspire me Fridays 61

52 card pick up 22

Suzie's 365 photos

Trying to keep up with Suzie's 365 photos while I'm away, so here are the last three days:

Day 151: groceries - a shop round the corner from the hotel:

Day 152: bargain - a quick photo taken showing a bargain in the window of Tesco Extra (unfortunately, reflection in the window of the buildings opposite, but nevermind):

Day 153: isolated - we caught a bus up to the other end of the seafront and had a coffee at the Pavilion before strolling along the prom. I then got a bit carried away and took loads of pictures for 'isolated', so here are some of them (I admit that I've cheated a bit on the third one because there were people in the photo and I've cloned parts of the photo to eliminate them):

Eastbourne collage

Thought I'd just show a little collage I've made with a few of our Eastbourne photos.

Suzie's 365 photos day 150: messy

Having told my facebook friends that I wasn't spending much time on the internet while I'm away, I still want to be able to keep up with Suzie's 365 photos if I can.

Fortunately, I had a peep before breakfast to see what the prompt was for day 150 today. I decided to have a treat this morning and have croissants for breakfast (glad that my doctor doesn't see my blog as they're not good for my high cholesterol) - anyway, you've heard the saying that you can't make omelettes without breaking eggs - well, I've got a new saying: 'you can't eat croissants without making a mess' - so here it is (had to take a very quick photo while no one was looking - bit of a strange thing to do!:

Suzie's 365 photos day 149: tools

When I saw Suzie's day 149: tools I wondered what I would find in the hotel. However, I was catching up with the Sunday newspaper supplements and came across this:

Suzie's 365 photos day 148: unfinished

I'm glad I found out what Suzie's day 148 prompt was before we had lunch today.

This is my unfinished seafood pizza:

And a bit later this was John's unfinished Hawaii pizza:

A bit later they were both finished and the plates were empty - a lovely lunch (particularly because I didn't have to prepare it and it was eaten in lovely surroundings).

Suzie's day 147: cleanliness

It was easy to find a photo for Suzie's day 147: cleanliness - the bathroom in the hotel where we're staying:

Suzie's day 146: boring

When I saw Suzie's day 146: boring on Friday I wondered what I could depict that was boring, bearing in mind that this was my first full day on holiday in Eastbourne. We strolled along the prom and soon discovered that the bandstand is being renovated, so it isn't in use atm - which I think is quite boring (well that's the only thing I could find):

Suzie's 365 photos day 145: soft

Having come to Eastbourne on Thursday, I've got a bit behind with Suzie's photos prompts. I thought I'd try to do a few so that I don't get too far behind by the time I get home, so here is my 'soft' for day 145 - I'm showing some soft lighting - I played around with filters to soften the whole picture - not sure it's worked too well though.