Easter cross and flowers

For this card I've used a digital image from Daisy Doodles called Easter cross, so I'm linking for Daisy doodles 56: spring. I coloured the image with copics. The background paper was taken from a pre-printed card blank and the DCWV flowered panel is from my offcuts box, as were the papers backing the image. Flowers and stitched ribbons from stash.

So this another Easter card for:

Delightful: Easter
Oldie but a goodie: Easter wishes
Fashionable stamping 18: spring is in the air
Creative stamp friends 47: spring
Stampin with the dragon 7: spring is here
Crafty boots: Easter
Raise the bar 98: Easter (religious aspect)
Anything goes 63: get ready for Easter
Flourish timeless 162: Easter
Riley and company: spring/Easter or polka dots
More than favors wacky Wednesday 68: Easter/spring
The paper shelter 57: Easter
Penny's 76: Easter
Scrapbook sisters 77: Easter
Cute card Thursday 210: Happy Easter
PaperPlay 13: Easter
Totally papercrafts 110: Easter
Freshly brewed 89: spring themed
Art impressions 57: spring has sprung
Prairie fairy Fridays 75: spring fling
Catch the bug : Easter/spring
Craft your days away 42: Easter
One stop craft 176: Easter
Stamp, scrap & doodle: spring
Ruby's rainbow 25: Easter

This is also for:

Mark's finest papers speedy fox and friends 101: square cards
Divas by design 28: stamp something
Phindy's Friday 99: ribbon
Wags n whiskers 76: say it with flowers
Inky impressions: flower power
Lily pad: flowers
Catered crop: in stitches
Do you stack up 65: sew it - stitching
Digital Tuesday 153: your favourite colour - I love purple
Hiding in my craftroom 40: freestyle
Fairytale 38: everything goes
Simon says: anything goes
Lollipop crafts 73: anything goes
Squigglefly 12: anything goes
Crafty purple frog: anything goes
Creative Mondays (always crafting) 4: anything goes
Make it Monday 82
Inspire me Fridays 52
52 cardpick up week 13

Happy Easter chick

A simply Easter card made with a stamped topper taken from a card received a long time ago, an offcut of paper with chicks (too late to show this one for Pixie's crafty snippets), some stitched ribbon, a stamped sentiment and a chipboard chick.

So this another Easter card for:

Delightful: Easter
Fashionable stamping 18: spring is in the air
Creative stamp friends 47: spring
Stampin with the dragon 7: spring is here
Sentimental Sundays 95: Easter or spring
Crafty boots: Easter
Anything goes 63: get ready for Easter
Flourish timeless 162: Easter
Riley and company: spring/Easter or polka dots
Aud sentiments 51: Happy Easter
More than favors wacky Wednesday 68: Easter/spring
The paper shelter 57: Easter
Papercraft star 90: Easter
Penny's 76: Easter
Scrapbook sisters 77: Easter
Cute card Thursday 210: Happy Easter
PaperPlay 13: Easter
Totally papercrafts 110: Easter
Freshly brewed 89: spring themed
Art impressions 57: spring has sprung
Prairie fairy Fridays 75: spring fling
Catch the bug : Easter/spring
Craft your days away 42: Easter
One stop craft 176: Easter
Sweet stampin: spring or Easter
Stamp, scrap & doodle: spring
Ruby's rainbow 25: Easter

This is also for:

Mark's finest papers speedy fox and friends 101: square cards
My mum's craft shop 50: stamp it
Phindy's Friday 99: ribbon
Wags n whiskers 76: say it with flowers
Inky impressions: flower power
Lily pad: flower challenge
Catered crop: in stitches
Do you stack up 65: sew it - stitching
Bloggers challenge: for the birds
Stampin with the dragon 7: things with wings
Hiding in my craftroom 40: freestyle
Fairytale 38: everything goes
Simon says: anything goes
Lollipop crafts 73: anything goes
Squigglefly 12: anything goes
Crafty purple frog: anything goes
Creative Mondays (always crafting) 4: anything goes
Make it Monday 82
Inspire me Fridays 52
52 cardpick up week 13

Pink spring notebook

I covered the front of this notebook with an offcut of some fancy writing stationery that I acquired years ago and just added a few bits and pieces - yet another entry for Pixie's crafty snippets 13 (how come I've been using lots of snippets this week, but the box seems just as full? - lol!)

This is for:

Lily pad: flowers
Creative craft: anything but a card
Craft us crazy 24: anything but a card
Pink elephant 141: butterflies
Rainbow lady 198: butteflies
Art impressions 57: spring has sprung
Prairie fairy Fridays 75: spring fling
Crafters companion 22: spring
Fairytale 38: everything goes
Simon says: anything goes
Lollipop crafts 73: anything goes
Squigglefly 12: anything goes
Crafty purple frog: anything goes
Creative Mondays (always crafting) 4: anything goes
Make it Monday 82
Inspire me Fridays 52
52 cardpick up week 13

Words of encouragement

This is a very simple card using the photo I took the other day for Suzie's day 89: daybreak. I digitally added the text from Psalm 5:3, printed out and then used the photo on the upright of an easel card. - this is for My time to craft 176: easel cards, Chocolate, coffee & cards 9: fancy folds, The yellow piece of paper along the bottom is a snippet from my offcuts - yes, another for Pixie's crafty snippets 13 - the strip of black gems were from Poundland and the black flowery border from stash.

Earlier this month, Crafts by Carolyn forum celebrated its tenth birthday. As part of the celebration some of the forum members set challenges, one of which was Kath's challenge 2, in which she asked us to 'use a photograph on your card, L/O or anything else you would like to make . One restriction...there needs to be more than 1 fold in your item.'


As the photo is of a sunrise, I thought the scripture from Psalm 5:3 was appropriate and I'm linking this for Clearlyistamp 48: scripture.

This is also for:

Jellypark: what's the weather? - the dawn of a beautifully sunny day
Crafty catz 126: use a digi image
The stamping boutique 31: sentiments
Southern girls 41: you got something you wanna say - sentiments
Cardmadfairy's digi days 30: die cuts and/or punches
Cards for men 7: the great outdoors
Little darlings 20: outside
Lothian crafts 24: 2 main colours - black and yellow
Mema's crafts March: just the two of us - black and yellow

Paper pretties 199: bling (the black strip of gems)

Gingersnap GC142 spicy supply challenge: border punches

Cupcake 185: the sound of music - song inspired: Morning has broken
Fairytale 38: everything goes
Simon says: anything goes
Lollipop crafts 73: anything goes
Squigglefly 12: anything goes
Crafty purple frog: anything goes
Creative Mondays (always crafting) 4: anything goes
Make it Monday 82
Inspire me Fridays 52
52 cardpick up week 13

CHNC challenge 66: get sentimental

It's time for a new challenge on my CHNC blog and this time for challenge 66 I'm asking you to 'get sentimental' - make any Christmas card as long as it has a sentiment/greeting on it - easy peasy - and there's a fab prize on offer courtesy of this week's sponsor, Ooh la la Creations.

I've made two simple cards for this, both with striped backgrounds. The first one has a gold foiled topper on it with swirls for Totally Gorjuss 125: swirly whirly and the second one has a decoupaged topper.

I'm linking these for the following challenges:

52 Christmas card throwdown: anything goes week
Shelly's terrifically thrilling Thursday: show us your stripes
Fairytale 38: everything goes
Simon says: anything goes
Lollipop crafts 73: anything goes
Squigglefly 12: anything goes
Crafty purple frog: anything goes
Creative Mondays (always crafting) 4: anything goes
Make it Monday 82
52 cardpick up week 13

And another Easter card

This Easter card is for Sketch Saturday 200:

I've used a mix of snippets originally from the Forever Friends springtime papers - another skip into Pixie's crafty snippets 13 playground - an offcut of scalloped border and three different ribbons. The stamps are from the Papermania moments of faith set, coloured with copics.

So this another Easter card for:

Make all with love 25: Easter
Oldie but a goodie: Easter wishes
Delightful: Easter
Fashionable stamping 18: spring is in the air
Creative stamp friends 47: spring
Stampin with the dragon 7: spring is here
Raise the bar 98: Easter (religious aspect)
Sentimental Sundays 95: Easter or spring
Crafty boots: Easter
Lexi 61: Easter
Anything goes 63: get ready for Easter
Flourish timeless 162: Easter
Riley and company: spring/Easter or polka dots
Aud sentiments 51: Happy Easter
More than favors wacky Wednesday 68: Easter/spring
The paper shelter 57: Easter
Penny's 76: Easter
Scrapbook sisters 77: Easter
The sisterhood of crafters: celebrating Easter
Cute card Thursday 210: Happy Easter
PaperPlay 13: Easter
Cardmakin mamas: Easter time
Totally papercrafts 110: Easter
My Sheri 81: Easter
Creative card crew 7: spring
Freshly brewed 89: spring themed
Art impressions 57: spring has sprung
Prairie fairy Fridays 75: spring fling
Allways something creative 26: spring awakening
Crafters companion 22: spring
Ruby's rainbow 25: Easter

It's also for:

Divas by design 28: stamp something
My mum's craft shop 50: stamp it
Deep ocean 22: masking or use more than one stamp
Craft your passion 103: monochromatic
Addicted to stamps 26: recipe - rhinestones, flowers and ribbon
Phindy's Friday 99: ribbon
Wags n whiskers 76: say it with flowers
Inky impressions: flower power
Lily pad: flower challenge
Catered crop: in stitches
Do you stack up 65: sew it - stitching
Shelly's terrifically thrilling Thursday: show us your stripes
The cheerful stamp pad 29: anything goes
Fairytale 38: everything goes
Simon says: anything goes
Lollipop crafts 73: anything goes
Squigglefly 12: anything goes
Crafty purple frog: anything goes
Creative Mondays (always crafting) 4: anything goes
Make it Monday 82
Inspire me Fridays 52
52 cardpick up week 13

Another Easter card

This Easter card is for sketch 42 on A gem of a challenge:

Once again, no new papers were used for this card, so another play in the playground at  Pixie's crafty snippets 13 on this lovely sunny day. I used a variety of stickes from Poundland and the 99p shop and some of that lovely 3D spring border from Hobbycraft.

So this another Easter card for:

Dream valley 28: Easter
Sentimental Sundays 95: Easter or spring
The squirrel and the fox 14: Easter
Crafty boots: Easter
Lexi 61: Easter
Anything goes 63: get ready for Easter
Clear it out: Easter + use up your pastel papers
Flourish timeless 162: Easter
Going grey with scrap-creations: Easter
Paper and such: spring or Easter card
Riley and company: spring/Easter or polka dots
Scrap-cards 24: Easter
Top tip Tuesday 72: Easter or/and animals
Aud sentiments 51: Happy Easter
More than favors wacky Wednesday 68: Easter/spring
The paper shelter 57: Easter
Papercraft star 90: Easter
Penny's 76: Easter
Scrapbook sisters 77: Easter
The sisterhood of crafters: celebrating Easter
4 crafty chicks 83: Easter and crazy egg
Cute card Thursday 210: Happy Easter
PaperPlay 13: Ea:ster
Cardmakin mamas: Easter time
Playing in paradise 60 (bunny picture inspiration)
Our craft lounge 111: photo inspiration (bunny)
Simply create too 10: eggs &/or bunnies
Totally papercrafts 110: Easter
My Sheri 81: Easter
Crazy amigo: eggs
Joanna Sheen 4: spring is in the air
Creative card crew 7: spring
Freshly brewed 89: spring themed
Art impressions 57: spring has sprung
Prairie fairy Fridays 75: spring fling
2 sisters 84: spring is in the air
Allways something creative 26: spring awakening
Crafters companion 22: spring
Ruby's rainbow 25: Easter

It's also for:

Lily pad: flowers
The pixie cottage 114: cuddly critters
Stamp, scrap & doodle: bunnies
Crazy challenge 112: add a sentiment
Shelly's terrifically thrilling Thursday: show us your stripes
Crafts 4 eternity R65: 3 of a kind - 3 eggs
Fairytale 38: everything goes
Simon says: anything goes
Lollipop crafts 73: anything goes
Squigglefly 12: anything goes
Crafty purple frog: anything goes
Creative Mondays (always crafting) 4: anything goes
Make it Monday 82
Inspire me Fridays 52
52 cardpick up week 13

Daily dose of humour

I usually have a look at the cartoon page in the Daily Mail every morning, particularly Fred Bassett, so when I saw Suzie's day 90 prompt: humour, I knew exactly what to do. So here is today's touch of humour:

Easter bunny

This is for sketches by Carly 52 ( changed it round a bit):

All papers used were offcuts saved from cards made earlier, the two little strips are from Poundland paper chains and the bunny and baskets from stash. The sentiment is stamped. So once again no new papers were cut and harmed for this card, so it's another for Pixie's crafty snippets 13.

Colours are for City crafter 102: spring fling colour challenge:

Easter isn't far off now, so there are a lot of challenges that are asking us to make Easter or spring cards, so this is also for:

Dream valley 28: Easter
Sentimental Sundays 95: Easter or spring
The squirrel and the fox 14: Easter
Crafty boots: Easter
Lexi 61: Easter
Anything goes 63: get ready for Easter
Clear it out: Easter + use up your pastel papers
Crafty sentiments: Easter
Flourish timeless 162: Easter
Going grey with scrap-creations: Easter
Paper and such: spring or Easter card
Riley and company: spring/Easter or polka dots
Sassy Cheryl 108: Easter parade
Scrap-cards 24: Easter
Top tip Tuesday 72: Easter or/and animals
Aud sentiments 51: Happy Easter
More than favors wacky Wednesday 68: Easter/spring
The paper shelter 57: Easter
Papercraft star 90: Easter
Penny's 76: Easter
Scrapbook sisters 77: Easter
The sisterhood of crafters: celebrating Easter
4 crafty chicks 83: Easter and crazy egg
Cute card Thursday 210: Happy Easter
PaperPlay 13: Ea:ster
Bloggers challenge: Happy Easter
My Sheri 81: Easter
Little Claire 19: spring/Easter
Crazy amigo: eggs
Joanna Sheen 4: spring is in the air
Creative card crew 7: spring
Freshly brewed 89: spring themed
Art impressions 57: spring has sprung
Our craft lounge 110: spring things
Prairie fairy Fridays 75: spring fling
Simply create too 9: it's spring
2 sisters 84: spring is in the air
Allways something creative 26: spring awakening
Crafters companion 22: spring
Ruby's rainbow 25: Easter

It's also for:

The pixie cottage 114: cuddly critters
Stamp, scrap & doodle: bunnies
Crazy challenge 112: add a sentiment
Shelly's terrifically thrilling Thursday: show us your stripes
Totally Gorjuss 124: spots and stripes
Scrappy frogs: seeing spots
Simon says: anything goes
Lollipop crafts 73: anything goes
Squigglefly 12: anything goes
Crafty purple frog: anything goes
Creative Mondays (always crafting) 4: anything goes
Make it Monday 82
Inspire me Fridays 52
52 cardpick up week 12

Daybreak

The photo prompt today for Suzie's 365 day 89 is 'daybreak'. I must be devoted to doing these photos because I had the camera by the bed so I could get up and take a picture from our bedroom window (at some unearthly hour!). I think it turned out quite well considering it was taken with the camera up against the window.

I love Paris in the springtime ...

... well, I love Paris anytime really, but it's been years now since my last visit.

Inspired by challenge 16 gave this inspiration photo:

The picture made me think of enjoying a break in Paris. This is also good for Our creative corner: spring break vacation destination.

I had some GCD Paris nights paper left over from some previous cards I made - another opportunity to join in the snippets playground fun at Pixie's crafty snippets 13 - and I used a pack of gold and black 3D stickers to accent the background. The golden Eiffel tower is actually stuck over the one printed on the paper.

This is also for:

Craft your passion 103: monochromatic
Art impressions 56: monochromatic
Cards for men 7: the great outdoors (I think this would be a suitable card for a wife to give to her husband for their anniversary)
Little darlings 20: outside
Secret crafter Saturday 178: shabby chic/vintage
Bunny Zoe 22: shabby chic/vintage
Cupcake 185: the sound of music - song inspired: 'I love Paris in the springtime ...'
Paper pretties 199: bling
There's magic in the air magical Monday: less is more
One stop craft 175: clean and simple
One stitch at a time 106: anything goes
Lollipop crafts 73: anything goes
Squigglefly 12: anything goes
Crafty purple frog: anything goes
Creative Mondays (always crafting) 4: anything goes
Make it Monday 82
Inspire me Fridays 51
52 cardpick up week 12

Game on

'Game on' is the theme for Crafty creations 163, so I've made this card using the sketch for Eat sleep stamp 165:

All papers used were offcuts, so it's another for Pixie's crafty snippets 13.

It's a masculine card for Love to create challenge 8 and Pile it on 13: for a man; it includes grids for Frosted designs fabulous Friday challenge and is also for Kaboodle 112: circles and squares. And circles for Shopping our stash 45.

This is also for:

Cards for men 7: the great outdoors
Little darlings 20: outside
Gingerloft 36: happy birthday
Make it Monday 82
Inspire me Fridays 51

Simply monochromatic

These cards were quickly made with elements from a Kanban kit purchased some months ago. They are both aperture cards, but I scanned them flat because I couldn't get any decent photos of them - you can just about see the feint line which is the aperture, so that the inner shapes are on the inside of the cards. The lines which look rather black or grey are in fact silver - much better IRL.

These are for Craft your passion 103: monochromatic, Art impressions 56: monochromatic. It's also for Crop stop 64: flourishes,

The second card has three heart shapes (and each one is a shape within a shape as well), so this is for Creative belli 140: 3 shapes (and I've been using up old and forgotten stash).

This is also for:

There's magic in the air magical Monday: less is more
One stop craft 175: clean and simple
One stitch at a time 106: anything goes
Lollipop crafts 73: anything goes
Squigglefly 12: anything goes
Crafty purple frog: anything goes
Cute card Thursday 209: anything goes
Creative Mondays (always crafting) 4: anything goes
Make it Monday 82
Inspire me Fridays 51
52 cardpick up week 12

Cat notebook

This is an altered notebook for Creative craft: anything but a card. The background card was in my offcuts box (no idea where it came from originally) - another for Crafty Pixie's snippets 13 -  and the two lovely cats and ladybirds are stickeroos by Penny Black.

I think these cats look cute and cuddly (well, I'm not sure about the top one - a bit scary - lol!) so this is also for Dutch dare 157: cute & cuddly, also for The pixie cottage 114: cuddly critters,Top tip Tuesday 73: easter or/and animals and Phindy's Friday 98: animal planet.

This is also for:

There's magic in the air magical Monday: less is more
One stop craft 175: clean and simple

Autumn colours for Christmas

For this card I've used the colours given in this beautiful autumnal photo inspiration for For your inspiration 26:

Colours are also for Cards and things 113:

Also for Winter wonderland photo inspirational:

Simply made with a striped card blank, a sentiment that's been around for ages and flowers cut out from an old card received.

This is also for:

There's magic in the air magical Monday: less is more
One stop craft 175: clean and simple
Fun with shapes and more 105: stripes (lots of cutting by hand for all the tea time images)
One stitch at a time 106: anything goes
Lollipop crafts 73: anything goes
Squigglefly 12: anything goes
Crafty purple frog: anything goes
Cute card Thursday 209: anything goes
Creative Mondays (always crafting) 4: anything goes
Make it Monday 82
Inspire me Fridays 51
52 cardpick up week 12

Dinner time and breakfast

I took a photo for Suzie's 365 day 87: dinner time last night, but forgot to show it. This is what I cooked for our meal:

And this is for today's prompt - day 88: 9am - my breakfast dish. A couple of years ago I went on the Dukan diet and lost three stone, some of which has sadly gone back on again. I don't fully follow the diet any more, but I do still eat according to some of the principles of it. Nearly every morning I have a couple of spoonfuls of oatmeal bran with very low fat yoghurt and I often top this now with some grated dark chocolate (definitely not part of the Dukan plan - lol!):

Wild wild west

This is for For fun: wild wild west. It's a mixture of papers from my offcuts box, so another for Pixie's crafty snippets 13.

I've used the sketch for Inky impressions:

This is also for:

Kort o mania 59: the guys boyz
Crafting when we can 14: one for the boys

Tea time just for you

For this card I've used digital papers and images from The Paper Shelter. Papers are from their birthday range and the teapot, jug etc and cake are images from their tea time collection, which I won as a prize for a challenge on Party Time Tuesday last year.

I'm using the sketch for Willow Sketchie this week, which also incorporates the optional theme of 'let them eat cake':

It's also for Crafty creations 162 photo inspiration:

and CES 78 photo inspiration:

Colours are also for Paper-crafting journey 5: pretty pastels. And this is also for Paper-crafting journey 6 for this photo inspiration (pink and cake!):

The tea time theme is also for Drunken stampers 85: I'll drink to that.

This is also for:

Crafts 4 eternity R64: in the kitchen
By the cute and girly: in the kitchen
Ladybug 57: spots and stripes
Totally Gorjuss 124: spots and stripes
Scrappy frogs: seeing spots
Freshly brewed 88: lots and lots of dots
Fun with shapes and more 105: stripes (lots of cutting by hand for all the tea time images)
My mum's craftshop 49: let's get digital
One stitch at a time 106: anything goes
Lollipop crafts 73: anything goes
Squigglefly 12: anything goes
Party time Tuesday 61: anything goes
Scrapbook sisters 76: anything goes
Crafty purple frog: anything goes
Cute card Thursday 209: anything goes
Sweet stampin: anything goes
Creative Mondays (always crafting) 4: anything goes
Make it Monday 82
Inspire me Fridays 51
52 cardpick up week 12

Suzie's 365 catch up

A little catch up of my photos for Suzie's 365.

Day 82: calm - day 82 was anything but calm for me!! So I've resorted to a photo I took while on a walk in Eastbourne last year - it had a calming effect:

Day 83: clock - John's clock radio - essential for getting up in the morning:

Day 84: bedtime - it's permanently bedtime for this teddy:

Day 85: 9pm - a welcome cuppa after watching the Dancing on ice final:

Day 86: morning routine - one of the first things I do is take my tablets - I keep them in a little drawstring bag:

So now I'm up to date again.

My Mind's Eye Christmas glitter

I'm just scraping in with an entry for the My Mind's Eye blog challenge 33 card featuring this sketch:

 The challenge rule is to use at least 80% MME products. Everything used for this card is MME except the sentiment and the turquoise aqua gems which were from Poundland.

The papers are all offcuts from some I'd used earlier, all taken originally from the MME Christmas Glitter Book (I so love those papers).

Edges were distressed with stormy sky and broken china DIs. The border strips were punched with a Martha Stewart punch and the flower shapes were die cut with nestabilities.

This is my first card of the week for Pixie's crafty snippets 13 because all papers were offcuts.

This is also for:

Papertake: eyes down, look  in, bingo - I chose the top line: gems, die cuts, flowers
Gingersnap GC142 spicy supply challenge: border punches
Woodware UK 44: pull out the punches
CRAFT 147: handmade flowers
Divas by design 27: distressing
52 Christmas card throwdown embellishment challenge: patterned papers
Secret crafter Saturday 178: shabby chic/vintage
Bunny Zoe 22: shabby chic/vintage
Scrapbook sisters 76: anything goes
Crafty purple frog: anything goes
Cute card Thursday 209: anything goes
Creative Mondays (always crafting) 4: anything goes
Make it Monday 82
Inspire me Fridays 51
52 cardpick up week 12

I'm also sharing this for Kath's challenge on CBC forum to make our own embellishments.

Swirls and pearls for Christmas

It was my turn to choose the challenge for the Christmas Card Club for this fortnight and I chose 'swirls and pearls'. I originally had in mind to use some of my swirly snowflake stamps, but changed my mind and instead I used swirly card from Hunkydory. The panel in the middle of the gate fold card has been recycled from a card received, mounting it on to layers of mirror card.

The paperclip is just to keep the gate fold closed for the photo - one of those very difficult to photo cards because of all the foiling, but I sort of got there in the end.

If you'd like to join in with the Christmas Card Club and get ahead with your Christmas cards just get in touch with one of us - the list is on my side bar.

I'm also entering this into the following challenges:

It's all about the vintage and beauty 15: swirls and pearls
Crop stop 64: flourishes
ABC Christmas: F for furry and/or feathered friends
Polka doodles 11: animal or a bird
Incy wincy 137: things with wings
Paper creations ink 21: things with wings
Hooked on craft 18: more than one fold
Chocolate, coffee & cards 9: fancy folds
Aud sentiments 50 :song title inspiration - Joy to the world
Facebook Sunday's with Santa: shiny sparkles