Christmas cocoa

This card uses a lovely pre-coloured digital image by Meljen designs called 'Christmas cocoa' (it was one I chose as part of a challenge prize) - this is for Meljen 97: anything goes using a Meljen image.

I've used the sketch for A la card monkey 96, which also includes 'moments' - I love 'moments' with a lovely mug of cocoa (I have one right beside me now!):

The background paper is Polka doodles 'bright Christmas'.

This is also for:

Crafty boots: food glorious food
Kaboodle 107: let's get cooking
Order of the opus gluei 124: warm fuzzies (lovely fuzzy warmth inside from a mug of cocoa)
My Sheri 79: warm wishes
Winter wonderland: Christmas card
CES 73: spots & dots
Let's craft and create 39: less is more - clean and simple
Lollipop crafts 68: anything goes
Mema's crafts February: anything goes
Penny's 73: anything goes
If the shoe fits fashionista Friday 99: anything goes
Make it Monday 77

Inspire me Fridays 46

52 cardpick up week 7

Bright birthday

This is for the sketch for Don't waste your Thursdays 125:

Papers are Basic Grey cupcake and urban prairie. The Happy Birthday sentiment panel is recycled from a card  received, as is the glittered vase of flowers to which I've added a few gems - flowers and gems from stash. I'm not really sure about this card - made it quickly because time was running out to meet the deadline for Don't waste your Thursdays.

Ooh la la 99 has this photo inspiration, which reminds me of the glittered bright flower arrangement I've used:

This is also for:

Clear it out: birthday card, use up your bling
Incy wincy 134: birthday
Crafty Ann 59: bold and bright
Stampin sisters in Christ 127: image must be or include a flower
Divas by design 23: bling it up
Phindy's Friday 93: bling it on
Hiding in my craft room 34: glitter! glitter!
Cutie pie 12: flower power
ABC: J for jazz it up
The poodles parlour: mother's day/card for a female
Mami doodles 43: pink, red, white
Stamp, scrap & doodle: more than two layers
Sassy Cheryl 103: no embossing
Cooking it up with Katie 90: your 3 favourite things - patterned papers, flowers, gemstones
Lollipop crafts 68: anything goes
Mema's crafts February: anything goes
Penny's 73: anything goes
If the shoe fits fashionista Friday 99: anything goes
Make it Monday 77

Inspire me Fridays 46

52 cardpick up week 7

Let's party

For this card I've used the sketch for Pals paper arts 129:

I've used a Mo Manning digital image Bella and Bronte celebrating for Mo's digital challenge 122: my sentiments exactly. I've coloured this with copics for iCopic lover 70 'colour an animal' and used colours for Inspired by challenge 11 - I've used the colours from this given picture:

I've used offcuts of BG cupcake papers and also a piece of BG urban prairie on which to print the sentiment - another snippet make for Pixie's crafty snippets 8.

I also took inspiration from the February challenge on Craft garden where this picture was given:

This is also for:

Use it Tuesday 25: it's a birthday party (I've used up scraps of BG papers that I've had for ages)
Nadia 25: party with stamp
The cheerful stamp pad 36: happy birthday
Incy wincy 134: birthday
Squigglefly 7: bright and sunny - use yellow on your card
Inky impressions:: bright colours
Crafty Ann 59: bold and bright
There she goes 144: animal theme
Crafty ribbons 13: paws for thought
Alphabet: A for animal antics
Allways something creative 24: animal
PaperPlay 7: critters
Going grey with Scrap-creations: critter
There's magic in the air magical Monday: all critters great & small
Truly scrumptious 74: all creatures great & small
Paper-crafting journey 3: make it cute
One stitch at a time 101: digi or don't - I used a digital image
The sisterhood of crafters: getting digi with it
The paper shelter 52: add a sentiment
Bunny Zoe 21: celebrations
Lollipop crafts 68: anything goes
Mema's crafts February: anything goes
Penny's 73: anything goes
If the shoe fits fashionista Friday 99: anything goes
Make it Monday 77

Inspire me Fridays 46

52 cardpick up week 7

Black, white with a touch of yellow

This is for Hanna and friends 132 sketch:

Also for Penny Black and more at Allsorts February challenge, where we were asked to choose a line:

Also for Our creative corner: black and white with a splash of colour, and Fashionable stamping 15: monochromatic plus one other colour.

I used an offcut of Kanban card that was originally used for this card so this is another one for Pixie's crafty snippets 8 (I really am trying to use up the offcuts, but the more I use the more I seem to have!).

The butterfly stamp is by Laura Ashley, simply stamped with memento tuxedo black and coloured with copic Y08 acid yellow. The scalloped circles were cut with nesties. The gold bling gems on the corners and on the butterflies are from Kanban (sorry the gold doesn't really show up here).

This is also for:

Sparkles 29: things with wings
PaperPlay 7: critters
Going grey with Scrap-creations: critter
There's magic in the air magical Monday: all critters great & small
Truly scrumptious 74: all creatures great & small
Whimsical Wednesday: time flies - something with wings
Crazy challenge 107: use a die or punch
Paper pretties Wednesday: use punches or die cuts
Scrappy frogs: die cut challenge
Stuck on u: die cut challenge
Lollipop crafts 68: anything goes
Mema's crafts February: anything goes
Penny's 73: anything goes
If the shoe fits fashionista Friday 99: anything goes
Make it Monday 77

Inspire me Fridays 46

52 cardpick up week 7

Embrace the joy of life

Among my offcuts I found some card stickers, some of which had been used long ago, but there are still some lovely ones on the sheet. I can't remember the manufacturer - I think they might be Dream Street or My Mind's Eye, but I'm not sure - if anyone recognises them I'd love to know. This is for Soartful challenges: kraft, red and pink.

This is for Eat sleep stamp sketch 160:

The card base is a kraft one and the background paper is an offcut of some Anna Griffin paper. So this is another card for Pixie's crafty snippets 8 (but my box is still just as full as it was at the beginning of the year!). I distressed the edges lightly with fired brick DI - this is for Lawnscaping 28:

A krafty note

This is a simple card using a kraft card blank, stamped music in memento cocoa bean with a La Blanche foam stamp, some natural twine and a couple of Cosmo Cricket die cut sentiments.

This is for:

Papertake: getting krafty
City crafter 97: it' all natural
Dare to be sassy Thursdays 112: kraft card stock
Lexi 59: monochromatic
Whimsy 27: monochromatic
Desert island crafts 25: I used kraft, twine and 2 die cut stickers
Celebrate the occasion 51: thinking of you
The paper shelter 52: add a sentiment
Let's craft and create 39: less is more - clean and simple
CRAFT 142: no designer paper
Rogue redhead rebel 8: stamped background
One stop craft 170: create your own background
Cutie stampers 121: self-stamped background
Lollipop crafts 68: anything goes
Mema's crafts February: anything goes
Penny's 73: anything goes
If the shoe fits fashionista Friday 99: anything goes
Make it Monday 77

Inspire me Fridays 46

52 cardpick up week 7

WOYWW 142

It's Wednesday again and in crafty blogland that means it's WOYWW day, so here is my crafting space for WOYWW 142.

This is a photo of the overall area in which I craft:

I decided that today I would try and take my photos more looking down on to the work surface, so here goes. This is the scene to the left of where I sit. You can see the baby card I've just made. My twinchies and inchies that I made yesterday are lurking behind that box of inks - they need to be posted today - there are some Cath Kidson papers to the left and some golf decoupage sheets that are needed to make a commissioned card.

This is where I sit, so the computer is always in evidence, but the keyboard is put out of the way to give maximum space to work in. You can see the little chick stamp that I actually bought to use on Easter cards, but it had it's first outing this morning on the baby card I've just made - you can see some baby offcut papers that weren't used. Over on the right are some stamps etc that are to be used on a card for this week's Daring cardmakers challenge (hope I get round to this soon).

To the right of where I sit you can see some Easter stamps that are waiting to be used - I really do need to get on with making some Easter cards as I have been asked to sell cards at our church's WEF on Friday 2 March - help, that's quite soon! There are also some fairy tale stickers etc that are ready to use in a circle journal that I'll be receiving soon.

I managed to get round to lots of blogs last week - I'm not sure how well I'll do this week, but I'll try and visit as many as possible. Thank you for all the kind crafters who visit my blog and leave comments - they are much appreciated.

For baby

When sorting through my craft stuff last week I came across a Baby gift card pocket that I'd put together some time ago and never done anything with it, so I decided to use it on a card this morning. I chose a tag shaped card that has a ready-printed coloured edge and stamped random chicks with a Personal Impressions springtime 'tinchies'. I inked the stamp with yellow citrus chalk ink and then embossed with clear detail - I was disappointed with the result because it was hardly visible. However, I then coloured the chicks with copic Y21 buttercup yellow - you can just about see the embossed outline of the chicks if the card is held in the right light!

The striped card inside the pocket has a couple of little cuts that will house a gift card.

This is for:

Crop stop 58: it's a baby
Totally stampalicious: baby card
Cupcake craftroom February: new beginnings
Crazy4challenges 124: stripes and polka dots
Alota 77: shaped card
CRAFT 142: no designer paper
Annabelle: say it with background stamps

Suzie's 365 day 53: ordinary

When I saw that Suzie's photo prompt for today is 'ordinary' I wondered what I could do - then I thought of our 'ordinary' glasses in the cupboard. Because John has very little vision we do have quite a few breakages of crockery and glass - particularly because our kitchen floor is tiled and anything that falls breaks.

We do have some 'nice' glasses that are hardly ever used - high days and holidays - but for everyday we use 'ordinary' ones that can be replaced without too much expense.

So here is my photo for Suzie's day 53: ordinary:

And, yes, I know that I haven't done anything yet for yesterday's prompt - that's got to wait till tomorrow - I have an idea for that.

Suzie's 365 photos day 51: fragile

I'm not sure why I didn't do this photo on the day, but nevermind, here it is now - my fragile eggs for Suzie's day 51: