Stamping For The Weekend - and others...

...last ones of 2009 - A Calendar.



Well after all of the season's festivities and laziness I thought it best I try and get back into the swing of the Challenges again. I missed most of December as I was really not prepared - as usual I must add! And all that baking I did - My freezer was jam packed full of seasonally wrapped and labeled lb loaf cakes, but thankfully they were all delivered in the fortnight before Christmas so there was plenty of room for the truck load of food we seemed to need!




Back to my first 'post-Christmas' Challenges.....

I've also decided to ignore my '1 card, 1 Challenge' rule from now on! I guess if the Challenge Blogs don't mind why should I??????? Also means I can participate in more Challenges :)

Stamping For The Weekend has had a special fortnight challenge due to Christmas, and it finishes tomorrow, nothing like cutting it fine eh! They wanted a Calendar.

And Cute Card Thursday who close at 8pm (!!!!!!!!), have asked for something to do with New Year...

And...Allsorts who want 'Anything BUT a Card' - I do hope their challenge is running for 2 weeks and not the normal 1 week - otherwise I'm a little too late!





I have used a gorgeous HM image and watercoloured it. The papers are from MME - Bloom & Grow. The flowers were from a great crafty friend for Christmas and I added some chalks to them. I finished off with a little note pad and pencil holder......I'm not quite sure how the note pad will stand up to being used as I've 'cleared/tidied away' my perforating cutter, so don't think the pages will tear off very easily! I think I'll send this to my Mum. I'll just have to tell her to be gentle!





Thanks for taking the time to visit - and if I don't 'see' you before..........Happy New Year!

Hope Your Christmas Went Well :)

Hi bloggers :)

Hope you all had a fabulous Christmas - safe and warm :)

We had a great time here - even tho the kids are much older now it was great to see that we can still make them speachless with their presents! Ben was totally bowled over when he ripped the paper off his Gaming Chair - he just stood there like an overwhelmed 5 year old.....and he's 18!
I do love Christmas and the ability we have as mothers, to completly throw everyone off the trail of any presents they have..............even Rob was gobsmaked with his complete collection of 'House' on DVD!
Zoe and Ceri were also chuffed with their new TV's and Brad - our Border Collie - hasn't let one of his new toys out of sight since! I took a pic of him pulling a cracker with me, it was fab - but not a very good picture - think I will have to 'stage' another one and get the focus right this time!!!


I'm itching to get back into crafting now - Zoe bought me a mini sewing machine so I no longer have to lug my full size one each time I want to add a few stiches to a card......guess what'll be included on all of my January cards now!!!




If I don't 'speak' to you before, have a wonderful New Year - and if you get hit by this snow we are promised in the UK this week, keep warm.

ABC Christmas Challenge Blog Hop!

Good Morning on this gorgeous Christmas Eve - I've already been to Morrisons this morning and was in Tesco's at midnight last night - so I'm not going out again until New Year!!!



Just wanted to let you all know about a fab new Challenge Blog designed to help us all ensure Christmas 2010 is not so much of a rush............well, with our cards anyway! And their Blog Hop starts today :)


Here's a section taken from the new ABC Christmas Challenge Blog........



"..........Welcome to ABC Christmas Challenge Blog! After speaking to many people it seems to be a common problem that Christmas creeps up on us every year! So this challenge will run on a fortnightly basis, on alternate weeks to our Sister blog ABC Challenge. The Idea is to have fun and create 25 cards or Projects in time for Christmas 2010 your projects will be based on a theme or technique using the letters of the alphabet in turn. ................................. We hope you enjoy this new challenge and have fun creating those projects you promised yourself you would get done for this year and did not have time.

..........................We have been busy organising this exciting new challenge blog to share with you all, and we are hoping you will want to help us spread the word......that ABC CHALLENGE has a new sister blog!

..........................Be sure to leave comments on the project that they [the 7 DT Members] have been busy making to help inspire you, to be in with chances of winning their great prizes... some of the DT gang have Mr Linky set up and others a comment system...either way you have 7 chances of winning a brilliant prize! "



The Hop is open until midnight 29th December and if you collect the letters along the way up for grabs is the gorgeous Popcorn Christmas stamp set - so go on... get hopping!!!!

Wishing You All A Very Merry Christmas.....

I would like to thank every single one of you for the fantastic support and many friendships I have made over the past year :) I wish each one of you - and your families, a very Merry Christmas and a Happy 2010.

Huge thanks to the wonderful people who have taken the time to send me a Christmas card - I really appreciate your thoughts - I just wish I could've got around to sending out as many as I'd have liked to!!! All this baking has taken its toll on my Christmas cards - I've even had to send out some left over from last year!!!! And all of those new Christmas goodies I bought to play with........................................will have to remind myself next year that I don't need anything new! As if!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My Blog will be 1 year old towards the end of January and all I am saying is I have been 'squirreling' things away all year ;)

I must off and do some more HW (Arhh!)

Still got shopping to do, food to prep, cards and pressies to deliver........................................................................

Going to leave you with a gorgeous pic of my favorite place in the world - Central Park, New York

Merry Christmas

My First Easel Card....

A really quick post before I pop off to bed!

Finished this card tonight. I made it with an A5 size face.

I used Die-cut FF decoupage and the matching papers. I also printed the verse and sentiment onto one of the matching papers.

I originally worked to the Sketch & Stash challenge - but the image was too big and the sketch got 'lost'! Never mind :(

Looking forward to this week in work - as I'm off Wednesday, Thursday & Friday......................I wonder if 2 day weeks will take off - be nice wouldn't it?

Have a great Monday, whatever you are doing :)

My Favorite Christmas Song!

Got another Christmas card done tonight!

I'm doing well, if I keep going at this rate I should have enough by December 1st........................................................2010!

I've managed to squeeze 3 challenges into this one ;)

Allsorts - Christmas Carol or Song (My favorite Christmas song ever - All I Want For Christmas. Has to be the Mariah Carey version tho!)

Sketch Saturday - Fab sketch

Penny Black Saturday - 'Winter Wonderland'

I've used my gorgeous 'Slapstick' snowman image from Penny Black - if you've not got any of these stamps................you MUST, they are fab!

He's coloured with Promarkers and highlighted with Glitter Glue.

Can't wait for the weekend - loads more baking to do as I didn't get any done last weekend - Ceri was in an Irish Dancing competition Saturday & Sunday, but more importantly I plan on a huge blogging 'catch-up' :)

Thanks for popping by,

Blue Jelly Too......SANDs Candy

Here's a pic of the first installment of cards I'm sending to Victoria over at Blue Jelly Too.

You get 1 entry for each card/gift you send her - these will then be passed on to SANDs to raise money, visit her blog to find out more :)

Off to make a few more Christmas cards................................................I had my 1st one today in the post - Thanks Sharon, how dare you be so organised!!! ;) lol

SFTW meets CCT.....

Another really quick post before I head off to work!

This week over at Stamping for the Weekend is a fab sketch to follow, so I have teamed this up with Cute Card Thursday's 'Teen Terrors'!!!

I have used papers from Papermania's Naughty & Nice Christmas selection from last year, the image is from the Christmas set by Kerry Jo - I love Kerry Jo's images :) And I've added some colour to her with a few watercolour pencils.

Thanks for visiting - Have a great day :)

WOJ Quick Upload...

A really quick upload this morning before I head off for the place I have to visit everyday in order to buy my supplies!!!!

Updated: I obviously didn't get my lack of enthusiasm across correctly above - I wish it was a shopping trip - but unfortunately I meant going to work! As in, if I didn't I wouldn't be able to buy my goodies!!!......................Mind you it shows that us crafters have shopping on the mind 24/7!!!!

The sketch over at Whiff Of Joy this week is very interesting! Looks great in the diagram but I had trouble trying to relate it to my papers etc!!!! But then that's why they're called 'challenges'!

I do hope the fantastic DT over at WOJ will accept my card as an 'almost followed sketch' entry - I did try hard to!

Another One!!!

I'm on a roll here fellow bloggers! I just wish I could keep on rolling rather than having to stop to do boring stuff.............like going to work or cooking tea :(

This week over at Simon Says Challenge the theme is Animal Antics.......something with an animal on it somewhere.

My brother's birthday is this week so I've made this rather 'predictable' Animal Antics card for him! The button is made with layers of card topped with some Gemstones Card and the gorgeous Candle border was done with the great border punch that I got in the fantastic candy I won from Chris over on Twinkles Glow With Stamps - Thanks Chris.

The more I look at this card the more I'm disliking it! The ribbon makes it look like a winking face!!!

Off to try and do a couple of Christmas cards, or I'll be popping to the shops in the first week of December!!!

At Last......................A Card!!!!!!!!

Hi Bloggers :)

Am I glad to be back on here, there's only so much baking you do before you start getting sick of it!!!! I have all sorts of cakes coming out of my ears - it's that bad I've even started dreaming about cakes instead of colours and layouts and ribbons.................It MUST be bad!!!!!

Well I've managed to get a card done today - I've had this image coloured for WEEKS and have been waiting for the right card to call out for it - and it did today! I saw the sketch over at Friday Sketchers for this week and just knew it would go perfectly with the gorgeous Siku and Shiya from Mo so have combined the 2 challenges!

This week's sketch over at Friday Sketchers is by Jeanette and it's fab!!!

Mo's Challenge is a recipe of 3 papers, 2 ribbons and a decorative edge. The papers are all last years - the 2 pinks are from DCWV's Rose Tinted Christmas and the blue is from Dovecraft's Winter Wonderland. The ribbons are a gorgeous velvet in blue and pink and my Decorative Edge is made using my Fiskars Snowflake Border punched into some of the blue paper and then attached to the back of the image. The image is coloured with Promarkers and finished off with Glitter Glue on the fur trims.

Thanks so much for popping over to have a look - I hope it wont be too long before I'm back (I've not got too many more cakes to bake!)

I'm a BAD Blogger!!!

Hi All :)

I just wanted to let you all know that I'm still here! I haven't done any blogging for a little while - although I'm trying to visit my blogging buddies as often as I can!

I was planning on doing a big 'crafty catch-up' over the weekend - I've not done a challenge card for over a week - but it didn't work, I made a start on my 'Christmas' baking instead!
"What" I hear you exclaim...........

I love to bake cakes and over the past few years have accumulated quite a few people who place orders with me - so Saturday and Sunday I made 14 Carrot Cakes, 10 'Exotic' Boil & Bake Cakes (exotic cos they have papaya, mango, pineapple etc in them!), 12 of my very special and very secret recipe Chocolate Cakes - and those are to go with the Cherry & Coconut and Lemon Drizzle ones that I did the weekend before! Next weekend it's the Orange & Cranberry, Peanut Butter & Chocolate Chip and Coffee & Walnut! My freezer looks like Mr Kipling's!

I've been trying to think of some more flavours to play with, so maybe you could help me! Tell you what, if I go with your suggestion I may even send you one! Don't worry about the recipe - just tell me what flavours you think might be good for Christmas!

Sketch Saturday #74

For this week's Sketch Saturday challenge I have used some fabby papers from Crafts House called 'Cupcakes'. For the main backing I used a sheet with tiny coloured squares and then cut strips from a stripey piece to use as the 4 horizontal pieces as directed by the sketch - It looks like 1 patterened sheet - but it's not!

I coloured Henry with Promarkers and chalked the edges. From another sheet of the Cupcakes stack I punched the flowers and added giant gems. Finally I chalked and stamped a stationery tag.

Friday Sketchers #75

Claudia is the host this week over at Friday Sketchers and she has given us a great sketch to work to - thanks Claudia :) If you pop over and pay them a visit you'll find some gorgeous cards by the very talented DT.


My Manga boy has been coloured with Promarkers and some gorgeous foil for his dungaree's(not sure what it's called!!! It's the type you put onto almost dry glue?).


The coloured papers are from DCWV Kids stack and I finished off with some buttons, a brad and some glitter ribbon.



The backing paper used for this card is not what it appears to be; a fantastic geometric, multi textured glistening designer paper! It is in fact a sample of wallpaper I ripped from a roll in B&Q over the weekend! It is gorgeous wallpaper - but unfortunately I don't have any walls it would suit - but I couldn't ignore it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Simon Says Challenge #26

'Get Well Soon' was the spec for this week's challenge over at Simon Says Challenge.

I'm afraid I'm not sure what the image is called as it was sent to me as a RAK quite a while ago! I used my Watercolour Pencils to colour it and went around the edge (a little too heavy handed!) with some brown ink. The backing paper is a thick hand-made paper picked up from the Range. The flower was made using 2 sizes of Woodware punches. Sentiment is a Cuttlebug die.

It doesn't show too clearly on the picture but the front of the card is folded back upon itself with the image attached to the then 'new' front. The flower and sentiment are attached to what would have been the inside.

Whiff of Joy #52

What a gorgeous sketch this week by Heather for the Whiff of Joy Challenge Blog. I loved using it - Thanks Heather :)

I've used Henry with his Hot Chocolate and coloured him with Watercolour Pencils. The papers are from last year's DCWV Rose Tinted Christmas. My gorgeous X-cut snowflake punch again and clear dew drops to finish.

I hope you're all enjoying these darker evenings. I am - it's great to come home from work, draw the curtains, put the heating on and sit and craft :)

Mo's Digital Challenge #3

'Anything but a card' is the theme that Bronte & Bella have set for this weeks challenge over on Mo's challenge blog.

I decided to do a candle as I'd not done one for ages! I do love doing these - but always get cramp in my hand from holding the greaseproof so tight whilst melting the image in!!!

I printed 'Kai in the Snow' onto a piece of tissue paper (taped to a carrier piece of card) then coloured it with Promarkers. I added some peel off snowflakes and wording before 'setting' it all with my heat gun.

I hope you're all having a good weekend and this awful UK Autumnal weather isn't getting you too down!

Allsorts #23

Just made it........again!

Only had time to make 1 card tonight so went through the Saturday Challenges that I like and the sketch on the Allsorts Challenge Blog grabbed me - along with the monochrome Christmas theme.

I had wanted to do mine in a less obvious monochrome than black & white - but couln't find enough elements in different shades of the same colour to do any thing else!

I've used a Lili of The Valley die cut from last year and paper from last years Classic Christmas Black Collection from Anita's. I also made a single stencil with my X-cut Snowflake punch and stenciled with silver ink to make the image backing.

I WILL be making some of next week's challenge cards tomorrow - I'm determined!

Simon Says...Whiff of Joy!

Thought I would miss out on these this week! WHY do I leave it so late???

I must make an effort to miss one week and start making my challenge cards as soon as the challenge is out - rather than playing 'catch-up' all of the time...............thing is I love doing them and hate to miss one out!

Simon Says Challenge have a great sketch this week - I've swapped the flowers for snowflakes tho :)

Whiff of Joy's challenge was 'Die-Cut', I'm afraid I've opted for the most obvious and easiest - good old Nesties!

My image is the gorgeous 'Henry with Bauble' from WOJ, coloured with Promarkers. The paper is from last years DCWV Christmas MultiStack.

I've used some more of the fab glitter embossed ribbon I found in my local haberdashery at the weekend - I bought a metre of all of the 6 colours she had - as well as loads of others!!!

I really need to find a new ribbon storage solution! At the moment I have them all wound neatly and clipped with a clothes peg - but they take up 3 storage boxes and as I'm rummaging around I'm starting to mess them up - I'd love to have them more specifically stored - but should I keep them together according to colour or material or theme or width or sparkle or.................................