Thanks Saskia !

Thank you so much for this Gift of Love award Saskia - along with all your encouragement to a novice blogger it is much appreciated. I would highly recommend visiting Saskias blog :

Saskia has a fantastic range of projects and is a Design Team member for the

Crafty Creations Challenge blog ( great challenges - alot of fun!)

David is a monkey! - Colour Create

The Challenge this week on Colour Create is to use Orange, green and brown.

David is going to be 3 tomorrow and he is a very lovable cheeky monkey - son of my friend Lesley. I have had these Creative Imaginations papers for a while looking for a suitable project!
Cut the double sided paper to create tree trunk and tree top. Cut out several of the circles to create layered effect. Cut monkeys from second piece of paper and the reverse side of this had the stripes used for the grass. Added a little orange (tangerine) colour box fluid chalk.
Leaves made from Tim Holtz grungeboard with a swirl, painted with green H2O and edges also inked. Card base cut away following shape of tree and large lettering added to inside of card.
A change for me - lots of fun.....

An Award - whatever next.....thanks Liz

Thanks so much Liz for all your words of encouragement and now an award.....also a big Happy Birthday for today - I recieved this from Liz over at
http://draytonatcswaps.blogspot.com/
Thanks ever so much - for anyone who doesn't know Liz she runs the Drayton Lady swap for atc's on Trimmcraft,and does a splendid job doing it I must add.

Now this bit I have copied from Liz's blog:
"This award has a few rules first of all you have to give it to a new blog that you have recently come across.Let them know they have an award ,then they must mention your blog when accepting the blog .Pass on to 15 other new sites that you have just recently come across.Please leave a comment when you collect your award Thanks These blogs are not in any order I love them all

My first award goes to Keryn - my first follower
http://mckinkle-poppydog.blogspot.com/
The second to Rozzy - multi tallented and lovely
http://rozzyb.blogspot.com/
The third to Susie - Die cuts to die for....
http://sassydesignsbysusie.blogspot.com/
The fourth to Dawn - really groovey
http://creationsbydawn.blogspot.com/
The fifth to Saskia - Very crafty blog....
http://lusaro-snippers.blogspot.com/

watch this space will add to the list as I discover them.....

Wedding Horseshoe and Card

On Tuesday I was asked by a Mum at school "How long does it take to make a Wedding card?"

Luckily I had a couple of spare evenings.....

The horseshoe is for their youngest (2 years) very cute son to give the bride.

It just so happened the challenge this week on Trimcraft is a Wedding project - so just ideal!

The Horse shoe is made with silver wire to form the base. I then threaded irredescent bugle beads onto the stems of tiny roses and wound them round the horseshoe.

I tied white irredescent hearts on using double ended tiny flower hearts. Added some irredescent heart beads on little wire drops. Then wound the fibre round (which I think was from the Basic Grey Cupcake selection)

I used my Pazzles quite alot for my card - still trying out different things with this.

The background heart paper is Coredinations Whitewash(love that paper) that I embossed on my Pazzles with a heart frame I created myself and then lightly sanded and inked the edges.

The "Wedding Day" lettering is also cut on the Pazzles using Basic Grey Eva paper and some Bazzil cardstock. I used a hammer white cardstock for the base , and some coredinations purple gemstone for my first layer. All layers were inked round edges.

Flowers and Butterflies are handcoloured leather using H2O's then cut with Cuttlebug and layered with eyelet set in centre.

Wedding Day is raised on foam tape, flowers are glued in place and then gemstones glued in centre. Writting in a combinaton of rub ons and White Sakura.

Basic Grey Challenge - Christine's sketch!

This week on the Basic Grey challenge is a sketch by Christine - as always fab pieces by the design team - well worth a visit! I am going to make an effort to make a more masculine card using some more typically masculine colours.

For this card I used Granola paers from Basic Grey to matt and layer for the background. Then I used the same stripey Granola paper and some Bazzil bling (thanks to Trimcraft) to cut some fancy square matts on my Pazzles, which I distressed the edges of. I cut some of the Basic grey Granola Chipboard embellishments to create lines for the layout. The Basic Gery rub on "Happy Birthday" is on a piece of card painted with Tim Holtz crackle paint. The fish image(centre) and plant images (top left hand )are all Tim Holtz crackle paint on grungeboard.

Thank you - tickled pink georgous!

For this I used my pazzles to cut the scalloped oval matts which I then painted with Tim Holtz crackle paint. The Georgous girl is paper pieced using DCWV posie paper, then coloured with Sakura. The flowers are layers of grungeboard painted with Tim Holtz crackle paint and then set with eyelets. The petals of the flowers are diecut leather flowers with their petals removed and placed behind centres. Tickled Pink is a Basic Grey rub on.

Bookmark - Octavia

I have been following the Crafty Creations Challenge blog for a few weeks - some really lovely different projects have been on there. But this week I have made some extra effort to make an entry for their bookmark challenge - I do love a challenge. http://craftycreationschallenges.blogspot.com
Yes as you will have guessed I still haven't worked out how to do that clever linking thing!
Octavia is one of my own images which I have paper pieced and then added colour with Sakura pens. The bookmark base is a piece of dark green irredescent cardstock with some green coredination gemstone cardstock matted on top, it has had its edges distressed.
I made the starfish at the top set with an eyelet and some fab orange ribbon through it.
Also some smaller starfish and a big green clump of reeds to wind around Octavias feet. I really enjoyed making it last night.............

Thank you Trimcraft

I was absolutely thrilled this week to recieve a lovely box of goodies from Trimcraft for winning their Easter Challenge. They sent me lots of beautiful Bazzil cardstock including fab bling and embossed. They also sent me a set of Easy stampers and some butterfly stamps - that I used to make this card for them with. I am very impressed with the easy stampers - worked a treat....So thanks again Trimcraft.

Caardvarks - Trees a crowd......

Weird....I just find myself having made a card for the last Basic Grey challenge that was a tree, and this weeks Caardvarks challenge is Trees a crowd.....

So another tree card it must be!

Using a gatefold base, Basic Grey papers and rub ons - some fab tiny ants on the bottom left hand side.

Paper pieced the trees and then added grass and leaves made from Tim Holtz grungeboard painted with crackle paint and inked round the edges. The Sun was made in the same way - I love the effect of the crackle paint and when you add ink to it ....its fab!

Madeline on the rocks - paper piecing - Basic Grey

A paper piecing challenge this week on Basic Grey.

This is a technique that is becoming a big favourite of mine along with all the fab Basic Grey papers - i am in heaven - add in a mermaid another of my favourite images.....

Madeline is my own digi stamp that has been paper pieced and then coloured with Sakura.

Basic Grey papers used are Granola and Archaic.

A few leather die cut starfish and crabs for a little extra.

Really enjoyed making the seaweed with Archaic paper and some stickles.

Basic Grey Challenge - Cherry liqueur chocolate....

After serious consideration...favourite soft centres......cherry liqueure

The challenge this week at Basic Grey and I do like a bit of chocolate, some may say to excessMy card is a Gatefold base 2/3 rds on left 1/3 rd on right fold.

Background is Basic Grey Eva Rouge, Tree trunk is Basic Grey Sugared pleasing and tree top is Basic Grey Sultry polished. Tree is hand cut from my own sketch.

I have put some dark brown pearlescent paper behind tree trunk,cut oval out of tree trunk and tree trunk is raised on foam pads.

Owl and Hedgehogs are QK dies from the woodland range cut in coredinations and velvet papers. Owl is tucked into the cut oval.

Flowers and leaves are cut from leather using Cuttlebug dies. Flowers are attached with Basic Grey brads. Leaves are glued in place. Grasses are hand cut in coredinations and distressed then Sakura details added.

Sugar bowl Challenge - Make a Wish

It's been one of those weeks.....My computer crashed and my youngest two have now got Chicken Pox. However cardmaking is managing my sanity..... This card is for my best friend Margaret-Anne. She will be youngish tomorrow - you'd never know! I have combined it with the current Sugar bowl challenge which is a great sketch.

It is nearly all Basic Grey papers with a piece of coredinations pink that I have inked.

Fab Sugar Nellie - Leanne Ellis stamp - paper pieced and coloured with Sakura.
Eyelets with wires,beads and little birds from stamp design then glass heart bead at base.

Make a wish handwritten in Sakura

Madeline - A spoonful of sugar

Hopefully right this time! A spoonful of sugar challenge to use a stamp and a number.

I'm hoping that its okay that I have used my own digi stamp image - Madeline mermaid.

I have paper pieced Madeline and added Sakura detail. Cut no. 2 on my Pazzles.

Basic Grey paper background inked at edges.

Reeds made using vellum, diecut fishes and crabs using hand coloured leather.

Details added with Sakura pens.

80th Birthday.....

For good friends Margaret Anne and Mad Uncle Ross to give Ross's Mum on her 80th Birthday.

Now I admit to the fact that I thought I was being clever

and combining this with a challenge I was going to do.....

slight problem there it was supposed to contain a stamped image mmmmm!

Anyhows it is what it is. 80 cut and layered using Basic Grey Eva papers and cut on the Pazzles.

Background another Basic Grey paper from the Eva collection.

Circles cut from same paper as top 80 and edges sanded - layered onto 80 with Basic Grey button in center. Basic Grey lettering, faux stitches added using Sakura and lettering recoloured. Few more buttons attached to card background. Basic Grey Rub on Happy Birthday.

Gorjuss Atc's - drayton swap on Trimcraft.

My set of 5 atcs for the Drayton monthly swap on Trimcrft - big thanks goes to Liz Blair for organizing this every month.

Colour Create Challenge - Roxanne

For the Colour Create challenge this week it is Duck Egg Blue and Rose.

Having enjoyed creating Octavia , I decided to give her a friend - Roxanne.

One of the first parties I went to with my husband was a fancy dress party - he went as a submarine and I went as a rock pool. Have to say that is where all likeness ends between myself and Roxanne - I enjoy my food too much........

I Used a Duck egg blue card blank - Inked the edges rose. Drew and paper pieced Roxanne then added Sakura pen. Background papers are basic grey and core-dinations that was distressed.

I hand cut some reed like pieces and added detail with Sakura, set onto ribbon with eyelets.

Attached ribbon with brads, then added a few more reeds with foam pads.

Attached Roxanne on foam pads.

Added fish at bottom painted with Tim Holtz crackle paint, message at top is handwritten again using Sakura pens.

Octavia - Caardvarks - Fantasy

Last year I painted a dreamscape mural in my daughter Hope's bedroom. In it appears a girl we called Octavia because she has an octopus on her head (this was inspired by a piece of graffitti art that appears on a local castle) I have been thinking for some time about designing a card image 'Octavia'.....She was drawn and then scanned and printed and paper pieced . Detail added with Sakura pens.

K&Co shell paper as background and a few cut out and added on foam pads.

Hand coloured die cut leather fishy bits come out from the top of the card on wire.

Basic Grey - Beautiful - rub on.

Made for the Caardvark challenge............

Below is a section of Hope's mural that has the original Octavia in it (she is a mermaid).

Hope is 22mths old and loves all the glitter in the mural.

Basic Grey - Stop & Dance in the flowers

"Stop and dance in the flowers "- for this weeks basic grey challenge - "Spring/Easter" Lime card blank inked with fuschia and dark green. Basic Grey papers from the Sultry range.

Gorjuss girl - don't I like that stamp at the mo! DCWV dress on girl and Sakura.

Basic Grey Sultry Rub on. A few die cut Cuttlebug butterflies and tiny flowers.

Thinking of you - Sugar bowl challenge no. 7

Have been dying to have a proper play with the fab Gorjuss stamps I bought this week from Sugar Nellie - what beautiful gorjuss girls they are. So decided today ( we are stuck in with oldest son having Chicken Pox) to make a card for the Sugar Bowl Challenge......Scalloped edge Lilac card with inked turquoise edges. DCWV scalloped oval in background cut on Pazzles. QK branches and cuttlebug flowers, leaves, butterflies . Making Memories brads for flower centres. Basic Grey rub ons.
Most importantly though - Gorjuss stamps from Sugar Nellie - Foxy and girl with puss.
Stamped as one image, paper piecing with basic grey and DCWV papers, coloured with Sakura - fox raised on foam pads x

Gorjuss Willow

Have fallen in love with the Gorjuss girl images and I have to say I am not a stamper. So this is all quite new to me. I have used rubber stamps befor but mostly for creating backgrounds, not needing crisp images - there is an art to it........lets just say I am practicing!

I have had a request for a first birthday card for Williow. I used the little gorjuss girl with pussy cat and removed pussy cat. I have used a Basic Grey paper for the dress and added colour with Sakura pens, a flower brad in hair. Used a scalloped edge pink card blank which I inked with purple. Added a black and white gingham ribbon secured with pink love heart brads. Added some more of the Basic Grey paper echoing the scalloped edge. Inked a circle of paper added a Basic Grey tag and used basic Grey lettering and No. 1. It's a rub on that says bloom and grow - again Basic Grey - I am a big fan.....