Beautiful Bird

I have been playing with some more of my new stamps today and I really love how this card has turned out.

I used an A5 card and covered it with some Pink Peticoat Designs paper. I put lilac ribbon down the left hand side and also across the card, close to the bottom and added a purple flower with a large brad. I used my alcohol inks to make the backgrounds for the images and I stamped them using black stazon ink. I layered the stamped images onto white card and then purple card, then added them to the main card.

Both of the stamps I used on this card I bought from I brake for stamps.

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Going for green - SS week 10

This is the card I made for the Sunday Stamper challenge, which this week, was set by Lesley. As green is her favourite colour, the challenge was "make sure that whatever you make features the colour green".

I used a cream A6 card and stamped a calligraphy stamp (Lost Coast Designs) in green ink all over the front of the card. I then stamped the Mona Lisa (I brake for stamps) stamp in green ink onto white card and cut out the stamped image. I then layered the image onto two shades of green card and highlighted the wording on the stamp (Mystic Smile) using 3d gloss.

Both of the stamps I used for this card are Lost Coast Designs

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Quite a productive Saturday

Well I didn't think I would get any crafting done today, but I managed to make three cards :-) This first card I made following the card sketch challenge on ISMAKI #12

I used a cream square card and some lilac Anna Griffin paper, some gold shimmery paper and some purple card which I stamped an Anna Griffin rose background stamp onto. I added a stamped flower which I mounted onto some purple mirror card and then added a couple of different flowers to finish off the design and a happy birthday sentiment.

Just a note

For this card I used a cream A5 card in landscape. I layered some Anna Griffin paper onto some dark red card, just leaving a small edge showing. The "just a note" is a gold peel off which I put onto some cream card and then layered it onto a piece of the backing paper and then the dark red card. The little hearts contain real pressed flowers and I placed them on the card to follow a sketch - again an older one from My Paper World challenge blog.

Another pink and brown card

This is the third card I made today and I used one of the old sketches from My Paper World Challenge Blog.

I used a cream square card and some scraps of papers I had in my "bits box". I used an Anna Griffin Sunflower stamp and stamped it using rusty brown stazon onto pink card which I then cut in a circle and edged with gold krylon pen. The Happy Birthday sentiment is just a peel off.

Purple Angel

This card, you might recognise the backing :-) I used Pink Peticoat papers for the background and I stamped a cute little angel stamp (Lost Coast Designs) in purple stazon onto white card. I then layered this onto some purple mirror card and put it on an angle on the card. I also stamped a small Birthday Girl stamp in purple stazon onto white card and layered it onto purple mirror card also. Finally I added a small flower, attaching it with a little white brad.

I made this card with two challenges in mind - the first one is Cute Card Thursday, where the challenge this week was to use people on your card.

The second challenge is Wednesday Stamper, where the challenge was to use purple on your card

My 1st Gothic Arches

These are my first attempts at making Gothic Arches - I think they are a bit plain and need more texture to them. For the backgrounds I used distress inks and then I stamped various stamps using stazon ink/versamark with gold embossing powders. Here is the link to the templates I used.

One Card - Three Challenges

This card I combined three challenges into one card. The design / layout of the card is the sketch challenge on Papertake Weekly.

Also the Theme Thursday Challenge is to use pink and brown.


The challenge this week on Arty Girlz is "make something that includes chocolate! Chocolate coloured paper, ribbons, flowers, chocolate smelling embossing powder. A chocolate cake perhaps! The only other condition is that it HAS to include only one other colour (oh ok I'll let you have white too then lol)." So I used chocolate brown and pink as my two main colours and used a DMD butterfly stamp as my main image (don't know what that has to do with chocolate though) LOL.

Mountboard Squares

This is the first time I've used mountboard. These are 2" x 2" squares which I have made for a swap I'm involved in. The only condition was that they had to be spring colours. I used my distress ink pads to make the backgrounds and sprayed a little gold glimmer mist on. I stamped various See D's floral stamps using a versamark ink pad and sprinkled gold embossing powder on and heated with my heat gun. I coloured the flowers using my Marvey Le Plume pens and then edged each of the squares in gold.

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Di Hickman March Sketch #4

I made this card following a sketch on Di Hickmans Blog. I used a lilac A5 card and the papers I used are from Pink Peticoat. I just added a purple ribbon and bow as on the sketch. I feel that there is something missing from this card - it looks too bare to me. I might alter it and add something else to it ..... but then it wouldn't follow the sketch LOL.

Monday Blues

I've had a good crafting day today and made some blue cards for a change.

This first card is a 5" x 5" square card, which I covered with some backing paper which I downloaded from Buddy Irish. The stamped image is a Paper Artsy one and I stamped it onto light blue card using an encore metallic ink pad and layered it onto some darker blue and then light blue card again. The Happy Birthday is again stamped in encore metallic ink and the stamp I used it a Docrafts/Whispers one. Again I simply layered it onto dark blue and light blue card and then added a couple of light blue flower brads. Finally I added some grosgrain ribbon down the side.

My Paper World Sketch #7

For this card I used an A5 card blank and covered it with light blue patterned paper downloaded from Buddy Irish. The stamped image is one of my lovely Lost Coast Design stamp which I stamped using an encore metallic ink pad onto light blue cardstock. I added a small silver butterfly and a couple of punched out flowers attached with brads to complete the My Paper World sketch design.

A Couple of Mona's

This first one I like the simplicity of it ... a bit like me, simple LOL. I used a 5" x 5" square card blank and I stamped the Lost Coast Design Mona Lisa stamp using rusty brown stazon onto cream card. I just layered this onto some copper mirror card and mounted it onto the card. The sentiment is a Docrafts/Whispers stamp, which again I stamped in rusty brown stazon and matted and layered it the same. I then simply added some brown ribbon down the left hand side and hey - presto a very quick card.

Di Hickman Sketch March #3

This card I made using the sketch from Di Hickman's blog. I'm not really sure about this card - OH says I can't put Mona Lisa in a flower like that - but it's growing on me LOL.



I used a square card blank and cut the front diagonally as shown in the sketch. I covered the inside back of the card and the front of the card with some stripe paper. I stamped the Lost Coast Design Mona Lisa onto cream card using stazon ink and cut her out in a circle. I cut a slightly larger circle out of copper mirror card and mounted Mona on this. I then attached a large flower to the front of the card and matted my design on top of it. I then just added a couple of little burnt orange flowers and added some gold glitter glue to the centres.

Happy Easter

I just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Easter :-)

This card, I made for a sketch challenge, on My Paper World. I have to admit it isn't quite to the sketch, but I hope it will be okay LOL

For this card I used a Lost Cost Design Stamp and stamped it using rusty brown stazon ink onto white card. I then layered this onto some copper card. I used two pieces of beige paper again layered onto another piece of copper card and then put the main "topper" onto this. I added an orange ribbon and then realised that the ribbon should have gone more over towards the stamped image.

Inspired by a friend

One of my forum friends has some lovely black and white cards on her blog. I was so inspired by these and so made some today. Thank you Andrea for the inspiration :-)



For this card I used a black A5 card and some Pink Peticoat papers. The stamped image is one of my new Lost Coast Design stamps - Winged Girl and stamped using black stazon onto white card. I simply layered the stamped image onto some black and white cardstock and mounted it onto the card, added some black ribbon and a bow.

Spread your wings and fly

This is another of my new Lost Coast Design stamps - Spread Your Wing and Fly. Again, I stamped the image onto white card using black stazon and then layered it onto white and black card. The paper I have used is again another Pink Peticoat one and again I simply added a black ribbon and bow. I do like black and white cards :-)

Birthday Card

This card I made for a forum friend's birthday. The stamped image is one I stamped at a craft club a while ago.

I used some distress ink over the stamped image to give it an aged look and then I layered it onto some copper mirror card. I added a brown ribbon and it was finished.

Some Fat Book Pages - Challenge 6

These are a few more fat book pages which I've made for a swap. I've used distress inks to make the backgrounds and then used various stamps and stazon ink.

This weeks challenge on My Time to Craft is Quotes and Sayings, so I thought I could combine these with the challenge also.

Another Cutie

I don't know why but I am not tired tonight and I've just finished another quick card. I used an A5 lilac card and added some white floral background paper. I took the "little sprout" image and layered it onto purple pearlescent card and then onto some lilac patterned card then matted it onto the main card on an angle. I added some purple dotty sticky ribbon and some little button flowers.

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Yummmmy Chocolate

I made this cute card today. The House Mouse stamped image is one I got from a stamped image swap. I used watercolour pencils and Marvey Le Plume pens to watercolour the image. I layered the image onto gold mirror card and then red cardstock and then mounted this onto an A6 cream card. I added a couple of gold peel offs and a red ribbon and bow .. and hey presto.

I came across a new challenge blog, Cute Card Thursday, so I thought that I would submit my card to the challenge which was new beginnings as this is the first time I've used a House Mouse stamp - so hope this counts

Shop 'til you drop

This card is not my usual style of card, but I did enjoy doing it and made a change from getting inky and messy

I used an A5 pink card and some black and pink dotty papers and the lady, hat, gifts and umbrella are decoupaged - this is a set I bought from DAISE. A very girly card I think.

The challenge over on My Time to Craft was Tickled Pink so this card is definately pink LOL


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I'm a Lady

This card I made for Hels Sunday Stampers challenge. This weeks challenge was to make something using a stamp that has a woman, laydee, female image.


I used an A5 white card and stamped all over it using an Anna Griffin background stamp in worn lipstick distress ink and I also edged around the card. The main stamped image is one I stamped a while ago at craft class. I coloured it using Marvey Le Plume pens and a waterbrush. Then I matted it onto gold mirror card and then red card. I simply added a few little red flowers, which I attached using gold brads and them a piece of ribbon and a bow to finish it off.

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What a Week

I have finally managed to make these two tags for a monthly tag swap I am in. I cut some white thick card to 6" x 3" and made it into a tag. I used a new technique on these tags which Hels showed on her technique blog - the technique is called "batik".

I used a rose stamp and a sunflower stamp and stamped randomly onto the white tags using versamark ink and then covered with clear embossing powder and heated. When it was cooled I used my distress ink pads and covered the tags using shabby shutters and pine needles ink. I then covered the tags with some kitchen roll and ironed over them. This melted and lifted off the embossing powder and so left a lovely white image. I then used slide mounts and dabbed some distress inks on them. I stamped a small rose and a small flower onto some white card and coloured them using my sakura glitter pens. I then put these into the slide mounts and used sticky pads to raise them off the tag. I stamped "in bloom" onto a piece of green vellum and attached it to the tag with small flower brads. For the backs of both tags I just stamped in rusty brown stazon using one of my Anna Griffin background stamps.

Sunday Stampers Challenge Week 7

Thank you Hels for setting another great Sunday Stampers Challenge. This week the theme is Oriental. Same rules as usual, inky, stamping and whatever media you would like to use; cards, ATCs, Tags, whatever you want to make".

Well I had so much fun making this tag. I used a red 6" x 3" tag and then made a slightly smaller tag in black. I used an oriental background stamp to stamp on the black card with a versamark ink pad and then I put on gold embossing powder and heated it. I stamped a very large oriental lady in stazon onto a piece of white shrink plastic and coloured it using sakura glitter gel pens, painted on with a waterbrush, to get a very soft finish. I then punched a hole in the shrink plastic before heating it to shrink it. The main image I stamped onto a piece of white card using versamark and again used gold embossing powder. I coloured the image using the sakura glitter pens and waterbrush. I then gently rubbed over the image and the white card with some distress inks, to give it a slightly aged look. I decided to have a go at triple embossing, so I inked the distressed piece of card with versamark ink and dipped it in to some UTEE and then heated with the heat tool and then repeated again twice. I matted this on to black card and then gold card and mounted it onto the tag. I attached the shrink plastic piece with a little piece of red and gold thread to the bottom of the main image - so the shrink plastic piece "swings".

Sunday Stampers Challenge Week 6

Well I have finally managed to complete last weeks Sunday Stampers Challenge, set by Hels. "Make a card, ATC, Fat Page, Moo, Skinny, tag...in fact, just whatever you wish....but you must use an image of a man or of men." Unfortunately this one didn't photograph very well at all. I used distress inks for the background on the tag and then I stamped the image using a black ink pad. I had trouble getting it to dry, so after heating it with my heat gun I sprinkled a little gold embossing powder over the image and then heated it again. This is definately a "looks better in the flesh" one LOL.

Me to You Swap Project 1

I joined in a monthly swap, along with about 14 other people. The object of this swap is to create mini projects of your choice to send to others on the list. The general idea is that once you have received a piece of craft, then you could use it for inspiration or interpret in your own way. This is the first project I have made.

I used a blank wooden picture frame and covered it with aluminium foil tape and then dabbed alcohol inks over it. I then added 6 small paper flowers, each with a touch of gold glitter in the centre. The rose picture is from one of Joanna Sheen's CD's. I printed the design out and then decoupaged it up. I also printed "Sammy" on the inner frame.

Please click on picture to view larger

What are Fat Book Pages?

A few people have asked what are fat book pages, so I will try to explain. A fat book page has to be 4" x 4" and like ATC's, you can decorate/embellish it however you want to.

When you have several pages, you can make them into a little book and put a front and back cover on if you wish to. I am involved in a couple of different fat book swaps:- flowers, winter and distressed pages. In the swap there are approx 20 people who all make a page and physically post it - so for each list/swap I am on I will receive 20 pages and then I have enough to make a gorgeous little book. So I should end up with a book full of winter pages, another with flower pages and also one with distressed pages.

I hope this makes sense, as I am not very good at explaining things.

More Fat Book Pages

These are a few I've made this evening .... well I mean these are a few of the different ones, I made about 10, but most are variations of these three. For all of them I used distressed ink to make the backgrounds and then I used various things off Tim Holtz Elements CD.

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Mona Lisa Fat Book Pages

These are two fat book pages which I have made. I used distressing inks for the backgrounds. The stamped images of Mona Lisa were sent to me by a friend and I coloured those using distressing inks and added them to the background. I then cut out the crowns from the Tim Holtz Elements CD and used silicone glue to attach them to the page.

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Mother's Day Gift

This is a little box which my 3 1/2 year old son made at nursery school for me for Mother's Day. It had a little chocolate inside.

Please click on picture to view larger.

Been playing with ink again

I've had a very crafty morning. I've started on 20 Fat Book Pages - I've done all the background using distressed inks and I am now just waiting for them to dry.

I have also altered another frame. I used a cheap wooden frame and covered it with aluminium foil tape and then used my alcohol inks on it. I added a picture of my youngest son and we are giving this to his great nan.

Click on picture to enlarge

What a Charley

This card I made using Cuddly Buddly papers and rubber stamp - the stamp is called Charley and is soooo cute. I stamped the image in versamark and embossed it with gold embossing powder on white cardstock and then I did the same on some patterend paper. I cut the dress out of the patterend paper and placed it on top of the stamped image. I used marvey le plume pens for the colouring of the rest of the image. I matted the image onto some peach card and then gold card and I added a strip of the background paper with a strip of gold underneath and added a few flowers, held in place with little gold brads.


This card is for a challenge on My Time to Craft, this weeks challenge is to use flowers on your project.


To view larger, click on picture.

I've got an award

I got a "you've made my day" award from Hels and She - thank you both :-)

The rules of the award are simple, pass it on to ten people who have made your day in Blogland! Pop a message by email or on their blog and then they pass on the award. If you receive the award back again it means that you are a very nice person and you have made their day too.

So I need to pass this on to another 10 people who have made my day so here goes:-

Hels, She, Ann, Craftyc, Shaz, Shazza, Andrea, Jacky, Vanessa and Claireabelle

I've Been Tagged

Well I have been tagged three times in one day, by Nessy, Shaz and Shazza - so here goes:-

What were you doing 10 years ago? Working full time

What were you dong a year ago? Worrying alot as my daughter had gone travelling for a year - good for me she came back home after only 3 months.

Name your 5 favourite snacks Crisps, pies, chocolate, toast and sweets .... all not very healthy I know LOL

Name 5 things you would do if you were a millionaire Pay off all my debts, buy another house, buy a car, give the kids some money and move to Cyprus

Name 5 things you like doing Crafting, eating, chatting to my friends online, nosing at all the wonderful blogs and staying in the house where I am nice and warm.

Name 5 things you will never wear again All my clothes I've grown out of, a wedding dress, a duffle coat, contact lenses and high heeled shoes

Name your 5 favourite things All my internet friends, my pc, my children, my bed and my hubby who is also my soul-mate

Now I need to tag 5 people so here goes:-

Jane
Lesley
Ann
Jozza
Heidi

Happy Mothers Day

Well it's mothers day here in UK and I got some lovely crafty bits and bobs off the boys today, some DCWV paper stack - Once Upon a Time, some lovely brads and some chocolates too.
I've still not made anything - I coloured some Tilda's and some Cuddly Buddly Charlie's yesterday, but that's about it. I think I will stick with altered things and tags for a while as cards just aren't happening for me now.

It's the weekend

Well this week has flown by and it's the weekend again. My hubby just took the boys out to get something for Mother's day and he also brought me a little present from him