Rapunzel, Rapunzel, Let Down Your Hair

I recently won this lovely Saturated Canary image but hadn't got round to colouring her until yesterday.  She's such a joy to colour, I had great fun adding texture with my Promarker fine nibs.  Whatever did we do without them?!
The delish papers are Raspberry Road magazine freebies, they're A4 and double sided to boot, altogether a great free gift.
The stamped sentiment is from a Lili of the Valley set, I thought it was perfect to go with this fairy-tale image.  I added just a hint of Tumbled Glass Distress Ink round the edges of the sentiment and main topper.
The pretty roses are Papermania and the foliage was made with my trusty Woodware punch.
I finished the card with some pink lace, a ribbon, a bow, a handful of pink gems and a few blobs of Pearl Pen.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges -
I Love Promarkers - #119 - use a digi
Divas by Design - #37 - anything goes
Perfect Sentiments - #34 - anything goes with a sentiment
Crafty Sentiments - anything goes
Ooh La La Creations - #106 - girly

Skating Gruffies

I'm a bit behind with my one Christmas card a week challenge but I got my festive mojo back when I received this gorgeous stamp as part of a prize I won in a magazine competition.  I got a massive haul of House Mouse goodies including some Gruffies and Happy Hoppers so you'll be seeing plenty of cards featuring these from me soon!
Don't you just love their faces as they wobble about on the ice?!  The brown bear is definitely showing off to the panda!
I coloured the image with Promarkers, adding pale blue Stickles to give an icy look and some Liquid Pearls for snow.
The papers are so old they're drawing their pension!  They're Papermania Contemporary Christmas from about five years ago.  It was a massive stack and there's still loads left, so I decided to use some of it up on this card.  I distressed all the edges with my trusty Tim Holtz tool.
The flowers were made with Nellie Snellen punches.
Some ribbon, a bow and a snowflake charm finish it off.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges -
Christmas Challenges - #27 - sketch and bingo.  I used charm, ribbon, flowers from the top row.
Bearly Mine - #37 - animal kingdom
Oldie but Goodie - anything goes - I used ancient papers
Top Tip Tuesday - #77 - use up old stash - I used old papers
Crafty Cardmakers - #69 - distress it
Craftymess - #9 - Christmas card using non-traditional colours

Pink Poppy

I have a gorgeous poppy in my back garden which is flowering now and which gave me the urge to make a poppy card.  This stunning digi is from A Passion for Stamps and has been coloured with Promarkers.  Click here for all or Ruth's gorgeous images.
I die cut the coloured topper and inked the edges with Peeled Paint Distress Ink before matting and layering with these scrummy Basic Grey Kissing Booth papers.  Aren't they just to die for?!
I added corner details with a Marianne die, made the flowers with an Xcut punch and leaves with a Woodware punch.
A few gems are the final touch.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges -
I Love Promarkers - #118 - use die cuts
Party Time Tuesday - #70  anything goes

Sweet Sketch - #155 - sketch
Hotshot Crafts - #8 - die cuts

Card Makin' Mamas - #46 - punches

Cutie Pie DT Card

Today sees a new challenge over at The Cutie Pie Challenge Blog, this time we want see punches and die cuts used on you project.

This sweet stamp is Tina Wenke for Stampavie and has been coloured with Promarkers.  The topper was cut out with a Curved Rectangle nestie and the edges were inked with Antique Linen Distress Ink.
The papers are Papermania Capsule Collection in Parkstone Pink and Lincoln Linen and have been distressed with my Tim Holtz tool.  I love how all the Capsule Collection papers work so well together, I fancy getting the blue and black and white ones next.
I used a Martha Stewart punch to create a border on the horizontal strip and added some Lincoln Linen ribbon and a bow.  The flowers and leaves were made with Woodware punches.
The sentiment was from a magazine freebie stamp set which I punched out and layered on to a die cut scalloped circle.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges -
Passion for Promarkers - #150 - birthday
I Love Promarkers - #118 - die cuts and punches
Card Makin' Mamas - #46 - punches
Totally Papercrafts - #118 - animals

Forever Fishing

Here's a card I made last Monday which was, of course, craft night with the girls.  I totally forgot about it until now, so here it is!  I made it for my lovely step dad for Father's Day.  He's a big fan of fishing so I thought this image would be perfect for him.  The decoupage, sentiment and papers are all from the Forever Friends Retro pack I bought on offer from Docrafts.  The topper is massive so an A5 card was needed.  It was all die cut so all I had to do was pop it out and layer it up.
I added some knotted ribbon and some Card Candi to finish.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges -
Mojo Monday - #242 - sketch
Here Come The Boys - #28 - anything goes
Quirky Crafts - #11 - spots, stripes and ribbon
2 Sisters - #93 - bring on the boys
One Stop Craft - #184 - one for the boys
Fairy Tale - #41 - boys or men

Laura Ashley Swatches

My crafty Buddy, Alison, and I had great fun playing with my Mum's sewing themed Spellbinders, they are such lovely dies.
The papers are Laura Ashley, I picked them up at the SECC craft show for £1 a couple of years ago and still seem to have plenty left.  I'm having a bid to use up some older stash at the moment and this card was the perfect way to use these lovely, fabric look papers.  They were cut with Spellbinders Swatches dies, then I pricked round the edges with a pokey tool and added some faux stitching with a fine black pen.
The plain cardstock is all Tim Holtz Distress Core'dinations and I've gone round the scalloped blank with Scattered Straw Distress Ink to match the scalloped circle.
The sewing machine was die cut from The same pack of Core'dinations and sanded to reveal the pattern.  The scissors was cut from matte metallic card.
I continued the sewing theme with some funky ribbon with a tape measure print, a whole heap of assorted buttons and some blobs of Liquid Pearls for good measure.

I'm entering this car in the following challenges -
Charisma Cardz - #20 - no flowers
Penny's Paper-crafty - #80 - anything goes
The Sisterhood of Crafters - the good old days

Plant Kindness

I bought this stamp set recently from Lili of the Valley as I thought the stamp was just so cute with that fat wee bird and I really liked the sentiment that came with it.  I had such fun colouring it in bright, summery colours, using my new summer Promarkers.  After colouring, I went round the edge of the topper with Distress Ink in Peeled Paint.
The papers are Papermania Summer Bloom, a gorgeous stack which is now somewhat depleted.  The colours and pretty designs are just so yummy!
The flowers and leaves were made with Woodware punches.
I went just a bit wild with the Stickles on this card, using Pink, Eucalyptus and Diamond, then added to the bling with gems.
Some ribbon and two bows finish it off.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges -
Ladybug Crafts - #61 - something with wings
Stamp 'n' Doodle - sparkle and bling
Sweet Stamps - #66 - anything goes
Top Tip Tuesday - #77 - use something old, I used old papers, gems, ribbon and an old punch
Use it Tuesday - #32 - use two items of hoarded stash.  I've used old papers and mosaic gems
Card Positioning Systems - #266 - sketch

If You Don't Like Bling, Look Away Now!

I found this fabulous free digi image at Free Vintage Digital Images and decided it would be perfect for going wild with the bling.  It was coloured with Promarkers and then bejewelled with an assortment of gems and loads of Liquid Pearls.  Boy did I have fun!
The papers, ribbon, bow, buttons and sentiment stamp are all Papermania, from the Portobello Road range.
I'm not much of a royalist really, most of us in the north of Scotland are pretty indifferent to the monarchy or vehemently Scottish Nationalist, but from a design point of view, I do love the whole red, white and blue thing that's so popular just now.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges -
Desmet Designs - red, white and blue
Stampalot - medals and monarchs
Di's Digi Designs - show us that bling
Card Crafter's Circle - #23 - sparkle
Papertake Weekly - true colours

Best Friends

I enjoyed colouring my horsey Lili of the Valley stamped image so much last week that I decided to to continue the theme with this gorgeous Kanban stamp.  I spent most of my teenage years drawing horses and spending time at the stables and I still love all things equine today.  I think this stamp really reflects the bond a human can have with an animal.  It has, of course, been coloured with Promarkers including my lovely new limited edition summer ones.  I also used and ink duster and Distress Ink in Tumbled Glass to add a hint of a summer sky.
The papers are rather elderly Papermania Hawthorn and Bramble that I'd forgotten about until I was having a good rummage in my craft room.  I so glad I found them as they are so pretty and are in lovely colours and designs.
The die cut sentiment is from the decoupage set that matches the papers and the
flowers were made with Woodware punches   The butterfly was made with an Xcut die and I've added some Liquid Pearls for it's trail.
Some ribbon, a bow and some Card Candi are the finishing touches.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges -
The Squirrel and the Fox - #18 - best friends
Passion for Promarkers - #149 - inspiration photo - I've used the colours and added ribbon
I Love Promarkers - #177 - anything goes
The Crafty Pad - #171 - bingo, I've used ribbon, flowers, bling
Willow Sketchy - sketch and use 3 different patterned papers

Furry Good Wishes

I've had this sweet wee stamp since Christmas but it hadn't seen ink until now (hangs head in shame!).  I really don't know why I hadn't used him as he's just so cute.  The image and sentiment stamps are both from a Personal Impressions set which was a bargain at £2.  I have coloured with, as always, my trusty Promarkers.
The papers are all from my bumper Forever Friends Retro set, to which I've added some kraft card and distressed all the edges with my Tim Holtz tool.
Some Card Candi, a Boofle button and a bow made from garden twine finish it off.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges - 

Chocolate, Coffee, Cards - #13 - for the boys

Emergency Crafters - spots and stripes

Glitter Geeks - #20 - polka dots

There's Magic in the Air - sketch

The Pink Elephant - #148 - polka dots and stripes

More Wellington

Here's another card with that cute bear, Wellington.  This one was made with stuff from the A4 Collector's Pack that I went halfers on with a friend, and is a pretty simple card using decoupage, a tag, Wellington papers and sentiments with the addition of some Boofle buttons and some garden twine.  A touch of Anita's 3D Gloss on the noses and glasses and it's done.  I told you it was simple!

I'm entering this card in the following challenges - 

Southern Girls - #44 - about the boys
Crafty Bloggers Network - #21 - decoupage
Crafty Creations - #170 - male birthday card
Cards for Men - #10 - kicking back

Bottle Topper and Tag

It's my lovely step-dad's birthday tomorrow so I decided to make this bottle topper and tag to match the Wellington birthday card I made for him.  I bought him a bottle of his favourite gin which comes from the isle of Islay, the heart of whisky country.  It's called Botanicals and is to die for.  I don't really like gin but this is sooo yummy! I also got him some posh, sugar free chocolates as he's diabetic and has such a sweet tooth.
I used items from the Wellington collector's pack along with some kraft card and some garden twine, distressing the edges with my Tim Holtz tool.

I'm entering this project in the following challenges -
Paper Play - #20 - distressing
Sarah Hurley - #66 - tags and tickets
Creative Craft Challenges - distressing

My Pony and Me

When I saw the inspiration photo for the current challenge over on Passion for Promarkers, the colours instantly reminded me of my lush new Papermania Lucy Cromwell papers, I just can't get enough of them at the moment.
The stamp is the first Lili of the Valley stamp I ever bought and remains my favourite to this day.  I was a horse mad teenager (and adult!), but I haven't ridden for several years now due to health problems, but  my eye still goes to anything horsey.  I've coloured the image with Promarkers, highlighting the pony's eye and the apples with Anita's 3D Gloss.  I then went round the edges of the topper with Bundled Sage Distress Ink.
The die cut sentiment is from the Lucy Cromwell collector's pack, the organza flower is Docrafts and the other flowers were made with my Woodware punch.
I've finished off with some ribbons, a bow and some gems.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges -
  Sweet Sketch - #154 - sketch and colour combo
Passion For Promarkers - #149 - inspiration photo, I went with the colours and added some ribbon
I Love Promarkers - #117 - anything goes
Delightful Challenges - add ribbon
Moving Along With The Times - keep it real
Ooh, La, La - #105 - ribbon or twine

Teacups and Glitter!

I made this card for this month's friendship swap over on Docrafts.  It's always so nice to get something handcrafted through the post, it never fails to make me smile.
The stamp, papers and die cut sentiment are all from the new Papermania Lucy Cromwell range.  The paper stack is to die for with the pretty colours and lush glittering.  The stamped image has been coloured with Promarkers and glazed with Anita's 3D Gloss.  The gloss seemed to react with the coloured image slightly and bleach certain areas, but it looks quite nice, if a little unexpected.  The bright pink looks much brighter in the photo than it actually looks too.
The lace border punch is my favourite Martha Stewart one, the bunting was made with my mega handy Stampin' Up punch and the flowers were made with nellie Snellen punches.
I inked the edges of the scalloped blank with one of my new limited edition spring Distress Inks, Peacock Feathers.
An assortment of gems, glass nuggets and lashings of glamour dust add a girly finish.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges -
Crafting Life's Pieces - #47 - sketch
Let's Ink It Up - #23 - bling
Just Keep on Creating - #2 - anything goes
Cute Card Thursday - # 127 - a touch of sparkle

Noah is Three!

I made this card for my next door  neighbour's wee boy, Noah, who will be three on Monday.
I couldn't resist buying the Forever Friends bumper pack for men's cards which Docrafts have on offer for a tenner.  It's a mahoosive pack with stamps, papers, decoupage and a load more, I need never be stuck for those tricky bloke's cards again!
The image has been coloured with Promarkers and then the topper was coloured round the edge with Distress Ink in Antique Linen and Peeled paint.
The patterned papers, sentiment and letter stickers were all part of the bargain pack and the bunting was made with my trusty Stampin' Up punch.
Three buttons finish it off.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges - 

Lollipop Crafts - #80 - just for him
Sentimental Sundays - #102 - birthday and thing beginning with B, I've used bunting and buttons along with a bear on a bike!
Allsorts  - #157 - card for a man or boy

Strawberries and Butterflies

Introducing the newest addition to my ever expanding stamp collection!  I recently won a Lili of the Valley voucher and this little lovely was one of the stamps I bought with it.  I've coloured it , as ever with Promarkers.
The butterflies were made from Kraft with Xcut nesting dies which are also a new purchase from my local craft shop, Howden's, along with the limited edition summer Promarkers.  I was trying so hard to be good and not spend too much on stash but, sadly, I fell of the wagon.  Oops!
The papers were magazine freebies which I've distressed with my Tim Holtz tool and the sentiment is from a Personal Impressions set.
I've added a subtle touch of sparkle with Cosmic Shimmer Autumn Twinkles glitter glue and butterfly trails with a Pearl Pen.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges -
Willow Sketchie - sketch
Stamptacular Sunday - #163 - butterfly kisses
Paper Sundaes - #120 - things with wings
Lili's Little Fairies - favourite craft tool - promarkers and Tim Holtz distress tool for me


I also want to show you all something gorgeous made by my crafty friend, Alison.  It's just so lovely, I just had to let you see.
At Christmas time Alison, Mum and I all made topiary tree decorations but clever Alison decided to make a spring version too, as on ornament for her living room.

Cutie Pie DT Card

I'm so excited to have been asked to join the Cutie Pie Challenge Blog DT!  I'll be working with a fabulous, talented team, so please pop on by and join us for inspiring challenges and fab prizes.  We're also having a DT call, you'll find the details on the Cutie Pie site.
Our current challenge is an easel card with a sketch.  Click here to find it.

There's an oval option for this sketch too.
I'm a big fan of both sketches and easel cards so this was a nice easy challenge for my first project.
The image is, of course, a Gorjuss stamp which I've coloured with Promarkers and created a sky with Tumbled Glass Distress Ink and an ink duster, using a cloud mask cut from copy paper.
The papers are all Papermania Woodland Folk and I've used white woodgrain card too.  The sentiments and cute toadstool brad are from the Woodland Folk range too.
The flowers were made with Nellie Snellen punches and the leaves were made with a Sizzix die.  I've added a bit of interest to the bottom section with a border punched with an EK Success punch.
Ribbon, bow, gems and some die cut toadstools and it's done.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges -
Great Impressions - #3 - anything goes
Crafty Catz - #132 - happy birthday
Jellypark Challenges - girlie girl

Happy Little Mice

I've had this gorgeous House Mouse stamp for aaages and only just got round to inking it up.  Don't you just love their satisfied faces?!  I've coloured the image with Promarkers (surprise, surprise!)
I had these Papermania Capsule Collection papers still sitting on my desk from the previous card so I decided to use them again for this project as the colours work so well together.
This card was just a simple mat and layer job really, distressing the edges with my Tim Holtz tool as I went, and adding some lace, a ribbon and a bow.
The flower was made with a Woodware punch and a giant brad.
Three gems and a stamped sentiment finish it off.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges -
Sweet Sketch - #153 - sketch


Stampin' Sisters in Christ - #139 - any creature
Craft Your Days Away - #45 - all creatures great and small
Cute Card Thursday - #216 - food or drink
Simon Says Stamp - sweet tooth
Joanna Sheen - happy birthday

Sweet Treats

I got this cute stamp as a Christmas present from a crafty friend, isn't she just sooo sweet?!  I coloured her with Promarkers and inked the edges of the die cut shape with Antique Linen Distress Ink.
The papers are all Papermania Capsule Collection in Parkstone Pink and Lincoln Linen, I think they work really well together.
I made the flower with Xcut dies, crimping the petals after cutting for a bit of texture, and made the leaves with a Marianne die.
I finished the card with some pretty pink lace, and Capsule Collection ribbon, bow and flower shaped buttons.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges -
Stamp With Fun - #160 - sketch
Craft Your Days Away - #45 - all creatures great and small
Cute Card Thursday - #216 - food or drink
Fab 'n' Funky - #120 - buttons and bows
Simon Says Stamp - sweet tooth

Not Your Average Retirement Card

I was asked to make a card for someone to give to a lady who's retiring from an upmarket young child's clothes shop.  I know this isn't your usual retirement image but I thought it would be perfect for the recipient.  It's a free digi stamp from Free Vintage Digital Stamps.  If you haven't visited this site before you can do so by clicking here, it's well worth a visit if you like all things vintage.  I printed it out onto white card and added some vintage colour with Antique Linen Distress Ink before colouring the sweet wee girl with Promarkers and adding a hint of sparkle with Glamour Dust.
The papers are all Echo park, the letter stickers came in the same pack.
I've finished with some punched flowers and leaves and a handful of buttons.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges - 

Charisma Cards - #18 - pink and girly

Delightful Challenges - distressing
Sketch 'n' Stash - #87 - sketch - I used new papers I recently won and a new digi stamp along with some old punches
Shopping Our Stash - #51 - 3 or more DPs
The Poodle's Parlour - anything goes

Christening Card

Here's a card I was asked to make for a friend to give a family who are having their wee boy Christened at the weekend.  She wanted something a bit different to a usual, folded card, so I made a criss-cross card with a slider element.
The lovely Lili of the Valley stamp was lent to me by my friend, Alison, and was coloured with a mixture of Promarkers and Flexmarkers, highlighted with some Frosted Lace Stickles.
The papers are Eline's Nursery by Marianne and have been embellished with Diamond stickles, blue glitter and Anita's 3D Gloss.  The letters for the name were from printed sheets in the paper pack and were simply cut out.
The lace punch is Martha Stewart.
I've finished my card with a bow, teddy charm and some glass nuggets.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges -
Creative Belli - #143 - babies
Divas By Design - # 34 - for the boys
I Love Promarkers # 116 - hatpins or charms
The Paper Shelter - #63 - anything goes
Everybody-Art-Challenge - #192 - babies

Pocket Card

Here's my make from our usual Monday night girly craft session.  After tea and home made sticky apple-maple cake we all made a double pocket card.
I won these divine Echo Park papers recently and was itching to play with them, although they were almost too nice to cut into!  As they're double sided, they were perfect for this project since both sides of the paper are on display.  Some of the papers had small designs which were perfect to make into tags to put into the pockets.  All I had to do to them was add an eyelet, some Pink Stickles, Liquid Pearls and some yellow seed beads held in place with Anita's 3D Gloss.
The flourish, sentiment and the flower inside are all stickers which came with my paper pack.  To the flourish I added some punched flowers, the flower inside was embellished with gems and the border had tiny, punched flowers added.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges -
Hooked on Craft - flowers
Creative Craft - anything goes