Tea In The Garden

Oh dear, I opened my purse in the craft shop and bought the lovely Docrafts Strictly Party collectors pack!  The images and papers are just so yummy and girly in the most gorgeous colours.  Here's my first offering from the pack, with the addition of some Core'dinations for matting and layering, a punched strip made with a Martha Stewart punch, some punched flowers and a smattering of Star Dust Stickles.  Oh, and a bow of course!

I'm entering this card in the following challenges -
Cupcake Craft - #203 - the great outdoors
Dream Valley - #37 - summer
Crafty Calendar - fun in the sun with sparkle and shine
Polka Doodles - #30 - summer

Christmas Kitten

How sweet is this gorgeous Gillian Roberts stamp?!  It reminds me of when my fur babies were kittens, they're four now but still full of fun.  The image has been coloured with Promarkers and I've used ultra fine Flower Soft on the hat for some fuzzy texture.
I went for a bit of a folksy look, combining kraft with red and white and a wooden snowflake.  The papers are a bit of a stash mash of magazine freebies and Payper Box.
Some brown pearls, red gems and some red raffia complete the card.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges - 
Joanna Sheen - animal crackers
Pink Gem - #51 - kraft at Christmas
Sweet Sketch - #164 - sketch

Hiding in my Craft Room - #56 - Christmas in July

Sweet Stampin' - Christmas in July

Pattie's Creations - #49 - animals or insects

Summer Berries

My craft buddy, Alison, and I had  a lovely time playing with this yummy Lili of the Valley stamp yesterday.  The image was coloured with Promarkers and highlighted with red Stickles on the butterflies.
The papers were mag freebies from last year, teamed with silver textured card and red and green card.
The sentiment stamp is from a Lili of the Valley set, dreaming of summer days is all we can do here in Inverness, it's poured rain all day!
The Martha Stewart punch set and Nellie Snellen butterfly punches were borrowed from Alison but the flowers and leaves were made with my own Woodware punches.  All the punched shapes were glittered with Stickles in Red and Platinum for a touch of sparkle.
Two layered ribbon, a bow and some Pearl Pen provide the finishing touches.

 I'm entering this card in the following challenges -
Crafty Catz - #143 - glitter
Passion for Promarkers - #159 - feeling fruity
I Love Promarkers - #127 - gold, silver or bronze, I used silver cardstock and coloured a silver colander.
Polka Doodles - #30 - summer
Crafty Sentiments - food
Kimbee's Creations - sketch


Here's another project I have to share with you, not made by me, but by my talented friend, Alison.  Isn't it stunning?!

Fussy and Fancy DT Card

Today sees an new challenge starting over at Fussy and Fancy, this time our theme is "Vintage with Distressing and Lace".  Why not pop on over and join the fun?

I loved making my DT card as I'm a huge fan of vintage (no surprises there!) and was able to indulge my girly side as well as get covered in ink!
The topper and bodice elements are both from Free Vintage Digital Stamps, a site I love for vintage digis of all sorts.  I coloured the ladies with very pale Promarkers and Flexmarkers before going in with Distress Inks in Milled Lavender, Dusty Concord and Pumice Stone.  I then covered the topper with double sided adhesive sheet and covered that with micro beads, I love the effect they give.
The papers are a mix of Hunkydory and Tim Holtz kraft resist, coloured with Dust Concord Distress Ink, they've all been distressed with my Timmy tool and some have been further shabbified with Distress Stickles in Milled Lavender.
Lace, ribbon, buttons and some punched flowers along with a scattering of pearls finish it off.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges -
It's All About the Vintage - #23 - anything goes
Sisterhood of Crafters - diamonds, pearls or lace
Stampin' Royalty - #134 - buttons

Shimmering Sands

Here's my card from my Monday night craft session.  This week we were playing with glitter and gilding flakes on Christmas images.  I chose this lovely glitter peel off (I know, a peel off!) which I stuck to acetate and then backed with double sided adhesive sheet. Next, I used a craft knife to cut along the line where the sand meets the sky so the backing could be removed in two sections, allowing me to use two colours of glitter.  The glitters I've used are both Diamond Sparkles, I really like the soft, warm shades.  I attached the topper to it's mat with tiny glitter brads.
The patterned papers and ribbon are from the Forever Friends Timeless range which I've teamed with glitter card, mirri card, textured gold card and some black paper.  The star border punch is Martha Stewart.
I resisted the temptation to add a ton of gems, choosing just four square ones.
When I showed this card to my hubby, I said he really liked it (shock horror!) but said it looks like the three wise men are going to a BBQ in a gazebo!  I suppose it does a bit!

I'm entering this card in the following challenges -
Creative Belli - #148 - Christmas in July
Fab 'n' Funky - #131 - no stamped image
Flourishes - #179 - Christmas in July
Jolly Holly Christmas - non traditional colours
Hooked on Craft - Christmas in July

Plant Love

Here's another card I've made using a Deary Dolls free digi.  There's a great selection, more are being added all the time and they're all free.  I've coloured this cutie with Promarkers and Flexmarkers, adding Eucalyptus Stickles to the apron for a touch of bling.
The papers are Prima Sun Kiss, I absolutely adore them, they're almost too beautiful to use.  All the edges have been given the Tim Holtz tool treatment.
The flower was made with a Woodware punch and has been blinged up with some Yellow Stickles, I've gone round the edges of the topper with it too.  The leaf was made with a Cuttlebug die.
I used some raffia to echo the fairy's wings and finished off with some yellow gems and green pearls.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges - 

Digi Haven - fairies

Sketch 'n' Stash - #92 - sketch.  The papers are fairly new and the raffia and flower punch are old.

Creative Craft - summertime

Papertake - make your own, I made the flower

The Pink Elephant - #158 - summer
Dream Valley - #37 - summer

Have a Gorjuss Birthday

Here's a card I made for my bud, Donna, HAPPY BIRTHDAY hun!  She a fairly recent convertee to Craftism and has been well and truly bitten by the bug!  Her favourite colour is bright pink and she loves the Gorjuss girls so I hope this card goes down well with her.
I'm always on the lookout for new card shapes, this is my version of a gatefold stepper.  Its really easy to make on the Hougie board, I can do a wee tutorial if anyone's interested.
Gorjuss was coloured with Promarkers and Flexmarkers, then accented with Sakura metallic pen and the hair made shiny with Anita's 3D Gloss.
The scrummy papers are my much coveted Prima Meadow Lark, I just LOVE them.  I used a Martha Stewart punch to create the lace effect, to which I then added gems.
Some ribbon, a Papermania Tulip sentiment, a Papermania flower and a shed load of Star Dust Stickles finish it off.

   

I'm entering this card in the following challenges - 

Let's Ink it Up - #25 - all girls

I Love Promarkers - #126 - sparkle

LEJ - #13 - bling

Cutie Pie DT Card

If you're looking to kick-start your Christmas card making, why not join our latest challenge at the Cutie Pie Challenge Blog where our new theme is "Christmas in July".

This lil' cutie is another free digi from Sliekje and has been coloured with Promarkers, the edge was then dusted with Tumbled Glass Distress Ink, then the image was accented with Star Dust Stickles, Anita's 3D Gloss and Pearl Pen.

The papers and sentiment are from a Papermania paper pack called Mistletoe Kisses which I picked up cheap at the SECC last year.  I just love the colours and designs which are fun and modern in contemporary shades.

I'm a little bit in love with raffia at the moment, I used red here and added a wee bell to the bow.  Some luscious red glitter domes finish it off.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges - 

Quirky Crafts - #15 - Christmas in July

Two Sisters - #101 - Christmas in July and use an animal

Cardmadfairy - #38 - Christmas in July

Jellypark - Christmas in July

Crimbo Crackers - #20 - penguin or animal

Delightful - Christmas in July

Paperplay - #29 - Christmas in July

Digistamps 4 Joy - #46 - weather, I used snow

Bonjour!

I had a wonderful play date with my Mum yesterday, getting messy with inks and powders!  This is what I ended up with.

The image is a freebie from Free Vintage Digital Stamps and was coloured with Old Paper, Antique Linen, Milled Lavender and Dusty Concord Distress Inks.  I then sprinkled some Shabby Pink Stampendous Embossing Enamel around the edges and heated, to create a border.

The papers are Papermania Chatsworth, a pack I picked up in the sale a while back but have hardly used.  I don't know why I haven't used them more coz they're  

gorgeous with a lovely vintage feel.  The edges were all distressed with my Tim Holtz tool and the bird cage mat had Distress embossing powder in Milled Lavender sprinkled round the edges and heated to add to the shabby look.

The Eiffel Tower was cut on the Cricut using the Destinations cartridge.  It was distress with Distress embossing powder too, this time in Weathered Wood.  I just couldn't resist the temptation to bling it up with some gems!

The flowers and leaves were made with Woodware punches and some lilac lace and a few pearls are the finishing touches.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges - 

Sweet Sketch - #162 - sketch

I followed the sketch exactly apart from adding the Eiffel Tower instead of the three flowers.  I did however, add gems on the tower in three places. 

Allsorts - #164 - distressing
It's All About the Vintage - #23 -  anything vintage goes
Anything Goes - #71 - lavender and lace
Cupcake - #201 - Tour de France
Come and Get It - bingo, I used gems, die cut, flowers

Scatter Joy

I've been playing with some more of the goodies I bought on holiday, this time these lush Fairytale Princess papers, flowers and buttons from Dovecraft.  I really love the colour combo of this range and really enjoyed colouring the image to match.  She's a Sugar Nellie stamp called "Scattering Love" and has been coloured with my usual Promarkers.  The title of the stamp reminded me of this Hero Arts sentiment stamp that I've had for ages so I dug it out and used it.

All I needed to finish it off were a few blobs of Pearl Pen in Salmon.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges - 

Passion for Promarkers - #158 - down on the farm

Sarah Hurley - #70 - buttons

Tuesday Alchemy - #23 - buttons

Skipping Stones - #137 - inspiration photo, I used the colours

Stamp and Create - hands full of love 

A Good Cup of Tea

All my friends know how much of a tea jenny I am so when I came across this free digi at Beary Wishes I just had to play with it.  The sentiment is also a free digi but I can't remember where it came from.  If you haven't paid a visit to Beary Wishes yet it's well worth a look, there are loads of gorgeous freebies to be had.  The image has been coloured with Promarkers and Flexmarkers.
The papers, flowers, buttons and some of the gems are all Tea Party by Dovecraft.  I came across and Wilkinson's while on holiday and they had a few crafty bits that I just couldn't resist, the Tea Party stuff being part of my purchase.  I have to admit that it was out of the packaging and being played with when I should really have been catching up with all the holiday washing!
All the edges have been given the Timmy tool treatment and I've gone along some of them with Stickles in Diamond and Eucalyptus.
The corners have been encrusted with an assortment of blingy stuff for added sparkle and the final touch was to glitter the mouse's dress.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges -
I Love Promarkers - #126 - sparkle
Sketch Saturday - #216 - sketch
Tuesday Alchemy - #23 - buttons
Ooh La La - #109 - whiskers
Truly, Madly, Crafty - animals
Sarah Hurley - #70 - buttons

Ginger Gorjuss

Ok, I admit it, I bought another Gorjuss stamp!  Well, how could I resist her with her cute wee foxy friend?!  She's been coloured with Promarkers, using the same colours for the fox and her hair.  The edges of the topper were stamped with a SeeDee (remember them?!) seed head in Antique Linen Distress Ink to echo the dandelions in the image.  The scalloped edge was stamped in the same way too.  I then distressed the edges with my Timmy tool and edged with Star Dust Stickles, highlighting the dandelions with it too.
The papers are mag freebies, a lovely vintage stack.  The sentiment and ticket are from a lovely Kanban set which is so useful.
The flowers were made with a Woodware punch from orange Whitewash Core'dinations and were sanded at the edges before being edged with yellow Stickles.  Pink gems were then added as centres.  The leaves were made with a Woodware punch too.
Some ribbon, a bow, some copper gems and a scattering of blobs of Pearl Pen finish it off.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges -
Crafts and Me - #93 - ribbon and a bow
I Love Promarkers - #126 - sparkle
Paper Pretties - #215 - bling
The Paper Shelter - #73 - anything goes
Papertake - all things girly
Bearly Mine - #44 - girly birthday card

A few more holiday pics -

Portmeirion

My yummy hubby and Robbie

Me and my boys

Pretty Peony

Whilst I had a wonderful time away in Wales, it was brilliant to be back, crafting with the girlies on a Monday night!  This week the theme was pink and green, my favourite colour combo, I even got married in shell pink and sage green!
This lovely peony image is a free digi from Beccy's Place, do check out her blog for wonderful images, many of them free.  I used the washout function in Word to create an image with a very faint outline, perfect for colouring without hard black lines.  It's been coloured, of course, with Promarkers.
Everything else is Papermania.  I bought the latest goody bag just before and I went on holiday and was desperate to play with it, so I used the Capsule Collection papers and Blitters from it on this project.  I just love how all the Capsule Collection colours mix and match so well, I used paper from the pink pack in with the green.
The sentiment stamp is from the Lucy Cromwell range, I love the almost handwritten script.

 I'm entering this card in the following challenges -
Great Impressions - colouring
That Craft Place - anything goes
Di's Digi Designs - flowers
The Poodle's Parlour - use a digi
Paper Pretties - #214 - try a new technique, I used the washout function for digi stamps for the first time

A few more holiday pics -

The Frasers!

Our cottage for the week and the Golden Dragon Book Shop

Portmeirion, the village we stayed in

Lilac Wreath

Hellllooooooo bloggers, I'm home from a lovely holiday in North Wales and ready for some crafting!  We had a wonderful time staying in the village of Portmeirion but I didn't half miss all my papery bits and bobs!
I made this card before I went away but didn't have time to blog it.
The stamp is a Woodware one and has been coloured with Promarkers and decoupaged up after shaping the flowers with an embossing tool.  I added some yellow glitter flock to the flower centres for some touchy-feelly texture.  The sentiment is a Papermania one and I finished the wreath with some lilac shimmer dots.
The papers are Papermania Henbury Lane mixed with some Bazzil card and Core'dinations which has been embossed with a Sheena Douglass folder.  The butterflies were fussy cut from the Henbury Lane papers.
Ribbon, bow, large green pearls and some more shimmer dots and it's done.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges -
Penny Black and More - summer blooms
I Love Promarkers - #125 - circles
Joanna Sheen - going round in circles
Stamptacular Sunday - #172 - wings and bling




A few holiday snaps -

Our home for the week

Robbie and me in the slate caverns

The view from our bedroom window

Portmeirion village

Cutie Pie DT Card

We have a new challenge for you over at the Cutie Pie challenge blog today, this time our theme is Glitter and Bling.  Being a glittery, blingy person, this challenge was right up my street!  Why not pop over and join us for some sparkly fun?

I've used yet another free digi from Sliekje, I just cant get enough of them at the moment, they're just so sweet.  I coloured the image with a mix of Pros and Flexies and went wild with the Stickles on her tail, using Waterfall, Diamond, and Eucalyptus.  I then added some gems and some Pearl pen for the bubbles.
The patterned papers are K&Co and have been matted onto some very blingy, pearly textured paper that I picked up at the SECC last year, it's much more lustrous in real life then it look in the picture.  The scalloped blank was inked with  my yummy spring Distress Ink in Squeezed Lemonade.
The sentiment stamp is from a lovely Lili of the Valley set and the metal embellishments, brad and Martha Stewart punch were all courtesy of my crafty bud, Alison.
Some ribbon and some glass nuggets were the final touches.

Tawny Owl

Here's my latest stamp crush!  It's by Indigo Blu and is mahoosive and great fun to colour, which I've done with my usual Promarkers, adding highlights to the eyes and beak with Anita's 3D Gloss.  After colouring, I went in with Distress Ink in Old paper, Antique Linen and Pumice Stone.  I printed off a photo of a tawny owl to help me get the colours right and I have to say that I'm quite pleased with the result.
The papers are Papermania Capsule Collection in Lincoln Linen, teamed with kraft and dark brown cardstock.
The leaves were made with a Cuttlebug die and I finished off with some knotted raffia and Card Candi.
The card is for my brother-in-law who loves clean lines so I had to resist the urge to get busy with my distressing tool round the edges!

I'm entering this card in the following challenges -
Creative Craft - tweet tweets
Dream Valley - #35 - things with wings
One Stop Craft - #189 - coffee and cream
Papertake - anything goes with option of highlighting (I used 3D Gloss)
Sassy Cheryl's - #122 - anything goes

Blowing Snowflake Kisses

As it was Monday yesterday I had my crafty girlies over for a play.  This week we were doing Forever Friends Christmas cards, (or Bumhead Bears as my Mum calls them!)  I chose this cute stamp to play with, its been coloured with my usual Promarkers and Flexmarkers and I added some Glamour Dust for the snow he's blowing.
The papers are all from the Forever Friends Retro Christmas range.
The flowers were made with Nellie Snellen punches and the foliage with  a Woodware punch.
Ribbon, bow, gems and dew drops and it's finished.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges -
Sweet Sketch - #160 - sketch

Crafty Cardmakers - #71 - handmade flowers
Lollipop Crafts - #84 - Christmas
The Paper Players - #102 - Christmas
The Squirrel and the Fox - #21 - Christmas

Here are a few other Forever Friends Christmas cards I made with the Timeless Collection.  I picked up a pack of this lovely range in my local craft shop which contained loads of decoupage, papers, toppers, ribbon and lots more for the bargain price of £15 which is great considering the papers cost a tenner on their own.  The colours are mainly monochrome with the addition of red and green and the papers are pearlised in lovely muted shades.