High Hopes #134

Time for a new challenge over at High Hopes ... this week it's to make a

Gate fold card

I'm normally very boring with my paper crafting, so this was a new challenge for me!  I went for the standard type, but if you're feeling a bit more adventurous than me, Michelle did a fab tutorial last week on how to make a scenic gate fold card.

I've used some of the cute penguins from the Penguin Friends collection ... Leapin Lewis and Penguin Friends.  Coloured with copics and promarkers, and some flowersoft added to Lewis' hat and boots.

You wouldn't believe how long it took me to tie a ribbon round the right hand side panel... ages and ages of faffing about.  What ribbon I hear you say?  Well after all that I came across my Memory Box snowflake die and decided to use that instead LOL

Other challenges...
Pile it on #21 - put a bird on it
Crafty Catz - a fancy fold or two
Card Makin Mamas CMM70 - rubber stamps
Natalie and Amy's challenge #9 - things with wings
Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas extra - anything Christmas
Sparkles Christmas challenge #28 - favourite festive colours (I like the traditional red, white and blue combo)

Renee's birthday card

So glad I got my gardening done yesterday - we've had a whole night of lashing rain, some heavy showers between the sun and it's now chucking down hailstones!  My day off was spent out shoe shopping for a wedding, not easy when you're a half size and hardly anyone makes 'em!  So about 40 pairs of shoes later (I point blank refuse to buy shoes that aren't comfy!), I got sorted in the last shop I was going to, and actually had a choice to pick from.  Now why didn't I go in to that one at the beginning? ;)

This card is for my Aunt - using Lavender Bouquet that was part of a recent candy win from Taylored Expressions.  Lavender didn't go with my colour theme, so I thought if I coloured them yellow they might look like lupins?  Coloured with pencils, lime stickles added to the tiny flowers in the image and some green and yellow flowersoft for the grass.








Layout from Sketch'n Stash #114
Sketchy Colors #165 - lime green, yellow and white
By the Cute and Girly May challenge - flowers
Everybody Art #237 - flowers

Mr and Mrs

No moans from me tonight .... we've a free day off tomorrow for the Bank Holiday AND we had 'summer' this weekend!  Lovely and warm and the perfect weather for a wee visit to the garden centre.  So a few quid poorer, but my hanging baskets and some pots are finally planted and still some lovelies left to plant in my borders.  Though after doing the weeding yesterday I've got aches where I didn't know there was muscles!!

I've been watching out for a nice wedding stamp that wasn't cutesy and saw Coops using this one and of course had to have it!  I paper pieced my letters and added some bling - I hadn't planned on adding the flower to the Mr but I managed to touch it with a marker and the wee flower was just big enough to hide it.


Layout from Sweet Sunday #185 (though I just noticed I missed adding a bit of ribbon)
Papertake Weekly - if the paper fits
Polkadoodles #21 - to die for
My Mum's Craft Shop #5 - spots or stripes

Baby Girl Christening Card

Just a quickie post from me tonight ... we're watching The Fall on telly - a murder story based in Belfast, and for a change not based on 'The Troubles', so no oul politics!  So far it's quite good, and it's fun trying to spot all the places we know.
This is another wee Christening card ... I haven't made a Christening card for years and now 2 in less than a month!  I've used this cute ellie from Wild Rose Studio - coloured with pencils and balloons popped up with dimensionals.  Gold peel off sentiment - I would have preferred a silver one, but this was the only one in my stash and beggars can't be choosers!!  Pink stickles added to the ellie's toes and to the flower centres.

Sketch from Annabelle Stamps #163
Cutie Pie #44 - photo inspiration - I used the balloon theme from the image
Tammy's Scrappin Corner #63 - pink and girly with sparkle
Dream Valley Challenge #57 - animals
Simon Says ... flower power
Alota Rubber Stamps #107 - childhood

CAS Thank you card

Just a wee simple Thank You card - apple from Paper Smooches set - paper pieced with red gingham DP and then again with a plainer DP for the inside of the apple. Really old (and underused) mini embossing folder - though I like the effect of it under the image panel

J&C Creations challenge this month is themed by Armed Forces day.  My card uses the colours of the RAF (navy blue, red and white) and a 'thank you' theme.
Layout inspired by this week's Designer Drafts Paper Smooches SPARKS challenge
Allsorts #207 - true blue
Crafty Creations #222 - keep it simple
A Blog Named Hero #24 - clean up your act

Monster birthday

Urgh, Sunday evening already, don't know where the days (or even the weeks are going to!)  Can't believe we're over half way through May already.  No sign of summer here yet, we'd an awful wet day yesterday and today was warmer and dry.  But before we get excited, it's due to cool again through the week.  Ah well, there'll be a great sale on summer clothes and sandals in the shops this year LOL!

I was asked to make a birthday card for a guy who's big in to watersports, but I don't have any sporty images that aren't cutsey.  Instead I went with a surf board DP and wave effect die cut border and just a cheeky image instead.  Coloured with copics and hand doodled borders.  Wee anchor charm from my stash.
I think this is a Whipper Snapper stamp, and Paper Smooches sentiment.

Cupcake Craft #242 - lots of layers
Charisma Cardz #19 - no digis allowed
Simply Create Too #37 - anything goes
Sweet Stampin - oodles of doodles
Totally Gorjuss 184 - water
ABC - N for Not Just One (3 or more embellishments)

High Hopes #173 - Clean and Simple

We've gone CAS over at High Hopes this week ... play along with your High Hopes stamps to win a new one of your choice :)
My card uses Finnigan - coloured with copics and some sparkle added to the bubbles. I also managed to use a button, not easy when you're button-challenged LOL
Ric Rac die was part of my goodie stash from Taylored Expressions - coloured to match Finnigan.

Other challenges:
The Pink Elephant #199 - masculine birthday
Totally Gorjuss #183 - bingo (I used string, button, sparkle)
Cute Card Thursday #268 - something blue
Moving along with the times - CAS

Woofers

Oh BRRR, it's such a cold day here. I was down at the new Balmoral Show site today, and all I can say is, if you're going, get your layers on!  I'd 2 t-shirts, a fleece AND a cosy jacket on, and was half wishing I'd put my warm hat on!  Though I must say, it looks like it's going to be a fabulous event, you could definitely put in a whole day there no problem :)

This wee card was inspired by Therese's cute card over at the Muse Challenge - I flipped her layout and used her paper pieced animals and googly eyes theme too.  Added a bit of bling and some clear gloss to the doggys' noses.

Muse Challenge #17
Papertake Weekly - anything goes
A Little Bit Crafty - Kraft it
Sister Act #6 - anything goes
Crafty Catz #182 - anything goes

Xmas Card #07

I've fallen waaaay behind in my resolution to get my Christmas stash made before December (ha, so unlikely!), but when I saw the sketch at Sweet Stop I knew I wanted to use one of my new Taylored Expressions stamps - Made in the Shade.  Coloured with copics and some flower soft added to the guy on the left's hat.  Snowdudes panel popped up on dimensionals.  Sentiment from Paper Smooches.

Sketch from the Sweet Stop #210
Sweet Stampin - Clean and Simple
Cute Card Thursday #268 - something blue
Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Extra - anything Christmas
Stamping Sensations May Challenge - embossing / texture

Hakuna Matata

I was asked my a workmate to make a card for his wife ... his birthday pressie to her is tickets to see the Lion King stage show and he wanted a card to go with it!  I had this sweet lion in my stash from Stamps by Judith, and I was incredibly lucky lately to win a new release bundle from Taylored Expressions (via the Paper Crafts Connection blog) and this little windy tree die was one of my goodies.

In my mind I was going to create a scene of a great African plain, with a lion sheltering under a tree in the baking sun ... but then reality kicked in and it ended up looking like a cute kitty at the bottom of a summer garden LOL.

Layout from Sketch Saturday #258
Papertake Weekly - anything goes
Penny's Paper Crafting Challenge #126 - die cuts and/or punches
Crafty Creations #221 - something old (my lion) something new (my tree die)
Annabelle Stamps AC162 - anything goes
Joanna Sheen Saturday challenge - music/lyrics (mine is inspired by 'Hakuna Matata' from the Lion King)

Pink'n Girlie

Oops, made this earlier in the week and forgot to upload it.  Must have been our 'summer' went to my head! On Tuesday we had the most glorious, sunny, WARM day, and ever since it's been either blowing a gale, rain, hailstones, etc, etc,etc.
Hopefully things pick up next week for the Balmoral Show (a big agricultural show) or we'll need waist high wellies to wade through the mud!

I went pink on this wee girlie card.  I bought this lovely Memory Box die after seeing it on Debby's lovely blog.  LOTV image coloured with copics and pink stickles added to highlights on the butterfly, flowers and her spotty top.

Layout from Cupcake Craft #241
Try it on Tuesday - feminine and fancy
Papertake Weekly - anything goes
Natalie and Amy's challenge #09 - things with wings
By the Cute and Girly May challenge - flowers

High Hopes - One for the Boys challenge

It's "one for the boys" this week at High Hopes, play along with your HH stamps to win a new one of your choice.
I was asked to make a Christening card and don't really have any stamps that would suit, but then I remembered about Couples Cruise and hey presto!  Unfortunately I wasn't given the child's name until AFTER I'd the card made, and of course it had to be the longest name in the entire world and covered up most of my lovely Memory Box die LOL. Clear gems added to flower centres.

Other challenges:
Cards 4 Men #9 - animals
J&C Creations April challenge - nurture
Stampin for the Weekend - die cuts and / or punches
Simply Create Too #36 - all about babies
Annabelle Stamps blog AC162 - anything goes
Moving Along with the Times - One for the Guys

Nautical Kitty

Just a quickie post from me this evening .. I'm pooped after a busy day (I even managed to tackle some of my weed garden!!) and the lovely Johnny Depp is on the telly this eve - I've seen Pirates of the Caribbean a few times and it still makes me laugh!

The challenge at Paper Smooches SPARKS this week is a trend watch - nautical theme.  I took my colour theme from the pic.  I don't have any 'nautical' PS stamps so this little fishie was the closest I could get.  Popped my kitty up on dimensionals and added black stickles to the fish eyes.

Sketch from Seems a Little Sketchy #38
Sparkles forum challenge #43 - hearts
Annabelle Stamps AC162 - anything goes
Creative Inspirations #212 - Birthday

Thank Moo

Here's another stamp that hasn't seen ink in such a long time, I think this wee cow was one of the first Penny Black images I bought.  Coloured with pencils and green stickles added to the flower centres.

Penny Black Saturday May challenge - anything goes
Sketch from CAS(e) this Sketch #26
Party Time Tuesdays #118 - anything goes
Simon Says ... happy mail
One Stop Craft #227 - flower power

Birthday Balloon

Yippee, a nice long weekend for us with the Bank Holiday on Monday ... no sign of the big round yellow thing that occasionally appears in the sky though!

I was rooting through my stash earlier looking for a particular stamp ... as yet unfound, I think the pixies have made off with it ... but came across this Penny Black kitty that hasn't seen ink for ages.

Sketch from Papertake Weekly
Party Time Tuesday #118 - anything goes
Cutie Pie #43 - lots of layers
Stampin' for the Weekend - die cuts and/or punches
Penny Black Saturday May challenge - anything goes