Bobby Lee

This week's challenge at High Hopes is to use
Fall colours
Play along with your High Hopes stamps to win a new one of your choice :)

I'be been on a mission to use up some of ny old DP and thought this would be perfect.  My image is another High Hopes oldie ... Bobby Lee (and if you like the look of Bobby, he has a match in Ally Rose!)  Bobby Lee is coloured with pencils and popped up on dimensionals.

Other Challenges:
Layout from MFT Wednesday Sketch Club MFTWSC190
The Squirrel and The Fox #76 - spring or autumn
Sister Act #71 - anything goes

Stinkin' Sweet Skunk

It's been a typical summer Bank Holiday here .... drizzly and cold all day, it feels so wrong to have the heat on in August!  Ah well, tomorrow is supposed to be better, fingers crossed ;)

I'm always in need of Anniversary and wedding cards and always struggle with them, so when Heather posted a card over in The CLASSroom I thought it was perfect to have a go at..  Here's Heather's original and step-by-steptutorial.

My image is Stinkin' Sweet Skunk from High Hopes. Everything is coloured with watercolour paints and clear gloss added to the hearts.  Wish I'd measured out my sentiment better, but I made the mistake of stamping after I'd stuck my cloud down!

Party Time Tuesdays #186 - watercolouring
Papertake Weekly - to die for
Sarah Hurley 365 #95 - favourite things , mine are my High Hopes stamps (yip all of them!) and my bling :)
Crafty Calendar challenge August - anything goes
Charisma Cardz #18 - Wedding Anniversary

A yellow kitty and a blue dog ;)

I thought I'd be a good girl and use up the scrap DP from my last card .... as opposed to sticking it back in the pack and then picking it up off the floor every time it slides out!  (I must get a better DP storage system LOL)
I coloured my kitty and puppy to match my DP, blogland has no restrictions on the actual colour of animals!

Puppy and sentiment both popped up on dimensionals.  Clear gloss added to the dogs eyes and the cat's nose.

Layout from Freshly Made Sketches #150
Crafty Girls #25 - anything goes
Seize the Birthday - anything goes birthday
Addicted to CAS #45 - geometric
Allsorts #273 - warm sunshiny colours
Crazy 4 Challenges #250 - animals, not bears or rabbits

Welcome Baby Boy

Sunday evening already, boooo, but it's a Bank Holiday tomorrow and I treated myself to a few extra days , so no work for me till Thursday, hurrah!

The TAWS Be Inspired photo inspiration had me stumped for a while until I came across this DP that's been in my stash for aaages that kinda made me think of a quilt effect.  It's lovely in real life (the dark orange panels are really shiney) but of course doesn't show up well in photos.  I paper pieced my wee car, popped the wheels up on dimensionals and added some silver disc stickers to the wheel centres and to the heart.  Taylored Expressions chevron border and Paper Smooches heart die.

TAWS Be Inspired #56 - photo
Layout from Sweet Sunday #233
Sister Act #71 - anything goes
Crafty Creations #270 - use some old stash
Papertake Weekly - to die for
CAS on Sunday #40 - rock a bye baby
Simon Says Stamp Monday - anything goes

Polka Dot Mania

This weeks challenge at High Hopes is
Polka Dot Mania
Play along with your High Hopes stamps for the chance to win a new one of your choice :)

My card uses Silly Goose - coloured with pencils and clear gloss added to his legs and beak.  I may have gone overboard with the dotty theme ... dotty DP, embossed circles on my white photo frame, and then peek-a-boo dots die just to be sure!

Other Challenges...

• Layout from Sketch Saturday #323
• As you like it - favourite 2 embellishments - mine is bling (every card needs a bit of sparkle and I have loads in every colour) and bakers twine (I love the texture of twine and it's just so easy to use, ribbon is much less co-operative!)
• Crafty Girls #24 - anything goes
• Crafty Hazelnut's patterned paper challenge - August
• Penny Black and More - August - anything goes
• Simon Says Stamp Monday - anything goes
• Let's Craft and Create #95 - ribbon / twine

Happy Kitty :)

It's been a wild and windy day today here, lashing one minute and sunshine 2 minutes later.  Ruby-doo has been in and out the back door like a yoyo and her raincoat on and off just as many times too!  My sweetpeas have completely toppled over in the wind, so they'll be for the recycling bin next weekend if not before :(  My green peas have already been lifted (they were delish), and the potatoes will be dug soon too, so my borders are slowly emptying out and heading for autumn whether we're ready for it or not!

This card was inspired by this week's featured stamper over at Splitcoast - here's Diane's original.  I'm so pleased that I managed to use some of my much-unloved washi tape and an old brad that's been in my stash for aaaages  :)

Paper Smooches SPARKS - anything goes
Less is More #185 - animal
Crafts 4 Eternity R#189 - something old
Cute Card Thursday #334 - Clean and Simple

Buggin' Out

Our new challenge at High Hopes is
Buggin' Out
Play along with your High Hopes stamps for the chance to win a new one of your choice.  If you don't have a bug stamp, maybe use papers or bug accents :)

I've used an old High Hopes favourite, Hopeful Ant - coloured with pencils and some stickles added to his antennae.  I've also partially popped up the plant - I stuck the stems down with glue and then added dimensionals to the leaves.

Other challenges .... 
Layout from Sketch Saturday #322
Fab n Funky #225 - inspired by a movie ... Antz
613 Avenue Create #84 - anything goes with option of sights, sounds, smells or tastes of summer
Crafting When We Can #75 - bright colours
Crazy 4 challenges #248 - 3D
Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper challenge - August
Crafty Calendar August - anything goes

Bookworm Bookmark

While I had my tag dies out, I thought I'd try something new and make a wee back-to-school bookmark using the partial die cutting technique.  It's dead easy, I'll give this a go again :)
Here's a link to the tutorial on Splitcoaststampers

Images from Paper Smooches, coloured with copics.  Eyelet and ribbon from stash.

Party Time Tuesdays #184 - back to school
Let's Craft and Create #95 - ribbon or twine
My Mum's Craft Shop #20 - Clean and Simple
Whimsy Stamps Inspiration Challenge #74 - back to school

PS If you haven't already seen it, go out and have a look at the moon ... its fabulous!!


ETA: Top 3 at Party Time Tuesday and also My Mum's Craft Shop :)

Dog Dog Doggy

Just a quickie post from me ... Dirty Dancing is on the telly :)  Most people watch the movie before they go to see the stage show, not me - I hadn't seen it for years!

Whipper Snapper image - coloured with pencils and stickles added to their collars and noses for some sparkle.  Sentiment from Lili of the Valley.

This card was inspired by the sketch over at MFT Wednesday Sketch Club MFTWSC188
Colour Combo from Color Throwdown #304 - bermuda bay, real red, smoky slate
Papertake Weekly - anything goes
CASual Fridays #134 - tic tac toe - I chose chevrons, black and sequins

And while I had a few scrap of DP left, I thought I'd have a go at the joint tag challenge over at CAS(e) This Sketch #87 and Tag You're It #3

This time I used a Paper Smooches image - coloured with pencils and clear gloss added to his eyes

Card for Aunty Minnie

It's been a weekend of two halves ... yesterday was nice and bright and sunny - I went to the Grand Opera House in Belfast to see Dirty Dancing, which was fab!  The guy playing the lead was no Patrick Swazie, but he was still pretty phwoar!  Then today we had rain, rain and more rain ... supposed to be the tail end of Hurricane Bertha, but it's not as exciting as the weathermen are letting on ;)

This card is for my Aunt who works in a hen house!  I've used Henrietta's Front and also Chicken Wire Background for the wee strips at the side (both from High Hopes).  My chick is coloured with pencils, clear gloss added to her beak and legs and then some red stickles for a bit of sparkle.

Layout from Deconstructed Sketch #163
Stamp and Create August - Anything Goes
Simon Says Stamp Monday - in the Family
Papertake Weekly - anything goes

One for the Boys

It's One for the Boys this week over at High Hopes.
Play along with your High Hopes stamps to be in with the chance of winning a new one of your choice :)

My image is Fishing Friends - coloured with pencils and gloss added to their life jackets and the fish, and stickles to the waves.


Other Challenges:
Crafting when we can #75 - bright colours
Papertake Weekly - anything goes
613 Avenue Create #83 - anything goes

Home is Where Your Heart is

I was delighted to see that one of my favourite stampers, Debby4000 is this week's featured stamper over at Splitcoast.  I could happily CASE Debby's cards till the cows come home, and the hardest thing was choosing which one I was going for!  In the end I went for this fab card ... I used a different city die (mines from Paper Smooches) and added some doodling and an extra wee heart coming out of one of the chimneys.
As you can see, I loved Debby's card so much I didn't change an awful lot!!

A swimmingly good birthday!

I won this wee stamp from CC Designs aaages ago and don't think I've ever inked her up!  Oops!  I wish the sparkle had shown up in my photo ... I added glitter to her flippers, snorkel and glasses, and the sentiment and stars are sparkly too :)  I also used another couple of oldies ... my dotty embossing folder and my Tim Holtz edge die.

Layout inspired by the photo over at The Cutting Edge #6
A Gem of a Challenge #125 - embossing
CAS-ual Fridays #134 - Tic Tac Toe - I used dots / white / sequins
Stamping Sensations August - anything goes
Colour theme from The Card Concept #15 - clean and layering
Creative Inspirations #275 - here comes summer
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday - anything goes

Card for Baby Grace

What a change in the weather we've had!  Last Friday was the hottest day of the year, and today was rain, followed by lashing rain, followed by more rain and I've had my fleece on most of the day!  It's not long dried up so Ruby-doo was glad to get out for a dander!  ... lazy dog spent most of the day snoozing instead (see pic below!)

This card is for my cousin's new baby girl.  I've used a Penny Black image - coloured with pencils and glitter added to the little butterflies.  Paper Smooches alpha set and heart die.

Layout from MFT Wednesday Sketch Club MFTWSC187
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday - anything goes
Fab'n funky #224 - walk on the wild side ... though I think if you met this bear in the woods you'd be so not scared ;)
Die Cuttin Divas #176 - anything goes
Penny Black and More August challenge - Anything goes

They say you should let sleeping dogs lie ... but look at the state of that!!