A two-fer ....

Two for the price of one tonight!  I was asked to make some invitations for afternoon tea for a Christmas present so I thought this little LOTV stamp would be just perfect.  I paired it with some old Christmas papers ... though I've just noticed that I've stuck my DP upside down on the 2nd card, Doh (ah well, I'll say nothing and no-one will notice ;)    I've been determined to use this old DP up, so I'm so glad to see I'm nearly at the end of it!
Image coloured with watercolour pencils, and a wee bit of sparkle added to the tea cups though it doesn't show up on my photos.

Card 1:
Layout from Sketch Saturday #338 - free choice - I used #299
Sister Act #85 - anything goes
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday - anything goes
Fab n Funky #239 - die cuts
Lili of the Valley November challenge - Merry Christmas
Moving Along with the Times - inspired by a song .... "tea for two, and two for tea"!

Card 2:
Layout from Sketch Saturday #338 - I used #259
Crafty Catz - anything goes

Buzzzzy Birthday

Eeek, its almost the end of November!  All your Christmas shopping and cards made?... nope, me neither ;)  I'm kinda fed up making Christmas cards so made this wee Birthday card just for the fun of it.

I've used the bee and 'buzz' from The Alley Way stamps - all coloured with watercolour pencils and some clear gloss/glitter added to their wings.
My colour scheme was inspired by the panel in the TAWS Be Inspired challenge #59

Layout from Pals Paper Arts #229
Creative Card Crew #75 - stripes
Party Time Tuesday #191 - anything goes
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday - anything goes

Snowman Pile

Our new challenge at High Hopes is a nice easy one
... add some silver.

I've used some silver peel off letters and some little silver dots from my stash.  My image is Snowman Pile from High Hopes - coloured with watercolour pencils and clear gloss/glitter added for lots of sparkle.  I didn't have any paper to match my snowman, so just coloured an extra bit and then die cut it :)

Other challenges
Sister Act #84 - anything goes
Simply Create Too #75 - snow snow snow
Christmas at Sweet Stampin November - snow people
Bunny Zoe's crafts November challenge - snow
Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Card Extra - Nov
Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper challenge - Nov

Personalised Christmas card number 402 ;)

Well maybe not quite 402 ;) but it certainly feels like I've been making these personalised Christmas cards for ever!  Most have been special requests for teachers, tutors and child minders.  I think my post tomorrow is the last one - I didn't share most as some were duplicate styles of each other and some were CASEd from good old Pinterest!

This card uses Downhill Penguin from High Hopes - coloured with pencils, clear gloss/glitter added to his hat and then popped up on dimensionals.

Layout from Sugar Sketch #16
Crafty Catz #256 - Winter
Cute Card Thursday #348 - stars (on my DP)
Penny's challenge #204 - anything goes
Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge - November
Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge extra - November
Penny Black and More November - anything goes
Sister Act #84 - anything goes

Birthday card for Sandra

Yet another personalised card, this time it's actually one for me for my friend!  A nice change to make a wee simple birthday card instead of the Christmas card factory production line!

My image is from Tiddly Inks - coloured with watercolour pencils.

• Layout from Sugar Pea Designs #15
• Fab'n Funky - Happy Birthday
• Sister Act #83 - anything goes
• Dream Valley #95 - anything goes
• Party Time Tuesday #190 - anything goes
• Papertake Weekly - soooo girlie
• Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper challenge - November

High Hopes: Christmas Elf Pile

Woops, looks like I had my wonky eyes in when I took this pic LOL

This week's challenge at High Hopes is a photo inspiration ...
I went for the mainly red theme and added some bling for sparkle.











This card is another special request for a teacher.  My image is Christmas Elf Pile - coloured with watercolour pencils. I hadn't really thought of where I was going to put my sentiment when I was making this card, not quite sure that I'm overly happy with where the letters have ended up!

Other challenges...
CRAFT #285 - Christmas
Christmas Stampin All Year Long #37 - anything goes
Crafty Catz #255 - Christmas is coming
Polkadoodles #46 - clean and simple
Sister Act #83 - anything goes
CAS on Sunday #46 - ribbon / twine
Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Card Extra - November

Card for Aunt Cilla

This is another special request card, this time for my Mum.  I got another 5 requests for cards today, so  its gonna be another week before I can get the production line of my own Christmas cards going.  Think I'll have to train Greg to use a Cuttlebug LOL

This card uses Native Sisters and Sisters and Friends sentiment from High Hopes.
Coloured with watercolour pencils and a bit of sparkle added to the girls' jewellery and to the flower centres.  Martha Stewart grass punch.  DP is oldie stuff from the huge pile I'm trying to use up ;)

• Layout from MFT Wednesday Sketch Club MFTWSC202
• Colour combo from Pals Paper Arts PPA227
• Sister Act #83 - anything goes
• Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper challenge - November
• Dream Valley Challenges #95 - anything goes

Golfing Lady Captain

We had a beautiful sunny today, much welcomed after a few days of lashing rain.  We were down at our local park this morning and it was great to see lots of families out for a walk with their kiddies and dogs :)

This was another special request card .. my pic hasn't caught the colours right, my base is more of a moss green colour than this odd sludgy shade!!

My little golfing lady is Swinging Sherry from High Hopes - coloured with watercolour pencils and popped up on dimensionals.  Peel off letters from stash.
Yes that's my stitched border again in the BG of the photo frame now being a rolling hillside!

Layout from Sketch Saturday #336
Party Time Tuesdays #189 - anything goes
Papertake Weekly - 2 or 4 legs
Cute Card Thursday #347 - red and green
Sister Act #83 - anything goes

Baby Jonah

I've had loads of special request cards recently ... I think 10 in this past week, so guess what I've been doing this weekend!   Though my craft table is now tidied away in readiness for I'm a Celebrity starting tonight, pure telly trash, but I absolutely love it!

This card uses one of my favourite baby images from Lili of the Valley - coloured with watercolour pencils.  I'm not sure what way I coloured his skin, but he looks like he's bumped his head!

Layout from Sweet Sunday #245

Sister Act #83 - anything goes
Simon Says Wednesday challenge - seeing stars
Party Time Tuesdays #189 - anything goes
Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper challenge - November

Horsey Christmas Card

This card was a special request for a little girl's horse riding instructor ... I love it when a card turns out just like what you'd imagined in your head!

I've used Brayden from High Hopes - coloured with my new Derwent Inktense watercolour pencils ... which I'm lovin!!
The stitched borders from Paper Smooches were also a recent treat - I imagine they'll be appearing on quite a few of my Christmas cards this year :)
Snowflakes are also Paper Smooches dies.

Cutie Pie #81 - festive furry friends
Bunny Zoe's challenge - November - snow
Natalie and Amy Challenge #26 - stitch it
Stamping Sensations November - simply Christmas
Party Time Tuesday #189 - anything goes
Papertake Weekly - 2 or 4 legs
Sister Act #83 - anything goes
Sweet Stampin - to die for
Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Card Extra - November
Lia Stampz #77 - anything goes
Inky Chicks #42 - down on the farm

ETA - Top 3 at Natalie and Amy's challenge

High Hopes - Snowman Pile

Our new challenge at High Hopes is ...
Mittens

My card uses Snowman Pile - coloured with markers for a change!  Clear gloss and glitter added to their outfits and flower soft for snow.  Silver peeloffs from stash.

Other challenges

• layout from Sketch Saturday #335
• Completely Christmas #37 - add some blue
• Cute Card Thursday #346 - stripes
• Moving along with the times - sparkle / shine
• Christmas Stampin All Year Long - anything goes
  

Christmas Kitty

I was looking in my stash for another stamp (as yet un-found, grrrr!) and came across this old Penny Black cutie which hasn't been inked in a few years.  I LOVE how it turned out :)

Image coloured with watercolour pencils.  I didn't have any red gems, so I added white ones and topped them with some red stickles.  Not sure about sentiment maker, possibly Stampin Up.

For my snow, I used my Falling Snow stencil from Simon Says, marked the holes with a pencil and then added my white enamel dots.

• Layout and CAS theme inspired by Therese's card at the Muse Challenge #93
• Creative Card Crew #74 - Christmas Joy
• Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas challenge #202 - keep it flat
• A Little Bit Crafty - Clean and Simple
• Stamping Sensations November - Simply Christmas

Special Delivery

I need to add some baby cards to my stash and am determined to use up this unloved DP!

Image from Lili of the Valley - coloured with watercolour pencils.

Layout from Friday Sketch challenge #82
Papertake Weekly - anything goes
Cute Card Thursday #346 - stripes
Pile it On #45 - special occasion
Creative Inspirations #288 - striped DP
Love to Create #141 - anything goes

Sympathy flowers

Ohhh brrr it's cold toes time of year again!  A horrible wet cold evening here, def time to get the heating on and cosy slippers out!
I had my last day off work today, back to the grindstone tomorrow, so apologies in advance for the blog overload this evening!

This card uses a stamp I bought recently from the Papermania Botanicals range - Wild Rose.  Coloured with watercolour pencils. I originally had my sentiment just stamped on the DP but it got a bit lost amongst the stripes.

Papertake Weekly - anything goes
Creative Inspirations #288 - striped DP
Simon Says Wednesday - thinking of you
Sister Act #82 - anything goes
Creatalicious #68 - orange and green

Birthday Cow

I'll have to be more inventive with my post captions ... Birthday Cow, Birthday Mouse, Birthday Giraffe!  There's a bit of a theme going on here!

This card uses another bit of DP from an ancient pad.  Cow is a Penny Black stamp - coloured with copics.

Layout from MFT Wednesday Sketch Club MFTWSC201
Crafting When we Can #82 - use your markers
My Time to Craft #266 - farmyard animal
Papertake Weekly - anything goes

Birthday Mouse

I bought this stencil a while back but haven't used it much as I found it always moved and left my embossing messy .. but recently I found a tip on someone's blog (sorry can't remember which) to use some spray adhesive on the stencil first.  Great tip!

My mouse is an oldie stamp from Whiff of Joy - coloured again with watercolour pencils.  Clear gloss and glitter added to the sprinkles on the cupcake.
Paper Smooches dies.

• Layout from Freshly Made Sketches #161
• Papertake Weekly - anything goes
• Colour theme based on inspiration pic at Curtain Call - boho bright
• Party Time Tuesday #188 - anything goes

Birthday giraffe

I had a wee day off from my decorating today ... there's only so much painting a girl can do without going stir crazy!   But I'm very nearly done, just a couple more doors to gloss and then that's me.  Just the rest of the house to do next. Ha.

This card uses more of my old, much unloved psychadellic DP, not much left now thank goodness!  Image from Whipper Snapper, coloured with watercolour pencils which I'm lovin.  Oh and yes Benzi, I did click 'buy' on my new pencil order ... your fault for egging me on (not that I really needed much encouragement LOL!) 

• Layout from Sketch Saturday #335 
• Party Time Tuesdays #188 - anything goes
• Penny's Challenge #202 - creative corners
• Fab'n Funky #236 - 3 embellishments - flower, bling, ribbon
• Crafty Catz #254 - ribbon or lace
• Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper challenge - November

High Hopes Tag - Carolling Frosty

Our new challenge at High Hopes is to 
Button Up
Play along with your High Hopes stamps for the chance to win a new one of your choice.

Buttons aren't my strong point - I have a wee box that rarely gets added too and never gets any emptier ;)
My image is Carolling Frosty - coloured with watercolour pencils and partially popped up on dimensionals (the bottom part is stuck flat, and then his hat / raised hand is popped up).  Old silver peel off sentiment sticker from stash.  Clear gloss added to his nose and to the candle flame.

Other Challenges...
Crafty Cardmakers #126 - cut it out
Divas by Design - anything goes
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge - anything goes
Crafts 4 Eternity r#200 - tags / tickets
Create Something Catchy #9 - Christmas Tags
Stamping Sensations November - Simply Christmas
Crafty Calendar November - It's all about Christmas

Baby Drummer

I'm so pleased I bought a few of these Lili of the Valley babies a while back, wish I'd bought more!
This one's nice and simple ... coloured with pencils, sentiment from an Alley Way Stamps set.  DP's from another much unloved set, edged with some shiny grey stuff from my stash.
Taylored Expressions star dies.

• Layout from Sweet Sunday #243
• Divas by Design - anything goes
• Simon Says Stamp Wednesday - anything goes
• As you like it - favourite style - mine's definitely cute, I think 99.9% of my stamps are cute
• Allsorts #283 - masculine
• Crafty Cardmakers #126 - cut it out

Lazin' Around

I did have a bit of a lazy day today :)  It was my wee treat to myself as I've big decorating plans for the rest of the week ... ordered a new carpet for the stairs/hall today and tomorrow I'm off to buy some paint and get stuck in.  Any takers for painting the ceilings for me ...?

I've rediscovered my watercolour pencils and am loving them.  I'm so tempted to go shopping for some more ...  there are some Derwent Inktense pencils sitting in my Amazon shopping basket just daring me to click 'buy'.  Probably won't be long now till I cave hahaha.

This image is from Penny Black.  Clear gloss and glitter added to the bee.  DPs are really old ones from my stash  - one of those that I bought for the bright colours and then found it impossible to use these psychedelic sheets! (the dark panel is a navy colour, but looks a bit blackish here).  CC Designs flower die.

Layout from Mojo Monday #370
Crafty Cardmakers #126 - cut it out
Simon Says Stamp Monday challenge - the good ol' days (my old DP and watercolour pencils)
Penny Black and More November challenge - anything goes
Bunny Zoe's Crafts October challenge - animals

A Squirrel note

Well that's us in to November already and Halloween done and dusted for another year.  We had an awful wet night on Thursday and hardly any trick-or-treaters ... anyone want some sweeties?!!

I'm hoping November will see the return of my mojo, it's been missing for ages!  Sorry I've been a bad blogger recently, I'm off work now for a week, Yippee, so I'll hopefully get popped round to see what everyone's been at :)

This card was inspired by Emily's (Art for the Heart) Squirelfest challenge - I don't have many squirrels in my stash, in fact, this Paper Smooches one might be the one and only!  Couldn't get the colours photographed right ... the strip down the side / trees are more of a sage green than this sludge grey shade!
Dienamics tab die; bling and googly eyes from stash.

Paper Smooches SPARKS - anything goes
Bunny Zoe Crafts October - animals
Daring Cardmakers - googly eyes
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday - anything goes