Simple sympathy

This card was inspired by this week's featured stamper at Splitcoast ... here's Verity's original.  I changed mine to a sympathy card rather than Christmas, and also used a different die in the BG.

My image is from WhipperSnapper and is quickly turning into my 'go to' image for sympathy cards!  I've used 3 different shades of purple watercolour pencils on my flowers, but not sure if this shows up or not.  Dienamics peek-a-boo dots die.  Paper Smooches sentiment.  I also added in a few bits of bling just to brighten the card a bit.k

Stamping Sensations May - flower power
Stamp and Create May - May flowers
Addicted to Stamps #146 - anything goes
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday - anything goes
A Gem of a challenge #145 - flowers
Dream Valley #107 - anything goes

Hello Friend

It never ceases to amaze me how quickly Sunday evenings come round - the sun is shining just now, but it's been a case of dodging the showers all day.   And the wind is so cold you definitely wouldn't think June's here tomorrow!  So not much was done today other than a wee bit of housework, some ironing and then playing with my stash :)

I just love this image and it's so easy to colour too - I've used my watercolour pencils as usual (not sure how I managed before them as they seem to be the only thing I reach for now!) and added a little hint of glitter to the water.

Stamps used:
Kitty on Rocks from Eat Cake Graphics
My sentiment is a mixture of makers - the 'hello' is from The Alley Way Stamps and the 'Friend' from Paper Smooches.

Layout from Sweet Sunday #271
Pile it On #71 - focus on colouring
Crafty Creations #290 - all creatures great and small
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday - anything goes
Addicted to CAS #64 - animal
Simply Create too #86 - keep it simple
My Time to Craft #294 - domestic animals

Baby Tags

This was a new request for me ... to make a set of tags for a mum-to-be's bags for hospital.  One was for the Mum, one for the baby, and I can't remember what the other bag was for but I was asked to put a stork on it!  I guess it's a kind of "before, during and after" story!

The image of the baby is a Lili of the Valley stamp, and the two outer ones are super-old ones from Shirley's Two Girls that I haven't used in such a long time.  All coloured with watercolour pencils.  Clear gems added to the flowers on Mum's dress tag; glitter added to alternate stripes on the baby blanket on the stork tag.  Taylored Expressions tag dies.

Papertake Weekly - take your pick challenge - product theme: use glitter
Die Cuttin Divas #217 - baby love
Cuttlebug Mania - bling
Clear it Out - girly + die cuts
CASology #148 - story
Simply Create Too #86 - keep it simple

Eat Cake Graphics: Mmm Ice Cream

Awww I love this image of this sweet little girl sharing her ice cream with her friend, but somehow I think this doggy is going to need a bigger one!

This little 'bark' sentiment is so useful .... it can mean anything, so this card is good for a birthday, get well, or just a general hello friend card!

I've coloured my image with watercolour pencils and added in some dots in the background sky with a pale blue copic marker.  I added some clear gloss and glitter to the dog tag for a bit of sparkle.

Eat Cake Graphics stamps used:

8041-C Bark (text)

1137-M Unselfishness (MMM-ice cream)

This card is also posted over at A Sprinkling of Samples and Techniques blog, where you'll find lots more loveliness from Eat Cake Graphics :)

Naughty or Nice - Friends
Natalie and Amy's challenge #32 - animals
Crafting When We Can #95 - bling it up
Papertake Weekly - with a heart
Inspiration Destination #34 - anything goes

High Hopes - Julie's Wish

This is my last post as part of the High Hopes DT.  It's been a great 3 years and it's been lovely to have 'worked' with such a lovely team!
So for my final card, I've used Julie's Wish from the 'Fairies and Adventurers' release.
I've coloured her with my watercolour pencils and added some clear gloss and glitter to her handful of fairy dust and to the centre of all the stars, so it's lovely and sparkly.
My magical day sentiment is from the Sentiment Set #2.

If you have some High Hopes stamps, play along with the Anything High Hopes Goes challenge, and if you don't there's a freebie digi over at the blog.

Creative Knockouts #90 - add a sentiment
Sister Act #107 - anything goes
Crafty Catz #280 - kids card
Crafty Calendar May - things with wings
Party Time Tuesday #198 - anything goes

Thank You card

This card is for a temp in work - she's from Latvia, thus the red and white colour theme, but that might be a bit too obscure for anyone other than me to know!

My image is an oldie from Lili of the Valley.  Coloured with watercolour pencils and clear gloss added to the butterfly and flower.  Dienamics peek-a-boo dots die.  My Martha Stewart butterfly punch is on it's way to the bin ... it seems to have cracked on one of the joints and its like punching through steel to get anything out of it :(

Layout from Monday Lunchtime #363
Penny's challenge #228 - anything goes
Creative Knockouts #90 - sentimentally yours
Polkadoodles #21 - girly no pink
Crafting When we can #95 - bling it up
613 Avenue Create #125 - I used image, watercolour, glossy accents, faux stitching, twine
Stamping Sensations May - flower power
Creatalicious #75 - butterflies

Felicia and Sparky

It's a Bank Holiday weekend .... Sunday nights are so much nicer when you've no work on Monday LOL!  We'd a wee visit to the garden centre today and one of my purchases was a tomato hanging basket ... just need some sunshine and heat now!

This is just a wee simple card.  My image is Felicia and Sparky from Eat Cake Graphics - coloured with watercolour pencils and then a few dots from copic markers added round the base of the image to ground her.

Layout from Sweet Sunday #270
Allsorts #312 - Happy Birthday
Crafty Catz #280 - kids
Polkadoodles #21 - girly but no pink
Seize the Birthday - any birthday
Fab'n Funky #260 - flora and fauna

High Hopes: Bob Loves to Ski Doo

It's my day for posting over at High Hopes blog.  I've a Wintry card for you this week ... though I don't recall EVER seeing one of these in Northern Ireland, we just don't get the weather for it!  (thank Goodness, a few days of snow is enough for me!)

This image is Bob Loves To Ski Doo - I've gone for a bit of a butch colour theme this week and matched my image to my DP.   I've used my watercolour pencils, and added some clear gloss to his goggles and to the windscreen.  I also added some clear stickles to the snow and round the edge of my image.  My sentiment is from the Sentiment Set #1 from High Hopes 'Fairies and Adventurers' release.  I've also used some of my Paper Smooches snowflake dies, which turned out to be a great purchase as I love 'em!

Play along with this month's Anything High Hopes Goes challenge to win new stamps of your choice ... if you don't have any HH stamps there's a free digi over at High Hopes blog.

Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas challenge #229 - your favourite things (my snowflake dies)
Sister Act #106 - anything goes
Layout from Friday Sketch challenge #94
Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Extra for May
Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper challenge for May

Happy Puppy with sparkle overload!

I finally got round to tidying my crafty stash :) and I came across this gorgeous sparkly paste (from Imagination Crafts) that I haven't used for ages.  It doesn't photograph well, but it's a lovely turquoise colour and super-dooper-sparkly.  I used it with a Simon Says Stamp Waves stencil.

I also had a go at the inlaid die technique, I'm definitely going to use this again as I've ended up with a lovely flat card for postage, but it still has that layered look.

My image is Rowley jumps Yippee! from Eat Cake Graphics - coloured with watercolour pencils and some orange stickles added to his collar.  
My sentiment is also a sparkly peel off .. I hadn't quite intended to put it there but I had an incident with my sparkly paste  ;)

CASual Fridays CFC139 - birthday + orange, turquoise, black, white
Layout from Freshly Made Sketches #186
Tuesday Throwdown #244 - add a doodle
Simon Says Stamp Monday - use a Simon brand product
Top Tip Tuesday - animal challenge

Rainy Day wishes

It's been a bit of a yeuchy day today, my plans for sorting the borders and a visit to the garden centre were put on hold by the rain!  Maybe next week :)

So instead of waiting for the sun, I made my own!  I've a bit of a mixture of stamps going on here ... the sun is from High Hopes, puppy is Callie's Looking Down from Eat Cake Graphics and my sentiment (which I've just noticed is nowhere near central!) is from The Alley Way Stamps.

My dog is popped up on dimensionals, along with the cloud over the sun.  Both coloured with watercolour pencils.  Blue gems for raindrops.  Dienamics cloud die.

CAS on Sunday #58 - cheer up buttercup
Less is More #224 - hello sunshine
Addicted to Stamps #144 - CAS
ABC Challenge - J is for Jewels

Baby in a Box

Ack, I've no mojo this weather, don't know where he's gone :(
I desperately need to tidy my crafty stash too, and couldn't be bothered to do that either.  It's bad when I'd rather wash and hoover the car!!   Even our outdoor bins got a good wash today!

So I made myself sit down and you can't really go wrong with such a sweet image!  My peachy base is really more pink, but it didn't seem to photograph well.  Coloured with watercolour pencils.
Woodware flower punch; Taylored Expressions heart border die.

Tuesday throwdown #244 - add a doodle
Sister Act #106 - anything goes
Stamping Sensations May - flower power
Penny Black and More May - dies and punches

High Hopes: Julie's Dream

This cutie is Julie's Dream from High Hopes latest release.  I've coloured her with watercolour pencils and added some sparkle to the little hearts.  You'll get lots more samples of HH new 'Fairies and Adventurers' release over at the blog, links to the latest challenge and a free digi too .... High Hopes blog.

I haven't decided yet whether to add a sentiment, or to leave it just as it is.

Other challenges:
Papertake Weekly - anything goes
Polkadoodles #19 - things with wings
Dream Valley challenges #106 - thing with wings
613 Avenue Create - anything goes
Clear it Out - anything goes

Eat Cake Graphics - Where the milk and cookies go pets

Ohhh I love this image so much!  This is Where the Milk and Cookes go Pets from Eat Cake Graphics ... it was originally designed as a Christmas stamp, but I reckon it works perfectly as a Birthday card too :)

I've used my watercolour pencils as usual, and added clear gloss to the kitty's glass of milk.
Happy Birthday sentiment also from Eat Cake Graphics.
Taylored Expressions stacked stars dies; woodware corner punch.

You'll find lots more loveliness from Eat Cake Graphics over at their blog: A Sprinkling of Samples and Techniques

Pile it On #68 - cute animal
Penny Black and More May challenge - dies and punches
Natalie and Amy's challenge #32 - animals
Papertake Weekly - anything goes
Inspiration Destination #32 - anything goes
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday - use a sentiment

Teacher card

It'll soon be that time of year for the Thanks Teacher rush, so I thought I'd get ahead of the game and ink up this set from Verve that I won a while back.  I've coloured my wee apple and heart with watercolour pencils and then added some clear gloss.  The numbers in the background were also stamped from this set.
My notebook edge is a Taylored Expressions die.  Green bling from stash.

• Layout from Sweet Sunday #268
• Crazy for Challenges #285 - teacher appreciation card
• Papertake Weekly - anything goes
• Simon Says Stamp Wednesday - get sentimental
• Penny's challenge #226 - anything goes
• Sister Act #105 - anything goes

CAS Birthday girl

Busy day today ... got my (much needed) haircut this morning, visited some family, and then off to the Garden Show Ireland for a sunny afternoon with Mum.  So not much time left for card making, and I've hardly anything left in my stash!

This little girl is from Tiddly Inks, and she's a pleasure to colour ... I think half the fun of card making is the colouring in!

Cas-ual Friday #139 - orange, turquoise, black and white birthday
Crafty Catz #278 - CAS
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday - let's get sentimental
Clear it Out - anything goes
Papertake Weekly - anything goes

Eat Cake Graphics - Callie's looking down

This DP was in an 'unloved' stack, but I love how this turned out!  And my bark watercolour pencil was the perfect match for it ... its the little things in life that make us happy eh?!

This super cute puppy is Callie's Looking Down from Eat Cake Graphics, and my Happy Birthday sentiment too.
Die cut heart from paper smooches.
Metal eyelet, sequins and bling from stash.

• Layout from Cas(e) This Sketch #121 
• CRAFT #309 - use metal
• Simon Says Stamp - anything goes
• Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned paper challenge - May
• Natalie and Amy's challenge #32 - animals
• Papertake Weekly - anything goes

Eat Cake Graphics - Kitty on Rocks

I've been playing with my Eat Cake Graphics stamps today .... well it's been a bit of a cold wet day so what else would I be doing ;)

This card uses Kitty on Rocks - coloured with watercolour pencils and some stickles added to the ripples on the water.  Sky also chalked in the background.  Bottom panel embossed with swirls.
Taylored Expressions star dies and tab die; woodware corner punch

• Layout from Mojo Monday #396
• Papertake Weekly - anything goes
• Simon Says Stamp Wednesday - anything goes
• Cute Card Thursday #371 - use a sentiment
• Penny Black and More May challenge - dies and punches

Here's a wee pic of our wee Ruby snoozing in the sunshine yesterday ... no danger of her going out in the garden today, she'd need her scuba gear!

High Hopes - Sam's Big Play

Happy Bank Holiday!   I can hardly believe it's May already, where has the year gone!

It's my day for posting over at High Hopes blog ... today's card uses a new image from our Fairies and Adventurers release.  This is Sam's Big Play and I've coloured him with my watercolour pencils in the colours of our local team, the Belfast Giants.  I also added some clear gloss to his hockey stick, puck and the blades of his skates.

Play along with this month's Anything High Hopes Goes challenge to win new stamps of your choice ... if you don't have any HH stamps there's a free digi over at High Hopes blog.

• Simon Says Stamp Wednesday - anything goes
• Addicted to Stamps #142 - make your mark
• Sister Act #104 - anything goes

A two-fer...

I needed some thank you cards, so it's a two-for-the-price-of-one tonight!  This Whipper Snapper stamp was still sitting on my desk so I've just used it on both (coloured with watercolour pencils).

Card 1: 

• Layout from Retro Sketches #163
• Party Time Tuesday #197 - anything goes
• Allsorts #309 - April showers bring May flowers
• Addicted to Stamps #142 - make your mark
• Simon Says Stamp Monday - anything goes
• ABC - I is for Inspire Us

Card 2:

• Layout from Sweet Sunday #267
• Dream Valley #105 - recipe - 1 image, 1 sentiment, 3 DPs, 3 embellies
• Creatalicious #74 - embossing
• Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper challenge May
• As You Like It - favourite style of embossing - mine is dry embossing ... my heat tool sits at the very back of my crafty cupboard and it's too much hassle to be getting it out very often ;)
• Simon Says Stamp Wednesday - anything goes

May calendar

It's a nice long weekend for the May Bank Holiday here, and I treated myself to an extra couple of days, so I've no work till Thursday. Yippee!  Hope the weather wises up a bit, its been typical Bank Holiday weather here so far ... dark, windy, wet and generally yeuchy!

This calendar is part of an ongoing pressie to my Mum ... I wasn't organised enough to get it finished for Christmas, so instead she gets a new page every month!
My theme for May is a travel one as she's off to Canada in a couple of weeks on her hols.
My little Canadian girl is from Kraftin Kimmie - coloured with watercolour pencils and glitter added to the maple leaf on her jumper.  I paper pieced my little airplane from The Alley Way stamps, added some glitter to the propeller and used a white marker to add the Aer Lingus logo.  City scape die from Paper Smooches.  Sky chalked in BG.

Simon Says Stamp Monday - anything goes
Curtain Call - travel on
Crafty Calendar May - things with wings
Polkadoodles #18 - anything but square
Simply Create Too #84 - pretty woman