Sympathy Tulips

As usual I've no sympathy cards in my stash, I need to just sit down and make a load of them to get them out of the way!
For this one I've used my lovely tulips from Power Poppy - coloured with polychromos.

• Layout from Try Stampin on Tuesday #445
• My Time to Craft #426 - no digis allowed
• Simon Says Stamp Wednesday - add a sentiment
• Sweet Stampers #41 - hearts and or flowers

Cheery Tulips and a pretty girl

So this weekend we have Storm Dennis visiting, but so far we've gotten away with just a dreary wet old day here.  Poor Rubydoo has hardly had her wee legs outdoors all day.  It's amazing how many sleeping positions she can get in to and always manages to look so comfy!

I had a day of Spring Cleaning, so indulged myself in some colouring this evening.  This lovely tulip set is a newbie from Power Poppy - coloured with polychromos and popped up on foam pads.  I added a couple of layers of sparkle over the tulips but wanted to give them some extra pop so added some clear gloss too.

• Layout from MFT Wednesday Sketch #476
• Word Art Wednesday #426-427 - anything goes
• Crafty Calendar #February - dies/punches

This one uses an old LOTV stamp, she's a pleasure to colour but I wish I'd placed her a bit more to the right to have more room for my sentiment, it's a bit squished up there in the corner!
I added some glitter to the edge of her mirror and bits and bobs in her makeup bag, and also the string of lights, but its not really showing up well in my photo.

• Stamping Sensations #February - feminine
• Love to Craft #43 - anything goes

Couple of sympathy cards

Whoohoo a nice long weekend for me!  We'd pc problems in work these past couple of days so I treated myself to today off, good timing with the Bank Holiday on Monday :)
I was in 'cleaning mode' today, and torpedoed through the house, so I'm nice and tidy and ready for visitors.  But sure you only get visitors when the house is a tip ;)

I've been making a couple of sympathy cards for my stash.


This first one uses my new favourite bouquet from Prima.  I really must sit down and have a proper play with the colouring as this was a bit of a rush.

• Layout from Tuesday Morning Sketches #400
• Glitter'n'Sparkle #236 - anything goes
• Time Out #82 - flowers
• Simon Says Stamp Work it Wednesday April - April showers bring May flowers
• My time to craft #344 - sequins or buttons

This second one was inspired by this oooold DP, and my pretty flowers from Power Poppy. 

• Layout from Power Poppy Grab that Spark - I chose sketch #2
• Penny's Paper Crafty challenge #326 - anything goes
• Crafty Catz #368 - anything goes

New Goodies and Betty's birthday card

LOL, another 'one of those days' in work again, so another couple of cards for you this evening  #stressrelief   
Hopefully I'll not be sharing any cards tomorrow night ;)

On the bright side, I'd a parcel of crafty goodness waiting on me coming home. I got some real bargains from Bunny Zoe's Crafts 70% off closing down sale.  So sad though, they were a pleasure to do business with and everything always arrived very promptly.

This little guy is one of my newbies from Nellie Snellen, isn't he a cutie.  I've used some older DPs that I've always disliked, but I stuck with it and think it looks OK.

• Layout from Tuesday Morning Sketches #373
• Dream Valley #142 - one for the boys
• Stamping Sensations October - colours of Autumn
• Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge - October

This one is for my SIL's birthday and I'm so pleased with how it turned out.  

My inspiration came from Tracey's beautiful card over at the Muse challenge:

I've used an older set from Power Poppy.  Coloured with watercolour pencils and the flowers are all covered with my clear glitter pen so it's lovely and sparkly in real life.

• The Muse challenge #187
• Seize the Birthday - anything goes Birthday
• Pile it on #118 - sparkle
• Polkadoodles #40 - anything goes

Naughty or Nice challenge reminder

 It's challenge reminder time at Naughty or Nice!  This month's theme is all about numbers, so your cards need to be age-related or have a number or numbers on them.  Anyone entering the challenge will go into the draw for a fab prize - a set of Art Impressions stamps.  



My card uses this gorgeous stamp from Power Poppy.  Coloured with watercolour pencils and then I went over the top of all my flowers with a clear glitter pen - of course, none of that fabulous sparkle shows up in my pic!  My alpa set is from Paper Smooches - I'm on the market for a more 'grown up' font which would have been better for this card.  Sparkly silver peel off numbers from stash.

• Just us Girls #356 - watercolouring
•  CASual Fridays #154 - favourite colouring medium - watercolour pencils
•  Stamping Sensations August - anything goes
• Power & Spark August challenge - Copy Steal Inspire - my card was inspired by Rhea's gorgeous card here

Boats and Blooms

I was very lucky recently to win some surprise candy from Simon Says Stamp and this lovely nautical DP was part of my package :)
I've used an oldie sailboat from High Hopes and a load of dies .... Lawn Fawn clouds, Simon Says Stamp sentiment, not sure where my wiggly line die is from.
Boat coloured with watercolours, Spectrum Noir sparkle added to the sun on the sail, and clear gloss to the darker cloud on the sail.
Red and blue sequins and some clear bling to finish.

• Pile it on #111 - vehicles
• Addicted to Stamps and More #200 - Happy Birthday
• CASual Friday #151 - colour theme
• Crafty Calendar July - punches or dies
• Simon Says Stamp Wednesday - anything goes

My second card uses these lovely flowers from Power Poppy.   coloured with watercolour pencils - Spectrum Noir sparkle added to the blooms and clear gloss to the flower centres.

White photo frame popped up on dimensionals.

Doodled border.  Green pearls from stash.

• Power Poppy July challenge - B is for ... bow, blooms, blue
• Allsorts #370 - gingham
• Polkadoodles #26 - add ribbon or twine
• Inspiration Destination #92 - anything goes

Belated Birthday flowers

Happy St Patrick's Day!  We had the most beautiful blue skies and wall to wall sunshine today, so it was a great day for all the St Patrick's Day parades.  Didn't go to any myself ... couldn't be annoyed with the parking and the crowds!

Anyway, I've been trying to challenge myself more with sketches that I would find difficult, so I had a go at this week's Muse challenge with Anita's gorgeous card (right)

I used my Power Poppy stamps and my one and only coloured ink pad.  For a bit of extra interest I added a few sequins from my Taylored Expressions mix and also added some Spectrum Noir sparkle to the flowers and leaves.  I love how this turned out!

• General layout etc from the Muse Challenge 157
• My Time to Craft #317 - flowers
• Seize the Birthday - the great divide
• Stamping Sensations March - flower power

A two-fer day 30!

Woohooo Day 30 of the Daily Marker colouring challenge, and I've a couple of Mother's Day cards for you this evening.  I made 2 of the larger square version for a couple of work colleagues, and then they came back and asked for a smaller version for their Mothers-in-Law ;)


For both I've used this pretty floral stamp from Poppy Power - coloured with watercolour pencils.  DP from Lili of the Valley.

• CRAFT #352 - Mother's Day
• Cute Card Thursday #414 - florals
• Crafty Catz #313 - special lady
• Sweet Stampin - Mother's Day
• Crafty Cardmakers #156 - for a special woman
• Card 2 - Tuesday Throwdown #283 - frame it 
• Simon Says Stamp Work it Wednesday (Feb) - floral

ETA: Winner at Sweet Stampin challenge :)

Hearts and flowers

I missed uploading my card for the Daily Marker challenge yesterday, so I've a two-fer you this evening.  Need to get a move on though, it's movie night here and I'm getting that 'hurry up' look!

Card 1
My first card uses my new stamps from Power Poppy and the lovely sentiment from Clearly Besotted too.  I've coloured them with watercolour pencils and added a bit of bling for some sparkle.

• Simon Says Work it Wednesday - something new (my stamps)
• 2 creative chicks January - anything goes
• Penny's challenge #263 - anything goes

Card 2

This card is inspired by Laura's tutorial over at Simon Says Stamp blog.  I got my one-and-only coloured ink pad out for some blending on the base and also used it to colour the pink hearts, a new first for me!.  If I had more ink pads I reckon this might be my colouring method of choice!  Oh for a bigger crafty budget ;)

My hearts are cut from funky foam and then I added some glossy accents and lots of glitter.  I also used some of the cut out hearts as little accents.

Whipper Snapper image - body coloured with watercolour pencils.  Clear gloss added to his hearts.  

• Inky Chicks #62 - love +/ hearts
• Whimsy Inspires #90 - with love
• Simon Says Stamp Wednesday - have a heart
• Cute Card Thursday #411 - in the pink
• AAA Cards #57 - love me like you do

Floral Sympathy

Day 3 of the Daily Marker colouring challenge and I've been playing with some new goodies from Simon Says Stamp.

I did try my best to resist the pretty flower stamps from Power Poppy but to no avail, aren't they gorgeous!  And I'm loving the sentiment from Clearly Besotted, I think I'll get loads of use from this set too.  This is most definitely the last of my spending sprees for a while, so under no circumstances is anyone to put temptation in my way ... you know who you are!!! ;)

Image coloured with watercolour pencils, and then the mauve used to splatter the background, though I kinda wish I'd just left it white.
Die-namics embroidered frame die.
Clear bling from stash.

• Layout from MFT Wednesday Sketch #266
• Simon Says Work it Wednesday January - use something new
• Simply Create Too #101 - something new
• I used the floral / faux stitching from the photo inspiration at Curtain Call