Swing Fun!

Challenges

Fab 'N' Funky (37) - 3 Papers/2 Embellishments/1 Image
Colour Create (52) - Lilac/Yellow/Mint/Doily
Allsorts (67) - Park Inspiration
Sketch Saturday (118) - Sketch

Here is a little card with Nora having fun on her garden swing. I have coloured her with Promarkers and added glitter to her wings and the butterflies. I have also added some glitter to some of the paper. If you look closely you will see I have used a part of a doily at the bottom of the image. I have used two types of embellishments to decorate this card, flowers and brads. I love the colour combination as I adore pastels. Hope you like this card, thanks for looking.

Card Recipe

Stamps - C.C. Designs/Hero Arts
Papers - Monti's Pixel Playground
Flowers/Brads - Stash

Sweet Honey

Challenges

Secret Crafter (98) - Christmas
Pollycrafts (59) - Add A Little Nature (Poinsettias)

A couple of weeks ago I was lucky enough to win this gorgeous SN stamp on the Sugar Nellie Blog in their Christmas Stamp Giveaway. To participate you had to say what you would make, (other than a card), with the stamp. I said that I would make a gift box for my great niece, and here it is! I also made a card to go with it as I thought that would be nice as well. The Sugar Nellie Blog will be showing all the winners creations soon so why not pop over and have a nosey at them all.

This was my first attempt at an 'origami' box which I have wanted to try for some time. I coloured the image with Promarkers and attached with foam pads for a 3D effect. As I wanted white poinsettias I used the reverse side and glittered them adding large gems to the centres for added sparkle. The tag is simply made with Nesties.

For the card I stamped and coloured the image several times and decoupaged it. I hope you like my little creations. Thanks for looking.

Card Recipe

Stamps - Sugar Nellie/Lili Of The Valley
Papers - Papermania
Poinsettias - Jak Heath
Ribbon/Gems/Eyelet - Stash

Snowflake Sparkle

Challenges

Creative Inspirations (41) - Christmas In August
Wild Orchid (4) - Make It Sparkle
Papertake - 3/2/1/ Of Anything (3 Types of Embellishments/2 Papers/1 Image)
Simon Says - Paper Piecing (Hat & Coat)
The Rainbow Lady (116) - Sparkle & Shine
The Sugar Bowl (42) - Sketch & Pearls
Crafty Emma's Shop (1) - Anything Goes

Here is a Christmas card that is very, very sparkly indeed, along with the craft room, me and the dog. I certainly like to spread the glitter around ha! ha! I think I might have got some in my cup of tea as well!!!

Anyway, I have followed the great sketch but have used an oval instead of a square as I think the stamp suits this shape more. Having coloured the image with Promarkers I then 'Paper Pieced' the hat and coat. I also applied white flock to her fur muff for texture. I have glittered the snowflakes on the image and added pearls to them. I then coloured and glittered around the edge of the image before layering with Nesties.

Before I added the image I covered the base card with paper and went around the edge with D/S tape before sprinkling with yet more glitter. I did the same with the two strips, which came out a bit wider than I had planned. Lastly, I punched some snowflakes from glittery paper and added glittery gems to the centres. Well, I hope you like this one, I do. Thanks for looking.

Card Recipe

Stamp - Sugar Nellie
Papers - Funky Fairys
Pearls/Gems - Stash

New Hat!

Challenges

Lili Of The Valley (62) - Let's Go Dotty For Circles
C.R.A.F.T. (65) - Milestone Birthday or Anything Goes
Stampin' For The Weekend (45) - Anything Goes
Sketch Saturday (117) - Sketch
Stamp With Fun (73) - Card For A Girl

Another week gone and time for a new challenge over at the Lili Of The Valley Challenge Blog. This week we want to see 'Circles & Dots' on your projects. Again we have a prize of a £10.00 voucher from LOTV but remember, to be eligible for the prize you MUST use an LOTV image. Check out the rest of the DT's fabulous work here.

I have followed the great sketch to make a girly card. I have used one of my favourite LOTV stamps called 'New Hat'. I have coloured the image with Promarkers. The flowers have simply been punched from handmade paper with brad centres. The corner detail is gold peel-offs.

Card Recipe

Stamps - LOTV
Paper - Unknown From Scrapbox
Brads/Peel-Offs - Stash

Great News!

Woo! Hoo! I made the Design team for the Creative Inspirations Challenge Blog! I feel so honoured that I will get to work with all the other very talented ladies on the team and can't wait to start. Why not pop on over to the blog and check out the DT's fabulous work and maybe join in with the great challenge this week.

I also have some family news to celebrate as well. I became a 'Great Aunt' for the third time yesterday. My nephew and his wife had a little baby boy, which was a suprise as we all thought it was going to be a girl. He was five weeks premature and as yet I have no more news until my sister phones me with an update later.

Hope you are all having a great day, better go and get on with a few things.

Christmas Cats - LOTV New Release

Challenges

Lili Of The Valley (61) - Sketch
Creative Card Crew - Sparkle & Shine
A Spoonful Of Sugar (117) - Christmas In August
Passion For Promarkers (65) - Winter Blue
ABC - B is for Blue
The Creative Cottage (21) - Christmas
Digi Doodle (21) - Anything Goes
M.A.W.T.T. (60) - Glitter

This has got to be my very favourite of the new Christmas Animal stamps released today by Lili Of The Valley. Don't you just love these cute little kitties?

Having decided to make an easel card using Bev's fantastic sketch, I have coloured the image with Promarkers and a Sakura Stardust pen adding flocking to the hat. I then glittered the edges (seem to be making a habit of this lately). I embossed a blue panel of card with a CB embossing folder, added a strip of white card which I punched with a MS border punch and then added some glittery ribbon. I copied this for the base of the card. I stamped and layered a sentiment complete with glittered edges and placed this on the base. To finish it off I punched, glittered and layered some flowers and leaves placing flower gems in the centres. Some of the flowers have replaced the corners and bow on the sketch. I hope you like this card as much as I do.

Card Recipe

Stamps - Lili Of the Valley
Paper - Crafter's Companion
Gems - Stash

NEW LOTV STAMPS OUT NOW!!!

ON SALE TODAY!!!

The new Christmas Animal stamps are released today at Lili Of The Valley so click on the banner above and order all your cute and cuddly animal stamps now before they sell out.

Woodland Christmas - LOTV Sneak Peek

Challenges

Cute Card Thursday (125) - Tree-Mendous
Delightful Challenges - Animals or Insects/Dots & Stripes
Daring Cardmakers - Tree-Mendous
Sketch & Stash (42) - Sketch (New Stamp)
Cupcake Craft (104) - 2 Papers/2 Ribbons/2 Flowers
Pollycraft (57) - In Stitches
Ooh La La (60) - Spots & Dots
A Spoonful Of Sugar (117) - Christmas In August
Creative Card Crew - Sparkle & Shine
Whoopsie Daisy (Aug) - Blue & Green

Here is another of the NEW STAMPS being released by Lili Of The Valley on Thursday 19th August and this one is called 'Woodland Christmas'. I just love the little darling bunnies on this one. I have coloured this one with Promarkers and Sakura Stardust pens and added gems to the tree. Following the great sketch I attached stripey paper to the base card and drew faux stitching around the edge with the Sakura Stardust pen. I then layered the spotty paper and added a strip across the middle with a bit of ribbon attached by brads. Having layered the image I attached this with foam pads. Next I added a couple of flowers with gem centres. Although you can't see it in the picture I sprayed the blue flowers with Glimmer Mist to add more sparkle. Finally I added a ribbon bow to finish. Hope you like this one.

Card Recipe

Stamp - Lili Of The Valley
Papers - Digi Scrap Depot
Ribbon - Smirk (Trimcraft)
Bow/Gems/Brads - Stash

Igloo For Two - LOTV Sneak Peek

Challenges

Crafty Creations (80) - Winged Things = Z Card
Colour Create (51) - Ivory/Duck Egg Blue/Other (Lilac)
Mami Doodles (8) - Be Creative With Card Shape (Z Card)

I have made this card using one of the NEW STAMPS that will be released on Thursday 19th August by Lili Of The Valley. This one is called 'Igloo For Two' and is sooo sweet, couldn't you just go up to those cute little penguins and give them a cuddle? I have coloured the image with Promarkers and glittered the edges. The little parcels are peel-offs that I have added glitter to and attached with foam pads. I have also edged all the paper with silver peel-off borders. Finally I stamped and layered a sentiment and placed it on the inside making sure it was in line with the main image. I hope you like this one.

Card Recipe

Stamp - Lili Of The Valley
Paper - H P Freebie
Peel-Offs - Stash

Summer Boating Fun

Challenges

Lili Of The Valley (60) - Four Seasons (Summer)
Our Creative Corner - It's Embossable (Panel Behind Image)
Sketch Saturday (115) - Sketch
Creative Inspirations (40) - Recycle Element (CD)
Stamp With Fun (71) - Lilac & Blue
Papertake - Something Old/New/Borrowed/Blue (Old CD/Blue Colour)
Fab 'N' Funky (35) - Favourite Colours (Lilac & Blue)
Simon Says - Summertime Blues
Paperplay (32) - Bon Voyage

Over at the Lili Of The Valley challenge blog this week we have a theme challenge for you. We want you to reflect one of the Four Seasons, Spring, Summer, Autumn or Winter on your creations.

Lili of the Valley are offering a £10 voucher to be spent on the website this week, what a great chance to get your hands on the new images.

To be entered for the prize you must use a Lili of the Valley Stamp or Diecut Image on your creation.

Pop on over to the blog and see the DT's creations INCLUDING some sneak peeks of the NEW stamps that are being released on 19th August.

Right, onto my card. This is one of my favourite LOTV images, I love the way the little boy's boat is almost as big as him. The large circle is an old CD that I have recycled by colouring it with alchohol inks (stonewashed & stream). The panel behind the image (should have done it slightly bigger as you can hardly see it) has been embossed with swirls with a CB folder using blue pearl card. The image itself has been coloured with Promarkers and chalk in one of my favourite colour combinations of blue and lilac. I think this is a great combination for boys cards.

Gone Fishin'

Challenges

ABC - A is for August
Totally Papercrafts (28) - By The Sea
Secret Crafter (95) - It's A Man's World
One Stop Craft (92) - Summer Fun
Stamptacular (71) - Boys

Here is the last one for today. This is a very special one as it is for my eldest son's birthday which is TODAY!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHAUN! I won't tell you how old he is as it makes me feel ancient! Put it this way, he ain't gonna see 40 again...

The image has been enlarged on my computer before colouring with Promarkers and chalk. The little 'gone fishing' charm has been made using clear shrink plastic and the little fish have just been coloured with glitter glue. Hope you like this one too.

Right off to have dinner with the family to celebrate.

Card Recipe

Stamps - Lili Of The Valley/See D's
Papers - Summertime designs

Puppy Love

Challenges

Simon Says - Sing It Baby (Puppy Love by Donny Osmond)
Allsorts (64) - Primary Colours
Cupcake Craft (103) - Lace
A Spoonful Of Sugar (116) - Sketch

I have altered the sketch slightly by changing the circle to an oblong and placing another image where the text goes, hope this is acceptable... Here is another decoupage card, this time with only four layers. As soon as I saw this cute little spaniel puppy I thought of the song Puppy Love and then I couldn't get it out of my head!!! I have used a lot of mats to layer the main image so that all three colours were incorporated. I threaded some lace with ribbon at stuck it to the strip of card down the middle. All the flowers are punched with brad centres. Hope you like this one enough to leave me a comment.

Card Recipe

Decoupage - Rosemarie
Paper - Magazine Freebie
Lace/Ribbon/Brads - Stash

Thinking Of You

Challenges

The Creative Cottage (20) - Acetate

I don't know about you but I find it very difficult to work with acetate. Whenever I try using it I end up with a horrible mess that gets thrown in the bin. However, I was saved by a sudden realisation that a couple of years ago I bought a load of 'bubble' front cards. I managed to find them and make a couple of cards. This is the first one using one of my favourite decoupage flower bouquets. Although you can't see it there are five layers to the image. I have kept it very simple so that the emphasis is on the flowers. Hope you like it enough to leave me a comment.

Card Recipe

Decoupage - Avec
Paper - Jak Heath
Peel-Offs - Stash

Imagine

Challenges

Stamptacular (70) - You're Out Of This World
Creative Card Crew - Let's Get Cute & Girlie
Papertake - White & Bright
Fab 'N' Funky (34) - Spotty, Dotty & Stretchy Stripes
Digi Doodle (19) - Favourite Stamp
Stamp Something - Photo Inspiration Somethings

Here is one of my favourite digi stamps which I have coloured with Promarkers. I have added glitter to her wings and around the edges. The colours I have used are quite an unusual combination for me but I think they work, what do you think? The flowers are punched from mulberry paper and I have coloured the butterfly with my pens. I found the sentiment bubble in amongst my neglected stash and used edging scissors to cut the mats (something else I have not used for a very long time). Anyway I hope you like this one enough to leave me a comment.

Card Recipe

Digi Stamp - Pollycrafts
Papers - K & Company
Brads/Bubble Sticker - Stash

Bringing Gifts

Challenges

Lili Of The Valley (59) - DT Card
Cute Card Thursday (124) - Whateva (any theme)
M.A.W.T.T. (58) - Christmas

This week at the Lili Of The Valley Challenge Blog we have another great sketch from Bev to follow. There are TWO stamps of choice up for grabs and the challenges are now going back to being WEEKLY.

I have used another stamp from the recent release by LOTV and this one is called 'Bringing Gifts' and I'm sure you will agree that it is gorgeous. I have coloured it with Promarkers and added some flocking to the girl's hat. Unfortunately I have very little in the way of Xmas embellishments so I have punched a few flowers from glittered hand made paper and added a ribbon and bow. Hope you like it anyway.

Card Recipe

Stamp - Lili Of The Valley
Papers - Magazine Freebie
Brads - Papermania
Ribbon - Stash