Wednesday 30 November 2011

Snuggly

We have a very apt challenge this week at My Mums Craft Shop - 'Keeping Warm'. I thought this Penny Black image fit the bill perfectly, they just look so  warm and content. With a challenge prize of a £10 voucher to spend at My Mums Craft Shop - what could be better?

Thanks For Looking

Saturday 26 November 2011

Angelic

The theme for this weeks for Secret Crafters Saturday Challenge is Borders and Flowers - I've used one of my favourite backgrounds (at the moment) some vintage sheet music I bought from a charity shop; I have a big book of the stuff and because it had no cover, I got it for peanuts!


Thanks For Looking

Wednesday 23 November 2011

Fly Away

Winged Things is the theme of this weeks challenge at My Mums Craft Shop. We're sponsored by Emerald Faeries who are offering this weeks winner 2 images from their store, so show us your winged creations!

Thanks for looking

Monday 21 November 2011

You Rock

The new challenge for us at Cards For Men this week is 'Fancy Folds' sponsored by Whimsie Doodles, who are offering a $10 gift certificate to spend with them.
For my card, I've chosen a central stepper and of course, given the stamp theme, it had to be grunged with Distress inks!
Thanks For Looking

Secret Crafter

This week we're asking you to follow a sketch, set by Jane, over at Secret Crafters Saturday Challenge. For my card, I used a sheet of music, which I inked and scrunched and spritzed, then added a leaf stamp motif which I heat embossed.

Thanks For Looking

Sunday 20 November 2011

Play On

The theme on Challenge Up Your Life for the next couple of weeks is Music. For my card, I chose not to use DP, but instead used a page from a music book - I used the same paper for my flowers.

Challenges Entered
Just Magnolia - Ribbons
The Craft Garden - Christmas, no red or green
Creatalicious - Christmas with sparkles
Crafty Creations - Recycle - vintage music paper
Deep Ocean - Vintage
Thanks for Looking

White Out

I've gone quite minimal on this one, although I did have a play with a dotty Creative Expressions mask to make the background. I embossed the card using the mask, then ran a Versamark pad over the mask so I could clear emboss the dots.

Challenges Entered
Passion For Promarkers - White on White
Penny Black at Allsorts - All Creatures Great and Small
Winter Wonderland - What a Cutie
Crop Stop - All White
Dutch Dare - All White
Thanks For Looking

Wednesday 16 November 2011

Trimming Tilda

This card is for My Mums Craft Shop, where this weeks theme is Mix and Match papers. I love this Tilda with her stocking feet and quirky hair, she looks so cute.

Challenges Entered
Creatalicious - Christmas sparkles
Magnolia Down Under - Sentimental
Thanks For Looking

Oldie But A Goodie

This is my second card as guest DT for Oldie But A Goodie - the theme this week is 'Let It Snow'. I've had this image coloured and ready for some time, so I'm glad to have had the opportunity to  use it finally.

Challenges Entered
Sweet Stamps - Non Traditional Christmas Colours
Craft Your Passion - Let It Snow
Dutch Magnolia Chickies - Christmas Card
One Stop - Ribbon and Lace
Thanks For Looking

Sunday 13 November 2011

Guest Designer at It's a Magnolia Challenge

A few weeks ago, I won a GD spot at It's A Magnolia Challenge the theme is Buttons and Bling.

Challenges Entered
Crop Stop -Colours of your flag (Wales, Red, White, Green)
Top Tip Tuesday - Anything Christmas Goes
Simply Magnolia - Anything Goes
Thanks For Looking

Seeing Spots

The theme this week for Secret Crafter is Spots and Stripes, so here's my take on the challenge with another not traditional Christmas colour scheme.

Challenges entered
Top Tip Tuesday - Anything Goes Christmas
Papertake - Christmas
Thanks for looking

Sugar and Spice

This is rather late -oops! This week, the challenge at My Mums Craft Shop is Sugar and Spice, and we got to work with images by Saturated Canary.

Challenges Entered
Saturated Canary - Autumn Colours
Crafty Catz - digi image
Dutch Dare - Punches & Dies
Cooking It Up With Katie - Fancy fold flowers
Digital Tuesday - Anything goes
Craft Your Passion - anything goes + brown
Paper Sundaes - Digital Images
Thanks For Looking

Monday 7 November 2011

Cards For Men

This is my first card made for the design team at Cards For Men. We all struggle with men!! so a little card inspiration can really help. This card uses a digital image, from Karens Doodles, I've not really used many digi's before, but am really warming to them, I have to say the fact that they don't take up any room is a real big plus. I did intend to colour the image, but then chose my papers and decided it looked good without.

Basic Grey - Anything Goes
Penny Black at Allsorts - All Creatures Great and Small
Karen's Doodles - Black and White plus 1 other colour (grey)
Thanks For Looking

Sunday 6 November 2011

Spellbinders Storage

I thought it might be useful to share the books I make to store my Nestabilities and other thin metal dies; I've had a look around the web and it seems quite a few people store them in the original packaging, but apart from the first few I bought, the packs are heat sealed and have to be cut apart which renders the pack useless. Anyway, this is what I do.
The pages to hold the dies are made from magnetic sheets - I found magnetic dry wipe boards, first from Home Bargains, but now my branch has run out, I'm using these from The Works. Each board will make two pages with a large chunk (technical term) left over. I save the pen holders for future projects (you never know!) and my husband uses the pens for work so nothing is wasted!!

At first my plan was to just bind the magnetic sheets together as they were, but then I thought they'd be more secure if they were inside something, so I bought some CD sleeves which cost about £1.99 for 50 at Wilkinsons. To stabilise the sleeves and to provide a strong place to punch my binding holes, I use acetate - for this I use packaging acetate from boxes and such, like the dies themselves are sold in. I stick the acetate to the sleeves with extra sticky tape (the red one) I ran out today, so I've had to use regular double sided.


My covers are art board off cuts, covered with designer paper, and I bind it all together with BIA wires then add my magnetic pages and dies.  I store the books flat to reduce strain on the binding.




So far I've made 6 of these - two for Spellbinders dies, one for Nellies & xcut, one for Marianne's, a longer one for longer label dies and one to keep my coloured images ready for making into cards. It's a system that works really well for me; my dies are organised and well kept as well as being accessible.
Thanks for looking.

Saturday 5 November 2011

Flaky Friends

I was lucky enough to be asked to be a Guest Designer at Challenge Up Your Life for November and December - this week, the challenge is Friendship. How cute do these two look making their snowman?

Challenges Entered
Bah Humbug - Snowman
Cardmakin Mamas - Die Cuts
Crop Stop - Create a snowman
Thanks for looking

Blue For You

This is my first card for the Secret Crafter Design Team! The challenge is to use flowers, ribbons and lace. There's some great inspiration over there so why not take a look and show us your take on the challenge.

Challenges Entered
Allsorts - Anything but square
Crafty Hazelnuts - Bright colours
One Stop - Number 3 (3 flowers)
Crafty Ribbons - Bingo (buttons, ribbon, embossing)
Thanks for looking

Let's Ink It Up

We have a new challenge starting today over at Let's Ink It Up This time we want you to share your favourite technique with us. This challenge is sponsored by Simon Says Stamp, who have generously donated a $20 store voucher.

Our second sponsor for November is Technique Junkie, who have donated a 3D and Fun Folds papercraft CD.

The technique I'm sharing is making my own background papers, using distress inks and resist technique. I started with plain white cardstock, stamped and heat embossed in clear, then added more images with the distress inks, before using more inks applied with a blender tool. Finally, I sprayed my paper with Perfect Pearls mist.

Challenges Entered
Just Magnolia - Anything Goes
Dutch Magnolia Chickies - Favourite  Magnolia Stamp
Winter Wonderland - Glitter - wings
CES - Song or Film 'There must be an Angel by Annie Lennox'
Top Tip Tuesday - Make your own background

Thanks for looking

Wednesday 2 November 2011

Buttons & Bows

I was lucky enough to be asked to be Guest Designer for November/December at An Oldie But A Goodie. The theme for the next couple of weeks is Buttons & Bows and it's a great opportunity to dig out your old stamps and breathe new life into them.

Challenges Entered
Basic Grey - Anything Goes
Ribbon Carousel - Anything Goes
CES - New Beginnings
Sweet Stampin - Anything Goes
Card Makin Mamas - Cut It Out
Thanks For Looking

Thank You

The challenge this week at MMCS is a Thank You card - something we'll all need with Christmas coming up. This is my card, and you can see what the other members of the team have been up to by following the link.


Challenges Entered
Deep Ocean - Sweet
Creative Craft - Fancy Edges
Stampavie & More - Anything Goes
Papertake - Anything Goes
Thanks for looking