With a Cherry on the Top !!

Happy wednesday folks, hope you get a share of any sunshine that happens to wander into the UK today !  Not a lot of it to go around right now and I feel sorry for anyone holidaying here this so-called Summer. 

As it's wednesday, a new challenge starts on the I Love Promarkers blog, this week our theme is 'Tutti Frutti' - interpret this how you will.   The Prize Sponsor this week is Joanna Sheen. 

I've gone with a fruity design for my DT card, bunches of cherries and a cupcake with a cherry on the top (hence my title for today's post).  Sorry I can't tell you who the images are by as I found them in my box of ready stamped images while looking for something appropriate for this week's challenge.  If anyone recognises them and knows the stamp manufacters' name, please do let me know.  The bp has tiny cherries in the design and was a magazine freebie.

I coloured the images with my Promarkers before cutting out and attaching over a layer cut with a nestie die.  I left the die in place whilst adding some Worn Lipstick Distress Ink using an Inkyliscous Duster Brush.  I then stamped a small flourish around the edges with the same DI and also the sentiment, before adding over a slightly larger layer cut with another of the nestie dies.  A little Stickles on the ribbons of the images and around the edges of the image layer, faux stitching drawn around the edges of the bp and I called it a finished card !

Thanks for popping by today, have a great one.

Happy Anniversary

Happy Monday everyone.  Today I'm sharing the card I made for my Niece and her Hubby who are celebrating their second wedding anniversary.  The weather currently couldn't be more different to that on their wedding day, which was a blazing hot and sunny day. Hope it warms up soon or I'm going to have to turn on the central heating brrrrrr......

I was playing with a recently acquired set of stamps from Inkadinkado and some SU! cardstock.  I stamped the images direct to the base card using Rich Cocoa Memento ink, then using  TH Distress Markers added green on the grasses and created the effect of sand between the two lower stamped images.  I also added touches of white pen to highlight parts of the images.  The flocks of birds are from an Inkyliscious set and the sentiment is from a set of stamps from the 'Wellington' range by DoCrafts, which I thought was a great sentiment for an anniversary card.  I also used a set of nesties to cut the two shaped mats in the centre.  The gems were from my stash.

Thanks for dropping by, hope you've enjoyed your visit.

Make and Take in Bodmin !

Just a quick post from me today, I'm busy gathering all the bits and pieces from my stash and assembling in what will become the temporary craft room (in the conservatory) for the next couple of days during the 'Royal' visit from the Purple Princess - whoo.... hoooo ! can't wait Kathy. 

As I promised, here's a pic of the fruits of my labour from the workshop and make & takes at the ArtStamps show in Bodmin yesterday.

I did add a few extra bits to the canvas and the Ecoboard brooch after I got home - gem bodies on the butterflies, Stickles and Glossy Accents mostly. 

The canvas was almost completed to my own satisfaction at the workshop, but I knew I just needed to add a few extra touches using my own stash!  

Having a SMASH*ing time !

I've had a great day today visiting the Art Stamps show in Bodmin, Cornwall with five crafting pals There weren't a huge number of stalls but the ones that were there were packed full of fabulous goodies. 

We all did a couple of 'make and takes' - one of them was with Stampin Up! where we made a fancy fold card, in the other we made a brooch from Ecoboard. 

I also signed up for was what described as a 'Scrapbooking Workshop', which actually turned out to be a decorated canvas session.  It was tremendous and messy fun and I'm pleased with the finished result, although want to add a few final touches using some of my own stash now I've got it home. 

I'll take some pics of today's projects and post them up on here tomorrow.

This week I ventured into the world of SMASH* Books, staring my very first pages in the SB I've had for a while.  I'm already hooked and everywhere I look I see things I want to add to a page or start a new page with.  So, here are my first five pages, lots of stuff from my recent vacation in the USA:

I'm loving how the pages just grow organically and constantly change as I find more interesting things to add.  I've started a couple more pages but I won't bore you with any more today, I'll save them for another day!

Hope you're having a great weekend - the weather is freezing here, hoping it warms up a bit soon as my Dad, Bruv and family are down in Cornwall for a week's holiday and we are planning to join them for a couple of days during the week.

Water...Water.....

Happy Thursday to you, hope you're having a great day.  There's a new challenge starting today over on the Cute Card Thursday blog with the theme "Water, Water" - interpret this how you will.  Our prize sponsor this week is Love to Stamp.

I selected a stamp from Sugar Nellie for my card as I thought this little cutie sitting in her boat was perfect for the theme.  I coloured the image with Copics and added Glossy Accents on the crescent moon and star, on the water and her sweet little hat.  The background papers were a digi download from Chocolate Baroque ages ago, I do love turquoise and dark brown together. 

The bunting was cut using a set of Whimsy dies from SU! cardstock and a scrap of the bp.  I added the image layer over another piece of the cardstock, and used more with an SU! scalloped punch to create a layer for under the LOTV sentiment.  The scrap of webbing in the bottom right corner was in my ribbon bag and I used some natural twine to string up the bunting. 

I decided on a simple layout as there is quite a lot going on in the image and I didn't want to draw the eye away from it by adding lots of embellies.

Hope you've enjoyed today's project, do check the fabulous creations from the rest of the DT over on the CCT blog they are such a talented bunch, it's a real pleasure to work with them.

For a Little Girl

Today's card is my DT card for this week's I Love Promarkers Challenge - we want you to make a card "For a Little Girl" and our prize sponsor is Lili of the Valley fancy having £10 to spend in the LOTV shop? then get your entries in for the challenge, you might just be the lucky winner !

For my card I've used this adorable LOTV stamp, isn't she just the cutest thing, playing with her teddy in the garden?  I've coloured her with Promarkers. of course. before cutting out with an oval nestie and layering over a scalloped oval cut with another nestie die from pale pink cardstock.  The lacy layer under the image was cut using a die from the Spellbinders Persion Accents set, as was the darker pink layer under the flower.  You can just see the dark pink border under the image layer, this was cut using a Marianne's border die, and I added a piece of bright green ribbon along the top edge of it to continue the green highlight of the grass in the image. 

The pink flower has been in my stash for a very long time and I thought it was about time it was used up !  Finally, the LOTV sentiment was stamped in Cottage Green Memento and added over the scalloped circle layer cut using a punch from SU!.  The bp was a magazine freebie which I thought was really pretty.  Just a few touches of Grapefruit Stickles on the flowers and it was finished.

This is the card I'll be sending to my Bruv's Granddaughter as it's her birthday later this month.

Look what I found on my bird table when I got up this morning - well, it was raining 'cats and dogs' LOL !

Thanks for visiting, hope to see you back again real soon.

Red, White and Blue Too......

I spent most of yesterday afternoon watching the Diamond Jubilee celebrations on the Thames -whilst doing a little crafting - creating another entry for this week's Red, White and Blue themed challenge over on Simply Less is More. 

For the past few months I've been undertaking the mammoth task of cataloguing all the stamps in my stash and rearranging my storage for them all.  Once it's finished it will be so much easier to look through the images in the catalogue when I want a particular stamp, rather than relying on my memory as to what I have ! 

As I was cataloguing a pack of stamps I received as a free gift with a purchase from Crafty Individuals, I found these two floral images.  Seeing them stamped in the catalogue sparked the idea of the design for this card.

The images were stamped using Memento Rhubarb Stalk ink before cutting out and attaching to the base card using PinFlair glue to raise them up a little.  The Hero Arts sentiment was stamped directly onto the base card using Memento Paris Dusk ink. 

Edited :  Just discovered this fits the challenge over on The Artistic Stamper Creative Team Blog, so I've entered it for that challenge too !

I was on a roll yesterday and created a few more batches of CAS cards, I'll share these with you over the coming days.

Thanks for stopping by to check out today's project, hope you enjoyed your visit.

Here Comes Summer .......

Well it certainly hasn't come to Cornwall yet, but 'Here Comes Summer' is the theme for this week's challenge over on Cute Card Thursday.  The prize this week is sponsored by Whimsy Stamps.

For my DT card I've chosen to use a magazine freebie stamp set from Whimsy as the images are just perfect for a bright summery card.  Don't you just love those cute little birdies?  I think they're adorable.  My Dad bought the magazine and I borrowed his set of stamps - might just have to get my own copy I think !

I've used some bp from NitWits; cardstock, circle punch and Sizzlet butterfly dies from Stampin Up!, nesties and dies from Marianne's and Memory Box, Martha Stewart Punch All Over the Page punch, flower design lace from my stash, Copics to colour the image, Glossy Accents and Stardust Stickles. 

I hope my card has brought a little sunshine into your day, thanks for dropping by today.

Red, White and Blue

These three colours are very prominent this weekend, and quite rightly so with such a momentous celebration for the United Kingdom, the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth 2nd is of great historic significance.  Even if one isn't a fan of the Royal Family (which I am and proud of it !) it's quite an achievement for a lady of the Queen's age to have worked in the service of her people for so many years and continues to do so.   Congratulations Your Majesty.

Red, White and Blue is the colour theme for this week's challenge on Simply Less is More and I've made this card as my entry.

I used SU! stamp sets to create my design, stamping the frame directly onto the square base card using Memento Paris Dusk ink.  I then used the matching shaped curly label punch to cut out a layer to attach over the centre of the frame.  On the label shape I stamped the sentiment in Memento Rhubarb Stalk ink and the tiny crown image with the Paris Dusk. 

The label shape is popped up using some PinFlair glue to give dimension and I used a dark blue Copic marker dragged around the edge to define the shape.  I added Glossy Accents to the little crown image and you can see this in the close up shot. 

The 'Celebrate' sentiment was stamped directly onto the base card using the Rhubarb Stalk ink.

A very CAS card and I'm really pleased with the finished result. 

Thanks for dropping by today, I hope you've enjoyed my latest project.

I made it into the Top Three..

My entry was voted as one of the Top three on the Lili's Little Fairies Challenge last week for my 'anything but square' Christmas card - which made me really happy !  (check my card out here if you've missed it)

Yesterday I had a lovely morning out with a couple of pals, visiting a local market town - Tavistock - where there are some very nice shops and a wonderful pannier market.  When we arrived we discovered there was a Vintage Clothes and Collectibles fayre in the Guildhall and I found this pretty Silver Jubilee mug filled with a scented soya wax candle on the Peagreen Furniture Company's stall.  There were candles in vintage cups and saucers, moulds and bowls etc, what a great idea and I was pleased to be supporting a local small business as they are located in Maidencombe, Devon. 

In the pannier market I found some pretty handpainted wooden buttons and couldn't resist buying a metre or two of this lovely lace. 

The darker green buttons are ceramic and I found them in another shop in the town.  I can now finish off the cardigan I've been knitting as I have some pretty buttons.

We then went for dinner with friends at a great Italian restaurant in Plymouth for the evening.  We haven't had chance to get togher with them for quite a while so it was a great opportunity to catch up with all our respective news.

There are quite a few new challenges this week which I'd like to enter, so I'm hoping to squeeze a little crafting time into the weekend.  Less is More have a Red, White & Blue theme, Lili's Little Fairies is 'Anything Goes' and on the Craftbubble Craft Mad and Loving Group it is 'Let's Celebrate a new beginning and open a bottle'.  Lots there to keep me busy I think, so I should have more projects to share with you very soon.

Hope you are having a great Jubilee weekend and thanks for taking the time to drop by my blog today.