Our final Karen's Doodles UK challenge!

Well, it's time for the current DT's very last challenge at Karen's Doodles UK, so I'd just like to thank Anne and Joey for keeping everything running smoothly for us for the last few months.  Good luck to all the DT with whatever you're up to next - although I'll still be popping in to see you all :o)  This week our challenge is 'white on white'... not the easiest for me, but I needed a card for a wedding we're going to on Friday so that's what I ended up making.

I've used the 'here comes the bride' image, available here, coloured with promarkers, and I've added glamour dust on the bride's shoes and bodice for a bit of sparkle.  I've used white linen card and embossed it with the cuttlebug swiss dots folder, then just layered everything up and inked all the edges with 'tattered rose' distress ink - this is possibly cheating slightly as it's not totally white is it?!  Added some lace and a computer generated sentiment and that's about it... oh, I did add some viva pearl stuff on the earrings and necklace but I didn't make a very good job of it!

I'm also entering my card for the following challenges:

• Totally Gorjuss - congratulations
• Digital Tuesday - dazzle me
• Simon Says - we're all going dotty

Hopefully I'm off to do a bit of blog visiting now, if the kids let me - I'm finding it really hard fitting everything in at the moment, what with having both kids at home winding each other up, catching up from our holiday (I'm STILL wading through all the washing!) and making sample cards for lots of lovely new stamps from Little Claire.  So there might not be too much happening on my blog this week, but should be lots to show you next week.  I think it's about time I did some blog candy too, haven't done any for ages so I'll try and sort that out... maybe I'll do it as a mystery one, what do you think?

I'm baaaack!

Hello!  We're back from Cornwall - had a fab time (although it rained a lot!) but it's always good to get home isn't it?  I think the break has done me good, I can't wait to get back in the craft room :o)  I probably won't have a card to show for a few days, because I've got lots of Little Claire samples to make that I can't show yet, so I thought I'd put a quick holiday pic on instead.  This was our view from the cottage, and we had access to the fields past the bottom of the garden, so the kids have had great fun running wild lol.

Off to do a bit of blog hopping now :o)

Karens Doodles 19th challenge

Well it's Wednesday again and it's time for another challenge at Karen's Doodles UK - this week we'd like to see some different shapes... although I think I've cheated again a bit, because mine's more of a different fold than a different shape!  I've made this card for Morgan's teacher - Morgan asked for a footall themed card, because his teacher is also the head of P.E. and really loves his sports.

I've used this cheeky little footballer image, available here, coloured with promarkers.  The papers are Doodlebug, with coredinations (black) and DCWV (green) cardstock.  The lettering was cut with the Sizzix 'night & day' alphabet dies, sentiment tag is a nellie snellen die with a computer generated sentiment, and the ribbon was coloured to match with a promarker.

I'm also entering my card for the following challenges:

• Stampavie & More - anything goes
• Cute Card Thursday - school's out for summer
• Donna's Den - it's a man's world
• Creative Inspirations - let's get physical
• For Fun Challenges - use your favourite colouring medium/ technique

Well, this is probably the last card I'll be blogging before I go on holiday, as we leave early on Friday morning and I've got lots to do before we go.  We're off to Cornwall, to stay in a little cottage near Bodmin Moor, and I can't wait!  I'm not looking forward to the journey though - around 6hrs in a car with a 2yr old and a 7yr old, should be great fun.... NOT!!!

It's that bear again...

As some of you will know from last night's panicky post - when we realised water was leaking through the living room ceiling - we've had a bit of a disaster in our house!  I'd actually more or less finished this card when we spotted the leak, so I've not had chance to blog it until now.  We've had my auntie's husband (he's younger than me, I can't call him uncle!) here ALL DAY sorting the problem out, bless him, so it's only cost us the price of the parts he's used (and a big crate of beer that we'll get him to say thank you).  All seems to be ok at the moment, fingers crossed.  Apologies for not getting around anyone's blogs today, but it's been a bit chaotic.

This card is for my auntie (the one with the lovely young hubby), her birthday is next week, but we'll be away on holiday then.  I've used the lovely LOTV bear stamp again, coloured with promarkers - I thought I'd try him in bright colours this time as my last one was pastels, not sure if it works?  The papers are Making Memories, with coredinations cardstock.  Butterfly cut with the MS monarch butterfly punch, with flat back pearls added, sentiment is from Elzybells.  The bottom of the easel is VERY BORING INDEED... this was the bit that I finished 'after leak' and I wasn't really in the mood.  I think it needs something else adding but I'm not sure what.

I'm entering my card for the following challenges:

• Lili of the Valley - sketch
• Bunny Zoe's - summer days
• Pollycraft - bold & bright
• Passion For Promarkers - animals (hopefully my bear counts, I'm never sure with bears!)
• Papertake Weekly - in the garden
• Party Time Tuesdays - anything goes birthday
• Delightful Challenges - bright summer colours

Eeeek!!!!

It's not generally a good thing when there's water leaking through your living room ceiling, is it?!  Nooooo!!!

Different one for me - CAS?

After my slight cheat of a CAS card for Karen's Doodles UK a few days ago, this one is real CAS I think?  I saw a similar layout (by Clare Curd I think) in a magazine and thought it'd work for this one - it's actually a sympathy card for an online friend who recently lost her dad, but I'm not keen on 'with sympathy' as a sentiment, just a personal preference, so it's 'thinking of you' instead.

I've used some gorgeous new papers that I couldn't resist on a recent visit to my local craft shop - they're 'Ella Blue' by GCD Studio.  The cardstock is coredinations, 2-layered butterfly cut with a Quickcutz die (I think), sentiment stamp was part of a magazine subscription gift and is by Stampin' Up, flat back pearls from stash.  I was about to say not a promarker in sight, but I did use a duck egg one to edge around the sentiment :o)

I'm entering my card for the following challenges:

• Flutterby Wednesdays - open challenge (use a butterfly, fairy or angel)
• Creative Card Crew - die cuts (my 2nd entry)

Apologies for being a rubbish blogger lately, I may have mentioned (in a moany whingey fashion) that I'm not very good in the heat, and it's been unbearable lately.  I kept going in the craft room and trying but I couldn't make a thing, and I've just felt drowsy and ill all the time.  It's a bit cooler today (hurrah!!!) so I can finally get crafting again - will try and do some blog visiting later too after I've made a couple of DT cards.

One cute bear!

Second post today, that's not like me is it?  I finally got round to ordering some lovely Lili of The Valley stamps, ordered 3 of the bear ones online, then went to my local craft shop and they had the new stamp sheets that have 4 stamps on them (plus sentiments), so I bought the girlie sheet.  So, I've gone from having none of them, to having 7 in just a few days lol :o)  Being slightly stupid though, I only realised when I was halfway through my card that I could have followed the LOTV sketch!

I do love this little bear, I think he's adorable!  I've used my usual promarkers to colour him, the papers are from the K&Co Small Wonders Girl pad, with pink linen cardstock from my stash.  Added some raffia lace (love this stuff), used the MS scallop dot punch to make the border and finished with a computer generated sentiment.

Just the one challenge this time - I followed the sketch at Create4Fun.  I'm off to do a bit of blog commenting now - I didn't do any yesterday seen as everyone's comments seemed to be going missing, so I need to catch up.

Karens Doodles 18th Challenge

Time for a new challenge at Karen's Doodles UK and this week we're going 'clean and simple'.  Not a huge stretch for me, but I always think real 'CAS' has to involve lots of white space, something that I just CAN'T do!  I tried, I had the best of intentions, but I caved and this is what I ended up with.

I've used this super cute Peekaboo Boy image, coloured with promarkers - the 'peekaboo' sentiment is computer generated, printed onto the image.  The paper is from the K&Co Small Wonders Boy pad, cardstock from my stash.  Added a Craftwork Cards sentiment, mounted on a nellie snellen die, and some Papermania buttons to finish.  Really simple card, but I quite like it.

I'm also entering my card for the following challenges:

• Passion For Promarkers - give us a laugh
• Sentimental Sundays - celebrations
• PaperPlay Challenges - card for a child or teenager

Hopefully naughty blogger will be playing nicely today - I think most of us had a problem with comments disappearing yesterday, fingers crossed it's working again today!

Mikey with beer

Another card that I've missed a challenge deadline for, oops - I made this for last week's Sketch Saturday, but they're on a new sketch now, oh well!  I've made this one for an order - we go on holiday in less than 2wks and I'm starting to worry that I won't get everything done in time.  I'm sure I'll manage all my orders, but I've got hubby's birthday next week and my auntie's birthday is while we're away so I'll need to find some time to make cards for them too.  A few more (child-free) hours each day would be nice!

I've used a Mikey Monkey image from Digistamp Boutique, coloured with promarkers, with a touch of glamour dust on the beer froth.  The papers are Papermania, with coredinations cardstock.  Stars cut with nesties, computer generated sentiment and big flat back pearls from my stash.

I'm entering my card for the following challenges:

• Creative Card Crew - to die for (use die cuts)
• I Love Promarkers - stripes
• Simon Says - check it out
• Digistamp Boutique - monthly competition (2nd entry)

Five cards - same but different!

Apologies for all the photos - I tried to make them smaller and put them next to each other instead of one below the other, but I couldn't do it!  Here's another batch of teacher thank you cards that I've made for an order.  I've used the same image and sketch on them all and just changed the papers to make them all a little bit different.

The image is from Digistamp Boutique, coloured with promarkers.  The papers are all K&Co sparkly sweet, with a mix of coredinations and DCWV cardstock.  Centre panel embossed with a sizzix embossing folder, then sanded back, stickles added around the circle for a bit of sparkle, computer generated sentiments and butterflies cut with an MS punch, with some flat back pearls from my stash.

I'm entering my cards for the following challenges:

• Totally Papercrafts - one for the girls
• Craftalicious - cute
• Stampavie & more - sparkling
• Digistamp Boutique - monthly competition
• Donna's Den of Crafts - sketch

Apologies for the short and boring post - busy, busy, busy!

A quick card and some NEWS!

Well, not my best card is it?  But I'm absolutely useless in this heat - I'm finding it sooo frustrating because I have loads of orders and the craft room is just too hot.  I've got 6 cards that are all at the half-done stage, because I can just about manage to cut all the papers, lay everything out and stick things down, but I can't colour in the heat - I totally lose my colouring mojo!  Unfortunately for me, it's meant to be just as hot all weekend, and they're going to have to be coloured, so I'll just have to get on with it.

Enough of my moaning!  I have some fab news - I've been invited to join the Design Team at Little Claire Designs :o)  They have lovely stamps and lots of other gorgeous goodies, so it should be lots of fun.  I can't wait to find out who else is on the team!  I've made a quick card, because that's about all I can manage at the moment (sorry, I did say I'd done moaning didn't I?), using Little Claire's Happy Little Mice stamp.  I've cut the image into 3 sections, coloured them with promarkers, mounted them on orange DCWV cardstock and trimmed around them.  The spotty paper is DCWV, bright pink cardstock is from Papermill.  Flowers are Green Tara with a button from my stash.  Added a few pink flat back pearls and an ancient foiled die cut sentiment that I've coloured with a promarker - looks fine in 'real life' but isn't showing up well in the pic.

I'm entering my card for the following challenges:

• Cute Card Thursday - let's get fruity (fruity colours)
• Kaboodle Doodles - celebrate summer (summer colours)
• The Creative Cottage - summer surprise
• Allsort Challenge - embossing (embossed image)

I'm off to try and watch Andy Murray in the Wimbledon semi-final - Dex isn't happy having it on, every few minutes he shouts loudly for Bob The Builder or Roary The Racing Car pleeeeease, and when I say we're watching the tennis, he says 'no fair!' lol.