As You Like It - anything goes

Hello everyone :o)

We have an anything goes challenge this time over at As You Like It... I'm at that horrible desperation stage of Christmas crafting, where you realise there aren't enough cards to go around and you're running out of time to do anything about it (or is that just me?).  I start making cards in small batches, in a state of mild panic, muttering about being more organised next year... the card I've made for this challenge is part of the batch that will go to the neighbours.  I still need to make a card for my mum, and poor Pav probably won't get one at all!

I cut the tree die from kraft card, then from different patterned papers, distressed the pieces and then placed them in the spaces left in the kraft card.  The handy thing about this design is that by cutting the tree die from 5 different papers, you end up with 5 slightly different variations.

Items Used

MFT die-namics Christmas Tree Cut-out die

Sentiment stamp - Simple Festive Greetings - LOTV

Papers - Vintage Christmas - LOTV

stamped in Memento Ink in Rhubarb Stalk

Doodlebug sequins

I'm entering my card for the following challenges

Allsorts - Christmas trees

Dies R Us - anything Christmas

Hiding in My Craft Room - keep it simple Christmas

Thanks for popping in, hope you have a lovely evening :o)

Everybody Art GDT - Christmas

Hello everyone :o)

I'm here with my Guest DT card for Everybody Art, where our challenge is 'Christmas'.

What tends to happen with me is that I'll make a reasonable pile of 'general' Christmas cards, and then realise as it looms closer that I haven't made any of the more specific/ special ones that I need for family members.  I have obviously done exactly the same this year, so I'm trying to catch up now - this one's for my auntie (and her husband), who prefers very simple cards, so I've tried not to go overboard with stuff.

Items Used

Digi stamp - Robin Cracker - LOTV Etsy Shop

Colouring - copics

Papers - Scandi Christmas - LOTV

Rectangle Frame Die - MFT Die-namics

Sentiment - Tonic Modern Merry Christmas die

Hessian (stapled into place) - Crafter's Companion

Glitter - clear Glamour Dust + Nuvo Clear Sparkle Pen (on the sentiment)

White textured + navy cardstock - Papermill Direct

I'm entering my card for the following challenges

Crafty Cardmakers - Christmas

Cutie Pie - add a little sparkle

Crafty Calendar - it's Christmas time

Card Mania - Christmas

Thanks for popping in, hope you have a lovely evening :o)

LOTV - Kitty Wishes

Happy Saturday :o)

Have you seen the new Simply Sweet digi sets released over on LOTV's Etsy shop last week?  You can see them all HERE.  Perfect timing for me, as I needed a card for a birthday party Dex was invited to.

I used the fab Kitty Wishes set (I really do LOVE these cats!), along with the 9 very cute images, you also get loads of sentiments to add to them, and they're super quick to colour.  The papers are from the Galaxy Stars set - if you want these don't hang around because once they've gone they won't be restocked unfortunately.  The star is an old punch, button and twine are from my stash.

I'm entering my card for the following challenges

Cute Card Thursday - anything goes (2nd entry)

2 Crafty Critter Crazies - anything goes (with a critter)

 Animal Friends - anything goes

Little Red Wagon - purrs & wags

Thanks for popping in, hope you're having a great weekend :o)

As You Like It DT - favourite Christmas animal

Hello again :o)

I'm here with my DT card for As You Like It, where our challenge is 'your favourite Christmas animal'.  I couldn't decide on one animal - I like anything cute really, so could have picked just about any reindeer, penguin, polar bear... and then I remembered James, so I've gone with my favourite Christmas bear!

The image is James - Pile of Presents, coloured with copics.  I used the old stamp version, but you can buy him as a digi in the LOTV Etsy shop HERE, or if you prefer stamps you can get a similar image (with just one present) in this set.  The papers are a mix of a recent Christmas pack that seems to have sold out and been removed from the LOTV shop now, plus the Watercolour Dots Cool Sunset set.  The sentiment tags are from this set, stamped in Memento Sweet Plum ink.  Added a Memory Box banner, a pearl from my stash and some Glamour Dust clear glitter.

I'm entering my card for the following challenges

Cheerful Sketches - fab sketch

Cute Card Thursday - anything goes

Dream Valley - Christmas

CRAFT - Christmas - the last stretch

Thanks for popping in, hope you have a lovely evening :o)

Hunkydory Review

Hello everyone :o)

I had an email a while ago asking if I'd like to review some products from Hunkydory, which I was very happy to do.  I'm going to split my review into a few posts, so here's my first one.

I make very few shaped cards (partly due to my inability to take half decent photos of them, as you can see!), so I thought I'd pick out something different for me and chose a pack of Box Stepper cards.  They could obviously be left plain or inked to decorate, but I made a rough template so I could use some of the pretty papers from the gorgeous Tons of Fun Craft Stack... I also added an image and sentiment from the Craft Stack, and there are loads more cute images included that suit all different occasions, so I'll show more makes later in the week.  The heart dies are Memory Box, flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts and leaves cut with an old Woodware punch, the blue enamel dots are Doodlebug.  The stepper cards fold flat to fit into a normal 6" square envelope (included in the pack).

Thanks for popping in, hope you have a lovely evening :o)

Snowmen & Snowladies - Sweet Stampin' DT

Hello everyone :o)

I'm finally starting to feel better after the horrible cold/ flu bug I've had for the last couple of weeks... still shaking off the cough, but feeling a bit more human at least!  Happy to be getting back to a bit of crafting again.

Our new challenge over at Sweet Stampin' is 'snowmen & snowladies', so that's another one to add to the Christmas pile.

I've used a sweet Lili of the Valley snowman from the Festive Folk 2 set, coloured with copics and added Glamour Dust for sparkle.  The papers are from the Scandi Christmas set and the sentiment is from Simple Festive Greetings.  The snowflakes are MFT die-namics dies, with a bright red enamel dot in the middle that for some reason looks almost black in the photo.

I'm entering my card for the following challenges

Simon Says Wednesday - anything goes

Crafty Catz - anything goes + optional too cute

Crafting by Designs - get ready for Christmas

The Holly & Ivy - anything Christmas goes

We had an actual rare night out last night, to see Rock of Ages at the Lyceum theatre... it was SO much fun, we loved it :o)  Nice to do something just the two of us for a change.  Thanks for popping in, hope you're having a lovely weekend.

Sweet Stampin' - sparkle & glitz

Happy Saturday :o)

I'm pooooooorly, so keeping this brief today!  Our challenge over at Sweet Stampin' is 'sparkle & glitz'... and it's also our fabulous 'boss lady' Abi's last challenge with us - thanks for letting me rejoin Sweet Stampin' Abi, we'll miss you xxx

I made a very simple card using a snowman stamp & die set from Clearly Besotted, with a sentiment stamp from this set from LOTV.   The square frame was cut using a MFT die-namics die from a fabulously sparkly Stampin' Up glitter sheet.

I'm entering my card for the following challenges

Allsorts - CAS Christmas

CRAFT - Christmas

The Paper Girls - do you want to build a snowman?

Off to get back to feeling sorry for myself, my voice has gone so at least I can't bore anyone about it out loud lol.  Thanks for popping in, hope you're having a lovely weekend :o)

Everybody Art GDT - grey & green

Hello everyone :o)

I'm here with my Guest DT card for Everybody Art, where our challenge for this fortnight is 'grey & green'.  It's not a colour combo I'd generally think to use, but really like it now I've tried it.

I used a shaped card blank (from Craftwork Cards, years ago probably), with papers from the Winter Woods set, plus a spotty piece from Frosty Christmas - Grey from Lili of the Valley.  The stamp is also LOTV from the Carol Singing set, which is currently out of stock, but you can now buy them in the LOTV digi shop on Etsy, along with lots of other lovely digis!  The image is coloured with copics, with some Glamour Dust for sparkle, the sentiment stamp is from this set, and I popped some sparkly enamel dots on some dark green circles, just because I liked how it looked... possibly taking my obsession for everything being matted onto darker colours too far lol.

I'm entering my card for the following challenges

Sketch Saturday - sketch (turned)

Crafty Cardmakers - lots of layers

Cutie Pie - winter layers

Crafty Catz - anything goes + optional getting ready for Christmas

Dex left for his first residential trip yesterday, so I've been keeping myself busy in the craft room trying to take my mind off him not being here... the house is so quiet, and he's not even a particularly noisy child!  The school have put a few photos up on twitter and they all look SO muddy, dread to think what state he's going to come home in lol.  They're back tomorrow evening, so won't be away from home too long.

Thanks for popping in, hope you have a lovely evening :o)

Wish Upon a Star - LOTV

Hello again :o)

I've used another of the lovely re-released stamps from Lili of the Valley for today's card, this one is Wish Upon a Star and is available HERE.

I coloured the image with copics, added some Nuvo clear sparkle pen on the tutu and star, cut it out and popped it on a Spellbinders 'blossom' die.  The papers are a mix of Galaxy Stars and Watercolour Dots - Warm Sunrise, also from Lili of the Valley.  The sentiment is one of the clear stamps Sally-Ann released before Digi Stamp Boutique closed (not sure if they'll still be available somewhere), and the stitched die is MFT die-namics, pearls from my stash.  The card is 5"x 7", just to give you an idea of the stamp size.

I'm entering my card for the following challenges

Sketch Saturday - sketch

Watercolour Wednesday - feminine anything goes

Thanks for popping in, hope you have a lovely evening :o)

As You Like It - monochrome or rainbow colours

Hello everyone :o)

Our new challenge over at As You Like It is 'monochrome or rainbow colours'... a fairly easy choice for me, as I make far more bright, colourful cards than monochrome ones.

I've used one of my favourite stamps from Lili of the Valley, which happens to have been re-released today, along with lots of other lovely stamps HERE.  This particular stamp is called Jasmine Phone and is available in THIS SET (with another fab stamp, plus sentiments).  I coloured the image with copics, the papers are a mix of Watercolour Dots - Warm Sunrise and Cool Sunset, the corner die is Whimsy, and I think the wavy sentiment dies are MFT die-namics.  Finished off with a Doodlebug enamel dot.

I'm entering my card for the following challenges

Allsorts - pretty papers (2nd entry)

Crafty Addicts - anything goes/ make it girly

Crafty Cardmakers - explosion of colour

Thanks for popping in, hope you have a lovely evening :o)

Sweet Stampin' - trees

Happy Saturday :o)

Our challenge for this week over at Sweet Stampin' is 'trees'... so I thought I'd grab the opportunity to add to the (tiny) Christmas pile.

I've had very little time this week for crafting, so I used an old pre-coloured image from Lili of the Valley, which is still available as an art sheet HERE.  The papers are from the new Vintage Christmas paper pad and the sentiment stamp is from the Simple Festive Greetings set, also from LOTV.  I added some sparkle to the image using Glamour Dust, an MFT die-namics snowflake layered with a MS punched one, plus a brad I found in my stash.

I'm entering my card for the following challenges

Allsorts - pretty papers

Simon Says Wednesday - anything goes

Cute Card Thursday - anything goes

CRAFT - winter

The boys have been off school for half term, Pav had the week off too, so I rarely get much computer/ crafting time when they're all around.  We've been busy shopping for Dex's first residential trip - they're only away for two nights, but from the list of stuff they need, you'd think they were going for two weeks lol.  And today we're off to one of Morgan's basketball games again, this one's about 2hrs away, so that's most of the day gone (we'll be there by the time this posts, I scheduled it).  Better get a move on and get us all ready... thanks for popping in, hope you're having a lovely weekend :o)

As You Like It - Favourite Autumn or Halloween colours

Hello everyone :o)

I'm here with my DT card for the new challenge over at As You Like It, where our theme is 'your favourite Halloween or Autumn colours' - don't forget to tell us why!  We're sponsored by Kinda Cute by Patricia Alvarez.

I'm a spring person really, but over the last few years since we got the dog, I've realised just how beautiful our walks are at the start of Autumn, when all those gorgeous rich colours appear (and the hot weather of summer usually cools down - yay lol!).  I do love Halloween colours too, but don't make many Halloween cards, so an Autumn theme is easier for me.

I've used a Gorjuss Girl stamp that I bought several years ago, along with a few others that have all remained unused... but at least I got this one out of the packet eh?!  It's coloured with copics, the papers are Crafter's Companion Autumn Morning, and the sentiment stamp is Clearly Besotted.  The flower is from Wild Orchid Crafts, the die is probably Memory Box and the hessian trim is from my stash.

I'm entering my card for the following challenges

Moo-Mania - autumn

Double Trouble - Halloween or Fall

Use Your Stuff - mood board

Dragonfly Dreams - autumnal colours

Stamping Sensations - shades of autumn

I'm in a bit of a rush posting tonight, as we're off to a college open evening for Morgan, so apologies if I've made any glaring mistakes/ omissions - I'll pop back and correct them later!  Thanks for popping in, hope you have a lovely evening :o)

Sweet Stampin' - chevrons or stripes

Happy Saturday :o)

This week at Sweet Stampin' our theme is 'chevrons or stripes'... I've got both on my card.

I've used a super cute stamp and gorgeous papers, both new over at Lili of the Valley... you can find the Carol Singing stamp set HERE and the Scandi Christmas papers HERE.  I coloured the image with copics, and added some Glamour Dust sparkle.  The stitched curved rectangle die is MFT die-namics, the red twine and silver note charm from my stash.  I added the charm because Dex spotted the card while I was making it, and claimed it for his piano teacher, so I thought I'd add to the musical theme for him.  The sentiment is from another LOTV stamp set available HERE.

I'm entering my card for the following challenges

Double D Challenges - stripes & dots

Simon Says Wednesday - animal antics

Crafter's Castle - anything goes + optional winter/ Christmas

We're off out tonight... well, sort of!  Some of Morgan's classmates are going on one of those trips, where they go to a deprived area (they're going somewhere in India) and work on some sort of charity project out there.  They have to raise several thousand pounds each in order to go, so they've organised a family quiz night tonight, and Morgan really wants to go.  I was quite looking forward to having almost nothing to do this weekend, as we had a rare weekend off from basketball games, but never mind!  Maybe it'll be fun, you never know lol.

Thanks for popping in, hope you're having a lovely weekend :o)

As You Like It - CAS or full of frills

Hello :o)

I'm still trying to 'encourage' myself to get in the craft room more often, so when I was asked to join the lovely team at As You Like It, I was happy to accept.  This week the challenge is to decide between 'CAS or full of frills', and we're sponsored by Crafts U Love.

So, I think my cards usually land somewhere between CAS or 'frills'... I do lots of paper and layers, but not many embellishments generally, so I chose CAS as my favourite.

The stamp and sentiment are from a Jane's Doodles set, the image was coloured with copics and then again with Nuvo clear sparkle pen.  The papers are (very) old K&Co ones and the dies are all MFT die-namics.  Finished with a Doodlebug enamel dot, which is one of the few embellishments I do manage to use.

Thanks for popping in, hope you have a lovely evening :o)

Sweet Stampin' - use a stencil

Hello... I'm late with this post again!  I really must start scheduling posts...

So, over at Sweet Stampin' this week our challenge is to 'use a stencil', something I don't often remember to do.  But I do have quite a few stencils, so it's good to get them out occasionally!

I do not love this card, in fact it very nearly ended up in the bin, but I suppose I don't hate it now it's finished.  The stencil is 'sun ray' from MFT, with white Stampin' Up ink sponged through it on purple card.  The Happy Birthday die is Crafter's Companion, leaves are from one of the MFT die-namics blueprints sets, and the stitched strip is also MFT.

Thanks for popping in, hope you have a lovely evening :o)

Everybody Art GDT - orange & brown

Hello everyone :o)

I'm here with my Guest DT card for Everybody Art, where our challenge is 'orange - brown'.

I'm not sure whether autumnal colours and butterflies really go together, but it's what I felt like doing, so I went with it!

The leafy frame die is a Tattered Lace one called 'A Little Bit Ditsy Leaves' that I won on a challenge (Allsorts?).... it's very lovely, but didn't really want to cut!  After turning it and running it backwards and forwards several times through my Gemini, I admitted defeat and added a shim, which finally worked... hurrah!  The border die is MFT die-namics and the butterfly die is a really old one that I actually can't find at the moment - luckily I had some white ones already cut in a basket, so I just added some distress inks, a bit of shimmer using a Tonic Nuvo clear glitter pen and some Papermania shimmer dots.  The papers are Crafter's Companion (Autumn Morning) and the sentiment is a Clearly Besotted stamp.

I'm entering my card for the following challenges

Simon Says Wednesday - anything goes

Allsorts - Autumn Glory

Crafty Catz - anything goes + optional colours of autumn

Die Cut Divas - Autumn/ Halloween

Crazy 4 Challenges - Fall

Sorry I haven't been around much, we've been a bit busy with decorating, and it was Morgan's 16th birthday last week... plus it's basketball season, so we have to get him to training twice a week and then all his games too.  And we've had secondary school open evenings for Dex, as he's in his final year of primary (sob!).  My boys are getting far too grown up!

Some slightly sweaty photos of Morgan after a recent game - yep, they got to choose their own numbers, and he chose '13' lol.

Thanks for popping in, hope you have a lovely evening :o)

Everybody Art GDT - anything goes

Hello :o)

I should have posted this yesterday, but I forgot!  So here's my Guest DT card for Everybody Art, where our challenge is 'anything goes'.

This one's a wedding card I needed for an order... the 'congratulations' stamp is an old one from LOTV (now unavailable), the flower and leafy dies are Memory Box, papers are old digi ones from Pink Petticoat and I found the silver ribbon and pearl in my stash.

Bit of a flying visit today, as I'm in the middle of decorating Morgan's new bedroom (which was the old craft room... you wouldn't believe the amount of junk I've cleared out of there!).  Thanks for popping in :o)

Cute Santa set - Digi Stamp Boutique DT

Hello everyone :o)

The new Digi Stamp Boutique Christmas release is now available from Lili of the Valley.  Grab them now, as NO digital products at all will be available from the end of September, LOTV have made the difficult decision to stop selling them due to increasingly complex EU rules around VAT.  The good thing to come of this, is that LOTV will be selling real stamps AND papers again, which will be fabulous, but I'm really going to miss Digi Stamp Boutique!  Have a look on the FB page for full info - lots of digi bundles and bargains to be had at the moment.

So, you may have noticed that Lili of the Valley sort of 'inherited' me from the Digi Stamp Boutique DT... so here's my first card for the new release, using the fab Cute Santa set and a sentiment from the Christmas Greetings Bundle.  I coloured Santa with copics, adding some Glamour Dust for sparkle.  The papers are digi ones from Northern Whimsy, the stitched oval and snowflake dies are MFT dienamics, and the pearls and card candy from my stash.

I'm entering my card for the following challenges
Crafty Gals - 3 or more layers
The Merry Christmas Challenge - anything Christmas
The Holly & Ivy - anything Christmas
Cute Card Thursday - dies & punches

Thanks for popping in, hope you have a lovely evening :o)

Papercraft Challenges - special occasions

Hello!  Sorry for the long gap... I've been busy but not sure that excuses quite such a long gap between posts.  Hopefully I'll be around a bit more now.

I'm here with my DT card for Papercraft Challenges, where our theme is 'special occasions'.  We're sponsored by Dr Digi who kindly provided images for the DT to use.

I made this for Morgan's 16th birthday, which is happening at the end of this month, and I'm totally in denial about!  I mean it's just not possible that I'll have a 16yr old soon, is it?!  The image is called Slam dunk Duncan, coloured with copics in his favourite Chicago Bulls colours with some neon yellow touches, as he likes a bit of neon.  The papers are old Doodlebug ones, and the '16th' sentiment is a Digi Stamp Boutique one available from LOTV HERE (or will be, when the site's working properly again!).

I'm entering my card for the following challenges

A Bit More Time to Craft - anything goes

Craft Rocket - boys/ men

Always Happy Birthday - birthday

Thanks for popping in, hope you have a lovely evening :o)

Everybody Art GDT - just words

Hello everyone :o)  

I'm here with my Guest DT card for Everybody Art, where our current challenge is 'just words'.

I'll hopefully provide a link to the printable text soon - it's from the Digi Stamp Boutique shop on Etsy, but doesn't seem to be available there yet.  I printed the text onto linen card (from Crafter's Companion), the papers are Bo Bunny, butterfly could be either Prima or Bo Bunny, I'm not sure.  The swirly die is a Memory Box one that I cut into two pieces.

I'm entering my card for the following challenges

Cheerful Sketches - fab sketch

Aud Sentiments - for the girls + a sentiment

Sorry for going quiet again, we've been to Wales for a week (Llanbrynmair, not far from Snowdonia) and had a lovely time... not got round to sorting out photos yet, but I'll pop some on Instagram when I get chance.  We did get quite a bit of rain, but the scenery was just gorgeous, and the best bit - no wifi in the cottage, so we actually got to spend time together, even with the teenage one lol.  We've discovered that we all like playing badminton, which is odd considering I've never enjoyed playing any sport really... just need to find some local courts now.

Pav's got this week off too, and we'd planned to do some day trips and maybe go to the cinema, find a badminton court.  But unfortunately within hours of getting home at the weekend, Pav's back gave up and he's not been able to do anything since!  He has an issue with one of the discs in his back, it's ok most of the time but flares up every now and then... it's probably down to all the driving this time, last time it went he'd been shoveling snow off the drive.  He needs an op at some point, but hopefully he won't need it just yet... fingers crossed it'll improve with a few days rest.  He can't even get in/ out of a car at the moment, so I don't think we'll be going far this week!

Thanks for popping in, hope you have a lovely evening :o)

Sweet Stampin' - CAS

Happy Saturday :o)

Our theme over at Sweet Stampin' for this week is 'CAS', so we'd like to see all your lovely clean & simple designs.

I will admit to cheating a bit this week... I really tried to make a card, but the heat in my craft room is on the unbearable side, and it defeated me!  So this is an older card that I didn't blog when I made it... made using Crafter's Companion stamps and dies, white embossing and Spectrum Noir AquaTint inks.  The background is simple splashes/ drips of the ink on white linen card (my mum said it looked like I'd bled on it, which is nice...).  Finished off with some Doodlebug enamel dots on the butterflies.

Thanks for popping in, hope you have a lovely weekend... isn't it great to see some rain at last?!  :o)

Ted teacher thanks - Digi Stamp Boutique DT

Hello :o)

I meant to blog this earlier in the week but forgot as usual!  This is the card I made for Dex to give to his teacher, who has done absolute wonders for his confidence this year... he's one of those children who quietly works away, getting top marks without making a fuss and absolutely not pushing himself forward for anything.  His teacher has been brilliant at giving him a bit of a push, telling him his writing skills are amazing and that he'll be an author one day (not sure he actually wants to be, but that's beside the point lol), so much so that he started working on the school newspaper and has been given the 'Editor in Chief' position for next year... he was so pleased with himself!

I've used a sweet ted called First Day at School, along with the Teacher Thanks set, both available from Digi Stamp Boutique at LOTV.  I coloured Ted with copics, the grid paper is a really old one from Doodlebug, the dies are all MFT die-namics, and the 'lined paper' was stamped with a large MFT background stamp in Stampin' Up 'soft sky' ink.

I'm entering my card for the following challenges

Cute Card Thursday - too cute

Addicted to Stamps - make your mark

Simon Says Wednesday - anything goes

Thanks for popping in, hope you have a lovely evening :o)

Hippo Tons of Fun

Hello again :o)

You may have already noticed that Digi Stamp Boutique have now moved to Lili of the Valley HERE... Sally-Ann decided to concentrate on drawing her lovely images, and released some very cute ones to celebrate the launch.

This one is Hippo Tons of Fun and I coloured him with copics.  The papers are Doodlebug, the stitched mats and the little tags are all MFT Die-namics dies, and I added some enamel dots and baker's twine from my stash.

I'm entering my card for the following challenges

Simon Says Wednesday - use a die/ punch

Dies R Us - birthdays

Crafting with Dragonflies - animals

Thanks for popping in, hope you have a lovely evening :o)

Papercraft Challenges - Christmas in July

Hello :o)

I'm here with my DT card for Papercraft Challenges, where our theme is 'Christmas in July'.

The cute image is from the Reindeer Blocks set from Bugaboo Stamps, coloured with copics.  I used a couple of different embossing folders on white linen card, some purple Centura Pearl card and a sentiment stamp from Clearly Besotted.

I'm entering my card for the following challenges

The Holly & Ivy - anything Christmas goes

Creatalicious - anything goes + optional no patterned paper

Simply Create Too - no pattern paper

Cute Card Thursday - anything goes

I'm having a proud mum moment as I've had an email from one of the teachers who was with Morgan on his trip to France last week... it made me cry!  Here's part of it...

'I wanted to spend a bit of time to let you know that no other student has made me feel prouder of being a teacher than your son.

Every day during the trip Morgan was an absolute pleasure to have in my group and made the whole trip worth while. He had a strong phobia of heights and what impressed me more than any other student was the fact he did not let that stop him and ploughed through the activities regardless! 

Morgan has inspired me as an individual and I am convinced he will continue to inspire those around him as he grows up into an awesome young gentleman!'

 How lovely is that?!  And so nice of him to take the time to write to us.  Morgan told me about this particular teacher, and said he couldn't have managed some of the activities without his encouragement.

Thanks for popping in... back tomorrow with another card, that's quite productive for me lately lol.  Have a lovely evening :o)

Sweet Stampin' - occupations or hobbies

I'm playing catch up with my blog posts, so this one should actually have been blogged on Saturday and I'll post my card for Papercraft Challenges tomorrow (should be today!).

Our theme at Sweet Stampin' for this week is 'occupations or hobbies'... I needed some teacher thank you cards for a customer, so I thought they'd fit the challenge nicely.

I've used some fab printable sentiments from Digi Stamp Boutique... now you may have noticed that Digi Stamp Boutique have recently moved to LOTV HERE, but Sally-Ann's printable goodies (including this particular set) are available through her Etsy shop HERE.  The papers are Doodlebug and the apple was from an old Digi Stamp Boutique set, the shaped frame die is MFT die-namics.

We've had a couple of lovely days away in Wales over the weekend... Morgan was away on a week-long trip to France with school, so we thought we'd surprise Dex with a little holiday as we knew he'd be missing Morgan.  It was Pav's birthday on Saturday too, so it was perfect timing... and we had birthday cake for breakfast lol.  We're all going back to Wales in a couple of weeks for a full week away, so we'll get to explore it properly then (first time we've been this weekend)... we were in Llangrannog this time and it was just gorgeous!  Morgan came back yesterday morning (exhausted, and with a very smelly bag of washing!), he's had a great time, but I spent the whole day trying to poke him awake so he'd be able to sleep at night lol.

Then yesterday afternoon we ended up at the children's hospital with Dex, because he was having abdominal pains towards the end of school, plus a temperature and refusing to walk as it hurt too much!  It's really not like Dex to make a fuss, so school were concerned it could be appendicitis.  Doctor at the hospital said it could be the beginning of it, but he didn't think it was, so just to keep an eye on things really... he's been fine today, so fingers crossed it won't turn into anything.

I'll be back tomorrow... thanks for popping in :o)

Sweet Stampin' - summer brights

Happy Saturday :o)

Our theme over at Sweet Stampin' for this week is 'summer brights'... my (teenage) son needed a birthday card for his friend, so I've gone CAS for this one.  It's always safest with those male teenage creatures to go for super simple, just on the off chance I inadvertently add something embarrassing (worst crime ever....).

There are lots of card blanks in my stash, from the 'old days' when I often bought them instead of just cutting them myself... I recently found several packs of tall, thin cards, 21cm tall and just under 7.5cm wide, they've got a fab ribbed texture too, and really suit CAS designs I think.

I used the 'sun ray' stencil from MFT, with Distress Inks in Squeezed Lemonade, Ripe Persimmon and Festive Berries.  The sentiment is a stamp from this set from Digi Stamp Boutique, embossed in detail white on black card and popped up on foam pads... and that's it!  Sooo simple but approved by the teenage one :o)

I'm entering my card for the following challenges

Simon Says Wednesday - anything goes

Craftaholics R Us - sunshine

Cute Card Thursday - CAS

Seize the Birthday - anything goes

Thanks for popping in, hope you have a lovely evening :o)

Everybody Art GDT - birthday

Hello... apologies again for how quiet my blog is at the moment, I'm just not feeling all that motivated with crafting/ blogging lately.  Hopefully I will again soon, but I'm not going to force it... I'll just make/ post when I can.

I'm here with my Guest DT card for Everybody Art, where our theme is 'birthday'.  This one is also my 'annual pig card' for those regulars to my blog - one of my mum's friends loves pigs, so I have to find a new pig for her card every year!

This year's pig is a super cute one from Lee Holland, coloured with copics.  The papers are Echo Park 'Happy Summer', the sentiment is a stamp from Digi Stamp Boutique HERE.  I added a Whimsy corner die, some punched butterflies and Doodlebug enamel dots.

I'm entering my card for the following challenges

Cute n Crafty - birthday

Cutie Pie - spots & dots

Always Happy Birthday - birthday + optional summer birthday

Crafty Catz - anything goes

Crafty Gals - summer colours

Thanks for popping in, hope you have a lovely evening :o)

You Rock set - Digi Stamp Boutique DT

Hello :o)

You would not believe how long it took to photograph this card... I'm not sure I believe how long it took to photograph this card!!  Occasionally I like to prove to myself (again) just how useless I am at getting photos of anything that isn't square...

It's only got the front folded in half, nothing remotely complicated, but I was quite pleased with how it turned out.  I used a new set from Digi Stamp Boutique called You Rock, which comes with the Father's Day text that I've added.  The papers are foiled ones from a Craft Sensations pad (from the Range), I added some sparkly gold dots and a MFT die-namics bow die and that's about it.

I'm entering my card for the following challenges

Simon Says Wednesday - frame it

Craftaholics R Us - kraft

Cardz 4 Guyz - Father's Day

Thanks for popping in, hope you have a lovely evening :o)

Male sentiments - Digi Stamp Boutique DT

Hello everyone :o)

I actually have a few cards made for a change, so hopefully my blog won't be empty this week!...

Today's card is a quick and simple one, using a new set from Digi Stamp Boutique called Male Sentiments - Distressed.  I made the 'Grandad' text quite big (the card is 6 x 8") and added the 'Father's Day' sentiment from this set.  The dog is a Marianne Design die, and the background was made by dabbing various distress inks onto a MFT watercolour backdrop stamp and then stamping several times.

I'm entering my card for the following challenges

Always Fun - for a male/ dad

Crafty Cardmakers - for a man/ boy

Crazy 4 Challenges - masculine cards

Simply Create Too - for a male

Thanks for popping in, hope you have a lovely evening :o)

Sweet Stampin' - presents

Hello everyone :o)

Apologies for a very boring blog lately, hopefully things will pick up a bit when the kids go back to school next week!  Today's card is for our new challenge at Sweet Stampin', where this week's theme is 'presents'.

I've used a cute image from Bugaboo, as the dog looks a bit like a friend's dog and it's his birthday on Monday (the friend, not the dog lol).  It'll also be our wedding anniversary, so I need to get a wriggle on and make a card for Pav!  Anyway... I coloured the image with copics, the papers are Doodlebug, sentiment stamp is Clearly Besotted and the black twine is from my stash.

I'm entering my card for the following challenges

Catch the Bug - anything goes

Sweet Stampers - birthday

Seize the Birthday - patterned paper

Simon Says Wednesday - anything goes

Thanks for popping in, hope you have a lovely weekend :o)

Everybody Art GDT - for friends only

Hello everyone :o)

I'm here with my Guest DT card for Everybody Art, where our new theme is 'for friends only'.

This stamp is one of many that I've had for ages and not used at all... maybe one day I'll get them all inked (ha!...).  It's a Roberto's Rascals stamp from CC Designs, the sentiment is also from a CC Designs set.  I coloured the image with copics, the papers are My Mind's Eye (I think... I keep grabbing random papers from piles that need clearing up on my desk, and then forgetting what I've used!).  The flower and leaf are MFT Die-namics dies, the little heart/ bow die is Memory Box, although I cut it up and used two small hearts instead of the bigger one.  Added a button and enamel dot from my stash.

I'm entering my card for the following challenges

Dragonfly Dreams - here come the girls

Pile It On - sports/ hobbies/ and/or make us laugh

Colour Crazy Challenge - anything goes (with hand coloured image)

Thanks for popping in, hope you have a lovely evening :o)

Sweet Stampin' - bunnies or bears

Hello everyone :o)

I'm here with my DT card for Sweet Stampin', where our challenge for this week is bunnies and/ or bears... now I do have a real soft spot for bears, but thought I'd use this sweet bunny again instead.

Isn't he just adorable?  He's called Heart Bunny, and is a clear stamp from Digi Stamp Boutique HERE.  He comes with lots of sentiments, but I've used one from this set.  I coloured him with copics, the papers are... ermm... actually I've forgotten, I'll have to check later!  The stitched squares were cut with an MFT die-namics die, little sparkly dots from my stash.

I'm entering my card for the following challenges

Allsorts - happy birthday

Crafty Friends - B is for (bunnies, birthdays, bling)

Alphabet Challenge - D is for dots

As You Like It - favourite pink or blue and why (I'll be completely honest and say I could easily have chosen either, I like both, but probably reach for pink a bit more often, particularly for more 'girly' cards)

Thanks for popping in, hope you have a lovely evening :o)

NEW Special Dad - Digi Stamp Boutique DT

Happy Saturday :o)

Just popping in with some quick cards I made this afternoon, using a fab new set from Digi Stamp Boutique.

This set is Special Dad - Square - perfect for quick Father's Day makes.  I printed the images on linen card, added Glamour Dust around the inner circle for a bit of sparkle and shimmery silver dots, for a bit more sparkle lol.  The papers are digi ones from Raspberry Rd, found in my printed stash (I have lots!), and everything is matted on silver mirri card from Hunkydory.

I'm entering my cards for the following challenges
MAWTT - sentiment only, no images
Simon Says Wednesday - for the boys
Brown Sugar - masculine/ father's day

Thanks for popping in, hope you have a lovely evening :o)

Everybody Art - hidden message

Hello everyone :o)

Ooh, isn't it hot?!  Too hot for me really, but I'm not complaining (yet lol), we've had such a loooong winter it makes a nice change to feel the sun.

So, I'm here with my Guest DT card for Everybody Art, where our theme this week is 'hidden message'... eek!

I'm not very imaginative with this sort of thing, at all!  But I needed a card for Pav's step-dad, and I had a fun CD to play with that came with Making Cards magazine.  So I've used one of the dog images from the CD, placing that onto its own 'mini-card', then used a fab digi sentiment from the Large Birthday Sentiments set from Digi Stamp Boutique on the 'inside' and fixing the 'mini-card' onto the card front.  I added a little twill ribbon tab to make it easier to open, and wrapped bakers twine around the card front to keep the image panel closed.  I coated the dog's glasses with Nuvo clear sparkle pen, and added some little buttons from my stash.

I'm entering my card for the following challenges

Simon Says Wednesday - animal magic

Back to Basics & Beyond - use a craft CD or kit from a magazine

Crafty Friends - animals

Allsorts Challenge - fancy folds (not sure it qualifies as fancy, but t'is a fold lol)

CD Sunday - anything goes

Thanks for popping in, hope you have a lovely evening :o)