Passion For Promarkers - special challenge!

Well this morning's already off to a bad start, with my kettle going pop and blowing all the fuses lol, so I'm a bit delayed getting started here!  Anyway... (and this is a very long post, sorry!)

It's a special day over at Passion For Promarkers as we're celebrating our 3rd Anniversary.  Team 2 is back after a 6 month break, so we're all together for this week and we have a nice easy 'birthday' theme for you - with a maximum of 3 entries per person just for this challenge.  To be eligible for our prize draw you must use Letraset products (i.e. pro, flex, tria or aqua markers) and of course follow the theme.  We have some fantastic prizes from lots of fabulous sponsors... here they all are...

Letraset are offering 3 lucky winners 1 pack of Limited Edition “Summer” promarkers.

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Joanna Sheen are offering 1 prize of a £10.00 voucher to spend in her online store.

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Crafty Emma’s store is offering one lucky winner a £10.00 voucher to spend in her online store.

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Polka Doodles are offering 2 lucky winners a copy of her mini CD collection “Pretty Sweet”.

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Bugaboo are offering once lucky winner 7 digi images of their choice.

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Pink Gem designs are offering one lucky winner their digi set called “Ewe make me smile”.

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DigiStamp Boutique are offering 6 digi images to one lucky winner.

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Bearly Mine Designs are offering one lucky winner 2 digi sets of their choice.

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Whimsy Stamps/Michele R Designs are offering one lucky winner a prize of $15.00 worth of digi papers.

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So many amazing prizes and lots of chances of winning this week :o)  Here's my card...

I've used a fab image from one of DigiStamp Boutique's 'offer of the month' sets, Funtime Dan.  This one is Biker Dan and I've coloured him with promarkers and flexmarkers, adding some stickles for sparkle on all the watery bits, but my photos have made that mostly invisible!  The papers are from a pack that the lovely Debs sent me, cardstock is from Papermill Direct.  The zig zag border was cut with a MS punch and the star is a sizzix primitive star die.  Sentiment is a new one from LOTV, ribbon and buttons from my stash. I think the buttons were a bit of a mistake, I'm not keen on that bit now!

I'm entering my card for the following challenges:

• Sketch Saturday - sketch
• Moving Along With The Times - keeping it real (no fantasy figures)
• Joanna Sheen - happy birthday

It's a lovely sunny day here - seems a shame to spend it in the craft room when it's so nice out, but there's lots of crafting to be done!  Hope you all have a lovely day :o)

Dancing Tulips - The Stamp Basket

It's my turn to post on The Stamp Basket blog today, and I decided to have a play with some dies instead of a stamped image for this week's card...

Items available from The Stamp Basket

Craftwork Cards scalloped edge card blank

Memory Box - Dancing Tulips & Tulip Petals dies

Whimsy corner dies set

The Hobby House - pearls

My Mind's Eye paper - Howdy Doody

Distress Ink - frayed burlap

Sentiment stamped in Rich Cocoa Memento ink

I've used 2 separate dies for the tulips - Dancing Tulips cuts the basic tulips and leaves, and Tulip Petals cuts the flower in 4 pieces, and then you just layer them up.  I used my new Stampin' Up framelits dies (not the biggest one, this is the next size down) to cut the central shape, and drew around the die on kraft card to make the mat.  The sentiment is also Stampin' Up, stamped in Rich Cocoa memento ink.

I'm entering my card for the following challenges:

• Secret Crafter - in the garden
• Totally Papercrafts - sketch
• Papertake Weekly - in the garden
• My Mum's Craft Shop - feeling blue/ get well soon
• Simon Says Stamp - clean & simple (please delete me if this isn't CAS enough!)

When I picked Dex up from nursery this afternoon, he said "I'm going to be really nice to Morgan today... and to Daddy".... "Oh, that's nice" I said "are you going to be nice to Mummy too?"... Dex thinks about it for a while... "No, I don't think so!"  Cheeky little monkey!

Have a lovely evening :o)

GDT card for Simply Magnolia

I was lucky enough to be chosen as Guest Designer for this week's challenge at Simply Magnolia, which is 'pearls and lace'.  Here's what I made...

I got myself all nervous deciding what to make and took forever to pick which stamp to use!  I finally decided on one of my new ones as I hadn't managed to use her yet - this is Tilda unanchor... I probably wouldn't have chosen this one if she hadn't been in the selection from the Magnolia stamp club, but I'm glad I've got her now, she's very cute :o)

I coloured her with promarkers and flexmarkers, and added my usual little Viva pearl dots.  The papers are digi ones from Raspberry Rd - Life Documented and Life Documented dots & solids, printed onto linen card.  The flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts, leaves cut with a woodware punch, swirl cut with a Cheery Lynn die and the sentiment is a digi one from Pink Petticoat.  The Whimsy corner die, ribbon and lace are all from The Stamp Basket and the pearls are from my stash.

I'm entering my card for the following challenges:

• Crafts and Me - pearls & lace
• Magnolia Stamp Lovers - hip to be square
• I Love Promarkers - anything goes
• Tilda's Town - anything goes (1st challenge)
• Truly Scrumptious - anything goes
• Crafty Catz - girlie time
• Bunny Zoe's - anything goes

I was supposed to be having a crafty afternoon, but every time I go upstairs the boys find something to argue about (hubby included!), so I've given up for now... will do a bit of hopping around your blogs and then we're off to my mum's for a couple of hours.  Crafting will have to wait until this evening!  Hope you're all having a lovely day :o)

Sweet Stampin' - fairies and angels

Time for a new challenge at Sweet Stampin' and this week we'd like to see 'fairies and angels'.  We're sponsored by Emerald Faeries who are offering one lucky winner 2 images of their choice, and our monthly sponsor is Joanna Sheen who is offering a £10 voucher for her fab online store.

Stupid moment(s) coming up....

Ok, so I really wanted to use these new Stampin' Up dies, but it was only when I'd nearly finished my card that I realised it wasn't actually going to stand up... oops!  So I'll have to make this one into an easel card later.  I still love the shape though!  I've used a sweet Emerald Faerie image, coloured with promarkers and flexmarkers and added my little Viva pearl dots. I've just realised I made a mistake with the colouring too - look at her tights!  How did I not notice that before?  The gorgeous spotty paper is a digi one from Raspberry Rd, printed onto linen card.  The sentiment is from one of the new LOTV sets, cut out with nestie oval dies, and the butterfly was cut with a Kars punch.

It all looks slightly wonky in the photo, but it's not - it's because I had to prop it against something to take the photo.... really there's no hope for some people you know!

I'm entering my card for the following challenges:

• Divas by Design - tickled pink
• Simon Says Stamp - clean & simple
• Papertake Weekly - in the garden (toadstools & fairies are sort of gardeny aren't they?)
• Pollycraft Monday - photo inspiration

Well we didn't get our day in the park yesterday, didn't really get the weather for it.  So we went to one of the local soft play centres instead, and mummy got to sit drinking hot chocolate and reading the kindle while the boys ran riot ;o)

Hope you're all having a good weekend so far!

Waste Not Wednesdays wk19

It's week 19 (eeeeek!) of my little Waste Not Wednesdays challenge, here to encourage you to dig out all that unused and neglected stash and get it used :o)  It's also my lovely Mum and her hubby Andrew's first wedding anniversary today, and this is the card I made for them...

I've had this cute LOTV stamp for AGES and the poor thing's never been inked until now - no idea why not!  I coloured it with promarkers and flexmarkers and added my little Viva pearl dots.  The papers aren't exactly old - they're from a Papermania pad I bought a few months ago, but I'd only used them once and then forgot about them.  All cardstock is from my scrap drawers (yes, I have 4 drawers... and a box... full of scraps!).  The sentiment is LOTV, gems are old ones from my stash, ribbon buckle from Wild Orchid Crafts.  The Whimsy corner dies and gorgeous vintage style ribbon are both available from The Stamp Basket.  I always have to decorate the insides to match when it's a card for my mum, she complains if I don't lol!

I'm entering my card for the following challenges:

• I Love Promarkers - anything goes
• CES Challenges - anything goes
• Secret Crafter - I love you Mum (hope this counts, it's an anniversary card for my mum & her hubby)
• Craft Your Days Away - all creatures great & small

I'm really sorry if I've not managed to visit your blog for the last couple of days - I'm visiting as many of you as I can, but the school have decided that the kids will be off on Friday... apparently they have to give an extra day because the Jubilee bank holiday falls when they'll be off anyway for spring bank.  They only told us at the start of this week though, and I've been trying to get everything done so that we can spend Friday in the park... after all this rushing, it'll probably rain all day lol!

Hope you all have a lovely evening :o)

Less is More - use 3 stamps

I have before and after pics for you today, as I had a little mishap while making my card for Less is More and had to do a bit of a cover up!  This week Chrissie and Mandi would like to see a one-layer card using 3 stamps - no more and no less... I wasn't sure what I wanted to make but decided on a baby card using one of the sweet new images from Pink Gem Designs.

This is my before pic...

You might just be able to see an ink splodge next to the sentiment... It doesn't look too noticeable on the photo, but close up it's very obvious - to me anyway!

So here's my after pic...

I've included both because I'm not sure if the addition of the butterflies 'passes' as a one-layer card!

The image is from Pink Gem's Baby Set, rotated slightly in PagePlus so that it curved across the corner.  I've used a sakura clear stardust pen to 'colour' sections of the image and also the border stamp, which is from a Kelly Panacci set.  I also added some little dots of pink stickles in the flower centres but they don't show up very well.  The sentiment is Stampin' Up, butterflies cut with a Kars punch and I added some little Hobby House gems.  Cardstock is pale pink hammered, possibly from Papermill Direct but I'm not sure.

Rushing off to fit some commenting in now, hope you all have a lovely evening :o)

Bildmalarna Tulip - The Stamp Basket DT

I'm running a bit late as usual, been busy in the craft room all day and haven't had chance to do any blogging... Here's my card for The Stamp Basket blog, using a gorgeous Bildmalarna stamp - I think she's so pretty :o)

Not sure why the last photo is so blurry!

Items available from The Stamp Basket

Craftwork Cards - on the edge card blank, scallop white (size 6)

Bildmalarna stamp - Tulip

Prima papers - Fairy Belle

Whimsy circle pennants die set & matching Celebration Circle Pennants stamps

Dovecraft white flat lace 2 1/4"

Vintage style ribbon - pink

The Hobby House - 8mm pearl brads, clear gems & pearls

Prima Essential petals - Belle (under the rose)

Distress Inks - frayed burlap & antique linen

I've coloured the image with promarkers and flexmarkers and added my little Viva pearl dots as usual.  I've used Bazzill thread to 'stitch' the bunting, adding a Hobby House pearl brad at each side.  The big pink flower (under the image) is from a bag of Craftwork Cards chipboard shapes I've had for ages - I painted it with acrylic paint, distressed it a bit and then sprayed with 'spray & sparkle'.  The pink hearts are 'waste' pieces from a Memory Box border die and the pink rose is from my stash.

I'm entering my card for the following challenges:

• The Sketchy Challenges - sketch
• Truly Scrumptious - anything goes
• Paper Sundaes - things with wings
• Charisma Cardz - pink & girlie

Apologies if I didn't get chance to visit you this weekend - it's not been the best few days but I won't bore you all lol... the yucky antibiotics were a bit of a disaster and there's just no getting past a 4yr old's clamped jaw!

Oh, nearly forgot - The Stamp Basket now has a Facebook page, do visit and 'like' it for all the latest info and offers :o)  Have a lovely evening!