I Love My New Banner!

I am sooooo lucky to have a friend like Karen who created this gorgeous new banner for my blog. The colours are just lush and I love the little birdie with a heart in it's wing. Karen is such a lovely person and we became 'cyber-friends' by chance through me buying stash from her shop 'Charmed Cards and Crafts' - http://www.charmedcardsandcrafts.co.uk/ and as well as a really well stocked shop there is a great friendly forum there too with a lovely bunch of girls - check it out, everyone is welcome. Thanks Karen - a card is winging its way to you to say thanks! She is also responsible for me becoming a Rockin Girl Blogger, so thanks again - I just need to choose my five favourites to tag now.

I created this thank you card for my friends Olga and Adrionos in Cyprus who really made our holiday with their wonderful hospitality. Papers are BG Recess, Prima flowers, PM brads, handmade orange and gold paper, rub-ons and stitching detail. I wanted the colours to reflect the warmth felt from them as well as the sun!

My nail technician bought 3 cards from me yesterday and I have to admit feeling sad at letting them go. Do you ever feel that? I think it's probably because the cards I have made recently have had so much more put into them than the ones I make for school fundraising, which are much more simple to put together. Still, at least I photographed them so I could recreate if I wanted to.

Rung my crafty friend Sally last night to ask if she wanted to come to G-Mex on Saturday and she was really excited about going. It's much more fun going with someone else and, going by our previous visits to shows, we will be there until chucking out time! Really looking forward to seeing all that new stash - I feel like a child coming downstairs on Christmas morning when I go in the exhibition halls, lol.

Right then, time to get creative!

This is my entry into the CardMakers United Challenge which is running at the moment. Here is the brief:

'The theme is 'Seaside', that's it! so your card can incorporate anything with a seaside theme; shells, sea, sand, deck chairs, candy floss...the possibilities are endless.

I was struggling to put it all together, then I spotted my Dolly Mamas stamp on the shelf. I stamped the image twice and decoupaged it using Whispers pens and a waterbrush to colour. The background is Bazzil card, and for the sea effect I rubbed a white colorbox chalk inkpad to create the waves and tore the bottom edge to show the white core. The sand is created with Tim Holtz Distress embossing powder 'Antique Linen' and the starfish is diecut. Finally, the sun embellishment I picked up some time ago; can't remember where. Looking at the finished result reminds me of myself on the beach in Cyprus, lol.

Really enjoyed myself today with a visit to the craft shop (well, I haven't been for over a week), and catching up on a few challenges. Just realised that G-Mex is this weekend and I am free so am really excited about going having never been to that show before.

Today's 'Little Extra' from Daring Card Makers is veeeeery interesting.......'Take a Letter Ms Jones.'

'OK, it's not about monograms, we've already done that. This time the challenge is to pick one letter and see how many things you can use on your card that begin with that letter.Now then, you can't choose "P" and just have pink paper, pink brads, pink ink, pink ribbon - oh no no no, that's not the way it works!You could however, useA pink card blank, paper, petals, plasma, a monogram P, something Purple, a Flower Pot...Or how about B?brads, buttons, birthday, banana (well, you never know..) blue, black, brown, blooms, buckles, bowsOr Sspots, stripes, string, sandals, Stickles, sunshine, stars, snowGot the idea? We're hoping this one will be great fun as well as maybe making you think really hard...'

So, I decided to have some fun with this one and take up the challenge of including a banana! Here is what I have included on my card - Bubbles (the name of the monkey of course!!!), BANANA, butterfly, balloons, brad, button, bow-tie, bling, ball, Best Birthday, blue and black and lots of other BRIGHT colours. 'Bubbles' is from DCWV Nana's Kids and the paper was a magazine freebie from yonks ago.

Next I did last week's mid-week challenge....

'Dash it! That's put me on the spot.....

Dot Dot Dot Dash Dash Dash
We'd like you to make a card featuring dots and dashes, spots and stripes - that's it, a nice easy and fun little theme for you to play with - just make sure you get both spots AND stripes on your card.'

Papers are Basic Grey 'Oh Baby! Boy', which are just divine, and provided the dots. I decoupaged one of the rockets, cut out the stars using my free PI templates, attached them with 3d foam and added the words 'You are a star'. The dashes are in the form of stitching around the stars and the join of the two papers. Unusual for a boys card to turn out successfully!!!

Finally for today is last Friday's challenge.....'Who's Pushing Your Buttons?'

'I know you've all got buttons stashed away somewhere, whether they've been purchased at a cardmaking store or you thriftily snipped them off DH's old shirt. I'd like you to find those buttons and use them somewhere on a card. They can be real buttons, craft shop buttons, die cut buttons, faux buttons or another type of button, surprise us all.'

The backing paper is Crate, I used PM rub-ons for the flowers and butterfly, stamped the scrolls with Heidi Grace stamp, added the buttons to 'Metal Hardware' and embellished centres. The flower I made using Daisy D's paper, organza ribbon, lots of tiny staples and a large button threaded with ribbon. I was pleased with how the flower turned out and will definately make more of these.

Where did the last week go???

Got back from a week in Cyprus at 4.30 this morning and already it feels like it never happened. Why do holidays go so quickly? I can't believe we are back at school next week.......in July it seemed as though the summer was ahead of us but this year it just didn't happen! Hence the holiday, and DID THAT SUN SHINE!! 35c every day, so most of the time spent in the pool or shade (I can see the attraction of being a fish now!) and even at night it only went down to 28c - thank goodness for aircon. Still, the brilliant news is that it was too hot to eat so for the first time ever I have come home weighing 4lbs less than when I went! Made some wonderful friends, Olga and Adrianos - hello if you look in and thank you for your most generous hospitality - you really made our holiday.

Must catch up on my fave blogs and challenges tomorrow, oh and there's the washing to do (OK, it can wait), and 50 odd emails to sort through (may as well do a mass deletion). I really missed my craft den - it's the first place I went when I got in at 4.30am to stroke some stash. Didn't find any craft shops in Cyprus so I was beginning to feel quite panicky at the lack of pretty papers and embellies, although I did take my Making Cards mag with me which I read so many times that the free papers are a bit frayed at the edges! Speaking of which, that's how I feel now (frayed at the edges), so early night for me!

The DCM challenge today is a really good one and there are some fab examples to check out on the site. Here it is -

'You must make a card with a frill - it could be some lace, frilly ribbon, a hand cut or decorative scissor edge or a folded paper frill - or what ever you choose to make.... you decide!'

I used my Keepsake embossing board for this one - I embossed the edges of the paper, cut round the scallops and cut into it to create the frills and layered them. I did the same with the square frame , added some punched flowers with a big brad, inked the edges, added a few peel offs and stamped 'enjoy' with Dovecraft acrylic stamp with white colorbox inkpad. The papers are Blonde Moments.

Results Day!

Well, A Level results day is here finally, and my son has two C's and a D and has been offered a place on his Sports Studies course at Birmingham University. What a relief - all that nagging!!
I also got my AS result for English Language and Literature which I am doing on-line with Sheffield College and I got an A - can't believe it! What a great day this has turned out to be. No time for crafting today though, although I did pop into the local craft shop to pick up a magazine and a couple of other things (new Dovecraft ribbons 5m for 99p!!!), so intend to spend this evening leisurely reading with a glass of red wine. My son and his mates have gone out on the town, of course, so who knows when I will see him again and what state he will be in, but he deserves to celebrate. Back tomorrow with the DCM Dare.......now where's that bottle of wine?

DCM Little Extra

Lucky me!! I received four parcels this morning - one full of the new Basic Grey ranges from Charmed Cards and Crafts and another containing a CJ which members of their forum are taking part in. I also got my ribbons and rub-ons which I won on a well known auction site! So another day in crafting heaven, firstly completing the CJ layout (which I can't show on here - yet!) and secondly on the DCM Little Extra.

Going for a lie down now as I was up until 1.30am changing my Blog to make everything fit - where did the time go?

Today's brief from DCM was a sketch challenge called 'It's A Wiggly One', and here is my effort 'My Best Friend'.
I used DCWV Pocket Full of Posies paper, MM rub-ons, a metal frame held in place with brads adorned with gems and a single flower. The sticky ribbon is from DCWV and I threaded a silver bead onto organza ribbon as the finishing touch. The mat is stamped with a paisley print in black ink to add to the slightly ethnic feel. Hope you like it! :-)

Another Crafty Day!

I can't tell you how much I am enjoying these school holidays - I am in crafting heaven! I have been playing with my H2Os today, having not touched them for ages, and am really impressed with them. The irridescence is beautiful, particularly in Mme. Berth's dress. I also managed to do a card suitable for a man - a rare event, with the wine stamp, again coloured with H2Os.
The two collage stamps are coloured with chalks and highlighted with glaze - this stamp is one of my favourites as it is so versatile. There seems to be an orange theme going on today too - maybe to make up for the lack of sunshine? Anyway, I hope you enjoy looking and thanks for visiting my blog.

Samm's Blog Candy Challenge

Here is my entry into Samm's Blog Candy Challenge - here is the brief:

'To be in with a chance, I challenge you to make a new card for this challenge that embodies the theme 'Flowerful' (the word does not need to be on the card), this could be flowered paper, primas, angel kisses, stamps with flowers, or even the paper range Flowerful, like that at the Scrummy Stash Cafe.'

I used Blonde Moments pper, circle, flower and border punches, heart brads with heart gems and loads of scrummy ribbon. Finished off with purple stitching details and sentiment 'We do not remember the days, we remember moments'.

Friday's DCM challenge is here again - eagerly awaited!

'Photo Finish
This weeks Dare is set by Tracie (Bondgirl) and is titled Photo Finish....
This week I want you to make a card for any occasion but it must include a photograph somewhere! The photo subject can be people, items, locations, flowers, absolutely anything so get snapping. Dont forget to check copyright if you are using someone elses photographs in your art work.'

Something made me go 'vintage' for this challenge and I rummaged through my Joanna Sheen Victorian Photographs looking for inspiration. I liked this photograph of sisters (there were 4 but unfortunately one had to go!) and my Prima flowers fell off the shelf so I took this as a sign to use them too. The frame is made using K & Co Hopscotch papers, cutting into the butterflies, adding a few gems and a flourish stamp with a couple of resin bubbles - 'sisters' and 'forever' and pearl brads to the centre of the flowers. This is a long way from my usual 'less is more' style, but I think I like it!

The last couple of days have been veeeeeery lazy for me - reading The French Lieutenant's Woman for my English A Level (I am a 'mature' student!), a book I had never read before, but one which I can't put down. Happily though, I am reading it in the sunshine - at last!! so may actually get a tan too.

Last week I was very creative and this week, so far, all inspiration has gone!

The mid-week dare this week is a 'recipe' - a great starting point if you are lacking ideas!

'Better Late than Never!
Ooops! sorry folks, we're a Little Late posting the Little Extra today, but here you go.It's one of our recipes this time, all you need to do is include all the ingredients on your card - remember, you can always add more things if you want to.
Here are your ingredients for this week:

3 arrows

3 circles

1 square

That's it!'

So here is my effort. The paisley paper is Basic Grey Phoebe, the dotty one I can't remember. I pricked the flower design onto ordinary kitchen foil and stuck onto card circles for the 3 circles, then mounted onto punched flowers using PM pearl brads. The 3 arrows have 'wishing-you-a' peel offs on them but it's not really visible, and the square is a button. I added the stitching detail by hand - a technique which I love at the moment. 'Happy Birthday' peel offs are below the button.

Right, back to the book and sunshine! :-)

My first maze book - themed on 'My Garden'. Really pleased with the result and raring to go on more now!

This card was inspired by my friend Louly from the 'Charmed' forum and 'Daring'. She creates masterpieces daily AND keeps winning competitions with her work (very well deserved)!!

My current favourite style!

I love experimenting with unusual colour combinations and think these work OK.

'It's About Time'

I recently discovered Daring Cardmakers and love looking at their work. This is today's challenge 'It's About Time', based on a fairy story with the clock just about to strike midnight. Any ideas which story? The tag may give you a clue!
Papers are from DCWV Once Upon A Time.

This card has been entered into a competition with my favourite website - Charmed Cards and Crafts - in the stamping category.