Cute Card Thursday Guest Design Card

I am really honoured to have been asked to Guest Design for Cute Card Thursday during February.  The them this week is Love Struck ...

 I used this gorgeous Crafty Sentiments stamp, Two hearts - don't they look so in love, gazing into each other's eyes?!  And its on offer at the moment, in the shop.  The image is coloured using my pens, and I cut it out using my nesties.  The dp is from Bella Carta, and I simply added some embossed, decorative corners, and some flat backed pearls.  The sentiment is from the Love word Art set, which is also on offer at the moment, and I added some flat backed pearls.

 Supplies: 

Image: Crafty Sentiments Two hearts

Sentiment: Crafty Sentiments Love Word Art 1

Colouring medium: copics

Papers: Bella Carta Beautiful Moments

 Embellishments: flat backed pearls

Tools: Dienamics corner die, Sizzix embossing folder, Spellbinders circle nestibilities

Challenges:

Sketch Saturday - sketch

My Time to Craft - Love is in the air
One Stop Craft - anything goes
Sweet Stampin' - love is all around

 Stampavie and more - love

Creative Stamp friends - With hearts/valentines
My Mum's Craft Shop - valentines
Dream Valley- valentines
glitter and sparkle- valentines
Crafty Calendar - love and marriage
Incy Wincy - Love is in the air
Songbird - Hopelessly Devoted to you
OhlalaCreations - Love story

Cutie Pie - Valentine

Creative Craft - hugs and kisses

Everybody Art - hearts

Oldie but a goodie - red and pibk

Party time Tuesday - love and romance

Cards and more - love or Valentines

Inky CHicks - Valentines or anniversary
Fab n Funky - Valentines or hearts
Paper Pretties - valentines

With a friend like ...

Vicky, who needs enemies!!!!! My lovely friend dared me to make a card using a Sweet pea iamge and it had to be pink. Now those of you who are regular followers will know I have a bit of a problem with pink .. .I do keep trying to usee it but it not my favourite colour!
But I have been dared ... so I have made a pink card. Fortunately Vicky didn't say bright pink! I coloured the iamge and made the papers last night,and put it together this morning while DH did the school run.
I made my own design paper using weathered wood and Victorian velvet distress inks. I stamped a swirl around the edge, applying differing pressure to get a mottled effect. I also stamped the swirl onto a spare bit of dp and cut the swirl out. The image is coloured using distress inks and the papers are distressed with my Tim Holtz tool. I made my flower using my CB circles and distressed them. Finally I added some organza and satin ribbon ties in a knot.
The card fits these challegnes:
Stampavie and More - distressing
Cute Card Thursday - Make your own ... I made the paper and flower
Friday Sketcher - sketch


Recipe:
Stamp(s): Sweet Pea Read hearts
Colouring Media: distress inks
Papers: handmade
Embellishments: ribbon and brad from stash

When i fall in love ...

This week's Simon Says Stamp challenge had really got me scratching my head. Until I came across my Comic Cricket Happily Forever papers and stickers. The wheels started turning, after some grilling of my Mum I came up with this ...

One minute to zero,a 1952 film starring my Mum's fave actor Robert Mitchum. The song When I fall in Love was sung by Doris Day (yes my Mum can be a geek occasionally!!!)

I love these Manga Stamps from the SecretCrafter. I used my promarkers to colour the image in and then to make the background .. I am experimenting a bit with my blennder pen, so I used it to take some of the dark off the background. I embossed some read cardstock using my hearts embossing folder and added some satin and organza ribbon and some chunky braid. i tried other embellies but didn't like the look, so another flowerless card!

So this card fits these challenges:
Passion for Promarkers - use your promarkers to create your own background
Simon Says Stamp - lets go to the movies and dry embossing
Cute Card Thursday - touchy feely


Recipe:
Stamp(s):Secret Crafter Canoodling Couple
Colouring Media: Promarkers (Secret Crafter)
Papers:Cosmic Cricket
Embellishments: from stash

Last night's crafting

I have a busy day so far ... the garden beckoned this morning, so now we have an empty compost heap, mulched beds and 3 planters planted with flowers. The garden has alos been swept and all the outdoor toys scrubbed and dried ... oh and I also cleaned inside the house and have sdone some ironing. So now I am having a cuppa and got my feet up while Dave takes the girls to a party.
I made a couple of cards last night so I thought I would share them with you.

This card covers these challenges:
Just Magnolia - Punch it out
Cute Card Thursday - mono mania
Totally Papercrafts - distressing
Friday Sketcher - sketch
Allsorts - petals and pearls

I coloured this gorgeous Tilda in promarkers and distressed the background. I distressed the edges of the papers and cardstock. I flipped the sketch and added some studded ric rac to the panel and a twine bow. Finally some flowers, a pin and some pearls. I punched some swirls out and a large punched flower to put under the cherry blossom.

My next card covers these challenges:
Wags n Whiskers - Scallops
Fuss and Fancy - Sketch
Totally Gorguss - texture
Allsorts - Petals and Pearls
Stamp Something - stitching
I coloured this gorgeous Wags N Whiskers image using my promarkers. I cut her out and sat her into the oval. I love this Wisteria paper and used co-ordinating cardstock and flowers to complete the sketch. I added pearls to the flowers and corners nad for texture some raffia lace. I faux stitched round the edges of the dp.

My lovely friend Samantha has awarded me these two awards .. thank you hunni.
I am going to pass them on to my fabby DT teamies and all my followers.

April showers

Just a quick post today ... got lots of jobs to get done before going to Vicky's tomorrow for the NEC!! So excited ... but need to be organised so I come back to reasonable civilisation rather than a demolition yard ... yes I am leaving the girls in hubby's 'capable' hands for 2 days and nights (gulp!!). Usually I entrust them to my Mum's firm but loving hands rather than their daddy who is the biggest soft touch on earth!!

Anyway I have finally got round to getting this card finished and posted ... I only started it on Monday!!! There have been a catalogue of disasters in the making ... mostly caused by the cat!!
I am counting this as a Spring card because of the colours and also we get lots of showers in April ... and its for a friend's April birthday.

I love this image and have coloured it 3 times using my pens. I chose spring papers (well there are golds and greens and birdies!!) and kept the layout simple. I was gonig to add some blue organza ribbon that matched the turquoise in the papers - had just enough for a strip and knot ... until the cat got it, chewed it sicked it up ... over one of the coloured images ... nice!!
I decoupaged the wellies and umbrella - should have been more decoupaging ... but not happening thanks to the cat!!
Onto disaster 2 ... I use silicon to stick the layers on decoupage. Its great stuff ... until the cat walks over it!!! So back to using foam pads. But in the process of taking the silicon off the umbrella it also took the colour ... thanks cat!! The image is raised off the dp using foam pads (the silicon was well and trully put away for another day!)
I decided not to put flowers on as they hid the lovely sparkly papers ... but now it looks a bit bear .. cheaper to post though!!

Here's a pic of the decoupage of sorts!
Hmmmm me and the cat are going to have words about helping in the craft room!!

Anyway this card covers these challenges:
Cute Card Thursday - dimensions
Charisma Cardz - Spring has Sprung
Wags n Whiskers - Pop it up
Polly craft challenge - sparkle
Simon Says Stamp - Easter/Spring and glimmer
Magical Crafts Fortnightly Challenge - Easter/Spring
Sweet Stampin Challenge - Spring is in the Air
Allsorts Challenge - Spring is in the Air
Colour Create - your choice of pastels + spring

Recipe:
Stamp(s): Wags n Whiskers
Colouring Media: Promarkers and copics
Papers: DCWV Nursery
Embellishments: none!!!

Fragile Beauty

Sorry about the photo ... it is a lovely day here, but trying to find a place where the colours show prefectly has been a nightmare!
it covers these challenges:
Simon Says Stamp - sketch
Cute Card Thursday - Celebrations (I chose birthday)
Creative Inspiration - charms
Charisma Cardz - butterflies
I have not used this little beauty for ages, and I think it is prefect for a challenge using butterflies. I coloured her with my pens and used my nesties to shape her and the mat. I added some green ric-rac, some layered flowers with a charm and some pink gems. The sentiment is FF Pink Parfait.

Ellie spent last night throwing up so she has been at home today ... and whilst she has caught up on her sleep today I am shattered and in need of a sleep, so limited blog hopping tonight for me!!!

Wendy from the Secret Crafter has go some really exciting news ... but I can't tell you yet!! You need to pop over to the Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge on Saturday to find out ... oh and pop on here too! I am so excited and can't wait for Saturday!!

Recipe:
Stamp(s): Sugar Nellie Fragile Beauty
Colouring Media: promarkers and copics
Papers: MME Everyday tango
Embellishments: flowers, ric rac and charm from stash

Finally a card

I haven't done any crafting this week thanks to an incident with the cat and the stairs, which involved a fair bit of pain on my part ... the cat is fine ... if a little contrite! I finally got back into my craft room last night and aftersome hufffing and puffing and a lot of ouching I made a card to cover a few challenges:
Papertake Weekly Challenge - buttons, bows, brads and bling
Creative Card Crew - Celebrations
Simon Says Stamp - Mothers Day/girly
Cute Card Thursday - Lucky Green
Creative Inspirations - Lace, pearls and pins (no pins as I little fingers who like to help themselves to my stash ... so pins not safe)
Stampavie and More - Spring
Totally Papercrafts - Mother's Day/Special lady
Stamp Something - Something girly
Stampin'for the weekend - Monochromatic (I think its pretty monochromatic!!)

I have made this card for my Mum ... not her Mothering Sunday card ... but her birthday card as her birthday is in early April.
I used my pens to colour Tilda and then matted her onto green and cream cardstock. I decided to go with just 1 dp and keep the layout simple. I threaded the ribbon through the raffia lace and added a bow with a button at the centre. I added some pearls and gems (not a lot of bling, but a bit!!) and a couple brads to the image for detail .. .and thats pretty much it.

We have friends' coming for the weekend and then I am working full time all next week so very little crafting time on the horizon :(, and little time for blogging ... I have been a terrible blogger this week ... but hopefully will catch up with you all soon.


Recipe:
Stamp(s): Magnolia Happy Tilda
Colouring Media: copics and promarkers (secret Crafter)
Papers: MME Bloom and Grow (Secret Crafter)
Embellishments: lace, oearls, ribbon, gems and button from stash

ABC Tutorial challenge

On the ABC Challenge there is a tutorial challenge running and the DT are allowed to enter! So I am entering as a fab prize is up for grabs ... but you have to go over there to find out what it is!!

This card covers:
ABC Challenge - Cracked glass
ABC challenge - 1 paper
Simon Says Stamp - recipe - 1 image, 2 papers, 3 types of embellies (brads, flowers, pearls)
Charisma Cardz - sketch
Cute Card Thursday - Metal mania (copper brads)

I used my new distress inks to watercolour the image and cut her out using my nesties. Then I heat embossed the image 4 times, put it in the freezer, then cracked it and rubbed some vintage photo ink into the cracks. I kept the details simple .. would have loved to have added some ribbon ... but ran out of embellies.

I have made the card for a good friend who took my 2 girls off my hands yesterday so I could deal with the husband who passed out on the train down to London. The girls had a great day, and my friend seems to have survived, bless her! But then she is a prison officer so you would hope she could manage 3 girls!!!


Recipe:
Stamp(s): Sugar Nellie Demure
Colouring Media: Distress inks
Papers: I wish I knew!!
Embellishments: prima flowers, brads and pearls from stash

Christmas cards

I am still on the 2 Christmas cards a week drive, and I have managed to find some challegnes that don't involve love and hearts!!!

The first card covers these challenges:
Wags n Whiskers challegne - metal (I used spacers)
Basic Grey Challenges - sketch (rotated)
Totally Papercrafts - recipe - 3 embellishments, 2 papers, 1 image
Cute Card Thursday - spots and dots

I watercoloured the image and distressed the edges with mahogany distress ink. I love these BG papers and distressed the edges and matted onto blue cardstock. I stamped the swirl and added some white raffia. The flowers were a RAK from Jill and I used spacers rather than brads for the detail ... not done that before but I quite like the effect.

The next card covers these challenges:
Friday Sketchers - sketch
Bah-Humbug - holly
Allsorts - distressing + button/bow
Penny Black Saturday Challenge - pins and pearls
I adore this stamp, these meeces are so cute!! I watercoloured the image and distressed the edges. I distressed the dp and cardstock. I added the ribbon and bow, and the pearls are cream ones that I coloured using my holly promarker. I don't have any pins ... a bit dangerous with little hands helping to craft!!

We have had a busy morning ... a bit of crafting and the girls have had their swimming lessons. They are both doing really well and Beth is going to move up a group next time.

I am hoping to get some crafting in this afternoon, and make a few DT cards ... but it is lovely here so might go for a walk first.

Recipe:
Stamp(s): Wags n Whiskers Sweet Danni and Bella, WOJ Swirls set; Penny Black Holly Jolly Christmas, Hero Arts sentiment
Colouring Media: Distress inks
Papers: Basic Grey Figgy Puddy; DCWV Christmas stack
Embellishments: all from stash

Saturday's creations

What a busy week ... and no time for crafting! I have finally made a couple of cards this morning while hubby took the girls for their swimming lesson.
The first card is made using the following challenges:
Friday Sketchers - sketch
Just Magnolia - hearts and flowers
Stampavie and more - Love/valentine
Cute Card Thursday - flowers
Fuss and Fancy - hearts
Colour Create - soft pink, soft blue, silver and white
A Spoonfull of Sugar - freestyle

I coloured Valentine Tilda using copics and edged the image in silver ink. The papers are by Papermania and the sentiment stamp by Penny Black. I heat embossed the silver heart (s freebie from a magazine last year) and added lace and flowers from my stash.

This card follows the sketch at Whiff of Joy challenge, and the baubles theme at Bah Humbug.

I watercoloured Henry and then added gloss to the bauble. When the gloss was dry I stickle d the bauble and added stickles to the edge of the image. The papers are Basic Grey Wassail, and the sentiment Hero Arts. I added organza ribbon and some punched and layered snowflakes.

A couple of Tildas

What a weekend .. the girls were at Tumble Tots on Saturday and then swimming yesterday, and we have been visiting my friend and her gorgeous little baby girl.
I coloured a couple of images last night while watching telly and put them on cards this morning.

The first uses the layout from Sketch Saturday and the thank you theme over at Just Magnolia.
Tilda is coloured using my promarkers and copics and then matted onto cardstock. I resisted the distressing urge!! The dp is Basic Grey Wisteria and I have matted it onto purple cardstock. The card base is purple cardstock too. The sentiment is Penny Black, and the flowers are punched. I added a few gems to finish.

This card uses the layout fgrom Friday Sketchers, and the Magnolia Down Under Valentine theme. I used pink and grey so that's Cute Card Thursday covered too!!
Tilda and the accessories are coloured using promarkers, and then cut out. I embossed distressed the pink cardstock and matted the Cosmo Cricket dp onto the same pink cardstock. Just some pink ribbon to finish. I'm not sure, but a couple of friends' have said they like it so I'll leave it as it is!


And I have exciting news!! I have been chosen to be on my good blogging friend Ali's new Challenge blog.

The first challegne is on Sunday, so get your bear stamps inked up and join in the fun.

Pink and brown meeces

Its cold here ... our boiler decided to pack up on Thursday night and it won't be looked at until tomorrow. Fortunately we have a couple of heaters so we are managing to keep warm, and we went swimming today so e could have a shower and wash the girls' hair. Hopefully they will be back at school tomorrow.
I managed to get a couple of cards made last night ...

Both cards have chocolate in them so I am entering them into the Simon Says Stamp challegne which is hot chocolate and Quixotic Challenges which is hot chocolate. And as the colour combo in both is pink, brwon, chocolate and toffee I am entering them into the Charisma Cardz challenge.

The first card also uses my new stamp and new ink pad so I am entering it into Cute Card Thursday's all new challenge.
I have watercoloured the image and then distressed the edges using my new colorbox pink set (thanks Wendy!) Just a band of pink ribbon as this is such a big image.

I followed the Trully Scrumptious sketch and used my new ink pad to distress.
Again the image is watercoloured ... I confess to removing the other icke meece as the iamge wouldn't fit my nesties! I matted the image and dp onto brown cardstock. Flowers and a sentiment to complete it.
I am still on my 'lets keep things clean and simple' resolution ... .got a feeling the next card won't fit that as it will involve paper pleating!!!


Recipe:
Stamp(s): House Mouse Hot Chocolate; Cupcake; sentiment from Cuddly Buddly
Colouring Media:Distress inks
Papers: Basic Grey Bittersweet
Embellishments: flowers, pearls and ribbon from stash

Some cards ..at last!

I haven't done much crafting over Christmas, just some DT stuff to get myself ahead, but no challenges :(. I had intended to do some at the weekend at my parents but I forgot the stuff to stick with and the snow was a bit of distraction!

We were forcast light snow and sleet overnight - 7" and rising at the last look!! It has snowed heavily during the night and is still snowing heavily .. so I haven't worked today, and the girls are at home so we have had a bit of a play in the snow, crafting, more snow, and now they are crashed in front of a DVD!!
And I have had time to make these ...

The first card is for my SIL - baby due very soon.
I combined the following challenges:
Passion for Promarkers - sketch and love theme
A Spoonfull of Sugar - hearts
Charisma Cardz - celebration
Fuss and Fancy - New
Papertake Weekly - New Beginnings
Cupcake Card Challenge - baby card
Stamp something for the weekend - New Beginnings
By the cute and girly - New

Will ow is coloured using my promarkers nad then I cut her out as she was rather large for the circle!!! I used papers from the DCWV Nana Nursery stack and embssed some pale pink card with my hearts folder. I added some ribbon and a heart charm. I am going to add baby's name when she arrives ... got 6 so far!!!!

This card combines
Stamp with fun - sketch
My Time to Craft - blue and brown
Stamp Something - new somethings (my stamp)
One Stop Craft Challegne - things beginnig with B (blue, brown, bow)
I love this Tilda from the winter kit ... she has a right attitude!! I coloured her using promarkers and had a play with my blender pen. i made my own flower and added some ribbon and pearls. The papers are Basic Grey Wisteria. No sentiment yet as I am not sure what I am going to use it for.

My final card uses the following challenges:
Totally Gorguss - Thank you
A Spoonfull of Sugar - Hearts
Creative Inspirations - thank you
My Time to Craft - blue and brown
Cute Card Thursday - sketch
One Stop Craft Challenge - things beginning with B (blue, brown, bow)
This has to be one of my fave gorguss girls and I coloured her using promarkers. Again she is cut out to fit the sketch! I rotated the sketch and added a bow and sentiment. Again I used my lovely Wisteria papers

I don't often set New Year's resoultions as they are always broken ... but this year I am gonig to use all the stash I have so I can buy new and have space for it!! And make the kind of CAs cards I like rather than really fussy ones all the time ... need to make a few of those as I have a rather large flower collection!!

New Year party card!

I have finally got into my craft room having spent alot of time playing with the girls and taking off all those annoying tags that hold toys in place in the packaging!!
I have combined a few challenges with this easel card ...
Simon Say Stamp - party! (well it will be given at a party!)
Cute Card Thursday - New Year
Stampavie and More - New Year
Stampin' for the Weekend - calendar
Create4fun - sketch
Stamp with fun - New Year

I made an easel card so I could use a calndar tab on the bottom part. Tilda is masked onto the bow ... and then cut out so there are no hearts. I added a bow and some gorgeous tea roses.
Here's a close up of the sketch.

And a close up of Tilda - I do like some of these new Tildas ... but a couple are a bit on the dodgy side for me!! She is masked onto the spoon (I think its a spoon!) and the hearts cut off.
Off to watch the girls open more presents ... last lot thank goodness!!!
Catch up with you later.

Recipe:
Stamp(s): Tilda (Winter coollection); sentiment Hero Arts
Colouring Media: Distress inks
Papers: Basic Grey Blush
Embellishments: ribbon and flowers from stash

Flower Power

Hurrah no more Christmas cards ... until January when I am going to try to make two a week so November and December are not such a mad rush on red and green!!!

I have made this card using the following challenges:
Colour Create - pink, burgundy, ivory, optional roses
Cute Card Thursday - aperature card
Charisma Cardz - Anything but Christmas
Totally Gorguss - Anything goes

I haven't used this image for ages, so I stamped her up, watercoloured her and cut her out. I used the sketch from Whiff of Joy (would like to show that one too, but I had an incident with the cat, stickles and an interesting pattern of glitter!!) and rotated it so I could make the oval an aperature. I added flowers and some ribbon and braid and a feather thingy I have had for ages. Inside i stamped a corner floral pattern using burgundy ink.
Here's the inside.
Today I am making Christmas cards with the children so my house will be sparkling with sequins and glitter!!

Recipe:t
Stamp(s): Sugar Nellie Flower Power
Colouring Media: distress inks
Papers: Basic Grey Eva
Embellishments: flowers and ribbon from stash

Ellie's birthday card

My big little girl is 5 on Monday, so hubby has taken the girls out this morning so I can get her birthday card made.
As ever I have managed to combine a few challenges!!
Simon Say Stamp - So Charming
Friday Sketcher - sketch
Just Magnolia - a card for someone special
Charisma cardz - Dreaming of Summertime - I think the colours and papers are summery
Stamp Something - Glitzy somethings
Cute Card Thursday - Swirly Girly
Colour Create - lilac/purple, acqua, white and black
Allsorts - Purple
Magnolia Down Under - Bedazzled - I think there is sparkle on this!
I masked Tilda onto the steps and watercoloured her, before cutting her out. The dp is matted onto purple cardstock and acqua cardstock. I cut two circles out of Coredinations gemstone white cardstock and embossed one using the birthday folder and wrote Ellie on the other using a Sakura Stardust pen. I added some purple ribbon, purple gems, these gorgeous gardinia flowers which were glimmer misted and glamour dusted before having tulle added to them, and finally a princess crown charm.
To hold the image part of the easel card up, I glued and then glamour dusted a big black brad, and added some more purple ribbon.

Here's a close up of the iamge - I think she looks like my Ellie.

And here are those flowers - aren't they delish!!
Here's a pic of my two beautiful girls - don't they look angelic ... but please don't be fooled!!!

And here's my little one this time last year when she had her tonsils out - she got 49 gorgeous get well cards from you lovely bloggers ... and still looks at them and still has the cards and pictures she made with the lovely things you sent her.
We are now off to the school's Christmas fair, before getting ready for party 1 ... roast lamb for 9!!! Just hope the tin is big enough for it LOL!!!
Recipe:
Stamp(s): Tilda in Cherry dress, old steps
Colouring Media: distress inks
Papers: Basic Grey Wisteria
Embellishments: flowers and tulle from Tabby Crafts, rest from stash