Guest Designer spot for Simon Says Stamp

 It is my last week in the Guest Designer Spotlight for the Simon Says Stamp challenge.. I have had a fabulous time, thank you Heidi and Lols for letting me be part of this fantastic challenge blog xx

As usual the lovely Heidi will be giving one lucky entrant a $50 spree to her Simon Says Stamp store. New goodies are arriving everyday in the store so there is no better time to take part and be in with a chance of winning our fantastic prize !!!

And here is my card ...

 I used Sneaky Tilda by Magnolia, and coloured her using aquamarkers.  Having cut her out I matted her onto a circle embossed using my Cuttlebug D'Vine Swirls folder.  The dp is Basic Grey Marjorlaine and I added part of a heart doilly.  The flowers are by Prima and I put ivory card candy at their centres.  Finally I added some flat backed pearls and a Craftwork cards sentiment.

Challenges:
Simon Says Stamp - Happy Birthday
Just Magnolia - sketch
Totally Gorguss - pearls and lace
Papertake Weekly Challenge - Tro-tastic ... 3 flowers, card candy,  sets of 3 pearls
Creative Craft Challenge - lace
Creative Card Crew - Show some green
For Fun - A bit of green

And as it is Wednesday its time for WOYWW ...

A selection of coloured and part coloured images using aquamarkers ... and on the left hand side Ellie's colouring of Sugar Nellies Windswept.  Hopefully i will get some making time in later today.  I am also hoping to get round more people's desks this week, as my laptop has been liberated from the poorly daughter!!
 

Simon Says Stamp Challenge GDT

I am so excited ... I am guest designing for the fantastic Simon Says Stamp Challenge ... thank you for asking me:)

As usual the lovely Heidi will be giving one lucky entrant a $50 spree to her Simon Says Stamp store. New goodies are arriving everyday in the store so there is no better time to take part and be in with a chance of winning our fantastic prize !!!

 This week's theme is Coffee and Cream, and the Design Team are showcasing Whiff of Joy stamps ...

I used Willow for my card, and coloured her using my promarkers.  I then distressed around the edges of Willow, just a little too paley round her!!  I then cut her out using nesties and stamped a grunge stamp around her.  The dp are MME and I stamped a Kelly Pannaci border stamp down the edge.  The folwers were made using a Marianne Creatible die, with brown flat backed pearls in the centre.

And as it is wednesday here is my desk for WOYWW

Not much really ... I have been really busy, and plagued with headaches so I haven't been crafting for the last few days.  A few people asked what's in the little basket ... stamped images ready to colour, and some that are coloured ready to go on DT projects .. .sorry not that exciting really!!!  I hope to get to see more desks this week, headache permitting.
Recipe: 
Stamp(s):  Whiff of Joy Willow with hot chocolate; Stempleglede Grunge set, Heidi Pannaci border set
Colouring Media: promarkers
Papers: MME Asparagus
Embellishments: Marianne Creatibles die

Yo ho ho instead of ding dong!

A couple of friends are getting married in a couple of weeks and I thought i had better get on with their wedding card. The theme of the wedding is period cosutme or fancy dress ... basically anything but modern/normal clothes!! So with that in mind, and the fact that I don't really have any wedding images I went for an alternative style of wedding card. Its the first card I have made in several days and I am overally happy with the colouring - I am rubbish at red and black!!!
So we have a pirate theme - its Lis and E dressed up as pirates!! The images are watercoloured and then cut out so I could sit them in the oval. The scallop borders and arrow sentiment from the dp pack, and the flowers are Wild Orchid Craft. I did some rough faux stitching round the edges of the dp, but resisted the temptation to distress the papers.

The card fits these challenges:
Stampavie and more - sketch
Totally Papercrafts - stitching
Charisma Cardz - Wedding
Just Magnolia - It take two (well 3 in this case!!)
Simon Says Stamp - birthday/celebration


I have a couple of other cards on the go ... Vicky has set me a tilda in Lilac challenge which is nearly finished and I have my Sweet Pea stamp to get finished too.

Recipe:
Stamp(s): Magnolia Pirate Tilda, Pirate Edwin, barrel and anchor
Colouring Media: distress inks
Papers: Cosmo Cricket Everafter
Embellishments: from stash

Dark Royalty

A friend came round to craft this morning, as I hadn't got any children so no Mums and Tots. While she stamped up nearly every stamp I own (and I own a fair few!!) I had a go at colouring this Sweet Pea Stamp in. They are growing on me, and I might be adding to my collection of 2!
I made the card up this afternoon for these challenges:
Sweet Pea Stampers - Under the Sea
Papertake Weekly - Do Something Else - I never add removables to my card, but I have added a tag that comes away
Simon Says Stamp - buttons, bow and bling
Eveybody-Art-Challenge - song title - Waterboys Song of the Mermaid
Truly Scrumptious - sketch and removable part - tag

I coloured this mermaid with my pens. I chose these papers as they remind me of the colours of the sea, and some look a little like anemones. In real life she is not quite as pale ... the light is weird here today. I added bows to the ribbons, and a button. I used papermania shimmer dots to make the swirls ... they are fab, clear domes with glitter in them. I thought they looked like sparkly bubbles. I made the tag and stamped Happy Birthday on it, it pulls out.

Recipe:
Stamp(s): Sweet Pea Dark Royalty
Colouring Media: promarkers and copics (Secret Crafter)
Papers: Basic Grey Wisteria (Secret Crafter)
Embellishments: all 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

Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrh!!!

I have finally found time to play with some of my new stamps from the NEC. We are off to my parents for a week tomorrow and being a saddo I have packed loads of crafting stash .. I am going to play while I am away!!
Anyway when I saw these stamps i just had to buy them. The card I have made covers these challenges:
Just Magnolia - sketch (a bit loosely at the bottom!!)
Passion for Promarkers - use 2 images
Papertake weekly - open theme
Creative card Crew - vintage/aged (well its distressed and inked and pirates are from the olden days!!)
Simon Says Stamp - distressing
I masked Edwin onto the barrel and coloured using my promarkers, then cut out. I matted it onto the dp, which I matted onto black cardstock. Both the dp and cardstock have been distressed using my Tim Holtz tool (I could not live without it!) and the dp has been distressed using antique linen and weathered wood distress inks. I cut the ickle flags and rope out of some of the dp, and the sentiment is from Cuddly Buddly.

Recipe:
Stamp(s): Magnolia Pirate Edwin, Barrel
Colouring Media: Promarkers
Papers: BG Granola, Cuddly Buddly Pirate Designables
Embellishments: Cuddly Buddly Designables

Sparkly Spring

I made this card last night for the follwoing challenges:
Papertake weekly - sketch
Passion for promarkers - Spring and an animal
Polly craft challenge - sparkle
Everybody-Art-challenge - Easter
Simon Says Stamp - Easter/Spring and glimmer
Stamp with Fun - Easter
Magical Crafts Fortnightly Challenge - Easter/Spring
Our Creative Corner - Easter
Sweet Stampin Challenge - Spring is in the Air
Allsorts Challenge - Spring is in the Air
Stampin for the Weekend - Easter
I coloured the image using my pens and added finme glitter glue to the flower and round the edge of the image. I love this sparkly paper from DCWV Nursery stack, and is so spring like. The flower is glimmered with gold glimmer mist and I added a sparkly brad from the bottom of my stash! I am sending this to my neice for Easter ... they do the chocloate bit of Easter but not the religious bit so I tend to make Spring cards for them.


Recipe:
Stamp(s): Pollycraft Spring Thins Follow the leader
Colouring Media: promarkers
Papers: DCWV Pocketfull of Posies, Nursery stack
Embellishments: flower, brad and raffia from stash

Saturday's crafting

The girls have been for their swimming lessons and I have sewn up a sash for Vicky's hubby, so I felt that a bit of time in my craft room was in order. I started the WOJ card yesterday, and coloured the Magnolia image in yesterday, so it was just a matter of putting the elements together.
This card covers the following challenges;
Just Magnolia - easel card
Friday Sketchers - sketch
Allsorts - Spring

I watercoloured Tilda using my new distress inks and distressed the edges. The papers are K and Co Charlotte, and very strokeable!! I matted them onto green cardstock, and rotated the sketch. I added some ribbon, flowers and pearls to finish it off.
And here is a close up of Tilda.

This card is for
Simons Say Stamp challenge on Papercraft planet - sketch
Allsorts - Spring
Katharina's GDT call for Whiff of Joy

I watercoloured Willow and cut her out using my oval nesties. I used the largest die, so to get the mat I attached my die to some cardstock using repositional tape and cut round it with my craft knife. I distressed all the edges of the papers and cardstock using my Tim Holtz tool. This is the last of my thin ribbon and I added a button to the centre of the bow. Finally green pearls to finish.

Green!!

I started making this card on Sunday for a couple of challenges ... finally having finished it ... it fits 12!!!! YAY!!!
So this card is for the following challenges:
Cupcake challenge - green
A spoonfull of Sugar - Easter
Stamp Something - green and cream
Fuss n Fancy - Green
1 Stop Card Crafts - spots and dots
Passion for Promarkers - sketch
Creative Card Crew - going dotty
My Time to Craft - lovely lace
Simon Says Stamp - Green
Whiff of Joy - easel card
Crafty Cardmakers - a Feminine Celebration
Raise the Bar - going green

I coloured Melinda in using my pens and matted her onto cream cardstock. All the cream cardstock has its edges inked and I rounded all the corners. I stamped swirls over a piece of cream cardstock using thyme brilliance ink and themn clear embossed and heated them. I added some lace, some mulberry flowers coloured using my emerald promarker and a button.
Now I know it doesn't lok very Eastery but I tend to use cards with flowers on rather than eggs for Easter ... don't like to limit my stamps!! So this is going to my Auntie for Easter .. lilies are very Easter!!

The recipe I have used is from Katharina's Guest Design call ...So I am going to have a go at it.

Recipe:
Stamp(s): WOJ Melinda with bouquet; WOJ Swirls
Colouring Media: Promarkers
Papers: MME Bloom and grow
Embellishments: flowers, lace, brads and button from stash

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

A tent card

I have made one of my closest friend's, and the girls' Godmother her birthday card. I thought I would do something different and have a go at the tent card on the Just Magnolia challenge. It was easier than I thought to make!

So this card covers these challenges:
Just Magnolia - tent card
Friday Sketcher - sketch (it is there honest)
Simon Says Stamp - Mothers' Day/girly (I went for girly)
One stop Craft - Sew Simple (faux stitching)
Basic Grey Challenge - photo inspiration

I used promarkers, copics and some paper piecing (this Week's ABC Challenge challenge) to colour Tilda, and cut her out. I used the Friday Sketcher sketch to decorate the inside of the card, replacing the image with dp. I faux stitched round the edge of the front of the ard and the aperature. I hung Tilda from the aperature and added flowers and pearls.
Here is the inside ... that is the sketch!!
We have friends staying so we took the girls out on their bikes nad to the park, and going to have a yummy tea and some wine tonight!!

Recipe:
Stamp(s):Magnolia Jam Tilda
Colouring Media: Promarkers and copics (available from Secret Crafter)
Papers: Basic Grey Wisteria (available from Secret Crafter)
Embellishments: Pearls and flowers 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

Vintage with flowers

I love a bit of vintage ...
Willow is coloured in using my new distress inks ... these new colours are fab!!! I then applied the cracked glass technique to the image, cracked the glass and rubbed vintage photo into the image. The image is distressed with antique linien and vintage photo. I distressed the edges of the paper and added vintage photo ink and then clear embossing powder and heated. The dp is also faux stitched. Finally some raffia, pearls, glittered roses and a bow.

The card covers the following challenges:
Simon Stamp Stamps - vintage with flowers
A Spoonfull of Sugar - distress inks, pearls and glitter
Whiff of Joy - sketch
Stamp with Fun - stitching
ABC Tutorial Challenge - cracked glass; ABC challenge - New (inks and pearl strings)
Cute Card Thursday - ribbon fantastic
Saturday Spotlight - Get messy

Recipe:
Stamp(s): WOJ Willow
Colouring Media: distres inks
Papers: K and Co
Embellishments: all 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

Raining pearls

My lovely new distress inks arrived yesterday ... and they are fab!!! I love the new colours ... just couldn't decide which to use first!! I inked up one of my neglected Whiff of Joys and played ...
The card covers these challenges ...
Simon Says Stamp - recipe - 1 image, 2 papers and 3 types of embellies (pearls, flowers and punched swirls)
Sketch Saturday - sketch
Whiff of Joy - Pearls and Swirls

Willow is coloured using my new distress inks and then cut out using my nesties. I inked the edge in green and matted the dp onto green cardstock, after doing some faux stitching. The sentiment is PB and I used my CB charms to cut the sentiment out.. Some punched swirls, a layered flower and a smattering of pearls to finish.

I am on a stash diet for Lent ... no buying of anything crafty for 40 days!! Managing so far ...!!!
Just hoping nothing really good gets released that I really need to have NOW!! And I keep thinking of all the money I will have saved for my holiday.

Recipe:
Stamp(s): WOJ Willow and Umbrella
Colouring Media: Distress inks
Papers: Basic Grey Sugar Rush
Embellishments: all from stash

Love Actually

A card for a few challenges from me today:
Create4fun - sketch
By the cute and girly - love
Creative Card Crew - Valentine
Cupcake challenge - four legged and furry
Passion for Promarkers - all creatures great and small
Papertake weekly Challenge - love actually
Simon Says Stamp - photo inspiration
Whiff of Joy - love
Stampavie and more - pink and brown
Henry was stamped and masked so I could add the roses. I used my promarkers to colour him, red I find particularly difficult to shade with ... might need to buy a few more reds!!! I used my nesties to cut the image, squares and mats out. I added some brown organza ribbon and tied some red organza knots. A couple of roses and punched leaves to finish.
He does look a happy mouse doesn't he!!

Recipe:
Stamp(s): Whiff of Joy Henry holding a heart, Magnolia roses
Colouring Media: Promarkers
Papers: Basic Grey Infuse and blush
Embellishments: roses and ribbon from stash

Simon Says Stamp Guest Design spot

I'm in this week's Simon Says Stamp Designer Spotlight!!! I am really chuffed to having been asked ... Thank you Lols and Heidi.

The theme for this week's challenge is ...

New Baby

I have been making a lot of baby projects over the last couple of weeks ... 2 friends have had babies, and my niece is due in a couple of weeks.
A few weeks back I made a keepsake book for my SIL and one of my friend's loved it so much she asked me to make one for them when the baby was born. They just didn't know what it was going to be (unlike my SIL). I made up the basics of the book and decorated it when Renee was born. It has been a little adapted from the last one!
My friend and her hubby are not very fussy at all ... .flowers, lace, ribbon was a definite no-no!!
I love this cute PB image and it is such a fab one for baby cards and projects. I watercoloured and cut it out using my nesties. I matted it onto the dp and created a joy fold card so you can open it out ...

to have Renee's name inside.

Here's what it looks like from the side. It is basically an accordian book made from wallets stuck together.

And inside each wallet is a decorated page that journalling and photos can be added too.
The tutorial to make this style of accordian book can be found here, but I have not had the fold over flap on this one ... struggled getting the magnectic snaps to work really well.


Do take a look at the other DT creations and don't forget LOls has candy up for grabs.

Recipe:
Stamp(s): Penny Black Baby Hammock
Colouring Media: Distress inks
Papers: Making Memories
Embellishments:none (gulp!!)

A couple of cards and a sneak peek

I have a stinking cold and sinustus and feel rotten today. The girls have had their first swimming lessons and they both loved them and got on really well, and loved it. I think I two water babies in the family :) While Beth had a sleep to recover from all her exertion in the pool, I have made a couple of cards for a few challenges this afternoon ... Ellie helped with the embossing and glittering!
The first card follows the Just Magnolia sketch, the winter theme over at Fuss and Fancy, Glitter over at Ba Humbag, and the Simon Says Stamps punch it challenge... and I am keeping to my New Year's Resolution of at least 1 Christmas card a week.
Tilda is watercoloured and then I distressed the edges with distress ink. took my distressing tool to the edges of the image and cardstock, then liberally pushed it into my versamark pad (Ellie liked this ..) before sprinkling embossing powder over and heating it (Ellie really liked this bit!!) I (We) repeated the process for the dp and cardstock. I used my cuttlebug snowflake die and pushed it into the versamark pad (helped by Ellie) and then sprinkled with embossing powder (Ellie did this bit) before heating it. I added some raffia and layered punched snowflakes.

The second card I made was for several challenges:
Penny Black Saturday Challenge - Something sweet
Sketch Saturday - sketch
Allsorts - Hearts and flowers
One Stop Craft Challenge - love and kisses (xxx on the tag, and that mouse loved those chocs!!)
Basic Grey Challenge - Animals
The image was watercoloured and then I inked the edges. I added heart gems to the sweets and to the top corners of the image. I don't have any corner punches so I cut a flower into quarters. I used rirac for the scalloped edge.

Its the first challenge tomorrow over at Just Cute Bears Challenge.

And here's a peek at my 1st DT card ...

If you have time do join in.

Recipe:
Stamp(s): Magnolia Tilda with Vintage roses, Magnolia sentimen; Penny Black Sweet Slumbers, Papermania sentiments
Colouring Media: Distress inks
Papers: Basic Grey Fruitcake; Basic GreyInfuse
Embellishments: all from stash