Friday Sketcher

Not been feeling too good over the last couple of days thanks to Ellie sharing her tummy bug (isn't she generous!!) and am feeling a little lacking on the inspiration/motivation front.
I have has a go at the Friday Sketcher sketch . I love doing sketches and really like the look of this one.

The papers are DCWV Pocketful of Posies. I love the green and purple papers but have found it less easy to use the orange leaf paper as orange is not a colour I feel comfortable using.

I have used a Shabby Chic Tilda and lace ribbon to frame the circle. I am pleased with how I have positioned Tilda - sitting on the circle edge with her feet on the edge of the green paper. I have used orange ribbon with a gold trim to join the papers. The greeting reads Special Day.



To be honest I am not sure about this card - I was trying to get a feeling of Summer with the colours - I think its a bit washed out, however Hubby thinks its great and vibrant. Shows how we all differ!!!


I am in the process of making my Penny Black Challenge card - hopefully I will get it finished tonight when the girls are in bed so watch this space!!!

Tilda and friends challenge - bits and pieces

I thought I would have a go at this challenge as I haven't made an ATC for ages. As I have been 'helping' Ellie make her Grandad's birthday card I have my paper scraps tray out today so the challenge seemed to fit in with tidying up!!

I have used strips of Papermania's Floral Retro papers and some K&Co paper. None is wider than 2.5 cms - honest!! I have watercoloured Dala Tilda in yellow and turquoise, and added the compulsory pink socks (Ellie is obsessed with pink!!) I tried to be clever and make it look as if she is sitting above a bed of flowers - not sure it worked!! I have used 3 die cut mulberry flowers with gems at their centre to finish the ATC off.

Hope you like it,

First cards post holiday

These are my first cards for just over a week. I found it really difficult getting back into the swing of things - particularly mixing and matching papers! Hopefully it will get easier! So I am not 100% happy with the outcomes - please be gentle with me!! LOL

Anyway I have had a go at 3 challenges this week, using 2 cards.

I have used Maggie (she is so like my daughters its scary!) for the Spoonfull of Sugar challenge. They set a recipe challenge - 3 brads, 2 patterned papers and 1 flower. I have used Papermania's Retro Floral papers and pearlised pink cardstock (technically 3 papers, but only 2 patterned!). I used a Papermania heart brad and some pink ribbon for the bottom of the card (the ribbon is straight on the card - the scanner snagged it!!), a gold brad in the centre of the flower, and an orange brad in the centre of the present bow. I used a couple of die cut flowers to make my big flower.
As I have used 3 different types of embellishments - brads, ribbon and flowers I am also using this card for the CCT challenge this week.


For the Tilda and Co challenge this week you have to include swirls. I have some lovely swirl stamps, but to be honest didn't feel like rooting through loads of stamps to find them(!) so I haven't used stamps. I have used a Shabby Chic Tilda(birthday pressie of hubby) and put some Papermania Retro Floral paper through my Bug using the D'vine Swirls embossing folder. Only 2/3rds of the paper is embossed. I matted Tilda onto yellow cardstock and put her on the un-embossed section. I have used a yellow ribbon to finish the card off. Simple but effective I hope.

Hope you like them,



PS - I have been a bad girl - already been online to buy 9 pads of K&Co paper - hope the hubby doesn't read my blog - but it was on special offer!!!! And I have been on his type of holiday and Normandy doesn't seem to have a single craft shop!!!

My 1st Sugar Nellies!!

These are probably my last efforts before we go away tomorrow - off to France with the hubby and some friends - but no children!!!! Yippee!! I have managed to persuade hubby that I do NEED to take some images and pencils as we are going on the train so I need something to do (not sure the view inside the Tunnel is that interesting!!)

I finally succombed to the lure of Sugar Nellies and have got myself a couple of Maggie stamps and a Hamish one. No doubt I will be acquiring more of these as I love them!!

For this image, Maggie with Flowers, I have coloured in pinks and blues using watercolour pencils and matted her onto pink cardstock. I have used papers from Basic Grey's Two Scoop collection and chosen a pink, blue and green palette so it qualifies for A Spoonfull of Sugar's challenge this week. I have used pink and green bards to attach the papers and some of the flowers. I finished the green flowers off with Papermania green gems.

I love this image of Hamish fixing his tractor, it reminds me so much of my nephew. I have coloured Hamish in using watercolour pencils and matted him onto light blue card. I have used papers from K and Co and DCWV and decorated them with red and blue gems from Papermania, and a ribbon. I have embossed a piece of red cardstock and attached it using blue brads. Hamish is mounted slightly off centre using silver brads.
I find it really difficult embellishing masculine cards and often end up using gems and brads - not sure flowers go!!!
As both cards use brads and I going to enter them for this week's My Time to Craft challenge, the first time I have had a go at this challenge blog.

Hope you like them.

My Scrapbook in memory of Butch

My beautiful baby boy, Butch, sadly passed away on Saturday. He was 13 years old and in a lot of pain. I have had him from the day he was born so we are all going to get used to not having a dog around. I have spent the last couple of days making this small scrapbook in memory of him and all the good times we had with him.



The scrapbook is a small papermania one that I got cheap as the front was faded. I have covered it with paper that I have sponged green and used Magnolia's goblin spells grass and sweet brairs to decorate it. I have added Rufus, but turned him into a dalmatian again. The flower is from Making Memories - I needed something to hide the ribbon ends!!

I have used a selection of papers - too many to mention. The quotes are mainly taken from browsing the internet. I have not added embellishments yet and am not sure if I will - I don't want it to be too fussy and detract from the photos.

Choosing the photos was really hard - so many and so many memories - I tried to get a selection that showed him as the beautiful, loving and gentle dog he was.

Some more pages from Butch's scrapbook.

These are my own words. This has to be one of our favourite pics of our beautiful boy.

The final pages of my scrap book. I love the pictures of Butch posing - they were taken before his arthritis got really bad so he looks happy and contented.








Making this scrapbook has helped a little with the grief I feel - writing the quotes brought a fountain of tears - but they do reflect him so well and my wonderful memories of him.

Thank you for my Birthday cards

These are the beautiful birthday cards 3 of my SBS sisters sent me - thank you so much, they are gorgeous. The first is from Tracie-Jane, the Dottie is from Tracy and the Penny Black Bee is from Becky.

And they sent me some gorgeous goodies too (as well as some goodies from other crafty friends!).

I had a lovely birthday - we went to a butterfly house and had a picnic as the weather was glorious. The girls loved the butterflies and the fish (in the butterfly house). Beth was fascinated by the butterflies and kept pointing them out. Fortunately she didn't try to catch them! Ellie couldn't believe how big the koi carp fish were.

Sadly we have had to have my beloved, beautiful boy put to sleep as he could no longer stand up. A sad end to a lovely birthday.

Cute Card Thursday

The Cute Card Thursday challenge this week is to use patterned papers. I love my patterned papers - the only problem I have had is choosing the papers so ... I have ended up with 3 cards!!!

On the first one I chose Papermania's Raspberry Champagne Creative Tones papers. I love the daisy paper and cut swirls of briars from a matching paper to create the effect of Tilda walking through flowers. Iuused this idea in my Papertake Wekkly Lime and Lilac challenge and really like the effect. However I am not sure it has quite worked this time, I think it might need some green.






So then I had a go with with this lovely Tilda.
I used Papermaina retro floral papers and matted Tilda onto them. I love the contrast between the brown and the blue.
Instead of adding ribbon I used some check paper left over from another card (Basic Grey's Two Scoops).
I was tempted to add a large flower but wasn't sure when I tried it - might get a bit too busy!









Finally I had a go with a Sugar Nellie Tracy sent me. I loved colouring her in and could become addicted to sugar Nellies!!
I have used K&Co Kimberley Hodges strippy paper and put it through my Bug to add some texture. I have used papers from Papermania's Retro Floral pack - I chose the brown to co-ordinate with the brown chairs and add a bit of darker, les bright colour. I have used some cerise ribbon to join the papers together, and a die cut flower to finish it off.
I have to say it is a bit loud for me, but I loved playing with these papers.


Hope you like them.

Papertake Weekly card

This week's Papertake challenge is to make a masculine card. I have made this card for my Dad - the girls are going to give it to their Grandad.

I have used Edwin and Rufus (who is now a dalmation like our family dogs!) and matted him onto green cardstock. I have used K&Co and DCWV backing papers and some star and square gems by papermania to finish it off. Its a bit blingy for a man - but what little girls like!!





This is my gorgeous baby boy - he is 13 now and we have had him since the day he was born. He's not so good now with chronic arthritis so he doesn't walk well and often falls down- but he is still gorgeous.