Long time no blog

Well, I'm back! There are several reasons for my dropping off the planet since my last post, but the main reason was my touch of OCD to the apps on Facebook. If you've got a farm, a cafe, island or zoo etc you'll know where I'm coming from! However, I am going to try and wean myself off them and get back to my cardmaking and the rest of my life :) Or at least use them in moderation....!

The good things is, that the 'gap' has made this all feel like new again. I did carry on buying the odd craft item here and there, so now I have lots more stuff to play with my renewed enthusiasm. Here goes:-

I love this card, I really do. It's gonna be tough to give it away! I had fun fulfilling all the challenges below, but essentially made this as one of my Happy New Year's cards, cos I didn't get round to sending a single christmas card - Oh, the shame!

More under construction, stay tuned ;)

Challenges & Criteria

Just Magnolia #38 - Sketch
Colour Create #34 - Pink, Burgundy & Ivory + Roses

Stamp Something - Holiday Somethings

Daring Cardmakers- New Beginnings

LOTV #43 - New Year's

Cute Card Thursday #92 - Happy New Year

Crafty Creations #48 - Glitter & Bling

Everybody Art #71 - Happy New Year

Stampavie & More #75 - Happy New Year

Creative Card Crew #41 - Anything Goes

Stamp with Fun #39 - Happy New Year

Cupcake Craft #71 - Time for Celebration

Recipe

Stamp - Magnolia from Winter Kit

Colouring - Copics

Papers - Basic Grey

Embellies - Prima Daisies & roses from Joanna Sheen, Leone Em branch punch, diamond stickles and ribbon from stash.

There's a ghost in the house...

Do you know, I'm going to miss making Halloween cards after this weekend. It's a chance to get a bit kitsch and camp isn't it? I still have loads of ideas and odds & ends of spooky stuff, but I think I may have to wait until next year before I can use it all... I really should be cracking on with those Xmas cards and also several friends birthdays coming up - blokes birthdays. I find them sooo much tougher to do. But, am thinking I need to face my demons and just get them done!

I flipped the Friday Sketchers sketch to create this card. I don't often do that, but it just worked better for me this way. When he was younger, my son had these glow-in-the-dark shapes on his wardrobes but, when he got too big for them, I carefully peeled them off thinking I could use them on a card one day. Well, it finally paid off and now my card has an extra secret bonus!

Challenges & Criteria
Friday Sketchers #75

Recipe
Stamp - Elzybells
Colouring - Prismas & Sansodor
DPs - Daisy & Dandelion
Embellies - Ribbon & card candy - Craftwork Cards, Bat - from an old earring, ghost from a glow-in-the-dark ceiling set

It's beginning to look alot like Christmas...

I made a couple more Christmas cards and am playing around with some simple-ish designs I can reproduce fairly easily and quickly. I don't like them all to be exactly the same, even if it's only changing the colours, but if I get a fairly straightforward layout I like, it makes the job alot easier.

There are some new Xmas Elzys about to hit my doormat in the next day or so, so expect to see them on here soon. I have a whole bunch of Elzys from several years ago, but they are the original wood mounted stamps in the larger format size. I much prefer the dinkier ones, so am trying to gradually replace them. They are sooo much easier to store, too :)

Challenges & Criteria

Crazy 4 Challenges #8 - It's All Geometric

Recipe

Stamps - Elzybells, A-Muse

Colouring - Copics

DPs - Papermania

Embellies - Nesties, Stickles, Ribbons from stash

Merry Christ-moose

I found a new love in the Rileys from Hanna stamps. So cute! I have a few more winging their way across the Atlantic with my BIL right at this very moment and can't wait to get my sticky mitts on them :)

Recipe
Stamps - Hanna Stamps, A-Muse
Colouring - Prismas & Sansodor
DPs - Papermania
Embellies - Nesties, Stickles

Candy Corn Cravings!

I lived in the US until I was 6 (Rochester, NY), and very much miss all the excitement of Halloween. When we came to live in the Uk, I was bitterly disapointed that it was barely acknowledged over here. In particular, that they don't sell Candy Corn. Boo hoo! Luckily, I've had several trips back and still have family there, so have occassionally been able to fulfil my cravings, but it's a bit too heavy to post, so not very often :( Still, as the popularity of Halloween grows over here, I live in hope that one day, Candy Corn will make it too...

Oh, we can, once in a blue moon, get Pumpkin Pie mix too - I find it too messy to do completely from scratch, so will be making a pie for next Saturday. Yummmmmmm :)

Challenges & Criteria
1. Sketch - Just Magnolia #28
2. Stamp with Fun #29 - Halloween
3. Cupcake Craft #61 - Things that go bump in the night!
4. Everybody Art #62 - Halloween
5. Stampavie & More #66 - Halloween
6. Crafty Creations #38 - All Hallows Eve
7. Stampin' for the Weekend #21 - A Haunting Good Time
8. Stamp Something - Halloween somethings
9. OCC - Inspired by your fave holiday movie - The Witches of Eastwick

Recipe
Stamps - Magnolia, Alota, Lockhart (sentiment)
DPs - Bo Bunny
Colouring - Copics
Embellies - MS Punch, ribbon from Offray,

Mani Pedi

No sketch, no challenges, just me this time and my lovely stash of stuff. I made this card for an old school friend's 14 year old daughter. She had appealed on Facebook for cards to be sent to her daughter and well, how could I refuse? Given that card making is my passion, it would have been rude not to ;) I think my paper piecing worked really well on this. Must try that again...

Recipe

Stamps - MFT

Colouring - Copics

DPs - DCWV

Embellies - Ribbon from stash

For my chocoholic friend

Well, what a weekend; I'm sure I blinked and it was gone. I never stopped but felt like I achieved pretty much nothing - do you know what I mean?! It could be the bloomin' cold weather we're having and the way we seem to have drifted slap bang into the middle of autumn. I am leaving the house for work in the dark and not returning home until dark too. How depressing? Without wanting to wish my life away, roll on spring!!!!!

Challenges & Criteria

Sketch - Papertake Weekly #25

Colour Create #29 - Red, Yellow, Black, White

Recipe

Stamps - MFT (image & sentiment)

Colouring - Copics

DPs - Sizzix Sizzlits & stash

Embellies - Ribbon from stash

Apricot baby

I had a bit of a blogging break for a couple of weeks, just because I've been so busy at work and also since my stepdad passed away. It was a hectic few weeks, with relatives coming and going (and many trips to the airport!) but now life is slowly drifting back to 'normality'.

So, I'm back to my card making with some renewed energy and with lots of occassions and events to come, here is today's offering. I've actually cased one of my own cards here! I just love this simple layout and stamp. Thought I'd plump for some apricot shades this time for a change. The crad was made for my pal Pete's new arrival, 'Lydia'.

Challenges & Criteria

Creative Card Crew - It's a Celebration

Recipe

Stamps - Forever Friends, sentiment a-muse

Colouring - Prismas & Sansodor

DPs - DCWV

Embellies - Ribbon from stash, Nesties & blinged up my brads with Stickles!

Surfing the web...

I had longed for a Copic Airbrush for a long time and got it several months ago but have not had chance to play with it. This ended up blotchy, so I definitely need some practice to master it.

I've been hogging this pool paper for years and also this lovely starfish charm. I only had 2 the same, so it was really hard to part with it :)

Criteria & Challenges

Sketch - Allsorts #18 +2 colours - except I used 3 - oops!

Copic Colour Challenge #30 - BG05, R29, Y15

Daring Cardmakers - Down by the Sea

Just Magnolia #22 - Embossing

Crafty Creations #32 - Embossing

Stamp Something - Your fave embellie

Recipe

Stamps - Magnolia, sentiment MFT

Colouring - Copics

DPs - Paper Pizazz

Embellies - Nesties, Stickles, starfish charm from stash, Ink Essentials white gel pen

Striring it

Sketch Saturday are running a DT call in 2 parts. The first is to follow a sketch and then 12 will be selected to go through to a second stage. This is my attempt at the sketch. Lots of layers, which I love, so I really enjoyed it. Fingers crossed for me!

Challenges & Criteria

Sketch Saturday

Recipe

Stamps - Magnolia, Elzybells sentiment

Colouring - Copics

DPs - DCWV Nana's Kitchen

Embellies - Ribbon from stash

Falling for you...

Life is still hectic so I'm not making or posting as many cards as I'd like to at the moment, but 'rustled' up this autumnal number this morning :) It reminds me of a lovely memory from when my stepsister and I were young and Mum and Harry took us - and Mandy our dog - to Manor Park in Glossop. We all buried ourselves and each other under the leaves. It was a really happy day...

Challenges & Criteria

Friday Sketchers #69

OCC Happy Fall Y'all

Lily of the Valley #36 Green, Brown & Orange

ABC 'D' is for Die Cuts

Recipe

Stamps - MFT, Sentiment A-Muse

Colouring Medium - Copics

DPs - My Mind's Eye Bloom & Grow

Embellies - Nesties, Martha Stewart Maple Leaf punch

Sunshine on a rainy day

So, onwards and upwards!

I've actually amassed quite a stash of new stuff over the last few weeks. Things I forget I'd ordered, were turning up every few days. It's been lovely to get some nice snail mail recently. I just now have so many new stamps, I don't know which to use first!

I needed to make something sunny and cheerful, for my lovely SiL Maggie, whose birthday it is on Tuesday. She's always been a great support to me, through good times and bad. Couldn't wish for a nicer SiL :)

Challenges & Criteria

1) Mojo Monday - Sketch #102

2) Daring cardmakers - Sunflowers

3) Stamp Something - Favourite stamp or stamp set

4) ABC - C is for circles

Recipe

Stamps - Elzybells & A-muse

Colouring medium - Copics

DP - Doodlebug

Embellies - Ribbon & sunflowers from stash

AWOL

I thought I'd write a quick post to explain my blogging absence over the last weeks; My lovely stepdad Harry, who had terminal cancer, passed away 3 weeks ago tomorrow, from unrelated kidney failure. It was actually a blessing, as he did not really suffer and was spared a much longer and more painful deterioration.

Anyway, I don't want to dwell on it too much as it does not make for good blogging reading and I don't want to turn away my small, but rather lovely audience :)

I am posting a card after this. The first I've had chance to make in some weeks. It's nice to get back to normality...

In Dublin's fair city, where the girls are so pretty...

Top o' the morning to you! The slightly Irish theme of this post is due to the fact that one of my sisters is coming over from Florida in a few weeks time, and while she's here, we're taking a brief trip to Dublin. (Flights courtesy of Ryanair, £4 returns all in for the 2 of us - taxes etc too! I did slip up and ended up paying another £20 in debit card charges, but £12 each is a phenomenal price I think!) The reason I mention the trip now, is because I'd like to know if anyone out there knows, if there are any craft shops in Dublin itself? If YOU know, please let ME know! Ta x

So, another one of my new Elzys. Isn't she lovely? I did have to compromise and colour her strawberries pink to fit in with the Copic Colour Challenge, but nonetheless, I'm still happy with my card :)

Challenges & Criteria

Friday Sketchers #64

Copic Colour Challenge - Y06, B12, RV02

ABC - Zero Embellies

Recipe

Stamps - Elzybells

Colouring - Copics

DPs - Picked up from a craft show, now name on them :(

Embellies - none!

Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weenie...

Well, how chuffed am I? I was completely chuffed to little bits to win a couple of stamp sets over on the Elzybells blog. Elizabeth is holding a prize draw and your name is in for the full month if you leave a comment, so head on over there if you haven't already. I was lucky enough to get pulled out of the proverbial hat on day 2. I had been longing for the 2 clear sets I won too, so fabby news! Expect to see cards with those very soon :D

As it happens, I'd already placed a couple of orders in the last 2 weeks, so am bursting with Elzy stamps to play with and here is card no.1 that I made today (second one will be posted tomorrow). I managed to combine it with a few challenges again too :)

I am struggling to get much done on this computer. After my own died, my lovely (step) nephew, Nathan, gave me his old one. Trouble is, it's even older and slower than mine was, so is not playing ball with me for editing photos etc. Hence the raw deal for now. Still, I'm not complaining, not really. I'm ever so grateful to be back on line at all.

Challenges & Criteria

Mojo Monday #98 - Sketch

Papertake Weekly - 4 Seasons

Cupcake Craft Challenges - Beach Theme

A Spoonful of Sugar #63 - Floral Fantasy

Recipe

Stamps - Elzybells

Colouring - Copics

DPs - Making Memories

Embellies - Ribbon, Nesties, Stickles