sketch and stash

I've just found this wonderful ne challenge blog Sketch and Stash.
Every 2 weeks there is a sketch to follow and all you have to do is use your new or never used (or hardly used!) stash on your creation! This is your chance to fall in love with all that stash again or just to show off with your brand new stash!!
Here is my card for their first sketch The image is one I had sent to me by one of my blogging friend a while ago but have not had chance to use. I coloured this with my watercolour pencils.
DP from my stash had it a long time but never used it. Little bear is a peel off stuck on to glitter card and then highlighted with my whisper pens. Ribbon from stash.

Evergreen and Grape

Sorry about the photo in this one i just couldn't get the lighting right. On Roses and Paper the challenge is to use Evergreen and Grape somewhere in you design. I used the sketch on Mojo Monday for this card. The DP is some i recieved from a blogging friend a while ago. Ribbons and gems from my stash. Image coloured with water colour pencils

Two into one

Coudn't settle down tonight so thought i would have another play with the challenges. For this one I used the sketch on Our Creative Corner and the theme I used from Papertake weekly which is 'Seeing Spots'. The DP is Basic Grey which is absolutely beautiful and i used the swiss dots embossing folder for the bottom. Sentiment is See D's and the heart embellishment is onw that was sent to me in a swap. The ribbon across the middle is laura ashley and the red ribbon from my stash.

more family cards

Working through my family cards this week so that i don't have to rush them at the last minute like I usually do. For these 2 cards I have used the sketches on 2 sketches 4 you. Everything used to create this card was sent to me in RAKS from blogging and forum friends so not sure who they are by, but i do know the papers are by the same company.
The sentiment is hand written.

The papers on this card are Docrafts and they have a lovely texture to them. I haven't much of these papers left so i might have to go and do some shopping and see if i can find some more. The embellishments are glitter peeloffs stuck onto blue CS. Pink gems added to give it a bit of bling and yet again the sentiment is hand written.

A card for my OH

I needed to make a card for my OH's birthday later this month and as he is working away for a couple of days I thought this to be the best opportunity. I hope he doesn't see this, but don't think i have to worry too much as he is not interested in my blog.
For this i used this weeks sketch on Just christmas and birthday cards and made a large square card out of 2 A4 sheets


The DP's are Dovecraft masculine, decorated with some nice brads from my stash Hugs and kisses sentiment is a velum sentiment sent to me in one of my secret santa's the rest of the sentiments are peel offs and rubons

Cupcake Challenge #20

This week at Cupcake Craft Challenges Lauren has given us the challenge 'Glitter' to give us inspiration and here is the card that i made with this subject.

I have used one of my new stamps i bought just before christmas Redhotbed Lilly May and i glittered the wings and the crown with stickles. The yellow BP is also a glittered paper. I used DST around the card and then sprinkled with glitter to give a border effect

Why not pop over there and see what the rest of the DT have done

Last one for Today

Ok so here is my last card for the day. I really must get the kids school uniforms ironed for tomorrow.
This challenge was for Magnolia v Stampavie and it's a great sketch.

The BP's are hand made papers and i have hand stitched them to give them even more of a rustic feel. The image is coloured with my whisper pens and the sentiment is stamped using Brilliance Lightning Black. The flowers are part of one of my secret santa pressies and i do love them. This card definitely looks better in real life as you can see the textures of the papers much better than in the pic.

I would really love to play more with this challenge blog but at the moment i have very little magnolia only one stampavie stamp and no sarah kay. I keep drooling over these lovely stamps that i see in the challenges, I am going to have to save up so that i can buy some more, but being after christmas money is a bit tight so have been told to slow down on the craft spending so that we can manage to pay some bills lol. Oh well suppose the few that i have will get worn out lol

CPS 98

I love the sketch this week on CPS. So thought i would have a play. As valentines is not too far away, this seems to be the theme I am basing my cards.

BP is green mulberry that i have inked around the edges with red ink. The shapes are cut from from some lovely DP that I had sent to me in a RAK from one of my blogging friends. The stamped image is a PM stamp that i inked up with my whisper pens, spritzed then stamped. The fibres and velum sentiments are from two secret Santa gifts that i have received this year.

Penny Black Saturday challenge

Looks like i'm definitely getting back into my stride again.
The challenge on Penny Black is Embossing. And here is my take on the challenge.
I used my cuttlebug to emboss the background and this cute hedgehog stamp coloured with water colour pencils

New Year New Start

May I start by wishing everyone a Happy New Year and hope you all had a good christmas and I hope Santa brought you everything that you wished for.
Due to illness and a lot happening at home over the past month I haven't managed to make any posts on here. I also totally lost my crafting mojo so my craft table has noticed my abscence too.
Today I decided it was time i got my craft table tidied in the hope that i could get my mojo back, and once tidied i decided to have a go at one of the challenges to see what inspiration i could get.

The first challenge i came upon this evening was Sketch Saturday and sketch #32. it did take me a while to get my mojo going again and although i'm not entirely happy with the finished card, here is my take on the sketch.

I have mainly used mullbery papers on this and the Love sentiment in the centre is stamped on mulberry and then spritzed with water so that the colours ran into the paper. When dry I used a black pencil to draw in the image again.

Spot and dots

Well It's Monday again and time for this weeks challenge at Cupcake Craft Challenges.
This weeks Theme is spots and dots. You may make anything with as many or as little spots and dots as you want.
Our sponsor this week is Ooh La la Creations who is providing a great Christmas CD for the winner. So why not pop ovr and have a look.
For my card this week I used lot's of spotty and dotty paper that I have had as freebies from magazines in the past and the ribbon is from PM.
I am trying to use up all my bit's of paper to try and clear some space in my craft room and these bit's were just perfect for this challenge.

My first Necklace

Here is my first necklace that i have attempted using the crochet method. I think i really need to do some reserch on how better to do it, but i just played around with this as though i was crocheting with cotton or wool.
Again I used the green 28 gauge copper wire and a mixture of seed beads for the decoration. i really do need a lot more practice as i couldn't give this as a gift as it's very rough. i think a trip to amazon for a good book is in order for some techniques

Another bracelet

I have been productive today. Here is another bracelet that i have just completed.

The wire is green 28 gauge pure copper wire and the beads are from my stash. I also found some findings in my stash that i think i got free with a magazine a while ago.

Something new for me

While waiting for the stickles to dry on some commissions I have at the moment I decided to have a go at making some jewelry which i haven't attempted since i was a teenager. A friend of mine Paula inspired me and even provided me with a few bits and bobs to get me started. I'm not ver good at the moment but i'm sure practice will make them a little better (daren't say perfect lol).
The first a set of very simple earings using some pearl effect beads that i had in my stash, didn't want to start my first peice too difficult.

My second lot is a set of crochet wirework jewelry. Not nearly as good a Paula produces but not a bad first attempt. The wire is a light gold 0.200mm using a 3.75mm crochet hook and interspersed with lime green seed beeds that i had in my stash. I started first with the ring, then today i made the earings (although the only wires i had were silver which doesn't match too well but it is only a prototype for me). The i decided to venture into making a bracelet. As i had no findings I used a lime green been from my stash to make a fastening. All in all I'm quite pleased with my first attempts and am now sourcing places on the internet to buy more stash to play with. Looks like this might be a new hobby for me.

Apologies

I have to apologise for not posting for a while. Firstly i took a week away with my family walking in the peak district and then i totally lost my mojo and have had very little interest in crafting. This could be because my craft space is such a mess at the moment that i just can't find anything, and also because i have been feeling pretty rough with a cold and just haven't managed to get any motivation together. But today i decided to kick myself up the bum and do something about it, so now all i've got to do is tidy my craft space and get to work.
When i looked at my blog this morning i also realised that i hadn't shown my DT card for this weeks cupcake challenge. I could have sworn that i had made a post and dated it to show on monday but obviously this didn't happen so not sure what went wrong. So I know it's a bit late as the challenge finishes today but here it is.
It was my turn to do the challenge this week and i chose an inspirational picture
And here is the card I came up with using the picture for insiration

The papers are all that i found in my scrap box which i distressed by scrunching up the blue paper and tearing the pink and yellow paper. I then put some cardstock through my cuttlebug and chalked over the embossed design.

Ok so i promise i will get back ontrack very soon and get posting again

look what i got....

..... in the post today.  This is the blog candy that I won from Jay jay.  Isn't it great.  Already started having a play with it

Pretty in pink

Nikki has some great blog candy at the moment and for this i have made this card fro breast cancer awareness which is what Nikki is doing the blog candy for.

DP: creative imaginations.  Doodled around flowers to make them stand out and  papers edged with fine glitter

Image: Tilda Pink ribbon Stamped with Brilliance Pearlescent Orchid

Embellishments: mullbery flowers. flower buttons from Jay Jay.

Sentiment: free from magazine

my received birthday cards

As Promised here are all the cards I received for my Birthday.  Thank you everyone for making my birthday so special

let it Snow

I made this card a few days ago but this is the first chance I have had to put it up on my blog.  It is a mixture of 2 challenges.  CPS sketch #87 and Saturday challenge which is Blue, white and a little bit of snowflake.

DP: dovecraft winter wonderland.

Ribbon: Dovecraft

Sentiment: Studio G

Snow flake: sizzex die stamped in centre with studio G snowflake and embossed with clear glitter embossing powder

Happy Birthday to me

It's  My birthday today and I can't believe another year has gone by and another year closer to my half century.I was woken this morning by my OH and DD with my cards and my pressies.  A new watch from OH and a New Desk Lamp for my crafting table from my son and daughter.  No crafting goodies though and after al the big hint for ~woj and high hope stamps and some promarkers.  Never mind will have to save up some money to go and buy them myself lol.I've had 17 cards from my blog/forum friends so far and it's so exciting.  I have never had so many cards and from so far and wide.  I will take photo's of  them later and the pop a slide show up they are all great.  Do have to contact post office though as one came yesterday with not enough postage so have to pay the differnce and their fee.  but don't mind as i can't leave someones hard work at the post office.Right better make sure my DD is ready for school and take her.Bye for now.