Katy A Craft Addict

Happy New Year!!!

2012-01-04T23:39:00.007Z

Happy New Year to all!!!! It's been a long time!!!, I hope you all had a lovely time with your friends and families and best wishes for a lovely 2012!

Well, it's been 3 months since I last blogged. Work has been very busy as I've changed my job and I don't know what I'm doing, lol. Home is always busy and I found I wasn't doing much me crafting, so I decided to have a wee break from blogging.

So I thought I would share my first project of 2012, a card for my Dad, whose birthday is this month. He's an old rocker (he got an air guitar for Christmas. Yes you can buy them, that's not a joke, I know they are supposed to be invisible, lol) so I thought these old stickers I have had lying around for a while would suit him perfectly!

The papers are K & Co, Sera, Sera, bling and sequin waste from stash.
It's also my lovely Mother in Law's (Wendy) 70th Birthday this month as well and I have made a Tilda card for her. I can't remember what this Tilda is called, but she's doing a lovely 'hurrah' in the air, so she's lovely for birthdays. We are off down to 'Naarfek' (Norfork to normal northerners) this weekend for some lovely celebrations. That's me back off the diet, Wendy feeds us too well! Short one today, don't want to overdo it straight away! Have a lovely week K xx

Anything Goes Challenge #51 - Die cuts and Punches

2011-10-05T16:00:00.006+01:00

Here we are again, these challenges come round so quickly don't they?! This time our theme over at Anything Goes Challenge Blog is

Die cuts and/or Punches

I do believe I have one or two of these, LOL and I am betting that most of you do as well!

I have made this card for my daughter, Emma who is 5 on Friday - wuh?! where did that time go? I only had her last saturday! Well she has asked for enough toys on her list to fill the past five years of birthdays anyway, I groan everytime the toy adverts come on, she wants everything!

All the Marrianne Design dies are from Craft Den, together with the 8x8 card, bo bunny cardstock, bling, paper roses, stickles, and a great selection of Martha Stewart punches, with some lovely snowflakes just in. The image and the lace are from my stash. At this stage I am still making Emma's cards to please myself, she hardly notices cards when she is opening presents! When she asks for a Hannah Montana card I will give in and buy one, lol. Although she is more likely to ask for Batman..

Please come along and join us at Anything Goes Challenge Blog. We had an amazing amount of entries last time, over 580!! Apologies if not everyone recieved a comment, we were overwhelmed, and very chuffed!! Thanks for all your amazing entries!

I realised I didn't post any of my recent scrapbook pages either for a while, so here goes :-)

This was my September entry as DT member for Scrap Our Stash Challenge Blog, our theme in September was Grids. I don't really do straight lines in my scrapbooking very often, so I softened the background grid pattern with bunting and flowers and curved edges to my photos.

The theme for October is 'Using a favourite Quote'. Come along and join in!

Here are my last few Craft Den scrapbooking class layouts.

This layout was free reign so we all chose our own papers and went in our own directions. I used the Prima Springtime collection papers for a photo of Emma when she was just about 9-10 months old in a huge dining chair at Granny and Grandpas. The lovely flower border along the bottom is a Martha Stewart border punch, which we have worked out how to double punch to make this border. I cut flowers and fairies from coordinating papers and added Tim Holtz grunge board letters coloured with versa magic ink and glossy accents. This layout is using more lovely Prima papers and a corrugated card and ribbon heart and frame design designed by Lynne. I have had these Disneyland Paris photos for a couple of years just waiting to be used and I thought these papers were perfect for the fairyland atmosphere of Disney. Yes, that is me wearing Piglet ears. I love Piglet...

The last was another free reign with an option to copy Lynne and use these lovely Bo Bunny papers. I completely copied Lynne, as I loved her layout with the trees and birds! Emma is running around my mum's garden with string for my mum's cat Millie to chase. She absolutely loves Millie and thankfully Millie is one of those lovely compliant and well natured (and quite stupid) cats who put up with an lot!!
Thanks for looking, see you again soon! K xx

Anything Goes at Anything Goes Challenge!

2011-09-20T19:53:00.006+01:00

Here we are again and I am late! Over at Anything Goes the theme this fortnight is, well 'Anything Goes'!
I bit off more than I could chew with my project and have burnt the candle at both ends to get it done! It all took much longer than I thought, and just kept growing and growing, I couldn't stop adding things! But I am very happy with it. It's a little house scene on the theme of sewing. I've always looked longingly at things like this on blogs and in magazines. I am much more of 'pretty' crafter and although I love looking at it, find the whole altered thing quite hard, but like pringles, once I popped I couldn't stop!
Emma has her beedy eye on it as well and is a bit upset that it's all stuck down, so I promised her I'll get another house and decorate it with her and she can put in moveable things that she would like to play with.

List of ingredients:

Stash: wooden house, wooden reels, charms, old sewing pattern, old thimble, chippie shapes, buttons, tacks from B&Q to hang the coathanger and the type charms!

Craft Den:

Cranberry and butterscotch adirondack paints, crackle medium, gilding flakes, ribbon, glossy accents, Tim bottles, Prima canvas dress dummy and butterfly with resist patterns on them, Tim Lost and Found papers (tape measure) Tim fragments, Tim Type charms, MD button die, little coat hanger and beads, hemp flower, lace trim, cranberry and butterscotch adirindack inks, cranberry and sunset orange adirondack colour wash sprays, various DI inks, bo bunny double dot papers, Inka Gold - 'Lava Red and Antique Gold.

Anyway, we'd love to see you over at Anything Goes and pop over to the Craft Den website, it's growing all the time with lovely ranges!

Ta ta for now! K x

Anything Goes # 49 - Vintage/Shabby Chic

2011-09-06T10:52:00.004+01:00

Wow, major morning here in the Adamson household: Emma had her first morning at School today. It took 10 minutes to drop her off and leave her and I heard another parent saying, '4 hours sleep, tossing and turning for that!'. LOL, I was the same, had a really funny nights sleep, probably stressing about this morning and she was so calm and 'OK, bye mummy! She's not back until Thursday monring now, so we have another day and a half together. Off to collect the pots today that we painted last Tuesday so will take some photos of her masterpieces to share with you! Mummy even painted a pot as well, I might not share that one! Photos of school to follow in several scrapbook layouts very soon!

Anything Goes Challenge time again and this time our theme is Vintage/Shabby Chic. I love shabby chic style, although I think that my entry for this challenge is more shabby than chic! The papers are Prima, Summertime range I think. They have lovely muted colours. This is Emma on the beach this last May in Scotland. See how warm she looks, lol!
Dies used are spellbinders border, Marrianne Design swirls and Sizzix Tattered Florals. The heart is a MS punch. Everything is from Craft Den.

Here is the layout we did last week at Craft Den. I turned Lynne's design upside down and added flowers and bling and a title with Tim Holtz grungeboard letters. The papers are Bo Bunny.
Come along and join in! Look forward to seeing you there!

Anything Goes #48 - Inspired by TV

2011-08-24T22:58:00.004+01:00

Just a quickie, just back from sunny Reading tonight. 5 hour drive home, I am pooped! My stupid 3G card was not working last night so I couldn't post and catch up on blogs as I planned to so this post is late, sorry!
It's a new challenge over at Anything Goes. This time the theme is 'Inspired by TV'. This is actually easier then it sounds! My project is inspired by 'Escape to the Country'. I just love these kind of programmes, I am so sad - anything housey or antiques I am there!

I decorated a lovely house key holder from Craft Den. It's not going to be used for keys, of course, ribbons are top choice at the moment! I used Prime Madelaine papers again, LOVE them. For the roofs I used copper craft metal, stamped with the little circle design from the Claudia Helmuth housey/foam stamps set. I then traced around the circles with a small embossing tool, turned the metal over and then embossed from the other side with a large embossing tool, then lightly sanded them down to give the burnished look and swept over with brown stazon. The door numbers are made from Tim Lost and Found papers and fragments. The background is willow dabber paint and gold inka gold.

Everything from Craft Den of course!
Come on in and join the fun!!
K x

Latest layouts

2011-08-22T22:23:00.004+01:00

Hi everyone, thanks for your lovely comments about my thank you book for nursery, I can't believe it myself that this is her last week. Emma by contrast is delirous now she has realised what I am saying about it being her last week. I have told the nursery staff not to take it personally!!
I'm off down to my head office tomorrow, back Weds, which I could do without, but it always makes the week go much faster! My AG DT piece is all ready, I have been a good girl this week and got myself organised!

Here are my last two layouts, one from Craft Den class last week and another I did at home. BTW, is anyone having the same problem as I am having, where blogger is putting great big gaps between may paragraphs? It takes me ages to delete them all out and even then sometimes it puts them back in when I have posted! So annoying, grr.

Emma and Granny down in Norwich a few Christmases ago. I thought the photo was so sweet with these Bo Bunny papers. I have added a Tim tattered die cut flower, which is alternative layers of pale blue fabric and blue card, edged with versa magic Pumpkin Spice ink. I have kept the detail simple with some bling, cherry blossom flowers and ribbon. The butterfly punch is Martha Stewart and everything from Craft Den, except the cherry blossoms from stash.

The next one is a continuing attempt to use up old stash! I've had these K&Co papers forever and never found the right photo. Although I love them, the papers are almost too bright to do anything with, but I thought these piccies looked well. I have hidden a journal tag behind the scalloped just detailing what she is doing and when the photos were taken. I am being shamed into putting more journaling in my layouts by Lynne! She's right of course, Emma will want to know about the photos when she is older and see my handwriting when I have left her all these scrapbooks one day!! The glitter flower is Prima, an impulse buy from QVC and this is the first thing I have found that they go on so far! I have chopped up some lace border for leaves and added some bling branches. The dragonfly I have made out of metal using a Woodware stamp and embossing tools. I coloured it with copics, which didn't work so well, but it's for my album so who cares!

Remember, the next Anything Goes Challenge is launched tomorrow. Click here to join in with us! Don't forget its our last week of the DT member call as well!
K x

The last week....

2011-08-19T15:03:00.006+01:00

Emma has her very last week at nursery next week before she starts school on 6th September. I can't believe it. Four and a half years almost she has been going, full time, bless her, since she was 6 months old. I will bawl like a baby next week! Those lovely nursery staff have been such a big part of hers and our lives - oh, why do they have to grow up?!
I have made a mini book thank you card to give to them next week. You see us crafters don't just buy a thank you card, or even make one, no we make a mini book!!! How's that for showing off, lol!
Lots of piccies I am afraid, particularly since I don't really want to give it away! I might have to make another one just for me.

The whole book

First Page - just look at that face!!
First Day
Little Ladybirds - baby class

Busy Bees - toddlers class

Having fun and playing

Careful Caterpillars - pre-school class, and Good-Bye, sniff!

Hope you like and have a lovely weekend, K x

Poppy is in charge...

2011-08-17T22:54:00.011+01:00

Well I did get over the shock of the BIG vet bill, only to pay out another £90 today for annual boosters and worming and more special food for George's 'delicate tum'. Poppy drew blood from me three times while I was trying to drag her out from under the futon in the attic (she slipped past me and under so fast I thought at first that it was my fringe that had moved in front of my eyes) and then again at the vets whilst she was being wrapped in a towel to have her worming tablet. Whirling Dervish comes to mind... The vet commented that she was quite feisty...understatement. I was practically lying across the vet's table to hold her down, wrapped in a stripy towel (she was, not me), at 9.30 in the morning. Who would have thought that someone that weighs 4.5 Kilo and is the size of a teddy bear could be so strong! My mum once had a lovely cat called Tiger, who was of a slightly grumpy nature and you had to wrap him in a towel and sit on him just to change his flea collar and then actually jump onto the kitchen top when you let him go, as he went off like a Tasmanian Devil, to make sure that he didn't get your legs! Poppy is heading that way! George just sat still and accepted his fate, sweet boy!! Poppy came and sat on my arms later while I was working, all sweetness and light and back to normal as the lovely, loving cat I know! It is such a good job that I really, really love them!

Anyhoo, here are the last few layouts I have completed, not very many lately, I had Emma on my own all last weekend and most of my free evening time was spent in creating a mini 'Thank You' book to give to nursery. Now I have done it I want to keep it! I'll post it later when I have taken all the photos.

Last week we did a LO at Craft Den using some lovely floral and butterfly papers. I didn't see who they were by which is not like me. Most likely they are Bo Bunny or Prima, I'll have to check tomorrow. You can see that I have smothered the flowers with stickles. Here is Emma chasing bubbles in the cottage garden during our holiday to Scotland in May.
The next LO I did a while back and it's taken me ages to photograph it. I used Prima papers and cut out a frame which is raised on foam pads

The butterflies are cut from a coordinating paper and the flowers are from the Tim Holtz tattered florals die. I've added stickles n ribbon.

I joined Slimming World two weeks ago - I have been before a couple of years ago and was doing OK, but kind of went off track when my friend Caroline died, and just never bothered with it again. Of course, I have piled on even more since, and although I have been told it doesn't show by a few people (they are being extremely kind), I was quickly reaching the stage that my full term pregnancy weight was over the horizon , minus the baby!! I used to be the skinny one in size 8 dresses, how things have changed! I didn't have a great week this week, but I have lost 3lb so far over two weeks so I am on my way! A few of my Craft Den friends joined a while back and are making the 1.5-2 stone marker at the moment, which is fantastic and they look great. I think I need a photo of the thin me on the kitchen cupboard door to spur me on! Anyway as part of my motivation I have added a weight loss ticker to my blog. It might help me anyway!

I won't be craft stash shopping for a while......

2011-08-16T10:58:00.000+01:00

...... George's vet bill was £478. Wowzer!! I will have to get some crafting done this week to help get me over the shock!

I have made a few cards this week with stamps I bought recently from *whisper* QVC. I dont really buy off them often as they are expensive and when I do see something nice I wish I could buy just one or two - who needs 20 or 30 sheets of the same thing! Anyhoo, I thought that these stamps were lovely and being large, even I could colour them in. lol. I have used 7gypsies and echo park papers and a lovely new frame nestie. I've kept the cards quite simple. Hope you like K x

Scrapbook Mojo was back for a while!

2011-08-10T22:02:00.004+01:00

Hiya, I had had a bit of a scrapbook mojo moment last week and made a few layouts using up stash!!! My idea is to start making room by using up some of my rather large stash collection, but it's only just dawning on me that I then have to find room for what I have made, LOL!

Here is Emma sitting on her daddy's shoulders during a lovely walk on holiday in Scotland in May. You can see how blisteringly hot it was that day! I have almost used up the Basic Grey Wisteria papers which I also used on my Anything Goes DT card yesterday and added some pom pom ribbon, flowers punched with tattered flowers die, Marianne Design florishes, buttons, pearly wedding spray flowers and some pearlised sequin waste. I have also used a lovely piece of hideously pricey lace along the bottom. SB pages only that one, lol! I have stamped a flourish in the corners using some new Kanban stamp sets and versa magic purple hydrangea ink and added a title from my stash. Just about everything except the lace are from Craft Den.

The other one I did is taking an idea from a LO which Lynne did at Craft Den some months ago. I didn't go to this class but I loved what she had done with the paper, which is the to-die-for Prima Madelaine collection. How gorgeous are these colours?! Love these raspberry, duck egg blue, green and cream combinations. This is Emma and daddy on the beach in Scotland again. I have cut the middle out of the paper to make a frame, and added punched flowers and some little card flourishes which I have coloured with a green and a brown versa colour ink pad. The Prima leaves were my last ones, boo hoo, they are really lovely.
I haven't got the gorgeous George back yet tonight, he is staying at the vets again and see how he is tomorrow. He started being ill on Sunday and by Tuesday morning I had already paid £200! Goodness knows how much each night at the vets is costing, I only hope it's 5 star accomodation, but I doubt it somehow!

Hope you like and have a lovely evening!

Anything Goes Challenge - Happy Birthday/Celebration!

2011-08-09T22:46:00.004+01:00

Hello, hello, I am late in posting this fortnight's Anything Goes Challenge as usual, at least it's the same day, sometimes it's next week!

The theme this time is 'Happy Birthday or Celebration. I have gone down the celebration theme this time. I have used a LOTV wedding couple stamp, coloured with DI and some gorgeous Basic Grey Wisteria papers from Craft Den. I have also done a scrapbook LO to finish these papers which I will try to blog tomorrow, they are really, very lovely papers. To finish I have added a selection of ribbons and bling from my stash. Hope you like and have fun joining in. I am just finishing getting round the entries for 'Pick of the Bunch'. WOW thanks for so many fantastic entries! So many ideas for me to lift, lol.

I have had a bit of a stress filled day today, hence the very late blog. My 'honsome mon', George is poorly and now overnighting at the vets and I had to take an emergency afternoon off work to deal with him. I have been very worried and it's still a waiting game to see what is wrong with him, but I feel relieved that at the moment nothing obviously sinister is raising it's head. Fingers crossed :-)Me and the vet even had a laugh about how, even after he was very ill this afternoon, and I had lifted up all the food off the floor, he still tried to eat the teeny weeny little bits of cat biscuits which were spilled on the floor - he's a big lad and loves his food! As long as he still has an appetite.....

You can see in my side bar just how 'honsome' he is!! just love him!

Looking forward the your lovely entries this time at Anything Goes!!

Craft Your Days Away Birthday Challenge

2011-08-08T10:58:00.006+01:00

Hi all, having a bit of a mojo return at the moment, so I am going with it!! I have a card for the Craft Your Days Away first birthday challenge today. I have coloured the image with prisma pencils (badly, you can see the stripes :-( ) and used up just about the last of my Basic Grey Green at Heart paper pad from Craft Den. Plenty of stickles and glossy accent in the bunny ears! I am being a very good girl and using what I already have, rather than buying more at the moment. I know, strange concept to me as well!! Having said that, I have just heard the postie at the front foor and there was a satisfying thud!! lol
Here is a LO we started at Craft Den last week. Lynne always comes up with lovely ideas to get us all started and off we go. I slightly tweaked mine and added flowers, bling, a chippie bird, coloured with brilliance ink and then crackle accents and a title from stash. We also made tags and I have hidden mine behind the photo with a little bit of journalling about Emma's face painting obsession!
Right, off to see what the lovely postie has delivered!

Scrap Our Stash - August 'Re-Do a layout'!

2011-08-04T15:58:00.004+01:00

Hello, hello. How are you?

Over at Scrap Our Stash we have a new theme for August - Re-do a layout!

With all the new techniques, stash, styles coming out over the past few years, we all probably have a layout we would like to do differently. I actually do re-use photos sometimes and use them in another layout, not necessarily a re-do, but sometimes I just fancy using those piccies again in a different way.

I know some people don't like to re-do, so the challenge can also be to share an early layout and also a more recently completed layout, so we can see how your style (and stash!) has changed.

I loved going back to my very first scrapbook layout and re-creating in my current style. Well 4 years have certainly changed my style! My first layout was very basic, I only had one pad of cardstock and I used some free papers from a magazine, a few heart stickers and a piece of ribbon from a Christmas present, which I think is stuck down with a glue stick! But... it was my very first LO and all in all I still love it! My re-do I have done using Echo Park and American Crafts papers. I just love these kinds of colours together, they are so much fun. I have added some foiled, woven sheets underneath to mat the photo. The flower was a plain white flower, which I have painted with The Stamp Man Moonglow Starburst Stains. They are so lovely, they have built in mica and create a lovely sheen. Prima bling and assorted ribbon finish it off. I have kept the title the same. Spudling is a nickname we gave to Emma when she was little!

Come and join in, use up some stash and have fun with the challenge this month
See you later! K x

Long time, no see.... Pick of the Bunch

2011-07-25T19:23:00.006+01:00

Hello, hello, hello. I have been away from blog land for a while, busy with family stuff and work, so not much crafting going on here. Serious withdrawal symptoms now!

Anyhoo, long post coming now, get a cuppa...

This time on Anything Goes Challenge Blog, our theme is 'Pick of the Bunch'. This is my kind of challenge! Flowers, flowers and more flowers, lovely!!

I have used a Edwin with some lovely prima flowers and craftwork card base. I have made a twisted easel card, so I hope that makes up for me missing the last challenge which was 'easel card/more than one fold'! I have coloured him with distress inks and added some glossy accents.

Big News: We are having another DT call as we are getting so many fabulous entries!!

We are searching for a few more talented crafters to join our team. No previous experience of working on DTs is necessary.

Requirements

Create two projects per month

Be able to comment on your quota of entries

Post current challenges to your own blog

Participate in any blog hops we may have

Enjoy working in a fun and friendly team ;-)

As a DT member you will receive a discount when shopping at Craft Den as a Thank You!

Click here if you are interested!

Here are a few scrapbook pages I have done over the past month while I have been a bit awol.

Last night's Craft Den SB class - This is Emma being a fairy princess - she is having a run of enjoying dressing up at the moment - doesn't she look cute. I have used some lovely Best Creations papers, velvet ribbon and pearl bling in at Craft Den.

Another dress up page - doesn't Emma look absolutely FAB as a pirate!! Love it! Check out the pose with her hands on her hips. My favourite is her lovely bare tootsies! These papers are a mixture of 7Gypsies which were perfect for these photos. I have also cut out hearts and flowers from scraps of Sandylion papers, added glossy accents and some great brassy, plastic buttons from my huge button box. They were made for this page with the ships on them. Who would have worn them on their clothes I am not so sure about though.....
Over at Scrap Our Stash, the theme last month was Red,White and Blue. I have made a LO of Emma wearing a red nose for Comic Relief. She is posing as usual. I have used a mixture of MME Stella and Rose and Cosmic Cricket papers and some freebie trims and embellies I won as part of a kit recently. August theme will start on Monday so look out and join in, it's a fab challenge blog if you are like me and REALLY need to use up the stash which is taking over the house!!
I think that's enough for now. I hope to get back into crafting and blogging next week and start visiting everyone's lovely blogs again.

Have a great weekend! Kx

Anything Goes Challenge #44 'The Letter D'

2011-06-27T21:54:00.006+01:00

Hello, here we are again with another Anything Goes challenge. I am sorry I have been awol for a while, just caught up in family life and getting my new laptop. I still don't have my 3G card to logon away from my desk and my office has been unbearable in this hot weather, so I have neglected blogger for a while. I have realised that I didn't even share the last challenge, 'Here Comes Summer.' Oops.....slapped wrists, will do better this month! There are so many lovely entries, I am trying to get round as many as possible to have a lovely nosy.

This fortnight the challenge theme is 'The Letter D'.

'D' is for Doll

I have done a SB page of Emma showing off her lovely make up job on her Ariel Doll head. I just love the spaced look to her smile on these photos! She looks very funny, but very proud of her work, bless! Isn't she so cute! I am biased I know. I could eat her! Isn't that a funny saying I wonder if that is just an English thing to say, that we would love to eat our children when they are cute!!

Please come and visit and join in the fun! You will also have the chance to enter our call for the Guest Design Team member every month.

BTW, here is my entry for last challenge, 'Here comes the Summer'! It's Emma during our holiday in Scotland in May, she was blowing kisses everytime she swung up to me while we were at the wild animal sanctuary in Kirkudbright. It was a lovely day, she has her sun hat on and a taste of things to come! It's very hot, but I am soooo hoping the weather stays like this until September! I dont mind if it rains in the night to water the garden lol.

Couple o' layouts

2011-06-09T15:58:00.004+01:00

Oh what fun it seems to have been for everyone on blogger these last few weeks!! I can finally leave some comments today so I have been having a look at our MASKING entries on the Anything Goes Challenge Blog, some lovely ideas! I'll have to get round to my fellow crafting buddies soon while the going is good, lol!

I wanted to post a couple of layouts I made last week. I got thrown a curved ball at Craft Den SB class last week, we were using Bo Bunny Blast Off papers! But... I have a little girl, I only do girly layouts, where am I going to put the flowers!!!!!!!

After the initial panic I realised I had the perfect photos, with really bright primary colours which would go fab with the papers and I swapped flowers for stars! I still managed to get a bit of bling on there as well. The photos are Dan and Emma during our first family holiday away when she was 9 months old. She is delighted that he is down on the floor with her! I just love looking at those little hands clapping and those teeny weeny trainers she has on. I still have those trainers. Actually I still have a LOT of Emma's things, sentimental mummy, lol.

The other LO I made with some yummy SEI papers Lynne has in at Craft Den. Aren't those flowers just yummy with the doodled edges round them? Just a simple LO this time with a frame of flowers on a Bazzill embossed cardstock, just slightly inked around with a versa magic ink pad. Emma and Grandma are having fun in the sand a couple of years ago.

K x

Anything Goes Blog Hop - Masking!!!!

2011-05-31T08:00:00.005+01:00

Hello there, welcome to the next step on the Anything Goes BLOG HOP, the challenge this fortnight is MASKING!!!

Anything Goes Challenge Blog is one yeaR old this week and we have a pRize on offeR foR the successful winneR of the hop.

By now you should have staRted at the Anything Goes Challenge Blog, and just been to Katy's blog. As you have alReady woRked out theRe is a 'hidden' letteR in each blog which you need to unscRamble when you have all the letteRs into a well known phRase!!! I wondeR which letteR it could possibly be on my blog, LOL!

You will end up again at Anything Goes with 13 letteRs to unscRamble.

(Update: Lynne's Blogger is not working, her letter is B)

Rules:

1. Please leave a comment on each blog you visit. We all love to hear from you!

2. Please leave a comment on the Anything Goes Blog, with youR unscRambled answeR

3. FoR a second chance of a pRize, please do join in with ouR Masking theme challenge this foRtnight and enteR via MR. Linky on the Anything Goes Challenge Blog. YouR name will be enteRed twice for the pRize dRaw if you enteR the blog hop and make an entRy for this foRtnight's theme. (Comment for Blog Hop, MR, Linky for the masking challenge!)

4. Have fun!!!

HeRe is my entRy for this foRtnight. I have used the Really luscious Bo Bunny Madelaine papeRs. I have used one of the plaineR sides of the papeRs with lovely text wRiting and punched a few MaRtha StewaRt double punch monaRch butteRflies from cReam card. I have placed them in vaRious places on the DP and then spRitzed with a mixtuRe of wateR and RangeR WateRmelon dabbeR paint to cReate a butteRfly patteRn. I have used some of the spRitzed butteRflies as embellies as well as a lovely PRima floweR and inked and glossy accented Tim Holtz gRunge boaRd letteRs.

EveRything I have used is from CRaft Den.
Which bRings me on to my otheR news.......As a fuRtheR suRpRise, Lynne is putting on a Mega Sale to celebRate CRaft Den's Recent thiRd biRthday: 12 x 12 papeRs, MaRtha StewaRt punches and lots moRe on offeR, including fRee P&P foR oRdeRs oveR £10.00. Go and have a look, Lynne has also added lots of new goodies over the past few days.

Now, head on oveR to Lessa, one of ouR lovely Guest DT membeRs for June, for youR next step on the Anything Goes Challenge Blog Hop!

Have fun!!

Strollin' along and Grandad

2011-05-27T11:25:00.007+01:00

Had a lovely night as ever at my weekly SB class at Craft Den. We used the lovely Bo Bunny Sophie papers, cutting out the flower and leaf details from one page and creating a lovely MS punch think border across the page from another. I just love these colours together, they are so lush! I have used some photos of Emma when she was just walking, pushing her trike along the kitchen. Check out the purple walls and green woodwork we inherited in the kitchen, mad isn't it! Thankfully we have a new kitchen now in more subtle tones! I've pulled the green into the page to compliment the trike. Baby toys are always such bright colours aren't they? Great for the babies, but not great to try and match papers for a SB layout! We also painted a wooden heart with the new Eco paints in stock, which are really lovely pastel colours, painted a layer of quick crackle medium and then a layer of brown paint on top, which then crackles beautifully. I just love the effect. We edged them with inka gold and everyone else wrapped them in cord, but of course I had raced ahead without listening and had already stuck mine down! Oops. I've added punched flowers, butterflies and die cut swirls to finish it off and a sparkly title.

A couple of weeks ago we also did a lovely page with some more lovely new Bo Bunny papers, but I can't remember what they are called. They are also lush anyway! Here are Emma and Grandad in the garden after Easter Egg hunting, heading off into the house to count her considerable haul. I love the way the sun has back lit them. We cut out flowers from coordinating paper and card stock and I have added some corners cut with a Marrianne Design die. The usual bling has been added of course and a title from my stash.

Pop along to Craft Den website, Lynne has been updating all the latest lines and postage for UK is a standard £1.00, with free P&P over £25.00!

Back in cyberland! Two new challenges!

2011-05-24T17:37:00.010+01:00

Hurrah, my laptop is back from the IT dept at work. Sadly they have fixed it..... I was hoping for a new one, lol!

We've just had a lovely week away in Scotland with my family, Emma was actually really happy to go to nursery yesterday so she could tell all her friends, but she was back to her usual self this morning and didn't want to go, ah well, hopefully things will change when she goes to school.

I the meantime we have had a new challenge at Anything Goes, our theme this fortnight is BINGO.

Hop along to the challenge site to have a look at the Bingo card and all you have to do is choose 3 items that are in a straight line, or if your mojo is flowing, why not try the Full House and use everything!

On the 31st May our next challenge is due and as Anything Goes will be 1 year old we will be holding a birthday blog hop with some great prizes to be won!!

I have used the last vertical column: Punches/Dies Cuts = Sizzix star die; MS border punch; Nesties ovals and scalloped ovals - Pins/Charms = star and heart pins - Pearls/Gems = half pearls. The DP is Basic Grey Origins and I have water - coloured Edwin with DIs.

Everything is from Craft Den except the Sizzix die from my stash.

The May challenge is also still ongoing on Scrap Our Stash Challenge Blog running until 31st May. The theme this month is 'May Flowers'. This is my first DT entry, super excited! My entry was a SB layout of Emma wearing my sunglasses a couple of years ago. I have used a Bazzil leaf embossed cardstock as my background, and painted a frame using ranger dabber paints. The paper offcuts are Basic Grey Euphoria arranged so that they are peeping out from behind the photo and edged with versa magic purple hydrangea ink. The flowers are a mixture of Petaloo, Prima leaves, and some lovely large irises and roses. I have then added some bling flowers and gem stones and a Rockstar title. Everything but the bling flowers and the DP from Craft Den.

Hop along and join in with all the fun!

Just like buses...

2011-05-08T13:32:00.003+01:00

... I dont blog for ages and then two in one weekend!

Anything Goes Challenge theme this week is Home Sweet Home.

Here is my DT piece, a layout of my house and garden a few years ago before Emma came along, when I had time to spend on it. It doesn't look like that now, but I'm working on it again this year and she can come out with me without me being worried she'll fall down the steps or anything like that. Of course she also 'helps' me now! The little skylight is my office/craft room and my daytime window on the world as I have worked from home for the past 13 years.

The paper is the gorgeous Prima Madeline collection. I love it and I really almost cried as I cut and punched into it!! I will have to buy some more to look at lovingly. The punches are the EK success daisy punches. I have inked everything with Versa Magic and Versa Color inks. Have a look at Craft Den to see what Lynne has in stock. The skeleton leaves, chipboard shapes, butterflies and letters are from my stash.

Pop along and join in!!

Kathryn x

'Love' layout

2011-05-06T21:49:00.008+01:00

Hello again, I hope everyone had a lovely Easter and Royal Wedding! I feel as though I have been away for ages, I had to go down to my head office this week as well, so I am glad to be back home and getting back to normality after gadding around the country for two weeks. I am catching up and posting my last Craft Den scrapbook class page to catch up. I haven't had a chance to do anything new for a while, but I did get time to sit and relax and get on with my crosstitch while at my in laws ( I have it now for over 2 years oh dear), which was lovely, but it will take me another 2 years to finish it yet I think, I haven't picked it up since we came back on the 1st.

This layout used Bo Bunny papers, a variety of daisy punches and Colour My World templates. Its Emma and my mum and dad on holiday in Scotland two years ago. We are going again in a week, and I can't wait. I have added a bit of bling and some strung pearls to finish off as usual. Everything is available at Craft Den except the pearls and the title. I have just had a look at the website, Lynne has been working hard on it and it looks fab.

At Anything Goes we have a new fortnightly challenge, Home Sweet Home. I haven't made a DT piece yet as I've been away but I've made a start tonight! It's a scrapbook page of course. Often my mind goes blank about making a card, and I am really very lazy about colouring stamped images, so I feel more comfortable with completing a LO (lazy crafter, lol). I suppose because they are my photos so the project means something to me I find that inspires me. Anyway, pop over and have a look at what our fabulous new DT have been making and our talented guest DT members for this month. Wow is all I can say!

My little last piece of news - I have been asked to be a permanent member of the Scrap Our Stash Challenge Blog! I am very pleased and super excited! This month the theme is May Flowers I need to get on and get scrapping for that as well, good job I love it really! The entries dont have to be scrapbook pages, so come and have a look :-) Bye for now,

Anything Goes - Pink and Brown

2011-04-19T21:03:00.008+01:00

Hi, well we have had such an exciting fortnight at Anything Goes. We had 230 entries for our Pearls challenge and so many fantastic projects to visit. We also had a fantastic response to our DT member call, in fact we have had the hardest time in deciding, there were so many entries, so many different styles, card makers, scrapbookers, altered artists, the lot! It was great fun reviewing everyone's blogs. We were supposed to choose three but in the end we chose five!

Our fabby new DT members are:
Antoinette

Katy

Cheryl

Deb

and we are still waiting for a reply to our fifth fabby new member, hopefully she will see the comment soon and join in the fun! Welcome to you all!!!

Hop along to the Anything Goes blog and see the gorgeous creations they have produced for our next challenge, which is...

Pink and Brown
These colours go so well together and there are so many DPs out there lately with these kinds of colours in the shabby chic vein. I had great fun. I have done a layout of course (will try to make myself do a card next time..) of Emma, of course, again.

Recipe:

Prima and GCD papers, throwing caution to the wind and using three whole sheets, lol. I can be as grand as I like when scrapbooking as I know I get to keep it all anyway, selfish crafter, me.

Prima mini lace border stamps round the edge of two layers of paper, stamped in DI Vintage photo.

ZVA bling flourish

Tissue paper from Emma's shoe box (scrapbookers never throw anything away) cut multiple times with the Tim Holtz tattered florals die

Prima e-line pink flowers and white flowers coloured with Versa Magic Jumbo Java ink.

Assorted textured ribbons.

Bo-Bunny double dot cardstock punched with a MS deep edged lattice heart punch.

Everything is from Craft Den. Lynne is currently revamping the website with all her new goodies!

Also back over at Anything Goes Challenge Blog, we are opening up entries for monthly Guest DT members. Pop into the Guest DT section to enter for each month, we are looking forward to working with lots of lovely, talented people over the year, and seeing loads of fabulous inspiration for each challenge.

And, last but not least, we are picking three top winners per challenge, by random.org, there are lovely blinkies for you to collect each fortnight by being one of our top three!

Enjoy, have a lovely evening :-)

Canvas boards

2011-04-14T15:37:00.002+01:00

Just thought I would post a couple of canvas boards made back in February. I was lucky enough the be able to attend a techniques workshop at The Stamp Man and had a really lovely day with Jill Tuck trying out loads of techniques and getting messy. The first one here is the one we made in class, it's amazing how everyone's turned out totally different from the same materials. We attached sticky back canvas to mount board and got painty with ranger dabbers on the background and a torn piece of corrugated board. We used a variety of stampboard pieces, Tim Holtz stamps, Tim sizzix dies, UTEE and stamps, Moonglow mica powders, in fact there are not many things we didn't throw at it!

I made another later, in some of my fav colours purple and greens. The corrugated card came under a Morrison's pizza! The lovely black spray details are a great product called webber from Krylon. I made the flowers using Stamp Man starburst stains on plain printer paper, scrunched it up, dried it with the heat gun and then used Tim's tattered flowers dies. I have used Stamp Man aspects of designs stamps on this one which I bought ages ago at Harrogate.

Hope you like them, I have really enjoyed getting messy, I dont do it very often!

Scrapbook pages and mummy's card

2011-04-08T16:28:00.004+01:00

Hiya, had a lovely time as always at scrapbooking last night. We used the lovely Bo Bunny Gabrielle papers again. I have followed Lynne's design quite closely and have added punched EK retro flowers, a zva bling and a MD die cut butterfly and punched MS butterflies. Kaye said 'Isn't your daughter beautiful?' Well yes, she is!!

I've also done another page this week, I found some old K&Co papers and was going to fold them into gift boxes, but then I thought that they had a lot of flowers and leaves to cut up. I wish I hadn't, it's taken me ages, but now instead of wasting the paper on a box, I have a bag of fern leaves and flowers ready to use! Dedication or what. So here are some on this oage of Emma chasing bubbles last year at Granny's house. I have layered a couple more sheets of flowery K&Co papers (I dont know what they are called, sorry, they are really old) on top of a sheet of Bo Bunny Ocean something cardstock. This has been one of my faves, that an the pale corally coloured one, I have used them so much. The layered up ferns and flowers are really sweet aren't they, I'm glad I persisted in cutting them all out, I have loads left, you'll see them again soon no doubt! I've finished it with a strip of textured ribbon and an MS butterfly border strip. It might get a title yet, I'll have to have a think.

Also, creme de la creme, here is my mummy's day card, complete with lovely signature and kisses. Brill isn't it!

Have a lovely weekend, we are visiting friends in Burnley, hope you have a lovely time whatever you are doing. :-)

Anything Goes Challenge - Pearls

2011-04-05T12:53:00.003+01:00

Another challenge over at Anything Goes Challenge Blog and this time the theme is

Pearls

As usual we had loads of lovely entries for our theme of Make your own Embellishments and as usual, I am still wading through, not enough hours in the day! Here is my entry for Pearls, some absolutely lucious, to die for papers from Bo Bunny called Gabrielle. They have just arrived at Craft Den and you will have to hurry because I need some more! This is Emma at my cousin's wedding almost 2 years ago now, looking really beautiful sniffing Grandad's buttonhole flower. I printed it in greyscale, which I think works really well for these papers. These papers also have my favourite thing for decorating anything - butterflies!! I have to admit I was getting a bit weary at cutting them out late last night though. I have punched a few using MS punches as well. Then I went mad with the pearls and stickles as you can see!

Come and join us at Anything Goes. Starting from this challenge we are going to be choosing our top 3 entries and spotlighting one person to win a guest designer slot for the following month!

And don't forget about the DT member call - we are looking for three new DT members to join us on a regular basis - ending 15th April.

See the challenge blog for all the details!

Scrap Our Stash - April Challenge and Anything Goes DT member call!!

2011-04-04T15:03:00.006+01:00

I have been very lucky to be asked to be a guest design team member for the challenge blog Scrap Our Stash this month. The theme for April is 'Bring on the Sunshine' which was a lovely challenge for a slightly misreable March. Here is my entry, Emma on the beach in Mallorca in 2008. I have used bright sunny colours to reflect the sunny day at the beach and to compliment Emma's lovely bright swimming cossie. We still have Quack Quack, the duck she is sitting in but I dont think she'll fit in it this year. She'll give it a go though :-) The background is Making Memories 'Hilary' shaped paper and then I have used Bo-Bunny Kitchen Spice and Ella Bella dotty papers, and added a mixture of Prima, Petaloo and other flowers in bright shades, and bright ribbons, buttons and stickles of course to finish it off. The pins are Maya Road, aren't they just delicious!

My SOS biog (oooo get me) was also posted last Thursday and here is the layout I made for it. Emma of course, about the same time as the Mallorca piccies, but in my mum's garden. Funny how it looks more sunny there than in Mallorca! She is pulling one of the funny faces she had a run of when she was little. This was one of her favourites, a surprised/shocked look, love it! The paper is an MME I got down south on my travels to the office and I've cut out the flowers from the coordinating paper and wrapped ribbon round and added butterflies as always. I was just wondering why I didn't add butterflies to the other page, but probably it being on the beach stopped me!

But now some big news!!! Over at Anything Goes Challenge Blog we have a DT member call! It's open until 15th April. You don't need to have been on a DT before. Here are the requirements:

Be able to create two new projects a month

Be able to comment on your quota of entries

Post current challanges to your own blog

To participate in any blog hops we may have

Enjoy working in a fun and friendly team!

But most of all to be able to have fun and enjoy your craftiness with like minded people!

If this sounds like you, please leave a comment with your name and a short bio and a link back to your blog.

We will close the call end of Friday 15th April and 3 winning candidates will be contacted no later then Sunday 17th April with a view to start 3rd May, or sooner if so wished.

Good Luck!!!

Oops, it's been a little while....

2011-04-01T14:59:00.004+01:00

Oh dear, I always have the best intentions to blog more regularly, to visit more blogs and leave more comments, but, real life keeps getting in the way, lol! Thanks to everyone joining is over at Anything Goes Challenge Blog this time, I'll be popping over again soon to have a look at all those great entries. We had scrapbooking class at Craft Den last night. We were a little bit thin on the ground, and Kaye is doing a mega album for her daughter, so we all had a lovely time getting on with our own thing, with ideas from Lynne. I did a double layout of Emma at Christmas, opening Woody and other pressies. The papers are Basic Grey Jovial, really lovely. The ornaments were cut using a Tim alterations die and the little bauble edging strip is a Martha Stewart. The little trees are a Nellie die set. Finished with stickles and bling as usual!

I am booked onto the all day card making and techniques workshop at Craft Den tomorrow, v excited!

Have a lovely weekend!

Anything Goes - Make your Own Embellishments

2011-03-23T10:57:00.003Z

Here we are again, Anything Goes Challenge time!
Last time we had 223 entries for our Die Cuts challenge! There are some fantastic entries there, I am still making my way through them, sorry, I will catch up!
Here is my entry for this week. I have made lollipop flowers to decorate a scrapbook layout of my daughter Emma, in my mum's garden when she was about 20 months old. She is blowing a buttercup and looks really sweet. When I think I can't possibly find any more photos to scrap of her, out comes another one! Actually I think you can scrap any photo, good or bad, they are all memories. The papers are a Bo Bunny Love Bandit shaped paper. The paper is so lovely I didn't think the layout needed too much so I just added the flowers, some butterflies (obligatory for my scrapbook pages, lol) and a die cut Marrianne Design vine. The flowers are made from Prima paper, spritzed with a gold mica mist spray and then scrunched up and folded out again, and held together with a brad. I've detailed the edges of the blue papers with diamond stickles and added some bling and a title. The butterfly punches are MS. Everything except the title are at Craft Den.

Today as well my March entry for Scrap Our Stash Challenge has been posted. I blogged it a few weeks ago. My guest DT entry will be posted soon as well as a bio on the 31st with a layout I did this week. I'll brag about that later when it's posted, big lol!

Have a good day!

Thursday Scrapbooking

2011-03-18T15:14:00.003Z

Hi there, we had a lovely time at Craft Den scrapbooking last night as ever. The theme was wedding, and Lynne has made this lovely design, but I obviously wasn't listening last week and I didn't have any wedding photos with me, so I finished early and was forced to have some time shopping! shame.

Anyway, I have now finished it at home with a photo of Jacquie and me as Bridesmaid's with our friend Caroline on her wedding day. It was a lovely day. Lovely memories. Sadly Caroline is no longer with us, but it's nice to remember lovely times. Not quite so keen on seeing the size 10 me though! I have grown in all directions except upwards since this photo was taken, lol. I can see collar bones, some time since I had those!!
The papers are new Basic Grey Curio just in at Craft Den. The cream cardstock background has been spritzed with a mixture of cosmic shimmers and Glimmer mists, and so has the flowery paper so that they have a lovely shimmer. I have finished it with gemstones in the flowers and a Prima bling and title cut with the Tim Holtz Carnivale die strip. I have used a pearlised peach card with a darker red underneath to give a shadowing effect and raise the letters off the page. Hope you like! Have a lovely day!

WOYWW

2011-03-16T10:00:00.005Z

Hi there, I had something on my desk this morning, so I thought I would share it for WOYWW (visit Julia's desk to find out all about it). Not very exciting though, just some lollypop flowers I am making and have just spritzed with cosmic shimmer mist. The left side of my desk has actually been tidied, though it doesn't look like it.

I thought I would share as well a desk tidy I made some time ago and never blogged (problem having to remember to take photos again). It was a wooden tray I picked up at a car boot for 50p. I have painted in with black acrylic paint and used Graphic 45 papers, buttons, Prima flowers, black lace trim and Tim Holtz feet to finish it off. Lynne at Craft Den kindly donated some little hangers so I can fix two ribbon handles to it to make it portable, but that's one of those little finishing jobs which I need to get round to yet!

and here is Poppy getting in on the act!

Have a lovely day!

Soo far behind...

2011-03-15T21:46:00.003Z

As usual I have completely forgotten to take photos of anything I have made lately. Finally here are the last three projects from Craft Den.

First we made a great beeswax canvas a few weeks ago. Lynne showed us some great beeswax techniques. I have a melt pot, project pan and beeswax of course, I have to have everything (embarassed look on my face), and didn't know how to use them, so I was sooo pleased with this class. We used some stamps which will be arriving at Craft Den soon, together with a load of different size canvases. We also added old dress pattern paper underneath the tissue layer. I have added a few extra metal buttons and a couple dress forms cut out from corrugated card to finish it off.

Scrapbooking class has started again at Craft Den as well! Woo Hoo! love my scrapbooking! Here are the last two layouts.

They are both using lovely Prima papers and a variety of flower punches. I have added bling and titles later on both of them. In the second, Lynne used a lovely way of layering the branches with a small flower at the tip to create a lovely blossom tree effect, really liked that.

Anything Goes Challenge - Die Cuts

2011-03-09T14:30:00.003Z

Thank you for all your entries for our last challenge, 'Distressing', 168 of you enjoyed that theme, thank you for your great entries!

This time our theme is 'Die Cuts'. I am sure I have a die or two lying around, seeing as my most prized possession is my Big Shot!

Here is my entry:

I have used nesties for the mat under Tilda, and a really very lovely, my new favourite, the Garden Branch Marrianne Design die from Craft Den. I am hoping that the Forest Branch will still be in this week as I NEED that one as well! My cards and scrapbooks will be very boring from now on (hoping that they are not now, lol)as they will all have this die on them, lol. The Prima Annalee papers, Prima leaves, MD corner die, the Prima E-line and rose flowers are all at Lynne's as well.

Have a good evening!

Scrap Our Stash Challenge - Dust it Off

2011-03-06T12:20:00.003Z

Two posts in one day, what is the world coming to?
Scrap our Stash Challenge blog this month has a theme off 'Dust if Off' for March. I have done a layout of Emma, nearing a year old and crawling around pulling one of the funny faces that she has. I have dusted off my fabric collection and some applique work which I had cut from one of Emma's ruined t-shirts.

Recipe:

Bo Bunny dotty card stock, distressed around the edge and highlighted with Adirondack Pool ink.
A variety of spotty and patterned fabric. I think the patterned ones are also K & Co papers, but I'm not sure what they are called. I ran them through the big shot using Tim's tattered rose sizzix die and then sewed red buttons into the centres to pull them all together. I've then layered them around the page using pinflair glue. The branch is another piece of fabric, stuck onto an Aslan fabric tape sheet and then cut out with the branch with leaves bigz die.
I have sprayed the paper doily with a mixture of mica sprays, and finished it off with the cut out applique details from the old t-shirt.

Bye for now!

Anything Goes - Distressing

2011-03-06T08:31:00.003Z

The theme this week over at Anything Goes Challenge Blog is 'Distressing'. I was on holiday so I didn't get my DT piece out this time, but I have made an entry. It's taken me all week to remember to take the photo, oops.

The papers are Graphic45 'Once Upon a Springtime Collection' and they are just lovely. I have distressed the edges of my mats and layers and added die cut frames for the decoupage fairy images.

The butterflies are Martha Stewart punches and the flowers are a mixture of Prima and small roses. The ribbon is from stash, everything else from Craft Den.

This challenge runs until Tuesday 8th, when there will be a new challenge, so you still have time to join in with your distressing!

It's a good week!

2011-03-01T23:17:00.004Z

What a great week so far! I am just catching up after being on holiday and then being away with work and checking blogs.

First good news: Scrapbooking class this week at Craft Den! Woo Hoo, I love my scrapbooking classes and have missed them.

Second good news: I just checked the Scrap our Stash Challenge blog to see what the March theme is as I really enjoyed joining in last month, and I am one of three winners from February and have won a guest DT place in April!!! I must admit I did not even read the challenge blog properly and did not even know that a DT place was up for grabs, perhaps I should read things more carefully in future! I am very excited! Thank you!

Anything Goes challenge until 8th March is Distressing. I have missed adding my DT piece while I've been away, but I have made an entry to join in. I just have to remember to take a picture, which is always my downfall!

Beeswax canvas at Craft Den tomorrow as well, can't wait!

Just Perfect and Dreams...

2011-02-13T21:53:00.007Z

I have been very busy packing and such like this week and not much craft or blog, sorry for the lack of visting and comments this week. I have completed a couple of layouts for challenge blogs when I've had a mo as I've been desperate to fit it some scrapbooking lately.
Scrap our Stash Challenge blog has a theme of 'love' for February. I have done a layout of Emma, about a week or so old, on her first walk all tucked up in her pram.

Recipe:

Paper Artsy hot picks stamp and vintage photo distress ink, for the scrolls stammped around the edge of the background DP
EK Success lattice strip punch to make the layered background behind the photo. In hindsight I should not have used double sided tape to adhere the strips as the page is sticky when you pick it up. I will get some spray adhesive mext time!
The flowers are PA again, stamped onto DP and some plain ones cut with a PA flower die, then scrunched up, inked and gathered together with a brad.
The butterfly punches are Martha Stewart, my faves.
The scrolls, bird and corners are Marrianne Design
The gorgeous teardrop ribbon and half pearls finish it. The paper and the letters are from stash, the rest from Craft Den.

Scrap Fit Challenge blog theme this month is 'Dreams'. Of course it's another page of Emma, this time a bit older and having a snooze in the car.

Recipe:

The same PA scroll stamp is stamped around the edge with vintage photo DI. Why stray from an idea if you like it!
I have also stamped a bubble wrap background stamp on the scalloped paper, which was cut with a colour my world template. I lurve this stamp, it's so useful!
The flowers are a mixture of prima and some random ones from my stash, and some lovely fat rose buds from Lynne.
MS punches for the butterflies again and the scrolls and the corner dies are Marrianne design.
I have embossed a chipboard swirl and added half pearls to finish off and a Tim Holtz ticket with a PA saying stamped in the middle and trimmed. The letters are chippies covered with stickles as is just about everything else. Craft den for most things as usual!

Right, I am now off to the Lakes for a week on my jollies, lots of time playing with Emma and some friends and some chillin'. I may make room for some crafting and a few glasses of wine, lol. Have a great week!

Anything Goes Challenge - February Sketch

2011-02-08T12:16:00.005Z

It's that time again, a new Anything Goes Challenge! Thanks for all your fab entries for the Butterflies theme!

This week we have a lovely sketch drawn up for us by Sue. I had such fun with this, sketches seem to have saved my mojo this week!
Here is my entry. I have used it as my card for my hubbie this Valentine's day as well, not like me to be so organised. He NEVER looks at this blog so I'm safe. Mind you he gets every project shoved under his nose to make the appropriate noises anyway so he doesn't need to look at the blog really, lol!

I have stamped the vine leaves around the Bo Bunny card in versamark and embossed with a two tone teal embossing powder. The DPs are Prima and a large doily, cut down to fit with the rose pattern circling the edge, sprayed with some mica spritzes. I have used some lovely textured ribbons and my MS lattice heart and monarch butterfly punches, and a MD swirl die. The flowers are a mixture of Prima, a silk freebie, petaloo and a large tea rose. I have finished it with vellum butterflies and a sentiment and of course some stickles. The label behind the sentiment is from a nesties set, which Lynne was trying out at Craft Den and she kindly gave me some of them. I have coloured this one in versa magic, sea breeze. This was another Tilda coloured with prismacolor pencils in class a few weeks ago.

Everything is from Craft Den except the doily and a couple of the flowers.

Sketch and Stash Challenge #54

2011-02-03T12:10:00.003Z

My mojo escaped me this week so I have been blog hopping for ideas. I found a lovely sketch on the Sketch and Stash Challenge blog this week, which kick started my brain again.

Last week at Craft Den we had a lovely tutorial by Sue (Beyond a Bland Blog) on how to colour using prisma pencils, which was fab. We are all desperately waiting for Lynne to get some in now! Anyway I used one of the images we coloured that week and made this card using the sketch. The papers are Prima Annalee range. Everything is available at Craft Den, except the flat prima flowers and the little tiny flowers from my stash.

WOYWW - week 87

2011-02-02T11:13:00.004Z

Good morning! I don't often have anything on my desk in the morning as I have to clear it every night for work in the morning, but I was lazy last night so here is all the mess. You can see the tiny space in the middle of the desk I work in, only because I am so messy and everything is spread around the desk.

I am working on a card, using an image I coloured with prisma pencils during a class with Sue last week at Craft Den. I'll post the card later. You can see I am surrounded by my die folders, loads of flowers, which I am deciding on. My first cuppa has just joined the desk.

Pop over to Julia's who has created WOYWW to view all the lovely desks this morning, it's fun to have a lovely nosy at evveryone's goodies and projects. Have a good day!

The Best Donkey

2011-02-01T21:07:00.005Z

My first layout of Christmas 2010. Emma had her first nativity this year. Loads of parents sat cramped into a small room at nursery, I was all excited at what she would be, would she be Mary? would she be a star? would she be an angel? No... Emma was the donkey, LOL. And what a fantastic donkey she was. When all the other children were singing, I whispered to Emma, 'sing, Emma'. 'Donkeys don't sing', she said. completely in character! She must take after her daddy.

I have torn some lovely gold printed vellum along the centre of my layout and die cut trees and snowflakes, using my lovely MD dies from Craft Den. The trees can definately be used for Spring pages as well in different paper. The title is some chippy letters, covered in PVA glue and glamour dusted all over. I have also added some half pearls and nailhead gem things.

I have also made a little card using some images I bought from e-bay. Sometimes you just have to admit you can't buy all the stamps! She was stamped onto normal card, rather than coated card, so I could not blend my copics, so I used them quite plainly, a bit like the effect you get with promarkers. I used some lovely dies: Spellbinders lace border, an ornate corner, flourishes which came with the lovely frame behind the Anya image. I also used my hot picks flower stamps and die to stamp onto some coordinating paper and scrunch up to make the flower embellie. Everything from CD except the paper.

Hope you like them, have a good evening!

First canvas - 2 posts in one day!

2011-01-26T14:47:00.004Z

In this month's Craft Stamper, Rachel Jackson made a lovely canvas project, which spurred me on to have a go, as I have never made a canvas before. I didn't have any of the same paints or stamps, so it looks completely different, but I had a go at the techniques.

I have used a 8 x 8 canvas and started by mixing 'painterly pink' and 'trad tan' Claudia Hellmuth studio paints and covered the whole canvas. It was a bit sticking plaster colour, bit too pink, so I then dry brushed trad tan over again in light patches which toned it down a bit. I had a bubble wrap stamp in my stash which I then stamped all over in various patches with adirondack espresso ink.

Rachel had made up a spritz using red and brown paints and matt multi medium but I didnt have those so I used a squeeze of the medium and then a blob on the end of a lollipop stick of gold dabber paint and viva blackberry croco. It's the first time I have ever made my own paint spritz, but it seemed to work ok! I put the title letters (Tim Holtz grungeboard) and Tim's flourish mask on the canvas and then sprayed away! I hardly ever do messy crafts so I really enjoyed this! Finally I painted with white dabber paint and the espresso ink to create highlights on the letters and the flourish, and added dusts of gold perfect pearls to the corners. The stamps are Creative Impressions, stamped onto pale beige card in espresso, and highlighted lightly with copics and glossy accents. I'm not sure about the glossy on the cowboys now, but I'm not taking it off again now. Lace sprayed with a bit of the spritz and a couple of twine tied buttons finish it off.

Everything I used is from Craft Den, except the bubble wrap stamp from my stash.

I hope you like!

Anything Goes - butterflies

2011-01-26T13:15:00.004Z

We have another fortnightly challenge from Anything Goes Challenge Blog this week, and the theme is butterflies.

A big welcome to Tamara, from Posh Cats Crafts, who has joined us on the DT! Check out her lovely entry and blog!

My entry is a folded envelope book, decorated with K&Co Madelaine papers and butterflies, ribbon, gems, stickles, Prima pebbles and K&Co metal buttons. I have also cut a Tim Holtz tattered rose out of pink and red gauze and highlighted it with a button, a heart pin and a pin made from a Ideology memo pin, glossy accents and a gem. Everything available from Craft Den, except the ribbon tie.

It can be used to hang and pop notes into the pockets or folded up and carried as a note holder. It may become my fancy shopping list holder, lol.

Sorry for the pants photos, by the way, I could not find anywhere nice to hang it up, so it ended up hanging off my kitchen cupboard looking a bit forlorn

We are all looking forward to your entries for this theme!

Bird cage and Granny's card

2011-01-19T21:48:00.005Z

I have been away for the weekend so a bit behind with blogging. I think I say that every week, lol. Sorry about the rubbish photos. I have tried and failed misreably to take some decent pictures of the really lovely birdcage that we made at Craft Den last week. They are either blurred or too close or both. I was hoping to get a decent photo of it dangling so I hope you get an idea of what it looks like :-(

Lynne has designed a very clever template, which we have used with the Tim Holtz birdcage die, but could also be used as a lantern and other ideas. I am sure the template will be published soon!

We used distress inks to colour the template and the cage (I used a mixture of mustard seed and vintage photo) and then various stamps (mine are paperartsy hot picks). When I got home I decorated the bird inside with black soot DI and dusted with perfect pearls. Then he is suspended inside using a strip of acetate. Actually, I dont like seeing a bird in a cage, I'm not sure why I didn't put him perching happily on the outside, I really wanted to have a little play with the acetate I think. Then I added the ideology chain and the 7Gypsies crystal danglies and a few white flowers coloured with the same DIs. The gems and the leaf die are from my stash, everything else from Craft Den.

Here also is the card for Granny that I made last week and was gratefully received this weekend. The kit is another very cute Nitwits kit from Craft Den. They are perfect for quick makes like this and I'll get another card from each kit I bought yet, so they will come out again for Grandpa and Grandma later this year.

Remember that the Anything Goes challenge this week is eyelets and brads and runs until 25th Jan. We would love to see your creations there!

Have a lovely evening

Anything Goes - First challenge of the new year!!

2011-01-13T16:33:00.004Z

The theme this week at Anything Goes is 'Eyelets and brads'.

I have done my old favourite, a scrapbook layout of Emma, what a shocker. There was no room left for anymore eyelets and brads on this page. Every flower has a brad of various size and texture and there are silver eyelets set around the page. I had an idea to thread ribbon through them, but I have not remembered to buy the right ribbon yet, some lovely pale blue organza at Craft den, which I forgot to buy last night. The journal tag is actually one of my business cards, covered in paper and is also attached via a brad through the ribbon (the one I need to buy more of). I don't know why they gave me about a 1000 business cards, I only give out about 5 in a good year! I decided it was a waste to buy more ATCs so I'm using these instead if I am covering with paper. I have used up some old papers from my stash for this one, I am trying to be good to make room for more!

Anything Goes Challenge will now be a fortnightly challenge so you will have 2 weeks to come up with your gorgeous creations, and we promise to visit a little earlier this time! I was still visiting entries for the last challenge set before Christmas yesterday, but I think I will have to stop blaming Christmas now and just get organised!

We had a lovely class at Craft Den last night, making a lovely caged bird using a template designed by Lynne and Tim Holtz caged bird sizzix dies. I have added some more details when I got home last night so I'll post that tomorrow. Have a good evening!

January birthdays part 2

2011-01-11T20:33:00.004Z

Here are the cards I have finished for Dan's mum and also our niece, Kathryn. They are both easel cards again, I find them quite addictive and I think that they always look like they were harder to make than they actually were! I have used bubbles Tilda again for Wendy's card, very similar to the one before for my auntie. With 6 cards to complete just after Christmas I need to be economical with the designs!

Lynne kindly lent me shopping Tilda and the shop front for the other card. Kathryn is 14 this birthday, going on 30 (she has been going on 30 for some time really, lol) so I think it suits her. I have used up some Bo Bunny kitchen spice papers on this one. I spread a layer of clear rock candy on the shop window to make it shimmer a bit and the jewellery is highlighted in various colours of stickles, which dont show up on the photo sadly.

The details on both cards have been made using Martha Stewart and EK success punches and Marianne Design dies. Everything except the flowers from Craft Den, which are from stash.

I hope you like them. I am just off to finish off Granny's card now! Have a lovely evening.

Happy New Year!!

2011-01-10T15:10:00.005Z

I am a bit late aren't I, LOL! We have been busy here sorting out applying for Emma's first school, which we should have done ages ago, but we are always late doing everything, my family will back up that statement!

To get back into the swing of things, here are some cards I have made for the family birthdays we have in January. I have made so far a Dad and a Grandad card for my dad, a card for my auntie, who is 50 this month and a card for Dan's mum. I have still to finish a Granny card for Dan's mum and a card for my niece Kathryn (she has the same name as me and exactly the same middle initial as well!).

This is the card for my Auntie. The lovely Tilda blowing bubbles was from my mum for Christmas, along with some great punches, which I have used across the top of the card and the middle border. Tilda is coloured with copics and highlighted with glimmer mist. The paper was from stash, I am trying to be a good girl and use up part used papers, but everything else is from Craft Den.

For the Dad card I used a mix of Black Market Socirty papers and Chatterbox papers. The colours are perfect for chaps. I inked up plain white chippy letters with mustard seed, peeled paint and faded jeans DI inks, directly onto the letters. I quite like the stippled effect as the letters are slightly glossy so the ink pooled together while it was drying.

The Grandad card is made totally from a Nitwits collection of card and toppers. I bought some Granny style versions as well. Everthing from Craft Den.

Dan's mum, Granny and niece card to come when I have finished them and remembered to take photos.
Look out for the first Anything Goes Challenge of 2011 tomorrow!

Anything Goes - Last challenge of 2010!

2010-12-21T14:12:00.005Z

Here we are at the last Anything Goes Challenge for 2010. It's been such fun this year and I hope you have had as much as I have in trying to meet the challenges!
This week the theme is The Letter C. Now, I wonder what I can do for that letter C this week? LOL.

C is for Christmas of course! I have used the lovely gorguss girls decoupage and some lovely Making Memories papers. I am so loving my Marrianne Design dies at the moment, they are on everything! I have used the poinsettia #2, the snowflakes #1 and the star frame and garland frond on this card. I will very sad to put them away for next Christmas, sniff. Everything from Craft Den.

I have also just completed a few scrapbook pages this week, Emma in the recent snow, and visiting Father Christmas and decorating the tree. It's the third year that Emma has been able to help us with the tree and she choose another bauble this year, it's a lovely glass snowman.

I have used Basic Grey and a Bo Bunny die cut paper on the first ones and used my MD dies to decorate with trees and snowflakes, topped off with acrylic poinsettias edged with white stazon.

I dont often do a two page spread, but I wanted to use all my photos. I had to settle for using just four.

For these two I have used some old Basic Grey Dasher papers and Bo Bunny chipboard pieces from Craft Den. The letters for the titles are my trusty grungeboard Tim Holtz, inked in red and glossied or stickled.

That's probably it for me this year. Hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and here's to plenty more crafting in 2011!

Some final Chrissie cards

2010-12-20T21:06:00.009Z

As if you haven't seen enough Christmas cards already by now!

I have been a bit AWOL this week, trying to get my final family and friends cards made and in the post and last minute shopping, so I am sorry for not really doing any blog hopping lately. Normal service will resume in January.

Anything Goes Challenge # 28 All the Colours of the Rainbow and some Chrissy cards

2010-12-08T13:13:00.004Z

This week on Anything Goes we have the theme 'All the Colours of the Rainbow' with the challange to use at least two.

ROYGBIV - I was not entirely sure what indigo looks like so I have used two shade of purple, I hope that counts!

Here is Emma about 18 months ago chasing bubbles with her groovy sunnies and hat on. I carried the bubble theme through using different punches to use all the colours and to make it look as though the circles are floating along the page. The white embossed paper is Bazzill and the pattered paper is Prima. The coloured paper is a mixture of Bazzill and Bo Bunny. Everything from Craft Den.

I have also been making some Christmas cards for family this week. For the first one I used a Basic Grey Jovial 6 x 6 pad, using the lovely distressed edge style which is very popular this year and which I love, it adds such texture to projects. I have copied the ATC which I made for the November Craft Den ATC Challenge as a topper, using a Crafty Individuals stamp. I tied up some buttons with embroidery thread, added some lace under one side of the topper and used various punches for the holly leaves and the snowflakes. Glossy accents and stickles complete the look. Everything except the big poinsettia from Craft Den.

The second one is more cute. I have coloured a stamp which I bought from Harrogate last year with copics and I have used Bo Bunny Winter Joy papers and labels four nesties. stickles and card candy finish it off again. Papers, stickles, copics, nesties, sentiment and card candy from Craft Den.

finally took some photos!

2010-12-06T14:18:00.003Z

Here are the last two projects I did at Craft Den over the past few weeks, which I have forgotten to photograph every day. Having to take pictures is the hardest thing about blogging, lol.

This little gift box we made a few weeks back and I have made more since to put little gifts into for my family this year. I just loved the colours that Lynne chose for us and as I had lots of the Bo Bunny Winter Joy papers left, I have made more of the same colour scheme.

Also last week, just before the big freeze, we had a lovely class with Jill teaching us how to make a Christmas wreath. It was not at all how I expected and sooo much fun. I have never done anything like this before and really enjoyed it. Fortunately in a way only two of us made it and so we finished quite quickly as the snow was coming down in earnest. Luckily we all got home in one piece, although I learned that Jill had to walk home to Worrall. Maybe we are a bit mad coming to craft class with a blizzard due!

Christmas banner

2010-12-02T11:35:00.007Z

I have made a christmas banner for the dining room this year as this room never gets decorated. I cut the purple card with a scalloped oval nestie and Bo Bunny Winter Joy papers with a smaller plain oval nestie. I have then spelt out Happy Christmas with Tim Holtz grungeboard letters, which I have inked and covered in glossy accents, and decorated with some lovely Nitwits toppers, Petaloo gem flowers and lots of stickles. I then sandwiched purple ribbon between the purple scalloped ovals to make a hanging. Sorry about all the photos, I tried to photograph it whole but it is too big to fit in the photo!

Visit Craft Den for the goodies!

How funny..

2010-12-01T23:13:00.004Z

I have been decorating a wooden advent calendar for Emma since August this year, and as usual I am right up to the wire and only finished it last night just in time for the first choccy this morning, and... Chanelle has been doing exactly the same thing, same box, same blackberry croco paint and gold paint underneath, same paper for the door numbers and she also started in August LOL, what a coincidence! Great crafters think alike, lol.

Here it is with just gold dabber on it

Mine is somewhat different as I could not find where on this planet I had safely stored the paper for the door numbers until Tuesday night so it was all finished in a bit of a rush and not at all as I had planned. In fact I have not really tidied up the croco paint on the doors yet, but Emma doesn't mind. In fact I am not sure she really has looked at it at all yet, she was more intent on the promise of chocolate for finding door number 1, which is quite right for a 4 year old. She'll have time to be bored by mummy about how many hours it took to do when she's older, lol! I might re-do it in time for next year when I have given myself time to plan it correctly, but you're right, probably I won't!

Check out Chanelle's really lovely version. She has been very careful and only croco'd the doors , which looks lovely, (unlike me, I just lathered it on!) and made some really fabbo shrink plastic Magnolia Tilda's as decoration. Love it.

I have loads to blog, gift boxes we did at Craft Den last week and I have made 7 more, a Christmas banner I have made, a bits and pieces tray I have finished which cost me 50p at a car boot and of course the lovely Christmas wreath made last night. I just need to remember to take photos. I'll also come back with the completed snowmen. We started two today but Emma was eventually more interested in walking around the garden in the deepest snow possible. She has had two changes of clothes today. Snowmen finishing is daddy's job tomorrow!

Just a bit of snow!

2010-12-01T09:10:00.002Z

Well after walking home from Craft Den last night in the snow, even I won't be attempting that today. Nursery is closed so I have Emma and a day off work and Dan has gone off to work dressed like Scott of the Antarctic! He may be back soon, we're not sure if the trams are running on this side of Sheffield at the moment.

Here is the view from my front window and back door. The cats have had a shock this morning, it's deeper then them. Poppy tried to aquaplane over the top! More photos to come when Emma and I have built the world's biggest snowman (well big for her anyway!)

Anything Goes Challenge # 27 'Congratulations' and a go at a man's card!

2010-11-30T22:37:00.004Z

Here we are again, week 27 on Anything Goes. Lots of great entries last week for Animals, I have not finished getting round them all yet.

This week the theme is 'Congratulations'. Dan's cousin has just had a baby girl and I was planning a card for her so this theme came in handy!

I have used a Sugar Nellie image and the lovely Prima papers from Craft Den, my old faithful nesties for the frame and some sequin waste underneath. I double tied some coordinating ribbon round the paper and added some blingy bits of course. MS punch for the butterflies. Everything from Craft den except the buttons from stash.

I also made an attempt at a man's card this week for my uncle. I used some graphic 45 paper, a Tim Holtz embossing folder, Paper Artsy bird die and a Maya Road flourish, painted in gold dabber paint, with a Tim adage ticket. I don't normally do grungy, but I am quite pleased with this, I hope my uncle likes it. Everything from Craft Den of course!

Anything Goes Challenge #26 - Animals

2010-11-24T16:09:00.004Z

The theme at Anything Goes Challenge Blog this week is 'Animals'.

I have made a page of my cat George, sitting and looking pathetic by his food bowl. I scraplifted the idea for this layout from a lovely layout posted on Tracey Jackson's Running with Scissors blog recently. She makes some lovely things. I thought the bubble shapes were perfect to put George's thoughts into. It reads: 'Please feed me, I am wasting away!' George weighs around 17lb and is in no danger of wasting away anywhere. He is very greedy, hence the begging by the bowl and he is very lazy and doesn't really move very often, except for when I walk in the direction of the kitchen and then he is up and running to his bowl. In fact this last week, he has had trouble getting through the catflap and I've had to set up a litter tray in the kitchen. I am hoping that if he can't get out, then he's not visting any other catflap resturants for a while and he might shift some weight. Otherwise its a gastric band and liposuction! Or being made into a pair of slippers as Dan threatens! He loves him really.

Craft Den November ATC Challenge

2010-11-22T17:19:00.004Z

The theme this month for the Craft Den ATC challenge is 'Let it Snow'. I have made a little image with some Basic Grey christmas papers and a lovely craft individuals stamp. I gave her a quick colour wash with copics, I didnt want her to look very precise, and added glossy accents to the poinsettia and her hat and boots.

I am really struggling with taking good photos now as the light is so rubbish so I hope you can see her. There is a strip of lace down the right hand side, which is not very easy to see. The tiny snowflakes I punched with a free punch which came with one of the card making magazines this month, I cant remember which one. I added a dot of viva pearl pen to the centres.

Everyhing at Craft Den. Hope you can join our swop this month!

Have I been scrapbooking, or what?...

2010-11-19T20:40:00.005Z

Well yes I have.. I have been a busy bunny and have completed 5 scrapbook pages this week! I have been on a roll (actually 6 but one is for the next AG challenge this Tuesday!).

I hope you like them, I had serious fun this week making them, AND the house is clean, LOL!!!

This is Emma and one of her famous grumpy faces. I love my dad's face, he is finding it very amusing. I completed this at the lovely crop we had at Craft Den on Thursday night. The papers are Bo Bunny Kitchen Spice. The very big flower is a gigantic punch which Lynne has just got in, in the retro flower range, love it!.

Here is Emma playing with Dan's headphones this summer. The papers are Bo Bunny Olivia. I have used Tim Holtz tattered rose Sizzix die for the flowers, which is fab. and some bling of course!

This is Emma in her 'grandad jumper' as we called it pulling funny faces. She's about a year old here and soo cute. The papers are Bo Bunny Peacock something, can't remember exactly. Can you see a theme here, lol! The butterflies are from a craft fair about 2 years ago so its about time I used some and the colours matched beautifully here.

'A Grumpy, Little Fairy' is the title of this one. Can you also see a theme concerning Emma's facial expressions? Lol, she is a one. These are Basic Grey papers (phew not Bo Bunny this time) Jovial range and they are just devine. The mega punch has come out again for this page!

Last but not least this is Emma at about 18 months playing with my mum's cat in the garden. These are Prima papers and they are soo lovely. Lynne has some new ones in last week. I have used the mega punch again and a sizzix die I got in their sale last year which I love as the huge leaves in this page.

Everything from Craft Den as usual!

Have a lovely weekend!

Anything Goes Challenge #25 - Let it Snow

2010-11-16T20:57:00.005Z

Another week in Anything Goes land and this week it is 'Let it Snow'. We had 140 entries for our theme of 'Emboss it' as of 2 minutes ago which is very lovely.

I have done another scrapbook page for my entry this week. What with one thing and another, I have not been to scrapbooking at Craft Den for ages and I have this major urge to fill my house with layouts. It will pass but I'll be busy scrapbooking in the meantime!

Here is the lovely Em, playing in the snow last Jan and the sign I bought for her to go in the garden just to make sure that 'you know who' didn't miss her at Christmas. It was quite easy when she was much smaller, she had no concept of Christmas, never mind Father Christmas. Now we have to make sure he visits and he knows what she wants. She is very worried about how he will come down the chimney. We just tell her that he is magic, which all 4 year olds accept without question. The threat that he is watching and she has to be good is also quite handy!

I have used the new Magnolia papers just in at Craft Den and Bo Bunny Winter Joy paper. I created the edge by simply cutting along the criss cross pattern and punching a hole with my crop-o-dile. The snowflakes are cut from glittercard using a new MD die, again from CD this week. I love it, the snowflakes are just yummy. I finished it with some textured and starry ribbon and some letters from stash covered in stickles. Everything from Craft Den, except the letters.

Anything Goes Challenge #24 - Emboss it and a wet pumpkin

2010-11-12T21:22:00.004Z

Here is week 24 again on Anything Goes Challenge Blog. I am extremely late this week as I had to go away for work, but better late than never.

The theme this week is 'Emboss it!' I visited Lynne this afternoon to get my mojo back and I really enjoyed doing the page so I think it worked!!

I have done a scrapbook layout of you know who. The patterned paper is Magnolia. The big stars are wooden shapes dabbed with silver range dabbers and then embossed with a silver and white glitter embossing powder. The small stars are cut from mirri card with a sizzix die and then embossed (the pink ones) and debossed (the silver ones) with cuttlebug embossing folders and the title is made using Tim Holtz embossed grungeboard letters, bought from Craft Den this very afternoon. (I have three packs now, every time Lynne puts them on offer I buy them. I love them!)

I have put a bit of pearlescent pink/white sequin waste underneath the photos to add a final depth.

The paper, wooden stars, embossing folders, dew drop ink, Tim alphas, mirri card (silver) all from Craft Den, few other bits from stash.

I also did a page last week of Trick or Treat this year. Well, it was a washout wasn't it. Emma was drenched, me and Dan were drenched, but Emma didnt seem to mind, she was getting sweets in her new tin. She did get a new attack of shyness this year and so mummy spent most of the time talking for her, while she launched herself straight at the sweets on offer. The papers are Bo Bunny Boo Crew, which I love and I had a second helping from Craft Den again this year and a Bo Bunny Dot cardstock and a Bazzil swiss dot purple cardstock. I just love these colours. I am not really one for muted tones...

The spiddies, ghosts and boos were a sizzix die I bought in a bargain bin years agao and forgot I had last year. I coated them all with glossy accents to make them shine and the letters are a mixture of some blank chippies, left white and glossied as well. I used an MS punch to create the wrought iron fence look on the strip across the middle and colour my world templates for the shapes.

Everything from Craft Den except the Sizzix sizlit die..

Hope you like, K x

Anything Goes Challenge #23 - The Letter 'B'

2010-11-04T18:22:00.004Z

Here we are again, I know everyone says this, but where did last week go? I only just realised last night that I was late with posting my entry for the Anything Goes Challenge this week. Last night blogger was mean and wouldn't let me post anything so here goes again.

The theme this week is The Letter B

I am having that kind of week again. I have been to the vets today with my poorly boy (he is now nearly 17lb, I hardly feed him, he must have a vast network of catflap restaurants he visits in the minute amount of time he spends not sleeping), been to the lauderette (because of poorly boy, nuff said), had the roofer around again to look at our leaking roof, which he described as 'one of those jobs' sigh, he told me to give him a ring if it leaks again. "I have you number now, I can ignore it!!" Nice... I hope he was joking... and been to one garage now to get a quote on the damage to Dan's car as one of our neighbours hit it while we were away for the weekend. Roll on Saturday..

Anyhoo, here is my entry for this week. I have 'had a go' at grungy look. I love grungy, I love looking at it when someone else does it, but I find it soo hard. In my core I like pretty things and bright colours I think, but I hope you like it. Just loving that butterfly die.

Cutest little pumpkin!!

2010-11-01T12:49:00.003Z

Just a quick post with a couple of piccies of Emma dressed as a pumpkin and trick or treating last night. I bought her a new spider costume but she wanted to wear last year's pumpkin outfit, which was a bit of a tight fit! It was also bucketing it down and we were drenched so we did not stay out as long as we did last year. Her new trick or treat tin was full anyway, so she's got enough sweeties to last for a while!

Anything Goes Challenge #22 Halloween - try again blogger!

2010-11-01T12:27:00.006Z

I have just realised that this post was showing waayy down the list for some reason as if I had posted it at the start of Oct, not sure what was going on with blogger, gremlins for Halloween! Here it is again!!

Well what else would the theme be this week on Anything Goes Challenge Blog!
I have been rather happily making Halloween cards for a few weeks with some Bo Bunny and Graphic 45 papers from Craft Den. The Bo Bunny papers are actually from last year, but they are so yummy I bought extra to use this year as well.
Here is my challenge entry this week:

Come and join us, you know you want to!!

PS Just had the busiest week EVER and have seen that I have missed loads of lovely blogposts, I will be catching up on everyones lovely things soon!

Anything Goes Challenge # 21 'Black and White'

2010-10-19T22:02:00.004+01:00

This week on Anything Goes, the theme is Black and White.

I have made a scrapbook page of Emma playing in the snow last January and I have gone a bit mad with the glitter.

I punched a piece of Bo Bunny paper with MS deep lace edged punch down one side, added liquid pearls and crystal stickles, then layered a small strip of Artsylicious foiled detailed paper underneath. I have covered the doily, the edge of the BB paper, the felt flowers, the letters and the poinsettias with glitter/stickles. My face is covered, my laptop is covered (if it breaks I'll have to plead ignorance at work), the table is covered, my clothes are covered, if you look closely, it's also stuck all over the photos and I can't get it off, lol... I have used glamour dust, which is fabulous (but gets everywhere) and some crushed glass twinklets. You might just be able to see the acrylic poinsettias underneath, which I have edged with white Stazon.

Hope you like it and that you can join us at Anything Goes this week. The paper, glamour dust, liquid pearls, stickles, glossy accents, large paper poinsettias, crystal swirl and acrylic poinsettias are all from Craft Den. Lynne also has some similar doilies in stock.

I have also finished the Craft Den layout from last week, using the lovely Bo Bunny Olivia papers, the new Doo Hickey Magnolia dies, MS and retro flower punches and some lovely velvet/organza ribbon now in stock. I have stocked up on every colour for my traditional Christmas cards, and it looks lovely pleated under a paper strip on this layout. I have added a title with letters from my stash. The photos are a bit dark, but it's Emma on her first birthday looking intently at the contents of a box she has just unwrapped. I can see the lovely clear floor space in the bay window behind her, lol you can't get to the window for toys now!!

Who, me?

2010-10-13T15:55:00.004+01:00

Dan thought this cartoon in the Metro this week was me (even down to the blonde bob haircut)and thought it was extremely funny! Can't see myself in it really.....

Anything Goes Challenge # 20 Ribbons

2010-10-11T17:45:00.006+01:00

Wow, week 20 already, time flies when you are having fun!

This week the theme over at Anything Goes is 'Ribbons'. I have been playing with the lovely Bo Bunny Olivia papers and the coordinating dotty cardstock (checkout that gorgeous petrol colour) and ribbons from Craft Den. I have even made some of my ribbon flowers, which I haven't done for ages. I had to get the glue dots out.

The layout is Emma last week on her 4th birthday. I collected her early from nursery with the new bike in the boot and we went to the park. It was very funny as she can peddle but not steer, so Dan had to launch himself after her quite a few times as she was heading for a tree while looking at a squirrel! She had a play in the playground as well and made these silly faces as I was taking photos, she's in that stage at the moment! Then we went to Pizza Hut, her favourite, for tea.

Under the pictures you can just see tucked away a journaling tag with ribbon pulls ready to pull out. Bo Bunny papers, cardstock and ribbon from Craftden. Letters and buttons from stash.

Hope you like and come and join us at Anything Goes this week. Who can resist ribbons, lol!

Blog award - thank you Lynne!!

2010-10-06T23:03:00.002+01:00

I got this lovely blog award from Lynne at Craft Den - thank you Lynne, I am very pleased you thought of me, only my second one ever!

It's 11 o'clock at night, my visiting in laws are in bed, Dan is fast asleep next to me and as I can't get into my craft room, aka my office, aka the spare bedroom, I am sitting up with my laptop, with the slowest connection ever visiting WOYWW sites!

night night!

WOYWW - hello!

2010-10-06T13:07:00.004+01:00

I have not done WOYWW for a long time, as my office is also my crafting space and unfortunately my employers seem to expect me to work every day for my salary, lol! But last night I only had a few things out to make some Christmas cards. I have stamped a lot of my Christmas images ready for colouring but that's as far as I got last night.

You can also spy another project I have just finished on the left. I have shamelessly copied Gez (check out her lovely version) and decorated a tub for Emma to use to trick or treat for Halloween. I have made mine more 4 year old friendly!

Recipe:

A mixture of Bo Bunny 'Boo' and Graphic 45 Alice in Halloween papers to decorate.

A MS iron gate punch for the top of the paper

A lovely crotcheted black ribbon round the bottom, and a selection of ribbons tied round the handle.

Prima flowers, stickles and confetti shapes and some great Halloween die cuts that Lynne gave me last year

Everything from Craft Den, except the crochet ribbon and the flowers.

Now I have to decide if I can bear to let Emma use it as no doubt there will be rips and tears by the end of the evening!

Anything Goes Challenge # 22 Halloween

2010-10-04T15:38:00.006+01:00

Well what else would the theme be this week!

I have been rather happily making Halloween cards for a few weeks with some Bo Bunny and Graphic 45 papers from Craft Den. The Bo Bunny papers are actually from last year, but they are so yummy I bought extra to use this year as well.

Here is my challenge entry this week:

Pop over to Anything Goes to join in.

Anything Goes Challenge # 19 'Christmas has come early'

2010-10-04T15:16:00.006+01:00

I missed last week's challenge as I was too busy decorating, but the room is almost ready now and I have a bit of time this week to do some crafting.

This week on Anything Goes Challenge Blog the theme is 'Christmas has come early!'

I have made a Christmas card with a LOTV stamp I bought at the Harrogate paper fair in September. She is very sweet and easy to colour, which for me is the main thing!

I have used my copics to colour her, added stickles (of course !), and teamed her with the new Bo Bunny Christmas papers. Aren't they just lovely colours? I have cut her out and mounted using nesties and then added poinsettia and twinklet details, also a purchase from Harrogate (birthday money was gone in a flash, lol) Everything but the stamp and flowers from Craft Den.

Why don't you pop over and join us this week and get into the festive spirit!!

Also pop over to Lynne's blog as well to see the details on this month's ATC swap, the theme this month is Autumn.

K x

Emma's card

2010-10-04T14:50:00.003+01:00

Hi, just had a lovely, but busy weekend at my mum's. First we whizzed over to a 10th anniversary party on Friday night, seeing some friends that we had not seen for ages. Then we all had a trip out to Blackpool on Saturday. We went in the tower, looked at the aquarium, a dance show in the ballroom, a very strange 3D dinosaur film and then the circus. It was very good, but a bit long and not really aimed at children (it was Chinese acrobats) so Emma got bored after a while. Then we tried to do the lights but by the time we managed to get onto the promenade it was already 8.30. After 45mins of crawling along, Emma was bored and we decided to call it a night, so it was disappointing in the end. Never mind, we will forget the circus and start the lights earlier next year to see a bit more.

Emma is 4 this Thursday and I made her a card last night with some lovely disney chipboard princesses that I got ages ago and some old daisy bucket papers I still had in my stash. The 4 is a Tim Holtz grungeboard number, inked with a versa magic ink pad and sprinkled with glamour dust. I punched some coordinating flowers from the same papers with retro flower punches. Everything except the princesses are from the Craft Den.

A real quickie

2010-09-28T17:08:00.005+01:00

Hi all, just a very quickie. Another busy week, as we are busy painting Emma's room, which is taking waaayyyy longer than anticipated so not much craft going on. Last Wednesday at Craft Den we did some watercolouring with distress inks. I really was not getting on well with it and I get bored if I can't do it, but the last one was not too bad - dont look very closely....!

I have made a card for my friend Emma as she has invited us to a Halloween party to celebrate her new patio (it makes sense if you know her, lol) so I will send this card to accept the invitation, she won't be critical about my watercolouring!

Back to the painting tonight. I need to get Emma back in her own bed as soon as possible. She is sharing with me at the moment and she is the biggest duvet hogger and bed creeper ever. I wake up every morning clinging onto the edge of the bed, with Emma, almost on top of me, snoring away and absolutely no duvet covering the vast expanse of bed on her other side. It's a king size, she does well to travel it all in one night!

Anything Goes Challenge # 17 'Cute'

2010-09-21T21:07:00.004+01:00

Hurrah, I have made it for the Anything Goes Challenge this week!! I also saw that we have 100 followers, hurrah again!

This week the theme is cute and I can do cute! While I absolutely love the grungy look, I really have to try hard, but cute comes much more easily!

I have made a House Mouse card. Some time ago Lynne very kindly lent me a couple of her House Mouse stamps and I stamped half a dozen of each to colour later on and here is one. How cute are these little fellas having a shower to wash off all the yummy berry juice. I have used a mixture of copics and promarkers to colour the image and added glossy accent details on the water and the berries. The punches are all MS, bo bunny ribbon and bazzill cardstock, all from Craft Den. The flowers and basic grey paper are from stash.

THE album is finished, duly presented on Sunday and enjoyed. What a relief, mum was really pleased and she took it with us to the lovely family meal we had to show it around to everyone. We had a good lot of my family there, aunties, cousins, family friends etc so it was a really lovely afternoon and time rushed by. Mum had a lovely time as well, which was the main thing. She is going to write on a piece of paper who is who in each layout in her album and put it behind the pages so that Emma knows who they all are in years to come. I am not one for journaling on my pages, but I never thought to put anything for Emma in between each page to tell her about the photo, where it was, what occasion etc. It's a really good idea so I'm going to make a start on that myself as well. Well I have nothing else on at the moment, LOL. Plastering all done, just four rooms to decorate now! Christmas cards started as well. I would sleep if I hadn't caught the crafting disease some years ago now.

Hope you like, K x

Wahey!! at last!! it's finished!!

2010-09-17T11:20:00.006+01:00

Well nearly, I have a title to add on the last page, but I collapsed on the floor at 11.50 last night as I stuck the last picture down!

I am talking about the album I have been making for my mum's 60th and it has really been a labour of love and hate in equal measures. She had better like it!

Here are a few of the 34 pages! Hope you like them. I am treating myself tonight to a night on the sofa with Dan watching a film. I will probably nod off!

Sorry for all the pages!

Lovely pressies

2010-09-14T17:20:00.003+01:00

Hello, I just wanted to share the lovely pressies my sister bought and MADE for me this weekend!

Here is my lovely shabby chic dress iron dress form. Isn't she lovely? I haven't decided what to 'do' with her yet, but I'm quite happy for her not to do anything and just sit there looking pretty next to my jars of flowers and buttons.

BUT... here is the best one....

My sister Liz, who does not like scrapbooking and only did it the other weekend to make some pages for the album for our Mum, this same person MADE me a scrapbook page! She went along to the craft shop with the photo, bought everything she needed, including adhesive and made it for me, how lovely is that?!

no comments on my hair please....

I have just realised that the last time I blogged was 2 weeks ago. We are having stuff done on the house, it's constantly in a mess at the mo, Dan is laid up with his knee after his op, and I am desperately trying to finish the scrapbook album for my mum - just 3 more pages to go for Sunday! Last night I made mum's card so that's a weight off. So sorry I have been awol. I have only just realised I missed the DT for the challenge last week, I am mortified, must get my head down to do the Oriental one tonight, it might be a quick tag, lol!

Here is the card for my mum.

off to get Emma and hopefully fit in another SB page tonight.

Mum's album pages

2010-09-01T09:43:00.003+01:00

Here are a couple more of the pages done so far for my mum's album.

I did the first two and me and Liz did the second two this weekend. After years of 'er, no thanks' to scrapbooking she actually enjoyed herself , came up with loads of ideas and said she felt like she wanted to scrapbook something Monday night! I'll make a scrapbooker of her yet, lol.

Anything Goes Challenge # 14 'Say it with Flowers'

2010-08-31T22:31:00.005+01:00

Here we are again! Anything Goes challenge this week is 'Say it with Flowers'.

My entry this week is from an album I have been doing lately for my Mum's 60th birthday. I have done so far about 26 pages in just over a week, with the help of Liz this weekend! Only 10 pages to go and a wing and a prayer that I can extend the album that we have bought to 36 pages! You just can't capture 60 years, especially when you have a love of everyone in the photos, in just 20 pages! Liz assures me that mum won't read my blog, so I'll post some more later, just to show that my week off work amounted to something!

This one is my little sister Liz when she was about 1 year old at a studio photo shoot. She is holding a 50p coin in her hands as she fell backwards off the chair she is sitting on before the photo and the money stopped her crying!

Anything Goes Challenge # 13 Time

2010-08-25T10:57:00.004+01:00

Who chose this one!! lol

Week 13 over at Anything Goes Challenge Blog and the theme is 'TIME'.
I have thrown my first attempt in the bin and this was completed last night at about 11.30 and even then I put my finger in the glossy accents so dont look too closely at the clock at the bottom right, lol.

I have used Graphic45 paper, cutting out the clocks and glossy accenting them and used a crackle stamp over the background paper. One of Tim Holtz's bookplates with a live ticket in and glossy accents again. I didnt have much in on the time theme and it was a bit of a rush in the end, hope you like it! Everything from Craft Den except the paper was from stash.

Altered remote control holder

2010-08-24T11:18:00.005+01:00

I found a quite cheesy remote control holder in Dunhelm mill for 2.99, and I have altered it with Prima papers. Here's the before:

and here's the after:

I used Prima papers, ranger 'aqua' dabber paint, ribbon, MS butterfly punches from Craft Den, and some extra bling and some acrylic roses from stash. I've bought another one as I have filled it already.

Hope you like!

Anything Goes Challenge # 12 Layers

2010-08-17T22:11:00.003+01:00

Here we are again. I have been very rubbish this week at blogging and crafting in general. Let's just say, rain or shine, there will be a LOT of crafting going on next week while I am on holiday! I have managed to finish altering a cheesy remote control holder which I found in Dunhelm mill, so i'll post that tomorrow. I keep forgetting to take a picture of it.

Over at Anything Goes Challenge Blog the theme this week is 'at least three layers'

I have made a card for a change, with a lovely Anya image which I have to admit I bought on ebay, Yes, the image, not the stamp. They were 10 for 99p all stamped on coated card with impress ink. Sometimes you just cannot buy every stamp, even I have to come to terms with that, lol.

I have coloured her with copics and a few promarkers. She is mounted on 3 layers of paper and a layer of glossy accents have been added to her flowers and bow, so I make that 5 layers! I have also layered up some flowers, the sentiment and 2 ribbons together.

Hope you like it and come and join us this week!

Anything Goes Challenge #11 - The Letter 'A'

2010-08-12T17:01:00.003+01:00

It's that time again at Anything Goes and the theme this week is

The Letter 'A'

Here is my entry, a tag with a little apple for teacher, complete with little worm saying hello! I have highlighted the apple with glossy accents and used a chippy tree shape from my stash, coloured with Jumbo Java versa magic dewdrop ink. I inked all the edges with the versa magic and the background is done with Ranger DIs.

I hope you like and look forward to your entries this week.

Alice in Halloween ATCs

2010-08-06T11:34:00.003+01:00

Lynne has some fabby AiW Halloween papers in at the Craft Den now, from Graphic45. It's a great idea to make Alice in Halloween. I have made some ATCs with them and also used some really lovely star ribbon Lynne has in as well. I popped round just as it had been delivered and bought every colour! I was going to use it as well for Christmas cards, but I might have to get some more before then.

I thought I would get some more of the AiW papers and make cards with them as toppers and send them out this year. Here are a few of the ATCs.

I had a lovely time as well at SB class last night. I forgot to take a photo of my LO today so I'll blog it after the weekend.

Anything Goes Challenge #10 - Folds

2010-08-03T13:43:00.005+01:00

It's that time of the week again, and the theme this week on the Anything Goes Challenge blog, is

Folds

I thought this was a really interesting one as I never use folds on anything, so it gave me a chance to try something new. I know, it's a scrapbook layout again, but I do love so them!! I will try a card or a tag next time I promise!

The piccy is my lovely Emma on the beach in Mallorca 2 years ago. I got the old internet out and looked up how to make pinwheels, as I wanted something beachy. They were surprisingly easy, that hardest part is holding enough of the folds together to get the brad through the middle. One did split but that's the last of this paper so I'm not doing another one! I've attached them quite loosely, so they do spin round on the page. No flowers this time so I went mad on the buttons and stickles.

Come and join us!!

Distressed look page

2010-08-02T11:20:00.005+01:00

I have used the lovely Prima papers again for a layout of Emma enjoying playing pool on holiday and went for a distressed tatty look, as the papers have that look to them. I used the Prima ranges, Bo Bunny dotty cardstock and the matching Prima 'wink' flower tube. The doily is inked with versa magic chalk inks and the usual bling added. Everything is from Craft Den.

I hope you like it :-)

Don't forget this week's challenge on Anything Goes is punches if you want to join in with us. Judging my the number of entries this week, we crafters own a punch or two, LOL.

Next challenge will be posted Tuesday night so you still have plenty of time!

Craft Den July ATC Challenge - Sewing

2010-07-29T14:45:00.003+01:00

Here is my entry for the Craft Den monthly ATC challenge. I made it last weekend and kept forgetting to take a photo of it.

You still have a day or so left to send in your entry!!

Anything Goes #9 - punches

2010-07-28T17:48:00.006+01:00

Week 9 of the Anything Goes Challenge and this week the theme is

Punches!!

I found I had quite a few of these.....
I am sorry it's so late this week, I have been on jury service and have strangely fallen into bed at about 9 every night, funny how a lot of sitting about around and then short bursts of having to take in a lot if information takes it out of you. I thought I had to think a lot in my job anyway, but obviously not!!

I have used a mixture of Basic Grey and Bo Bunny papers, and the punches are MS loop punch around the page, MS deep edge lace punch and the large, medium and small retro flower punches - EK success? Lynne will know!

The picture is my little family; Me, Dan, and Emma on holiday in Mallorca this year.

The title is made using the Tim Holtz grungeboard alphabet set, inked with a turquoise versa magic and a thick layer of glossy accents. I have been through a packet of these alphas already once, and they are on offer at a fabulous price at Craft Den at the moment, if there are any left! I think my original set have lasted me two years, I have used them on so many projects and some letters I still have plenty left. They are fantastic value, I would highly recommend snapping them up. ! In fact I may buy another set this week to stock up if any are left, I love them!!

Basic Grey from stash, everything else from Craft Den.

Looking forward to seeing your entries!!!

WOYWF - What's on Your Workbench Friday!!

2010-07-25T22:55:00.003+01:00

A Poppy, that's what, or who I should say! Here is my desk on Friday, my little cat Poppy likes to keep me company while I am in my office, I mean craft room....
Quite often she is laid across my arms and it's a struggle to type, but on Friday she was obviously being thoughtful and just laid on the envelope I was just going to send to my sister, Liz, for her birthday on Monday. The memo holder Emma 'made' for Auntie Liz for her birthday. It has been blessed with Poppy's fur, Liz won't mind too much, and she is far too cute and tiny to push away!
Visit Lynne's blog for the instructions to make it. I have already cut the greyboard out to make some more, I think they are perfect for Granny and Grandma as Christmas stocking fillers. It's hard thinking of things for Emma to make for them! I just hope Liz doesn't look at my blog before she opens her pressies!

I have been playing tonight with some great Graphic 45 halloween Alice in Wonderland papers and some fabby star detail ribbon, just in at Craft Den. I'll post later when I have time to take photos. Jury service again tomorrow, but at least I am having a break from work!

Anything Goes Challenge #8 - Stars and Prima loveliness

2010-07-20T08:44:00.004+01:00

Hello, week 8 already at Anything Goes, I can't believe how quickly time goes.

This week the theme is Stars. Here is my entry.

I have used some lovely Prima papers newly in at Craft Den: the Wink Collection 'Devine Diva' and the Indeed Collection 'Fairy Garden'.
I cut out the central section of the devine diva paper to make a frame and then cut that smaller to create my striped background, all mounted onto the fairy garden paper. The colours are so vibrant, I love them. Loud colours really are my thing. I added some textured stars from my stash, dabbed with alcohol inks. I only have three and they just happened to be the perfect colours for this layout: Lettuce, Cranberry and Eggplant. Some letters and epoxy buttons finished it off.

I also did another page with the lovely Prima, this time the Watercolour Rainbow collection 'because'. I left the paper exactly as it is as it has a natural frame area and the words because and then a list of numbers. I added I love you and then a list of reasons why against the numbers. Its all about Emma of course!

Hope you like x It will be lovely to see you all join in again this week.

P.S post edit: for some reason I thought the theme was stars and stripes, it's just Stars!! You have stripes thrown in for free in my entry, LOL!!

Paper, punches, ribbon, textured ribbon, paper roses, Prima leaves, alcohol inks all from Craft Den.

WOYWW - beads!

2010-07-14T14:21:00.004+01:00

Hello, quick post for WOYWW. I was making jewellery last night and was too tired to clear my desk so I have some photos this week. I am making a couple of bracelets, one of them a chunky charm and some earrings. The little cut out pictures are from a magazine. Me and Granny cut them out for Emma to stick in her scrapbook, the old fashioned one we probably all did as children sticking in pictures we liked. I'll get her onto grown up scrapbooking soon!!

Oops is that an empty wine glass, LOL.

Jump over to WOYWW to nosy a few hundred more desks!

Anything Goes Challenge #7 - Sparkle and Shine

2010-07-13T12:46:00.003+01:00

Here we are again, these Tuesdays keep coming round quickly. This week on Anything Goes we have the theme:

Sparkle and Shine!

Here is my offering this week, another page in my Emma baby 8x8 scrapbook album, using the Nanna's Nursery DCWV paper pad. She's about 9-10 weeks old in this one and this is page 14 out of 24! The whole album will just go up to her first 3 months. She's 4 in just 3 months so it's taking me a while! I might finish it before she leaves home, lol.

I have added a few rows of sparkly and velvet ribbon under the photo, and a mount cut using the colour my world templates to break up the page. Then I have punched various shaped flowers from vellum, which has a lovely latin text on it, and added bling, silver ink and Anita's shiny peel off butterflies onto the vellum.., yes peel offs, lol. The paper, velvet ribbon, bling, templates and retro flower punches all from Craft Den, everything else is my stash.

Looking forward to seeing your sparkly and shiny entries this week!!!

Scraptastic Saturday!!

2010-07-12T12:40:00.005+01:00

Lately my hubbie, Dan has been away on quite a few weekends with his various hobbies, so he promised me a crafty weekend. On Saturday I thoroughly enjoyed myself at the Craft Den with an all day scrapbook day and then when I went home I sat and played some more and made three more layouts, 6 in one day, must be a world record! Then on Sunday I had a stall at the Broomhead Show and did really well, especially with the jewellery I have started making and my cards as well, so I had a lovely crafty weekend!

Brace yourselves, six layouts coming, lol!

Here are the three we made with Lynne, with her lovely clean designs as usual. We used the new Bo Bunny ranges just in 'Peacock Lane', 'Petal pushers' and a xmas one which I can't remember, oops:

I have added extra bling and flowers, as I always do!

And here are the three I completed when I got home. They are all again Bo Bunny papers. I bought loads of the 'Persuasion' and 'Love Bandit' ranges and decided it was time I used them. I was horrified, but not very surprised to see that some I had bought twice and one I even had four of!!! oh dear... it says a lot really!

I have added some close ups of the yellow ponchos l/o as it was hard to see from the main picture all the glossy accent raindrops. This is Dan and my sister Liz in yellow ponchos during a rain storm in Mallorca this year. Luckily we only had one day as we were having a shopping trip around Palma, so we didn't miss any sunbathing. I tried to keep my distance from them, lol!

Paper Artsy card

2010-07-08T13:54:00.003+01:00

We had a lovely time last night at Craft Den, making a really fun Paper Artsy card with the new stamps Lynne has in and also she showed us how to make some distressed paper flowers from the Magnolia magazine. I dont have this mag so I hadn't seen them before. I will start making loads now as they are actually really easy to do, you just need to leave them to dry overnight as you have to wet the paper to manipulate them. I have spritzed mine this morning with cosmic shimmers, 'rich gold.'

I am also busy using some lovely wrapping paper I found at John Lewis to make some gift tags. The paper has lovely vintage book plate designs on it. I am going to highlight them with some glossy accents or stickles, I have not quite decided yet.
I also got a sheet with butterflies illustrations on as well, they were in the sale. I am terrible for pouncing on things like that and never using them, so I am trying to be good and make the tags. The butterflies are bigger and they have caterpillar illustrations as well on some, so I'm going to cut them out and make collage style tags over music sheets or old book pages. I'm not quite sure when I will fit any housework in this week, lol.

Anything Goes Challenge #6 - Seaside - AND post 100!!!

2010-07-06T13:20:00.006+01:00

Wow, post 100! who knew how addictive this can be and how much fun to share our crafty designs and nosey at and admire other people's!!!

Well we are at week 6 already with the Anything Goes Challenge Blog and it's really exciting to see all the entries every week and such varied ideas.

This week our theme is Seaside so I have done a tag this week.

I inked up the tag with peeled paint, shabby shutters and crusjhed olive DIs, going over a Tim Holtz flourish mask in places and then misting the whole tag with water to create a mottled, underwater effect. I have used items from a lovely collage sheet of graphic 45 paper, and highlighted them in glossy accents and gold stickles, outlined the tag with my pilot gold marker pen and added organza ribbon.

everything except g45 paper and gold pen from Craft Den.

Looking forward to seeing your entries this week!

My mini model girl

2010-07-02T17:16:00.007+01:00

I had a lovely time at Craft Den last week, using some lovely new Bo Bunny papers. They were barely out of the box so I forgot to look at the title, but no doubt I will be buying them soon anyway! I will be joining the all day s/b class on this coming Saturday and can't wait. It's lovely to be able to take time and really relax in fun company, although we usually don't finish the third l/o due to too much chatting and laughing :-)

So here is my Emma posing by a tree in Mallorca just a couple of weeks ago. She is so grown up and lovely. Me and my mum think she could be a child model. The glasses mask her face a bit really, and I will admit to being biased, but she really is very beautiful!! Should I think any less? lol! Sorry the photo is not very good today.

I have also managed to get round to scanning the latest studio photo we had done at nursery. All three of us went this time, but this is really my favourite out of all the ones we bought. She has such beautiful big blue eyes, and just look at those lovely little toothypegs! This was back in Feb so she is already nearly 6 months older, where does the time fly?

WOYWW - am I too late, LOL

2010-06-30T21:52:00.004+01:00

Oh dear, the day has rushed by today. I have a new project at work and I am having to actually work again, rather than spend a fair proportion of the day doing errands, visiting blogs and crafting! What is the world coming to when you have to work for your salary.

I have remembered WOYWW again! Not too much going on today, I was making some general cards as I have a craft fair or two coming up and no stock, eek, and trying to use up some lovely Crate Paper papers I have. Hope you enjoyed your Wednesday. This actually the first WOYWW I have managed to make the proper link on!

Anything Goes Challenge #5 - vintage

2010-06-29T12:44:00.003+01:00

Challenge number 5 already, I can't believe it. I have made a card this week, using Tim Holtz papers, ideology range items and various bits of haberdashery. Check out Craft Den website for the lovely range of ideology and Tim papers Lynne has in stock. The hessian, flowers, DI inks etc all from Craft Den. The stamp is one I found recently, the girls paperie range. It's very cute. I love dress dummies for some reason. I saw a really lovely ironwork one on holiday in a shop, draped in jewellery. It looked like an elaborate birdcage. I really wanted to bring it home, but I don't think we would have got it on the plane and Dan was less than impressed with it to be honest. men know nothing...

Now I really need to be taught how to use my little mini sewing machine. I can't even work out how to thread it to even make a start, so I hand stitched all the way round this card. I really need to learn how to thread the stupid machine as the handstitching took forever and I was a bit fed up by the end! The little idealogy memo pins say SEW but it's a bit hard to see as the glossy accents dried a little bit cloudy.

I hope you like and and please come and join us, the more the merrier!

Retirement card

2010-06-28T11:31:00.003+01:00

I have made a 'retirement' card for my mum this weekend. She is not due to retire until next Spring, but the branch where she works is being closed on Wednesday so she is getting redundancy and retiring with it now. At least, that is the idea, but the list of things she would like to buy with the redundancy money is growing every day! I think she will like it! My sister, dad and me have together bought her a lovely cast iron chiminea and a set of garden lanterns as she really enjoys her garden and we wanted to mark the start of her days of leisure.

Anything Goes Challenge #4 - Cupcakes and bright colours

2010-06-22T16:15:00.001+01:00

This week on Anything Goes, we have the theme 'Cupcakes' and the colours 'anything bright and jolly'!

Here is my entry, this week I have done a card. I wanted to show some ways to use the great Colour My World Templates, and nestabilities ranges, which Lynne has at the Craft Den.

I used some lucky paper from my stash, as I seem to be the only crafter in the UK who does not own a cupcake stamp. I covered an 8x8 card with brown paper and cut out a small solid scallop and then a scallop frame from coordinating papers, using the CMW templates. I then used the nesties to cut out a sentiment block and mat for the centre, and decorated with cut out cupcakes and added stickles and gems.

The paper is from stash, and the blank 8x8 card (lovely size, I have never seen them anywhere else), nesties, CMW templates, stickles and inks are all from Craft Den.

Anything Goes Challenge #3 - Sugar and Spice

2010-06-14T08:24:00.002+01:00

Here is my entry for Anything Goes Challenge #3.

Hola from sunny Mallorca! My post has not been published, even though I set it to go on Tuesday,so I am being sad and sitting at an internet station in the hotel to send it! I am having a break from the sun.

This week the theme is 'Buttons and Bows' and the colour is 'Monochrome' so I have gone for shades of blue on my design, which this week is a tag.

I inked up a tag with DIs: Faded Jeans, Broken China and Tumbled Glass, then stamped the crackle background and the little girl CI stamp in faded jeans. Sorry I can't remember at all what the crackle stamp is.
I have added buttons and an organza ribbon bow and finished off with some small alphas and lace, both of which I tinted with broken china DI.

Everything but the buttons and the letters from Craft Den, of course!

Please take a moment to visit the challenge and have a go yourself!

My First Skinni and last night's LO

2010-06-11T14:51:00.005+01:00

I have been seeing the lovely skinnies on the Something Completely Different challenge blog and have been inspired to have a go. This week the theme is cats. I love cats, I have two and they are my babies, so I was appalled to find I had absolutely nothing cat related in my stash!! I was sure I must have had loads!

Anyway I found a stamp about kitty feet and a paddy paw punch in the end, so I decided to use my two lovelies as the stars in lieu of any cat stamps. All I used were some paper scraps, not that it has made an enormous dint in the stash pile, lol.

I made a black skinni out of some shiny handmade paper, covered it with some 7gypsies and a spotty paper scrap and also punched and cut some circles of the same papers to mount the protraits onto. I cut the kitty feet part out of the stamp and inked the edges and punched some cat paws from the red reverse of the scraps of 7gypsies. The paws were a faff to stick so I only did 3! I have highlighted them in glossy accents, you can see it;s still drying in the photo.

Hope you like my first skinni, and my cats of course, Poppy and George (in his thinner days, lol)

Here as well is the LO we did last night at Craft Den. Really, really lovely idea with the floral vine stamps, which all of us had missed in the sale and we all snapped up last night! I have added some more details when I got home and also stamped some of the leaves onto the blue double dot paper and cut them out to form bouquets. The stamps are highlighted with white pen and stickles. We made some really easy and effective paper roses, which I am delighted with and will be using again. Not sure if this one will fit in the album now as the roses are quite thick! I have finished off with a title cut with the new T!m Holtz sizzix alphabet, which I can't remember the name of now. Paper are all Bo Bunny.

Two Posts, Two Tags

2010-06-10T17:03:00.004+01:00

I forgot to post these on my last post, sorry for two posts in one day! I'll have a SB page later as well, lol!

I have been playing with different techniques and styles on tags. They are a perfect size to play with and to try out different things.

The first tag I have blended, Spiced Marmalade, Fired brick and Mustard Seed DI inks and then stamped the crackle background and the CI girl in stazon timber brown. I have used the word love, from another CI stamp kit and the clock from a B-Line clocks collage stamp set. I have added crackle accents to the clock and glossy accents to the word and 2 petaloo flowers. I love this little girl image. She is from Craft Den. I also have my eye there on a lovely stamp with 2 little boys dressed as cowboys. They look 50's/60's and the stamp is very cute.

The second tag I have blended with Peeled paint, broken china and mustard seed DIs. I have then stamped the B-Line clock collage stamp, again with stazon timber brown and highlighted the big clock in glossy accents and added some metal buttons I got in a tinful I bought at a carboot recently. My sister, Liz, was with me, you could tell she was less than impressed at the purchase, well now she can see I have used some, lol!! The sentiment, I printed on the PC and coloured and stamped with the crackle background again. Around the edge I have used a pilot gold marker. I saw that Pat had used one like it recently and I have just bought a gold and a silver one.

Hope you like K x