A Gem of a Challenge #43 ~ Photo Inspiration

Good morning

Brrr there is a definite chill in the air this morning and no sign of any sunshine ... think the warm spell has come to an end :-(

It's challenge time once again at AGOAC and Jackie is our host and has provided us with this lovely photo for inspiration. 

I knew I wanted to use my Papermania Capsule 'Blueberry Pie' papers but I couldn't decide on which image to use so had a ltitle browse through the digi stamp downloads at Pink Gem Designs and came across this beautiful crocus image.  I really enjoyed colouring this image with my Spectrum Noirs ... however, I'm not sure if crocuses come in this shade of blue!

* Card Recipe *

Image ~ Crocus

Papers ~ Papermania Capsule 'Blueberry Pie'

Sentiment ~ Magazine freebie

Flower ~ Wild Orchid Crafts

Seam Binding & Pearls ~ Stash

Butterflies ~ Kars punch

It's been ages since I joined in with any challenges so thought I would enter the following:

Papertake Weekly ~ Sketch

Crafty Catz ~ Use a digi image

Digi Days ~ Die cuts and/or Punches

Totally Papercrafts ~ Easter

Delightful ~ Easter

Sarah Hurley ~ Easter

Fab 'n' Funky ~ Easter

Crafty Sentiments ~ Easter

I am popping into town later with Chloe.  Her Guide unit have been busy the last few weeks making art and craft items for an exhibition in our local art gallery.  The exhibition is opening today so I am going along to see what they have been making while Chloe is helping with the refreshments .  Don't have anything else planned for today so hoping to get some time to craft.

Hope you have a great weekend :-)

The Stamp Basket and NEC News!

Good Evening

Hope you are all well and enjoying the sunshine :-)  Think we need to make the most of it because it's meant to turn chilly again at the weekend ... typical because it's the start of the school hols!

Sorry it's been so long since my last post but I have been busy with DT work and spring cleaning!  The last time I posted I was just about to head off to the NEC ... well I had a fantastic time with Lynsey and Marianne.  It was lovely to meet up with some of our crafting friends and here is a picture of us which I have copied from Lynsey's blog ... hope you don't mind Lynsey :-)  Unfortunately the lovely Lou and Margaret are missing from this photo as they were busy working on the CC stand.

I also have some news to share!  A few weeks ago I applied for the GDT call at The Stamp Basket and was thrilled to receive an email from the lovely Janet to say I had been chosen along with Natalie, Marianne, Liz and Chris :-)  My day to post on The Stamp Basket blog is Wednesdays and I will be sharing my first card next week :-)

The Stamp Basket is a haven of gorgeous crafting supplies and I thought you might be interested to know there is currently an Easter Sale which runs until Thursday and also some Weekend Specials which might be of interest too!

That's all from me ... bed is calling! 

Last BP Sneak Peek!!

Good morning

Hope you are all well on this lovely spring morning :-)

Crafter's Companion are launching the new Beatrix Potter collections tonight at 9 pm on Ideal World so I am sharing my last sneak peek featuring the rather dapper Mr Jeremy Fisher!!

The image has been stamped onto one of the stamping tags from the Jeremy Fisher CD-ROM and the sentiment is from the same stamp plate.  The papers are also from the CD-ROM.  I ♥ this gorgeous gingham ribbon from the Beatrix Potter Male ribbon pack.  The piece of brown Vintage Flower Power Core'dinations has been embossed with the Darice Argyle embossing folder and lightly sanded to reveal the core. 

Another busy day ahead for me!  More spring cleaning and tonight I am plan to cook something special for dinner because it's Chris' birthday today.  I am ashamed to say I haven't had time to make him a card so it was a shop bought one this year!

Have a great week and if you are going to the NEC hope you come home with lots of crafty stash!

 

Beatrix Potter Sneak Peeks!

Hi everyone

Oh I have so enjoyed the first day of my week off ... I have been busy tidying and cleaning the house!!!  I know you must be thinking i'm mad but I do love it when the house is looking fresh, clean and tidy!

Thought I would take a break from the spring cleaning and share a couple of cards for the new Beatrix Potter collection which launches tomorrow at 9 pm on Ideal World. 

I decided to make 2 step cards using ready made card blanks from Which Craft and teamed them up with the Beatrix Potter Papercrafting Elements which contains iconic imagery drawn by Beatrix herself; paper pads, decoupage, 3D toppers, embellishments and much more. These cards were really quick to make because all the hard work had been done for me as everything in the Papercrafting Elements coordinates beautifully :-)  

I will be back tomorrow with my last sneak peek which features a rather fabulous frog who goes by the name of Mr Jeremy Fisher!

Creative Cardmaking Magazine

Good morning

In the current issue of Creative Cardmaking magazine (Issue 39) the free gift is a selection of papers and die cuts from Pink Gem Designs.  A few weeks ago Jenny, Lisa N, Mandy and myself made a selection of cards using the free gift which are featured in the magazine and as it is now available to buy I thought I would share my cards with you :-) 

Chloe in the Spring Garden

Andy - Skateboarding Dude

Ice Cream Chloe

 

Happy Mother's Day to all the UK Mums ... hope you have a wonderful day :-)  I had my present yesterday afternoon when a gorgeous bouquet of flowers was delivered from Chloe and Jamie :-) 

We have a lovely day planned.  First we are popping round to see MIL and then we are going to have lunch with my Mum and Nan

Hope you enjoy the rest of your day!

A Gem of a Challenge #42 ~ Jackie's Sketch

Good morning

It's time for a new challenge AGOAC and this time the lovely Jackie is hosting and has provided us with a super sketch which I have flipped and tweaked a little because I didn't want the flowers to cover up the egg print paper :-)

I decided to use the adorable Jodie with Easter Egg who arrived at Pink Gem Designs this week.  She is so sweet and is looking very pleased with her Easter Egg :-)

* Card Recipe *

Image ~ Jodie with Easter Egg

Papers ~ Me to You 'Spring Chic'

Sentiment ~ Bo Bunny sticker sheet which I have had in my stash for years!

Flowers ~ Dovecraft 'Tea House'

Spotty Ribbon ~ Anita's

Pearls ~ Stash

It's always very busy at work (one of the joys of working for the NHS) but the last few weeks have been beyond hectic so I am pleased that I have next week off :-)  It's been ages since I had a whole week off as I normally just take odd days here and there.  Anyway I am planning on doing some Spring cleaning at the beginning of the week and on Wednesday I am heading off to Hobbycrafts Show at the  NEC for a couple of days with Lynsey and Marianne so looking forward to that :-)

That's all from me ... Hope you all have a lovely weekend :-) 

Beatrix Potter Blog Hop!

Good morning

Welcome to the Crafter’s Companion Blog Hop to celebrate the release of the new Beatrix Potter CDs and stamps.

If you have landed here from Jacqui's blog then you are hopping in the right direction. If not then you need to pop over to the Crafter’s Companion News blog to begin.

The DT have had a great time creating with the new range from Crafter’s Companion and to celebrate the launch of these stunning new collections on Tuesday 20th March as Pick of the Day on Ideal World, Crafter's Companion have decided to give you a chance to see some Sneak Peeks and also have the chance of winning a fabulous Prize:

All three new CDs and all three new stamps (worth £74.94)!

Today I have a Timmy Tiptoes card to share with you.  The image is from the Timmy Tiptoes stamp set and has been coloured with Spectrum Noirs and Prisma pencils.  The shape around the image is a Spellbinders Picot Edge Circle die.  The sentiment is from the stamp set.  The papers have been printed from the CD-Rom and matted onto Faded Jeans Core'dinations from the Tim Holtz & Ranger Distress Collection. Finished off with some flowers, Beatrix Potter gems and Marianne Design die cut corners.

All you need to do to be in with a chance of winning this great prize is visit each blog in order and then go back to the Crafter’s Companion News Views and Inspiration Blog to leave your link. Along the way you will notice that each Blog will give you a letter - make a note of these as they will make a phrase which we will ask you for if your number is drawn by Random.Org on the morning of Tuesday 20th March.

My letter is: Y

From here, you need to hop to Jane's blog.

PLEASE DO NOT TELL US WHAT THE WORD IS ON THE CRAFTER’S COMPANION NEWS VIEWS AND INSPIRATION BLOG, WE WILL E-MAIL YOU FOR THE ANSWER IF YOUR ENTRY NUMBER IS DRAWN.

The design team will be sharing more sneak peeks so do check out their blogs throughout the week because I am sure they will have some gorgeous cards to share with you:-)

Paintbox Poppets CD Winner!

Good morning

Thank you for taking the time to leave such lovely comments on my Paintbox Poppets sneak peeks this week ... they really are most appreciated :-)  I absolutely love this collection and from reading the comments it seems you do too and are patiently awaiting the POTW launch at 12 noon today ... not long to wait now :-)

Anyway I guess you are also patiently waiting to see if you are one of the lucky winners of a Paintbox Poppets CD-ROM ... so without further ado my winner (chosen by random.org) is Claire Bear's Cards

Congratulations Claire!!  Please can you leave me a comment on this post with your postal address (don't worry I won't publish the comment) so I can arrange for the CD to be sent to you.

Hope you all have a great day and enjoy the shows ... I'm at work so won't get a chance to watch them until tonight!

Paintbox Poppets ~ Final Sneak Peek!

Good morning

This is my final Paintbox Poppets sneak peek.  I did make more cards but didn't have time to photograph them because they needed to be packed and posted back to Crafter's Companion ready for Friday's launch on Create & Craft.

I just love this cute little lad ... he is one of my favs :-)  He is printed from the CD but will also be available as a rubber stamp. 

Don't forget every comment left on my sneak peeks counts as an extra entry for the chance to win a Paintbox Poppets CD ... so if you have missed any of my sneak peeks this week just scroll down and leave a comment :-)

I will announce the winner of the CD tomorrow morning so don't forget to check back to see if you are the lucky winner!

That's all from me ... Hi Ho, Hi Ho It's off to work I go!

Paintbox Poppets Sneak Peek 4

Good morning

Well i'm back again with another sneak peek of the Paintbox Poppets collection.  This adorable image and sentiment is one of the stamp sets which are exclusive to Create & Craft and will be available as part of a deal from Friday 9th March.  Once again the papers have been printed from the CD.  I find male cards difficult to embellish so I often use eyelets as they add a little bit of interest without being too fussy.

Don't forget for the chance to win a Paintbox Poppets CD-Rom all you need to do is leave me a comment on this post and add 'CD' to your comment.  Every comment left on my sneak peeks counts as an extra entry so if you have missed any posts this week just scroll down and leave a comment :-)

I will post my last sneak peek tomorrow and the winner of the CD will be announced on Friday morning.

Paintbox Poppets Sneak Peek 3

Good morning

Just a quick post with today's Paintbox Poppets sneak peek!

The image and papers are printed from the CD and the sentiment is one of the new stamps. Flowers and seam binding are from Wild Orchid Crafts. I found the leaves in my stash so not sure where they are from. Just finished off with some gems and a punched butterfly.

Don't forget for every comment left on my sneak peeks this week you will get an entry into the candy draw for the chance to win a Paintbox Poppets CD.  If you wish to be included in the draw just add 'CD' to your comment please.

Hope you all have a great day and I'll be back tomorrow with another sneak peek!

Paintbox Poppets Sneak Peek 2 and Blog Candy

Good afternoon


Oh my word the weather has been atrocious here the last 2 days ... got absolutely soaked 3 times today on the school run and walking from the carpark into work!  I have just about dried out now!

So while i'm sitting down with a nice cup of tea I thought I would share another Paintbox Poppets sneak peek.  This time I have used one of the new stamps ... how cute is this little lad looking dishevelled in his school uniform :-)  The sentiment is also one of the new stamp sets.  Papers are from the CD.  The grey paper has been embossed with a Crafts Too embossing folder.  Finished off with some punched stars and pearls. 

* Paintbox Poppets CD Blog Candy *

Crafter's Companion have very kindly donated a Paintbox Poppets CD-ROM for me to offer as blog candy.  If you would like the chance/s to win all you need to leave a comment on the sneak peeks which I will be showing this week.  

** So I know who wants to be entered into the candy draw can I ask you to add 'CD' to your comment please **

Only one comment per person per day will be counted. 

I will add all the comments together amd a draw a winner at random on Friday morning. 

All of the DT will be offering this candy so for more chances to win why not visit their blogs too... a list of the DT blogs will be posted on the Crafters Companion News, Views and Inspiration Blog shortly.

That's all from me ... I will be back tomorrow with another sneak peek.

A Gem of a Challenge #41 ~ Perfect Pastels

Good morning

Hope you are all well.  Sorry it's been 2 weeks since I last posted a card!  To be honest other than doing some DT cards for Crafter's Companion which I will sharing with you soon I haven't felt in the mood for crafting the last few weeks.  This hasn't been helped by the fact Mr Mojo has decided to go off on his hols again!!  I'm hoping the lovely weather we've had here in the UK the last week will tempt him back :-)

Anyway it's time for a new challenge at AGOAC and Katie is our host again with Perfect Pastels.  I decided to use the adorable Betsy Bunny (available here as a digi download) and teamed her up with some papers from the Humphrey's Corner CD (available here at Crafter's Companion).  Everything else is from my stash.

* Challenges *

Papertake Weekly ~ Sketch

Polkadoodles ~ Polka dots, stripes or both

The Stamp Man ~ Colours of Spring

Really Reasonable Ribbon ~ Green

Joanna Sheen ~ Spring is in the Air

Just thought you might like to know about some new digi products that Janet has been busy designing for Pink Gem Designs.  There are 2 new sets of gorgeous digi papers ... Mini Hearts and Distressed Hearts and also an adorable Patriotic Teddy digi image :-)

Chloe and I are going to the school production of Grease tonight but don't have much else planned. 

Hope you all have a great weekend.