Wish Upon a Star

Good afternoon

I was awake at 5:30 this morning and couldn't get back to sleep so decided to get up and make a card.  Seeing as I had coloured this Mulberry Wood image last weekend and there are several Christmas in July challenges at the moment I decided to make another Christmas card.  

The image has been coloured with Spectrum Noirs and I have coloured the night sky following a great tutorial on the lovely Leann Chiver's blog.

* Card Recipe *

Image ~ Mulberry Wood 'Wish Upon a Star'

Papers ~ Mulberry Wood CD and Magnolia

Poinsettias ~ Prima (red) but not sure about the green ones

Gold pearls ~ Habico

Sentiment ~ Die cut from stash

* Challenges *

Card Crafter's Circle ~ Christmas in July

CSAYL ~ Uninked stamp

Jelly Park ~ Christmas in July

Stampavie & More ~ Christmas in Summer

Divas by Design ~ Christmas in July

CCAYR ~ Christmas Flowers

Crafty Sentiments ~ Christmas in July
Totally Gorjuss ~ Christmas in July

We are keeping our fingers crossed for nice weather tomorrow because we are planning a day out at the coast for Jamie's birthday.

Hope you are having a great weekend :-)

Mulberry Wood ~ Giving

Good evening

Hope you are all well and have had a great weekend.

It's been busy at work so I worked an extra day last week so once again not much time for crafting.  Earlier in the week the new Mulberry Wood stamps and CD I ordered from Crafter's Companion arrived and I couldn't wait to get started but typically I was at work so had to patiently wait until the weekend.  So on Friday night I had a colouring session ... oh I love these cute images and can't wait to see if Crafter's Companion will be adding more stamps to the collection.

I had some spare time yesterday afternoon so made one of the images into a card ... they are all so cute but think this might be my favourite stamp from the collection :-)

* Card Recipe *

Image & Sentiment ~ Mulberry Wood 'Giving'

Papers ~ Dovecraft Christmas Fancy

Ribbon ~ The Stamp Basket

Pearl Brad ~ The Hobby House

* Challenges *

2 Sisters ~ Christmas in July

Crafter's Companion ~ Ho, Ho, Ho Christmas

LCI ~ Christmas in July

Papertake Weekly ~ Anything Goes

Sassy Cheryl's ~ Anything Goes

The weather has been awful here today but the rain has finally stopped and the sun has come out so we are going to take Jake out for a walk :-)

Hope you have a lovely evening!

Meadow Cottage Bears Blog Hop

Welcome to the Crafter's Companion Blog Hop Scavenger Hunt to celebrate the release of Meadow Cottage Bears, designed by Blackburn-born illustrator and figurative artist Christine Haworth!


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

* Card Recipe *


Image and sentiment both printed from the CD.  I wanted the image to be the main focus so I kept the design CAS and just used a selection of cardstock and some twine to finish it off.


The Design Team have loved crafting with the new range and to celebrate the launch of this gorgeous new collection on Friday 25th May, Crafter's Companion have decided to give you a chance to see some Sneak Peeks and also the chance of winning a brilliant prize:


The Meadow Cottage Bears CD, Reddy die-cut decoupage kit and two Hunkydory papercrafting collections!


All you need to do to be in with a chance of winning this great prize is visit each blog in turn and then head to the Competitions page on the Crafter's Companion website (you must be logged in to view this page). Each blog along the way will give you a clue which will direct you to a product on the Crafter's Companion web site. Within this product you will find an image of a member of the Crafter's Companion Team with a letter. Make a note of the letter and then head back to the blog to follow the hop to the next blog. Enter the phrase the letters make into the Competition page before 9am on Friday 25th May.


The winner will be drawn after 10am on Friday 25th May, and will be notified by email.


My clue is:


Which Collall adhesive is, according to Leann, the "Best Glue in the World"?


Once you have found the letter to my clue you need to hop over to Gemma's blog for the next clue.


Good luck and happy hopping!

SWALK 'Sweet Stuff' sneak peek

Good evening

Hope you are all well and looking forward to the bank holiday weekend ... I know I am because we are going away to Oxford for the weekend  :-) 

Thought I would share another card I have made for the upcoming SWALK 'Sweet Stuff' launch.  

This sweet image is very aptly called 'Friendship' and has been coloured with Spectrum Noirs.  The gorgeous papers and sentiment have been printed from the SWALK Vol. 1 CD.  Flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts.  Finished off with some punched butterflies (Kars punch) and pearls.  

* Challenges *

Little Miss Muffet ~ May flowers

MAWTT ~ Summer sunshine

Willow Sketchie ~ Sketch and die cuts/punches

Papertake Weekly ~ Anything goes

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

Crafter's Companion Monthly Challenge and SWALK Sweet Stuff

Good afternoon

At last the sun is shining here in Norfolk ... long may it continue :-)  Sorry for my lack of blogging/commenting but we are still busy decorating.  We finished Jamie's room at the weekend so just the bathroom, landing and Chloe's room to do now!  

It's time for a new challenge at Crafter's Companion and this month the theme is 'Here Comes Summer' and the prize for one lucky winner is a £30 gift voucher kindly donated by Sara to spend on the Crafter's Companion website.

I have used one of the new SWALK 'Sweet Stuff' stamps which are being launched on Tuesday 8th May on Ideal World at 9 pm.  There are 12 brand new stamps plus a fabulous SWALK Colouring Guide CD where you can learn how to colour the SWALK characters using the Spectrum Noir alcohol pen system. There are also 4 papercrafting kits by Hunkydory that have been designed to perfectly complement the new Sweet Stuff collection and a new Reddy decoupage kit which features gorgeous SWALK characters.

If you would like the chance to win the 12 new stamps and the Colouring Guide CD which are worth over £60 all you have to do is tell us what the SWALK name stands for and the link to the question is:

https://www.crafterscompanion.co.uk/members/competitions.html

You have to be logged on to be able to see the question and add your answer so if you are not already a member then please register as the winner could be you. The closing date is 8th May at 9 am so don't miss out!

That's all from me ... thanks for stopping by :-)

Crafter's Companion Monthly Challenge

Good afternoon

Our challenge this month at Crafter's Companion is Four Legged Friends. 

Crafter's Companion stock some lovely animal collections including Popcorn the Bear and Beatrix Potter but I decided to use this adorable Strawberry Kisses stamp ... how cute is little Snow peeping over the edge of the flowerpot :-) 

* Card Recipe *

Image ~ Strawberry Kisses 'Flower Power'

Papers ~ Strawberry Kisses CD-ROM

Sentiment ~ Wild Rose Studio

Flowers ~ X-Cut punch

Pearls ~ Stash

* Challenges *

MAWTT ~ Cute 'n' Cuddly

MMCS ~ Stamp it!

I have scheduled this post because I am going to the Sincerely Yours craft show in Thetford with my mum.  I don't intend on spending too much after my little spree at the NEC last week but it will be lovely to spend the afternoon with my mum :-)

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!

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 ~ 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.

Fairyopolis ~ Wild Thyme

Good morning

Here is the other Fairyopolis card I made yesterday ... Such a beautiful collection of images and papers using the original artwork by Cecily Mary Barker. Again the image (Wild Thyme) and papers have been printed from the Fairyopolis Triple CD-ROM. The sentiment is from the Fairyopolis Summer stamp set. The heart was made using one of the new Epiphany Crafts tools which are being launched on Create & Craft today but are also available here on the Crafter's Companion website.  The ribbon, flower and pearls are from my stash.

Just a quick post because I have a busy day ahead! Nothing exciting just the usual housework etc and helping Chloe to pack her bag for a 2 day sleepover with the Guides tomorrow. Chloe never ceases to amaze me with the amount of stuff she NEEDS to take lol!

Epiphany Crafts ~ Fairy Magic

Good Evening

Hope you are all keeping safe and warm in this icy weather ... Brrr it's too cold for my liking so after a quick trip to Tesco's this morning I have stayed in the comfort of my nice warm house and kept myself busy crafting!  I love the Fairyopolis collection and as they were still on my craft desk from making some samples for the Epiphany Crafts launch I decided to make a couple of cards for my own personal use.

I have also used the heart tool from the new Epiphany Crafts range which the lovely Leann Chivers is launching tomorrow on Create & Craft.  However, if you are like me and can't wait they are also available now on the Crafter's Companion website. 

* Card Recipe *

Image & Papers ~ Fairyopolis Triple Disc CD-ROM

Sentiment ~ Fairyopolis Winter stamp set

Heart ~ Epiphany Crafts heart tool and epoxy shapes

Pearls/Ribbon ~ Stash

Flowers ~ Papermania Capsule Collections (I replaced the gems with pearls)

* Challenges *

CES ~ Lots of Layers

Charisma Cardz ~ Things with Wings

One Stop Craft ~ Hearts & Flowers with Ribbon

Papertake Weekly ~ Anything Goes

Hope you have a great Saturday night and I will be back tomorrow with the other Fairyopolis card I made today!

Epiphany Crafts Sneak Peek

Hi Everyone

Hope you are all well and keeping warm in these sub-zero temperatures.

Yesterday I mentioned that Crafter's Companion are launching a brand new range from Epiphany Crafts.

Epiphany Crafts produces a number of tools which will enable you to make co-ordinating embellishments for your projects.  The Crafter's Companion design team have been busy making samples for the launch this Sunday on Create & Craft (click here for show times).

For my first sneak peek I have used Blackthorn Fairy from the Fairyopolis Winter stamp plate which has been stamped onto Neenah and coloured with Spectrum Noirs.  The papers are printed from the Fairyopolis Triple Disc CD and the sentiment is from the stamp set.  I have made a coordinating epoxy heart embellishment using the EC Shape Studio Heart tool, EC Epoxy heart shapes and one of the backing papers.  I have placed the embellishment into the centre of the flower and finished off with some black pearls.

Close up of embellishment

Below is  a quick tutorial on how I made the above embellishment with the EC Shape Studio Heart Tool

1)  You will need Shape Studio Tool, Epoxy shapes and paper

2)  Position paper in the viewfinder.

3)  Place Epoxy shape into the tool has show and press firmly with finger

4)  Place insert into the tool

5)  Close lid and press

6)  You have a coordinating embellishment for your cards/scrapbook layouts

Can't believe it's nearly 1 o'clock .... where has the day gone!!  I'm sure there are less hours in the day on my days off lol!  Oh well now off to make myself a bite to eat followed by a quick tidy up and then it will be time for the school run!

Share the love and win ♥

Good morning

With Valentine's Day just around the corner Crafter's Companion  have been looking through all their romance themed products and have put them into a special category on the website.  This will make it easier for you to find the perfect products to make a special card for your Valentine :-)


With this in mind Crafter's Companion are running a competition.  All you need to do is make a Valentine's Day themed card using Crafter's Companion products and post it on your blog, Facebook or Twitter page and link it to the linky tool over on the Crafter's Companion News, Views and Inspiration blog.  The competition will close on Sunday 29th January and one lucky winner (picked at random) will received a £25 voucher to spend on the website.


Here's a card I made using the adorable SWALK Thinking of You stamp which has been coloured with Spectrum Noirs.  The heart print paper has been printed from the SWALK Vol. 1 CD. 

* Challenges *

Scrabook Sisters ~ My Sweet Valentine

Alota Rubber Stamps ~ Hearts

Just Tracys ~ Love is in the Air

I didn't feel at all well yesterday so had a very lazy day watching the TV and takeaway in the evening.  I'm still not feeling great but have things to do so need to get busy and stop feeling sorry for myself lol!

Birthday Kitten!

Good afternoon

Hope you are all managing to stay safe in this wind!  I can't remember the last time it was so windy here in East Anglia.  It kept me awake most of the night so an early night for me tonight!

Thanks for all the lovely comments you left me yesterday ... I am feeling much better today :-)  I went back to work today and it actually felt good to be back into the routine of work/school etc ... I know I must be crazy lol!

Before I make a start on the dinner I thought I would post another card I have made for the new Strawberry Kisses collection which is released at 12 noon tomorrow on Create & Craft. 

This adorable image is Birthday Kitten and has been coloured with Spectrum Noirs.  Papers and sentiment are printed from the coordinating CD and I found the ribbon in my ribbon box ... have had it years so no idea where it's from! 

* Challenges *

My Mum's Craft Shop ~ Something new (new collection)

Simon Says Stamp ~ Something new

Papertake Weekly ~ Anything Goes

Best link up the challenge before I make a start on the lasagne and then help Chloe with her maths homework ... no rest for the wicked lol!

Party Girl

Good morning

Just a quick post because i'm not feeling too great today ... bad headache and stomach pains!  Think it might be a food intolerance because I often have this type of reaction when i've eaten something that doesn't agree with me.  Chloe and Jamie are back to school and the Christmas decs are down for another year so i'm feeling a little down in the dumps today.  Oh well work tomorrow and Friday and then it's the weekend :-)

Anyway enough of me feeling sorry for myself and onto my card which is another Strawberry Kisses sneak peek!

This time I have used the adorable Party Girl which I have coloured with Spectrum Noirs.  The papers, sentiment and flowers are all printed from the co-ordinating CD which is chockablock full of gorgeous papers, printable embellishments, sentiments and more!!

Right said it was a quick post ... Now going to have a quick tidy up and then having a lazy day until it's time for the school run at 3 o'clock!

Party Animal

Good morning

Hope you are all well and getting back into some sort of routine after Christmas and New Year.  Chris went back to work today and school starts back tomorrow so guess that means the holidays are officially over :-(

Today I am sharing another sneak peek from the Strawberry Kisses collection.  This little cutie is called Party Animal and has been coloured with Spectrum Noirs and I have added a little sparkle with a Sakura 'Clear Star' pen.  The backing paper has been printed from the accompanying CD.

We are now off to do some shopping and when we get back the Christmas tree and decs are coming down.  As much as I love Christmas it always feels good to put it all away for another year!