off for a bit

Hi fellow bloggers
I won't be on the blog for a bit so won't be visiting until I am back.  Thanks for all your kind comments and I will visit again on my return. I hope you all have a lovely Christmas holiday.
Bea

Sad news

Hi fellow bloggers - I received some really sad news this week that a very good friend died suddenly in hospital. I will certainly miss her for her humour, caring nature and her love of life. My thoughts are with her husband and daughters during their grief.

another papermania card

Hi fellow bloggers - another quick card using the papermania pack, Just added a mat, felt poinsettia and some ranger glossy accents.

LiM 98

hi fellow bloggers - I hope your weekend is going well. This week the LiM
 challenge is anniversary  and I finally succeeded in getting my printer to print directly onto card although it takes so many tries I may not bother again Lol!-  it might be easier to get a different printer!
My entry has used:

• Sizzix pear embosslit
•  Orphan sentiment stamp
• sizzix valentine embossing folder
• Krylon pen

Creata and Cricut -

Hi fellow bloggers
still trying to make xmas cards - where does the time go? Any way two quickies as in my quest to use stash found a papermania pad.

The side die is one that Carley showed on C&C - it is really nice and looks great with mirror board only couldn't find the colour I wanted so used a plainer colour that I think goes well with the background paper. The pot is hand cut. I do love that tree although just noticed the second one has an uncut

quick & easy card

Hi Fellow bloggers

I am so behind with my Christmas cards that they are all going to be quick and easy Lol!
For this one I have embossed the mat with a cuttlebug snowflake embossing folder that I highlighted with Anita's glitter glue. The snowman is a Panduro stamp and coloured with promarkers. I have used Spellbinders rectangles with blue holographic mirror card from C&C. The sentiment is handwritten with a paint marker and the snowflakes are made with a kuretake punch. Another one down!

those frosty forms!

hi fellow bloggers

My neighbour let me borrow her frosty forms die set to cut out some reindeer and they are really lovely so that set is now on my wish list. I have made a card for a dear friend and used kraft card and bazill. I put a piece of white bazill though a sizzix holly leaves embossing folder with Tim Holtz Forest Moss distress ink pad.  The embossed piece was cut down and forest moss used to blend on the edges.

 
I then used a Labels 4 die and cut out toning  green Bazill then to make a frame for the reindeer and cut out a smaller labels 4 inside the larger one. The large label was folded over the top of the card and then raised up with pads to creat a bit of depth. The reindeer were layered and red noses added

I haven't used Kraft cards before but think I will in future as I quite like the effect.

LiM 97 - All in a row

Hi Fellow bloggers
hope the weather isn't too bad by you - we are just cold today. The LiM this week is asking for one layer all in a row and as I am still making Christmas cards thought I'd make one for this too. Unfortunately as my camera is playing up I am still scanning my cards so the image is not so good as in real life.
I have gone for a monochrome look and used:

• bazill cardstock
• brilliance black ink
• Whispers stamp by Docrafts
• silver glitter
• red line tape
• papermania sentiment stamp

mega blog candy from Crafty Individuals

Hi fellow bloggers - you might want to check out the Crafty Individuals blog - great inspiration and a new blog candy offer - see side panel for pic.
http://craftyindividualsblog.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/oh-yes-here-are-new-stamps-and-whats.html

Also you can visit their shop from the blog to see all their fab stamps.

Rediscovering my cricut

HI fellow bloggers I have recently been more using dies as some of the sizzix and spellbinders dies give such fab results but have decide to use some of my more underused tools and so out came the cricut and the trim the tree cartridge. I must say it wasn't easy to find the right combination of pressure and speed for cartridge but eventually managed to cut one of the images for this card and it is very pretty like a laser cut  and very CAS!. I have used:-

• Bazill green/dark red
• pearl card
• anita's glitter glue
• sizzix wood embossing folder
• free stamp
• marvy la plume pen

However used more than one sheet for this successful cut! Need a bit more practice

LiM 96

happy Saturday fellow bloggers
it is freezing and a warning of snow on the way brrrrr!! Still crafting time is here and this week the theme at LiM is red and green colour. These are so Christmas that it lets me kill 2 birds with 1 stone so to speak as I am behind with my Christmas cards.

This is a fairly quick and easy card and I have used

• White Bazill card
• Sizzix holly embossing folder
• red and green promarkers
• green textured material
• anita's glitter glue

I embossed the topper with the sizzix folder and then coloured some of the berries and leaves with the promarkers. The textured ribbon is really a thin piece of the stuff that stops things sliding on a shiny surface as no other ribbon matched the promarker green! The topper was then layered on to the base card, also bazill, and a smidgen of glitter glue added to the leaves for a festive touch.

In the Pink challenge

Hi again - I am entering this for the In the Pink Challenge - using dies and punches.

I have used:

• all bazill card - pink and white
• martha stewart deep punch
• sizzix fringed floral die
• spellbinders scalloped circle
• anna griffin stamp on the fringed flowers embossed with pearl stampendous powder
• free stamp - thankyou embossed with debbi moore embossing powder old rose [had for years!]
• odd flowers
• card candi

LiM 95

Hi fellow bloggers - hope you are having a good weekend - it is a bit miserable here as cold and wet. This weeks LiM is glamour & glitz.  I have used: -

• Hero arts stamp - evening dress for glamour
• sizzix embossing folder
• memento ink - black
• promarkers/sakura pens
• Victorian velvet distress pad for edging
• gems from a pack bought from qvc [glamour]
• centura pearl card base
• bazill white card for stamping
• crafter's companion silver glitter spray [glitz]
• spellbinders

birthday card

hi fellow bloggers
Had to make a late birthday card and the recipient is a football fan so made this one in similar team colours to his: I have used:

• Katy Sue stamp
• plumbers tape - I have taken a liking to it!
• clarity card
• memento black ink
• promarkers to make a faux mat
• bazill
• spellbinders die

LiM 94

Hi fellow bloggers - hope you had a good weekend - they go so fast. Here is my entry for this weeks LiM challenge which asked us to incorporate hardware. As I didn't have any metal charms I have used metal plumbers tape - I think it meets the criteria as you use it to fix plumbing stuff!
For this card I have kept to a monochrome look and  used:

• free stamp
• versafine black ink
• spellbinders  fancy labels 1
• sizzlits dies
• black cord
• anna griffin ribbon punch
• metallic design candi
• metal plumbers tape.

LiM 93

hi fellow bloggers - here is my entry for tis weeks LiM challenge. The theme is one layer - houses.
I have used a Dawn Bibby stamp and sentiment, masked off to give it neighbours and then coloured in with promarkers.

In the Pink Challenge blog

hi again fellow bloggers

I have decided to enter the poinsettia card in the In the Pink Challenge this week as suggested by Chris - here is the link if you would like to have a go. http://inthepinkchallenge.blogspot.co.uk/

Love those poinsettias!

hi fellow bloggers - I was looking for something in my craft room and came across the poinsettia I had made earlier when playing with my spellbinders dies of the same name so thought I would make another pink card. I am going to enter it for the Unstampabelles challenge - monochromatic theme, and Anything Goes challenge - amything goes. I have used Bazill Basics pink card and then used silver for the die cuts from the holly accents beneath the poinsettia. I cut off the holly leaves as it isn't a xmas card. The poinsettia was made from centura pearl and inked with pink ink while the die was still in place. I have accented with black gems and the corner pieces are the waste from the die cut.

more Joy crafts candy

Hi all Joy crafts offering more candy so pop over to see - here is the link
amd here is one of the images to whet your appetite
http://joycraftsnl.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/candy-time.html

LiM92 - pink

hi fellow bloggers- after my hols had to go away for work so no crafting and it is hard getting my crafting brain back Lol!

I did try to get a LiM entry last week but then forgot to post but this week more organised. As the sponsor is the ribbonbox I thought I would use that as my inspiration and have used ribbon on my card. I have used paperchase pink ribbon and a cuttlebug script folder for the mirror board mat. I went for a Pink Friday theme as having missed it due to hols this year have decided to get  some done early. Also entered for In the Pink CAS challenge

new blog candy from joy crafts

hi fellow bloggers - just back from sunny malta and readjusting from scorchio to brrrrr! why not
check out the blog candy from Joycrafts by clicking link in side bar as there are 3 sets of dies up for grabs.

Some of my jewellery pieces

hi fellow bloggers - I have been tidying up my blog and found a couple of draft posts that I had forgotten about. Anyway decided to post these as I am beginning to start making some jewellery pieces for christmas gifts. The top one is a knitted mesh lariat and the bead at the bottom is held in by the rigidity of the wire - just magic! The two blue and black ones are a matching bracelet and necklace from acrylic beads and ribbon and the pink/black one is a bracelet. The bottom one is a tiara I made with freshwater pearls and swarovski crystals.

tea light decorative screen

 

hi fellow blogger
here is another o/s project and although nearly what I was aiming for may make a few more tweaks.
I used the spellbinders fancy lattice die and lined it with cream paper and then an inside liner of acetate.  Then joined all four sides together by adding a folded strip and double sided tape[red line]. I used other spellbinders dies to decorate.

candy offer from Joycrafts

pop on over - link on sidebar

http://bearlymine.blogspot.co.nz/2012/10/mega-blog-candy.html

Check out the great blog candy at Bearly Mine crafts - anyone can enter

Also you too can win an Epson printer - this one is only for UK bloggers

Good luck

poinsettias

hi fellow bloggers -  I have started in earnest on my christmas cards so here is todays offering. I have used spellbinders dies for this one so it is just under the A6 size probably between A6 and A7 and fine for non special cards. The ribbon is from Mei crafts - one of their xmas set.

happy world card making day

wishing you all a great day making at least one card!

LiM88

hi fellow bloggers - Saturday and another LiM - I do hope you are all well and having a good weekend. The challenge this week is the colour silver. I have gone for a Christmas card as I know I can use it fairly soon!
I have used a scalloped base card and the front of a second one to offset. The stamp is from a Kanban set I got from QVC ages ago and I used Perfect medium and bright silver embossing powder and the masking technique. The sentiment is from a free set and stamped in blue. To finish off I used a border snowflake embossing folder from Sizzix,

finally finished

hi fellow bloggers - this card has been sitting in my craft room unfinished for about 3 weeks slowly evolving in between other things!  Any way today I decided it had lain around for long enough. It is bright and cheery I think as I needed the colour boost as the weather is grey and the nights getting shorter and colder.

I have used spellbinder die sets mainly with bazill basics card. The sentiment and parcels are using peel offs and the gems are from Paperchase. The card was the pink bazill to start with but I felt it was a bit flimsy so tucked a card blank underneath so the pink is on the back and front. I am scanning my cards now as they are clearer than when I take a photo!

LiM 87 - lucky dip

hi fellow bloggers - hope you are all ok?  I haven't managed much in the way of crafting this week but couldn't miss another LiM this week. The theme is lucky dip with a love and marriage theme. I have used:

• a sizzix embossing folder as it gives a really crisp image and is lovely for a wedding. 
•  centura pearl card and backed it with metallic vellum in a gold colour
•  then used an anna griffin technique of pleating paper to make a faux ribbon to match

Using my new spellbinders

Hi fellow bloggers - I treated my self to some new spellbinders dies and have been playing with a couple of sets today and made an xmas card. I used the fancy lattice die for a background - this is such a gorgeous die I am trying out a few bits with it. I used my holly accents for 2 corners [ the berries are from the poinsettia set]and my new poinsettia set for the other corners.

The card is 8" x 8" from Craft works and the paper I used was from a paper pack from Lidls that I picked up on a whim but it works well with dies so may look out for more as it is very cheap for the quality and amount in the pad. The sentiment was stamped on a small scalloped die [labels 1 I think] and the stamp is one from Clarity. The card and the sentiment are both inked with pine needles and rangers inks were used through the dies to highlight the veins [pine needles and fire brick]. A small Paperchase gem was used for the flower centre. I think I am a bit too keen on having balance but I do like the end result.

LiM 85

Hi fellow bloggers - here we are again with a LiM challenge of the wee. This time we were asked to use an oval. I used a spellbinders scalloped oval as a mat and then a spellbinders beaded oval for my stamped image. I have kept to a mainly monochrome palette for this as I have used grey shadow ink for the beaded oval, Dove grey stazon for the sentiment and black and white card.

The stamped image is a kanban stamp and I have used a puple and green inks and masked for one extra flower head. The gems are from a creative pack and the sentiment is an old one from C&C.

Not so happy with the photo I think I will go back to scanning my cards as the image is better than my photography!

Sweet Stamping Challenge - white on white

 Hi fellow bloggers hope you are having a good day. I have entered the above challenge this week as white on white is not something I have tried before.. I have used some of my dies - creata heart and spellbinders [cut out on my bigshot] - , kanban white card and centura pearl white, black archival inkpad, kanban rose stamp, white spotted organza ribbon and 2 of my cuttlebug embossing folders [script and swiss dots for the smaller embellishments]. Not forgetting the doily cut from a die [ this is a difficult die to get a good clean cut from so don't use it very often.I have left a space for a sentiment in the bottom r/h corner

LiM 84

Happy Saturday - fellow bloggers -we are having one of the few sunny days this year. Here is my entry for this weeks LiM which is a one layer card with a foliage theme. I have used:

• distress inks in pesto and rusty hinge
• hero arts leaf stamp from a quattro set
• a C&C stamp
• my scorit

It is quite a simple card using a masking technique but made a mess of two attempts so this is 3rd time lucky!! I think the one thing about a simple card is that if you make an error it is not easy to find a way of covering it up.

LiM 83 - colour brown and pink

hi again fellow bloggers
apologies for not visiting but will try this week - work is a bit busy and brain dead when I get in Lol!
Couldn't miss another LiM challenge though so here is this weeks entry for the pink/brown colour challenge.
I have used:

• pink bazill
• memento cocoa brown for the image and the sentiment
• anna griffin butterfly stamp
• brown sakura gel pen to draw in the antennae and the flight path
• pale pink star gems

using scraps to try out a technique with spellbinder dies

hi fellow bloggers- time for crafting is rare lately but as I had requested that a specific set of dies, Blossom Tags and Accents, for use by Christine Emberson on her Friday die day I had to give it a try. So I used up some scraps from my scrap drawer[s].

•  pearl card - cream and purple
• spellbinders butterfly die from the Wings of Hope set
• anna griffin butterfly stamp
• chalk inks in  lime green and purple
• black gems
• the two bottom dies from the set pictured

 It worked well and I will need to try again with other dies as it is quite a clever technique - here is the link  http://hope-chances.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/friday-die-day.html

LiM - Theme 321

hi fellow bloggers didn't manage the challenge last week so had to make an effort to get the time this week.  Also I will try to visit this week too.

The theme for this weeks LiM is 3-2-1 and I have gone for 3 flowers of which 2 are brown and 1 is bright yellow. These are all from Petaloo. The sentiment is from Anna Griffin [old set] stamped in cocoa memento and the gold strip is double sided tape foiled with Kanban foil. - think in retrospect that I would have preferred a thinner stripe.

Birthday card - pink profusion!

hi again - trying to get cards made on time! A special friend has her birthday at the end of August and as she is a bit of a fairy fan thought I'd make her a fairy card using the flower fairies stamp, Tricia is a real pink fan so rather than colour the lilac fairy in lilac decided to do her in pink as well as the ribbon and mirri card.

I have used:-

• spellbinders scalloped square, plain square and persian border
• silver and cerise mirri card
• centura pearl white
• stazon dove grey
• water colour pencils and sakura gel pens
• mei craft spotty ribbon
• anna griffin ribbon border punch
• debbi moore glitter
• little ribbon flowers from stash
• lilac fairy wooden stamp
• pink gems
• fusible film - pearl

Sweet Stamping Challenge

hi again fellow bloggers

I have decided to spend more time crafting this weekend and am entering for this weeks SSC for anything with wings. I have chosen a fairy stamp that has also been stamped inside the card as I have used such a pretty  brilliance inkpad. The sentiment is also inside and is "Sending a Smile". The fairy is cut out with a spellbinders circle and matted on two other spellbinders cut outs - a lacey circle and a persian accent. The background paper is from a K&Co stack and the ribbon is lilac organza.

LiM 80

Good morning Saturday bloggers! Another fab challenge from the ladies over at LiM. The theme this week is one layer. I used an Anita's stamp - the cuddly hedgehog and as he seems to have a smile on his face thought that would be the sentiment - another stamp from a tub of messages.. They were both stamped in memento rich cocoa. The half flower/sun is a piece of die waste inked through with colourbox yellow cadmium as it seemed to fit the sentiment. The grounding is adirondack lettuce ink again inked along a piece of waste from using a spellbinders die.

Andy Murray gets the gold!!

I know its not craft but couldn't not post congrats to Andy Murray - Gold medal for team GB against Federer - well done Andy and all the medal winners once Usain Bolt's race has finished tonight I can get back to crafting Lol!!

LiM 79

Happy Saturday fellow bloggers - the sun is out and team GB doing great and doing us all so proud.
The theme for this weeks challenge is colour - blue and green.

I have used lime bazill bling for the edges and a martha stewart edger punch. The dots are a from a background stamp by Hero Arts stamped directly on the base card with dark blue brilliance ink [looks darker in real life]. The sentiment and 2 little flowers are from a sticker sheet coloured to match with a promarker.

blogger grrrrr!

Hi fellow bloggers

sorry I haven't visited this week but have been having lots of probs with blogger - here's hopeing they are sorted and I can visit soon

2nd post - LiM reject!

Hi fellow bloggers

this is my original idea for the LiM challenge this week but then decided against it as I had stuck the scalloped border in the wrong place. Anyway thankyou cards are always useful so no worries. This time the scallop has a strip of contrast underneath and twine round it. The sentiment is also spelt out with twine as it was a better match than my ribbon - done at a jaunty angle as lining up was tricky as the twine is very springy. Envelope lined with matching paper. Well  off back to my "organising".

LiM 78

hi fellow bloggers - a bit late with this as I have been trying to organise my crafting chaos! - making some inroads but not naturally organised Lol! I have included quilling in this one as I do like the look of it and the cuttlebug quilling die is fab - I adhered the quilled flowers to a white flower from a mixed pack. No stamping this week as have used one of my sizzix embossing folders for the sentiment. The border is a martha stewart border punch and the mat is a nesties scalloped circle the embossed lines have been done with my scor it.  I have to do 3 thankyou cards this week as my birthday is tomorrow and getting prepared.