Starcyl's Daily Doings

Rainbow Lady's Challenge - Something Scottish for Burns Night

2012-01-26T08:00:00.000Z

Over on Rainbow Lady's challenge this week the theme is Burns Night so something Scottish. I decided to go with the one thing I know best and that is dogs and although there are quite a few Scottish breeds the Scottish Terrier and the West Highland White are probably the best known.

I decided to do a simple scrap page with one of the cutest pictures, some people think they are the same breed with just different colouring but they are so very different as you can see in this picture.

I do hope you can join us and show us your thoughts on Scotland, pop over to the blog and see the rest of the teams ideas they are all very different.

CD Sunday - Zodiac

2012-01-22T08:11:00.001Z

Good morning and as it's Sunday it's another challenge over on CD Sunday, this week the challenge is Zodiac and I decided to use the Enchanted cd from Card Creations + , the funny thing is I had started to make it for my mum but chose the wrong image and realised that her birthday doesn't fall within the Aquarius period so it will have to do for friend in work whose birthday is early next month.
I cut the scalloped circle out on the Cricut and then stuck the decoupage onto that, the backing paper is a faded one which comes on the cd. Once I'd done the card it looked a bit unfinished and although I don't normally use loads of bling I thought this needed something so went a bit mad with the gems but I think it works ok.

I hope you can come over and join us, it's a little lonely without you all.

CD Sunday - Enchantment

2012-01-15T08:00:00.000Z

Over on CD Sunday this week we want you to think enchanting thoughts and show us what the word enchantment means to you. For my card I have used an image from Joanna Sheen's - Country Garden, this image makes me think of an enchanted forest and the children are fascinated by the spider.
I coloured the background of the card with three distress inks and it's not as dark as it looks in the picture, I used spun sugar, scattered straw and one of the new ones iced spruce, before putting the ink on I stamped the swirls and embossed with silver pearl embossing powder. The flowers were in a Kanban kit I bought from C&C, they were cream but I used the spun sugar ink directly onto the card before rolling them up. I have used a punch for the leaves and I was going to put a sentiment on but it didn't look right so used a few pearls instead.

I do hope you can come on over and join us, you know we love to see your entries as it gives us a chance to have a sneaky peak at all the other things you do.

Less is More - Single layer and Birds

2012-01-14T19:27:00.003Z

Over on Less is More this week the challenge is single layer with birds, now I'm not sure this picture is very flattering to the card but it's the best I could get in the light I've got.

I spritzed the background with some Glitz Spritz that I've had for years, once it was where I wanted it to be I took a paintbrush and moved the liquid around to give it a dappled finish. I took a pen a went around the inner edge of the spritzed area to give an edge to it.

The bird stamp is from Chocolate Baroque and is huge, I stamped it in Versafine and coloured the berries and tree edges with promarkers then stamped a sentiment on the bottom. It looks a bit squiffy but it's just the angle of the camera.

Rainbow Lady's challenge - Many faces of women

2012-01-12T09:00:00.000Z

Good morning all, over on Rainbow Lady's challenge blog this week we want you to think of the many faces of women, I have used a Kanban stamp for my main image and the swirls in the background are from a set I picked up at the Port Sunlight stamp show last year. I have coloured the backround with Distress inks and then used one of the Texture Fragment stamps from Chocolate Baroque to add to the detail.
I have left the main image uncoloured apart from the flowers in her hair which I painted with the same distress ink as the texture stamping.

I hopwe you can come over and join us, I know there are a lot of things that you can do with this challenge, see you there!

CD Sunday - Sea Life

2012-01-08T08:19:00.000Z

The challenge over on CD Sunday this week is Sea Life so I decided to do a scrapbook page with some photo's I took when I was in Australia, I thought they had been doing nothing for enough years now so I need to make an album with them.

These two photo's were taken in the aquarium at Sydney, I was totally fascinated with the large fish because it looked like it was made out of stone, I used a digi kit that came on one of the cd's that came with the original Craft Artist programme I think it's called dunes.

I do hope you can come and join us this week and you like what the design team have done with the theme.

2012-01-05T09:00:00.001Z

Over on Rainbow Lady's challenge blog this week we are Travelling in Time to 2012, for my entry I have chosen to use the steampunk stamps from Kanban, I love these stamps and really would love to use them all the time as they stamp so beautifully and are great fun.
I have used a spllbinders die to cut out the backing piece which I have coloured with alcohol inks and used a LOTV stamp for the message.

I do hope you can come and join us and let us see your interpretation of time travel.

CD Sunday - O is for Olympics

2012-01-01T10:03:00.000Z

Good morning all and a very Happy New Year to you all, this week over on CD Sunday we are being sponsored by the lovely Sharon Duncan with a fab prize of Embossibilities Elegance and Embossibilities Texture Prints CD with some printable papers and embellishments.

Sharon gave us some files to work with and I used the one with the roses on but changed the colour in Craft Artist to fit in with my theme. I found the main image on the internet and the rest followed on from there.
I do hope you can come and join us and maybe win this great cd, and hopefully you won't have the issues that I have had trying to get these posts done, blogger is driving me daft these last few days, it's taking me hours just to do one little post.

Rainbow Lady's Challenge - Your choice

2011-12-29T09:17:00.000Z

Over on Rainbow Lady's this week the theme is so easy that you have no excuse not to join us, Cynthia decided to give us a bit of a break and chose the theme of Your Choice.

For my card I used a stamp set from Joanna Sheen, this cat image comes with the flower so I stamped it all over and added a hint of colour with Promarkers making a pretty background, the cat image is coloured with Promarkers and I used a Sakura pen to do the eyes giving them a touch of glitter. I used the Weatered Wood Distress Ink around the edges and stamped the sentiment which also comes on the sheet, added a bit of ribbon and some gems and it's finished.

I do hope you can come over and join us, we love to come visit you.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T11:52:00.000Z

Merry Christmas to all my blogland friends. Have a lovely holiday and a very Happy New Year. xx

Rainbow Lady's challenge - White Christmas

2011-12-23T07:07:00.000Z

Over at Rainbow Lady's this week we want you to dream of a white Christmas, for my card I've used the wonderful Thomas Kinkade cd, printed onto some lovely matt photo paper and plenty of glitter added but that doesn't really show in the picture. The ribbon is coloured with Promarkers and the slider stamped and embossed with WOW glitter embossing powder.

I hope you come over and join us for our final Christmas challenge of the year, there will be one other one before the new year though so hopefully you will find time amongst the madness for a bit of crafty down time.

CD Sunday - Fifties Fun

2011-12-18T08:17:00.000Z

Good morning everyone, it's two weeks since the last CD Sunday challenge and this time as we are so busy over the christmas period it's another two weeker. The challenge this time is Fifties Fun and judging by the teams efforts this was popular with them so hopefully it will be with you too.
For my card I used My Craft Studio, A Carousel of Classics I don't use these discs very much but knew there would be something on there to fit the bill and I didn't even change the colour.

The trim at the bottom is done with a Martha Stewart punch and what looks like a thin ribbon is a piece of the backing paper.

Please come and join us we love to visit you in return.

Rainbow Lady's Challenge - Angels

2011-12-15T21:18:00.000Z

Over on Rainbow Lady's this week we want you to think of angels. For my design I used Craft Artist and an image from Joanna Sheen's Angels and Fairies cd which I have had for years. This is an 8inch square and I have used various digi kits to get the look I wanted, I do hope you can come over and join us.

Things with Whiskers week 2

2011-12-11T14:14:00.000Z

As we are being sponsored by Elegant Inspiration for two weeks I have made another card to go onto the blog. A fairly simple decoupaged card but time is tight at the moment.

Rainbow Lady's Challenge - Trees and Baubles

2011-12-08T21:47:00.000Z

What an eventful week I've had, on Sunday my pc died, it was quite old and had had a hard life but it was so sad to see it go. I have been saving for such an event so happily I could afford to go out and buy a new one so was only without for a few days. The only thing is all my favourites and contacts and lots of other things are still stuck in the old one, I do hope my friends lovely hubby can manage to get something sorted for me so I can retrieve the things I need.
Anyway on to this week over on Rainbow Lady's challenge blog, she has asked us to do Trees and Baubles and I decided to use a LOTV image as they are so cute and most of my friends and family are into cuteso this kind of card goes down really well.
The backing paper is from a Polka doodles cd and the the stamped sentiment is also a LOTV embossed with WOW powders.

Hope to see you over on the challenge blog so we can visit and see what you've been up to.

CD Sunday - Things with Whiskers

2011-12-04T08:11:00.000Z

Good morning all, it's Sunday so another challenge from us over at CD Sunday and this week we are looking at Things with Whiskers. This being the first Sunday of the month we are once again doing a sponsored challenge and this time we are running the challenge for two weeks so plenty of time to get your brains working and add something to the challenge. I know some people are still doing Christmas cards and there are so many with mice and rabbits that I'm sure you could come up with something, in fact Santa himself has whiskers, lol.

My card didn't start out as a valentine's card but it sort of evolved into one, I have used an image from Lili of the Valley and the backing paper is from the Faye Whittaker collection from Joanna Sheen. I have used the fleur de lis die from spellbinders but it wasn't large enough to do what I wanted so I cut out two one white and one red and cut them into four. I then fastened them to the back of the topper so it looks like the are just layered on top of each other. I then cut the corners from the same die set and put some gems on them. Once I'd done all that it looked like a good card for valentines day so I stamped the greeting and used the WOW embossing powders which I'm loving and it was complete.

We are giving away the fab Rachelle Anne Miller cd for this challenge and although the team got a cd each from the very generous Jo they arrived a little late for some of us so we will be showing you some more of the designs on the cd on the challenge blog next week but if you would lilke to see a few things I've done previously you will find them here

Hope to see you over at CD Sunday with some fab projects for us, see you there!

Rainbow Lady's Challenge - Christmas Carol

2011-12-01T18:41:00.000Z

Over on Rainbow Lady's challenge blog this week we want you to think Christmas Carols, after all it's not too long to go now and I think it's ok to start getting a little excited.
For my card I have used a stamp from Artprints by Hero Arts which I have had for years, I have stamped and embossed in glittery gold powder and matted it onto gold card, the swirly embossed background was done with a mask through the Cuttlebug. A plain and simple card but it works for me. Hope you can come and join us as we are offering a voucher from joanna Sheen again this week.

CD Sunday - On Safari

2011-11-27T08:00:00.001Z

It's time for another challenge over on CD Sunday and this week the theme is On Safari, I was going to use one of the big cat images on the JNM collections from Joanna Sheen but then I remembered that I had this image on one of the Cupcake cd's, this one is Walk on the Wildside. I have used JNM for the backing paper which I'm not sure if you can see properly but has zebra's all over. I have used some of my precious tapestry card which I have punched with a deep punch from Martha Stewart.

I am quite pleased with the look of this card as I think it could quite easily be used for male or female birthdays, the sentiment is from a set by Lili of the Valley stamped in black and clear embossed.

Rainbow Lady's Challenge - Cards for Men

2011-11-24T09:00:00.001Z

Over on Rainbow Lady's this week the theme Cynthia has chosen is cards for men, well we all know that men can be tricky but recently I have been buying some stamps that fit the bill perfectly.

This card is made with a fairly new set of stamps from Chocolate Baroque, I found the check background on the net and used Distress Inks to colour it, I liked the fack that it was already looking a bit grungy. The main image was stamped in black and embossed with clear then the bits of colour were done with more distress ink, I like the bigger chess pieces so wanted to use them so decided to ue them as focal points on the card.

When I was putting the card together I noticed I had cut the background a tad too short so used a punch to do a border and hope it looks like it was designed that way.

CD Sunday - Trees

2011-11-20T08:35:00.000Z

Over on CD Sunday this week we are using trees as our theme for the challenge, I have chosen to use a stamp set from Glenda at Chocolate Baroque for my card. I know my card is a little plain but it is for a man and when I went to get my card candy I only had brown or blue and niether of these colours looked right so I have left it as it is, just the excuse I need to go shopping. The backing paper is from the Artylicious cd Decadent Brocade, I wanted something that would look as if it fitted in with the tree, not sure if it totally works but it's not bad. The inked background is done with Distress inks, I used Stormy Sky, Scattered Straw and Forest Moss.

I hope you can come over and join us and have a look at the rest of the teams cards, some really nice things this week.

Rainbow Lady's challenge - Thanksgiving

2011-11-17T18:24:00.000Z

Over on Rainbow Lady's challenge blog this week we are thinking about our american cousins so the theme this week is Thanksgiving. For my sample I used Craft Artist, not sure where I'd be if I didn't have this fab little programme.

I guess if you have no need for a special thanksgiving card then you could just do a thank you, but please join in with us as we love to visit and see your wonderful ideas.

CD Sunday - Paisley Fun

2011-11-13T08:13:00.000Z

Over at CD Sunday this week the theme is paisley fun, well it may be fun for some but as it's not my favourite design type it wasn't really fun for me. I didn't have a clue what I was going to do so this card is done in a bit of a panic as I only finished it yesterday.

I found the image on the internet by googling paisley images so I don't know who did it originally but I won't try to claim it as my own. I printed the backing paper from Joanna Sheen's Enchanted Dreams and the lace is some I bought earlier in the year and have been using it sparingly, I really need to get some more. The sentiment is Lily of the Valley and is embossed with Sparkle and Sprinkle in Blueberry.

I do hope you can come and join us and I'm sure you will have far better ideas than I have, just check out the rest of the team.

Rainbow Lady's Challenge - Inspired by a picture

2011-11-10T08:54:00.001Z

Over on Rainbow Lady's this week we want you to do something that has been inspired by the picture that Cynthia has taken. The picture is of a beautiful pink pointsettia so we really needed to use something with pink and green.

My choice for this week is a pretty stamp that I've had for years and I'm not sure where I bought it but it's an Inca stamp, I have hardly used it but decided to give it another go and it has turned out all right this time, I stamped it in Versamark and then used green WOW embossing powder, I bought a kit at the NEC and it was a real bargain so am well pleased with it, I will be buying more of these powders.

I have used a Marianne folder to do the background and the sentiment is from LOTV, another NEC purchase.

I do hope you can come and join us we love seeing the beautiful things you produce.

CD Sunday - Sunset

2011-11-06T07:30:00.001Z

This week on CD Sunday we have a great sponsor and she has given the design team a kit to play with, I have been playing with the images and all the bits and pieces but as soon as I saw these stamps from Glenda at Chocolate Baroque I knew I wanted to include them into my card for this week.
I used the backing papers in the kit for both the piece behind the stamped image and the backing paper I used as a base. I also used a sentiment from the JNM cd as it was already done and the colour matched perfectly.

I love the little kit Caroline has given us and I will be buying more as everything matches so well. I do hope you can join us and as Caroline is offering a digi image of the winners choice then it is worth giving it a go.

Looking forward to seeing you during the week.

La Blanche Stamped Card

2011-11-01T23:39:00.000Z

I got a couple of new stamps today, I have seen them around but never tried them and now, well I'm going to be hooked I think. The stamps are so fine and stamp perfectly, this one is the first image and it's so crisp I am blown away with them.

The backgound is a piece of paper from the Basic Grey pad Indian Summer which I have overstamped with a small swirly design using Frayed Burlap Distress Ink. The wordy backing is a stamp from Creative Impressions stamped in black and then tinted with the Frayed Burlap, the bits of colour are done with Promarkers. I am quite pleased with this so wanted to show you all.

CD Sunday - Puss Cat

2011-10-30T08:54:00.000Z

Over at CD Sunday this week we have a great theme, this week we are thinking of Cats. I have recently been adopted by a cat and we are trying to get the dog to accept her, not with a lot of luck at the moment but given time I know we will get there.

I decided that as it's so close to Christmas that I would make a Christmas card, I don't know where time has gone as last year I had all my cards made by November but this year I've done very few. This image has come from Joanna Sheen's Ivory Cats cd, I just love the look on the cats face but then all the cats on this cd are lovely and I could have opened up any of the sections and found something I could have used.

I hope you can come over and join us, you know we love to see you and this week we are saying goodbye to Pamela who has been a super guest this last month and has made something a little bit different this week.

More Halloween - Rainbow Lady's Spooks and Witches

2011-10-27T07:37:00.001+01:00

Over on Rainbow Lady's blog this week we want you to think Spooks and Witches as it's is almost Halloween and it's time to celebrate.
For my card I have used a few free downloads, the background is from last year from Glenda at Chocolate Baroque and the words and the little witch with her cat is from the Polkadoodles web site. The card is coloured with rusty hinge distress inks then stamped with Paris Dusk Memento ink. I do hope you can come on over and join us, I'm also entering this into the Polkadoodles challenge too which this week is Halloween.

CD Sunday - Halloween

2011-10-23T08:25:00.001+01:00

Hello again and welcome to another Sunday morning, this week on CD Sunday we are thinking about preparing for Halloween so I have started off with this little number that I put together in Craft Artist. The background was a free download from Glenda Waterworth last year and I have added bits to it to build the scene.

I do hope you can come and join in with us and have a bit of spooky fun, the rest of the design team have been busy and our guest Pamela has made enough for everyone as she loves Halloween and judging by the amount of things she has made is going to be having a party, do go to her blog and have a look.

Use Silver - Rainbow Lady's Challenge

2011-10-22T08:15:00.000+01:00

Over on Rainbow Lady's challenge this week we were told to use silver, inspired by Cynthia and Geoff's silver wedding anniversary(Happy Anniversary to you both), I misunderstood the wording and thought we should just use silver which I have done but what I should have done was make an anniversary card. So if you fancy joining us don't do what I did but make an anniversary card with silver on it.

Anyway on to the card, the background was done with Distress Inks and splashed with water to make it look like it's snowing, the stamps are all from a set from Chocolate Baroque stamped with versamark and embossed with silver then coloured with Promarkers and sprinkled with copious amounts of glitter. The tree in the front has some peel off bits on it to make it look like it had shiny baubles on it.

Please pop over and have a look at the challenge and have a go, we love to come and visit you.

CD Sunday - Around the World

2011-10-16T09:43:00.001+01:00

Over at CD Sunday this week we are going Around the World, so I have chosen to use Egypt as my place. The images and the hieroglyphics are from Joanna Sheen's Egyptian Adventure and the frame is from a digi kit I have in Craft Artist. I have no idea what the symbols represent but as I got them from the cd I think I am fairly safe and won't be saying anything rude.

I hope you can come over and join in with us and have a bit of fun travelling even if it is only from your chair!

Rainbow Lady's Challenge - Falling Leaves

2011-10-13T18:30:00.001+01:00

This is my card for our great challenge over on Rainbow Lady's Challenge blog, this week we want you to be thinking of autumn and use the theme falling leaves. The leaves on my card were made by using some colourwash on plain copy paper then spritzing with some glimmer mists. While it was wet I scrunched the paper and then laid it out to dry. Once it was dry I cut the leaves out on the cuttlebug.

We have a super sponsor this week as Elegant Inspiration has given us a copy of the new cd to give as a prize, I'm sure you will have seen this on C&C but if not check out Cynthia's blog as she has some samples for you to have a look at, plus there is a link to the Elegant Inspiration web site in my sidebar where the cd will be available to buy late on Friday.

Hope you can come and join us, we love company.

Rachelle Anne Miller Collection

2011-10-09T08:06:00.000+01:00

This is one of the sample cards I made from the brand new cd from a brand new company, the artist is Canadian and her artwork is stunning so it was so easy to work with the images and hopefully produce samples that everyone will like.

For this week the cd is only available from Create and Craft but it should be available elsewhere once the week is over.

The giraffes were my favourite once I started to work with the images but the mouse is also a favourite

Try to catch the shows on C&C, I'm sure you'll love this cd and as it also has cutting files on it then if you own a cutting machine it's a must have.

CD Sunday - Wine Buff

2011-10-09T08:00:00.001+01:00

Over on CD Sunday this week the theme is Wine Buff, well there I was thinking I didn't have anything to suit the theme so I was a bit stuck. I searched the internet for an image and found this one, thought it was a little bit of fun so decided to use it.

Now I have been making some samples for a brand new cd which has just been launched on Create and Craft this week, The Rachelle Anne Miller Collection from Elegant Inspiration. I decided to use some of the backing papers from the cd, the different shades of colour work really well together so I decided to use the blue to pick out the colour of the shirt. I had a bit of a play in Craft Artist and this is what I came up with, hope you like it and you'll pop over to the CD Sunday blog and join us, we'd love to have you visit.

Rainbow Lady's Challenge - In the Misty Moonlight

2011-10-06T09:00:00.001+01:00

This is my card for the challenge we have over on Rainbow Lady's blog this week, we are being sponsored once again by the lovely Joanna Sheen abd this week the theme is In the Misty Moonlight.

I have used the Enchanted Dreams cd and this picture is one of my favourite ones. I have used a backing paper from another image as I thouoght the fireworks went really well with the fireworks in the image. The word Celebrate is stamped in versamark and embossed with silver, and I have used my Martha Stewart punch to do the heart trim.

I do hope you can come and join us and maybe win a voucher to spend in Joanna's shop.

A 50th birthday card

2011-10-02T23:49:00.000+01:00

I don't know what it is with my friends and family but whenever they reach a grand age i.e. a milestone year they don't want their ages on the cards.

This card and sorry it's not the best picture but it was taken at 11.30pm is for one of my workmates, she will be 50 on Tuesday so I have decided that no age on the card means plenty of bling! The corners are covered with stones, it was a pack I got with two corners but I decided the I would cut away the single line and use that on two of the corners and the swirly bits on the other two corners.

The image and backing papers are from Debbi Moore's Diamonds and Lace cd, I am quite pleased with it and hopefully it will suit her as she is quite a fussy bod,lol. Oh yes and I usedsome of my precious lace across the page too, good job I like her!

CD Sunday - Nature's Wonders

2011-10-02T07:49:00.001+01:00

Good morning all, it's another Sunday so that means another challenge over at CD Sunday. This week we have chosen the theme Nature's Wonders, we were given some stamps from the lovely Sue from Creative Expressions and she has also donated a prize which was so generous that we have managed to get four prizes out of it. There are some Christmas stamp sheets to be won and as they are all different it will be a bit of a lucky dip as to who gets what.

My card this week is made with some fab card I bought at Port Sunlight earlier in the year, I do love dark colours, I also used a spare piece to stamp onto with a background stamp which I have embossed with silver and then cut out with one of my nesties, the stamped image is from the set the DT were given to use and this has been coloured with Promarkers and a bit of chalk. The cd comes into it as the blue paper is printed from the backing paper section of the Thomas Kinkade cd by Joanna Sheen, it a very pretty pattern but it doesn't show in the picture. I used Promarkers to colour the ribbon and the top of the pins so everything matches. I do hope you will come and join us and hopefully win yourself a prize, we'd love to see you.

CD Sunday - Winter Wonderland

2011-09-25T08:00:00.004+01:00

Hello everyone and thanks for dropping by, this week over on CD Sunday we want you to think Winter Wonderland.

I have had a great time doing my card for this challenge, I know it won't win any awards but it was a pleasant change using the Cricut to cut everything on the card. I printed several different papers from Season's Greetings by Artylicious and then cut out the trees and houses, sleigh and reindeer on the Cricut. Even the background was cut so it was quite easy to do. I cut the different layers out in contrasting papers and the church was meant to have the pattern on the outside the same as the other houses but somehow I managed to mix them up so that ended up plain with the pattern behind. I think it looks ok so didn't have to cut another set out. The snowman is a bit on the large side but we are in fanatasy land here,lol, I cannot find my fine gold thread to make the reins so at the moment the reindeer are on trust to stay put.

I hope you like my wonderland and will pop over to the challenge blog and join in with us, we love to see you.

Oh I forgot to say I used Winter Woodland Cartidge for everything here and I used copious amounts of glitter.

Rainbow Lady's challenge - White Space

2011-09-22T09:00:00.000+01:00

Over on Rainbow Lady's challenge blog this week the challenge is plenty of white space, I chose to use the digi of three daisies from the choice supplied by Card Mad Fairies who are sponsoring us this week. I do struggle with the less is more type of card so this has taken me out of my comfort zone a little bit even though I do try.

The flowers were coloured with Promarkers and the edges done with a fine liner pen, the ribbon is ruffled onto a piece of strong tape. I do hope you can come and join us we would love to see what you do.

I would also like to add this to the LIM challenge which is anything goes and they are hoping for 1000 entries this week so hopefully they will get there.

CD Sunday - Black and Blue

2011-09-18T00:41:00.004+01:00

Over on CD Sunday this week we want you to think Black and Blue, I have used Joanna Sheen's Dancing with Shadows for my card. I used this cd a lot when it first came out but it has been sitting neglected on the shelf for quite a while now so this is a good excuse to bring it out again. I have used a tapestry card for this card, and yes I know it's quite extravagant but sometimes we just have to use our special card and paper.

I was really pleased with the colour of the bow as it was white to begin with and I used one of my promarkers to colour it and I have to say it's a pretty good match. I also used my promarkers to colour the pearls, I cut the frames with my Cricut and all in all I am quite pleased with the end result.

I do hope you like my card this week and also that you will join us in our current challenge.

Faye Whittaker cd

2011-09-16T17:10:00.001+01:00

I treated myself to the new Faye Whittaker cd from Joanna Sheen and have been having a bit of a play. The images are sweet without being sickly and some of the backing papers are so pretty while others are perfect for beach scenes, etc.

The baby girl card is done in lilac because when I tried the pink cards I have they didn't look right but for me the lilac card goes really well.

The boy on the beach is a timeless image and I thought the words on the stamp suited the scene so well.

Thanks for stopping by and I do hope you like todays cards. See you soon.

Rainbow Lady's challenge - Sweet treats for Christmas

2011-09-15T10:02:00.002+01:00

Over on Rainbow Lady's this week we want you to go with the theme Sweet Treats for Christmas, we were given some Whimsy digis to play with and this is what I came up with. The card is designed in Craft Artist and then the topper is coloured with the trusty Promarkers and I have added glitter to the icing.

I hope you can come on over and have a play as we do have another prize on offer from our lovely sponsors.

CD Sunday - Alphabets the letter M

2011-09-11T08:25:00.000+01:00

Hello all, can you believe it's another Sunday and half way through my two weeks leave. We have so much to do in the house that we have been at home busy, I really feel like I drew the short straw because I am doing the hall. At first I though it's only small I can get that done in no time but there is so much painting to do with all the doors which were brown and are now white and have taken so many coats that I think it would have been better to buy new ones. It is now nearly done and looking so much brighter that it will be worth it once it's finished, even if I will be fit for nothing.
Now onto this weeks challenge over on CD Sunday, we will occasionally use a letter of the alphabet as it is quite fun to see what people come up with, quite often things you wouldn't have thought of yourself, this weeks letter is M. At first I was a bit stumped and couldn't think of anything that I would have that would work, then my team mates started putting their creations on the admin blog and I was thinking why didn't I think of that, so thought I'd better get a move on and make something. It was Joanna Sheen to the rescue once again, I have used the Enchanted Dreams cd and my M is mermaid. I found this image while I was looking through the cd for inspiration and then cut out the word and the seahorses on the Cricut using SCAL. The backing paper is some that I've had for ages and never really used it as it is quite difficult to get anything to stick to it but now that I've found Pinflair it works a treat.

I do hope you'll come on over and join us, and check out who won last weeks great prize of three Artylicious cd's.

CD Sunday -Inspired by Peacocks

2011-09-04T08:03:00.000+01:00

Good morning all, well can you believe it's Sunday again and yes that means we have a new challenge over on CD Sunday now this being the start of the month it's a sponsored challenge and this month have we got a super sponsor for you. Glenda over at Chocolate Baroque has been ever so generous and we have a prize of three of her cd's up for grabs, and the winner of our top three will also get a cd so get over and see what's going on and join in with us.
My card is made using the Peacocks Summer Party which was kindly given to us by Glenda for this challenge, I have used a plain background which I have embossed some lines on to make a grid, I then spritzed it with a mica spray. The image is from the cd and I stupidly printed it onto acetate, it looks fab but it is impossible to get a decent picture of it so sorry you can see my reflection but with the light being what it was it was the best I could do.
If you haven't been over to the Chocolate Baroque site then please give yourself a treat and go and have a look, the stamps are fab and the quality is just about the best you can get and of course you can get anything else you may need too.

Rainbow Lady's challenge - Embossing

2011-09-01T09:00:00.003+01:00

Over on Rainbow Lady's challenge this week we want you to do a bit of embossing, now that can be any kind and you can make anything so I decided that I would finally get around to doing this box.

My friend gave me the box after I had expressed an interest and it has been sitting in my drawer for quite a long time. I have painted it with acrylic paint, stamped and embossed with both gold and silver, I have also added some distress inks is several colours but it doesn't show very well in this picture, the box is actually a bit darker than it looks here.

I have added some self adhesive ribbon around the lid, the pearls were already on it, used a few pearls on the lid and thought I'd finished but it seemed to need something extra so, I dug out the gold leaf and added a bit of glue here and there and stuck the gold onto it. I am quite pleased with the result and find it funny how much time and effort this took to make it look old and worn.

I almost forgot to tell you that this week we are sponsored by the wonderful Joanna Sheen so please join in and you could win a voucher to spend in her shop.

CD Sunday - Just because

2011-08-28T00:03:00.000+01:00

Hello all, this week on CD Sunday we are having an easy time of things and our theme is 'Just Because'. Well how easy is this you may ask, well I couldn't make up my mind so decided to go for something that I'd not normally do.

I was browsing through my cd's and found this image on Joanna Sheen's Furry Friends cd, well you do have to smile at this wee frog so it was decided that I would use him.

I copied the image and put it into Craft Artist and added the words, I printed the backing paper and matted all of it up onto dark green card. I used my Martha Stewart punch to do the trim down the middle and finally added a big bow. I do hope you like my offering.

Rainbow Lady's challenge - Faux Postage

2011-08-25T09:00:00.001+01:00

Over on Rainbow Lady's challenge blog this week we want you to have a go at faux postage. We are being sponsored by the very talented Glenda Waterworth from Chocolate Baroque so you should really join in so it could be you winning the super prize on offer.

Glenda let us have some of her stamps to play with and I was lucky because I had already bought one set of these so those that we had sent to us were different but complemented each other and I've used both sets. We also used a down loadable template for the stamps and it is so cool so a must have if you haven't got it. My backing paper is from one of Artlicious cd's which I used a little bit of distress inks on, I coloured the stamps with the same inks and then stamped over them while the template was in place. I do hope you like my effort and you will come on over and join us.

CD Sunday - Nursery Rhymes

2011-08-21T07:59:00.000+01:00

Good morning all, this week over on CD Sunday we want you to remember your childhood and use the theme of nursery rhymes to create something.

For my card I used Joanna Sheen's Card Makers Year to make a new baby card, so my nursery rhyme is Rock a Bye Baby. Once I'd done it I thought I could have made a scrapbook page, the amount of people I know who have had babies recently I could have filled a book.

I do hope you can come and join us, it's my turn to choose the top three this week so hopefully you will give me a hard time and produce lots of lovely things for me to wonder over.

Rainbow Lady's challenge - Your choice of song.

2011-08-18T18:51:00.000+01:00

Over on Rainbow Lady's this week we have been sponsored by The Stamping Boutique who gave us some digi stamps to work with, as soon as I saw this one I thought of the song I was going to do. I found the lyrics online and repeated them all over the background, the image is coloured with Promarkers and I used a bit of Distress Ink arond the edges. The backgound and the embellishment was made in Craft Artist and then printed and layered to create an 8inch square card.

CD Sunday - Only Ovals

2011-08-14T07:30:00.001+01:00

Good Sunday morning to you all, over on CD Sunday we have a brand new challenge for you, this week it's Only Ovals.
For my card I cut the card out on the Cricut but had to cut the bottom of the oval off because it was just to narrow to stand up. Note to self, make the card landscape next time! I have used a great stamp from LOTV, I just love this little girl who is in such a strop! I have coloured her with the new Spectrum Noir pens from CC, these pens are very juicy so I had to use a different technique with them but I managed and did enjoy using them. The backing paper is from Seraphina through the ages from Doolicraft and the flowers are from Wild Orchid.

I do hope you can come over and join us, we love to have you visit so we can repay the favour and call on you.

Rainbow Lady's challenge - Stamp It

2011-08-11T17:47:00.000+01:00

Over on Rainbow Lady's this week we want you to stamp it! You just need to include something stamped on your project and as usual you can make anything you want to.
The design team were given some digi images to work with so I made a litle scene with them and then added the cat later, the cat is one of the pets range from Do crafts. The digi's came from Chi Chi and as they are sponsoring us again this week there will be a prize of some digis for the winner. I do hope you can come on over and join us after all it's a pretty easy one for you this week.

Sheena's Blog Candy

2011-08-08T21:31:00.000+01:00

Friday sees the launch of a new range of paint fusion stamps and a dvd from the very talented Sheena Douglas. to celebrate this Sheena is giving away some fabulous blog candy. All you have to do is pop over and join in so what are you waiting for and there is a sneak preview every day of some of the wonderful things you can do.

CD Sunday - Buttons

2011-08-07T07:45:00.001+01:00

Good morning all, we have got a new challenge for you over on the CD Sunday blog and as this week is a sponser one we have a lovely prize to give away too. This week we are being sponsored by Katy Sue Designs and have a cd of Grandma's Button Box on offer.

The team were given a copy of the cd so all our samples this week have been made using it and they are all different so do come over and join in with us. For my card I took the images into Craft Artist and removed the inside from the frame, I also removed the background from around the girl and placed her into the frame. I have made a couple of spools of thread and added two pins and of course loads of buttons down the side.

We have a couple of changes this week and hopefully you will be happy with them but to find out what these changes are you will have to come and see for yourself.

Rainbow Lady's Challenge - Island Paradise

2011-08-04T19:22:00.000+01:00

Over at Rainbow Lady's this week we want you to imagine your own island paradise, for this one I took the opportunity to use a couple of photo's taken when we were in Australia. We had a day trip to one of the small islands on the barrier reef, what a day!

I have used Craft Artist to do the scrap book and hopefully the bubble shows up enough for you to see it.

Do come over and join us we'd love to see you.

CD Sunday - Bling it Up!

2011-07-31T07:54:00.001+01:00

Hello to everyone, today being Sunday is a brand new challenge over on CD Sunday. This week the theme is really easy as you can use any design you like as long as you use plenty of bling.

For my entry I have used Craft Artist and built this card, printed it off on a specialist photo paper and added lots of gems to the tree and a bronze gem in the middle of the flower, I have put it onto a brown mat and that's it done.

I am also entering this into the Bah! Humbug! challenge this week which is lace, my ribbon and bow are digital lace so hope it counts.

Pretty Flamingo

2011-07-28T21:31:00.001+01:00

Thanks to my friend Ann I've found a new to me challenge blog called Stuck on Sketches and there is a great sketch there to play with this week.

We went last year to Martin Mere which is a wildfowl area run by the RSPB, I was quite amazed by the flamingos who gathered around near the visitors entrance and there was much head bobbing and showing off. I managed to get this picture which is fairly decent and thought it would be a good idea to make use of it on a scrapbook page. We have lots of animal pictures which just sit on the pc, so I think I'll be making more pages soon. I have recently bought Craft Artist and although I love paper am really enjoying using the digital side too. The programme has so much to play with you can spend hours just putting bits here and there and then removing them again until I get the look I want, what a pleasant way to while away a few hours while OH watches the rugby on tv.

Rainbow Lady's challenge- Hand Made Flowers

2011-07-28T18:07:00.000+01:00

Sorry folks I'm a bit late posting this, had a bit of a moment this morning and ran out of time. Over on Rainbow Lady's challenge blog this week we want you to use hand made flowers and to add a bit of interest Caroline has even added a flower template for you to use. Caroline also gave us some images to work with and mine was the orange one, I printed off several sheets and made up a couple of flowers, sprayed with the spray and sparkle and added a gem in the middle. I cut the outer wrap on the Cricut and then used the same card to stamp the butterfly onto. I mounted this onto a creamy card which has been coloured with Distress Inks, I bought the corner punches at the QVC outlet shop and they came in a set of four.

Do come on over and join us we love to have you play. xx

CD Sunday - Dream

2011-07-24T08:30:00.000+01:00

Over on CD Sunday this week we want you to dream along with us, I have made an easel card with an image from the Enchanted Dreams Cd from Joanna Sheen. I am not sure if the colour is right because my printer was playing up and I think the background should be blue but I quite liked the purple tones so used it. I sprayed it with Spray and Sparkle, iridescent just to brighten the colours up and add a bit of something extra.

I hop you can come over and join us this week as we love to visit you and see you wonderful creations.

Pets

2011-07-21T06:33:00.000+01:00

Over on Rainbow Lady's this week we want you to use your pets as inspiration, we were given digi images to work with from StampnDoodle and this is what I came up with - A scrapbook page using Craft Artist.

I have had this software a while now but am only just starting to get used to all the things it does and it's fab so you may be seeing more from this in the future. Please come and join us and maybe even win a prize as this is once again a sponsored challenge.

CD Sunday - Nautical

2011-07-17T07:44:00.001+01:00

Over on CD Sunday this week we want you to think Nautical, there are so many things that you could do with this one that I hope we have a good entry.

I have made an A4 scrapbook page as my printer doesn't print out 12x12, that is something on the wish list! I have used Craft Artist and the picture is my OH when we were on a trip to Australia. I really am liking this programme now and am learning how to do different things but there is such a lot on it that it's taking time!

I do hope you can come over and join us, it would be great to see you and hopefully our efforts will give you a bit of inspiration to do something amazing.

Rainbow Lady's Challenge - A Stitch in Time

2011-07-14T08:53:00.001+01:00

Over on Rainbow Lady's challenge this week we want you to use A Stitch in Time as your theme, we are once again sponsored by Chi Chi digi's so there's a prize available too.

I have used one of the images supplied by Chi Chi for this card and to be honest although I do like stitching on cards don't do a lot so my stitches are done with a cuttlebug folder and highlighted with a bit of Distress Ink. The image is coloured with promarkers and my backing paper is a Papermania one from the Honey and Hugs range. The sentiment is one of the LOTV ones and I find these incredibly useful.

Bah Humbug! - Meeces

2011-07-11T06:24:00.001+01:00

It seems ages since I joined in with the Bah Humbug challenge, I do try but always seem to make my card too late so this week I am getting in early. I have used some distress ink though an aperature to make the square and stamped the mouse, I coloured with my Tria markers and then did a bit of faux stitching around the edge. Finally I stamped the greeting but the last two letters look a little thick in comparison to the rest. I am also going to enter this into the Less is More challenge which this week is a single layer card teamed with things with legs.

Less is More - Things with Legs

2011-07-10T21:22:00.000+01:00

Over on the Less is More challenge blog the theme this week is a one layer card with the added thing of something with legs. The legs here are on the tailors dummy, this has been stamped with Versafine and coloured with my Tria markers. The sentiment came on the same sheet and is part of a collection of Kanban stamps which I use quite often.

CD Sunday Challenge - Handbags

2011-07-10T09:11:00.000+01:00

Over on CD Sunday this week our challenge is handbags, now as usual as long as a cd is involved anything can be made but I decided that an actual bag would fit the bill quite well.

This little bag was cut out on my Cricut and I used a Cupcake cd- Floral Fantasy for the backing paper which I printed onto the card before cutting. I am not 100% sure where the cutting file came from but I think it was from Dan. I have added a little bit of bling in the form of tiny pink hearts in the cetre of the flowers.

Rainbow Lady's Challenge - In the Country

2011-07-07T06:58:00.000+01:00

Over on Rainbow Lady's challenge blog this week we want you to head for the country, our team have enjoyed this one and it is sponsored by the lovely joanna Sheen so well worth a go. For my card I have used the Enchanted Dreams cd and like a bit of a numpty put the backing paper on the wrong way so I decided to cut out a butterfly and then cover it with the most beautiful blue glitter and some gems jut to add a bit of something. To finish off I used a LOTV stamp which I find so very useful, this is embossed in gold.

I do hope you can come over and join us and maybe you will be the one to win a voucher to spend in Joanna's shop.

CD Sunday - Christmas is Calling

2011-07-03T08:07:00.000+01:00

Over at CD Sunday we have decided that July is a good time to make a start if you haven't already done so, on your Christmas cards so we thought this week we would use Christmas as our theme.

This week we are being sponsored by The Stamping Boutique and they are giving three images of the winners choice so worth a go and it is an easy challenge this week.

The DT have been given a few images to work with and as I wanted to make sure you could see the kind of thing they do I made two cards. My first card is done in Craft Artist and the washing line cut out and popped over the snowy background. The second card is using a backing paper from Artylicious's Season's Greetings, I have used Tea Dye distress ink on both the backing paper and the image. The image itself is coloured with different shades of distress inks and I did have fun with the paint brush for a change. The snowflakes and the word were cut out on the cricut, since taking the picture I have added a bit of glitter as a finishing touch.

I do hope you will come over and join us and meet our new guest for the month of July.

Rainbow Lady's Challenge - 4th July

2011-07-01T06:33:00.000+01:00

Over on Rainbow Lady's challenge blog this week the challenge is 4th July, I have made this in Craft Artist to wish our american friends a happy independance day.

The challenge this week is sponsored by Crafty Individuals and if I wasn't a member of the team then I would be entering for this one, super prize on offer so go on over and join in.

CD Sunday - Mixed Bouquet

2011-06-26T07:44:00.000+01:00

Over on CD Sunday this week the theme is mixed bouquet, I cut my card and the layers out on the Cricut. The card is inked at the edges with tumbled glass distress ink, the basket of flowers is a digi which was a freebie from Karens Doodles which I have coloured with my new Tria markers which are just like Promarkers but have a brush tip so are so much better to colour with, I coloured the ribbon with the same pens.

The backing paper is from the Artylicious cd Decadent Brocade, this is a fabulous cd which has lots of very useful papers on it.

Sadly it's the final week for our guest designer Jocelyn this week and she is going out with a bang and has produced two cards for us, so I do hope you can come on over and have a look and hopefully join in with us.

Digi Day on Rainbow Lady's Challenge Blog

2011-06-23T07:31:00.000+01:00

It's digi Day over on Rainbow Lady's and the design team have been given some images to work with so I have chosen to use the old phone. I coloured it with promarkers and cut it out. I then used my Cricut to cut the cat layers out and the words, layered the cat up and the put them all on a spotty background which has also been cut on the Cricut.

Hope you can come over and join us this week, digi's can be lot's of fun and we look forward to seeing what you come up with.

CD Sunday - Tassel Time

2011-06-19T08:00:00.002+01:00

Hi guys, it's yet another Sunday and for me it means one thing for sure, another challenge at
CD Sunday, well we do have a challenge for you this week as we want you to use a tassel!
I have to be honest and say we have a vote on our challenges and I don't think I voted for this one, lol. Anyway I guess I know one or two people who are worth a tassel so got over the shock fairly quickly, and got on with the job and made this card from Joanna Sheen's cd Elegant Fans.

I printed the backing paper onto 160gsm text and graphics paper and the fan is printed onto semi gloss photopaper, I have added an embossed strip across the front so there was somewhere to focus the fan on. I have used pinflair to fasten the fan to the card and to help make sure the tassel stays in place.

I do hope you can come over and join us and we are looking forward to visitng the brave amongst you.

CD Sunday - If The Shoe Fits

2011-06-12T07:52:00.000+01:00

A very good Sunday morning to everyone, been a bit hectic here and at one point thought I wasn't going to get anything done for this weeks challenge but finished this yesterday so everything turned out alright.

The challenge over on CD Sunday is If the Shoe FIts, well as we all know if indeed the shoes do fit we just have to have them, so my sentiment is designed to let you fill in the ending in your own mind. I have used Debbi Moore's cd Fabulous Flourishes, it is not a huge cd with toppers and bookmarks etc on it but the papers are pretty and very useful so worth having in your collection. The shoe itself is a digi I bought a while ago and I'm really sorry but can't think where it came from, I know I bought a couple of things from the same place and have no doubt would do so again if I ever find her. I have coloured with promarkers and added stickles glitter glue in Diamond over where the fancy bits are, popped on a few gems and a bit of ribbon and hey presto it's finished.

Hope you can come over and join us, we'd love to see you.

Rainbow Lady'schallenge - Ticket to Ride

2011-06-09T09:00:00.002+01:00

Over on Rainbow Lady's this week the challenge is called Ticket to Ride, now we were given some images to work with and this is the one I have used. I have turned it into a birthday card and the backing paper is from basic Grey, thought it went well together. The number 3 and the words were cut out on the Cricut. hope you can pop over and join us we would love to see you and once again the challenge is sponsored by Chi Chi.

Less is more - Monochrome

2011-06-05T22:48:00.000+01:00

Well I've been so busy lately I haven't had time to join in any challenges apart from my DT commitments but have really missed doing certain ones and the Less is More challenge is one of my favourites.

This week the challenge is monochrome so I thought I'd play along and use one of my new stamps bought from Indigoblu, I have tried it out previously but this is the first card I have made with it. I have stamped the image with a cranberry Adirondack ink and then found a piece of matching card for the mat. The sentiment is one I've had for an age but don't know where it came from.

CD Sunday - Digi Day

2011-06-05T08:11:00.000+01:00

Good morning all, not a very bright morning so I won't feel guilty playing in the craft room. Over on CD Sunday this week we are being sponsored by Stitchy Bears so in honour of that we have decided to have a digi day.

My card is using an image supplied by our sponsors and the backing paper comes from Craft Artist Platinum, I printed everything off on an A4 sheet and realised I had flipped the image so the words were back to front, which as it's Alice in Wonderland I probably clould have got away with it but decided to reprint the image the corect way around. I have used Tea Dye Distress Ink over the top of both the BP and the image and then screwed the image up and rubbed the ink pad over the top to catch the creases and make it look quite old.

I do hope you can come over and join in with us, we'd love to see you.

Rainbow Lady's Challenge - Sunrise, Sunset

2011-06-02T09:00:00.000+01:00

Morning everyone, another week over can you believe it? Now we are here in June and before we know it it will be a countdown to Christmas. This week Cynthia has asked us to use Sunrise, Sunset as our theme, well I found this decoupage on Joanna Sheen's Ivory Cats cd and it just reminded me of cats watching the sun come up before heading home for a nap.

We'd love you to come and join us and I'm pretty sure you can find something that will go with the theme, I could have done several things but loved this scene and of course Joanna is sponsoring this weeks challenge so something worth winning.

CD Sunday - Say it with Scallops

2011-05-29T07:49:00.000+01:00

Good morning all, another Sunday, another challenge over at CD Sunday. This week we want you to Say it with Scallops, if you pop over to the blog you will see the different takes on this from the DT and I have to say there are some pretty good examples there.

I have cheated a little and although my card is made from the new cd from Crafters Companion it is a free download on their web site but as soon as I saw it I knew I just had to use it. I have been so busy this week that I didn't think I was going to get anything done so this card is a very quick one so thank goodness the printing makes it look like you've spent time layering up when really the only bits I've added are the red mats and the bit of ribbon for the buttons, I have added one layer of Humphrey just to give it a lift, hope you like it!

Rainbow Lady's challenge #154 - Some Enchanted Evening

2011-05-26T08:58:00.001+01:00

This week over on Rainbow Lady's challenge we would like you to share an Enchanted Evening, we as a design team were very lucky to be given some of Crafty Ann's artwork to play with and this is what I've come up with.

I used Craft Artist Platinum to join two of the scenes together so I had a couple of trees behind the couple, I found the image of the couple in Joanna Sheens Dancing With Shadows cd, I took the image into CA and removed the background so I just had the image, I placed that in front of the scene which is coloured with chalks and Promorkers with a touch of glitter to highlight the water. Once the whole thing was how I wanted it I printed it out only to find that the couple image wasn't sharp, I didn't want to waste my efforts and start again so went around the image with a fine black pen which helped to remove the fuzzy look but as the pen was darker than the print it stood out, once again Promarkers to the rescue, I went over the whole image with the black promarker and it now looks fine.

Crafty Ann's is sponsoring this challenge and is giving away more than one prize so pop over to Rainbow Lady's and have a look and hopefully join in, we'd love to see you.

CD Sunday - Under the Weather

2011-05-22T08:00:00.003+01:00

Good morning it's Sunday again and over on CD Sunday we want you do a little something for someone who if feeling a bit under the weather.

I have chosen an image from Cuddly Buddly and put it onto this beautiful layer cut and embossed with the new Marriane die/embossing folder. The backing paper is printed from the Joanna Sheen cd Baby Love, even if you don't do babies there are some fab backing papers on this disc.

I have used a red card to layer to bring out the red in the wellingtons and hat, I put a strip of extra strong tape down the side and pleated some ribbon, did a bow and fastened that to the top. The edges are done with the famous Martha Stewart punch.

Hope you like my offering and can come and join us, we love to see you.

Rainbow Lady's Challenge - With a flourish

2011-05-19T09:00:00.000+01:00

Over on Rainbow Lady's challenge blog this week we want you to do it with a flourish, now you could use a die cut or a stamp, well anything that produces a flourish. I decided to use one of my newest stamps bought from Port Sunlight, I used a multicoloured nk pad to give a variation to the colour and really like the way it had turned out.

The bunnies are a stamp from LOTV and to finish it off I have added a bit of ribbon and a few pearls.

I do hope you can come and join us we are once again being sponsored by Steph of Crafting.co.uk

CD Sunday - Die Cutting or Yeehaw!

2011-05-15T08:49:00.000+01:00

Good morning all, over on CD Sunday this week we are spoiling you as we have a choice of challenges. We had a vote and couldn't make up our minds so decided to go with two, I chose to use the die-cutting and to be honest you will have to look to find it :)
I have used an image from the Enchanted Dreams cd from Joanna Sheen, I have printed the backing paper onto conquerer paper to give it a bit of a shimmer. I don't know how I did it but on of the edges was totally squiffy so as it was my last piece of blue had to try and rescue it as no matter how much I tried I couldn't get it to look anything but awful, I decided to cut the offending corner off and emboss the card behind it but me not knowing when to stop decided that maybe a bit of glitter wouldn't go amiss. Not too sure if it's a bit OTT but hey it's not wonky, the image is printed onto 160gsm text and graphics paper and then printed a mirror image on acetate. I glittered the paper one and put the acetate on top so you get the sparkle with no shedding.

I added an embossed border and some ribbon and here is where the die cutting comes in I used a small oval die to cut the blue and a scalloped on to cut the paper to stamp the sentiment onto.

I do hope you can come over and join us again this week as we love to see you. xx

Rainbow Lady's challenge #152 - Texture

2011-05-11T23:20:00.000+01:00

Over on Rainbow Lady's challenge this week we want some texture! We are once again sponsored by Chi Chi digi images so well worth a look and hopefully join in with us.

For my card I have ued some of the Chi Chi images and put the picture together in Craft Artist printed it then coloured with ProMarkers, my texture is the bottom of the card which has been embossed to look like the sand after the sea has gone out. I think it's a great challenge this week and hope to see you there.

Card for Line Managers Mum

2011-05-10T18:40:00.002+01:00

I was asked by my line manager to make a card for his mum's birthday, when I asked what kind of thing she liked and did he have any preference I was told something that mum's would like!

I hadn't made up my mind what I was going to do but sat and went through my cd's and when I started looking through the Joanna Sheen cd's I knew I was about to find something suitable.

I chose this image from Enchanted Dreams, the image is printed onto a matt photo paper which brings out the colour and detail so well. I have added glitter to the flowers around the hat but it doesn't show in the picture, the printed backing paper is the one that is meant to go with the image but this time printed onto a heavy weight vellum. I embossed some card which I also used to matt the picture on and added some ribbon and a little flower and finished it off with a stamped calendar sentiment. I have to say that the photo doesn't do it justice and for once I was pleased with the finished result, just hope his mum likes it.

CD Sunday - Let's go Oriental

2011-05-08T09:42:00.004+01:00

Good morning everyone I have had nothing but trouble this morning and I was just about to give up trying to post but have given it one more go.

Over on CD Sunday we are going oriental and hope you can join us, for this challenge I have used an image from Joanna Sheen's Eastern Treasures which is printed onto a pearlised paper which gives the image a different look. The backing paper has a stamp on one side which has been embossed with silver.

Rainbow Lady's Challenge # 151 - Lady in Red

2011-05-05T09:00:00.001+01:00

Thursday again folks and a new challenge over at Rainbow Lady's, this week we want you to remember the song Lady in Red and come up with something on that theme.

For my card I have gone back to Debbi Moore and printed out this decoupage, the backing paper is another of my favourites when I'm in a hurry and don't want to build my collage background.

This weeks challenge is once again sponsored by Joanna Sheen and everyone can spend a voucher from that lady's shop, so come on over and join us you could be the winner!

A couple of wedding cards

2011-05-04T06:40:00.003+01:00

I was asked for a couple of wedding cards for the same couple, one from the girls mum and one form her sister. I wanted to make them look different and hopefully have managed this, the first card is a digi image from Teddy Bo which I saw and thought just the thing. I have printed onto a pearl papaer and colured with Promarkers, added glitter to the dress and veil. The heart was cut out on the cricut, the back piece was white but I coloured with chalk to give it a soft pink look and added pearls and a few flowers to finish it off. Didn't know what to do a bout the sentiment and then remembered the calendar stamps from LOTV so stamped and embossed with silver and I think it finishes the card off quite well.

The second card is made with a Joanna Sheen stamp which I just had to have and never used, I have had the paper for so long I can't think when I bought it but I was at a stage when I was buying all sorts of things and just putting them away so I am now at the stage where I'm bringing them all out again and saving a few pennies. The strip is done with the Cuttlebug and lightly glittered with a bit of lace added, the bride is embossed with silver and glittered. I have added a few flowers and the die cut spray is one of the Marianne dies.

I just hope they like them now they're finished. x

CD Sunday - Stamping

2011-05-01T07:22:00.000+01:00

Good morning crafters, it's another beautiful day here in Wigan and hopefully one where I'll be out in the garden sunning myself while planting the strawberries.

This week on CD Sunday we want you to use some rubber, yes I know we are a CD challenge blog but we all love to do other things too.

We are being sponsored this week by Digi's with Attitude so you culd win something just for entering you card or project.

This week I've dug out a very old stamp that I bought from Ebay just because I fell in love with it, these stamps are now available a lot cheaper and unmounted but I still haven't bought any of those, I've coloured the image with promarkers and then dusted the background with chalk to get a soft blue for the sky and the grass is chalked too. My CD element is the backing paper from ATC Assistant by Joanna Sheen, I was looking for something small and as these papers are designed to be used on an atc they are just the thing I wanted. I've used a little embossed paper and a ribbon to add some interest and the sentiment is a stamp which was free on a magazine front. My flowers are from Wild Orchid who have a fabulous selection as well as some lovely must have hat pins.

I do hope you'll come over and join us and meet our guest who I'm sure you're going to enjoy.

Rainbow Lady's challenge - Take a town or country break

2011-04-28T14:44:00.000+01:00

Good morning all, this is getting to be a habit me being here on a Thursday as well as Sunday. Now I'm on Rainbow Lady's DT I need to make an effort and get my cards done on time, this week it was the turn of my new stamps from Chocolate Baroque. These stamps are smaller versions of stamps they've had on other sheets and I just love them and how useful they will be. The backing paper is printed in greyscale and then coloured with chalks and it's one of the famous embosibilities from Sharon Duncan who is our sponsor this week.

I do hope you will come over and see what the rest of the team have done and join us if you can, we'd love to see you

Dragons Dream - Tag it On - Birds As you will

2011-04-24T14:28:00.000+01:00

So Frankie's got herself a brand new design team and they have done some fab work, everyweek I go see what the challenge is at DragonsDream and say yes I'll do it this week but before I know it I have missed it again. Well I couldn't let the first postings by the DT go by and not join in so this is my take on the challenge.

The background is chalked and then stamped with one of the brocade background stamps (which are just so yummy if you haven't got them) it is stamped in cantaloupe memento ink. The piece with the bird on was done slightly differently, the bird was stamped in versamark and then chalked over with the same colours as the background piece, the word thankful was again stamped in the memento ink but it would have been better if I had managed to get it straight!

I couldn't find my fibres so have just used some oddments of ribbon at the top but will try to find something different as I think fibres would be better.

CD Sunday - Butterflies

2011-04-24T08:14:00.000+01:00

Well here we are and it's Easter Sunday so Happy Easter everyone. We are starting a new challenge over on CD Sunday and this week it's Butterflies so hopefully there will be lots of you joining in as it's quite an easy one again.

For my card I have cut the shaped card on the Cricut and printed the papers from Debbi Moores cd Flutterby, then cut another two butterfly shapes in smaller sizes to layer them up, the smallest butterfly in the middle is from the same cd but printed on both 160gsm paper and on acetate and fastened together, to finish off I used some gems in the middle to give a bit of body. Hope you like and we look forward to seeing you over there soon.

Sweet Treats for Easter - Rainbow Lady's challenge #149

2011-04-21T17:00:00.000+01:00

Good morning to you all, well it's another Thursday so this means another challenge over on Rainbow Lady's blog, this week we are asking for Sweet Treats for Easter.

My card is made with some Docrafts stamps, these little bears are very popular so I thought I'd buy them even though they have limited use. They are stamped with Versafine and coloured with Promarkers and the wall is taken from a Joanna Sheen cd but I can't remember which one, it took me a while to find it!

I do hope you can come on over this week and join us, you could be the lucky one to win £15 worth of crafty goodies from the Artistic Stamper, now that is worth having.

CD Sunday Birthday challenge

2011-04-17T07:27:00.000+01:00

Hello crafters, it's Sunday again and that for me only means one thing it's time for CD Sunday's newest challenge. Well this week it's a little bit special because it's our birthday and to celebrate we have decided to give away a couple of prizes so do come on over and join us and maybe win a little something for yourself.

My card this week is made with the Regency cd from Debbi Moore, I love her cd's and will always find something suitable on them. This card is for a friend at work who is taking nearly two weeks off over Easter and while she is off it's her birthday so I needed to get this done quite early. I printed the backing paper which I matted onto silver mirri card, added a bit of beautiful lace which I normally only look at. I had a piece of mirri left over so decided to cut a couple of ovals and run them through the cuttlebug, I thought it gave a bit of something to frame the images. I added some flowers in the corner and the leaves are cut out of the left over backing paper.

I want to add a little thank you to the DT for their generosity in providing things for the prize, without them it would have been one or two little items instead of a feast of crafty goodies.

Rainbow Lady's challenge #148

2011-04-14T17:00:00.000+01:00

Hi everyone, yes I know it's unusual for me to be posting on a Thursday morning but I'm all excited as this is my first week with the team over on Rainbow Lady's challenge blog. I have been dying to tell you all but couldn't let the cat out of the bag until today. I did have a bit of a panic as I lost my internet connection for a few days and did think I wouldn't be able to join in.

The theme for this weeks challenge is In the Springtime and is sponsored by Chi-Chi Memories and we have been lucky enough to be given some images to play with. I have made a small bag to fill with treats and this little fella is so cute I have coloured him with Promarkers, the image is printed directly onto the bag and I have coloured the background with chalks.

CD Sunday - Song in my heart

2011-04-12T20:50:00.000+01:00

Hello everyone, I'm a little bit late with my posting for the CD Sunday challenge as I have been off line. I love my pc but not when it's playing up and I can't carry on as normal.

Anyway onto the challenge, this week it is called A Song in My Heart and although I do sing a bit when no-one is listening to me this made me think of the birds sitting on my rooftop sing their little hearts out.

The background is a paper printed from the Decadent Brocade cd from Artylicious. The stamp is an Artylicious one too, it is stamped onto a 160gsm paper which I have coloured with distress inks and brushes, still haven't got the hang of using the brayer. I needed something to pull it all together and decided to use some of the papers to make a little corner decoration then I cut out two branch die cuts and there it was done.

If you haven't already been and had a look at the challenge please pop over and hopefully join in, we would love to come and visit you.

Oh by the way I almost forgot, it's our birthday next week and we'll have presents but you'll have to join us for the event!

Bah Humbug! challenge - Cards that make you giggle

2011-04-06T18:17:00.000+01:00

Over at Bah! Humbug! this week it's cards to make you giggle, well what better than this moose in a tangle with his Chrsitmas decorations. This is a digi stamp that I bought last year, he is coloured with Promarkers and I was going to put some glaze over the lights but forgot, must go back and do it!

2011-04-03T15:45:00.000+01:00

Over on our CD Sunday blog this week we have a fabulous challenge which is make something for Someone Special. We are being sponsored by

and the prize is 4 sheets of digi images, so if you love digi stamps or if you have never used one and fancy giving them a try now is the time. My card is done using a beautiful ballerina digi and the backing paper is from the Baby Love cd from Joanna Sheen.

Less is More - A Touch of Red

2011-04-02T16:40:00.000+01:00

This weeks challenge on the Less is More blog is a touch of red, I stamped the image and painted the poppies with Worn Lipstick Distress Ink with a little bit of Shabby Shutters to do the stems and darken the buds slightly. I layered it onto a red mat and then stamped the sentiment straight onto the card.

Bah! Humbug! - Christmas Trees

2011-03-30T23:03:00.000+01:00

Here's my card for the Bah! Humbug! challenge this week which is Christmas Trees, I have used some papermania backing papers and some fabby green ribbon and thenused the Cuttlebug to emboss one of my favourite trees, I used the Core'dinations papers and sanded it back to reveal the green below. Finished with some red pearls in the corners and a bit of glitter on the tree, have to have glitter at Christmas!

CD Sunday - Transport

2011-03-27T11:43:00.001+01:00

Good morning once again, this is the fourth time I've tried to upload this picture. I've had to revert back to the old style editor to get it to work but not sure why. This is my offering for our challenge over on CD Sunday, I have a few youngsters in the family who are into the army and am very slow at making the cards for their birthdays so have decided to use the theme of transport to get ahead. The topper was done in Craft Artist Platinum and the dog tags have been glazed in an attempt to make them look more metallic. I picked out the colours on the star for the papers to mat onto and there it is finished. To be honest it's not really my kind of thing but the boys will love it! Do come over and join us, we love to see your entries.

Music and Movement

2011-03-27T11:38:00.000+01:00

I've made this card for a swap and the theme is music and movement. I have used some Basic Grey papers after much thought, I love the papers and hate cutting into them! I also downloaded the music from Swan Lake which I coloured with distress inks to blend in. The image is a digi which I have coloured with Promarkers and added a little glitter to the dress and headband.

The flowers are from one of my favourite places Wild Orchid.

Less is More - Sketch

2011-03-26T14:44:00.000Z

I can't believe I am actually waiting for Saturdays so I can see what the Less is More girls have in store for us. This week it's a sketch so I have done a DL card which thinking about it is the first one I've done in a very long time. I printed the pattern on the bottom and the sentiment then using the same card cut a strip which I put through the Cuttlebug, the flower is cut from a set of dies and I popped a brown pearl in the centre to finish it off.

Bah! Humbug! - Metallic

2011-03-20T16:23:00.000Z

Over at Bah! Humbug! hall they have asked us to use something metallic. Well the first of my cards is done in Craft Artist and all the elements are metallic looking and I've layered the topper onto silver so hopefully that fits.

For the second card I've stamped some baubles onto silver mirri with Stazon, cut them out and hung them from the tree branch. They were very difficult to take a picture of as the silver reflects everything or just looks black so I have done the best I can. I have embossed the card using a couple of folders and then did the lines to fill the gap. The sentiment is from the same set of stamps as the baubles, they came in a Do-Crafts goody bag. The ribbon has been coloured with Promarkers and I added a little colour to the baubles too, being very careful so the Stazon didn't run.

I was off line last week as my pc stopped working so didn't get a chance to enter the challenge so hopefully this makes up for it and keeps my tally of cards going in the right direction.