Christmas Animals

Over on Rainbow Lady's blog this week she has challenged us to do something with Christmas Animals. She couldn't have timed it better, I have just made an advent calendar from the Ivory Cats cd by Joanna Sheen. The calendar should be made on an A4 but I wanted something that would fit on my desk so I made it an A5, it was going to be an easel card but thinking about how much space I have on my desk in work decided to fold the base in half and stick it inside the front forming a base. I have used a glittery backing card to mat the calendar onto, and this is my input to Christmas in the office. 

CD Sunday - White Christmas

Good morning everyone and what a cold one it is! We haven't had any snow here but everywhere is white and very frosty. I think we need to stay in with a warm cuppa in front of the fire.

Over on CD Sunday this week we are having a White Christmas, now had I known what this weather was going to do I could have just popped outside and taken a picture but instead I had a play with MCS Walk in Winter Wonderland. I love this set of discs and didn't really need to do an awful lot to make this card, the backgrounds would make a card by just printing them out but I decided to pop the fairy on and put the wording on by using one of the newer features allowing you to use the shaping just by clicking a button.

I hope you'll go and have a look at the rest of the DT efforts and hopefully join in with us this week.

I am also entering this one into the Bah! Humbug! final challenge for this year and they are asking for a blue Christmas, now I didn't know what their challenge was going to be but as this card is quite blue it fits perfectly, nice one ladies.

Rainbow Lady's challenge - Edge it

Over on Rainbow Lady's challenge blog she has asked us to edge it, so I have used a couple of gold mirri strips and cut the pattern out using my nesest MS punch. I have attached acetate to the card which has made  it almost impossible to photograph but you can get the idea.
This is made with the latest set of cd's from Debbie Moore called the venetian collection, I am loving using them at the moment.

If you can, go and have a look at Cynthia's blog, she has some exciting news to share and she's thinking of having a DT so if you're interested in that then give her a shout, she has some exciting challenges and they do make you think a bit but are great fun.

CD Sunday - Shabby Chic

This week over on the CD Sunday challenge we want you to have a go at doing something with the theme Shabby Chic. Now the team have made some great stuff and hopefully you will pop over and have a go.

 My card this week was made for my sisters birthday, she was 60 this time but didn't want to be reminded of it so I made this, with no 60 in sight. This is from the Joanna Sheen cd Ivory Cats, it's a fairly new addition to my collection but so well worth the money as it's a fab cd.

Bah! Humbug! - Lovely in Lilac

Over on Bah! Humbug! this week the challenge is lovely in lilac, well I've just got the new Debbie Moore set of CD's  and these two were on the masks disc. I only wanted to print them fairly small so told the printer I was using A5 paper.  These two card are A6 made frm an A5 card cut in half so they open sideways.

The backing paper is from Season's Greetings from the Artylicious range and both the masks have had gold and diamond glitter added in fairly generous amounts and then had gems put on them to really bling them up. 

I cannot take credit for the idea of using the masks as Christmas card that came from a friend of mine but she doesn't have a blog yet so I can pinch the idea for myself.

CD Sunday - Lavender and Lace

Well guys you did us proud last week with our Natural World challenge so here's hoping you will all continue and join in with us this week.

The theme this weekover on CD Sunday  is Lavender and Lace and for this I have used the cd Ivory Cats from JoannaSheen, this is a fairly new purchase for me and now I wonder why I didn't just go for it when it first came out. The images are fab and what the team do with the backing papers needs to be seen.

Another Seraphina card

This is another of the Sepaphina samples done for the recent launch of the cd, this is an A4 folded lengthways and the flourishes were cut on the cricut.

Bah Humbug - Fancy Folds

This is my entry for the Bah Humbug challenge this week which is fancy folds, I don't know if this has a name but it is folded and I guess fancy so it fits.
This is the card done for the round robin we have over on Rainbows Forum, in this case it was a set of stamps to use and I decided to make a faux snow globe with the polar bears looking at the north star.  The backing paper is silver embossed vellum and I added just a bit of detail with the ribbons on both the edge pieces.  There is a sentiment on the actual card but I took this picture before I added it.

Over on Rainbow Lady's blog this week it's make a picture so I am entering this into that challenge too.

CD Sunday - The Natural World

Hello all and a very happy Sunday to you all, this week over on CD Sunday we have a very special sponsor for you, the lovely Joanna Sheen has given us a fabulous prize of £30 to spend in her shop.

Now I almost feel cheated here cos I can't be a winner, but not to worry because Joanna is very generous and has given the design team something to keep us happy and we get to work with one of her best cd's the Jayne Netley Mayhew Collection 2. 

This week our challenge is entitled The Natural World, now for us it was easy as we used this fabulous cd but you can interpret it in any way you choose.  As usual as long as you use something from a cd you can enter our challenge, it doesn't have to be a card, it can be anything you want and I  can't wait to see what you all come up with.

Just a quick note for all you new crafters, don't think we judge the entries and choose the best, we don't the winner is picked by our little froggy friend and is purely random, to be honest I don't think we'd want to pick a winner as every entry is worthy of winning.

Now onto my card this week, I don't really have to tell you much about it as you know which cd I used to create it and all I had to do was print the background on 160gsm paper and the images onto silk finish photo paper, I matted it onto some pale blue pearl card and used my Martha Stewart punch to make a lacy border across the middle of the page, a little white satin bow and it's done. Oh I almost forgot the sentiment is stamped and then I used a small die to cut it out.

I am including this card in the following challenges

Alphabet Challenge Blog - B is for bird

Fairytale Challenge blog - Anything Goes

Crazy 4 Challenges - Square Cards

Anything Goes Challenge Blog - Inspired by the letter B

More Seraphina

This is another of the smaples I did for the launch of the Seraphina cd, not sure if the decoupage shows very well.

Seraphina Through the Ages Samples

I made a few samples for the new cd Seraphina Through the Ages from Doolicraft, lovely images and so easy to work with. This is the first of a few I will be showing you over the next few days.

CD Sunday - It's Spooky

Good morning crafters all, this week at CD Sunday we are being very predictable and want you to
join us with a spooky offering.

I have used a backing paper that was freebie last year from Glenda over at Grapicus, I wasn't going to save it as I didn't use it last year but it has fitted our challenge so well I'm glad I did, the image is from A Card Makers Year by Joanna Sheen, this quite a useful cd as it has bits and pieces from different times of the year so there is always something you can use.

I am entering this card into the following challenges:

Rainbow Lady's Challenge

Ooh La La

Totally Gorjuss

Crafty Catz

Daring Card Makers

Create with Connie and Mary

Dutch Dare Card Challenge



All of these blogs have a halloween themed challenge this week so it's a bit of fun to join in.

Bah! Humbug! GD Spot #5 - Presents

Well today is my last posting for the month of October and my guest designer spot for the Bah!Humbug! ladies, I have thoroughly enjoyed doing my bit and hopefully you will have liked at least a little of the cards done.
Now on to this weeks offering, the photo was taken in the evening so the colour isn't right and it looks a bit odd. I decided to use a non christmassy image and dress it up a bit, it is from MCS and I've added stickles to the ribbons to bling it up a bit. The die cut bauble is from a set I bought last year and never used and the ribbon is coloured with the ever present promarkers, the backing paper is from a pad from DCWV and has been well used this year with everything being matted onto gold mirri.

CD Sunday - No Embellishments

Good morning all, it's another Sunday and for us it can only mean one thing, another challenge from us at CD Sunday, and this week it's No Embellishments.

We are quite excited this week as we have two new team members, we have Wendy from Crafting Purple Crazy amd we have Carol from Carol's Parchment Place. Both have very different styles so pop over to their blogs and check them out, they have both produced something to give you a bit of inspiration this week so hope you'll all join in and make their first week a bumper one.

Now onto my card, when I first started to make cards I was a bit afraid of using embellishments as I was unsure of where to put them and if they looked right but now I love them so this challenge really had me wondering what on earth I was going to do. I did start a card using MCS but it just wasn't right so I have put that on one side and I will bling it up a bit, one of my other teamies used the Ooh la la cd - Dreams of Tranquility, this reminded me that I bought this to do a card for someones 60th birthday and had forgotten I had it so, out it came and what you see is the result. So thank you Christine for reminding me to practice what I preach and dust off the unused cd's.

This image is called Elemental Ballet Water and I think being such a dramatic image it is easy to make a card with so very little on it, the backing papers are part of the collection and I have used a very famous quote which just seems to fit perfectly, a bit of gold mirri and it's done.

I do hope you will join us this week and keep watching as we have some fabulous sponsors coming up, the next one on 7th November is one you will all want.

Bah! Humbug! GD Spot # 4 - Elegance

It's Friday so that means it's another week for the Bah! Humbug! challenge and my 4th week as GD, this week the theme is elegance.

For this I decided on a slim card as I feel that just by them being tall and slim we are already halfway there, the backing paper came in a pack and is by Doolicrafts. I thought the angel fitted the bill so printed her from the MCS Walk in Winter Wonderland, I have attached her to a piece of acetate to make her look like she is flying and added a simple sentiment which was stamped in Versamark and coloured with Perfect Pearls.

Quite a simple card but hopefully it fits the bill.

CD Sunday - Monochrome

Good morning all, another Sunday is upon us and that means a fresh challenge for us on
CD Sunday, this week we would like you do do something in monochrome. I have done a white card and cheated a little because my bit from the cd this week is the insert, I have used MCS Walk in Winter Wonderland.
The front of the card is done using my cuttlebug and several different folders, the tree is I think a papermania folder and a friend bought it while out thinking I may like it and I do. The little stamped sentiment came from the set I bought from QVC a few months ago.

Last weekend the Papermill shop had an offer on card and it was very chaep so I bought it although I wasn't 100% sure of the quality, they also had an offer on vellum which was £6 a box with approx 200 sheets so as it was £5 postage under £30 I ordered that to so didn't have to pay postage, this is both the card and the vellum which arrived and the quality is really good so if it's still on offer and you haven't tried it it is worth the money.

Bah! Humbug! GD spot #3 Vellum

So sorry I'm so late posting this but I forgot it was Friday and went off to work, anyway over on Bah! Humbug! this week the challenge is vellum. I decided to to do a larger card for this one and embossed everything in gold. This card is for the mum of one of OH's friends who now lives in America and his mum is on her own, it started off by accident as David used to buy a box of cards for certain people but had forgotten this lady so I sent one of my cards down. Well she was over the moon and even took it out with her to show her friends so now each year I try to do a special card for her.

Hope you like it!

Pink Christmas

Here's a selection of cards done for the fund raising we are doing in work, I don't mind a bit of pink but I'm getting sick of seeing it now. I'm off to use some blues and browns for a change.

The fairy cards are printed off from MCS Winter Wonderland, for once I have just opened them and printed as they are on the sheet and put them together as I needed them to be quick cards. The others are using the same things I used for the Bah! Humbug! cutie challenge.

CD Sunday - Not a card and DT call

Good morning and yes another week has gone by so it's Sunday again and that means another challenge from us at CD Sunday, this week it's Not a Card.

I decided to make a calendar and for this one I've used the Jayne Netley Mayhew cd2 set, Joanna always gives us a choice of calendars on her cd's and this one has dogs and cats on it. I wanted one that would sit on my desk so used an A4 piece of strong board and cut a piece off the end to use as a stand, I then printed out one of the backing papers from the cd. Funnily enough this particular paper is with the topper image of the dog which is on the front of the calendar. The calenars print out as A4 but if you tell your printer you are using A5 paper then it just shrinks it down and I find it a lot more manageable.

I made a calendar in the same way from precious petals this year and a couple of my friends wanted one so ended up doing three, we'll see if there is the same reaction this time.

This week we are looking for a couple of new members for the DT so if you fancy using all you unused cds and joining us then pop an entry in and add DT onto the end of your post so we can come looking at what you do. I'm really excited about it as it is good to inject some new ideas into what the team are already doing.

Bah! Humbug! GD spot#2 - Cuties

Well this is the second week in as guest designer for the ladies at Bah! Humbug! and this week the theme is cuties. Cuties are so popular and so easy to work with that I had done a few and couldn't decide which ones to use so I decided to use two, the first one is an image cut from a sheet of paper from papermania in fact the backing paper came from the same pad. I have made a spring and mounted the image onto that and since posting the picture I have added a pair of googly eyes so this would be great for a child.

The second card is stamped from a stamp I bought as part of a set from QVC a few weeks ago and it stamps out really well, this pair are coloured with the ever present Promarkers.

We are doing a bit of fund raising in our office at the end of the month for breast cancer when everyone wears pink, we baked cakes last year and sold them to add to the collection, I don't really do much baking so offered to make some cards and that's why these cards are pink based as they are going into the box to sell, I hope to have about 20 done by the time the day comes around. Not much but every little helps I guess.