Sorry

For the few of you that read my blog, I am so sorry I haven't updated for a while! Busy life, illness, the stress, sorry joy, of Christmas. I have done so much stuff, but haven't photographed any of it because it was all done just as I needed to give it, but I promise to be a more faithful blogger!

Kissing

Thought that would get your attention! Hee hee!

It is my week to host the challenge on Stamp Shack and I chose kissing. I love this technique and it is so easy.

You ink a solid stamp with a light ink. You then ink a background/patterned stamp with a darker coordinting ink.

Press the solid stamp onto the background stamp just once so you don't blur the pattern and then stamp it onto card stock and tah dah! You will have a really cool pattern.

This card is a CASE of a card I saw on Splitcoaststampers made by Tashers and I thought it would be really cool done as a kissed card.

VSN's over and I'm carded out!

This is the card I made for the quilt challenge, you had to make a card that looked like a quilt. I decided to make a teabag folded tree and I'm really pleased with how it turned out. The teabag folding took a while and so I didn't have any more time to add anything as you only have 45 minutes to do each challenge.

I used Stampin Up designer papers for all the elements.

This was a card where you had to use your birthday color, which in my case was purple as my birthstone for February is amethyst, and you had to use beads.

So, I was having difficulty coming up with any ideas, so I turned to my faithul friend, Roses in Winter. This set is just so great for making a card in a rush, because you can come up with a great image with very little effort.

The one thing I learned, stamp and emboss the sentiment before you add the beads. I couldn't stamp the sentiment properly because the beads stopped the stamp from stamping!

I love the colors of this card. I used Vintage Violet, Lavender Lace and Certainly Celery, I will definitely use this color combination again.

I hate how this card turned out. As I was watercoloring the bird, my aquapainter was too wet and so all the colors ran! Hmppppfffff!

I do love this bird on a branch, it is so versatile and you can use it for so many occasions. The bird is raised on dimensionals, so maybe I can do another and replace it after VSN is over, but again I ran out of time.

I was having a bad day this morning, I was making stupid mistakes, but I guess that's what happens when you only have 45 minutes.

I have a new heat gun and it is much more powerful than my old heat gun, so if you look at this card carefully you will see I burned a hole in the top half of the ribbon and in the bottom right corner under the sentiment.

I am really disappointed that my camera could not capture the sparkliness of this card. I used Ruby Twinkle powder and it is just like Dorothy's shoes in real life!

Now I just have to make a birthday card for my son's friend, as Luke is going to his birthday party this afternoon!

Friday's challenge cards!

This is a card I made for the challenge to make a buckle card. I have never made a buckle card before and I tnink it turned out well. I have CASED myself, which is naughty, lol. But I just thought a buckle card really lent itself to this design. Everything is embossed in either black or white embossing powder. It looks really striking IRL, except that I used black cardstock with a texture on it and so the white embossing looks a little patchy in places, lol.




I'm really proud of this card, the only cardstock I used is white and I sponged or stamped all the color you see. It ended up looking quite effective I think. I used Cranberry Crisp and True Thyme ink and the sets I used are Linen, Print Pattern, Snow Flurries, Riveted and Glad Tidings.
I love the VSN challenges because they make you think outside the box and be creative!

Finally, I did this card for a Happy New Year card. I called it What Was I thinking? And what was I thinking, lol? It is sooooo bright, but I also think it is quite cute! I just love that Christmas wire set by Stampendous, it looks so gorgeous when you emboss it.

Now I need to get my vitamins to start on tonight's challenges, lol!

What did I make on Friday?

This is a card I made for the Limited Supply Challenge. I was only allowed to use brown and one other color and I was only allowed to use one embellisment, I chose ribbon.
The snowflake is embossed with white embossing powder and then I sponged chocolate ink over the top and then buffed it with a tissue to wipe off the excess ink.
I quite like these two colors together, just not sure for a Christmas card!
Today, Saturday, is VSN night on Splitcoaststampers, so I am hopefully going to do some of the challenges tonight. Well, I have to do Lisa's challenge (Stampinthyme), or she'll whinge! (Just teasing Lisa!) She usually has great challenges when she is the hostess, so it shoudl be great fun!

Rememberance Day

It is Rememberance Day on Sunday and I made this card for a challenge on Stamp Shack to make a card for Rememberance.
I kept my card simple deliberately to let the sentiment speak. We can only enjoy the dreams of tomorrow thanks to the sacrifice of yesterday.
In our stores over here, we have old soldiers selling poppies for the Rememberance Day appeal. I love seeing them, they are so proud and so uncomplaining and I make sure that Luke buys a poppy and understands the sacrifice that these men and their friends made. He loves to speak to the old soldiers and they seem to love speaking to him, I am so proud of all of them!

I love this card!

It's 10.45am and I have already made a card for this week's card sketch challenge on Splitcoast. It's unheard of for me to make anything before lunch, hahahahaha!
I love how this turned out! I used crayon resist to make the snow and then sponged on the color, I think it turned out pretty good. It may have a sponging overload but that's OK!
I might make this my Christmas card that I send to everyone this year! What do you think? Be kind!

Today's color challenge

This is the card I did for today's color challenge on Splitcoast, the colors are chocolate chip, more mustard and cool caribbean. I must admit, I just love Cool Caribbean with anything, I think it is my favorite SU color.
Rob took the camera to work, so I had to scan the image and I never realised how bad any card looks when scanned, it loses any of it's depth. There are actually 3 flowers and 2 leaves mounted on this card, but you can't tell.
It did not look anything like I expected it to, when I started but sometimes the sketch in your head just doesn't work!

What did I make today?

This is what I made today! I'm not overjoyed by it, but it's OK. I wanted to do cracked glass on a snowglobe, but I don't like the colors I used, so back to the drawing board to try again!
I used prismacolor pencils and gamsol to color the image and I used clear UTEE to "crack" the image.
I love this technique, it is so useful.
I have made some other cards, but nothing worth uploading.
I'm very blaahhh about my cards at the moment, I just can't get excited about cardmaking and stamping at the moment.
Never mind, it is VSN next week, so maybe that will get me excited!

Oh my gosh! I'm in love!

Oh my goodness! How much do I love this stamp? It is a limited edition stamp produced by Sherry from the Stamp Shack (link on the right) and I absolutely love it!
I used it along with some of my precious SU 12 x 12 paper! The trouble is, I love it so much, I will have trouble giving it away, lol!
Now I have to get back to stamping more, as I am way behind!

How dopey am I?

Guess who forgot her anniversary? Yep, that would be me. How can you forget when your anniversary is Halloween, lol!
So this is what I came up with for DH in a rush as I only had an hour and if you know me you will know an hour to make a card is a superfast.
So I'll make his favorite sausage and mash and lucky he left at 5am this morning, so he doesn't know I didn't make it til this afternoon, unless he checks my blog!

Winter Wonderland

I made this today for the challenge on Splitcoast. It was to use letters as a background. I think it turned out to be quite cute.
The background says Winter Wonderland done with A Muse polka dot alphabet and the snow globe is a stamp from Stampendous, how cute is that snowman?
I won it from ebay and I consider that if you win something from ebay, you don't consider that buying something, you consider it winning! lol!
I have a really busy week this week, lots going on! I'll try to get back soon!
Feeling sorry for myself because my little horror of a son has given me his cold! So I have a cold, cough, can't stop sneezing, my nose is red and crusty and my back hurts from coughing, other than that I'm fine, lol!

What else have I done this weekend

I needed to make some scrapbook pages and altered items to add to my portfolio, so this is what I came up with. Neither are amazingly fantastic, but they are OK!
The page is called my big passion and is about Luke and Rob.
The tin is one I will probably give to my mum for Christmas! Now I just need to make the cards to go in the tin, lol!

Stamp Shack Haunted Nite

I had my challenge yesterday on Stamp Shack to make a Halloween card using non-Halloween stamps, as I don't have any Halloween stamps really.
In the Uk we don't send Halloween cards, so although I love Halloween stamps I would never use them.
This is a card I saw on Splitcoast and loved, so I CASED it!

I've been a busy little bee

You can tell that Luke is on holiday, I always get more done because I get to lie in! Yep, I love my pit!

This is a card I made for the color challenge on Splitcoast this week. I never would have thought to put these colors together, but I love them. I might try something completely different in these colors.
I have made a few other cards but they are for classes or for stamp shack.
If you have time pop into Stamp Shack over the weekend we are having a Halloween nite from 7-12 Saturday and Sunday EST, that will be a killer of midnight-5am for me! The website is on the right.

What is up with me?

I swear Rob is putting something inside my diet pepsi! I don't do bold brights! I am terrified of bold colors and now I have made 2 completely lairy cards in 3 days! lol!
This card just makes me fall about laughing, it is in such bad taste. It is based around the paper, which is Chi Chi by Fancy Pants, now how cool a name is that for a scrapbooking company.
The cat and the hat are stamped and then colored in with markers and the hat is then raised on dimensionals (foam dots).
The photo turns are made with a Quickutz.
The whole card opens both ways, it opens first to the left and then to the right. It is the card sketch this week for Splitcoaststampers.
I have no idea who I am going to send it to, or for what reason, but it makes me smile! I love the "Hats All Folks" sentiment, it finishes off the card so well.
If you are ever going to buy just one thing in your life, it should be Karen Foster snap stamps, they are just awesome for stamping any phrase you want to, like mine!

Hold onto your braces

I've made an elegant card. It doesn't happen very often. I made it for a challenge on www.stamp-shack.com to make a card using an aquapainter/blender pen.
I love how this turned out, I just love autumn colors, the leaves turning on the trees! It is a really beautiful time of the year!
I roughed up the edges of the cranberry and rust cardstock with a bone folder and then curled it with my fingers.

Could I make 2 cards that were more different!

I made 2 cards today and they could not be more different if I tried. This was the first one I made for a friend who is having a hard time and needs cheering up. It is in Cool Caribbean, Chocolate Chip and Almost Amethyst. I am so happy with how it turned out.

The second one is for a challenge on Splitcoaststampers to make a Christmas card in non-traditional colors, well boy, did I take that idea and run with it. I think it is hilarious, it is so bright, not my style at all, but I think that is why I love it so much. It looks like it was made by a color-blind 6 year old! Hee hee! Not a bad day's cardmaking all around if i say so myself!

Another card I made

This is another card I made today. It is for the Splitcoast color challenge for this week, but I don't even like it enough to upload it. I don't know why I don't like it, I just know that I don't. Ah well, aren't I the happy chappy today? Time to take a break and start afresh tomorrow I think! Sweet dreams everyone!

It's one of those days!

I'm having one of those days! I bet we all get them. Female problems mean I feel like someone is kicking my tummy,I have made cards I'm not happy with and I feel like I have wasted the day.
This card is one I created today. It is OK, just nothing special, I like the shape and the image, I'm just not sure if I am happy with the two together, ahhhhh, back to the drawing board, I guess!

Doing a happy dance!

I'm doing a happy dance, I am so excited, I am one of the Creative Design Team for a new website, www.stamp-shack.com. Please go take a look, sign up if you want, we are planning of having lots of fun. The link is over on the right!
This is a card I made for the first challenge on the site. To make a card using white, yellow and green and to make it look a little like the daisies on the title of the site.

I love black & white

If you look at my gallery on Splitcoaststampers, you will see that I am rather fond of black and white cards. I love them! I think the reason is you don't have to think about them, you can't use four different colors of cardstock, ribbon and eight different type of embellishment, you just use black and white.

This card came out exactly as I imagined it in my head, which if you know me, you will know is very rare. I am so pleased with how it turned out.

All the flowers are stamped in versamark and embossed in white embossing powder. My one little tip is always use an embossing buddy if you use white embossing powder, because it does have a tendency to stray.

The top flower has two layers of dimensionals (foam pads) to give it height above the layer below.

The For You rivet is really cool, it is a ribbon slider. I used the double rectangle punch to thread the ribbon through and then mounted the heart centre on dimensionals above, so it moves bakc and fore along the ribbon.

All alone

I dropped my husband, Rob, at the train station today, he has a course in York until Wednesday. I hate it here without him, even though he just left. It is so quiet! I know it is stupid, but we haven't spent a night apart since before we had Luke.
I especially don't like him leaving when he has just found out his dad is ill. I want to be there when it hits him!
Ah well, I'll just have to be nice to him when he gets back!

Quick Birthday card

I was in design mode yesterday and I was in the mood to play. I came up with this quick birthday card which I think is really cute. It is stamped in eggplant, cool caribbean and olive.

I just love my oval punch and I find ways to use it all the time.

Also, I am so cheap. If I have a piece of card scrap, rather than cut into a new sheet of card, I use the slightly too small piece of card, cut it in half diagonally and then mount the layers onto it. I have done that here with the olive piece of cardstock!

Finally, as you can see I use diet coke can tabs as ribbon sliders, I think it looks really cool with this modern card.

Jumping up and down

I am jumping up and down in joy. I absolutely love how this card turned out.

The cranberry and olive panels were stamped with holly and poinsettia wheels. The main panel is a stamp by Stampendous stamped in Brilliance pearlescent olive. As a side note I bought some Brilliance dew drop ink pads and they are just the cutest things you have ever seen. A mini ink pad in the shape of a rain drop.

Best of all the Riveting circle is a ribbon slider. I stamped it twice punched out the centre of one. The bottom circle has double rectangle punched in it and the ribbon is threaded through the holes, then covered by the inner circle, mounted on dimensionals (foam pads), so it moves up and down the ribbon.

The panel is way greener in real life than it appears, it is olive not gold.

This might be my Christmas card this year!

My mum's Christmas cards

My mum asked me to make some Christmas cards for her. Well, rather than leaving them to the last minute like I usually do, I decided to get them done whilst she is in Spain, so she can take them with her when she gets back on Tuesday.

This is the first of three designs and I am really proud of making 10 of them. I always have so much trouble making more than one card, I struggle and struggle, but I did these all together.

The main design is by Stampendous and I embossed it in gold, mounted it onto gold paper, then mounted that onto the gree panel which has my current favorite stamp, Inca Christmas script, stamped onto it. I then used SU terrific tags to make the snowman tag.

I am so happy with how this one turned out! I hope she likes this one. Now I just have to do 20 more!

Horrible news

Rob just had some horrible news. His father has prostate cancer. He doesn't know how serious it is yet, or whether it has spread to his bones, but it is a terrible shock. I'm not letting my parents go on holiday any more. Last time they went my dad had a stroke, this time Rob's dad finds out he has cancer.
Rob has taken it really well, or is in shock, or just deals with it practically, I don't know. The trouble is he is off on a course to York tomorrow, so if he needs me I won't be there. He'll be gone until Wednesday.
I feel horrible, I was so unkind about Rob's mum and dad when we went on holiday with them. I just wish I could take those few days back and redo them.
I guess that's what life is for! To teach us a lesson. I guess we just need to let him know how much we love him and are there for him whatever!

Horrible photo

This is a much better photograph of the card posted below. I have a new digital camera and I am having so much trouble getting a decent image. I know I will crack it! I just have to practice I think!

Shaky Snowflakes

God, I don't know what is going on with my camera, it looks like I am taking the photos in fog.

I had an idea for this card in my head last night, so I made it today. I am so pleased with how it turned out. It is a shaker card using Snow Flurries for the shaky bit.

I am just loving the new Stamping Up colors, Cool Caribbean and Vintage Violet.

I also love non-traditional colors for Christmas cards. I get fed up of red and green or lilac and silver, especially if you have lots of cards to make.

I think I might use these colors for the majority of my cards this year.

About as quick as I get

This card was a weird one, it sort of made itself. I was inspired by this card from an artist named Yvette. If you get the chance look at her whole gallery, I just love her work, it is clean but she is bold with colour.

I love that palm tree image, I think I am going to get a lot of use out of it. I like trees because they are great for all sorts of occasions, men and women's birthdays, anniversaries, thank yous. You name it, you can use a tree for it.

I absolutely love these colors, true thyme, really rust, vintage violet. I think I will try more with these colors.

I am inspired today, I am going to play with some new Stampin Up sets that I got.

At last, my waterfall card

At last, here is my waterfall card all done and uploaded. I have a new camera and I'm still learning how to take a decent photo, so sorry it is a little bit blurred.

The main card is in artichoke green, with bravo burgundy panel. The stamped panels are bordered in bravo burgundy and the piece that you pull is bordering blue.

I made my squares about 1/2" bigger than the instructions and forgot to allow for that on the piece that you pull, so now that panel is too small. Rats!

Never mind, I'm really happy with how the card turned out generally.

Here is the second square of the waterfall card. I used an aquabrush and craft inks (pigment ink) to watercolor all the images, except for the sky which I sponged with bordering blue.

This is the third panel of four.

This is the final panel of the four. It was my least favorite of the four for some reason, I don't know why because this is usually one of my favorite images, I think it is because there is no child in the picture.

I find this image incredibly serene, I think it is a lovely image to send to a friend who is going through tough times. There are times when I would love a place like this on my own to think.

I'm all blocked up

I don't know what has been wrong with me for the past few weeks, I just can't come up with anything that excites me. If I'm not working to a deadline, I really struggle. I think it is the problem of having too much stuff.
Maybe I should give myself a challenge once a week and force myself to play with the rubber stamps I hardly ever use.
I suppose everyone goes through it. It's just so frustrating.
Maybe I should be happier to play and throw stuff away, I just get so frustrated when I make a card that doesn't come together. I made a horrible card with a retro snowman I just received, I'll try again with him, he's not going to defeat me and I'll post the result, I promise!
I'm doing the splitcoast challenges this week, I promise. The technique is a waterfall card. I have done the images, I just need to put the card together, I'll try that today.

The cutest stamp ever!

So how cute is this stamp? I just fell in love with it straight away. It is an American stamp from the Lockhart Stamp Company. I was a little disappointed at how small it is, but it is just so beautiful I can forgive the designer.
I also love the Merry Christmas background stamp. You may have seen it on QVC UK last week. It is by Inca and I can imagine so many uses for it. I must admit my weekness is background and Christmas stamps, so to find a background Christmas stamp just fills me with joy. I know, I know, it's a stamp, but I seriously love new rubbah!
I also really like the unusual colors that I used, burgundy, pale blue and mossy green? But I think they really work together.

Christmas card

I saw this Father Christmas image at the same craft show as the stampscape images, I just had to have him. How gorgeous is he? He really encapsulates the magic of Christmas to me.
I stamped the Merry Christmas onto chipboard that I had colored burgundy. After I made the card, I decided that the stamp I used didn't work, so I sanded it and restamped, but I can't get a good photo of it.
I also used the cracked glass technique on Father Christmas but you can't see it in the photo, but in real life this card looks very vintage and old.
I am going to submit it to a magazine competition where the winner will be a designer for the site, so fingers crossed everyone!

Falling in love!

OK, this is so stupid! Do you ever fall in love with stamps? I went to a stamp show on Sunday with Fiona and they had Stampscape stamps there. I fell in love, they were so gorgeous!
The lady demoing made the technique look so easy. She used fluid chalks and swiped them across the glossy card with a sponge. I tried this and wasted so much glossy cardstock trying to do it.
So eventually I swapped to a Kaleidacolor pad and brayered half of the sheet, then turned the card around and brayered again and then stamped the cottage scene on the card. The moon was next, then the banks and finally the trees around the top.
There was a big hole in the middle so I put a sheet of acetate over the top of the picture with the word always stamped with Stazon. I am so happy with how this turned out.
If you want to look at Stampscape stamps just go to www.stampscapes.com but coming soon is a British site called www.stampscapes.co.uk

Oops

Do you ever remember that you need a card for tomorrow in the middle of the night? That's what happened to me yesterday, I suddenly remembered that my son was going to a 6 year old's birthday party at midnight.
So this is what I came up with. It is Stampendous Fluffles clear set. I stamped the cat on the oval and then mounted the birthday cake on foam pads. The sentiment is another clear set from MSE.
I love prima flowers so I used three on the corner on top of the striped paper and voila, a card that took about 20 minutes.
Now 20 minutes for me is 5 minutes for most others. It takes me such a long time to make a card, lol.
Tomorrow I'm going to a craft show in Surrey. I am determined not to come home with £100s of stuff that I will never use. So I am going to wander around, take photos and see what the new trends are and then see if I can duplicate them at home! That reminds me, I must put the camera in my handbag!

It's hard sometimes

I am probably my harshest critic. I throw so much or give so much away, I also find it impossible to make a number of cards the same. I struggle so much at Christmas because I just cannot make 10 or 20 of the same card.

This was definitely a card that I struggled with a lots, it nearly got thrown in the bin a lot! This card is for the card sketch and color challenges on www.splitcoaststampers.com.

So the card had to be in these colors and be pieced together this way.

This card started off looking nothing like this. My main image was a butterfly. The ribbon was horizontal and I had brads and no primas. I absolutely hated it when I left it late last night, so this morning I took it apart, as you can see if you look to the right of the main image, there are tear marks.

I changed from a butterfly to a flower, I added the primas and changed the ribbon from horizontal to vertical. I'm still not wowed by it and I have nowhere to put a sentiment, but sometimes you just have to walk away from it.

I'll see if anything comes to me and I might change it again. This is why I give all my finished cards to my best friend Fi, because I end up binning cards like this because there is something about it that is not quite right and I can't work out what it is.

Hard at work

Here is one of the ladies hard at work on her flip flop card. We really crack the whip, lol. But they really achieve some great things in the 2 hours we are there.

Demoing at Sheppey craft club

My best friend, Fi, and I demo once every two months at a craft club in Sheppey. This months we demoed flip flop cards and this is the card that Sam made with See D stamps.

I think she did a great job, but we have so much fun I love that club.

Fi sits at the top of the table and bosses everyone around. Sorry, that should be assertively organises everyone and I sit at the bottom of the table cracking jokes with all the naughty ones!

The ladies at the craft club are incredibly talented crafters, they just like new ideas and trying new things. Well done girls, you all made fabulous cards!

Little terror

My son went back to school today, hurrah! I love him to pieces and I get more joy from him than I ever thought possible, but, my God, I'm glad he went back today. The weather has just been so up and down and he is like a caged tiger if he has to stay inside.
We have also had a few scrapes. He has been grounded twice. I thought I had a few years before he would give me heart failiure, but they go up so quickly and he is your typical boisterous 7 year old boy!
He starts junior school today and he just looked so cute in his new school uniform this morning. I don't know how long it will stay white for! I'm sure it will be grey by Christmas.
Tonight, I am teaching flip flop cards to a craft club with my best friend Fi. I love demoing, I have so much fun, I should be paying them. I'm going to take some photos tonight of Fi at work and I'll post them tomorrow!

I also got this warm fuzzy from Lisa today. She used her beloved primas on my card, now I know she loves me, lol!
I have learned so much from this bunch of talented artists in such a short period of time, but I will never be able to match their originality or artistry, but I'm going to carry on trying. Lisa, I love you girlie!

I am such a slow card maker, it takes me forever to make a card. That may have something to do with the fact that I have too much stuff and too many choices.
I also wish I could just stamp images and keep them for when I need a card. My best friend, Fi, does this and it makes life so much easier and crafting so much easier. But I can't do it, I have to see each card in my head before I start and then work to the end.
I also wish I could production line cards, but I can't. I have an extremely low boredom threshold, lol, and I very rarely make more than one of the same card. I very rarely go back and make a copy of that card either.
I think it is because I enjoy the thought process of designing a card, rather than the actual making of a card. I find that quite boring. I know, I know, I'm weird, that's very true!

I got this warm fuzzy from Kristin this morning. How gorgeous is this? I love receiving art from Kristin, she is so talented.

She also wrote the most gorgeous little note inside telling me what a nice friend I am, right back at ya, sweetie.

I really am blessed with the nicest bunch of friends. They leave me speechless with their talent and their kindness.

Love ya girls!

I am a member of the Chatterers thread on www.splitcoaststampers.com and one of my friends Amy had the great idea of sending a warm fuzzy to someone to tell them why you treasure them as a friend.

This is the first warm fuzzy that I received from Jody, isn't it gorgeous. The message she put inside made my cry, she is such a special, wonderful friend and I feel very blessed to call her a friend.

I have a number of Jody's cards now and I treasure each and every one.