Rosie D's Challenge No. 59 - Red, Green and a bit of Bling!

I'm pleased to say that we have yet another FANTASTIC sponsor this time around on Rosie D's Challenge Blog : Tando Creative are a new manufacturer of some wonderful laser cut chipboard designs, headed up by a lovely friend of mine Di Oliver and her husband Tony.

If you fancy a chance of being the lucky winner of this little lot...

Then all you have to do is make your creation and leave a comment with Mr Linky over on the Challege Blog. A winner will be picked at random from all the comments received for those that take part. Good luck!

Our theme for this challenge is Red, Green and a bit of bling!  Nice and Christmassy themed if I may say so, but of course, you may have other ideas in mind.....

The FANTASTIC Design Team have again come up with some great work.


This is my card for this week...




Materials:
Red pearlescent card.
Holographic card from stash.
Patterned paper: Rhonna Farrer (offcut from my scrap pack).
Tag: WH Smith.
Stamp: Stamps Away.
Inkpad: Dew Drop Brilliance in Lightning Black.
Ribbon: Stash.
Bling flower: Stash.

Kathy's Waffle Sketch 2009 #17; Layer it up

Not quite sure where my time goes to recently.  Working full time.  Family chef.  School meetings.  Son's taxi.  Not to mention that I've been feeling totally pants these last few weeks and subsequently VERY tired.

It seems ages ago that I've done one of Kathy's fab sketches, so I've given myself a kick up the bum and have created a card.

Everything here is recycled or old.  From the backing paper to the corrugated card to the circular gift tag to the scraps of cardstock punched into flowers and shaped.  Not to mention the odd buttons that I've used.

Thanks Kathy for a great sketch!  If you too want inspiration, pop over to Kathy's sketch blog for some great places to kick start your mojo.

Inspirational Card Sketches #43

We have a returning sponsor on Inspirational Card Sketches this week, SquiggleFly. Ashley, the owner is giving the winner of this challenge 3 choice images to the winner.

Your challenge for the coming week looks a bit like this.

Remember, you can rotate, flip, stretch or anything your heart desires with the sketch.  Have fun creating!

I thought it was about time to start my Christmas cards properly and I really enjoyed using this sketch to make my card.
Materials:
White card.
Patterned paper has been in my stash for so long and has no manufacturers details.
Horizontal faux stitched paper: English Paper Company
Stamps: Christmas Tree and greeting: Elusive Images.  25th December: Stamps Away.
Flower: Prima.
Button, gem, ribbon and thread: Stash.
Inkpad: Dew Drop.

Inspirational Card Sketches #43

Dawn's Inspirational Card Sketch for us this week is lovely!  I really enjoyed working with this one to create my little happy Santa!

I gave the sketch a little bit of rotation and came up with this...

For the circular base I used a blank coaster that I simply inked round the edges and then added a simple ready made topper! S'cuse the handwriting round the edge of it!

Materials: 
White 5 1/4" card.
Patterned paper: Debbi Moore.
Tag die: Sizzix.
Pens: Stabilo & Asda (calligraphy pen).
Inkpad: Colorbox.
Santa topper: Debbi Moore.
Buttons: Ebay.

Inspirational Card Sketches #42

I had such a mare of a week last week that I forgot to upload this card to my blog. I managed to get it across to Dawn in time for the ICS launch. I've also not had the chance to leave comments on the fab cards that the talented artists have made, so to those people, I'm truly sorry!

The images from The Greeting Farm are fantastic!  I loved this image of these two little cuties and couldn't wait to bring them to life with colour.

Materials:
WhiteA5 card.
Image: The Greeting Farm.
Colouring: Derwent Aquatone water pencils.
Patterned papers: Debbi Moore.
Border punch: Debbi Moore.
Circular Greeting: WordArt.
Inkpad: Colorbox.
Flower: Prima.
Snowflakes: Papermania.

Rosie D's Challenge No. 58 - Lemon, Lime with a dash of Ribbon

We have a new challenge that's gone live over on Rosie D's this week.  Our colour combo is Lemon, Lime with a dash of ribbon.  We were also kindly sponsored by Heather from Fresh  Brewed Designs who has a bit of  thing for coffee as can be seen from her fab images of coffee cups and all things cakey that go with the perfect cup!

I'm in a using up bits and bobs kind of mood again.  With Christmas coming up, I'm saving my pennies on the craft front and have found some right doozy stuff that I'd forgotten I had! LOL.

Materials:
White 6"x4" card.
Image: Fresh Brewed Designs.
Patterned paper: BasicGrey.
Coloured cardstock: DCWV.
Ribbon: Stash.
Ink: Pretty Colour.
Glitter glue: Stickles.
Pens: Promarkers.

Hello, only me!

I've really been MIA, on emails, texts and blogs recently.  I've had the most awful migraine which peaked this week with such force.  Wednesday found me struggling with my vision and my balance so much that I packed myself off to bed at 7pm.  Yesterday the early night previously had started to knock it on it's merry way (thankfully!) and I started to feel slightly normal again (no comments please! LOL)  I've had to avoid the computer in the evenings as I sit in front of one all day, every day at work and it's been very hard.

It's still lingering around but I can at least stand without feeling nauseous, listen to music and look at a computer screen for a little while.   I've not been in my craft studio for almost a week either - now that was HARD to do!!!!

My son turns 14 next week (oh, how those years have flown by!) so last week we went out to buy his pressie.  He wants a watch and I managed to get him a gorgeous French Connection one at a bargain price because the jeweller didn't have the box!   Like he's going to wear the box on his wrist!!! Anyway at 75% off the price it was certainly worth having no box.

Not only did we find Jacob a watch in the jewellers, but I spied a gorgeous ring (as you do!)  I'm not one for lots of flash jewellery and what I have I wear.  My original engagement ring was a solitaire but with a sneeze of a diamond (it WAS 1986 after all and I was only 18 and Will was 21 and we were buying our first house at the time).  The ring split years back so Will replaced it with a diamond cluster, but it was never my solitaire.  Anyhoo.... I told him I'd seen this ring that I liked when Jacob and I got home.  Next thing, he'd got his coat and shoes on - "Are you going to walk the dog?"  I ask.  "No" he says, "We're going to buy you that ring you've seen!  I've waited over 20 years for you to say that you've seen a piece of jewellery that you REALLY like and you never have, until today."  So it went like this:  coat and shoes... car... car park... jewellers... bling on my finger with this piece of gorgeousness!  Not only did I get my solitaire (much bigger diamond this time too) but I got a little piece of rare Welsh gold to wrap it round my finger with!

I'm totally paranoid about losing it and use that as an excuse to admire it several times a day!  She sparkles like, well like a sparkly diamond ring! LOL.

Santa has come early for me and brought my birthday pressie with him too!  Diamonds really ARE a girls' best friend! LOL.  Well, next to my husband and kids, it's my best friend!!!

Rosie D's Challenge No. 57 - Pink, White & a wafer

I'm pleased to say that we have yet another FANTASTIC sponsor this time around over on Rosie D's Challenge Blog:


Photo Paper Direct have generously provided the Design Team with some of their gorgeous Fine Art Lightly Textured Soft White Paper play with as well as offering a prize of a pack of 5 sheets of their Inkjet Glossy Magnetic Sheets and a pack of 20 sheets of their A Clear Creative Sticker Paper.
We're still on a colour combo theme and this week, it's the colours of Pink and White with a touch of a wafer in the form of some corrugated card (personally I love those marshmallowey pink and white wafers - yummy!)

Remember that there's a great prize up for grabs.  All you have to do is take part and have fun!