Birthday Heffalump

It's my last day as Guest Designer for Sketch Saturday today, and I've got a card featuring a cute Heffalump from the sponsors, Bugaboo.  Again he's coloured with my markers rather than watercolour inkies, but I admit that I found the open spaces harder to shade than the more intricate girlies that I've posted the last couple of days.  I think he turned out well though, and is full of fun, bright colours.

And here's the sketch I followed:

Card Recipe:

• Image - Birthday Elephant from Bugaboo (flipped)
• Colouring - Alcohol Markers
• Lili of the Valley paper pad
• Spellbinders Grand Ovals
• Lawn Fawn Stitched Scalloped Border die
• Button Twine
• Glossy Accents

I've been inspired by:

• Creative Inspirations - Anything Goes
• Simon's Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes

Happy crafting
Annette
xx

A Shameless 'Case'

Today's card is a shameless 'case' of a card I adore by the lovely Sarah of Mallows Crafty Bits.  I loved it when I saw it on her blog; she'd used my favourite colour, my favourite brand of digi papers, and one of my favourite image brands.  So I couldn't believe my luck when her gorgeous creation ended up adorning my sideboard after arriving in the post a week before Christmas!!! Thank you Sarah.  :0)

And just to prove how much I love it, I bought the papers (as opposed to the proverbial t-shirt!), and have shamelessly cased her sketch, but I've used the blue version of the papers for a frosty feel.

This project is to support the "A for Anything Christmas" challenge at ABC Christmas Challenge. I hope you join us. We're sponsored by Bugaboo, so there's a great reason to play along.

See my cards available to buy on eBay



Card Recipe:

• Image - Bugaboo Winter Bird Trio
• Cardworks Shaped Card base
• Nitwits Digi Papers
• Pearls
• Crystal Glamour Dust
• Glossy Accents
• Liquid Pearls
• Stickles

I've been inspired by:

• Graph'It - Anything Goes
• Simon's Monday Challenge - Blues (I LOVE aqua blue)
• Crafty Calendar - Let's Celebrate (it's never too early for Christmas cards!!!)

Happy crafting.
Annette
xx

Under the Tree

The theme today at ABC Christmas Challenge is U for Under the Tree.  This could be interpreted as Christmas presents, but I've chosen to feature my sentiment hanging under my tree image instead.

I've coloured the baubles on the tree to match the colours of the trees in the backing papers.

See my cards available to buy on eBay



Card Recipe:

• Image - Bugaboo Merry Christmas Tree
• Colouring - Promarkers, Copics, Sakura Stardust Gel pens
• Cardworks Shaped Card base
• Nitwits Joyful Hearts Digi Papers
• Ribbon
• Cheery Lynn Holly Corner die
• Pearls
• Glossy Accents
• Liquid Pearls

I've been inspired by:

• Totally Papercrafts - 1 image, 2 papers, 3 embellies (ribbon, pearls, die cut holly)
• Bunny Zoe Crafts - Ribbon

Happy crafting.
Annette
xx

Bare Feet

The theme today at Top Tip Tuesday is 'get in shape' so I've dug out my lovely new Go Kreate Frames again.  I know I've brought it out a few times in the last couple of weeks, but I really like it.

Because of the fancy shape, I've kept the design quite simple (well this is minimalistic for me!) and also taken the chance to use one of my lovely embossed Papermania papers.  This is actually one of the papers that I've used the least from the pad, but it's really pretty, and a gorgeous lilac colour.

I cut out the deep purple oval border around the image by eye because I don't have any oval dies, so don't look too closely as it's a bit uneven!

See my cards available to buy on eBay



Card Recipe:

• Image - Bugaboo Girlz Bare Feet
• Typed Sentiment
• Colouring - Promarkers, Copics
• Clouds - Dovecraft Shimmer chalks
• Cardworks Card base
• Go Kreate Frilly Frames #10
• Papermania Lucy Cromwell Papers
• Spellbinders Labels 18
• Pink Satin Ribbon
• Papermania Gem Brad
• Liquid Pearls

I've been inspired by:

• Saturday Sketch - Sketch
• Without Words - Anniversary (hope this is C&S enough as I resisted adding my beloved mulberry flowers and pearls in order to enter this challenge!!!)
• The Sketchy Challenges - Sketch
• Sparkles - Butterflies and/or Fairies (butterflies on DP and image)

Happy crafting.
Annette
xx

Miss Muffett

The theme today at Top Tip Tuesday is "spooled items".  I've chosen to use cotton (for stitching the panels), sheer butterfly ribbon and some floral cut felt ribbon.  I took the inspiration for my colour scheme from the glittered paper. I've used this paper pad loads, but have not used much of this actual page from it, so I thought I'd use it today.

I cut out a square from the backing paper leaving a larger frame, and then matted the square I'd cut out onto purple card, and then stuck it back down over the frame I'd created.  The purple matting card had made the inner square larger, so that it easily covered the join, and it gives some more interest to the backing paper.  But hopefully you can see that the design on the paper flows from the inner panel to the outer one.  For example, the butterfly in the top left corner has it's left wing on the outer panel, and it's right wing on the inner panel, lined up perfectly.

See my cards available to buy on eBay



Card Recipe:

• Image - Miss Muffett from Bugaboo
• Colouring - Promarkers, Copics
• Clouds - Dovecraft Shimmer chalks
• Cardworks Shaped Card base
• Papermania Lucy Cromwell Papers
• Wild Orchid Craft Flowers
• Sheer butterfly ribbon
• Pink Doily
• Felt cut ribbon
• Pearls
• Glossy Accents

I've been inspired by:

• Anything Goes Challenge Blog - Anything Goes
• Creative Creations Challenges - Anything Goes

Happy crafting.

I've Fallen Under Your Spell

The theme today at Top Tip Tuesday is numbers.

It was my wedding anniversary last week, and hubster is most insistent that when I make him a card I should not put any kind of cute bear on it whatsoever.  (he spoils all my fun!!).

So, this card has no bears.  I've also kept it C&S so it doesn't have much else on it in the way of embellies either!!

Unfortunately for me, hubby likes zombies, collecting vintage razors, and fantasy / sci-fi books.  Since I think neither zombies or shaving are very romantic for an anniversary card, my card has a fantasy / magical theme.

My typed sentiment says 'I've fallen under your spell' which was the most romantic spell-themed sentiment I could conjure up !!

'Conjure', get it !?

I'll get my coat......

Now as it happens, hubby (who can never remember my birthday but is usually very reliable at remembering when we got married) forgot it was our wedding anniversary until 10pm the night before.  By then the local petrol station / Spar shop was shut so he had to admit that he'd not got me an anniversary card to give me the next day.  He seemed more upset about it than I was, probably because I had already assumed he had forgotten because he'd not mentioned it.  Although I was secretly hoping he was going to surprise me with something nice!!!)

Anyway, he was so upset that when he got home from work the next evening (our anniversary night), he spent an hour at my craft desk using my stuff to make me a card using an image he'd found on the internet.

So when I got home from work later that evening, knowing I like pink and blue (and bears) he handed me this:

He said that colouring it took him ages, and also made his eyes "go funny", so he doesn't think he'll be doing it again.  But he was rather proud of it as a first attempt at card making, especially when I said I'd rather have him make one than buy one from the shops.  :0)




See my cards available to buy on eBay



My Card Recipe (sorry I've no idea where hubby's image comes from to give credit):

• Images - Bugaboo The Chosen One, Sidekick, The Wise One, Magical Tidbits Couldron & Bookshelf
• Typed Sentiment (Scrappy Looking font)
• Colouring - Promarkers, Copics, Sakura Stardust Gel pens
• Is that it?  No flowers, pearls, ribbons, die cuts, pretty glittered papers?  Where's the rest?

I've been inspired by:

• Zombies
• Vintage razors
• Magical fantasy
• Simon Says Stamp Challenge - Camera / Film related (Harry Potter)
• Cupcake Craft - Boys
• Creative Craft - For the Fellas

Happy crafting.

Green and Purple?

We're halfway through the 'G for Girls and Boys' challenge at ABC Christmas Challenge and I've got a mid-way project to share. I know that traditional Christmas colours are green and red, but I've opted for some lovely purple "The Snowman" papers and green accents, but now I'm not sure the shades that I've used look right together.  Perhaps the combination will grow on me!  I've used my lovely Lavish Branch die underneath the flowers; I'm really loving this die and using it loads.

See my cards available to buy on eBay



Card Recipe:

• Image - Fancy Sunbonnet Christmas Stuff
• Colouring - Promarkers, Copics, Sakura Stardust Gel pens
• Cardworks Shaped Card base
• The Snowman paper pack
• Wild Orchid Craft Flowers
• Fleur de Lis Square Spellbinders
• Memory Box Lavish Branch
• Ribbon - Fantastic Ribbons
• Pearls
• Glossy Accents
• Liquid Pearls

I've been inspired by:

• Totally Gorjuss - AG with Sparkle (the baubles are coloured in Stardust pens & Glossy Accents)
• Ribbon Girls - Flowers
• Wild Orchid Crafts - Purple and green

Happy crafting.

Enjoy your retirement

Today is the last day of work for one of my lovely colleagues because she is retiring today.  I've only worked directly with her for a year as I transferred into her department last April but she is a lovely lady and will be greatly missed.  I am pretty sure that her leaving it is nothing to do with my moving into the department, and I'll just take her timing as a coincidence for my own sanity!  Anyway, today's card is to give to her on her retirement.

It's also my final project as a guest designer at CRAFT where this week's theme is "Feminine".  Hopefully the girlie image, spot of pink and the glittered floral papers fits the bill.

See my cards available to buy on eBay



Card Recipe:

• Image - Sunbonnets from Bugaboo
• Typed Sentiment
• Colouring - Promarkers, Copics, Sakura Stardust Gel pens
• Clouds - Dovecraft Shimmer chalks
• Cardworks Shaped Card base
• Papermania Lucy Cromwell papers
• Wild Orchid Craft Flowers
• Spellbinders Labels 3 dies
• Pink satin ribbon
• Glossy Accents
• Hobby House 8mm Pearl Brad
• Liquid Pearls
• Pearls

I've been inspired by:

• Crafty Boots - Flowers
• Bunny Zoe - Girlie
• Incy Wincy - Pastel Colours
• Sweet Stampin' - Layers
• Simon Says Stamp - Anything Goes

Happy crafting.

"I demand a RECOUNT"

The theme today at Top Tip Tuesday is to create a funny card.  I've used an image from Bugaboo which came with an amusing sentiment, so I didn't have to use my brain to think up something funny, but while I took the easy option, most of the rest of the Top Tip Tuesday teamies did think up their own sentiments, so pop over to the challenge to see their fab creations.

In the meantime, here's my card :

See my cards available to buy on eBay



Card Recipe:

• Image & Sentiment - Bugaboo Recount
• Colouring - Promarkers, Copics, Sakura Stardust Gel pens
• Clouds - Dovecraft Shimmer chalks
• Colorbox Cats Eyes metallic ink for edging
• Cardworks Shaped Card base
• First Edition Papers
• Memory Box Lavish Branch
• Green 15mm Satin Ribbon
• Pearls
• Glossy Accents
• Liquid Pearls

I've been inspired by:

• Cute Card Thursday - Anything Goes
• Crafty Catz - Up for a Laugh
• Ribbon Girls - Green & White

Happy crafting.

Boys & Bows

The theme today at ABC Christmas Challenge is B for Boys and/or Bows so I've made a little card with both!!!

The J-Fold card that I made last week reminded me how much I like these as C&S folds so I've made another one. I'm not as keen on this one though. I think it looks a bit empty.  There are some clear glass gems on the bottom left corner, but they're not really clear, and there are no flowers or die cuts.  It feels a bit unfinished to me, but the image was quite large, and the papers were quite busy, so I stopped!

I've used 2 images that are layered on top of each other to create a little Christmas scene.

See my cards available to buy on eBay



Card Recipe:

• Image - Christmas Brat Boy Elf and Tree Bench from Bugaboo
• Colouring - Promarkers, Copics, Sakura Stardust Gel pens
• First Edition Hideaway Papers
• Glossy Accents
• Liquid Pearls
• Stickles
• From my stash - Glass gems, Ribbon, Bakers Twine in green

I've been inspired by:

• Totally Gorjuss - KISS (my cards don't get more simple than this!)
• Bunny Zoe - Anything Goes
• Without Words - C&S and Baby, It's Cold Outside

Happy crafting.

Lavishly Luscious Layers

The theme at Top Tip Tuesday is Lavishly Luscious Layers.  I've used a cute little bear image and 4 layers of card including my image.  I've also slipped in a die cut swirl and fence for a couple of extra layers and it's all in bright springtime colours (in the hope Spring is nearly upon us!).

My image is painted with Distress Ink re-inkers (I still need to work on this painting lark!)

See my cards available to buy on eBay



Card Recipe:

• Image - Theodore Flowers from Bugaboo
• Typed Sentiment (Scrappy Looking)
• Colouring - Distress Inks
• Clouds - Dovecraft Shimmer chalks
• Cardworks Shaped Card base
• Nitwits Digi Papers
• Wild Orchid Craft Flowers
• Memory Box Wrought Iron Fence
• Magnolia Swirl (from leaf & swirl set) die
• Glossy Accents
• From my stash -  Gems, Viva pearl pen (lime green), Sewing machine

I've been inspired by:

• Wild Orchid Crafts - Coming up Roses
• Crafty Boots - Something New (new papers from my Xmas money!)

Happy crafting.

Rudolf the brown nosed reindeer

Happy Boxing Day !!!  I hope you all had a lovely day yesterday and hope that Santa brought you lots of lovely crafting stash!

If you want to put it to good use, the theme today at ABC Christmas Challenge is Z for Zoo Animals.  I've made a cute little reindeer card (it can't be Rudolf though, as he's not got a red nose!).

This was a pretty simple card, just two papers covering the join with a satin ribbon, adding 4 holly corner dies and some red liquid pearls for the berries.

No bows, flowers, snowflakes, pearls.  Nothing!!!

Simples !!

Card Recipe:

• Image - Plush Reindeer from Bugaboo
• One of my own Freebie Sentiments
• Promarkers, Copics, Sakura Stardust Gel pens, White gel pen
• Bo Bunny Father Christmas Papers
• Holly Hobbie papers (free from a magazine)
• Lacey Circle Spellbinder Nesties
• Lacey Oval Spellbinder Nesties
• Cheery Lynn Holly Corner die
• Glossy Accents
• Red Liquid Pearls
• Green Satin Ribbon

We're also having a DT call at the ABC Christmas Challenge so if you want to apply get your skates on and pop your name down.  Full details are on the challenge blog, just click on the badge below.

I've been inspired by:

• Sketch n Stash - Sketch + Old stash = sentiment, circle nesties, liquid pearls, ribbon New stash = image, papers, die.
• Friday Sketch - Sketch
• Totally Gorguss - Easy does it

Happy crafting.

Polar eXpress

It's the letter 'X' at the ABC Christmas Challenge being 'X marks the spot', which I've done with some crossed over twine.

This was quite a simple card (hence the 'express' in the blog post title, although that was also a pun on the 'X' theme too!).

I've stitched some snowflake embossed card onto some aqua coloured card and stuck that to my card base, then added my cut-out image and a die cut tree, some snowflakes, liquid pearls, and of course my twine.  Finally I've used my glamour dust on the polar bear's nose and paws.

See my cards available to buy on eBay


Card Recipe:

• Image - Polar Bear from Bugaboo
• Colouring - Promarkers, Copics
• Snowflake Dies - My Favourite Things
• Embossing folder - Cuttlebug Snowflakes
• Crystal Glamour Dust - The Stamp Basket
• Liquid Pearls - The Stamp Basket
• From my stash -  Pearls, Twine, Glossy accents

Please pop on over to the  ABC Christmas challenge blog to see the other creations by the talented design team, and to enter our challenge.  I look forward to seeing your creations this week.

I've been inspired by:

• The Crafty Pad - Add some Glitter
• Bunny Zoe - Winter

Happy crafting.

Santa's Naughty Boy List

It's the letter 'S' at the ABC Christmas Challenge which is Santa Claus is Coming to Town.

I've included a sassy little Santa related sentiment rather than an image of Santa.

And I LOVE it !!!   Hope it makes you smile too.

See my cards available to buy on eBay




Card Recipe:

• Image - Stella Christmas Boy List from Bugaboo
• Colouring - Promarkers, Copics
• Papers - Nitwits
• All flowers - Wild Orchid Crafts
• Crystal Glamour Dust - The Stamp Basket
• From my stash -  Pearls, glossy accents, liquid pearls, Mistletoe die cuts coloured green with copics

Please pop on over to the  ABC Christmas challenge blog to see the other creations by the talented design team, and to enter our challenge.  I look forward to seeing your creations this week.

I've been inspired by:

• Sweet Stamping - Focus on the sentiment (the image doesn't mean much without the sentiment on this card so hope this counts)
• Fashionista Challenge - Christmas

Happy crafting.

Expensive ribbon, but free chocolates?

OK, enough of green cats (if you read yesterday's post you'll understand this!)  We're back to normal with our colour schemes today!   Thank you so much to all of you who commented on my post yesterday.  I've watched a few tutorials on You Tube last night, and ordered a few more colours to play with. I hope they come soon and I can play with them at the weekend again.

This fortnight's challenge at Top Tip Tuesday is "Recycle it".

When I bought this plain red ribbon, it was quite expensive at £3.50 a metre, but it did come attached to a free box of Thorntons Chocolates (bought in the outlet store in town for half price, cos they're even yummier when they're half price!).

I've shared several tips this week on the Top Tip Tuesday Challenge Blog:

Tip #1 - use a clothes peg to hold bows firmly in place on your card until the glue dries.
Tip #2 - wait until the glue is dry before you lose patience and take the photos.
Tip #3 - follow your own advice!

Yup, the glue was still wet and you can see a bit of shine under the bow (it did dry clear so is fine now, but I was impatient as usual!)


See my cards available to buy on eBay



We're sponsored this week by Bugaboo Stamps and Ooh-La-La Creations

Card Recipe:

• Image - Lady Bug Butterfly from Bugaboo
• Sentiment - One of my own Freebies
• Colouring - Promarkers, Copics, Sakura Stardust Gel pens
• Papers - First Edition
• All flowers - Wild Orchid Crafts
• Nesties - Lacey circles
• Memory Box die - Macarena Corner from The Stamp Basket
• Ribbons - Thorntons Chocolates!
• From my stash -  Glossy accents

Please pop on over to the Top Tip Tuesday Challenge Blog to see the other creations by the talented design team, and to enter our challenge.  I look forward to seeing your creations this week.

I've been inspired by:

• The Crafty Pad - Scraptastic (ribbon)
• Sparkles - Nature

Happy crafting.

The Countdown to Christmas Starts Here

Well, I've got some more fabulously exciting news today that I can finally share.  No only am I now officially on holiday from work for nearly a fortnight (woohoo!!!)  but also the lovely Samantha at The ABC Christmas Challenge asked me to join her design team.  I'm not sure if she actually likes my work, or whether she is merely trying to tell me that there has been a distinct lack of Christmas cards on my blog this past 6 months, despite my good intentions back in January!  Honestly, I'm getting better.  Slowly!!!

I was slightly nervous about accepting, partly because the girls on that team are freakin' talented so I'm really going to have to pull my socks up in order that I don't show myself up next to them.  But I was also worried about taking on another commitment.  But it is a fortnightly challenge so there's plenty of time to get creative.  Plus it really will help me to make my Xmas cards throughout the year, instead of having a repeat of the frenzy I had in November last year.  


And of course it gives me a great excuse to use glitter on every card!  


So of course I said yes.  


Thank you Samantha for having me on your wonderful sparkly team!  I hope I make you proud!

So today is my first card, and the theme this fortnight is O for Open it up.  You need to decorate the inside (with option of decorating the back).  I decided to cheat a little bit, cos the front is mostly acetate and therefore most of the inside shows through to the front!  Oh dear, it's only my first card and I'm cheating already!  LOL

I'll show you some pics, and then explain what I did.

I followed a tutorial for the Snow Globe card on Split Coast Stampers (which I actually found via Stempeleinmaleins but that wasn't in English and my Google translate was coming up with some dodgy translations, so I hopped over to Split Coast Stampers).  

The snowdrift on the top of the front is covered in Woodware "Fluffy Stuff" to make it look like snow.  Then I put some white liquid pearl dotted over the inside and the acetate to create more snow, and a couple of small snowflakes that were the cut out parts from another die cut.  The bear's nose and paws are glittered with Glossy Accents and Crystal Glamour Dust, and there is some stickles on the tree and around the edge of the acetate and the inside panel.

Here's the back which is decorated with a die cut, a sentiment and some more liquid pearl 'snow'.

Our sponsors this week are Bugaboo and The Ribbon Girl

I hope to see you all at The ABC Christmas Challenge.  It really is a great challenge to give you the motivation and inspiration to keep your Christmas crafting alive throughout the year, and let's be honest, who doesn't love to be elbow deep in glitter, snowflakes and mistletoe !!!


See my cards available to buy on eBay




Card Recipe:

• Image - Polar Bear from Bugaboo
• Circle sentiment - One of my own Freebies
• Papers - Nitwits Polar Pals
• Colouring - Promarkers, Copics
• Nesties - Lacey circles
• Snowflake Dies - My Favourite Things
• Ribbons - Fantastic Ribbons
• From my stash -  Stickles, liquid pearls, glossy accents, crystal glamour dust, pearls, Merry Christmas stamp, Woodware fluffy stuff, acetate

Please pop on over to the  ABC Christmas challenge blog to see the other creations by the talented design team, and to enter our challenge.  I look forward to seeing your creations this week.

I've been inspired by:

• Crafter's Companion - Ho Ho Ho Christmas
• Creatalicious - Christmas in July

Happy crafting.