Friday, 6 March 2015

Happy 50th Birthday

Today's card is for a lovely lady who is one of the few fellow crafters who've I've actually met a couple of times, albeit briefly.  She has a special birthday today (49 + 1) and I've made this creation using one of my new Happy Bear images, painted in DI reinkers.  The balloon was covered in Wink of Stella for some sparkle, and the panels are all stitched.

The little banner was created with some tag dies, strung together with some natural twine, and I typed both sentiments.

I've used a hint of green on the accents, and although it's not my favourite colour, I think it goes well with the apricot orange, and brings out the colours in the image.

And that's about it for today.  I'll be back on Sunday with another Happy Bear, and all I'll say is that he's not on card!



Card Recipe:
I've been inspired by:
Happy crafting
Annette
xx



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Thursday, 5 March 2015

Plums

I've got another fruity bunny image today, featuring Plums from Scrapberrys. These bunnies are so adorable and I don't know which is my favourite.  This one's been coloured in purples, and teamed with purple accessories, including a gorgeous purple velvet ribbon.



Card Recipe:
I've been inspired by:
Happy crafting
Annette
xx



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Tuesday, 3 March 2015

Friendship

There's a 'charming' challenge starting today over at Tiddly Inks so I've made this little sweetie.

I've created a simple layout using my new stitched hillside border dies, a spot of twine and a little rose charm that matches the rose in the image.

The fairy's wings are smothered in Wink of Stella sparkle.

And that's about it.

Simples!



Card Recipe:
I've been inspired by:
Happy crafting
Annette
xx



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Monday, 2 March 2015

The Bunny is Coming

A new challenge starts today at Without Words Challenge where the theme is Easter and/or Bunnies, so I've used both!  I've also dusted off my beloved Nottingham border die which I think is perfectly Spring/Summery to match the theme and still keeps the layout clean and simple.

I'm afraid I can't remember where the papers are from, they were sat in my stash for a while.  I'm not usually a fan of yellow, but again, I thought that they matched the seasonal theme, so on they went.



Card Recipe:
  • Image - Hoppy Easter from LOTV
  • Colouring - Watercoloured with Distress Ink Reinkers
  • Cardworks Card base
  • The Langton watercolour paper
  • Stazon Ink Pad
  • Ribbon scrap
  • Memory Box Nottingham Border die
  • Viva Pearl Pen - Ice White
I've been inspired by:
Happy crafting
Annette
xx



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Saturday, 28 February 2015

Bubbles

Today's card is a fairly quick one.  Well, it was quick to put together, but painting the image usually takes at least an hour, much longer than using my Copics, but I love the relaxation 'therapy' of the water-colouring.

I've created a shaped case card using a large Go Kreate die, embossed the backing paper and inked around the edges for some definition.

Although it's quite a simple card, I added some bright red embellishments against the white background, and sneaked in a couple of blue accents to bring out the bubbles which I highlighted in glossy accents for some bubble-shine!



Card Recipe:
I've been inspired by:
Happy crafting
Annette
xx



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Friday, 27 February 2015

Get your skates on

It's another Fabby Friday at Tiddly Inks and I've got another Wryn to share.  This one is back in my comfort zone as she's pretty in pink and I've splattergunned some flowers around the image panel.

The papers are Winter Wonderland from Me To You and I've used some pink ribbon with 'Wonderland' embroidered on it.  It was actually recycled from a box of chocolates I received at Christmas, and the full text said 'cocoa wonderland' but I trimmed off the 'cocoa' part!

Obviously I also had to safely 'dispose' of the chocolates.  What hardships I suffer for my craft!



Card Recipe:
I've been inspired by:
Happy crafting
Annette
xx



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Thursday, 26 February 2015

Bunny Bag

I love little gift bags and boxes, and I've made this roll-bag from ShapeEZ a few times now. It's really easy to make and stick together.

This gift baggie was made to support the Sugar Bowl Anything Goes Challenge and also the As You Like It Challenge where we're making anything but a card.


Card Recipe:
I've been inspired by:
Happy crafting
Annette
xx



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Wednesday, 25 February 2015

Strawberry Bunny

I've been painting again and this little cutie is one of the new images from Scrapberrys which I got from Funky Kits.  It's not quite CAS, but not quite fussy either, so I'm not really sure which camp this one falls into, but I enjoyed painting her nonetheless.



Card Recipe:
I've been inspired by:
Happy crafting
Annette
xx



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Tuesday, 24 February 2015

Heffalumps

This card looked very different in my head before I started.

I'm not sure what happened.

Or perhaps what didn't happen.

But this is how it turned out.

Card Recipe:
I've been inspired by:
Happy crafting
Annette
xx



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Monday, 23 February 2015

Pixie Dust Cloud

Today's card is a lesson in reminding me to choose my papers before I start colouring my image. Instead I sailed straight into the colouring and only when I'd finished did I wonder what papers I might be able to use!

After going through all my paper pads, I eventually settled on one which seemed to match the colours and, although it is quite a 'busy' paper, it didn't seem to be too attention grabbing which might detract from the image.

The fairy dust clouds are actually much more glittery than they look in the photo as I smothered them in Wink of Stella and they really do sparkle.

I trimmed the base of the rather large image panel with my new stitched hillside border die and added two shades of sheer organza ribbon, tied in a bow and topped off with a small button, and a trio of pearls.

I hope you like it:



Card Recipe:
I've been inspired by:
  • Papertake Weekly - Bingo (Ribbon, Die, Button / Die, Free, Glitter)
  • Copic Europe - Wings
  • Simon's Monday Challenge - No Rules
Happy crafting
Annette
xx



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Sunday, 22 February 2015

Take Two

I've been trying to play with some images that I've had for a while, and seemed to be in a festive mood as both samples I'm sharing today are Christmassy.  The first is a card featuring  Birch Winter Bunny from Purple Onion Designs, and the second is a tag featuring the adorably cute Walter Skating Penguin.

I painted both with my DI reinkers and picked papers to match.  They both follow the same sketch. I hope you like them.




Card Recipe:
I've been inspired by:
  • Make The Day Special - Sketch (both samples used lawn fawn stitched circles - see above links)
  • ABC Christmas - Dies
  • Simon's Wednesday Challenge - Texture (threads, stitching, embossing)
  • Creatalicious - No square shapes
Happy crafting
Annette
xx



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Saturday, 21 February 2015

Surprise - It's another CAS creation

I'm on a bit of a roll with the CAS style creations at the moment.  I think I edge towards them when I'm happier with my painting as I don't mind having the focus on the image!

I've cut the curvy edge by hand again, which was fine until I decided to matt the pale pink onto a very dark contrasting brown coloured card where any deviation from the curve shows!

Just don't look too closely ...




Card Recipe:
I've been inspired by:
Happy crafting
Annette
xx



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Friday, 20 February 2015

Just a little note ...

I wanted to make a simple sweet card for a lovely friend who's had a rough time of things lately, but I didn't want to add a lot of frilly fuss because she's a CAS kind of gal.  I also know she dislikes pink, but likes bunnies, and since I love these two LOTV characters this is what I came up with:



Card Recipe:
I've been inspired by:
Happy crafting
Annette
xx



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Wednesday, 18 February 2015

There ain't mushroom to sit on here

I'm back with a quickie post, and another CAS card.  The image is Midsummer Night from LOTV painted with my reinkers.

I used a leftover scrap from my beloved Papermania Lucy Cromwell pad (sadly it's nearly all gone now and the shop I bought it from has closed).

I cut the curve by hand to give it some shape and layered it onto plain card.  Otherwise, all I added was a smidgeon of twine.

And not a pearl in sight!




Card Recipe:
I've been inspired by:
Happy crafting
Annette
xx



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Tuesday, 17 February 2015

A Tiddly Sketch

It's sketchy time at Tiddly Inks and I've used a 'new for me' image of the gorgeous Wryn.

After all my searching for a suitable watercolour paper to use in my printer, I've actually tried my basic copic card which is not meant for watercolours, but actually hasn't turned out too bad.  The ink is ok if I blend it out fairly quickly, but sometimes it is 'sticking' a bit.  I'm still trying different options for printing digis but in the meantime here's one of my 'tests'!



Card Recipe:
I've been inspired by:
Happy crafting
Annette
xx



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Monday, 16 February 2015

Love Grows

Today I'm well and truly back in CAS mode with this sweetie.  I'm not sure if I've actually used this image before, but I really enjoyed painting it.  I used a heart border die to complement the romantic image and kept the colours simple.  It's in support of the Je t'aime challenge at Without Words Challenge and you have another fortnight to get your entries in.



Card Recipe:
I've been inspired by:
Happy crafting
Annette
xx



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Saturday, 14 February 2015

Under The Moonlight

It's Valentines Day, so I'm in a romantic mood with today's card.  It's an adorably cute image from LOTV, but I've steered away from the usual pinks and reds and opted for a soft purple instead.  The image has been watercolour painted in DI reinkers with some Wink of Stella added for the moonshine sparkle. The bow is made from wired ribbon and there's some velvet ribbon under the image.




Card Recipe:
I've been inspired by:
Happy crafting
Annette
xx



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Friday, 13 February 2015

Hello Tweetie

It's Fabby Friday over at Tiddly Inks, so that means I've got a card to share with you featuring the lovely Wryn.  It's a fairly CAS style too (for me), with just a few little pearls and die cut flowers. I stitched around the panels and added some narrow pink velvet ribbon.



Card Recipe:
I've been inspired by:
Happy crafting
Annette
xx



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Thursday, 12 February 2015

Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy

This is the second Apron shaped card that I've made and I really do love it.  The arm holes are cut out with oval nesties and the ribbon ties are stuck onto the base before adding the designer papers.  The image is stuck onto the base card on three sides only with double sided tape, so that the top is open, like an apron pocket, for the tag (which contains the sentiment) to be inserted.

Although I'm really trying to give the CAS style some effort, I'm definitely naturally more of a fussy kind of crafter. I particularly love this kind of design which is themed throughout, from the apron card-shape, the lemon backing papers and of course the cookery image. With some rose rolled organza ribbon, gorgeous satin ribbon, pearls and a shaped tag, it's not as fussy as some of my designs, but certainly doesn't qualify as CAS!

This project is in support of our new CAS or Fussy challenge at As You Like It.  I hope you can join us this fortnight.



Card Recipe:
  • Image - Busy Baking (retired) from LOTV
  • Colouring - Promarkers, Copics
  • Cardworks Card base
  • Maja Design Coffee in the Arbour paper pad
  • Momento Stamp Pad Ink
  • Spellbinders Classic Ovals (to cut out the arm holes of the apron shape)
  • Magnolia Doohickey Scalloped Tag die
  • Rolled flower ribbon
  • 15mm Yellow Satin Ribbon
  • Pearls
  • Glossy Accents
  • Viva Pearl Pen - Ice White
I've been inspired by:
Happy crafting
Annette
xx



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Monday, 9 February 2015

Singing in the Rain

This stamp was a Christmas gift from a lovely blogpal (she knows who she is - so thank you honey). Despite the rainy weather it showcases, the little girl looks like she's having a whale of a time jumping the puddles with a huge smile on her face, so I've used some lovely bright colours to create a happy card!



Card Recipe:
I've been inspired by:
  • Simon's Wednesday Challenge - All Things Bright and Beautiful
  • Crafty Calendar - Anything Goes
  • Inky Chicks - From the UK with Love (it's a bit of a joke that us Brits like to talk about the weather, plus it does rain a fair amount here, and also I've used red (well, ok, it's a dark pink), white and blue, the colours of the Union Jack)
  • Friday Sketch Challenge - Sketch
Happy crafting
Annette
xx



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Sunday, 8 February 2015

Pink Wedding Card and Hanger

I'm a bit premature with today's project because it's intended for a couple who are not getting married for several months, but I got excited when I received all the goodies for it, and decided to plough ahead a bit early!

It is also a project for The Ribbon Girl Challenge where I'm a guest designer for the Lovely Lili theme this week which is to include a charm (and of course a Lili of the Valley image).

I've used 'Wedding Couple' from LOTV and water-coloured the couple using DI reinkers in colours to resemble the intended recipients.  It's a pink themed wedding so I've incorporated those colours too, including lots of gorgeous products from The Ribbon Girl in beautiful shades of pink, white and cream.

Firstly I've made a shaped card, covered with Magnolia papers, and cut the image using my stitched circle stax die.  I added some Ivory Jute Mesh directly onto the backing paper across the middle, and topped it off with a strip of Eggshell Velvet for even more texture.  I've then created a floral frame with a mix of roses, lilies and crysanths, as well as a little loopy string of pearls a lacy bow and a couple of banner shaped strips of Glitter Organza.

If you look closely you might even spot the charm! ;0)




Secondly I've decorated a shaped MDF wall hanger in a matching style.  Here I've added a couple more bits though, as I had a bit more space.  So there is a heart banner die-cut with the wedding date on it, a few more flowers, a beaded twirl and a pretty ivory beaded pin.




And here they are together so you can see the size of the hanger.




Woohoo, I also get to share this badge for the day :    :0)



Card Recipe:
From the Ribbon Girl (deep breath ...) :
I've been inspired by:
Happy crafting
Annette
xx



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Tuesday, 3 February 2015

Have a Heart

This project is to support the new challenge at  Tiddly Inks where there is a bingo 'Tingo' board for you to play with!  I've used dies, ribbon and of course my Tiddly Ink image.  This image is from the newly released set, and she's available in both rubber and digi options.



Card Recipe:
I've been inspired by:
Happy crafting
Annette
xx



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Monday, 2 February 2015

Je t'aime

It's a clean and simple card to share today, which really focuses on the romantic image.  I've used this image a couple of times lately (I'll share another version later this week) and it's so sweet.

The card is supporting the new challenge at Without Words Challenge where the theme is Je t'aime. I hope you can get romantic with us this month.



Card Recipe:
I've been inspired by:
Happy crafting
Annette
xx



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Saturday, 31 January 2015

Xmas Kiss

As it is rather cold outside, it seems appropriate that today's card is a Xmas themed hedgey from Penny Black.

It's a card that I made a while ago but haven't blogged it yet.  I hope you like him.





Card Recipe:
I've been inspired by:
Happy crafting
Annette
xx



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Friday, 30 January 2015

Yee-haw

Woohoo, it's Friday.

And not only that it's nearly the end of January, which means that lighter nights and mornings are on their way.  Roll on summer, I am longing for some warm, sunny evenings!

It's also my first Fab Friday outing as a Tiddly Inker, and I've got a cutie to share featuring my Favourite Tiddly Ink character, Wryn.  She's in Wild West mode today with her hobby horse.

Yee-haw!!!



Card Recipe:
I've been inspired by:
Happy crafting
Annette
xx



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Thursday, 29 January 2015

Autumn Leaves

The new Anything Goes challenge starts at the Sugar Bowl today, and this project features not only a cute piece of rubber from Sugar Nellie, but also supports the new challenge at As You Like It Challenge where you need to say if you prefer matt or shiny.  Although O do use mirri card occasionally, as well as finding it hard to photograph I do prefer to colour coordinate my cardstock to my image (I think I've got an OCD issue!).  I also prefer pearls to rhinestones as accessories. Therefore it's definitely a matt choice for me :0)



Card Recipe:
I've been inspired by:
Happy crafting
Annette
xx



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Monday, 26 January 2015

Candy Dandy

After a couple of fussy cards, today's Tiddly Ink card is quite the opposite.  I cut the image panel using a tea plate for a cutting guide, and then layered it onto lilac paper and hand cut the border (with a very steady hand!)  I stitched the layers and popped them onto a plain square, with the only embellishments being a little trio of pearls.

I thought the candy stripes of the paper matched the candy theme of the image (well it did in my head!), and this little girlie is a real sweetie.  Literally!

I hope you agree.  Don't forget there are lots of adorable images in this new release, so pop over to the Tiddly Inks store to take a peek.



There are other Sweet Tooth images in the set, so pop over to Tiddly Inks to see the set.



Card Recipe:
I've been inspired by:
Happy crafting
Annette
xx



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Sunday, 25 January 2015

Friends are like Chocolate Chips ...

I'm sharing another of the Tiddly Inks new releases today, and this one's making my mouth water. Mmmmm Chocolate Chip Cookies!! :0)  This is Wryn's Cookie (although I think that's large enough to share, don't you?)

She's available as both a digi and in rubber so there's no excuse to miss out on her.  I hope you like her.



Card Recipe:
I've been inspired by:
Happy crafting
Annette
xx



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Saturday, 24 January 2015

Strawberry Wryn

I'm so excited (and more than a little bit nervous) to be joining the Tiddly Inks design team (I'm sure Christy's got mixed up and invited the wrong person, but I'm keeping schtum!).  There's even more excitement because today there is a new release of some lovely girlie images, one of which I'm using today.

This is Berry Sweet Wryn and she is available in rubber as well as digi formats.  I've combined her with some berry papers from Maja Design and a simple layout using my cheat layering technique with one sheet of designer paper.  I cut out a central square shape, layered it onto brown card, and then stuck it back over the top of the aperture so that the design matches again, but there's a brown border around it.  I also stitched it before sticking it back down again.

I stitched around the image panel to match (I really must learn not to do this on circles as it's so hard!) and popped it onto the same brown card.

I'm having trouble finding some good watercolour paper that will go through my printer as my usual 300gsm thickness just won't go through.  This paper was thinner, but despite being called 'watercolour paper' it didn't seem to like water, and I got a lot of bobbling when I applied my brush.  If anyone knows of any good watercolour paper, under about 180gsm please leave me a comment. :0)




There are also some other new images, including the new Sweet Tooth girls below:



And, I get one of these too ... !!!  Yippee :0)



Card Recipe:
I've been inspired by:
Happy crafting
Annette
xx



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Monday, 19 January 2015

Beware ... Wet paint

Today's card is another one for a colleague whose birthday is in Feb (yeah, I'm working a bit ahead at the moment!).  Despite its simple appearance, it still took a couple of hours to create!

I've really been trying to concentrate on my water-colouring lately and, motivated by the second of my 3 new stamp purchases, this was another image I spent quite a long time painting!

This one's quite a large stamp and I knew the layout that I wanted to use in my head.  I printed out the text in a dripping style font in a pale colour, and then painted over it in the same Spiced Marmalade ink that I'd used for the paint in the image.

I was quite pleased with the result, but when I'd finished and showed hubby, he simply said "so does Jonny like doing DIY then?".



Card Recipe:
I've been inspired by:
Happy crafting
Annette
xx



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Sunday, 18 January 2015

You cannot be serious, man.....

I've been pretty good since Christmas (which makes a change for me!).  In fact after my New Year's Resolution to use my existing unused stash before buying anything new, and immediately failing after 3 days when I bought 3 Lili's, those three stamps are all I've succumbed to so far (although Squirrel is doing a fantastic job of playing temptress with some stitched dies I've now got my eye on!).

Today's card is for a colleague whose birthday is in a couple of weeks.  Although tennis is more of a summer sport, she's a huge Wimbledon fan so I bought this stamp specifically with her in mind.

I now need to find out if any more of my friends like tennis so that I can use it again! :0)



Card Recipe:
I've been inspired by:
Happy crafting
Annette
xx



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Thursday, 15 January 2015

Make A Wish

The challenge at As You Like It Challenge this fortnight is to showcase your favourite embossing folder.

This Embossalicious floral embossing folder is definitely my favourite for a couple of reasons. Firstly the design is perfect for lots of occasions but it's also 6" square, which means it's the perfect size to cover my card blanks perfectly without the getting join marks which I get with my 5 x 7 folders.

I've also inked the raised bits using a pale blue mini ink pad to bring out the design of it and love the effect. The brad says 'make a wish' and I thought it went quite well with the cupcake theme (I just need a candle on that cupcake to blow out and make the wish!).



Card Recipe:
I've been inspired by:
Happy crafting
Annette
xx



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Tuesday, 13 January 2015

Don't Drink and Paint

This was an image that I received for Christmas, from my lovely blogpal Larissa, and she's a real sweetie (both Larissa and the stamp!)

I've painted her with DI reinkers, but I got a bit mixed up while I was colouring though, and nearly dunked my paintbrush in my latte and picked up my water pot to drink!

Thankfully on both occasions I just managed to stop myself, but it was a close call!

I guess you don't get into that trouble with Copics!

Card Recipe:
I've been inspired by:
Happy crafting
Annette
xx



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Monday, 12 January 2015

Cloud 9

I have several different images of Wryn from Tiddly Inks, including a couple of sets in rubber.  This one's a new image for me and I can see that it's going to be another favourite.  I also seem to be in a bit of a phase of making Wryn blond, and I rather like it!

 I've used soft coloured papers to keep the focus on the image, and the only embellishments are some twine and a few (OK, more than a few) pearls.

 Isn't she a sweetie!  I hope you like her. :0)



Card Recipe:
I've been inspired by:
Happy crafting
Annette
xx



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