A DewDrop Craftz challenge!

Nikki has put on a challenge this week and one of her stamps is up for grabs!

I have decided to set a challenge on my blog today....
I would love to see all your cards/layouts/altered art projects using patterned ribbons..
This will be open to all until next Saturday and the winner will receive 'Walter'

So, have a 'whale' of a time entering.. and can't wait to see your projects..
Nikki x

I MUST try to fit in a bit more crafting...I AM crafting ....but it's a secret mission!

Blog Candy alert!

Hazel is celebrating 20,000 hits and giving away some totally scrummy candy. LOOK!!

The draw is later on today so be quick!!!!

Dottie goes GEOMETRIC!

Hi everyone, I hope your Sunday is treating you all well. I cannot believe how quickly time has passed and that it's my turn to challenge you over on Dotties World again! So here it is!



When I first told my son that I was on the Dottie Design Team, he asked loads of questions about what I needed to do. You can now blame Jack for this week's challenge as this was all his idea...but I have stretched it a little.

Dottie goes Geometric!

Jack suggested that I made a card using triangles but I am going to open up the possibilites and ask you to make creations with bold geometric shapes. This could simply be part of some patterned papers or a fancy shaped card...the choice is yours BUT I want to see some geometric shapes as a main part of your work....no cheating and telling me the brad is a circle!


The design team have worked wonders so go over to their individual blogs to take a closer look and get more details of their stunning creations.



I had ideas of exploding boxes a weird shaped cards but with everything that has been going on this week - once again - I have hardly had time to do ANY crafting so I really had to stick to some basics.

I used the Angel Dottie and circular sentiment from the Bumper Christmas Collection to create this card. My shapes are; triangles for the trees, rectangles for the tree stums, circles for the brad and sentiment, square for the card itself...ermmm I suppose a star is a geomentric shape too?

Pop over to Dotties World and join in the fun- I would love to see what you come up with!

Dottie goes Green!

Karen set this week's challenge over on Dottie's World!

Everything today is focused on environmental issues, so lets GO GREEN in our Sunday Challenge! Show me how green you can get! But this is a green dish with a few extra ingredients, sprinkle it with three buttons or brads, season with a little ribbon, and finally add that special little "recycled something". Plus of course it must contain at least one Charmed Cards & Crafts download.

I have had an awful week and to sit down and craft for even a short while was such a blessing. I used some green polka dot paper mixed with a weird combination of bright pink and burgundy! I cheated again with this as the ribbon was recycled (from around a birthday cake) the buttons were recycled (off an old shirt) and the pale pink mirror card was part of some old packaging I thought too good to bin! Even the strands of green embroidery silk was a left over from a cross stitch kit I had years ago.

Another NUMBER challenge!

I am struggling day by day at the moment with just SO much going on with school issues and Amelia's education and health. I still have DLA forms to complete and my NVQ and now work as well.....I just need a few 48 hour days to help keep me afloat! (and possibly catch up on a bit of much needed sleep too!) I could have easily cried my eyes out in the school playground this afternoon but somehow I found the strenght to hold myself together....LOL....although after a nice glass of wine later I may may well curl up and have a little cry to myself then! I have even got the possiblility of Home ED going through my mind now, constantly fighting the system to get my daughter the appropriate support in mainstream is wearing me down but I cannot and will not be beaten when her education is at stake. I haven't a clue which way to turn next to be honest!

This morning I had a rush 50th Anniversary card to make but my mojo was buried under the piles of stash I had left abandoned in my craft room...I shuffled a few papers around and ended up with a completely mish mash card, but any card complete was enough for me today- at least I can say I have achieved something!

I made a feature of the 50 for the challenge over on Crafts by Carolyn's.

It about time I had some.....

............BLOG CANDY!!!

Never done this before and I was going to be all prepared for when I got to
15000 hits...and it's crept up on me all of a sudden.

I will put together some bits and bobs....at least 50 images including Sugar Nellies, Magnolias, Crafty Individuals, Cuddly Buddly.........

I will run this until midday on Sunday 14th and I will draw a name out of the hat after that.

To enter please leave a comment and link on your blog.

Thank you for popping by!

Please scroll down for newer posts!

PLEASE NOTE: I AM LEAVING THIS OPEN UNTIL THE END OF THE DAY (UK time) AND TOMORROW I WILL SELECT TWO NAMES FROM THE HAT!!

Blog Candy Draw!!!!!!

Drum roll please...........

I have been busy snipping all the names and folding them up this afternoon ready for my first ever blog candy give away. Jack wanted to help so we grabbed Amelia's Scooby Doo hat and Jack took great pleasure in giving them a good shake by dancing around the conservatory! Well and truely shook up!

We drew 3 names out of the hat and I will send a little candy to the 2 extra bloggers!

The first name out the hat is........

........................................

Kitty Kats Krafts (oooh spooky another Kentish Crafter! Hello!)

then we have..........

M.S ( from Poland)

and last but not least we have..........

Enjay (Berkshire)

I'll leave messages on your blogs ASAP, please email me your details for your candy. Congratualtions.

Thank you to everyone else for taking part in my first Blog Candy....I have really enjoyed it.

A difficult card to make!

I have been asked to make a card in memory of a little boy who died about 2 years ago. He was only 10 weeks old and I have been looking at his memorial site, at the messages and pictures and I have been crying my eyes out!

I wanted this card to be a celebration of his life rather than a sympathy card but it didn't make it any easier to make. I used a poem I wrote last year, in fact it was one of my very first blogs posts here. I re-worded it a bit to suit the circumstances and embellished the card with his name and a stamped image....I do hope it is OK!!

Lettering-Sizzlits, In my Heart.

Stamps- Sugar Nellie

A number Challenge

Tracy over on Crafts by Carolyn has set a challenge;

I want you to make a card or LO or whatever you like, just as long as it includes a number on it, its my Sister in Laws 40th tomorrow, (she is so not looking forward to it!) so i have just made this card, also made the 9th card for a party my DS went to yesterday, there is a prize up for grabs. I will put all the names in a hat and get my DH to pick one out.

It was rather perfect timing as next on my list was an order for a 4 yr olds birthday card! So today I set to work using an image I was given in a RAK. I am really into working with pinks and oranges at the moment and I thought it ideal for the card. Finished with a glossy crown and a few sprinkles of glitter glue....and some flowers of course!

Dottie's World- Going for a song!

This week it was Louise's turn to set the challenge over on Dottie's World! And her challenge is:

Going for Song!

It's quite an easy one this week, to celebrate my good mood I've gone for a music theme (I love to sing). All you have to do along with using a Charmed download, is incorporate the words of a song or the title of a song into your card but you're not allowed 'happy birthday' or 'congratulations' for your song, I know I said easy but that's a step too far along the easy road!

The results the rest of the Design team come up with never cease to amaze me so make sure you pop over to have a look and have a go at the challenge. This week you have the chance of being the next Guest Design Team member too!

Once again I had more ideas than I had time! I am not sure that's better than having all the time in the world and no ideas...but hey ho! I had some amitious ideas that were once again cast aside as I juggled everything else around me and I opted for an easy choice using one of the images from the Christmas Collection!

After takng the pics (sorry for awful lighting that I TRIED to improve but failed miserably!) I read the lyrics as "...how he come to life one day!" I cut and pasted this from a lyrics site but I always sing it as "he CAME to life one day!!!" hmmm


Sorry, waffle over, let's get on!

Black Magic!

My mumasked me to make a card for my nephew's 18th birthday. I don't see him very oftne at all, he isn't "into" anything so I was struggling for a theme. Eventually late last night I threw this together. Not happy with it, I suppose I have been putting more detail into my cards recently and it looks a bit bare...not sure about the colour combinations either but it seemed OK last night!LOL. Anyway, it done now!

I used inspiration from a challenge over on Crafts by Carolyn called Black Magic where the challenge was simply to make something with a black base. I must admit it has become the norm to reach straight for my white linen card stock. I have another few ideas to try out with this challenge in mind but unfortunately I MUST catch up first before I can play!

Playing catch up AGAIN!

In a vain attempt to catch up on some of the wonderful challenges out there at the moment I am afraid to say I have doubled up! I don't like doing it, it defeats the object of a challenge to me but time got the better of me and I sort of merged two in together quite naturally.

I stamped , cut and coloured a few of these Sugar Nellie Penpal stamps at the same time - I find it works that way for me as time is always so precious. Popped her on a Nestabilities circle and embellished with a few flowers and a circular sentiment. I have loads of cards I MUST make so here's one of my list.

The template comes from this week's Sketch Saturday and I love it. So simple and easy to make up I am sure I will use this one over and over again. Thank you.
I also took yet more inspiration from the first challenge over on BasicGrey Challenges where you have to use buttons and the scrummy BG of your choice. I joined in with this challenge earlier in the week with Ragdoll Charlotte but felt I had cheated a bit with her "faux button eyes!" This time I used BG Oh Baby! Girl - Taylor.
Right must dash, go a few last minute things to do before the school run!

Magnolia BLOG CANDY!

Over on Crafty Krafts there are some fabby Magnolia stamps being given away as blog candy. Pop over and get your name entered into the draw - up to five times!!!!!

Sat hello to Rag Doll Charlotte

Here is Charlotte Rag Doll, one of Nikki's new stamps over on DewDrop Craftz I love her she is so much fun, easy to colour and so quirky. Poor Charlotte had lost one of her button eyes but for this card I choose to print a few extra eyes and layer on her little bright green buttons so she could see you all and say hello properly! (Yes OK, I have finally flipped, must be the peace and quiet of an empty CHILDFREE house!)

I also treated myself to some swirls....I can see these are going to get used over and over!

I used this card to join in with the first ever challenge over on BasicGrey Challenges where you obviously have to use some BG and buttons! Well as you can see I cheated a bit and stretched the boundaries by using Charlottes little button eyes! I do hope that qualifies otherwise I might have to force out the brad and put a little button in the flower centre!!! I used an offcut of what I believe to be BG Karina from the Oh Baby! Girl- collection.

Must rush, I will be back again soon and so will Charlotte!

How clean is your.....

...craft room after you have been crafting?

That was the question the Maddy asked over on Crafts by Carolyns!

Well after 6 and a half weeks of having the children at home ANY crafting I have managed is a blessing but to actually tidy up as well that would have been a miracle. LOL. The children went back to school today but I start work this afternoon. I am only working part time and it not only fits in with the school holidays and hours, it is also VERY local, in fact only a few minutes walk from dropping off the children!

As soon as I have got us all into a routine again I promise I WILL tidy my little crafty space....notice I didn't even have workspace to put my sewing machine on yesterday when a bit of stitching took my fancy...I just rested it on the stool!

LOL...BUt my downstairs toilet is spotless as I have just cleaned and tidied that, including curtains and window...one room down, but I am not counting how many more to go!

I have actually finished a card!

It's been a long day, what with the arrival of the puppies (what a cuddly distraction though!) and the children back to school tomorrow (been sorting through piles of outgrown uniform) any crafting today has been pretty hit and miss...and it's been one of those cards that have had more misses!!

LOL....everything seemed to go wrong on it including my sewing machine scrunching up all the stitches so I had to flip it around to hide the mess under the image. Luckily enough I hadn't cut the strip of sewn card and paper to size otherwise I am sure the whole lot would have ended up in the bin.

Anyway, it's ended up a bit more off centered and unbalanced than I would have liked but it's another card in my little stock box.

I used this weeks template challenge over on Papertake Weekly.....I couldn't resist trying to get my hands on that stamp!!!

Paper by Basic Grey, image Sugar Nellie and circular sentiment by Cuddly Buddly.

Look who arrived today!

Meet Gemma and Poppy!

A few weeks ago my mum and dad lost their beloved Cocker Spaniel Maggie. She was over 11 years old and had been a great companion to them both. I don't think they realised exactly how much company she had been until she was no longer around. Well to cut a long story short- they decided to get another pup...but just couldn't choose between these two little darlings. Dad fell in love with one, mum with the other so after thinking long and hard they went for the two of them.

This is Gemma

and this is Poppy

they are both about 9 weeks old, Cocker Spaniels and sisters!!!

Dottie's World Challenge...AND ALSO!

This week it is Nicola's turn to set a challenge and she came up with....

AND ALSO!

"I would like you to make a card or something,which of course is using a download/s from Charmed Cards AND ALSO.....something which can be removed from it,such as a tag,bookmark,notelets"

I struggled this week trying to think of something original but I think the rain has washed away my mojo and although I had the ideas the timing just wasn't right! Still the children are back to school tomorrow so hopefully I will get a bit more time to myself and to craft. Saying that I also start a new job tomorrow and my NVQ will kick back into gear again....LOL...but still, who needs sleep?

Eventually I came up with a little altered notebook, I am SO a "list type person"- I love crossing things off. I suppose it gives me some sort of sense of achievement as I am very negative about myself and often see myself as a failure. I think that comes from running around like a headless chicken and trying to do 20 things at the same time. I look back and I haven't made an impact on any of them. That's where my little lists come in, I break down the things I need to do into achievable chunks and each day I try to cross a few off.

Christmas can be a hectic and stressful time, trying to cram so much more into an already hectic life so organisation is my aim this year. I hope little Dottie will help me out. I will look at her on the front on my notebook and think of Xmas dinner! LOL.

I hope you like her. Please pop over to Dottie's World to see the awesome creations the rest of the team have come up with- you will not be dissappointed.

Emboss this!

Over on Tilda & Co this weeks challenge was to emboss....now how could I resist with my love of my Cuttlebug folders!

Circula Greeting from the Dottie & George Download over on Charmed!

Gerdy is in the PINK!!!

I fancied making another Gerdy card.....she has been sitting in my stash for most, if not all of the school holidays and I have hardly had a chance to play what with Nikki's new range of stamps coming out on DewDrop Craftz and then getting on the Design Team for Dotties World.

They were several challenges around this week I could have entered this card into but the one I couldn't resist was Cute Card Thursday's Pretty in Pink!

I used;

some simple pink gingham paper

Gerdy stamp - Iused this to layer & decoupage and paper piece her dress too.

Flower stamp from the Stitchels range

...and of course my beloved Cuttlebug, glitter glue, liquid pearld and glossy accents !

A prize from Rosie!

A little while ago I won a prize from a competition run on Crafts by Carolyn and I wanted to show you my prize. I have all these ideas on what to do with them and on sorting out my craft room, I have now come across all my acrylic paints....yippeee....all I need is a few childfree days now! I don't mean to sound a rotten mum, wishing her children back to school but it is SO draining, especially my little darling Amelia.

Anyway the prize was donated by one of the sponsers Rosie from Orchard Country Crafts - There are some wonderful goodies on there! Thank you!!!

I'm on the road to nowhere!

Goodness, it has been a hard day...the children are just SO grumpy. The constant rain hasn't helped- despite a little walk with waterproofs on they are like little caged animals with all this energy bursting to get out!!!

As soon as Chris got home I shut myself away in my little craft room to finish off a card I seem to have spent days making!!

I LOVE this image, thank you so much Lou!!! Join in with this week's Dottie's World Challenge- 115 Days to Christmas and YOU can get this download FREE!!! Don't miss, out this "Party" Dottie is absolutely wonderful to work with. I have printed her out 3 times and layered her. It was so great to work with all the cheery colours.

I used this week's Sketch Saturday template for this card-thank you!