Secret Diary of a Crafter...

Crafting as Therapy After A Horrific Three Months

2011-06-21T21:29:00.000+01:00

Hi Everyone,

I know I have been gone for so long. Apologies for that. It's been a horrific three months and my health has taken a real beating. However, I'm taking each day as it comes and sometimes I have good days and sometimes I have "not-so-good" days.

I've been off work since the end of March really but I went back to work last week on a phased return. Each week I am increasing my hours a little and hopefully (fingers crossed) I am hoping to go back to work full time soon. My Doctors have said it is good for me to do things that relax me and calm me down so my card making has taken on a therapeutic element. I decided to concentrate on my colouring skills and develop my use of Promarkers since this is something I can do in one place.

Trace bought me one of those laptop tables so I can have a steady surface to work on when I'm in bed or on the couch. Unfortunately now it's covered in ink but its wonderful for colouring on. I'm a messy crafter anyway so that's no surprise to Trace.

Anyway, I've put together my first card using a Promarker coloured image with the new skills I've been practising. There is so much inspiration out there and I have been like a sponge trying to absorb it all. Here is my latest card.....

I have decided to start listing my cards on eBay as a way to earn a bit of spending money. Trace also thinks its a good idea as I am still trying to shrink my stash size. I still have to go to the Doctors quite regularly and a counsellor as well but everyone seems happy with my progress so far and as long as I don't try to do too much too soon I should be fine.

Thanks for stopping by. Take care. x x

Twisted Sketches Card Sketch #50

2011-03-12T17:41:00.000Z

Hi Everyone,

The latest Card Sketch is now live over at Twisted Sketches. This week's twist is Pretty ~ any how, any way! Using the sketch I thought it would be nice to keep this card simple. Here 'tis....

Head on over to Twisted Sketches and check out the other takes on the Sketch from the rest of the Design Team B. Then upload a link to your own. We'd love to see what you come up with. Thanks for stopping by. Take care. x x

Challenge 48 at Craft Your Passion

2011-03-12T17:35:00.000Z

Hi Everyone,

The latest Challenge is now live over at Craft Your Passion. This week we were lucky enough to be sponsored by two sponsors ~ Fanyella and Wags N Whiskers. I got to play with one of the Wags N Whiskers images. The challenge this week is Anything Goes! Here is my card.....

Head on over to Craft Your Passion and upload your own creation using the linky tool. We'd love to see what you come up with. Thanks for stopping by. Take care. x x

Girly Time Over at Craft Your Passion

2011-02-28T07:03:00.000Z

Hi Everyone,

This week's Challenge over at Craft Your Passion is now live. The Challenge this week is to create a project with a Girly Girl Theme. We got to play with Lauretta and Corrine's images this week. Here is my card....

I'm trying to improve my colouring with Pro-markers. I look at some of the colouring on people blogs and its so beautiful. I feel I just need to really work on my shading, highlights and low lights. I also got to play with another new purchase ~ some nestibilities. I still have a lot of playing to do but I did enjoy what little time I had. Watch this space.

Head on over to Craft Your Passion and check out the other gorgeous creations from the Design Team. Then upload your own Girly Girl creation using the linky tool. We'd love to see what you come up with. Thanks for stopping by. Take care. x x

Twisted Sketches Card Sketch #48

2011-02-27T21:29:00.000Z

Hi Everyone,

I've been so out of it lately. There just don't seem to be enough hours in the day. The frustration is rising and I feel like I sooooo need a break. Unfortunately, I work in Local Government and we are facing huge job cuts at the moment so I cant take any time off. I can't tell you how much I am looking forward to April! A new financial year and a week off to spend with my son. Unfortunately Trace couldn't get the same time off but I'm hoping we can spend some quality family time after she finishes at 3 o'clock every day. I feel that my family is the only thing keeping me going at the moment.

Anyway, the latest card sketch is now live over at Twisted Sketches. This week's twist is fold ~ any how, any way! I went back to my tea bag folding days for this card. Here it is.....

Head on over to Twisted Sketches and check out the other gorgeous creations from the Design Team. Then upload a link to your own creation using the sketch provided. We'd love to see what you come up with. Thanks for stopping by. Take care. x x

Dude Time at Craft Your Passion

2011-02-21T07:34:00.000Z

Hi Everyone,

The latest Challenge is now live over at Craft Your Passion. This week we got to play with some fab images from Dude Time Doodles. Their male images are such fun to use. Therefore it was only natural that the Challenge should be to create a Male Themed Card or Project. Here is my card.....

The girls have made some fantastic Male Themed creations. Head on over to Craft Your Passion to check them out. Then upload your own Male Themed creation. We'd love to see what you come up with. Thanks for stopping by. Take care. x x

Distressing Times at Twisted Sketches

2011-02-20T19:54:00.000Z

Hi Everyone,

The latest Card Sketch is now up over at Twisted Sketches. This week's twist is distress ~ any how, any way! The girls have done a fab job with the sketch ~ absolutely stunning! Head on over to Twisted Sketches and check them out then upload a link to your own creation. We'd love to see what you come up with. Thanks for stopping by. Take care. x x

A Bit of Whimsy at Craft Your Passion

2011-02-16T19:20:00.000Z

Hi Everyone,

This week over at Craft Your Passion we are privileged tobe sponsored by Whimsy Stamps. I got to play with a gorgeous image from Meljen's Designs. I love their images and find them so great to work with. Here is my card.....

This week's challenge is to create something using the colour Pink. Upload a picture of your gorgeous creation to Craft Your Passion using the linky tool and you could win yourself some gorgeous digitial images. Thanks for stopping by. Take care. x x

Hearts all a Flutter at Twisted Sketches.

2011-02-12T08:41:00.000Z

Hi Everyone,

The latest Card Sketch is now live over at Twisted Sketches. This weeks twist is heart ~ any how, any way! I thought I'd make Trace's Valentine card ready for Monday. Here is my card.....

Trace is not the kind of person who likes a lot of fuss so I tried to keep it simple. I did however get to play with one of my latest purchases ~ a new cuttlebug! Couldn't resist the new design! It looks like a little handbag! I'm loving the embossing folders and am looking forward to purchasing some Nestabilities with some of my birthday money.

Anyway, head on over to Twisted Sketches to check out the other gorgeous creations by the Design Team. Then upload a link to your own heartfelt creation. We'd love to see what you come up with. Thanks for stopping by. Take care. x x

Anything Goes at Craft Your Passion

2011-02-07T20:06:00.001Z

Hi Everyone,

This week's challenge is now live over at Craft Your Passion. We were lucky enough to be sponsored by Stamping Dragon Designs, Didge's Doodles and Pizzaz Aplenty! The Challenge is week was anything goes! Here is my card....

This image from Stamping Dragon Designs is so cute! I just couldn't resist. Anyway, head on over to Craft Your Passion and check out the other gorgeous creations from the Design Team and then upload your own. We'd love to see what you come up with. Thanks for stopping by. Take care. x x

Twisted Sketches Card Sketch #45

2011-02-07T19:58:00.000Z

Hi Everyone,

The latest Card Sketch is now live over at Twisted Sketches. This week's twist is two ~ any how, any way! Head on over to Twisted Sketches and check out the gorgeous creations from the Design Team. Then upload a link to your own masterpiece. We'd love to see what you come up with. Thanks for stopping by. Take care. x x

Bling on Your Love at Craft Your Passion

2011-02-01T06:42:00.000Z

Hi Everyone,

This week's Challenge over at Craft Your Passion is called "Bling on Your Love!" You have to use Bling and Red or Hearts on your creations this week. The Design Team got to play with some gorgeous images from Glitterbabe this week. Here is my card....

In addition to the gorgeous images we got to work with, this week we are also being sponsored by the Ribbon Girl who is offering a prize of some gorgeous ribbon. So head over to Craft Your Passion and check out the other gorgeous creations from the Design Team. Get Crafting and upload a link to your own masterpiece. We'd love to see what you come up with. Thanks for stopping by. Take care. x x

Twisted Sketches Card Sketch #44

2011-02-01T06:31:00.000Z

Hi Everyone,

The latest Card Sketch is now live over at Twisted Sketches. This week's twist is twine ~ any how, any way! As soon as I saw this twist I knew exactly the twine I was going to use. Here is my card....

Then I just couldn't resist having a play with some of the Prima roses and leaves I got just after Christmas. Head on over to Twisted Sketches and check out the other gorgeous Design Team creations. I never knew there were so many different things to do with twine! Then upload a link to your own creation. We'd love to see what you come up with. Thanks for stopping by. Take care. x x

Paper Piecing it Together at Craft Your Passion

2011-01-25T06:25:00.000Z

Hi Everyone,

The latest Challenge is now live over at Craft Your Passion. This week's Challenge is Pattern - Use Two Patterned Papers. We were lucky enough to play with some images from Daisy Doodles this week. I decided on this cute butterfly and got my paper piecing head on. I think I may have gone a little overboard with the patterned papers though! lol. Here is my card....

I thought a simple generic card with no sentiment would be best for this little butterfly. I also raised each level of this wings to give dimension. Head on over to Craft Your Passion and check out the inspiring cards from the other Design Team members. Then upload your own patterned creations to the blog. We'd love to see what you come up with. Thanks for stopping by. Take care. x x

Twisted Sketches Card Sketch #43

2011-01-23T10:27:00.000Z

Hi Everyone,

The latest Card Sketch is now live over at Twisted Sketches. This week's twist is "bling" ~ any how, any way! The cards produced by Team A are stunning! Head on over to Twisted Sketches and check them out. Then upload a link to your own blinging creation. We'd love to see what you come up with. Thanks for stopping by. Take care. x x

Craft Your Passion is Sooooo Tweet!

2011-01-17T12:00:00.002Z

Hi Everyone,

This week over at Craft Your Passion we were lucky enough to play with some images from Purple Panda! The Challenge this week is to use buttons on your creation. Here is my card....

I decided to use buttons for the middle of my flowers to give a little dimension. The image I decided to colour brightly and match as best I could with the papers from Cherry Arte. The sentiment I printed from my PC. Head on over to Craft Your Passion to check out the Design Team's gorgeous creations using the Purple Panda images. Then upload your own buttoned creations. We'd love to see what you come up with. Thanks for stopping by. Take care. x x

Twisted Sketches Card Sketch #42

2011-01-16T11:23:00.001Z

Hi Everyone,

What a manic couple of weeks the last few weeks have been. I thought it was supposed to slow down a bit after the festive season? Not a chance! It seems I'm busier than ever! Got a lot to look forward to though so although I'm tired I'm in a happy place.

Anyway, the latest Twisted Sketches Card Sketch is up over at Twisted Sketches. This week's twist is "diecut" ~ any how, any way! Here is my card....

I dug out my build-a-flourish set from quickutz and had a play. I thinking sometimes its good to get out stash or equipment out that you haven't used for a while. It can be quite inspiring. Head on over to Twisted Sketches and check out the gorgeous creations from the other Design Team members. Then upload a link to your own diecut creation. We'd love to see what you come up with. Thanks for stopping by. Take care. x x

Tasty Times at Craft Your Passion

2011-01-10T13:09:00.000Z

Hi Everyone,

The latest challenge is now live over at Craft Your Passion. This week's challenge is called "tie one on!" Basically, create a card using ribbon, lace or in fact anything that you can tie on. This week we've been lucky enough to play with some gorgeous images from Shelly's Images. I got to play with a gorgeous cupcake image. Here is my card....

I just had to use some of my new stash that I bought just before Christmas and when I saw this gorgeous paper from Basic Grey's Nook and Pantry paper pad I just had to go with it. Trace has said she really likes this card and has asked if we can give it to her neice for her first birthday since it has one candle on it. I, of course, said yes!

Anyway, head on over to Craft Your Passion and check out the other gorgeous creations from the Design Team. Then upload your own "ribbon bound" creation. We'd love to see what you come up with. Thanks for stopping by. Take care. x x

Twisted Sketches Card Sketch #41

2011-01-09T22:49:00.000Z

Hi Everyone,

The latest card sketch is now live over at Twisted Sketches. This week's twist is Ribbon ~ any how, any way! You'll be amazed at how many different things the ladies have come up with. So head on over to Twisted Sketches and check out their gorgeous creations and then upload a link to one of your own. We'd love to see what you come up with. Take care. x x

Get Yourself Some Attitude at Craft Your Passion

2011-01-03T12:00:00.001Z

Hi Everyone,

The latest Challenge is now live over at Craft Your Passion. This week we got to play with some sponsor images and some more goodies from Pizzazz Aplenty. I got to use a gorgeous image from Digis with Attitude. Such a funky image ~ I loved it! Here is my card....

I thought the silver flatbacked pearls from Pizzazz Aplenty looked a little like rivets and the little set of Angels wings I was given was perfect for this card.

The best thing is that the Challenge is an Anything goes Challenge this week so go wild and upload your creations to Craft Your Passion. We'd love to see what you come up with. Thanks for stopping by. Take care. x x

Twisted Sketches Card Sketch #40

2011-01-03T10:27:00.000Z

Hi Everyone,

The latest Twisted Sketches Card Sketch is now live over at Twisted Sketches. This week's twist is "hope" ~ any how, any way! I was lucky enough to have some new stash to play with when I created this card since I got some Christmas money. Oh stash shopping how I've missed you! lol

Anyway, here is my card....

Apart from the Martha Stewart punch, the rub-on flourish and the cardstock, I think the rest is all new stash of mine. I made this card for my friend whose Birthday is at the end of January. We'll be away for that weekend so I'm trying to get organised (before you ask it's not a new years resolution - it's a year round resolution which I consistently fail to achieve! lol).

Head on over to Twisted Sketches and check out the other gorgeous creations from the Design Team. They're such a talented bunch of ladies. Then upload your own take on the sketch. We'd love to see what you come up with. Thanks for stopping by. Take care. x x

Its a Colour Challenge at Craft Your Passion

2010-12-27T20:47:00.000Z

Hi Everyone,

The latest Challenge is now live over at Craft Your Passion. This week's challenge is a Colour Challenge. You need to create using the colours Red, Green and Cream. This week I decided that I wasn't going to go down the Christmas route and tried to think of a different card to do. Here is my card....

I think this little gnome is so cute! Head on over to Craft Your Passion to check out the gorgeous creations from the Design Team, then upload your own using the colours listed. We'd love to see what you come up with. Thanks for stopping by. Take care. x x

Twisted Sketches Card Sketch #39

2010-12-27T20:40:00.001Z

The latest card sketch is now live over at Twisted Sketches. This week's twist is faith ~ any how, any way! Head on over the check out the inspiring cards by the talented Design Team. Then upload a link to your gorgeous creation based on the sketch provided. We'd love to see what you come up with.

Thanks for stopping by. Take care. x x

Its Christmas Time at Craft Your Passion.

2010-12-22T00:25:00.000Z

Hi Everyone,

The latest challenge is now live over at Craft Your Passion. This week's challenge is to create a Christmas Themed Creation. Here is my card...

I decided I didn't want to use traditional Christmas colours and instead went for a really bright feel. Head on over to Craft Your Passion and check out the other creations from the fab design Team. Then upload your own ~ we'd love to see what you come up with. Thanks for stopping by. Take care. x x

Twisted Sketches Card Sketch #38

2010-12-22T00:24:00.000Z

Hi Everyone,

The latest card sketch is now live over at Twisted Sketches. This week's twist is Chipboard ~ any how, any way! I was forunate enough to be asked to create a very special card for one of the ladies I work with. One of the members of her family was turning 100 and she asked me to create a card to celebrate this. I was very honoured to do this. Here is my card....

Head on over to Twisted Sketches and check out the sketch. Then upload your own creation and post a link on the blog. We'd love to see what you come up with. Thanks for stopping by. Take care. x x

Sketch Time at Craft Your Passion

2010-12-13T17:40:00.000Z

Hi Everyone,

This weeks Challenge is now live over at Craft Your Passion. This week's Challenge is a sketch Challenge. Head on over to Craft Your Passion to check out the sketch. Here is my card.....

I just love this snowman image of Lauretta's. Its so different from all the run-of-the-mill snowman pictures and is still so cute!! Upload your own take on the sketch over at Craft Your Passion. We'd love to see what you come up with . Thanks for stopping by. Take care. x x

Twisted Sketches Card Sketch #37

2010-12-11T18:44:00.001Z

The lastet card sketch is now live over at Twisted Sketches. This week's twist is Shine ~ any how, any way! Head on over to Twisted Sketches and check out the gorgeous creations from the Design Team and then upload your own shiney creations. Thanks for stopping by. Take care. x x

Challenge 35 at Craft Your Passion

2010-12-06T12:00:00.001Z

Hi Everyone,

This week over at Craft Your Passion we got the opportunity to play with some goodies from one of our fab sponsors. Pizazz Aplenty were kind enough to provide us with some lush bling to play with. This week's challenge was an anything goes challenge which let us imaginations run riot! Here is my card....

The gorgeous pack of loveliness we got to play with included the red and black lace as well as all the lovely little pearls. As you've probably gathered from some of my previous cards I love the pearls and the fact that I got to play with some gorgeous red and chocolate ones that were just soooo lush was so exciting!!!

I thought the gorgeous image of Corrine's would go perfectly with the lace and pearls and I decided to team it all with a sentiment from Unity Stamps.

Head on over and check out the Design Team's creations and then upload your own Anything Goes creations. Thanks for stopping by. Take care. x x

Twisted Sketches Card Sketch #36

2010-12-05T06:00:00.005Z

Hi Everyone,

The latest card sketch is now live over at Twisted Sketches. This week's twist is Alphabet ~ any how, any way! Here is my card....

I decided to keep this card as simple as possible and just used some die cut card stock for the alphabet background. The title is hand cut and a simple flower in the corner to finish it off. Head on over to Twisted Sketches and check out the gorgeous creations from the Design Team. Then upload a link to your own alphabet creations. We'd love to see what you come up with. Thanks for stopping by. Take care. x x

Challenge 34 at Craft Your Passion

2010-12-04T17:02:00.000Z

Hi Everyone,

Sorry this post is so late! I can not believe it! I had my post all scheduled to post as usual only to just discover that it was sat in my dashboard as a draft! Does anyone else have this problem? Its not the first time its happened but I've usually caught it earlier than this! Apologies guys....

Anyway, this weeks Challenge over at Craft Your Passion was to create a Monochromatic card using the colour of our choice. I chose blue and this cute image!

The sentiment is from a crafter companion set as well as the stamp for the bubbly background. Head on over to Craft Your Passion and check out the other Design Team member's creations. Then upload your own Monochromatic creations. Thanks for stopping by. Take care. x x

Twisted Sketches Card Sketch #35

2010-11-28T10:42:00.000Z

Hi Everyone,

The latest card sketch is now live over at Twisted Sketches. This week's twist is Layers ~ any how, any way! Head on over and check out the gorgeous creations from the Design Team. Then upload your own beautiful, layered creation and post a link at Twisted Sketches. We'd love to see what you come up with. Thanks for stopping by. Take care. x x

Sketch Time at Craft Your Passion

2010-11-22T12:00:00.004Z

Hi Everyone,

This week's challenge over at Craft Your Passion is a sketch Challenge. Head on over and check out the sketch. Here is my card.....

Yes, before you ask I did place each one of those little pearls one-by-one. The DP I used is from Kaisercraft. I love their products ~ and its not just because I'm Australian and they're an Australian Company! lol. The image is a Cocodingo image which I think is just so beautiful.

Head on over to Craft Your Passion for the other gorgeous creations from the Design Team. Then upload your own take on the sketch. We'd love to see what you come up with. Thanks for stopping by. Take care. x x

Twisted Sketches Card Sketch #34

2010-11-21T08:48:00.000Z

Hi Everyone,

This week's card sketch is now up over at Twisted Sketches. This week's twist was edge ~ any how, any way! Here is my card.....

I decided to get out my one of my Martha Stewart punches for my edge (see along the bottom of the DP). The "Birthday" letters came from K & Co.I bought I huge pack of mixed letters from them ages ago and have only just come across them again! Shameful! The "Wishes" stamp and the candle stamp used on the DP is from Unity and was stamped in Spiced Marmalade Distress ink. I also coloured in the card with this distress ink and some cut and dry foam. The black doodle rub-ons are Making Memories.

Head on over to Twisted Sketches and check out the sketch. Then upload your gorgeous creations using the sketch as inspiration. We'd love to see what you come up with! Thanks for stopping by. Take care. x x

Diamonds are a Girls Best Friend Over At Craft Your Passion

2010-11-15T12:00:00.003Z

Hi Everyone,

The latest Challenge is up over at Craft Your Passion. This week's Challenge is to create a Diamond Fold Card. I'd never made one of these before and wasn't sure how I would get on but they are really easy and cool to make! Here is my card.....

There's a great tutorial on how to make these cards over at Craft Your Passion so Head on over and check out the other fab creations from the Design Team and upload your own gorgeous creation. Thanks for stopping by. Take care. x x

Twisted Sketches Card Sketch #33

2010-11-14T19:25:00.000Z

Hi Everyone,

The latest card sketch is now live over at Twisted Sketches. This week's twist is Brad ~ any how, any way! This creations from the Design Team are gorgeous! Head on over to Twisted Sketches and check them out.

Thanks for stopping by. Take care. x x

Doubling up at Craft Your Passion

2010-11-08T12:00:00.000Z

Hi Everyone,

The light at the end of the tunnel is slowly getting bigger as the builders start putting the finishing touches on our new kitchen. We are really pleased with the final look so far. Just a few more things to iron out and a little more painting. I will definitely post up before and after shots when it's all finished.

Anyway, this weeks challenge over at Craft Your Passion is a Doubling Up challenge. Your challenge is to create a card using somethine doubled up. It could be the image, buttons, ribbon, brads ~ in fact anything you like. Here is my card....

I decided to double up my flower arrangements to create a little wedding card. I love this image of Corrine's and decided to colour the dress in a satin colour ~ using my promarkers of course.

To see the other wonderful "doubled up" ideas that the Design Team came up with check out Craft Your Passion. Then upload your own creation. We'd love to see your take on the Challenge. Thanks for stopping by. Take care. x x

Twisted Sketches Card Sketch #32

2010-11-06T18:16:00.000Z

Hi Everyone,

The nightmare of my kitchen continues but there is a faint glimmer of light at the end of the very VERY long tunnel! We are hoping that the kitchen will be finished by Monday ~ I will believe it when I see it since it's already taken twice as long as it should have!

Anyway, I've manged somehow to get my card done for this week's sketch at Twisted Sketches. This week's twist is Punch ~ any how, any way! Here tis.....

I got one of my punches that I haven't used for ages. Then looping some ribbons and curling some others and there's another Christmas card crossed off my list.

Head on over to Twisted Sketches and check out the other gorgeous creations from the Design Team. Then upload a link to your own creation. Thanks for stopping by. Take care. x x

Challenge 30 at Craft Your Passion

2010-11-01T12:00:00.005Z

Hi Everyone,

The latest Challenge is live over at Craft Your Passion. This week's Challenge is an Anything Goes Challenge! Yep that's right! You have complete control over what you'd like to create and we'd love to see what you come up with. Here is my card.....

I am seriously limited in my craft supplies since a lot of them are currently out of reach. It's horrible having to work like this. I will be so glad to have my little space back without half a kitchen in it. But for now I'm just having to manage.

Anyway, head on over to Craft Your Passion and check out the other Design Team's gorgeous creations. Then upload a gorgeous creation of your own. We'd love to see what you create. Thanks for looking. Take care. x x

Twisted Sketches Card Sketch #31

2010-10-31T23:12:00.000Z

Hi Everyone,

The nightmare that is my kitchen continues. I seriously don't know how much longer I can live like this! It is totally doing my head in! Anyhow...... (lol)

The latest Card Sketch is now live over at Twisted Sketches. This week's twist is Glitter ~ any how, any way! I absolutely love a bit of bling and the cards that the Design Team have come up with are gorgeous! They've got everything from Halloween to Birthday to Just Hello cards!

Head on over to Twisted Sketches and check them out as well as the sketch. Then upload your take on it. We'd love to see what you come up with. Take care. x x

Challenge 29 at Craft Your Passion

2010-10-25T08:44:00.000+01:00

Hi Everyone,

The latest Challenge is now live over at Craft Your Passion. This week's been such a struggle to get any crafting time but I've managed to purch myself on the little corner of my dining table and get a few things out. All the rest of my crafting stuff has been packed away to make room for all the things out of the kitchen. We're also decorating our bedroom at the same time so our little house is full to bursting at the moment.

Anyway, this weeks Challenge over at Craft Your Passion is to create a card using glitter or sparkles. I love a bit of bling on my cards so this Challenge was right up my street. Here is my card....

I also love this image of Corrine's as well and have been wanting to use it on a card for ages. I've teamed it with a sentiment from Unity Stamps along with some patterned paper from Basic Grey, the glittered brackets from Making Memories and the ribbon from Daisy Ds.

Head on over to Craft Your Passion and check out the other gorgeous creations from the Design Team. Then upload your own glittery/sparkly creations. We'd love to see what you come up with. Thanks for stopping by. Take care. x x

Twisted Sketches Card Sketch #30

2010-10-23T22:27:00.000+01:00

Hi Everyone,

Well if I thought my house could get anymore turned upside down when I wrote my previous post I was sadly mistaken. We are all seriously at bursting point now with the kitchen fitters and gas men coming round today to start work by rerouting the gas pipe for the cooker. Urgh! I will be so glad to have my house back. I am determined to take before and after photos though because the kitchen looks absolutely vile at the moment.

Anyway, somehow (not quite sure how) I've managed to craft in the midst of madness. The latest Twisted Sketches card Sketch is up and this week's Twist is Music ~ any how, any way! Here is my card.....

The stamps and the sentiment are from Unity Stamps, the patterned paper is from Basic Grey and the doodles are from Making Memories. The image has been stamped on kraft cardstock and coloured using Promarkers. Head on over to Twisted Sketches and check out the sketch. We'd love to see what you come up with. Thanks for stopping by. Take care. x x

Challenge 28 at Craft Your Passion

2010-10-21T06:51:00.000+01:00

Hi Everyone,

The latest Challenge is up over at Craft Your Passion. This weeks Challenge is a colour challenge. Create a card using the colours Orange, Purple and Black. Here is my card....

I tried to keep the card simple as I wanted the image to be the main focal point on the card. Head on over to Craft Your Passion and check out the other gorgeous creations from the Design Team. Then upload your take on the challenge. We'd love to see what you come up with. Thanks for stopping by. Take care. x x

Twisted Sketches Card Sketch #29

2010-10-21T06:46:00.000+01:00

Hi Everyone,

The latest card sketch is now available over at Twisted Sketches. This week's sketch is so pretty! The twist this week is Jewel ~ any how, any way! This week was Team A's turn to dazzle you with their gorgeous creations and boy they do not disappoint!

Head on over to Twisted Sketches to check out the sketch and stunning creations and then upload your own take on the sketch. We'd love to see what you come up with. Thanks for stopping by. Take care. x x

Life is sooo manic at the moment!

2010-10-21T06:41:00.000+01:00

Hi Everyone,

Sorry I haven't been on here in such a long time. To be honest I can't remember the last time I had time for myself. It seems life is a neverending stream of things to be done at the moment. We've currently got the builders in ripping out our kitchen and installing another one next week. Considering our house is tiny I can't believe how much kitchen they've delivered. I said to the delivery man "Please just put it over there in that corner." He kind of grinned at me and said ".... and where would you like the rest of it love? I am delivering 122 pieces today!" Needless to say you can hardly move in my house at the moment and it's all stacked in our dining room so it's virtually impossible for me to have any crafty time or get on my PC. :(

So if I seem a little bit AWOL at the moment please accept my apologies. Normality will hopefully resume by the end of the month. Thanks for stopping by. Take care. x x

Challenge 27 at Craft Your Passion

2010-10-11T07:47:00.000+01:00

Hi Everyone,

The latest Challenge is now live over at Craft Your Passion. This week's Challenge is a sketch Challenge. Here is my card....

I just love this snowman image. He's so adorable. I've glittered the trim on his hat and scarf but I thought they would look equally good with some flowersoft or some puff paint. The snowflake and sentiment stamps are from Unity.

We'd love you to head on over to Craft Your Passion to check out the other gorgeous creations from our fab Design Team. Have a go and the sketch and upload it to the blog. You could win yourself some digitial stamps. Thanks for stopping by. Take care. x x

Twisted Sketches Sketch and New Team!

2010-10-09T23:15:00.000+01:00

Hi Everyone,

The new teams have just been announced on the Twisted Sketches Card Design Teams. There are some familiar faces along with some new blood. Head on over and check them and all the gorgeous creations out. This weeks twist is Friend ~ any how, any way! Here is my card....

I love this cute pair of birds. The image, sentiment and the heart border are all from Unity Stamps. I just love their images. We'd love to see your take on the sketch. Upload a link now at Twisted Sketches. Thanks for stopping by. Take care. x x

Challenge 26 at Craft Your Passion

2010-10-04T20:36:00.001+01:00

Hi Everyone,

The latest Challenge over at Craft Your Passion is now live. This weeks Challenge is a technique Challenge. The idea is to use crumpled paper somewhere on your creation. Here is my card....

I decided to dissect the image and arrange them individually on the card. The crumpled paper I sanded and then lightly rubbed a distress ink pad over. All the parts of the image are mounted on 3D foam apart from the tiny stars which are stuck to the crumpled paper.

Head on over to Craft Your Passion and check out the other gorgeous creations from the Design Team. Then upload your own crumpled creations! We'd love to see what you come up with. Thanks for stopping by. Take care. x x

Twisted Sketches Card Sketch #27

2010-10-03T06:00:00.001+01:00

Hi Everyone,

The latest card sketch is now live over at Twisted Sketches. This weeks twist is LOVE ~ any how, any way! It's Ethan's 8th Birthday on Wednesday so I decided to use this sketch and twist to make his birthday card. I know for a fact that his greatest love, after his Mum of course, is Lego! lol

So I thought I would create him a Lego card for his Birthday. Here is my card.....

I managed to recycle a gift tag from the Lego wrapping paper that I didn't use and used it as the focal point for my card. I then used the sketch to create the rest of the card and added the hand cut heart to show his love of Lego. Finally I added some pieces of actual lego to the card using repositionable adhesive so he can still get them off.

Head on over to Twisted Sketches and check out the other gorgeous creations from the Design Team. We'd love to see your LOVELY creations. Thanks for stopping by. Take care. x x

Challenge 25 at Craft Your Passion

2010-09-27T12:00:00.002+01:00

Hi Everyone,

The latest Challenge is now up over at Craft Your Passion. This weeks Challenge was Clean and Simple. I found this a real challenge because I don't consider my style to be Clean and Simple. I look at other peoples Clean and Simple style and think WOW! but when it comes to me I just can't seem to get it. Anyway, for this image I thought I would let the image speak for itself. However, I could not resist placing a little row of pearls to add a little bling. Here is my card.....

This card is going to be for Trace's Mum's Birthday. I hope she likes it. Anyway, head on over to Craft Your Passion to check out the other gorgeous creations from the Design Team, then upload your own Clean and Simple creations. We'd love to see what you come up with. Thanks for stopping by. Take care. x x

Twisted Sketches Card Sketch #26

2010-09-26T06:00:00.001+01:00

Hi Everyone,

The latest Sketch is now live over at Twisted Sketches. This weeks twist is Circle ~ any how, any way! Here is my card.....

I decided to have a bit of a play with this sketch and stamped the little circles with the lid of one of my promarkers. The colour scheme was taken from the 100% Boy embellishment. I've always loved this embellisment but haven't found the right place to use it until now.

The rounded squares have come from a heidi Swapp writers block journalling pad which I've had for ages. Yes, before you ask, I am still using my existing stash. It seems never ending at the moment and it seems ages since I've been stash shopping!

Anyway, head on over to Twisted Sketches to check out the other gorgeous creations from the Design Team. We'd love to see your take on the sketch. Thanks for looking. Take care. x x

Challenge 24 at Craft Your Passion

2010-09-20T12:00:00.000+01:00

Hi Everyone,

Once again there are no where near enough hours in the day. I never seem to have enough time to finish everything I need to do! Nevertheless I somehow manage to muddle through.

Challenge 24 is now live over at Craft Your Passion. This weeks Challenge was a sketch Challenge which I love. Here is my card....

I didn't want to leave the piano white but I thought that if I coloured it black it may loose some of the detail so I opted for the middle and chose grey. That then lead me onto the rest of the colour scheme. It's amazing how one element can develop the rest of the card sometimes.

Anyway, head on over to Craft Your Passion and check out the sketch. We'd love to see your interpretation of it so upload your card to the blog. Thanks for stopping by. Take care. x x

Twisted Sketches Card Sketch #25

2010-09-19T06:00:00.002+01:00

Hi Everyone,

Card Sketch #25 is now live over at Twisted Sketches. This weeks Twist is Big ~ any how, any way! Head on over and check out the gorgeous creations from the Design Team. We'd love to see your creations so upload a link in the comments section.

Thanks for stopping by. Take care. x x

My Last Challenge at Stamping With The Dragon

2010-09-17T00:00:00.001+01:00

Hi Everyone,

I've decided to cut down on my Design Teams now that I seem to have so much on my plate at the moment. It was a really hard decision as I love working with all the Design Teams that I'm on but, unfortunately, this will be my last Challenge over at Stamping With The Dragon. This weeks Challenge is sponsored by Toucan Scraps. The Challenge is to create a card using black, white and one other colour. I chose Red for my colour. Here is my card.....

Because there was so much beautiful detail in the image I decided to keep the card simple. I also got to play with one of my latest stash additions ~ some little adhesive pearls from Kaisercraft which I picked up when I was in Australia. The patterned paper is from Prima and the card stock is Bazzill Bling to give it another bit of shimmer.

Head on over to Stamping With The Dragon to check out the other gorgeous creations from the Design Team. We'd love to see what you come up with. Thanks for looking. Take care. x x

Rushing For Challenge 23 at Craft Your Passion

2010-09-16T06:32:00.001+01:00

Hi Everyone,

Life is virtually non stop at the moment. Between the normal day-to-day things I have a soon-to-be eight year olds party to organise and a half ripped out kitchen in preparation for the new one being installed next month. My evenings are taken up with invitations, cake decisions, stripping walls and drying out plaster as we've found a bit of damp from a washing machine leak a while ago.

But enough about my jet set lifestyle! lol. Here is the latest Challenge over at Craft Your Passion. This weeks Challenge is an Easel Card. I love Easel Cards but sometimes they never turn out how I want. Thankfully I was quite pleased with this one....

Head on over to Craft Your Passion for a look at the other cards that the Talented Design Team have created. We'd love to see your creations too so upload them to be in the running for some digital stamps. Thanks for looking. Take care. x x

Twisted Sketches Card Sketch #24

2010-09-12T06:00:00.001+01:00

Hi Everyone,

Apologies for being absent from my blog for a while. I've had a stinking cold since I came back from Australia and this week has just been such a struggle with non-stop coughing and infected sinuses! Urgh! Gross!!! However, my cough has started to die down now and I am starting to feel a bit better.

Now for the good stuff...... the latest Card Sketch is now live over at Twisted Sketches. This week's twist is tiny ~ any how, any way! I decided to use some "tiny" doodads for my take on the sketch. Here is my card....

The Doodads make a nice border I think? Something a bit different from the normal matting and layering. Head on over to Twisted Sketches and check out the other takes on the sketch from the fabulous Design Team. We'd love to see what you come up with. Thanks for stopping by. Take care. x x

Twisted Sketches Card Sketch #23

2010-09-05T06:00:00.004+01:00

Hi Everyone,

Card Sketch #23 is now live over at Twisted Sketches. This weeks Twist is Clear ~ any how, any way! Head on over and check out the gorgeous creations from the Design Team. We'd love to see your creations so upload a link in the comments section.

Thanks for stopping by. Take care. x x

Challenge Time at Stamping With The Dragon

2010-09-03T00:00:00.000+01:00

Hi Everyone,

We'll this is the first post I've done since we came back from Australia. I think the older I get the longer it takes me to recover from my jet lag! I'm still not quite there and have managed to catch a cold to boot! Bad times!

However, I've been itching to get into my crafting stash. This week's Challenge over at Stamping With the Dragon is called "The Eyes have it!" That's because this week is being sponsored by Wink Wink Ink. All the Design Team got to play with a gorgeous image from the shop. I chose a lovely feline image. Here is my card....

I really wanted to keep the card simple so as to show off the image. Simple grey and blue colouring to highlight the silhouette and a simple "I love u" theme. Head on over to Stamping With The Dragon to check out the other cool creations from the Design Team. We'd love to see how you interpret the theme - remember "The Eyes Have It!" Thanks for stopping by. Take care. x x

Challenge 21 at Craft Your Passion

2010-08-30T12:00:00.002+01:00

Hi Everyone,

This weeks Challenge over at Craft Your Passion is Pink and Black! Here is my card.....

Head on over to Craft Your Passion and check out the other creations by the talented Design Team. Thanks for stopping by. Take care. x x

Twisted Sketches Card Sketch #22

2010-08-29T06:00:00.003+01:00

Hi Everyone,

The latest Card Sketch is now live over at Twisted Sketches. This weeks twist is Edge ~ any how, any way! Here is my card......

Check out the other gorgeous cards by the Design Team over at Twisted Sketches. Thanks for stopping by. Take care. x x

Design Team Showcase over at The Crafting Dragon

2010-08-27T00:00:00.010+01:00

Hi Everyone,

The latest Design Team Showcase is now live over at The Crafting Dragon. Here is my card.....

Head on over to The Crafting Dragon and check out the creations by the talented Design Team. Thanks for stopping by. Take care. x x

Challenge 20 at Craft Your Passion

2010-08-23T12:00:00.001+01:00

Hi Everyone

The latest Challenge is now live over at Craft Your Passion. This weeks challenge is to create a card using a handmade flower. Here is my card.....

Check out the creations from the taleneted Design Team and upload your handmade flower creations to Craft Your Passion. Thanks for stopping by. Take care. x x

Twisted Sketches Card Sketch #21

2010-08-22T06:00:00.002+01:00

Hi Everyone,

Card Sketch #15 is now live over at Twisted Sketches. This weeks Twist is Staple ~ any how, any way! Head on over and check out the gorgeous creations from the Design Team. We'd love to see your creations so upload a link in the comments section.

Thanks for stopping by. Take care. x x

Challenge 15 at Stamping With The Dragon

2010-08-20T00:00:00.002+01:00

Hi Everyone,

This week's Challenge over at Stamping With The Dragon is a Sketch Challenge. Here is my card....

Check out the other takes on the Sketch created by the talented Design Team over at Stamping With The Dragon. Thanks for stopping by. Take care. x x

Anything Goes at Craft Your Passion

2010-08-16T12:00:00.001+01:00

Hi Everyone,

This week's challenge over at Craft Your Passion is an Anything Goes Challenge! Let your imagination run wild! Here is my card....

This little car is so cute! Head on over to Craft Your Passion and check out the other talented Design Team members.

Twisted Sketches Card Sketch #20

2010-08-15T06:00:00.002+01:00

Hi Everyone

The latest Card Sketch is now live over at Twisted Sketches. This weeks twist is Fabric ~ any how, any way. Here is my card.....

Check out the other gorgeous creations by the Design Team at Twisted Sketches. Thanks for stopping by. Take care. x x

Design Team Showcase over at The Crafting Dragon

2010-08-13T00:00:00.002+01:00

Hi Everyone,

The latest Design Team Showcase is now live over at The Crafting Dragon. Here is my card....

Head on over to The Crafting Dragon and check out the other creations by the talented Design Team. Thanks for stopping by. Take care. x x

Challenge 18 at Craft Your Passion

2010-08-09T12:00:00.008+01:00

Hi Everyone,

The latest Challenge is now live over at Craft Your Passion. This weeks Challenge told us to create something with the colour scheme of Red, Green and Black. I thought this image of Wine for Two would be perfect. Here is my card....

We'd love to see your creations using this colour scheme. Head on over to Craft Your Passion and check out the other creations by the talented Design Team, then upload your own masterpiece. Thanks for looking. Take care. x x

Twisted Sketches Card Sketch #19

2010-08-08T06:00:00.003+01:00

Hi Everyone,

Card Sketch #15 is now live over at Twisted Sketches. This weeks Twist is Stripe ~ any how, any way! Head on over and check out the gorgeous creations from the Design Team. We'd love to see your creations so upload a link in the comments section.

Thanks for stopping by. Take care. x x

Challenge Time at Stamping With The Dragon

2010-08-06T00:00:00.001+01:00

Hi Everyone,

This weeks Challenge at Stamping With The Dragon is brought to us by Whimsy Stamps. There images are so cute! I got to play with this gorgeous little Turtle! The Challenge is a colour scheme Challenge..... create a card using the colours green, blue and yellow. Here is my card....

So head on over to Stamping With The Dragon and check out the other creations by the talented Design Team. We'd love to see what you can come up with. Pop over to Whimsy Stamps and check out their gorgeous images too. Thanks for stopping by! Take care. x x

Challenge Seventeen at Craft Your Passion

2010-08-02T12:00:00.004+01:00

Hi Everyone,

It's Challenge Time again over at Craft Your Passion. This week's Challenge is a Sketch Challenge. I really enjoyed this sketch ~ partly because I got to play with some of my new stash. I'd forgotten how nice and how inspirational new stash could be. Here is my card....

This image has a little butterfly on the right of the swing but I trimmed it off, cut it out and made it a feature on my little ribbon corner. Head on over to Craft Your Passion to check out the sketch and the Design Teams gorgeous work and then upload your inspired creations. We can't wait to see what you come up with. Thanks for looking. Take care. x x

Twisted Sketches Card Sketch #18

2010-08-01T06:00:00.005+01:00

Hi Everyone,

The latest Twisted Sketches Card Sketch is now live over at Twisted Sketches. This week's twist was "tag" ~ any way, any how! I decided to keep my card quite simple for this one and used three basic grey tag die cuts for mine. I love the fact that they're all different ~ usually I'm a real symmetry freak but I was happy with this! lol

I decided to make this card for one of our friends whose Birthday is coming up. Her name is Emma (hence the E.C.). All the papers are from Basic Grey Lillykate and the ribbons are from my massive ribbon collection which does not seem to be going down no matter how much I use them!

Head on over to Twisted Sketches and check out what the other talented ladies have been up to. Then upload your own wonderful creations. Thanks for looking. Take care. x x

Design Team Showcase over at Stamping Dragon Designs

2010-07-30T18:33:00.000+01:00

Hi Everyone,

Head on over to Stamping Dragon Designs to check out the latest creations from the Design Team. This week I got to play with two of my favourite things combined into one! ~ Stamps and Chocolate! I just love this image ~ haven't seen anyone else with an image of chocolate so far. Here is my card.....

It must have been fate because I just happened to have "The Chocolate Tasting Club" ribbon in my huge ribbon stash! It just had to be put with this image. Head on over to Stamping Dragon Designs to check out other gorgeous creations that the other Design Team members have come up with. Thanks for looking. Take care. x x

Challenge Sixteen at Craft Your Passion

2010-07-26T07:57:00.000+01:00

Hi Everyone,

Challenge Sixteen is now live over at Craft Your Passion. This weeks Challenge was a Recipe Challenge to use three different ribbons. As you know, if you've been reading my blog for a while, ribbon is something I do not lack! It was great rumaging through my ribbon "pom-pom" looking for three that went together. Anyway, here is my card.....

I actually got to play with some new stash that I bought last week. The paper is from the Hey Birdie Collection from Kaiser Craft. It was so adorable I couldn't resist. Anyway, head on over to Craft Your Passion to check out the other gorgeous creations from the Design Team and then upload your ribbon-filled creations. We'd love to see what you come up with. Take care. x x

Twisted Sketches Card Sketch #17

2010-07-25T06:00:00.001+01:00

Hi Everyone,

Card Sketch #15 is now live over at Twisted Sketches. This weeks Twist is Glitter ~ any how, any way! Head on over and check out the gorgeous creations from the Design Team. We'd love to see your creations so upload a link in the comments section.

Thanks for stopping by. Take care. x x

Such a Proud Mum! Again!

2010-07-24T11:22:00.000+01:00

Hi Everyone,

Ethan had his last day at school yesterday. It's hard to believe he's now finished Year 2! He just seems to be growing up so fast! Trace and I couldn't be prouder of him though. He's done so well in his SATs getting all level 3's except one 2A (Level 3 is the highest he could get and Level 2A is just one below a 3) and his school report said he has a reading age of 9 years 11 months and all his comments were either Outstanding or Very Good. We are two very proud Mums.

As if that wasn't enough he also received an award for 100% attendance and an award for Amazing Achievement for the Year. Apprently only 4 children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 received this award so we were so proud of him. He's worked so hard this year and his results are a clue to us that were doing something right and that he's a happy and settled little boy.

Of course Trace and I went to his assembly to see him receive his awards. We were told he was receiving them but he didn't know anything about them. As usual I took my carmera and we both shed a few tears of pride as he was presented with his certificates. Here is our proud little man....

As a reward for working so hard we took him out for some food at his favourite place to eat and bought him the football shirt he's been wanting for a while. Thanks for sharing this happy event with me. Take care. x x

Challenge Eleven at Stamping With The Dragon

2010-07-23T00:00:00.002+01:00

Hi Everyone,

This week over at Stamping With The Dragon we got to play with some gorgeous images from Lil Diva Stamps. I loved all the images and found it really hard to choose. In the end I chose one called Masquarde. We were challenged to create a card using one of the images and a distressing technique. Here is my card....

I have lots of bits and pieces in my stash which I've kept but not known where I will actually use them. Thankfully the strange shaped playing cards came in perfect use for this card. Along with a few images cut out of a piece of Crate Paper paper, a velvet flower, another backing paper from Foof-a-la and a load of distress ink in black soot and there we have it. I loved colouring in the image and added a touch a glam with a little Gellyroll glaze pen in black to the headpiece, the boddice and the mask.

Head on over to Stamping with the Dragon to upload your distressed creations. We'd love to see what you come up with. Thanks for looking. Take care. x x

Challenge Fifteen at Craft Your Passion

2010-07-19T21:06:00.000+01:00

Hi Everyone,

The latest Challenge is now live over at Craft Your Passion. This weeks Challenge was a Colour Challenge using the colours Orange, Yellow and Blue. Here is my card.....

I enjoyed this card. I tried to keep it simple. The image is one of Corrine's images and was so nice to work with. I tried to keep the baseball theme going by using diamonds in my background. The Happy Birthday Stamp is actually a free one I received from Papercraft Inspirations magazine.

Head on over to Craft Your Passion and upload your Challenge creations. We'd love to see what you inspires you. Thanks for looking. Take care. x x

Twisted Sketches Card Sketch #16

2010-07-18T06:00:00.002+01:00

Hi Everyone,

The latest Card Sketch is now live over at Twisted Sketches. This week's twist is Metal ~ any how, any way! I really enjoyed using this sketch and even made a matching Bazzill envelope to go with the card. Here is my card....

The hugs and kisses are made of metal and are from Go West Studios. Yes, I'm still using my existing stash but I have ordered a few bits and pieces this month which was so exciting! Haven't stash shopped for ages. My other half says she wants to make sure my stash can all fit in my one little craft space and not be spread over three rooms of the house before I can order anymore! lol.

Anyway, head on over to Twisted Sketches and check out the other gorgeous creations made by the Design Team. Be inspired and upload a link to your blog to show us your wonderful cards.We look forward to seeing what you create. Thanks for looking. Take care. x x

Stamping Dragon Designs

2010-07-16T00:00:00.001+01:00

Hi Everyone,

This week I got to play with a lovely party image from Stamping Dragon Designs. I tried to keep the card simple and thought it might be nice for a 3rd Birthday (hence the three stars). Here is my card.....

I kept the colour scheme to primary colours except for the dragon of course. The chipboard stars are actually from a border which I chopped up. The image has been coloured using promarkers (of course!). Thanks for looking. Take care. x x

Challenge Fourteen Over At Craft Your Passion

2010-07-12T12:00:00.002+01:00

Hi Everyone,

Challenge Fourteen is now live over at Craft Your Passion. This weeks Challenge involves a sketch. Head on over the check it out as well as some of the new images. Here is my card.....

I decided to flip the sketch as I like to work in square cards at the moment and I thought it worked better on a square card like this. I just thought this image was soooo cute! Loved it! Anyway, we'd love to see your creations. Head on over to Craft Your Passion and show us what inspires you. Thanks for looking. Take care. x x

Twisted Sketches Card Sketch #15

2010-07-10T14:28:00.000+01:00

Hi Everyone,

Card Sketch #15 is now live over at Twisted Sketches. This weeks Twist is Frame ~ any how, any way! Head on over and check out the gorgeous creations from the Design Team. We'd love to see your creations so upload a link in the comments section.

Thanks for stopping by. Take care. x x

Stamping With The Dragon ~ Challenge Nine

2010-07-09T00:00:00.001+01:00

Hi Everyone,

The latest Challenge is now live over at Stamping With The Dragon. This weeks Challenge is to design a card using transparency in some way and three buttons. For this Challenge we got to play with some fab images from Beary Dust. They are just adorable!! Here is my card....

I used a piece to transparency covered in alcohol ink and matted onto blue card for the circle behind the bear. I coloured the bear using Promarkers and found a scrap of Chatterbox double sided paper for the background. A bit of rik rak from my ribbon stash and three Bazzill buttons and we're done.

Head on over the Stamping with The Dragon and upload your creations. We'd love to see what you can do with Transparency and Buttons. Take care. x x

Craft Your Passion Challenge Thirteen

2010-07-05T12:00:00.006+01:00

Hi Everyone,

What a nightmare week it's been. My pooter has been having serious issues this week but (not sure if I should say this or not in case I jinx it) I think everything is sorted now.

I have so much work to catch up on though. :( Hate being behind. I need to be ahead anyway because we go on holiday for three weeks in August and I need to get my Design Team work ahead. It's going to be a busy five weeks me thinks.

Anyway, it's Challenge Time over at Craft Your Passion. Challenge Thirteen is now live. This week's Challenge is to use Real or Faux Stitchin on your cards. Here is my card.....

I decided to use a gel pen for my "stitches." I wanted to show that you don't need expensive rubons or have to sit and hand stitch everything to achieve a stitched look. Head on over to Craft Your Passion and upload your stitched creations. We'd love to see them. Thanks for looking. Take care. x x

Twisted Sketches Card Sketch #14

2010-07-04T06:00:00.001+01:00

Hi Everyone,

I'm still having a nightmare with my computer. Getting online time at the moment is a real struggle. Not to mention the fact that all my pictures are on my PC. Really starting to get fed up with it all.

Anyway, enough of my moaning. Thankfully I completed this card before my computer went down and had it saved on my camera's memory card. The latest Sketch is up at Twisted Sketches and this week's twist is Gold ~ any way, any how!

My son must be the only child in the UK if not the world to still have Easter Egg chocolate to eat. As he was munching on his latest Easter Egg I couldn't help but pinch the gold wrapper it came in. I then traced around a Grungeboard flourish and very, very gently cut it out. It ripped really easily so I had to be really careful with the scissors.

I then cut out a frame from a sheet of Grungeboard and painted it in gold ink. A bit of layering, some Prima flowers and a little sentiment from Urban Lily and my card is complete.....

Head on over to Twisted Sketches and upload a link to your Gold creations. Thanks for looking.

Take care. x x

Craft Your Passion Challenge Twelve....

2010-06-28T07:36:00.001+01:00

Hi Everyone,

This weeks Challenge over at Craft Your Passion is now live. This Challenge this week was to create a card with a Turquoise Blue and Brown colour scheme. Here is my card......

Unfortunately I didn't have a turquoise coloured Promarker (something I will be looking into!) so instead I layered Azure and Soft Green over one another for the flowers in the watering can. Head on over and check out the other Design Team's gorgeous creations and then create a turquoise and brown masterpiece of your own. Upload to the blog and you could win some gorgeous digital stamps. Thanks for looking. Take care. x x

Twisted Sketches Card Sketch #13

2010-06-28T07:25:00.001+01:00

Hi Everyone,

Twisted Sketches Card Sketch #13 is now live over at Twisted Sketches. This weeks twist is Flourish ~ any way, any how. Head on over the check out the Design Team's gorgeous work and submit a card of your own. We'd love to see your work. Take care. x x

Stamping With The Dragon ~ Fourth Challenge

2010-06-25T06:00:00.002+01:00

Hi Everyone,

The Fourth Challenge is now live over at Stamping With The Dragon. This weeks challenge is to make an easel card. The Design Team decided to do a love/wedding theme since so many weddings happen at this time of year. Here is my card....

I thought I would try printable acetate. I've had it in my stash for ages but have never used it (how many of us can say things like that! lol). I printed the image onto the acetate using my inkjet printer and coloured it with Promarkers. Then I wrapped it around the top matt and centred it over the quote. Head on over to Stamping With The Dragon and check out the Design Team's lovely creations. Thanks for looking. Take care. x x

Back Online with Challenge 11 at Craft Your Passion

2010-06-21T12:00:00.002+01:00

Hi Everyone,

I'm now back online after my computer went down last week. It was a nightmare and so frustrating. Thankfully it's all fixed now thanks to my Ex-husband who is a whizz at computers.

Now back to the crafty stuff.... Challenge 11 is now live over at Craft Your Passion. This weeks Challenge involves a sketch. Head on over to the blog and check it out. I really enjoyed this sketch and decided to get a heads up on the end of the school year and make a Thank You card for Ethan's teachers.....

I wanted something bright and cheery. This image I got to work with this week (one of Corrine's Images) was perfect for a teachers card. I hand cut the apple shape and made a little stem and leaf from scrap cardstock. I reinforced the teachers theme and the flowers in the sketch with the three flowers in the corner with ABC alphabet beads which I had in my stash. I'm pleased with the way this one turned out.

So, head on over to Craft Your Passion, check out the sketch and upload it to the blog to be in with a chance of winning some digital stamps. Thanks for looking. Take care. x x

Twisted Sketches Card Sketch #12

2010-06-20T06:00:00.002+01:00

Morning Everyone,

The latest Card Sketch is now live over at Twisted Sketches. This week's twist is "Ruffle" ~ any how, any way! I decided to have a go at making some ruffled flowers using strips of fabric at I've had in my stash for ages. I must admit they were a little fiddly and trying to tie them up with my acrylic nails was a challenge in itself. However, I got there in the end. Here is my card.....

I don't think they turned out too badly. I've added some little pearl beads in the centre which I cut off a bracelet that one of my bosses gave me for Christmas (sshhh ~ dont tell!) and stuck them down with Diamond Glaze. The papers I dug out of my stash were Basic Grey Lilykate (how old is that! lol) and the chipboard was Heidi Swapp. I also added a white Making Memories Doodle Rubon over the patterned paper and inked all the edges of everything with distress ink in Tattered Rose. Thanks for looking. Take care. x x

Aaaarrrrgggghhhh! My Computer's gone down.

2010-06-17T22:03:00.000+01:00

Hi Everyone,

My computer has decided to die on me this evening. I think it may be the power supply in the tower but wont know for sure until someone can look at it. At the moment I've highjacked my other half's laptop to type this.

While it's down I have no access to my photos, email accounts or printers. Nightmare!!! While it's down you can contact me on the email button on my sidebar where it says email me.

Apologies. Normal service will resume as soon as possible. Take care. x x

Craft Your Passion Challenge Ten...

2010-06-14T12:00:00.002+01:00

Morning Everyone,

The latest Challenge is now live over at Craft Your Passion. The challenge this week is to create using the technique of Paper Piecing. I haven't done a lot of Paper Piecing but the times I have done it I've really enjoyed it. This time was no exception. Here is my card.....

I thought this image would be perfect for a "Sealed With A Kiss" Card. This little seal is so cute! Head on over to Craft Your Passion and check out the other Design Team creations and inspire us all with your Paper Piecing creations. Thanks for stopping by. Take care. x x

Twisted Sketches Card Sketch #11

2010-06-13T21:52:00.001+01:00

Hi Everyone,

The latest Card Sketch is now live over at Twisted Sketches. This weeks Twist is "Distress" ~ any how, any way! The creations from the Design Team are stunning! I love the distressed look. Between getting mucky with ink and sanding everything in sight ~ I love it! I don't do it all the time though. I suppose I'm still finding my creative niche.

Anyway, head on over to Twisted Sketches and check out the Design Team's distressed creations and then inspire everyone with a gorgeous creation of your own! Take care. x x

Challenge Three Over at Stamping With The Dragon

2010-06-12T08:34:00.001+01:00

Morning all,

This week over at Stamping With The Dragon we were lucky enough to work with some gorgeous images from Lexi's Creations. I fell in love with this beautiful little fairy called Butterscotch and just had to make a card....

I've coloured her in with my Promarkers, dismantled a huge blossom from My Minds Eye and just used the base flower and then placed it on some Bo Bunny double sided paper which I've inked with my distress inks. Add a few Basic Grey rub-ons to set of the flower and a strip of cardstock punched with one of my Martha Stewart punches and inked with distress inks and we're done. I just thought she was so beautiful I wanted to make her center stage. Thanks for looking. Take care. x x

Challenge Nine at Craft Your Passion

2010-06-07T07:40:00.001+01:00

Afternoon Everyone,

Challenge Nine is now live over at Craft Your Passion. This weeks Challenge is a Recipe ~ use one Designer Paper and Three Brads. I chose a lovely piece of double sided Prima Paper and some Doodlebug Brads. Here is my card....

I just love this hat image. So cute! So now it's your turn ~ head on over to Craft Your Passion to check out the Design Teams gorgeous creations and then upload your own. You can win some digital stamps. Thanks for stopping by. Take care. x x

Twisted Sketches Card Sketch #10

2010-06-05T17:22:00.000+01:00

Hi Everyone,

The latest Card Sketch is now live over at Twisted Sketches. This week saw the turn of Team B, of which I am a member. The twist for this week was Yellow ~ any way, any how! I must admit I struggled with this twist. I think it was probably because it has such a wide scope for creation. Nevertheless, here is my card....

I love this image of a sunflower which I picked up as a freebie from Wink Wink Ink. I just thought it was such a cute image. So head on over to Twisted Sketches and check out the gorgeous creations from the rest of Design Team B. Thanks for looking. Take care. x x

Getting the Heads Up on Christmas

2010-06-04T12:00:00.001+01:00

Afternoon Everyone,

It's school holidays over here at the moment so my head is all over the place. Have trouble remembering what day it is. Ethan has gone away with his Dad and his Family so the house is very quiet. We are hoping this weekend to get the house sorted. Believe it or not we have been in our little house for 18 months and still have boxes to unpack and find a place for. Not to mention my craft stash which soooo needs sorting out - its everywhere!

Nevertheless, it's time to check out the gorgeous creations over at Stamping Dragon Designs. Here is my contribution this week....

I loved this Christmas Fireplace image. I don't normally use a lot of grey in my colourings but I felt the fireplace would be better grey than left white. So head on over the check out the other gorgeous creations from the Design Team. Thanks for looking. Take care. x x

Craft Your Passion Challenge Eight...

2010-05-31T07:27:00.000+01:00

Afternoon all,

Challenge Eight is now live over at Craft Your Passion. This weeks Challenge is a Sketch Challenge. Here is my card...

The Design Team this week was lucky enough to get to play with some new Images that have been released today. Head on over and check them out. We'd love to see your take on the sketch so have a go and upload your gorgeous creations to the blog. You can win some fab digital images! Thanks for stopping by. Take care. x x

Twisted Sketches Card Sketch #9

2010-05-30T15:39:00.001+01:00

Afternoon all,

The latest Card Sketch over at Twisted Sketches is now live. This weeks twist is "Rub-on" - any way, any how! This weeks creations are from Team A and, as usual, are absolutely gorgeous. Head on over and check out their creations. Afterwards don't forget that we'd love to see your creations and the wonderful twists you come up with.

Take care. x x

Challenge Two at Stamping With The Dragon...

2010-05-28T09:49:00.001+01:00

Morning everyone,

The Second Challenge is now live over at Stamping with the Dragon. This weeks challenge is a theme ~ Summer ~ anything goes! Create a card in the theme of Summer ~ let your creativity run wild! This week the Design Team got to play with some gorgeous images from Stitchy Bear Stamps. I loved the images and wanted them all. Here is my card....

So head on over to Stamping With The Dragon, check out the images and get creative. The winner wins three images from Stitchy's Store! Thanks for stopping by. Take Care. x x

Craft Your Passion Challenge Seven

2010-05-24T12:00:00.003+01:00

Afternoon Everyone,

Challenge Seven on Craft Your Passion is now live. This weeks Challenge is to create using Distressing or Crackles. I love my distressing so had a ball getting all inky. Here is my card....

Lots of colouring and distressing with sandpaper and nail files. We'd love to see what you create so hop on over to Craft Your Passion and upload your distressed and crackled creations this week. Thanks for stopping by. Take care. x x