Little Things

Oh my poor neglected blog, lol - and I'm not going to sit and type a thousand word essay on excuses, no sir'ee, just a heap of family stuff etc etc going on that I ain't gonna bore ya with, so, onto my card.

Another gorgeous LOTV stamp, an oldie but a goodie, which I have used on a Platinum Wedding Anniversary card I was asked to do.  Apparently it was a struggle to find one in the shops, so I whipped this up in super quick time - well, I say super quick, the image took about 3 and a half hours to colour with my prisma pencils, as I tried the (slightly) no line technique, lol.  I haven't got a pale inkpad, so I used black and stamped the ink off onto a scrap piece of paper about 3-4 times, then stamped onto the Neenah card after that.  First attempt and I'm quite pleased with the results.  What'cha think???

I'm still not great with the photo taking as the colours are much paler in the picture than IRL, but I was pleased with the end result.  All the flowers are WOC, the image and anniversary sentiment are LOTV.  I've used 2 doilie dies behind the image and flowers and a martha stewart branch punch.  The paper is years old but was the perfect platinum colour I was after.  The ribbon is from my stash.

I hope to have a little bit more time next week once the kids go back to school, so I'll be having a gander at your blogs, which I do visit often, but don't usually have time to comment. I think I'm going to leave a little heart from now on, just so you know I've been - a bit like Santa, but I suppose he always leaves a prezzie, awww well, can't compete with the Big Guy lol.

Oh, and I've just realised Crafty Little Fairies are having a "One you Love" challenge, so I'm gonna to enter this card into it lol.

Hope you're all well and keeping safe and warm.

No 7 Bear - LOTV

Hi all, flying visit from me again today as I need to dash down to the postbox to post this card before I end up having to add a belated sentiment onto it, lol.

LOTV's No 7 Bear has been coloured with distress inks and a little shading done with prisma pencils.   Papers are from Craft Creations and a old paper pad that I've had in my stash for ages, as are the buttons.  The football was cut from a quickutz die and the number 4 is sizzix.

I have to admit that whenever I have to make a boys card, the first thing I do is visit the LOTV Inspiration blog.  I always end up having a major meltdown at the thought of layout/embellies etc on boys cards as someone once gave my son Andrew, who is now 17, a card with a teddy and flower on it - to say he was disgusted is an understatement, lol.

Thank you so much for visiting with me today, take care,

1st Christmas Card - Halo Angel

Good afternoon crafty people

Well, I've actually finished my first Christmas Card.  I've seen sooooo many around blogland lately I started feeling all Christmassy, and as the weather had turned wet and cooler, I decided to make a festive card.  I was going to chuck this image in the bin as she was inked up with distress inks yonks ago and I didn't like the colour, but then I found some papers that kinda went with her (and I discovered frantage, hee hee) and then I decided she didn't look that bad - apart from the attempt at dress pleats that is, rofl.

The papers are from Dovecraft, Vintage Christmas I think.  I've recycled some sparkly tulle that I ripped off last years Christmas crackers to make a little bow, and popped a rose on from Wild Orchid Crafts.  The little orange apples (I think they're apples) were a delightful free gift from Live and Love Crafts which arrived with the frantage, cheesecloth and lace which I've also used on this card.  The swirl is a Marianne Design die.

I'm going to enter this card into the current Live and Love Crafts Challenge number 14 Warm or Cool Colours.

Thank you for visiting my blog today.

Rosetta - Wild Orchid Challenge

Good morning to you all - except that the weather here is anything but 'good'. It's dark, dank, grey and pretty horrid, eeeewwww, roll on a couple of weeks time when I can soak up the sun in Menorca - I'll obviously keep my fingers crossed that it will be warm and sunny here too.

Anyhoo, onto my card which I made for my mums 70th birthday which was on Friday just gone.  We had a little party for her on Saturday which was just perfect.  The bbq was finished by the time the rains came, perfectly timed - so we just sat under the gazebo until way after 10 pm having a right good natter and a laugh.

Mediums - Prisma Pencils

Papers -First Edition

The absolutely gorgeous image is called Rosetta from Wee Stamps, and she's my very first digi. I've been admiring her for such a long time and I eventually found some paper (neenah) to print her on which my ancient printer doesn't chew up and spit out - result.

The flowers are a mix of Wild Orchid, handmade using a rolled flower die and some really old daisy type flowers that I've had for ages.  The seam binding on the tag is also from WOC.

I'm entering this card into the current Wild Orchid Challenge - 82 Birthday Party.

Thanks for visiting with me today,

School's out for Summer

Just a quickie post to let you know I'm still alive and kickin' as they say and a couple of piccies of thank you gifts that my daughter Brooke wanted to take into school for a couple of her teachers.

It was rather new to me making gifts for teachers as I have 2 older kids who are boys, who weren't into present giving at the end of the school year.

I decided to have a go at stamping onto candles - something I've seen on a lot of blogs, so I found a tutorial here, and this is the result.

I'm actually quite pleased with my first attempt, although I think I need to colour slightly darker onto the tissue paper as it faded quite a bit once it was heated onto the candle.  The candles btw were from Morrisons - £1 each, bargain.  You can't get a box of choccies or a bunch of flowers for that.

I also made a very simple thank you card to go with each candle in matching colours.  The fairy on tiptoe is coloured in prisma pencils, apart from the skin which was coloured with copics - yep, I treat myself to a couple of skin tone copic ciaos to see how I get on with them - oh me oh my, I need ALOT of practice, but hey, you've gotta start somewhere lol.

Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog.

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So, so sorry I've not been around, hopefully I'll be back blogging regularly again soon

Thank you so so much for your patience.

Brooke's Birthday

Hi to all in blogland, I hope this post finds you all fit and well.

So, onto my card.

Ingredients

Mediums - Prisma Pencils/Sansador

Image - LOTV Emma Swing

DP's, Die behind envelope and Doohickey lace border

Flowers and Seam Binding - Wild Orchid Crafts

I must admit, I absolutely loved making this card, however, cutting into that First Edition Love Letters pad took some willpower.  I absolutely love pink.  If I could change the whole world pink I would - no hesitation.  I almost cried, the tension in the house was at an all time high, so, to ease the pressure, I ordered another one, lol. Using a paper pad to make a card is soooo much easier as all the papers compliment each other - well they do in this pad anyhow. I have got such an almighty stash of old stuff it's scary, and trying to match them up is a nightmare, but hubby said I could really do with getting them used up before buying more - I mean really...... he has absolutely no idea how difficult that is with all the lush stuff out there.

It's Brooke's 8th birthday in a few weeks, well a month actually, but I saw a lovely sketch on the Sketchy Challenge blog, and liked it so much (never followed a sketch before but it was a pretty simple one), I decided to get my rear into gear, follow the sketch and cross another birthday card off my list.  All our birthdays are March and April, and what with other family members asking me to make cards for them.....for us.....I thought I'd better get a shifty on.

I've got the biggie-ish 40th birthday coming up in April, but they do say 'life begins', so hey, bring it on.  I have, however, point blank refused to make my own birthday cards. You just have to take a stand on these things, lol.  Hubby even tried to con me with, "I need a 40th birthday card for someone - would you mind". Blimey, do I really look that gullible, rofl.

I'm entering this card into The Sketchy Challenges (Karens Sketch) and Wild Orchid Crafts Challenge 69 - Anything Goes.

Well that's all from me for now, take care and al be round as soon as I can to see what you've all been busy with.

Silly Soft Stuff

Just a coupla quick piccies from our garden - and it's still coming down.  This is just a sprinkling compared to what some people have had to endure, but this is why I ain't going anywhere tomorrow.

Book Card - Eventually

Woohoo, eventually managed to finish a book card which has been sitting on my table for, like an age.  I got the 'pages' made and the cover scored at the weekend and then it's just sat naked waiting to be finished but I hadn't a clue what to do with it.........then, my LOTV order arrived with my new stamps.  They were on offer at £3 a pop - bargain or what, so I treat myself and ordered five, hee hee.

Ingredients

Image - LOTV Emma Swing

Mediums - Prisma Pencils with Sansador to blend

Sentiment - LOTV Dreamy Days

Doily - Hobbycraft

DP's and Card - Craft Creations and The PaperMill

Dies - Memory Box Puffy Clouds, Marianne Design Swirl

Ribbon, Lace, gems and pearls from my stash

I punched the flowers from a large and small EK Success flower punch and then with my embossing tool on my rubber shimmy mat thing, made circular movements on the petals so they curled up - just thought it added a bit of definition.

As you can see I need a little more practice with me camera, lol, but hopefully you get the idea, and I thinks I'm gonna enter this into the current LOTV Challenge which is Anything Goes and the current Deep Ocean Challenge of Anything But a Square.

That's all from me for today, but if this snow persists, I might have another card tomorrow.  I certainly ain't going out in that silly soft stuff, so I might just sit and colour a few more of my new stamps.

And before I forget, I had a massive amount of help from a certain Becky to sort out my bloggie issues - thanx chick.

Stay safe and warm you lovely people.

Need More Tilda's

Hullooooo, I hope everybody is keeping lovely and warm inside, and keeping away from the bitter cold outside.  I know I certainly am.  I'm very lucky to work from home in Partnership with my hubby who is a Bricklaying Contractor.  He does the hard manual labour and I do the easy paperwork from our home office, which is of course, fantastic.  As soon as I'm caught up with paperwork, I can sit and play around colouring images - that is after I've picked all the kids dirty washing up off the floor, made the beds, put the fire on, hoovered through, had my own breakfast etc, etc.  Honestly I don't know how I had the time to actually go out to full time work all those years ago - hats off to all those ladies that still manage to do it, in this busy day and age.

So aaanyhow, I bore you no more with my waffle, here is another card made using Tilda with Hellebores (again, lol).

It probably looks a little bit repetitive to the last card I made with this image apart from the colour but I'm saving hard to add to my embellishment and stamp collection, so hopefully down the line they will look completely different.

I'm still in the process of trying to decide which paper I like to use for my distress ink and which I like to use for Prisma Pencils.  I haven't got a full set of either the inks or pencils yet, but as soon as I have and I've decided which I prefer I'll update my preferences.

I'd coloured her hair with di's, along with the dress, but the colour on the dress just wasn't right for the paper so I re-coloured over it with Prisma's (and now the photie makes it look purple, lol, ah well, never mind). I've used Wild Orchid Crafts cherry blossoms in ivory and 15mm grey open roses.  The burgandy roses (large and small) are from Craft Creations from my very old, first starting out, stash.  Since then I discovered WOC so the majority of flower purchases are now from there.

I've used a dovecraft doilie which is actually cream but looks white, purchased from Hobbycraft.  The butterflies are a Joy Crafts die (had for ages), and the little round black gems were from ebay.  I've used a spellbinders floral oval and matted my image on the top.  I've had the paper for an age so not sure where I acquired it - but will try and locate, then update.

I'm hopefully going to start putting those little piccies on the bottom of my post with 'card ingredients', but I've not quite got the hang of it yet.  Becky has kindly blogged how to do it, so as soon as I get chance I'm gonna go through it stage by stage and hopefully be successful at the end, lol.

Well that's all from me for now my lovelies, whatever you're doing today, have a smashing day and stay safe.