Creative Blog Hop - Balloons for Baby

Hi there

Today I'm taking part in the Creative Blog Hop and have been nominated by the lovely and talented Lizy of Lizy's House of Cards.  Lizy's blog was one of the first I followed and I love her work so I'm honoured to be chosen to continue the hop (I took part in a similar hop last year but there's no harm in hopping again is there?!)

I've used a new stamp set on my card today and I'm delighted to say that it's from Mama Elephant!  I recently bought my first two ME sets and there are so many more on my wishlist but they sell out so quickly here in the UK.

Here's my card.  Apologies for the lighting, it was such a miserable day here yesterday I had to use my lamp which has made the colours appear paler than they are IRL...

I stamped the three animal balloons first and then stamped the strings which are actually from the Lawn Fawn Scripty Sayings set, which are sentiments with these scrolly lines either side.  I used a fine black pen to draw the black lines where the strings would be tied.  I then cut these images out using a stitched rectangle die.  Next, on a scrap of white cardstock I used the same three pigment inks and blended these alongside each other, to mirror the colours of the three balloons before cutting out with the congrats die.  The panel was popped up on 3D foam and finally the word die was adhered with some Tombow glue.

Materials used:

• Stamps: Mama Elephant - Balloon Et Cetera; Lawn Fawn - Scripty Sayings
• Ink: Versa Color - Sky Gray, Sky Blue, Seafoam; Versafine - Onyx Black
• Dies: MFT Die-namics - Stitched Rounded Rectangles; Clearly Besotted - Congrats Word Die

Challenge entries:

Addicted to CAS - Challenge #60 - Cute

DJ Kard Kreations - NBUS Challenge #4 (new Mama Elephant stamp set)

Less is More - Week 217 - Combine three previous challenges

(Week 206 - New Beginning / Week 170 - 3 Colours / Week 173 - Include a Die Cut)

Happy Little Stampers - March Sketch Challenge

ShowCASe your Style - Challenge #11 - Inspiration Photo

And now for the Blog Hop questions...

1. What are you working on now?

Other than my commitments on the DT at Addicted to Stamps and More I'm not working on anything specific right now.  I'm just trying to do a better job of actually planning in advance for cards I need to send the following month.  I also have far too much new and unused stash so I really want to start creating with these and not buy anything that I don't NEED...any crafter knows this is easier said than done! lol  Also, I've made a very slow start on creating an inventory of my stamps so I can look into a binder and see at a glance what I have and where it's stored.  My cupboard is very crowded and it's a real pain having to grab each box and flick through sets to look for one particular thing.  It's going to take a long time to get it done but it will be so worth it...perhaps a job to continue with over the Easter weekend :)

2. How does your work differ from others in your genre?

This is a tough one to answer.  I've certainly found my style now and it is most definitely CAS.  I admire so many designers who also create with a CAS style and yet their creations are so diverse.  The majority of my cards always seem to be subtle although it's not planned that way.  I love bright colours but this doesn't always come through on my designs.  Also, about 90% of the time I will use a white card base, I just love my white space to actually be white, although I do occasionally sneak in a pop of colour when I feel like having a change.

3. Why do you create what you do?

Plain and simple...I enjoy it.  I've always been creative, I chose creative subjects at school, i.e. art and textiles and when I was younger I was always making something, cross stitch, etc.  I used to dabble in cardmaking and had a small stash for a few years.  And then I discovered some cardmaking blogs in 2012 and I became more hooked than ever.  I currently sell a few cards to friends and family but I'm hoping to start selling them perhaps on Etsy or Folksy, I just need to get a wriggle on and get myself organised!

4. How does your creative process work?

I have no set process at all.  The majority of the time I use challenges to kick start my creative mojo.  Sometimes I choose a product that I want to use first and then build on that.  If I hit a wall and just can't get started I find that Pinterest is a great source of inspiration too.  Often a technique or layout idea will just randomly pop into my mind...I must remember to right those down in future!


So, to continue the hop I'm passing the baton to the lovely Carol, one of my teamies at ATSM who creates such beautiful, crisp and colourful cards.  She will be joining in on the hop on Monday 6 April so I'd love for you to pop over to her and show her some love.


If you've made it to the end of this post (sorry, it was quite a lengthy one today!) thanks as always for visiting.

Floral Mother's Day

Hi guys

I've got a card to share with you today that I made a while ago for Matt's mum for Mother's Day but completely forgot to share it here.

This was pretty simple.  I stamped the flowers and sentiment on a white cardstock panel and coloured in the image with ProMarkers.  This was then mounted on a slightly wider panel of green cardstock and then adhered flat to the card base.  A few mini pearls were then added to finish it off.

Materials used:

• Stamps: Clearly Besotted - Fresh Flowers
• Ink: Memento - London Fog
• Coloured with ProMarkers
• Cardstock and pearls from stash

Challenge entries:

613 Avenue Create - Challenge #117 - Anything Goes

Simply Create Too - Challenge #82 - Anything Goes

Crazy 4 Challenges - Challenge #279 - Let's Think Spring

I Love ProMarkers - Challenge #262 - Easter/Springtime

The Crafter's Cafe - Challenge #109 - Spring Flowers

Crafty Cardmakers - Challenge 135 - Spring has Sprung

Well, it's a miserable day here in South Devon so I've spent the morning giving my blog a fresh new look.  I'd love to know what you think.  I created the logo one night last week.  It was all done for free using PicMonkey after downloading a free font from Dafont.  I was going to try out my GIMP software but I just couldn't get my head around it so I stuck with what I knew for now!  The actual blog still needs some tweaks and I'm getting there slowly with the assistance of Google! 

That's all for now, thanks for popping by.

Another Year Together

Hi guys

Today I'm sharing a card I've made for my man as we're celebrating four years together tomorrow.  Where does the time go?  He doesn't generally look at my blog so I think I'm safe to share it already!

This week at Less is More the team are challenging us to CASE a DT Card.  As I needed to make a love/anniversary theme card for Matt I chose to CASE Sarah's lovely wedding card.  My card is quite different but I used the layout and heart theme that Sarah used for her card.

This is my card...

And this is Sarah's card...

I used a white panel and stamped the sentiment in the lower right corner.  I cut an open heart using two dies from kraft cardstock to match my card base.  I temporarily positioned this roughly where I wanted it while I worked out where to stamp the 'i love you' scripty sentiment.  I stamped this on the panel in VersaMark before heat embossing with silver powder.  I then punched a notch on either side of the top of the panel and wrapped some twine around, securing on the reverse.  I then used a small white peg to hold the heart and added some adhesive at the base of the heart to stop it shifting around.  At this point the card looked a little too neutral so I added a pop of colour with the little red die cut heart covered in Glossy Accents.

Materials used:

• Stamps: Clearly Besotted - Mr & Mrs; Lawn Fawn - Scripty Sayings
• Ink: Versafine - Onyx Black; VersaMark; Memento - Lady Bug (used to colour mini heart)
• Embossing Powder: Rubber Stampede - Silver
• Dies: Xcut - Nested Hearts
• Twine: Hemptique - Earthy collection
• Accents: Glossy Accents; mini peg from stash

Both the stamp sets I used on this card are new to my stash so I'm also going to link up at the lovely Darnell's challenge, NBUS Challenge #4.

*Edit*
Thanks to Sarah for reminding me, I'm also going to enter this card over at Uniko Studio's latest challenge which is Anything Goes with the option of a sketch.

That's all from me today, thanks for popping by to visit my little space in blogland.

Blossom Birthday

Hi guys

Well, we had a lovely day down here in South West England yesterday so Spring has definitely arrived.  With the sun shining in I put a little time aside to make this one layer card.

I used this two step stamp set from Papertrey Ink (still the only PTI product I own - it's so hard to win items on eBay here in the UK!) by first stamping the branches and then stamping the petals.  This set is called Lovely Leaves but this stamp certainly looks like blossom to me!  I then accented the centres and part of the petals with ProMarkers.  I then stamped a central sentiment to finish.

Materials used:

• Stamps: Papertrey Ink - Lovely Leaves; Uniko Studio - Fontiments Birthday
• Ink: Versa Color - Umber and Burgundy; Memento - Angel Pink
• ProMarkers: Antique Pink and Pale Blossom

Challenge Entries:

CASology - Week 138 - Blossom

Uniko Studio - Challenge #19 - Anything Goes

Fantasy Stampers - Challenge #32 - Spring is in the Air

A Gem of a Challenge - Challenge #130 - Pretty in Pink

The Crafter's Cafe - Challenge #108 - What Season are you In (Spring)

Cute Card Thursday - Challenge #365 - Spring Fever

I may be back with more later, I'll see how the day goes.  Have a lovely Sunday whatever you're up to.

Wishing You a Speedy Recovery

Hi there

Just swinging by with a quick CAS one layer card for a few challenges.

So, let's get to it...

I inked up and stamped this cute little turtle first and then made a mask before stamping the brush stroke stamp and the sentiment,  I thought the swoosh of the brushstroke might add a 'speedy' feel...no idea if that worked! lol  I then coloured the image with FlexMarkers.

Materials used:

• Stamps: Lawn Fawn - On the Mend; Stampin' Up - Work of Art
• Ink: Memento - Tuxedo Black; Versa Color - Sky Gray
• Coloured with FlexMarkers

Challenge entries:

Less is More - Week 215 - One Layer - Include an Animal (phew, an hour to spare!)

Addicted to CAS - Challenge #59 - Green

AAA Cards - Game #35 - Bare Naked CAS

That's all for now, thanks for visiting as always.

Addicted to Stamps and More #136

Hi there

It's time for a brand new challenge over at Addicted to Stamps and More.  And we are back with the challenge that everybody loves, and that challenge theme is...

Anything Goes

So get creative and make anything you like, using anything you like!

We have a wonderful sponsor this week...Lawn Fawn!

Lawn Fawn have some wonderful products and this week's lucky challenge winner will receive one stamp set and one 6x6 paper pad of their choice.

There are so many fabulous Lawn Fawn goodies on my wishlist but I currently only have a couple, and I've used them here on my DT card...

I cut a white cardstock panel slightly smaller than my cardbase.  I then used some heart dies to cut out the hearts from some patterned paper.  Next I cut a strip of clear vellum and stamped the sentiment in VersaMark before heat embossing with white embossing powder.  I wrapped this around the panel, securing at the back.  I then arranged and adhered the polka dot hearts and used two to secure the vellum panel which was adhered behind the hearts.  I popped the panel up on 3D foam strips and to finish, I added some tiny smooth gemstones to each heart.  

Materials used:

• Dies: Lawn Fawn - Mini Hearts
• Patterned Paper: Lawn Fawn - Let's Polka
• Ink: VersaMark
• Stamp: Clearly Besotted - Happy Days
• Embossing Powder: Wow! - Opaque Bright White
• Cardstock, vellum and gemstones from stash

Challenge entries:

AAA Cards - Game #35 - Bare Naked CAS

Virginia's View - Challenge #13 - All Things Embossed

Craft Your Passion - Challenge #253 - Always Anything Goes
613 Avenue Create - Challenge #115 - Anything Goes


If you need to kick start your creative mojo please pop by at ATSM to see what the rest of the Design Team have created for you this week, there's always something there to inspire you.  We'd love for you to link up and share your projects with us, anything goes really does mean just that.

Thanks for popping by and I hope to see you again soon.

Thanks with Dots

Hi guys

A quick late post tonight to share a card I made for my mum and her partner to say thanks for everything they've done for me over the last few months.  I'd be completely useless without them!

I wanted to enter the latest challenge at ShowCASe your Style where they have a colour challenge so I based this card on the challenge inspiration photo.

And here is the colour challenge inspiration photo...

I started by randomly stamping different circle stamps in different colours around the centre of the card.  Once the area was stamped I die cut the word 'thanks' from the card base, keeping all the bits from within the cut.  I adhered a panel of cardstock to the back of the card front, ensuring that there was double sided adhesive in the area where the word had been cut from.  I then die cut more word dies from white cardstock and inlaid one of these into the card base, filling in the gaps with the original bits from within the original cut.  I then layered up 3 more white die cuts before finishing off with the original stamped cut on the top.

Materials used:

• Stamps: Clearly Besotted - Geometric Style II
• Ink: Versa Color
• Die: Paper Smooches - Thanks Word

That's all for today, I'll be back again late tomorrow night with the next challenge at Addicted to Stamps and More.  I'd love for you to swing by again.

Bye for now

Watercoloured Tulips

Hi guys

Today I'd like to share the card I made for my wonderful mum for Mother's Day.  She regularly looks at my blog so I couldn't post this until today!

This card is quite different from my usual creations.  I experimented with a bit of splattering but still wanted to keep my card clean and simple and I love how this turned out.

I stamped the tulips with VersaMark and then heat embossed with white embossing powder.  I then coloured them with my Daler Rowney watercolours.  Once dry I then splattered some more paint in the same colours to add some interest to the white space.  I cut down the watercolour card to the size of my card base and then used a die to create the stitched curve.  This was just a stitching die, it doesn't cut an edge so, using my scissors I carefully cut along the length of the curve.  I then stamped the sentiment.  I adhered some co-ordinating patterned paper to my cardbase and then popped up the watercolour card on 3D foam.

Materials used:

• Stamps: Clearly Besotted - Spring Blooms and Fresh Flowers
• Ink: VersaMark; Versafine - Onyx Black
• Embossing Powder: Wow! - Opaque Bright White
• Watercolours: Daler-Rowney
• Die: Paper Smooches - Stitched
• Patterned Paper: Avery Elle - The Brights Collection (6x6 paper pad)

Challenge entries:

The Paper Players - Challenge #236 - Clean and Simple Floral

Just Us Girls - Challenge #284 - Trend Week - Splatters

Virginia's View - Challenge #13 - All Things Embossed

Thanks so much for popping by.  I have made a couple more cards this weekend so I'll be sharing those over the next few days.  I hope to see you again soon.

New Kitchen! :)

**Please scroll down if you're looking for the card I shared earlier today**


Hi guys

Anyone that follows me regularly will know that the reason I've been up in the air and unable to craft regularly since the middle of January is because I was having a new kitchen installed.  I had lived with my 1980s kitchen for 14 years and it was the one part of my flat that I hated but was the most expensive and most difficult to update.  But, finally, it's now done so I thought I would share some before and after photos with you.

Unfortunately, living in a one-bedroom flat means that the entire contents of my kitchen had to go somewhere while the renovation work was being undertaken, and that somewhere was my lounge which is also where I craft.  It was a big job, complete strip out, new electrics were needed, the ceiling and all four walls needed plastering, and then the installation of the new kitchen, appliances and plumbing.

This was my lounge for the duration...

That's my crafting spot at the back of my lounge, where my laptop is, right next
to the microwave!

Then I took delivery of the new kitchen - boxes and cabinets
everywhere.  Just a little walkway to the sofa!

It was all worth it though, take a look at the transformation...

Before

After :)

Before 

After :)

Before

After :)

It's pretty much finished now, just some blinds to get fitted and a few finishing touches.  This isn't my dream kitchen - that would have cost about four times more than this haha - but it's one hundred times better than what existed and I've waited a LONG time to be able to get it done so I'm a happy bunny :)

Right, I won't waffle on any longer.  Back to the spring cleaning for me, getting rid of dust in places I've never seen dust before! lol

Not Just a Year Older, but a Year Better

Hi guys

Today I've got a card to share with you which I made for my Brother's fiancee's birthday.  And I've managed to combine a few challenges too.

Here it is...

I die cut two tags, one from white cardstock and one from green polka dot cardstock.  I layered these at an angle and adhered them to my card base.  Next I stamped the daisy and bow images and die cut these with their co-ordinating dies.  These are from a Clearly Besotted set that's been on my wishlist for ages and I finally treated myself a couple of days ago.  I coloured the daisies with ProMarkers and added some Wink of Stella to the flower centres.  I adhered these images at an angle over the tag and finished with the sentiment in black, also from the same set, and a Doodlebug Sprinkle over the hole of the tag.

Materials used:

• Stamps: Clearly Besotted - Celebrating You
• Ink: Memento - London Fog, Dandelion; Versafine - Onyx Black
• Dies: Clearly Besotted - Scalloped Tag Die, Celebrating You
• Cardstock: Anna Marie Designs - white; Pebbles - Basics Cardmaking Pad 2 (green polka dot)
• Coloured with ProMarkers
• Accents: Doodlebug Sprinkles - Bumblebee; Wink of Stella - Clear

Challenge entries:

Less is More - Week 214 - Yellow and Green

A Gem of a Challenge - Challenge #139 - Clean and Simple

Brown Sugar - Challenge #136 - Spring

Cute Card Thursday - Challenge #363 - Die Cuts & Punches

Crazy 4 Challenges - Challenge #276 - Put a Bow On

That's all for the moment.  I should be back to making cards on a more regular basis now as I've claimed back my crafting table!  Literally everything in the flat has been covered in a fine dust from the kitchen renovation but I'm gradually working my way around, it's probably having the best Spring clean it's ever had! haha

Thanks for being patient with me over the last couple of months, and thank you as always for popping by and for leaving such encouraging comments. 

Addicted to Stamps and More #134

Hi guys

My late night Tuesday post can only mean one thing.....there is a new challenge at Addicted to Stamps and More.  And this week's challenge is all about...

Clean and Simple (CAS)

This means that clean and crisp lines, minimal or no embellishments and lots of 'white' space should be used. 
* White space does not need to be 'white'. It can be any colour.

Our fantastic sponsor this week is Inspired by Stamping.  And they are offering a prize to one lucky winner of a $20 Gift Voucher!

So, without further ado, here's my DT card for this week's CAS challenge...

I stamped the flourish, butterflies and sentiment in VersaMark ink and heat embossed with white embossing powder.  I then used my Ink Dusters to blend some yellow, pale green and pale blue ink over the embossed images.  I cut the panel down and mounted it onto some green cardstock before adhering to my card base.

Materials used:

• Stamps: Honey Doo Crafts - Flowers for Design and Beautiful Butterflies; Clearly Besotted - A Little Sentimental
• Ink: VersaMark; Memento - Dandelion, New Sprout and Summer Sky
• Embossing Powder: Wow! - Opaque Bright White
• Cardstock: Anna Marie Designs - White; Bazzill Basics Premium Cardstock - Green

I would like to enter this card at the following challenges:

ShowCASe Your Style - Challenge #9 - Birthday

The Paper Players - Challenge #234 - Think Spring

Virginia's View - Challenge #13 - All Things Embossed (emboss resist technique)

STAMPlorations - Bi-weekly Sketch Challenge #29 (I flipped the sketch from left to right)

Why not make your way over to ATSM to obtain some inspiration from my teamies, they are sharing some totally gorgeous creations this week.  It would be great to see your CAS creations in the gallery so please link up if you have time.

Thanks as always for popping by, I hope to see you again soon.