This is my first card from my Crafter's Companion, Flower Fairies prize, and it has been watercoloured with pencils.....but I am moving on.....I am now hooked on new colouring materials :) I made this from the Zinnia set. Well yesterday I went to a craft fair in Malvern....it was Mothering Sunday too, so it was a nice treat to be able to have the afternoon to stroll around and indulge in my favourite pastime. Okay the thrill of the event was great.....I had told myself I wasn't going to get any more stamps (I was so tempted too though) - but was going to go with an open mind about other products.....watch some demos and take it from there. I was so taken up by the demos using promarkers and distress inks.....so I gave in and bought some promarkers and how thrilled am I with them.......I want more! I bought a three in one punch too, but was after another little flower one......but it had sold out (but the salesman was still doing demo's showing of a punch he no longer had in stock :( .......and do I have the patience to wait for one (no not really). Have you seen the Gorjuss Girls decoupage and toppers?????? OMG they are truely Gorjuss.....and so cute. Now I'm off to attend to my poorly oldest boy......make dinner and squeeze in some time with the Promarkers :)

So Many Stamps....................sooooooooooo little time! The weeks are flying by and I seem to be getting less time to play with my crafty treasures! I just had £150 worth of craft products which was a competition prize - the gorgeous flower fairies stamps - 6 sets actually and lots of card and paper. These boxes on the left, was inspired by my younger one. He was at home poorly and wanted to make something for two very special people for Valentines (yep I made them weeks ago), so we used the fabulous Lauren Meader
pack a picnic template and boy did we have fun making these - they are easy to use and with the help of a 5 year old fun to make....(if you pretend not to notice your double sided tape stuck to everything but the right thing and your favourite cardstock being chumped to shreds with scissors) The stamped heart and sentiment is from Stamping up!
I have lots of stamps to play with currently.....I have 6 sets of flower fairies, won in a competition, 10 Sugar Nellies from their birthday competition I won last year (I know, I know), and a butterfly set from Elusive images.........think I need to lock myself away for a month and craft, craft, craft!

This weeks challenge from Catch the Bug is to use Encouragement or a loosely based Olympic Theme using rings or circles. I have decided to use braless Stella from Bugaboo Stamps with papers from Pink Petticoat downloads. The circles I have made using a circle cutter and the circular sentiment is from Magnolia Stamps. Some dotted pink ribbon and some paper pricking to complete the look.

Oh well the Splendid Stamping relay ended abruptly due to various problems. It was fun while it lasted though. Here is another one from the Bugaboo Stamp collection - its Stella. I like Stella....she is definitley going to tell you "how it is"!! I have just used some bazzill cardstock, raspberry cardstock which I embossed, water colour pencils, round circle sentiment from Craftwork cards and the larger sentiment is available with the digital image. Clean and Simple.

Day 2 of the Greeting Farm (Splendid Stamping Blog) Relay. I had this idea yesterday when I saw today's image what I wanted to do.....but it didnt quite materialise or the idea just didnt want to work today! Oh well there is always tomorrow...and there is a really cute little image for tomorrow so I'll get my thinking cap on. I think I have so much stuff in my stash that I tend not to look through it all but just use everything which is on the top.......I need a craft room.......one where I can lay out all my papers and cardstock etc......dream, dream, dream!
I have gone for the back to basics look - just cardstocks in pink, black and raspberry, flat back pearls (they are cream....but photo taken in poor light), ultimate pro embossing on the black cardstock, and water colours on the image. Her belt and shoes are silver glittered but it didnt quite pick up in the photo.

I dont usually get to post on a Monday during the day, after all I should be at work....but after the snow comes colds and flu. I have spent the weekend feeling really sorry for myself sniffing, sneezing and coughing (yuck) and this morning my oldest son woke up feeling really under the weather - so its a day at home. However done the cleaning...so a little time to play - well why not? Splendid Stamping (The Greeting Farm) is hosting a relay with free images....but you have to part take to get them - they will be emailed to you. You have until 6pm CST each day to get your entry into the gallery (more details on the Splendid Stamping Blog). I couldnt quite figure what to do with this one, love the image, but a mer male....hmm (cant call him a mermaid). Some bazzill cardstock and two blue tones of cardstock and a little starfish with some embossing on the cardstock soon fixed my dilemma......and I love the result. The sentiment was made using ACME label maker and a little white gel pen for the surf on the waves.

Valentines is just around the corner, so I thought I had better make a start at making some cards for this occasion. I am really loving this set from Stamping Up entitled Always and I have fallen into the pink, black and white pit at the moment......all my cards seem to be coming out this colour LOL....but I like it. This also happens to be a favourite layout of mine too at the moment so expect to see lots of more cards looking like this one.

Products used - Stamping Up Always set, black, raspberry and white cardstock, Paper cellar flat backed pearls, crafters companion Ultimate pro for the embossing.

It is still snowy and the road very icy outside, which means we are spending a lot of time indoors and not heading out of town, thus me having more time to play with my crafting things :) A quick challenge from Catch the Bug Challenge Blog (thank you Ladies), which is going to be running challenges for Bugaboo Stamps. Each person taking part in this quick challenge which finishes tonight will get a free image (decisions, decisions....I want them all)! Bugaboo also offers a free image each Friday so you dont have to buy to be able to partake in the challenge. For this card, I have used Stella, from Bugaboo Stamps, Bazzill cardstock - Wild Pansy, Papermania patterned paper, sentiments from Stamping Up Always set, Papercellar gems and pearlised lilac cardstock.

Snow, snow and more snow......no work, so time some spare time for crafting :) I love this little stamp from Snag'em Stamps. I watercoloured the flowers and leaves and added some pearl centres and gel pen dots with some piercing, red and black cardstocks and a sentiment from Craftwork cards to complete the card.
Valentines is just around the corner (crafters have to keep one step ahead) so I am working on some ideas for the next big occasion after Christmas :)

This is my first card challenge for this year and what a fine way to start with this brilliant sketch from Create4fun and another image from Bugaboo Stamps.
This gal is called Stella and she is just so funny. The papers I have used here comes from Pink Petticoat - Dots and Lola's Boudoir both are in the shade Bubblegum. I have layered Stella onto black Bazzill Swiss dots cardstock, which has been embossed using the Glittergirls Romance Board and cut out with a fiskars scallop edge scissors. White Gel ink pen for the dotted border. The sentiment comes with the digital image which is brilliant as it can be resized or as i did here, it can be printed directly onto the background paper. Stella has been coloured with Derwent Inktense watercolours and the gems are from Paper Cellar. Black ribbon from my stash.

OMG you have to hand it to Bugaboo Stamps. I stumbled on these digi-stamps by chance and they just cracked me up! There are so many characters which I can say relate to many of my girlfriends, Aunties, cousins etc (sorry girls). I have only bought the one so far....but the day isnt finish yet! This one is called Ruby....most certainly the goodtime gal!
For this card I have used black cardstock, bazzill purple cardstock, Bugaboo image, watercolour pencils, Paper Cellar gems, and some ric rac.
I add a bit of hand stitching to the outer edge of the image and some white gel pen to enhance the boots and dress. Some silver gel ink was used on the glasses and ear-rings. Cheers Ruby!

Crafts on the Net has teamed up with Crafter’s Companion for a competition - the prize is a bumper Flower Fairy kit worth a massive £149.91!

The Rules - Create a card using ANY Crafter’s Companion products.

I have used the Crafters Companion Ultimate pro to create a embossed layer on the background on the card. The pretty patterned paper came with this months issue 50 of Papercraft Essentials Magazine. Popcorn the bear has been taken from the birthday cuddles stamp set and watercoloured with Derwent Inktense watercolour pencils. The sentiment is from the same set of stamps. I have stitched the outer edge of the image using shades of pink thread by hand. The ribbon is from my stash (recycled from something else) and the gems are from Paper Cellar.

Happy New Year and cheers for many, many more crafting days and competitions in 2010!

The magazine article:

My card is number 3 - but the name index has me as number 7 :( but still I am so proud to be a winner!

Ok, I have had to keep this a secret since last week, but today I can officially release my news......as the magazine goes on sale today! Now I bet you are wondering what I am on about??? Well I was named as one of the nine runner ups in the Papercraft Essentials Magzine, Papercraft of the Year 2009 competition...........and as you can imagine I am bursting with excitement!! I am looking forward to receiving my prize which will be £160 of products and my card will be in this months magazine along with the other eight runner ups and the overall winner who has been crowned Papercraft of the Year 2009.

The cupcake card is my winning entry, but the entry requirements were two cards and another papercraft project.... I made a christmas gift bag.

The only disappointing thing in all of this is my card has been linked to someone elses name in the two page spread and my name with another project - but the magazine Editor will correct this in the next edition.......but I am so looking forward to getting my products and wish all the other participants and winners and big, big congratulations :)

The days are zooming by......and once again I have had so little time to blog.......but I have some new stamps to play with so I am going to have to put in a little time for play.

I now have nine new Sugar Nellies - won them in their recent birthday competition....and I had only one of them in my collection already so that means I have eight new stamps for play.

I also have some really good news too.. (bursting with excitement) .......but have to wait until Christmas Eve before I post it :)

Well I cant believe it has been way over a month since I last posted something on my blog.....have I been lazy?......well maybe! But I have excuses......I have been working, I have been helping to organize a Christmas Bazaar (which I suggested - glutton for punishment), making cakes, making cards, doing the family things, entered the Papercraft Essentials Crafter of the year competition and also took part in Sugar Nellie's Birthday celebrations......and yes I won six.....yes six Sugar Nellie Stamps!

Anyway this is a card I did make in the past month. Swiss dots 12x12 paper, Hot of the Press French Script, Paper cellar gems, pink cardstock and free image from Sketching Stamper, which I have watercoloured.

I have an order for about 15 christmas cards which all need to be personalised so I had better get moving, do a bit of housework, take the boys to Tae kwondo and then hide away in my craft corner for a little while.....until next time happy crafting.