Feathers or fur?

An interesting choice for you today over at 

As You Like It

Feathers or fur?

Well it's fur for me every time. It's not that I don't like birds, I do, as long as they are at a distance. My Grandma let her budgie fly around her sitting room and it used to terrify me when I was little. Imagine my horror when our eldest son, having spent ages in an aviary on an outing, announced that he would reeeeally like a budgie!! We duly went off to choose said bird, blue, quite cute and named Paddy who lived quite happily (at liberty) and was well cared for in Dec's room  until he left home at which point Mummy here took over little Paddy's care until he went to make angel wings at the age of 13!! I have not yet quite recovered...but I'm getting there!! So, it's dogs, cats, horses, cattle, bunny rabbits, hamsters and all things furry for me and here is a little furry cutie to prove it!!

The starting point was a sketch that Mrs Heart aka Jules has so kindly shared and this particular fabulousness is sketch 5 from her ever growing collection. I used LOTV papers to make up the base and happened to choose a furry LOTV stamp too, coloured with Promarkers. Some Doodlebug Sprinkles and an enormous flower from my stash as finishing touches.

We'd love it if you came and shared your furry or feathery creations with us and if you do, then we'd love to hear why as well!!

Some challenges to play along with

Crafting From the heart #70 - Anything Goes

Love to Scrap #58 - Anything Goes

Simply Papercraft #9 - Anything Goes

Craft Your Passion  #272 - Anything Goes

Inspiration Destination #44 - Anything Goes

I Love Promarkers - 3 or more layers

I'm off out with Mum today for coffee and a browse around a local crafty treasure trove. I NEED glue gel and poly bags for the Craft and Flower Show on Saturday but I wonder what else will jump into my basket!! 

Have a good day xx

Butterflies

I can't believe I haven't posted anything for almost a week and there is really no excuse but for the fact I am on annual leave this week and have found outside jobs to occupy me. However a couple of challenges tickled my fancy so last night I had a little play with some stamp sets and an embossing folder that came with magazines and made this.

I am quite shocked that it's mine actually and I did struggle to do something out of the norm, but, I am really quite pleased. The tag was hand cut from the same milk coloured card as the  base and then embossed. It looked a bit bland so I got out the old Versamark ink pad and dusted the raised areas with cosmic shimmer powder and added some gems. The sentiment was stamped in London fog to match the paper.

The large butterly (also a freebie Indigo Blu I think) was stamped onto more patterned paper and then...wait for it....I used crackle glaze over the top!! The bottle has been sat on my desk for years and that was the first time I had opened it. This picture actually shows the cracks quite nicely and if you look really closely I did manage to capture the shimmer on camera. Some shabby ribbon and a little charm were the finishing touches I chose.

These challenges were the inspiration behind this card

Allsorts #321 - Add a butterfly

Papertake Weekly - Take your pick

( Technique and product, a tag and lace for me)

I won't be away for too long as I have a card to share tomorrow so see you then!! xx

One man and his dog

Hello blog land and I hope this finds you well today.

While I was looking for a suitable man stamp I rediscovered a (now discontinued) colour it yourself LOTV art pad, so set to with my SN pencils. 

The "manly" gingham was the remainder from a sheet of A4 that I had printed off for another project and suited the unfussy look perfectly together with some brown coredinations cardstock for mats.

These challenges were the inspiration

Without Words - July Colour Challenge Blue and Brown

Pixie's Snippets Playground - Week #186

Crafty Friends #10 - Use a punch (the tag was punched)

Enjoy your day and see you soon xx

Christmas Maggie

I decided to stray from the norm and try my hand at colouring on kraft so I stamped the sweetheart that is Maggie onto Neenah Desert Storm and coloured her with SN pencils.

I am really happy with the result and will definitely be doing it again. The papers are Carta Bella Winter Fun which was one of the first Christmas paper pads I bought and can still get digitally which is fabulous!!  For a change I have added some pretty flowers and the sentiment was stamped on a banner die cut.

Here are the challenges I am entering

Allsorts #320 - Add a banner or flag
Pile it on #78 - Christmas in July
Craft Your Passion #271 - Always Anything Goes
Polkadoodles #29 - 2 or more papers
My Time To Craft #300 - Christmas in July
Crafty Boots - Christmas in July
OLLCB #185 - Christmas in July
The Sugar Bowl #126 -  Anything Goes

Wishing you a good Tuesday xx

Merry Christmas to Ewe

Just a quick visit to share one last card for the Catch the bug Christmas in July week.

I didn't manage all seven but have had a lot of fun with the challenges.

This is for Wednesday's challenge and I chose left top-bottom

Bugaboo image - Funny sentiment - sparkly

A few more challenges too

Daring Cardmakers - Christmas in July

Crafty Gals Corner #28 - Christmas in July

C.R.A.F.T #320 - Christmas

Crafting by designs - Get ready for Christmas

Welcome to my new followers and I hope you will enjoy visiting me.

Have a good weekend xx

Ripe strawberries ripe!!

       Toast and strawberry jam anyone!??

When I saw the Allsorts Challenge launch last week I knew I had to get out my PB Homemade stamp set again and make a card to support them.

The sweet meeces were coloured with Promarkers and fussy cut to sit on top of some more, rather gorgeous, new paper, Berry Sweet from Noor UK, oh my word what gorgeousness Tracy has over there and no mistake!! 

Off we go then to join in some challenges

Allsorts #319 - Strawberries and cream

Ribbon Girl - Everything goes with an image + ribbon

Stamping Sensations - Feature a creature

Penny Black and More - Anything Goes + a sentiment

Crafty Girlz #5 - Anything Goes

Penny's #236 - anything Goes

Before I leave you to go and do some fun stuff, like mowing the lawn and cleaning the house (!!) I just want to share the fabulous cloud formation that appeared at sunset last night...

...and Azaq Hussan (they grey horse) wanted a mention as well, he's such a diva!! 

Have a good day xx

Deep blue sea

My card has a seaside flavour today being all things blue. This ties in rather nicely as the new

 As You Like It Challenge

is Favourite single colour (and don't forget to tell us why)

My favourite single colouring colour is blue...and as it's not a colour I wear I really can't explain why... other than it being associated with summer skies and blue seas and the fact that I replace more blue Promarkers than any other colour!!

I used a Digistamp Boutique image and Pink Petticoat paper for this card, the blue Promarkers and DI pads had another outing and it looks like tea green is on it's way out...again!!

I'm entering these challenges

Crafty Catz #287 - Summer time
Fussy and Fancy #143 - Beach Fun
Little Claire Digi Challenge #7 - Holidays
Natalie and Amy #34 - Summertime
Creative Corner Challenges - Summer Fun
Crafty Cardmakers #143 - Water
Bunny Zoe's - Summer Breeze
Cute Card thursday #382  - Water
Digistamp Boutique - July Customer Competition

I'm intrigued to find out what your favourite single colour is and hope that you will play along, we'd love to have you AND we have some new Design Team playmates so go give them a warm welcome!!

See you soon xx

Christmas Stuff

Hello bloggers me again with another Bugaboo inspired Christmas card to share.

 This one is the colour challenge.

Great colours I thought and I used Promarkers to colour up the cute  Sunbonnet Christmas Stuff.

A scrap of paper, just the right colour, was used as a mat and my most favourite poinsettia die got it's first airing of the year!!

Some other challenges to try my hand at

Pixies Snippets Playground #185

Papertake Weekly - Don't be a square

Creative Inspirations #322 - Let's colour

Toodles for now!! xx

Catching the bug!!

My blogging bud, Stamping Mad Janice, is a huge fan of Bugaboo digis and pointed me in the direction of their Christmas in July week long challenge, so here are a couple of Christmas cards that I put together last night to support the week!!

This chap is called Enough Reindeer, don't you just love the look of disappointment on his face, rather like Suzy when she realizes that she doesn't get the "whole" catering sized bag of gravy bones in one go!!

A few challenges for this chap.

Catch the Bug Day 1 - Jingle All the Way

Simon Says Stamp - Furry Friends

Digi Choosday #27 - Christmas in July

Challenge 2 is a sketch and I used Little Winter Penguin Reindeer

coloured to match the papers.

Some more challenges

Catch the Bug Day 2 - Sketch

Christmas at Sweet Stampin - Oh Deer (artistic licence!!?)

Delete if not appropriate

Crafty Creations #293 - Now that's cool

Not sure I will manage the whole week but I'm going to give it a go!!

Thanks for stopping by and see you soon xx

Cute as a Button

Hello everyone and I hope this finds you well and rested after the weekend.
Thank you for your lovely comments about my previous post, they are much appreciated!!

Anyway, onto business. The Cutie Pies have a new challenge starting today and it's

Cute as a button.

Here is my DT contribution using Sunbonnet Measuring  

She was coloured with Promarkers to match the Papermania papers which I arranged to suggest patchwork. Some buttons strung together with twine as a finishing touch. She's one for the stock box. My friend Kim (she is responsible for wonderful fabric creations) and I are going to share a stall at a neighbouring villages' Craft and Flower Show in a couple of weeks so I am beavering away putting cards in cello bags and getting organised. I am actually really nervous about it as I am useless at pricing and it will be our first time selling to the public, as such!! Thankfully Kim and I are both known locally so perhaps the good folk of Dorset will take pity on us!!

Some challenges

Creative Ladybirds #5 - Anything Goes
Crafting by designs - Reuse/recycle
(the top pink button came from a pair of shorts!!)
Crafting Musketeers #27 - Anything Goes
Inspiration Destination  #41 - Anything Goes
Creative Fingers #87 - Anything Goes

Have a good week xx

Best of the bunch

Hello crafters and I hope you have had a good week and have an even better weekend planned.

I am here to share another Buddly Crafts image with you. She is called Best of the bunch and was coloured to compliment the pretty Marianne Deigns papers. 

I have been having a bit of a die cutting frenzy lately and theis layout was a bit of an experiment which worked!! I marked the centre of my square piece of paper put the die in place and embossed all of it first, slid the whole piece along the base plate to the marked centre line (one half of the die and paper were hanging over the edge) popped the cutting plate on top and ran it through and hey presto a whole, unusual shaped mat!! I'm so easily pleased I am!! Anyway, twine, a charm and an oddment of die cut border and the jobs a good 'un!! Hope you like it!!

Some challenges

Cute Card thursday #381 - Ladies only
Creative Inspirations #321 - girlie
Polkadoodles #27 - Add some Embossing
Crafty Friends #9 - Anything Goes
Lil patch of crafty friends #13 - Anything Goes
Creative Moments #72 - Anything Goes
Clear it Out - Anything Goes
Pennys Papercrafty Challenge #235 - Anything Goes

Thank you for sharing your day with me xx

Summer Fun

Hello friends. The stepper die has been in use again, this time to showcase a 2 cute ink image for my Guest post at Top Tip Tuesday.

Summer Horse was coloured with Promarkers to match the, quite frankly, gorgeous papers which are Meadow Sweet. It's just occurred to me that every element on this one was die cut, including Stitched Circles, Scalloped layering and finally the little sun with an added candy dot.

Hope you will grab your summery stamps, digis and toppers and support Samantha and co for one last time.

Some challenges to play

Crafting When We Can #98 - Summer Fun
Crafty Time - Punches or Dies
Crafts Galore Encore - Use a stamp/digi
Craft Your Passion #269 - Anything Goes

See you soon and thank you for your continued support xx

Gnome-ing me, Gnome-ing you....

aha...sorry couldn't resist it!! 

I haven't followed a sketch for a while and so last evening while Hubster was in bed and Connor at cricket I had a play with the latest Sketch Saturday layout.

I was lucky enough to have previously won the customer competition at Digistamp Boutique and  had to have this adorable set which I coloured with Promarkers to compliment the fabulous Doodle bug papers, Sunkissed and Kraft in Colour. The black mats really enhance those gorgeous colours ( see Michelle, it's rubbing off on me!!)

A challenge or two that caught my eye

Sketch Saturday #368

Allsorts #318 - How does your garden grow?

Graphit Colour Challenge - Pink Orange & Yellow

Dis Digi design challenge - Celebrations
Simply papercraft #8 - Anything Goes
I love Promarkers #276 - Summertime

Hope it's a good week for you xx

A cuddle makes it better

It's been a while since I coloured an All Dressed Up image and thought I would support the lovely Lucy in her new permanent post over there. So, as promised Lucy here is my entry...

...and the cuddle is for you too!!

I also challenged myself to have a stab at a bit of "my style" shabbiness for a change and if duffing up the edges of the paper, adding pearls and seam binding hit the mark then, by jove, I think I've nailed it!! (Comments and suggestions are welcome here!!!). I coloured her with SN pencils and blending solution and the final touch was an LOTV stamped sentiment which I cut out and mounted with foam pads on to a sadly neglected MFT die cut doily. Ooh and I blended milled lavender DI around the edges of everything.

Some challenges

All Dressed Up #38 - Anything Goes
In the pink #72 - Shabby Chic/Vintage
Dragon's Lair Design Challenge - Shabby chic
Crafty Catz #286 - Anything Goes
Inspiration Destination #40 - Anything Goes
Noor Designs #8 - Something Old, Something New
(new paper pad, old seam binding & pearl string)

Have a lovely weekend everyone xx

Favourite Sport

I bought this LOTV pad just for this little lady when it was released and am ashamed to say this is the first time I have used it, probably because it feels a bit like cheating!!

Anyway she is perfect for my DT piece at

As You Like It

where the new challenge, starting today, is Favourite Sport.

No prizes for guessing that my favourite sport is anything to do with horses and why?....because I love them!! There is nothing nicer than an early morning ride, the smell of the honeysuckle is glorious  and there isn't a soul about, apart from the odd jogger (yesterday however, was the exception to the rule as even at silly o' clock (6am) it was 20 degrees and a tad sticky!!).

The stripy paper was a lucky find and matched her sock perfectly. I used several dies, Happy Birthday, Stitched Squares and scalloped border.

Some doe cutting challenges

Cuttlebug Mania - Use a sentiment
Die cutting divas #222 - Anything Goes

Have a good day and stay safe and comfortable in this heat!! xx

Spotty and Stripey Christmas

It's time for my my monthly Christmas make for

Christmas Cards All Year Round

where Spots and/or Stripes is the order of the month and mine features the adorable Stanley 

I coloured him with Promarkers to match the paper (no change there then!!) and used glamour dust for a bit of sparkle. The purple yarn was a perfect find in my stash. The scalloped mats were done with a Tonic set. I have no idea where the papers are from but I thought they made a rather nice change from traditional red and green.

Some challenges to join in

Christmas Card Challenges #30 - Anything Goes

See you tomorrow!! xx