Good Friends

Back again with the new challenge at Totally Papercrafts! A good challenge this week chosen by our Cathy - make your own flowers!  So I've made a card with my favourite girly pastel colours

I've used a Sarah Kay stamp 'A Lollipop for Susan', coloured with promarkers and pencils

The backing papers are the NitWit ones from LOTV, with some added stitching. I've added some lace from stash and spotty ribbon from CraftersCompanion. The buckle, swirl and flowers were made with Marianne dies, with some added buttons from stash. The sentiment is a Whimsy one with matching ticket die! And the little flower charm is also from my stash. 

Sorry it's a bit heavy on the photos! 

So do pop over to Totally Papercrafts and join in this week. There are 2 sponsors this week - so that means 2 prizes! 

and 

Back soon, Kim x 

I'm entering this card into the following challenges:-

MyMumsCraftShop - tickets

Oldie but Goodie Challenge - inspired by a song (Sweets for my sweet - TheSearchers) (old item - stamp)

IncyWincyDesigns - anything goes

TammysScrapinCorner - friendship

Victorine Originals - lots of layers

Christmas Morning!

No it's not really Christmas morning! Although it really isn't that far off as a friend who just popped in pointed out that it's 11 weeks off. Oh dear. Every year I promise myself that I'll be all organised for next Christmas, buy presents well in advance, make cards well in advance, etc, etc..... And every year it always ends up all being done in the last couple of weeks! But then again, I love Christmas and do enjoy all the build up in the last week or so, and it would probably take something of the magic away for me if I was all prepared months ahead!

Anyway, on to today's card, with two of my favourite cutie characters, Bella and Bronte from Mos Digital pencil

And when I saw this digi stamp I had to smile! This definitely has something of our house on Christmas morning!  As I mentioned in a post a while ago, there's often some grumbling and muttering about Tilly the Dog having a bigger stocking than everyone else, and she definitely loves getting pressies!  So this cute pair just looked so great!

I've coloured the image with promarkers and pencils.  The papers were freebies with a craft magazine!  And the sentiment is from LOTV.  The ribbon is from my stash and I actually coloured the gems with promarkers to match - but unfortunately it doesn't really seem to show on the photo! 

So a fairly simple card from me today. 

Hope you like it!

Back soon, Kim x 

I'm entering this card into the following challenges:-

Anything goes challenges - animals

CraftySentiments - anything goes

Deep Ocean Challenge - anything goes

TuesdayAlchemy - anything goes

Mos Digital Challenge - anything goes

Flowers for you

Good morning all in Blogland and hope that your weekend has been going well. It's a frosty but sunny morning here in north west UK - much nicer than grey & wet! I don't mind the cold as the trade off is we get the sunshine too! I'm sure my husband is grimacing somewhere as he probably knows that if it's a sunny Sunday morning that means there are more jobs somewhere in the garden to tackle. We haven't got a big garden but there always seems to be some things that need doing. It's not really his favourite occupation - unless he's chopping something down or starting a bonfire! - but I feel the need to get it tidied up before winter. As I do point out to him, one of his working departments at home is 'Parks & Gardens' (along with 'Taxi Driver', 'DIY Call Out', 'Computer/Internet Specialist', etc....). As I'm kind (!) I'll don my wellies first and make a start - then remove him from his Sunday papers and he can come out and help with the heavy duty bits! After housing the usual band of teenagers yesterday afternoon and for tea, it's quite nice to spend some time pottering outside - teenagers don't 'do' gardens (well, mine don't) so I'm usually permitted some peace out there.

Anyway, enough waffling from me! On to today's card. I've used a stamp I bought a while ago from Joanna Sheen - 'Basket of Flowers'

I coloured the image with promarkers and then added some Glossy Accents to the flowers - but with my photo skills this doesn't really show up!

I decided to make this into a 6" square gatefold card for a change. The backing papers are from First Edition 'Birdsong' with some coredinations card for matting and accents. 

I've edged the opening sides with lace, and added a sheen ribbon tied bow to the side. The corners are from a Spellbinders die using 'Persian Accents' and the leaves are using a Marianne die. The flowers are from WOC and CardCraftUK.  At the back of the card I've added a Marianne die cut heart (to hold the ribbon in place!)

I thought I'd share this one with you today as it features stargazer lilies on the stamp which were one of my mum's favourite flowers. Today marks 10 years since she passed away, and we made sure there were stargazer lilies at her funeral. She loved all flowers and this sort of card would have been perfect for her. 

I can't believe 10 years has passed so quickly - and I still want to ring her up or pop round, particularly when the kids have done something clever/funny/annoying! Well, that's what mums are for isn't it? 

So, I'm not ending on a mournful note. She hated people to be miserable! So we're all smiling today as we remember her! Make sure you smile for someone today.

And can I just say a big thank you for all the lovely comments you've been leaving - they mean so much! 

Sorry for the long and waffling post (although nothing new there!). 

Back soon, Kim x 

I'm entering this card into the following challenges:-

Joanna Sheen Challenge Blog - Down in the garden

Delicious Doodles - flowers

StampinfortheWeekend - feeling floral

PaperPretties - flowers

JellyparkChallenges - pink it up

ArtImpressionsChallenge - pink

No Squares!

Yes, it's me back again! Friday also means a new challenge over at Totally Papercrafts. Thank you to everyone who entered my challenge there last week for pastel colours - nice to know they're popular with lots of other people too!
This week the lovely Susan set the challenge of 'shaped cards' - i.e. no squares. Now this was definitely a challenge for me as 99% of my cards are square! Oh dear.  So I decided I'd go for something completely different - and made a hanging decoration instead!

And I must admit that I really enjoyed making something a bit different!  So I used two of my favourites of the new LOTV stamps - 'My Little Tree' and 'Christmas Star' - and one of the grungy sentiments. (Although when I showed this proudly to my hubby and said it was for a 'no squares' challenge he helpfully pointed out that the sentiment was a square... I won't repeat my response...! Sometimes you wonder why you bother!)

I've coloured the images with promarkers and pencils, added plenty of stickles and then added pearl pen 'snow'.  I've added gingham ribbon from stash and then a few roses from WOC - a few red ones and then a couple of ivory roses sprayed with Cosmic Shimmer spray.  I think it makes quite a nice hanging decoration - and nice to display some of the cute images! 

Hope you like it. So do pop over to Totally Papercrafts and get some 'no squares' inspiration from the fab DT!

Back soon, Kim x 

I'm entering this creation into the following challenges:-

JustKeepOnCreating - christmas

SimonSaysStampChallenge - glimmer/sparkle

Createdwithlove - christmas

TuesdayAlchemy - anything but a card or tag

PapertakeWeekly - anything goes

HollyJollyChristmas - glitter/bling

Fab'n'Funky - no patterned paper

Autumn Golds!

Good morning and hope that your Friday is starting well.  I'm hoping that today proves a bit better than yesterday, as I started with a humdinger of a migraine at 5am which carried on more or less all day. What a waste of a day feeling so c**p! Sigh.

Anyway, no whingeing today, and as long as I can get away without one of my more or less constant headaches then it'll be a good day!
And as it's Friday, it's time for a new challenge over at CraftyCatz.  There were some fantastic entries for the lace and bows challenge last week - and congratulations to the winner. It's always such a pleasure to browse around people's blogs and see the variety of crafting creations.
The challenge this week, chosen by our lovely Janette, is 'Autumn' - so a nice easy one for you! Our sponsor this week is


and I've used a StampFairy image for my card.

But considering our 'autumn' up to now perhaps it should just feature rain & water lol! But I loved this cute simple image, and her little teddy! 

I've coloured the image with promarkers. The backing papers are from American crafts and a freebie spotty one. The ribbon and button are from stash and the mulberry flower from WOC. I enjoyed making the leaves, with white paper coloured with a Big'n'Juicy pad 'spice' to get the shades of colours, then cut with Spellbinders 'Fall Foliage' dies. 

Hope you like it! 

So do pop over to the CraftyCatz challenge blog and have a look at the great things produced by the DT - and by our new DT members! 

Back soon, Kim x 

I'm entering this card into the following challenges:-

CraftyCreations - colours of Fall

ILovePromarkers - autumn colours

SassyCherylsChallenge - lets think about Fall

Pinspirational Challenge - photo inspiration

A Christmas Tilda - and a cute baby!

Good morning all and hope that you're managing to face Monday with a smile! The weekend always passes too quickly, but thankfully I have the house to myself for a while today so chance to catch up on a few jobs - and then hopefully do some crafting! Not sure I can survive the rest of the week if I don't get a quick fix of crafting - oh, the torment of being a craftaholic lol!
Just a quick card to share with you today. I bought this stamp ages ago and it is a Christmas Tilda - 'Tilda with ribbon' - but whenever I've used it it's not been for a Christmas card! So this is it's first outing actually on a Christmas one lol!

I've coloured her with promarkers and pencils.  The backing papers are from Dovecraft 'Vintage Christmas' and the ribbon and lace are from Cart-Us. 

I've added a LOTV 'grungy sentiment' - just love these! - and a Marianne die cut swirl and poinsettia. 

I know, it's another red & green Christmas card! - but I do quite like these muted shades. I promise to do better next time and make a few Christmas cards that feature other colours! 

I'm entering this card into:-

Amusing Challenges - anything goes

Dynamic Duos - colour challenges

Fat Pages & Cards with Attitude - anything goes

As I mentioned in my post yesterday I was off to visit an old friend (although she'll thump me for calling her old! - I mean old as in terms of we've been friends for a long time!). I was staying with her when she went into hospital to have her daughter 24 years ago - and now her daughter has had a baby girl Grace. So I went to Manchester yesterday to meet baby Grace and have a cuddle! 

now isn't she cute? Grace is 10 weeks old now and just gorgeous. There were problems when she was born and she's had to undergo scans and all sorts, and still has more to face, but we're all praying and hoping that she's fine. And yesterday she was just perfect!  I took a few baby knits with me for her

and thankfully they fitted! Just thought I'd share such a cute little face with you to cheer a grey Monday! 

Hope your day goes well, 

Back soon, Kim x