Lili of the Valley Challenge 85 ~ Circles

Good evening everyone, hope you all had a good weekend, Monday soon comes around, where does the time go, I think it's true what they say, the older you get, the faster the time goes!

This is my entry for the Lili of The Valley Challenge 85 ~ Circles.  Its my sister and BIL anniversary in a couple of weeks so this is ideal for the occasion.  The image I coloured with Promarkers, the paper is 'K&Co Classic K McKenna', the Circular shape is Marianne LR0112 and the flower I made using the new Marianne flower die LR0145 and the little rose is Wild Orchid Crafts.

Quick post from me tonight, loads to do and Corrie is on the box!!

Thanks for looking, enjoy the rest of your evening.

Carmen Electrafying ~ aka Katie!!

Hi there everyone, hope you are all having a good weekend and the weather hasn't been too cold for you, we had a mixture of sunshine and showers today but it was a bit chilly too!! A good day to stay in and craft which is exactly what I did.



This card I made a few days ago as it was my son-in-law's 30th birthday yesterday and this image by Kenny K I thought suited him to a T! She is called Carmen Electrafying, isn't she just so beautiful and sexy ........... !! My daughter Katie (his wife) asked when she saw it, 'is that supposed to be me '............. ?? LOL!! Well she is beautiful, she has a lovely figure and she does have long blonde hair, oh and she has a similar tattoo on her back, so she could be!


Carmen is coloured with Promarkers, I have put Glossy Accents on her glasses although you can't see that on the photo.


Thanks for dropping by today, hopefully I will post the card I made today sometime very soon.

Another side stepper!

Hello my lovelies, hope the sun is shining for you today, its lovely here in Cheshire, makes you feel so much better to see a bit of sunshine! I think at last we can say Spring is definately on its way!

Today's card is another side stepper, I like these they are so simple yet look so effective when embellished. This one is for a friend's grandson's 1st birthday next week. The cute little images are from Cuddly Buddly Itty Bitty Nursery. I feel a bit of a cheat as the images were ready coloured but it did make the card a tad quicker to make!

I used white linen card for the base, the paper is Prima Jack & Jill (love this paperpad!), sentiment done on PC, the scalloped edge is Fiskars Treading Water punch.

Enjoy the rest of your day and thanks for dropping by, I really do appreciate it!

Twisted Easel Wedding Card

Front view with card closed

Hello again everyone, what a beautiful day it is here in Cheshire, the sun is shining, the birds are twitterpating and the spring bulbs are poking their little heads through. Yesterday was a washout, a wet and miserable day, I think the whole of the UK was the same so it's nice to see some sunshine today, makes you feel so much better and looking forward to Spring and what follows Spring........... Summer!! Yay!!

Well today's card is a twisted easel, been itching to have a bash at one of these for ages and as its almost Spring/Summer weddings come to mind.

There are lots of tutorials out there for this shape of card but the very talented Bev has an excellent one on her blog right now if you want to give it a whirl!

• Image is LOTV, coloured with Promarkers, with lashings of Stickles Star Dust and Platinum for a bit of bling.

• The paper is Papermania Confetti

• The sentiment is Katie & Co ~ Happily Ever After.

• Flowers are Wild Orchid Crafts.

• Lace border is Martha Stewart.

• Ribbon is Siam Pink Seam Binding from Wild Orchid Crafts

That's all from me today, so enjoy the rest of your day and thanks for dropping by.

Barbara xx

Rosie with Presents

I intended to post this card last night, but I started fiddling around with my blog background and got myself in a right old pickle!! I decided to have a change so browsed around, as you do, I won't bore you with the details but the upshot was I lost my fonts, colours, everything, it looked a right mess!! Anyway, I just kept pressing buttons and hoping for the best and by some sort of miracle managed to get where I wanted to!! Everything looked fine and dandy except my fonts, there were all sorts of a mixture! I have to give a great big 'thank you' to Marie (Cardmaking Bird) ~ she very kidnly left me a comment and easy instructions and it all worked perfectly, phew!! Blogging buddies really are the best!!

Well onto this card, I love side steppers, it just takes me ages to figure em out! I always do a practice run with scrap paper first, otherwise I waste such a lot of my precious card, does anyone else do this?

The recipient of this card is a friend's daughter who is very girly and I know she will be thrilled with it, especially with her name on it, I think kids always like to see their name on a card, don't you? The image is of course Lili of the Valley ~ Rosie with Presents, she is coloured with Promarkers. Sentiment is also LOTV, the lovely paper is Eline's Huis 'In The Meadow' and the swirls are a Sizzix die. Lots of glitz with Stickles Star Dust.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend and thanks for dropping by!

Barbara xx

Done that bit.. now the fonts changed!!

Please bear with me, I have managed to remove the Cutest Blog background and re-install the LeeLou background, phew!! Now if anyone can help me with the font, its awful!! I haven't a clue how to change fonts.

Please, can anyone help me !!!!???

xxx

Please excuse my blog!

No card from me today, I am trying to tart up my blog ..... not very successfully and it's driving me potty!! If anyone can help me I would really appreciate it, as you can see I have a LeeLou blog background and a Cutest Blog on the blog background, how do I delete the Cutest blog one, I removed it from the HTML gadget menu but its still there, arrgh!!! I want to keep the LeeLou one, I get really mixed up with the templates thingy's but I will keep fiddling about, have a nice weekend! x

I am a lucky girl!!

Hi everyone, no card from me today, just had to share my news with you!

I entered a lucky draw to celebrate Natalie of NGCards reaching 300 followers and guess what, I won all the scrummy candy pictured here!

I am soooo thrilled, can't wait for the postman to bring me my goodies!

Thank you Natalie (and Mr Linky!)

xxx

A Blog Award!!

Wow, I have been passed this award by 2 of my lovely blogging buddies, Tilly and Jacee, thank you so much girls!!


The award is aimed at bringing unknown good blogs to light, I am honoured to think that someone thinks my blog is good enough for this award and happily accept it.

There are a couple of conditions to follow in accepting, and they are:

1. If you have been tagged, do you want to accept, then you have to create a post on your blog and post the love blog photo.
2. Choose 3-5 of your favourite blogs to tag, link these in your blog too and tell the lucky people they have been tagged.

There are lots of lovely blogs out there and its very difficult to choose, every blog deserves an award and I would love to pass this on to every blog I visit, but the aim is bringing unknown blogs to light and these 5 fab blogs are my choice.

Tammy

Caroline

Lisa

Diane

Val

Please pop by and have a peek at these lovely ladies blogs, become followers and give them the recognition they deserve, you won't be disappointed!!

Thank you my blogging friends!!

xx

The Sugar Bowl Challenge # 52

Here I am again with those gorgeous Simply Adorables images, I just love them, can you tell lol!!

This is my entry for the Sugar Bowl Challenge # 52, a sketch by Marie Therese and as I have rarely used this lovely Marianne Creatable Butterfly die I thought it was ideal for this sketch.

Two lucky winners will recieve their choice of 6 super sweet Sugar Nellie rubber stamps. To be in with a chance to win this fabulous prize just follow the sketch and perhaps add the optional theme of ...... LOVE!!

This lovely little lady, her name is Verity, has been coloured with a combination of Promarkers and Prisma's, the paper is Prima Jack & Jill Collection, loving these gorgeous papers. Edges are all distressed with Bundled Sage DI and lashings of Star Dust Stickles. The butterfly wings are also covered in Star Dust, lace and bling are from my stash.

Thanks for looking and enjoy the rest of your day!

LOTV Challenge 82 ~ Anything but a Square

Ooooh sorry this is a little late, I intended to post this last night but you know how good intentions tend to fall by the wayside..... life gets in the way, lol! The LOTV challenge this week is 'Anything but a square' and this is my creation using a Marianne Creatables die, the papers are Country Companions ~ Lovers Lane and the gorgeous LOTV image I coloured with Promarkers. Sentiment is again LOTV and that heart button I made myself following the fab tutorial by Bev. Its nowhere near as good as Bev's but its not bad for a first attempt, I'm fairly happy with it and I am sure I will improve with practice!! The heart I drew onto a piece of card, punched 2 holes then added 3 coats of UTEE, if you want to know how its done just pop across to Bev's blog and see how you can do it following Bev's excellent tutorial.


Well better dash off and start the tea, enjoy the rest of your day!

Sketch Saturday Week # 140

It's my final week as GDT for Sketch Saturday and I have to say I have thoroughly enjoyed my time as GDT and would like to thank Jilli and the rest of the fab Design Team for inviting me. This weeks challenge is sponsored by The Craft Barn and the fabulous prize is a set of Crafty Secrets Cherub Clear Arts Stamps, they really are gorgeous, wouldn't mind that set myself! Do go take a peek at the fabulous entries from the Design Team.

Onto this card and the image is Grace, one of the beautiful Simply Adorables Digi's from Funky Kits. She is coloured with Promarkers with a touch of Prisma black pencil just to accentuate the shadows a little. The papers I think are Papermania Jack & Jill, edged with Walnut DI and Star Dust Stickles. Flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts. Sentiment is Lili of the Valley.

Well it's Sunday again which means a busy day with family and sunday roast...... roast beef and yorkshire puds with lashings of delicious gravy, roast honey parsnips, buttered carrots, juicy broccoli, yummy, yummy, making you hungry LOL ???!!

Will be back later with a card for the LOTV Challenge, have a nice day!

Penny Black Birthday and Nitwits Papers

Hello there all, hope you are all well and not too cold, at least it's not raining....... don't like rain, would much rather have cold and bright than wet and miserable .... and, Spring is just around the corner!! Well onto this card, it was made a few weeks ago for a friend for her mum's 80th birthday. The stipulation was that there was no mention of 80 on the card so in the verse on the inside I made reference to her double 40th!!

The image is of course Penny Black coloured with Promarkers, you can't see it very well on the photo but the edges have been distressed with Spun Sugar DI and stickled with Star Dust. The papers are Nitwits - Tickled Pink, love these papers, so much choice. Punch is Martha Stewart and the fabulous ribbon is white seam binding from The Ribbon Girl. Butterfly is an X-Cut punch, distressed with Spun Sugar DI and covered with Stickles Star Dust.

I have a few more cards to show you so drop by again soon and thanks for looking!

The Sugar Bowl Challenge # 51

Well I have been itching to colour this little beauty and the Sugar Bowl Challenge this week gave me the perfect opportunity. As soon as I saw these beautiful digi stamps I just fell in love with them, they remind me so much of my collection of porcelain dolls. This one is Joy and she is aptly named as she was a joy to colour, as they all are, as the shading is already done for you. I used Promarkers to colour her with just a touch of black Prisma pencil where the shadows fall. Pop on over to Funky Kits and drool over these wonderful images!!

Challenge 51 this week over at the Sugar Bowl is this lovely sketch with the optional theme of Happy Birthday. There is an amazing mystery prize worth over £40 from Funky Kits

and that's got be worth having!!

For this card I used:

Background papers ~ Country Companions Lovers Lane (Roses)

Papermania Hampstead (green)

Image ~ Joy by Sugar Nellie from Funky Kits

Siam Pink Seam Binding ~ The Ribbon Girl

Flowers ~ Wild Orchid Crafts

Punch ~ Martha Stewart

Pearls from stash

Run around the edges with Tim Holtz DI Bundled Sage and Star Dust Stickles

The light hasn't been ideal conditions today for taking photos but it's not too bad is it?

Thanks for looking, will be back soon with more of these beautiful images.

Sketch Saturday # 139 and Pink Gem Challenge # 13

Well this is my fourth week this month as Guest DT for Sketch Saturday # 139 and this little cutie image is from Pink Gem, I love Janet's stamps they are so well defined and a dream to colour. This week the sponsors at Sketch Saturday are Bugaboo Stamps and the winner of this weeks challenge gets to choose 7 free digi images, how cool is that!! The background paper is from the 'Tickled Pink' collection from Nitwits, adore their papers. Lace, ribbon, pearls and flower are all from stash and the image is coloured with Promarkers.

I am also entering this card in the Pink Gem Challenge No 13 - Ribbon and Lace.

Its been a damp, cold and miserable day today so myself and a couple of friends took ourselves off to a card making demo at a local craft shop and of course it was compulsary to spend loads of dosh to cheer us up! We had a nice lunch and a good old catch up, nothing like some retail therapy, especially when its crafty!

Will be back again soon, thanks for visiting my blog today!

Just Magnolia & Hanglar Stanglar Challenge # 89

The challenge over at Magnolia and Hanglar & Stanglar this week is 'My Favourite Things' a chance to go a bit mad and use all your favourite crafty stuff! I just adore these beautiful Hanoverian V&A papers by Docrafts, they have a lovely rich linen texture and victorian look.


Sorry I don't know the name of this little lady but she is so sweet. I have coloured her with Promarkers, stamped around the image with a swirl stamp and added lashings of Platinum Stickles. The border punch and the heart punch are Martha Stewart and the sentiment is one of the new releases from Lili of the Valley.



Thanks for dropping by and hope you can join in!



Happy Crafting!! xx

LOTV Challenge 80 ~ Things with Wings

Hello again everyone, hope you are all well and the sun is shining wherever you are. It was very foggy in Cheshire this morning but then the sun came out to play and it was lovely to see it, hope it stays around!!

Well the LOTV challenge this week is 'Things with Wings' and as I was itching to use my new LOTV stamps it was a perfect opportunity to colour up this beautiful lady. She is coloured with Promarkers, her wings I have covered with Glossy Accents and Glamour Dust. The sentiment is one of the new ones from LOTV too, I was really spoilt for choice with the new releases and I did spend a little more than I intended but no regrets, they are all so fab. I am off to Manchester to the Craft show in February and I just know I will gravitate to the LOTV stand!

The background paper is Basic Grey Kioshi Lily Child, punches are Martha Stewart and there are lashings of Stickles Star Dust but doesn't show up very well on the photo, the day I took this photo the light was very poor (well that's my excuse!).

Well my beloved little dog Lolly has gone to doggie heaven and even though it was a heartbreaking decision I know it was the right one. She was so frail and she really had enough, she was very calm (I wasn't!) and she passed very peacefully. Her 'hubby' Toby is pining for her, he keeps looking for her around the house and garden, I expected him to whine a bit through the night but he never made a sound. I am sure in a few days we will have forgotten all about her but we miss her too, its so strange not having her here. Thank you to everyone for your messages of support, it means a lot.

Thank you so much for your visit today.

Sketch Saturday # 138 - January 15th

Hi peeps, well we are halfway through January and as GDT for Sketch Saturday for this month this is my card. This weeks sponsor is Bunny Zoe's Crafts and the lucky winner of the challenge will recieve £10 to spend in the store, how cool is that!!

To make my card I used:

CS - fom stash

Background Paper - Fancy Pants ~ First date

Image - Kenny K

Sentiment ticket - freebie from SgtStamper

Buttons, ribbon and flower - fom stash

Coloured with Promarkers

Stickles - Star Dust

It's my granddaughter Olivia's 13th birthday today and this is her card, this image is just perfect for her, you know what I mean, teenager with attitude, lol!!

Dreading tomorrow as I have to take my dog Lolly to the vets and I doubt very much I will be bringing her home again. We got her as a rescue and she was estimated to be about 3 or 4 years of age, we have had her 12 years, which makes her about 15 or 16, so she is a good age. A couple of years ago the vet diagnosed slipped discs which would eventually paralyse her legs, which has inevidently happened. This is a common thing to happen to these breed of dogs, they have long backs and short stubby legs. I am sure she isn't in any pain, she never cries with pain, if she was I would have no hesitation, she just has difficulty moving around and she is an old lady so she tends to sleep a lot. My heart is ruling my head, I know its the best thing for her but it's such a horrible decision to make, every time I look at her she wags her tail and looks at me with her milky brown eyes, makes me feel so guilty!! Her 'hubby' Toby will miss her too, he is also a Shih Tzu, another rescue but a couple of years younger and fit as a fiddle.

Anyway, I will keep you posted, thanks for dropping by. xxx

LOTV Challenge - Too late!!

Hi folks, can you believe I made this card for this week's LOTV challenge and missed the 6pm deadline!! LOL, I am such a scatterbrain, not the first time this has happened, I have all good intentions, get the card made and them miss the challenge..... oh well, never mind. Its my daughter Donna's birthday today and she makes delicious cupcakes as a business so she was thrilled to bits with this card.


I loved the sketch for this challenge, the papers are Papermania Confetti, the image is of course LOTV, coloured with Promarkers. The corner die is Marianne and the sentiment is also LOTV. You can't really see it very clearly on the photo but the edges have all been stickled with Star Dust. Flowers are from Wild Orchid which have been sprayed with Pearl Glimmermist.


After my nasty bout of flu I developed Sinusitis which I have been trying to clear with OTC medication and steam inhalation but it wasn't making any difference and I was in so much pain and discomfort so I reluctantly made a visit to GP and now have a weeks course of antibiotics. Not keen on taking antibiotics but sometimes can't be avoided.

Well thanks for dropping by, I really appreciate your visit and your comments.

GDT Sketch Saturday Week 2

Well hello again everyone, hope you are all well and managed to avoid the dreaded flu lurgy. I am feeling much better apart from a touch of sinusitis which will go in its own time (I hope!!).

It's my second week as GDT for Sketch Saturday and this is my take on this week's sketch. The papers I have used are 'Buds n Blossoms' by Nitwit Collections, I love their papers and can always find a paper to match my needs, they have some beautiful designs, trouble is, I want them all! Apologies for the poor quality of the photo, I am pants at taking photos and the light has been very poor, which doesn't help! Maybe I need to invest in a light tent?

The lovely fairy image is Lili of the Valley, coloured with Promarkers with lashings of Star Dust Stickles. Sentiment is again LOTV, one of their digital downloads, I like them because I can adjust them to any size I want to. Looking forward to 11th January when LOTV release their new stamps, from the sneak peeks I have seen I'm sure we will all be spoilt for choice and spending cash!!

Thanks for looking and don't forget to head over to Sketch Saturday and have a peek at the fabulous creations by the Design Team.