Saturday 31 December 2011

Time To Send Magnum To Rehab?

So here it is,my last post of 2011, how quick did that go?  They do say time flies when you're having fun!
 Magnum sure has been having some fun these last couple of days,why did I ever decide to use a random stamp and hand him a glass? He's becoming too big for his boots,trying to headline all of my posts lol,still he is rather gorgeous don't you think?


The lovely Laurie punched these lovely leaves for me a while back, they go perfect with the rather Gorgeous papers my secret Santa sent me.


I was rather pleased that even using the rather scrummy half pearls, the cards were still classed as normal postage!


I'm using this card for the following challenges:-
Craft 135,New Years,
CSF41,New Year,
Thanks for stopping by,and whatever way you spend New Years Eve,Stay Safe and make it a good one!
Happy 2012,
Julie.x
If you fancy joining a card making Design Team in 2012, Check out Scrapbook Sisters who are having a DT call.

Friday 30 December 2011

Hic!

Okay, I know,but Magnum was so enjoying the champagne,there was just no stopping him!


Forgot to say in my earlier post but if you zoom in for a close up,there are tiny glossy accent bubbles from the champagne fizz!

And if you bare with me, there are only three more in the Boozy Magnum range of cards lol!


I'm using these cards for the following challenges:-
4 Crafty Chicks 70,Something New (New sticky gems and papers)
CRAFT135, New year,
DDCC145, Favourite things,Copics and nestabilities,
Hanna and Friends 125, New Year,
Rainbow Ladys 185,Your choice,
Samuel Taylors,December,Anything goes,
SHC 56,Colouring,
DYSU52,Rainbow of colours.
Thanks for stopping by for my second post of the day,call by tomorrow to see if Magnum is still standing lol!
Julie.x

Magnum Hits the Bottle for New Year!

Ok,I've been slacking on the blog front for a few days,that doesn't mean I've not been crafting, just that I've spent rather a lot of time crafting so I felt guilty to also spend time on the laptop. Hubby's still off work so it's only fair I spend some time in the same room lol! 
I'm going to bore you over the next few days,I've been making several variations of the same card, just humour me, they are all unique lol!


They just happen to use very similar designs and my rather gorgeous Magnum who has been coloured up in various different shades over the last couple of days!


Don't tell Lily but I've been leading Magnum astray, I found a tiny wine glass stamp amongst my collection and thought he should toast the New Year! I always end up making New Years cards for people I know appreciate the thought,also it makes me feel less guilty that I ran out of time to make enough Christmas cards to go around my crafting buddies.

I'm using these cards for the following challenges:-
Whimsical Designs,Happy New Year,
AIS45,Die cuts and punches,
AS44,Anything goes,
CCT197,Happy New Year,
PWC186,New Year.
My Magnum was a stamp but you can also find him as a digi here if you can't wait to help him sober up!
Thanks for stopping by,
Julie.x

Saturday 24 December 2011

One More Sleep!

Well it's nearly here, just one more sleep! so just a quick post to show you the card I made for my in-laws. I have to say that this card is one of my favourite Christmas makes this year, my other fave was the Magnum and Christmas tree card that I dedicated to the Lovely Ladybugs!

Here's the close up of the Holly that I promised you yesterday,I just scored and shaped it,added some gold pen around the edges and some gold Luster rub on which is  a bit like cream eye shadow.


The image is one of Gayle Bond's along with the sentiment from a forever friends set of stamps. I hand cut the tiny tags and stamped with Dove Craft family stamps.


I stamped the inside of the card too with a snowflake stamp.



I'm using this card for the following challenges:-
Alphabet Challenge,W, White Christmas,
CCC2,Christmas,
DD23,Tags,
Delicious Doodles,Anything goes,
FWSAM99,Frame it,
Stampin for the Weekend 23, Anything goes,
SWTD, Let it snow.
Whatever you are up to tomorrow,I hope you have a wonderful day,
Thanks for stopping by,
Julie.x

Friday 23 December 2011

Want Some News?

I'm getting a bit forgetful in my old age lol! I double booked myself and ended up missing most of my fortnightly scrapbook class on Wednesday,turning up as most people were beginning to pack away their completed layouts. I spent a good fifteen minutes searching for the cards to give that I'd "put somewhere safe" so didn't have time to look at the class projects. Luckily for me the papers spoke to me and told me to make my Mum's Christmas card.  My mum isn't so keen on cards with cutesy images so I just used the Cricut and a Calligraphy cartridge and Plantins Schoolbook to cut out the words and a punch to cut out my holly. The layouts used these pearly dots as berries with the holly so I decided to do the same for my card,colouring them red.


Once home I put the card together embossing a panel and adding gold. My next post will show you a close up of the holly as I did my in-laws card using it also. The inside of the card is stamped around the edges with holly and stickles added for berries.



I'm using my card for the following challenges:-
C4E R51,Embossing,
CFAC16,Christmas,
Creative Belli 133,Word Christmas,
FBC76, Christmas,
LDC13,Christmas,
Pixie Cottage 101,Someone special.
Oh my goodness,nearly forgot to share some news, "Scrapbook Sisters" have just put out a DT call,call by their blog for full details!
Thanks for stopping by,
Julie.x

Thursday 22 December 2011

Mass Production

I know that most people are finished making their cards by now but I've been slacking!  I  found some inspiration whilst blog hopping and saw this card on Maile's blog, do check out her stunning creations, they are inspirational, I've had these "Gayle Bond" stamps a couple of years but had never thought to stamp the sentiment over the image,I'm so pleased with the result. I stamped directly onto the card base,and added limited colouring in pale colours so that the Copics didn't bleed through the card.

I few snowflakes,epoxy dots and some stickles,DP,ribbon and inking complete the card.

I'm using this card for the following challenges:-
Crafting For All Seasons 16,Christmas,
CBC66,Anything goes,
Divas By Design 17,Christmas,
PWC185,Snow,
Sisterhood Of Crafters, Christmas,
SRC103, Winter.
Thanks for stopping by,
Julie.x

Wednesday 21 December 2011

Anything Goes For A Fortnight!

It's time for a new challenge with Scrapbook Sisters today and luckily its an "Anything goes" which means you can enter any card you care to make, it's also a two week challenge taking us up to the 4th of December. For my DT card I made a small Nestability card for my lovely work colleague who's birthday happens to be today. You really must remind me to show you the absolutely stunning Bunting that she made for my "Crafty Cabin" for my birthday, she is so very talented and this is the reason I chose to add bunting to her birthday card.


The lovely tea cups and teapot were magazine freebies from a while back. I stamped and coloured them using Copics,cut them out and after shaping them added them to the card using pinflair gel. I'm a bit cross as I  must have lost the syringe that goes with it at the last SS Crop, I had to judge a squeeze from the big tube :(   I supose the card is a bit on the summery side really, it makes me think of country fetes and afternoon teas with home made scones and clotted cream, a big dollop of  strawberry jam , mmmmmm.......
Sorry,I got a bit distracted.


I'm using this card for the following challenges:-
IWD125, Circle cards,
MIM68, Anything goes,
TCPCB7, Use a sentiment,
TCCB139, Except Christmas,
OSAAT 93, Anything goes,
P B And More December,Birthday,
Crafty Pad 152, Anything but Christmas.
Have a great day,
Thanks for stopping by,
Julie.x

Monday 19 December 2011

Merry Christmas Lovely Ladybugs!

It's not quite Ladybug Tuesday but I'm a busy girlie tomorrow so thought I'd get in early with a reminder that the TLT Bingo Challenge is going to continue until the 2nd of January. Those Ladybugs are such a great group of ladies and I thought that as I've run out of time to send them all individual cards that I'd make a card and dedicate it to them all. I combined several Digi images to create a little scene, this was so much fun and it's made me look at the Ladybugs digi images in a whole new way, I'm no good at technical stuff so don't know quite why it is that it happens but these images can be put together so easily that even a thicko like me can do it. It is just so addictive, I wish I'd had more time to experiment as I just know that the Love and Marriage "The Kiss" would have looked just perfect alongside a decked Christmas tree! Check out all the digi's here and let your imagination run wild.


I'm using this card for the following challenges:-
Crafty Boots, Christmas,
Icopic Weekly challenge 61, Last minute holiday card,
Kaboodle Doodles 98, O Christmas tree,
Make It Monday 68, Anything goes,
TTC07, Furry friends,
VO23, Christmas.
So Merry Christmas everyone,
Thanks for stopping by,
Julie.x

Sunday 18 December 2011

Bring Me Some Figgy Pudding!

Oh my goodness, isn't the time flying by! I've been busy making a few cards this evening, why do I always leave it till the last minute. I'm sure I posted on New Years Day 20011 that my resolution was to make a card a week! well, that went out the window and as usual I'm now panicking that I've still a few to do. Most of the cards I made tonight were using the wonderful LCI Magnum and Christmas add ons, these are truly brilliant, I'm not just saying it because I'm on the DT but they are so easy to use that even I can manage to layer the images! Wish I'd thought to print out a large pudding, wouldn't it look fab as a shaped card! if I get some time,I'll do that in the week, I haven't made my Mum's card yet and I bet she'd love it.


I'm using this card for the following challenges:-
Digi Doodles 87, Paper piercing,
GL30,Christmas,
KK74, Anything goes,
OSAAT93, Anything goes,
Squirrel And Fox 7, Christmas.
Thanks for stopping by,
Julie.x

Friday 16 December 2011

Thank Goodness For Crafting.

Arriving home from school with Christmas gifts of chocolate from her friends,  my daughter decided that perhaps she did want to give gifts this year, now I had offered a few days ago to get presents but she'd decided that it wasn't needed this year. What is it with teenage girls, I'm sure I never gave gifts to school friends, we used to just do cards, these days,cards don't seem to be "cool" but presents seems to be the thing! Now, I did offer a trip to the shops,even though I'd had enough of traipsing round shops for one day,but a very undecided voice didn't know what she wanted to buy. Luckily I remembered that I'd bought a pack of cheque book sized note pads,ready for some boxing day party games, so I suggested to personalise them as gifts for her friends.  


Very basic I know but with limited time and using a selection of offcuts along with my Cricut and Plantins Schoolbook cartridge,my daughter was pleased to have unique gifts to give her friends.  If I'd had more time to play with I'd have added some decoration to the pens. I can't believe what a bargain these worked out to be,  the books and pens worked out at around 35p a go plus it's cleared a little from my off cuts drawer.

I'm using these for the following challenges:-
Charisma Cardz 49,Last min,Christmas makes,
Samuel Taylor, Anything goes,
Cooking It Up 86, Anything goes,
The Paper Variety, Anything goes,
Anything goes,56,Anything goe's o+ optional tag (tag used)
City Crafter 87, Alter a book.
Thanks for stopping by,
Julie.x

Wednesday 14 December 2011

Take Two with Scrapbook Sisters.

The challenge this week at Scrapbook Sisters is, "Only Two colours" Now, for my DT card I've used a bit of artistic licence. I was asked by a friend to make a card  for her husbands 40th,his favourite colours being black and white, now everyone knows that if you mix black and white together,they make grey right? and don't you think that silver is just shiny grey? well I'm hoping you do, lol!

So I stamped my black bazil with a silver "frank" stamp,it's by forever friends and actually says first class friend but I managed to avoid the friend bit when I inked it,(guess what her husband's profession is?) I cut the numbers and stars out using my Cricut and Plantins Schoolbook. the flourishes were cut using a revolution die. I embossed my black numbers using a star folder.

Husband is from the same set of F.F. set. I just used foam pads to give dimension to the embellishments and stickles was requested which I added to the shadowing of the numbers.

I'm using my card for the following challenges:-
Cards Und More 43, Monochrome,
CAC, Embossing,
CCC172, Don't Look at the light,
MIM67, Anything goes,
Penny Black And More December,Happy Birthday,
Sketchy Colours 97,Black and white.
Thanks for stopping by,
Julie.x

Tuesday 13 December 2011

Eyes Down With The Ladybugs!

Well, it's Tuesday and the last Totally Ladybug Tuesday Challenge of 2011,so what better way to round of a crafting year than a game of Bingo with your mates!  It doesn't matter where you are in the world,you can mix it up with the Ladybugs and have some fun!
All you need to do is choose a line and create a masterpiece using your choice,if you're feeling really daring,you can even go for a full house as some of the ladybugs have done.

I chose to use the line "Buttons, Flowers and Embossing" to create my card using the one and only Magnum and Lily Digi! This card was actually for the Queen Ladybug herself, Kerry who's birthday it was last Friday, I hope she's finally received it as I know the fleet of vans got delayed delivering her birthday goodies.


I used my nesties to create a frame which I embossed before raising with foam pads


I coloured up Magnum and that cheeky Lily using Copics,added stickles to the party hats and candles and cut the image out.


I couldn't decide which buttons to use in the centre of my flower so went mad and used 3,adding a little stickles to the largest and threading them together with some string. I also added stickes to the swirls on my paper.


The flowers were white so I used copics to change the colour to suit the papers.


I added some gel pen stitches and decorated the inside to match the front.
I'm using this card for the following challenges:-
Corrosive Challenge 139,Anything but Christmas,
SSIC119,Birthday,
Stampalot December,Bingo.Buttons,Flowers,Stickles,
Secret Crafter 164,All creatures great and small,
Don't forget you still have time to take advantage of the "stamp of the month" offer!
Thanks for stopping by,
Julie.x

Sunday 11 December 2011

Stickles......Big Mistake!

Ok,here we go again,I loved making my other masked Snowflake card yesterday and experimented, masking a different area of my card and trying out a freebie,magazine giveaway stamp. It didn't look too bad but you know what I'm like, I just don't know when to leave be, so out came the stickles and I added a drizzle around my masked area. Why did I do this I ask myself,??? it even gives the appearance that my masked area is on the squiff :( ,I couldn't even take my blade to it as for once it dried almost instantly. So, I thought I'd share it with you anyway as a reminder to myself and a lesson to you all, Sometimes it's best to leave be! (excuse the photo, for some reason my diamante looks black)


I'm using this card for the following challenges,
 LIM,One layer, snow,
Addicted To Stamps 19,Snowflakes,
DVC22,Christmas,
QCCB25, Snowing.
Have a great week everyone,
Thanks for stopping by,
Julie.x

Saturday 10 December 2011

A Little Flurry

Ok, this is my second post of the day,thing is I felt a bit of a fake with my earlier card as the idea was a borrowed one so I thought I'd post another card for the same challenge,just to make myself feel better lol! I'm so glad I did as I'm desperate for some quick,simple cards to give out at work and these tiny 3" makes are just perfect!

The first card I fiddled with,you know what it's like,I added a silver marker edge to my card, I couldn't decide which size of gem to go with sooooo

I made another,these are so quick and easy,just a partially embossed snowflake using just the folder from my Cuttlebug Ice Crystal cut and emboss.
I'm using this card for the following challenges:-
LIM One layer, snow,
OCL95, Clean and Simple Holidays,
Polka Doodles 49,Quick Christmas (at 2 mins a piece I'd call it super quick lol!)
Simply Create Too 2,Embossing,
Crimbo Crackers 4,Embossing.
That feels better! Thanks for stopping by,
Julie.x

Seen Any Snowflakes?

I don't know about you but I'm a bit  chilly tonight,luckily though I haven't seen any of these and I certainly don't want to either. Before you take a look at my card, I first have to confess that it was in fact inspired by a blog stop I took last night, if you recognise the design I'd be happy if you could point me in the right direction as I did a lot of browsing on my phone whilst waiting to pick up my son and can't remember the origins,I'd like to give the designer some credit. The original though it was a different shape,and if I remember correctly involved a lot less snowflakes.


I'd like to enter my card to this week's
 LIM challenge,Snowflakes.
Thanks for stopping by,
Julie.x
I am editing this post as the designer of the card that inspired me has come to visit, if you'd like to check it out,you can find her beautiful card here!

Thursday 8 December 2011

Another Teenager In The House!

Our baby turned 13 today and the request came for a card with a monkey on it.

So after a quick google search,I decided on a set of monkey digi images by Dustin Pike at Doodle Dragon Studios,I thought you might like to see what I did with them.

The last photo is the reverse of the card, our gorgeous girlie was thrilled to say the least!

CCT194, Anything goes,
LMM24, Buttons and ribbons,
TPS, It's a celebration,
Crafty Boots, Anything goes,
Digi Makeover 14,Cut it out,
DDCC48,Something sweet, ( my daughter thinks monkeys are sweet lol!)
NGDG, Happy Birthday,
Dustin Pike, It's beginning to look.
Thanks for stopping by,
Julie.x

Wednesday 7 December 2011

Feeling Sketchy?

What an amazing amount of entries there were for last week's Scrapbook Sister's challenge, hopefully this week "A  Sketch" will tempt just as many. Now I don't usually follow sketches and when I realised that it was the theme for this week I panicked a bit, I needn't have worried though as it is a lovely one to follow and to be honest, apart from the card stock,all of the papers were scraps left over from last year's cards.  The stamp is also a last year's forever friends set.


Here's the sketch if you fancy giving it a go we'd all love to see what you come up with.


I'm entering my card for the following challenges:-
ABC Christmas,Yipee,anything goes,
Belli 132,Christmas,
Crafty Creations 147,Card with sentiment,
Divas By Design 16, Anything goes,
FBC 76,Christmas,
MMCS35,Traditional Christmas,
Penny's 68, Merry Christmas,
CMP5,Christmas colours,
Tuesday Throwdown 77, Tis the season.
Thanks for stopping by,
Julie.x

Tuesday 6 December 2011

Sparkle And Snowflakes At LCI.

Boy oh boy,did you check out all of the beautiful "WOW" entries last week at LCI, there were some really beautiful and inspiring creations and with this week's theme we're expecting to see a whole lot more!
It's the Lovely Lisa's turn to host this week's challenge and it's such a perfectly brilliant theme for this time of year, I  for one don't mind if I spill a little glitter on to my clothes and working with small children I've been twinkling for weeks now lol!
 So onto the theme for this week, "Sparkle and Snowflakes"  The Ladybugs are all using the Stamp of the month, "Tom and Snowman" this is available at half price till the end of the month. For my DT card I made a shaker card, just perfect with this cute image, my papers are glittery already so just a drizzle of stickles was added around the diecut.

I'm using this card for the following challenges:-
Bearly Mine 25, Untraditional Christmas colours,
Cards and More 42,Snowflakes,
Crafty Sentiments,Snowflakes,
Creative Card Crew,Tis the season,
Papertake Weekly,Anything goes.
Thanks for stopping by,
Julie.x

 

Sunday 4 December 2011

Tiny Green Tree

A quick post today I'm afraid as I've still lots to get done. The LIM challenge this week is the colour prompt "Green" so with a gift to put in the post for the fast approaching day, I thought I'd make a tiny 3" square card to post with it. I inked up a set of stamps that I bought a couple of years ago but lost amongst some papers without ever using. They are by Dovecraft and I think at the time they cost under a pound. I just added a green gel pen doodled frame and a touch of stickles to the star.


I'm using this card for the following challenges:-
TT185, Single layer Christmas,
LIM44, Green,
CCC1, One layered Christmas.
Hope you've had a great weekend,
Thanks for stopping by,
Julie.x

Wednesday 30 November 2011

Ribbon Madness at Southern Girls.

It's  Lou's team challenge this fortnight at Southern Girls and the theme for "Challenge 33 is Ribbon Madness!"
Now,I generally use ribbon on my cards but for some reason I couldn't think of how I was going to incorporate ribbon on this one, I was just so taken with the gorgeous Lil Little Lolita Ivy by Tickled Pink that I didn't want to over do it on the ribbon  front so I decided to punch holes and tie various ribbons between them. Tickled Pink are one of the 3 sponsors for this challenge,be sure and check out the "Southern Girls"  blog for full details of the challenge and sponsors!



I slightly shaped my cut out image and raised it slightly with Pinflair glue. I then wrote "Hoppy Birthday using a white gel pen and added a few hand drawn "stitches".


 I'm using my card for the following challenges:-
Creative Craft Challenge, Free for all,
PTT44, Anything goes,
Crafty Boots, Anything goes,
MIM65, Anything goes,
SWF 139, Stitching,
VOC22, Ribbon,
Birthday Sundaes 37, Birthday sentiment,
KCG71,Stitching,
TP47,Hand written sentiments.
Thanks for stopping by,
Julie.x

Anything Goes Wednesday

The theme for this week's challenge at Scrapbook Sisters is "Anything goes", how brilliant is that as it means that for my DT card I was able to make another Christmas card for the pile using another of Gayle Bond's images,I used a stamp from last year but they are available as Digi's and are available exclusively at Scrapbook Sisters.
 

I'm using this card for the following challenges:-
Creative Card Crew,Monochromatic,
Going Grey WSC,Christmas,
CYPC 86, Tis the season,
Kaboodle Doodles, Bundle Up for winter,
CCC147,Sentiment/Christmas,
Divas by Design 16,Anything goes.
Thanks for stopping by,
Julie.x

Tuesday 29 November 2011

WOW!

It's Pami's challenge this week at Ladybug Crafts Ink and her theme is "White On White"  let's face it when you are using  a brilliant image like "Dear Santa" you really don't need anything else to look at,  and that Jack is such a cutie I so love to colour him! I kept my DT card really simple, just some photo corners made using my square nesties and some photo paper off cuts, some layering of die cuts  and some Ikea ribbon with the wire removed.



I added some glossy accents to the baubles on the tree and drizzled some stickles around the image.


I'm using my card for the following challenges:-
Craft Your Passion 86, Tis the season,
PCI, Christmas,
Addicted To Stamps 18,Christmas Card,
GL30, Christmas,
Stamptacular Sunday 140, Anything Christmas.
Thanks for stopping by,
Julie.x

Saturday 26 November 2011

Blinging Saturday And News Of A Guest Designer Call!

I was so excited when I saw the theme for this week's LIM challenge as I knew exactly what I wanted to do,the only trouble was I didn't yet have the image, but that really isn't a problem when it's a digi, I just put in a quick order and within a few minutes The card was started! I even attempted a few things I've never done before as the tree,star and baubles are all separate digi's combined to make a one off image, you can find them here at LCI along with the other amazing images in the set. Oh and a quick heads up, you still have a couple of days if you fancy becoming a Guest Designer with the Ladybugs!


The other first for me was printing my Sentiment directly with my image, I couldn't believe how easy it all was! If anyone can help me with how I save a complete image and sentiment so that I can reproduce it, I'd be very grateful if you could share :) I came totally unstuck when I attempted to do this  lol!



Anyway, the LIM challenge theme is "A Bit Of Bling", I just added  three gems a few drizzles of Stickles and a bit of glossy accents. 

I'm using this card for the following challenges:-
LIM 43,Bit of bling,
My Sheri Crafts,Decorate for Christmas,
OCC,O Christmas Tree,
TPFC94, Christmas,
Aud Sentiments 42, Holiday Sentiments.
Thanks for stopping by,
Julie.x