A short break

It's my Mums eightieth birthday soon and we are having a little family 'do'. I thought I could get her house organised and keep my own place up to date and take her shopping and make cards and blog! How wrong was I? Things always just take so much longer than doing them in your head! So, I am cutting myself some slack and will be back in blogland, hopefully, in about a week. 

In the meantime the new issue of Papercraft Essentials magazine has hit the shelves. I have an article about how to use doilies and digi stamps on page 78. Why not treat yourself. The mag is a great read and packed with gorgeous inspiration, hints and tips.

Right, I'm off now - another cupboard to clear out and clean!

 

hello

 

I have two cards to share today both using stamps from the Urban range by Docrafts. The stamp above is called 'The Chapel' and the one below is 'Shore Thing'. I coloured both with my distress pens (I may do a video tutorial on this to add to my other two - links over there on the sidebar). For the top card I chopped the image into four quarters. I think it worked out quite well. And although the Shore Thing stamp is also square I decided to 'circle it' with a nestie. You lose a little bit of the image but gives you a completely different look.

It's a typical Bank Holiday Monday - pouring. Never mind, that means I can crack on with the two magazine commissions that popped into my inbox last week. 

 

Make a Wish

I haven't inked up one of my cute Sugar Nellie stamps in ages. So here is Delia, looking pretty in pink! I used a Memory Box die for the diecut panel and a Martha Stewart flower punch. I coloured Delia with distress pens and glitterfied her wings with stickles.

I am entering In The Pink...things with wings

This morning we took Boyd to the Wizard of Paws for his bi-annual shower and pamper session. A soapy shower, conditioner and a spray of doggy deodorant. All the lady dogs had better watch out later!
 

Wonderful

Treated myself to a new background stamp. It's by Papermania from the Urban Stamps range and is called 'beautiful folium'. I'm really pleased with how it stamped out. Then I added a stamped Penny Black butterfly that had been heat embossed with white powder and fussy cut. Some Tim Holtz tape along the bottom, a couple of flowers with candi in the centres and a sentiment - job done!

It's for this weeks Cupcake Challenge..black and white.
 

happy christmas

How cute is this little elf? He is one of a set of two now on offer over in The DigiStamp Boutique. I coloured with copics and used up some snippets of some quite old paper. OK, that's it from me, short and sweet today. The sun is shining and I need to crack on with some outsidey type houseworky jobs - yeuck!

 

let it snow

I really need to get myself a daylight lamp! This cute snowman should definately be sporting a hat and scarf that matches the pink paper. Either that or my camera is playing tricks again!

Anyhoo, here is this weeks Cuddly Buddly card. The Skiing Snowbuddy and the Marianne Designs Snowflake die are both in stock over in the Cuddly Buddly shop.

Off now to look out my sou'wester and wellies to walk the hound!
 

Happy Birthday

I'm late sharing my card today. I've been up to my ears all day working on a magazine commission and I totally forgot I had made this yesterday! I have used one of my favourite little Penny Black hedgies and coloured with watercolour pencils. 

I am entering 3 challenges...

Simon Says Stamp..animal antics

Delightful...punches and dies

Allsorts...going around in circles

We're off to see Batman tomorrow, I've heard it's pretty good. Has anyone seen it?

 

Photo Scavenger Hunt - part 5

 

 No. 10 - A Horse.

There are plenty of real horses that I could have snapped. But the minute I saw a horse was listed as part of the scavenger hunt this one immediately sprung to mind. Now those of you local to the area will know that this is the Duke of Wellington and he normally has a traffic cone on his head! The local council frown on this and periodically remove it! So I was really disappointed that the day we chose to get a pic the traffic cone was missing. And would you believe that it was in the news that he is now sporting a gold coloured cone in honour of all the Scottish Olympians. Hmph!

No. 17 - A Church, Chapel, Cathedral, Mosque or Temple.

This is St Andrews Cathedral and just as I was taking my pic a cycle race flew by!

There's still time to get out your camera and join in. All the details are here.

 

Just For You

It's Tuesday and there are new bears on the loose! Very cute new bears, don't you think? How perfect is this for your little ballerina? I coloured with prisma pencils and used up some snippets of pink paper. The reason my card is so pink is that I found a brand new challenge...In The Pink!

You still have loads of time to join in over at the Teddy Bo Challenge...distress it. All the details are here.

 

Guest Cupcake!

When an email popped into my inbox from Faye over at Cupcake Craft Challenges to ask if I would be a guest cupcake and help them celebrate their birthday, well, I jumped at the chance! 

Their birthday challenge is to take inspiration from this photograph...

So for my card I stuck with the yummy pink, brown and cream colours. The 'happy birthday' stamp is by Papermania and I coloured with copics. I've had these papers in my stash forever and are by DCWV. To finish off I diecut and embossed a couple of balloons.

It would be great if you could join in and make it a birthday to remember!

 

life's adventures

I found a new clean and simple challenge - CASology. Their challenge for this week is 'pond' so I couldn't resist using my little Penny Black boy 'hoppy day', perfect for the job! I stamped straight onto my card base (you need more nerve than an Olympic diver!) and coloured with watercolour pencils. The sentiment is from a Hero Arts set and I added some buttons to finish.

I'm looking forward to the closing ceremony tonight, haven't the Olympics been great?
 

Beach Babe

To tie in with this glorious spell of good weather I thought I would make a bright summery card using one of this month's new releases from the DigiStamp Boutique. She is from the cute mermaids set and I used copics to colour. The papers are by fancypantsdesigns. The little sparkly starfish has been in my bits and bobs box forever, dear knows where it came from but I'm glad it's now found a home!

There are loads of new images in the Boutique this month - fairies, elves and gymnasts and even some music monsters! Don't forget that if you use any of the Boutique's images to make a card you can enter the monthly competition, all the details are here. 

 

Little Friends

The sun is still shining here, I think that might be four days in a row! How cute is this little fella? He is 'star squirrel' from Cuddly Buddly. I coloured with copics and the papers are 'spring flowers' by cArt-Us. I cut the flowers from one of the paper sheets.

I am entering this weeks Papertake Challenge..anything goes.
 

Magazine Giveaway

 We have a winner! And it's.....

Sue - Bearhouse

Woohoo, well done.

Email me your address, enjoy!

 

The Whatevers - parts 1 and 2

 Part 1 - the children

I am still on a mission to get inky! After completing one page of my art journal and not being all that happy with it, it has been cast aside. Then I tried a couple of canvases, they turned out better. My problem is I look at the blank pages and don't know where to start! Then I came across The Whatevers. Maybe this is just what I need. Each month a photograph is provided which you then use in your artwork to tell a story. I'm on a bit of a catch-up and so have two pages to share. The next photograph is due on Wednesday and I can't wait - I wonder how my story will unfold.

Part 2 - the governess

My pages are loose at the moment but when the 12 months have passed and my story is complete I intend to bind them together. Fancy joining in? You can read all about it here and then link up your creation here.

 

Love tag

OK, who stole Tuesday? I guess it will just need to be Teddy Bo Wednesday! Anyhoo, there's a new challenge over at Teddy Bo towers 'distress it'. All the details are here, we would love you to join in. For my tag I used TeddyBo Tabs 2 and coloured with distress pens.

I am entering my tag into this weeks Creative Inspirations Challenge 'anything goes'.

 

Magazine Giveaway

I have an article in this month's Papercraft Essentials and one of my cards has made it onto the front cover. Woohoo! So to celebrate I am giving away this edition of the magazine (which includes a Forever Friends CD-ROM) and a small crafty bundle. To be in with a chance of winning simply leave a comment on this post. The giveaway will close on Thursday 9th August.

 

Photo Scavenger Hunt - part 4

No. 9 - A Fountain

I am so enjoying taking part in this scavenger hunt. It gets us out and about to have a proper nosey at things that are on our doorstep. I have passed near this fountain hundreds of times on my way to Glasgow city centre but am ashamed to say have never stopped to look. It is outside The Peoples Palace, a small museum, and I bet you would never guess what they have in their collection -  Billy Connelly's big banana boots!

Today there is a link-up party for all the folk taking part in the hunt so I'm off for a nosey at how everyone is getting on. It's not too late to get your camera out and join in. All the details are here.

Go Team GB!

Hi bloggers, is everyone enjoying the Olympics? I know I am. Getting all caught up in sport that I have absolutely no interest in! Canoes are really exciting - who new?

So today's card is my little nod to our brilliant team GB. I used TeddyBo and Bea stamps that were freebies with a mag a while back. I coloured with distress markers and the papers are Portobello Road.

Remember you have until Sunday evening to enter this weeks TeddyBo Challenge. All the details are here.
 

Birthday Wishes

Every bit of me aches, even the bits I didn't know I had! New carpet in the bedroom, hall and the crafty room. Yes, you heard right - the crafty room. Moving a king size bed and two sets of drawers was nothing compared to clearing the crafty room, I am saying no more. You all know exactly what I mean!

So a nice easy one today that fits two challenges....

Delightful...birthdays

Creative Inspirations...in the garden

Off now to have a very, very long soak in the bath.