Thanks A Latte

*waves frantically*

Back from my holiday! Actually got home last Tuesday but I was exhausted the first couple of days and then I got my new car on the road on Friday (after passing my test three days before I went on holiday!) and spent the weekend getting the hang of driving it (I learned in a diesel and the clutch isn't as forgiving on a petrol, lol!) and getting sorted with various things I needed to sort for it! But now I can relax a bit and get some crafting done!

I used Fiskars stamps for this card, from the Latte Love stamp set. Coloured of course with my promarkers. I cut the card base and banner on my cameo. Popped the white stamped layer up on foam pads and the banner on pads too. And finally added a few gems to finish.

I'm submitting this for:

- Retro Sketches #180 - Sketch
- Passion For ProMarkers #313 - Use a Sentiment
- Craft Your Passions #278 - Anything Goes

Wow It's Been Forever!

So yeah, this year has vanished fast! Probably no one even checks here anymore, but maybe a few of my followers are still around!

This hasn't been a great year - hence the lack of cards posted - with my health being not so great and then in May my grandmother passed away and it's just been one thing after another the last month and a half.

I have made a few cards but not as many as I'd have liked and none of them have made them on here, but I've just finished setting up a proper 'craft room' and am raring to go on some card making again! Hopefully there will be something new up in the next few days!

On the good side of this year, my sister had a little boy in April, so I now have two gorgeous nephews to spoil! And I'm in the process of learning to drive, so hopefully I'll have my licence before the summer is out! I can't wait to be able to get a car and get out and see and do stuff, that I've been putting off because getting places on public transport is a major pain!

Hope all my followers are well! Can't wait to share some crafty designs with you again!

Happy Birthday Mum (and a note...)

Before I show you the card I've made today... I have some exciting news! But... I'm not going to tell you. It's killing me not too, really! I've been sitting on this for weeks - and let me tell you I just don't have that much patience! But I've kept it this long, so I'm going to keep my trap shut for just a few days more... however... if you come back on Sunday, I promise to share!

Until then, I hope you like my newest card!

My Grandmother turns 93 tomorrow and this is the card my Mum asked me to make for her.

I used papers from First Edition (j'adore paper pack) layered on dark blue card and paired it with this gorgeous poppies image from Aurora Wings and a computer generated sentiment (font: callie hand). I coloured the poppies with my promarkers (lipstick red, berry red, poppy red, slate, pear green and marsh green). I kept the embellishment light, with a punched butterfly and a few pearls.

I'm submitting this to:

- Craftyhazelnuts Patterned Paper Challenge (June) - Anything Goes
- Bunny Zoe's Crafts (June Challenge) - Layers
- Ladybug Crafts Ink - Anything Goes

Seasons Greetings

Okay, so I think I've figured out a way to get more crafty time in... do it first thing in the morning, before I'm too tired to even think about it... (I mean, I don't really need to *think* while doing housework anyway, right ;)) - I figure I can get away with it a few times a week maybe, as long as I don't over do it.

I used Kaiser Craft Papers and a gorgeous digi from Delicious Doodles, coloured with promarkers - warm grey 1, warm grey 2, cool grey 3, cool grey 4, burgundy, crimson, almond, vanilla, sandstone, pear green and marsh green. Stamped the greeting in black ink and added gems and a snowflake embellishment to finish.

I'm submitting this for:
A Gem of A Challenge #101 - 3, 2, 1 (3 Designer papers 2 types of Embellishments 1 image)
The Sweet Stop #232 - Sketch
Craftyhazelnuts Christmas Challenge #146 - Make it Square
Craftyhazelnuts Christmas Challenge Extra - Anything Christmas Goes

New Baby

Wow it has been forever! The last few months have been a series of one health problem after another and a lot of doctors and tests that have resulted in a lot of treating the symptoms with no idea what the underlying cause is. I have full appreciation for the NHS and for everything the doctors have been trying, but oh how I wish they'd just figure out whats causing it all, so I can go back to whatever passes for normal for me.

One of the big problems is that I'm so constantly exhausted, some days I barely have the energy to do the stuff I *have* to do, never mind the stuff I want to do, which means crafting has been pretty much none existent and I haven't been looking at the challenges at all... but do I miss crafting, so I decided to have a gander at some of the challenges this week and this is what I came up with...

I used jillibean soup papers - homemade 6 bean soup - the giraffe stamp is from Flonzcraft and the sentiment stamp was a freebie from a magazine. Layered them all up on red card and mounted on a white card base.

I used the sketch from CAS Colours and Sketches and the animals theme from Charisma Cardz this week, as my inspriration.

Even though this is a very simple card, after so long not making anything it was a lot of fun to get something done again, now I just have to find time - or say screw it to the housework and make time, lol - where I'm not so exhausted, to make more than one card every 3 months!

Birthday Card

Yes, I still lives! Just about! Stupid nausea is still plaguing me constantly and there is so much stress going on with other things right now, I might just implode, but for now, I is still alive and I really miss crafting, but it's just finding a time when I'm marginally less nauseous than the rest of the time and have nothing more pressing to do...!

Got this card made today, for a few challenges, I used:

Promarkers: pear green, marsh green, olive green, sandstone, caramel, cinnamon, cool grey 3, cool grey 4, warm grey 1, warm grey 2, black, honeycomb, gold and rose pink.

Image: Digi Doodle Shop

Papers: New Leaf paper pack. Card: Papermill Direct

Embellishments: Pearls from Anita's

I'm submitting this card for:
- Sketch 'N Stash #113 - Sketch
- Cupcake Craft Challenge #242 - Lots of Layers
- Digi Makeover Challenge #88 - Great Outdoors
- Cards for Men #10 - Fancy Folds

Happy Graduation

A graduation card today - first I've made and probably the only one any time soon! My sister has recently passed her course to become a Mental Health Nurse :-) and so this is for her.

I folded the card myself and added the punched border along the front. Then added the ribbon from my stash (actually think it came wrapped around some PJ's last christmas *g*) and used a digital image from Birds Cards, resized several times and coloured with promarkers - black, slate and ruby. The sentiment is from stampin' up. Added a few gems to finish and made a tag to match.

I used Retro Sketches #9:

Filled in the top line from Delicious Doodles Challenge #18 - Bingo (Gems, Ribbon, Punches)

And I'm also submitting too:
- 2 Sister Challenge Blog #89 - Colour Challenge (Black, White and a Hint of 1 other Colour - I used red.)
- Pollycraft Monday #138 - Matching Card and Tag

Westie, Thinking Of You

I used New Leaf papers from Mindy Terasawa (I'm really loving these papers at the moment!) and layered it on brown card. The Westie digi came from Birds Cards and I filled in the nose, eyes and ears and promarkers, sponging around him lightly with orange pink and also sponging over the embossed panels on either side. Cut the border with my x-cut lace trim punch and added the silver ribbon, tying a bow and adding a button from my stash. I then cut the flowers with my x-cut dies and added the stampin' up sentiment before I finished the whole thing with pearls.

I had honestly forgotten I had this digi until I went looking through my files for a cute animal digi stamp - which is a shame on me, really, because we have a westie, which is one of the reasons I dl'd it in the first place!

Billy

Anyway... for the card, I used another sketch from The Sweet Shop, as part of their 3rd Birthday celebrations! - I was actually following the blog when this sketch came up the first time, but I didn't get chance to do it, so I'm glad I was happy to take the chance now. It's sketch #140.

I'm also submitting this for the following challenges:
- Creative Inspirations #161 - Animal Antics
- Cute Card Thursday #214 - Animal Magic
- Chocolate, Coffee and Cards #11 - Bingo (I used Emboss/Flowers/Ribbon)
- Papertake Weekly - Anything Goes
- Secret Crafter Saturday #183 - Cute 'n Fluffy
- LEJ Designs Challenge Blog #1 - Anything Goes
- CCEE Stampers #1217 - Use Scallops, Flowers and Buttons

Mojo Monday #230

I can't believe this is the 100th post I've made on this blog - which is I think 98 cards! My tags list tells me another 15 will hit 100 challenge cards too! My mind is a little explode-y at that idea since by far the lions share of them have been in the last two months.

This card comes from the Mojo Monday Sketch #230

I decided to go for the round card, which isn't something I do a whole lot! And work with the colours from The Play Date Cafe #120.

I cut the card base and scalloped circles with my nesties, used some freebie papers I got in a magazine - I've forgotten which one! - and the birds in a nest stamp was a freebie as well! The flowers and ribbon came from my stash. The sentiment is stampin' up.

I'm also submitting this for:
Cute Card Thursday - Things With Wings


In other news - I'm so excited to have been selected for the VIP Top 3 at Party Time Tuesdays with this card.



It's the first time any of my cards have won anything - and the first time in a loooooong time I've won anything personally (I couldn't win an argument with a paperbag!) so thank you so much to the team over at PTT! You made my week!