Merry xmas everyone

A very happy Christmas & new year to all.
Hope none of you have this blasted cold that's going around... I got it last week still have it & can't stop coughing just hope it's eased off by Christmas day, other wise I can see Christmas dinner finding it's way over the floor, lol.
Here's hopping that this colds gone by the new year, I can then finally get back to blogging again.
P.S
I've now added the pic of Veronica's card

Still here & thanx to Veronica

Had the fabbie stamps arrive from the US at the beginning of the week & are really nice, very deep etched to... so glad I brought them. Have had a quick play stamping the sweetie house & the xmas tree, but as yet haven't got round to making anything with them, what with xmas just around the corner I've been busying myself putting up the tree (late I know) & giving the place a good going over so it's all looking nice for the holidays.
I've done all my xmas shopping apart from the odd nick nac & the money for the kids.... never know what to get them so think this is the best way, let them get what they want, that way I can't go wrong, lol. Oh & of cause I've the food to get.

Thank you to Veronica for the beautiful xmas card which I got today (part of the GG swap) mine will be posted to Val tomorrow..hope RM don't lose it!
I'll add a pic to this post shortly

More brayering

I just love to use my brayer, (thanks go out to Phree for this, she sent me the link to the queen of brayering, Michelle Zindorf site not long ago & now I'm hooked) I've made another card using this technique along with a few yummy stamps from Elusive Images range, click here & here to see the stamp themeplates I used, which are fabbie.
Ooo just remembered, I've brought & I'm now waiting for the lush new colours of Glimmer mists to arrive, I had to go for the set cause I just couldn't decide what ones to go for lol I'm soooo naughty.... hope there here tomorrow then I'll have all weekend to play.

DT call @ Banana frog

Banana frog are look for talented artists to join them.
The closing date for applications is Wednesday 31st December. So if you've any of their stamps & fancy a go here's the link.... Oh & get a stamp on.
http://bananafrog.typepad.com/

Nice & natural

I spent an hour or 2 surfing for craft blogs... as you do.. or is that just me?? lol, it's always nice to see what other make & inspiration from others is always a help. On my search I came upon this very cool blog owned by a lady called Liz.

Soap making is something I also like to play around with from time to time. It's also the first blog that I've come across that's about making your own skincare.... With great tips if you want to have a go at making your own or if not she has a shop with yummy stuff that looks good enough to eat & that's sure to make fab gifts.

http://www.makeyourownskincare.com/

http://www.folksy.com/shops/liz


Back to card making


I've just finished off this card I've had hanging around for a bit just waiting for the right coloured card & a bit of nice ribbon to come along, I think I found it... well at least I hope I have, as it's to late to change cause it's well & truly stuck down.

Xmas card keep sake

I brought this fab keep sake album by Brends Pinnick... I suppose it's a bit like scrapbooking. The kit came with loads of stuff.... you got cards, envelopes, tones of embellishments, brads, ribbons...etc. Anyway I've been busy making some of the cards that fit in the sleeves of the pages to wright out as you need them, plus the other thing you can do with it.. which is to make the pages up using xmas cards that people have sent you over the Christmas's that have been & are still to come & I can tell you I've had great fun with this kit. Take a look :o)

Thank you Phree

For giving me this wonderful award.

Please if you haven't already go look at Phree's fab blog http://inkstainsurvivor.blogspot.com/2008/11/thank-you-shirley.html she does such beautiful cards ect. I always enjoy looking in on her blog :o)

The "rules" for the Arte y Pico award are:

1. If you are an award winner, show the award, the name of the person who gave it to you, and link back to his or her blog.

2. Pick 5 blogs you think deserve this award for their creativity, design, interesting material, and for contributing to the blogging community.

3. List the author's name and link to his or her blog.

4. Leave a message on the blogs of those you've selected.

5. Link back to the original Arte y Pico blog, so all will know the origin of the award.

Here are my choice, which was very hard I can tell you as everyone has this already.

1.http://threecloversdesigns.blogspot.com/

2.http://magickdiva.blogspot.com/

3...oh dear I'm at a loss, I've looked at all the ones I like & all have this award.

In shock

Wow I can't believe it, I'm a winner again, never even thought I'd win last time so to win again twice on the trot is sooo wonderful & makes me realise my cards aren't as bad as I think they are :) Big thanks to all who voted for my card, you've all really made my year. :o)

I used the owl from the Wise Owl Themeplate by Elusive Images. I loved him when I first saw him in the Graphicus Gulid newsletter & wanted to do something fab when I got my hands on him & I feel I did that with this card.

I'm on a roll now

Ooh these big cards are having a big impression on me (sorry couldn't help it :o) ) I've just made yet another one & out the 3 I like this one the most, it's the red that I like, don't think Christmas would be the same with out a bit of red going on.
If you're an avid Glenda fan & use her stamps you will no doubt have spotted I used one of the baubles to make mine.....fab stamps aren't they.

Big cards ahoy

Have recharged the camera battery & taken a pic of the other card I made. I forgot to say in the last post that it's one of those BIG cards. I'm very much a make from scratch girl, but both these cards came with the foiling & the apertures already to pop out... still couldn't help adding my own bits to it, because I just can't do pop & stick cards how ever hard I try :0) so out came the stamps, chalks, ribbon & ink pads, lol

Time flies

Oh how the time goes. I've been meaning to post for over a week, but due to having a stinking cold for dead on a week I've not felt like doing a single thing......I've not even crafted for over 3 weeks... yes I know bad isn't it :(
I did however attempt Friday night to making some quick tags to pop on the xmas pressies that I've brought, so I guess I could count that as crafting, lol.
Here is one of the cards made before the big craft flop. (I'd have popped the other up but camera battery just died on me)

Before I forget I'd like to say thank you to Phree for the award she's given me xxx. Will get that sorted out & displayed with pride on here.

I won

I'm over the moon with winning the Graphicus card competition for September. I received my prize (vouchers) the other day..... I already know what I'd like to buy with them, loads of glimmer stuff :)


Here is the card that done me proud.....

Brayered book mark

I can't believe how long it's been since my last post, (not counting the post for the candy) but better late than never.
I received my speedball a few weeks ago now & boy have I had some fun with it. I have to say that I've got on better with it than I did the Tim Holtz one....maybe it's because it's a nice 4" roller or because the rubber is softer??? who knows, anyway I made this fab book mark using the brayer & I'm so pleased with the way it turned out... I think I've gone & caught the brayer bug :o)

Blog Candy Giveaway Alert

Hot foot it over to the new 'Elusive Images Design Team's' Blog to win so very... very nice candy.
http://elusiveimagesdesignteam.blogspot.com/

Stampbord card

This jazzy red & gold card was made using some of the gorgeous Artylicious paper for the background, along with an ATC sized piece of stampbord which was stamp up using the image of a lady from the ATC theme plate from Elusive images. I used fluid chalks to colour her in.
I was kinda hopping the other half would've sent it to me for my birthday...well I can't have him go buy me one when I make um, plus I know if I get one of my own it's going to have been made with love & thought :o)

Halloween flavoured

This card kinda made itself...spooky. Here's it's story....
I have a small brayer I decided should get dirty at least once it it's life, I'd seen other works of art which had been made using a brayer & thought it time I joined in the fun. So on that I took down my Adirondack dye inks to choose the colours, but that's where it all started, with these 2 colours I didn't really choose. You see I picked out a red & orange just to see what they'd look like on a piece of scrap card & to test out my brayer techniques. I firstly stamped the word 'art' in black, I then wanted to see what the 2 colours would look like together over this word..... Wow that's gone well looks good at this stage, I then find myself sponging on black chalk ink around the edges
which start to really set of the stamped image.
Out then come more stamps with me looking for a nice swirly kind of stamp which I find, inked that up in black & stamped it around the edge finishing it of with a white soufflé pen. I then echo the swirly stamp on the black card by inking it up with Adirondack snow cap pigment ink.
I look at the finished card & see a halloweeny looking card looking back at me. It's only the colours that have given it that look, but I'm thinking this is just a bit spooky what with Halloween just around the corner & I didn't set out to make a card or any thing else for halloween....... or did I

More Christmas Glimmer.

Here's the other card I'd been working on..... my apologies for the delay in posting, I'm afraid I get side tracked a lot.

I used that fab snowflake backround paper out of the Guild pack on this card, along with the snowmen & snowflake stamps from the 'let it snow theme plate, with of course those oh so fab glimmer mists in blue tones.

new glimmer screens

I'm rather pleased with myself on this buy. I managed to get my hands on 2 sets of the new winter Glimmer mist screens via a auction. I set to work the moment they arrived (well not quite) spraying my Glimmers & adding a snowman or to, to the scene to come up with this:
I'm making another xmas style card, which I hope to post later.

Getting back

Well I've done nearly NO crafting since my last post. A lack of inspiration descended on me, which left me feeling very flat & stuck in front of the TV watching some really intresting stuff. (I'm now ready to take on Ann Robinson in the weakest link lol) Did get the chance to visit great blogs over the last few days to, not sure if that was what I needed to get back to the crafting, but I've been & made this fun little book thingy.

Olympic fever

I've been sooo hocked on the games, watched nearly ALL that the BBC showed, which meant staying awake well into the early hours. Loved the diving & a big well done to Tom Daley, such an up & coming young diver, to finish 7th was fantastic. loved the swimming, with Rebecca not only winning Gold but smashing a WR at the same time, Gymnastics although we didn't come anywhere. Athletics, rowing which again we where very strong in & of course the cycling as well. To date we've won 47 medals which is a fantastic achievement for all who took part... well done to everyone... hope 2012 is just as rewarding. To celebrate our great medal score I made this fat page

Award for Hazel

The lovely Hazel left a comment for me & I like to visit all who vist my blog.... Well what a great blog she has as well as very cool work. So I'd like to nominate her for the this award.

A recap on the rules:

The rules for this award are as follows :
1.The winner can put the logo on their blog.
2.Link the person you received your award from.
3.Nominate at least 7 other blogs.
4.Put links of those blogs on yours.
5.Leave a message on the blogs you've nominated.

More stampbord

I made these 2 the same time as the Xmas tag that I entered into the

Stampbord challenge. I did think about putting them in as well, but as everyone was only entering 1 thought it unfair.... Did find it hard to chose which to put through as I really like the way the pink/red flower fat page came out.

Like to thank Phree for the Wilde Women award. I don't want to put it up yet as I can't think who to pass it on to. I've still got to think of peeps to send the last award on to & don't think it right me putting up all these awads with out doing the right thing by passing them on, as everyone else has done.

Stampbord challenge Christmas tag

Christmas will soon be apon us so decided this would be my starting point, with something Christmasy for the challenge, had a hard time thinking of what to put on the stampboard though...could have done with the 'let it snow' plate, but only ordered it the other day so won't be here just yet:(

Swapping again

I've again entered into the Guild swap. This months theme is light, I hope the first one reflects this, I based it on the Summer time & the light from the sun. Managed to get them off early this time round... might even be in time to getting there pic's in next months newsletter, ooo that would be nice. Oh lord I've just seen a big mistake I made .. I was so busy glueing on the

letters to spell out light I've gone & got them round the wrong way, I'm now sitting here rather red faced..oops

I've had my swaps arrive from last months & would like to thank Elizabeth Williams & I think it's DJ Phillis can't quite make out the name..sorry.

Blog candy alert

Over on the Graphicus Blog http://artylicious.wordpress.com/ there is a fab challenge where you could win some lush candy, so pop over & dive in, you never know it could be you as they say, lol.

Another Guild swap

I decided to joined in the Graphicus ATC swap again, I've already sent them off...just waiting for my return swaps to arrive.

Sbs Challenge

Sorry for the delay, I did say that I would post this the other day. Had one thing & another going on & forgot all about it.... but here at last is what I made for our very first challenge. As I'm such a Glenda fan I used everything Glenda in this card, apart from the odd word & a feather or to.

My first award

A big thank you goes out to Carol for giving me this award...you've really made my day xxx. When you can go drop past her cool website - Paperplay blog

The rules for this award are as follows :

1.The winner can put the logo on their blog.

2.Link the person you received your award from.

3.Nominate at least 7 other blogs.

4.Put links of those blogs on yours.

5.Leave a message on the blogs you've nominated.

I'd like to put forward fab sites, but it's so hard to find anyone that doesn't yet have this award.....help

Another page for my BIA book

This page has a retro feel about it which I really liked, I used fab stamps from both Paper Artsy & RubbaDubbaDoo to make this page along with red & black ink pads & a plain black domino tile stamped & embossed in white. I'm so pleased with the way in turned out.. although I don't feel the camera has made the page look it's best :o(

ATC swaps

I entered into the Graphicus Guild ATC swap last month & these are the 2 swaps I received in return .... I'd like to say a big thank you to Jan Haines & Jacqui Allen for these 2 fab ATC's,
I'd also like to say thank you to Graphicus for arranging the swaps.