Hello to all my friends in blog land. I'm back!!! We had a great week in Clacton. The weather was a bit overcast but it was warm, so it was nice being out and about. We did all the usual sea-sidey things and spent a couple of days on Clacton pier, we also went to the pier at Walton on the Naze, which is the second longest in the UK. My favourite day by far though was spent at Marsh farm, which if any of you are ever down in Essex - even more so if you've got children - I would highly recommend! It's a working farm, so on the one hand, quite educational, but it's also very hands on. You can buy feed from the farm shop and then you can go in with the sheep, goats and chickens and feed them all by hand. There's also donkeys, horses, rabbits, cows and lots of pigs and piglets (some of which were only 4 days old and my favourites!!)
Here's a pic of me, my son, Sam and his friend, Jade who we took along with us feeding the sheep:

I didn't get a lot of time for crafting cos by the time we got in of an evening, I was pretty tired, but I did manage to make one card with the limited supplies that I took with me! Here it is, another round easel card! Let me know what you think!?!?

And a close-up of the image

And a sideways shot!

I have to say, I've really missed blogging this week, posting and reading your comments and being able to hop around blogland and admire other people's cards! I'll definitely have to take the laptop next time! Hugs to you all. TTFN, Mxx

Ingredients: Image - Magnolia Tilda coloured with prismacolour pencils blended with sansodor. Papers, Stickers, Rub-on and Brads - Summer Bloom by Papermania, Flowers - Woodware. Rub-on Sentiment - Crate Paper.

Morning All. Here's my second DT posting for 'There's Magic in the Air/Paper Cupcakes' and the theme this week is 'Dog Days of Summer' - you can use your creativity any way that you like to interpret the phrase. My card is more 'Piggy Days of Summer', but when I was looking through the Paper Cupcakes images to decide which one to use, I just had to use this one - Gigi on tube. I just LOVE it, it's such a fun image, every time I look at it, it makes me smile - I've even given her a little peroxide blonde quiff, ha, ha!! I hope you'll play along with the challenge this week.
Also - you may have noticed a new icon on my side bar. Paper Cupcakes will be holding a Tea Party Sketch Blog Hop between 11-18 August and Nina's been busy designing lots of wonderful Tea Party themed images, so please grab the icon for your blog and take part in the 'hop' when it comes around, it'll be fun!!

It's an easel card, so here's a sideways shot.

'I'm ready for my close-up' - lol!
Can you see where I've use glossy accents on her sunnies and on the water?

Ingredients: Image - Paper Cupcakes coloured with promarkers and a touch of glossy accents, Backing Paper, Ribbon, Brad, Stickers - All DCWV.

Good Morning! Such an exciting post for me - it's my first DT card for Sunday Sketch and Stamp!! I really enjoyed making this card, it's a great sketch by Arianne and this week's sponsor is Prairie Fairy, so the beautiful ballerina is called Gillian and she was a joy to colour - and just crying out to be ginger (don't know why, I just got that vibe - hee, hee). Well, I really hope you like my card, I'd love to hear what you think and I hope you'll play along with the challenge this week, so I look forward to seeing your cards. Laters, blog fans! x

Ingredients: Image - Ballerina Gillian by Prairie Fairy coloured with promarkers and a dab of stickles, Backing Papers - My Mind's Eye Quite Contrary, Border and Leaf (Frond) Punch - Martha Stewart, Sentiment Stamp - Elzybells, Paper Roses - Wild Orchid Crafts with a bit of stickles! Pearls from stash.

Hi Everyone. Just a quick one - sorry I've been very quiet on the blogging front for the past couple of days. I'm off on hols tomorrow for a week in a caravan in Clacton with my family, so I've been getting all my DT commitments ready before I go. I've really missed having something to share with you - strange, isn't it - how quickly blogging becomes a part of your life? Anyway, here's a card I made a while ago but it was pre-blog so I haven't posted it yet. Hope ya like it! Mx

Ingredients: Image - Charmed Cards & Crafts watercoloured with sakura pens, Backing Paper - Coredinations Whitewash embossed with d'vine swirls embossing folder put through Cuttlebug, Sentiment - Craftwork Cards, Ribbon, Flowers and Pearls from stash.

Evening All. I've gone a bit Elzybells ker-azy tonight! As I've told you before, I've been buying up all their stamps in their closing down sale and once I'd inked one up tonight, I couldn't seem to stop! The first card I've followed sketch #32 over at Sunday Sketch and Stamp, and I'm also entering into the Cupcake Craft Challenges, who wanted you to use a Cat or Dog. I used my Basic Grey Max and Whiskers papers with the Elzybells stamp coloured with promarkers and that was it! What d'you think?

The second and third cards are just Elzybells stamps coloured with promarkers. I even stamped the backgrounds with them! One thing I love about this stamps is that they do lend themselves to a clean and simple style. I'd love to hear your comments, as always!

Morning All. This is my first ever DT card for Paper Cupcakes and their challenge blog, There's Magic in the Air. The challenge, set by Nilla is to use the delicious looking 'Party Cake' image and to be inspired by strawberries & cream. If you knew how long this card had taken me to put together, you wouldn't believe it! I think it's because I wanted it to turn out so well that I was putting too much pressure on myself and it just wasn't helping my 'mojo'!! (Does that ever happen to you?) I also tried to take the theme a bit too literally because I knew I had some papers with strawberries on and I just couldn't seem to work with them. When I chilled out and decided to just use a strawberries and cream colour scheme, I managed to produce this card and I was pretty happy with the end result! I really like this image, because it's so versatile, it could be a birthday cake or a wedding cake and nearly every other cake in between depending on how you decorate it!
When I was making this card, I've also discovered my new favourite thing!!! I'd bought a Viva Decor Pearl Pen and Bazzill Basics Template from Quixotic Paperie, which is what I used to do the 'pearly flourish' down the left hand side of my card and I love the effect/look of it. It's perfect to use to fill any empty looking space on your cards and I'll definitely be buying more of these pens, I think they even sell them with a glittery finish!!
So - why don't you hop on over to There's Magic in the Air and join in with the challenge, it runs from today until Sunday and there's a little prize for the winner!
Here's my card:

Ingredients: Image - Party Cake by Paper Cupcakes coloured with prismacolour pencils blended with sansodor with a bit of stickles here and there, Backing Paper - Trimcraft and Bazzill Basics, Ribbon - Hobbycraft, Border Punch and Flower Punch - Martha Stewart, Other - Viva Decor Pearl Pen and Bazzill Basics Mystical Flourish Template.

Hi Everyone. Just a quick one, but I was so pleased with this little cutie, I couldn't wait to share it with you!! I've been trying to enter this card into the Club Anya Sketch Challenge 27 over at the Greeting Farm, but I've got no clue as to how to upload to their gallery. I've sent them an e-mail so hopefully someone will get back to me. Well, I'd better stop waffling cos we're off for a late Sunday lunch for my aunt's birthday, and I running late (as usual!) Hopefully I'll be back later. Enjoy the sunshine, blog fans!!

Ingredients: Stamp - The Greetin Farm coloured with promarkers, Backing Papers and Sentiment/Mascara Embellishment - DCWV All About Girls stack, Card Candy - Craftwork Cards.

Evening Everyone. It's my Aunt's birthday today, so - Happy Birthday Joyce! The card I've got to share with you is the one that I made for her from my son - I think you'll understand why it's appropriate! I love this image and it was great to colour. When I first started out making this card, my intention was for it to be really clean and simple with the main focus on the image but then I seemed to just keep adding to it. And, I must be honest, I was a bit heavy handed with the distress inks around the edge of the card and because of that, it made the white space look a bit 'odd' so I had to add in some flowers to cover up some of it. In the end, I was pretty pleased with the way it turned out. I'd love to know what you think - as always!

Ingredients: Stamp - Penny Black watercoloured with distress inks, Scalloped Edge Card Blank - Craftwork Cards, Paper Flowers - bought from QVC ages ago, Brads - Papermania.

I've got more wonderful news to share with you!!!! I've been asked to join another DT. Can you believe it? Something I've been dreaming of and then it's happened twice in one week. I really am the happiest bunny, I'm bouncing off the walls! I'm now on the Design Team for an amazing digital stamp company called Paper Cupcakes - their stamps are really fun and quirky and I can't wait to start working with them. If you want to have a look, click on the link or there's now a button on my sidebar. The challenge blog is called 'There's Magic in the Air' and the challenges run from Monday to Sunday. I'll be taking part in my first one on 19th July, so please come and have a look and it'd be even more wonderful if you joined in!!
The card I've got to share with you tonight is one that I made a while ago but for some reason I hadn't uploaded it before now. I hope you like it, I'd love to hear you comments, as always.
BTW - For the most amazing candy - click on the 'Jodi's Birthday Candy' link on my sidebar, she's offering 5 massive, fabby lots. Get yourself over there, it really is an offer that can't be missed. Think it closes on 30th.
Bye for now, blog fans! xx

Ingredients: Image - CC Designs coloured with promarkers. Backing Papers and big flower embellishment - Basic Grey Green at Heart, Raffia - Paper Cellar, Plastic Sentiment - from stash.

I have had the most wonderful news EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I had an e-mail the night before last from Maggie over at Sunday Sketch and Stamp inviting me to join their design team!!! I did want to shout it from the roof tops but thought I'd better make sure that it didn't have to be 'announced' on their blog first and Maggie has now let me know that I can pass on my good news!! For those of you that have been following my blog, you might have read that it's been my ultimate dream to get onto a DT, and to be perfectly honest, I was beginning to feel a little bit disheartened, I mean, I know I've only been blogging for quite a short time but in that time, I've entered quite a lot of challenges and I didn't seem to be getting anywhere, so I was beginning to get a bit impatient and was thinking that maybe my cards just weren't good enough but now, I am absolutely over the moon!!! It's funny how life works itself out - whenever you feel a bit low, you always seem to get a lifeline from somewhere.
Right, back on earth - my son is going to a birthday party after school today and this is the card I've made for the little boy who's party it is. I thought while I was at it, I might as well 'kill two birds with one stone' as they say, so I followed Sketch Saturday's sketch week #111 but I've turned it round! I've used a great Greeting Farm stamp cos I think it looks a bit like the birthday boy and I also used the new Basic Grey Oliver papers which I've been desperate to get my hands on since they came out and I finally ordered them from Quixotic and they arrived yesterday. I've been going between taking photos of my cards with the digital camera (like this one) and scanning them in, and I really can't decide which is best - when I scan them in, I think you can see the detail better but when I take a photo, I think the colours reproduce much better. I'd love to know what you think works better!?!?!
On the home front, my little fur baby, Tippy was 'groomed' yesterday. It's so cool - the groomer is based in a converted ambulance which parks up outside the house, I hand over a smelly Tippy and I get back a gorgeous, clean, fragrant fur baby!! He looks so much better when he's been cut - his coat's got lovely markings and it's much softer near the skin (that and he doesn't moult so much ;-)) and it brings out the chihuahua in him! I really must post a piccy of him (and maybe myself while I'm at it - all you can see at the moment is my tattooed foot!)
Anyway, I think I've rambled on enough for today - this may just be my longest post yet, but I had lots to share. Bye for now, blog fans!

Ingredients: Stamp - The Greeting Farm coloured with promarkers, Papers - Basic Grey Oliver, S-A-M letters - October Afternoon.

I've made this card for the Papertake Weekly Challenge Sketch #44. I've used another one of my Elzybell's stamps. I mentioned before that they're closing down and I've been spending a fortune, so the stamps have been arriving and I can't wait to ink them all up, so expect a bit of an Elzybell's tribute in the near future - lol!

It's not been very nice today - I know I was moaning about it being so hot but now it's gone from one extreme to the other and anyway, it's a British pastime, moaning about the weather! Anyway, I must go - more cards to make!

Ingredients: Stamps - Elzybells watercoloured with distress inks. Backing Papers - Basic Grey Sugar Rush. That's all - v. minimalistic today!!

On this card, there's two of my current favourite things - the first is that I used my prismacolour pencils, which I really am loving at the minute. And the second, is these my mind's eye quite contrary papers. I think they're absolutely gorgeous and have to stop myself using them on every card!! Although saying that, on the other hand I don't want to use them, I just want to stroke them - do you feel that way about some of your most fabby papers?!?! I've made this card for the Pollycraft Monday Challenge #51, which is a great sketch by Marit. Hope you (and the peeps over at Pollycraft) like it! Til next time blog fans.....

Ingredients: Image - Freebie from Pollycraft coloured with prismacolour pencils blended with sansodor, Backing Papers - My Mind's Eye Quite Contrary, Pink Card - Bazill Basics, Brads - Papermania, Ribbon from stash.

My second post of the evening but this one is just to show you the fabby candy that Janet is offering over on her blog at http://www.pinkgem-janet.blogspot.com/ Go and visit to be in with a chance of winning - the draw will take place on 30th July. Fingers crossed!!

Another roasting hot day today. At least during the day I can have all the doors and windows open but once night falls, if I don't close them up, it becomes moth central in my house!!

I popped to Sainsburys with my mum today, when she was off looking for something down the vegetable aisle, I put a huge butternut squash, courgette, aubergine and marrow into her trolley. She came trotting back and put her salad in her trolley, then saw me laughing, looked down and saw the unrecognisable veg, so thinking that it wasn't her trolley she whipped her salad back out. At this point, I was laughing hysterically so she realised what I'd done and said 'stop putting things in my trolley'. So funny - the things that amuse me!!

Here's a card that I've made for the Sunday Sketch and Stamp Challenge #31 They've also got a DT Call, which I'm going to try for, so fingers (and everything else) crossed. It's my ultimate dream to join a DT (so if any of you readers are looking for someone - you know where I am!)

That's all for now - hope you like it! xx

Ingredients: Stamp - Eric by The Greeting Farm coloured with promarkers, Backing Paper - came out of the Creative Cardmaking Birthday Special Edition, Coloured Card - Coredinations, Velvet Ribbon - American Crafts, Button - Woodware. Also used - Cuttlebug Embossing Folder.

Today I'm a very happy bunny and I'd like to say a huge thank you to all the lovely people on the docrafts forum. I put an appeal on there last night for some followers, so that I'm not talking to myself on these blog posts (!!) and when I logged back on today, I had 23 followers and lots of lovely comments. It really has made my day!!
It's been so hot and humid today, I'm roasting! In fact, there was even a fire on the heath about an hour ago - the grass and bushes, etc are so dry they catch fire so easily -it's the second time the fire brigade have been here to a fire in the last week. Not that I'm complaining, obviously! I just grab the dog and drag him out for a walk so that I can check out the firemen ;-)
Anyway, because it's too hot to do anything but craft (like I need an excuse!), I've used the wonderful sketch by Donna on the Kraftin' Kimmie Challenge Blog to whip up this card, and then it just so happens that it also fits into the Quixotic Challenge #31, you had to use pearls in some capacity. I'm also going to enter it on the Sweet Stampin Challenge Blog, where you had to use pearls and pins.
Now I've started doing these challenges, I'm goin' crazy for 'em!!! Let me know what you think of the lovely Drucilla!

Ingredients: Image - Kraftin' Kimmie Drucilla coloured with promarkers, Backing Papers - Basic Grey Sugar Rush, Ribbon - Papermania Red Hot Capsule Collection, Pearls and Pins from stash.

The Best Is Yet To Be....

Here's my first attempt at the Sketch and Stash Challenge - I like the idea of this challenge blog cos I've got loads of stuff that I've not used yet and I buy stuff all the time (!!!), so it seems like it was made for me!! For my card, I've made an easel card for the first time and, as I'm never one for doing things by halves - and also because of the sketch requirements - I've made a round one. I really love the look of these, so it'll definitely be something that I'll be repeating!! Most of the things on this card are being used for the first time.... the Manga Girl image from Sugar Nellie I bought ages ago but this is the first time I've ever used it and the Basic Grey Ambrosia papers and Daisy Bucket sentiment stamp are both brand new - they were reduced, so I ordered them from The Craft Emporium. I went a bit picture crazy but it's hard to get a good angle with these cards and cos they're dimensional, they can't be scanned in. Overall, I was pretty pleased with the way it turned out - the only thing is, I used Spiced Marmalade and Wild Honey distress inks to colour in her tights and I thought the SM would be more orange and the WH more yellow, but they're virtually the same colour - a small issue though! I'd really love to know what you think of it!

Ingredients: Image - Manga Girl from Sugar Nellie watercoloured with distress inks, Backing Papers - Basic Grey Ambrosia, Flowers - Prima and Papermania, Craftwork Cards Card Candy, Sentiment Stamp - Daisy Bucket Designs. Also used: nestibilities and nellie snellen dies.

Another lovely sunny day today and we had a BBQ round at ma and pa's. Only thing that wasn't so lovely is that I always have to do the cooking so standing over a roasting barbie in this weather wasn't my idea of fun but hey, a girl's gotta make some sacrifices!!

Here's the card I made following the Monday Sketch No 97 over on the docrafts forum. I had a lovely package arrive on Friday of lots of Elzybell's stamps, so I've used one of them on this card. Elzybell's is closing down, which is so sad, cos I've only just really discovered them and Elizabeth (who owns the site), has some really great stamps and is a wonderful designer. I hope that she'll continue designing, maybe for another company or something but it'd be a real shame to see her talent go to waste. And I hope that she'll keep the blog up and running for inspiration! I've spent a fortune on the site over the past week cos every time I look on there, I see a stamp I like and I think 'oooh, it might be the last time I'll ever be able to buy it', so in the basket it goes (well, that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it - tee, hee).

Ingredients: Elzybells stamp coloured with prismacolour pencils blended with sansador. Backing papers - Imaginisce. Seriously simples!!

I've had a great couple of days!! Firstly, I went to see the owner of the newsagent near to where my aunt lives and he bought a load of cards off me and is now going to be stocking them in his shop. So, fingers crossed that they sell well and it becomes a longer term arrangement. Then today, Sam had his school summer fete. Throughout the day, I didn't really think I'd sold that many cards but it was a nice day anyway - the sun was shining, my family had come and so had a few of my friends, so it was a pleasant day all round - but when I got home and counted up, I'd made over £50!! At least it gives me a bit of money to spend on new stash, lol!

Here's a card that I made for the Gorjuss Girls challenge over on the docrafts site - it had to include a GG image, glitter and only use one colour (that was the hard bit!) As you can see my card turned out to be rather pink!! That ended up being quite handy though cos when I was just looking over on the Pollycraft Design Challenge blog, their current challenge is 'pinkalicious', so I'm entering it over there too.....here's hoping!

Ingredients: Image - Gorjuss Girls coloured with promarkers, Scalloped Card Blank/Embossed Frame and Sentiment - all Craftwork Cards (frame coloured with PM inkpad with stickles glitter glue in the centre of the flowers), Backing Paper - My Mind's Eye and Flower - Imaginisce.

Here's a card that I've made for my dad's birthday at the end of July, that I'm also gonna use to enter the 'Cards for Men' DT Call. As well as entering the call with it, I've also followed Sketch Challenge No 13 as I thought it would show that I'm able to follow the challenges that the DT would be asked to do each week. It's my absolute dream to be asked to join a DT and I like making men's card as they're a bit more challenging. So - fingers crossed!

BTW - not the best quality of photo, as is just my luck when I'm on a deadline, I couldn't get the scanner to work, so had to go 'old style' and use the -gasp- camera ha, ha.

Ingredients: Papers - DCWV Doodlin' Around, Free image from Pollycraft Designs, coloured with prismacolours, and I used glossy accents on the glass. Sentiment - Craftwork Cards. Plastic letters from stash.