Summer Flower Tilda

Morning! It's a bright new day and hopefully a new beginning for me (please check out last night's post if you want to know what I'm on about?!)........ and a new sketch challenge over at Sunday Sketch and Stamp. This week, it was Gry's turn to set us to work and indeed she did! Here's my card:

Ingredients:

Image - Magnolia Tilda coloured with Spectrum Noirs with stickles on her wings!

Papers - Nitwits 'Petal Fresh'

Flowers and Seam Binding - Wild Orchid Crafts.

Other - Bazzill Basics Kraft card, Shapes cut with Slice machine, Pearls from stash and butteflies cut with my new tonic punch!

Hope you like it! I finally got around to using one of the hundreds of magnolia stamps I've got. I seem to have a bit of an addiction to buying crafty stash and then not getting around to using it - if it just me or is it a general crafting afflication?!? I'm also entering my card into the following challenges:

• Magnolia-licious Challenge blog - Photo Inspiration challenge.
• Totally Tilda - Challenge #53 Tilda using Kraft card.
• Sweet Stampin' Challenge - 'Things with Wings'.
• Inspire me Fridays - #71 Always anything goes.
• Clearly Inspired - Challenge #57 'Things with Wings'.
• Hanna and Friends - Challenge #151 Summer card.
• Papertake Weekly - Anything Goes.

OK, I think that's about it for now. I hope I've still got some visitors left, I really appreciate you sticking with me - Sam's off to his aunt's for a few days tomorrow, so I'll have all day to craft and come round and visit you all, uninterrupted ;-) Bye for now..............xx

The End Before a New Beginning xx

I feel like I'm apologising a lot lately but this will be the last time and I feel like I owe those of you that are still around, a bit of an explanation. I know I mentioned before that we'd been told that my uncle's cancer was terminal - he passed away last Friday. He spent the last of his days at Greenwich and Bexley Community Hospice, a place where he was cared for amazingly and somewhere that has the most beautiful grounds, it's easy to find some peace within them. I don't want to go on about it all too much, I'll just finish by saying Rest in Peace Ray, you're in a better place now and no longer in any pain.
Sending love to all of you out there that have been or are affected by this devastating disease,

It's a Funny Old Life!!

Morning Peeps. I hope this post finds you all well? I think I've been round and visited most of you by now and been amazed by everyone's beautiful creations, I've still got some visits to make but I'm getting there!!
I coloured this image up a few weeks ago while I was away on holiday and I've only just made it up into a card.......

Ingredients:

Image - Kraftin' Kimmie watercoloured with DIs (I've also stamped the edge with an LOTV grunge corner stamp and then added Antique Linen DI).

Papers - First Edition Boho Chic.

Flowers - Hobbycraft.

Sentiment Sticker and Pearls - from stash.

Ribbon - I've found a stall in Bromley High Street that sells gorgeous ribbon and every week, they have a box with different 3m rolls in it, all for £1!!!

I loved these flower girl images as soon as I saw them and this one 'Rose' is my absolute favourite - I think she'll look good in lots of different colours!
I'm going to enter my card into the following challenges:

• Addicted-to-Stamps - Challenge #34 Card for Someone Special.
• Let's Ink It Up - Challenge #25 All Girl.
• The Ribbon Girls -July Challenge Girlie Cards.
• Kraftin' Kimmie Challenge Blog - Challenge 136 Use your favourite KK stamp.
• Sentimental Sundays - Challenge #110 Bingo, I've used Stamp-Flowers-Pearls (plus a sentiment!)

Right, that's it on the challenge front! If you're still with me, I'll explain my post title......as you know, I've had a lot going on with my family lately - very sadly, my uncle who had been having chemo and was told there was a positive outlook in his treatment for lung cancer, was taken into hospital last week because he'd developed pneumonia. While they were running tests at the hospital, they discovered that the growth of his cancer has accelerated and have told the family that there's nothing they can do for him. This disease is just so devastating to so many families and my heart goes out to everyone who is in the same position, or has been at one time or another, as mine. It's a funny old life because the other day, after spending the day at the hospital visiting my uncle, as my mum and I left to go out to the lift, we looked out the window and this was the view........

Strange how your spirits can feel so low and something appears to lift them. Do you know what I mean? (And yes, I've also discovered instagram, so may well be boring you with some more photos at a computer near you, very soon ;-)) Well, I'll leave you with that thought.......I'm off to the hospital myself soon, I've got an appointment with the dietitian and will squeeze in a visit to my aunt while I'm there and then back later to play with my new goodies (inc some of the new magnolia stamps) that arrived from Bunny Zoe's!!! Have a good day, everyone................Take care of yourselves, wherever you are xxxxx

Best Dress

Hello again! Can you believe it's the 1st of July? Where on earth has this year gone? I can't believe that I need to start thinking about making Christmas cards again soon (yes, I know it's still only July but I'm determined to change the habit of a lifetime and make a start on them much earlier this year!!) Anyways, back to the matter in hand! Cos it's the first of the month, it's time for a new challenge over at the Cupcake Craftroom. This month, the team had the most fabulous 'Flourish' papers to work with - you really must check them out because not only are the designs gorgeous but the soft colour tones are right up my alley too!!! And the theme this month is a nice easy one for you all too.....'Lots of Layers'. Here's my card:

Ingredients:

Image - Lili of the Valley coloured with Spectrum Noirs.

Papers - 'Flourish' Cupcake Cards and Crafts.

Sentiment - Whimsy stamps.

Flowers - Woodware (large green one), Wild Orchid Crafts (all the others!)

Punches/Dies - Whimsy mini postage stamp die, Memory Box Madera corner, MS butterfly punch.

Other - Whitewash coredinations cardstock, Making Memories distressing tool, Pearls from stash.

Isn't this little girl just the absolute cutest?!?! I do love this colour combo - I have said it before....the saying goes 'blue and green should never be seen' but I think it looks pretty darned good together! I have scuffed up all the edges using my distressing tool but looking at the pic, I'm not sure you can see it too well (it might if you enlarge it?!)

I'm also going to enter my card into the following challenges:

• Graphicat Sketches - Challenge #11.
• Lili's Little Fairies - 'A little bit distressed'.
• The Ribbon Girls - July 'Girlie Cards'.
• Chocolate, Coffee and Cards - Challenge #16 'Anything Goes'.
• Fairy-tale Challenge blog - Challenge #44 'Soft Colour Tones'.
• Dutch Dare - Challenge #171 Flutterby Butterfly.

Right, I think that's all from me for today - I think two posts in one day is enough, eh!?! I hope you like my card, I love reading any comments you might choose to leave, so thanks in advance! And don't forget to hop over to the Cupcake Craftroom to check out the other gorgeous DT cards and join in with the challenge, you've got a whole month!! Bye for now...............xx

Such a cute wedding couple

Morning! There's a new challenge over at Sunday Sketch and Stamp today and this week, we've a nice straightforward sketch to work with - here's my card:

Ingredients:

Image - SWALK from Crafter's Companion coloured with Spectrum Noirs.

Papers - Confetti from Papermania.

Punches/Dies - Martha Stewart deep edge border punch and MFT dienamics Royal Rose die.

Other - Ribbon (freebie from a magazine), Dots from Pebbles inc, Sentiment from Craftwork Cards and Pearl Hearts from Wild Orchid Crafts.

I'm also going to enter my card into The Paper Shelter's Challenge #70 Punches and Dies and Hiding in my Craft Room's HIMCR #52 Freestyle.
Right, well I'll keep it short and sweet cos I'll be back later - being as it's the 1st of the month, I've got another DT card to post. Don't forget to hop over and check out my teamie's wonderous cards and of course, join in!! Back in a bit.............xx

One for the Boys

Evening All. I'm sorry I've not been around for a while - what with everything that's been going on, I needed to take some time out to get my head around everything and back in the right 'place' if you know what I mean and I wanted to make sure that I was 100% ready before I started blogging again. But I am, and here I am! And while I've been away, I've been making lots of cards so I've got plenty to share with you....starting with this one! I've finally managed to make one to join in over at the Sugar Bowl, which is Challenge 86 - Marie Therese's Sketch - I even managed to meet the theme 'One for the Boys' whoop, whoop. Here's my card:

Ingredients:

Image - Simply Sassy - Sugar Nellie/Funky Kits watercoloured with distress inks.

Papers - My Mind's Eye.

Die - MFT die-namics.

Other - Rub-on sentiment - Crate Paper, Buttons from stash, Brown card - Bazzill Basics.

After such a long time off-line, I had about a million emails to catch up with so I went through all of those yesterday and now I'm going to start on catching up with all of you - I just hope I've still got some followers left. I've missed being a part of blog land and I'm happy to be back - I hope you're happy to have me and that you like my card. Back tomorrow........xx

Morning! I must apologise to my teamie's over at My Mum's Craft Shop Challenges cos in all honesty, I've been a c**p member of the team lately but I hope they can understand that I have had a huge amount going on. The current challenge is Red, White and Blue and here's my card:

Image - Lili of the Valley coloured with Spectrum Noirs.

Papers - October Afternoon 'Rocket Age'

Dies - Dienamics star border.

Other - Stars cut from cuttlebug embossing folder, star gems from stash.

I hope you like it. I'll be back again soon - don't forget to join in with the challenge! TTFN....xx