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.