Eyelet Outlet Giveaway at Practical Scrappers

Over at Practical Scrappers they have a huge variety of eyelets and brads from the eyelet outlet to give away! To make it an even bigger and better prize they're going to put all of them into two packs-one for a new follower and one for an old follower.

All you have to do is become a follower and leave a link - that's it for new followers.
If you are an existing follower just do a quick post to spread the word about the giveaway and then go back and leave a link to your post!  Can't get much easier than that now can you?
So hurry on over to Practical Scrappers now and get yourself signed up!

Softpencil Tuesday

So, Tuesday once more and that means it is Softpencil Tuesday. This is the week that the design team would be showing you the new releases this month.  Now Elizabeth has just moved into her new house and she has major internet problems so I will have to show you the new releases just as soon as I get them.  Please look out for my post in the next few days - I just know you wouldn't want to miss out on Elizabeth's new creations.

So, just for this one week I am going to show you one of my favourite Softpencil cards that I have previously made.  This one was made for a Christmas challenge and I was so pleased with how it turned out.

Remember that you can buy all the fabulous Softpencil Digi Images at Elizabeth's store and also if you can't get enought of Softpencil images, you can buy a wide range of fabulous goodies at the Softpencil Studios so please stop by and pay a visit.

See you next Tuesday with the first of my creations with this month's new releases.

Less Is More - Week 8

Well, I didn't get around to my second entry for last week's masculine challenge - honestly I just don't know what happens to the time these days!!!  Anyway, tt's now week 8 for the Less Is More girls and their fabulous challenge blog.  This week they have given us a sketch they want us to follow.  The sketch is pirmarily based on a DL card but you can change it if you want to so long as the sketch can still be seen clearly.
I went with a DL card, basically because if I try and change the shape of the card to match the sketch it always goes wrong! LOL
So here is the sketch to use:

And this is the card I made for it.

I have used a pale lilac DL card, added a piece of DP across the middle towards the bottom and instead of a circle I have added a butterfly using my shapeabilities. 

I added a "Thinking of You" sentiment at the top left (hopefully to balance it out???) - this is a Clarity Stamp that I have had for ages and use quite a bit. 

So that's it really, a simple CAS card following a sketch.
The card is for a friend whose little boy (3 months old) has to undergo an operation tomorrow to remove a tumour and one kidney - life can be crap at times can't it?)  Fingers crossed for everything to go OK!

DCD - Use a Food themed digi!!

Well, Monday again and that means time for the next challenge at Die Cut Dreams.  Firstly though, let me say a big thank you to all those participants in our last challenge.  Please remember to stop by the Die Cut Dreams challenge blog and see if you were one of our lucky winners.
So, onto the new challenge and as the title suggests we would like to see your creations featuring a food themed digi.

We are sponsored for this challenge by Digi's with Attitude and the Design Team were lucky enough to be able to use some of their wonderful digi images.

I have used Grumpy Gretchen and decided to make the image the focus of my card.  I have coloured the image using promarkers and Sakura Gelly Glaze pens.  I have used one of Susie's fabulous Die Cuts from Die Cut Dreams and added cream pearls around the edge.  The papers I have used are Papermania Signature Regency and were a present from my very good friend and Super Agent Clare - thanks heaps hun!!

Those gorgeous flowers are a new purchase from Nikki at Bunny Zoe's Crafts - aren't they just TDF????  Those two leaf pins are again another wee pressie from my friend Clare!!

The sentiment is from an Ooh La La CD (not sure which one though) which just happened to be in the right colour way for my card. The brads and pearls are from my stash.
So there you have it, my Grumpy Gretchen card - I'm quite pleased with how it turned out in the end. 
Please remember to stop by the rest of the DT (links on the Design Team page tab at the top of this page) and have a look at their wonderful creations - you will so not be disappointed.
Looking forward to seeing your wonderful food themed digi creations.  Have fun everyone.

Sweet treat Tilda - Totally Tilda Challenge #19

Sorry I am a bit late with this post folks - had a really busy weekend and not much crafting/computer time. :(
Anyhoo, just popped in to let you all know that we have a brand new challenge over at Totally Tilda and this time the theme is:

Sweet Treat Tilda.

There are a couple of rules - you must use, Chocolate/Confectionary/Cake on your creation and of course you must, simply must use a Tilda!!  Sorry though - you won't get away with just using the word Chocolate! LOL.  If you need some inspiration please take a look at the Design Team's creations on the challenge blog, they really are fantastic.
Thank you to all of those clever bloggers out there who entered our Chipboard challenge - some beautiful creations.  I am sure you have already popped over to the challenge blog to see if you were one of our lucky winners.
So by now you know that I do the Midway Reminder for our Totally Tilda challenges and consequently I only give you a sneaky peek of my card - so here it is??

D'ya know what it's gonna be yit???

Softpencil Tuesday

Well it's Tuesday again and that means time to show you the last of the three releases this month at Softpencil Studios home of the Tinytwinies
This week the Design Team are showcasing the final new release for March and this one is called "Molly, Timmy and the Baby Chick" - isn't it sweet?? and you can buy it here.

 

So without further ado here is the card I made using this image:

The die cut is one of Susie's from Die Cut Dreams and I have secured the white die cut to the blue one with some of those cute little clips that Ali sent me for my birthday.  The image is coloured with my promarkers and then cut out and added to the Die Cut with silicone glue. 

The DP are from a Basic Grey pad called Wisteria, which I have matted onto pale blue card to match the die cut.  I have added a piece of ivory lace to the piece on the right hand side and threaded through some lemon thread and secured a lemon button to the middle. 

I have printed off a sentiment from Northern Girl (I can't find the link anywhere so if anyone knows it can you let me know please).  Finally I added three flat backed heart gems to the bottom of the die cut as a finishing touch.  Please try and stop by the rest of the Design Team's blogs and have a look at their wonderful creations and let me know what you think about my card too!  Thanks peeps, your comments really do mean alot.

Less is More - Masculine

Well here we are again for the Less Is More challenge.  I am absolutely loving this challenge blog and am so glad that Chrissi and Mandi thought of it.  From the numbers of entries it seems I am not the only one who thinks like that either.  So big hugs and lots of thanks girls for making me think outside the box (or off the page!!) and for making me tell myself to "step away from the card"! LOL
Anyway, the theme this week is to make a Masculine card - now the card I have done was not my first thought - back with that one a bit later I hope.  This was actually the second stamp I had in mind but I am so glad I tried this one first because I love it.  Now I'm not meaning to sound big headed or anything but I love this stamp and I just don't use it nearly enough.
So, without further ado - my card:

The image is one of Barbara Grey's from Clarity Stamp - that woman is truly amazing - I wish I had an ounce of her talent, really I do!
I stamped the image in Versafine Vintage Sepia and matted the image onto light brown shimmer card.  I added a brown spotty ribbon across the top and tied it in a knot (more masculine than a bow don't ya think?) and then just added a Thank You at the bottom right hand corner.  (My thoughts were along the lines of thanks for looking after my dog).

So there you have it, I added a bit of colour to the image with watercolour pencils, including a pale blue on the eyes.  I also embossed the image from the back to give it a raised feel but you can't really see that in the photo.
So hopefully, I will be back either later on tonight or tomorrow with my other idea.  See you then.
Other challenges I am entering this card into are:
OSAAT - Something for the boys
2 Sisters Challenges - Furry Friends
CES Challenges -  Your fave song or be inspired by a song - (Hound Dog, Elvis Presley)
Sweet Stampin - Slugs, snails and puppy dog tails (hope this counts)
Card Making Mamas - Animals

Ooh La La - Challenge #76

Good Monday morning to all you lovely blogland peeps.  I can say Good Monday morning because I have a day off work today - Yippppeeee!  Can you tell I'm pleased?? LOL
Anyhoo, enough of my excitement - I am here to show you my latest card for the Ooh La La challenges.  Firstly though I would just like to say thank you to all those people who entered our last challenge of a project for a Man!  People say they don't like making male themed projects - who are you trying to kid - we had over 140 entries for that challenge and let me tell you it wasn't easy picking a Top 3 - I could have picked a top 10 at the very least!!  Please stop by the Ooh La La challenge blog to see who I chose as my Top 3.
So without further ado onto the next challenge and this time we would like to see your projects for Mother's Day or a Special Friend.
I have made a card for Mother's Day for my MIL.  She doesn't like fussy cards so I'm hoping this will fit the bill.

I have used backing papers and Pyramage images from the Lilac Spray folder on the Fleur D'imagination CD which you can buy here.  There are some truly beautiful images on this CD, as there are on all the Ooh La La CD's - you really should take a look.  There are also some freebie images on the website if you would like to try some out before buying.

Anyway, I added some silver peel offs around the edge of the backing paper, a recycled bow across the bottom right corner (that came off a box of cards a friend at work bought - I already recycled the box for a gift box) and then added a Happy Mother's Day peel off to finish it off.

So what do you think - will she like it??  I hope so.  Please remember to stop by the rest of the DT and have a look at their fabulous inspirational projects - you won't be disappointed! (Links are on the DT tab at the top of the page).
I'll be back tomorrow with another Softpencil Tuesday project to show you - see you then!!
Challenge:
Dream Valley Challenges, Crafty Catz - Mother's Day
Craft Your Days Away - For Mum or someone special

Midway Reminder - Totally Tilda Challenge #18

Well, remember last week when I showed you a sneaky peek of my card for this challenge - well now I have come back to show you the whole thing!
You will remember that the challenge theme this fortnight at Totally Tilda is to use Chipboard on your creation - well I used four pieces and here is my card:

The two corners, the flower emblem and the sentiment are all chipboard and a from a DCWV pack of glittered embellishments called Linen Closet.

The DP that I have used come from a 8 x 8 paper pack from the same range.  I think they're gorgeous, so thick and expensive looking (mind you that's probably 'cos they were expensive!! LOL)  The fabby bit of lace across the bottom is from a candy that I won on the Creative Inspirations bloghop some time ago on Cor*s blog - thanks hun.
Now I had a few problems when I photographed this card as I did it in the evening so had to use the flash - I tried with the card standing upright first and got "backflash" so you couldn't see the card properly so then I tried without the flash and the colours were not "real" - look what I mean....

....just not as sparkly or bright are they.  So sorry if the top piccy is at a bit of an angle but it shows off the colours better don't you think??
Anyway, you have about a week left to get your entries in for this challenge so why not pop off now and get creating?  Good luck.

First DT card for Let's Ink It Up!

Finally, the day has arrived when I can finally show you my first DT card for Let's Ink It Up!  I was thrilled and honoured when Suzanne emailed me and asked me to be on her DT!  Definitely not something I imagined would ever happen when I first started out on my blogging journey.  Thank you Suzanne - I am delighted to have been able to say Yes!
So you will by now have seen Team A's first challenge a couple of weeks ago and I know you are going to want to rush on over to the LIIU challenge blog to see who our lucky winner (handpicked by Suzanne and Claire) and our top 3 (picked by the Design Team) were.  Go on then........... I'll wait here for a min..............................
Oh, right you're back - well never mind if you didn't win this time there's always the next challenge.  Talking of which - what is the next challenge I hear you shouting!!  Well the theme for this fortnight is:

 Die Cuts/Punches. 

You can use either or both on your creation.

For this challenge we are lucky to be sponsored by:

Taylored Expressions

And the prize that the wonderful Taylor is offering is the Tweet Hearts Stamp Set (valued at $21.95).  You can see the set here.

Here is a little bit about Taylored Expressions

Taylored Expressions is an online store full of whimsical rubber stamps, co-ordinating kits, and fresh ideas.  You'll find everything you need to satisfy your creative sweet tooth!

Tune in to the Taylored Expressions blog for inspiring ideas and how-to videos!

So, onto my card.  I decided to use a LOTV image and used die cuts on my project - so here's the card:

The image is stamped directly onto one of Susie's die cuts and matted on to one of the scalloped circles, which are of course available to buy from Die Cut Dreams. (Just a note - Susie is currently in the middle of a house move so the store is closed for the time being but will be re-opening again sometime in May so if you can hang on until then that would be great - I'll let you all know when she is up and running again - don't worry!)  I have coloured my image using my promarkers.

The other die cuts - two flourishes and the corner are all Marianne Creatable dies (which I bought recently at Bunny Zoe's Crafts) and are cut from a DCWV self adhesive paper pack of prints - so useful!  I added some stickles Crystal glitter glue to add a bit of bling. 

The flowers, the pin and the pipe cleaner are all from my stash and the little buttons are a new purchase from Bunny Zoe's Crafts.

So there you have it, my first DT card for LIIU.  I do hope you like it and that you can find a few minutes to visit the rest of my team mates (links on the Design Team tab at the top of the page).
Can't wait to come visit you all and see what fabulous creations you have to show us.
Challenges:
Paper Cutz - Your choice
Stamp Something - Something Sweet
Charisma Cardz - To "Die" For
Craft Us Crazy - Cupcakes and/or celebration
Stamping Vacation Extra, Extra Challenge - What's New Cupcake
Wild Orchid Challenge - Dieing to punch it out

Fabby Ribbon Carousel Candy

This is a really quick post to let you all know about a fabby ribbon carousel candy at Created by Katie. 

The candy is open until Tomorrow Friday 18th March so if you want to be in with a chance of winning then hurry on over to Katie's blog and join in the fun.

Boys and Girls Come out to Play with the Digi Divas

Ok I know that sounds wrong on so many levels but honestly it is all very innocent.  The new challenge at Do It with Digis is:

Make a Children's Themed card

- hence the title of my post!! 
Thank you to all of those who joined in our last challenge with Team B - remember to pop in to the challenge blog and see if you were one of our lucky winners or one of our top 3.
So onto the new challenge:
We are lucky to be sponsored this time by Heather Ellis and the Design Team were all lucky enough to get to work with some of Heather's cute Digi images.  Do go along and see what else she has to offer - I'm sure you will be able to find something that you like.
So here is the card I made for this new challenge:

You will see that I have cut out the image, which is coloured with promarkers and placed it on to a die cut shape - this shape is a Marianne Creatables Die and I used some DCWV adhesive papers to cut out the shape - saves so much time when sticking it to the card.  The backing is some patterned vellum that I had in my stash and I have secured it to the card blank with four cream pearl brads in the corners. 

I have used three of Lynne's fabulous digital ticket sentiments which you can buy here and they are also available as clear polymer stamps here.  There are six tickets in the set and I have used three of them.  I have coloured them to match the paper on my die cut.

I added a narrow brown ribbon across the bottom of the card, which I won in a Freebie Friday some time ago at Crafty Ribbons and a couple of brown paper flowers again from my stash.
So there you have it - a card for a child - can't wait to see what you all come up with.  Good luck and have fun.
Challenges:
Ambers Crafts and Stuff, My Grafico, Aly's Sunday Challenge, Send a Smile for Kids- Anything goes
Crazy Challenge - Eyelets or Brads
Fairytale Challenge - Something for a child

Softpencil Tuesday and Candy Alert

Tuesday again folks and another opportunity for the Softpencil Design team to show you another one of Elizabeth's new designs. 

This week we are working with this cute little image called Painting Eggs with Amy.

You can purchase this image here.

Here is the card I made using this image:

I have cut out to shapes using my Cuttlebug (after brushing all the dust of it 'cos it doesn't get used very often LOL) and coloured the image using my promarkers.  The DP I have used is from a DCWV adhesive paper pad. 

I added a bright orange ribbon to the left of the larger piece. 

I have used some flowers from my stash and added a couple of pins which I bought at Bunny Zoe's Crafts.
The sentiment is one of Lynne's fabulous digital sentiments which you can purchase at Sentiments 4 You.
Remember to stop by and visit Elizabeth's new website Softpencil Studios and have a look at the wonderful things she has to offer.  Please stop by the rest of the Design Team's blogs and have a look at their fabulous projects.
Challenges:
Woodware USA - Spring is coming!
Aly's Sunday Challenge - Anything Goes
Paper Pretties - Ribbon

I also wanted to make you all aware of a gorgeous blog candy on offer at the moment on Angeldrummer's blog.  Victoria is celebrating here 3rd blogaversary and has some fabby candy on offer.  Here is a piccy of what she is offering:

So if you would like to win these gorgeous flowers and Sweet Pea stamps then get on over to Victoria's blog and sign up to be in with a chance.  You have until 4th April to sign up so you've a bit of time yet - but it will soon go so don't miss out.