To all my blogging buddies

I know you will all be busy celebrating with your friends and family this weekend so I just wanted to let you all know that although we are not celebrating too I will be thinking of you and hope that

Whatever is beautiful.
Whatever is meaningful.
Whatever brings you happiness.
May it be yours this holiday season
and throughout the coming year.


Enjoy and have fun!!!

Don't be square...

Hi all

Brrr it's bloody freezing here in NW England, we have had 12" of snow fall and we are currently at -9 Celsius so it is winter woollies weather!

This weeks challenge over on Incy Wincy Designs is being sponsored by Aspire to Thrive Children's Charity (ATTCC) who have donated $10 credit to the store - don't forget all sales go to the Australian based children's charity.

We have a challenge for you this week, well it was a challenge for me and some of the DT lol, it is SHAPED cards - no square or rectangular cards!!

For some reason it took me ages to come up with a shape for this one, lol so I opted to make a stocking shaped card as I am still making cards for my colleagues!



I have used an ATTCC snowman image which I coloured in using Promarkers, the papers on the stocking were free from a craft magazine ages ago and which I have hoarded ever since lol. Scallop cut with a nesties die and the button and twine are from my stash!

Don't laugh.... my first ever card, and my latest!

Hi all

Well like much of the UK we have woken up today with a deep blanket of snow, there is about a foot already and no sign of the snow stopping at the moment, will take some photo's when we go out with the kids later on - I still need to get dressed lol.

You may be wondering why on earth I have made this absolutely stunning get well card, hahaha, and why on earth I want to make myself cringe so much by taking this card out of the "embarrassing and never to be seen again" pile, well the reason is that the mad DT over on Crafty Cardmakers have challenged you to show your first (and in my case the worse) and latest creations. For some reason they think it is *fun* lol. Really it is nice to go back and look at those early creations and see how far your techniques (and stash) have grown!!!

My first card consisted of some backing paper, the flowers were cut out from another backing paper - I never had rubber stamps then. I remember they were a real faff to cut out and I never even thought of backing the paper with card to make them more sturdy. The greeting was hand written and then squiggled on. The lace I still have and does make an appearance on my cards from time to time, however I no longer have the plastic shiny butterflies, phew! After this attempt I progressed on from handmade sentiments to peel offs, might have to dig out some of those photo's later for a trip down memory lane!
On to today's card which is inspired by 2 challenges, the theme from Sir Stampalot is Travel the World and this oriental stamp by Time to Stamp fits the bill! The Play Date Cafe colour splash challenge made me realise I very rarely use yellow in my creations, not on it's own anyway. I never wear the colour yellow either as it really makes me look ill lol!

My friend Lisa Jane is celebrating her first blogoversary and is asking for your favourite Christmas image, well as I don't celebrate Christmas there are no nice picture of us around the Christmas tree or on Christmas morning but I just love this image of naughty Santa smoking a spliff not that I'd know what one is LOL, I was a student once haha!
I came across Lisa's blog a while ago now and was fortunate to have met her in person when she visited Manchester, we also went to Port Sunny together and I can safely say she is funnier and madder in real life than she is on her blog - love you Lisa!!!

Anything goes at Sweet Pea Stampers

Hi all

This is our last challenge of 2010 over at Sweet pea Stampers. We are having a short christmas break and we will be back on January 14th with another new challenge.

A nice easy challenge for the last one of the year so you'd have thought I would have been able to get mine in on time, eh??

I think my New Years resolution definitely needs to be to get more organised!

I have used one of the new stamps, this image is Nikki Burnette's Neva, I hve coloured the image using promarkers, highlighted with a gold liner and plenty of stardust! Backround was made using distressed inks in faded jeans and tumbled glass and broken china distress reinker.

Family time at CCW

Hi all

I was meant to post this yesterday but had a falling out with Mr Blogger, if I didn't rely on him so much he'd be out on his ear!!

It was the other Sarah's (W) turn to set the Creative Craft world challenge this time and she has chosen a lovely one, it is all about family, you can scrap a page, make a card or make a use some of those old metal embellies - I know you have some buried in your stash somewhere!!!

My Mum loves candles so that's what I have made her lol.

The colours were inspired by the aamazing piccy on The Play Date Cafe

Non Traditional colours of Christmas

Hi all

This weeks challenge over on Incy Wincy is to use non traditional Christmas colours on your Christmas cards. We are being sponsored by Lili of the Valley and they are offering an amazing prize of £10 voucher to the store!!

I have used this super cute penguin from Aspire to Thrive, coloured him in using pro markers, papers are from my stash (can't remember which pack) and the gorgeous flocked ribbon is from the lovely Anita.

I am entering this into the following challenges:

Moving Along with the Times - Lots of spots!

Another Tim tag and Craft Fair

Still no chance of getting the 12 tags done before the end of the 12 days, but I'm not losing any sleep over it! What I am losing sleep over is that my lovely husband (bless him) kindly volunteered me to have a craft stall in a local shop tomorrow and only mentioned it yesterday, arrrgghh, how on earth can I make enough to stuff that will sell by tomorrow?? Any ideas?? Anyone?? I am giving Oona's snowman and reindeer poop a whirl (at least if they don't sell I can stuff my face with marshmallows and chocolate... need to get some quick cards made for Christmas and general..... oh and the worse of it is I am at my works Christmas do in Manchester tonight so that takes my entire evening!!

Anyhow, back to the tags.... I am posting my T!m inspired tags on Artyjens "splinter group" blog, not only cos there is a chance to win some Tim Holtz goodies from the lovely Jennie at The Artisitic Stamper, plus she is also offering 12% off orders over £10 until 13th December. but there is LOADS of T!m's tags "lookalikes" over there, great for inspiration!!! Crafty Cardmakers are also spotlighting tags.

For mine I never had the rosette die (nor do I still so don't know why I wrote it like that) so hand folded the rosette and what a faff that was, nearly gave up in a paddy over it - these rosettes take on a life of their own lol; I used some 12 x 12 Basic Grey paper and stamped it with the music background stamp (Crafty Individuals). Distress inks in wild honey, frayed burlap and vintage photo were used on the tag and rosette. The love heart was a freebie stamp from the Craft Stamper which I triple embossed onto mount board. bits and bobs and beads from my stash.

Playing with Tims Tags!

Hi all

I am sure everyone has seen the replicas of T!m's tags all over blogland, I have been dying to have a go too and not one to be left out in the cold I finally (on Tag day 7) threw caution to the wind and joined in the phenomenon! There are loads of examples of T!m inspired tags on Artyjens "splinter group" blog, and even better a chance to win some Tim Holtz goodies from the lovely Jennie at The Artisitic Stamper, plus she is also offering 12% off orders over £10 until 13th December!!!

Mine is nowhere near as perfect as T!m's (of course) or as many others which are popping up on blogs everywhere but I had a bash and am am quietly pleased with it haha! I had to do a lot of improvising but that's what creativity is all about, isn't it? No sticky back canvas so had to just use grunge paper with the textured side up, no woodgrain embossing folder so used my cuttlebug Stylized flowers instead. Never mind, will add these items to my wish list which seems to get longer by the day...

Tim's 12 Tags of Christmas Tags are on his blog with step by step instructions .

Here is my take on the Poinsettia tag, as you can see I creatively placed my leaves in a different position from the original tag (which roughly translates to by the time I got back to my craft room to assemble all the bits and bobs I had forgotten where the leaves were meant to be... once around the goldfish bowl and all that, duh!!):

I used chipboard letters and coloured them with promarkers, sizzix flourish and the button is yonks old, inherited from my Aunty Margarets button collection!

The Artistic Stamper Creative Team are running a Christmas themed challenge this month so I am entering this and also the Stampman are running a Take any 3 colours Christmas themed challenge. Tuesday Taggers are decking the halls this week so the tag qualifies to be entered there and finally Crafty Cardmakers are spotlighting tags in their challenge.

Talking of tag's I am a VERY HAPPY lucky winner of Brenda's tin of tags which she recently offered as candy!! Whoop whoop how lucky am I??

Red and White in the cafe

Hope everyone is bearing up and keeping warm in this wintry weather. We have been lucky with the amount of snowfall we have had but man is it super icy out there, I have been lucky to stay on my feet but had a couple of near misses, elegant on the ice I am not and definitely not a contender for Dancing on Ice (which incidentally starts soon whoopy).

Phew, I made this weeks Play Date Cafe challenge, I missed last weeks deadline by a mere 24 hours lol, err yes, I got mixed up on my days and went to enter on Wednesday duh!!

I actually struggled getting some non-Christmas inspiration using these colours which is why it has took me until now to make it lol, the colour scheme of red and white is not a favourite colour combo of mine (I live in a house full of Man Utd haters lol, the boys are avid Wanderer's fans). I am also entering this into Crafty Cardmakers "White and a splash" challenge!

I used Barn Door Distress ink sponged through sequin waste, I also made a round mask behind the sponging. Tim Holtz flourish stamped in barn door and distress embossing powders. Sentiment is from I Brake for Stamps (and quite apt for this icy weather) and the bird is from Artemio.

Here are a couple of wintry picture from yesterday morning, it was -7 with mist and freezing fog. The trees and shrubs looked amazing with their edges dipped in glitter glass! Kath of the Cubbyhole has loads of snow, much like the piccy I shared of my Fathers caravan / igloo the other day, she wanted to have a look at not other peoples desks, oh no that's another day, another blog and another story.. Kath is comparing snowdrifts!

Incy Wincy Christmas Decorations

This week over on Incy Wincy Designs we are being sponsored by Aspire to Thrive Childrens Charity, the winner get a $10 to the store.

Our challenge this week is to make a Christmas decoration, I know loads of you are putting up those trees this week so it is the perfect excuse! I have used this cute cottage image from the store.



I have kept it simple with this one using my scalloped nestie to die cut acetate, image is coloured with promarkers and glittered with glamour mist.

Don't forget you still have until midnight Wednesday 8th December to enter for the candy I am offering over on Creative Craft World!!

The big smoke

Hi all

As it is like an ice rink out there today I have spent the day crafting and cleaning (obviously the former was more pleasurable). Before I get onto today's post and creation I just wanted to thank the DT over on Let's Ink it Up for choosing my Advent Calendar as a top 3 in their recycling challenge! Wow I am chuffed an honoured, especially as it was a load of rubbish (well that's what is was made from not what it ended up as - I hope).

Thought I'd have a break from all the Christmas projects I have made recently and had a play altering a canvas, got lovely inky and messy fingers, just need to try and get it all off before work tomorrow lol!

I was inspired by this months theme over on Sir Stampalot which is Travel the World!! With all the stunningly beautiful places in the world to choose from, Maldives, Seychelles, Goa etc, where did I pick??? LONDON lol! Well they say there's no place like home and although I no longer live there I spent many happy year stomping around the streets of London.

I have used loads of distress inks on this one, mainly Vintage photo, fired brick and blue denim. I edged the canvas using tissue paper which I firstly coloured with distress inks then stamped on a map (PaperArtsy). The buses (Personal Impressions) were masked and then coloured in using promarkers, policeman (Personal Impressions) was masked and stamped onto paper coloured with distress inks. Portobello Road 9Personal Impressions) street sign was stamped onto mount board and triple embossed as was the phone box (coloured with promarkers). Crown (Tim Holtz Regal flourish) was embossed onto mount board and gems added for a bit of bling. Watch, cogs and watch face were from my lovely neighbour who collects bits and bobs for me when she does house clearances, key charm used as clock hand. underground map was printed from the Internet. The time stamp which shows Greenwich Mean Time (PaperArtsy) was stamped and then coloured using distress inks, Time charm is by Tim Holtz and held in place with a winder from an old broken watch. The watch straps were made using grunge paper, vintage photo distress inks and some scrapbooking work stickers.

I am also entering this into the following challenges:

Fussy and Fancy Friday - Anything but a card

Totally Stampalicious - Anything goes

OSAAT - Old stash new stash (new is mount board and old is tissue paper)

Colour combo on Sweet Pea Stampers

Hi all

Hope you are all warm in your neck of the woods and not having too much of the white stuff to contend with! It is blooming freezing here in Greater Manchester, but at least we don't have deep snow, we have been lucky so far to get away with a couple of inches! My poor Dad works away Monday - Friday and stays in his caravan (no he's not a gypsy lol) but the poor thing got well and truly snowed in this week, I will post a piccy below!

Today sees a new challenge over on Sweet Pea Stampers and this fortnight we have a gorgeous colour combination for you of purple, silver and white. All the DT cards look so striking in these colours, pop over to the blog to have a ganders. There are 3 FAB prizes on offer too!

I made my own backing paper using Tim Holtz swirl stamp and clear embossing powder, dust concord distress ink which I treated myself to last week), paper artsy butterfly embossed in silver, silver fairy charm, lace and flowers (which I have had forever lol) from my stash. I used Promarkers to colour the image and silver embossing powder to give the flowers a metallic look.

Here is a photo of my Dads caravan, don't think he quite had to dig himself out lol!

I am entering this into the following challenge:

In a Sweet Pea Dream - Monochromatic

Passion for Promarkers - Old (flowers) and new 9Dusty concord distress ink)

Allsorts - Monochrome (hope the silver is ok)

CCW Blog Candy

Hi all

To celebrate the end of our 30 day Christmas Countdown over on Creative Craft World I am offering some candy! My craft room is very nearly finished so I have been having a clearout!!

Christmas is fast approaching and we all hope our Christmas Countdown creations inspired you! All of the DT had a fab but frantic time bringing you a different project every day throughout November. It was really lovely to read some of the wonderful comments not only on the main blog but also on the individual DT’s blogs, it really kept us going! If you have been inspired to make anything we have showcased leave us a link to your blog as we would love to have a nosey.

We would also like to thank our followers new and old for joining us, don’t forget once we reach 200 followers there will be a special treat for one of our followers.

In the meantime I am offering this fantastic candy to one lucky commenter on the candy post over on Creative Craft World. There are loads of goodies for you to play with – Dovecraft 6 x 6 Bumper pack of Christmas papers, coordinating ribbons, card toppers and stickers. Pink Gem Clear stamp “Mimi Skating”, pot of flower soft, pack of mini roses, pack of hand made papers, manila tags for altering, die cut tags, pop up card blanks, brads and much more…


What do you need to do to be in with a chance of winning?

1. Post about this candy in the sidebar of your blog with a picture of the candy and a link back to Creative Craft World the blog
2. We would like to know which of the 30 countdown projects was your favourite and tell us why?
3. If you have made one of our projects post a link to your blog post and you will be entered into the draw twice.

You have until midnight Wednesday 8th December to enter!