Thank You's & Tag

So I have some "Thank Yous"....Steph, thank you, thank you, thank you. The lovely Steph had some duplicate Copics for Christmas, and kindly donated them to Marlene....who already had them, and Steph was amazingly kind and said that Marlene could pass them onto me.....Am I a lucky girl or what...what worries me is my complete lack of self control when it comes to all things stash.....are taking bets on how long before I feel the NEED to buy more....a week.....maybe two...LOL.

My next "Thank You" is to Sugar Nellie, earlier this month I was incredibly lucky to win some "candy"....and today I received 4 stamps, and 3 of the were from the newest releases...I got 2 Elisabeth Bell stamps...Chick-a-dee and Spring has Sprung (which I have just made a card with), I also got one of the new Mary Hall stamps...New Puppy, and finally I received one of the Rachelle Anne Miller stamps...Duck in Boots (which was the only one I had)....so I am over the moon...Thank You Sugar Nellie.

So now onto the Tag, I have been sent a Photo Challenge by the lovely and talented Anki and Samantha.

Open the folder "my pictures".
* In the 6th folder, take the 6th picture and post it on your blog.
* Write something about the picture.
* Challenge 6 new people to join this challenge.

Ok, so here it is...

This picture is of three talented crafters....Nikki (Bunny-Zoe), Zoe & Marlene taken by me last year when Marlene and I went to Ally Pally and met up with Nikki and her daughter Zoe. By this time we had been shopping for hours and were exhausted....it must have been about 4pm, and there was only one hours left to buy yet more stash. Thanks Anki, it put a smile on my face remembering that day....LOL

Cute Card Thursday Challenge 45 "Valentines"

This week on Cute Card Thursday Challenge Blog the theme is "Valentines". For my card I have used my new(ish) Hero Arts "Four Dolls" stamps, and coloured them with Distress Inks (Tattered Rose & Worn Lipstick). I have kept the card fairy simple using just some Basic Grey "Bittersweet" papers, random ribbon and sentiments by Autumn Leaves....and that is it. But I love the card...I fell in love with these Hero Arts stamps as soon as I saw them.....they remind me of my Momiji dolls....

It seems like most challenges are having a Valentines/Love theme this week, so I have kept mine fairly loose so that it can be used as an anniversary card....I mean I only send 2 valentines cards a year...and there are loads more challenge blogs than that...LOL

As today is the 31st, this is officially my last day as a GoGo Girlie, so now I am looking for a new challenge....a new DT...

Two in One....

Another card combining two challenges in one card. I have used Dawny's Sketch from this weeks challenge over on PaperTake Weekly Challenge Blog, and also used the theme of "Love is in the Air" over on A Spoon Full of Sugar Challenge Blog.

For my card I have used three of the Magnolia Valentines 2009 Collection released earlier this year. I have coloured all the images with Distress Inks using the following colours...
Tattered Rose (Skin)
Walnut Stain (Hair)
Tattered Rose/Walnut Stain (Clothing)
Worn Lipstick (Hearts)
Worn Lipstick/Vintage Photo (Large Heart)
Old Paper/Frayed Burlap (Background)
Weathered Wood (Shadows)
The papers are all Basic Grey "Bittersweet" and I have added some sheer ribbon, heart pin and love token charm from my stash. The sentiment is also a Magnolia from the same collection.

Thanks Dawny for the fab sketch, and to both sets of DT's for the challenge and your inspiration.

Ismaki Challenge #004 of 2009

This week over on the Ismaki Challenge Blog the sketch has been provided by Manue. For my card I have gone a little gothic again and used a Stampotique/Danial Torrente stamps coloured with Distress Inks using the following colours...
Tattered Rose (Skin)
Black Soot (Hair)
Dusty Concord/Black Soot (Clothing)
The papers are Making Memories and 7Gypsies, and I have added a Magnolia skull & crossbones stamped image and a sentiment by Hero Arts. I finished off by inking everything and added some black & purple ribbons from my stash.

Tilda & Friends ATC Challenge "NO Designer Paper"

This week over on the Tilda & Friends ATC Challenge Blog we have a theme of "NO Designer Paper". For my ATC I used one of the Sugar Nellie stamps designed by Leanne Ellis....and she has been stamped onto Hot Pressed Paper and water coloured with Distress Inks using the following colours...

Tattered Rose/Worn Lipstick (Skin)
Worn Lipstick (Lips)
Black Soot (Hair)
Milled Lavender/Dusty Concord (Wings)
Milled Lavender/Dusty Concord/Shabby Shutters/Peeled Paint (Clothing)

To create the background I first added a layer of Weathered Wood, then once it was dry, I added some Milled Lavender and Dusty Concord, finally once that was dry I added some Faded Jeans to the edges. I am really please as the colours add a really moodiness to the ATC. To finish her off I added a heart pin and some ribbon (I stuck the pin to her hand with Glossy Accents) and added some Sakura clear glitter gel pen and finished with my ATB tape writer to make the word "granted", so now my title is "Wish Granted".

This week is Anesha's final week as Guest DT member....Thanks Anesha. A Guest DT member has been chosen for February (which is also our Birthday Month), so why not hop on over and take a look....you can be sure that every ATC will be so different.

Magnolia v Stampavie Week 11 "Double Trouble"

This week over on the Magnolia v Stampavie Challenge Blog the theme is "Double Trouble", to use two or more Magnolia or Stampavie stamps on your card.

For my card I have used one stamp from the Pink Collection 2008, and two of the new Valentine Collection 2009. I have coloured all the images with Distress Inks using the following colours...
Tattered Rose/Worn Lipstick (Skin)
Work Lipstick/Broken China (Clothing)
Walnut Stain (Hair/Love Post Seat)
Broken China/Worn Lipstick/Tattered Rose (Background)
The papers are all by Bo Bunny and were from my first ever DT ScrapaGoGo kit back in February 2007....wow seems like yesterday, those two years really did fly by. The ribbon is also by Bo Bunny, the gorgeous blossom isa Prima Belle Fleur, and I have added a pink heart pin and some bling.

I am please with the results as I love the colour combo, and that Magnolia stamp is one of my faves....I lurrrvvveee her hair do.

Thanks for stopping by, and for all your fab comments.

Cute Card Thursday meets Daring CardMakers meets Sketch Saturday...

This week has been a little more crazy than normal, with deadlines fast approaching so I have combined three challenges with this card.....I think that is a record for me....LOL
I have used the sketch from Sketch Saturday and they have a fab Stampin' Up prize donated by former DT member Emma.....well worth taking part. I have also used Cute Card Thursdays "Create a Scene" and Daring CardMakers "Give it some Heart". The stamps are all Magnolia (three of them) and they have been coloured with Distress Inks using the following colours...
Tattered Rose (Skin)
Frayed Burlap (Hair)
Peeled Paint/Shabby Shutters/Worn Lipstick (Clothing)
Fired Brick (Mushroom)
Frayed Jeans/Dried Marmalade (Background)
Weathered Wood (Shadow around main image)
The papers are Basic Grey and October Afternoon, and I have used Making Memories ribbon, Fancy Pants buttons and a heart pin from my stash. The sentiment is one from a set by ScrappyCat, and of course I used my gorgeous scalloped punch from Stampin' Up too.

So pop on over to Cute Card Thursday Blog, Daring CardMakers Blog and not forgetting Sketch Saturday.....so much inspiration, so little time...LOL

Today Georgia and I are visiting my Dad, Sister and her family for Sunday lunch...Dad is a fab cook, and tonight I have a deadline on some work and crafting....so will not get a chance to colour.....unless I finish everything else first of course.....

Friday Sketchers - Sketch 36 by Beatrix of Germany

This week over on Friday Sketchers it was Beatrix turn to provide us with a sketch...not only that her store (Megahobby) is also sponsoring with a gift of two Magnolia stamps from the Love Collection. For my card I have used Angel Anya by The Greeting Farm (formerly Pink Poison) and she has been coloured with Distress Inks using the following colours...
Tattered Rose (Skin)
Peeled Paint (Hair)
Faded Jeans (Dress/Hair Bow/Eyeshadow)

The papers are by Sassafeaslass and October Afternoon, I have even used scraps of the paper to make flowers with button centres. The swirl is a stamp my Fancy Pants that I have stamped in chalk ink and added silver Stickles to, and finally I have added a sentiment by ScrappyCat. All the papers and buttons were left overs from my January ScrapaGoGo kit.

Pop on over and take part.....you may win those two gorgeous Magnolia stamps.

A Lil' Bit Goth.....

OK, so a I have stayed a little bit goth with this card....don't panic I haven't given up on the cute, I just thought it would be nice to have some variety. Anyway, I got 4 of the Daniel Torrente stamps from Stampotique about 18 months ago and thought it needed resurecting from the bottom of my stamp storage. I have coloured the image with Distress Inks....it didn't take that long...she is soooo skinny..LOL. The colours used were as follows
Tattered Rose (Skin)
Black Soot (Hair/Skirt/Boots)
Dusty Concord (Skirt/Tights)
The papers are a mixture of Making Memories and 7Gypsies, and I have torn and inked them. The ribbons is some from the bottom of my stash, the pin is by Heidi Grace, and the skull and crossbones stamp is by Magnolia. I have added a sentiment with my ATB tape writer.

I found this a challenge as grungy goth is not my usual style, that said it was fun, and I will be making some more with the other 3 Stampotiqte/Daniel Torrente stamps I have.

Distress Inks Storage Update...

Thanks to all those who left me comments on my Distress Ink Storage, and also for the idea to put the colours onto the ink pads....as you can see now that I have finished it.....I used your suggestion. I have yet to add a handle, but I need to find the right one before I go any further. Here is a picture of the Box, with the acetate lid in place.

Next is with the acetate cover removed.
And finally one of the back with all the 7Gypsies Gaffer Tape on all the edges for protection.

I have even added silver brads to the bottom so that it sits ever so slightly off the surface...for protection. I am really please with the results, and will be adding some Gorjuss images as soon as the Sugar Nellie stamps are available, seeing as how it was the slightly dark and gothic feel of the Gorjuss Girls that was the inspiration for the decoration of this box.

The gothic feel has encouraged me to drag out my Stampotique "Daniel Torrente" stamps to play with...they are always good for cards for teenagers as they are not so cute and are definately more edgy.

Ismaki Challenge #003 of 2009

Over on the Ismaki Blog there is another fab sketch, this week provided by Kiki, and the chance to win a voucher from The Craft Barn. for my card I have used Angel Anya from The Greetings Farm...again, I just can't get enough of her. She has been coloured with Distress Inks in the following colours...
Tattered Rose (Skin)
Work Lipstick (Hair & Cheeks)
China Blue (Dress, Bow & Eyeshadow)
The papers are all by Fancy Pants, blossoms by Prima, the pink buttons are also by Fancy Pants and the other is a random one from my stash, all finished off with a Hero Arts "coupon" sentiment stamp and a white heart pin with a little piece of ribbon on.

I decided Anya went so well with the sentiment as she looks like she is blowing kisses. Thanks Kiki, the sketch as always is fab and the DT cards are stunning, and all so different.

Tilda & Friends ATC Challenge "One, Two, Three"

This week over on the Tilda & Friends ATC Challenge Blog the theme is "One, Two, Three". You must use ONE button, TWO ribbons and THREE Flowers. For my card I have used Angel Anya from The Greeting Farm. She has been coloured using Distress Inks, and I have made her a little gothic...just a little, the colours used are Tattered Rose (skin) and Black Soot (everything else), with silver Stickles added to her wings and bow, and a green colour for her halo. The flowers were a ribbon and I cut them up and added them like a posie.

The DT ATC's are all so different, no two look remotely alike. We are also looking for a guest DT member for February, so why not take part and leave a comment with "guest DT for Feb" in the comment...maybe it will be you!

Decorated Storage

OK, now that Marlene has me hooked on Distress Inks (I still love my ProMarkers) I needed somewhere to store them nicely. Marlene has the lovely Tim Holtz storage box, but it costs anywhere between £22 -£17 (Cuddly Buddly were the cheapest I found, with reasonable P&P too) and I wanted to save my money after just spending my money on the ink pads. So I had a box at home that I got a christmas pressie in and it was just a little bigger than the Tim Holtz box, so I have covered it with Skull & Crossbones paper from Paperchase and I have made dividers for the inside from an old pizza box. I have then painted the dividers and covered the inside of the box with Bazzill cut to size. To protect the edges I have used 7Gypsies Gaffer Tape (I ran out, but thanks to Jill @ ATDML I have some on the way).

Front/Inside

Back

It is now all ready for the release of the Gorjuss Girls as they are very gothic looking and I think they will look great decorating my box. What I have not taken a pic of is the cover. The box has a slide on acetate cover (which still fits) and I am going to add a 7Gypsies handle tonight so that it can be carried around. The good thing about mine over the Tim Holtz one is....it's unique and also has space for more pads....should they release more in the future...the Tim Holtz one only holds 24. I am also trying to decide whether to make horizontal dividers....but thought I would see how I feel about it as I can always add them later.
What do you think of it????

Magnolia v Stampavie Week 10 "Show us your Bows"

Here is my card for this weeks Magnolia v Stampavie Challenge "show us your bows". For my card I have used a couple of Magnolia images, the suitcase for the 2008 vacation collection and Tilda is from the 2008 pink collection. Both images have been coloured with Distress Inks using the following colours...
Skin - Tattered Rose
Hair - Scattered Straw
Dress, Socks & Hair Bow - Worn Lipstick
Top & Shorts - Shabby Shutters
Suitcases - Antique Linen & Frayed Burlap
Shadows - Weathered Wood
I have also added some Sakura clear glitter gel pen to Tilda's hair. For the rest of the card I have used Basic Grey "Urban Prairie" and October Afternoon "Night Light" patterned papers, American Craft ribbon, Maya Road "Wish" charm, and finally a green heart pin. I have also used my Stampin' Up tab punch and stamped a ScrappyCat sentiment onto it.

There are some amazing bows on the DT creations over on the Magnolia v Stampavie challenge blog....so pop on over.

Sketch Saturday - Sketch #34

Here is a card I made last night using this weeks sketch over on the Sketch Saturday Blog. For my card I have used four different Magnolia stamps. The main image is "Sitting Alf" from the Jingle Jangle collection, as is the big toad stool, the row of toad stools was from the Autumn Club Kit and the small individual one I cannot remember. All the images have been coloured using Tim Holtz Distress Inks.

Card Details
Images - Magnolia
Papers - Sassafraslass, October Afternoon "Night Light" & My Mind's Eye (All from January 2009 ScrapaGoGo kit)
Mediums - Distress Inks, Tattered Rose, Peeled Paint, Shabby Shutters, Fired Brick, Faded Jeans, (cannot remember what brownsI used for the boots and hair)
Other - I have also added Stickles in Silver (bell on hat), and Stardust (on the toad stool)

I have also inked the edges of the main image and all the patterned papers with VersaMagic chalk ink in "Hint of Pesto".

I loved this sketch and may use it again very soon....I love how it worked with the fancy edge of the Sassafraslass paper.

We had a lovely evening last night at Lynsey & Paul's.....a Mexican evening....which finished with the Men & Kids playing on the Wii and Lynsey & I stamping and colouring downstairs at the kitchen table...

Lookie what I have found....

Pictures of the new Love Collection....

Be Mine
Tilda with Puppy

Tilda in Hat

Amore Tilda

Cupid Tilda

So they are not available as yet, but the collection can be seen HERE for PreOrder on Roses on Paper website. I sooo cannot wait until they are available. These were amongst my favourites....How cute are they????

Friday Sketchers - Sketch 35 by Mumur of France

This week over on Friday Sketchers there is a fab sketch provided by Mumur of France. For my card I have used four of the new Magnolia Valentine range. Tilda with tag, Letter, Love Letter Background and Love is in the Air. The two central images have been coloured with ProMarkers using the following colours...
Ivory/Blush (Skin)
Warm Grey 5 (Hair)
Blossom (Hair Bow/Top)
Umber (Dress)
Maroon (Socks)
Ivory/Cool Grey 1 (Tag)
Ivory/Maroon/Blossom (Letter)
The background and the tag with the sentiment on have been coloured using VersaMagic "Wheat" and a Chalk Ink "Pastel Pink". The papers are all SEI Chocolat, and to finish off I have added Prima Blossoms with a brad and spacer, a heart pin, some pearl gems in a strip that I made into swirls, and to added some finishing sparkle I have used Sakura clear glitter gel pen.

Why not stop by the Friday Sketchers blog...you cannot fail to be inspired, as there are always so many fab cards to look at.

The Sugar Bowl - Challenge 2 "Three!"

Over on The Sugar Bowl the second challenge is to use "Three!"...three patterned papers and three embellishments, and for those brave enough....3 Sugar Nellie images....now as scary as that sounds I have actually managed it...all three stamps are by Leanne Ellis. Now I coloured the image on the front a couple of weeks ago (with my ProMarkers) so will try my best to remember the colours I used...
Ivory/Blush (Skin)
Cocoa (Hair)
Pastel Blue/Sandstone (Dress)
Ruby (Boots/Heart/Flower)
Sandstone/Ruby (Tights)
I have used Stampin' Up Bashful Blue cardstock for the base of the card and the three patterned papers are all by Basic Grey "Offbeat". For my three embellishments I have used Stampin' Up Choc Chip taffeta, Prima Blossoms & a brad.

So onto the second and third Sugar Nellie images...

And the back...Pop over and check the blog out....there are more amazing prizes this week....THREE this time.

Cute Card Thursday Challenge 43 "Have a Giggle!"

This week over on the Cute Card Thursday Challenge Blog the theme is "Have a Giggle!". For my card I have used an image that I bought in Paperchase on Tuesday evening. These mini christmas cards were in the sale....a pack of 5 for 50p. So I have trimmed it down and added it to this card....it just made me laugh......

The papers are all from the Fancy Pants "Happy Holidays" collection as is the swirl stamp. I also added a red heart pin and some Bazzill tulle....and a little faux stitching....a pretty simple card from me.....and NO colouring.

Thanks Goodness it's Friday....I am bushed as this week has been a busy one. I am looking forward to a relaxing Saturday and then on Sunday I think I am going to visit the family down in Surrey......provided they are home.

Papertake Weekly Challenge "Dawny's Sketch #6"

This week over on Papertake Weekly Challenge Blog there is a fab sketch by Dawny. For my card I have used three of the new Valentine collection by Magnolia. Tilda has been coloured with ProMarkers using the following colours...
Ivory/Blush (Skin)
Cocoa (Hair)
Ruby (Hair Bows)
Pastel Pink/Cocoa (Clothing)

To colour the background stamp and sentiment I used two VersaMagic ink pads. First I took "Pixie Dust" and inked inked the edges gently drawing the colour further towards the centre of the image so that it wasn't too white. I then took "Jumbo Java" and just inked carefully on the edge of the cardstock. The papers are DCWV "The Sweet Range" and the cardstock is Stampin' Up "Choc Chip". The final touches are Bazzill tulle ,a red heart pin and Sakura clear glitter gel pen on Tilda's hair the heart on the envelope and on the "italic words" on the image and sentiment.

Pop on over to the blog to see what the Papertake Weekly DT came up with.....it really is well worth a good look.

Tilda & Friends ATC Challenge "Something Sticky"

This week over on Tilda & Friends ATC Challenge Blog the theme is "Something Sticky". You have to use something sticky on your ATC, be it peel offs, stickers....etc, etc. For mine I have used a Newton's Law stamp that came free on this months Quick Cards Made Easy. Now while the magazine is not my cup of tea I had to buy it for the stamp. Those that know me and my Daughter will know that her favourite soft toy is a little "Newty" that I bought when she was a baby.....he is now a member of the family and regularly appears in photos and scrapbook pages....he even went on our Venture photo shoot last year and is hanging on the wall in the lounge. So back to the ATC, for ther "sticky" something I used some Basic Grey "Bittersweet" cardstock stickers, and the base of the ATC is DCWV "The Sweet Stack".

It is freezing here this morning, -2.5 celsius, and it took me ages to defrost the car....I hate having to scrape the windows....thank god for leather gloves...LOL. I so wish I could stay home and craft, but now I have to get off to work....well in 10 minutes anyway.....fingers crossed I get to play a little after school.