Happy Halloween!

I had planned to make a Halloween card, but simply ran out of time. Today was spent over at my in-law's house having fun with my adorable niece. We haven't been home very long.

So I thought I'd share a card that I made a few weeks ago for the lovely Deborah Nolan. This was to say a big 'thank you' to her for organising her wonderful Card Chain Challenges.

I was trying out a few different techniques and also decided to go with Halloween colours. Sorry that the picture is so poor, not quite sure what happened there. The super sparkly Platinum Stickles were a gift from my sweet friend Linda.

Hope you all have lot's of spooky fun everyone!

Tilda revealed!

I thought I'd drop back with the 'reveal' for that 'Unwrapped Tilda' image that you caught a glimpse of on Wednesday.

This card ended up smaller than planned as I managed to cut the base card to the wrong size (duh!). I decided to carry on... and actually quite like the result.

I think I prefer the version with the bling, but I'm not 100% sure.

So enjoy the rest of your weekends guys, and happy Halloween for tomorrow!

WOYWW

Happily there is something on my workdesk today as I managed to leave work early and sneak home for a little crafting time! Wooooo hooooo!

Once again you can see that my workspace is fairly tidy. I'm a 'tidy-it-up-afterwards' kind of girl and probably have my Mom to thank for this!

No, your eyes do not deceive you ... that really is an empty cat food box. I'm planning a little altering project and have got the box on my desk in readiness. However, this one needs lot's of thought before I get to work on it. Don't be surprised to see this box still in residence and looking just the same next week. Perhaps I could make a weekly feature of it!

Today it's Tilda time!

I am able to declare that I finally 'get it' about Tilda's: they are beautifully drawn and a real joy to colour. This little cutie is 'Tilda unwrapped'.

My plan is to use her for a birthday card, but she'd also work great on a Christmas card with a festive colour combo.Here she is at a very early stage in colouring. I've just used Ivory and Vanilla Promarkers to start colouring her skin. Love those socks!

I also want to share the finishing touches that I added to the card from my previous post. Does anyone else photograph; post a card and then think 'Mmmmmmmmm, still not quite right' and add a little something extra?

The addition on this occasion was violet Versacolour ink daubed through a scrap of sequin waste.

I'm really pleased with the effect that this technique gives as it improves the balance of the card.

Thanks for dropping by, now it's my turn to go WOYWW visiting!

Happy crafting everyone!

Laugh and live more!

I nearly didn't share this card as I wasn't very pleased with how it looked... then I added some violet Versacolour 'low lights' and two tiny stars and it sprang to life!

The stamp is one that I use quite often but haven't shared on my blog before, which is odd considering how much I love it! I bought it from The Stamp Attic earlier this year and it's from the amazing Paperbag Studios.

I'm sorry about the odd shadows on the picture but the sun is at a funny height in the sky right now. I was hoping that the sunlight would pick up the Glimmer mist sparkle but it doesn't really show up. This card is made completely from scraps and leftover images so I'm feeling a touch thrifty right now!

Happy crafting everyone, and enjoy the rest of the weekend!

Oriental Tilda time!

After feeling a little let down by my last card I decided to spend longer planning what I wanted to make today, rather than just rushing and ending in a muddle again.

Here's the result... rather cute, huh?

This is my card for The Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge #105 which is Oriental, and I have to say that I am very grateful to the lovely (and ever so slightly crazy!!!!) Tracie for choosing this theme as I had sooo much fun today!

I'm also grateful to my mate Vicky for stamping Tilda for me and letting me borrow that gorgeous Tim Holtz Collection swirl stamp (Take flight set). I paired the swirl with the Hero Arts Raindrops design block for the background and love the effect of the two patterns together. I used Stampin' Up 'Whisper white' ink.

The blue patterned paper is a free download found after searching for Washi paper on the Internet. I'm not sure if it looks that Japanese, more patchwork, but it works well with the look of the card and stops it looking too pink. I had fun making the tiny little fan embellishment... don't think I've made one of those in years!

Must go and make a sandwich now as I'm super hungry!

Happy crafting everyone!

Skipping through the fields...

I'm not long returned from a 10 mile walk with my hubby... he's gone to plant a tree in the garden and I'm thinking of having a bath to soothe my aching legs!

I thought I'd share the card that was at a very early stage on my desk on Wednesday. I have to say that it has turned out nothing like I had planned. Funny how that happens sometimes.

The images are Italian Girl from The Secret Crafter and a fabulous Poppy Field stamp from Crafty Individuals. Everything is coloured with my Promarkers and the card is from Stampin' Up. The sentiment is from Hero Arts. I wanted to make a card with Autumnal colours so headed for my browns and oranges... just like the girls over at The Pink Elephant this week!

I'm not really that happy with this card and might try a few variations as I like the combination of the those two very different images.

Happy crafting everyone!

WOYWW!

Hi everyone, I just couldn't resist sharing a picture of my own desk this week after seeing Julia's workspace on WOYWW this week. I notice that we both need our specs in order to get crafty!

The partially coloured image is the sweet Italian Girl from The Secret Crafter. I love these little manga inspired stamps. They cling beautifully to the block and give a clean, crisp image... lovely!

When I took this picture I was having trouble deciding whether she should be a blonde or a brunette!

I also thought I'd share a little card that I've made for a sweet blogging friend. Hopefully this card is nearly at it's destination by now... it's got to travel quite a few miles to reach her!

Yep, I've used that Gorjuss Goth Girl again. I just can't help myself as she is adorable!
I did quite a bit of work with Spun Sugar Distress Ink so I decided to enter it for Challenge #104 over at SCSC. The sentiments are from Hero Arts and I broke out some of my favourite papers too!

Enjoy the rest of your Wednesday, hope it's a crafty one!

Happy birthday Pam.

My sweet Mom-in-law is 70 today.

Anyone who read my previous post will know that she decided to celebrate with a Barn Dance in their church hall.

I just had to share these pictures of my MIL and DIL... as you can see they were really in the party spirit!

Usually Pam is BIG on glamour, which is why I picked TGF Cheeky Glamour for her birthday card. I printed the 70 on my computer and used pretty Stampin' Up papers and cardstock.Simon Say's 'Stamp and show your numbers' for the challenge this week, so I think this card fits the bill quite nicely!

And how did my hubby cope with the barn dance? He found a nice quiet corner and didn't move from it all night except to get his baked potato during the break!

Happy birthday Pam, you're one crazy and special lady!

Tuesday on a Friday!

No sunshine today, but I am looking forward to another day of card making once I've rushed through the housework!

I don't use sketches very often as I just can't make them shine the way some of you talented girls do! However, I thought I'd have a go with this little beauty from the Sketch Saturday Crew.

Say 'hello' to 'Tuesday' from TGF! Isn't she cute?
I decided to break out some gorgeous Basic Grey paper and used up a few scraps in the process.

The little tabs are cut with my Cuttlebug. One says 'Happy birthday' and the other 'Princess' and not 'fitness' as my hubby thought when he looked over my shoulder yesterday!

Hope you've all got a great weekend planned, we have a busy one ahead.

My Mom-in-law is celebrating her 70th birthday with a Barn Dance in the church hall on Saturday. I think I'm most looking forward to seeing how freaked out my hubby will be by the whole experience!

Happy crafting everyone!

Cute as a button

Hello everyone, long time no blog!

I worked all of last week and had to spend Sunday catching up on housework, so just couldn't fit any card making time into a packed schedule.

Today is different: the sky is blue, the sun is shining and I am having a day off.

No major housework, just a day of cardmaking and relaxing... heavenly!

I'm having a bit of a Gorjuss girl fad right now (oh, you'd guessed!). I want to practice my colouring techniques and find that Suzanne W's wonderful little girls virtually colour themselves.I picked a warm blue and red colour combo for Goth Girl , mainly because I wanted to use Cosmo Crickets lovely Material Girl papers. This is such a fabulous pad of retro papers and I love the vintage look of the colours and patterns. This is only the second easel card that I've made and I've got to admit that I struggled to remember how one went together until I re-found these great instructions.

It's easel card time over at the Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge, and also at the ABC Challenge (E is for Easel), so thanks for the inspiration girls!

I'm now off to make cards while the sun shines... happy crafting everyone!