Kool Kitty Musings

52 Cards challenge 2013 - Week 19

Well, almost 12 hours late, but I'm feeling alive enough to share this week's prompt with you, although not a card sample.

I went away this weekend for our crafty retreat specifically hoping to work on (and finish! Ha!) one project:

I didn't take any cardmaking items with me - basically so that I wouldn't be sidetracked. So hence no sample today.

But the prompt for this week is to use...

Texture

...in some way on your card.

This could be in the form of embossing/debossing:

Source: bestbusinesscard.net via Tomoko on Pinterest

 

Fabrics:

Source: megduerksen.typepad.com via Anna {Rusty Cottage} on Pinterest

 

Creative stitching:

Source: lh4.ggpht.com via Rhonda on Pinterest

 

Chunky lace and trim:

Source: fancylinda.com via Second on Pinterest

 

Wooden embellishments and findings:

Source: prima.typepad.com via KikiK on Pinterest

 

On-trend cork elements:

Source: iminhaven.blogspot.com via Carol on Pinterest

 

And my old favourite... felt:

Source: molliemakes.com via Annika on Pinterest

 

The possibilities are endless, but I'm sure you'll find some lovely ways to incorporate different textures on your cards. :)

Happy creating!

I'd best go and have another dose of Venos before bed as in typical fashion I returned home with not only an almost complete scrapbooking project, but a cold and cough too! Oh and no voice. I was just glad I didn't need to be in work today - but it was a truly fab weekend! ;)

ETA: Here's the card I finally managed to make:

Paper: Crate
Stamp: PTI
Button: Prima
Die: MFT
Texture plate: PTI
Other: hemp cord

This week's 52 card prompt...

Will follow a little later today. Am recovering from the weekend's crafty capering and trying to make up for my sleep deprivation. ;o)

Will be back soon to share our theme for this week!

It's a Pink, Mint and Gold kind of month

So it's the first Friday of the month, and that means it's a new colour combo challenge on the DCM blog.

This month it was my turn to pick, and I went with a lovely palette that I'm seeing a lot on Pinterest at the moment - gorgeous spring/summer shades:

Gorgeous eh?

The challenge that faced me though was finding something gold! I got rid of a lot of "gold" bits and pieces ages ago thinking I'd not need them again, well big mistake!

I managed, just, with the aid of an Encore gold pigment ink pad, but it doesn't catch the light very well and is a bit of a dark gold:

Paper: Basic Grey, Echo Park
Dies: PTI
Other: 3D foam

Thankfully although it's pigment ink it heat-set rather well. And I know this is a very simple affair from me, but I rather like the look of the greeting as an aperture on 3D foam and nothing else fancy going on.

Don't forget to pop over to the DCM blog and check out the creations from the wonderfully talented design team! :)

Packed and ready to go!

So tomorrow morning it's the big exodus as me and my crafty friends are headed for a weekend away in Whitby - who knows what the weather will be like - we can only hope it's a repeat of today.

But no matter, because there certainly is enough packed to keep me busy:

I also managed to pick up a nice bargain in TK Maxx:

Just wish they had the Pier collection pad as I am really after that one - especially if it's at this price!

Right, best go get the last bits sorted for the morning. :)

52 Christmas Crackers 2013 - Week 18

Well here I am sharing this week's Christmas card a bit earlier than usual, since tonight onwards I will be trying to get everything ready for my crafty weekend away that starts nice and early Friday morning!

I decided to keep on the theme of using scraps so found some nice co-ordinating off-cuts that were just big enough to make this simple card. :)

Paper: Cosmo Cricket
Stamps: WMS, PTI
Dies: Memory Box, PTI
Buttons: OA
Other: hemp cord, 3D foam

Don't think I will ever tire of the Memory box winter die - it's just so perfect...

Anyway, best get the rest of my breakfast eaten and head off to work!

52 Cards challenge 2013 - Week 18

Welcome to a new week everyone! I promise I'm much better prepared this week.

Finally I have sought inspiration from the prompt jar and have picked 3 random elements that need to be featured on your cards this week:

So, while I still had some scraps on the desk from some other projects, I decided to use them up on this card too.

Paper: Echo Park
Stamps: PTI
Dies: PTI, Magnolia
Other: Button, hemp cord, pearls

I quite like the mix of soft colours with cream, pink, light grey, and white. Makes a nice change.

Hope you enjoy playing with this recipe combo and I look forward to seeing the results. :)

52 Christmas Crackers 2013 - Week 17

So, time to play a little catch-up with my cards from last Monday's prompt.

I've updated the main post here with the card I made.

And as for the Christmas number made using scraps, here it is - a small notelet sized card but perfect for using up off-cuts of paper.

Paper: Crate, OA
Stamp: Rusty Pickle
Dies: PTI, Magnolia
Chipboard accent: Crate Paper
Pearl: Kaisercraft
Other: Distress Stickles

I rather like the whole North Pole map as greetings from the North Pole and I think the greeting works well with that. Just a shame I don't have a "Greetings from the North Pole" stamp! ;o)

And now I'd best get the blog post for tomorrow's prompt sorted. I am on schedule for now!

Where did the week go?

This time last week I was battling with my sleep-in curlers - which had left me with no sleep at all through the night - getting ready for Miss Anja's big day:

And even when the Fascinator is in place, the volume they give makes all the difference, but alas, if worn overnight the only way you can sleep is on your face (not so comfortable or good if you get a pillow crease), or sitting up like a vampire... hm...

Likewise Miss Anja and her mum were also decked out in their Monsoon finery - in fact Anja and I had almost matching outfits on - our colours matched perfectly. :)

After the Christening and lovely meal and party we enjoyed the rest of the evening with friends and family and Miss A definitely wasn't quite ready for bed any time soon.

The album and card I made were revealed and went down really well. :)

There were also some more traditional gifts included for my Goddaughter, including this fab breakfast set for when she is older:

I hope it's something she will keep, I still have my Bunnykins egg cup from since before I can remember and a little mug from my childhood.

But there were also some things she could enjoy now, a cute soft duck raffle (yes keeping on the theme!) that caught her immediate attention and some little outfits I couldn't resist:

I was really surprised to receive a gorgeous card and gift in return:

Just a really fantastic day and I was honoured to share it with Anja and her family. :)

Didn't get home until very late and the lack of sleep due to my curlers meant I was a bit of a zombie the rest of the week... so not much crafting got done.

By the time the work week ended and I got home Friday I was ready for some restorative weekend fun.

Wasn't expecting this type of April shower to have hit on Friday afternoon:

But yesterday I got down to crafty business involving some of these:

And got caught up with what I needed to do:

But I now need to get ahead but also share my catch-up projects for this week's 52 Cards challenge - I shall be back later to do just that. ;o)

A recipe for creative fun

Happy Friday!

This week on the DCM blog the wonderful Kathy has set us a recipe challenge!

We needed to make a card that featured the following:

• The colour blue
• Something beginning with the letter P
• A die cut or punch-out
• An aperture of any sort

Well, I wonder if you can spot my elements:

Paper: MME
Stamps: PTI, MFT
Dies: PTI
Lace and seambinding: The Ribbon Girl
Other: pearls, 3D foam, sewing machine

And as for the elements?

Well the paper contains blue little arrows - who'd have thought such a boyish pad of papers as Away We Go would create such a girly card?

My "something beginning with the letter P" = pearls and well, the colour peach!

There are quite a few die-cuts.

And my aperture is the little heart in the corner which goes right through the front of the card. Not so easy to spot when the wall behind is the same colour as the leaves. ;o)

I must admit a fondness for combining Adirondack Mountain Rose and Salmon, they go so well together in these 2-step stamping sets.

Don't forget to check out the lovely creations from the rest of the team!

Creative vibes are back in the house

Although I've not yet managed to make anything for this week's 52 Cards prompts. I'm thinking the weekend will be time for a good catch-up!

However, I did manage to get something made that I can share soon:

Yep, finally tried out the Rosie Posie additions that make it a two-step stamping process. I love my Rosie Posie stamps a lot more now as without the colouring accents they seemed so flat when I used them before.

Much more versatile now! Who knows I may use these stamps more over the weekend... ;o)

Normal service will soon be resumed...

I must have been more creatively drained after the weekend than I thought. Not managed to get anything made yet this week on the card front, but something will have to be created tomorrow night in time for Friday's DCM dare.

I managed to fall asleep at 9 p.m. Monday night, and was so tired in the evening before that so it was a complete non-evening!

Then last night was over at my little brother's and his girlfriend's new house for a visit and nosey.

Tonight, well I wanted to get my book finished and also ended up catching up on some telly...

A nice cozy read for lazy evenings. :)

But it's bath time and so an opportunity to start a new read! But what will it be?

52 Cards challenge 2013 - Week 17

Morning everyone!

I'm afraid I'm being a bad host this week as I haven't actually managed to get any cards done in time for today's prompt.

It's been a very busy week and weekend as I needed to get this little project finished in time for yesterday's christening celebrations:

Inspired by the state of my desk after completing that work and what was left in the collection kit I'd used I've decided that this week's prompt is about...

Using the scraps from a project to create your card!

If like me, you don't chuck bits away that could be put to use on a smaller scale item, then now's the time to raid your stockpile of scraps. Otherwise you could try and use up the remaining items in a pack of embellishments or similar - naturally making way for new purchases to be made. ;-)

I'll hopefully have time to get something made tonight or Wednesday night depending on how tired I am. Had a late night and an early start today so we shall see how that plan goes when I get back from work! LOL

Edited to add: Here's the card I finally made from scraps left over from the album I made at the weekend. :)

Paper: Echo Park
Dies: MFT
Stamp: PTI
Punch: Martha Stewart
Sticker and cutout: Echo Park
Pearls: Kaisercraft
Other: 3D foam

And yep, when dealing with scraps it's always good to get the hexagon die out!

Happy crafting!

Oh to be young again!

This week's dare over on the DCM blog has been set by the lovely Sharon, and she has challenged us to make a card on the theme of Child's Play - so for the youngsters in our lives. :)

Well, ahead of this weekend's Christening I was still needing to come up with a suitable card for my soon-to-be Goddaughter. Ah the perfect inspiration right?

I definitely wanted it to be personalized and special, so I hope I managed to achieve both. Plus I wanted the colours to tie in with another something I have planned. ;o)

So here it is:

Paper: MME
Chipboard letters: Basic Grey
Foam letters: American Crafts
Stamp: PTI
Other: twine, sewing machine, pearls, 3D foam, Stickles

I'm also very relieved I had all the letters necessary to spell Christening and that it thankfully fit on the front! Plus I do think that large "t" has a bit of a cross-like look to it. I really had wanted to include a cross somewhere but didn't have anything that would work...

Anyhoo, I hope they like it. :)

Oh and in other news, Taken 2 - not a crafting distraction. It was OK and allowed me to finish up the task I needed to get done last night without stopping to watch the on-screen action. ;o)

52 Christmas Crackers 2013 - Week 16

Well, better late than never!

I've been rather busy every evening this week so not managed to share the Christmas card I made for this week's negative die-cutting prompt.

But the time has arrived!

It wasn't really worth the wait, since it is ultra-simple and plain, but I rather like how it looks in real life. ;o)

Paper: Crate Paper
Die and stamp: PTI
Other: bling, 3D foam

Very simple no? But I really wanted to have a red and white stripe behind whatever word I ended up using this week. hehe

So, just what is it that has been keeping me so busy and off the blog?

Well, my lovely house guest Lola and I spent a lot of time out on walks, including a 5-miler to my mum and dad's which was totally spur of the moment!

The rest of the time Lola enjoyed recuperating by the fire:

She also "assisted" me in cleaning the house ready for a family visit for cake and tea:

Yes, how exactly are you supposed to make the bed when someone is enjoying it so much...

And speaking of bed hogging... she was caught in the act the next day trying to get under the covers in the afternoon:

I had to use the Meerkat toy to tempt her out of the kitchen Sunday morning when I baked muffins, tried out the Hazelnut Praline nutella muffins from the Hummingbird Cake Days book:

Don't worry, we all took Lola for a walk in the park after those!

I said bye-bye to Lola Monday evening, then Tuesday afternoon went up to see miss Anja ahead of her Christening this weekend. And she was very much looking forward to her tea:

And from then onwards I have been trying to get a certain crafty project done, with little success...

But I have managed to sort another thing on my to-do list - get my phone changed at long last since it is now out of contract:

Bye, bye htc and hello (hopefully) a much better phone for my needs! :)

The porting doo-dah should be done tomorrow and I hopefully won't be left without a phone this weekend, as I will definitely need one on sunday! Anyway, I suppose I should start back on the crafty task I need to get done this evening.

I do have a DVD to watch, but it's not clear whether it will be a help or a complete distraction:

I'll let you know!

52 Cards challenge 2013 - Week 16

Morning everyone!

Oh my how this week has flown by, especially the weekend!

I have spent a lot of it walking my doggie visitor and cleaning the house and baking ready for a family afternoon visit yesterday. So, not much in the way of creative time!

This week's prompt is one I alluded to earlier.

It's time to roll out the dies and have a go at negative die-cutting.

If you aren't too familiar with this look and technique, there are plenty of ideas and examples on Pinterest and google images.

Here's the card I made which is a CASE of a previous card of mine but it was perfect for an upcoming event and I really couldn't think of a better "new home" idea. ;o)

Paper: MME
Dies and stamp: PTI
Other: 3D foam

I also really wanted to try and give the old grey and yellow colour palette a whirl since it seemed very in on Pinterest.

Source: theperfectpalette.com via Christi on Pinterest

 

If you don't have any dies to use to accomplish this technique, then a very simple solution would be to cut a box in your card front using a ruler and knife and cut a smaller box to go inside it perhaps with the greeting on it... It's still do-able without dies. :)

I still need to get my Christmas card for this week made so need to decide on which die to use on that one!

Happy crafting!

A very apt dare for today

Over on the DCM blog the lovely Miri has challenged us to get creative with the theme of April showers - so rain, umbrellas, rainbows, etc.

I had hoped the weather this weekend wouldn't be too bad considering the dog walking I'd planned, but already after the first walk of the day Lola is looking somewhat filthy and we didn't even go near any mud!

Here's hoping the grey clouds soon pass and the sun comes out!

Here's my card on the matter including an apt greeting...

Paper: MME
Stamp: PTI
Dies: MFT
Bling: Prima
Other: 3D glitter paint, sewing machine, 3D foam

The feeling is very mutual! ;o)

It's a mixed bag alright...

My Pinterest board hasn't been getting that much action lately, however I have just added this recipe to it:

Source: bakerella.com via Natalia on Pinterest

 

You may wonder what all the fuss is about... until you look more closely at what Biscoff spread is exactly... well, I wasn't going to pin this last night when I read it on my blog roll as I thought I'd never see this Biscoff stuff in a UK supermarket (plus it sounded dangerous... like crack for sugar addicts - one smidge of this and you could be lost and end up in a sugar coma!).

Oh how wrong I was!

There it was in Sainsbury's today right next to the Nutella (an ingredient for a culinary experimentation this weekend) and it was even available in smooth or crunchy. I went with smooth as I wasn't quite sure what it had looked like in the recipe.

Now I have had to hide it in the very back of a cupboard so it is out of sight and I am not tempted to open it until I have time and inclination to make these crispie treats - definitely after next week's Christening as I need all the help I can get to get hide all the bumpy bits when zipped into my dress (even an £8 reduced to £2 magic body-sucker-inner-thing from Tesco has been drafted into operation flab concealment!).

I am hoping this weekend's dog sitting and walking will also assist in this goal and I will be able to sit down comfortably in church! Oh boy...

Yes, Miss Lola has come back for a weekend visit and I had plenty of walking planned for us - we have done our 40 minute walk this evening just before it got dark.

However, no crispie treats allowed this weekend or next! No, no, no, no...

Now let's see what else I've pinned of late... oh this cute project on the Crate blog caught my eye:

Source: crate.typepad.com via Natalia on Pinterest

 

Birthday boxes - seriously fab! A party in a box including candles!

I must have had a thing about box projects as I also really liked this one for a wintry setting:

Source: spoolandspoonblog.com via Natalia on Pinterest

 

Anyway, I'd best vamoose as it has suddenly gone very quiet here and Lola has disappeared...

I wonder what mischief to expect!

52 Christmas Crackers 2013 - Week 15

Well this evening is the first in a while where it has actually felt like spring and the sun is still out and glowing!

It seams quite odd to be posting this Christmas card for the prompt - what with the snowmen on it, but hey-ho let's hope the good weather continues! :) Especially since I have lost my umbrella, I am hoping the rain definitely keeps away until I can find it! LOL

Anyway... onto my card:

Paper: Basic Grey, My Mind's Eye
Dies: MFT, PTI
Stamp: PTI
Pearls: Prima
Other: 3D foam

I am digging my Red Pepper ink from Adirondack - it's a lovely shade indeed. I am sure it will be featuring on many more Christmas cards this year!

Right, I'd best scoot and get some of my to-do list for this evening completed.

52 Cards challenge 2013 - Week 15

Hello everyone!

Hope you've had a nice weekend and some sun featured in it. :)

For this week's prompt I thought it was about time we made a bigger deal of the text and greetings that feature on our cards. So I want you to make a card where the words are the main focus.

You can strip it right down to a clean and simple card that just features a greeting or make your greeting fussy and elaborate using various techniques.

Here's the card I made:

Paper: Basic Grey
Die and stamps: PTI
Other: bling, 3D foam

For my card I wanted to use the negative die-cutting technique - so I stamped my greeting on a separate piece of card and stuck it behind the die-cut paper. It gives it a bit of pop without making a really bulky card. :)

I think we might need to revisit this technique on some future prompts. ;o)

In the meantime, have fun with your fonts!

Has it only been a week??

This time last week we were tucking into our lovely Polish Easter breakfast and well, a few different vodkas too...

But here are a few pics of the lovely decorations:

My mum used onion skins to dye the eggs as she always does, but after seeing some great pics on Pinterest where someone had decorated their eggs using a white sharpie I went in search of my sharpie and set to work decorating an egg on Good Friday.

My attempt was the chevron egg (of course!). One egg was enough work for me! But it seems my mum got itchy fingers and also wanted to play so she picked up the sharpie and personalised the rest of the eggs - so lovely. And at last my Polish wooden eggs could be brought out and put to good decorative use. That aqua egg is still my all time favourite!

Aside from all the celebrations and food, another big Easter treat was finally opening this amazing gift I received from Ang over on Paper and Ribbons:

We totally oohed and aahhed over the contents and the girls at my crop of Friday night were also oooohing and aaaahing too!

The photos just don't do it justice.

Full of beautiful little bits and pieces...

I loooove the cameo and the tiny bottle of glitter and look at that teeny spool of twin!

There was lovely trim and lace and buttons, and flowers and... gorgeous silver charms including an amazing ladies watch face.

Oh man, it will be a while until I can feel I can use any of these little bits as it's just too much fun opening the box and looking through all the contents.

Really fantastic. Thank you again Ang - it really blew me away! :D

Coming back to today... well, I would love to spend it dozing on my bean bag/reading one of the many books I have and enjoying the last of my indoor tulips:

But I really need to get on and get a couple of cards made from this little collection:

A hard life right? Otherwise there will be no prompt this week for the 52 cards challenge... I am really flagging today and it's not even 1 p.m.

Aqua and coral - it's all the rage

And it's also this month's colour challenge over on the Daring Cardmakers blog! :)

After a little pondering and stash raiding I determined it was actually the perfect opportunity to play with some of my new stamps that arrived from Papertrey on Tuesday. Again no customs charge - hurrah!

So here's what I made - apologies re the photo, morning/evening light still isn't quite perfect for taking pics:

Paper and cardstock: PTI
Stamps: PTI
Dies: PTI
Other: 3D foam
Inks: Adirondack - Mountain Rose, Salmon and Willow, Versacolor - Mint, Distress Ink - Tattered Rose

The ink colours are spot on with the colour prompt shades in real life, just so difficult to photograph. I used the Mini Blooms stamps and popped the flowers on the matching dies so they stood out from the green. The font is the new Headline alpha and matching dies and is a lot easier to position and stamp with dye ink than pigment. ;o) It looks like I need some aqua dye ink now! hehe

Don't forget to check out the lovely creations from the rest of the design team - have a happy and creative weekend! :)

I really should be packing for tomorrow's crop...

But as usual procrastination has set in!

I even have a project planned that involves photos:

And this collection kit from Echo Park:

And my PTI order arrived earlier this week:

Lots of scope for new crafty projects but quality time is required...

I have already organised all my new items and even tried a few out - namely these two:

But I also picked up my entire reserve list from the library - basically everything I have reserved the past month and a bit all came in today and well... there is a big temptation to just dive into a book and pack for the crop tomorrow. ;o)

So what's it gonna be? Book or packing?

Well, it depends on tonights telly - so I'd best get sorted!

52 Christmas Crackers 2013 - Week 14

Well it is definitely feeling a lot more like Spring after this Easter weekend and the clocks going forward.

In fact it is still light outside!

However considering this week's Christmas cracker card took me an age to make yesterday I am wondering just how well I will keep up with my Christmas cards once summer arrives! Mind you, the excesses of Sunday's Polish breakfast and just 4 hours of sleep may have had something to do with that too...

Anyway, here is my festive hexagon creation - again made with left-over hexagons from another card I made in December:

Paper: Basic Grey, Studio Calico
Dies: MFT, PTI
Stamp: PTI
Bling: Prima
Other: 3D foam

Once again I resorted to using left-over scraps of Terracotta Tile cardstock as a "red" as it doesn't seem too out of place against a grey background. :)

And now I'd best zoom so I can watch the new sewing show on BBC that is following in the footsteps of the great British bake off. :)

52 Cards challenge 2013 - Week 14

Happy April 1st people!

I hope you've been having a lovely Easter weekend thus far.

With it being the 1st of April I had toyed with doing a prompt of a humourous nature, but I was swayed towards something else. :)

This week I'd love to see you embrace the "hexagon" trend on your cards.

I luckily have a set of dies I bought last year that make this an easy task for me, but if you don't have hexagons in your arsenal (whether as punches, stamps, dies or patterns on papers/embellishments) then please feel free to use any geometric patterns or elements for your cards this week. You could still go with the quilted look you get from hexagons using another shape. There are lots of possibilities! :)

So the reason this prompt came about was because I really wanted to use all 4 of the new Crate papers I received at the weekend but didn't really see how I could justify cutting them all up and using them together until I remembered my set of Dienamics hexagon dies!

So I cut a strip of paper from the 3 floral designs and cut out my hexagons ready to assemble.

And here's what I made:

Paper: Crate, Basic Grey
Dies: MFT
Stamp: PTI
Other: Bling, sewing machine

The hexagon die cuts two sizes at the same time; the other die in the set cuts a hexagon strip to mount the smaller hexagons on it. For this card I used the larger hexagons along the edge rather than just the small hexagons on white strips.

And with the left-over die-cuts, I made another card!

It's notelet sized and I just added a button from October Afternoon and the washi-tape style stamp and greeting from PTI and hey presto! Another card made and no scraps for the bin.

I think I will soon have to try a card using just the large hexagons for the background as it is lovely how they all fit together so neatly. This hexagon malarkey could be most addictive!

Happy creating! I'm already wondering what papers to use for my Christmas card - think I shall be raiding my scraps stash!

Saturday snaps

Well, I am nearing the end of my to-do list and waiting for a few things to happen of their own accord before I can complete it.... So thought I'd pop on the blog and share a few snaps.

Despite the cold weather this Easter weekend, there has actually been - gasp! - sunshine!

And although I've not had time to sit in the conservatory and enjoy it all day, I managed a bit of reading session while my weekend bake was in the oven.

I have had some fun playing with some papers that I ordered along with the Echo Park Sweetest Day kit for an upcoming project. The papers were just add-ons to my order from the latest Crate release as I wasn't feeling the love for the entire release and had nothing in mind for those other patterns, but I liked these a lot:

I even got down to getting my card for this Monday's prompt sorted... I wonder if you can guess what the theme will be...

Then once I got my project photographed and ready to blog I turned my attention to the big item I needed to do today.

The all-important Easter bake for tomorrow's Polish Easter celebrations. I'd been umming and ahhing over trying this recipe from Mary Berry a while, as I love Yorkshire curd tart and Polish baked cheesecake is very similar to this recipe but I wanted to bake something that was aimed at the British baker (and my temperamental oven) rather than a seasoned Polish domestic goddess - which I am not!

It is currently on its second hour cooling in the oven and while that is happening I cannot put my last minute zesty flapjack hodge podge traybake in.

I ended up raiding the cupboards trying to work out if there was something else I could "bake" to use up the rest of the butter and unwaxed lemons I'd had to buy for the above recipe (since no one sells them loose around here and you have to buy a bag of 5 and I don't use lemons all that much except for baking) plus the porridge oats I had left-over from some other bakes... and well, a lemon ginger flapjack recipe was found online but unmercilessly doctored to also include dessicated coconut (since I ran out of loose oats and had to resort to plain oats so simple packets and some other dry goods to make up the measures...) and mixed chopped nuts (needed using up...) in addition to the sultanas in the recipe.

We shall see whether it is fit for human consumption later this evening when the oven is finally free or whether the birds in my area will have their work cut out trying to find nourishment!

In the meantime, I'd best get some tea...

Good morning, Good Friday

Well if you are in the "Spring" mood, there's a wonderful dare over on the DCM blog this week. :)

Beckie has challenged us to make a card featuring "springs" in some way.

I decided to cover my bases with this one and include a Spring theme as well as some DIY springs. I wonder if you can spot them:

Papers and printed ephemera: Pink Paislee
Stamps and dies: PTI
Nest: Michaels
Other: paper flowers, seambinding, acrylic paint, 3D foam

Once again I had great fun stamping with the Stitched Sentiments set from PTI and this time I finally used the embroidery hoop - I really love that needle stamp. I think I am also going to have to cave and get the Aida background stamp set too to get a subtle background for these sentiments as I have now seen it in use and well... those cards were lovely and the stamps really added the finishing touch.

So... can you see the springs?

Well, here's my DIY job:

I made little springs out of the stalks of the flower bunches. :)

Don't forget to check out the lovely springy cards from the design team!

Easter is almost upon us.

Hurrah!

I somehow doubt we will be seeing much in the way of Spring sunshine and warmth this Easter weekend, but to spread the Happy Easter vibes here are some lovely pins that have helped get me in the Spring mood these past few weeks. :)

Brace yourselves it was hard to pick just a few images!

OK, I am seriously tempted to try this on our onion-skin-died eggs for Polish breakfast on Sunday. I must dig out my white Sharpie paint pen and see if it is still working.

Source: thecarolinejohansson.com via Natalia on Pinterest

 

It's a shame they don't make these for "grown-ups" - oh if only I had one of these when I was little:

Source: etsy.com via Natalia on Pinterest

 

Continuing with the bunny theme - how cute??

Source: etsy.com via Natalia on Pinterest

 

But let us not forget about the chickies!

Source: potterybarnkids.com via Natalia on Pinterest

 

It wouldn't be Easter without a few spring blooms to brighten the house and garden:

Source: goodhousekeeping.com via Natalia on Pinterest

 

I would love this jug of blossom on my table, I can tell you.

Source: hiddeninfrance.typepad.com via Natalia on Pinterest

 

And what about some tasty treats? These biscuits are beautiful.

Source: sweetambs.com via Natalia on Pinterest

 

But there has to be chocolate right?

Source: marthastewartweddings.com via Natalia on Pinterest

 

It just leaves me to wish you....

Source: graphicsfairy.blogspot.com via Natalia on Pinterest

 

Or in Polish...

Source: pstrobazar.blogspot.com via Natalia on Pinterest

 

And one more for good measure!

Source: pstrobazar.blogspot.com via Natalia on Pinterest

 

52 Christmas Crackers 2013 - Week 13

Well, once again my Christmas cracker card is sadly reflecting the view outside my window!

So much for Spring in these parts... I sure hope it arrives by the weekend but I doubt it.

Anyway, the inspiration pins I chose for my Christmas card are these:

Source: tinywhitedaisies.tumblr.com via Natalia on Pinterest

 

Creamy white and grey colour palette that's a departure from the traditional green and red. I really like it and it still looks cosy to me. :)

Source: tumblr.com via Natalia on Pinterest

 

Beautiful white on white snowflakes with just a hint of frosty sparkle.

Source: happydayout.tumblr.com via Natalia on Pinterest

 

And a bit of winter bling - how gorgeous is this brooch?

I'm afraid photographing my card ended up being rather difficult. The light is really bad at the moment what with the grey dark skies and it's always tricky to capture frosty glitter in a photo without good light!

Impression plate: PTI
Die: PTI
Stamp: PTI
Bling: Prima
Glitter: German glass glitter in white, Rocky Candy Distress glitter
Other: 3D foam

I promise it does look a lot nicer in real life and sparkles nicely when light is on it. :) I made the mistake of using wet glue for the first layer of glitter (the white German glass glitter) which is quite dull, while it was still drying I tried out my spray adhesive and sprinkled on rock candy glitter for added sparkle and left the snowflake to dry over night. I think spray adhesive is the way forward for me. Good job I still have a scrap cardboard box to hand that I can use to spray into and not end up with spray adhesive everywhere. :)

52 Cards challenge 2013 - Week 13

Morning everyone!

This past week I've been doing a fair bit of Pinterest pinning and what I love most about Pinterest... tracing back pins to new sources of wonderful inspiration. I have been on some real tangents this week and have spent many a moment admiring yet more pretty things. And ultimately pretty pictures provide inspiration for all sorts of things in our lives.

So this week, I thought it would be rather nice to take something you have seen online or around you as your inspiration for creating this week's card. It would be really fun if you could share details or a pic of your inspiration with your card too. :)

It doesn't matter how small or great the inspiration is; it could be one little element like a button on a coat, the colours used in a home interiors shoot, some glittery sprinkles on a cupcake... whatever it is that caught your eye and made you think "oooh I could do that!", get it on your card and share it with us all! :)

For my main card the inspiration has come from looking at quite a few pieces of beautiful Polish Kashubian folk art online. Mostly embroidery styles, but also once again I was searching the net to see if any shop now sells the lovely light shade I saw on my first trip to Gdansk in 2010 during our regular family holiday to Poland.

It was at the Velevetka restaurant in case you ever get the chance to visit. ;) This shade would be just perfect over my dining table... If only Cepelia sold it, life would be much easier!

Kashubian folk art is very similar in style to the Swedish folk art designs you currently can see in Ikea. It must be that Baltic connection. ;o)

It really is beautiful and I love the symmetry of the designs and the elements:

Source: images.search.yahoo.com via N. on Pinterest

 

The colours are usually muted primaries, with lots of blues and yellows and the zing of red:

Source: haftkaszubski.pl via Kay on Pinterest

 

These designs feature on everything from textiles in the home, clothing, and painted floors to Easter eggs:

Source: forum.kampermania.com.pl via Powiat Kościerski - Serce Kaszub on Pinterest

 

I must confess I was very happy when PTI came out with their Fancy Folkart stamp set as the designs are very Kashubian in style and I do love a bit of two/three-step stamping with different colours. I didn't use traditional colours for my card though:

Stamps: PTI
Ink: Prima chalk ink

It's very enjoyable to create something with just stamps and ink - it's one of the reasons I love papercrafting so much!

Plus it also means I can create "flat" cards to send to Poland - although it might be a bit like sending coals to Newcastle! ;o)

Last Easter bunny card for this year...

Well, with one week to go before Easter Sunday I think this could possibly be my last Easter card make for 2013.

I didn't manage to snag the Easter bunny die before it went out of stock, but I have definitely made use of the stamp!

Nevertheless I wanted to play along with this week's Passion for Papertrey challenge to create a card featuring a negative die-cut, so I set the scene with my Easter bunny another way. ;)

Stamps: PTI (Polka Dot Parade #1 and Striped Sweater background basics), WMS
Dies: Spellbinders, MFT, Sizzix
Paper: PTI (bitty dot basics), Rob and Bob, plus PTI cardstock
Pearls: Prima
Other: 3D glitter paint, twine

This card was also an exercise in using up some of those old Rob and Bob papers I had in my stash and never got rid of as I thought to myself, "ahhh, I'll use them for Easter cards..." - it's only taken 5 years or so to make those Easter cards with those papers. ;o)

Chalkboard heaven

This week over on the Daring Cardmakers blog it's my turn to challenge my fellow teamies and our blog visitors.

And well, there was one thing that immediately sprang to mind that I thought we'd all enjoy - recreating chalk art on a card.

Now, thanks to the fab tutorial by Betsy Veldman it's much easier than it looks - and it is really fun! And the results? Well, I've only had a go at it a couple of times, but I think the end result is really unique and fun.

One of my favourite chalkboard artists is Dana Tanamachi - what a skill and what a job she has. Truly amazing. I would love a bit of her art on my walls I can tell you. ;o)

Source: tanamachistudio.com via Natalia on Pinterest

 

The inspiration for my card came from this particular piece of hers which has done the rounds on Pinterest quite a lot - no surprise why!

Source: shelleysdavies.com via natalie | la designerie on Pinterest

 

I just love the branches that encompass the text in the middle. The closest I could get to it was by using the Stitched Sentiments set from PTI (one of my lovely purchases last month).

Paper: Crate Paper
Stamps: PTI (Stitched Sentiments and Fancy Folkart)
Die: PTI
Embellishment: Basic GRey
Other: Sewing machine, twine, white pencil, chalk ink (applied with cotton bud and cotton wool)

I applied some old Versa Magic chalk ink (which is a bit drier and so perfect for this technique) using a cotton bud around the stamping then a cotton wool ball for the overall chalky effect. I'm really pleased with how it came out, especially the fontage from the Fancy Folkart set, I sure hope some more greetings get released in that font and style as they are just lovely.

I really hope you'll give this challenge a try and play along. :)

A little more Easter delight...

So I seem to really be getting the most out of that $5 bunny stamp set from PTI.

I didn't manage to snag the die, but it doesn't mean I haven't been using it in all sorts of ways, the latest being for this card:

Paper: MME
Stamps: PTI
Impression plate: PTI
Other: Sewing machine

Once again the bunny rabit is in those lovely branches from the Stitched Sentiments set, this time I used green and some of my lighter inks to then stamp the flowers and buds on.

Also I had a play with the Linen and Canvas Impression Plate which is finally mine - it has only taken 3 or so years to get one... but finally I had a go with it on a card and decided to run the card blank through after a I had applied patterned paper to the front. Despite the chevron pattern, I think the checked impression adds extra depth. After I'd stamped the main panel I also ran that through on the other side of the impression plate for a little more texture before running it through the sewing machine.

I was under strict instructions to make a flat card - again headed to Poland and my grandma - so I hope it reaches her in one piece. :)

52 Christmas Crackers 2013 - Week 12

Looking out the window this morning you would be forgiven for thinking it can't possibly be the first day of spring, and it is definitely hard to imagine that this time last year we were basking in summer-like temperatures and... sun!

But my Christmas cracker card for this week definitely reflects our current weather system and climate...

Stamps: Hero Arts, PTI
Paper: MME
Pearls: Kaiserkraft
Other: Stickles

Yep, it's another very simple one this week, but I felt it about time I had a play with this cling stamp from Hero Arts that I picked up in Florida. I stamped in Prima "Worn Jeans" chalk ink, which is a lovely bluey grey. It's difficult to see in the pic but the background behind the image is a woodgrain paper from MME. And for a finishing touch I edged the whole thing with Frosted Lace Stickles for a little sparkle.

Now, if only the view outside my craft room window would brighten up I'd feel more like using bright colours and I could probably get some better photos too!

52 Cards challenge 2013 - Week 12

Good morning and welcome to a new prompt!

I was recently sorting my pile of envelopes into a more organised system and came across some little envelopes with no matching card blanks. So it got me to thinking it would be a good time to explore card sizes and switching it up a bit from the standard sizes we see.

So this week we're going miniature with our cards!

The beauty of this is you can also make something a bit more quickly or make a set of cards with the same design quite simply using the same product.

I decided to experiment with a cute little Easter card this week. The finished size is 3 1/4 x 4 1/4 inches:

Paper: MME
Stamps: PTI
Dies: MFT, PTI, Spellbinders
Other: buttons, twine, 3D foam, Stickles

I added some Frosty Lace Stickles to the bunny's tail for added pop. This is definitely a design I could do a few times and still have paper left over from a sheet of 12x12.

I look forward to seeing how small you go with your cards this week. :)

I'll share my mini-Christmas card later.

Weekend antics

Well, it has been a rather nice spring weekend in my household despite the poor weather this afternoon.

I got down to some crafty business yesterday with a mind to getting some Easter cards made:

I also managed to get caught up on the crafty stuff I needed to do, and I may get some more playtime in today before dinner:

I started off today reading this from start to finish as it's been on my book pile a while and I thought there was no time like the present:

I still have a weakness for Regency romance... but my next two reads on the pile are Chicklit. :)

Then by the time I was up for breakfast it was almost brunch time and I was rather craving one of these, as there's nothing better on a Sunday:

But as I didn't have muffins or bacon in the house, I had some toasted hot cross bun loaf instead. Mmmmmm.

Then I got the washing done and the washing up and decided it was the prefect time to get some Sunday baking done:

I haven't baked anything since Christmas and I was also in the mood for comfort baking rather than faffy baking so I made...

Fruity flapjacks! :)

I have managed to scoff one already and they are decidedly delicious.

Now I'm going to sit down and watch Moulin Rouge on Lovefilm Instant (can you believe I've never seen it all the way through?) and perhaps do a bit of stamping at the same time. ;o)

Look at it from another angle...

This week over on the Daring Cardmakers Blog Lythan has been challenging our geometry skills.

It's all about angles!

And as soon as I heard what the dare was going to be I decided it was high to to get using my hexagon stash again before that trend passes me by!

I also needed to get down to business creating some Easter cards.

And this is what was born:

Paper: MME
Dies: Spellbinders, PTI
Stamps: Just Rite, WMS, PTI
Resin flower: Webster's Pages
Other: hemp twine, 3D foam, sewing machine

Easter should actually be a very calm time of the year, but a little chocolate can really help, especially if you gave it up for Lent! I might make a few more cards in this style with the same greeting because it's not often I get to send "Keep calm and eat chocolate" cards! Got to make those stamps pay for themselves one way or another. ;o)

52 Christmas Crackers 2013 - Week 11

Here I am back to share my Christmas card for this week, however after all the unseasonal snow we had Sunday through yesterday it's just a shame there isn't a snowflake to be found on this project!

Instead I tried to use up some papers from a collection kit by MME. I think these papers are a case of less is more when combining them as the patterns and colours are so bright they tend to clash a bit when you put more than 2 or 3 together. Or at least that's my struggle with them.

Paper and die-cuts: MME
Other: Ricrac, 3D foam, twine, buttons

The stars were a bit of a fiddle to get aligned right as "bunting" but I'm happy with the end result, and it was nice to use up a bit of ricrac from the collection! ;o)

Here's hoping we won't be seeing more snow next week, I'm perfectly happy making Christmas cards in spring without the added inspiration of cold weather!

52 Cards challenge 2013 - Week 11

Morning everyone!

I thought it was about time we had a "sketch" prompt again.

Now, I've not managed to procure or draw a sketch this week, but I have made a card that I intended to use as a the base for drawing the sketch.

Paper: Pink Paislee, MME
Die cut elements: Pink Paislee
Stamps: PTI
Die: MFT
Bling: Prima
Trim: The Ribbon Girl
Other: hemp cord, 3D foam, buttons

So using this layout as inspiration, you can really strip your design back to a very simple look or go to town dressing it up with bunting, trim, and multiple layers.

I really look forward to seeing how you interpret this one! :)

I'll share my Christmas card later this week as I went more the clean and simple route with that one!

Is it or isn't it?

Ma and I were hoping to head up to the Metrocentre for a day of relaxing retail therapy - but it appears a snow cloud is hovering and causing disruption, until I can find out whether snow has fallen over Gateshead and is sticking around our plans are on hold...

So much for a nice Mother's Day outing including a trip to Ikea - that's the way we usually roll in this family on Mother's Day!

But back to crafty-related things. I can't share the card I made for Mother's Day just yet. Instead I had some time yesterday to play with some of my new PTI stamps and started on some Easter cards. The one I'm sharing today was inspired by the Passion for Papertrey 50 Shades of Grey challenge and so I made a card to fit it.

OK, so mine is more like Three Shades of Grey, but there is grey in there! ;o)

Paper: MME, Bo Bunny
Stamps and dies: PTI
Other: 3D foam

The branches are from the Stitched Sentiments set, as is the banner die, and the other stamps are from Polka Dot Parade #1. I used the heart from the inside of a Tremendous Treats Tag as all my other heart dies were just a bit too big.

A shame the light was a bit poor when trying to get this photo, as the colours of the flowers and leaves are so much clearer in real life.

Anyway, I was so chuffed with how it turned out that I even Instagrammed it last night:

I still need some practice aligning those branches better. But it's definitely not a candidate for mass production! LOL

I also got a couple of other cards made, including the cards for this week's upcoming 52 Cards Challenge prompt:

And I am looking forward to trying out my new ink order, the latest Prima Chalk inks in pastel to complete my collection and am giving this Adirondack red inkpad a go in my continuing quest for the perfect red inkpad!

Right, I'd best go try and determine the snow situation again...

Just my type of thing

This week's dare over on the DCM blog comes from Leo and is all about using typography on your card.

I must admit to being rather a fan of different typographical styles and well... I have pinned quite a few in the past!

Here are some of my favourites:

Source: rusticweddingchic.com via Natalia on Pinterest

 

I love the brush work and painting in the above - and the colours are just lovely. It's lovely enough to frame! :)

Source: instagr.am via Natalia on Pinterest

 

I love the flourishes and shading in this one - and the different sizes of text really make it eye-catching.

Source: tinywhitedaisies.tumblr.com via Natalia on Pinterest

 

And finally something apt for this time of year - a great quote and some lovely fonts!

Well, with my little PTI delivery this week it arrived just in time for me to make something for this dare with my new purchases.

Paper: Crate Paper
Stamps: PTI
Dies: PTI, MFT
Pearls: Kaisercraft
Other: 3D foam

I finally managed to get the zipper dies that go with the stamps I bought before Christmas - the pull tab is ripped back to reveal the rest of the greeting to "Wishing you...". Obviously can't show you here without ruining the card, but hopefully this will be fun enough to make up for a birthday card being late! The Turquoise greeting is from the new birthday stylish sentiments set and went really well with the challenge and rest of the theme for this card.

Don't forget to check out the cards by the design team, there are some really inspiring ideas for using whatever fonts and alphabets you have in your collection! :)

A few snaps

So it's been a while since I shared some non-card pics.

Last weekend I went up for a visit to and some lazy time with little Miss Anja:

She was a bit of a tricky customer when it came to the camera. Every time I hit the shutter she totally changed her expression from a wide smile or laugh to a glum or confused expression. LOL But we spent a lot of time playing peek-a-boo over the top of the jungle gym and she has discovered how to roll over but isn't so keen on ending up stuck on her front after having rolled over.

We had a couple of walks out in the pram including a nice late breakfast on Sunday:

Then it was back to work Monday - I've been working from home this week on a few projects that needed some extra hours putting in. But it did mean I managed to actually see my lovely spring bulbs in daylight and notice how quickly they've changed:

Yesterday brought with it some rather nice surprises in the post.

Firstly a lovely Easter surprise from Angela over at http://paperandribbons.blogspot.co.uk:

Such a gorgeous card but also an egg box filled with a surprise I don't want to discover until Easter weekend. :) It's almost too nice to unwrap, but the suspense will win out by the end of March!

The other package that arrived was my PTI order. And best of all - no customs charge!

I really like the way dies are all packaged together in a dedicated envelope now so they don't fly about the inside of your box:

Here's a snap of what I ordered:

Lots of fun playtime ahead - well, time permitting!

I have also recently bought the pictapgo app designed for the iPhone but being used on the iPad. I really like the filters but wish it was more compatible with Instagram and would allow you to crop the image to Instagram size and save it that size. I think more playing is required, but would be great if they could make it possible to enlarge the app just like Instagram can be enlarged on the iPad so you can see everything better.

Oh well I am sure feedback from users will lead to lots of new updates and improvements, but it's rather nice to have RadLab on your smart device. ;o)

52 Christmas Crackers 2013 - Week 10

Well finally I have a Christmas card to share for this week's number prompt.

I ended up looking through my Christmas stash looking for any stickers with some festive-themed numbers on them and came up short.

So it was my number dies that came to the rescue!

Paper: Studio Calico, Basic Grey
Dies: PTI
Stamp: PTI
Bling: Prima
Other: Pattern wheel, 3D foam

The bling was a last minute addition that proved to be a good way to use up odds and ends in an almost empty packet. :)

52 Cards challenge 2013 - Week 10

Well we've hit the 10 week milestone on our 52 card adventure!

And to celebrate I thought it would be fun to have a "number" themed prompt this week.

So, make a card featuring a number on it.

It could be incorporated as follows:

• An age/anniversary
• A date
• In word form
• Lots of random numbers as a background
• Vintage ephemera and tape measures/rulers
• Text speak

Now, if you are feeling stumped for how to incorporate numbers on your Christmas card here are a few ideas to get you thinking:

• The big one - 25th of December
• New Year wishes for 2014 - although that feels premature even to me!
• Famous carols and Christmas songs: Twelve Days of Christmas has lots of scope for including numbers there! The First Noel...
• A postmark from the North Pole with the date on it
• A countdown advent calendar style

I'm sure there are others, and hopefully they'll come to me when I sit down to make my Christmas cracker card later this week. :)

In the meantime here is my main card:

Paper and die-cut embellishments: MME
Stamps and dies: PTI
Other: 3D foam

I hope my friend Kelly likes it and that (after a good few hints and reminders last night) her DH remembers that he has a proxy role to play until little Miss A reaches the age of 10 at least!

Key Lime-licious...

Hello first day of March and the route to springtime and hopefully sunshine!

As it's the first Friday of the month we have a lovely new colour challenge on the Daring Cardmakers blog this week, supplied by Sharon!

Last week it was tough going what with all that chocolate temptation, and this week?? Well take a look for yourself:

Key lime biscuits...

Well, thankfully last night for tea Key lime pie made an appearance at dessert so my taste buds have been satisfied. As for this colour combo, here's what I made:

Paper: American Crafts
Stamps: PTI, Waltzing Mouse
Dies: PTI, MFT
Embossing folder: Sizzix
Pearls: Prima
Other: 3D foam

So I switched up the colour balance a little and only used green as a colour accent with neutral and brown leading the way.

I tried out a new neutral-tone colour combination for my Sweet Life roses using Versacolor vanilla, cement, and bisque ink cubes. I rather like the subtle look with the colours for a neutral palette. :o)

This card needed to be a bit more clean and simple as it is destined for an uncle in Poland. Nothing wrong with flowers for men, there are, after all, many avid male gardeners out there and these roses are so realistic looking. ;o)

Don't forget to check out the delicious creations from the rest of the DCM girls! Especially our new Guest Designer Svenja!

Happy weekend!

A break from deleting spam comments...

Just logging into typepad and for whatever reason have had 15 spam comments in quick succession from different spammers... such a pain. I mean what is the point for them to do that when commenting is moderated on this blog.

Oh well, just makes things tidier for any readers I suppose as they don't have to see the casino-viagra-ugg-money-laundering "adverts" popping up here. ;)

So moving onto something nicer... Pinterest inspiration.

Here are a few things that caught my eye this week...

As my dad knows very well, I seem to be in a bulb obssession state right now. In fact I am rather obsessed with trying to cultivate some ranunculas this year, simple because I keep seeing beautiful pins like this:

Source: designbotanica.blogspot.com via Natalia on Pinterest

 

...all the time. And well, I have bought some mixed bulbs to try out and if there is success this year may invest in some specific varieties and colours next year. Fingers crossed! I have also bought a cactus dahlia bulb, some fresia bulbs and possible a few begonia bulbs but can't quite recall... I am obviously hoping for a sunny summer!

I have also been intrigued by many freezer-meal pins I have seen, where the idea is that you buy a load of produce for a list of meals, prep them all ready to be cooked then put them in freezer bags and freeze until needed. Apparently it can save you money and also make life easier, but I am not sure how it will work for feeding one... perhaps I will need to invite the family round when I finally give this a go!

Source: bloomingg.wordpress.com via Natalia on Pinterest

 

Next up, time for some gratuitous eye candy... who wouldn't want to try some of these?? Milk and cookie cupcakes:

Source: raspberricupcakes.com via Natalia on Pinterest

 

And I love this DIY Easter egg garland, how cute!

Source: parents.com via Natalia on Pinterest

 

And finally, I'll end on a bit of Patriotic glory - what an amazing quilt:

Source: fredashive.blogspot.com via Natalia on Pinterest

 

Wish I had the talent and vision to make something so beautiful and unique.

In the meantime, I shall just vicariously enjoy seeing what other much talented people come up with. ;o)

52 Christmas Crackers 2013 - Week 9

Better late than never, here I'm sharing this week's Christmas card. I had hoped to get my blog updated last night but I managed to zonk out on the sofa in front of the telly. It wasn't a very productive evening. ;o)

I am not sure this evening will be a productive one, despite needing to get ahead with my makes for next week. I think I might only be up to a soak in the bath with my current Jill Mansell read!

But first, here's the card I made for this week's "rose" prompt - allowing any Christmas plant to be a worthy substitute, I even threw some red rose colours in for good measure:

Paper: October Afternoon
Stamps and dies: PTI
Other: 3D foam

When I was in Florida I managed to stock up on some of the rustic cream and white cardstock from Papertrey, I quite like the rustic specks that run through it. But I am still very much devoted to Vintage Cream as my favourite go-to background colour. I'm very much looking forward to some more stores stocking Bazzill Cardshoppe in the UK - they're only planning to stock 12x12 which is understandable as there is more call for 12x12 in the target market here, but I would love for Bazzill to release some new shades. Will definitely have to get some more Rock Candy, Marshmallow, Taffy and Peanut cluster, fantastic shades. My my absolute favourite red: Wax Lips.

But first I need to wait for pay day and well... a new order of PTI stuff trying out their First Class postage option - really hope that's around to stay as it would be fantastic to be able to purchase regular small amounts straight to my door. :)

Right I suppose I should go and try pushing some paper around and see if a card gets made!

52 Cards challenge 2013 - Week 9

Morning everyone!

Well it's the last Monday of February and to continue on the Valentine/Love theme, this week our inspiration comes in the form of this particular flower:

Source: Uploaded by user via Koko Floral Design on Pinterest

 

Roses galore... For this week's card I want to see you feature a rose of your choice on your card. So it can be a rose in the form of:

• A resin flower
• A stamped image
• A rolled flower in felt etc.
• A die-cut flower
• Patterned paper featuring roses
• And any other rose you can find

As for the Christmas Cracker this week...

I understand it may be tricky to incorporate this particular flower on your Christmas card. If you happen to have Christmas roses in your stash collection, then you are already sorted! ;o)

But for your christmas card, take inspiration from roses in another way. Their colour for example, otherwise feature a plant/flower traditionally associated with winter/Christmas. There's plenty to work with there! :o)

In the meantime here is my card for the main dare:

Paper: MME
Stamps: PTI
Dies: PTI, MFT
Pearls: Kaisercraft
Other: 3D foam, pattern wheel

I've been really wanting to use my Sweet Life stamps from PTI again but wanted to try a new colour combination, this time I used Tattered Rose Distress Ink as the base, then Salmon Adirondack ink in the middle, followed by Rose Madder Archival ink for the darker accents.

Looking forward to seeing your rosy creations this week! I shall be back with my Christmas take on this prompt later in the week. :)

Weekend round-up

Well, Saturday saw an unexpected start to the weekend... the snow returned overnight and there was no way I was venturing down the hill to my mum and dad's house to pick up mother dearest. I managed to get turned around and wait for her, but even the 4x4s were struggling to get up it in the snow. Must have caught a lot of folks by surprise as usually loads of cars are parked at the top of the hill before snow hits and the main road between my house and theirs hadn't been gritted properly...

At least we managed to get to town for our hair appointments and then went off for a little cultural excursion to the museum before lunch.

Always love how much more decorative and special older documents and certificates were. Even this one from the Temperance Society - they really went to town on the art work. Case in point, my degree certificate from university looks like anyone could have typed it up, and worst of all it's just in Times New Roman font, most underwhelming when that arrived! The only thing that could have been worse is if they'd used Comic Sans!

After our museum excursion it was finally time for lunch at our favourite Italian place and it had to start off as it always does, with the yummy garlic bread!

After lunch I was definitely operating on less than half-steam ahead!

I didn't quite get chance to get the bedding changed this weekend to my lovely new Orla Kiely grey scribble stem set that I picked up in TK Maxx this week, but there's no huge rush, it'll get done! ;)

And today, I have got this week's crafty projects done and dusted, just need to get a head start on next week's as I'm away some of next weekend. ;o)

Right, best sort a few more things out then it's time for Sunday dinner en famille!

Chocolate withrdawl has almost kicked in...

And it's all the fault of Kathy over on the Daring Cardmakers blog.

So, having given up both chocolate and crisps for Lent this year, just what happens to be the topic of this week's dare... only bloomin' chocolate! LOL

It has been torture seeing some of the really imaginative creations from the design team.

I personally couldn't contemplate the actual stuff for too long when trying to come up with a card as it was making me hungry.

But as the dare allows for favourite centres and chocolate accompaniments I thought back to a lovely bar of either Milka or Rittersport white chocolate I once had with strawberry pieces in it. I don't usually like strawberry creams too much, but this particular chocolate bar was a perfect fusion of my two favourite sweet treats.

So, the theme on my card this week is strawberries!

Papers: Crate Paper, Basic Grey
Chipboard: Crate Paper
Die: MFT
Ribbon: SU
Button: October Afternoon
Other: Sewing machine

A rather summery card for this time of year but I have to say I am looking forward to when fresh and seasonal strawberries are finally available! :D

Don't forget to check out the fab (and most drool-worthy) creations from the rest of the design team. :)

52 Christmas Crackers 2013 - Week 8

Well, I hope you are getting on OK with this week's colour prompt:

Source: flickr.com via Natalia on Pinterest

 

I'm back to prove that you don't need to limit yourself to Christmas papers in order to make a Christmas card. In fact I often reach for my stockpile of "B-side" papers for just this purpose.

For the past few years I have primarily been buying patterned paper based on the reverse of the main design - this is especially true in the case of MME papers. It's just an added bonus when the main design is also a winner. ;o)

My card this week uses patterns from MME to create a very fresh and simple Christmas card:

Paper: MME
Stamps and dies: PTI
Other: 3D foam

There's not much faff to this card, in fact I used two tones/textures of white cardstock just for a little variation and so the snowflakes would stand out individually - but I believe the end result will look nice on anyone's mantelpiece this Christmas. :)