Mocktail Time!

Good afternoon crafty friends and I hope this post finds you well.

Here in the UK, we are about half-way through our summer holidays and (typically!) the weather has been rather dreary for the last week or so, and likely to remain like this for the rest of the week. I hope the sunshine comes back next week for a couple of weeks - not only is it the last fortnight of my summer hols, but we're having our kitchen ripped out and refitted so I shall be resorting to cooking on the BBQ or (at the very least) our camping stove 😉 !

As it's the fifteenth of the month, it's time for our new challenge at All Dressed Up Challenges . As usual, our challenge is Anything Goes with an All Dressed Up Image. Not got any All Dressed Up images? Wendy has plenty of gorgeous images available in the All Dressed Up Etsy Store and has also very generously provided some freebies here - please send your friends over to ADU for the freebies though, to make sure they're available for other crafters to share!

I'm using the holidays to make a batch of Birthday Cards to keep at work. Every member of our office receives a handmade card and gift voucher on her Birthday, but usually it's a mad scramble on my part to get a card made. So, I'm trying to be a bit more organised and this card is going into my "here's one I made earlier" box and save a last minute panic for at least one birthday 😂 ! Isn't this image so "on trend" with it's flamingo "swizzle stick"?

My card recipe is as follows:

• Card Base - is a pre-made, 15cm square in white cardstock
  
• Design Papers - come from a Designers' Collabaoration called Sunshine and Lemons at Pixel Scrapper Digital Scrapbooking. This means that the designers have all used the same colour
  

  

  scheme, so you can mix and match papers and elements from any of the kits in the collaboration, safe in the knowledge that they won't clash on your project! I have used Teal Pattern and Yellow Flowers by Sheila Reid together with Yellow Solid Paper by Janet Scott as my Mat & Layer. I have punched a pretty edge to my border using a now retired Heart Border Punch from Hobbycraft (although they do stock one that is a little bit similar).
• Image - is the super-summery Fruitti Tutti by Wendy at All Dressed Up Digital Stamps. I have brought this mocktail to life using my alcohol marker pens. I have used some of my Kit and Clowder classes to help with the colouring: Elements of Nature Class for the fruit, the February 2018 monthly colouring class Hellebores for the glass and table top, and the April/May 2019 bonus colouring class for monthly members called Tropical Flamingo for the flamingo and parasol. I have die cut this using the largest internal rectangle from my Die'sire Nouveau Stamping Frame die using the "Out of the Box" technique to ensure I didn't chop off either the straw or the parasol 😉

• Sentiment - uses a die cut from an Advent Calendar which uses the Yellow Solid Paper by Janet Scott
• Gems - are from my stash
  

I hope that I have inspired you to play along with our challenge, but if you are in need of further inspiration please head over to the blog and check out the uber gorgeous creations by my talented teamies. Then come back and show us your creations which are Anything Goes with an All Dressed Up Image!

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:

• Challenge #393 - Punches and Dies at The Paper Shelter
• Challenge #516 at Tuesday Morning Sketches
• Challenge #119 - Tropical Vacation at Sparkles Monthly Challenge
• Challenge #7 - Summer Fun at Tales from the Craft Room
• Challenge #35 - Dies and/or Punches at Sweet Stampers Challenge Blog

Challenge #516 

Tuesday Morning Sketches

That's it from me for today - I heading back to pack my kitchen into boxes! Hope you have a lovely weekend.

Hugs, Helen x

Shoe Delight

Good afternoon crafty friends!

Hope you are well and that the weather is as sunny with you as it is here on the south coast of the UK; although that breeze is definitely on the nippy side! As promised last week, I have been creating projects as there are a couple of family Birthdays this week. Here is one of them:

My card recipe is as follows:

• Card base - is a premade A5 base in white card
• Design Papers - come from a set by Janet Scott at Pixel Scrapper called All The Princesses. I have used the Gold Paper (which I have embossed using a retired embossing folder called Ornate Fans) and the Green Paper
  
• Image - is Heels Polka Dots by Jodie at Bugaboo Digi Stamps. I have brought this high heel to life using a combination of my Copic and Spectrum Noir Alcohol Markers together with a slick of Clear Sparkle Pen over the bow and ribbon, before die cutting it with my largest Die'sire Essentials Ovals die. I left the cut in the die, and then sponged from the edge inwards using Scattered Straw Distress Ink.
• Sentiment - comes from one of the Crafter's Companion Advent Calendars and I have die cut this from plain black cardstock, and again slicked my Spectrum Noir Clear Sparkle Pen over the letters to add some glitz to the card.
• Gems - are from my stash

I have been inspired by and would like to enter the following challenges:

• Challenge #309 - Colour (So Saffron, Daffodil Delight, Pear Pizzazz) at CAS Colours and Sketches
• February BINGO Challenge at Catch the Bug - I'm claiming the middle column of Bugaboo Image, Embossing and Sparkle
• Sketch #491 at Tuesday Morning Sketches

I would also like to enter this card into these challenges too:

• Challenge #213 - Fancy Folds or Embossing at The Crafter's Cafe Challenge - I'm definitely going with embossing here thanks to this lovely, feminine fan embossing folder. I've used lightweight card and a digital paper and I like the way some of the card has distressed itself and got a white "edge" to it!
• Favourite out of Birthdays or Christmas and Why at As You Like It Challenge - It's Birthdays all the way here at Casa Mia!!!! I only make special Christmas cards for Papa Mia and the Bambinos, and for the Mother in Law. Everyone in the family gets a handmade Birthday card as their Birthdays are spread throughout the year, and I'm just not organised enough to make Christmas cards all year round!
• Challenge #329 - Clean and Simple at Addicted to Stamps and More

That's it from me for today - off to deliver this card to its recipient!

Have a good day.

Hugs, Helen x

Bathtime Bubbles

And ….. BOO!

Just in case there is anyone out there in Blogland who still follows my musings and wondered where I got to …..

It's the last day of January, and I can now reveal that I am rather hit and miss with my New Year Resolutions:

• Use up supplies in stash - check & ongoing!
• Blog cards on time - errrr 
• Make cards earlier than the day before they are needed - errrrrrrrrrr .....

OK, so there is room for improvement!

Here is a card I made for our office to give one of our colleagues for her upcoming birthday. As we gave it to her today, I am now safe to blog it!

My card recipe is as follows:

• Card Base - pre-made 15cm square in white card
• Design Papers and Flowers - are from a beautiful kit called Unwind by Melo Vrijhof at Pixel Scrapper. I have put the layout of papers and flower elements together digitally, following this
  
  week's sketch at Sketch Saturday. I used Leaf Paper in Tan, Solid Lime Paper, and cropped a section of the Flower Scatter 01 before copying and flipping it to make the arc of elements as suggested by the sketch. I ensured a drop shadow is under the green strip and the flowers to give some depth to them.
• Image - is the uber-cute Lazy Louise and Bathtime Bubble Friends by Lizzy Love at Oddball Art Co.. I have brought Louise to life with a alcohol markers in a mixture of Copics and Spectrum Noirs before finishing off the bubbles with a Spectrum Noir Sparkle Pen in Clear. I die cut the image using a Die'sire Create-a-Card die called Emma, now sadly retired/
• Sentiment - is one of the freebies that came with Crafter's Inspiration Issue 18 Magazine and I have stamped it directly onto the green strip using Tuxedo Black Memento Ink
• Gems - from my stash, completed this creation.

I would like to enter the following challenges:

• Week #548 with The Paper Shelter at Sketch Saturday
• January Oddball Challenge - Razzle my Dazzle at Oddball Art Stamps - I'm hoping that sparkly bubbly bath counts!
• Challenge #405 - Anything Goes at Die Cutting Divas
• Challenge #326 - Anything Goes at Addicted to Stamps and More
• Anything Goes at Crafty Sentiments Design

Hope you're having a crafty week!

Hugs, Helen x

Victorian Style

Good evening crafty friends and hope this post finds you well.

I'm on the tail end of a really nasty cold and, I must say, it has rather taken the wind out of my sails! I can't recall having felt or sounding so unwell for quite a while!





Anyway it being the fifteenth of the month, it's time for our new challenge at All Dressed Up Challenges . As usual, our challenge is Anything Goes with an All Dressed Up Image. Not got any All Dressed Up images? Wendy has plenty of gorgeous images available in the All Dressed Up Etsy Store and has also very generously provided some freebies here - please send your friends over to ADU for the freebies though, to make sure they're available for other crafters to share!




My Mother-in-Law celebrated her 80th Birthday yesterday, and as many of the family who could muster on the south coast did so on Sunday to wish her many happy returns. This was the card from us to her, using one of Wendy's gorgeous images:

I love the dramatic look of this card and think that the colours and style slightly resemble the Victorian Auricula Theatres. She liked the card too!

My card recipe is as follows:

• Base card - is a 14.8cm square-ish premade card blank in white
• Mat and Layer - is a piece of plain black cardstock
• Image - is the beautiful Jam Jars by Wendy at All Dressed Up Stamps. I have brought this trio to life using a mix of Copic and Spectrum Noir Marker Pens broadly following the tutorials in the Kit and Clowder February 2018 Monthly Class for Markers. Once my image was coloured in, I die cut it using my Die'sire Elegance Stamping Frame die which I ran through my machine a second time to emboss the die details.
• Sentiment - is from my all time favourite set Swirly String Sentiments (now available only as a digital download) from Lili of the Valley ... as an aside, they've got a special offer on until 20th May of 10 digi stamps (including these sentiments I think) for £20!!!! I stamped the sentiment using Tuxedo Black Memento Ink directly above my image.
• Pearls - are from my stash, and were applied using two different sizes to add interest to the corners.

I hope I have inspired you to head over to All Dressed Up Challenges and play along with this challenge. However if you're in need of further inspiration, please do head over there and check out the other gorgeous projects from my exceedingly talented teamies. Then come back and show us your Anything Goes with an All Dressed Up Image creations - this challenge will end on the evening of 14th June 2018 (UK time). 

For more chances to win some of Wendy's gorgeous images, don't forget that the Facebook Dressy Girls have their own challenge of Embellish It until the end of May!

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:

• #211 - No Patterned Paper at Crafty Cardmakers
• Challenge #69 - Lots of Flowers at Get Creative Challenges
• May Challenge #25 - Anything Goes at Classic Design Team Open Challenge
• Challenge #92 - Flower Power at CCC Digi Creations
• Challenge #20 - Flowers at Fabrika Fantasy

Have a lovely evening.

Hugs, Helen x

Happy 40th!

Good afternoon crafty friends - hope you have had a wonderful weekend!

It's been nice to see the sunshine here at Casa Mia, after the grey weather of the last couple of weeks ... let's hope it stays!

It's new challenge time at All Dressed Up Challenges and we're also introducing our new Dressy Girls following the recent DT Call - it wasn't an easy choice, but we hope that everyone will find inspiration from our new ladies who have made some fabulous creations! As usual, our challenge is Anything Goes with an All Dressed Up Image. Not got any All Dressed Up images? Wendy has plenty of gorgeous images available in the All Dressed Up Etsy Store and has also very generously provided some freebies here - please send your friends over to ADU for the freebies though, to make sure they're available for other crafters to share!


One of our friends celebrated her 40th Birthday last Sunday, and her husband threw a surprise party for her to which we were invited. This wonderful image was just perfect to mark her special day!

My card recipe is as follows:

• Card base - is Centura Pearl Snow White Silver which I have cut, scored and folded to make a 15cm square card
• Mat - is a sheet of teal coloured Core'dinations Card which I cut to 14.5cm square
  
• Image - is Happy 40th by Wendy at All Dressed Up (which I have printed onto a 14cm square panel of Neenah Solar White Cardstock.) There are 3 digis in this great value set (the others are Happy 50th and Happy 60th) and not only are they great to help celebrate those big '0' birthdays but they would be fab for big anniversaries too! I can just see this in ruby colours for 40th or gold to celebrate a Golden Wedding Anniversary! Anyway, as my project is for a birthday, I have gone for different coloured flowers using my Spectrum Noir Marker Pens. As I have also followed the Elements of Nature Class by Alyce at Kit & Clowder to colour the Leaves, Rose, Poppies and Gerberas, and then used the Hydrangea tutorial for colouring the small purple flowers, I am unable to share my colour combinations with you. However, you will have to trust me when I say that you will not regret purchasing this class if you wish to improve your colouring ... 😃 The 4 butterflies were coloured using VB1, VB2 & VB3 with a tiny pearl on each for the head. The sentiment was embossed using a VersaMark Watermark Pen and silver embossing powder, although I think I would have been better embossing in smaller portions to get a more even finish.
• Frame - around the heart wreath, has been cut using my Die'sire Classiques Lace Corner dies. For the two upper portions, I cut around the wreath using a sharp craft knife so that these parts would sit on top of the die (like an "Out of the Box" Technique) and not be cut, and would then nestle back down into place once the die (and negative parts) was removed.

I hope I have inspired you to come over to All Dressed Up and play along with this challenge. If you're in need of further inspiration please head over to the blog and check out the other gorgeous creations by my Dressy Teamies and also help us to welcome our new Dressy Girls! Then come back and show us your Anything Goes with an All Dressed Up Image. Don't forget that for more chances to win some of Wendy's gorgeous images, our Facebook Dressy Teamies have their own challenge running until the end of February and their theme this month is Flora and / or Fauna.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenge:

• April Challenge - Butterflies at I'm a Crafter's Companion Facebook Group
• #387 - Creative Corners at Tuesday Throwdown
• Challenge #137 - Use Die Cuts at Simply Create Too
• #201 - Happy Birthday Aud Sentiments at Aud Sentiments
• Challenge #47 - Flowers at Craft Rocket Challenges
• Vibrant Colours at Seize the Birthday
• Challenge #287 - Make Your Mark at Addicted to Stamps and More
• Challenge #334 - Flowers at The Paper Shelter
• Challenge #423 - Dies at Everybody Art Challenge

Well, it's back to work for me tomorrow after the Easter break - I hope you have a great week!

Hugs, Helen x

Happy Easter!

Good morning crafty friends and a belated Happy Easter to you and yours! If you're in the UK, I hope you're enjoying the Bank Holiday weekend.


It's new challenge time over at Incy Wincy Designs and we're celebrating the fact that Spring is springing (can't say it's exactly sprung!) in the Northern Hemisphere as our topic for you to follow this time is Nature and it's Beauty.


We have two amazing sponsors for you this time.

The first is Naz and her team from Sasayaki Glitter who are offering our first lucky winner 2 Digital Images from her store. And if you head over to the Facebook Group Naz is offering a free image (for 24 hours only starting on 1st April 2018) for the April Progressive Challenge which would be perfect to enter in our challenge!

The second is Alyce from Kit and Clowder who are offering 3 lucky winners a $10AUS vouchers towards a class at Kit and Clowder!! Go and check out the website, where there are even a couple of FREE classes for you to try. The paid for "technique" classes come with individual feedback via the classroom and the Facebook Group has 1000's of members willing to help you  - as well as Alyce (the mastermind behind Kit and Clowder). If you haven't seen Kit and Clowder before, then pop on over ... but be sure to tell them that Incy Wincy Designs and I sent you 😊

Naz has been kind enough to supply the DT with some images to use, but my card features one of the images from the Kit and Clowder Elements of Nature Class, which was perfect for turning into an Easter card:

My card recipe is as follows:

• Card base - is Kraft card which I have cut, scored and folded to make a 5¼ inch square card.
• Design Paper - comes from a kit called Owl Always Love Spring from the now sadly closed
  
  Summertime Designs. I have digitally overlaid 3 brown cords from the same kit over the green dotty paper to co-ordinate with the kraft card.
• Image - is this gorgeous Daffodil which is one of the exercises in the Kit and Clowder Elements of Nature Class. I have brought this flower to life using my Spectrum Noir Markers in the class colours using the class instruction book (there is also a video to colour along with too!) before die cutting it using one of the dies in my Die'sire Nouveau Stamping Frame set.
• Sentiment - is from a set called Special Occasion Stamps which was a magazine freebie some time ago. I have stamped this onto a banner shape I cut from an oddment of Kraft card using Gathered Twigs Distress Ink

I hope I have inspired you to  join our Nature and it's Beauty challenge at Incy Wincy Designs, but if you are in need of further inspiration, please head over to the blog and see the other gorgeous creations from my very talented teamies. Then come back and show us your projects!

And if I've inspired you to sign up to a class at Kit and Clowder then do please mention my name in the Referral Box, as you will get a rebate of $5AUS on your new class purchase 😁 and that can't be bad!!!!!!

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:

• Week #507 - Pick any sketch from 215 to 506 at Sketch Saturday - I've used Sketch #322 from way back in 2014 as the inspiration for my card
• Challenge #200 - Easter or Spring Sentiment at Aud Sentiments
• Challenge #332 - Use a Digital Image at The Paper Shelter
• Challenge #129 - Easter at CAS on Friday
• Do Something Digi Challenge at Daring Cardmakers - I have digitally layered the 3 cords over my DP which is digitally resized. My image is also a digi.
• KBD Aloha Friday Challenge #115 - Spring at Kitty Bee Designs
• Spring Flowers Challenge at Di's Digi Designs Challenge
• Wild Card Week Challenge #434 - CAS at Just Us Girls
• Challenge #276 - Spring or Easter at Brown Sugar Challenge
• Challenge #387 - Easter at Fab 'n' Funky Challenges

That's it from me today - once again I wish you and yours a very Happy and Joyous Easter!

Crafty hugs,

Helen x

Flowers for you

Good evening crafty friends and hope this post finds you well.

It's New Release Inspiration Day from the second half of the blog team over at All Dressed Up and Wendy has designed 4 wonderful images perfect for all kinds of card, including those "oh-so-tricky" early teenage boys. Here are the images:

From top left going in a clockwise direction there is Busy Little Bee, Little Squeak, Surfs Up and Summer Time - just click on the image name to be taken straight to it in the shop!

I've used Little Squeak for my card this month (as we have a little squeaky house guest with us, having his own holiday whilst his family are away!) and here it is:

My card recipe is as follows:

• Card base - is a pre-made card base in A6 size
• Design Paper - is from a freebie Brambly Hedge download by Crafter's Companion way back in May 2013. Unfortunately it doesn't seem to be on the website any longer 😞
  
• Image - is Little Squeak created by Wendy at All Dressed Up Digital Stamps Esty Store. I have brought this cutie to life using my Spectrum Noir markers  using some of the techniques for texture in the March 2017 Monthly Class from Kit and Clowder before die cutting it using one of my Die'sire Create-a-Card "Emma" dies
• Sentiment - is by Lili of the Valley and comes from the Swirly String Sentiment Set. As mine is a clear stamp rather than digi, I have stamped it directly onto my DP using Memento Tuxedo Black Ink
• Ribbon - is from my stash and tied into a double bow using the bow maker on my Ultimate Pro

I hope that I have inspired you to head over to the ADU shop and treat yourself to some of these images, but do head over to the All Dressed Up Challenge Blog to see the other wonderful creations using these 4 new images.

Don't forget that we're hosting our usual Anything Goes with an All Dressed Up Image challenge on the Blog and that our Facebook Teamies are hosting their own challenge for August and the theme is Girlz Rule with an All Dressed Up Image.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:

• Favourite Embellishment and Why at As You Like It Challenge - ummmmm, embellishments? They're the things that everyone puts on their cards to make them look gorgeous and if I try the same, mine look like something the dog brought in - right?!!!!!!! 😅 Having said that, even I can make a piece of ribbon look nice courtesy of the bow making prongs on my Ultimate Pro and a big double bow like on this card hides a multitude of sins, including the fact that my die cut has a straight edge underneath the bow - shhhhhh, don't tell anyone will you!!!!!!!
• Challenge #40 - Animal Kingdom at Craft Rocket Challenges
• Week 429 - Forest Friends at Allsorts Challenge Blog
• Challenge #5 - Anything Goes but Feature a Creature at 2 Crafty Critter Crazies
• Challenge #5 - Anything Goes but must have something related to an Animal at Crafty Animals
• Animals at Dragonfly Dreams

And just in case you were wondering about our house guest, here's a pic of Willy the guinea pig enjoying some spinach!

That's all from me for now - enjoy the rest of your week.

Hugs, Helen x

Flower Garden

Good morning crafty friends!

Before I go any further I would like to wish eldest Bambino a very, very Happy Birthday! Today is super special as she reaches the ripe old age of Eighteen! There are no surprises planned - at least we haven't planned any, but I'm not sure the same can be said of her friends. A group of them will be hitting town this evening; you have been warned ...... 😂

Anyway, today sees the launch of our new challenge over at Feeling Sketchy and we're welcoming another new sponsor to our "fold" 😉 - Andrea from Sheepski Designs who is sponsoring both of our sketches for July. Andrea has also very kindly given the DT some of her gorgeous images to use as inspiration for this challenge.

Here's the sketch we're following this time:

And here's my version of it:

I apologise for the light bouncing off the shiny card - the weather and light has been atrocious here today so I've had to take my photos with artificial light, which I really hate doing.

My card recipe is as follows:

• Card base - Snow White Centura Pearl which I've cut, scored and folded to make a 15cm square card. I've used an embossing folder (which was a magazine freebie) to make the 2 borders on the card 
  
• Image - is Floral Heart - Image No 66 which comes both with and without the butterfly. I've used my Spectrum Noir markers in the listed shades to breathe life into the flowers and butterfly, before die cutting it using my largest Die'sire Essentials Hearts die
• Flowers - AP1, AP2,DP2, DP3, EB8, GY1, GY3, GY4, IG1, IG2, IG3, PL3, PL5, PV2, PV4, TB3, Blender Pen
• Butterfly - AB1, AB2, AB3, EB8
• Outline - BT1
• Heart Frame - is die cut from Snow White Centura Pearl using my two smallest Die'sire Essentials Hearts dies
• Sentiment - is another magazine freebie, which I've stamped directly onto white card using Tuxedo Black Memento Ink and then I've die cut this using my smallest Die'sire Essentials Hearts die

I hope I have inspired you to come over to Feeling Sketchy and play along with this sketch, but if you're in need of further inspiration, please check out the other beautiful creations by my talented teamies. Then come back and show us your take on our sketch - don't forget you can twist it, flip it, change the shapes ... we just need to see that you've been inspired by our sketch. We'll be back with our new challenge on 15th July.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:

• Challenge 13 - Anything Goes at SheepSki Designs Facebook Page
• Challenge #4 - Square Cardz at SheepSki Designs Challenge
• Challenge #93 - Embossing Heat or Dry at Sparkles Monthly Challenge
• Challenge #84 - Punches and/or Dies at Crafting with Dragonflies
• Challenge #138- Rural at Inkspirational Challenges
• Challenge #5 - Summertine with Butterflies at Scrap and Craft

Hope you have a lovely weekend.

Hugs, Helen x

Birthday Elegance

Good morning crafty friends and hope this post finds you well.

Our Blue Tit parents are very busy going to and fro the wooded area near us, and when they need a quick fix they hop down to our seed feeders. Their babies can be heard chirping once the parents have flown out of the box and the parents are slightly less timid now when we're in the garden.

It's new challenge time over at Feeling Sketchy and our lovely sponsor for this challenge is Digi Stamps by Lizzy Love who is offering a prize to our lucky winner.

This is the sketch we're playing with this time:

and as soon as I saw the sketch I was inspired to make this Triangle Trifold card:

This card has already gone to my Mother-in-Law who celebrated her Birthday yesterday - I think she liked it 😊!

My card recipe is as follows:

• Card Base - a piece of 28.5cm x 9.5cm Snow White Silver Centura Pearl card which I scored and folded using this tutorial at Splitcoast Stampers. I made sure that the pearlescent side of my card was on the front and then die cut the 2 corners opposite the folds using my Die'sire Classiques Lace Corner dies
  
• Design Paper - is a piece of Navy Blue Pearlescent Paper which I cut to make 2 triangles to go behind my die cut corners to make them stand out
• Sentiment - is by Paulette at Create with TLC and this was a blog freebie, probably in January 2014. I took the sentiment into my word processing package and recoloured it blue to tone in with my DP before cutting it out using my second smallest Die'sire Essentials Ovals die. I then matted this onto another piece of the navy blue paper which had been die cut using my second smallest Die'sire Essentials Scalloped Ovals die and fixed to one flap of the card with foam pads
• Ribbon - is white organdie ribbon from my stash 
• Inside of card - is a piece of white cardstock which has been matted and layered onto another piece of the navy blue paper

I hope that I have inspired you to come over to Feeling Sketchy and join in with this sketch, however if you're in need of any further inspiration please check out the other wonderful creations by my clever teamies. Then come back and show us your take on our sketch - don't forget you can flip it, change the shapes etc. ... we just need to see that you've been inspired by our sketch! We'll be back with our new challenge on 1st June 2017.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:

• Monochrome at Dragonfly Dreams
• May Challenge - Anything Goes with Ribbon at The Ribbon Girl
• Fold it Fancy at Di's Digi Designs Challenge
• Challenge #172 - Cards with optional Fun Folds at Pause Dream Enjoy Challenges
• Challenge #188 - Add a Sentiment at Crafty Cardmakers
• Challenge #248 - Monochrome at The Crazy Challenge
• Challenge #173 - Birthday at The Crafter's Cafe Challenge
• Challenge #1 - Anything Goes Monochrome at Monochrome Magic

Whatever you're up to today, have fun ... I'll be back a little later with another post!

Hugs, Helen x

Sketch Time!

Good morning crafty friends and if you're in the UK, hope you're enjoying the Bank Holiday weekend! We have a pair of blue tits nesting in our bird box again, and both parents have been very busy bobbing in and out with beaks full of food,so I'm guessing that their youngsters have hatched. The parents are very timid whenever anyone is out in the garden and don't go anywhere near the bird box ... of course it doesn't help when the resident sparrows (who are nesting under the eaves on one side of house) sit at the end of the gutter squawking away 😆!

It's new challenge time at Feeling Sketchy and our lucky winner will receive a $10 Gift Certificate to a store of the winner's choice.






Here's the great sketch we're playing with this time:

And here's my take on it:

Because this card is made mainly from die cuts, it went together really quickly ... under an hour, which for me is a really quick card 😁!

My card recipe is as follows:

• Card base - is Ivory Centura Pearl which I have cut, scored and folded to make a 10.5cm square card base
• Design Papers - are from a Mixed Media pack by Donna at Bearly Mine Designs, now sadly closed. I have used paper MM006 to give a real shabby chic feel to my card.
• Heart Frame - is made from Ivory Centura Pearl card and the middle 2 dies from my Die'sire Essentials Hearts die set
  
• Flower and spray - are both cut from another sheet of the MM006 paper, so that they blend in with the rest of the card. The flower die is Die'sire Essentials Flowers for all Occasions die and I used the middle sized die to cut 2 flowers. I curled the petals on both flowers and then layered them on top of each other, but offset, before popping a flat backed pear gem from stash in the centre. The leaf spray is from the Die'sire Classiques Delicate Flower set.
• Sentiment - is from the Swirly String Sentiment clear stamp set by Lili of the Valley (available here as a digi set) and I have stamped it using Tuxedo Black Memento Ink

I hope you'll come over to Feeling Sketchy and check out the other lovely creations by my talented teamies. Then come back and show us your creations - don't forget that you can use any shapes you like, we just need to see that you've our sketch as the inspiration for your project! We'll be back with our new challenge on 15th May 2017.


I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:

• Challenge #187 - Pearls and/or Gems at Crafty Cardmakers
• Make it Square at Come And Get It Challenges
• Challenge #248 - No Image, Just a Sentiment at Brown Sugar Challenge
• The Magic of 3 at A Vintage Journey - I have used 3 different die cuts on this project which has a mixed media paper at it's centre. The dies I've used are hearts, flowers and leaf spray, and  I've also used 3 pearls in a row on the top left hand side. I could also go for 3 layers and 3 words in my sentiment 😉 !
• Challenge #93 - In the Garden at Aloha Friday Challenge - Kitty Bee Designs
• Use Something Digital at Di's Digi Designs Challenge - Second Entry

Hope you have a great week!

Hugs, Helen x