It's Tag Time!

Hope everyone's well today crafty hugs winging their way around for those who need them!

It's new challenge time at Incy Wincy Designs and this week we're after your projects featuring tags as our title is "Tag ... You're It!". We're delighted to also be welcoming our former teamie Karen back to the team! And we also have a bonus Blog Hop for you! It's going to be a very busy week me thinks!

Our sponsor this week is our very own Nikki from Limited Runs Digital Stamps who is offering this week's lucky winner a prize package of 3 digital stamps. However, Nikki is going to increase that prize pack to 5 digital stamps IF you use Nikki's monthly freebie which this month is the super-cute Bird Brain. 

Onto the Bonus Blog Hop!!!

If you pop around and leave every DT member a little love on their Blog, there will be a winner pulled from each DT blog from all the comments left to win a digi of your choice. The more comments you leave, the better your odds are. You might score and win on more than one blog, so pop over and check out all the girls blogs and say "Hi!". A list of my Incy Wincy Teamies is in my left sidebar, but please note that Heather and Jenny are away from blogging at the mo an are therefore not participating in this blog hop.

Nikki has very kindly given every DT member their choice of image to use for this challenge, but I've decided to go with a freebie which Nikki had Limited Runs Digital Stamps in December 2013 and I've made a Gift Tag:

My Tag recipe is as follows:

• Tag - is made from black card which I embossed using one of the nested tag shapes on the Ultimate Pro Embossing Board Springtime Sweets and Cupcake Treats before cutting the shape out and re-embossing to ensure a neat and "stand out" edge
  
• Image - is by Nikki at Limited Runs Digital Stamps and I don't think this Santa actually has a name, and I can't find him in the store. However, there are a number of other Santas to choose from. I brought this Santa to life using my Spectrum Noir Pens in the listed colours before fussy cutting Santa out.
• Suit - DR1, DR3, DR5
• Belt & Boots - True Black, White Gel Pen
• Beard & Gloves - IG1
• Fur Trims -IG1, Darice Silver Pearl Embossing Powder
• Sentiment - is from the Happy Holidays Vintage Stamp Collection, which was a magazine freebie. I've stamped this directly onto my tag in Versamark Ink, coated it with silver embossing powder and heated it.
• Ribbon - is recycled from a previous Christmas gift ... I found this lurking at the bottom of my handbag and, if memory serves me right, it came from a work Secret Santa Gift Swap! It's threaded through a snowflake hole punch

Do come over to Incy Wincy Designs and start the blog hop by visiting all the other DT girls and don't forget to leave them all a comment on their tags and you could be a lucky winner! Then get crafting and show us your projects with Tags and you're in with a chance of winning our prize package and/or making our Top 3! This challenge finishes on Sunday 21st June.

I would like to enter this tag in the following challenges:

• L for Lyrics (song as inspiration) at ABC Christmas Challenge - it's got to be Santa Claus is Coming to Town, preferably by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band!
• Santa Claus is Coming to Town at Winter Wonderland
• Embossing Heat or Dry at Make My Monday

Hope you have a great rest of the day!

Hugs, Helen x

Hoppy Easter!

This is my second post of the day - please scroll down to see my first post

Hello again friends!

I'm back with this fortnight's challenge at Lexi's Creations and this fortnight we're helping you to get ready for the forthcoming Bank Holiday weekend (here in the UK) because we'd like to see your Easter creations. Don't forget that we are a multi-craft blog so your project doesn't just have to be a card!

For this challenge our sponsor is our very own Lexi from Fairy Dust Crafts who will be letting our lucky winner choose 5 digital images from her store. Fairy Dust Crafts  is "Your one stop shop for Lexi's Digi images and a growing choice of delicious crafting goodies. Here you can find all Lexi's Creations digital images...also available as clear rubber stamps plus other crafting goodies in store now!" With a sale on too, why not head over and treat yourself?


The lovely Lexi has also let us have pick of Fairy Dust Crafts once again, and here is my project featuring one of her seasonal Easter digis:

These little bunny shaped gift boxes are sooooo cute, and perfect for popping some mini eggs (or a couple of fun size chocs as I forgot to get some eggs .... ooops!) in. Can you imagine the squeals of delights from little ones if they have to go on an Easter Egg Hunt to find the treasure in one of these boxes?


My project recipe is as follows:

• Bunny Gift Box - is normal 80gsm printer paper onto which I've printed my chosen paper. This one is called Hoppy Easter! from Quick Cards Made Easy magazine - you can get the download here. I then followed the instructions in the March 2014 issue of Cardmaking and Papercraft magazine to make the origami bunny ... no glueing required!
• Image - this cute bunny guarding the easter eggs is called Easter Bunny Bella and she comes from the pen of Lexi at Fairy Dust Crafts. I decided to make Bella into a tag to adorn my bunny gift box, but I printed out Bella before I made the box - fatal error as the sizes are somewhat incongruous! Never mind ... Bella still looks lovely! I have brought her to life with my Spectrum Noir Pens in the following colours before fussy cutting her and adding a hole at the top of her head:

• Bella - PP3, PP4, IG1, Colourless Blender, True Black
• Eggs - EB1, CT4, IB2, LV2, CG4
• Grass - CG2, CG3
• Outline - BT1
• Twine - from my stash

I hope you'll come over to Lexi's Creations and see the other lovely projects from my fellow DT members and our guests this time Hazel and Silvi. Don't forget to then come back and share your Easter creations with us - I know we all love visiting your blogs! This challenge will end on Saturday 12th April 2014.

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

• Monthly Challenge #43 - Make a Tag! at Little Claire's
• Week 12 - Animals at Digi Choosday
• Challenge 58 - Animals at Creative Card Crew
• Challenge #88 - Holiday at Addicted to Stamps and More
• Add a Tag at Crafty Little Fairies
• Challenge #58 - Easter or use Bunnies at Simply Create Too

That's it from me for today, but I will be back later in the week ..... can't say more than that for now :o) !!!!!! Have a great day!

Hugs, Helen x

Let's Play Tag!

Good morning friends - hope you are well.

This morning brings a new challenge for the Team A Divas at Whoopsi Daisy, and our theme for you this week is Tag It! 

Our lucky winner's prize is (as usual) one sheet of images from the Whoopsi Daisy Store, unless you've used a Whoopsi Daisy Image for your project in which case you can choose two sheets of images. Linnie has also kindly let the DT loose in her store to choose an image to showcase. In the last 10 days, Mr Mojo and I have spent too long huddled under the poorly blanket, so it's been good to finally feel like I have enough energy to craft ... and here is the result:

My card recipe is as follows:

• Base Card - is Neenah Classic Crest Card onto which I printed the image
• Image - This little cutie (I'm not sure if it's a fairy or a sprite!) is from Sheet 284 and she is just one of the gorgeous digis drawn by Linne at Whoopsi Daisy. To bring this little sweetie and star to life, I used my Spectrum Noir Pens in the following colours:
• Skin - FS2, FS3
• Coat - OR1, Silver Gel Pen
• Wings - BT2, Silver Gel Pen, Holographic Embossing Pwder
• Hat - PL4, PL5, BT1, BT4, BT5, Silver Gel Pen
• Mitts - PL4, PL5, BT1, Silver Gel Pen
• Scarf - BT1, Silver Gel Pen
• Trousers - BT4, OR1
• Stockings/Booties - PL4, PL5, BT1, Silver Gel Pen
• Ribbon - from my stash
• Embossing - around the edges of the wings and the star using my Versamark Pen and Holographic Embossing Powder. Click on the picture below to supersize it and check out the sparkle!

Do come over to Whoopsi Daisy Challenge and see the other gorgeous creations the Divas have made featuring "Tags". Then come back and show us your creations. You've got until Sunday 17th February to link your creations up. Don't forget if you use a Whoopsi Daisy image, then you can make any style of card or project - you don't have to follow this week's theme!

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

• Challenge #25 - Anything Goes at Sparkles Christmas Challenge
• Get in Shape at Winter Wonderland
• AC156 - Colour Challenge of Grape, Waterfall & Pumpkin at Annabelle Stamps

Hope you have a great day!

Hugs, Helen x

A Snowy Recipe

Good morning friends,



Welcome to another Sunday morning, and new challenge time at The Crafty Pad. Tina is this week's hostess, and her challenge for the Team A girls and you this week is A Recipe - 3 Snowflakes, 2 Ribbons and 1 Sentiment.

The wonderful team at Robyn's Fetish are our sponsors this week, and they're offering this week's lucky winner 5 Digis of your choice! They've also been kind enough to provide the DT with images to showcase.





And here is my project this week:

My tag recipe is as follows:

• Base Card - made from Centura Pearl in Kingfisher (which came in a Brights pack from Crafter's Companion, which they don't appear to have on their website at the moment). I embossed this using the largest tag shape on my Ultimate Pro Embossing Board Springtime Sweets and Cupcake Treats and I then very carefully cut out round the scalloped edge.
• Image - this lovely snowlady is called gorgeous  Bella Da Snowlady by Robyn's Fetish... how cute and cool is she? I have brought her to life using my Spectrum Noir Pens in the following colours:
• Hearts - CR11
• Nose - OR1
• Coat - BT1, BT2, BT4, BT5
• Scarf & Hat - BT1, BT2, BT5, BT6
• Shading of Snow - IG1, IG2
• Outline - IG1
• Sentiment - by Debbie at (Crafty Pad Designs) and is one from a set of 11 Christmas Sentiment Tickets. There are various sentiments in this collection to suit most occasions. I took the sentiment into my word processing package and changed the colour to an aqua shade, to match with my tag and colouring. As you may have seen in my post of last week, Debbie has taken the difficult decision to close her store in the new year, and currently everything is on sale at 25% off until 6th January 2013 ... so go and grab yourself a bargain or two!
• Snowflakes - punched in two different sizes from Centura Pearl card  in Snow White
• Ribbons - from my stash and threaded through a hole in the top of my tag which I made using my smaller snowflake punch. The Sparkly Merry Christmas ribbon is truly scrumptious and is gold flecked as well as having this lovely sentiment printed through it ... I'm sorry that my photo doesn't really do it justice!

In the meantime, do hop over to The Crafty Pad and see the gorgeous creations by the rest of Team A. Then come back and show us your creations using our Recipe! You've got until 8pm (GMT) on Saturday 15th December 2012 to link your cards up.

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

• Red and Blue at Winter Wonderland
• #166 Technique Challenge - Embossing at Just Us Girls
• Challenge #34 - Label/Tag Big or Small at Crafty Ribbons 
• Challenge #11 - Tags at The Crafter's Cafe Challenge

Have a good weekend!

Hugs, Helen x

NB: Links to product and store removed in February 2018 as it was brought to my attention that the store has closed and domain name now suggests inappropriate content .... 

"Let It Snow" .....

Hi,

Given the temperatures we've got in the south of the UK at the moment, snow is definitely wishful thinking! But maybe my latest project will help you cool down a little. :o)  I've made this gorgeous little Gift Tag for the present I'm buying for my office "Secret Santa" lucky dip.

My base card is from Kraft card, which was actually a pre-made card blank purchased from Hobbycraft. I chose the tag shape on the Teddy Surprise and Butterflies Embossing Board together with my Ultimate Pro (both from Crafter's Companion) and embossed the largest size and it's border onto my Kraft card. I then embossed the border size onto my Mat and Layer card. For this I used a sheet of Centura Pearl 300gsm card in the shade Christmas Red. This came from the Christmas pack which is available from Crafter's Companion. I just love the pearly sheen on this card, so I decided not to use any extra backing papers.

This lovely snowman is a Digi Stamp which was one of the goodies in Paulette's Create with TLC December Club . Unfortunately this offer has now finished, but I can thoroughly recommend following Paulette's blog and signing up for this club next autumn. I used my Spectrum Noir Pens (from Crafter's Companion) in the following colours to bring my snowman to life:

Hat - 96,91,48

Nose - 24

Scarf - 14,11

Jacket - 48,43

Star - 34

Outline - CG1

I then cut carefully around my image and mounted it onto the red card using sticky pads. My TOP TIP here is to cut in an anti-clockwise direction if you're right handed (clockwise for left handers) and then you can always see the border/line you're cutting out. This will minimise the risk of cutting the wrong part of your image!

My sentiment is another digi-goodie from the Create with TLC December Club which I sized to go with my tag and the ribbon is beautiful double satin called Holiday Green - this came from Fantastic Ribbons and was part of Annette's Birthday Blog Candy which I won last month. Thanks Annette! :o) I mounted the sentiment onto the ribbon so it will swing and then used the bow maker part of my Ultimate Pro to make the gorgeous little bow, which I then fixed to the ribbon above the sentiment. I completed my project by tying a further length of the ribbon through a hole which I had punched in the top of the gift tag.

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

• Challenge #84 "Let It Snow" at Craft Your Passion Challenges
• Challenge #60 - Tags at Top Tip Tuesday
• "When is a card not a card. When it's a ..." Gift Tag at Papertake Weekly Challenge
• Challenge #120 Tic Tac Toe (Bingo) at Incy Wincy Designs I've got a diagonal of Red, Any Christmas Sentiment and Ribbons
• Monthly Challenge of Holiday/Winter Projects at The Stamping Boutique Challenge Blog
• Challenge #83 Colour Combo of Red and Green at Digi Doodle Shop Challenges
• Challenge 18 "Let It Snow Let It Snow Let It Snow" at Crafter's Companion Monthly Challenge
• Challenge 148 Festive Cheer - Traditional Colours (Red & Green) at The Crafty Pad

I hope you like my project.
Hugs,
Helen