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

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

My Little Japanese Girl

Good evening crafty friends and hope you've been enjoying another lovely weekend.

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 which are going to be perfect for your Spring into Summer projects.

From bottom left going clockwise we have Play Day, Counting Sheep, Oriental Girl and Sassy who was only available as a freebie via the Kit and Clowder Facebook Group earlier this month.

I am using this oh-so-very-pretty Oriental Girl, and here's my card:

My card recipe is as follows:

• Card base - is black card which I have cut, scored and folded to make a Free Standing Pop Up Card following this tutorial from SplitcoastStampers
  
• Design Paper - comes from the Kimono Papercrafting CD-Rom
• Image - is Oriental Girl by the very talented Wendy Burns, the artist behind All Dressed Up Stamps. I have brought this gorgeous girl to life using a mixture of Copics and Spectrum Noir Marker Pens. I have used a couple of technique classes from Kit & Clowder to help with my colouring: Skin & Hair Class for the slightly darker skin tone than I normally colour and also a bonus Monochrome Class for the black/grey hair.

I've left this card sentiment free as she's currently destined for my "box" awaiting a recipient!

I do hope that you'll come over to All Dressed Up and maybe treat yourself to a digi or two! And don't forget to enter our challenges. The Blog Challenge is always Anything Goes with an All Dressed Up Image and on the Facebook Page, the April Challenge is Flora and /or Fauna. Hope you'll be able to join us!

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

• Challenge #4 - Anything Goes with option of Dimensional Projects at Crafter's Castle
• Anthing Goes with Patterned Paper at CraftyHazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge
• April Challenge - Anything but Square at Delicious Doodles
• Challenge #64 - Favouring the Feminine at Scribble Designs Challenges

Have a great week!

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

It's a good year for the Roses

Good morning crafty friends!

Can you believe it's September already? Is it me, or is there just a slight autumnal nip in the air creeping in first thing in the morning? Here at Casa Mia, we're winding down to the end of the summer holidays: today is the last day of my long hols as I'm back to school on Monday, youngest Bambino returns on Wednesday but eldest Bambino has another couple of weeks at home before we drop her off at her new Uni in the middle of the month.

It being the 1st of the month brings a new challenge over at Feeling Sketchy and for this fortnight our sponsor is the lovely Tracey and team from Fred She Said Digital Designs. Tracey is offering our lucky winner a US$10 Gift Card to their store. Tracey also very kindly gave each DT member their choice of image to use for this challenge.

So, here is the sketch we're playing with this time:

And here is my take on it, using an image from Fred She Said Digital Designs Store:

I have flipped the sketch to suit the rose spray and leaves and added more swirly bits for good measure ... and then realised once I had photographed my card that I had forgotten to add a scatter of something across the top of it ... doh 😝!!!!! Never mind 😁!

My card recipe is as follows:

• Base card - is Centura Pearl Snow White Silver which I have cut, scored and folded to make a 15cm square card base
• Background layer - is a 14cm square piece of black cardstock
  
• Image - is Rose Spray from the gorgeous Hearts and Roses Digi Set which not only includes this image but also Hearts and Roses (where the spray is inside a heart shape), 3 different sentiments and 2 printing sheets with multiple copies of the images to maximise the use of your cardstock. I have brought this image to life using my Spectrum Noir Colouring System Markers and followed the Roses Tutorial in the Kit and Clowder Elements of Nature Class before fussy cutting it and sticking it to the background layer. This is the first time I've coloured roses using this tutorial and I'm pretty pleased at how they've turned out - they almost have a velvet-like sheen to them!
• Flourishes - have been die cut from Centura Pearl Snow White Silver using one of my Die'sire Leaf Swirls dies. I then cut the swirl into 3 pieces (not that you would guess looking at it would you?) before tucking these behind the image.
• Sentiment - was stamped directly onto the black cardstock with Silver VersaColour Ink using one of the cover freebie stamps from the January 2017 issue of Cardmaking and Papercraft.

I hope that I have inspired you to come along and join us with this sketch, but if you are in need of any further inspiration please head over to Feeling Sketchy and take a look at the gorgeous creations by my very talented teamies! Then come back and show us your version of our sketch - don't forget that you can always flip or rotate the sketch, amend the shapes of elements ... as usual we just need to see that you have been inspired by our sketch! We'll be back with our new challenge on 15th September 2017.

I will be back a little later to link up to some challenges.

In the meantime have a lovely day!

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

Thanks for being Fintastic!

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

Good afternoon blogging buddies - yup it's another post from me, and another one that's on time ..... whoot whoot!!!!!! 😆 I will catch up with myself, honestly!

It being the fifteenth of the month, it's new challenge time over at All Dressed Up and, as usual, our theme is Anything Goes with an All Dressed Up Image.  Wendy has plenty of gorgeous images available in the All Dressed Up Etsy Store. Haven't got any All Dressed Up images? Wendy has 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!



Like a number of the Dressy Girls, I was completely bowled over by Wendy's new images in July and wasn't able to craft with this one at the time. Since then, eldest bambino has (very reluctantly) given up the Mini Swim Squad she's been part of for many years, although she is hoping to continue swimming/swim training once she gets to Uni. She asked if I could make a card to say "thank you" to her Swim Teacher so I showed her this image and she said "Perfect"! I then remembered that the Kit and Clowder May 2017 Colouring Class for Markers featured a Mermaid and a good many hours later, hey presto!

My card recipe is as follows:

• Card base - is a pre-made A6 white card
• Image - is called Mermaid Kisses  from the pen of Wendy at All Dressed Up Digital Stamps. I have coloured this fin-tastic beauty using my Spectrum Noir Markers and using the Kit and Clowder May 2017 Colouring Class as my guide.

And that's all there is to it; even the rocks were hand drawn! Here's a close-up:

I hope that I have inspired you to join in with in our challenge of Anything Goes with an All Dressed Up Image but if you're in need of any further inspiration, please head over to the All Dressed Up Challenge Blog and check out the wonderful creations by my exceedingly talented teamies and this month's Guest Designer Vicki. If you would like to be considered to be our Guest Designer for next month's challenge, then just pop GDT after your name. This challenge will end on the evening of 14th September (UK time) and we'll be back with our next challenge the following day.

Don't forget that the Facebook Dressy Girls are also hosting a challege and their theme for the month of August is Girlz Rule with an All Dressed Up Image.

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

• Challenge #141 - Wave at Inkspirational Challenges - well, she's under the waves anyway 😁!
• Challenge 6 - Anything Goes with Option of We are all at Sea at The Fairy and The Unicorn Challenge
• Hand Coloured Image at Star Stampz
• Week 375 - You Don't Bring Me Flowers at City Crafter Challenge
• Challenge #95 - Anything Goes with Option of The Abyss at Ike's World Challenge
• Challenge #24 - Mythical and Magical at Unicorn Challenge
• Simon Says: Nautical at Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge

Until next time, take care!

Hugs, Helen x

It's Holiday Time

Good afternoon crafty friends and hope this post finds you well!

We're now breathing a huge sigh of relief here at Casa Mia as eldest Bambino finished all of her 'A' level exams this afternoon ... it's a long wait now until results day in August to see if she attains enough UCAS points to accept her place at her chosen university. Please keep everything crossed for her! Between us, we've frantically been making cards for her 5 subject lecturers and also her 1 support lecturer.

It's new challenge day at All Dressed Up and, as usual, our theme is Anything Goes with an All Dressed Up Image.  Wendy has plenty of gorgeous images available in the All Dressed Up Etsy Store. Haven't got any All Dressed Up images? Wendy has 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!




With the summer holidays in mind, here's my inspiration for you:

Eldest chose this image for her Travel and Tourism lecturer, which I think is exceedingly appropriate 😀and I wanted to go for a vintage style - I'm thinking of an aged photograph here of a beauty enjoying the French Riviera, or maybe even Monaco ... what do you think?

My card recipe is as follows:

• Card base - is a premade A5 card in white
• Design Paper - is by Debbie at The Crafty Pad and is in the Chocolate Chip and Cream Delight Paper Pack
  
• Photo Frame - is by Marisa at Pixel Scrapper and it's called Polaroid Frame - Grunge. This is a .png file which meant I could superimpose it over my image which makes my design look like it's a photo in a frame!
• Image - is by Wendy at All Dressed Up. This beauty is called Sea View and she was one of last month's New Release images. I have used a Sepia Technique Class by Alyce at Kit and Clowder and I used my Spectrum Noir Pens in just 5 colours (TN1, TN2, TN4, TN7 and TN9) to bring this scene to life. 
• Sentiment - is a magazine freebie, which I have stamped in Memento Tuxedo Black Ink before die cutting the sentiment using one of the label dies in my Die'sire Essentials - Just the Ticket set

I hope that I have inspired you to come over to All Dressed Up and play along with us this month. However, if you're in need of any further inspiration please do head over to the Challenge Blog and check out the other gorgeous creations by my oh-so-talented teamies and Katrina, who is our Guest Designer this month. YOU could be our Guest Designer in July - just enter our Anything Goes with an All Dressed Up Image challenge this month, and be sure to enter the initials GDT after your name! The closing date for this challenge is 14th July 2017.

Don't forget that the Facebook Dressies have their own challenge running until 30th June 2017 and the theme this month is Monochromatic. You can enter one project into both challenges for more chances to win some of Wendy's gorgeous images!

If I've inspired you to have a go at colouring in sepia tones but you don't know where to start, I can highly recommend the classes at Kit and Clowder ... although I think I need waaaay more practice 😁. If you decide to sign up to any of Alyce's classes, please be sure to mention my name and let her know that I sent you over - thank you 😉!

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

• Challenge #9 - Monochrome at Daisy Chain Challenges
• June Challenge - Summer at Dare 2B Artzy
• Challenge #128 - Summer Fun at Simply Create Too
• Summer Sun at Whoopsi Daisy

That's it from me for today - whatever you're doing for the rest of the week, have fun!

Hugs, Helen x

A Cupcake for you

Good morning crafty friends and welcome to a new month - eeek! Here at Casa Mia we're in the middle of our half term holidays, a "staycation" as eldest bambino is continuing to revise hard for her "A" level exams in the next couple of weeks. 

It being the first of the month, it's new challenge time over at Feeling Sketchy and our blog has evolved a bit, due to personnel changes. Andreja has taken over as DT Co-ordinator and, for the moment, we may not always have a sponsor for our challenge. Never fear though, my teamies and I love visiting your blogs and commenting on your creations, and we will be awarding our 3 Top Picks for each challenge as chosen by the DT. So I do hope that you will continue to come over and play along with our sketches.

Talking of sketches (😁) here's the sketch for this challenge as designed by Jen:

And here's my take on it:

As you can see, I've kept the panel in the same orientation, but have extended the card base upwards.

My card recipe is as follows:

• Card base - is a pre-made A5 card base in white
• Design Paper - is from a Crafter's Companion Club Inspire Download from July 2009 called Sunflowers and Sunshine. I did my usual and coloured the image before choosing the papers (😜!) but fortunately for me, this sunshine-y yellow gridded paper fits the bill quite nicely!
  
• Image - is Daisy CupCake (available from here) by Fred She Said Designs. They very kindly sponsored an earlier Feeling Sketchy Challenge and I wasn't able to share this image then - so I thought this luscious cupcake should still have an outing and decided to use it on this card. I have brought it to life using my Spectrum Noir System Markers in the listed colours (using a bonus technique class from Alyce at Kit and Clowder) before die cutting it using my largest Sizzix Framelits Ovals die
• Daisy - IG1, IG2, IG3, GB1, GB5
• Cake - TN3, TN7
• Icing - GB1, GB5, GB7
• Cupcake case and leaves - CG3, LG5, CG4, Spectrum Noir Pencil 001 (Original Issue in Essentials Tin)
• Border - I think is from Hobbycraft in a mixed pack of cling stamps, which I stamped using Scattered Straw Distress Ink
• Sentiment - is from my favourite stamp set, Swirly String Sentiments (now only available as a digi) by Lili of the Valley again stamped in Scattered Straw Distress Ink.
• Pearls - from my stash

I hope I have inspired you to come over to Feeling Sketchy and join in with this fab sketch, but if you're in need of further inspiration please head over there to check out the gorgeous creations by my talented teamies. Then come back and show us your take on our sketch - don't forget you can flip it, change the shapes ... we just need to see that you've been inspired by our sketch! We'll be back with our next challenge on 15th June 2017.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges (with a little help from the girls at Paper Playful):

• Challenge #229 - Food and/or Drink at Ooh La La Creations
• Challenge #296 - Make it Digital at The Paper Shelter - both my image and design paper are digital creations
• Challenge #36 - Anything Goes/Use Die Cuts at The Crafty Addicts
• Challenge #12 - Anything Goes with option to Use Yellow at Creates and Makes Challenge
• SOS305 - You Are So Sweet! at Shopping our Stash - my DP is very old and has been (ahem, unused!) in my stash since March 2013 ... shame on me 😏!

Hope you have a great day.

Hugs, Helen x

Life is a Cabaret

Good afternoon crafty friends, and I hope that you're not being blown away by Storm Doris if you're in the UK. I've only had to go out into the garden to re-cover the patio furniture twice, and managed to do the bins before it got really windy - just hope they don't blow over and send all our recycling rubbish off down the street 😆!

I'm running a few days late with this post, as Monday saw the start of our new challenge over at Incy Wincy Designs and our theme for you this fortnight is Leather and/or Lace.

We have 2 amazing sponsors lined up for you:

Firstly Elena and Kenny Kiernan, the team behind KennyK Stamps are offering our first lucky winner a prize of 3 digital stamps. Here's a bit about them, and everyone's a winner with their discount code and offer of a free digi stamp every month:

Stamp designer Elena Kiernan and illustrator hubby Kenny Kiernan bring a perfect storm of creative energy to the bold and fun digi stamps and clear stamp sets at this rockin’ shop, where it’s always 30% OFF your first purchase with code MYFIRSTPURCHASE. Their hundreds of fun-to-color designs include everything from kids’ to teenage girls with attitude, skateboard boys, steampunk, men, sports, superheroes, music… and for those who enjoy a little spice in their crafting, KennyK Stamps is the #1 Shop in the World for Sexy Stamps!  Rock Your Crafts with KennyK Stamps! 

Get a FREE DIGI STAMP every month by subscribing to their newsletter. It’s a no-brainer, sign up here to join!

Click to follow KennyK Stamps on Facebook and also join their awesome new Facebook Fan Group, “Club KennyK!”

Our second sponsor is the team at WOW Embossing Powder who are offering our second lucky prize winner 6 embossing powders and a travel case to store them in, and these will be shipped directly to our winner from WOW HQ! If you haven't tried WOW Embossing Powders, you'll love them ... and here's a bit more about them:

WOW! Embossing Powder has been established as a brand since May 2006 and

has grown dramatically since then. We are rapidly becoming very well-known and

respected within the craft industry. We pride ourselves on our fast and

friendly customer service, and personal touch each and every one of our

customers receives. We are the largest manufacturers of embossing powder in the

world, therefore are very pleased and proud to offer crafters what we believe

is the best product available at a great price

The DT have been given their choice of KennyK Stamps to showcase this time, so here's a sneak peak or the "Watershed Version" of my card - I will warn you, this is waaaaayyyyyy out of my comfort zone and not my usual style at all, so if you're easily offended I would suggest that you read no further!

This will be my card to Papa Mia who will be celebrating a certain Birthday next month! OK - so if you're reading on, I will take it that you're happy with seeing a picture of a scantily clad woman and I will not be held responsible! 😄

So here she is, in all her glory with a faux leather background, so easy to do and incredibly effective too!

My card recipe is as follows:

• Card Base - is piece of Ivory Centura Pearl which I have cut, scored and folded to make an 11.5 x 15.4 cm card
• Mat & Layer - is a piece of black cardstock sized to 11 x 14.9 cm
• Background - is an A6 piece of Kraft card and I followed this Faux Leather Tutorial by Sheena Douglass to make it look like this using glycerine, water, a spray bottle, a Sheena embossing folder called Distress Splatter, Distress Inks in Vintage Photo and Spiced Marmalade and a spray varnish, although I had to use my Spray and Sparkle Glitter Varnish so my faux leather background has a glittery finish to it!
  
• Image - is the lovely Cabaret by Kenny at KennyK Stamps. I drew a stool under her and then brought this bewitching one to life using my Spectrum Noir Markers before die cutting her using my second largest Sizzix Framelits Ovals die using an "Out of the Box" technique.
• Sentiment - is die cut from Ivory Centura Pearl which has been layered onto an additional die cut from black card to give a shadow. The Happy Birthday die was in my Crafter's Companion Advent Calendar 2016 and I used the "th" portion of this die to cut again from both the ivory and black card to go with the numbers. The "5" and "0" both come from the Diamond Press Whimsical Alphabet collection.

Please do head over to  Incy Wincy Designs and check out the other wonderful creations featuring Leather and/or Lace from my very talented teamies. Then come back and show us your creations. We'll be back with our next challenge on Monday 6th March 2017.

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

• February Challenge - Anything Goes with a KennyK Stamp at Club KennyK Facebook Page
• Challenge 39 - For a Man at Moving Along With The Times
• Challenge 282 - Boys are Back in Town at The Paper Shelter
• Let's Get Messy at Try It On Tuesday - I got very messy with the faux leather technique, rubbing a mix of glycerine and water into both sides of my Kraft card before scrunching it up and repeating. Once the card was nice and pliable, I embossed it and allowed it to dry. Then I rubbed my Distress Inks onto it, before smearing varnish over it to create the finished background!
• Challenge 142 - Use a Number (with a Stamp) at Addicted to Stamps
• Challenge #79 - Happy Birthday at Inky Chicks
• #119 - Male Colours at Through the Purple Haze
• Challenge #19 - Anything Goes at World Wide Open Design Team Challenge - Second Entry

Whatever you're doing for the rest of the day, have fun and stay safe!

Hugs, Helen x