Here we go a-carolling!

Hello my crafty friends and apologies for being slightly on the tardy side with this post.

The weekend was filled with horrendously boring stuff (paperwork mainly - yuk!) and I found no time to craft this little gem. Then it was work Monday - I'm on a course away from the office on Thursday and Friday, so it's the only day I'm in this week and there was bucket-loads to do therefore I didn't get home until late! Although I crafted this little cutie yesterday, I lost the light to photograph it - hurumphhhhhh! Anyway I'm here now!

It's new challenge time at Incy Wincy Designs and this week's challenge should really get you into the festive mood as we're looking for projects that feature Winter Activities.

We're being sponsored by the lovely Jodie and team from Bugaboo Stamps and Jodie is offering this week's lucky winner a prize pack! She also kindly offered each member of the DT their choice of digi to showcase for this challenge - without further ado, here is my card featuring one of Jodie's images from the A Kid's View range:

My card recipe is as follows:

• Card base - is Centura Pearl Snow White Silver onto which I've embossed the largest wonky circle from the nest on my Ultimate Pro Board Springtime Sweets and Cupcake Treats. I then carefully cut this out and ran it through my Big Shot using the Sheena Douglass Christmas Greetings embossing folder. I then used my Ultimate Pro to fold the "circle" in half to make a Rocker Card.
  
• Image - is by Jodie at Bugaboo Stamps and it's called AKV Christmas - Caroling. I've brought this digi to life using my Spectrum Noir Pens in the listed colours before die cutting this happy trio using my largest Die'sire Essentials Circles die, giving the edge a touch of Festive Berries Distress Ink and then fixed the panel to my card.
• Skin - FS2, FS3, BG6, DR5
• Books - EB1, EB2, GB8, GB9, GB10
• Hats - DR1, DR2, DR3, JG1, JG2, JG4, IG1, IG2, Silver Gel Pen, Spectrum Noir Sparkle - Clear Overlay ... my first time playing with this pen, and I think I got a little bit messy!!!!! ;o)

I hope I've inspired you to come over to Incy Wincy Designs and play along with this challenge. However, if you're in need of more inspiration just head over to the challenge and check out the fabby cards by my teamies. Then come back and show us your creations featuring Winter Activities! This challenge ends on Sunday 15th November 2015.

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

• Challenge #281 - Clean & Simple at Fab 'n' Funky Challenges
• Challenge #31 - Anything but Square at Crafting Musketeers
• Challenge #34 - Fancy Folds or Shaped Cards at Scribbles Design Challenge
• Challenge #9 - Anything Goes with a Christmas/Winter Theme at A Snowflakes Promise
• Challenge #45 - Christmas Sparkles at Digi Choosday Challenge
• Challenge #59 - Silent Night (Christmas Theme) at Inky Chicks - although this little group looks like they're anything but silent!!!!!!!!!!

Until next time,

Hugs, Helen x

The Magi

Morning friends!

Yesterday was a good day at Casa Mia as our Christmas cake is now made and resting. Of course it will need feeding between now and 25th December, and the more time between these 2 days the better .... hic! :o) 

It's new challenge time at Incy Wincy Designs and this time it's nice and easy for you as it's Anything Goes!

Our sponsor this week is Rick St. Dennis, and here is a little about him:

Rick St. Dennis MFA has been an artist, designer, stage designer and instructor for over 45 years. You can find his full Bio here. His digital stamp images can be found on Zibbet or Etsy . Inspiration projects from the Rick St.Dennis Elite Design Team can be found on the Sparkle and Glitter blog, or for the darker images on the Airless Chambers blog. Rick also has a personal blog and on Facebook, there is the Rick St.Dennis Digi fans and friends group, where you can showcase your cards and other projects using RSD images to be eligible to win prizes.

Rick is very kindly offering this week's lucky winner a prize pack, and has also allowed each of the DT member to pick a digi to showcase. So here's my card for you with one of Rick's digis:

I have to confess that I think I might have made a bit of a "horlicks" when doing this project. I wanted to make a more traditional Christmas card and thought that this image would be fab. However, when I printed it out the right size for my card base I very quickly realised that I wasn't going to be colouring this image in any time soon - it's just too small to do justice to all that detail. So I've just kept this very simple and monochrome :o/

My card recipe is as follows:

• Card base - is a pre-made white card blank 15cm x 10.5cm approx
• Paper - comes from a set by Janet Scott at Pixel Scrapper Digital Scrapbooking called Christmas Memories. This paper is called Birth of Jesus Text Paper. I have matted and layered this onto black cardstock.
  
• Image - is by Rick St. Dennis and it is called We Three Kings. I die cut this using the second largest Die'sire Essentials Squares die and matted and layered onto black card.
• Sentiment - is by Paulette at Create with TLC and it comes from a set called Peace in Believing. It has been die cut using one of my Die'sire Essentials Stars dies, before being matted and layered onto black card.

For those of you who might be interested, the Bible verse in the sentiment relates to the Three Kings being in Bethlehem and being guided to the stable where Jesus was born, and the paper I've used contains text from the various Gospels regarding the birth of Jesus .... some thought DID go into this card you know! I also think I'll have another attempt at this card, just making the card base and the image bigger so that I can colour it.

Anyway, I hope I've inspired you to come over to Incy Wincy Designs and have a look at the other wonderful creations from my teamies. Then come back and show us your creations - don't forget Anything Goes! This challenge will end on Sunday 8th November.

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

• CHNC Challenge 253 - It's Time To Sing at Crafty Hazelnuts Christmas Challenge - of course, I've been inspired by the carol We Three Kings of Orient Are
• Anything Goes as long as it's Christmas at Winter Wonderland
• Challenge 106 - Christmas at Card and Scrap
• Challenge #136 - Inspired by a Song at Crafter's Cafe Challenge- of course, I've been inspired by the carol We Three Kings of Orient Are
• Progressive Challenge Nov 15 - Anything Goes with a RSD Image at Sparkle and Glitter with Rick
• Challenge #279 - Anything Goes as as long as it's Christmas at Fab 'n' Funky Challenges

Have a great week!

Hugs, Helen x

Rustic Charm

Good morning blogging buddies - hope you're all in fine fettle this morning! I can't believe it's November 1st today - where has the year disappeared to?


It's time for a new challenge at Feeling Sketchy ... before I reveal this week's sketch, I'm sure you'll want to know who our sponsor is for this challenge!



We're welcoming the lovely Nikky Hall and her team from Polkadoodles as our sponsors this time. In Nikky's words, Polkadoodles is a UK based creative company specialising in papercraft products. We design and manufacture our own digital CD-rom products, rubber and clear stamps and a number of other products for use in papercrafting which are sold worldwide.

But don't just take Nikky's word for it - why not take a peek at the website and see what a wonderful treasure trove of images, papers, sentiments and inspiration from Nikky's DT using the gorgeous Polkadoodles products!


Now, here's Michelle's sketch for the challenge:

and here's my card using the sketch:

I'm hoping that if I haven't struck shabby chic with this card that I have at least achieved rustic charm, as I seem to struggle with this look! What do you think? Let me know!

My card recipe is as follows:

• Card base - is pre-made in white card measuring approx 14.8cm square
• Papers - are from the gorgeous Eden Collection - Paper Heaven 3 which you can get as a digital download from Polkadoodles. I have used Paper 13 for my base layer and also Paper 16 and Paper 18 for the border layers. As I don't have any border dies and only 1 border punch, I decided to use a quilling flower die to make the border so it ties in with my quilled flower! I distressed all the edges of each paper layer using Vintage Photo Distress Ink and my latest "Frugal Crafter" purchase - 20 make-up sponge wedges for £1!!! Seems to have done the job quite efficiently, me thinks! I finished the papers off by wrapping 3 rows of twine around the card base to hide the paper join ;o)
  
• Sentiment - is also from Polkadoodles and is one of the twenty two sentiments (yes, 22!) that come in the Eden Collection - Say It All bundle. I've die cut this using my second largest Die'sire Essentials Squares Die which I left in place whilst I gave a slick of Vintage Photo Distress Ink over the top of it to give a frame effect around the edge. I used the same jute string and the bow maker on my Ultimate Pro to make the multi-layered bow which I fixed to the top of the sentiment frame.
• Flower - is made from a Die'sire Classiques Quilling Flower Die which is called Blossom. I used one length of the Stamen Die to make the centre of the flower and then rolled/quilled 2 lengths of cardstock printed with Paper 18 from Eden Collection - Paper Heaven 3 round the centre. Once finished and the strips were secured, I shaped the petals with a tool, lightly distressed the edges with Vintage Photo Distress Ink and added a pearl to the flower centre, before afixing the flower to the card.
  

Do head over to the Feeling Sketchy blog and see the other wonderful creations using this time's sketch from my talented team mates. Then come back and show us your "take" on the sketch -as usual, you can flip it, rotate it, swap images, shapes etc. ... we just need to be able to see that you've been inspired by our sketch whilst you've been creating! This challenge closes on 14th November 2015. 

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

• Challenge #170 - Flowers at Brown Sugar Challenge

Until next time,

Hugs, Helen x

It's beginning to feel a bit like Christmas!

Good morning crafty friends and I hope you are well today!

It's been a rather madcap week or so here at Casa Mia, so we're looking forward to the end of next week when it will be half term ... whoopeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee - not that I'm excited you understand!

It's new challenge time at Feeling Sketchy and there's another great sketch for you courtesy of Michelle. Plenty of scope for creativity with this one, I feel:

As usual, we've got a lovely sponsor for you. This time, it's Heather Valentin from Lacy Sunshine who is kindly offering our lucky winner a prize pack. Heather also offered the DT their choice of image to showcase for this challenge - thank you Heather! So, without futher ado, here is my card for you featuring one of Heather's pretty images:

I'll apologise now as this post is going to be VERY photo heavy ... this Pop Up Box card was not the easiest thing in the world to photograph, so I've got plenty of pics from plenty of angles to show you! Tee hee!!!!! :oD

Just in case you were wondering about how my card fits the sketch layout, I imagined the foliage to be the sentiment, the goblet to be the pocket, and the girl as one of the tags coming out of the pocket. The box sides and back provide the card shape. This is the first time I've made a Pop Up Box card, and it may well be the last. The air wasn't quite blue, but I wasn't terribly ladylike ........ ooooops!!!!!!

My card recipe is as follows:

• Card base - is Sheena Stamping Card which has been cut, scored and folded to make a lower box of 2¼ inches x 3 inches, with the top flaps being 2¼ inches x 2½ inches. I followed this SplitCoast Stampers Tutorial, but then completely messed the sizing up!
• Papers - are by Paulette at Create with TLC and I think these were a blog freebie in December 2012. They are called Chritmas Mist Papers 4 and I used them on all the external box sides. For the internal box sides, I again tried the technique of inking an embossing folder which I had seen demo'd by Sara Davies of Crafter's Companion. I'm much happier with the result this time which I did on smaller pieces of Sheena Stamping Card. I used the Vintage Christmas "Snowflake Flutter" embossing folder for this together with a pearlescent blue Brilliance ink pad. This embossing folder was one of the goodies which came with Issue 5 of the Crafter's Inspiration magazine.

• Image - is White Smores Delight by Heather at Lacy Sunshine. I have brought this girl and her S'more to life using my Spectrum Noir Pens in the listed colours, before fussy cutting her out.
• Goblet - FT1, GT2, BT5, JG6
  Gingerbread - GB8, GB10, EB5, True Black
  Foliage - DG2, DG3, DG4, DR3
  Bow - PL1, PL2, PL3
  Clothes - PL1, PL2, PL3, IG2, IG7, White Glitter, True Black, Silver Gel Pen
  S'more & Topping - IG2, White Glitter, EB1, EB2
  Skin - FS3, FS4, TN3, CR4, EB3
  Hair - EB6, EB7, EB8

I added a layer of the "topping" to one of the bars inside the card, just to give the image some depth. It didn't quite work out how I had planned it, but ....

• Sentiment - is from a promotional set of stamps from Sara Davies' Signature Collection which I got when Sara was doing her Demo afternoon at our local Hobbycraft store. I've stamped this sentiment in the same pearlescent blue Brilliance ink  onto a label which I embossed from the Ultimate Pro embossing board Springtime Sweets and Cupcake Treats and then cut out and fixed to the rear portion of the box.

Please do head over to the Feeling Sketchy challenge blog and see the other wonderful inspiration from my incredibly talented teamies. While you're there, take a peek at the Special World Card Making Day Challenge where the inspiration is beautiful autumnal colours and there are some great prizes on offer too!

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

• U for Unusual Christmas Colours (not red, green or gold) at ABC Christmas Challenges
• Challenge 333 - Christmas at C.R.A.F.T. Challenge
• Challenge #112 - Bags and Boxes at Crafting for all Seasons
• Challenge #311 - Tags at Little Red Wagon
• October Challenge - Anything Goes using Loose Glitter at Sparkle 'n' Sprinkle
• Challenge 7 - Anything Goes with a Winter/Christmas Theme at A Snowflake's Promise

With this card, I'm also throwing my hat into the ring and trying out for the DT Call at ABC Christmas Challenges. I have entered previous cards this year into your challenges: a little Humphrey's Corner card for letter A, a fun, flying fairy card for letter G and a Santa tag for letter L.

That's it from me for today - hope you have a great day, whatever you're doing.

Hugs, Helen x

Thanks a Latte!

Hi friends!

Hope you are well today and not overwhelmed by the wet weather that seems to have hit the UK. Yesterday, Papa Mia's weather station recorded over an inch of rain in 24 hours ... it's a far cry from the gorgeous sunshine we experienced last week!

As promised in yesterday's post, I'm back today with another inspiration card for the current challenge at Incy Wincy Designs. Just as a recap, this week's challenge is Thankful for you so we're looking for your projects which say "Thank you"!

Today I'm showcasing an image from our second sponsor, who is our very own Nikki from Limited Runs Digital Stamps. In yesterday's post, I used an image drawn by Emma Canning from Flat Friends Boutique. Both ladies are very kindly offering a prize pack, so we'll have 2 lucky winners on Monday! 

For this card I've been inspired by 2 current challenges: the first is the World Card Making Day Special Challenge at Feeling Sketchy (which Cathy invited us DT girls to take part in) and the second is the current sketch at Sketch Saturday which, being CAS, is right up my street!

So, without further ado here is today's card for you:

My card recipe is as follows:

• Card base - is Kraft cardstock which has been cut, scored and folded to a 9.9cm square card
• Paper - is from the October Club Inspire download from Crafter's Companion which is called Autumn Days. I edge distressed the paper with Spiced Marmalade Distress Ink, just to make it stand out from the base card
  
• Image - is by Nikki at Limited Runs Digital Stamps and it's called Coffee Addicts #3. I have brought this winter warmer to life using my Spectrum Noir Pens in the listed colours before fussy cutting the cup out:
• Cup - GT1, GT2, GT3
• Label & Bands - GB5, GB6, GB7
• Frosting - TN6, Blender Pen
• Sentiment - has been CASE'd from Bugaboo's Coffee Time - Thanks a Latte image and sentiment set. However because Jodi's sentiment didn't fit the sketch layout, I've retyped this in my word processing package using a free font called Coffee House and coloured it to tie in with the colour swatch. I cut the sentiment into a fishtail banner shape, before distressing the edge with Spiced Marmalade Distress Ink.

I hope you'll come over to Incy Wincy Designs and check out the wonderful creations by my fab team mates ... also, please say farewell to Amy who is leaving us after this challenge :o(  Bye Amy, I shall miss your gorgeous creations.

As a result, we are having a DT Call! Sooooooo, if you're interested in joining our fun team (and we do have fun!), please send an email to incywincychallenge@hotmail.com with a link to your site, and tell us a little bit about yourself!!! No DT experience is necessary - we are just looking for HAPPY crafters who like to have a good time. You must be able to work with digital images and be able to create on a weekly basis.


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

• World Card Making Day Special Colour Challenge at Feeling Sketchy
• Week #381 at Sketch Saturday
• Challenge #161 - Autumn Leaves/Colours of Fall at Eureka Stamps
• Fall is in the Air at Melonheadz Friends
• Monday Challenge - Autum is in the Air at Simon Says Stamp Challenge
• October Challenge - Brown or Kraft at Stamp and Create Challenges

Hope you have a great rest of the week!

Hugs, Helen x 

Blowing Lots of Love

Morning folks!

Hope you all had a great weekend! Casa Mia was the usual round of Mini Squad Swimming, followed by Rookies Life Guards with a Sunday School session as dessert!

This morning sees our new challenge at Incy Wincy Designs and this week we're Thankful for You - we want to see your projects that say "Thank You".

We've got 2 great sponsors for you this week. First up is the lovely Emma Canning from Flat Friends Boutique and our second sponsor is our very own Nikki from Limited Runs Digital Stamps. Both ladies are very kindly offering our 2 lucky winners a prize pack, and we have also been given digis by both artists to showcase. 

I was fortunate to meet Sara Davies and Debbie Fisher from Crafter's Companion last weekend at a Hobbycraft store near me, as Sara was demoing her Signature Range. They were both really lovely and only too happy to share their talents with us fans! I have taken Sara's idea (rather badly I might say!) of inking an embossing folder before running it through with card to transfer the ink and embossing pattern onto the card. Sara's card looked gorgeous ... mine definitely looks like a beginner's been at work ;o) !!!!!!!!!!!!!! Tee hee.

Anyway, here goes with my card featuring a Flat Friends digi:

I must apologise for the wonky photo - I was trying to photograph it whilst out and about and the batteries in the camera I normally use ran out (typical!) so I was using my phone. The card was on a railway sleeper that lines the car park at youngest Bambino's gymnastics club, I was on my elbows and knees, the sun was shining so I couldn't really see the screen ... I must have looked a very peculiar sight, so I just pressed the button and hoped for the best! 

My card recipe is as follows:

• Card base - is a premade white card blank which is about 14.8cm square
• Background - is a 14cm square piece of Neenah cardstock which has been embossed with my Embossalicious Geometric Motif  Embossing Folder (unfortunately, this lovely design is no longer stocked for sale) and Distress Inks in Picked Raspberry  and Peacock Feathers. I have matted and layered this onto a piece of pale pink Core'dinations Card
• Image - is by Emma Canning at Flat Friends Boutique and this lovely girl is called Blowing Kisses. I brought her to life using my Spectrum Noir Pens in the listed colours, before die cutting her (using the "Out of the Box" Technique) with my largest Die'sire Essentials Ovals die.
• Hair - TN1, TN2, TN3, TN6, TN8
• Skin - FS2, FS3, BP2
• Hearts - PL3
• Jumper - BP2, BP3
• Sentiment - was a freebie from the June 2015 Cardmaking and Papercraft magazine. I stamped this in pink ink onto Neenah cardstock and then stencilled round the inside of the medium oval die from the Die'sire Tags One set (unfortunately I can't find this one for sale any longer either!). I then die cut the medium oval tag from the pink Core'dinations Card, threaded some twine through it and fixed it all to my card. I added a bow to the side, just for a bit of interest!

I hope you'll come over to Incy Wincy Designs and check out the wonderful creations by my fab team mates ... also, please say farewell to Amy who is leaving us after this challenge :o(  Bye Amy, I shall miss your gorgeous creations.

As a result, we are having a DT Call sooooooo, if you're interested in joining our fun team, please send an email to incywincychallenge@hotmail.com with a link to your site, and tell us a little bit about yourself!!! No DT experience is necessary - we are just looking for HAPPY crafters who like to have a good time. You must be able to work with digital images and be able to create on a weekly basis.

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

• #309 - Use an Embossing Folder at Little Red Wagon
• Girls will be Girls at That's Crafty! Challenge
• No Designer Paper Challenge at The Stamping Boutique
• Challenge #144 - Anything Goes with the optional twist of Use Pink (for Breast Cancer Awareness) at 613 Avenue Create

I'll be back tomorrow with a card featuring one of Nikki's Limited Runs Digis - in the meantime, hope you have a great day!

Hugs, Helen x

Follow that Star!

Good morning blogging buddies and I hope this post finds you well.

Well today, I can finally share the news I've been bursting to tell you for the last 3½ weeks! I entered the DT call and have been selected to join the Design Team at Feeling Sketchy for the autumn/winter 2015-16 term!!!!!! Regular readers will know that I often join in with sketch challenges, so this probably won't surprise some of you at all :o) ! The team has some old and new faces and all I can say is Wow, some of these girls are totally awesome designers ... you are going to be blown away by their takes on Mich's great sketches.

So, this morning brings the start of Challenge #130 and here is the sketch we'd like you to follow:

This challenge is bring kindly sponsored by Jodie and the team at Bugaboo Digital Stamps: Jodie has supplied some images for the existing DT members to use, but all us new girls had to use this sketch as the basis of our DT Application (great idea Cathy!), so we're not necessarily using sponsor images this time. Don't forget that Jodie offers a Freebie every Friday, so why not head over to her store and check out this week's freebie, plus inspiration using it from the Bugaboo Design Team.

Anyway, here's my card using Mich's sketch as the basis of my design:

My card recipe is as follows:

• Card base - is regular lightweight cardstock, which I have cut, scored and folded to around 9cm square. I've then taken my largest Die'sire Essentials Star die and ensured that the top point of the star is well over the fold of my cardstock, and then die cut this to give an opening base card
• Design Paper - is called December Snows Paper 4 and is by Paulette at Create with TLC. This paper was part of Paulette's December 2012 "Club" and has a very elegant navy blue pattern on a dark grey background, with swirling snowflakes.
• Image and Sentiment - are both by Marisa Lerin at Pixel Scrapper Digital Scrapbooking. The Shooting Star comes from the Outer Space Illustrations Kit, and the Star of Wonder sentiment comes from the Star of Wonder Kit. I digitally merged these 2 items, resized them to fit my card base and printed them out. I coloured the star and it's tail using my silver gel pen before fussy cutting them and I also cut a fish tail banner into the sentiment.

This card was quite quick and easy to make, and I think a few of these little mini cards (it's around 7.5cm square!) bagged together might go down well at my Church's Christmas Fayre next month.

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

• Challenge #235 - Anything Goes at Die Cutting Divas
• Challenge #141 - Let's Get Started on Christmas (with a sentiment) at Aud Sentiments
• Challenge #275 - Anything Christmas at Fab 'n' Funky Challenges
• Challenge #164 CAS at Addicted to Stamps and More
• Challenge 6 - Christmas/Winter Theme at A Snowflakes Promise (Second Entry)
• Challenge #264 - Clean and Simple at Tuesday Throwdown

I hope I've inspired you to have a go with Sketch Challenge #130 but if you need further inspiration, please head over to Feeling Sketchy and check out the awesome and varied creations from my team mates. Then come back and share your project featuring our sketch - this challenge closes on Wednesday October 14th 2015.

Hope you have a great day!

Hugs, Helen x