DU2DS 30 – Hearts/Valentine

Hi everyone, here’s my card for the new challenge at Dare U 2 Digi Stamp where this time we have a theme of hearts/valentine. I’ve used the ‘love fairy’ which will soon be available in the digi shop and coloured her with pencils. There’s lots of stickles for sparkle and I’ve matted the image onto a square doily then a pink card blank edged with white ink. The pretty flower is misted with pink glimmer mist and I added some lemon opaque gems and tulle to finish it off. Have a lovely Friday….nearly the weekend! TFL.

Colour Create 37 – soft pink, soft blue, white and silver

Hi everyone, a card today for our new challenge on Colour Create and a gorgeous colour combo chosen by our lovely Jo of soft pink, soft blue, white and silver which is gorgeous and is my new current favourite :D, thanks Jo!  As always there’s amazing inspiration from my DT friends and a prize from our sponsor Stretch and Bubbles so I hope you can join us.
The bird postcard stamp is by Crafty Individuals as is the postmark stamp at the top right. All I’ve done to colour is sponge with distress inks and then dripped some water onto the ink for water marks to give an aged look. The background paper is BasicGrey and some book print which has been glimmer misted in blue and pink. I also glimmer misted the lace and the ruffled paper flower made from scalloped nestie circle dies and there’s a video ‘how to’ for these cute flowers here on Dawn McVey’s blog. To finish I added the Tim Holtz adage ticket, some prima crystal swirls, the pink ribbon and buttons.
Thank you as always for the lovely you comments you leave, you’re all so sweet and I appreciate them very much. Take care and see you tomorrow with my DU card. TFL.

My cards from MagnoliaINK #1

Hi everyone, hope you’re having a good week so far. Just a quick post from me today to share my cards from the first MagnoliaINK magazine now that the new one is out.
See you tomorrow with my Colour Create card. TFL.

Blueberry Tilda

HI everyone, hope you’ve had a good weekend. A card today which was sent to my friend Jo, I know that she’s received it now so I can blog it. I coloured the sweet Blueberry Tilda with distress inks and added lots of stickles and copic glitter pen before cutting her out with an oblong nestabilities die. The background paper is Magnolia blueberry paper in such pretty colours and the scalloped die cut oblong and card blank are Core’dinations card. I added some purple tulle that I got from Tab’s lovely shop, some lilac gems in the corners and some faux stitching to finish off.
I also want to wish Magnolia Stamps all the best at the CHA show in Anaheim, California which started today. If you’re lucky enough to be attending they’d love you to pop into their stand and say hello. I’m sure it’s full of fairytale magic and I certainly wish I was lucky enough to be attending :). The new Magnolia Ink magazine is now available and full of fantastic inspiration from my DT friends, gorgeous projects and how to’s, I just got my copy so I’ll be busy wearing the print off it for a while :D. This might be a good time to show my projects from Magnolia Ink 1, will do that tomorrow probably. TFL.

Help for Haiti blog candy giveaway and BG 12

Hi everyone, hope you’re weekend is off to a good start! A long post from me today starting with our new challenge on Basic Grey Challenges where this week we have a great theme of animals. There’s amazing inspiration from my talented DT friends as always and a gorgeous prize to be won sponsored by Simon Says Stamp so I hope you can join us. My card uses Crissy's untamed love stamp set as it fits our BG theme and because I’m joining in with a great blog candy giveaway organised by my friend Crissy to help raise money for Haiti and which she’s worked so hard to put together this week.
From Crissy’s blog:

Help For Haiti Blog Candy
Blog candy will be open from Sat. Jan 23 through Sat Feb. 6^th.  However, I may extend the deadline if people are still responding after two weeks.

How would you like reach out to the people of Haiti, and at the same time get your name in the draw for a HUGE blog candy give-away?  Read on…
I asked Denise of Whimsy Stamps if I could design a special carousel horse (pictured above) that we could use to raise funds for Haiti.  She graciously agreed!  And so I drew this carousel angel horse with wings, and we have called it, “Wings of Hope”.   From now until the end of February 2010, this limited edition digital image will be available to purchase, exclusively in Whimsy’s online shop.   Whimsy has agreed to donate all proceeds from the sale of this stamp, minus the Paypal fees to the American Red Cross disaster relief fund for Haiti.  Please click on this link if you wish to purchase it.  Be sure to scroll down the page on that link to see some gorgeous samples that the Whimsy Design Team has already made with this stamp.  I just finished drawing it Thursday night, and they have samples made already! You go girls!!
And now about the prizes...
I have two prize packages that will be up for grabs in my “Help For Haiti Blog Candy contest”.  A second place prize, and a GRAND prize.  Once this contest ends, I will choose two random winners through Random Integer Generator.org.
No less than SEVEN well-known stamp/craft companies have donated generously to the prizes I will be giving away!
Take a look at what you could WIN!!!
GRAND PRIZE PACKAGE WILL INCLUDE:



These beautiful images from Whiff of Joy by artist Elizabeth Bell:

Your choice of four digi stamps from:

These beautiful brass stencils from A Touch of Grace Paper Boutique:

"Cool Ride" stamp set from Whimsy Stamps (pictured is a sample only - the prize is a deeply etched red rubber stamp set):

Your choice of four of my Squigglefly images (pictured is a sample, and images are sold as black and white digital image only, no color)

GRAND PRIZES LISTED:
A set of TWELVE COPIC MARKERS! Ex 3 colors
Spellbinders Shapeabilities “Create A Flake Two”
Martha Stewart edge punch “Embossed Petals”
Fall Stamp Kit from Whiff of Joy - includes 8 full size rubber stamp images by Elizabeth Bell and 6 matching sentiments
AND my friend Christine Dark of Sketching Stamper Digistamps is also donating four beautiful digital images that she herself illustrated and you get to choose which ones (believe me, it is going to be hard to narrow it down)!
PLUS two very gorgeous brass stencils from my friend Jerry Kay of A Touch Of Grace
From the wonderful companies I illustrate for:
Wags ‘n Whiskers rubber stamp, “He Loves me”
Kraftin’ Kimmie rubber stamp, “Bird Fairy”
Whimsy Stamps carousel horse set, “Cool Ride” (comes with two matching accessory images)
Plus you can choose any four of my digital images from Squigglefly
SECOND PLACE PACKAGE INCLUDES:


Untamed Love stamp set from Whimsy Stamps (pictured is a sample only - the prize is a deeply etched red rubber stamp set):

Your choice of two of my Squigglefly images (pictured is a sample, and images are sold as black and white digital image only, no color)

SECOND PLACE PRIZE LIST:
Kraftin’ Kimmie “Branch Fairy” rubber stamp with matching sentiment
Wags ‘n Whiskers “Steal a Kiss” rubber stamp
Whimsy carousel horse set, “Untamed Love” (comes with two matching accessory images)
Plus you can choose any two of my digital images from Squigglefly
BLOG CANDY RULES OF ENTRY
1) You must make a financial donation to a charity that is helping Haiti at this time. If you have purchased “Wings of Hope” this counts as a donation! The 2 winners I choose will have to show me (via private e-mail) a copy of their donation receipt in order to collect their prize.
2) You must grab my “Help For Haiti” badge OR blinkie (both if you so choose, but only one is necessary) and post it on your blog’s SIDEBAR, linking people back to this blog post.  Posting it in your regular blog entry section will not count.  If you do not have a blog you may still enter this contest and you will be exempt from this rule.
3) Leave a comment on this post telling me the name of the charity organization you have recently supported, or that you have purchased “Wings of Hope” from Whimsy Stamps. I will post the names of the winners when this contest is over. 
4) The winners will need to contact me with their mailing address within a reasonable time frame (no more than a week or I will re-draw names). 
Contest is open to everyone!

Pop over to Crissy’s blog to join in with the amazing blog candy draw, I’m sure you’ll agree that there couldn’t be a blog candy for a better reason than to help others in tragic circumstances.

Feel free to take the blog candy button to display on your blog and have a great weekend. TFL.

OCC blue and green

Hi everyone, hope you’re having a good week. A card today for OCC where the challenge is to use blue and green. I used the pretty Tilda with presents and modified her so that I could use her for a birthday card by adding a little bow to her hair where there’s a sprig of holly. She’s coloured with distress inks with some spica glitter pen and stickles over the top and cut out with a nesties die. The background paper is by Magnolia, I’ve spritzed it with glimmer mist, faux stitched and distressed the edges and sponged with distress ink. The strip of blue card is is also spritzed with glimmer mist (wish it would show up!), it’s also punched with an EK Success scalloped border punch. TFL.

Can’t think of a title :D!

Hi everyone, hope you had a good weekend and the snow is all gone where you are if you’re in the UK. Thankfully all our snow has disappeared and I can get out again, my car was well and truly iced onto the drive and completely unmoveable! This is a card I made a while back for the competition in PCE and I thought I would show it today. I love the paper, it’s so bright and cheerful and I think it’s an October Afternoon design from a few months back. I cut out one of the swirls from the reverse side of the paper and punched the piece on the right hand side with an EK success scallop punch. The heart shapes are cut out with nestabilities dies and I made a lollipop flower just showing under the bow. All finished off with large and medium corner rounder punches, a gingham bow, some doodling and doodlebug candy dots. TFL and have a good day.

DU2DS 29 - Buttons

Hi everyone, it’s our first challenge of 2010 on Dare U 2 Digi Stamp today and we’re starting off with a theme of buttons. There’s some great inspiration from my design team friends and we hope you can join us.

I’ve used my rose heart digi soon to be available which is coloured with markers and then cut out. I gathered some lace and glued it around the heart then added it to the lilac bazzil easel card which was embossed with a CB embossing folder then sponged with dusty concorde distress ink. The tag is cut from the same card with a nestie tag die and I added the heart shaped button, stickles and doodlebug rub on letters for the sentiment. Have a good Friday. TFL.

Colour Create 36 – Kraft, blue and white

Hi everyone and welcome to the new challenge on Colour Create. This time the colours were picked by me so I hope you like them :D. There’s some amazing inspiration from my design team friends and a great prize sponsored by the Rubber room so I hope you can join us.

 

I’ve stamped the gorgeous Popcorn Bear from the Birthday Hugs set and water coloured with distress inks. There’s lots of stickles and copic spica glitter pen, faux stitching with a blue glitter gel pen and all the edges are sponged with tea dye distress ink. The other layers are strips of white card punched with the MS doily lace punch sponged on the edges with tea dye ink and the card base is from kraft card. I scored around the top of the image on my score board and then used a white gel pen in the groove, punched some slots either side for the blue toile ribbon and added some gems for a bit of sparkle, there’s also some glossy accents on the nose of the bear, the beak and feet of the duck for a bit more texture. TFL.

Still on Christmas

Hi everyone, hope you’re having a good week so far and keeping warm. A card today for the ABC Christmas Challenge with a theme of Angels this time. I didn’t manage to use many of my sweet Christmas Tilda’s before Christmas so it’s been nice to get some of them stamped and as I’m determined to have plenty of cards ready for next Christmas I’m going to be entering all the Christmas challenges I can :D. As all Tilda’s are angels I’ve chosen the lovely Tilda with Christmas Tree and water coloured her with distress inks and matted the image on some pretty Magnolia Mistletoe paper. I’ve used the nestability frame for the first time that I got at Christmas and I’ve sponged the embossed parts with walnut stain distress ink. The background is kraft card that I’ve faux stitched to look like quilting and inside the diamonds on the reverse side I did a bit of sculpting with a ball tool. Lots of stickles has been added to the image and liquid pearls in gold on the background and on the Christmas tree. TFL.

Craft Barn Blog and a decorated frame

 

Hi everyone, hope you’ve enjoyed your weekend. Some news about the Craft Barn today and their brand new blog which has just started this week. To celebrate the opening there are three Craft Barn online vouchers to be won so if you fancy a chance at winning hop over to the new Craft Barn blog to enter.

From the Craft Barn blog:

 

Hellooooo!
We can't start a new blog without some kind of celebration and something for you to win, can we?.
There will be a £10 voucher
for 3 lucky winners to win!
All you have to do is to write on your blog (real post, not side bar ;) ) using the image below to mention the new blog and the prizes to win.
Once this is done, come and post your link in a comment here to let us know.
Draw will be next Wednesday 13th January
And don't forget, our online sale has started!!! Don't miss out!!

I decorated the blank frame in the first photo a while ago for the Craft Barn blog using one of their plain wooden frames with a heart shaped aperture. First I painted the frame with white gesso, let it dry and then sanded it a little to give a smooth surface to stamp onto. The stamp is from a gorgeous Inkadinkado set ‘gemstone flowers’ and I stamped this around the frame using versamark ink and then embossed with clear detail embossing powder. The whole frame was then sponged with Black Soot Ranger distress ink and when dry I used an iron (no steam) and copy paper to remove the embossing. To finish off I added some white flowers edged with black distress ink, beautiful amber crystal brads for the flower centres and some half pearls also from the Craft Barn, then inserted my photo. TFL.

BasicGrey Challenge 11 – Photo inspiration

 

Hi everyone, we have the first challenge of the new year on BasicGrey Challenges starting today and it’s a lovely photo inspiration theme this time. We have a gorgeous ‘Nook and Pantry’ themed prize sponsored by Simon Says Stamp and there are superb cards from my DT friends so I hope you can join us. Best wishes to the lovely Kristen who sadly has left the team and we all wish you well.

I’ve made a card based on the pretty colours in the photo and I’ve done some pleating of the BasicGrey Obscure paper as there’s a great ‘how to’ by Mina on the Just Magnolia blog this week so I’m entering my card for that challenge too. The sweet Tilda stamp is water coloured with Ranger distress inks, cut out and then stickled and the background card is Bazzil swiss dots with a card blank made from Core’dinations teal card. TFL and have a good weekend.