Wednesday 30 April 2014

Pingu Igloo

It's nearly May, and the days are getting longer, so I've got an, erm, well, Christmas card to share with you today!  :0)   There's a new 'I for Ice' challenge at ABC Christmas Challenge starting today, so it's a c-c-c-c-cold coloured card to match the icy theme.



Card Recipe, featuring items from The Stamp Basket:
I've been inspired by:
Happy crafting
Annette
xx



Tuesday 29 April 2014

It's a date

I have a bit of a habit of buying cute boxes and other interesting items that 'one day I'll get around to decorating'.  Well I picked up a couple of these wooden calendars, and today is the day that the first one is being used.  (Well, the cupboard is getting a bit full of items, so I needed to take one out!).

I've actually not done that much though, just stamped an image onto the back panel, coloured it in with my markers, and then inked around the edges with an ink pad.  The wood was quite hard to colour on as the marker ink bled a little, but hopefully it looks ok.  This project seemed perfect to support the Numbers challenge at Top Tip Tuesday which starts today.



Project Recipe:
I've been inspired by:
  • Simon's Wednesday Challenge - C&S
  • Graph'It Challenge - Use greys
  • Sweet Stampin' - No DPs
Happy crafting
Annette
xx



Monday 28 April 2014

Critters

I've been playing with my WRS stamps and have inked up Mouse on Presents again.  I really like the cute little critters, especially the bunny peeking around the pile of presents.  :0)

It's another WRS hat-trick too, as I've combined image, papers and one of their new dies.

Hope you like it.


Card Recipe, featuring items from The Stamp Basket:
I've been inspired by:
Happy crafting
Annette
xx



Sunday 27 April 2014

Johnny and Chloe

I've got a really C&S style card to share today, with a few more from my new Purple Onion Designs images.  I've combined 3 stamps, Johnny the Bear, Chloe the Bunny, and also the Tree Line background.  I also popped on another layer of 'hillside' background by cutting a wave of white card and shading it with my copics, and giving it a shadow at the peak.  I've added some clouds, and a sentiment from the new set too.

Talk about C&S, no pearls, flowers, ribbons or whatnots.  Wow, I'd better go and lie down to recover! :0)


Card Recipe:
I've been inspired by:
Happy crafting
Annette
xx



Saturday 26 April 2014

Charlie Fox

I am really excited to share with you one of the new images from Purple Onion Designs.  I was so excited when they arrived through my letter box, that I couldn't resist inking a few up straight away, so you're going to see a few over the next week or so.

Today's card features Charlie, the fox, and also I used one of the new background stamps 'Tree Line' although most of the trees have been cut off (but you'll get to see more of them tomorrow, perhaps!!)

I really love using background stamps to create a little scene for my image, and have also popped some clouds behind him.  To keep the focus on the image, I've kept the design quite simple (for me!), so have just popped on a banner shaped panel using one of the glittered papers from my Lucy Cromwell paper pad, some flowers and a trio of purple pearls.

The sentiment is also from Purple Onion Designs, and I really love the handwritten feel to the font style.

I hope you like this little cutie as much as I do.  He makes me feel like summer is on the way.



Card Recipe:
I've been inspired by:
Happy crafting
Annette
xx



Friday 25 April 2014

Hedgehog Gift

Today's card uses Crafty Impressions Lace Butterflies paper pad, and I do really like the effect of the pale background.  I used similar colours in my image and some vintage style ribbon.

This ribbon really is pretty, and gives a much softer look than satin, and, although it comes in some really pretty colours, the pale eggshell version can also be coloured quite easily with the flat nib of a copic marker, so it satisfies my obsession with colour matching my accessories!

Finally, I sneaked in two little rows of lilac pearls, but managed to resist adding some flowers as I thought it looked 'finished' as it was (plus I couldn't figure out where to fit them in, because I'd put the sentiment where I would have wanted to put them!)



Card Recipe, featuring items from The Stamp Basket:
I've been inspired by:
Happy crafting
Annette
xx



Thursday 24 April 2014

Furry Friends and some Recycling

This project is to support the 'Furry Friends' challenge at Crafty Little Fairies and also the 'Recycled item' challenge at As You Like It Challenge.

By far, my favourite item to recycle is ribbon.  The piece I've used on this card was taken from the shoulder seam of a purple top.  You know those thin little straps they put inside the shoulders, supposedly to help them stay on a hanger, but all they seem to do is poke out the neckline so you spend all day poking them back inside!  So I cut them out, and recycle them of course!

Although it looks black in the photo, the ribbon is actually a lovely deep satin purple, to match the card.



Card Recipe:
I've been inspired by:
Happy crafting
Annette
xx



Monday 21 April 2014

Picked Sweet

It's a strawberry and chocolate colour scheme today, showcasing a sweet image from Elizabeth Bell.  I've also used some of my lovely new Antique Library papers from Wild Rose Studio and one of their new dies.



Card Recipe, featuring items from The Stamp Basket:
I've been inspired by:
Happy crafting
Annette
xx



Friday 18 April 2014

Mouse-tastic

I'm in pinky-purple mode today with a pretty new WRS image matched with some of their newly released dies.

This little mouse is a real sweetie too, swinging by on a bluebell to deliver his present.  The card is actually quite flat too, because even though I have popped on a double bow, it is tied in vintage seam binding style ribbon, plus I left the clothes peg (that I use to hold on the bow while the glue dries) a bit too long (overnight!) so it flattened the knot really well!



Card Recipe:
I've been inspired by:
Happy crafting
Annette
xx



Thursday 17 April 2014

Up Up and Away

Today's card has been created with some lovely cloud papers from Nitwits that seemed just perfect for this image of cute little Barry the bear being carried away by his balloons.  It reminded me of the film 'Up' and is to support the 'Up Up and Away' challenge which starts today at Crafty Little Fairies.

I've tried to get a teeny outline hint of the other two balloons behind the front red one, but it did end up only being the smallest of hints, because you can only just make them out through the red one if you look really closely.

I've been playing with my new bow-maker (as you might be able to tell!)   I think I've made nothing but double bows since I got it!  Other than a few (ok, quite a few) pearls, I've laid off the embellishments, which is unusual for me, but I didn't want to cover up the clouds.



Card Recipe:
I've been inspired by:
Happy crafting
Annette
xx



Wednesday 16 April 2014

I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas

I've got a pile of chipboard shapes and other items that I've bought with an intention to decorate, but all they seem to do is get stashed away in a cupboard, and I forget about them.  Until I buy another one (or two) and open the cupboard again to find I already have one very similar.  Hmm!

Well today I've decided to decorate an oval hanger, and have created a really simple Christmas decoration.  I typed the sentiment, then printed it on cream paper, stuck it onto the hanger and cut around the edges.  I created tiny red card 'reinforcers' for around the holes where the ribbon is threaded but using two tiny red circle dies to create a polo or ring shape for each hole.

The little birdies are from Purple Onion Designs, and the snowflake stamps are from Card-io.  Finally I popped some stickles around the whole edge of the hanger for some sparkle.

This project is to support the H for Home challenge at ABC Christmas Challenge which starts today.



Project Recipe:
  • Images - Perch and Star & Sky from Purple Onion Designs
  • Typed Sentiment
  • Colouring - Copics
  • Stazon ink pad
  • Card-io Winter Flurry snowflake stamps
  • Versa Color ink pads in various colours
  • Ribbon (recycled from a box of Thornton's chocolates!)
  • Liquid Pearls
  • Black pen (faux stitching)
  • Circle nesting dies (to make red 'reinforcers' to outline the holes)
  • Chipboard hanger
  • Stickles
I've been inspired by:
Happy crafting
Annette
xx



Tuesday 15 April 2014

Mimi Easter

I don't usually send Easter cards, but wanted one for my mother-in-law, and couldn't resist this little cutie of Mimi from Stampfairy holding a little Easter chick.  Those bunny ears are just adorable!

This project is to support the Paper Piecing challenge at Top Tip Tuesday.  I've digitally paper pieced Mimi's dress, shoes, head band and hair scrunchies with the same Nitwits paper that I used on the card.



Card Recipe:
I've been inspired by:
  • Simon's Wednesday Challenge - Easter
  • Cute Card Thursday - Easter
  • Papertake Weekly - Easter
Happy crafting
Annette
xx



Monday 14 April 2014

Squeek-a-belle

This is the first time I've used this image, called Mouse on Presents, and Bluebell the deer has some friends to help her have a party.  My blogpost reference to Squeek-a-belle, is a combination of squeek for the mouse, and Bluebell herself, but also it just happens to be a nickname that we have for one of our kitties who is rather vocal.  And that is putting it mildly.  Her wake-up alarm call is so high pitched that it filters through two solid doors and ear plugs. And she doesn't stop until someone gets up to feed her.  Each morning as I pull up the 13 tog duvet to try to muffle the sound, I'm sure that she'll either get fed up squealing, or she'll wear out her voicebox.  But no, this kitty has got some serious lungs on her.

Anyway, back to the card!  I really do love this image and think I'll be using it a bit.  I love the little bunny peeking around the presents too.  Hope you like it as much as I do.



Card Recipe, featuring items from The Stamp Basket:
I've been inspired by:
Happy crafting
Annette
xx



Saturday 12 April 2014

Spring Bee

Well, the days are getting longer as Spring is in the air, and that's the challenge theme this week at A Gem of a Challenge.  I've used a cute little Bee with Daffodil image from Pink Gem Designs, and combined it with a Heart Fence background.  The yellow and orange colour scheme keeps the theme spring-like and I've used a simple layout as the image is quite large.



Card Recipe:
I've been inspired by:
Happy crafting
Annette
xx



Friday 11 April 2014

Bella, Bella!

I'm really loving these beautiful papers from Wild Rose Studio and today have teamed them up with one of their older images of Bella the heffalump!

I've also used some of the new Wild Rose Studio dies, but am not sure about the bright yellow I've used.  I wanted it to look spring-like but wish I'd toned the brightness down a bit now.

Brace yourself ... I hope you're wearing your sun glasses!



Card Recipe, featuring items from The Stamp Basket:
I've been inspired by:
Happy crafting
Annette
xx



Thursday 10 April 2014

Not quite as well planned out as I'd intended

Well this card has turned out OK, despite all the things that deviated from my original plan!

Firstly, I had not intended to make a Christmas card, but realised it was a Christmassy image, and not a 'spring lamb' themed card when I got around to colouring the poinsettia in Tilda's hair.  I should have realised when I pulled the image out from my Christmas folder, but no, I was obviously thinking about something else at the time.

Then, to top it off, the card was meant to be my DT creation for the new Crafty Little Fairies 'button' challenge, and the As You Like It Challenge 'stitching' challenge, both of which start today.  (Yes I was being lazy and intended to cover both challenges with one creation.)

So, on the basis of this covering both a stitching and a buttons challenge, guess which TWO elements I forgot to add when I got carried away in the assembly of my card?

Yup, both the stitching and the button!

So, before the image stuck down firmly, I carefully peeled it off, and stitched around the circle panel (cursing that I'd cut it as a circle and not a square), and then popped a button on top of the bow with some twine.  Although this was not planned, I actually quite like the combo of bow / button / twine.

It looks like I might have made a recovery from my bout of numptiness.   (Just!)



Card Recipe:
I've been inspired by:
Happy crafting
Annette
xx



Monday 7 April 2014

Purple-tastic

This is the second time I've used this image, but this time it's with a purple theme, rather than the apricot colours I used last time.

I've got a bit of a purple addiction lately, but I really love the colour of these papers.  The ribbon I used was actually originally cream, but I coloured it with a copic to match the papers.  It worked really well, but it did make the ribbon slightly stiffer, so I had to tie it into the bow fairly quickly to get a nice shape.



Card Recipe, featuring items from The Stamp Basket:
I've been inspired by:
Happy crafting
Annette
xx



Friday 4 April 2014

Gardening "Fun"

Yup, spring is here, and it's time to get sewing the seeds and digging up those weeds.  To get you in the mood, I've got a gardening themed card to share with you.

The image is called Gardening Fun (that must be the planting part, as the weeding part is definitely not fun as far as I'm concerned).



Card Recipe, featuring items from The Stamp Basket:
I've been inspired by:
Happy crafting
Annette
xx



Thursday 3 April 2014

Birthday Bluebell and Pals

I've got a "just for fun" creation today.  Well, it was meant to be for a DT project, but I used the wrong papers, which means that it's not going to work, so I've got to go back to the drawing board with that one!

Anyway, in the meantime, I get to play along with a few fun challenges instead.



Card Recipe:
I've been inspired by:
Happy crafting
Annette
xx



Wednesday 2 April 2014

The 'Polar' opposite of my usual style

There's a glitter challenge at ABC Christmas Challenge this week.  I've chosen to not only use glitter on my image, but also used glittery papers.  Otherwise, it's a very C&S kind of card, with just a spot of stitching, some gingham ribbon and a few pearls. I love the little pingu!


Card Recipe:
I've been inspired by:
Happy crafting.
Annette
xx

Tuesday 1 April 2014

Mission Impossible

I'm on a mission to use some of the images which have never seen ink, before I indulge in any new ones.

I already know that I'm doomed to fail, but it makes me feel better to think that I might use a small fraction of my growing pile that haven't yet seen the light of day since they arrived on the doormat.

Today's theme at Top Tip Tuesday is 'cute' and this little sweetie from LOTV seemed to fit the bill perfectly, especially as I've not used it yet.

I've used LOTV papers, but they're actually scraps that were left over from other makes, so it's a thrifty card too.  They're such pretty papers though, that I'm not going to let any go to waste.

I've watercoloured the image with DI reinkers, and added a touch of shimmer with Stardust gel pens and some glossy accents on the stars.


Card Recipe:
I've been inspired by:
Happy crafting
Annette
xx