An Award For Me!!

I was totally surprised to have been given a Kreativ Blogger Award by the very lovely and talented Mandy at Made by Mandy.
There are a few rules to observe when accepting this award and are as follows:-
1. Link the person who tagged you.
2. Write six random things about yourself.
3. Tag six people at the end of your post and link them.
4. Let each person know they've been tagged and leave a comment on their blog.
5. Let the blogger know when your entry is up.

So, let me see, the 6 random things about me are

1. I spend a silly amount of money feeding wild birds.
2. I have a passion for the English language and its history and passed my English Language exams with Credit.
3. When I was in juniour school I won a Weetabix Handwriting Competition.
4. In my teens I sang in my local church choir.
5. I didn't learn to drive until I was 40.
6. God is a very important part of my life.

Now I have to choose 6 lovely bloggers to give this award to and I choose:-

Amanda
Caz
Lisa
Paula
Dawny P
Becca

These are blogs I visit daily but don't always have the time to leave a message although I should as they are so lovely.

Friday Sketchers #42

Just about got this in before another appears tomorrow.
This was a busy sketch and took some working out from my pencil drawing, I really should print them off.
The image used is from a Hero Arts stamp coloured with Sakura stardust pens. The papers are from a Kay & Co pad Hydrangea. The great scroll flourish was given to me and is flock with a sticky backing - one long length which you just chop up to whatever size bits you want - cool. Lavendar rik rak, velvet brad, sentiment tag and Prima flowers from my stash. I started this last night and left it at 1 in the morning and just went back now and finished it. Quite shocked with myself that that is all the crafting I have done today!!!

The Pink Elephant

That is the name of another wonderful challenge blog I have found and their theme this week was Pink, Green & Brown
Now those are colours that I love so just had to do it, didn't I?
I had some lovely new Card Candy sent to me by a crafting buddy, what a lovely surprise that was today. They were just perfect for this and they are the 3 'dots' at the top left. The paper is by Basic Grey - 'Sultry', the flowers are a mix of primas, the ribbon is American Crafts. The great image is a download from Pink Petticoat, which was cut out using my Nestabilities, Classic Scalloped Circle and a larger brown to matt. The tiny sentiment tag was out of my image stash. I coloured it with PM in Blossom. Pearls and misc.pink base card from my stash also. I was quite pleased with the end result and it only took me a tiny amount of time compared to my previous card.

Orange, Yellow & Green....

This was the theme for this week's challenge over at Colour Createwhere a crafting buddy Amanda is guest designer, well done hun xx...I combined it with Card Sketch A Day #190
Although the sketch looked pretty straightforward trying to use the colours given in a set sketch had me ripping most things off once.
Eventually I came up with something. Orange card, ribbons, domed embellies from my stash. The stamped image which I coloured using Sakura Gelly Roll Gloss pens was from a swap. I edged the orange scalloped circle with green glue pen and cut out the sentiment from a sheet of paper. The ribbon is actually 2, one stuck on top of the other with the left over piece tied around the chipboard shape which is by Papermania. The papers are from a 6 x 6 pad by K & Co 'Kim Hodges Patchwork'. Thanks for looking.

Smell the Coffee!

For this weeks Papertake Weekly Challenge there was a lovely sketch by Dawny I could relax over with a cup of coffee. Not too busy but enough going on to keep me thinking. The image and sentiment were from a crafting buddy, I think they are really great. So with them being on the trendy side a modern paper was called for which was where the great papers in Basic Greys Archaic pad leant themselves perfectly. Cream card, ribbon and pearls from my stash. The green card being Bazzill.
I was suitably refreshed with my coffee and my card!!

Smile

As it is not a competition week over at Basic Grey Challenge #25 I have combined this with Arty Girls weekly Challenge #76 which is 'Smile'. Arty Girls guest designer this week is Anna Koziarek.
I have really stepped outside my comfort zone with this as I ache to do artsy cards but have never had the courage although I have collected so many arty stamps. So as this is my first attempt you wonderful arty girls out there please be gentle with me and realise I haven't stepped that far out of my box. lol!!
The Basic Grey elements I have used are papers from the 'Two Scoops' range. Also a small piece of brown BG which was just the thing in my scraps. The stamps used were 'Live Life!' by Paperbag Studios and 'Smile....' by Clarity/Imagina. The ink used to stamp with was Versafine Antique Sepia and to swoosh around the papers was Tim Holtz Distress Ink 'Brushed Corduroy'. The metal corners are Scrapbook Basics. The round was cut out using largest Nestabilities Classic Scalloped Circle, and the pink paper was scalloped using Fiskars Wide Scallop scissors. The lace,buttons and ribbon were from my stash.
I shed a tear doing this card, as I always do when I use buttons, because out comes 'The Button Tin' which I inherited from my dear mum who only passed away 2 years ago at the age of 95 and whenever I hear the buttons swishing about in the tin I am whisked back to my childhood when the best thing to play with were Mum's buttons. How some children miss out today.

Paisley Hugs

This card was done for the challenge over at Mojo Monday week 77.
I'm not happy with it, but we mustn't hide our cards we're less than happy with we must show those too.
The misc. pink card was run through the Swiss Dots Cuttlebug folder. The base card and paisley paper are misc. stash. The circular embelishment was made from 2 scalloped circles made from Bazzill Bling with a couple of blooms held together with a velvet brad. The 3 brads down the side are by Queen & Co. I stamped the dotty swirl by Dawn Bibby in Rust Adirondack ink and finished with a tiny 'hugs' label.
Thanks for looking.

This Little Piggy.......

...Messed be about good and proper.
This was a great sketch over at Sketch Saturday, being #41 Ria's Week, sponsored by Funky Fairy's Papercrafts.
Really enjoy doing sketches as it takes a lot of the brain drain out of making a card and only leaves you with choosing the elements to use.
Which were........Green card by Bazzill, Stamped image Penny Black, Papers by Laura Ashley, loving those, and flowers by Prima.The butterflies were cut from the Laura Ashley paper too and mounted on a Glue Dot with wings a-flutter. Cream card, gems and pearls out of my stash....and the sentiment I typed up myself on Word.
So, you are wondering, where was the messing about. Well it was trying to scan or photo it. I am stuck for choice which image to upload the over bright scan or the dull and squiffy photo - no sun and it kept blowing in the wind.
I'll choose the scan and be damned. LOL!!

Recipe 3...2..1

Great challenge at Penny Black Saturday. Week 39 was the recipe of 3 Brads, 2 Ribbons and 1 Flower....great fun.
Had already got this image coloured in with PM's so just had to choose the colours of papers and the challenge elements to go with it.
The papers were from K & Co. Tim Coffey Young Girl 6 x 6 pad. One sheet I cut along the scalloped patterns to make 2 strips. The image was framed with a piece of scrap after die cutting which I smooshed over with 2 chalk ink pads - Versamagic Persimmon and ColorBox Wisteria. 2 Grosgrain ribbon bits were stapled to one side of the frame and the flower was attached with a velvet brad and 2 blue brads kept it company. I drew some stitches to just lift the flatness of those areas of the card.
The tiny sentiment which I stamped into the label is by PSX.

Food & Drink

Another great challenge at Cute Card Thursday and #50 was 'Food & Drink'/'Wine & Dine' and sponsored by Poppicrafts.
I used Papermania Collosal 'For Him' paper to cover blue card and positioned a scalloped piece of Bazzill in coffee creme onto the bottom half. A piece of navy blue Grosgrain ribbon was placed across the centre to cover the edge. A Penny Black image was coloured with Marvy Le Plume pens and cut out and embossed using Nestabilities Labels 1 and a blue piece of card cut using the largest Nestie. The rub-on sentiment was by Letraset. 2 round gems were added to each end of the ribbon and a heart shaped gem placed upside down on the flame of the candle.

Happy Birthday Rory

A big 4 today and lives in Aberdeen with his mum and dad and twin sisters.
He is my great nephew and one day I may get to see him. lol!!
A lovely day to be born as it was my dear Mum and Dad's wedding anniversary.
Love from your Great Aunt Jen. xxx

Pink, Orange & Brown - Hot Chocolate!!

This was the theme over at Papertake Weekly Challenge and thoroughly enjoyed it. Out comes my greatly overlooked orange Bazzill card, why do so many peeps dispise the colour orange?, it is so vibrant. The Penny Black image which I had already coloured with Marvy Le Plume pens but did the balloon in vivid fuscia pink Sakura Gloss, was ideal. The papers, pink and brown were Basic Grey...what else? the ribbon American crafts and the gems out of my stash.
I have scored either side of the ribbon for a bit of added interest.
The sentiment stamp was out of a set of unmounted acrylics.

House Mouse & Friends Monday

Have always loved these cute images. I adore mice, my penance for having cats I suppose.I feel I have to do all I can for the mouse world lol!! And I am renowned for interfering with bait and traps set at one of my places of work and won in the end when I got them to buy humane traps. :-)
Anyway, I digress, I was overjoyed to find the House Mouse & Friends Monday Challenge blog and this is for their challenge #27 where chipboard had to be included.
The chipboard in this instance being the lovely large flower which I painted with white acrylic and when dried overstamped with a Judikins paisley type background stamp and a Hero Arts 'Polka Dot Pattern' in 2 shades of Brilliance - pink and green. I coloured the image with my Letraset Pro-markers.
The card used was pink & green Bazzill and the paper Basic Grey. Flat backed pearls and a 'JOY' Alphadotz by Scrapworks topped with a clear page pebble finished it off.

Transport

This was the title of the challenge over at Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge being challenge #21.
Out comes my box of stamped images and I knew I had the perfect one for this. Not sure who it is by. The image was chalked and a clear page pebble was added to the centre of the map. The papers used were from a K & Co Tim Coffey range. The sentiment stamp is from a range by PSX. Pleased I now have another male card for my box.

We're Pink & Spotty Again

Here are 2 more cards for the Polka Dot And Pink Challenge over at Card Sketch A Day these are for #183 and 184
All items were from bits and bobs found in my stash which I love to do. To not have to cut into a new sheet of paper is great. And I really must make time to do something with all my tiny bits and pieces...I feel ATC's coming on. :-)

Take Time To Smell The Coffee

Brilliant sketch at Papertake Weekly Challenge which was Dawny's Sketch #9Had some lovely stamped images off a forum friend and was itching to use another so decided this was the one and as the image was modern found a lovely modern paper with great coffee colours in in the Basic Grey pad 'Archaic'
All other items used from my stash mountain.

 

Something Fishy!

I am really playing catch up here, this card was done for last weeks Daring Cardmakers Challenge 'Fish and/or Frog'.
Took ages to find something to fit this challenge but knew there would be something in my treasure chest of stamped images.
The image was coloured with my new Letraset Pro Markers. I am loving these, and will have to get more soon as my palette is a little limited.
The green paper was K & Co. and the metal embelishment is by Linda Maron Mod Designs.

Follow Your Dreams

This card was my take on the wonderful sketch this week at Mojo Monday - this was Contest Week 76.
The image used was, as usual, from my collection of swapped images that I am determined to plough through. It was coloured with Sakura Gelly Rol pens and mounted behind a lilac mulberry paper frame which I overstamped with Rubber Stampede 'Pressed Sprig' in Impress Dye Ink Pad 'Old Rose'. This was then mounted on a strip of deep rose coloured card by DCWV. Lilac spotted satin ribbon from my stash. The lilac paper used behind this and on top of another piece of DCWV card was Basic Grey 'Lilykate'.
The row of rose pink Crystal gems along the bottom were either side of a sentiment by PSX.
The colours have been bleached by the scan which is a shame as they look quite nice in real life and match perfectly.

Butterfly Friend

Still catching up and this one is for Sketch Saturday #40 sponsored by The Craft Barn which was a great sketch with lots of thought needed. With so many papers going on I decided on a rather plain butterfly stamped image that I had in my stash of swaps, it looks as though it has been stamped in irridescent ink, maybe Brilliance. The papers were from a pad of K & Co. 'Roam' and the brown card is Basic Grey. The sentiment is Bo-Bunny Press. The flat backed pearls from my stash. Well at 1 minute past midnight I think it is time to call it a day. :-)

Something to Eat

Well it's sunday and I'm just doing my Penny Black Saturday Challenge #38. I always seem to be playing catch up.
Had quite a few PB food related stamped images so which to choose was the first decision to be made. Seeing as the DT had chosen some of my others I chose the cute little dog which I coloured using my Pro-markers. All papers used were from K & Co. Hopscotch pad. The bottom piece I cut with my Fiskars wide scallop scissors. Ribbon, tag, card and brads from my stash.