ACB Challenges - R is for Red

Just a very quick reminder that my candy closes today!! If you want to enter just click the pic link on the side -->
or click HERE

Well it's Wednesday and that means a new letter on ABC Challenges . This week it's R is for Red and our sponsor for this challenge is Stretch N' Bubbles

  and they are very generously donating 4 digi images of the winner's choice for the prize. Check out some of the other ladies projects with some samples from the store.

I used a sweet CC Designs image and coloured her with distress inks. The gorgeous heart doily was an ebay find and a bargain!!

The sentiment is a Studio G, and there is some release news over on Marti's blog. If you are a collecter of Studio G's you don't wanna miss them!!

I added some stickles to the basket of eggs and on my flowers. The organza ribbon is from my stash.

Thanks for visiting today. Please do pop by my teamies blogs to see their wonderful creations and don't forget to enter the challenge to be in with a chance of winning some fabby digi images.

I'm also entering into Papertake Weekly's Challenge wich is an open theme this week, as it's Easter :) 

Have a great day and happy crafting!!

Crafty Angels - Easter Acetate Box Tutorial

Good morning! Our theme over on Crafty Angels this week is Easter and today I have an acetate Easter gift box to share. I actually remembered to take pics of each stage to show you how I did it... a little tutorial :)

These make great gifts and are not all that difficult to do.

I started with an acetate box that I got last year from Pez-A-Doodle Designs. I decided on using some of the gorgeous spring Magnolia Papers and a Bildmalarna image called Little Mimosa. I had planned on using the Studio G sentiments as in the picture but by the time I got to the end I'd changed my mind and used a sentiment from the CC Designs kit. 

I started by adhering the Vintage Yellow Quilt paper on first leaving it just a shade shorter than the box. The box was just over 4" tall so I cut my paper at exactly 4". Then I added the Daffodil paper, this I cut at 2.5". 

I got some plain white card and used the MS Doily Lace punch to make a decorative border. I slipped in under all 4 sides of the daffodil paper. 

I used some cotton lace all around the top, just a tiny bit under the line of the Vintage Yellow Quilt.

Next I started on my image. I stamped using Staz-On which I find works well with watercolouring. I know a lot of people use Versafine for watercolouring but I've never had a problem with Staz-On. 

I used TH distress inks, both reinkers and pads, and a watertank brush. Instead of using a tissue to wipe my brush in between colours and shading I use a baby wipe as I find it better for taking the colour off my brush. 

I cut my image out and used 3D pop dots to stick her on to the front of the box. The sentiment is stamped using Rich Cocoa momento ink and I've distressed the background using tattered rose and antique linen. I also adhered it to the box with pop dots.

The next step had to be done VERY quickly as there are kids around and they can smell chocolate within 200yds!! I used a selection of Easter chocolates that I bought in Aldi last week. I knew they'd be perfect for Easter projects like this :) 

Fill up the box, close in the flaps and presto... one very cute Easter gift for someone special :)

I am entering into a few challenges:
Allsorts Challenge - 'Rags to Riches' ( alter something)
Fussy and Fancy Friday - Easter
Roses on Paper - Punch It
Charisma Cardz - Spring has Sprung
Cute Card Thursday - Dimensions
Sew Many Challenges - Punch It

I've  never entered so many challenges with one card before, lol. It's kinda fun!!

Thanks for popping in and I hope you enjoyed my little tutorial. Don't forget to check out the other DT ladies blogs to see what wonderful creations they've been making. 

Have a very happy Monday

Sandie

xXx

Stamp Something.. with Doodles!!

Good morning bloggers!! TGIF, yeah?! Today is a really busy one for me. I have one kiddo home from school with sore throat and a nasty cough and another to take to the orthodontist. Of course hubby is out of town today so I get the pleasure of rushing for the 5 school runs too, ick!! 4 kids, 3 different schools, 3 different start times and 3 different end times.. makes for fun day, lol. 

This week's theme on Stamp Something is Doodle Somethings.. (way to take me right out of my comfort zone, I had palpitations doing this one, lol!!) Eventually I settled on some doodled flowers and a handwritten sentiment.

My sweet little image is Daisy with Dolly. She has been coloured with distress inks and the background shaded with both Antique Linen and Tattered Rose. My papers and ribbon are from Making Memories. I used a MS Doily Lace punch for the borders and inked them with Vintage Photo. The image is adhered to my card with 3D pop dots to give dimension. 

We are again being sponsored by our regular monthly sponsor...

Simon Says Stamp

and the prize on offer for our lucky winner is a $25 store coupon!! With over 100,000 products in stock you will find that you are spoiled for choice!!

This is also another entry into the Color Create challenge whose theme is Pastel plus Spring and Cute Card Thursday who are asking for Dimension.

Just a quick reminder that my candy ends next Wed, March 31st. 

PaperPlay meets Mo's Pencil

Good morning!! It's a wet one here today and I have a kiddo home sick again. He was the only one who had escaped it on the last round :( 

My card today is my DT project for PaperPlay Challenges. This week our theme is quite obvious.. Easter!!

I am also entering into Mo's Digital Pencil Sketch Challenge as... eh, I used their sketch, lol. 

I had bought this Savannah on Easter image a while back but hadn't got to use it so this week's theme was just the perfect opportunity to print her out (I'm lovin' my printer!!) I coloured my image with both copic markers and distress inks. I added some stickles for glimmer on the trim of her dress and around the sentiment. I used a paper doily as the scalloped circle behind my image. 

The papers are by Magnolia, from the Spring collection and I edged them with vintage photo distress ink.

Other challenges I'm entering with this card are:

Stamp with Fun - Easter

Simon Says - Easter and Glimmer

Color Create - Pastel and Spring/Easter
Charisma Cardz - Spring

Thanks for stopping by. I am off to give another round of meds and hugs to my poor little man.

Have a great day and happy crafting.

Sketch Saturday meets Whiff of Joy

Good morning and happy Tuesday. I am in the midst of a long overdue re-decorating of my house this week.. taking it one room at a time. I still can't believe Easter is almost upon  us. The kids will be out of school for 2 weeks starting this Friday and they are thrilled about it, lol.  The year so far has just flown by in a blur. If you haven't entered my candy yet, just click the picture link on the sidebar to take you to the post. You have until Mar 31st to enter :)

Now, on to the reason you are here, lol.

The challenge over on Whiff of Joy this week is to make an easel card ...

...and there is a fabulous sketch on Sketch Saturday for you to try. 

I used K & Company's Classic K Bailey papers with cream cardstock. I absolutely love these K&Co. papers, gorgeous muted colours that take ink so beautifully. I made the border using the MS Doily Lace punch. All of my papers have been distressed with Antique Linen and my image background has been shaded using both Antique Linen and Tattered Rose. I used distress inks to colour my sweet image and, as always, I've added stickles to the wings.

I punched out some pine leaves, inked them and added stickles to the leaves, and my flowers. The flowers and heart pin are from Wild Orchid Crafts. I threaded the button twice with scrappers floss and tied it off into an X, then I mounted it on a 3D pop dot. My image is also on 3D dots. The lace is from my stash and the pearl swirl is part of a much bigger Prima swirl, I just snip off pieces for my cards as I need them :)

For anyone who follows Katharina's blog, you will know that she holds a guest DT call for her Whiff of Joy store every 2mths, on the 16th. 1-3 guest designers will be selected to showcase the new stamps which will be released over 2mths until the new guest DT is selected. There is a recipe to follow, which is:

• 1 cardstock
• 2 Patterned Papers
• 1 Ribbon
• 1 Button

The DT call ends this evening at 8pm (GMT+1) so you need to be quick if you want to enter. Good luck xx

Crafty Angels and some challenges.

The Crafty Angels challenge is set by Shirley this week and she would like to see some paperpiecing on your projects. 

I used one of my favourite Tilda's for this one and paperpieced all of her clothing :)

I made an easel card as requested by Just Magnolia Challenges and worked to the Simon Says Stamp sketch over on PaperCraft Planet.

My papers are BG Urban Prairie and I'm also entering into Basic Grey Challenges with their theme Tutti Frutti. 

Thanks for visiting and please do jump over to the Crafty Angels blog this week to play along.

Stamp Something - SFTW and a late PaperPlay...

Morning!! Well it's been .. shall we say ... an 'interesting' few days around here. Thankfully I had my DT projects done in advance (yay for being organised, lol!!) as I doubt I would have had time otherwise. I did miss my PaperPlay Challenges yesterday so I'll start with that today.....

This week we would like to see some Good Luck/Thank You projects. 

We are being sponsored by our very own Elisa, and she is offering 4 digi images from her store MamiDoodles, 3 of which will be new releases and 1 other of your own choosing. 

I am also entering this into the Anyone for Anya Challenge which is Spring Fever, Fussy & Fancy Friday with their theme 'Green' and Simon Says Stamp with A Splash of Green.

Papers: MME Bloom & Grow

Image: The Greeting Farm

Tools: distress ink, stickles

Flowers: Wild Orchid Crafts

Pearls swirl, ribbons & mini tag from my stash

 Stampin' for the Weekend....

... are asking for Easter themed creations!!

This challenge is being sponsored by Wild Rose Studio and the lucky winner will receive two Milton stamps of the their choice.

I made an Easter Basket using  the Spring Baskets template by Waltzing Mouse Stamps.

I also used Claire's Labels 4 nestie compatible stamps on my tag. The sentiment is from Studio G.

I made the handle of my basket using MS Doily punch.

This basket was supposed to be for my mum but has long since been emptied of it's chocolatey contents by a certain little Princess. Apparently Nanny would like cake instead! lol. 

Last but not least ....

Stamp Something

We want to see distressed somethings this week... Create projects with a distressed look either by tearing, inks or some other way. We are being sponsored by Stamp and Create.

My super sweet image is Teddy Hug by Wags n Whiskers and is available on Stamp & Create at 10% off HERE.

Papers: BG Sugar Rush
Image: Wags n Whiskers 'Bear Hug'
Tools: MS Heartlace punch, Nesties Labels 4, Cuttlebug, Distress inks
Pearls, lace & mini tag from stash
Lace: Ebay

Phew!! That was certainly a long and picture heavy post. If you have made it this far thank you for visiting me today and don't forget to enter your name for my candy which ends on March 31st. Click HERE to go to it :)

Have a wonderful weekend
Sandie
xXx

Waltzing Mouse Blog Hop!!

 This is my 2nd post today, please scroll down for my ABC Challenges DT card :)

For those of you who haven't heard about Waltzing Mouse Stamps here is a little snippet..

"My name is Claire Brennan and I design and produce clear photopolymer stamps, oh and make a few samples!! I live and work in Northern Ireland and I'm a huge fan of Christmas!
We release new stamps every month, check out the blog for competitions, prizes and lots of inspiration!!"

Claire also designs and sells the most wonderful nestie compatible stamps. Check them out HERE!! 

On to the blog hop.... Claire generously created some digi images and gave them out FREE for today's hop. All you had to do was make a project using the images and post a link to your card/lo/etc on her brand new forum. It only takes a minute to sign up if you're not already a member. The thread for posting a link to your project is open from 10pm (GMT). You can check your time HERE

My card... I coloured my image using Distress Inks.

I'm also entering into the Simon Says Stamp Challenge who are asking for St. Patrick's Day/Splash of Green projects.

The fun doesn't stop there... there's also a Leprechaun Hunt!!  

(My little homemade leprechaun charm is NOT part of Claire's DT hunt.)

Here's what Claire has to say..
 "We're having a Leprechaun hunt!!! lol

The DT will be playing along with the blog hop and some of the ladies may or may not have hidden a leprechaun, or two, or more, in their blog hop photos!! You'll have to be on your toes; he might be big, he might be small, he will be in several places all at once!

As you go through the hop, be sure to take note of where you see the leprechauns!!! then when you have finished hopping you can post the number of Leprechauns you have spotted in the general blog hop chat thread!

A random winner will be picked from the folks who get the number correct!! lol, The winner will be chosen on Saturday night, my time, to allow folks to have time to take part. The winner will receive a free stamp set of their choice!!"

I already know which set I want if I win :D 

So what are you waiting for.. download the stamps here, whizz up a card, layout, etc and link it up on the forum!!

Papers: MME Bloom & Grow & bazzil cardstock
Shamrock Image: Waltzing Mouse Stamps
Leprechaun & Date Images: Studio G Stamps
Tools: Distress inks, MS Doily Punch, Glossy Accents.
TH Trinket Pin & Ribbon from stash

ABC Challenges - Q for Quotation

Hi everyone and Happy St. Patrick's Day!!! We are off into town soon to watch the parade and have some lunch out. My 6yr old is participating in the parade with his school so there is a lot of excitement, lol.

Today I am sharing my first DT card for ABC Challenges :) 

The theme is Q is for Quotation and we are being sponsored by Daisy May Designs.

My quotation is from Tim Holtz's 'Good Thoughts'. I stamped it using Rich Cocoa Momento ink and cut it out using the curved rectangle nestabilities. I distressed the background with Brushed Cordoroy, edged with Vintage Photo and added stickles to the outline.

I also added stickles to the heart and when they had dried I applied a layer of crackle accents. Love the effect it created.

The butterfly is punched using my x-cut 3D punch. More stickles on the butterfly and flowers. The lace is another ebay find :)

Close-up of the quotation...

and another view just for good measure, lol.

Papers: Cosmo Cricket "Earth Love"
Sentiment: Tim Holtz
Tools: MS Doily punch, X-cut 3D Butterfly punch, McGill Pine Leaf Punch
TH Distress Inks, Stickles, Curved Rectangle Nestabilities, Cuttlebug
Lace: Ebay

Thanks so much for visiting me today, please do hop over to my teamies blogs to see their wonderful work. 
Have a wondeful St. Patrick's Day and HAPPY CRAFTING :)

Stamp Something - Green & Cream, An Award and Some News!!

Good morning!! Well as the title of this post suggests, I have quite a bit to share today. 

First is my Stamp Something DT project.  This week our theme is Green & Cream and we are being sponsored by Bunny Zoe Crafts.

and the prize up for grabs is a Tilda Coloring Egg stamp from the Hoppy Easter Magnolia Stamp Collection and the wonderful Bow Easy tying tool. ( I seriously want that bow easy.. can I enter?? lol)

I used Magnolia's Sweet Tilda for my card. She is available on Bunny Zoe Crafts HERE. I've coloured her using distress inks and added a little dot of inkessentials gel pen to highlight her cheeks. 

I followed the sketch over on Magnolia-licious Highlites, added a charm as requested by Creative Inspirations, handmade my flowers for Crafty Creations and it also fits into the Fussy and Fancy Friday challege "Green".

My papers are also from Magnolia and I have edged them with forest moss distress ink. I added some cotton lace and tied ribbon over it then I placed 2 pins down into the bow securing them underneath with glossy accents. 

hmm, I recently saw a tutorial on how to do these handmade flowers.. I will search for it and post a link. The wonderful Michelle showed me how to make them :) So simple! 

Please don't forget to pay my teamies a visit and leave them some love. Links are over there -->

********************

I am honoured to accept this wonderful award from Nilla. 

I need to pass it on to 6 other ladies whose blogs I really enjoy..

Mandy

Evonne

Jeanette

Jacqui

Heather

Kellie

************************

Now my news!! 

The wonderful ladies over on ABC Challenges have invited me to join their DT as a permanent member!! My first submission will be next Wednesday,  March 17th and I am so excited! Please do check it out, I'm sure you won't be disappointed :)