And the winner is....

Thanks to all those who took the time to enter my celebration candy...and for all of the lovely comments! I'm sorry that there can only be one winner...

I've just used Random.Org to generate the winning number...so here it is:

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

44 

Timestamp: 2010-05-16 15:05:32 UTC

I make number 44 Sam/Whisper...congratulations!

Please could you email me (helenbrammer@hotmail.com) with your address...and then we can discuss which stamped images you'd like.

Just Cute Bears - Recipe 3,2,1

We have a 3,2,1 recipe challenge for you this week at Just Cute Bears...and the ingredients are:

'3 Brads, 2 Papers & 1 Ribbon'
...and of course a cute bear!

The image I've used is 'Teddy Bear' by Rachelle Anne Miller (for Stampavie), the papers are by BasicGrey (from the 'Figgy Pudding' collection), the snowflake brads are by Dovecraft, and the ribbon is from Poppicrafts.


My lovely Just Cute Bears teamies and our wonderful guest designer Bev, have cooked up some gorgeous creations...so make sure you stop by for more inspiration.

I'll be back later today to announce the winner of my celebration candy...

Celebration Candy!

My candy is now closed...I'll announce the winner on Sunday.

I've been meaning to put together some candy since I went past 30,000 visits to my blog last month...and now I have even more to celebrate...last week I joined the Just Cute Bears and Pile It On! Design Teams...woo-hoo!

So...here's a photo of what's on offer:


Contents:

• 'Queen Bee' 6x6 paper pad by PinkPaislee
• 'Bayberry Cottage' 6x6 paper pad by PinkPaislee
• 35 paper roses (assorted colours)
• 20 white Prima flowers (assorted designs)
• 2 metres white cotton lace (1m each of 2 designs)
• Selection of stamped images (not shown in the photo, as I'll let the winner choose from my stamps)

If you fancy winning these goodies...here's what you need to do:

• Pop a link to my candy on your blog, along with a photo (sidebar is fine)
• Leave a link to your blog with Mr Linky once you've done that
  
• Only one entry per person please
  
• This candy is open to all bloggers with active blogs
  

That's it...

The candy will close at midnight on May 15th...and I'll use Random.Org to choose the winner on May 16th.

Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge - Something Metal

It's Debby's turn to set the Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge this week...and the theme she has chosen is:

'Something Metal'

My metal somethings are brads...there are some ordinary round ones...and a cute little butterfly one that I added to the image (shhh....don't tell on me...but I used a Penny Black stickeroo! lol). The papers are from the 'Sweet Nothings' pad by Papermania, the flowers are from Poppicrafts, and the lace is from Wild Orchid Crafts.


Don't forget to stop by the Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge for more ideas from my fab DT mates.

Don't forget...my candy closes at midnight tonight...so click here to enter...if you haven't already done so.

Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells...

The Penny Black Saturday Challenge is celebrating it's 100th challenge this week...congratulations girls! I've entered every challenge so far...so I just had to join in! There's a fab sketch to follow...incorporating the number '100'...that's such a great idea! I've combined it with the 'Jingle Bells' theme of Susie & Vikki's Christmas Club, and Winter Wonderland's 'Cute Creatures' theme. The image is from the Penny Black 'Christmas Critters' set, and the papers are by BasicGrey ('Eskimo Kisses'). I used my Cuttlebug 'Snowflakes folder for the embossing and 'Ice Crystal' die to cut the large snowflake, from which I've hung a few jingle bells (from Hobbycraft). I'm afraid I did move the sentiment (a Studio G stamp)...I didn't think you'd be able to read it if I stamped it directly on to the paper...and I didn't quite leave enough room to mat and layer it underneath the image...lol!

In the Shed!

It's another Lili of the Valley card today...I think must be addicted! lol This image is called 'In the Shed' - perfect for cards for those trickiest of creatures...men! I followed the sketch from Teddy Stampers...and am also entering this into the following challenges: Cute Card Thursday 'Boyz to Men'; Stampin' for the Weekend 'Card for a Male'; Cards for Men 'Outdoors'; and the Crafty Calendar 'The Great Outdoors'. The paper is by My Mind's Eye (form the '29th Street Market' collection, the raffia lace is from Hobbycraft, and the letters were cut using the Cuttlebug 'Olivia' alphabet.

Pile It On! - Cute & Cuddly

It's time for another challenge over at Pile It On! And this week, the theme is:

'Cute & Cuddly'

We are sponsored this week by Meljen's Designs...who are very generously donating 4 digi stamps as a prize for the lucky winner of this challenge.

For my card, I've used a Lili of the Valley image called 'Thomas - Big Bunch of Flowers'...definitely cute & cuddly! I coloured him using watercolour pencils, and added a touch of sparkle to the flowers with a Sakura Stardust pen. The papers are from the '29th Street Market' collection by My Mind's Eye - I distressed all of the edges, and added some faux stitching with my CutterBee Bug and a white gel pen. I used an EK Success punch for the scalloped border and the sentiment stamp is by Hero Arts (from the 'Fabulous Birthday' set). The flowers are a mixture of Prima, Poppicrafts & Sarah's Cards, and the raffia lace is from Hobbycraft.


Here's a list of the other challenges I've 'Piled On':

• C.R.A.F.T.: Weddings or Birthdays
• Simon Says: Birthdays/Celebrations
  
• Sketch Saturday: Sketch
• Stamp Something: Birthday Somethings
  
• Totally Gorjuss: Pink & Green
• Totally Papercrafts: Stitching
  

Don't forget to stop by and check out the fabulous creations by the rest of the Pile It On! Design Team.

If you haven't already entered...I have candy on offer here.

Just Cute Bears - Multifold Card

The theme for this week's Just Cute Bears Challenge is:

'Multifold Cards'

I decided to make a gatefold card...I wanted to use two of my new Lili of the Valley 'Busy Bears' stamps together. I used 'Busy Baking' on the outside...and 'I Baked a Cake' on the inside. I covered all of the panels of the card with the same cupcake covered paper (from the 'Sweet Nothings' pack by Papermania...perfect for the baking theme...and added just a few pieces of card candy.

Here's the inside of the card:


The sentiment is a Hero Arts stamp (from the 'Fabulous Birthday' set), and I've left plenty of room to add my own message.

Make sure you visit the Just Cute Bears Challenge for more inspiration from my fabulous DT mates, and our lovely guest designer for May...Bev.

And...if you haven't already entered...I have candy here.

Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge - Recipe

This week's Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge is a recipe set by the lovely Christine before she left us. The ingredients are:

'3 Embellishments, 2 Papers & 1 Image'

I've used one of the manga stamps 'Shy Mollie' which are exclusive to the Secret Crafter, as my one image. I watercoloured her to match my two papers...from the 'Penny Lane' glitter stack by My Mind's Eye. The three embellishments I chose are a Papermania pearl brad, and a flower and ribbon from Poppicrafts. The sentiment stamp is from Cuddly Buddly.

Make sure you go and check out what the rest of the Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge DT have cooked up to inspire you.

And, if you haven't already entered...I have candy on offer here.

Little Girls - Swing Time

It's another Lili of the Valley card today...this image is card 'Little Girls - Swing Time'. I followed the sketch from Truly Scrumptious, and have included the optional extra of 'Hidden Messages' on a pull-out tag behind the image. I've also included the themes of a couple of other challenges: Stamp with Fun - 'Friends'; and Totally Gorjuss 'In Stitches'. The papers are by PinkPaislee (from the '365 Degrees' pad)...and they were distressed around the edges, before I added some faux stitching. The flowers are a mixture of Poppicrafts, Prima & Wild Orchid Crafts, and the pearl brad is by Papermania.


Here's a view showing the tag with my hidden message (sentiment stamp from the CCSR by Papermania), which I decorated using some Whiff of Joy swirl stamps:


This card is going to my partner for this month's friendship card swap on the Docrafts forum.

If you haven't already entered...I have candy here.

Deckchair Dreaming

I've used another of my new Lili of the Valley stamps on this card...this adorable ted is called 'Deckchair Dreaming'...and doesn't he look contented!
I followed the Sketch & Stash Challenge sketch, and am also going to enter this card into some other challenges: Lili of the Valley - 'Here Comes Summer'; Pollycraft - 'Here Comes the Sun'; Sweet Stampin' - 'It's Summer Time'; and Spoon Full of Sugar - 'Furry Friends'. The paper is from the 'Abbey Road' collection by My Mind's Eye, the flowers are from Poppicrafts, the ribbon is from Hobbycraft, and the sentiment stamp is by Cuddly Buddly.


Don't forget to check out my candy on offer here on this post.

ABC Christmas Challenge - J is for...

It's Annie's turn to host the ABC Christmas Challenge this fortnight, where the theme is:

'J is for Jingle Bells'

And the optional extra that Annie has chosen for this challenge is to include something 'punched' on your projects.

We are sponsored by the fab Simon Says Stamp Store for this challenge...who have very generously donated a $15 shopping spree for the lucky winner!


I took inspiration from the words of the song 'Jingle Bells' for my card...but I couldn't find any images of anyone riding on a 'one horse open sleigh' amongst my stash...so I've used this adorable sledging digi stamp called 'Roocat Sliding' by Prairie Fairy that I won a few weeks ago. The glittered papers are from the 'Wonderful Winter' stack by My Mind's Eye, the sentiment stamp is by Studio G, and the little jingle bells (tied on to the ribbon) are from Hobbycraft. I used my Cuttlebug 'Ice Crystal' die to cut the big snowflake...which I then coated with lots of Glamour Dust...and I used my EK Success 'Scalloped Diamond' punch to make the scalloped border underneath the horizontal panel across the centre.

I followed the sketch from the Sunday Sketch & Stamp Challenge to make my card...although I flipped it so that Roocat was facing into the card.

Don't forget to check out the fab 'Jingly' cards by the rest of the ABC Christmas Challenge DT...and see if you made it into the Top 3...or were the lucky prize winner of our last challenge.

Champagne Thomas!

I'll warn you now...I'm having a bit of a Lili of the Valley week this week...this is the first of 4 cards using their images! I treated myself to some of their stamps last week...to celebrate joining the Just Cute Bears DT...well, my excuse was I needed some more cute bear stamps! lol
As you can see...this card doesn't use a bear image...it's 'Thomas - Champagne'...and it's not one of the stamps I bought either...it was sent to me by my lovely friend Pauline...who is celebrating her birthday today...Happy Birthday! I followed the sketch from Sweet Sketch Wednesday, and combined it with the 'Let's Celebrate!' theme of the Corrosive Challenges. The papers are by My Mind's Eye ('Penny Lane' and '29th Street Market'). I used an EK Success border punch for the scalloped border, and the sentiment stamp is by Hero Arts (from the 'Anytime Messages' set).

Christmas Love

After spending all morning working...I decided to treat myself to a little crafting time...well, it is a Bank Holiday!
This card combines quite a few challenges, so I'll list them all at the the end of this post. I've had a couple of Cosmic Shimmer Mist paints for a while, and thought I'd use them to make my own backing paper, as I couldn't find the right colour in amongst my mountain of papers! lol
I sprayed two colours ('Peacock Green' and 'Aqua Lagoon') on to plain white card, then blended them together using a ball of cotton wool. After leaving it to dry, I used my Cuttlebug 'Snowflakes' folder to emboss, and then sanded the raised areas to reveal the white core. The cute image is called 'Christmas Love' by Penny Black, I used my Cuttlebug 'Ice Crystal' die to make the big snowflake, and the scalloped border was made using an EK Success punch.


Challenges:

Bah! Humbug! - Snowflakes
Cute Card Thursday - Make Your Own... (made my own backing papers)
Papertake Weekly - Do Something Different (made my own backing papers)
Penny Black Saturday - Let's Get Punchy
Sketch Saturday - Sketch
Susie & Vikki's Christmas Club - Christmas Stockings

Pile It On! My first DT card!

Woo-hoo!!! I was so excited last week to be asked to join the Pile It On! Design Team!!! As I'm sure that you will have noticed...I'm a challenge addict...but short on crafting time...so I love to combine challenges...so this is my dream DT post! lol

The theme for this week's challenge is:

'Boyish Colours'

I've used a Whipper Snapper stamp called 'Balancing Act'...watercoloured to match the My Mind's Eye 'Spider's Web' papers. The sentiment stamp is by Hero Arts (it's from the 'Cupcakes' set). I used inks and my distressing tool to distress all of the edges.

As this the idea is to Pile On the challenges...the other challenges I'm entering this card into are:

• Allsorts - Animals
• Colour Create - Burnt Orange, Black & Cream
  
• Crafty Catz - Spots
• Create4Fun - Sketch
• Quixotic - How Distressing!
• Stampavie & More - Distressing
• Your Next Stamp - Going Dotty

For more inspiration...don't forget to check out the cards by the rest of the fab Pile It On! DT...some of whom are showcasing images from the sponsor of this week's challenge...Instyle Stamps.

Just Cute Bears - Buttons & Bows

This is my first card as a member of the Just Cute Bears DT...where our challenge for you this week is:

'Buttons & Bows'

I used an adorable Lili of the Valley image (sent to me by my lovely friend Pauline...thank you!) called 'Teddy with Flower'. The paper is from the 'Penny Lane' glitter pad by My Mind's Eye and I used an EK Success border punch to make the scalloped border. The ribbon & buttons are from my stash.

Don't forget to visit the Just Cute Bears Challenge blog for more inspiration from the fab DT...and our fabulous guest designer for May...Bev.

I shall be back later...with another DT card...

Yummy Candy!

A couple of candy alerts for you:

The lovely Rach (so pleased you're back...we missed you!) is celebrating her return to blogland with some delicious candy...which I'm sure you've all seen by now...but just in case you haven't, here's a photo:

You'll have to be quick if you want to be in with a chance of winning...as it closes at 10pm tonight.

And, Claire has fabulous candy on offer to celebrate her 40th birthday (Happy Birthday for last Friday!)...

Claire's candy closes Sunday May 16th.

Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge - Friendship

This week's Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge has been set by Cathy...and she has chosen the theme of:

'Friendship'

For my card, I thought I'd go with 'Man's best friend'...well in the case of this adorable Sugar Nellie image it's 'Boy's Best Friend'! lol
I watercoloured it to match the BasicGrey 'Archaic' papers, distressed the edges, and added a sentiment from the CCSR set by Papermaania.

Don't forget to stop by the Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge for more inspiration form the rest of the DT.

Dream a Dream...

This is my card for this week's Penny Black Saturday Challenge...where the theme is a 'Recipe: 3 Flowers, 2 Buttons, 1 Bow'. I followed the sketch from Sweet Stampin'...or at least I thought I did...I rotated it, and added the flowers in place of the sentiment...but I can see now that I also missed off a bit! lol The image is 'Dream a Dream' by Penny Black, the papers are form the 'Penny Lane' glitter pad by My Mind's Eye, and the flowers are a mixture of Poppicrafts & Prima. I used an EK Success punch for the scalloped border and the buttons (one is the ladybird...and the other is hiding underneath the bow) are from my stash.