Bake a Cake

Virtually everything I've used on today's card is new...and free! The stamps and papers are from a set called 'Bake a Cake' that came with the latest Papercraft Inspirations magazine, and are designed by Jennifer Ellory. I used several of the stamps to create the cake...paper piecing the two tiers, and adding some little pearls to the cake stand, and glitter on the candle's flame. I used the other papers from the pack for the background...carefully cutting out a string of the bunting from one of the sheets. The sentiment stamp is also from the set...then I simply doodled borders around everything using a black gel pen.
 

Challenges for this card:

• A Little Bit Crafty - Celebrate
• Charisma Cardz - Birthdays 
• Creative Inspirations - Celebrations
• Cuttin & Stampin - Anything Goes with Something New (New Papers & New Stamps)
• Kaboodles Doodles - Anything Goes
• Mojo Monday - Sketch #326
• One Crazy Stamper - Anything Goes

Crafty Little Fairies - Starting Over

It's time for a new challenge over at the Crafty Little Fairies...and seeing as it's our first of 2014, the theme is:

'Starting Over'

(New Home/Baby/Job etc)

The sponsor this week is:

The Ribbon Girl

Prize - a £10 voucher to spend at The Ribbon Girl!

It's not actually my team's week...but I'd made a card at the weekend that was perfect for the theme...so couldn't resist playing along :0)

I've made a 'New Baby' card...and used a new stamp too...it's by All Night Media, but doesn't have  name on it. I simply coloured the nappy pins using watercolour pencils in various pastel shades so the card is suitable for either a baby boy or a baby girl. I used my trusty Cuttlebug 'Swiss Dots' folder for the embossing...distressing the edges a little. The sentiment stamp is from a set by Art Impressions, the ribbon is the last scrap of a piece that I think came from the Ribbon Reel, and the Card Candi is by Craftwork Cards.

I'm also entering this card into the following challenges:

• Chocolate, Coffee & Cards - New Beginnings
• C.R.A.F.T. - Anything Goes
• Cuttin & Stampin - Anything Goes with Something New (New Stamp)
• Little Red Wagon - New Beginnings
• Shopping Our Stash - Use the last of something (Ribbon - I had hoped to tie a bow, but there wasn't enough left for that!)
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Something New (New Stamp & New Baby)
• Sweet Stamps - Something New (New Stamp & New Baby)

For more inspiration from my lovely DT buddies, please pop over to the Crafty Little Fairies Challenge.

Favourite Five Cards of 2013

Happy New Year! 

I hope that 2014 treats you all well! :0)

I thought I'd start this year by playing along with the lovely Debby, and show you my favourite five cards of last year:

Most of them seem to be CAS in style...I made plenty of non-CAS cards too...but it was the CAS ones that leapt out at me as I went through last year's cards. As with my Favourite Christmas Cards, I've linked all of the photos to the original blog posts so that you can click through for all the info should you want.

The first one uses one of my favourite Penny Black stamps ('Bunny Friends')...I cut them out of their flower pots on this one...I love that this stamp is so versatile!

I had lots of fun making the second of my choices...I don't like ice cream, but this card still appeals to me!

The next card was also a bit of an experiment...and I love how it turned out!

My final CAS card is similar to one of my favourite Christmas cards...love the watercolour effect background...it's a Christmas stamp ('Snow Dust') but I masked off the snow before stamping.

And I had to include a non-CAS cute card somewhere in the mix...this one is quite recent (from last week in fact!)...but I just love this cute chappie...and the bright colours.

I'm sneaking in a cheeky sixth creation...I think that this nappy cake that I made for a friend is my favourite thing I've made this year...it was a labour of love, but it was worth it as my friend loved it so much that she didn't dismantle it for a couple of months after her daughter was born!

Hedge Delivery

I've used another new stamp on today's card...he's called 'Hedge Delivery' by Penny Black...so cute, although I'm not sure how his other foot is managing to reach the other pedal! I coloured him to match the 'So Sophie' paper by My Mind's Eye...and added some doodled borders. The sentiment stamp is from the 'Fabulous Birthday' set by Hero Arts, the twine is by Papermania, and the Card Candi is by Craftwork Cards.

Challenges for this card:

• Craft Your Passion - Something New (Stamp) 
• Creative Craft - Anything Goes
• Sketch Saturday - Sketch #290
• Totally Gorjuss - New (Stamp)

Simple Sympathy

I have the other two cards I made for my Mum to show you today...a couple of simple  sympathy cards using a new sentiment stamp (by Anita's) I received for Christmas. On the first one I used the watercolour technique with my 'Agapanthus Clusters' stamp (by Stampendous) and some Distress Inks ('Faded Jeans' & 'Forest Moss'). I blended a little 'Bundled Sage' and 'Stormy Sky' over the top at the base of the card before stamping the sentiment.

On the second card, I used butterfly stamps from the 'Social Butterfly' set by Penny Black and more Distress Inks ('Shaded Lilac' and 'Dusty Concord'), stamping on to linen textured card. This time I masked off the flower image from the sentiment stamp and distressed the edges a little.

Challenges for these cards:

• Creative Knockouts - Anything Goes
• Less is More - Week 79 'Blue & Green' (First Card) & Week 16 'Butterflies' & Week 18 'Monochrome' (Second Card)
• Kaboodles Doodles - Anything Goes
• Stamping Sensations - Free & Easy

Ruffles - A Present for You!

It's been nearly a month and a half since I made a non-Christmas card, so I had a little non-festive crafting session yesterday and made a few cards that my Mum had requested. Today's card is a birthday card for a little boy's third birthday next month. The image is 'Ruffles - a present for you' by Helz Cuppleditch, which I coloured using watercolour pencils to match the papers from the 'Party Day' pad by Crate Paper. I cut a few circles out of the papers to make 'balloons'...adding some Papermania twine held in place with a BasicGrey brad for their strings, and popped them up on 3D foam pads. I doodled borders using a black gel pen, and added a sentiment from the 'Anytime Messages' set by Hero Arts.

Challenges for this card:

• Challenges 4 Everybody - Anything Goes
• Crafty Sentiments - Birthdays
• Creative Card Crew - Anything Goes
• Cute Card Thursday - Anything Goes
• Here Come the Boys - Anything Goes
• Hiding in my Craft Room - Anything but Holiday
• Papertake Weekly - Pick of the Year (I went for 'Hello Boys!' from June 11th)
• Pink Elephant - Anything Goes
• Seize the Birthday - Birthdays
• Stampin' for the Weekend - Anything Goes
• Sweet Stamps - Anything Goes
• That Craft Place - Anything Goes
• The Squirrel & the Fox - Anything Goes
• Tuesday Morning Sketches - Anything Goes
• Whimsy Inspires - Party Time

Favourite Christmas Cards 2013

I'm joining in with my lovely PBSC DT buddy Debby's favourite cards of the year again. This week we're all sharing our Favourite Five Christmas Cards/Projects:

I found it quite difficult to choose just five cards/projects...but I whittled it down to just five in the end...I've linked each one to their original posts where you can find out more details about the products used.

I have a bit of a weakness for James the Bear...and picked this card because it also shows my all time favourite embossing folder...Cuttlebug 'Snowflakes'.

I tried to make more flat (cheap to post!) cards this year...and this was one of my favourites...simple & quick to make too...and I just had to include and Penny Black stamp somewhere in my favourites!

This one was quite a recent make...I love this Lili of the Valley snowman...and the papers were amongst my favourites too...I also got rather addicted to making felt snowflakes!

It's another Lili of the Valley stamp...but I just had to include this one as it uses my favourite papers (again!)...and it's in my favourite colour!

My last favourite is my advent calendar I made from matchboxes...I just love this..not least because it gave me chocolates every day! ;0)

Oh....and before I go...here's a photo of our Christmas cake...it was a really family effort this year...my Nan baked the cake, I covered it with marzipan and did the icing, then my Mum and Dad made the decorations...it's covered with edible glitter to make the icing 'snow' all sparkly!
 

This photo was taken several days ago...and I can confirm that it tastes delicious! :0)

ABC Christmas Challenge - Z is for...

Happy Christmas everyone! 

Over at the ABC Christmas Challenge, we don't stop for Christmas...so we have a new challenge starting today...we've reached the end of the alphabet, so our theme this fortnight is:

'Z is for Zany'

(Use a funny/humorous image on your projects)

Our sponsor for this challenge is:

 I've used a Penny Black stamp called 'Snowboard Ride'...well, nothing says Christmas better than a snowboarding chicken...right??? I simply coloured the image using watercolour pencils, added a Lili of the Valley sentiment, then pierced a few holes in each corner before mounting it on to the card blank using 3D foam pads.

I'm also entering this card into the following challenges:

• Aud Sentiments - Christmas
• Bunny Zoe's - Wings
• Creative Corner - Clean & Simple
• Less is More - Pick a Previous Challenge (I went with #147 Christmas Birds as I didn't have time to play along with this one, and love my PB Christmas Chickens!)
• Totally Gorjuss - Quick Christmas

For more inspiration from my lovely DT buddies, please pop over to the ABC Christmas Challenge.

Oldie but a Goodie Challenge - Checks or Tartan

We have a new Oldie but a Goodie Challenge starting today...the theme is:

'Checks or Tartan'

The prize for this challenge is a fab stamp donated by my lovely DT buddy Sarah:

I used an old favourite stamp of mine called 'Reindeer Pup' by Penny Black, and several checked papers from the 'Christmas in the Country' pad by Papermania. I distressed the edges of the papers, and added fauz stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a white gel pen, then simply added some brown adhesive pearls.

I'm also entering this card into the following challenges:

• Charisma Cardz - Anything Goes 
• Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas - Last Minute Christmas Cards
• Creative Inspirations - Anything Goes
• Loves Rubber Stamps - Holiday Blitz Anything Goes
• Stamping with the Dragon - Last Minute Christmas
• Sunday Sketch & Stamp - Sketch #185
• Wags 'N Whiskers - Christmas

For more inspiration from my lovely DT buddies, please pop over to the Oldie but a Goodie Challenge.

Chocolate Wreath!

I have another foodie item to show you today...a Quality Street wreath:

I made a couple of these last year, and salvaged the polystyrene wreaths after the chocolates had all been enjoyed to make them again this year. I attached the chocolates using a hot glue gun...did the back this time too, so managed to fit almost a whole tub of chocolates on each wreath!

Challenges sfor this wreath:

• Crafty Creations - Anything Goes
• Fussy & Fancy - Chocolate
• Stampavie & More - Christmas Decorations
• The Squirrel & the Fox - Christmas or Hanukkah

Crafty Little Fairies Challenge - Anything Goes!

This week at the Crafty Little Fairies Challenge we have our last challenge of the year...this one is going to run for two weeks. All of the fairies are playing along, and we have a super easy theme for you:

'Anything Goes!'

We have two fabulous prizes on offer from our lovely sponsors:

Prize - 4 images from Delicious Doodles!

and:

Prize - a £7.50 oucher to spend at Hobbycutz!

I'm still in Christmas card mode...and made a quick set using my Penny Black '12 Days of Christmas' stamps:

As the stamps are quite small, I used little 4x4 card blanks...simply stamping each image with it's co-ordinating sentiment, colouring with watercolour pencils, and doodling a border:

I'm also entering these cards into the following challenges:

• Created with Love - Christmas
• Jingle Belles - Wrap-Up (I've already sent most of my cards so couldn't photograph them all together...so here are some quick last minute ones instead...these take my total for the year up to 107!)
• Less is More - 12 Days of Christmas
• Sweet Stampin' - Last Minute Christmas

For more inspiration from my lovely DT buddies, please pop over to the Crafty Little Fairies Challenge.

Foodie Gifts & Washi Tape Wrapping

I've got something a little different to show you today...some foodie gifts:

From Left to Right: 

Olives marinated in oil with rosemary, thyme, garlic & coriander; 

Mixed nuts spiced with allspice, cayenne pepper, mustard & cumin; 

and Olives marinated in oil with basil, lemon & chilli

(The pretty jars are from TKMaxx...and I made some simple tags using a Sizzix die and some Hobbycraft washi tape, held on with twine (also from Hobbycraft).

I decorated a box to match to put everything in: 

Challenges for these items:

• 4 Crafty Chicks - Food & Drink
• Craft Your Passion - Christmas (Anything but a Card)
• Crafting for all Seasons - Christmas Anything but a Card
• Crafty Catz - Anything Goes
• Crimbo Crackers - Anything but a Card
• Dream Valley - Christmas
• Inky Chicks - Christmas
• Love to Create - Anything Goes
• Sparkles Christmas - Feasts & Treats

Crafty Little Fairies Challenge - Let it Snow

It's my first challenge as one of the Crafty Little Fairies, and this week the theme is:

'Let it Snow'

We have two fabulous prizes on offer this week:

 from:

and

the Ribbon Girl:

I've used the Lili of tyhe Valley 'Snowman' and My Mind's Eye 'Winter Wonderland' papers to make a bright and cheerful card. I coloured him using watercolour pencils, then added some sparkle using Stickles. The felt snowflake was cut using my Cuttlebug 'Ice Crystal' die...I added a Dovecraft spotty button threaded with some Baker's Twine from the Ribbon Girls to the centre. The sentiment stamp is by Penny Black.

I'm also entering this card into the following challenges:

• Crafty Calendar - Cold & Frosty
• Heck of a Challenge - Colourful Christmas
• Simon Says Stamp - Let it Snow
• Stamping Sensations - Free & Easy

For more inspiration from my lovely DT buddies, please pop over to the Crafty Little Fairies Challenge.