Mint Chocolate Cupcake...

No...this one isn't edible...but I just had to make something using some of the stash I bought on my trip to craft heaven A.K.A. The Glitter Pot with Kaz & Samantha on Tuesday. I've never seen so many Penny Black stamps all in one place...it's what I imagine my friend Squirrel's craft room to look like! ;0)
Here's a photo of my little haul:

I've been a little obsessed with cupcakes...both real, and crafty...so I had to grab a set of the Marianne Designs Creatables 'Cupcakes' dies, and also a 'Cupcakes' embossing folder by Craft Concepts when I saw them. I had a little play with them at Kaz's afer we'd shopped, but didn't have time to assemble my card, so have finished that off this morning. The papers are both by Doodlebug (I think...not sure, as they're not mine!), and the card is Bazzill...I'm rather disappointed that the Papermania 'Kraft' card blanks aren't quite the same shade of brown as Bazzill 'Kraft', but they're a much better weight than the older flimsy Papermania cards! Oh, and I also used some of my new Card Candi.

Challenges for this card:

• Creative Craft - Embossing
• Moving Along with the Times - Mmmm...Chocolate

I'm going to have a play with some of my other new goodies this afternoon...so hopefully I'll have something else to show you tomorrow.

ABC Christmas Challenge - H is for...

Welcome back to another ABC Christmas Challenge, where this week we have a fabby technique themed challenge for you all:

'H is for Hotspot'

Our sponsor for this challenge is Simon Says Stamp, and the prize is a $ 15 shopping Voucher to spend in their shop!

And...if that's not enough to tempt you...we are having a Guest Designer call on this challenge, so if you fancy joining us ABC Christmas girls next month, make sure you join in.

I've never tried the 'Hotspot' technique before...and if it's new to you too, my lovely DT member Dorte has made a fabulous step-by-step tutorial to guide you through it. I've used a Penny Black stamp from the 'Jolly Friends' set. I coloured the 'Hotspot' with watercolour pencils, then cut it out using on of my Nesties, and mounted it on the uncoloured version using 3D foam. The papers are from the '29th Street Market' collection by My Mind's Eye...and I distressed all of the edges using my distressing tool. I used my Cuttlebug 'Snowflakes' folder to emboss the reverse of one of the papers, then sanded over the raised areas to reveal the white core.

Here's a close-up of the 'Hotspot':

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

• Crafty Catz - Embossing
• Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas - Circles
• Sketchy Thursday - Sketch
• The Stamp Man - Embossing

My DT buddies have really excelled themselves this week, so please stop by the ABC Christmas Challenge for more inspiration.

Recipe Book

This is one of the presents I made for a friend of mine for her birthday last week...it's an altered notebook - I bought the blank notebook from The Craft Barn. She likes to cook...like me...and I thought that this would be good for jotting down recipes...so I used 'Busy Baking' by Lili of the Valley (coloured using watercolour pencils). The spotty paper is from the 'Wild Asparagus' collection by My Mind's Eye, and I used my Cuttlebug 'Olivia' alphabet to cut the lettering. I distressed all of the edges with ink, and once I'd attached it to the front of the notebook, and covered the back in some of the same paper, sealed it all with a few layers of matte finish Mod Podge.

Challenges for this project:

• Crafter's Companion - Aqua & Brown 
• Spoon Full of Sugar - All Creatures Great & Small
• Totally Gorjuss - Fluffy
• Totally Stampalicious - Anything Goes

I'm so excited...I'm off to The Glitter Pot today...it's been one of my favourite online shops since I first started crafting, but I've never actually been to the shop before..and if that wasn't enough...I'm meeting up with two lovely crafting buddies...Samantha & Kaz...can't wait to see you both!!!

Boing!!! Boing!!! Boing!!!

I have another Easter card to share today...this one uses 'Spring Bunnies' by Hambo digi stamps...I love their springy shoes! The papers are from the 'Hippity Hoppity' pad by We R Memory Keepers, and I used my EK Success 'Scalloped Diamonds' punch along the bottom of the card, and under the central strip of paper.

Challenges for this card:

• Card Patterns - Sketch
• Creative Inspirations (Sundays) - Easter
• Die Cut Dreams - Easter
• If the Shoe Fits...Scrap It! - Spring
• Pink Elephant - Easter

Pile It On! Challenge - Say it in Style!

The theme of this week's Pile It On! Challenge is:

'Say it in Style!'

(Your saying has to have sparkles, rhinestones, pearls or bling galore)

Our sponsor for this challenge is Pizzazz Aplenty...who have put together a fabulous prize package containing gems, pearls, rhinestones and more worth over $10!

I decided not to include an image on my card, and made the sentiment the focal point. I don't really have any large sentiment stamps, so created mine using my word processing software, and printed it directly on to my card blank (please don't look too closely...my printer really hates card, so it's a little patchy). Then I went a little mad with adhesive gems!

Here are the challenges that I've Piled On!:

• Pile It On! - Say it in Style
• Cardmakin' Mamas - Embellish It
• Creative Cottage - White/Blank Space
• Less is More - One Layer Card with a Sentiment as the Focal Point
• Papertake Weekly - Anything Goes

Please visit the Pile It On! Challenge for more inspiration from my lovely DT buddies.

Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge - Our Feathered Friends

It's Andie's turn to set the theme of the Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge this week, and she chose:

'Our Feathered Friends'

I chose to use another of the adorable Pollycraft digis that I won recently...this one is called 'Follow the leader'. I coloured it using watercolour pencils to match the zesty colours of the 'Hippity Hoppity' papers by We R Memory Keepers. The sentiment is a Hero Arts stamp, but I masked and stamped the words individually so that it would fit in a circle, which I cut out using my Nesties (available here at the Secret Crafter). I used my EK Success 'Scalloped Diamonds' punch for the border, and a scrap of ribbon from my stash over the top of it.

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

• Creative Fridays - Easter
• Creative Insprations (Wednesdays) - Punches & Dies
• If the Shoe Fits...Scrap It! - Spring
• Raise the Bar - Hey Chick!
• Simon Says Stamp - Spring Colours
• Stampin for the Weekend - Easter
• Sweet Sketch Wednesday - Sketch

For more inspiration, please check out the fabulous cards by my lovely DT buddies over at the Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge.

And the winner is....

I've just pressed the button on Random.Org...and the winner of my 1000th post mystery mini candy is:

#21 - Dragonlady

Congratulations! Please email me with your full postal address by 10pm (BST) on Thursday 14th April to claim your prize. Thank you to everyone who helped me celebrate my 1000th post by entering my candy! :0)

Easter Bunnies

Hippity Hop...I have Easter bunnies for you today...these ones are from the 'Bunny Friends' stamp by Penny Black...I love masking off parts of this stamp and using just one or two of the bunnies. I've used my favourite papers of the moment 'Hippity Hoppity' by We R Memory Keepers, the colours are just perfect for 'Springy' cards. The sentiment is Hero Arts (although I masked and stamped the words individually), the flowers are Wild Orchid Crafts, and I used some dew drops that have been knocking around in my craft box for ages, in their centres.

Challenges for this card:

• C.R.A.F.T. - Animals/Pets
• Dutch Dare - Spring has Sprung
• Everybody Art - Easter
• For Fun - Bunnies
• Paper Sundaes - Spring Blossoms
• PaperPlay - Critters Galore
• Penny Black Saturday - Sketch
• Sundays with Crissy - Spring is in the Air

I'm off out to run some errands, and enjoy a bit of the glorious sunshine we're enjoying today, but I'll be back later with the winner of my 1000th post mystery candy.

Mmmmm....cupcakes!

No card from me today...but I haven't been slacking, I've spent the day baking cupcakes for a party tonight:

There are three flavours: Lemon (with lemon curd in the centre); Blueberry (with blueberry jam in the middle); and Chocolate...yummy! I made a dozen of each...and this was my first attempt at piping the frosting on with a piping bag...so please don't look too closely! lol

The party is for the evening class I teach called The Broken Consort...it's their end of term concert tonight...and judging by the programme (which had me almost tearing my hair out yesterday, trying to figure out how to print it in a booklet form!) it's going to be a bit of a marathon, so we'll be in desperate need of refreshment by the time we're finished!

Teddy Christmas

It's been a whole week since I uploaded my last Christmas card, so I thought it was about time I showed you another. I've used an adorable Lili of the Valley teddy called 'Present Pile', which I coloured with watercolour pencils, then added some 'Crystal' Stickles to the fur trim on his hat for a bit of sparkle. The papers are from the 'Countdown to Christmas' pad by My Mind's Eye...they're really sparkly, but I couldn't get it to show in the photo. The snowflakes were cut using a mixture of Cuttlebug and Marianne Creatables dies...then coated with more Stickles.

Challenges for this card:

• Charisma Cardz - Sparkle & Bling
• Craft Your Days Away - Spots & Stripes
• Crafts & Me - Glitter
• Sketchy Colours - Sketch
• Winter Wonderland - Teddy's Christmas

Pink Party Princess

I have a VERY pink card to show you today...I've used a Sugar Nellie Gorjuss Girl called 'Party Princess', which I coloured using watercolour pencils. The pink papers are from a Heidi Grace pad, the sentiment stamp is from the Hero Arts 'Anytime Messages' set, and I used my EK Success 'Scalloped Diamonds' border punch on the white card. I cut the flowers using a die from the Cuttlebug 'Olivia' alphabet set, and added some adhesive pearls to their centres.

Challenges for this card:

• Crazy Challenge - Flowers
• Sugar Bowl - Sketch & Pink
• Teddy Stampers - Me & My Teddy (although I'd never wear this much pink!)
• Totally Stampalicious - Birthdays
• Wags 'N Whiskers - Ribbons & Pearls

Hunny Bunny

This little cutie is called 'Kiki- Hunny Bunny'...it's one of the adorable digis I won from Pollycraft a couple of weeks ago. I coloured her with watercolour pencils to match the 'Hippity Hoppity' papers by We R Memory Keepers. I distressed all of the edges, and added a couple of Wild Orchid Crafts flowers.

Challenge for this card:

• Bee Crafty - Easter
• Crafts & Me - Use Yellow
• Craft Us Crazy - Easter/Spring
• Spoon Full of Sugar - Easter
• Stamp Something - Digi
• Stamp with Fun - Easter
• Sweet Stop - Sketch

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's day to all you Mum's out there...hope you're being spoilt rotten! Today I'm going to show you the card that I made for my Mum. I used 'Gifts for You!' by Penny Black (coloured with watercolour pencils), and papers from the 'Wild Asparagus' collection by My Mind's Eye. I distressed the edges, and added some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a white gel pen. The flowers are by Prima, the brads are BasicGrey 'Wisteria', and the sentiment is a Hero Arts stamp.

Challenges for this card:

• Allsorts - Blooming Blossoms
• Crafty Sentiments - Mother's Day
• Creative Inspirations (Sundays) - Mother's Day
• Cupcake Craft - Flowers for Mum
• If the Shoe Fits...Scrap It - Sewing
• My Time to Craft - Mum's the Word
• PaperPlay - For Mum
• Scrapbook Sisters - Mother's Day
• Simon Says Stamp - Sketch
• Stampin' for the Weekend - Mother's Day
• Your Next Stamp - Stitching

Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge - Butterflies

It's Wendy's turn to set the theme of the Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge this week, and she has chosen:

'Butterflies'

I've used a cute Lili of the Valley stamp on my card called 'Gift Wrapped', which I coloured using watercolour pencils, and then cut out using my oval Nesties (available here at the Secret Crafter). The papers are from the 'Hippity Hoppity' pad by We R Memory Keepers...I'm loving the fresh 'Springy' colours of these at the moment. The flowers are form Wild Orchid Crafts, and the rainbow ribbon is from Hobbycraft. The sentiment stamp is from the 'Cupcakes' set by Hero Arts, and I used my circular Nesties to cut it out (available here at the Secret Crafter).

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

• Wild Orchid Crafts - Sketch
• Crafty Creations - Bunnies
• Delightful - Flowers
• Digi Doodles - Happy Birthday

For more inspiration from my lovely DT buddies, please visit the Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge.

My 1000th Post!

When I first started my blog about two and a half years ago, I didn't realise just how addicted I'd become to it...I post a card most days now, and this is my 1000th post!!!

So, to celebrate, I'm going to put a few bits and pieces together for a mini candy...but I've not been organised enought to have done that yet, so the lucky winner will receive a 'mystery' parcel...but who doesn't like surprises??? So, if you'd like to be included in the draw, please pop the photo above in your sidebar, along with a link back to me, and add your name to the linky widget at the bottom of this post. I'll use choose the random winner on Friday April 8th.

Ok, so on to my card...I've used one of my favourite Penny Black stamps...'Dream a Dream'. which I coloured using watercolour pencils. The papers are all from the 'Marjolaine' pad by BasicGrey, and I disressed all of the edges using my distressing tool. The embossing was done using my Cuttlebug 'Kassie's Brocade' folder, and the blue & white string is recycled from my flatmate's weekly veg box!

Challenges for this card:

• BasicGrey - Recycling (the string is recycled from an Abel & Cole veg box)
• Dutch Dare - Distressing
• Fuzzy Wuzzy - Sketch
• Penny Black Saturday - Recycling (the string is recycled from an Abel & Cole veg box)

ABC Christmas Challenge - G is for...

It's Jayne's turn to host the ABC Christmas Challenge this time, and the theme is:

'G is for Girly'

She's come up with a fabulous colour combination to use too:

Our sponsor for this challenge is Crafty Emma's Store:

The Prize is a £10.00 Voucher off any order at Emma's store.

 For my card, I;ve used one of the Wild Rose Studio Fairies, that Emma stocks, called 'Ella with Flowers', which I coloured using watercolour pencils, and then used a Sakura Stardust pen to add some shimmer to her wings. The papers are from the 'Penny Lane' glitter pad by My Mind's Eye, and I matted them on to some silver mirror card. The flowers are from Kort & Godt, and the sparkly silver brads in their centres are by American Crafts.

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

• Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas - Square Cards
• For Fun - Christmas
• One Stop Craft - Angels & Fairies

For more inspiration, please check out the gorgeous cards by my fabulous ABC Christmas Challenge DT buddies.

Cuttlebug Spot - Oh So Soft

This is the last of our embellishment challenges over at the Cuttlebug Spot, and the theme is:

'Oh So Soft'

We'd like to see you using felt on your projects.

I've used another of my new Lili of the Valley stamps on my card...'Good Luck Cats'...so cute! I coloured it with watercolour pencils, to match the BasicGrey 'Marjolaine' papers. I embossed one of the papers with my 'Perfect Paisley' Cuttlebug folder, as I haven't used it in a while, and added a Wild Rose Studio sentiment - the only one that I could find in my stash that says 'Good Luck'! The seam binding ribbon is from Wild Orchid Crafts, and the felt flowers (which match the colours of the papers much better in real life!) are from an embellishment pack by Making Memories. I distressed all of the edges using my distressing tool.

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

• Sweet Stop - Sketch
• Creative Fridays - Embossing

This is my last challenge with the Cuttlebug Spot...in fact it's the last Cuttlebug Spot challenge, for a few months at least...the blog will stay open, so you'll still be able to be inspired by our past challenges, and I hope you'll join in with the challenges again (I know I will) when it returns refreshed.

Tissue Flower

I've definitley been bitten by the Less is More bug...and this week they have a fab sketch for us to follow. As soon as I saw it I knew I wanted to use a flower as the focal point, but couldn't find any big enough amongst my stash so I made one. I used my 'Blossom' Nesties on white tissue paper, cutting several of each size so that I could layer them up. I scrunched them all up a bit, then gathered them together with a brad. I used my Cuttlebug 'Swiss Dots' folder for the embossing, and my EK Success 'Scalloped Diamonds' punch (covering up the diamonds) for the black border. The sentiment is from the 'Heartfelt Messages' set by Hero Arts, which I got for the bargainous price of £2.99 in the Hobbycraft New Year sale. 

Here's a close-up of the flower:

Challenges for this card:

• Less is More - Sketch
• Creative Inspirations (Wednesdays) - Not Square
• For Fun - Flowers & Sentiments

Pile It On! Challenge - Cutie Patootie

The theme of this week's Pile It On! Challenge is:

'Cutie Patootie'

It couldn't be simpler...just include something cute on your project.

We are sponsored for this challenge by AiFactory, and the prize is 3 digi images.

I've used a cute bunny, just right for Easter, called 'Hunny Bunny' (by Whipper Snapper), which I coloured using watercolour pencils, and then cut out using my Nesties. The papers are from the 'Hippity Hoppity' Scrapbook pad by We R Memory Keepers, the flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts, the brads are BasicGrey, and the ribbon is from my stash.

Here are the challenges that I've Piled On!:

• Pile It On! - Cutie Patootie
• CES - Die Cut Crazy (I cut out the image & mat using my Nesties)
• Creative Stamp Friends - Spring
• Digi Doodles - Ribbon & Bows
• Dutch Dare - Celebrations (Easter)
• Prairie Fairy - Spring
• Scrapbook Sisters - Anything Goes
• Sew Many - Spring
• Stamp Something - Spring
• Stamp with Fun - Spring
• Totally Gorjuss - Spring
• Totally Papercrafts - Cute & Cuddly

For more inspiration, please check out the fabulously cute samples by my lovely Pile It On! DT buddies.

Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge - Christmas in Spring

It's Tracie's turn to set the theme for the Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge this week, and she has chosen:

'Christmas in Spring'

Perfect for those of you (like me!) trying to get ahead by making Christmas cards all year round.

As it's the last challenge of the month, it's your last chance to be included for the draw for the prize from our fabulous sponsor The Stamping Boutique.

I've used  a stamp from the 'Jolly Friends' set by Penny Black, which I coloured using watercolour pencils, and then used 'Crystal' Stickles (available here at the Secret Crafter) to add some sparkle. The papers are by My Mind's Eye from the 'Colourful Christmas' and '29th Street Market' collections, and I used my distressing tool to rough up the edges before adding some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a white gel pen. The sentiment stamp is also by Penny Black, and the snowflakes were cut using Marianne Creatables dies (available here at the Secret Crafter).

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

• Cute Card Thursday - Sketch
• Crafty Creations - Stitching
• PaperPlay - Distresssing

For more inspiration from my lovely DT buddies, please visit the Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge.

Gift Wrapped

Another bright card today...I've used one of my other new Lili of the Valley stamps 'Gift Wrapped' on this one, which I coloured using watercolour pencils to match the 'Hippity Hoppity' papers by We R Memory Keepers. I used my EK Success 'Scalloped Diamonds' punch for the border along the checked paper (although I covered up the diamond bit), added some Wild Orchid Crafts flowers, and a sentiment form the Hero Arts 'Cupcakes' set...oh and a few pieces of Card Candy.

Challenges for this card:

• Card Making Mamas - Animals
• Everybody Art - Happy Birthday
• Flutterby - Open Theme 
• Lili of the Valley - Punch It 
• Little Red Wagon - Butterflies
• Sketch & Stash - Sketch (My new stash is the adorable LotV stamp)
• Wild Orchid Carfts - Dies & Punches