really shabby!

Good morning blogland

It's Saturday and time for a new challenge over at Sweet Stampin', this time the theme is 'Shabby Chic / Vintage' it's not a 'go to' theme for me or my Teams' turn - I've jumped in with Team Susan - but I needed a challenge after a little dry period in the old card making area and liked the idea of the challenge to get the creative juices going. If you do decide to join in please remember that we are a stamping challenge, your project doesn't need to be card but it must have stamping on it.

This is also another scheduled post from me as it's rehearsal time in Skeg Orchestra for TTT this morning, so I'm not here to clatter away early hours.

Onto card, tell me do you think it shouts Shabby Chic or possible whispers Vintage???

Supplies used:

Digital stamp:

Lili of the Valley - Romantic Rock

coloured with Copics

Rubber stamp:

taylored expressions - Simple Strips: Birthday

Dies:

Stitched rectangles - un-branded

taylored expressons - Simple Strips: Aysemtrical

Creative Expressions - Double Stitched Squares

Paper:

Melissa Frances - 5th Avenue

Anything else:

Distress Ink

lace

flat backed pearls

Hope you have time to pop over to the challenge and see the fabulous projects that my Teamies have made.  

Have a lovely weekend,

Sarah

Passion for Markers: Week 651 - Let's have some pink!

Try it on Tuesday: Make it Feminine

little red wagon: Challenge #664 - Stitching Sensation - my stitching is added by the die-cuts used on the image and the backing paper

Polkadoodles Challenge: Wk 30 - Anything Goes

Another throw back

Good morning blogland,

Another card I made earlier this year but haven't got round to blogging, this time for the wedding of the parent of a friend of TTT's.  When I realised it was time for a new challenge over at Colour Crazy Craft Challenge and there was no sponsor for this challenge, I decided to pop this card up as it was free choice of image and Mo's are, I believe, some of the best out there.

It's not my 'normal' style at all - so be prepared for something different! It was a wedding and I thought it needed to be a bit more bling than my usual pared back style.

As always the challenge theme is Anything Goes but it has to have some element of hand colouring in there.

Hope you like!

Supplies used:

Digital stamp:

Mo Manning - Mo's Digital Pencil - Wedding Couple

coloured with Copics

Digital sentiment

From a selection brought off of an Etsy seller

Dies:

Memory Box - Hearts

Pretty Pink Posh - Scallop

Anything else?

I can't remember remember whose the paper is made by

Flowers from my stash

Hobby House for the pearls

See you soon,

Sarah

Challenge/s:

Krafty Chicks Challenge: #622 - All Occasions

Cardz 4 Galz: #178 - Black + White + 1 other colour. It's blue for me, hope it meets your criteria

Lil Patch of Crafty Friends: #186 - The Paper Shelter sponsor

Gem of a Craft Challenge: Week 16 - Anything Goes

Belated Birthday

Hello blogland

I think I'm probably going to start at least 80% of my next six to eight weeks' worth of posts with 'sorry I went MIA - it's the Summer Holidays!' Technically it took me ages to write this post as it was both a busy week in the run-up to the summer holidays with a parent evening to talk about the Iceland trip in September; a 'Summer Concert' school event evening and finally a trip to Doncaster to see Paul Heaton and Jaqui Abbott - of The Beautiful South fame, but that's all still wrapped up in the summer hols. Will also add in it was incredibly hot here last week and for the first time I can remember I just gave up! Couldn't deal with the daytime heat and it was even worse trying to sleep in it. So I stopped and just crashed for the week.

It will take me a few days to catch up on getting back into the craft room as well, so in the meantime here's a card that I made for TTT's 15th birthday last month. Enjoy!

Supplies used:

Digital stamp:

SheepSki Designs - Birthday Balloons

coloured with Copics

Rubber stamp:

Time for Tea - Bold Sentiments

Dies:

Julie Hickey - Birthday

un-branded stitched rectangle

Anything else?

Hobby House - self adhesive pearls

Mei Flower - heart embellishment

I will be back, but probably end of the week.

See you soon,

Sarah

Challenge/s:

Passion for Markers: Week 650 - Something beginning with 'B'. My somethings are Birthday Balloons.

Krafty Chicks Challenge: #621 - CAS

Fab 'n' Funky Challenges: Challenge #556 - Anything Goes

Addicted to Stamps and More: Challenge #434 - Any Occasion

Doodle, doodle, doodle

Good morning blogland,

Not waffle, waffle, waffle this morning instead it's doodle, doodle, doodle! The reason for this? Well that's that it's time for a new challenge at Sweet Stampin' Challenge - and it's our theme this fortnight.  We'd like to see stamping and Doodling on your entry.

For me doodling is basically drawing wavy lines somewhere on my card / image - and that's what I went for with this card. I'm not very inventive! I'm sure y'all out there can do heaps better than mine!

Supplies used:

Digital stamp:

Saturated Canary - Birthday Girl

coloured with my Copics

Dies:

Creative Expressions - Noble Collection : Double Stitched Squares

Time for Tea - 'Dream Big' sentiment

Anything else?

Copic fineliner for the doodled edge

I do hope you can see the sentiment - I thought I'd try and do something different than my usual black card sentiment die - but the white on white really doesn't show in the picture. Happy with the technique not so happy with the pic, a 'try harder' I think!

My Teamies over at Sweet Stampin' have really outdone themselves this challenge - please do pop over and take a peak and then why not get your doodling heads on and chuck in an entry! It doesn't have to be hand-drawn doodling, a stamp is perfectly acceptable!

Aaaaand that's me done folks,

Be back soon,

Sarah

Crafty Catz: Anything Goes (optional twist Christmas in July)

as You Like It Challenge: Favourite Warm or Cool Colours - I would've said that I don't have a favourite colour palette - but looking back at recent cards I think it looks like I'm tending to work with cooler colours.  Other than hair if I'm colouring a person - that is more often a warm colour.

Gem of a Craft Challenge: Week 15 - Anything Goes

Digi Choosday: Wk 27 - Anything Goes

Happy Little Stampers: Anything Goes with Dies - July

Anyone for marbles?

Good morning blogland,

Here I am, this fine morning, with my Design Team inspiration post for the new challenge starting over at Colour Crazy Craft Challenge.  As always, with our Challenges, we really don't mind what you make and the theme is always Anything Goes but you do have to have some element of hand colouring on your entry.

This week we've been sponsored by Scribbles Designs, who have a really great range of quirky and fun digital images.  The DT were given a couple of images to play with and this is what I came up with from my pick.  I don't know if anyone else recognises the saying about loosing their marbles for being angry with someone, or if it's just a saying from where I live, but I saw the images and that's what sprang to mind!

So here's my fairly Clean and Simple 'I'm sorry' card, hopefully said in a fun way!

Supplies used:

Digital Image:

Scribbles Designs - Marbles Mason jar

coloured with my Copics

Sentiment created in Word

Dies:

unbranded stitched rectangle

I do hope you find time to pop over to the challenge and take a peek at the lovely cards my Teamies have made, they have, as always, outdone themselves! Then maybe join in and colour something, if that's your thing, you never know you might get me waffling on at you!

That's it for now,

Signing off and see you later,

Sarah

Challenge/s:

Daring Cardmakers: Less is More

little red wagon: Challenge #662 - Make Me Laugh - I'm still hoping that someone will find my 'I'm sorry' card fun!

Lil Patch of Crafty Friends: #185 - Anything Goes

Nice weather for an ice-cream!

Good afternoon blogland,

This is my first 'New Release' post as part of the All Dressed Up Facebook DT - admittedly it's up a little later on my blog that it was posted on Facebook, but I've caught up now!

There were three new July releases and I got to play with Summer Ice-cream which, if you follow the link, you'll find on the Etsy shop.  It took me ages to colour up a scene for this pretty image, so the actual card itself is pretty simple.

Supplies used:

Digital stamp:

All Dressed Up - Summer Ice-cream

coloured with my Copics and a fine-liner

Rubber stamp:

Time for Tea - Bold Sentiments

Dies:

Unbranded stitched rectangles

Anything else?

We Are Memory Keepers - White Out embellishments

Dotty card

I think this scene is fairly on-point - what with the mini heatwave we're currently having in parts of the UK! Would be very nice to be down at the beach having an ice-cream treat right at the minute!

That's all from me today, folks,

See you soon,

Sarah

Challenge/s:

Crafty Catz: Challenge #603 - Anything Goes

Fab 'n' Funky Challenges: Challenge #555 - Whatever the Weather

Use Your Stuff: #452 - Mood Board.  Although the image is new, nothing else is and the chipboard embellishments must be at least 8 years old!

Tic Tac Toe Challenge: TTTC - 169 - I went vertical down the middle : Outdoors, blue, water

Everyone's growing up!

Good morning blogland

Well here I am again, this time with a card that I made for TTT to give to one of her 'friend group' - all of whom have been (or will be) turning 15 this year.  It started in March and will stop in August and then the group of 5 girls will be 15! 

It's so strange, not that they get older once a year (who doesn't!) but that I remember most of them from toddling about, to becoming Nursery kids then Primary kids and finally the big leap to Grammar school and now most of them are talking about their GCSE's and then Sixth Form. 

It's just so weird and I get told off that I still talk to them all as if they are still kids not the 'Young Adults' that they are! I reply that they aren't quite there yet and I'm sure I will always talk to them as if they are kids - isn't that what mothers (and the mothers' of friends) do?!

Anyways, enough of my waffling on, here's the card:

Then an alternative shot, as the embossing wasn't playing ball and although it was obvious in real life it wouldn't show in the picture (please excuse fingers!):

Supplies used:

Digital image:

Mo's Digital Pencil - Video Girl

coloured with my Copics

Sentiment:

taylored expression - Simple Strips: Birthday

Dies:

taylored expressions - Simple Strips; well rounded

Whimsy Stamps - zig zag 

un branded die for the stitched rectangles

Anything else?

Cuttlebug - Happy Birthday embossing folder

Papers - BoBunny: Surprise

This particular friends birthday coincided with a school trip for the Upper School to Alton Towers (which if you are not aware is a very large theme park in the UK) and it would appear was thoroughly enjoyable! Even though they had their coach break on them on the way and there was a delay until a replacement came out and they only had two rides because "it was soooo big and the queues were huge"! Oh the joys of youth!

That's me done for now,

See you later,

Signing off,

Sarah

Challenge /s:

Passion for Markers: Week 648 - Bingo board: I took the top row - patterned paper, die-cuts, embossing

Krafty Chicks Challenge: #619 - Week 1 (Stamp Act)

The Paper Shelter: Challenge #519 - Going Digital

Addicted to Stamps and more: Challenge #433 - Birthdays

More summer!

Good afternoon blogland,

I'm here this afternoon with a very exciting bit of new - yes even more! I've been accepted onto the Facebook ADU group Design Team for All Dressed Up Stamps! 

I've used ADU digis for many years, to the point that I was on their Blog DT waaaay back (around 2014), then when I had my crafting crisis I, obviously, resigned from all my DTs and crafting in general.  I was so pleased to see when I re-discovered my love of colouring and making cards, that ADU were still here (so many of my other favourite stamp companies have disappeared) and Wendy's digis have been a steady source of lovely images to colour ever since.  So when I saw there was a DT call on their Facebook page, I took the plunge and applied - I only got picked! Whheeeyyy-heey!!

The Facebook challenge is a themed monthly one - obviously though with only All Dressed Up images allowed! I would encourage anyone who is on Facebook to come join the Group and have a go.  There are some free digis on the All Dressed Up blog, so if you don't have any digis you can still join in.  Although, I think if you went and looked at the Etsy shop, you'd very easily be tempted to buy some of the super sweet images!

Obviously I'm not the only person who was picked and I'd like to say a huge Congrats to the other new members of the Team and I'm so happy to be working with a wonderful set of creative ladies who all understand the All Dressed Up obsession!

Here is my first inspiration card - the theme this month is 'Holidays (All Seasons)'.  I went with Summer Holidays as that's on the horizon for us as TTT breaks from School in two weeks or so - gulp!

Supplies Used:

Digital stamp:

All Dressed Up - Festival Lily

coloured with my Copics

the sentiment I created myself.

Patterned paper:

First Edition - Summer Breeze

Dies:

Creative Expressions - Noble Collection : Double Stitched Squares

Anything Else?

An MDF flower

Self-Adhesive pearls

So I'll sign off by saying that if you fancy popping over to Facebook and joining in there's a warm welcome waiting and we'd love to have you!

Signing off for now,

Sarah

Challenge/s:

Passion for Markers: Week 647 - any occasion other than a birthday

We Love Stamping: July Challenge - Anything Goes (option of Hot Sunny Colours)

Crafty Gals Corner: Challenge #232 - Anything Goes

Digi Choosday Challenge: Wk 26 - Anything Goes

Ooooh, super exicted!

Hello Blogland,

I was very lucky awhile back to have a card win over at AAA Birthday Challenges and, as the winner, was asked if I'd like to Guest Designer for their July challenge - well of course I said yes! Not going to turn down a lovely opportunity like that now am I now!

So we are in July and here I am a Guest Designer - the theme for the challenge this month is Where in the World? Which basically means your birthday card could be themed to where you live (a recognisable building / monument / location; colours of your flag; bit of landscape), somewhere you've been on holiday or somewhere you'd like to go in the world. However, it does have to be a birthday card.

I decided my inspiration would be what I like to refer to as my home town. I've lived in Lincolnshire in the countryside of the United Kingdom for just over 20 years, but I am originally from a much bigger town - in fact the Capital of the UK - a little place I used to call home but others call London!

This is what I made:

Supplies Used:

Digital stamp:

Lili of the Valley - Little Policeman

coloured with my Copics

Free downloaded London image

Rubber Stamp:

Catherine Pooler - All around Wishes (sentiment)

Dies:

Creative Expressions - stitched squares

Julie Hickey - Birthday

Once again I'd like to say thank you to the Design Team (and particularly Jane for all her help with the details of the challenge) over at AAA Birthdays for giving me the chance to GDT - their makes are always fabulous and I'm honoured to be included in the Team this once! 

See you soon,

Signing off for now,

Sarah

Challenge/s:

Dream Valley Challenges: #273 - All Occasions

Lil Patch of Crafty Friends Challenge: #185 - Anything Goes

Gem of a Craft Challenge: Wk 14 - Anything Goes

Tea Party anyone?

 Good morning blogland,

I'm here, but I'm also not here - this is another scheduled post to let you all know that as it's the first Saturday of the month (my goodness it's July already - this year is flying!) it's the start of a new challenge over at Crafty Calendar Challenge.  

The theme this month is 'Add some ribbon', nice simple challenge there! Our Sponsors  are the lovely HettyClare Art and Crafty Ribbons.  HettyClare allowed the DT to choose an image to use on our cards, this is my make with my choice.

Supplies Used:

Digital stamp:

HettyClare Art - Tea Party Pony

coloured with my Copics

Rubber stamp:

Whimsy Stamps - Fantabulous

Die:

Stitched edge slimline die

Anything else?

a bit of ribbon from my stash

Hope you get a chance to both pop over to Crafty Calendar and take a peek at my Teamies makes for they are fabulous - as always! We'd love to see you joining in as well - as always there is a great prize on offer for this month's lucky winner!

On a personal note, reason for this post being scheduled is that TTT has joined a Community Orchestra and it's practice day today, therefore a morning trip off to wonderful Skegness is on the cards.  Was surprised when she came home from school last month and said she'd like to try the orchestra and even more surprised that she's going back again - but am more than happy to be the joint proprietor of Mum&Dad Taxis Ltd!

I'll let you all know when the public performance is!

Look out Skeg-vegas, here I am!

Sarah

Challenge/s:

Critter Crazy Challenge: Challenge #64

Pearly Sparkles Challenge Blog: #75 - Clean and Simple

Krafty Chicks Challenge: #618 - Anything Goes

Tic Tac Toe Challenge: #168 - Any Colour / Free / CAS