Wednesday 31 May 2017

Christmas Lantern

Good morning everyone its Wednesday so the launch of a new Anything Goes Challenge over at Crafting by Designs .
We have a great sponsor this time

Beccy's 

Prize is choice of 1 set of images

If you are not familiar with Beccy's Place stamps she has a great range of stamps but also a vast array of Freebies I used one of her Freebie stamps called Christmas Lantern for my Design Team card. If you want to take a look at all the Freebie stamps this is the link HERE.There are loads so make a cuppa first!!




Close up




Card Recipe

6x6 Blank Card
Stamp is Christmas Lantern from Beccy's Place painted with Derwent Inktense Pencils
Papers are Bo Bunny Silver and Gold Collection
Red and Green card my Stash
Dies are Spellbinder circle and  scalloped circle
Chipboard Lantern is Wycinanka from Live and  Love Crafts I put some red card behind the lantern
Flowers are Wild Orchid Crafts the white rose and I painted the centre to match the flowers on the stamp.
Green flowers are from Poundland
Berries are from Ross Papercraft Show
Sentiment is Lili of the Valley Christmas Circular Stamps
Gold Viva Pearl Pen and some Wink of Stella on the image and lantern
Red Ribbon

Well that's it for today I hope you can pick up one of those freebies and  make something to enter into this challenge which runs till the 25th June. 
I'm going out this afternoon for drinks and afternoon tea with a group of ex work colleagues so should be fun with lots of gossip. Love and  hugs Carole x





Monday 29 May 2017

Aurora Wings Ballerina 70th Birthday

Good morning and Happy Bank holiday to all my special friends and  followers today I'm sharing a commission card I made a few weeks ago Its very similar to one I made for a 65th earlier in the year, but this was the design my friend who asked for it wanted, I did however enjoy making it as I do love painting this stamp. I changed the papers and lace but the colour scheme is the same.


The Box



Card and Box Recipe

7x7 Blank card
Stamp is Flower Ballerina from Aurora Wings painted with Derwent Inktense Pencils
Papers are Maja Design Shall We have Coffee Two Ladies and Maja Design Vintage Spring Basics all from Live and  Love Crafts now closed
Butterfly dies are Joycraft
Square matting dies are Tonic
Lace is from Brenda's Lace and Ribbon specials Facebook shop
Flowers are Wild Orchid Crafts. Boyes Stores. Pearl flower is The Hobby House and the pearl leaves my stash
Resin Frame is Melissa Francis and the sentiment computer generated
Dark Purple Cabouchon I bought at the GNPE Harrogate
Tag sentiments are from Lili of the Valley
8x8 box from Stella Crafts
Small pearl hearts Jelly Bean Crafts Ross Papercraft Show
Box sentiment I also made on the computer

Well I hope you have enjoyed the weekend its raining today here after a glorious weekend.We have been tidying our garden and  putting in some new plants most of the weekend and still have a few jobs still to do but its looking like it will be a job for tomorrow now. If it keeps raining I think it will be a crafty afternoon for me. Enjoy the rest of the holiday weekend and I  hope its sunny for you. Love and  hugs Carole x


I'm entering this into Fussy and Fancy Challenge Flowers

Thursday 25 May 2017

In The Pink Big Bouquet

Good morning everyone I'm back again today as its the launch of a new fortnightly challenge over at In The Pink the theme for this challenge is Embossing so lots of embossing options you can use but remember to use Pink more than any other colour on your design..

We have a great prize of £15 for the winner from our generous sponsor.




For my Design Team card I used a lovely stamp from Lili of The Valley called Big Bouquet and used an embossing folder and some heat embossing on my design.



Close up




Card Recipe

7x7 Blank Card 
Stamp is Lili of the Valley Big Bouquet painted with Derwent Inktense Pencils
Pink core'dinations cardstock  from Tim Holtz embossed in a Die'sire dots embossing folder
Kraft card is Crafter's Companion
Spellbinder square Fleur de Lis die.
Leaf die is Joycraft Vintage Flourishes 
Flowers are made with a Chloe Small Flower stamp stamped onto  pink spot vellum and  heat embossed with copper embossing powder on the pink it came out like rose gold however its not picked that up so well on the photos
Butterfly is Tim Holtz stamped and heat embossed as the flowers and then layered onto a Martha Stewart punched butterfly.
Sentiment is Lili of the Valley from the Everything's Better set
Pearls are from some I bought at GNPE Harrogate ages ago.

Well I hope you all enjoy the rest of the week and the Bank Holiday weekend I've just got plants for the garden so that;s one of the things planned for the weekend for me. 

Hope you all have time to enter this fortnights challenge that's a great prize .Love and  hugs Carole x




Wednesday 24 May 2017

Merry and Bright Get Ready For Christmas

Good morning to all my special friends and  followers Its Wednesday again so the start of a new challenge over at Crafting by Designs.this week its our very popular Get Ready For Christmas Challenge I hope you have joined in with these challenges its a great way to get ahead with Christmas cards
Our sponsor this week is


Prize - winner choice of 2 digi images

For my Design Team Christmas card I've used the lovely stamp from All Dressed up Stamps called Merry and  Bright.


Close up


Card Recipe

7x7 Blank card
Stamp is Merry and  Bright from All Dressed up Stamps painted with Derwent Inktense Pencils
Papers are Maja Design Home For The Holidays-Family from Live and  Love Crafts sadly now closed
Kraft card is Crafter's Companion
Dies are LDRS Gilded Oval Die from Dies to Die For.
Parcel Border die is from Couture Creations Christmas Eve Collection All Wrapped  Up from Harrogate show
Bendable Jute String is Docrafts
Bark Stars and  Rusty bells Live and  Love Crafts
Berries are from my stash
Jute string Brenda's Lace and  Ribbons Facebook shop
Sentiment is from a Maja design pad Vintage Frost Basics
Pearls my stash
White Wink of Stella on the berries and  pearls

Well I hope you can play along with us this month this is always a popular challenge blog. Enjoy the rest of the week everyone. I'll be back tomorrow with another post Love and  hugs Carole x





Monday 22 May 2017

Strawberry Patch

Good evening to all my friends and  followers tonight's post is to showcase the May New Release at All Dressed Up Stamps and here they all are . I think Wendy excelled with this release its hard to decide which is my favorite.


For my Design Team card i used the very lovely Strawberry Patch



Close Up



Card Recipe

7x7 Blank Card
Stamp is Strawberry Patch from All Dressed Up Stamps painted with Derwent Inktense Pencils
Papers are Striped Kaisercraft and  the Strawberry Paper is Kars which I have had ages knew it would get used someday !!
Kraft card is Crafter's Companion
Stitched squares die from eBay
Corrugated paper is packaging from a parcel
Strawberry and leaf border die is Joycraft
Twine is from Brenda's Lace and  Ribbon Facebook shop
Wooden Strawberry bead was from a craft shop in Edinburgh
Sentiment stamp is Lili of the Valley Spring Sentiments.Its in the Occasions section if you need to take a look took me ages to find it.
Small red heart brads Michael's in Florida

Well I hope you all have a great week and can spare the time to take a look at this new release. I'm doing two days training the next couple of days for the school appeal panels I sit on. I will be back later in the week with some more posts. Love and  hugs Carole x
 



Wednesday 17 May 2017

Felicity

Good morning to all my lovely friends and  followers its Wednesday so the launch of a new weekly challenge over at Crafting by Designs our theme for this weeks challenge is You're So Special .
Our sponsor for this weeks challenge is the lovely


Prize - winner choice of 3 digi images

For my Deign Team card I used a lovely stamp called Felicity and  here she is..


Close Up



Card Recipe

6x6 Blank Card
Stamp is Felicity from Aliciabel painted with Derwent Inktense Pencils
Papers are Lili of the Valley Timeless Victorian no longer available
Die is Spellbinders Floral Oval
Organza flower trim Boyes Stores
Flowers are Wild Orchid Crafts
Pearl leaves are The Hobby House from Whitby Crafts
Pearl string The Hobby House
Small turquoise cabouchons are from Brenda's Lace and  Ribbon Specials Facebook shop
Sentiment is Lili of the Valley Post Mark no longer available
Small pearl hearts Jelly Bean Crafts

I hope you are all having a good week and can enter our challenge they are always very popular.
Enjoy the rest of the week Love and  hugs Carole x




Monday 15 May 2017

Fairy Magic

Good evening to all my special friends and followers  I hope you are all well and  have had a great weekend . Today is the launch of the new monthly challenge over at All Dressed Up Stamps Challenge Blog our theme as always is Anything Goes as long as you use an All Dressed Up Stamp in your design. If you have just discovered these great stamps and don't have any there are some Fab Freebies HERE to get you started.
The prize for the winner is three digital stamps of their choice and we also pick a top three one of whom is asked to be a Guest Designer the following month
For my Design Team card I used an older design and one of my personal favorites called Fairy Magic .



Close Up



Card Recipe

Craftwork Cards Fanciful shaped card
Stamp is Fairy Magic painted with Derwent Inktense Pencils
Papers are Maja Design Coffee in the Arbor from Live and  Love crafts sadly now closed
Dies are Marianne Circle Leaf and  Flower. Flower die from eBay
Blue flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts
Lace leaves Brenda's Lace and Ribbon specials Facebook shop
Other lace is from Whitby Crafts
Butterflies are made from a Martha Stewart punch from Michael's in Florida
Pale blue pearls my stash
Glamour dust on the wings

Well I hope you have time this month to enter our challenge . I came back last night from my weekend in London with my girlfriends we all had a great time .
Enjoy the week Love and  hugs Carole x

I'm entering this into Stamping Sensations Challenge





Thursday 11 May 2017

Razzle Dazzle Some Exciting News

Good morning everyone I hope you are all having a great week. My post today is an exciting one .Those of you who follow my blog know I was Guest Designer for In The Pink during April . Well I have now been asked to join their Design Team. I'm delighted to have been asked as its a great challenge and  they have some amazing designers on this team. So its official I'm a Pink Lady!!!!






The new fortnightly challenge starts today over on the In The Pink blog and the theme for this week is Razzle Dazzle. The sponsrr this week is All Dressed Up Stamps

*****

For my first Design Team card I used a very old Docrafts Urban stamp called Flapper . I thought she suited the theme perfectly.




Close up 




Card recipe

Card Shape is made from a Dutch Doobadoo Shape Art stencil from Noor Designs 
Stamp is Docrafts Urban Stamp Flapper painted with Derwent Inktense Pencils and then fussy cut
Papers and  card are Lili of the Valley deep pink and the grey from my stash 
The Pink Glitter paper I made with sticky paper and  pink glitter powder
Pink and grey feathers I was given.
The cocktail glass stamps come with the stamp
Silver embellishment is from Ross Papercraft show
Sentiments are from Lili of the Valley Its Time to Party cut with a stitched heart die
Feather is cut with a Hot off the Press die 
Pink sparkly gems my stash
Glamour dust on her fur stole

Well I hope that you can all find some Razzle Dazzle Glamour in your stash and enter this fortnights challenge always a great prize for the winner 
I'm going  to London tomorrow morning with my girlfriends for the weekend. We have tickets to see the Diana Dress Exhibition at Kensington Palace on Saturday Its a few years since I was last in London so really looking forward to seeing London again and having a fun girly weekend..  
Enjoy the rest of the week everyone. Love and  Hugs Carole x




Wednesday 10 May 2017

Mina-Return To Me

Good morning to all my friends and  followers this Wednesday and a very special welcome to my new follower Katrina I hope you enjoy my blog and visit often . Its Wednesday so a new challenge over at Crafting by Designs and  the theme this week is Fantasy.
We have a great sponsor this week

Nikki Burnette is a fantasy artist who paints all sorts of fantastical creatures in watercolor. Fantasy art is where her heart lies. She loves being able to escape the reality of our world for even just a few hours and enter a new fantasy realm where witches play tricks on Halloween Night, fairies fly around the sweet smelling rosebuds, and mermaids swim gracefully through the water with their dolphin friends. Nikki sells my original paintings as well as a wide range of different products that she creates in her studio.  All her artwork and drawings are original designs
Prize - winner choice of 3 digi images

For my design team project I decided on an unusual image called Mina-Return To Me and  I used it to make a wall plaque. Its different so I hope you like it..



Close up of the stamp


Wall Plaque Recipe

Wooden Plaque from Walmart in Florida $1. I then painted it with Dove Grey acrylic paint I bought in Michael's in Florida
I  used a Marianne nautical stamp and stamped and heat embossed with gold embossing powder to get the gold print border
The stamp is Mina- Return To Me from Nikki Burnett painted with Derwent Inktense Pencils
I used a dark blue oval frame and covered it with gold mesh and  edged with gold cord from Dainty Crafts  at Washington
Resin Fish is from Whitby Crafts 
I picked the mother of pearl type shells from the beach at Captiva Island in Florida when we visited last year on holiday
Gold Ribbon my stash
some Wink of Stella on the Stamp

I hope you can find time to enter this challenge Fantasy is a really fun theme. I thought I'd end my post with a photo of me at the restaurant on Saturday night in my posh gear with a lovely Gin cocktail.  I wore my high heels and Debra I managed not to fall over !!





A toast to all you lovely special ladies and gents.

Enjoy the rest of the week I'll be back tomorrow with another post. Love and hugs Carole x

I.m entering this into Squirrel.s Not So Random Challenge

 




Saturday 6 May 2017

Summer 70th Birthday

Good morning to all my lovely friends and  followers I hope everyone is looking forward to a great weekend.This morning I'm sharing a commission card I made a few weeks ago for a 70th Birthday The lady loves turquoise so this is the main colour on my design. I used the lovely Summer stamp from Lili of the Valley as well.


Close up


The Matching Box



Card Recipe

7x7 Blank Card
Stamp is Lili of the Valley Summer painted with Derwent Inktense Pencils
Papers are Lemoncraft Gossamer Blue 12x12 pad from Noor Designs
Stitched rectangle die is Lawn Fawn
Flower border die is Joycraft
Lace trim is from Whitby Crafts
The lace panel down the edge of the stamp is from Brenda's Lace and  Ribbon as is the lace butterflies and  box lace trim
Flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts and  Boyes Stores
Small flower pearls on the border and  flowers
Sentiments are Lili of the Valley sentiment tags
The small photo frame is from Michael's in Florida
70 today and  box sentiment made on the computer
Dots embossing folder 
Distress Ink on the edges Victorian Velvet

I'm finishing my post today with a photo I have just received from my Daughter in Law. Its a gorgeous family photo of them all especially Miles so I thought I'd share it with you all .




We are out to dinner tonight at one of our favorite restaurants Cafe Lilli so I need to dig out a posh frock and high heels !! We are going in a taxi so not a lot of walking involved I live in flat shoes these days and  cannot now believe I went to work every day in heel shoes . Enjoy the weekend everyone. Love and hugs Carole x




Wednesday 3 May 2017

Crafting Counts as Exercise

Good morning to all my friends and  followers its Wednesday and  the launch of a new monthly Anything Goes Challenge over at Crafting by Designs We have two sponsors for this challenge each giving two generous prizes.

Prize - winner choice of 4 digi images

and

Sparkle N Sprinkle has been in business for over 20 years, with a huge following. Our popular Youtube channel features a new technique video every week! In 2017 we initiated exciting changes to the company which have been well received. In addition to an eclectic mix of digital and rubber stamps, we offer hundreds of other fine products for your crafting pleasure.

Prize - $15 gift certificate

For my design team card I decided on a fun  image from Sparkle N'Sprinkle called Crafting Counts as Exercise. Love that Crazy hair!!


Close up





Card Recipe

6x6 Blank Card
Stamp is Crafting Counts as Exercise painted with Derwent Inktense Pencils
Papers are Lili of the Valley now retired
Stitched edge rectangle die is Lawn Fawn
Heart stitched die is from Ebay
Lime Green Crisp Ribbon is from Whitby Crafts I think
Wooden handmade button is Whitby Crafts
The Crafting Counts as Exercise sentiment comes with the stamp 
I made the Love to Craft to match on the computer
Green sparkly flowers from my box 

Well I hope you are all having a good week.and that you all find time this month to enter our challenge. I'm going to Newcastle today for a little retail therapy its ages since I've been and  I love the shope in Newcastle, so looking forward to a little spend. Love and  hugs Carole x