Tuesday 13 December 2011

Workshop @ The Paperlane!

Hey Everyone!
Oh my doesn't time fly! I am finally recovered from that horrible horrible bug & have spent the last few days catching up with Christmas! The BIG day will be here before I know it! 

Anyway, on to some good news! I am teaching a workshop at THE PAPERLANE on the 21st January 2012! To book your place & for more details pop on over to the blog

Below is a little peek at what we will be doing ....


The project is CAS (Clean & Simple Cards) Card set and a little box to hold them in. The workshop will cover the skills & techniques used to create CAS style cards along with a few other paper crafting techniques. This project uses some Hero Arts stamps which have so many possibilities and are super fun to use!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Thursday 1 December 2011

The Paperlane Challenge No.6

Hello!
Firstly sorry I have been MIA I have been ill for the last 2 weeks with a nasty bug going around :( I am at about 75% today & found a lil bit of energy this morning to make a super quick CAS (Clean & Simple) card for this months challenge over at The Paperlane Challenge Blog.

This months challenge is again Christmas themed as the day will be here before we know it & lets just say now I am WAY behind schedule! 

Anyhow the challenge is to use unconventional colours on your card or project! 



I am a huge fan of unconventional Christmas colours :) I often throw in some aqua or lilac for a snow themed card! But, for today I used a tiny bit of aqua, hot pink & deep aqua. 

With a fuzzy head & not much mojo I needed a inspirational jumping point. Maile Bells' card HERE was the starting point I needed. I loved the LO she used & I could have done it a lot simpler than she shows as I originally planned to colour the ornament with my Copics but changed my mind & paper pieced it so I could have skipped the craft knife part!


Here is a close up of the sparkly bauble! The stamps are from Hero Arts & are Sparkle Clear Merry Christmas CL364 and Magic of Christmas CL462. I used Stardust Stickles on the bauble centre.

This is a super quick CAS card which can be easily mass produced & would look fun in an array of different conventional & unconventional colours! 

Thats all from me today, now I shall go back to resting & might even have a nap! Be sure to check out the challenge & join in on the fun :)



Thursday 3 November 2011

Exciting News!

Hey!


Well, I'm a little behind this week & have some exciting news to share, it's still feels a little unreal. So I am pleased to say that I am now on the Design Team of The Paperlane


The Paperlane is my local craft shop based in Northallerton & Caz the owner is super fun & super sweet & the shop stocks lots of lovely products - Heaven!


Anyhow, The Paperlane hosts a monthly challenge HERE. My first DT challenge project was to create for this months theme of Snowflakes & Sparkle. Such a fun challenge to get into the swing of creating for Christmas! 


Here's my card ...



The Paperlane stocks lots of lovely stamps including Magnolia & Hero Arts 2 of my many FAVES! As I am a CAS kinda girl I thought that I'd use the frosty text stamp from Magnolia which is embossed with Stardust EP. 

The snowflake BG is a Hero Arts Design Block stamp. I used Stardust EP on this too. The CS is PTI which is Blueberry Sky. The Ribbon is also PTI Blueberry Sky. The Snowflake punch is Martha Stewart & I used a lilac gem to add another touch of colour.

This photo below shows a little more of the sparkliness!



Be sure to check out the challenge & also the other DT's gorgeous samples HERE.

I can't believe it's Friday Eve already! This week has been so busy decorating my new studio :) I'm off to check the progress of the carpet fitters now! 

Thanks for stopping by! I'll be back soon with another creation.



Friday 14 October 2011

Clean & Simple Christmas Cheer

Whoop! It's Friday!

This week has just flown by, so we are a few more days closer to Christmas! I'm back today to share a card I made using some NEW Papertrey goodies & some old faves aswell!

I found a NEW to me challenge forum HERE called The Outlawz, I thought I'd join in on the fun over there. Sunday's challenges are CAS. This weeks challenge is to use your favourite stamp! Well, as you can imagine I have a few of those! Anyway, I've been waiting for a stamp to arrive from the PTI Holiday Photo Finishers set& decided to use this one new favourite of mine!


I used the Clean & Simple FLT161 for this card. I used a flourish from PTI's Fancy Flourishes set, another favourite! 


A close up of that yummy tag image! I can't wait for my Damask Snowflake dies to arrive so I can pair the two on cards! So that makes me another card closer to completing my Christmas Cards! 

I'm off to get some designing done & a few chores! If I can tear myself away from my new supplies!

Thanks for stopping by!


Wednesday 12 October 2011

Going Dotty!

Today I feel as if I am going dotty! It's half way through the working week & I am wishing Friday would hurry up! 

It's not that I am having a bad week, I just want it to be the weekend so I can spend time with my hunny & more importantly get on with some DIY in the studio! It's coming along nicely, we got some of the plasterboard on the ceiling last night with the help of his Dad. This weekend should see the plasterboard stage complete ready for plastering! 

Anyhow, enough of that & onto today's card. As I am anxiously awaiting NEW supplies I decided to use some old favourites of mine.


Holiday Tags 2009 & Polka Dot Basics. I kept the LO simple as I want to give myself some easily mass produceable options for when I am running out of time for my Christmas cards! Well, we only have 75 days!


Above is a close up, I apologise for the slight fuzziness of the photo, it's gloomy & rainy here today which is why I have been cozy creating this afternoon! I already have an item for my Christmas list & that is a photo tent!

I am entering this card into the current challenge over on A Passion for Papertrey, go on check it out! It's time for me to get cooking the tea so I will be back tomorrow with another card.

Thanks for stopping by!


Friday 30 September 2011

Falling in Love Again!

Hey!

Well, Summer seems to have arrived a little late here in the UK! So I decided to take a lil break from this HOT weather inside my studio for a bit.

I decided it was about time I fell in LOVE with my SU! supplies again! I seem to have neglected them quite a bit & have loads of new stuff unused & un-inked!

So for this card I chose the Just Believe set.


As it's SO hot & sunny I chose to use the Retired Summer Sun Ink paired with Chocolate Chip. The Doily Die is from PTI though! I couldn't resist not using any PTI supplies! LOL! Plus I haven't shown those dies much love either since I got them! 


A close up of the detail. I enjoyed using this set & love this colour combination. I definitely  don't use enough yellow often enough! 

Anyway, since my last post I got chosen to be one of the top 3 Passionista over on A Passion for Papertrey! Thanks Girls!

Also we have been busy building my NEW studio :) it is coming along nicely. All the BIG building materials arrived this week along with all the electrical stuff. The floor is almost complete which will be completed tomorrow! The electrician is coming on Sunday so that'll mean we can move on to putting the plasterboards up next week! 

Exciting stuff! Along with studio building I have been busy designing some exciting things! A new BLOG post on my website HERE will be added in the next day or so!

Thanks for stopping by!


Sunday 18 September 2011

Challenge Complete!

Hello!

I am pleased to say that my 16 card challenge is complete :) I even plan on making a few extra! Some of the cards I have made are Christmas cards to send out this year, some are for submission calls & some are for a gift set. 

It's certainly got my mojo flowing which is good & it has also made me utilise a few of this stamps that often get neglected! 

Anyway, on to my card for today! I have one more card for the APPT Challenge HERE.


This card of Nichole's inspired me to get a start on my Christmas cards for this year. Though I think the set she has used on this card has a lot of potential it will probably not be in my shopping cart today as there is SO much more from the current release I would like!


The colour combination is one that I wouldn't normally use for a Christmas card, but it looks nice & contemporary. I used Tree Trimming Trio for the sentiment & Holiday Tags 2010. My card hasn't quite got the distressed feel like Nichole's but I like how it turned out.


You can just about see the Prisma Glitter I added to the Snowflakes on this photo. It's certainly added some Christmas Magic to the card!

I'm off to make a couple more cards before I make my shopping decisions before dinner this afternoon at the MIL.

Thanks for stopping by!




Friday 16 September 2011

Bold Colour Combo

Happy Friday!

I'm getting back into the swing of things over here at my blog & at the crafting table! 

You see I received some new PTI goodies in the post the other day & I have set myself a little challenge. I have this problem with buying way too much stash! Some of you may know this yourselves! LOL! 

Anyway, before I buy any more PTI goodies that have just been released I have to make 1 card for every $5 I spend or if it's from the UK 1 card for every £5!

So, my current target is 16 & I am 5 down! 

Onto the card! This is another A Passion for Papertrey inspired by card. This time I was inspired by the talented Lisa Johnson.


The bold colour combination is what caught my eye. Then it was the use of the PTI Modern Basics set. This is a new set I have just purchased. I wasn't too sure on it at first but I have seen so many wonderful creation using it I just had to get it!

Anyway, below is my card inspired by Lisa's above.


I love how quick this was to create :) Below is a close up of the Little Bitty Bird inside the frame! 


Apart from having 11 more cards to make in my challenge, I had better get some work done too!

Thanks for stopping by!



Thursday 15 September 2011

More Inspiration

Hello All!

Happy Thursday! It's nearly the weekend - whoop! This week has flown by though.

I am back today to share another card for the A Passion for Papertrey current challenge. This time I was inspired by the one & only Nichole Heady. I have to say I wish I had her mojo sometimes! Hopefully the arrival of some NEW goodies & a shopping spree for some just released PTI Christmas goodies will get it going! Lol!

Anyway, I was inspired by this card that Nichole showed this week as a sneak peek. I loved the colour combination & layout.


I broke out my Four of A Kind stamp set from last years CHA. I stamped the leaves & stem with SU! Kiwi Kiss & the flowers with Versa Magic Aquatic Splash. I added Hero Arts Prisma Glitter to the flowers using a 2 way glue pen.


The sentiment is from Communique Curves, I wish I had stamped it a little lower as it is not quite perfect! I like the overall design though & will have a go at some alternative colour combinations.


I have caught up on a few tasks today, so I might just squeeze in card before I cycle to meet my funny on his way home from work as the sun is out & I don't think it'll be tomorrow! 


Thanks for stopping by!

Wednesday 7 September 2011

A Passion For Papertrey

Hello!

I've been feeling a little mojoless at the moment, it could be that Summer never really arrived here in the North East & that Autumn seems to be upon us! 

I have had a relaxing week & a half spending time with my hunny for days out & relaxing while he has 2 weeks off work. As I now work from home I have done the odd thing here & there related to work but have tried not to to give myself a break.

Anyway, A Passion For Papertrey have a NEW challenge up. This time it's Papertrey Ink Design Team inspiration.

My card was inspired by one of Dawn McVey's. Finding Dawn's blog was one of the first ways I got to know about PTI & fall in LOVE with their stamps & products!


I love the simplicity of Dawn's card & also the colour & mix & match of products used.

I don't own the Love Lives Here set, but it is slowly making its way onto my wish list!


So, for my card I used the PTI Doily Die, Butterfly Dreams die & a Martha Stewart Punch. The hearts on the Martha Stewart butterflies is from Little Bitty Bird. The sentiment is from Commnique Curves $5 Set. The DP is PTI Bitty Dot Basics 2008.


In the photo above you can see that I go my sewing machine out! This rarely happens for a one off card as it doesn't have a permanent place in my current studio. This will change once my NEW studio is up & running! More on that later! 

Anyway, I might just squeeze in another card before we head to the movies tonight for a little Fright Night 3D! 

Catch Ya Laters!

Friday 12 August 2011

New Stamps @ The Paperlane!

Happy Friday!

I thought I'd stop by today to share a card I made this afternoon with some NEW stamps I purchased from The Paperlane in Northallerton. 

I popped by to see my friend Caz, the owner of the shop & while I was there some NEW stamps arrived! These are Make 'it' Crafty stamps from Australia & they are So cute. I LOVE the Manga style that they are drawn in!


This little Pixie is Vixie who is sitting on the Whimsical Mushroom. I used my Copic Markers to colour the images in & I have to say I am WAY out of practice with using my Copics - SHAME on me! 

Anyway, I added some Prisma Glitter from Hero Arts to her wings & some Clear Spica Pen to her eye lashes. I cut Vixie out & she is mounted on foam pads.

The 3 little butterflies are Martha Stewart - so cute & the way Vixie has her hands looks as though she has just released them into the air!


The good thing about the Make 'it' Crafty background stamps like the Whimsical Mushroom, is that they are perfectly sized to work with Magnolia Tilda Stamps.

Well, I'm off to play a little more & I have a Birthday card to make & little gift set too. Be sure to check out The Paperlane Blog for more info on what The Paperlane has in store!

Thanks for stopping by!


Monday 25 July 2011

PTI July Blog Hop

Though I have been an avid PTI fan since 2009 this is the first blog hop I have ever entered! Inspired to create for fun tonight after a busy day in the studio & a busy week ahead I took an hour out to make this card.


Using the inspiration photo above I created the card below. I really wanted to used the Mehndi Medallion Stamp, but I have not got it yet & forgot to order it with my last order! 


I could have easily chosen the butterfly & stripes element in the photo to focus upon but that wouldn't have been as much of a challenge! I chose to break out Beautiful Blooms II and used the small floral elements to create my own medallion effect. I think it worked out quite well. 

Sorry for the bad photo the light is fading after a not so sunny day here in the North East of the UK :(


I used the Clean & Simple FTL150 sketch for the basis of this card, along with PTIs Orange Zest, Ocean Tides & a lil bit of Ripe Avocado. Orange is not a colour I would normally use, let alone with Ocean Tides - way out of my comfort zone! The sentiment is from Handwritten Notes.

Anyway, off for a little workout before bed! Thanks for stopping by!
 



Saturday 23 July 2011

PTI Stamp-a-faire Challenge 5

OK, so this is challenge no.5 & the challenge is to use a solid stamp to create a faux stamped border.


I like the card overall but I could have done better with the faux stamped border! The flowers could have been stamped closer together, but oh well here's my entry anyway!


I used another CPS sketch for this card. I used the solid flower from Flower Fusion 1 & the felt flower is Flower Fusion 2. The sentiment is from Mat Stack 1.

I'm off to see if I can make one last card or 2!

Thanks for stopping by!

PTI Stamp-a-faire Challenge 4

I'm really enjoying some down time in my studio, away from designing & applying for jobs etc.! Playing is SO much fun! I'm glad that Karl has been occupied with his Xbox & now the boxing so I can quietly play!

Anyway, here is the card I made for Challenge no.4 This was a colour challenge using Ripe Avocado, Simply Chartreuse, Hawaiian Shores & Enchanted Evening.


I used a CPS sketch for this card & kept it really simple! The bitty dot paper is Simply Chartreuse whilst the stem & leaves of the flower are stamped in Ripe Avocado. I didn't have a Enchanted Evening button small enough to fit inside the felt flower which is cut using the Flower Fusion 1 die. So I stamped the sentiment in Enchanted Evening & used some embroidery floss too add that colour element.


I made 2 cards in succession so I'll be blogging the next one straight away! I'm getting a little tired now after a lovely day so I'm not sure how many more I will manage to squeeze in! 

Thanks for stopping by!


PTI Stamp-a-faire Challenge 3

HEY! 

I'm back with Challenge Card no.3! My blog here hasn't seen this much action since February! LOL! 

So this challenge was to use the concept Heather Nichols had used which is incorporating a window and tying ribbon from the edge of the card to the side of the window.


As I already had some Soft Stone CS on my desk I decided to used that as my base card colour again! This time I stamped the Raspberry Fizz Mat Stack 3 Frame onto the layered mat & used the circle die from the limitless layers collection to cut out the window.


I used the leaf image from the Anniversary Round Round set & also the Thank you sentiment. I stamped the image with SU! Kiwi Kiss & added some stickles to the centre of the circles. The ribbon is Summer Sunrise Twill & the button is also Summer Sunrise.

A simple little cheery kind of card! I'm off to have my tea now, but I'm sure I'll be back soon with some more challenge cards! 

Thanks for stopping by! 

PTI Stamp-a-faire Challenge 2

After a nice bike ride around Wolviston & Billingham I have come home & retreated back to my studio to make a card for the next challenge! 


For this challenge we were to pair up HOT pink I used Raspberry Fizz & a charcoal grey. I used Smokey Shadow. I wanted the RF to really POP off the card so I used Soft Stone as my base card colour rather than white. I think this worked really well.

I decided to break out a couple of older sets in my collection, Friends 'Til The End & Butterfly Dreams. 



One can never have too many Thank you cards so I used a sentiment from Mat Stack 1 Collection. 

I am glad the nights are light and that it is actually sunny here today so I can take some decent photos of the cards! Well, I will be back shortly with Challenge 3, I need to get my skates on as Challenge 5 has been posted - yikes! I need to fit in tea somewhere too!

Thanks for stopping by!