A Blog Named Hero ...

Hey!

I thought I'd have found a bit more time at the weekend to get inky & make some cards to share for the blog here but I've been busy with preparations over HERE for the next release!

Anyway, I did find time to squeeze in a little Hero Arts stamped card for the current challenge over on the NEW blog A BLOG NAMED HERO. If you have followed my blog here for long you will know that I {LOVE} Hero Arts stamps!

I may not have been using them for a while & some NEW ones are in my stash un-inked I am sad to say but I HAD to join in on the challenge and show my HA stamps some LOVE!

The challenge was to use your favourite HA stamp now thats a tough one for me as I have SO many & love all of them! LOL! This is what I came up with ...

I have to say that this butterfly is one of my all time favourites and it has been used SO many times! The reason I love it so much is the hearts on it are lovely to colour and its such a bold butterfly! With added sparkle like I've done on this card really makes it 'pop' from the card. 

Here is a close up ...

I absolutely LOVE Hero Arts Prisma Glitter and use it on almost everything! The sentiment is from a set that has seen a lot of ink in the past too. The border stamp was one that had not seen ink but I love it & don't know why it hasn't! LOL!

Theres a few more hours to join in on the fun HERE so if you have time check it out! I hope to be back soon with more cards to share!

Thanks for stopping by today!
Hugs

Birthday Celebrations!

Hello There!

Well, it's a soggy Tuesday here in the North East of the UK, but I'm back today with another Spring coloured project to share.

Now I have created this project as it's 'A DAY TO CELEBRATE' it's The Paperlane's 2nd Birthday! The Paperlane is my local craft shop & I have spent many hours in there adding to my stash! LOL!

So, to celebrate the stores 2nd Birthday there is a Birthday Celebration Challenge over on The Paperlane blog HERE. The challenge is to either incorporate 2 sentiments onto your project or a cake with 2 candles. There is a FAB prize up for grabs a £15 gift certificate to spend! As I am part of the DT it's a shame I can't enter as I'd have that spent in no TIME!! 

There are a few ways you can join in the challenge, first by popping over and linking up on the blog, email your entry to Caz at The Paperlane or pop in store with your creation! 

I thought that the Time set from Uniko Studio was rather fitting for the Birthday Celebration! Below is a close up of the card I made ...

As you can see I used the 2 sentiment rule of the challenge on my card. I used some lovely Spring colours suitable for a Spring Birthday! Pool Party & Calypso Coral! I Simply stamped the clock face alternating the colours & then repeated the process on another piece of CS and fussy cut out the inner part of the floral element! Then adhered them to the card using foam pads for a bit of dimension. A few rhinestones & I was done! 

I couldn't stop there though I had to go on and make a matching Tag & Gift Box! 

For the box I used a Sizzix XL die to cut it out & stamped the graphic flowers randomly in the 2 colours before adhering together. The focal point for both the Tag & Box are created by using the largest graphic flower from the TIME set and one of the clock faces from the set. I fussy cut the centre flower just as I did for the card. The 2 scrolls are a Memory Box die 'Scrollwork' and add the perfect frilly touch! Some bling added here & there finishes off for good measure! 

Why not pop on over to The Paperlane Blog HERE and see what the other DT members have created for the challenge and join in on the fun! 

Thanks for stopping by today! I'll be back tomorrow with another project to share! 

Hugs!

There's still TIME!

Have you got the Monday morning post weekend blues?! Well if so then I'm here to cheer you up a little and remind you about the coming weekend!!

There is still TIME to sign up for the workshop on Saturday 24th March with me Bev from Uniko Studio to create some FAB CAS (clean & simple) cards using the Time & Extra Time stamp sets!! 

Below are some examples of the type of cards we will be making ...

This workshop is the perfect opportunity to have a 'play' with the stamps and make some cards for all the men in your life!! Hope to see you there! 

Thanks for stopping by today!

Cute Bella

Happy Mothers Day!

Sadly my Mum died back in 2008 and I find Mothers Day along with many dates throughout the year hard as I miss her SO much. Anyway, even though she is no longer here physically I thought I'd make her a card she would have loved to of received on Mothers Day.

A while back I bought this cute Wild Rose Studio Bella stamp from The Paperlane & hadn't found time to ink & colour her in! So I found some time yesterday to make this card ...

Looks like I NEED a lot more practice with my Copic markers!! I kept the card really CAS as to not take the focus off the lovely image. 

Well, I'd best be getting ready as I am off out to take Karl's Mam out for lunch!! Hope you all have a lovely day & if you likey Bella why not pop down to The Paperlane to buy one! LOL! Caz has lots of other cute Bella stamps along with papers & other crafty goodies!! 

Thanks for stopping by!

a POP of colour

It's been a while since I found some 'Time' to post over here on this blog! I have been busy with things over HERE! 

Anyway, I found some inky time today to sit & play with some new goodies that have been waiting to inked up. With it being Mothers Day here in the UK tomorrow I thought I had better start by making a Mothers Day card for Karl's Mam. 

I decided to play along with the current challenge over on A Passion for Papertrey Ink which is to create a project with a 'pop' of colour amongst white & black. I knew exactly what I wanted to create so here it is!

I broke out my newly acquired PTI Anniversary set! That lil peony stamp is beautiful :) I used PTI Raspberry Fizz for the stamped solid flower, ribbon tab & button. I just love that colour 'popped' with black & white!

Well, I will actually be back tomorrow with another card to share that I have made today but it deserves it's own post! 

Thanks for stopping by!

A UNIQUE Giveaway!

I thought I'd stop by and tell you about a FAB giveaway going on over HERE! Seen the NEW stamps on the UK block? Fancy winning a set of your choice? Then pop on over to the Uniko Studio Blog & follow the directions and be in the chance of winning some goodies!

I hope to be back next week with some creative shares once I have got rid of this bug my funny not so kindly shared with me!

Bye for Now!

Butterfly Stripes

I took a little 'me' time this evening to create a card for a couple of challenges that are going on! I have been so busy with THIS that I haven't had much time to 'play'!

So I took an hour out after tea and made this card ...

The current challenge over on A Passion for Papertrey is to incorporate stripes into your project. Stripes are still on trend and so I thought about how I could incorporate them into a card along with a butterfly. It had to be a butterfly because the Papertrey Ink Anniversary Celebration is still going on and todays challenge is to incorporate a butterfly into your project! 

So to save me some time I decided to incorporate both challenges into one card! I used PTI's Faux Ribbon stamp set to create the stripes using Hawaiian Shores, Raspberry Fizz & Aqua Mist Ink. The Sentiment from Faux Ribbon is stamped using Stampin' Up! Basic Grey. 

I then cut the Butterfly Dreams butterfly from Basic Grey CS and stamped one of the butterflies from Butterfly Dreams stamp set in Fresh Snow Ink. A little bit of bling added to the butterfly which is mounted on foam pads and I was done! 

I'm really pleased how this turned out! 

Be sure to check out both the challenges and also THIS BLOG for all the info on what I've been up to! LOL!

Thanks for stopping by!

Uniko Studio - Design Team Member Announcement!

Hey!

Just a quick post to let you know about Uniko Studio's Design Team member announcement over on the blog! More to follow tomorrow & leading up to Saturday!!

Papertrey Ink 5th Anniversary Day 2

Hey!

Well, it's Day 2 of the PTI 5th Anniversary celebrations over at Nichole's Blog. I missed joining in yesterday with Day 1, but I just had to find some time in my busy schedule to squeeze in a card for todays challenge!

Today the Designers & New Designers for PTI have designed us some freebie images to use to create a project.

I chose to use Erin's image, I have to say they are all lovely and I'm looking forward to the year ahead to see what they all have in store!

On to the card ...

I used Background Basics Music & Grunge me to create this card. I used some yummy Raspberry Fizz & Hawaiian Shores Ink.

I saw this card LO on Pinterest and had to give it a go! I hope to squeeze in another card or two if I can! If I don't be sure to check out Uniko Studio Blog tomorrow for some more introductions! 

Thanks for stopping by!

Introducing .....

The time has come for me to share something exciting! My new venture into the world of business, so without further ado;

Introducing...

Uniko Studio will feature high quality photopolymer stamps designed & manufactured here in the UK. If things go well I hope to branch out with other crafting supplies.

Since starting & graduating with a first class honours, from a degree in Surface Pattern Design I knew that my new path in life would be a creative one. I have always been creative & enjoyed the hobby of making cards for as long as I can remember. I decided in my final 2 years of my degree that I would combine my love for designing with my hobby & create a new business venture! 

Uniko Studio will officially open on Saturday 11th February 2012. Up until that day I will be introducing you to the 2 members of my design team & showing you a few sneak peeks of the first stamp sets to be released! I will post here on littleshopofcrafts but why not follow me on my Uniko Studio blog!! 

On the 11th February Uniko Studio will also be at The Paperlane Demo Day in Northallerton from 10am - 4pm. There you will be able to meet me, see the stamps in real life & even join me in a make & take using some of the new stamps! 

I hope that you are as excited as I am about this new adventure!!

The Butterfly Effect

Belated Happy New Year Everyone!

I'm sorry I have been MIA for so long, things have been crazy busy around these parts, but more of that a bit later!! All I'll say for now is watch this space!!

Anyway, I'm here today to share a card for the first Paperlane Challenge of 2012. The challenge is to be inspired by a book.

I'm not a big reader of books though I go through spurts of reading! I was inspired more by the title of the book 'The Butterfly Effect' rather than the content of the book.

If people are like me, when I receive a handmade card it makes me happy so it has a positive effect on me. So there you have it, I was inspired by a book title! That still counts right?! 

For the card I used some lovely Kaiser Kraft papers, Sizzix Circle Dies, Hero Arts Butterfly Stamp & used Copics to colour it. If you want the full list of supplies just ask!

Be sure to pop on over to The Paperlane Challenge blog to join in on the fun! 

I'll be back later this week for a BIG announcement! Exciting times!!

Thanks for stopping by!

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!

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 :)

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.

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!