Love is in the Little Things!

This image nearly didn't make it onto this card. I was so disatisfied with how I'd coloured the little boy's hair, I nearly scrapped it.I wanted the boy to have the same coloured hair as my hubby, which to be fair is increasingly grey, but I did not think he wanted to be reminded of that!! But I made it too dark all over, with not enough contrast so it looked rather dull & flat. I salvage it with my white highlighter pen & used my water brush to lighten it.

The gorgeous image  & sentiment are from LOTV, coloured with Distress Inks. The papers are SEI - Juliette & I used my new Martha Stewart punch I got at the Manchester Craft Show last weekend.

There are a whole host of challenges I with a Love/Valentines theme this week that I would like to enter this into.

First off I based my layout on the fab sketch at Friday Sketchers.

At Secret Crafters the theme is Valentine.

At A Spoonfull of Sugar, they want to 'See some Love'

I would have entered this card in last week's LOTV challenge had my son Ben, not seen fit to 'borrow' my camera & tidy it away behind the settee, where after 3 hours scouring the house I finally found it. Good job he was asleep in bed by the time I found it, or he would have gotten a good telling off! In the cold light of day now, I feel able to laugh about it...just!

Hope you are having a great week!

Big Hugs,

Andie xx

Passion For Promarkers - Lavender, Lace & Pearls!

Whoop Whoop! It's Tuesday & we've got another fab challenge for you at Passion For Promarkers. This week's theme has been chosen by lovely Emma & she has chosen lavender, lace & pearls. You can have so much fun with this!

We are sponsored by the oh so generous Simon Says Stamp this week, & our lucky winner will get a £10 voucher to spend at their store. How fabulous!

I've been itching to ink up one of the wonderful Simply Sassy stamps from Sugar Nellie. They're so gorgeous & a dream to colour!

My papers are Basic Grey - Kioshi & the sentiment is by Catslife Press from Crafty Emma's store.

I kept this card simple & let the image do the talking. Don't you just love her eyes!

I also have another card to share with you. I know Halloween has now been & gone, but I thought I'd share with you the card I made for my wonderful hubbie.

You probably recognise the image from Kraftin Kimmie & again it's coloured with Promarkers. The papers are MME Boo To You & the charm is from my stash.

The layout is based on the sketch at Friday Sketchers & Totally Gorjuss are hosting a  Halloween themed challenge this week, so I would like to enter this card in both those challenges.

Sadly life has been getting in the way of my crafting of late, so I apologise for not commenting as much as I would like. I hope to be able to fix that ove the next few days. I will also pop back later to add all the links to this post.

But for now, hope you are all having a good week!

Big Hugs,

Andie xx

Passion For Promarkers - Best Friends!

It's Tuesday & my wonderful D-Teamie Deb has chosen this week's theme at Passion For Promarkers. She wants to see cards featuring friends!

This week's lucky winner will win a choice of either a pack of 5 Promarkers or Aquamarkers, courtesy of Just Tracys' wonderful online store!

I used this fabulous Diane Duda image from Sugar Nellie called Waiting For Santa. They look lke great friends don't they? I bet they do everything together. 

I coloured my image with Promarkers & used MME glitter papers. The poinsetta is a Creatable die & the sentiment is Catslife Press from my the lovely Crafty Emma's Store.

If you haven't already done so, please pay a visit to the PFP blog where my lovely D-Teamies have been excelling themselves once again.

I would also like to enter this card into 2 other challenges. I have based my layout on the fab sketch at this week's Friday Sketchers. The theme at Totally Gorjuss is 'sparkle' & I've added lots of magical Xmas glitter to this!

Hope everyone is having a great week. Thanks so much for looking.

Big Hugs,

Andie xx

Passion For Promarkers - Halloween Colours!

Yay! It's my turn to choose the theme for this week's challenge at Passion For Promarkers. We're getting close to the spookiest day of the year, so I thought I'd encourage you to create something for Halloween. However, I recognise that Halloween isn't everyone's cup of tea, so instead Halloween is an optional theme on the colour scheme I have chosen of Orange, Black, Purple & Green, or a selection thereof.

Our wonderful sponsor this week is The Craft Garden & the lucky winner, will get a £10 voucher to spend on all their fab goodies!

 

I've been dying to ink up this brilliant Witchypoo image from Kraftin Kimmie. I just love her. She's coloured with Aqua Markers & the papers are Blackbird by Memory Box. All the flowers, buttons & ribbon are from my stash & the sentiment is computer generated.

All in all this was quite a straight forward card, but boy was she fiddly to cut out!! I do wish we sent more cards at Halloween here in the UK, just because they're such fun!

My layout is based on the fab sketch at Friday Sketchers this week, so I would like to enter my card there. Also Simon Says Stamp &; Kraftin Kimmie both have a Halloween theme.

Thanks so much for looking,

Have a great week.
Big Hugs,
Andie xx

Passion For Promarkers - Sweet Treats!

Tuesday again, my how the summer has just flown by! This week's challenge at Passion For Promarkers has been chosen by the fabulous Emma, who wants to make us all hungry. But in consideration for our waistline, she wants us to put all our 'sweet treats' on paper, rather than in our mouths!

This weeks lucky winner, will receive a $10 voucher to spend at Simon Says Stamp. How fab is that?!

I used CC Design Kiki La Rue image for this challenge. I had to have a bowl of ice cream while making this card. I couldn't resist! The DPs are from the Magnolia Ink, 'A Little Yummy for my Tummy' collection.


This is quite possibly the palest card I've ever made! She's coloured with Aqua Markers & for the layout I used the great sketch at Friday Sketchers this week. Of course, this is so girly, I had to add a little glitter & lace. The sentiment is from Crafty Sentiments & I've had the flowers for ages, but I can't remember where they're from.

So there you go. Please pop over to the PFP blog, to see the yummy creations of my fellow D-Teamies, they're delicious!

Thanks for looking!
Big Hugs,
Andie xx

Passion For Promarkers - Going Green!

Happy Tuesday Everyone! You know what that means! Time for another Passion For Promarkers challenge. This week it's a colour challenge & we want to see you using shades of green in your creations. Our wonderful sponsor is Pink Gem Designs & the lucky winner will win one of their fabulous images.

I have to say, I don't often go for green, unless I'm colouring leaves or grass! So this was actually a struggle for me. I don't have many green DPs either, but nonetheless I've gone all out green!

This little cutie is a Sugar Nellie Manga. I made it for a boy at my son's nursery who was celebrating his 4th birthday. More about that later. But as a result I kept it rather plain. IRL it is actually a bit more interesting than it appears on the photo. The swirl paper is actually flocked & is very touchy feely. The photo has not picked up the ribbon across the middle very well either.

I hope you'll now pop on over to the PFP blog to see the fantastic work of my lovely D-Teamies. They've been excelling themselves yet again! Don't forget to enter our wonderful Aqua Marker giveaway, courtesy of Letraset.

I used the fab sketch at Friday Sketchers for my layout, so I would also like to enter my card there.

As it turns out this card is still in my possession. We were a little late getting to Ben's friend's party. We'd been to see Toy Story 3 at the cinema & it finished a little later than anticipated. I realised there I'd left the card at home & had to quickly buy another. Then we couldn't find the house where the party was being held! Unfortunately Ben must have eaten too many sweets at the cinema, because within 5 minutes of finally getting there, he threw up everywhere. I was just mortified, ever wished the ground would just swallow you up. Needless to say, after I'd apologised about 1000 times, we left! After a lovely bath at home, Ben was feeling fine within the hour! Kids eh, who'd have 'em!!

So there you go. Hope everyone is having a good week.

Thanks so much for looking.
Big Hugs,
Andie xx

Crafty Sentiments GDT - Challenge #24, Sneak Peak

Exciting times ahead at Crafty Sentiments! I've so much to tell you about before I show my card for this week's challenge. Suzette will be releasing a new range of stamps on 12th July! After that there will new a further new release of digi images on 17th July. WOW, it's all happening at Crafty Sentiments! Join us from July 12th for a week long release party. I'll let Suzette tell you a bit more.

"We are so excited to announce that we are having another new release on 12th July!! This release is from our new designer, the talented Cheryl Alger. She is based in the USA & has her own range of digital stamps at Sassy Cheryl. We are happy to have her on board. These images are fun & cheerful, & great for colouring with Promarkers, Copics etc. I have some more exciting news. Crafty Sentiments will be going digital as well from 17th July, with a new range of digital images & downloads, so make sure you check the website.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO WIN THE ENTIRE NEW RELEASE? Well post this blog hop badge on your log with a lnk to the Crafty Sentiments blog, where the party will begin. Only those who grab the badge will be in with the chance of winning. One lucky person will win the entire set of 5 images. The winner will be posted shortly after the end of the blog hop."

So here's my card for this week's challenge. It's a nice easy one this week, we want you to make a Birthday Card! I've chosen one of the new upcoming digi images to show. Meet Toby! Isn't he a cutie!!

He's coloured with Promarkers & the DPs are from Daisy Bucket. I've had them ages. Yay! Go me for using up old stash!! The gorgeous sentiment is also from Crafty Sentiments.

I used the fab sketch at Friday Sketchers this week, so I would also like to enter my card there.

So, if your still with me! Please pop over to the Crafty Sentiments blog to see for yourself the amazing work of my lovely D Teamies. Look at the yummy prize wonderful Debbie at Crafty Pad Designs is offering this weeks winner.

Thanks so much for looking.

Big Hugs,

Andie xx

Passion For Promarkers - Favourite Things

I had so much fun making my card for this weeks Passion For Promarkers Challenge. My lovely D Teamie, Debs, chose this weeks theme. We would like you to make a card with an image that depicts your favourite thing, be it a past time, person, food etc. This week we are lucky to have a prize of 6 Promarkers donated by the wonderfully kind Wendy At Secret Crafter.

What you may be wondering is my favourite thing! Or you may not actually care, but I'm going to tell you anyway. Family aside, I love relaxing in the sunshine on holiday! Especially while my hubbie, Paul, plays footie with the boys & I can lose myself in a good book, puzzle page or even on the I-Pod.

This is me on my hols. In my dreams, LOL!! No way am I this sexy or gorgeous. I don't even have blonde hair! But I am a bit of a sun worshipper. When I saw this Florence stamp from Kraftin Kimmie, I knew I had to have her. She is coloured with Promarkers, of course. But I won't bore you with the colours. Please just ask if you want to know.

The DP is Blue Awning from K&Co & the embossed paper I ran through my Cuttlebug. I used a MS punch for the doily edge & the sentiment is an old Papermania sticker. The shell comes with Florence.

So now, if you haven't already done so, please pop over to the Passion For Promarkers blog to see the awesome cards of my fellow DT lovelies. Why not join n the fun & be in with a chance of winning our great prize!

I would also like to enterthis card at,

Friday Sketchers where I followed the great layout.

Kraftin Kimmie where the colour scheme is Blue, Yellow & Tan.

Thanks so much for taking the time to look. Hope you're having a great week!

Big Hugs,

Andie xx

Magical Tilda

Just a quickie! I really enjoyed making this card. It's based on the fab sketch at Friday Sketchers this week. This is Simsalabim Tilda. Am I alone in not having any idea what that means? It sounds like a magic spell, like Abracadabra! Whatever, she is totally adorable & quite possibly my favourite from the new collection. But they are all just gorgeous.

This weeks challenge at Just Magnolia is 'Anything Goes', I have been dying to ink up this image since it popped through my letterbox. She is a dream to colour. She's coloured with Distress Inks & the DPs are MME - Ooh La La!

This is a new style of card for me, which fits in with the challenge at Papertake Weekly to Try Something Different. I very rarely decorate the inside either.

There is not much else to say about this. The frame was cut from a Nesties die & the flowers are a mixture from Hobbycraft & Bizzy Becs. I also added glitter to the flowers, her dress & the wand. The ticket was a freebie stamp from Craft Stamper magazine.

There you go then. Not such a quickie after all. I'm watching the Leaders debate at the moment & have gotten a bit sidetracked. When Simon & Garfunkel sing about going to the 'Candidates Debate' in Mrs Robinson, it sounds infinitely better than this! I'm non the wiser about who to vote for next week. I did enjoy Gordon Brown's huge gaff yesterday though!! But I feel so sorry for the lady he bad mouthed. She looked so hurt.

Anyway, this is not a politics forum! Better get crafting! Thanks so much for looking.

Big Hugs,

Andie xx

Birthday Cutie!!

It's been such ahectic day today this post is going onfar later than I intended. I hope it's in time for A Spoonfull of Sugar Challenge this week, where they want you ot use beads. Can you see them in the centre of the flower & on the butterflies?

The layout is based on the sketch at Friday Sketchers this week, so I'm entering it there too. The papers are Cosmo Cricket & the image is Bildmalarna & she called Tossa! Both are from Bunny Zoe's

I want to say a huge THANK YOU! to my bestest blogging pal, Dena. She sent me a Bunny Zoe gift voucher for my birthday, with which I bought this stamp & a couple more I hope to get inked up very soon. I think most people who have visited my blog before are probably aware of the love & utmost respect I have for Dena both as a warm & generous person, & as an amazingly talented crafter. Go pay her a visit if you haven't already & see what I am talking about.


I loved making this card. I hope you like it too. Thanks for looking.
Big Hugs,
Andie xx

Fairy Beautiful!

This gorgeous fairy is from the latest Kraftin Kimmie release & I just love her. She's elegant, pretty, kind & a little bit sexy too!

I made this card to fit 2 challenges. The layout is based on the lovely sketch for this weeks Friday Sketchers. I've dithered around so long with the flowers on this I may or may not be in time for that! A Spoonfull of Sugar wants to see layering on your cards. I also discovered this weeks challenge at Cute Card Thursday is fairies. Well this most definitely qualifies for that!

I coloured my fairy with my Distress Inks & added glitter for added fairy magic! I have two wonderful ladies to thank for helping with this card, the DPs are from K& Co, so kindly sent me by Michele! The loop punch is a Martha Stewart one so generously sent me for Xmas, by my awesomely talented blogging buddy, Dena. Thank you again my friends, xx

I hope everyone is having a good week. Thanks for looking.

Big Hugs,

Andie xx

Friday Sketchers for my Boss!

I must apologise for the quality of this of this photo. I made it the other night for me & my colleagues at work to give to our line manager for Xmas. Trouble was I had to leave early the next day & the light was terrible, so the colours do not show through properly. Trust me, IRL it is much nicer!

I based it on the fab layout at Friday Sketchers this week. The image is Antoinette from Kraftin Kimmie. I chose it because she looks a little bit like my curly haired boss. But the day after I finished it, she only arrived at work with straightened hair, LOL!!

I got the distressing tool out on this one, coloured her with Distress Inks & a Xmas card isn't a Xmas card without a touch of glitter! The sentiment is from Anna Griffin on a snowflake nestie background. The DP is MME.

Well got to dash. It's my last day at work tomorrow - YAY!! - & I've got loads of cards to make still - EEEK!!

Thanks for looking,

Big Hugs,

Andie xx

Now meet my Sister!

I introduced you to my youngest son, Ben, in my last post. Next week it's my sister's birthday & this Shopaholic stamp from Sugar Nellie just fits her to a T. Not only is she a keen shopper, but she exudes the same style & grace as the girl in the image. She's from Clitheroe in Lancashire, but now lives in Paris, where these qualities enable her to fit right in!

I have used the fab sketch at Friday Sketchers for my layout. The DPs & the ribbon are all from Cosmo Cricket, Everafter. She's coloured with my trusty Distress Inks.

I hope you like her, but more importantly, I hope my sister does. She & my adorable little niece, Emma, are coming over this weekend. I'm so excited! Me & my Mum are taking her Trollbead bracelet shopping for birthday & Xmas.

Hope everyone is having a good week. Thanks for looking!

Big Hugs,

Andie xx

Tilda & Edwin Dancing on Ice!

Just a quickie as my hubby wants his tea!! I missed the light on this photo so it looks a bit orangey, but rest assured it is pink to fit in with the gorgeous colour combo at Just Magnolia this week. This is the first time I have coloured this stamp & I just love it! The layout is from this weeks Friday Sketchers. I even managed the optional distressing theme, but then I distress the edges of all my images as it gives extra definition. Love the simplicity of the layout, & I resisted the temptation to over embellish, again because hubby's stomach is growling. Mine too, truth be told, LOL!

Hope eveyone is having a good week. Be sure to check back on Sunday for our new look to Crafts 4 Eternity challenge!

Thanks for looking,

Big Hugs,

Andie xx

Recipe:

Stamps: Magnolia & sentiment from Whiff of Joy.

Papers: Cherry Arte (pink), SEI (grey).

Tools: Distress Inks, Nestabilities.

Embellishments: Love charm from Quixotic Paperie.

3-in-1 Autumn Sugar Nellie

Things aren't quite as hectic now the kitchen is nearly done. (Just got the floor & splashbacks to get done!) It's been quite a while since I last entered a challenge. So I'm making up for by entering this into 3 challenges this week. The layout is based on the lovely, simple sketch at Friday Sketchers. I rotated it to fit my image. A Spoonfull of Sugar want to see disressing on your cards. Scuffed edges are not something I normally do, but I love the look on other peoples, & I'm really pleased with how it turned out here. Finally Colour Create chose the combo, ruby, cream & gold. This is perfect for an autumnal flavoured card, so I just had to give it a whirl! Have to say, I love the Sugar Nellie Autumn kit. Every image is just gorgeous. I never usually go for kits as there are usually one or two I'm not keen on. It's also nice to be able to see it before you take the plunge.

Hope everyone is having a great weekend. I'll be back again tomorrow with my Crafts 4 Eternity DT card.

Big Hugs,

Andie xx

Recipe:

Stamps: Sugar Nellie Homegrown Autumn Kit, Inkadinkadoo

Papers: Basic Grey Fusion, Deja View.

Tools: Distress Inks, Beads & Embroidery thread.

Anya does Friday Sketchers

Yes, I know, my credit card has been busy. I could not resist Super Star Anya from Dies to Die For. I felt she had to be a blond, but I think I need more practice at blond hair. I usually give my images brown hair, I seem to find it a lot easier. I used the colours from last weeks Colour Create & used these delish MME DPs from Stampeezee. I have seen these around blogland a lot recently, I think because they are so gorgeous! I am entering her in the Friday Sketchers challenge this week, where there is a fab sketch by Claudia. Not much else to say about her other than she was coloured with my trusty Distress Inks.
Hope everyone is happy & well.

Regards,

Andie xx

Creative Inspirations meets Friday Sketchers

There is a lovely simple sketch at Friday Sketchers this week, but my interpretation turned out a bit bland so I had to add a bit of extra bling, but I still feel it is lacking a bit of WOW! I guess she turned out OK in a shabby chic kind of way! I am also entering this in for the Creative Inspirations challenge this week, which is paper piecing, which I did on Tilda's pinafore & bow. My DPs are K & Co & she is coloured with my trusty distress inks.
We have been over to my parents in Clitheroe this weekend for Father's Day. I do find buying pressies for my Dad hard. However, he appreciates his beer & is always happy to accept a few bottles of his favourite tipple! My husband on the other hand, is still a big kid, & there is always a video game he needs that the boys were happy to give him!
Hope you have all had a good weekend, only 5 days to go till the next one!!

Regards,
Andie xx

Happy Anniversary Friday Sketchers!

Could not let the week pass without having a go at the fabulous sketch provided over at Friday Sketchers this week. It is their first anniversary & I also wanted to offer not only my Congratulations, but say a big Thank You to all the organisers, the DT & all the participants for the wonderful inspiration they have provided over the past 12 months. I have used Geisha Anya

I got from the wonderful Dies to Die For. I love Greeting Farm stamps, they are so easy to colour & so cute! I am also using Basic Grey, Wisteria papers. I have seen them on other blogs & really love them, mine are from Stampeezee. The swirls were made with an EK punch from the Hobby House. Yes I have been spending, but I do not feel guilty. I am doing my bit to help Britain out of the recession!!

Hope you are having a good week, the weekend is nearly here!

Regards,

Andrea xx

3 in 1 Challenge & My First Award

Two challenges this week have lent themselves perfectly to being combined. Friday Sketchers has a fab sketch presented by Beatrix. Meanwhile Stamp with Fun wants to see cards with the dimensions 8" x 4". Not content with this I have also used the gorgeous colour combination offered at Colour Create this week of red, cream & chocolate, though the photo does not show them in all their true yumminess! So I am entering my card in all three.
FYI, the little cutie in the image is by Alota, & the DP is Melissa Frances.

And now to some exciting news, I have my first award!

It came from a lovely lady named Sarah. Some of you may know her better as Lil-Paper-Pixie. Thank you so much! Click here to see the beautiful cards she creates on her fantastic blog. One of the reasons I created my own blog was in the hope of meeting lovely, like-minded people like Sarah who share my passion for card making. We spoke on the phone the other night & it was a real pleasure. I also know of two more hugely talented ladies who are equally deserving of this award, so I am passing it on to them. They are Dena & Jenny. You should check out their work too. All three have provided me with great support & inspiration since I started my blog in February & for that I am immensely grateful.

By the way, for anyone interested, Wolverine was very good, but would have been better if Hugh Jackman didn't have a beard! There you go, a critic's verdict!! Hope you are having agood week.

Regards,

Andrea xx

Just Magnolia meets Friday Sketchers

Have not got a lot to say about this, other than I don't like it! I am really cross as well, because Mumur's sketch at Friday Sketchers is lovely, but I have not done it justice. I have combined it with the pink & green challenge at Just Magnolia. Do you ever start something that feels good in theory, but the end result is disappointing & it becomes a chore, rather than a pleasure to finish.
Hey ho, the good news is I can now start another card, which will hopefully turn out better! Sorry to sound like a whinge bag, I am not annoyed with life, just this card, LOL! One more day of work & then it's a Bank Holiday weekend, Yippee!!!!
Hope you are all well, & feeling more satisfied with your cards than me!

Regards,
Andrea xx