A Fairy Thank You

Good afternoon,

This is a rare daytime post from me, I'm usually on here after everyone's in bed lol!  The weather is pants here today, heavy rain and strong gusts of wind.  The ideal day for staying indoors and hibernating, so after Iona did her homework and I did some chores I got stuck into some cardmaking.  Iona was on hand to give some suggestions for colours and papers.  Sometimes it really helps to have someone else come up with ideas you might not have thought of yourself!

So on to today's card.  The stamped image is by Wee Stamps and was a magazine freebie a while back.  For a freebie it really is good quality and was a joy to colour with Promarkers.  The papers I've chosen are one of my all time favourites, My Minds Eye Miss Caroline Dolled Up.  I just love the colours and designs in this pack.

I've matted all the papers with black card and I've used circle and scalloped circle dies from X-cut, a lacey scallop die from Spellbinders and a corner die from Marianne.  The butterflies were made using an Embosslits set from Stampin' Up.  The sentiment sticker is by Pebbles Inc.  My card is finished off with coloured pearls, a large checked bow and some Fruit Punch Stickles to highlight the image.

Hope you're all having a good weekend and wishing you a fantastic week ahead.

Shona xx

I would like to enter my card into the following challenges:

Ladybug Crafts Challenge - January, Give Thanks

Passion For Promarkers - #231 Ribbon, Lace or Twine

Paper Pretties Wednesday Challenge - #294 Anything Goes

Sister Act Challenge - #41 Anything Goes

Gorjuss in Blue

Good evening crafty friends,

It's been way too long.  I haven't had much crafting time since my last post as I had a trip away to Dundee with my daughter's Cheerleading squad.  We left on Friday afternoon and didn't get back until late on Sunday and there was all the prep beforehand and the catching up with chores afterwards!  The team did very well as a whole and the Youth Cheer team that Iona's in got first place on Saturday and a 5th place for their Pom Dance on Sunday.  Spirits were high so there wasn't much sleep happening over the weekend!

Tonight's card has been on the back burner for a while.  I coloured in the image a while ago with these new papers in mind.

The papers are the new Parisienne Blue Capsule Collection from Docrafts.  Blue and white Toile de Jouy style designs have long since been a favourite of mine and I used to have my bedroom decorated with similar patterns so this new collection was a must buy for me!  The Gorjuss stamp was passed on to me by a crafty friend a while back but this is the first time I've used it, it's been coloured with Promarkers.

The postcard stamp is from the new Madame Payraud collection, also by Docrafts and the sentiment is by LOTV.  The circle and scalloped circle dies are by X-cut and the flourish is from Carole's Crafts and the border punch is by Stampin' Up.  I've finished off the card with coloured pearls and a spotty organza ribbon bow.

I'd like to enter my card into the following challenges:

Passion for Promarkers - #231 Ribbon, Lace or Twine

Papertake Weekly Challenge - Add a Bow & Use a Die

Cutie Pie Challenge - #61 Cute January Blues

613 Avenue Create - #55 Anything Goes/Winter Blues

Pretty In Pink

Good Evening,

Phew, we made it to Friday!  It's been a bit of a job trying to adjust my body clock after more or less a fortnight of late nights and lie ins, fortunately Iona has coped with it better than I have and has been a wee star this week.  Other news that deserves a mention is that my husband has been smoke free for a week now - yay!!!  I feel so proud of him and hope he keeps going.  I think he will as he can see the financial as well as health benefits and is eyeing up a new laptop as I type lol!  Luckily he's never been that heavy a smoker and never smokes at home (expect for a few sly ones in the shed!).

My card tonight is one I've made for one of Iona's school friends.  I've used my old faithful Teddy Beau freebie stamp which I love to colour in.

As usual the stamp has been coloured with Promarkers then mounted on scalloped and kraft circles.  I'm afraid I don't know the brand of the papers, they were individual 12x12 sheets and I can't even remember where I got them, which is a shame as I'd rather like to get more of the spotty one!  The sentiment is another old faithful from LOTV.  I've finished off the card with various buttons, ribbon and a glitter number and flower.

I hope you all have a fantastic weekend.

Shona xx

I'd like to enter my card into the following challenges:

Paper Pretties Wednesday Challenge - #292 Buttons

I Love Promarkers - #201 Add a Bow

Crafting From The Heart Challenge - #4 Use Buttons or Pearls

Natalie and Amy - #16 One for the Girlies

Charisma Cardz - #50 Birthday

30th Birthday

Hi folks,


Well I'm back at work now but at least things aren't as stressful as before Christmas.  I'm managing to squeeze in some crafting time most nights.  As I don't have a dedicated craft room, some nights I just don't feel like I have the energy to take out all my card making stash and have to put it away again late on, so I've been doing a little knitting while watching telly or colouring stamped images.  I have even managed a little crochet, which I haven't attempted since I was a teenager!  It was only a wee phone holder but I'm quite chuffed with it!  I will post a photo once I've sewn on the button!


Anyways, tonight's card is one I made for a work colleague's 30th Birthday today.  She isn't keen on floral patterns and particularly not mulberry or paper flowers so I've gone for glitter and stars.  Please excuse the photo, as usual my camera hasn't worked too well with the reflective surfaces!

I've used a silver Dovecraft card blank and silver and amethyst card.  The star dies and embossing folder are by X-cut.  The star edged square die is from Tonic, all other elements except the gems were from a bought embellishment set.

Just as a wee aside I've had an awful lot of problems tonight trying to add my photo to my post.  I've now had to give up on Internet Explorer 11 and opt for Chrome instead.  I don't know if any of you have had similar problems?  Anyway, I'd like to thank Cynthia, a crafty acquaintance, for her help in getting me back in business.

Bye for now,

Shona 

I'm Back!

Yay!  I'm back!  Hopefully that's me back permanently now after a few months of crafting taking a back seat.  Work was pretty mad latterly with lots of overtime and stress which made me fall behind with household duties, leaving no time for hobbies, especially when I had to prepare for Christmas (when you have an eight year old that's a necessity!).  Now that Christmas and New Year are behind us I've dusted down the stamps and Promarkers and I'm raring to go again!  I'm so looking forward to 2014, those of you who followed my blog in 2013 will know it was a difficult year for my family and I, so onwards and upwards I say!

Tonight's card is a Christmas one, I coloured the image ages ago but didn't get round to making it into a card.

The Snowman image is by Magnolia and was coloured with Promarkers.  The sentiment stamp is by Papermania.  I've used a couple of the Be Merry 6x6 papers from My Minds Eye and some Anita's Snowflake Glitterations.  My card is finished off with pink cotton lace, buttons, gems and pearls.

Wishing you all the best for 2014.

Shona xx

I wish to enter my card into the following challenges:

Cutie Pie Challenge #60 - Only Snowmen
CCAYR - January/Anything Goes
Crafty Hazlenuts Christmas Challenge Extra - January

Some Upcycling

Hi folks,

It's lovely to be back in Blogville!  I've had a couple of weeks out, last week I was off work sick for the best part of the week, a combination of a lingering cough and stress (mostly work related).  Although I think if I'd felt 100% I'd never have let the stress get the better of me.  This week I probably should be stressed but I'm not, I've had to work late for the last 3 nights and tonight I didn't get home until after ten, but I'm better able to cope with it now I'm feeling better thankfully.

Anyway enough personal waffle - sorry!!!  I have to say I'm a bit of a hoarder and I never throw away any bits and bobs that I think I can incorporate into a card and with Iona and I having had birthdays recently I saved quite a lot of our cards to upcycle.  Here are four cards I made out of just one birthday card I saved.  The Birthday card is full sized and the Thank You ones are mini cards.  Unfortunately I didn't get a 'before' shot!  For anyone interested the original card was an 'Emily Button' one from M&S.

 

 

 

I've just added a few different elements such as ric rac, ribbon and buttons to the fussy cut recycled card off-cuts and I've faux stitched the papers and layered with kraft card to accentuate the homespun recycled look.  The Happy Birthday sentiment stamp is from a Kanban set and the Thank You one is from Papermania Chronology.

 

 

I hope you are all well and I'm looking forward to catching up with all your blog posts soon.

 

Shona xx

Lucky Black Cats

Hi there,

Well that's the end of a very busy working week.  Things are so hectic at the moment that I don't have much energy left for crafting of an evening.  I do however dip in and out of my ever growing stash of craft magazines for inspiration and hopefully I will manage to find time to make one or two cards over the weekend with any luck.

It was while browsing through an old Papercraft Inspirations magazine I got the idea for tonight's card which I made for my friend and fellow crafter Fiona's birthday earlier this week.  The layout and template are both from the magazine and I thought it would be perfect for cat lover Fiona.

The patterned paper is My Mind's Eye Quite Contrary and I've added faux stitching and whiskers with a Micron pen.  The sentiment is a rub-on from Kaisercraft and my very simple card is finished with a ribbon bow and gems, all from Papermania.

I hope you have a fantastic weekend whatever you have planned.

Shona xx